Siren Song (All Might x Reader)

Chapter 22: Runaway

This chapter is a little bit shorter but I hope you enjoy anyways! Also thank you for all the love. I read every single one of your guys' comments and they mean the world to me <3

"We found her, your highness" a knight said, kneeling in front of King Toshinori as he sat on his throne. He looked tired, exhausted. It'd been so long since he'd gotten a good night's sleep. Weeks maybe, more likely months. A new enemy had been trying to steal King Toshinori's throne, a usurper who wanted the power of all the kingdoms to himself no matter what the cost. Villages and been pillaged and burned, it was a constant fight just to keep people safe. It took all of Toshinoris forces to keep them barely at bay. The stress from organizing this resistance was taking its toll on him both mentally and physically. He didn't eat, didn't leave his throne, and most noticeably: he didn't sleep.

He knew that he needed sleep; his decision making depended on it. He couldn't think straight in that exhausted state. He was cranky, rash, irritable. He'd tried many times to lay down in his empty bed, fruitlessly trying to chase dreams, but he couldn't help but think about the soldiers giving their lives for the safety of their kingdom, the men and women being slaughtered by the enemy while he sat in the safe confines of his castle. He could almost hear their screams as he lay there, staring at the moonlight that streamed through the window. He should be out there, fighting among side his men, doing his best to keep everyone safe. He was a warrior at heart, indisputably the strongest man in the kingdom. He could've helped turn the tides of the war, but his advisors warned him against it. If he were to leave his capitol city without their biggest defender then neighboring kingdoms may decide to strike as well. He couldn't stretch himself so thin. His advisors insisted that someone needed to rule the kingdom, to call the shots, and he reluctantly agreed. Even if it cost him his sleep.

After the first sleepless week King Toshinori had begun seeking natural remedies. Lavender, chamomile, Valerian, but none could quiet his restless mind. The second week forced him to look for magical means. He tried witches with sleeping spells, hypnosis, clairvoyants. They couldn't assist him in any way either. Finally, after the third week passed and every scholar in the castle had raked every page of every book their library had in search of a solution, they discovered something. It was a young scholar who'd found it for him, the only person to take an old children's tale seriously.

There were stories of a lagoon deep in the forest which housed a witch who possessed special powers she used to aid overburdened people. Not much was known about her, but the tale had a specific passage about a man who had spent years traveling in search of his lost daughter. He traveled night and day, unable to sleep in his desperate hunt. It seemed he was cursed to wander the earth without a single minute of sleep, and he slowly began to go mad. Finally, he crossed the witches path and she granted him rest. It never specified how, but it seemed like the only option they had left to save their king.

A group was dispatched to retrieve the woman and bring her back safely, and they did without fail. Now, Toshinori was hurriedly rushing through the halls of his castle to get to his bedroom, where she was being kept. His robes swished across the floor as he hastened towards his chambers, excitement brimming inside of him. If what he'd read in the book was true, perhaps he'd be able to return to his old self in no time.

Two guards stood post outside of his bedroom, standing at attention and saluting when he opened the doors without a second thought. His bedroom looked as it always had, plush and lavish, not much different than it normally did, but he could smell the difference as soon as he entered. Gone was the soothing lavender incense he'd been suffocating himself with, instead was the light smell of something sweeter. He felt his muscles relax. A large crowd of knights stood around something in the corner of the room, next to his bed. He could tell immediately that something was amiss. His well trained men had been giggling only moments ago, like young school boys. Now, they looked red in the face at their king, as if they'd been caught in the act of something. He rushed forward to see what it was they were looking at. They turned to him as he approached, standing up straighter and saluting him.