Heal the Pain (Kouen X Fem!Reader){HIATUS}

Awkward Moments

"Okay. Ready?" You asked the man in front of you, gripping his shoulder tightly. He nodded. "Alright. 3... 2..." You pushed the shoulder back in place, making him jump in pain. It flared through your own shoulder before going to a slow throb.

"You didn't say one!" The soldier exclaimed.

"Yeah, it hurts less if you have less warning." You responded, wrapping the shoulder. "Trust me- I know what I speak of. You shouldn't have fought that boar," You continued. "I don't care if you wanted to show that you deserved to be in the subjugation armies, you're wasting Grangran's and my precious supplies. It takes time to find them, you know." You scolded, fixing his bruises with your magic.

"How long do you have left?" He asked. "I mean until you go out with Prince Kouen?"

"About three weeks. I'm getting more and more nervous the closer it gets. He said that I'll be expected to pull soldiers out of the battle, too. I'm not good at physical combat.... What if I can't protect them?" You told him.

"He'll deal with that, I promise. You'll probably be given an assistant to protect you and the wounded. Besides, as a magician, you can protect others with your Animus Borg, right?"

"Yeah... I've gotten a lot better at that, I suppose." You agreed, smiling. "Thank you." You continued. "Now, don't lift anything heavier than a meal, and make sure that you don't practice your weapon play! You could upset the shoulder, and then it won't heal correctly!" You ordered.

"Yes, I'll do that." He left as Lord Kouen came into the room.

"Ah! Lord Kouen!" You gasped. He huffed.

"How's your training coming along?" The red-haired male asked.

"It's going well, I guess. But I do wish that I had more combat training...." you responded, fidgeting with the hem of your heavy cloak. You were about to go into the woods, and heard from your second and new master that it was going to rain.

"Were you going to go somewhere?"

"Yes. That young man came in just as I was about to go gather some healing supplies in the forest. I heard that it was going to rain, so I thought it best to wear a little protection."

"I see. It's pouring out there. You don't want to be caught in that, even with that horse of yours." He responded. "Why don't you spar with me instead?" The male offered.

"Spar? With you?" You chuckled. "Yeah, right. Spar with a prince who could knock me flat on my butt in two seconds. Sounds absolutely amazing."

"You have a point...." Kouen scratched his chin in embarrassment. You, feeling a bit bold, decided to tease him.

"Wow. The stoic first prince of the Kou Empire, admitting to me, a lowly healer, that I have a point when it comes to fighting! I'm so honored!" You joked.

"Shut it, or I will put you on your ass," Kouen responded in a fit of anger. "You have hung around that woman too much, it seems."
"Duh! She's my mentor?" You suggested. He chuckled to himself. "Hey! What's with that laugh?! I'm talkin' to you, ya know!"

"You're so feisty and.... Bitter. It's amusing." Kouen explained. He smiled. "I did well, choosing someone like you. You will urge the ranks to be careful and yet fight well." He muttered to himself, but his hand had reached your cheek and was caressing it gently.

You blushed heavily, feeling his... affection? No, this was more like pride- warm and simple. The hand was quickly whisked away. You looked away, trying to focus on something else, anything that would need your attention. You soon found yourself fixing one of the woven baskets.

*Kouen's P.O.V.*

I watched as Y/n fixed a woven basket, probably embarrassed by my sudden affection. I had no idea why I'd done that, but it was adorable how she reacted. Her hands smoothly bent the woven bamboo back into place. She focused solely on that, and that alone.

Perhaps she'd felt my rush of pride at hearing how well she was doing. I'd talked to GranGran just before coming to see her, and according to the elderly woman, Y/n was doing very well. She'd grasped the concepts of magic, healed quickly, comforted efficiently, and did as told with no more than a nod.

Y/n would be a good person to have on the battlefield, especially if she continued to do as well as she did. Her hands continued to fuss over the basket, pulling the bamboo tighter to make sure that it wouldn't come undone again. After she did this, she began to place herbs in the baskets.

"You're busy," I commented.

"Not really. I want to go find some herbs, but I can't do that until the rain lets up. And I also want to practice sparring, but I can't do that because no one will be patient enough to teach me." She responded, unhooking a spiny plant from the iron hooks on the shelves, used to hydrate herbs. "Horsetail, useful for the strengthening of muscles and bones. Fights toxins and eliminates them. Also helps with wound healing, skin rejuvenation, and water retention, helping inflation and arthritis." The woman listed certain benefits, sounding curious of the plant.

"I can help you with fighting," I offered, beginning to feel impatient. She looked over. "I know, I'm probably the worst person to help with this, but I'm bored because Koumei, my younger brother, is hogging all of the documents that need working on. So if you aren't doing anything else, then I have a bit of time."

"Thank you, Prince Kouen, but I am about to go groom and prepare my horse, Tornado." Y/n responded. "Then I'm going to go decide for myself if it is too rough to ride in the weather." She went on, putting a couple of half-dried plants on the rods. Water started to drip on the plant, moisturizing it.

I tsked, leaving. If she was going to attempt to ignore me because of one awkward moment, then I'd let her do it.