Inception (Ateez Ot8 x Reader)

Chapter 2

I hurried inside with the laundry after spotting the dragon flying above. While I wasn't entirely sure which family was in Tregeron right now, I also knew it wasn't any of my business. My parents warned me from a young age to keep to myself for that was the only way to make sure I stayed safe. It was too easy to get wrapped up into trouble when it came to the eight royal families. Too easy to offend someone in a high-ranked position. My father was one of those unfortunate souls that crossed the wrong group of men. It was no secret that many thieves and thugs participated in slave trading between the eight kingdoms. The money involved in the business was plentiful enough to outweigh the consequences of being involved with them.

My father was a soldier for the kingdom of Nirian who sought to expose the underground trafficking systems and paid for it with his life. After his death, those same men came after me and my mother too. Knowing the only way to survive was to flee, mother enlisted the help of one of father's closest comrades in the guard and the two of us fled to Tregeron to outrun our assassins. The escape attempt seemed to be successful as mother and I had been living in Tregeron for several months now with no sign of trouble. Through the window, I could see the streets bustling with activity. Most likely from the news of the victory of Merene against the northerners. The townspeople littered the streets shouting in mirth and dancing in celebration of another threat thwarted.

It was one of the few things many people had to celebrate it seemed. The last few years had been rough on everyone with the change in power between the kingdoms and the increasing attacks from foreign enemies. Although according to history books, wars always broke out in the event of crowning new kings. It was almost as if it was a power play to see if the new person on the throne was as capable as the last. I backed away from the festivities to see mother slaving away in the kitchen. She always made a large feast for news of victory from the front lines. It was a habit she picked up when father was still here. An excuse to make sure he had plenty to eat when he came home.

While the memory of his death was still painful. Between the two of us, mother was worse off. After arriving safely in Tregeron, she closed herself away in her room for days refusing to eat or drink. She wouldn't talk to me and at night I laid awake listening to her sobs and cries for her husband. It was during those nights that I swore to keep it together for her sake. I would shed a tear now and then, but I couldn't let her see me break down. It was my responsibility to be strong for the two of us. That was also why I never questioned her in moments like these. Whether she did it for the sake of habit or as a distraction, I never questioned her.

"Y/N, I don't have any bread to serve with dinner tonight. Would you mind running to the market to get some?" mother asked quietly.

Even though I knew we had bread in the pantry, the look on her face made my heart ache. Rather than actually needing more bread, she wanted to be alone and looked mere minutes from breaking down. Although it wouldn't have been the first time for me to see her like that, she hated showing weakness in front of me. She beats herself up inside for not being a stronger woman. One who was able to keep it together for her daughter. I turned away from her to pick up my worn boots and cloak.

"Sure! I'll pick up some pastries while I'm out too." I tried to keep a smile on my face so she wouldn't figure out that I was just as worried about her.

Slipping both shoes on and tying the cloak over my shoulders, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and walked out the door. Trying to keep my emotions from getting the better of me, I gazed around the town in awe at all the colorful lamps and decorations lining the streets of Tregeron. People were in high spirits, laughing and mingling from booth to booth as street merchants attempted to sell their wares from the kingdoms. The items from the other kingdoms always fascinated me, but I couldn't afford most of them. It never hurt to look though. I slowly made my way through the streets, the joyous atmosphere rubbing off on me as I looked through the trinkets laid out on merchant tables. It was a familiar sight seeing the merchants call people to their booths to show off their treasures and every once in a while you'd hear merchants from other kingdoms attempt to outsell the one next to him claiming his inventory was better.

Tregeron was a central trade center and most of what was sold here came from merchants of their respective kingdoms. It wasn't hard to pinpoint which merchant came from which kingdom as they usually had the flag displayed at their booth or the range of items they were attempting to sell was unique to a particular country. Nirian items were pretty rare and since it reminded me of my hometown, I especially liked looking at their stuff. I stopped at a table belonging to a merchant selling items from Serith when a loud shriek caught my attention. I jerked my head up to see a woman on her knees in front of a group of large, burly men who sneered at her as a few townspeople next to her attempted to help her up. Judging by the looks of the men, they weren't town officials and didn't look to be part of any guard belonging to any kingdom.

Thugs then. I sighed internally as I watched them walk past the woman.

The crowd parted for them quickly as they advanced. A few of them would stop and browse the stands before snatching anything that caught their eye. Laughing darkly when merchants would attempt to collect payment for their stolen items. It wasn't until they were almost right next to me that I noticed the brooches on their jackets. Two intertwined snakes. Flashes of father telling me that the snakes symbolized the trafficker's organization played across my mind. The same organization that killed him and the same group of people that were after me and mother.

I attempted to slink through the crowd back the way I came except that I bumped into another man also trying to move out of the way. The impact slid the hood off my head letting my auburn curls tumble down my back. I hurriedly tried to pull the hood back up, but I was too late.

"Hey!" one of them shouted.

I turned, heart pounding, to see one of them start shoving his way through the crowd, eyes focused on me. Not willing to let today be the day I'm caught; I began running through the crowd. Maneuvering my way through the packed streets. I was fast, but the men were gaining on me quickly as people scurried out of their path. My breath was coming out in harsh pants as I scanned the streets for somewhere to hide. Seeing an alley come up to my left, I pushed through the people, sprinting for it. I broke out of the crowd and ran through the alley hoping there would be enough people on the other side for me to get lost in and hopefully find a safer place to camp out until they give up.

I burst into another crowded street, fleeing towards the rows of street vendors. People shot me dirty looks as I ran by them, but I didn't have enough time to apologize. Hiding could mean the difference between life and death, and I had a feeling the men chasing me would opt for the latter. There was a small alcove behind one of the merchant shops that I ducked into without much thought. I hid behind one of the walls trying to catch my breath. Peeking around the corner, I could see the group of men scanning through the masses of people, occasionally snagging a woman thinking it was me before releasing them.

I pulled away from the edge of the wall searching for somewhere to hide before they got any closer. A door to my left caught my eye as I ran to it praying it would be unlocked. The heavens must have been on my side today as it opened, and I slinked inside before slamming it shut behind me. I slid the lock in place before backing away from it finally letting myself take a breath of relief. It didn't last long though as the next second I yelped as someone grabbed hold of my cloak yanking me backwards. I struggled momentarily before someone shoved me into the wall, pinning me there.

"Who are you?"

The voice was a low growl and menacing. Fear shot through me like I had been touched with a red-hot poker. I lifted my head meeting a pair of eyes so dark they might as well have been black. His gaze roamed my features, eyebrows pinched together, and mouth pulled into a frown. He was incredibly handsome and if I weren't so terrified, I probably would have appreciated him a bit more. His hand wrapped around my upper arm dragging me from the wall deeper into the room. I stumbled beside him feeling my legs ready to give out underneath me. He pushed me into a seat at a large table and I practically melted into it I was so scared. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could hear the blood rushing through my ears.