#xenk yendar x y/n

[iridescentprose]

quest—xenk yendar x fem!reader

summary; being frenemies with xenk

author's note/ warning(s); just fluff; i'm not well versed in dungeons and dragons lore. most of my knowledge comes from the recent movie adaptation. please enjoy!

*header pictures do not belong to me*

The boisterous chatter within the tavern ceased the moment your boots hit the floorboards. Patrons - drunk on ale and joy, or full of whatever obscure meat was on their plates - turned to look up at you. For once you understood their stares. After all, you were clad in blood, guts, and what you hoped wasn't vomit while standing next to an infamous paladin who had not a scratch on his armor.

Despite slaying the same beast together, your partner - who followed you around like a fly to a corpse - survived the battle unscathed. Even his blade was stain-free thanks to some unexplainable magic you didn't bother to figure out.

"Just a water, thank you," you said to the waiter behind the counter as you settled into one of the wobbly stools. You didn't bother to wait for Xenk as he maneuvered his way through the crowd that formed along the walk way. Behind you, everyone was hovering around him, thanking him for slaying the beast that could've threatened a slew of homes.

"Thanks," you muttered to the waiter as you picked up the cup he slid towards you. You took numerous gulps from your drink as the crowd began to dissipate to give Xenk some space. You turned your back to them and found yourself face to face with the waiter and his finger tapping on a slip of paper in front of you.

"Tab's getting full," the waiter tapped the slip of paper etched with numerous food and drink items. Next to them, were accumulating prices, expenses you had yet to pay.

You read the list, some charges dating back from months ago when you were low on funds. You slowly shook your head, unable to find the words to come up with an excuse. As of now, money hadn't been your number one priority.

"Then put it on mine," a voice said from behind you. You could see his noble smile he was bearing even though you didn't turn to look at him. Gingerly, he took the seat next to you as the waiter nodded and sheepishly tucked the slip of paper away before you could protest.

"Thanks, but...you didn't have to do that," you said once the waiter was gone and Xenk had settled at the bar. He looked around, taking in your surroundings as if he were a newborn who was just seeing the world for the first time. You rolled your eyes playfully. "I'm not going to be able to pay you back."

"Consider it a gift," he said, his eyes finding your face after he seemed satisfied with what he saw around the tavern. You look down at your cup, avoiding his gaze.

"You can't keep giving me gifts."

He frowned and rose an eyebrow. "Why not?"

You turned to face him, a look of slight annoyance settling on your features. "Because—"

Because you had no means of paying him back. Because you weren't friends, but rather partners completing the same quest. Because once the quest was complete, you wanted no reminders of what could have been.

But every excuse that you had on your tongue vanished as his hand settled upon on your chin. Lightly his fingers guided your face towards his, as if he was trying to get a better look at you.

"Because, why?" he asked, eyes pleading to know. His thumb swept across the skin of your cheek, swiping away whatever grime had been left over from the creature you split in two.

Your annoyance, now gone, had been replaced with bashfulness. It was as if he had caught you doing some wrong and you were in for another lesson on nobility and righteousness.

But as the noise around you faded and his face drew closer, you were convinced otherwise.

"Y/n?" he whispered, shaking you out of your trance.

"Yeah?"

"You might want to take a breath. I'm not sure how much longer you can hold it."

Not realizing you had been holding your breath, you felt the heat rise to your cheeks. Xenk, who found your flustered nature amusing, smirked mischeviously before a hearty chuckle fell from his mouth. Playfully, you swiped his hand away from your chin and lightly shoved him in the shoulder.

"Forget it," you said before gulping the last of your drink. You rose to your feet and made your way towards the exit with the heat still rising to cheeks and a smile teasing your lips.

And like always, he followed after you.

[bi-bard]

Cruel Trick of Fate - Xenk Yendar Imagine [Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves]

Title: Cruel Fate

Pairing: Xenk Yendar X Reader

Word Count: 1,508 words

Warning(s): self-image issues (i think that's a good way to describe it), mention of attack

Summary: Xenk saves the life of a person in need. (Y/n)'s time spent healing brings the duo exceptionally closer than either of them considered to be possible.

Author's Note: I don't know if I'm surprised that this is happening or not.

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My story truly begins when I woke up in what I assumed was a cave.

I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there. And once I blinked the sleep from my eyes, I realized those facts and shoved myself out of the bed.

I scrambled, doing a circle in the hopes of getting some kind of hold on my surroundings. It didn't do much.

I reached over blindly, grabbing a stick of some kind that I could use as a makeshift weapon.

"You shouldn't be moving around."

I jumped when I heard a voice. I held out my arms, trying to look more threatening to the man than I actually was.

"You hit your head," he said. "You should sit down before your head begins to hurt again."

"Who are you and where am I," I asked. "And why did you bring me here?"

"My name is Xenk Yendar, this is my home, and you were attacked," he answered simply.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "That didn't actually answer my final question."

"Your head was hurt," he repeated. "By the creature that attacked you. Do you not remember?"

"Head injuries can impact memory," I replied. "Shocking, I know."

"I do not find that shocking at all," his eyebrows furrowed for a moment.

"I was being- it wasn't- why am I explaining the concept of language to you," I scolded myself more than I truly spoke to him. "Let me go."

"I cannot do that in good conscience," he shook his head. "How are you feeling?"

"I- I'm fine," I blinked a few times when a spiking pain shot through my head, finding a place in my temple to continuously remind me of its presence. "I want to go home."

"If I allow you to do that and you end up even more hurt on the trip, then I would never be able to forgive myself."

