His White Knight - Prince!EnglandxOutlaw!Reader 9

"A-ah!" (Y/n) flinched as Eliza pricked the needle at her wounded, stinging flesh. As she then looked straight at her, she gripped the edge of the bed's mattress both in pain and embarrassment at seeing how much she frustrated Eliza. She then looked away again in an attempt to hide how warm her face was getting. "Sorry. But do you have to make it hurt so much?"

Eliza pressed her lips together. "Well, it would not if you would just sit still!" she exclaimed. Just then though, her eyes lit up as she thought of a new solution. She turned to the bedside table and took up one of the herbal solutions she originally took out. After taking up the creamy substance into her fingers, she began to gently rub it onto (Y/n)'s broken skin, which made (Y/n) shut her eyes and grit her teeth as she drew in a sharp breath. This time she actually managed to stay still, but that was only because her thoughts had wandered elsewhere.

"I can't believe he shot at me," she breathed out slowly, as though still trying to comprehend it.

"I can't believe you managed to make him miss, and make that jump," Eliza added, still reveling in the shock and awe.

"It's just…" (Y/n) trailed off before she managed to pick up again. "I mean, I know he couldn't have known it was me. And I know he's pretty much made it his life's goal to catch me. Still…it just seemed…so unlike him."

"That is why I said you should have left the moment you had a chance," Eliza sighed, trying not to sound judgmental.

"I know, and I did," (Y/n) nodded. "But you should've seen him Eliza. When he was actually seeing me and not the White Knight, he was such a gentleman, and we got along surprisingly well. It was like I was actually getting to see him as he really is for the first time. And him me."

"I am sure it was," Eliza said, her eyes still focused on the task at hand. "But what did I tell you about not letting sentiment distract you? You yourself said that, had he known who you were, he would have arrested you and taken you to the dungeon."

"I know," (Y/n) quietly agreed. "And I still believe that. And yet…if only there were some way I could get to him without having to get on his bad side." She stared into the distance afforded by the underground shelter, wishing she could see beyond it to wherever his Highness was. She found herself desperately wishing to know how he was faring.

But Eliza was not done giving her opinion. "(Y/n), the fact is we have all gone too far down the path we have chosen to turn back now."

"I know that!" (Y/n) trying yet failing at not getting frustrated. "But we could at least change our strategy a bit. When I met the prince it seemed obvious to me that he really does care about his kingdom. I can tell. He doesn't just want to have a good hunt in chasing me. We've got to at least give him the benefit of the doubt."

Eliza took the moment to briefly stop her sewing to sigh and say, "(Y/n), you know I will always have your back. You know how much our pledge means to me. But I do not like where this is going. You used to be so focused on the mission."

"I still am," (Y/n) replied before she could continue. "You of all people should know that. But you can't tell me we can keep doing this forever. The king is not going to change his ways unless someone close to him gets to him. And the only way for that to happen is for someone close to the latter to get to him."

"And just how are you proposing to do that?" Eliza asked as she leaned toward the side table for the roll of bandages, clearly skeptical.

(Y/n) sighed in exasperation. "Okay, I'll admit, I haven't exactly figured that out yet. But that doesn't mean I won't think of something."

"And I am guessing that you intend to tell Ludwig and the others the moment you do?" Eliza asked with a raised eyebrow. "Just as you promised me you would tell them how you met the prince?"

"I'm waiting for the right time, Eliza," (Y/n) replied with a hint of agitation. "Given how much has been going on lately, not to mention what just happened tonight, I don't know if waltzing into the men's shelter right now, unannounced, and waking him up to tell him something that will make him more than cranky is the best way to do it."

Despite how tense situation at hand was, Eliza couldn't help but chuckle at the image. "That is not exactly what I had in mind."

"You get my drift," (Y/n) replied, chuckling a little bit herself. "Besides, I think it's time we head to bed as well. It's almost, what, two in the morning?"

"I believe so, igen," Eliza nodded, trying but not quite succeeding in suppressing a yawn. Still, she managed to finish the job and wrap three layers of bandaging around (y/n)'s wounded arm, making (y/n) sigh in relief at the ordeal finally being over.

"Do not try to strain it," Eliza advised. "An inch or two to the left could possibly have made the arrow go right through you."

(Y/n) swallowed hard at the thought, knowing very well that that could have been the case had she not reacted just in time.

"Not to mention, it is your sword arm," the Hungarian woman added. "Who knows? Perhaps Ludwig will show some rare mercy and let you rest it."

