•gender neutral reader. [they/them]
"do you think of me when it rains?"
rain. that's all berkut could think about ever since [y/n], for a few moments, had betrayed him for that- commoner. a burning fire grew inside of him, but was put out whenever he thought of the one he loved.
rain. it was when they had met.
berkut was wounded, not heavily, though enough to drag him down a bit. seeing their cape fluttering in the harsh wind, tome in hand as they panted heavily, [y/n] had saved the prince from a possibly life-threatening situation. drops of cold water rushed down from dark, heavy clouds as the thunder mage kneeled down, extending a hand.
they weren't part of the army at the time, but simply a lone traveler. berkut, on the other hand, was cocky and brash, yet was captivated by [y/n]'s gentle eyes. filled with concern, yet they burned with the taste of the bitter battlefield.
berkut had invited them to serve the army after some time, [y/n] agreeing, knowing they couldn't turn an down an offer from someone like him.
rain. when it was berkut's turn to save them from death.
though it wasn't pouring down as hard as before, he could remember it as clear as day. a pegasus knight had managed to pin them down during an ambush, and since mages usually attacked at a further distance, this wasn't the ideal situation to be in. [y/n] had already taken a good amount of hits from a couple of archers, hindering their ability to flee.
berkut was in the middle of slaughtering his enemies, though heard a cry from afar. he would usually ignore this, for some soldiers had to die for their country. though, something clicked inside of berkut that urged him to save [y/n], something- warm. not pity, but something almost close to concern.
putting aside his feelings, he turned his horse around, rushing towards the sound of the cry. without thinking, he rammed his horse into the flies, impaling his spear into the knight, then the pegasus. after making sure that both of them were down, he turned to [y/n], who was grasping their shoulder, clothes stained with blood that was either theirs or the enemies'. an arrow stuck out of their knee, which explained why they weren't able to run.
"m-my lord, why would you-"
getting off his steed, berkut scooped [y/n] off the ground, placing them on the horse without saying a word. the mage was caught off guard by his sudden kindness, since berkut was usually rude and too prideful for his own good. though, they didn't object, murmuring a small 'thank you' as he adjusted the saddle.
"you should be grateful. i don't always get out of my way to save people like you."
berkut said, not bothering to look [y/n] in the eyes. the rain had calmed down a bit, the drizzling not hindering the army any longer.
rain. when berkut realized that [y/n] wasn't just another mage serving him and the king. when he finally decided to succumb to these emotions.
the rigelian army had successfully won another battle, with minor injuries, and of course, berkut was standing tall and proud as usual.
scanning the room, he realized that a certain mage was missing from the picture. wandering around the castle for a bit, he eventually found a familiar figure standing outside of the castle, huddled up agaisnt a tree as raindrops once again poured from the black skies.
"what in duma's name are you doing out here, [y/n]?"
looking up, [y/n] was surprised to find berkut standing right in front of them in the rain, arms crossed. he didn't look pleased, though he never really did, to be fair. before they could answer, berkut crouched down, stern orbs meeting the mage's. reaching a hand out, he took slipped [y/n]'s chin in between his thumb and forefinger, watching intently as if they were his prey.
they were too scared to speak. [y/n] clutched their tome tightly to their chest, face still wet from the rain. they took a while to take in berkut's features. his shining hair could hardly be seen in the dark, though they had to admit he was still good-looking. before they could ask, or at least say a word, berkut roughly slammed his lips onto the others out of nowhere, putting them in a state of pure shock.
not hesitating [y/n] let go of the tome, bringing their hands to berkut's neck, easing him and molding his lips better into theirs. pressing his tongue agaisnt their lips, he was easily granted entrance to explore, causing [y/n] to moan at the sudden feeling.
it escalated from there. berkut had managed to wordlessly capture the mage's heart in the pouring rain, the two closer than ever.
the relationship had shocked others. bernand couldn't believe his ears when berkut had announced their engagement. to a mere- commoner. but it didn't matter at that point. the two were happy. berkut had found [y/n], a kind of person he had never thought to meet. someone to bring excitement and another meaning to his life.
that is, until zofian forces had attacked. stealing the most precious thing berkut had ever had in his harsh, cold life.
"do you think of me when it rains?"
the question had caught berkut slightly off-guard. [y/n]- who he had now appointed as his second in command and tactician, not to mention fiancee. they were about to go into battle with zofian forces, and they ask this kind of question now?
"what kind of question is that? we're about to go into battle and bloodshed and you ask-"
he stopped when he saw the distressed look on [y/n]'s face. confusion. frustration. the unknown.
rain poured a bit harder than usual that day. though that didn't matter. or so berkut thought.
he couldn't find them. in the middle of the battle, he had lost sight of them, but he thought they could handle themself agaisnt zofian forces. unfortunately, his feelings had gotten the better of him, resulting in slaughtering many in order to find [y/n].
"[y/n]! [y/n], what are you-"
his eyes widened in terror and shock when he saw what was happening. tears stained the mage's face, their hand pointed at berkut as zofian forces stood before them. berkut couldn't believe it. the person he cared for- loved, cherished, had betrayed him.
alm stepped forward, [y/n] hiding behind him in shame.
"berkut. stop this, let's end this peacefully, and-"
before he could finish, berkut lunged forward, intending to kill alm with every fiber in his being for taking his lover away. this was his fault. alm's fault. zofia's fault.
rain crashed down, thunder boomed and lighting crashed as the rigelian prince thrusted his spear, not into alm's body, but into-
"i love you. the... the rain will remind you."
they breathed out, holding berkut's cheek into their bloodstained hand, only to slowly go limp and fall into their lap.
[entry for @trashy-writings 's 500 followers contest]
