Colonel Brandon x reader

Chapter 5

You decided to walk out to the lake the next day. It was frozen and you had brought your skates to practise on the ice. You enjoyed ice skating, only being able to do it in winter, you jumped at the chance to do it again You put them on and tested the ice. Happy with the ice's condition you start to skate around, enjoying the cool wind on your face and the sounds the skates made on the ice.

You soon became so encapsulated with the skating,  not noticing the colonel watching you across the lake. He had a dog with him and a shotgun slung across his shoulder. He had been out shooting and came across you. He sat on the cold ground and watched you going round and round the lake, the dog at his feet.

Suddenly you heard a crack. You look down and icy water envelops you.

You scream and smack your head against the ice. You fell into the cold water, being sucked down into the darkness. You feel yourself going limp, your lungs screamed for air. Suddenly you felt arms around you and yourself being pulled out of the water. You splutter and cough as you are pulled onto the grass. Your eyes were wiped of water and you opened your eyes. You saw the concerned face of the Colonel staring down at you

"Oh (y/n)" he whispered, he propped your head up and stroked your hair. "Your frozen" The dog came over the sat down next to you. It was a black labrador and snuggled into you.

"Colonel" you mumbled in surprise. 

"I need to get you to somewhere warm," he said. 

"I am fine" you whispered and tried to get up but fell back again, your teeth chattered and your skin went further white.

"My manor is closer," he said. "Please let me take you there"

You nodded and the colonel took you into his arms he walks you back to his Manor. You were laid on a couch next to the fire. Dogs came over, confused of who you were. You were shivering still and were still in your wet clothes. Quickly the colonel got some clean clothes and took your face.

"You need to get changed (y/n) you are soaked to the bone"

You nodded, still very hazy and he left the room. Frozen cold you changed into the warm clothes. You put the wet ones next to the fire and settled back down on the couch.

You heard a knock and the colonel came back in with tea.

"here darling," he said, putting the tea next to you. "Drink it and you will feel better"

He put a blanket over you and tucked you in. "I'll read to you if you wish." he said. Sitting down on the floor in front of you he took a book from the counter.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

"It was you" you said. "You sent the letter"

The colonel smiled slightly. "Yes" he said, stroking your hair. "Did you like the book?"

"Very much" you said, "It was very beautiful". You were warming up now but still shivered slightly. He put the back of his hand on your head and frowned.

"You are burning up" he cooed. He wrung a servant and ordered for more blankets and for the couch toward the fire.

He looked at you with worry filling his eyes. He put his hand to your cheek and stroked it gently. "try to sleep" he said. "I'll carry on reading to you okay?"

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and had nothing to do" he read "once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading but it had no pictures or conversations in it" he smiled as you had fallen asleep.

"Goodnight precious" he whispered and kissed your head. He sat down on a seat and watched you sleep before sleeping himself.