Pazel ~My Heart Will Only Trust You~ *Important Author's Note at End*
A/N: hey so I posted this as a short story by itself and I decided to post it as a one shot too as I haven't posted on this one in awhile. So, yes it is very long over 6,000 words. You don't have to read it you don't want too, it's just something cute I made for a project I really liked. Enjoy.
Also there are a bunch of OCs in here from a role play a friend and I have been doing for a long time. Preston is TBNRFrags, and Hazel is an OC. You should be able to tell who is an OC and who is a you tuber pretty easily otherwise. Remember- important authors note at the end. Thank you.
******************
He found her one night. Preston was out walking with his friend Jerome through the streets of the kingdom. Their friend Adam, or as everyone else called him, Sky was a prince and they were staying at the castle for a while to visit his father. Preston had joined Jerome for a late night walk while everyone else lie asleep in the castle. Jerome was a creature known as a bacca, he was tall, towering over everyone that lived in their small village even though he was nowhere near the oldest comparing to Preston, one of the youngest in the group and in the top 5 of the shortest guys. Jerome was covered in brown fur even though he wore a suit, had an excellent sense of smell and was colorblind. Jerome was an oddball bacca, so his personality was different from normal baccas, Jerome was very friendly and sensitive and hated seeing the others sad and upset although he wasn't always the smartest.Preston was a hybrid with characteristics similar to that of fire and lava, he had fiery orange hair with streaks of red and yellow and very light brown eyes. For Preston, Jerome was great company because they could laugh and chat together.
As they walked through the streets, they passed an alleyway, and out of the corner of his eye Preston saw a slight glow that appeared and disappeared in an instant. His curiosity peaked, he turned down the alleyway to check it out.
"Preston? Where are you going?" Jerome asked, jogging slightly to catch up.
"Shh, I thought I saw something." Preston replied as he scanned the alleyway, his eyes then landed on her. A young girl, around 16 in age around the same age as Preston, no more than 5'5 in height, with extremely light, long blonde hair. Was curled up in a white alchemy robe with light purple trim, she wore a similar light purple shirt, jean capris and she wore no shoes. Preston walked over and bent down by her, she was very thin for her age and she shivered in the cool night.
"A girl?" Jerome said, standing behind Preston.
Preston didn't reply, he just stared at the girl pondering what to do. He didn't want to leave her out in the cold, but what would she think if she woke up in the castle surrounded by strangers? Preston then looked again at her shivering form and made his decision, he gently scooped his arms under her and carefully and slowly picked her up. Jerome blinked in confusion.
"We can't leave her out here, she's freezing, we'll take her to the castle for the night and go from there." Preston said turning to him.
Jerome smiled and nodded. "Ok," and the two headed back to the castle. Jerome went to his 'brother's' room and Preston went to an open room with the girl. Jerome's brother is not really his brother by blood, but they found each other when they were both young, and Mitch raised the bacca as though he was family.
Preston gently laid the girl down on the bed and tucked her in, not wanting to leave her shivering he stayed nearby until he was sure that her shivering had ceased. Afterwards he stood up and quietly left the room, he looked down the hall to Seto coming down from the roof. Seto looked at him and cocked his head.
"What're you still doing up?" He asked, Seto age wise looked as old as everyone else in their group, but in reality he was actually thousands of years old, he is semi immortal, so he can change his age. He also has saved the world from an evil sorcerer that almost destroyed it, so he was one of the most responsible, he also was super scary if you made him angry.
"Jerome and I are just getting back from a walk,"
"Ok... But that isn't your room."
"Oh, um, we found a girl in an alleyway, she was shivering so we brought her here."
Seto blinked and he quietly opened the door and peeked in, he closed it again and looked back at Preston and patted his head. "You're a good person Preston, go get some sleep, she'll be out until morning."
Preston nodded and headed towards his room, he went inside and flopped down on his bed, he rested his hands underneath his head and he stared up at the ceiling, it took him awhile as his head was swimming with thoughts about the girl, but eventually he closed his eyes and dozed off.
