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

Chapter 16 - Y/N's pov

((A/N - For the next few chapters, the povs are just gonna be scattered for purposes of ✨drama✨, also tw for violence))

I woke up in the room in the owl house. So it wasn't a dream. I flopped out of the bed, and instantly wondered what Hunter was doing, how he was feeling. Somebody knocked on my door.

"What do you waaaaaaaaaaant" I groaned

Eda opened the door, looking pissed, she threw me the scroll "That Hunter kid has been texting and calling you nonstop. I will find out if you tell him where you are, just shut him up"

She shut the door and locked it again. I opened my scroll which had an ungodly amount of missed calls and dms. I opened our dm log.

RULERZREACHF4N : y/N? aR3 yOuu cOmInGG bAck sOOn????/??//

RULERZREACHF4N : y/N????????///////////????????????//

RULERZREACHF4N : tHe EMPEroRR iSS lOOkInG foR yOU

RULERZREACHF4N : hE saYs tHaT iFf yOuU aReN,t bAck bY d@ybr3Ak he'lL d3cLaRe yOU dEaD

RULERZREACHF4N : tHeNN i,LL bE gOldEEn gUarD

RULERZREACHF4N : y/N!!!!!!!!!11111111!!!!!!! aRe YoU aLRIght??//???

The messages went on and on, but the most recent caught my attention.

RULERZREACHF4N : tHe EMPEroRR saYs hE3,s maKinGG m3 gOLLden GuaRD aT nO0n

I checked the time. 11:43. Sorry Hunter, but I'll be there soon. I just can't message you right now. I turned and pounded on the door.

"PLEASE!" I screamed "LET ME OUT! THEY'RE GOING TO REPLACE ME! PLEASE!"

Luz opened the door, mixed emotions sat on her face.

"Golden Guard..........I...................." she began

"My name is Y/N. But please let me go!" I pleaded

She looked down, P/N flew onto my shoulder. She stepped out of the doorway and I made a break for it, down the stairs, and threw the (thankfully unlocked) door open. And began to run, P/N on my shoulder. I ran through the woods that surrounded the owl house, and into bonesborough. I was out of uniform, but I still hoped I wouldn't be recognized. Suddenly I ran into somebody, I was knocked backward, to the ground.

I looked up at the cloaked figure, annoyed "Watch where you're-"

My breath caught in my throat. That figure.....that was Theo.

"Oh hello, golden guard" Theo said, smiling menacingly

"Nonononono" I sprang to my feet "Not now- not now-"

I tried to cast a spell circle but it crumbled. Eda's spell! I was powerless, P/N couldn't even turn into a staff. There was an alleyway just behind me and Theo began to walk forward. There was no way out. Would I die here?

Theo smiled "I think I'll be getting revenge right about now"

He sent a fist flying at my face, hitting my nose. I fell on the ground, but he picked me up by the collar of my shirt.

"Don't do this.........the coven will have your head!" I said

"Oh I doubt that, don't think I don't have my links" Theo chuckled, and slammed me against a wall. I knocked my head, and fell again. He then took a knife out of his pocket, picked me up by my shirt collar again, and slashed my cheek, my nose was bleeding from the punch he'd sent to it, and now blood ran from my cheek too. He then brought the knife through my other eye, the non-injured one. The safe one. I was blinded with blood dripping from the wound, I couldn't see anything. But I felt the cold metal of the knife against my throat. There was nowhere to run. This was the end.

"HEY!" someone shouted from the entrance to the alleyway.

Theo let me drop to the ground, a bloody mess. And......I'd know that voice anywhere. Hunter was here!

"What are you doing with her?" Hunter asked, I'd never heard him talk like that before, he seemed like he was genuinely enraged, like he was ready to fight a war.

"Only returning the favor" Theo chuckled "So now you rescue her? You two interrupt my plans an awful lot. And would you look at that, you finally got the promotion? Have you told her yet? That you knew all along?"

My breath caught in my throat. He'd known? No, Theo had to be lying. I heard a crash.

"Don't come near us ever again" Hunter said

I heard footsteps leaving, then I felt someone pick me up. I wiped the blood from my newly injured eye, which luckily hadn't been blinded to see Hunter carrying me.

I had to know "What Theo said..........was it true?"

He stopped walking "This isn't the place to....."
"NO." I said "I need to know."

He sighed "It was true. I've known all along."

I struggled out of his arms and stumbled to my feet. My heart was pounding in my chest. I could feel my pulse beat in my head. "Why did you lie?" I asked, tears edging my eyes.

"Y/N you're injured, let me help you-" Hunter said, but was cut off by me

"TELL. ME. WHY. YOU. LIED." I was more insistent, I tried to cast a spell circle but it crumbled again. Damnit. My breathing felt weird, I was so.........tired. My wounds ached so much more.

"I-" The world started to spin around me, I felt myself falling to the ground, I heard Hunter call out my name, it was so muffled. Then everything was dark.

~~~~~~~~~time skippity skip~~~~~~~~~

I woke up in a bed, my bed actually. But that didn't make sense. Hunter was golden guard now, why was I here? P/N landed on me and started chirping. I sat up and put a hand to my aching head. I looked around the room, nothing had changed but......Hunter was leaning against the wall, asleep. Part of me ached to go lean on him, and let everything go back to the way it was before I knew the truth. Before he lied. I really wanted to go sit by him, feel the warmth of him against me but I just couldn't. P/N flew over to him and yanked a strand of his loose hair. He sprung awake and brushed P/N away, then turned to me. I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes.

"Y/N................I...............I'll tell you the truth." Hunter said. I noticed a new scar, just above his eye. Weird.

"Well then spill it." I said, my tone was icy, I really didn't want to talk to him like this, but it had to be done. He'd lied. He knew how much this meant to me, and he still lied.

"Ever since I was young I'd been told that one day I would be Golden Guard, because I was the emperor's nephew. I would take the throne if anything were to happen to the emperor. I grew up knowing that there was nothing I could do to interrupt that path, and, hell, I didn't have anything against it. After I finished my initial training I started with Theo. Then I met you. The real reason Theo got mad at me was because I said I wasn't sure about replacing you. When Belos revealed everything you seemed so vulnerable and sad. I didn't want to make things any worse..........and so I didn't tell you that I knew." He finished, fidgeting with his hands.

"I.......I understand." I said, I still couldn't meet his eyes.

He brightened a bit "And after some convincing, the emperor said you can come with me on missions and-"

I tried to change the subject "So.........are my wounds alright?"

He nodded "But you've got a curse on you, it can only be reversed by the one who cast it. Do you have any idea about that?"

I tried casting a spell circle, which crumbled before me "I was taken captive by the owl lady after eclipse lake. She took my magic, and also cursed P/N to not be able to turn into a staff. That's why I failed so miserably when Theo attacked me."
Hunter nodded "We could pay them a visit then, but we have a mission later. Maybe after."

"Sure" I said. I wanted nothing more than to just be near Hunter, and cry my troubles away, but that wasn't how things worked. He'd lied. I was a scout. Nothing was right. 

((A/N - NEXT CHAPTER IS THE FIRST OF THE THREE HOLLOW MIND CHAPTERSSSS TIME FOR THE ANGSTTT, yes folks, angst worse than this chapter))