The Dragon I Loved; A Sting x Reader Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty Five

Your P.O.V.

My consciousness returns all at once. A sharp ringing in my ears starts to fade before I even realize it's there. My right hand is encased in someone else's. The darkness of my closed eyes is pierced by light as I peel them open.

Thin clouds stretch across the ruins of the village, and small rays of sun peek between them. My hearing has almost fully returned now, and chatter is prominent. One voice is above them all though, authority strong in his bark.

I turn my head slightly and a head of spiky blond hair appears in my view. Sting is faced away from me, talking to someone over his shoulder. His left hand is tightly holding my right. Someone yells something unintelligible, and the dragon slayer's head whips around. His eyes meet mine, and the worry etched onto his face fades.

"(Y/N)! You're ok!" My boyfriend throws himself onto my stomach.

"Ah, Sting, watch the back."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's fine," I say with a smile. My hands go back behind me to push off the ground, but I can't find the strength to sit up, and flop back down to the grass with a huff.

"You're gonna wanna take it easy for a while, you were scratched up pretty bad. Yukino had to wrap you like a mummy." Right on cue, Yukino runs over, the three exceeds trailing behind her.

Rami doesn't even say anything, just flies head on into my chest. I hug her tight as I can. Only now do I become aware of my surroundings.

There are Council guards everywhere. Lacrimas are on, where higher ranking members receive information about the scene from the ones that are present. A man wearing a cloak that displays his authority strides through the crowd, making a beeline for me.

"(Y/N) (L/N), in the flesh. You've been the center of gossip at the Council for weeks now." The man folds his arms over his waist and looks me up and down. Sting stands up, obviously riled.

"Look, pal. She needs to rest, so give it a break." He growls. I sigh in exasperation and open my mouth to apologize for his actions, but the man cuts me off.

"Well she's not the only one. We have a whole guild here that needs medical attention." The commander picks at his nails, trying to distract himself from the nuisance of coming all the way out here. I guess he caught my confused expression, so he elaborates: "The dark guild Black Star–which we only have one mention of in records–has been uncovered, and the members are dazed, but quite visibly alive."

Black Star...that name sounds so familiar. Then, it hits me. It's the guild from the recordings. My mother said her and my father were in a guild called Black Star.

"That doesn't make any sense..." I mumble and rub my head, attempting to convince my pounding headache to disperse. "Mom wouldn't be in a dark guild." Rami takes this as her que to leave and trails behind Yukino and the other exceeds as they make their way back to the crowd.

"I'm not sure many things would make sense to you right now, considering your current condition. Nonetheless, if my men find any evidence of what business your mother had with this band of criminals, you'll be the first to know." The captain says, a twinge of kindness in his tone.

"Thank you." I smile politely. With a toss of his cape, he strides back to his team. Sting and I are silent for a minute. "Wait, where's Xander?" Concern for my brother gives me the energy I need to sit up, and I being scanning my immediate surroundings for the familiar head of red hair.

"Hey, hey, hey, relax. He's inside receiving medical attention. He was beat up more than any of us." Now with a clearer mind, I notice that Sting is covered in scratches and bruises. He has a blood stain the size of a fist on his jacket and a long gash on the side of his neck. It seems to have scabbed over, but it must've hurt.

"Is he okay? I tried to help him, he looked like he was having a seizure or something, but I..." My rambles trail off into nothing as only one thought consumes my mind. Why would my mother be in a dark guild? "Where's Amaren?"

"Who?"

"The guy we–you–fought. Where is he?" By now, my legs feel a little less like jelly and I push myself off the ground and come to stand. Sting stands with me.

"Magic council took him away. Said he was going to a temporary holding center for questioning or something." Sting eyes me suspiciously. "Why? You're not going to see him are you?"

"Well, yeah. He's the only lead on why the heck my mom would've been in that dark guild." I search the crowd for any sign of a prisoner transport cart. None in sight. "Damn, I guess I missed him."

"...I'll let you go, but I'm coming with you. I trust the council about as much as I trust him, so there's no way you're going alone." His hand squeezes my shoulder a little.

"Deal. Go grab everyone else, let them know we're leaving. If they want to come, they're welcome to. The sooner we leave the better." I pull a piece of cloth from my pocket and throw my hair up in a ponytail. Strands of it are stuck to cuts on my face and I wince slightly at pulling them out. Sting is just staring at me, a grin pulling at his cheeks. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just hot." Sting doesn't drop his grin as he jogs into the crowd to find the rest of the group.

Flustered, the heat creeps past my ears into my face. I merely shake my head and turn to the cathedral to go see my brother.