***
The next morning Preston woke up early and went to check on the girl, she was still asleep, but in the morning light Preston noticed that the room was really dusty, so he started tidying it up. A few hours passed before he was done and he noticed the girl stir slightly in her sleep. She blinked awake and sat up, looking around eyes wide. Not wanting her to panic Preston went over in her line of vision, she stopped and tensed when she saw him. Preston hesitated as well, mulling over what to say.
"Hi there," he started. "My names Preston, umm... I found you sleeping in an alleyway last night and umm... You were shivering s-so I brought you here where it's warmer..." He gave a small warm smile to try to show he was friendly. Instead she didn't move, she just clutched the blanket tighter. "What's your name?"
She didn't answer, she just looked away, avoiding eye contact with him. Preston heard a small grumble, and he assumed it might've been her stomach.
"Are you hungry?" He asked.
She looked up at him slightly, and gave a tiny nod. Preston gave a smile, happy that he got a response, he pulled out a little bag he always kept on him and pulled out an apple and gave it to her. She took it and nibbled on it. She paused after a few bites and looked at him a bit more. "H-H-Hazel..." She said, her voice was soft and timid. Preston, unsure what she said cocked his head to the side slightly. "M-my n-names H-Hazel..." She repeated even softer.
"Oh! Well, nice to meet you Hazel," Preston said with a smile and he began explaining where she was and who everyone here was.
After awhile there a was knock on the door, Preston went over and answered it and Seto stood there. "Hey, is she awake?"
Preston nodded and stepped aside opening the door wider, Hazel still looked at them unsure. Seto noticed this and quietly asked Preston to go to the kitchen. Confused, Preston obeyed and went to the kitchen.
Later Seto had come down with Hazel and everyone made introductions. Hazel was apparently an alchemist, which is someone who was good with potions. Seto who as a sorcerer with potions as his talent offered to teach her how to make more difficult potions. After introductions were made, Seto went off with Hazel to teach her, while Preston sat at the table thinking how he could make Hazel more comfortable, he also wondered if she just didn't like him, or was afraid of him, which tugged at his insides. After thinking for awhile he had an idea, but before he stood up he saw a familiar black and electric blue hoodie advancing towards him. Jasper looked at him with a big smile and he walked over. Jasper was tall and extremely good looking with darker skin and fluffy black hair, he had one black eye and one purple due to a genetic mutation in his family. Jasper was also a sorcerer, in total their group had 6, Willow who was Jasper's twin sister, Seto, Mo, Lily and Nolen.
"Hey Jasper, what's up?" Preston asked, he wondered if Jasper knew how he was feeling, all the magic users have a talent, and Jasper's was reading minds and emotions, and he wasn't very good at controlling it so he knew everything about everyone.
"Um, I know you're kinda questioning if Hazel likes you or not."
"W-well, she did just meet me so I'm not terribly worried about it..."
"Well, I wanna tell you something about her, Seto said I can't tell people's pasts but I can tell you this; she has some trust issues, so just be nice like you are and she'll come around, she just needs to get used to everyone."
Preston nodded slightly understanding. "I just wanna help her feel comfortable."
"That's a good start,"
"Thanks Jasper." Preston said with smile and he headed out toward the market to buy a few things.
***
Preston came back after he felt he had everything he needed. He had bought some new bedding, some brewing stands, tons of brewing items and a pair of white and purple shoes. He went upstairs to Hazel's room which was empty and began setting up his surprise, he remade the bed with the new bedding, filled some chests with the ingredients and set up the brewing stands, he set the shoes by the foot of the bed and looked around at his work, he smiled proudly, the room looked a lot warmer and cozier. He wrote a small note setting it by the shoes and exited the room, the sun was beginning to set. He went downstairs to the kitchen and made himself a glass of milk and grabbed some freshly baked cookies, probably made by Ian. He sat at the table and enjoyed his little reward.
After his cookies and milk, Preston headed upstairs ready for bed, as he reached the top of the stairs he saw Hazel exiting her room, her pale cheeks flushed a light pink, she looked up and saw Preston giving him a small wave.
"U-umm th-thank you." She said shyly.
"Of course," Preston said with a smile. "Welcome to our big family."
Hazel shuffled her feet shyly and gave a slight nod, they both headed their rooms. Preston hopped on his bed and laid down, tired but unable to sleep he just stared out the window watching the sky turn from a yellowy orange, to a pinky lavender into a deep, dark purple and black.
