Spoils of War Ch. 1
pairings: ushijima x reader / sakusa/reader
wordcount: 3.7k
twarnings: knife mention, profanity, noncon-ish, slow-burn, multi-chap, alt universe
a/n: appreciate any thoughts, may continue this may not.
You were grateful that your father entertained the idea of his daughters being well-versed in combat. Sword fighting, Archery, close-quarters combat.
“All the l/n women were warriors too,” he’d say. “You don’t get special treatment because you’re a girl, do think the lowlifes out in the world will pity you because you’re a woman? I want my daughters to be able to protect themselves,”
His brash words of truth echoed at the back of your head just as your face was slammed into the rubble underneath you, a jagged rock nicking the corner of your eyebrow.
It wasn’t long after you began to feel the blood trickling down your face, forcing you to seal your left eye shut before it blinded you.
“I figured you’d learn by now to not be distracted while sparring with me,”
Lucian L/N, your oldest brother, still unmarried, and still consistently thrashing you during daily sparring sessions, pinned you underneath him face down grabbing a hand full of your hair before shoving your face down in the dirt once more. “You get no sympathy from me; you want to be a warrior, don’t you? Earn it.”
You could feel the heat of his breath along your nape as he taunted you; the grip on your hair causing a numbing tingling to bloom the root of your scalp.
“I already know that when we are married, I’ll have to beat you into submission, or do I sense that stubbornness of yours fading a bit?”
Lucian taunted you once more and in response, you threw an elbow behind you smashing the tip of his elegant nose so hard that your bones vibrated. Mission accomplished, Lucian fell backward freeing you from his oppressive weight and you watched in satisfaction as he cradled his face.
“This is exactly why, no one will marry a beast like you!” Lucian roared, clearly upset about his bleeding nose. You had hoped you broke it.
You were well of age, 23 his upcoming summer and have yet to be married. Granted it was not because you hadn’t received any proposals… all the prospective males were just… not up to your standards. You wanted to accomplish other goals before you were to marry and expected to have children. And because of this, both you and your older brother had been given an ultimatum. Though it had been generations since anyone had married within the family, it was not unusual.
Your mother’s parents were siblings and because of this unity over many generations a great inherited ability had been passed down. Your mother possessed it, her mother and father possessed it, and so on and so forth.
Your mother, Tiana was a sorcerer. Sorcery is believed to be extinct in many parts of the world, but we all know that it's untrue. She was marked with her technique by the presence of brilliant amethyst eyes and so were two of her children. You and Tatiana. Until her last dying breath, she made sure it was a well-kept secret.
Lucian was 27 and unmarried. He seemed to enjoy the bachelor life, his hunting, and sparring and was not interested in marrying a random noblewoman. But he accepted your father’s offer of marrying you if you were not spoken for by the time you were 24 years. The thought alone made you nauseous, your brother was sadistic in more ways than one.
Your older sister Tatiana, the middle sibling, had already married two summers ago and already had one child with another on the way. Tati was lucky, she had been betrothed since birth, the doings of your late mother. She and her husband had practically been together since they were children, it was only natural that they would fall in love.
You just wanted out, princess or not. The stress of marriage and children at that was putting a damper on your spirit. What could you do to escape it? You were contemplating running away… what would your father do if he caught wind of it? Would he call everyone under his command to arms to find you?
You didn’t wait around to find out. Your contemplating soon moved onto a full-fledged escape... and before you knew it, the night to execute your plan was among you.
You had been traveling for three days on horseback to put some distance between you and your father’s kingdom. Well really, it was your mother’s kingdom. Even though he wore the title, King, it was your mother who ruled.
Your father wasn’t a bad man, nor was he a cruel father. He sought to honor your mother’s wishes and everything that she wanted for the people here.
However, you were on the outskirts of the border where there was a bustling little town even in the dead of the night. You had heard only rumors about it, but once you entered its gates all those sayings seemed to just materialize before your eyes.
Both men and women of the night flooded the streets with a nice mix of mercenaries and merchants as well. There were several carts of people selling goods and a few closed establishments along the way. Lights that served as beacons lined the cobblestone roads and one stable seemed to be overflowing with stowed horses.
