#I had this image vividly appear in my mind during an anxiety attack and I’m like

[imhumanguysiswear]

Vee would have nightmares during the night and Camila would wake up and hug her until she fell asleep and then she’d remain there for the rest of the night to make sure that if Vee woke up again she’d know that her mom was there with her

[blank58]

Fate

AN: I don’t normally like to include these before the story, but a bit of background information will help the reading flow more smoothly. 

(Y/N) was an average woman in the modern world, though after her unexpected death she reincarnates into a novel she read not too long ago. Unfortunately, she’s not the FL and certainly no one important, merely one of the maids in the grand castle. In the book, she appears in several scenes as a background character while serving royalty, her name never even mentioned once (though possessing the same, uncommon hair color). At first she’s bummed out about it, though quickly realizes it’s to her advantage instead, as the main characters face constant dangers (courtesy of the sadistic author) and the royal life is less glamorous than she’d imagined. She resolves to avoid meeting the main characters at all costs, something that should be easy to accomplish with her plain status and looks. Of course, things go wrong and she only delays events in the books, leaving more of an impression on the people around her than anything. 

An attack on the castle was one of the main events in the book, one with many casualties of the lesser important characters, her included. As the time draws nearer, (Y/N) grows more and more nervous to her inevitable fate.

(Y/n) stared out the window solemnly, her hands fiddling with the piece of fabric in her hands. She was meant to sew up the various minuscule tears in it, though she could hardly focus on it with her thoughts occupied so deeply. 

“Hey... Poppy?” She hesitantly asked, pausing for a moment before she twisted around to look at the petite female behind her. Said girl popped her head up immediately, staring at the older female with large doe eyes, brimming with childish curiosity. 

(Y/N) felt her confidence waver, mouth growing dry as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She diverted her attention back in front of her, fixating her gaze on the grass blades rustling outside in the breeze. 

“If anything happens soon... can you take care of my keepsakes? I’d rather know they were in good hands...”

Poppy was another background maid character just like her, though younger by many years, enough for (Y/N)’s sisterly instincts to act up and take her under her wing nearly immediately. With her innocent gaze and small stature, it was natural for (Y/N) to feel protective of her, finding no room to complain as Poppy grew comfortable around her much faster than it typically took for strangers.  

Not to mention, she’d never had siblings in her past life, and she couldn’t say that it felt awful in any way... (save for difficulty moving and completing her duties when Poppy was in a clingy mood).

Poppy’s features twisted into an adorable, confused look. She clasped her hands behind her back, tottering closer to (Y/N). 

“Why the sudden question? Is something going to happen soon?” She questioned, tilting her head. Her eyes suddenly enlarged as she grabbed onto her sleeve. “You’re not leaving, right?!” She grew frantic with each second, panicking in her typical nature as she began overthinking. “Oh gosh, are- are you getting bullied? Death threats? Are you going to-!”

“No, no, it’s alright Poppy,” (Y/N) soothed the hectic female with a calm smile, petting her gently on the top of her head as she motioned for her to sit next to her. The younger female did as asked, sniffling lightly from the tears that had already gathered in her eyes, vividly imaging the worst case scenarios that could befall on the person she deemed as an “older sister”. 

“I just.... have a tendency to get a feeling when something bad is going to happen. And I think something might... soon...” 

“Like what?” Poppy curiously inquired, peering up through her lashes at (Y/N). The female forced a gentle smile on her face and a nonchalant shrug, despite the shivers down her spine every moment she remembered the grotesque details of the incident. It had been one thing when it was inked words on paper, and another living in the very world... her life hanging on the line. 

The room felt cold despite the sunlight filtering through the open window, and the gentle breeze teasing the ends of her hair. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll fall down and twist my ankle, you know how much I hate those stairs.”

Poppy giggled in response, all traces of her earlier fear and anxiety washed away. “Does that mean I get your share of dessert too?”

(Y/N) leaned over to peck her on her forehead, brushing her bangs out of the way. “Of course.” 

___

No one exactly accepted death with open arms, it was human nature to fight tooth and nail to the end, to struggle out of impossible scenarios. 

But what could she do?

She’d attempted to avoid all events with the main characters and it still held no meaning, only delayed the inevitable until a later moment. If anything, it had even gone against her favor, (Y/N) cringing at the memory of spilling red wine on the prince’s ball clothing. She’d never more regretted pushing the task of merely cleaning his room onto another, more willing, maid. 

Her grip on the dagger tightened, the blade shining dangerously in the night’s light. She knew it was sharp enough, already having nicked herself when she ran her finger over the blade. 

With only slight hesitation, she brought it up to her neck. 

The metal seemed to radiate a coldness from it, or perhaps it was the sense of death it carried. It seemed comfortable being so close to her vulnerable, exposed neck. Perhaps the threat it possessed hadn’t fully developed in her mind yet. 

She tested it, bringing it closer, feeling her collar grow damp as a slight dribble of blood landed on it. 

She was destined to die a terrible death, crushed alive by a flaming ball of steel. She couldn’t even certainly say which would be her ultimate demise: the flames, the blood loss, the broken bones. She’d consider herself lucky if it killed her on impact. Just the thought of her future caused her to tighten her grip on the dangerous object in her hands. 

Wasn’t it better to end things here? To go quickly and nearly painlessly, a brief injury compared to the former? It’d save her such agony and terror, awaiting the moment she’d die, watching each flaming ball in the sky, wondering which one would bring about her inevitable doom. 

(Y/N) was a secondary character destined to die, the most she could control was her end.

A rustle sounded from behind her, and she flinched. Poppy turned over in the bed, unconsciously cuddling closer to (Y/N) as soft, steady breathes left her lips. 

The dagger clattered to the floor, the female covering her face with her hands. 

How could she consider that?! How traumatized would Poppy be, awaking in the morning to find her closest thing to family dead next to her, killed with her own hands while she slept on peacefully? How painful would it be, to carry that burden for the rest of her life? Would she ever recover? Would she trust anyone ever again? Dying during an uncontrollable event was one thing, but suicide...?

(Y/N) slowly turned around, making sure not to shift the mattress too much as to not wake Poppy. “I’m sorry,” she whispered into the still room, encircling her arms around the smaller female and cradling her closer. “Big sister wasn’t thinking properly, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry”, she murmured softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

___

The day of reckoning had come and (Y/N) watched the sky turn blood red with magic. 

War was never quite beautiful, and she could see it first hand with the weapons wrecking chaos and destruction to the castle. The rain of arrows came first, sending servants screaming everywhere, seeking cover. Poppy was safe inside the center of the building, tasked with easier chores of dusting or cleaning, trusted in such a guarded place because of her young age and open innocence. Thankfully, (Y/N) had been stationed with taking care of the laundry at the West wing, the area still unaffected by the enemy. 

Unfortunately, this was also where the oversized cannonballs would be launched.

The first ones looked like birds shooting through the air, attempting to escape the ongoing chaos. Within several seconds it was more than obvious what they truly were. They hit the side of the building behind her, destroying the open corridor she had passed through just minutes ago. 

She could hear her fellow maids scream in terror, some running back the way she had come, searching for... something, maybe a way out, maybe someone else. Others were quick to flee forwards, though weren’t able to make it very far before another cannonball hit the grassy lawn to the left of the palace, sweeping them off their feet and sending them crashing into the brick wall. 

(Y/N) stood still all the while, watching the destruction around her unfold in a serene and composed manner. The terrifying scene didn’t seem to register in her mind, the screams and explosions muted as she blankly watched the sky. 

Something about no longer fearing for her life left her to watch the scene with hardly a care, as if it were a video, playing through a screen where it couldn’t reach her. Or through someone else’s eyes, surveying what it meant to truly be in such a moment. 

The next ball thrown however, was aimed straight at her. (Y/N) watched it grow bigger and bigger, its size becoming more and more formidable as it grew closer. Of course, it was much larger and dangerous than the ones she had seen in history books and museums back in her modern days, seeing as how this world harbored magic and many amazing, and deadly, things had the capability to be real. 

Before she’d noticed it, the cannonball was already several miles in front of her, and within a moment, only yards away. It was too late to even attempt to run away, she’d be caught up in the impact and left with both of her legs broken. Worser yet, it could cause damage to her spine, leaving her immobilized until another cannonball landed close enough to end her misery. 

(Y/N) closed her eyes, releasing a final breathe. She’d lived well enough, she’d done all her necessary deeds. Her only regret was to leave Poppy so soon, but the other maids would surely take care of her after she was gone. Such an event was sure to shake up everyone’s nerves and bond them closer together through such a traumatic experience, they wouldn’t have the heart to leave a child on her own like that. Especially not after her “big sister” was so brutally murdered, caught up in the crossfire. 

A sudden thud before her seemed to shake the world to its very core, the heat from the ball making her sweat already. Out of reflex, (Y/N) clamped her eyes shut even tighter... though no pain came. Had she died that quickly? She’d surely expected to at least feel the initial impact against her body...

(Y/N) cautiously cracked one of her eyes open, half expecting to see some form of an afterlife before her. Who knows, maybe if she was lucky enough she’d be allowed to reincarnate again, in a luckier situation this time as well. 

The site before her left her gaping with an open mouth, her brain too caught up in her whirling thoughts and ever-changing emotions to properly process it. A shimmering, red barrier hovered before her, a familiar back and a ragged ponytail that swung in the air from the owner’s sudden movements. His hands were extended forwards to hold up said barrier with his magic, feet planted firmly in the ground despite skidding backwards, if the broken tiles by his feet were anything to come by. The dangerous cannonball heading straight for her was now planted in the ground, still steaming from its impact. 

(Y/N) could only stare forward in muted shock as the male gasped for a few moments, catching his breathe before he whirled around. The most furious expression was on his face, his beautiful features twisted dangerously. The female could only stare at him and wonder why. She’d accepted her death due to her lowly position already, what was there to be angry about? ... Why was he here even?

The male lifted his arm, raising it as if to strike her despite the several feet distance between them. In an instant she felt herself yanked forward by a magical force, crashing into his broad chest as his arms instead wrapped themselves around her waist, pressing her further closer to him. 

His ragged breathes sounded in her ear as he dropped his forehead onto her shoulder, a light sheen of sweat absorbing into her fabric from his face. Or, perhaps that wasn’t the sweat, as she felt his breathe hitch and his arms curl around her even tighter. 

“You idiot,” his voice cracked slightly, her shoulder becoming even more damp as his ragged, emotional voice rose in volume. “You idiot! You absolute moron! Why didn’t you move! Why?! You were about to die!”

(Y/N) blinked in shock, listening to the male sob into her shoulder. She couldn’t even offer any comfort to him in return, her arms trapped between the two of them as she reflexively pressed them against her chest as she was pulled forwards. The scene all around the two of them seemed to finally register in her mind, noticing the havoc caused by the cannonballs. A limp body of a fellow maid laid several feet away, others littered all over the grounds, and a sob caught in her throat. 

That could’ve been her. It was almost her-

(Y/N) curled further into his chest, tears now rolling down her cheeks as she gasped for air, hyperventilating from the fear and panic. “I-... I thought I was about to die! I don’t want to! I-I didn’t have a choice but I don’t want to! Please, I don’t want to die! Sir Hyelin, I don’t want to die!”