***
Over the next couple days things went on normally. Everyone went about doing their own things. Hazel had begun talking more to Vivian, the oldest of their group (Besides Seto of course) and she slowly became more comfortable with everyone in the group. Preston kept her potion ingredients stocked for her and she wore the shoes he got for her. Lately when Preston saw Hazel he always got a few butterflies in his stomach. Not sure what this meant he ignored the feelings and continued trying to really gain Hazel's trust. Hazel appreciated everything Preston had done for her, taking her in and giving her things she couldn't get herself, but she wasn't sure how to thank him and she was too shy to ask one of the others to tell it to him for her. She also, still was hesitant about trusting him. After what had happened before... She didn't want to take any chances.
One day Hazel went off on a short journey to a nearby village so she could sell some of her potions, meanwhile nearby Preston was off on a walk nibbling a cookie as he went. While Hazel walked, she wondered why Preston was doing all these things for her. Did he have good intentions? Or was he just trying to get her to like him? She wasn't sure, so she decided to keep playing it safe. She looked into her satchel where she kept her potions and the money she earned from selling them, with the ingredients constantly being stocked by Preston she could keep making more, and hopefully sell more which would be nice. She gently rubbed her right hand which was sore from making potions all night. She gave a slight sigh, she'd be at the village soon.
Suddenly Hazel felt a rough hand grab her by the arm, snapping her back into reality. She made a small squeak as she looked around to see she was surrounded by a large group of bandits. Her eyes widened in fear and she tried to yank free from the rough grip, but the man held tightly. She again tried to pull away, locking eyes with him, a black mask hiding his face from the bridge of his nose down, but it was still possible to tell that he was grinning, from the look in his eyes and the way his cheek bones rose.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A young alchemist," he sneered.
"A cute one at that sir!" A voice from around her called.
Hazel whimpered in terror and tried to pull free once again, instead the bandit twisted her arm, causing her to cry out in pain, he brought her close and pinned her arms behind her back. He was tall, around 6'5 and was very strong. She didn't have a chance, so as a last resort she took a deep breath and screamed.
***
Enjoying a walk in the forest, Preston had finished his cookie and decided to save the rest for later. Instead he tossed a stick up and caught it with one hand, doing goofy little tricks, every so often dropping it. It wasn't until he heard a scream that he let it bounce off his head. He tensed and picked the stick back up as he followed the direction of the scream, it sounded familiar. The shriek rang again and Preston picked up his pace. It was Hazel! He sprinted the direction of her screams yelling her name, he appeared at a small clearing where a large bandit held Hazel's arms behind her back while his goons went through her satchel, Hazel screamed again and the large man slapped her across the cheek. A wave of anger washed over Preston and he tensed up, cheeks and neck hot.
"Hey!" Preston called, throwing a rock hitting the large man in the head, catching his attention. He shoved Hazle into two other bandits and the held her tightly by the arms. This allowed Hazel to see who had come to her rescue and her eyes widened even more. Preston twirled his stick in his hand but the bandit pulled out a knife.
"P-Preston!" Hazel called to him, afraid he would lose to the man with the weapon.
"I'll get you out of here Hazel!" Preston replied, trying to sound confident.
The bandit chuckled. "Oh really, cause as I see it, you are out numbered."
Preston shrugged, and the bandit lunged at him, swinging the knife towards his face. Preston dodged and hit him in the side with his stick, making a sound similar to a whip hitting flesh, the bandit doubled back, shocked but the clothing he wore was too thick to inflict any real damage. Two other bandits lunged at Preston from behind, Preston swung an elbow back, getting one in the nose, it landed with a sickening crack making the bandit double over, gripping his broken nose in agony. The other one managed to grip Preston's other arm, holding it in a position he couldn't move it. Preston twisted and squirmed, and kicked the man hard in the shin. The bandit cried out but kept hold of his arm so Preston kicked again, this time the bandit saw it coming, and swiped his other leg out from underneath him, knocking Preston to the ground. Preston gave a huff as the wind was knocked from him, and he rolled backwards and back to his feet.
"Come on men!" Roared the head bandit. "Are you going to let some measly child best you?!"
