Ethereal ◆ Shoto Todoroki x Reader

18 | The City of Ash

"Hold on tight, Love," Shoto whispers, and you wrap your arms around his waist, "we're not losing."

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The wind flows through your hair, and you breathe in the fresh noon air, arms wrapped around the prince. 

What could be more perfect?

Oh, yeah, nothing.

Shoto speeds up, passing Takahashi's horse, taking the lead. You wave to your guard, sticking your tongue out at him. He laughs.

"Oh my goodness, Shoto," you laugh, "who knew you liked stuff like this?"

"Normally," Shoto says, hands gripping the reins, "it would be a peaceful ride, but he had to challenge me."

"Look who's talking," Takahashi says from beside you two. His horse is going full speed to catch up with your larger one. "Good old Mary here knows what she's doing," The guard states, confiding in the speed of his horse.

Suddenly, a foul smell fills your nose, like-?

The horses halt, hooves kicking up dust and dirt. Shoto is quiet and he looks straight ahead. 

"There it is," you hear Takahashi say, "The City of Ash, Moyasu"

The city, or whats left of it, is black and charred, the only thing left of most buildings a stone foundation. People wander aimlessly, picking through the rubble, searching for anything that survived. Everyone's faces are glazed in sadness, and some in fear at the sight of Shoto. People glance at him, then quickly look away. 

The sky is dark, matching the gloominess of the wandering commoners, and making you realize how many homes were lost. 

A whole village.

The Todoroki Kingdom is large, perhaps the largest of all the kingdoms, but the loss of Moyasu has been a fatal blow to the King's reputation. Some even say the King hired someone to burn the village, just to increase his power.

Things have not been going well.

Maybe the king is right, you think, maybe a wedding is just what this kingdom needs.

Even if the king is a tyrant and a horrible father, he sure knows how to hide that fact. A wedding is a great idea, although you hate to admit it.

But what if you and Shoto actually went through with 'the plan'? What if you 'cheated' on Shoto? How would the kingdom react? 

You haven't really been thinking about the plan that much, especially with everything that's been going on. And maybe you like staying with Shoto...?

It's a crazy thought. Who knew you would like leaving your kingdom, leaving your heritage, your family. Everything you've ever known. 

But that's not what matters right now.  Moyasu, this kingdom, these people, they need your help.

So what can you do? 

"Shoto," you turn to him, "what are your wedding ceremonies like?"

He climbs off the horse, looking surprised at your question, but helping you down. 

"I'm not sure. I've never been to one," he mumbles, his hand still lingering on yours, eyes drawn to the wreckage of Moyasu. 

"They're quiet," Takahashi butts in, voice soft, nostalgic, even; "not what you'd expect. The most important weddings take place in the fall. That's probably why the King wants yours to happen soon."

You nod, taking a note of it in your mind, but turning to other things. "Why are we here, Shoto?"

He gestures with his hand, moving towards the village. He darts his eyes between the people searching the rubble. 

A small girl, covered in ashes, is shifting through what used to be a house. It's now destroyed. Shoto kneels down beside her, tapping her shoulder. 

She looks at him, her big blue eyes piercing his. She doesn't seem to recognize him. 

You stand behind the two, next to Takahashi, looking at him nervously. 

"Whaddya want, mister?" She says coldly, her voice sort of shaking. Shoto smiles sweetly.

He pulls two gold coins out of his pocket, worth ten dollariums each. Her face lights up, but she looks confused. 

"I asked you a question, mister," she states, clutching the coins, as if Shoto might take them away, "Whaddya want?"

The girl obviously comes from a rough background; either her home was burned down in the fire or she's an outsider come to search for anything salvageable. Her clothes are covered in ashes from who knows how long she's been shifting through the dead village, and her hair is matted and stringy.

"I want to help," Shoto mumbles, getting up, and looking around again. The girl looks surprised, then her gaze shifts to Takahashi in his uniform.

"Woah!" She hums. "Are you from the palace?"

Takahashi nods, smiling. "Sir Takahashi, personal gaurd of the princess, at your service."

You smile as the girl stares in awe at his uniform. "What's your quirk?" She urges.

It's strange how she mentions his quirk. You never really think of them anymore, on the account you never use yours. You might as well be quirkless. 

"Well, it's complicated," Takahashi muses, "I have a heat-related quirk, really similar to the royal family's."

Heat related? Now that you think about it, you don't know much about the gaurd. He's outgoing and quirky, but does he have a family? A lover?

"So cool!" The girl giggles, completely forgetting about the prince who gifted her money. "I always wanted to be a gaurd, y'know!"

"What's your name?" Takahashi asks, patting her head as she grins.

"Yua!"

"Well, Madame Yua, I'm sure the princess here wouldn't mind knighting you."

The little girl turns to you, joy sparking in her blue eyes. She kneels, shaking with excitement.

You tap her shoulders, talking as you do so: "Madame Yua of Moyasu, because of your great enthusiasm and fearlessness, I, Princess Mizuki, knight you Dame Yua of the Todoroki Kingdom."

She stands up and hugs you, her arms barely reaching above your waist. Takahashi smiles, and you see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

You look around at the village, or what remains. People look discouraged, anxious. They search for something. Anything. 

They avoid the prince.

And that's when you decide...

...you will  help this broken kingdom. Somehow.

That's your job, isn't it?

To be a good queen. And a good queen wouldn't ignore the desperation in her people's eyes.