Looking For Caring Love (Napoleon Bonaparte x Reader)

3. Bon Appétit!

As you are leaving the tent, you surely feel curious but anxious as well.
Napoleon doesn't start walking until you finally reach him. He looks at you, nods, and gives you a soft smile.
With his left hand behind his back, he uses his right hand to gesture you to walk with him.
Your bare feet hug the rough grass beneath you and your hands try to comb your hair discreetly while you start walking.

You start to notice the soldiers, around you both, getting up from the rough grass and they start to back out, providing some distance between them, you and Napoleon.
Noticing that he isn't talking much, you try to start a conversation yourself.

Being bold as you are, honest at heart, and emotional you start by asking him about himself.
Y/N: "You seem important around here. Why do soldiers react like that when you walk among them?"

Napoleon: "Pardon..?" He asks in French.

Y/N: "Are you the one responsible for giving them orders or something?"

Napoleon: "Bien sûr! Je suis Napoleon Bonaparte! Le militaire le plus intelligent du monde." (Of course! I'm Napoleon Bonaparte! The smartest military man in the world.)
You look at him trying to figure what he just said.

Napoleon: "Haven't you heard of me, Y/N?!"

Y/N: "Your name certainly sounds familiar.."

Napoleon: "I am the Emperor of the French, mademoiselle."
As he finished his sentence, your eyes open as wide as they can, your eyebrows try to reach the sky itself and your jaw the ground.

Stopping in time, and in place, you look at him and back away slowly.
Y/N: "I- I wasn't- I didn't-" Only a few words escaped your mouth but they weren't enough for a complete sentence.

Napoleon: "Y/N?"

Y/N: "I- I shouldn't be walking this close to you!"
Your gentle feet start to back away faster.

Napoleon: "Ah mensonges!" (Ah lies!) "I want you to walk close to me Y/N." He says stopping in place and then walking slowly towards you.

Napoleon: "Walk with me, s'il vous plait." (Walk with me, please.)
He reaches for your hand and softly grabs it, applying it almost no pressure.

You give in to this gentle gesture and begin to walk with him once more.
Silence haunts you both for some seconds before Bonaparte ends it.
Napoleon: "It's fine for you to walk with me, D'accord?" (Okay?) "You are always welcome to sleep on my bed too, Y/N."

Y/N: "Are you sure? I wouldn't mind sleeping with Lucien, since he offered me his bed. I really don't want to cause any trouble.."
Your puppy eyes begin to reveal themselves.

Napoleon: "You are not causing any trouble. You make good company." While still holding your hand, this phrase makes your precious heart beat faster.

Y/N: "Where are we going?"
Your stomach growls.

Bonaparte looks over at you. Placing his eyes where the new sound came from.
Napoleon: "First, we are going to take care of that noise." You smile at him but you made sure he didn't notice.

Still walking towards sustenance, your thoughts fill your head, and because of it, you are unable to focus on your surroundings.
Thinking about how an Emperor, like Napoleon himself, could be so kind to a poor soul like you.
Shoes missing from your feet, your new clothes standing still over your body, only moving when you do. Hair that looks like it has been recently electrocuted.
You are certainly a special girl. A beautiful, gentle, fragile girl.

Are all Emperors like this?
This kind to unknown poor women?
Or is it just him?
Or are you the only one to receive this treatment?
Most likely the last one, your kind heart, and genuine interest tend to win lots of hearts.
Did you win his?

Feeling his hand, still holding yours, makes you wonder lots of things.
Could you someday be Josephine? Be the one he writes to? Oh! to receive a love letter from him! Not from the Emperor, but from Napoleon. The man, not his title.
His sweetness and gentleness break your heart. To think about the things he would do for you because of love fills you with faith and hopefulness.
As these thoughts start to go away, you can now focus more on the camp itself and the man holding your hand.

The first thing you notice is that his hand is extremely soft. His nails are carefully trimmed too.
Out of everyone and everything on the camp, he's the only one that smells good. His lemon scent invades the air surrounding you, making the smell of gunpowder less prominent.
His outfit, however, is not unique. You can spot someone, perhaps a Marshal, in the distance, with the same outfit Napoleon is wearing.
They were different than yesterday in some way, but they only changed color. He wasn't wearing his hat nor his greatcoat today either.

Changing your attention to the camp now, you feel a very relaxed atmosphere that contradicts the sound of guns firing in the background.
Everyone seems so calm, did they finish practicing and are now resting?

You decide to ask that to Napoleon himself and he answers with: "They didn't finish practicing, they finished a battle."

Y/N: "A battle against who?"

Napoleon: "France is at war with Europe, Y/N. We've been fighting in various battles for a few years now."

Y/N: "Is it still because of the Revolution?"

Napoleon: "It started with the Revolution, oui."

Y/N: "Do you fight too in those battles?"

Napoleon: "Évidemment!" (Of course!)

Giving yourself time to think about what he said, it does make sense that they would be at war with other countries.
You remember hearing about the revolution and how scary it was.
This camp is well hidden too, it was obvious to you now that the soldiers in it weren't here practicing but resting and taking a break from something big.
You came into contact with many men who fought in a battle, brave men, you think to yourself. This makes you feel more aware of which words you should be using when speaking to everyone in this camp.

Y/N: "The sound of those guns firing... Are they killing anyone?" You ask innocently.

Napoleon: "Ah, Non!" (Ah, No!) "The soldiers you hear now are the ones who protect this camp. You shouldn't worry."

He suddenly stops, makes eye contact with you, and comes closer.
Napoleon: "You are safe with me, Y/N." You softly squeeze his hand, letting him know, without saying anything, that you appreciated his words.

Napoleon: "Nous sommes arrivés." (We have arrived.)

You two both stop at the same time. He gives you some time to look around.
Noticing some people already eating, your eyes also focus on a big space, with a campfire, 3 chairs, and one small table, near you.
It looks like something for the Emperor so you guessed that's where you and Napoleon are gonna eat.
As you noticed food already placed on the small table, someone approaches you and Napoleon.

Your french skills were getting better with all this contact with french people around you and so you understood some words the man was telling Napoleon.
Something...Something...The food is ready. And that's all you need to hear!
Because you haven't had a proper meal in a long time, you JUMP into a chair and proceed to eat.
The two men look at you, and a few seconds later, soldiers join the staring contest too.

You were too busy eating that you didn't much care for the staring at all.
The man who was standing near Bonaparte leaves and the soldiers quit staring too after a few seconds go by.
Napoleon however kept looking at you as you felt the warmth of the food entering your mouth, going down through your throat and reaching your stomach.
He slowly sits beside you with his eyes still locked on you.

You finish your plate so fast that it was both impressive and sad at the same time.
Taking a few seconds to clean your mouth and to drink some water, you notice the staring provided to you by Bonaparte.
You felt a bit embarrassed and so you decided to apologize to him.

Y/N: "I'm sorry, I was really hungry and-"

Without letting you finish your sentence,
Napoleon says: "It's okay, Y/N. I'm glad you are enjoying the food. Do you want more?"

Y/N: "If it's not too much to ask!"

Napoleon: "Bien sûr que non." (Of course not.) "Here, eat mine since it's already hot. I don't mind waiting a few minutes for a new meal."

He puts his plate near you, and you begin to eat as fast as you can once more.
The food might warm your stomach but Napoleon is warming your heart.