Preston smirked in pride that he was doing so well, but he knew he couldn't keep up for much longer, not with the number disadvantage he had, why couldn't of Jerome of Mat have come with him...
Three bandits rushed at him, each with their own weapon. Not willing to take the risk to get sliced, Preston focused on dodging their attacks. He was so focused that only Hazel noticed a cowardly bandit hiding in a tree with a blow dart gun, aiming right at him. "P-P-!" She started but was cut off by a large hand covering her mouth.
"N-now little lady, don't ruin the fun." The large man hissed in her ear. Hazel squirmed, desperate to get his hand off her mouth but it was too late. Preston bent backwards avoiding one of the bandits large blades, leaving him wide open for the sniper. The sniper took aim and made a sharp exhale into the gun, making a small whooshing noise, a dart flew out and landed in its target, the side of Preston's neck.
Preston lost his balance and fell on his side, quickly noticing the dart and brushing it off his skin. He stood up but as soon as he a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him and he fell to his hands and knees to keep from throwing up or blacking out. A bandit walked towards him with a large knife, ready to finish the kill. Hazel squirmed and tried to yell for them to stop, but the large bandit kept her small form in place. The bandit with the knife rose it, but before he could swing down the head man grabbed his wrist stopping him.
"Sir? What are you doing?" The one asked clearly confused.
"For a boy he's got fight in him, we could use him." The boss answered quietly so only the two of them could here the discussion.
"Are you sure that is a wise idea? He could turn against us."
"If that is the case than we can either kill him or sell him, but remember we have someone he cares about. And if I'm correct, he'll do anything to keep her safe."
"Alright, sounds good to me."
Preston shakily tried to push himself up, but nausea feeling was too overpowering. The head bandit turned to him and gave him a sharp kick in the side of the head, right by the temple knocking him out cold. Hazel's eyes widened and she let out a small muffled shriek. The other bandit put his knife away and picked Preston up, slinging him over his shoulder. The bandit holding Hazel, quickly tied her ankles and wrists and blindfolded her so she couldn't squirm or kick away and so she wouldn't know where they were going. And her threw her over his shoulder. The man carrying Hazel walked in front of the man carrying Preston, and Hazel couldn't help but look at the out cold boy who had went up against a group of bandits to try and rescue her, tears welled up in her eyes and she gave a slight sniff. No one had ever done that for her before, she may have never been face to face with bandits before, but no one has ever done something like this for her. She quickly blinked the tears away not wanting the bandits to see her crying.
But one thing remained on Hazel's mind, how would they get home...?
***
It felt as though they had been walking forever, Hazel eventually fell asleep, an uncomfy sleep, but asleep none the less and Preston remained out cold the entirety of the journey. The bandits finally reached their camp, up in the mountains in a pine forest where it was snowy and cold. Heavy duty tents surrounded the clearing and the bandits took Hazel into one, while the other bandits tied Preston to a post outside. Hazel jolted awake as soon as she felt the bitter cold on her nose, she felt herself being tied to a chair and the blindfold was finally removed. She blinked allowing her eyes to adjust to the light, most of the bandits left and the main one came in carrying her satchel.
"I see you're a potion maker," he said swinging the satchel back and forth on his finger. "So what you're going to do is make potions for us, those can sell for a mighty price."
Hazel avoided eye contact, trembling, slightly from the cold and from fear. The bandit grabbed her roughly by the cheeks, forcing her to lock eyes with him. "Are we clear?" Hazel nodded quickly and he released her. "Good," he moved her chair over to a table with brewing stands and potion ingredients and he untied her arms. "Get to work," when Hazel hesitated he smacked her upside the head. "Now!"
Hazel whimpered, and quickly began making potions. The bandit nodded and sat on a bed nearby watching her. Hazel's eyes welled up with tears, she didn't want to be alone with a bandit, she'd much rather be back at the castle with the new friends she'd made, Vivian, Seto, even Preston.
