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Chapter Text

It was spring.

Notch leaned out over the railing of his balcony, gazing over the dozens of islands suspended amongst the clouds that stretched out to the distant horizon. The skyroot trees were covered in pink and white blossoms, promising a good crop of the golden apples that kept the Aether and its armies in good health. He could pick out flocks of valkyries where they travelled between the islands in the early morning sun, many of them reporting to their various positions for the day.

Notch himself had a rather eventful day ahead of him. His first meeting of the day was in less than half an hour, an audience with a young valkyrie couple to discuss their upcoming marriage. Afterwards, he would be meeting with two of his generals on the matter of replenishing troops at two of the largest Overworld cities. From then on, he would be spending the rest of the day in preparation for the small banquet that he would be hosting tonight.

Hosting a dinner wasn’t all that uncommon for him. Notch, of course, had both the means and the willingness to celebrate his subjects and their accomplishments at every opportunity. Tonight’s banquet, however, held an ulterior motive.

It had been ten months now since Null, the devil that had terrorized the Nether for hundreds of years, had been slain and his forces dismantled. Still, his influence continued to plague this world in his absence, in the Nether as well as much closer to home. He was dead, and there had been no sign of him or his animate skeletons since, but there were questions he had that still weighed on him. How Null had remained hidden and out of the public eye for so long, for one, or what had prompted him to attack the capital after being dormant for so long since the fall of the previous king.

Notch folded his arms on the railing, his dark eyes tracing over the landscape until they rested on a small, intricately built cottage not far from his own castle. Though it was early yet, he would be surprised if its inhabitants were still in bed. His son and daughter-in-law had always been early to rise. Even in retirement.

The flutter of wings caught his attention, and he turned to look as a young man with long, dark hair landed nimbly on the balcony behind him.

“Nathaniel.” Notch turned around fully to greet him. “Have the invitations been distributed?”

“Yes, my lord.” Nathaniel bobbed his chin. “I placed them in each recipient’s hands directly, and explained the circumstances.”

“Very good, thank you.” Notch gave him a gracious smile. “You may return to your post.” Nathaniel bowed, then took off again, vanishing around the bend of a turret.

Notch cast his gaze to the scenery once more before he turned away, his golden cape snapping in the wind behind him as he passed back beneath the castle ceiling. The sunrise would be there tomorrow, he needed to prepare for his first meeting.

“I thought you didn’t like parties,” Evangeline breathed, her fingertips gripping at the trim on the doorframe. Her husband paused at this, his lips hovering over the soft skin of her throat.

“I don’t,” he murmured against her skin. “That’s why we’re back here.” He pressed a kiss to the underside of her chin, and Evangeline couldn’t stop a stifled giggle, her free hand tangling in the back of his rumpled dress shirt.

A year prior, Evangeline would not have even dreamed of sneaking away from a gathering hosted by Notch himself in order to spend time with her husband. However, it seemed that Herobrine had far less respect for his sovereign than she did, and thus had no qualms about taking his wife into a moderately secluded hallway to hide from the other attendees.

“Dinner will be starting soon…” Evangeline murmured, her hand drifting up to his shoulder to keep from losing her balance. Herobrine paused in his affections, making a displeased sound in the back of his throat.

“They can wait,” He muttered, his hand settling in the small of her back. Evangeline hummed, tilting her head back to lean against the wall.

“I am not keen on someone coming to look for us…”

“Fine.” Herobrine pulled away, clearly disappointed, but he reached up to finger-comb her hair back into order. He cupped her head in both hands, gazing into her gold-rimmed eyes, and Evangeline leaned in to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Come on,” she coaxed, and Herobrine stepped back, taking her cane from where she had left it leaned against the doorframe and pressing it into her hand. “Your shirt’s untucked,” she added as she stepped away from the wall. Herobrine scoffed, tucking it back into his waistband.

“And whose fault is that?”

It may have been more than nine months since they were married, but Evangeline’s devotion for her husband had not so much as faltered, and she knew that Herobrine felt the same way. Though they may have stayed out of mortal danger since Null’s downfall, they still supported each other every day, though now their support came more in the form of late nights and early mornings rather than prowess in battle.

Evangeline’s cane gave an extra small thump where it met the carpet with each step. She had only started using it a few weeks ago now, in an attempt to stave off the pain in her leg that had developed over several months of carrying the weight of a full-fledged wing on only one side of her body. The cane helped a bit, built of the same zanite-infused steel as her sword had once been forged from. 

She had noticed that the sight of her using it had prompted Herobrine to help her with menial tasks far more than normal, insisting on getting a cup from the cupboards from her or helping her put on her shoes. Right now, he had a hand on her waist, his forearm resting across the back of her red formal dress. Evangeline obviously didn’t need any help keeping her balance, but she wasn’t going to complain.

The pair of them emerged out into the dining room, where, as Evangeline had suspected, the guests were beginning to congregate at the dining table. There were not a lot of them, only fifteen or sixteen by her estimate, and Evangeline had already picked out a few familiar faces.

Evangeline found the seat marked with her name and sat down, Herobrine ensuring that she was settled before taking his seat on her left. Across the table, Meryl rested her chin in her palm, arching a brow in their direction.

