#tincke x reader

[black-kitten-imagines]

Still Standing ~ Tincke x reader

Picture not mine

Word count: 2,147

Warnings: mentions of violence

Summary: Reader wants to join Jan and Tincke on an ambush but they don’t allow it.

A/N: I saw Thieves of the Wood earlier this year and just immediately fell in love with it, with the characters, the setting, everything.

“Come on, Tincke. Please, let me join you!”, I begged desperately. “I’m sorry (Y/n), you’re staying here, at camp”, said the red haired man in front of me with insistence in his voice. “Why can’t I come? You never let me join you.” 

For the last few days Jan and Tincke had been planning an ambush on a carriage full of valuables and today was the day that they were going to implement that plan. Many of the men from the camp were going and I wanted to be part of it as well.

“You’re a woman. It’s too dangerous!”, Tincke answered me. This answer made my blood boil. “De Schoen is also a woman and you have no problem with her coming along! And just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself!”, I yelled at him angrily. 

My hands turned to fists around the worn fabric of my old skirts, preventing me from striking him in anger. Having lived with the others, banished in this forest camp for multiple months now I had gotten used to audacious remarks like his, but never before had I heard any from him. 

Tincke had always shown respect towards me. Furthermore he was the one who taught me how to protect myself both with daggers and the pistol, so he knew that I could actually protect myself - although I was a woman and women weren’t suited to know  their way around weapons as was decided by men, probably just because they were scared what we could do if we did actually know our way around swords and daggers.

“She knows the risks”, was his calm but infuriating reply. Although he seemed to keep a level head I could see it in his eyes that I was slowly getting to him. Tincke knew raising his voice and causing a scene might cost him his reputation of a mostly dependable leader and the respect of the others. 

“I know the risks too, I know I could die in this attack, see I’m not as naive as you think I am!” Tincke mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like ‘oh, I know you’re not naive at all’, but I decided to ignore him in order to continue my rant, “So why can’t I actually come along? All I ever do is sit here in this camp and wait for you to return. I want to help. Please!” 

“No! You will not accompany us. You will stay here. End of discussion!”, and with those words he walked off towards Jan, leaving me standing in front of ‘Der Hunger’, seething in anger. 

I was going to join them on the ambush no matter what Tincke said. Whether he allowed it or not, I was going to be part of the action. At that very moment I didn’t care about any repercussions in any which way.

Already having a plan in mind, I stomped off into the direction of the tent I was staying in, but before I reached it I took a turn, doing a small detour around the camp, towards the hut in which I knew I could find an extra set of somewhat clean men’s clothing - a rarity in a place like this. 

Trying to seem unsuspicious I stopped to chat with some people here and there. Taking one last look over my shoulder, I quietly slipped into the hut pulling the makeshift canvas doors shut behind me. Inside I quickly found a bundle of dry clothing, stored alongside a few other trivial items in a simple oak trunk. 

Having in mind that Tincke, Jan and the others would depart very soon I swiftly shed my garments and rolled them into a more or less neat bundle, putting it in that very same trunk. Then without losing any time I slipped into the new clothes - first the dark brown, worn out pants, then a slightly cream coloured, wide and flowy shirt. Last but not least I pulled an old, tattered, dark wool coat over my shoulders.

The final touches were a dark blue scarf that I tied around my neck and an old hat that I had nicked from a man napping on a log next to the big, open, central fire pit. The fire pit was the centre of our community. 

So many drunk nights with friends had been spent here, so many nights had been spent here celebrating, so many of  Vagenende’s prophecies had been told here. 

The warmth of the fire and the ale gave us courage and hope in our dire situation.

Before I left I made sure the pistol in my belt was loaded.

As I stepped out of the tent I pulled  the scarf over the bottom half of my face, hoping no one would recognize me.

The cluster of men had already started to break apart when I reached the place where they had gathered in front of our small, little tavern. Keeping to the back of the group and out of the sight of Tincke, Jan and anyone else I knew too closely for them to recognize me, I followed them towards the main road through this part of the forest.

My head was spinning with thoughts and feelings. I was starting to regret my rash decision. My heart was beating with nervosity and fear. Tincke’s words reverberated in my mind. Maybe I should turn back. What if he was right? What if I was naive and helpless? What if I had no idea how much trouble I was getting into? 

But coming back from my trance I saw the somber faces of the men around me. I couldn’t run  back to the camp and hide. It was too late to do so, I was one of them now and I was not going to bail on them. They needed every help they could get. So I shook my thoughts away and swallowed my fears. I was ready for whatever came our way. I would gladly lay down my life for this group of men, these men who had saved me from starvation and hypothermia, if necessary.

We were concealed through some bushes and the verge along the dirt road, waiting for the signal. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, crouching behind some shrubs and greenery, my ears finally picked up on the faint sound of horses hooves in the distance. 