***
It took awhile but eventually Preston blinked awake with a groan, a dull ache in the side of his head from where he'd been kicked. He looked around taking in his surroundings, the ground was covered in snow, as were the pine trees, an odd yet beautiful spot for a bandit camp, though up here there was no people, so at the same time it was the perfect spot. The sky was dark with night time and clouds as there was a light snowfall, the only illumination was a few torches set up around the camp. Preston remained warm thanks to his fire hybrid, but he did not enjoy the snowflakes that fell and melted in his hair making it wet. He suddenly realized Hazel was nowhere in sight, he scanned around the tents, trying to peek in them but almost all of them were closed, and the ones that weren't he couldn't crane his neck enough to peek inside.
"H-Hazel!" He cried out, hoping she was awake and able to respond. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her, the thought of that pulled at his heart and tied his stomach into knots.
"P-Preston!" Came her voice from one of the tents, a wave of relief washed over him, untying the knot in his gut, he then heard a loud noise and Hazel yelp and the feeling return.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Preston yelled to whoever was inside, his face and neck felt hot with rage as there was nothing he could do to help.
The bandit poked his head out of the tent, and glared at Preston. "Shut your mouth, she's busy,"
Preston glared back, holding his gaze. "Bring me to her now."
The bandit grinned, reached into the tent and pulled Hazel, who was still tied to chair, bruises forming in a few places on her face, close to him and held a knife at her throat. "What was that boy?"
Preston bit his tongue to keep from shouting at the bandit, he had to do this for Hazel's sake, she was already hurt, "Please... Don't hurt her,"
"Then shut your mouth, or you both are gonna get it."
Hazel squirmed slightly in the chair, she just wanted to get away from this bandit. He smacked her hard in the cheek with the handle of the knife, and pulled her back inside. Leaving Preston alone outside, he moved her over to the same table as before and laid down on the bed in the corner.
"You will continue in the morning, even think about doing something funny to escape and I'll make sure you and your friend out there are both punished."
Hazel swallowed and made a slight nod, the bandit laid down, setting the knife on the table, closed his eyes and fell asleep. Hazel tried to get comfy, but being tied to a chair made that nearly impossible, she just leaned her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.
Outside, Preston was trying to get his wrists free from the ropes, he was getting rope burn on his hands and wrists, but at this point the burn would be worth it if he could get them out of here. After a couple hours, he finally managed to get one hand free, he grinned in triumph. He reached for his little bag that he kept on him, he pulled out a small knife that he normally used for getting resources or if he had to self defence. He took it and sawed at the ropes on his other wrist, eventually he felt it go slack as they broke and he shakily used the post to stand up. Both wrists has severe rope burn, but to him all that mattered was that he was free, he scooped up some snow and put them on the burns and he had to bite his tongue to avoid yelping, it stung like crazy, he quickly brushed off the snow, and pulled his hoodie sleeves down to cover them. He'd worry about those later, right now he had to free Hazel and get them out of there. He quietly snuck into the tent he saw Hazel was in and he stepped inside. The bandit remained fast asleep on a small bed and Hazel was tied to a chair, possibly sleeping from this angle, in the slight light of the lantern Preston could clearly see the bruises forming on her face, he made a small growl and quietly snuck over to her, he pulled out his knife and cut the ropes. Hazel's eyes snapped open, and he quickly put his hand on her mouth so she wouldn't scream. "Shhhh, it's ok, it's just me." He whispered.
She looked at him, her eyes wide, but her posture relaxed slightly when she saw it was him. Her eyes teared up slightly and she shyly leaned into him. Preston hugged her, pulling her close. "I'm gonna get you out of here," He reached over and took her satchel from next to the bed and gave it to her. He took the knife from the table and put it in his bag for good measure. "Come on, let's go." He helped her up and grabbed her hand, gently leading her out of the tent and toward the exit of the bandit camp. Hazel slipped on the snow, sending them both tumbling into a large stack of the bandits supplies, that came crashing down around them. Preston started to hear shouts from inside the camp and he scrambled up in a panic. He picked Hazel up and put her on his back, because she was so little she was very light and was easy to carry, so he sprinted down the mountain as fast as he could without slipping and falling. He scanned around looking for shelter, a cave or something. The snow had fallen faster and harder since Preston had awoke and he knew that they wouldn't make it in a snowstorm.