“And where did you disappear off to?”

“We were admiring the grounds,” Herobrine lied before Evangeline could come up with a response. Meryl gave him a skeptical look, then turned her brown eyes back to Evangeline and reached up to tap at her own neck. Evangeline flushed as red as her dress.

“Evangeline!” The voice from her right caused her to turn, and she broke into a reflexive smile as Notch seated himself beside her. “How are you this evening? I did not get a chance to speak with you earlier.”

“Very well, thank you,” Evangeline responded politely. If Notch noticed her blushing, he kindly refrained from drawing attention to it, nodding instead before turning his attention beyond her. “Herobrine.” Herobrine gave him a small, warm smile, one he reserved for only his family and his wife.

Among those at the table were her former commander, Phillip Zenith, as well as his wife the Queen of the Nether and his companion, David Tekno. Evangeline had greeted them all before dinner, but she offered them each a broad smile before beginning to eat.

Herobrine leaned over to murmur in her ear as she took a tart from the tray before her. “How long do you think this dinner will last?”

“At least an hour,” she murmured back. Herobrine’s jaw quirked at that, and she reached over to rest her hand on his forearm. “You’ve endured worse.” Her husband just grumbled under his breath.

Evangeline bit into her tart, the filling of which seemed to tingle on her tongue. Golden apples were plentiful enough here in the Aether that some, especially the sovereign of the realm, could afford to serve them for their taste rather than for their healing properties.

“Meryl,” she addressed her friend, attempting to banish the embarrassment from her teasing. “You’ve been stationed at Mosenta for some time now, haven’t you? How has that been?”

“It’s been going well,” Meryl told her, taking a cut of pork. “It’s beautiful there in the spring, and Lord Lancaster is a gracious host.”

“Is he, now?” Evangeline arched a brow.

“Yes.” Meryl side-eyed her. “He is.”

“I’m pleased to hear that,” Notch cut in cheerfully. “Have you had much trouble there?”

“No, my lord,” Meryl told him. “It has been very peaceful. My only complaint is that it is still a little cold there.” Evangeline’s smile faded a bit at that. It seemed that, after Meryl’s death and resurrection, her tolerance for cold had never been quite the same. “And what have you been up to, Eve?” Meryl changed the subject. “Has retirement driven you to take up knitting yet?”

Evangeline wrinkled up her nose. “Not quite. They did give me a blunt object for me to hit people with, though.” Meryl eyed her cane where it rested against her chair.

“I will remain aware of that.”

The dinner continued in such a manner for not one hour, but two before some of the guests began to leave. Herobrine remained quiet for most of it, but his spirits did begin to lift over time, and he ended up engaging with Commander Zenith in a lengthy discussion over fighting styles and one versus two-handed weapons.

By the time the sun had set, the windows around the dining room dark and their curtains drawn, all that remained in the room were Notch, Meryl, Tekno, Zenith and Queen Rosales, and Herobrine and Evangeline themselves. Notch cleared his throat softly, then pushed his chair back and stood.

“Thank you all for staying,” he addressed them. “As I told you in my invitations to each of you, there is something that I would like us all to discuss.” He stepped away from the table, beckoning them with him, and Evangeline took ahold of her cane. “Come,” he instructed them. “Let us go to the sitting room to speak further.”

Chapter Text

Herobrine’s hands hovered over his wife’s waist as she sank down onto a loveseat, waiting until she was comfortable before sitting down himself. Evangeline bapped away his hands gently as he tried to take her cane, and he settled for wrapping his arm around her middle instead. Across from them, Notch came to a stop beside an olive green armchair.

“From the attendees of this meeting, I am sure that at least some of you have begun to gather what I have brought you here to talk about,” he began. Herobrine’s gaze flickered around at the others, and his jaw clenched painfully tight.

“Null?” He hazarded. Notch nodded.

“Null, indeed.”

Herobrine had no shortage of grudges against the man- or, creature - even though it was now nearing a full year since he was slain. Not only had Null been responsible for the attack that had driven Herobrine to near insanity hundreds of years before, but the twisted monsters that he called his servants had been the cause of his beloved Evangeline losing one of her wings, and with it the ability to fly. She had acclimated well, for one who was born for the skies, but he could tell that the loss still grieved her.

“What of him?” Queen Rosales spoke up. “He’s not… alive , is he?”

“No, no,” Notch assured her. “Not to my knowledge, anyway. There are only a certain few loose ends that I would like to have tied up.” Herobrine cast a glance at Evangeline, who met it.

“Such as?” She asked.

“Such as, what, if anything, prompted him to attack the capital when he did.” His dark eyes shifted over to Phillip, who rested a hand atop the queen’s. “And whether any of the Order of Wither still remains. There is also one other thing, from Evangeline’s report on the battle with him.” At the sound of her name, Evangeline straightened up.