“You looking for a time or two, my lady?” A sultry voice met your ears from your place upon your black steed. Turning to greet the unwanted invitation, you simply put up a hand to decline without removing the hood of your cloak.
It was a man, a very pretty one too dressed in a very fine-looking silk robe. You could tell he was naked underneath; the muscled outline of his pecs adorned with a single golden ring caught your attention momentarily before you began to speak.
“I am simply looking for room and board for the night only, though I thank you for the kind invitation,” Although you smiled, you were just a tad curious about the curly-haired platinum blonde. His smile was just as alluring, a row of perfect white teeth and sharpened canines. He may have been elven, you guessed but you would not pry.
“Suit yourself, my lady, it was worth a try. You have the most beautiful eyes; may I have the honor of seeing the rest of your face? It’s not often to see a woman on a horse here,” The blonde man leaned forward curiously, combing a loose curl or two of his hair behind the side of his face to reveal, very elven ears. And if that were the case, you knew he could see your face very well, even though it was night.
Quirking a brow, you merely chuckled under your breath. You were on a horse; you carried a sword among other things and it seemed that you had already caught someone’s attention. You were exhausted, all you wanted was a place to lay your head for the night.
“For I am not from here, good sir... and though I appreciate your flattery but I’m afraid I must decline, you and I both know that you can see my face very well already,”
He laughed at your response and tied his robe tighter around him before pointing off into the distance.
“There’s an inn, a bit further down the road, Tot’s. Tell the owner that Arthur sent you, you should be able to get a room for the night there,”
Ticking Shadow further, you continued your way. “Thank you, Arthur,”
You could hear Author shuffle further down the patio of the establishment he was in trying to stay in step with you.
“Do I not get a name in return, my lady?” He asked.
“You can call me N/N, should we ever meet again, enjoy your night.”
And that was that. You continued until you found the inn that you had been told about. Tying Shadow to a nearby stable you rubbed him down before grabbing the rest of your belongings off the saddle.
“Stay put for a bit hmm? I won’t be long,”
You pushed your way into the inn, it was spacious but also crowded. There appeared to be a small cavalry of knights who had taken refuge inside for the night. Most of the tables were overcrowded by them still dressed in glistening silver and black armor. Their laughing and joking could be heard, relief pouring from their enthusiastic tones.
It was refreshing to see. Never had you seen knights of any caliber so laid back, relaxed, and enjoying themselves. The knights of Ledora were always on guard, stiff, and rather reluctant to show any emotion, especially in front of a princess.
You recognized the color scheme but did not know the name of which they came from simply because they were a newly developed faction. History, you knew that. But things that happened outside of Ledora, you did not.
You were certain that before you entered, they were all drinking and being merry, the loud barking you had heard from outside was now a dull roar as you garnered attention once you were inside.
It was unnerving. It caused your throat to tighten from nervousness as you walked across the way without lowering your cloak to greet the innkeeper, who had been busy with another patron at the counter.
He, like the others was clad in the same black and silver armor but this one appeared to be much larger than the rest of the men. From behind he was hulking and wide. The armor he was wearing must have weighed over 200 lbs. You weren’t sure if you’d ever seen a man this large.
The inn-keeper, a short fat woman with a auburn scarf tied around her hair gave him a room key before pointing directly up above her.
“Don’t lose the key, it’s the only one I ‘ave,” she admonished and said nothing more as the man turned away without a word.
Perhaps you underestimated his gait because once he turned to leave, he nearly trampled you causing you to step out of the way losing your footing in the process.
Before you toppled over, he stopped and one of his large hands curled around your bicep to keep you steady. He kept you from falling over, but the hood of your cloak did reveal a crystal eyed startled young woman to the rest of the patrons in the inn and the massive figure standing before you.
You were frozen solid, your eyes meeting those of a dusky olive. They were the eyes of a warrior, there was no emotion that you could detect behind those stark eyes. His eyes were threatening in contrast to his face square, tanned, and handsome with a full head of dark brown hair.
If he were to smile you were sure he’d knock every woman in the room off their feet but instead, he did the opposite, a scowl forming as his brows pinched together in a tight knot at the sound of a whistle from one of the knights in the common room.
