Conquered (Koumei X Fem!Reader)

Nightmare

You sighed, leaning against the wall of the carriage. It was the middle of the night, and you had been kept awake by your thoughts. Normally, you'd be able to fall asleep pretty easily, even if nightmares were flashing against the back of your head. But now your thoughts were running non-stop, and you didn't know if you could go to sleep even if they slowed.

Giving a small huff, you looked up into the night sky. The stars glittered coldly against the navy blue depths, but they were your only company at the moment. The Royals were in carriages of their own, and you dared not disturb them. After all, they were probably as tired as you were. You sighed, knowing that you and the three princes were headed towards Balbaad and that Kougyoku and Hakuei were heading back to their respective posts. Why you were going back to Balbadd, you didn't know for sure.

But you were aware that Kouen did want to announce something to all of the metal vessel users in the Kou, and you were wondering just what that was. You sighed, looking back up at the dark sky, wondering if your friend was okay. You certainly hoped so. Perhaps you could see B/f/n while in Balbadd.

It wasn't a for sure thing, but you probably could convince the princes to allow you to see them. You sneezed. "Who's there?" A voice demanded. You froze up. "Lady Y/n? Are you awake?"

"Yes, and I'm fine. I was the one who sn-I was the one who sneezed." You responded, relaxing.

"I see. Thank you for telling me." The guard responded. You hummed. Another voice entered your hearing, but they were so quiet you could not hear what they said, or how their voice sounded. The door opened, and you looked up to see Koumei in the darkness.

"Lord Koumei?" You asked, blinking. The light was bright enough to allow you to see wet streaks down the male's cheeks, and you had to turn your head. Had he been crying?

"Lady Y/n," Koumei began, his voice little more than that of a whisper. "M-may I enjoy your company tonight?" He asked. You felt shocked. You knew that Koumei had some issues, but not so that he had to ask for a lady's company.

"Lord Koumei, what's wrong?" You asked, standing. You walked towards him, and once your hands could touch, he reached out for one, starting to shudder.

"I-I had a nightmare." He explained. "And I didn't want to bother my brothers or sisters." He continued as you looked at him. He was still crying.

"Of course you may stay." You responded, pulling him away from the cold. After settling the prince on the couch in the personal quarters, you shut the door and then sat beside him after wrapping a blanket around him. "What can I help with now, Lord?" You asked.

He continued crying, not being able to respond. You felt a little saddened by his fear. He had always seemed so strong to you. In the year you'd known each other, he had never once cried in your sights, and you had never even heard of the male crying. You took in a deep breath, starting to wipe away his tears with a handkerchief.

"Hey, it's okay, Lord Koumei." You comforted. "I'm going to help you." You continued, feeling the words catch in your throat. How am I supposed to help him? You wondered. "Lord, what's wrong?"

Koumei took a deep, shuddering breath. "The night-The nightmare was about the others dying. I couldn't do-I can't do anything about it." Koumei brought his feet up, clutching his long, red-purple locks of hair. "How-How can I save them, Y/n? How can I save you from such- from this catastrophe?" He asked, beginning to sob. You closed the curtains, making it more private, and then turned on a lantern in the room.

"Lord Koumei, what do you mean?" You asked, setting the lantern down on the table beside the two of you. "We won't die. We are strong enough to take care of ourselves. And even if we do need your assistance, you are the Kou's best tactician. I'm sure that you will be able to help us." You told him, grasping one of his hands, and bringing it to your chest.

His face was in quite the disarray, with dark circles under his eyes, and clean streaks down his face, where he cried. The tears had caught wisps of his hair, which clung to his face as he clutched his legs close to his chest. He brought his face down, ashamed that you saw him like this. It made your beating heartache, knowing that though he had felt the need to go to you, he didn't want to show you the full extent this nightmare had upon him.

"Shh, Shh. I don't care about what you look like right now, Lord. I care that you are crying, and how I may help you." You informed, edging closer to him. He withdrew the hand that you held, hugging himself. But he did pause, looking up at you, and you smiled comfortingly.

"Please, just stay with me." He requested.

"Of course, Lord." You responded, pulling closer to him, and wrapping the blanket around him once again. You watched him as he cried until you could not take the ache against your chest any longer. "Lord Koumei." You spoke to him. "Please look at me."

He did, his face glittering with tears. You pushed his legs downwards, putting your face in front of his so that he could not scrunch back up. "Please, describe this nightmare in detail." He took a deep breath.

"Okay... Um... We were at Kou Palace. I was walking in the hallway when I heard screaming coming from the direction of your room. I went towards it when my brothers accompanied me. Together, we opened the door to your room... To see it in a frozen sheet of ice. Everything, everyone... And you were nowhere to be seen. Shortly after that, we sent out search parties. During the second night of your di-disappearance, Hakuryuu got attacked as well." Koumei's breath hitched.

"And so Kouen and Kouha went to see if he was all right. But they couldn't fin-they couldn't find him anywhere. His room was just like yours, frozen in ice. Th-this occurred until I was the only one left." Koumei looked up, his pink-rose eyes glittering in fear. "A-and then I saw a person. They had (B/f/n's description), and a pirate sword. When I asked who he was, the person laughed and shot ice at me, using their sword. It- it was a magic tool." He went on.

"It was just a dream, Koumei. That's all it was. A very bad dream." You told him, grasping his cheek. "I promise." Your thumb went over his acne-scarred face, and he grasped your hand, leaning into it. He continued to shiver.

"The worst part was... everyone was gone. Not even a slave. I was the only one left, Y/n. It felt so real..." He continued. He shivered violently, cold to the core. His cheeks were pale with fear, and he did feel cold.

"Hush, shh. Shhhh. It's okay, Koumei. Let's get you warmed up, okay? You're so cold... How long have you been outside?" You asked. Now that you thought of it, the cold season was beginning to set in, and it was ridiculously cold out tonight.

"I don't know... m-maybe thirty minutes? An hour?" Koumei responded. You squeaked in shock.

"Good Rukh, an hour?! Koumei, no wonder you're freezing! Goodness, child!" You scolded, pulling the blanket more tightly around him. "Come on, you should know better!" You continued, rubbing his arms worriedly. "It's hasn't even been that long of a night!"

"Thanks, Y/n" Koumei whispered, leaning against you. You huffed, getting more comfortable, laying across the couch, with him in your arms.

"Idiot.... You should've come straight here if you were going to." You murmured softly. He just laid there, his arms holding your chest. The two of you shared warmth, falling asleep against each other. You blew out the lantern, seeing Koumei smile in gratefulness as the light dimmed out.