"Wouldn't that be nice?" (Y/n) smirked. Still, both of them knew Ludwig wasn't entirely unreasonable in regards to training. Even he knew when to give someone a break.

"And (Y/n)?" Eliza put her hand on her shoulder, making (y/n) turn toward her so that they were looking the other in the eye. "Tell me you intend to keep your promise, and that you will tell the others of any possible solution the moment you think of it."

Feeling Eliza's uncomfortable gaze on her, (y/n) briefly lowered her head and let out a tired sigh before she looked back up at her sister-in-arms again. "I will. Both."

Eliza's lips turned up in a faint, yet still evident smile. "Jó." And before she knew it, Eliza put her arms around (y/n) in a brief but meaningful hug, before leaning back again and giving her a stern, motherly look. "Now, off to bed with you."

Now it was (y/n)'s turn to let out a yawn. She hadn't felt this tired in a long while, and found herself looking forward to drifting off to dreamland. "You said it."

Both women changed into their nightclothes and climbed into their separate beds before snuffing out the candles, leaving them both in total darkness and silence, save for the nightly symphony the crickets made above ground. (Y/n) knew Eliza had fallen asleep first, because as she kept her eyes gazing up through the hole in their shelter at the star-dotted sky beyond, she realized she wouldn't be able to keep all of the promise she'd made. She had thought of a solution. She had remembered something extremely important.
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The following morning, when (y/n) and Eliza made their way to the men's shelter to discuss the previous night, (y/n) was met with a bear hug from Feliciano that not only very nearly knocked the wind out of her but also almost made her fall. She realized she had to stop underestimating his hidden strength, given especially that he was on her side. Despite how tightly he hugged her though, it looked like tears were forming in his amber eyes.

"Oh bella!" he sniffed. "I am so sorry you got hurt so bad last night!" He then proceeded to kiss her freshly bandaged arm over and over again, making (y/n) blush in embarrassment, even if she was somewhat moved by his concern for her. Still, she was just about to pry him off when his brother came over and did that for her.

"Get off of her, idiota!" Lovino raised his voice at him, so much so that it echoed off the walls of the shelter. "Can you not see you are going to make it worse for her by making her suffocate?!"

"Lovino, I'm fine!" (Y/n) almost laughed. Then, regaining her composure, she repeated, "Seriously, I'm fine. If anything I'm lucky I came out the way I did."

"You are lucky you came out in one piece at all, (y/n)," Ludwig said somewhat gruffly as he strode forward toward her.

(Y/n) immediately let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh, like it's my fault things went the way they did. We may be good at what we do but we can't predict the future!"

"Und yet half of our success is due to how carefully ve have planned our missions," Ludwig retorted. "I vould zink you vould know zat by now."

The second time in less than twelve hours someone had spoken to her in such a way. But he didn't need to know that. Instead, (y/n) only put her head in her hand and let out another, smaller sigh as the rest of her team gathered around the table, the same way they had the evening before. Still, she managed to muster the maturity and courage to join them shortly after.

"Well, aside from how I almost got my arm shot off by his Highness," (y/n) said, before stopping to let a shiver travel up her spine, "how did things go for you guys last night? Did you get all the gold from the cart?"

Although knowing she might have been met with that answer, (y/n) still felt disappointed as Ludwig replied in the negative. "Nein, ve vere able to get most of it but had to abandon ze rest ze moment the castle guard showed up."

"We would have been able to get away with all of it had some of those among us would have gone faster," Francis thought out loud, giving a revealing glance at Feliciano.

"I could not help it!" the red-headed Italian exclaimed. "It was so dark and scary and I had no idea what could have come out to eat us alive!"

(Y/n) pressed her lips together as she put her hand to her forehead. While she knew from experience that Feliciano was not as helpless as he appeared, one big flaw that endangered not just him but all of them was the fact that he could be easily frightened. She had hoped he would grow out of it the more they went on missions, but apparently he had not.

"It is always 'dark and scary' whenever we carry out a job!" Lovino exclaimed back. Then, as he started poking his brother hard in the chest, he added with an emphasis in each word, "How was this supposed to be any different?!"

But before his brother could answer, Eliza spoke up in his stead. "I am hating to have to admit it, but Feliciano does have a point. This was not like our usual missions after all. I am suspecting the king and his men are starting to change their strategy." Then, with a look at (y/n) that spoke in a silent language only the two of them could understand, she added, "Perhaps it is time we change ours as well."