Farther down the mountain, Preston saw a cave that looked shielded from the wind and snow, he sprinted towards it, his legs burning almost ready to collapse underneath him. He tripped over a large rock buried in the snow and he fell face first in the snow. Hazel yelped and scrambled off his back and tried her best to pull him to his feet. Preston stood up, a sharp pain in the ankle he tripped over, Hazel saw he was trying not to limp, so she let him use her as a crutch and they made into the cave, both panting and exhausted. Preston's hair and eyes turned a dull nearly gray color, and his hoodie was soaked. Hazel's cloak was soaking wet and she was shivering badly, she looked at Preston. "Th-thank you," she said softly.
Preston nodded, and pulled off his hoodie, wearing the soaked clothes would get him sick. He pulled some sticks out of his bag and surrounded them with stones lying around the cave, he pulled out a flint and tinder and struck them against each other weakly, but just enough to get some sparks to start a fire. Preston laid his hoodie next to it on one side, and he helped Hazel get her cloak off to let it dry. She shivered harder and Preston pulled her close so she was by the fire, she looked up at him her cheeks turning a light pink. She noticed Preston's rope burns and that his hair and eyes were gray. "P-Preston, a-are you ok?"
"I-I will be... " Preston said softly.
Hazel bit her lip, and dug around in her satchel, she pulled out a pink potion, she adjusted herself and dripped some drops on the burns. Preston watched as the burns disappeared as though they'd never been there. "O-open your mouth," she said, Preston obeyed and opened his mouth slightly and she poured some of the potion in his mouth. Preston swallowed and his ankle and head suddenly felt a lot better. Hazel took a small sip herself and the bruises on her face disappeared. Preston gave a small smile and pulled her closer, Hazel noticed that the potion didn't help his eyes or hair. "Wh-why is your hair and eyes grey?"
"Umm... I'm a fire hybrid, s-so water and I don't mix well,"
"A-are you gonna be ok...?"
"I will be once I dry off."
Hazel nodded slightly and leaned into him, she was freezing, where Preston and the fire were nice and warm. Preston gently stroked her head, and Hazel's cheeks turned a light pink. Preston's stomach was full of butterflies, he wanted to tell that he liked her but he was scared, maybe tomorrow on their way home. "Get some sleep Hazel, I'll keep watch,"
"B-but-"
"It's ok, you need it."
Hazel gave a slight nod and curled up in his chest, closed her eyes and fell asleep comfortably. Preston stayed awake for a while longer the butterflies in his stomach not letting him fall asleep. He continued stroking her head, her hair was soft. Preston's cheeks turned bright red and he decided that tomorrow he would tell her is how he felt, right now he was just glad that they were both safe. Eventually, tiredness overcame him and he fell asleep.
***
The next morning, Preston woke up first, the fire had gone out and the snowstorm outside has ceased, their clothes had finally dried and Hazel had stopped shivering. This was a good start to the day, Preston hoped. He pulled out some bread that had managed to stay warm by the fire and he broke it in half and ate half. He'd save the other half for Hazel. He gently shook her shoulder. "Hazel, wake up," he whispered. Hazel made a small noise in protest but blinked awake. He set the warm piece of bread in her hands. "We gotta get going before the bandits wake up and find us."
Hazel sat up and nibbled on the bread, while Preston put his hoodie back on and helped Hazel put her cloak back on. The color had returned to his hair and eyes and he felt ready to take on anything. He stood up and checked outside, the sun was shining brightly, making the snow sparkle in the light. As it turned out they were closer to the bottom then they had thought, the forest was in sight, which was good for both of them, they wanted to be in the snow as little time as possible.
"We're right by the forest," Preston said turning to Hazel. Hazel gave a little smile and she walked over and peeked outside, giving a slight nod in agreement. "Let's go," Preston lead the charge and carefully stepped in the snow. "Follow my footsteps, it'll keep your legs from freezing."
Hazel nodded and hopped, landing in his footprints, and before long they made it to the edge of the woods, which was snow free. They walked for awhile longer, heading south, wanting to get as far away from there as they could.
Preston wanted to bring up how he felt, but he wasn't sure how to do it without feeling awkward. Some of the other guys had done it and they made it look easy, now Preston understood that it was not. His stomach was in knots and he decided to let it go again and they continued to walk in silence.