“Do any of you know what this is?” Notch held up his hand and opened it to reveal a small, bluish-green orb resting in the center of his palm. It was about the size of a small apple, and shimmered like glass in the glowstone lamplight. Evangeline leaned forward to study it with a frown. “No?” Notch lowered it. “This is an ender pearl. They are very hard to come by, on account of the fact that the only ones we have ever acquired have been harvested from an enderman’s corpse.” Herobrine exchanged a glance with Evangeline, recalling their last interaction with one of the unnatural creatures.

“An ender pearl,” Notch went on. “Has the unique property of being capable of teleporting the last creature to have touched it. If I were to toss this into the center of the room-“ Notch mimed tossing the orb, then teleported to the center of the carpet where it would have landed. “I would teleport, just like that. I apologize for not giving you a proper demonstration, but, as I said, these are exceedingly rare.”

“Null must have had one,” Evangeline murmured. “That is what he threw when Herobrine pushed him over the edge into the lava.”

“Exactly my thoughts.” Notch nodded approvingly. “This is my request.” He turned to where Tekno sat on a couch next to Meryl. “I would like you, David, and Commander Phillip, to investigate what remains of Null’s fortress. See if there is any information to be gathered there- signs of life, perhaps, that would be evidence of Null’s legacy still alive and well. I would also like you to find out if there are any more of those pearls. As you can imagine, they make for quite the advantage in battle.”

“Of course, my lord,” Phillip agreed, but Tekno was frowning.

“It’s been almost ten months since Null was defeated,” he said slowly. “Why haven’t we looked into this until now?”

“Tensions in the Nether have remained high for several months following the attack on Queen Rosales’ castle,” Notch said, looking to the queen for confirmation, and she nodded. “But things have begun to calm. In addition, the extended waiting period will give any remaining members of Null’s forces to be lulled into a sense of security, which may cause them to be more bold.” Satisfied, David nodded.

“Alright, I’m in. When do we leave?”

“As soon as you’d like,” Notch told him.

“Your majesty,” Queen Rosales interjected suddenly. “With all due respect, why are we-“ she paused to gesture to Meryl, Evangeline, and Herobrine. “-here? If none of us are involved in this mission?”

“I invited you here because you- all of you-“ Notch glanced around the room. “Are the most knowledgeable regarding Null and his exploits.” His gaze lingered a little longer on Herobrine. “Thus, I wished to have you all in the room when I gave my plan of action. And you, of course, should have a say in the kind of trouble that your husband gets himself into.”

“Trixtin,” Zenith began before she could respond. “I’m sure that a reconnaissance mission is nothing to worry about.”

“Yes, well, that is what I said to you a year ago,” the queen said wryly. Zenith gave her a shrug as if to say ‘fair enough’.

“Yeah, well, the old man has me to watch out for him.” Tekno reached out to slap Commander Zenith on the knee. “So we’ll be fine.”

“Excellent.” Rosales smiled sweetly at him. “I will be holding you to that.”

“Also,” Notch went on. “I had initially meant to ask you to go as well, Meryl.” He nodded towards where the woman in question sat. “But it seems to me that you are quite happy in your current position, and I would hate to take you from it.”

“If you were to ask me to go, my lord, I would gladly do so.” Meryl lowered his gaze to where her hands were clasped in her lap, a small smile on her face. “But… yes. I am happy here.”

“Then my selection stands.” Notch turned back to Zenith, who looked in turn to his wife. Rosales met his gaze for several, long moments, Theo’s if he’d and patted his knee.

“Come back to me in one piece,” she said. “That’s an order.” A smile twitched at the corners of Zenith’s lips.

“Yes, your majesty. It shall be done.”

“If there are no other questions…” Notch trailed off, and he waited a moment to see if anyone would speak up before he continued. “You are dismissed. Phillip, David, please come to see me in the morning to go over the logistics of your trip.” Zenith murmured an affirmation and Tekno nodded, and all of the attendees began to get up to leave.

It wasn’t until Herobrine and Evangeline had stepped out onto the courtyard stairs that Evangeline spoke. “What do you think about all this?” She asked softly. In response, Herobrine pursed his lips.

“I…” he began slowly, adjusting his grip on her arm. “…do not like the thought that the Order of Wither could still be active.” Evangeline nodded quietly.

“Notch has no reason to think otherwise,” she pointed out. “We saw their camp ourselves, and every inhabitant seemed to have fallen victim to Sirben’s necromancy.”

“Yes, of that camp.” Herobrine raked a hand through his hair, frustrated. “There could be others.” And it upset him that he had not considered such a thing at the time.

“Regardless, it isn’t our problem,” Evangeline reminded him gently. “We’re not assigned to this mission.”

“Right.” Herobrine’s shoulders slumped slightly. “We shouldn’t be.” You shouldn’t be , is what he really meant.

“Right.” Evangeline stepped off the final step, and Herobrine released her arm, placing his hand on her waist instead. “I would like to see them off, though,” she said. Herobrine gave her a small smile, guiding her down the cobblestone path.

“I’m sure that will be no issue,” he told her. “It’s been a long night, let’s go get some rest.”

David Tekno stepped through the doorway of his modest home and pulled the door shut behind him, only to freeze in his tracks at a soft clattering sound that came from his kitchen. Valkyries were a funny sort of people, but even they should know that it was long past visiting hours.

David carefully stepped onto the carpet, which muffled the sounds of his hooves as he crept towards the kitchen. The sounds had stopped, suggesting that his intruder was trying not to be heard. He learned around the doorway, narrowed eyes raking over the dim room, and he spied a crate of golden apples laying overturned in the middle of the floor.

There was a flurry of feathers and movement, and David seized a small figure as it tried to dart past him, lifting up the intruder and holding him upside-down by his ankles.

“ Ahh!! ” The small valkyrie shrieked, clutching a half-eaten golden apple in both hands. David scowled at him, releasing one ankle (which prompted another round of mad flapping) in order to reach over and flip on a lamp.

“Little late to be sneakin’ around here, huh Tommy?”

“‘Sneaking’? No!” The blond-haired, blue-eyed valkyrie child gave him a wide, upside-down grin. “No, I came to see you, big man, but you were out, so I thought to myself, ‘I’ll just sit here and wait for ‘im’, and I just so happened to get hungry, so I thought I might as well-“ Tommy cut himself off with a yelp as David flipped him over and set him on his feet.

“Thought you ‘might as well’ just start snacking on my apples?” David jabbed a finger into the thief’s chest. “Do you have any idea how much those things cost?”

“I know they’re delicious.” Tommy took another bite of the shimmering apple, and David pinched the bridge of his nose.

Thomas Ingram was a thirteen-year-old valkyrie who had been assigned to David as part of a mentorship program a few months prior. The program had only lasted a few weeks, but Tommy had taken a real liking to him, and David rarely went more than a few days without seeing him since. David liked him well enough, and he knew that valkyries had a communal parenting system, but he had not signed up to be a father.

“Well, fine, then.” David leaned back against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m here now. What do you want?”

“I wanted to see you, Tetno!” Tommy gave him a cheeky smile. “You’ve been gallivanting all about, I ‘aven’t seen you in the better part of a week!”

“Yeah, well…” David sighed, stepping into the kitchen and flicking on the light. “…you’ve got good timing, ‘cause I’m leaving for the Nether tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Tommy followed him in, hopping up to sit on a countertop. “Mind if I come with?”

“Yes, I do mind.” David shook a finger at him. “And if you follow me then I’m grounding your sorry butt myself.” Tommy pouted, and David reached up to ruffle his messy hair. “Give it another twenty years.”

“But you’ll be old then!” Tommy protested.

“I’m already old!” David turned the crate upright again, bending down to pick up the apples scattered across the floor. “And if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to cleave my enemies in half with a single blow.” Tommy giggled madly at that.

David side-eyed the kid as he continued picking up the apples, studying his tense shoulders and the way his blue eyes flicked back and forth as he swung his legs back and forth. Something was bothering him, and it wasn’t being caught with David’s supply of golden apples.

David straightened up, setting his crate of apples back up on the opposite counter. “Alright, Tommy,” he started. “Why are you really here?” Tommy’s eyes widened, darted away.

“I told you, I’m here to see you.”

“Yeah, but why else?” David folded his arms, staring him down. “You look way too nervous to be sitting on the counter in my kitchen.”

“I’m not nervous, I’m-!” Tommy stammered over his words, eventually falling quiet. David continued to stare at him, and Tommy’s shoulders gradually slumped until he muttered, “I might be hiding out.”

There it was. “From who?”

“Some of the boys.” Tommy nodded carelessly towards the window. “Real big, mean ones. I might’ve…” he shrugged a bit. “Gotten into a bit of a tiff with ‘em.”

“Did you start it?” David asked bluntly.

“ No! Well-“ Tommy stopped. “Well, I might’ve taken it beyond what one might call ‘reasonable retaliation’.”

“Okay.” David sank down in a kitchen chair. “Here’s what you’re going to do,” he instructed. “Tomorrow morning, you’re going to go find them and apologize.”

Tommy’s face dropped. “Tetno!”

“No buts!” David held up a finger. “I’ll go with you.” Tommy pursed his lips, thinking this over.

“Fine,” he eventually grumbled. “But I’m staying ‘till then.”

“Sure.” David pointed into the living room. “You can have the couch.” Tommy turned, hopped down from the counter, then paused.

“And I’m taking this with me!” He held up the half-eaten golden apple before charging into the living room and taking a flying leap onto the couch. David rolled his eyes and turned away, heading off into his bedroom to pack.

Chapter Text

Queen Rosales reached up to fasten the tie in front of her husband’s cloak, resting her hands on his chest. “You won’t need that for long,” she pointed out. “Not where we’re going.”

“I know.” Zenith smiled down at her, his black wings folding against the thick cloak. “I’ll leave it with you when we leave, hmm?”

Tekno snapped his fingers. “Come on, lovebirds, there’s plenty of time for that on our walk.” Zenith shot him an irate look, but relented, turning around to face the Nether portal.

They had gathered by the portal, all of them that had attended Notch’s meeting. Evangeline stood with Herobrine beside one of the great pillars that ringed around the charged portal, her free arm linked with Meryl’s on her left. Zenith, Tekno, and the Queen would be leaving shortly, and would drop off her majesty at her castle before Zenith and Tekno departed for Null’s fortress. Evangeline could feel herself struggling not to be anxious about it, though she tried her best to remind herself that it wasn’t her problem. Tekno and Zenith were both competent fighters, she knew they would be fine… but she couldn’t help but wish that she were there to ensure it.

Notch was waiting beside the portal with a compass in hand, offering it to Zenith as he neared. “This has already been bound to a lodestone on the Nether side of this portal,” he told him. “You should not have any trouble getting back here, no matter where you may end up.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Zenith accepted it reverently, tucking it into a fold of his cloak. “Getting to our destination may prove slightly more difficult.”

“Perhaps,” Notch agreed. “But I have been assured that your companion has quite the sense of direction.” Tekno puffed up his chest.

“Yeah, they don’t call me ‘the human compass’ for nothing.” He jabbed a thumb at himself, and Zenith gave him a funny look.

“Be safe.” Notch clapped Phillip on the shoulder, giving Tekno a fond smile. “I will expect to hear back from you soon.”

“Yes, my lord.” Zenith reached out for his wife’s hand, she took it, and Evangeline watched as the three of them plunged into the portal.

The platform remained silent for several moments after they had gone, until Notch broke it by saying, “I must return to my duties.” He offered them all a smile. “I hope to see you all soon.” With that, he vanished, and Evangeline turned to look at Meryl.

“I suppose you should be going as well.”

“I should.” Meryl leaned in to give her friend a kiss on the cheek, and Evangeline drew her into a hug. 

“It was good to see you,” she murmured. Meryl gave her a squeeze, and Evangeline stifled a wince as her injured wing was disturbed. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Very soon,” Meryl promised. With that, she released her, and took several steps away before beating her wings and taking off into the Aetherian sky.

Evangeline stood quietly for several moments longer, watching her fly away. Her withered wing pulsed with pain as she drew it against her back, as it often did when she was reminded of what she had lost. It wasn’t until Herobrine nudged her that she snapped out of it, blinking up at him to find him studying her face.

“Ready?” He asked. Evangeline nodded. “Come on, then.” He rested a hand on her shoulder, guiding her around towards the bridge. “Let’s go home.”

David stretched his arms above his head as they passed beneath the castle gates, tilting his head back to stare up at the Nether ceiling. “I feel like a traitor to my kind,” he commented. “But… yeah. Walking is way less efficient than flying. That took forever.”

“Oh, hush,” Phillip scolded him. “You’ll have plenty of time to fly once we leave.” David just shut his eyes with a sigh. On Phillip’s left, Trixtin remained quiet.

It was not a long walk from the portal back to Trixtin’s castle, though Phillip had taken it perhaps a bit slower than he needed in an attempt to prolong his time with his wife. He couldn’t deny that the subject of their mission unnerved him somewhat- Null had been quite the intimidating foe. But Tekno and Herobrine had professed that there was no further sign of him after Herobrine had dealt the final blow, so there should be no further cause for concern.

“I’m going to go round up supplies,” David announced as they made their way down the entry hall, and he broke off from them, disappearing down an adjoining corridor. Phillip responded by linking his arm with his wife’s.

“You’ve been quiet,” he murmured. Trixtin pursed her lips.

“Can you blame me?” She muttered. “This will be the longest I will have been apart from you since we were married.”

“Oh, Trix…” Phillip squeezed her hand. “I won’t be that long, I promise.”

“Travel alone, even in the air, will take you at least a week,” she insisted. “There and back. And that’s assuming you don’t get lost.”

“Well, that’s what I have Dave for.” He cracked a little smile, but she didn’t return it. “Come on, Trix, I’ll be alright. Are you worried about me?”

“Of course I am!” Trixtin hissed, taking him aback. “I worry about you whenever you go out. You’re immortal, yes, but you’re not invincible! And now you’re going to Null’s very fortress, with only a single man for backup! Why shouldn’t I worry?!” She buried her face in her hands, and Phillip froze in momentary panic as she drew in a shuddering breath.

Tentatively, Phillip wrapped his arms around his wife, drawing her against his chest. “Trix… Null’s dead,” he reminded her softly. “His skeletons crumbled when he died. There’s nothing more there to fear.”

“To our knowledge,” Trixtin stressed, her voice muffled. “And the Nether is rife with danger regardless-”

“Yes,” Phillip interrupted gently. “It is. And I do only have one man for backup, but that man is the most terrifying fighter that the Nether has ever seen, who has gotten me out of more than a few bad situations. I’m in good hands. Promise.” Trixtin was silent for several long moments before she shifted, resting her cheek against his chest.

“I’m getting too old for this,” she mumbled wearily.

Phillip chuckled. “You don’t look a day over two-hundred-fifty.” Trixtin smirked, but it didn’t last long. “I promise I’ll be back before you know it,” he added on softly. “Promise.” Trixtin was quiet for a while.

“Alright,” she finally said. Phillip gave her a squeeze, then kissed the top of her head.

“Come on,” he said, finding her hand again. “Help me get ready to go, hmm? I’ll spend the night here, we don’t have to leave until morning.”

