ON HOLD [] Hearts of gold [] Hunter TOH x Reader

Chapter 7 - Y/N's pov

 We arrived in front of the castle, where there were two scouts guarding the entrance. They watched as I helped Hunter off the staff and walked him inside. I heard them whispering behind me, presumably wondering what happened.

"I'll take you to someone who knows healing magic, then I'll report this to the emperor" I said as we walked

"I'm sorry" Hunter blurted, sounding genuinely upset

I stopped walking and looked at him for a moment "You're really blaming yourself for this?" I say, tilting my head "It was an accident, you remember the time I fell off my staff at the beginning of training..."

"Yes, but you were new to the concept, and fell on the ground, not into the boiling sea!" he continued, tears edging his eyes "I should have been more focused, and I caused you so much worry! I'm really not worthy of my position."

Not knowing what to do, I hugged him "You're fine. You're balancing way to much on yourself, take tomorrow off. None of this is your fault." I spoke in a quiet, gentle voice

Without saying anything else I helped him to the scout room. I spoke with a few scouts until I came across one who was skilled in healing magic and told them what happened. With one last nod to Hunter I left the room, heading for the throne room, deep dread rising in the pit of my stomach. And not the happy fluttering feeling I'd felt when I'd hugged Hunter, something different, something that made me feel sick. All to soon I was standing in front of the throne room doors, they towered over me, I could feel my pulse in the tips of my ears, as I knocked on the door.

"Emperor Belos?" I say "I have a report from today's missions."

Silence.

I knocked on the door again, putting my mask to the side, revealing my face so that perhaps my voice would be heard better.

"Sir?" I call out

Nothing.

Slowly I open the door. It creaks open, breaking the silence. I stopped dead at what I saw. A tall green creature with a stiff bone structure. The creature had towering antler-like things that matched the emperors mask. It was covered in these blue eyes, all over it. The creature was turned away from the door, toward the beating heart behind the emperor's throne. I started shaking. What was this thing? Where was Belos?

The creature started to move to turn towards me, I ran from the room, faster than I ever had, tears streaming from my eyes. I can't have been noticed, something about the creature seemed familiar, whatever it was I was terrified. I wasn't watching where I was going, and ran straight into someone, landing on the ground. I glanced to who it was.

"Hunter?" I said, my surprise clear in my voice "W-What are you doing out here, you're supposed to be resting!"

I noticed a fresh scar on his cheek, residual of his burns.

He held out a hand to help me up "Eldeen was helpful, I'm much better now." He smiled

I presumed that Eldeen was the witch who I'd handed him over to. I took his hand and stood up, forgetting that my tear-stained face wasn't hidden by a mask.

The smile faded from his face. "Whats wrong? What happened with the Emperor? Was he mad?"

How was I meant to tell him about the creature, the monster?

"I can tell you've been crying..." he kept trying to get an answer he paused "Is it me? Are you disappointed that I fell?"

I put my hands on his shoulders, staring into his magenta eyes, they shined with fear, and guilt, almost something deeper than wondering what had upset me.

"I'm not upset with you" I began "You're an excellent and quick learner, the only thing that upsets me is you constantly blaming yourself for things, perhaps the Titan itself, intended to happen. You've done nothing wrong."
"I...." he paused, like he was thinking of what to say "Thank you Y/N" I could tell that somewhere deep inside of him, he wanted to say more, but something stopped him, and he turned, re-entering the scout room and leaving me alone with my thoughts and wonderings in the corridor.

I trudged down the hall to my room, letting myself in with a key kept in my pocket. I locked the door behind me, and switched from my uniform to my undershirt and shorts used as pajamas. I sat down on my bed, holding my gleaming mask in my hands before setting it down on my bedside table, and flopping onto my pillow. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before sleep took me.

I dreamed that night. It began with the Emperor, but his hands were green, like the monster, and shaped almost like knives. They slashed at me, before he morphed into the creature itself. Hunter walked in front of the monster, I thought he was going to protect me from it, but then I noticed a detail. He was wearing my uniform, that of the Golden Guard. He pulled the golden mask over his face and pointed a staff towards me. Not any staff, my staff. Red bolts sprang from the tip of it, moments before they collided with me, I flew up in bed, awaking from the dream.

I was covered in a cold sweat, but something about the dream seemed weird.

Familiar almost. Strange.