Request - Iceland x Reader : Kindness of Strangers

It was the medieval times or the "Dark Ages", when situations like yours were commonplace. You had no money, and you were homeless in a kingdom that seemed to take no pity on people like you. You often went hungry and slept on the cold, hard and often dangerous streets. Your horrible Uncle was the reason you were in this mess. After your parents died, you had to live with him. He was your only living relative and your only means of shelter . He threw you out because you had an argument about his many lovers being treated far better than you and you were family ... he didn't seem to care and threw you out for being troublesome. After that, you had no choice to steal in order to survive every single day for a very long time. But one day, that all changed ... when you met him
It was a cold spring morning and you were roaming the streets, pick-pocketing people so you could buy food to get you through the day ... or the week if you stretched it far enough. So far, you had only collected a few coins ... not even enough for a loaf of bread. You sighed as you hid in an alley, looking for another person to pick-pocket. You didn't like stealing, but you were desperate and you had reached the point where it felt like your stomach was trying to eat itself. It didn't help that your clothes were tattered and almost beyond repair. You looked around and saw someone close by. He had silver hair that seemed to shine, despite the cloudy weather and beautiful, deep blue eyes that seemed to have a strange eerie glow to them. Judging by what he was wearing, he looked reasonably well off. You snuck up behind him as he walked down the street, reaching into his pocket ever so slowly. You took out a small amount of money from his pocket and slowly retracted your hand. Before you could move, he span around and looked at you, making you freeze in place out of fear
"Who are you, and what are you doing?" He asked in a thick Icelandic accent
Without a word, you ran as he followed close behind you. This had never happened before ... the people you had stolen from had never caught or seen you before. Suddenly, you lost your footing and hit your head on the cold hard floor. Before passing out, you saw the shadow of the man who had been chasing you looking down on you ...

--

You woke in an unfamiliar bed, covered in blankets and nice bed sheets. You had forgotten what it was like to be in a bed ... it was so warm, soft and comfortable. You felt drowsy just lying there, but you had to find out where you were. You sat up and looked around the room, which was really nice. You were starting to think that you had died and gone to Heaven ... until the man you tried to steal from came in. You stared, wide eyed
"You are awake. Are you alright, madam?" He asked
Confused, you simply nodded and he gave a smile
"You fell and hit your head. I could not just leave you out there in the cold all alone. Anyway, I will go get your breakfast" He said, leaving the room and closing the door behind him
You felt a slight blush creeping onto your cheeks, feeling bad for causing him so much trouble. You had half a mind to make a run for it, but then realised that it would make him think you were being ungrateful for looking after you. You could hardly believe that someone like him was actually willing to help you, considering this was not a normal occurrence in Medieval times. Your attention was caught by a light knock at the door
"May I come in?"
It was the silver haired boy's voice. You could not help but utter a small, squeaky "Yes" and he opened the door. As he walked over to the bed, you noticed he was carrying a small bowl
"It's soup" He said, holding up a spoon
You were about to sit up, but he began to feed to soup to you, which was a big surprise. You were not expecting it at all, especially from someone you were trying to steal from. Once finished, he held the bowl in his hands and gave a small smile
"I think it is time we introduced ourselves. My name is Emil Steilsson ... what is your name?" He asked
"[Name]" You mumbled, shifting a little
"Well, it is nice to meet you. Feel free to stay as long as you need to" He said
"H-huh? I thought you would be furious! I mean ... I did try to steal from you" You mumbled, feeling guilty
"You must have had good reason. Everything happens for a reason ... so, why did you try to steal from me?" He asked
There was no point in lying ... he had given you food and shelter. The least you could do was be honest with him, so you told him about your situation and he listened to every word, politely waiting for you to finish your story. Once you finished talking, an uncomfortable silence filled the room, making you wish you had not stopped talking
"Did I say something wrong?" You asked, getting nervous
"No, not at all. I only wish you had robbed me sooner" He said
You stared at him, shocked by what he said. You began to wonder whether or not this situation was real. You were half expecting to be experiencing some sort of hallucination or a dream ... then again, if that was the case, you never wanted to wake from it
"D-Do you have any family?" You asked
His facial expression turned sour, which was actually an amusing sight to behold
"Yes, I have a brother. And his friends have been hanging out with us for as long as I can remember ... so I suppose they could be called family, too. What about you?" He said, as if he could not finish his reply fast enough
"Well ... the only family I have is my Uncle. And he threw me out like I was last week's rubbish because I insulted one of his many lovers" You said, hanging your head
A look of guilt appeared on Emil's face. You could see it in his eyes that he was regretting that he asked
"I s-still live with my brother, if you want to meet him" He said with a smile
"M-maybe later. I just want to be alone with my thoughts for a little bit" You mumbled, sinking into the bed
He looked shocked and his face lost a bit of colour as a look of guilt took hold
"Was it something I said? Did I do something wrong?" He asked
"N-no, it's nothing. I just need time to think, alright?" You said, looking at him
"Oh! I understand. Take as long as you need to"

Several hours later, you ventured out of the bedroom and over the course of the day, you opened up more to Emil and even got to meet his very strange brother Lukas, who seemed a little strange
"Where did she come from?" He asked
"I found her while I was getting bread. I could not leave her there cold and all alone" Emil replied
You watched them as they talked about you ... to be honest, they were acting like you invisible ... or not even there, which hurt a little
"Excuse me. I am right here, you know" You said
They looked at you and you felt a little self-conscious and stupid for saying something, but you did not want to be ignored
"[Name] is right. We should not act like we are talking on our own" Emil said
"You started it ..." Lukas said
"Oh, come on. How old are you?" Emil said in an irritated tone
"... I forget ..." Lukas said
You noticed Lukas smile at you a little, indicating that he was just messing with Emil a little. You cracked a smile and Emil glared at you
"What? I find him amusing" You said
"He is annoying, that is what he is" Emil grumbled
"No I am not ... you just have low tolerance levels and you are procrastinating. Now say it" Lukas said
"No!"
"You know you want to"
"No, I do not!"
"Come on, please?"
"Stop it!"
"Big brother ..."
"I am not saying it!"
You watched them as they argued, which was highly amusing ... but strangely distressing at the same time. You didn't like seeing people fight at all ... but these two were picking a fight over calling Lukas "Big Brother", which seemed perfectly reasonable in your eyes, but you decided that you would rather not get involved and just watched. You did not know it then, but ... soon after this moment, they would accept you as part of the family and even to call you their sibling. You even called Lukas "Big Brother", which annoyed Emil a little so you tried not to do it in front of him. Yes, things were only going to get better for you ... and you were never going to be alone or hungry ever again

The End