After a while, Hazel was actually the one to say something. "U-um th-thank you Preston,"
Preston's cheeks flushed, "Your welcome,"
Hazel gently played with the sleeve of her cloak before shyly hugging his arm as they walked. Preston's cheeks lit up brighter and he shyly put his arm around her shoulder. Hazel's cheeks turned a light pink at the gesture, she was too shy to admit it but she felt safe around Preston, he'd truly done a lot for her. He found her a place she could call home, and people she could call a family.
"Hey Hazel?" Preston said after a while
"Hm?" She looked up at him, he was looking at her, nervousness swimming in his eyes.
"C-can I tell you something?"
Hazel gave a slight nod, almost afraid of what he was gonna say.
"I... I like, I have for for a little while now," his cheeks were a bright red, and Hazel felt her own cheeks heat up. "I-I was told that y-you had a bad past, and I wanted you to t-trust me first."
Hazel gripped his arm tighter, remembering her past. She gave him a small nod confirming that what he said was true. She had been about ten years old, she'd run away from her original home looking for a better life, and she thought she'd found one when a man took her in. She lived with him for awhile, he kept her fed, bought her her cloak and an alchemy book, she was as happy as could be. But one night, the man came home very drunk and... Tried to touch her and get her to do stuff like that, Hazel shuddered and teared up at the thought and leaned deeper into Preston. "I-I like y-you t-t-too... I-I feel s-safe around you..." Hazel whispered.
Preston gently wiped her tears and pulled her closer. "Whatever happened... I promise I'll keep you safe,"
Hazel gave a slight nod and hugged him. "Th-thank you,"
Preston hugged back and gave her a slight kiss atop her head without realizing it. He blushed embarrassed as soon as he did it, as did Hazel but she wasn't bothered by it.
Preston and Hazel walked for a couple hours till the kingdom walls finally came into view. Preston smiled and led Hazel toward the entrance, where they were met by a bunch of their friends looking around the gate.
"Preston!" Woof yelled, running over almost tackling him in a hug. "Where the heck have you two been?!"
"Err, we got captured by bandits... They took us to their camp which is like up in the mountains."
"Are you two okay?"
Preston looked at Hazel, who gave a small nod. "Yep, we're good."
Woof nodded in approval. "I'll go tell Sky and his dad about that, to get them taken care of."
"Thanks dude,"
Woof smiled and headed back towards the castle. Vivian ran over and pulled the both of them into a hug. Hazel let out a surprised squeak but hugged back.
"We were worried about you two, I'm glad you both are okay."
Hazel gave a tiny smile and nod and shyly went back to hugging Preston's arm. Vivian noticed and gave her a small grin and a wink making Hazel's cheeks light up bright red. Preston gave a little smile and led Hazel inside.
"U-um, f-for a while n-now I-I thought about leaving..." Hazel said quietly.
Preston looked at her, his stomach twisted. Was she going to leave? Just after he'd finally managed to gather the courage to tell her he liked her? "O-okay..."
"B-but, I-I th-think I wanna stay," She continued, hugging his arm tighter. "I-I like it here, I feel safe."
Preston's stomach did a backflip for joy. He pulled her into a hug and held her close, she hugged back and Preston felt her rest her head upon his chest. "Welcome to the family, Hazel."
*************************
A/N: yes I realize the story itself is long but you don't have to read it. I even said that. Anyway, I haven't really been posting one shots very much, part of that is one I'm a little busy with some other projects and school, and... Idk one-shots just haven't been on the top of my list to do. Don't worry I'm not quitting this story, I guess you could say I'm asking for a little advice as well. I want this one shot book to be bigger than just you-tubers, I wanna include a bunch of other fandoms I'm in as well: including: UNDERTALE (literally my life right now) fnaf 1-4 err not horribly fond of world but I'll see. I read a crap ton of books, I know of a crap t.v shows and games.
Now I realize this may be a bit much to kinda swallow which is why I'm making this... I guess an option, if you guys don't want that and only want this to be you tubers that's fine with me, I can make other one shot books for my other fandoms :) but, if you think that this isn't a horrible idea to put on myself and you guys, let me know please. Tell me what you think would be better for myself and my readers, all of your input is greatly appreciated and if you read all of this kudos to you. :3 I'm impressed.
I look foreword to your words of advice. Buh bye.
Mo
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro