Chapter 1

(Kouen x Fem! Reader)

Noooo Ooooonnnne~

Just kidding! No music is going to be used in this fanfic, besides ones that would be easier for me to write. Probably Evermore from the live action cause that song is great.

~~~~~~~~~

If one walked into this town nothing would be out of the ordinary, everything was just normal and... Well... Dull. Most people that moved in only temporarily ended up being in this town for the rest of their lives and just like in every other small town, gossip spread like wildfire.

Their latest gossip of the week happened to be about a fair maiden with shining h/c hair, glowing e/c eyes, and soft looking s/c skin. Although, you didn't even seem to notice as you walked out of your house finishing your latest book. Once you read the last sentence you smiled up at the same cotton candy you had grown used to seeing every morning, it seems that even the sky was always the same in this town.

You walked down the cobblestone steps of your house and stuffed the book you had just finished in your old basket, you were on your way to pick a new one at the book shop, your only heaven in this dull town.

You smiled up at the birds flying by and reached your hand out to them if only you could be like them and just fly away from this town, but alas reality came crashing down and you realized you were stuck here for as long as you lived.

Although, you had to admit the townspeople had their own way of livening up a quiet morning...

With their gossip.

You sighed as you heard them talking about you, you never listened but it was still annoying to hear them talk about you like that. You smiled as you saw the baker with the same bread and rolls to sell ever since you had gotten here with your father.

"Good morning Y/N!"

You smiled and walked up to him, taking in the scent of freshly made rolls and loafs, "good morning monsieur!" You said enthusiastically.

He chuckled as he set the tray down, "where are you headed to today, Y/N?" He asked, turning to you. You smiled and grabbed the book from your basket, showing it to him.

"I'm returning this book to Ugo. It's about a beanstalk, an ogre, and-" You started but you shrugged and put your book away as he cut you off.

"Yeah, that's nice, Y/N. Maria! Where are those baguettes?" He yelled at the window of the bakery. You walked off and made your way to the bookstore to get yet another book.

You sighed as you stared at the same houses, flowerbeds, and people. Nothing ever changed in this town and it was evident but no one ever seemed to mind. After all, they did all love gossiping... About you.

They all murmured about how your beautiful looks were wasted on someone who wasted their time reading books and being educated, of course only men were considered qualified to be educated at this time.

"That girl is strange no question..."

"Dazed and distracted with her nose stuck in a book."

"No denying she's a funny girl."

You walked over to a carriage and grabbed onto it to get to the bookstore faster. "Good day, how is your family?" Asked the man running the carriage to a woman walking by.

She smiled in acknowledgment, "Bonjour! Good day, how is your wife?" She asked. The man responded the same way as always, everything was almost a routine now.

You looked to the side and saw a woman looking as if she was juggling her six kids, "I need... Six eggs!" She said frantically as her kids ran around, "that's too expensive!" She exasperated as she heard the price.

'There must be more than this than this provincial life!' You thought as your gaze landed on the, now, blue sky with the shining sun through the clouds giving nutrients to all the flowerbeds available.

You got off as soon as you saw the familiar sign of the bookshop, you opened the door and walked in with a smile. The familiar sight of stuffed bookshelves greeted you along with an old ladder for someone to climb up on, you breathed in the scent of old book pages and ink.

A man with blue hair and a scarf turned at the sound of the bell chiming on the door, he smiled at the sight of you, "Y/N! Back to get another book?" He asked with amusement.

You nodded, "yes, I just couldn't put this one down. All the magic and fantasy reminds me of all the adventure that might be out there!" You squealed.

Ugo chuckled, "I'm sorry to say I don't have any new books," he said as you climbed up the old ladder with the ends of your blue dress picked up so you wouldn't step on them and trip.

"I don't mind, I'll borrow...-" you quickly scanned the shelf and picked a particular one up- "this one!" You gazed at the gold title and smiled down at it as it shined under the lamp.

The title read 1001 nights.

Ugo grabbed the book as you handed it to him, "this one? But you've read it twice!" He said chuckling as he handed it back to you.

You giggled, "I know, but it's my favorite! Daring sword fights, adventure, magic, and romance!" You said as you opened it up and began reading it for the third time.

Ugo chuckled, "well, if you like it so much then it's yours," he said as he led out of the bookstore. Your eyes widened and a smile graced your features.

"Really?" You squealed, gripping the book tightly. This was the first book you've ever owned, you wanted to make sure it would stay in that condition as long as possible.

Ugo nodded, "anything for my favorite customer." You were his only customer but if he had more you'd surely be his favorite. Not many people he knew appreciated books the way you did.

"Is that onee-san?!"