“Those ladies out in town don’t look like that ‘aye? Must be a noblewoman for sure,”
His fearsome expression startled you back to your senses and you apologized under your breath. His gaze turned back to his men and you realized that the look of aggravation wasn’t meant for you, it was meant for the others mumbling off in the background.
He released you once you were upright and turned to address the room full of his men. “Shut your mouth, have your fill of ale, and get to sleep, we head out in the morning.”
With that, he stormed out of the inn and into the darkness of the night. His men seemingly got the idea and the others soon started to gather their things to depart. You only watched them for a split second before the innkeeper caught your eye.
“What can I help you with malady?” She asked, clearly amused at the scene that had unfolded. “You causing a scene with a beautiful mug like that,”
Collecting your thoughts, you pulled your hood back over your head before speaking.
“Do you have a room for me? Arthur directed me here,” You asked quietly.
“Last one just went to that one who just cleared the room,” she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “Sorry dear, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of knights to check in, they just rolled into town today,”
Tough luck, you’d have to push on a bit further just until you came across another town. The innkeeper must have seen the look on your face.
“I think I’ll be busy in here up until dawn, you can rest in my room until my husband takes over, how does that sound?” She offered.
“That’s perfect, I’ve been on the road for three days I just need to rest my eyes for a bit,” you admitted. “I pay whatever,”
The innkeeper’s name was Adina and she treated you well that night. Readied you a bath and even got one of her works to water and feed Shadow while you were able to rest for the night. Since there was the chance that your father had sent out word of your absence you gathered your things at first light.
It seemed as if the knights who had stayed at the inn were doing the same. Packing your belongings on the back of your horse you shot the small cavalry a couple of glances as they began to lead their horses into a formation.
There were only about thirty of them and you wondered where they were headed. You weren’t going to stick around to find out. After mounting Shadow, Adina greeted you with a small satchel of what looked to be fruit, vegetables, and some bread. You assumed it was because you paid her rather handsomely.
“For the horse, the least problematic animal I have had around for a while,”
“Thank you, it wasn’t necessary,” you offered her a smile and packed the bag away with the rest of your things.
“Be careful my lady, get to where you need to get to quickly, there’s a storm brewing. And there are men out there who like to prey on young women,” Adina eyed your sword and arched a questioning brow. “Though I’m sure you can handle yourself,”
“I’ll be fine, thank you. Where’s the next town?” You asked out of curiosity.
“If you continue south, you’re heading into Azov territory, it’s probably the closest trip. I’d say maybe a two-day trip on horseback I’d head there if you’re looking to restock and regroup, southeast you’re looking at a two-week trip before you hit any towns,”
“Alright,” you took Adina’s hand shaking it slightly, “Adina I appreciate this, and tell Arthur I said hello,”
As you said your short goodbyes, you felt as If someone or something was watching you. As Adina headed back to the Inn, you gave the Calvary another glance and again were met with those blank green eyes from the night before.
It was the same man for sure and he was watching you curiously, not bothering to break eye contact even as you pulled the hood of your cloak back over your head and rode off. You wouldn’t, couldn’t give it much more thought. It was time to go.
Traveling on horseback was more tiring than you anticipated. A day and a half later you were covered in sweat and desperate for a change of clothes. Your back ached and so did your legs, you were forced to stop and set up camp.
The storm that Adina had promised was closing in as well though the rain hadn’t started just yet. After feeding and watering the horse, you tied him to a nearby tree in the dense foliage just so you’d be out of view of any other passersby.
The last thing you wanted or needed was a confrontation with a stranger. Sitting underneath the shade of a nearby tree you reclined resting your back against the trunk of the tree. You weren’t sure when you dozed off, but when you awakened, the sun had begun to set.
You wanted to make it to town before nightfall, but you weren’t even sure how far out you were. Standing up you stretched out, nearly jumping out of your skin as your vision came into focus. There was someone else in your camping area.
A strange male was standing next to the tree that you had tied Shadow to. He held the sharpened end of a short blade against the rope that tied Shadow to the tree and with the flick of his wrist cut it loose. Slapping Shadow on his rear, the horse took off into the dense foliage ahead.
“Ah, she finally wakes!”
Your attention was solely on Shadow as he vanished in the distance, all your equipment along with him. Food, water, along with your short sword. Not the best predicament to be in. Stumbling forward in panic you called out his name as if he would stop his escape.