While Ludwig, Feliciano, and Lovino raised their eyebrows in interest, Francis raised his in skepticism. "You are not actually suggesting we just go and steal all of the gold in treasury in one night, oui? We are going to need three of us each in order to do that!"

"Of course she is not suggesting that, Frenchie!" Ludwig snapped, criticizing his lack of imagination. Then, once he'd regained his civility, he added, "But Eliza does have a point. Clearly, ze vay ve are going about zings is not going to suffice much longer. If ve are going to remain ahead of ze king and his men, ve are going to have to zink of somezing different."

Lovino huffed in a lack of enthusiasm. "Well, as soon as one of you come up with any brilliant ideas, I would love to hear them."

"I have an idea," (y/n) finally spoke up, causing all of them to remember she too was in the room as they looked over at her.

(Y/n) breathed deeply as she first carefully chose her words, before looking at everyone in the same manner she did yesterday, and letting them through her lips. "I know I probably should've told you all this earlier, but I, forgot." She paused to bite her lip before anyone could notice and continued, "When I was in the village yesterday, I heard people discussing the upcoming spring festival in a week." Which was true. The faces of the others lit up as they nodded in remembrance.

"Then, before I left for home, I heard something, rather interesting," (Y/n) went on slowly, trying to make sure she sounded as convincing as possible, not false yet not exactly true either. Fortunately, she had everyone's interest as she added, "I heard a rumor that the prince himself may be making a 'surprise' appearance at the festival in the village."

Now they all started frowning in confusion, Francis and Ludwig in particular, making (y/n)'s heartbeat quicken slightly.

"Odd," Ludwig thought out loud. "Are you sure zat vas vat you heard? Seems more to me like ze talk of people getting blue."

(Y/n) let a slight smirk form on her lips, as she remembered that where Ludwig was from, "getting blue" meant getting drunk.

"And why would a prince of all people appear at a party for peasants in the first place?" Francis asked with clear contempt for his Highness. Then his tone and his expression turned a little dark as he offered an answer. "Unless he has it in his mind to seduce a lowly maiden?"

(Y/n) did her best to try and not even feel defensive. True, she remembered how Arthur had fondly said he hoped to see her again, but who was this French flirt to suggest the crown prince of Britannia had less than honorable intentions? Even though she reminded himself that Francis, and the others for that matter, didn't know Prince Arthur like she did, she couldn't help feeling a little bit of indignation. Only slightly harder was trying not to show it.

Forcing a fake smile on her face, (y/n) replied, "I'll have you know I was paying a lot of attention. And if that was what he planned to do, I would've heard."

"And vat else did you hear, exactly?" Ludwig asked, as though probing her to see if she really meant what she was saying.

(Y/n) slightly shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to calm her nerves. "That's it. Just that, there was a chance he might be coming in secret."

"And we are just supposed to take your word for it?" Lovino asked with an irritated look and tone of voice to match.

"Well, if we hadn't taken Ludwig at his word last night, we would've lost all that gold now wouldn't we?" (y/n) asked, raising her eyebrows to dare him to say otherwise.

But Ludwig wasn't having it. "Ve have not made a name for ourselves by going on guesses and following our instincts. I at least made sure my information was verifiable." Just then though, he let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead before looking back up at (y/n) with a weary yet considerate look on his face.

"Still, I cannot argue viz vat you just said," he admitted. "Besides, as Eliza suggested, it is probably time ve've changed strategies."

"So, where are you going with this?" (y/n) asked, anxious both in that she was still covering up the whole truth and in wanting to know what he was thinking.

Ludwig crossed his arms at her and said, "(Y/n), I have known you for a long time. You have always been dedicated to zis cause ze moment ve made it. Vile I don't exactly like ze idea of following a hunch, I cannot argue viz how you have always made our mission your top priority." He then scratched the back of his head, as if hesitating to say what he'd planned to say.

"If you zink zis is a good lead, zen I suppose it is good enough to follow," Ludwig said as he smiled softly at (y/n), a rather rare sight for any of them. "I trust your judgment."

(Y/n) forced a small smile on her lips in return as she nodded and said, "Thank you very much, Ludwig. I appreciate your faith in me."

And yet, as they then began planning their strategy for the town festival only six days away, she did her best to ignore Eliza's concerned stares and concentrate on the matter at hand. But neither at all helped (y/n) fend off the nagging feeling that she was a fraud.