What Once Was Lost - Percy De Rolo x Fem!Reader

Chapter 5: A Light in the Dark

Sleep evaded the white-haired gunslinger. Even when Vax's watch had ended and Vex'alhia took over, Percy still couldn't even close his eyes. His pepperbox was in his hand, clicking slowly as he spun the barrels. Only...it was different this time around.

Whenever he was do this little tick of his, he'd be counting the names. Stonefell. Anders. Ripley. Delilah. Sylas. Over and over. The loss of one of those names did provide him some comfort. Very little, but some. Only now, he couldn't think of those monsters he was set to face. His head rung with the words his best friend had screamed at him earlier in the night.

"They made me what I am now, so don't fucking say you know me, De Rolo!!"

Percy winced, feeling the stab as her words filled his mind relentlessly. She was right...as much as he despised to admit it. He barely knew her anymore. The only thing he could recognize in her now was her name and her eyes...but even then, her (e/c) eyes seemed too different. Filled with an anger that didn't suit her...

Percy recalled the memory of the night he fled. He had meant for all 3 of them to escape. Him, Cassandra, and (Y/n). But...everything fell apart so fast. He remembered looking back, seeing (Y/n) standing in the snow, her back to him and a large branch in her arms. And a horde of guards coming right for her. And yet she stood with a bravery that shone bright in comparison to Percy's bravery in that moment. He scoffed. Bravery...he wasn't brave that night. He ran...He had every reason to defend himself from that confession, but the end-result was the same. (Y/n) had every right to be furious with him.

But...siding with the Briarwoods? That was something he couldn't shake off. How could she side with them? After what they had done to Percy and his family? (Y/n) knew what had happened, Percy had told her everything. She offered her help to escape. And now...she was helping his enemy.

There were so many questions left unanswered. And he was tired of it.

With a groan, Percy slowly sat up. The stone floor was uncomfortable, but the rest of Vox Machina seemed to be sleeping in relative peace. He stored away the pepperbox in its hoister, carefully stepping over a snoring Scanlan. He made sure his footsteps were light as he walked around the torchlit basement. Keyleth had curled up far from the burnt roots of the SunTree, Grog and Archibald took up the wall closest to the stairs, and Vax was sleeping against the wall facing the cellar door. The one where (Y/n) was locked into.

Percy made his way, facing the door as the shadows danced across its surface. The keys hung from a metal circlet upon a rusty nail jutting out of the wall. What was his plan? To go in there and demand his questions answered? Take more belittlement from (Y/n)? He sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. He had to make up for what he did... It was his promise after all. He had to at least try.

"Can't sleep?"

Percy nearly jumped out of his skin as he looked back. Vex'ahlia was leaning against the wall, twirling one of her arrows in her hand. Percy sighed and relaxed...somewhat. The half-elf was just as silent as her brother.

"How can I...? Not only do I find out my sister is alive, but my best friend who I grew up with is as well. Except she wants to kill me and present my corpse to my family's killers..."

Vex put her arrow back in her quiver, kicking off the wall and walking over to her companion. "Yes...I think that would rattle anyone, darling. So what are you thinking?"

"I have to talk to her." Percy replied, his eyes set on the door and his fists clenched. "Nothing adds up. The day we escaped, I told (Y/n) everything that had happened to me. Hell, she even bandaged the wounds Cassandra and I suffered, she saw it for herself. It doesn't make any sense that she would join the Briarwoods."