Ugo almost fell back as he felt a small body slam into his legs, you froze but sighed in relief as Ugo didn't fall. You both looked down to see a little boy with blue hair tied into a braid, his name is Aladdin. He was the son of a man named Solomon and a woman named Sheba, both died of a fatal disease, leaving Aladdin with Ugo.

You giggled as Aladdin wrapped his arms around your legs, you pat his head, "nice to see again, Aladdin," you said, "oh! How are the reading lessons going?" You asked remembering that Aladdin was learning how to read from Ugo.

He gave you thumbs up, "great!" He exclaimed, excited. You smiled down at him, he was a gem in this dull town as he was always so sweet and happy. Not to mention he never listened to the gossip about you, along with Ugo.

"Hey, Aladdin!"

Aladdin looked past you to see a little blonde boy standing next to a boy with purple hair, both of their clothes seemed to be caked with dirt and mud from playing. The two boys were known as Alibaba and Cassim, both boys were best friends as far as everyone knew even if they did fight all the time.

"Can you come outside to play?" He asked waving at him. Aladdin looked up to Ugo for confirmation, once he nodded Aladdin gave him a quick hug and ran after the two.

You laughed, "good luck getting him clean later," you said familiar with Aladdin's playing habits to get dirty and having fun. Not to mention Aladdin never really enjoyed taking baths.

Ugo chuckled weakly, "don't remind me..." Last time he had to give him a bath he ended up getting scratch marks everywhere. They lasted for about a week with how sharp Aladdin's nails were at the time.

You laughed once more, "well, I'll take my leave. Have a good day Ugo!" You yelled as you walked off with your nose back in a book. Ugo chuckled as you walked perfectly even with all your concentration on the book.

"You too, Y/N!"

*~*~*

You were always found laying on the same bench of the fountain in the middle of town, all of your chores could wait until you finished this chapter. As you intently read you felt someone staring at you, you were going to ignore as just another townfolk gibbering more gossip but when you glanced at whoever it was, it turned out to be a little girl with pink hair and eyes.

You awkwardly sat up, "um... Need help with something?" You asked wearily. The little girl only stared down at the book as if silently wanting it. You followed her eyes and soon understood.

You smiled and patted a seat next to you, "come on. You want to look at it, right?" You asked happily as she sat next to you. All she did stare at the words not registering a single thing.

You glanced at her and rose a brow, "oh, that's right. Not many girls learn to read..." You mumbled. You set your advanced book aside and pulled out a thin one from your basket. It had no title or a fancy cover to speak of, it was a book with simple sentences to help small kids learn to read.

You opened it to some blank pages and got a pencil from the same basket, you rested it on the page. "Let's start with something familiar, what's your name?" You asked.

The girl looked up at you, "Morgiana."

*~*~*

A woman who was doing laundry looked in disdain as you began teaching a young girl to read. It was fine as long as you kept the abnormalcy to yourself but to spread to other woman was just preposterous.

She growled and tapped a man on the shoulder gesturing towards you teaching the little girl to read, the man sneered along with the woman. Both soon came up with a plan to teach you a lesson.

*~*~*

"The... B-Bird... fl...flew... In... The sky."

You clapped for her to give her positive reinforcement, "you're a fast learner!" You said enthusiastically. From her name to words, to full sentences. This small girl was full of surprises for someone who had never picked up a book before.

She blushed and smiled but it soon faded as she glanced behind you. You rose a brow, turned and gasped to see the book you had set aside inside the fountain with all the pages getting soaked along with all the words beginning to fade.

You immediately grabbed the book and wiped it on the white apron attached to your dress, the little girl immediately began apologizing. You waved it off, "don't worry about it, it's fine..." You said, you then turned to the slightly ruined book, "I hope..." You mumbled. You sighed and hoped it would dry off.

"What is going here?"

You groaned as the voice sounded familiar, you turned and cringed at the sight. It was Jamil, the most pompous man in the village, he is a very skilled hunter and a man that every woman wanted and, obviously, he was involved with another piece of gossip. Everyone knew he wanted you, the most beautiful girl in the town.

You waved goodbye at the little girl and began walking off, hoping he didn't notice you. He did but he looked to Budel as you walked off, "ahh, look at her Budel, she's the lucky girl I'm going to marry," said Jamil as he wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders.

Budel rose a brow, "the inventor's daughter?" He asked. Budel was known to be a fairly chubby man and one to wait on Jamil's hand and foot. As he mentioned the inventor he cringed as he was one that everyone believed to be the craziest man in town, no one ever went near him on account of him.

Jamil smirked, "the lucky girl I'm going to marry," he repeated confidently.

Budel began to stutter out responses, "but she-"

"Is the most beautiful girl in town."

"I know, but-"

"That makes her the best-" Jamil nudged his friend- "and don't I deserve the best?" He asked, Budel nodded and tried once again to convince him otherwise but Jamil didn't listen and only continued to stare at you from afar.