“Shadow!”
Someone from behind throwing their arms around you to keep you restrained was another surprise, the last of your grogginess finally fading completely. You didn’t struggle, simply allowed yourself to be subdued as the tip of a blade was pressed into your jugular from behind.
You nearly hurled and the strong scent of filth and tobacco clouded your senses, your eyes forced back onto the man stalking towards you that had set Shadow free.
“We’ve been waiting for you to get up for hours,” he gloated, tossing the dagger in his hand up in the air before catching it less than diligently.
You stiffened against the bulky body behind you leaning away from the dull knife that was still pressed against your throat.
“If you intended to rob me, you lost everything of value with the horse all of my goods were attached to him,”
The man was now standing in front of you. He offered you a confused glower before shooting a glance off in the direction Shadow went and then returned to studying your face.
“Well, that’s unfortunate, ain’t it? It’s alright, I was craving something else either way,” He smiled tentatively as if he didn’t want to frighten you. But he was holding a knife and his friend behind you had one jammed in the side of your throat. “What’s a pretty proper lady like you doing out ‘ere eh? Alone, unprotected, and with all these nice clothes on too?”
The man was no more than a head taller than you, dressed in leather armor. Dirty. Filthy actually. As if he had been on the road for weeks, the same as the one behind you. He had long dark hair tied back in a low ponytail no obvious insignias or crests anywhere on his clothing. Probably nothing more than a pair of brigands.
“Traveling… you know, going from one place to another-” The blade against your neck was pressed harshly into your neck causing you to flinch at the motion. It shuts you up instantly.
“Smart mouth little bitch, aren’t you?” A raspy voice came from behind you, from the man who you had yet to set eyes on. You could tell at least that he was fat, the way his belly was pressed firmly against your back. “If I were you, I’d be trying to cooperate, aye? I’m the one with the knife ‘ere,”
“What do you want? I don’t have any gold, if you wanted that you should have gone after the horse...” The words were gritted out from the sharp pain radiating from the tip of the knife, it was dull and hadn’t broken the skin, but it sure hurt like hell.
The man in front of you had closed the distance between you, the point of his own weapon now dragging itself down the front of your tunic. It was sharp enough to cut through the fine silk material, cleanly exposing the fine lace of your undergarments and flesh down to your navel.
You squirmed underneath the actions, the grip of the man behind you restraining you further so you didn’t slip out of his hold. Panic surely now was lodged in your throat as you let out a slight squeal in protest, to no avail.
“Oi, look at this. Even your undergarments are made of fine fucking silk, expensive fucking lace on a noblewoman wandering the woods alone? You know how much gold I could get for this material alone?” His hands clasped at the split he made in the tunic and he pulled it apart ripping it further so that it unfurled from its place tucked inside your trousers. “Oof, skin taught, and perfect too I bet you’re a little virgin, aren’t you, my lady?”
“Don’t touch me,” you warned, eyes narrowing into slits.
He pressed the tip of his dagger against your navel in response, the iron cutting into the leather belt that had held your trousers into place.
“You ever laid with a man before? My lady?”
He laughed under his breath before glancing over his shoulder and into the distance of the greenery. He had heard something. You had to. It was the sound of hooves out in the distance, horses. Not one or two either. It sounded like a stampede.
But there were a couple that were closer than the rest and from your location, you could see the foliage parting as two horses shot out of the greenery before stopping twenty feet away from your current party.
Two men sat upon those horses, clad in that same silver and black armor that you had seen in town a few days prior. You hadn’t expected any intervention of the sort, especially not from Knights that had seemingly been passing through.
“What in the hell-” The man who had been threatening your innocence turned his back on you to face the two clad in armor, holding his dagger out in their direction.
You recognized one of them immediately. The man who had nearly run you over in the inn. Those serious eyes of his darting from both men who had been holding you against your will, the knives, and then back to you in your unraveled state.
The other man in armor, you had not seen before and he looked equally unperplexed as his partner. His hair was black and wavy, perhaps a bit unruly as if he had been wearing a helmet at some point, and two distinct beauty marks above his right eyebrow.
You were grateful for the distraction, maybe now you get out of this unfortunate predicament.