Looking around I saw that I wasn’t the only one who noticed, most of the banished tightening their grip on their pistols or daggers hanging from their belts. The sound grew louder and louder and soon enough we could see the top of the carriage move through the trees, the roof packed with trunks. 

Now my heart started racing again, but this time not out of fear but out of anticipation. Adrenaline rushing through my veins. I couldn’t wait  for all this to go down. 

Suddenly the coach rolled to a stop. My breathing hitched in excitement. The door was pushed open and a red haired girl stumbled out and fell to the ground. I recognized her, she was one of the working girls at ‘The Yellow Prick’, Tincke’s ‘favourite one’ as I once overheard him say.

A pang of  jealousy and hurt filled my heart, remembering the times I had gone looking for the red haired leader at the brothel and having found him and her sharing an intimate moment. 

But enough of that! I pushed my feelings aside and observed the events in front of me.

A man in uniform and a little boy, who I also recognized, had followed her out of the carriage. From my vantage point I could see two more men inside the vehicle, both dressed in elegant, noble garments and wearing wigs. All of them were accompanied by at least two or three guards. 

But just as the Bailiff bent down to check on the girl, she sprung up and started running into the woods. This was not at all what I had expected to happen, but obviously this was the sign we had been waiting for, for the other men around me charged, shouting with arms raised. I sprang to my feet and slid down the slope.

 The ambush was in full swing and so far there were no injured. I tried to help where I could. Some of the men had started pulling the wooden and leather trunks from the roof of the coach, some were busy unarming the passengers and the few guards that accompanied the travellers. The Bailiff must’ve fled at some point for he was nowhere to be seen. What a coward! 

I was currently busy helping two men lift one of the trunks, when I heard a faint but suspicious ‘clink’. Looking around I spied another guard that had gone unseen, standing in the shadow of a tree to the front of the coach. The man in blue and red uniform had just returned his ramrod  from the barrel when he raised his musket, ready to fire. 

Time seemed to slow as I turned around to see who was in his line of fire - Tincke. 

He was standing with his back facing the guard talking to one of the other men, not noticing the weapon pointed at him. It seemed like no one except for me had noticed the opponent.

For a second everything froze. My heart jumped in fear.

No, I couldn’t let him die. Tincke wasn’t supposed to die, these people needed him. I needed him, I realized. 

Without thinking any further I dropped the handles of the trunk I was holding and started sprinting with all my might. I couldn’t be too slow. I couldn’t fail. I would never forgive myself if I did.

I would risk my life for him. I would give everything for him. If he died it would most likely be the end of the banished. If I died it would only be one hungry mouth less.

I was expecting the impact and welcomed it happily. I felt the soft fur on my hands and his red locks tickling my neck as I shoved him.

The suddenness and force of the impact surprised him and toppled him off of his feet causing him to end up on the floor a few paces away from me. I slid to a stop where he was standing before. Then time seemed to restore to its former pace and everything went so fast I couldn’t quite comprehend it.

BANG!

 - the loud shot of a gun in the now otherwise silent forest, even the birds seemed to stop singing their tunes and all eyes were on me.

The uniformed man standing across from me crumpled down to the floor, a huge patch of red blood spreading over the spot where his heart was. 

Without even noticing, I had pulled and fired my pistol just in time to prevent him at his own shot, for I still stood there arm raised, some smoke still coming out of the barrel.

I did it, I saved Tincke. A smile spread across my face.

Suddenly  I felt a sharp pain searing through my body then gathering in my abdomen, causing me to crumple up and immediately fall to my knees.

From somewhere behind me I heard a gasp but I couldn’t place who it might’ve been from.

Only half aware of my surroundings I looked down at myself  shocked and saw deep red spreading and staining my light linen shirt. I couldn't wrap my mind around what was happening. My brain seemed to be stuffed with cotton. 

I carefully lifted my empty hand to the red stain. Removing my hand again, surprise filled me at the blood on my fingers. 

Blood, my blood - I was dying, but this realization didn’t fill me with fear as I would’ve expected. A strange calm flooded through my body. As my body went limp and I slowly fell backwards only one thought crossed my mind, ‘I saved him.’

I didn’t hit the hard, cold, dirty forest floor but landed on something soft. Then Tincke’s face appeared above me. At the sight of him my lips turned upwards into a small smile. 

His face was distorted in terror and shock. His beautiful grey eyes were filled with fear and as he cupped my face in his rough hands tears started to roll down his cheeks. 

Tincke’s soft lips were moving as he tried to tell me something, but I couldn’t hear a word he said - everything had gone silent. And as my peripheral vision started to grow dark the only thought I could think of was how happy I was to have been able to see Tincke one last time, that his handsome face was the last thing I saw on this earth. 

Then everything went black.