"Then you can guide me, how's... how's that?"

I must've swayed a bit when I spoke.

Xenk stepped forward, only stopping when I shakily pointed the stick at him.

"You are threatening me with a stick and are clearly weak, please sit down," he pleaded.

I closed my eyes, my face scrunching up a bit as I did so. I felt him pull the stick from my hands before guiding me to sit back down on the bed.

"I will be right back."

I dug the heels of my hands into my eyes, not acknowledging his comment.

At the time, I decided that the entire event was decided by some cruel act of fate.

It felt like I spent ages with Xenk.

At first, I was angry. Dismissive. I made my discomfort very well known. The more that I looked back on that time, the more stunned I am that Xenk never told me to leave. He refused to give up on me until I was fully healed.

I did eventually begin to calm down. Anger and annoyance became something close to indifference. It was all much calmer. We would eat together, conversations were less awkward, and my constant need to fight or run seemed to dissipate.

When that indifference changed, I wanted to refuse that it happened.

It felt strange to think that such a change had happened. Ridiculous.

It was so much easier for me to ignore it happened at all.

And then, Xenk came back with a wound on his arm.

I furrowed my eyebrows as he walked in.

"Are you alright," I asked.

He nodded. "Just need to take care of this."

I watched him for a while as he cleaned his wound and attempted to take care of it. It didn't seem like a very intense wound, but it did seem a bit difficult for him to take care of.

It took me far too long to finally step in.

"Alright, stop," I walked over and swatted his hand away. "I may go mad watching your stubbornness."

His eyebrows furrowed for a moment. "How would my supposed stubbornness cause you to lose- you were figurative!"

"Yes," I nodded as I moved his arm. He hissed a bit. "Does that hurt?"

"Not at all," he replied, voice slightly strained.

I rolled my eyes before walking around him and sitting behind him on the mattress. He was able to lower his arm and I was still able to properly take care of his wound.

I remained quiet as I wrapped his arm. I was the youngest in my family. My experience with tending to wounds was minuscule. But I could do some of the bare minimum.

"How is that," I asked quietly after pulling my hands away.

"Better than I could have done on my own," he mumbled.

It was then that I noticed how... strange the moment felt. We were so close and it all felt so... intimate.

We fell silent again. We both seemed fixated on watching each other's eyes. As if we were attempting to read each other's minds before either one of us made a mistake.

I nodded somewhat awkwardly before going to stand from my spot. "I... I think I am going to make us both some tea. I know that it won't heal you, but it certainly couldn't hurt."

I went to walk away, but his good hand stopped me, catching my wrist before I could get too far away from him. I stopped, turning back to him.

"What is it," I asked quietly.

He blinked a few times as if suddenly realizing what he had actually done. "I... I'm afraid that I don't truly know. I'm sorry."

He let go of my wrist, still stunned by himself.

I paused for a moment. After contemplating my choices, I stepped closer to him. He looked up at me.

My eyes moved up to his forehead. I don't know why. I think holding eye contact with him was simply too intense. I heard him sigh as my eyes moved. He must have assumed that I was staring at the mark decorating his skin and not just trying to cope with my own emotions.

"That is why it has taken you so long to fully trust me," he muttered.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"

"The symbol of Szass Tam," he explained, looking away from me. "Some part of me will always be lost to it. I am closer to a monster than not... it is why you were so hesitant to trust me."

"No," I shook my head. "No, no, Xenk. That is not true."

He looked at me again.

"I didn't trust you because I was hurt and found myself in a strange place with a person that I had never met before," I corrected. "It was a very understandable reaction. But once I got to know you, I trusted you more. I cannot think of a single moment that the symbol on your forehead was what determined how I felt about you.

"You are also far from any kind of monster. You are a hero. You have saved many people, you protected me when you didn't even know my name, you have vowed yourself to a life helping others. I don't know a monster that would ever do such a thing."

Xenk seemed to scan every inch of my face, waiting for some sign that I was being dishonest. I reached up, gently running my thumb over the mark on his forehead. He took a deep breath, eyes falling shut as I did.

"Silly thing, really," I muttered. "I didn't even notice it when we first met. Did you know that?"

"Really?"

I nodded. "I was a little too focused on other things... like figuring out what had happened."

"When did you notice it," he asked.

"We were having dinner. That first night," I said. "I was refusing to eat until you did, so I had nothing to focus on other than you. That's when I started making out the symbol. I just... I couldn't bring myself to care about it."

"Why?"

"Don't know," I shrugged. "Instinct... fate?"

"I do not understand why fate would prevent you from caring."

"Maybe fate didn't want me to leave," I replied. "If I cared about the mark, then I would have."

"And why would fate not want you to leave?"

I could see something cross his face. Some small, knowing look. I bit back a growing smile at the idea. There was this air of safety and comfort. Security in whatever choice I made next.

I took a deep breath before leaning down and gently pressing my lips to his. I felt the hand of his uninjured arm reach up and touch the hand not resting on his face.

It was only a few moments before I pulled away. I slowly grinned at him. He smiled back at me.

"I'm glad that fate kept you from leaving," he muttered.

I chuckled. "So am I."

I leaned forward and kissed him again.

Quite a cruel trick that fate decided to play, wasn't it?

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Author's Note: I just wanna brag about the fact that I managed to guess where this movie was filmed while I was watching it with a friend. It was the coolest thing I've done in a long time.

Also, that I kept making comparisons between this movie and Ella Enchanted, but that's not really as cool.

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