Dragon's Blood- Obi x OC // Akagami No Shirayukihime

Chapter 3- I'm Homeee?

Wistal Castle was not as quiet as I had hoped. Upon my return, after trekking through the damp grounds of the forest for nearly half an hour, I witnessed the guards bustling in the gardens and running frantically, as archers were posted on top of the castle walls, looking eagerly in all directions. Multiple possibilities raced through my mind. Was there an attack? Are Izana and Zen okay? But the worst scenario kept haunting me: what if this commotion was all because of me? In that case, Izana would surely have my head, if not put me on intense lockdown for countless weeks. I've snuck out of the castle before, but I've only been caught once, and the scene looked no less like what was occurring before me right now.

So, instead of making myself known, I did the only thing I could possibly try to do in a situation such as this. I tried to sneak back in. Much like a teenager trying to evade angry parents after a drunken night out, I decided to try my luck at the back door to the castle. Pulling my signature navy hood taut around my face, I tip toed stealthily around the outskirts of the forest, still hiding behind the first few layers of trees and brush. I grimaced every few steps as my ankle throbbed a bit in pain, reaching down to check on it every once in a while. As I spotted an opening in the gaurds' position, a clear beeline for one of the castle's many side entrances, a voice startled me, from a direction I could not easily determine. Shit.

"Going somewhere, princess?" It was Obi. The assassin messenger to my younger brother. Of course. I rolled my eyes. A nocturnal cat always lurks in the trees, waiting to pounce on young, adorable and innocent brunette princesses like me. Typical.

"Returning, actually." I state, my voice as calm as possible, but a tad hoarse from running around much of the evening. I don't even bother looking up at him as I respond. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd love to make it back to my quarters. It's kind of late, don't you think?" I tried to rush away without much confrontation, but it was Obi- confrontation was his main source of entertainment.

"It's well past late, princess." He dropped down from his perch in the branch above me, landing crouched a few feet to my right. He straightened his legs after he stabilized himself on the ground, then arched his back in a slight stretch, cracking some joints in the process. "All of Wistal has their eyes out for you. You should allow me to escort you to your brothers, I'm sure they'd love to hear where you've been. I'm certainly curious." He winked.

After about thirty seconds of me standing idly, eyes narrowed in both boredom and disbelief, my body aching all over from exhaustion, Obi again looked in my direction. He sighed, combing his hand through the front of his black hair. "Look, princess. Izana scares me too- hell, I'd be terrified if I was in your position. You snuck out of the castle. Do you realize how worried everyone was? I know you don't want to deal with them right now, but if you just come with me, I'm sure master will —"

"I'll go."

"You'll go?" He questioned, uncertain. His face distorted as if he couldn't believe I agreed so quickly.

I exhaled deeply. I just wanted to dive into my fur blankets, feel the softness of the pillow under my cheek, and pass out with nobody to bother me. Rosewood fibers, a few yards of fabric, was it even worth it? After this false alarm in the palace (surely, they think I've been kidnapped) I doubt I'd even be able to go to my workroom unsupervised. Would I even be able to create anything with the fabric I went through all this trouble to get? I felt a stillness in my stomach, and I decided, maybe I didn't want to. This castle, though I loved my family dearly, is upright suffocating.

"I'm not scared of my brother, Obi." I sent him a reassuring smile. I've only had this long a conversation with him a few times since he came into my brother's command, yet I felt like I could trust him, even though I knew next to nothing about him. If he's a friend of Zen's, he's a friend of mine. Well, maybe not a friend. We'll start with acquaintance. Acquaintance.

"Really, Izana could scold me all night long, and the only affect it would have on me would be to bore me to sleep. I promise. Let's go and get this over with, shall we?" I took an unsteady step in Obi's direction, towards the walls of the castle. My ankle was still throbbing in pain, but it'd be best if nobody learned of my injury. Especially my brother. Again, not trying to be on lockdown for the next few years.

"They're waiting for you in the throne room, I believe. Let me take you there. Wouldn't want anyone to sneak off again, would I? Master would have an arrow in my head for that."

We were entering the doors of the palace, walking in silence. Surrounding guards seemed to calm at the sight of me, and it was only then that I realized how much trouble I caused. Of course they'd be scared if I was missing. People are after my blood. Literally, my blood. I'd be reckless to ever forget that.

"Obi?"

"Yes, princess?"

I smiled a bit at the tone of his voice, laced with a hint of concern.

"Thank you for being the one who found me."

He snapped his head in my direction, initially looking confused. "What do you mean? It's my job. Master's orders."

"Still, I'm glad it was you. Any other guard would have dragged me back immediately, without even asking if I'm okay. So, thank you."

He broke out into a goofy smile, yellow eyes wide as we walked through the carpeted hallway. We looked at each other for a while, as we neared the door to the throne room, my heartbeat increasing, out of anxiety and something else.

"You forget, princess," smile widened with a crease of his youthful eyes. "I'm not a guard."

******
A/N:
Hey everyone, it's Sope :)
I only started this fic a month ago, and I know uploading has been slow, but I'm really excited to get this going. I have a lot of ideas, and can't wait to share them with everyone, so bear with me! I'm currently entering my senior year of college (I'm graduating college after only 3 years!!) and am taking 3 summer courses rn to keep my life on schedule. That's why I ask patience, please, if I can't upload well. My mind is full of Orgo II and Biochem rn, and this is my stress relief, but its hard to find a time for a break :)
Thank you everyone 💚💚💚