Meryl beat her wings lazily as she passed down through the clouds, the towering pine trees of Mosenta rising up from the ground below her. A cold wind hit her and she shivered, clamping her arms against her chest as she dropped into a spiral towards the gates on the outskirts of the manor town. She would need to check in with her commander before she returned to her post.

She could see farmers and their families sowing seeds out in the newly-tilled fields, taking advantage of the clear and comparatively warm weather in order to begin their planting for the season. The town was bustling with cheer and activity, the midday sun illuminating brightly colored flags and streamers all about the center of town.

At the gates, Meryl spied a glimpse of white, and she angled her body to slow her fall as she descended the last hundred feet to alight on the cobblestone road.

“Commander Celeste,” she greeted her breathlessly. The older valkyrie turned to look at the sound of her voice, breaking into a smile.

“Meryl! Welcome back.” She waved away the young cadet she had been speaking with, giving Meryl her full attention. “How was your trip? What did Notch need you for?”

“It went very well,” Meryl reported. “I was considered for a special mission, but Notch ultimately chose someone else.”

“I see.” Celeste nodded thoughtfully. “In that case, I would like you to head back to the manor and join the door guards there.”

“If you don’t mind,” another voice interrupted, and Meryl jumped as a warm cloak was draped around her shoulders. “I would like to borrow her for a bit, first.” Lord Lancaster’s smiling face appeared on her left, his blue eyes sparkling in the sunshine. “Hello, Meryl. Welcome back.”

“My lord,” Meryl greeted him, feeling a flush begin to creep up her neck.

“Of course not, my lord, go right ahead.” Celeste shot her a smirk, then bowed, and Steven gave her a smile and a nod before beckoning Meryl with him through the gates.

“How was your meeting with Notch?” Steven asked as Meryl tucked the cloak around her shoulders, falling into step beside him as they made their way into the town square.

“It went well,” Meryl told him with a smile. “I got to see Evangeline.”

“I’m glad.” Steven smiled down at her, his hands met behind his back. “And Herobrine? How is he?”

“He didn’t enjoy being at a social event.” Meryl had to smother a grin. “But… they seem to be very happy together.”

“I’m very pleased to hear that.”

Meryl tilted her head back, shutting her eyes and letting the sunshine dance across her face. She had been stationed in Mosenta since late fall the previous year, spending much of her time watching over either the manor town or Lord Lancaster’s home itself. The winter temperatures were fairly uncomfortable for her, but she had done her best to endure until his lordship had discovered her weakness. Since then, he had made an effort to make sure that she was warm, even into the spring.

They had a history, of course- Steven was the only reason that she had been cured of the black magic inflicted upon her by Sirben so many years ago. But surely even that could not warrant the special attention that he paid her, ensuring that she was comfortable and well-fed and engaging her in personal conversation. Not that she was complaining. Lord Lancaster was an excellent man.

“I came to town to join the sowers in their planting,” Steven told her as they neared the fields. “And I happened to see you arrive. Would you be willing to join me?” He offered her a hand, and Meryl accepted it with a smile.

“I would love to,” she told him, and together they walked out into the fields.

Chapter Text

It was the third day before the fortress came into view.

“There we are,” Phillip breathed, evening out his feathers as they were hit with the updraft from the lava. “We made excellent time.”

“Come on, Phil, did you ever doubt me?” David grinned up at him from where he hung in his arms. “They call me ‘the human compass’ for a reason.”

“First of all, nobody calls you that.” Phillip angled around to draw them into a slow circle, scanning the towers and bridges of the fortress for any signs of life. “Second, you’re half-piglin, Dave.”

“Ahh, semantics.” David rolled his eyes. “‘The half-human half-piglin compass’ just doesn’t roll off the tongue.”

“It’s still more accurate,” Phillip insisted. “Didn’t you study literature?”

“I did, but you’ll also recall that I quit in favor of slicing people in half with a giant axe.”

Their trip through the Nether this time around had been far less eventful than the last one. The two of them had set off early in the morning two days prior, flown all day with a break to eat in the middle, then found a secluded spot to sleep. Repeating this process twice over, along with getting somewhat turned around a couple of times, had allowed them to reach their destination in under three days. The trip could be made in less time than that, of course- Meryl had gotten a wounded Evangeline home in less than 24 hours. But even when one rested and slept properly, the journey through the air didn’t take all that long.

It wasn’t until Phillip had done a full scan of the fortress that he began to descend, coming up short above the outermost bridge and releasing Dave before dropping to the bricks beside him.

“Well.” Dave straightened up, resting his hands on his hips. “This place has lost none of its charm.”

“Hmm.” Phillip stretched out his wings before folding them against his back. He was in very good shape, but, even still, flying for three consecutive days while carrying 200+ pounds of extra weight took its toll. “See anything while we were flying overhead?”

“Nope.” David went ahead and drew his battle axe, gripping it in both hands as he began to cross the bridge. “Come on.” Phillip nodded and his hand on the hilt of his sword as he followed.

The fortress was utterly silent as they navigated the bridges and towers, the only audible sounds being their footsteps and the churning of the lava far below them. Phillip’s ears were pricked for any sign of danger, his eyes flickering uneasily around at their surroundings. This place seemed to be completely abandoned, but it still gave him a very bad feeling.

“Hey, Phil,” David spoke up quietly as they reached the top of a set of stairs. “Doesn’t this kind of remind you of the last time we were so far out?” Phillip glanced up at him, offering a tight smile.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that since we set out,” he admitted. David hummed, looking off at the horizon.

“Yeah, I can’t blame you.” He glanced over his shoulder. “If we run into any ghasts, it’s every man for himself, got it?”

Phillip snorted. “As if you would get anywhere without me.”

“Oh, please. Give me ten minutes and I’d be riding one of those things.” David waved him off. “It’s you I’m worried about, old man.”

“This ‘old man’ has carried you for three days straight, so I suggest you watch your tone.”

“Whoa, easy there, grandpa. I wouldn’t want you to strain a hip.”

The two of them continued to banter softly as they crossed the length of the fortress. There was no sign of the wither skeletons that had once inhabited it, not even the fine, black dust that they had crumbled into. The hot winds that rose from the lava lake had undoubtedly scattered it long ago. As they reached the far end, the fortress dropped into a lower section, accessible down a dark, enclosed stairwell.

The two fell silent as they reached the bottom of the staircase, and David poked his head around the corner to clear it before beckoning for Phillip to follow. The atmosphere was even more unnerving than it had been above, and Phillip could swear that his heart was beating loud enough for David to hear it.

At the bottom of the second staircase was where they found the garden. 

Phillip crouched down next to the bulbous, muddy pink plants, a small frown on his face. “What is this?” He muttered.

“Nether wart.” David pinched off a bulb, giving it a sniff before popping it in his mouth. “It’s food,” he explained at the funny look he was given, “But its more common use is for brewing potions. It’s a binding agent, most potions need it to properly brew.” Phillip frowned, poking at one of the rounded leaves.

“Must be pretty hardy to still be alive after a year,” he muttered.

“Oh, no.” David shook his head. “No, this stuff requires regular care. Trimmed and misted with water every few days, at the very least.” Phillip stared at him.

“So, what you’re saying is that someone’s been here in the last few days to care for it.” 

David rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I guess so, yeah.” Phillip straightened up and wiped his hands off on his robes, only to freeze in place at a sound that echoed down the corridors.

Voices.

“Come on,” Phillip hissed, springing into action. “Let’s go, stay close. And keep quiet. ”

Evangeline woke up in the middle of the night.

Her first impulse was to check on her husband, but when she turned her head she found him fast asleep, his breathing soft and peaceful. She breathed out, shutting her eyes again, but sleep had already slipped between her fingers. Maybe Herobrine had made a sound in his sleep, or maybe she’d had an odd dream that she’d immediately lost… either way, she was now wide awake.

There was an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. Evangeline pushed herself up, carefully working her way out of her husband’s grasp and slipping out of the room.

She wandered into the kitchen, leaning on the counter beside the sink and gazing out the window at the crescent moon. The sky was clear and dusted with glittering stars, and she sighed, picking out her favorite constellations. Against her will, she was drawn back into memories of when she had been a cadet in her 40s and 50s, sneaking out of her bunk and joining Meryl in looping and diving amongst the clouds. The feeling of the cool, night air rushing through her feathers, the thrill of being out past her curfew- it was exhilarating.

Her throat closed up unexpectedly, and Evangeline tore her gaze from the skies, swallowing hard. She needed to think about something else.

It had been four days now since Tekno and Commander Zenith had left on their expedition to the Nether. Evangeline wondered how close they were. Knowing the way would certainly help, as would Commander Zenith’s ability to fly. Even so, it had taken a number of weeks for her to reach Null’s fortress along with Herobrine and Alex.

Alex. She would be twenty-four now, wouldn’t she? Evangeline hadn’t seen her since the young mapmaker had attended hers and Herobrine’s wedding. Perhaps, when Zenith returned, Evangeline could talk to him about arranging a meeting. 

Evangeline took a deep breath, trying to relieve the pressure she felt in her chest. Some nights were worse than others, and it seemed that this was to be one of the bad ones.

She loved Herobrine very much, with all her heart, she was happy here. And yet, her ruined wing was an ever-present reminder, even in her happiest moments, that she would never fly again. There was no way known to man or valkyrie for such a grevious wound to be treated, be restored from the bite of the wither that had been inflicted on her. She knew that the grief would ease in time, but, even so… for the rest of her eternal life, she was flightless. Grounded. For a valkyrie, there were few fates so bittersweet.

She knew she should be happy to be alive at all, happy that Meryl had gotten to her in time, that her wing was the only casualty. It still hurt. Physically, as every touch irritated the fragile skin and bones, and her heart ached to think that she would never roll and swoop and dive among the clouds ever again.

Evangeline tucked her arms around herself, letting out a shuddering breath. Why was she so cold?

“Eva?” A quiet voice from behind her had her whipping around, startled, to find Herobrine standing in the doorway. “What are you doing up?” He asked, his voice groggy. “Are you alright?” Evangeline opened her mouth to tell him yes, she was fine, and to apologize for waking him up, but something caught in her throat and she covered her mouth with her hand as she started to cough.

“Evangeline?” Herobrine stepped closer, extending a hand in concern as she coughed. Evangeline pinned her eyes shut, turning around blindly to lean over the sink as a bitter liquid filled her throat.

Herobrine had his hands on her shoulders by the time she was able to breathe again, her lungs and throat aching as she stared down into the basin of the sink. The white marble was splattered with blood, shimmering a deep, inky crimson in the moonlight.

“Eva, you’re freezing,” Herobrine breathed, and she became suddenly aware of how uncomfortably hot his hands felt against her bare skin. “What’s wrong??”

“I’un-“ Evangeline coughed again, this time only to clear her throat. “I-I don’t… kn-know.” She tucked her arms against her chest, feeling faint. “I don’t…”

“We need to get you to a doctor.” Herobrine wrapped an arm around her waist as her balance faltered. “Can you walk?”

Evangeline sagged against him, her hand finding his sleeve to hold onto. “I-I don’t know.” Her teeth were chattering now. Herobrine set his jaw, and he hoisted her into his arms.

“Alright,” he muttered, guiding her arms around his neck. “Just hold on.” Evangeline shut her eyes and turned her face into his shirt.

Chapter Text

Phillip peered around the doorway at the top of the stairs, falling still for a long moment to listen before lifting a hand and beckoning his companion forward. The next thing he heard was the sharp click of hooves on brick, and he whirled around to glare.

“ Shh! ”

“ You shh!” David hissed back, hurrying up the last few steps to join him at the top of the staircase. “I can’t help it that I don’t have soft feet like you.”

“You can’t be any quieter?” Phillip gritted out, looking both ways once more to ensure that they hadn’t been detected. David shrugged.

“I didn’t think when we started out that this was going to be a stealth mission.” He looked around the corner, then started moving again, leaving Phillip behind. “Come on. You can chew me out when we get out of here.” Phillip winced at his loud footsteps, but followed.

Upon realizing that they were not alone, the two of them had agreed that their best course of action was to get out of the fortress as quickly as possible and regroup in the mushroom forests that bordered the far side of the lake. David was fairly confident that he could take on whoever their unexpected guests were, but even he agreed that, without knowing exactly who or what they were up against, it would be wiser to step back for now and get themselves out of immediate danger.

Phillip followed David anxiously down one of the bridges, his ears pricked for any sign of danger until they had gotten what he deemed to be a sufficient distance from the staircase that they had emerged from. Then, waving David with him, he sprung up onto the railing and spread his wings, seizing David by the arms and taking off.

Neither of them spoke as they coasted over the lava, not until Phillip had spied an empty clearing in the midst of the giant mushrooms and descended to land in the middle of it.

“Alright,” David began, straightening up as he dusted off the ash that clung to his loose uniform. “What do we know?”

“That the fortress formerly belonging to Null is still inhabited,” Phillip began, casting a wary look around at their surroundings. “And that they’re using it to grow netherwart.”

“That, and we can assume that they had another way into the fortress,” David added. “Since we sure didn’t see them flying.”

“Right.” Phillip frowned. “How do you suppose they’re doing it? Have they tunneled under the lava?”

“Maybe,” David agreed. “Or maybe they have some sort of… boat, that can float on lava.”

“If they do, we should be able to see it from here.” Phillip leaned around one of the mushroom stalks, David following suit as they studied the pillars that kept the fortress suspended above the lava.

“True,” he said at last. “Tunnel it is, then.” Phillip nodded, and they lapsed back into silence, both musing over their findings.

After a minute, David spoke up again. “So what now?”

“Now…” Phillip sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. “We can’t exactly come up with a plan without first getting some more information, so, I’m going to have to go back in there and take a look around.”

“ You ’re not going anywhere,” David countered. “ We can go back in.”

“It’ll be faster and safer if I go alone,” Phillip argued. “I’m quieter and more mobile by myself, and I can get myself out of a pinch.”

“If you do get into trouble, we’d have much more of a chance if we stick together,” David fired back, and Phillip was surprised by the intensity in his voice. “If you want, leave me on the bridges while you go below, but I’m not staying here .”

“David, please , I’ll be fine.”

“I am not dragging your charred and half-dead corpse through the Nether again!” David snapped, raising his voice. “Once in a lifetime is more than enough for me!” Phillip didn’t answer for a moment, too stunned at his outburst to come up with a response.

“Dave,” he finally began. “That’s not going to happen again.” David folded his arms, leveling a bitter look at him, and Phillip gave up. “Alright, fine. If it would make you happy.” He turned away, back towards the fortress where it hung dark and imposing above the boiling lava. “I don’t-”

“Phil, look out!! ” David all but tackled him from the right, throwing him to the ground and narrowly avoiding the jet-black claws that flashed through the air where his head had been a moment before.

David was scrambling to his feet, yanking his axe free from its scabbard as the enderman- enderman?! - lunged at its new target. David’s hooves skidded in the slippery nylium as he ducked under a second strike, the golden blade flashing through the air in an attempt to keep his opponent at bay. The enderman’s face was twisted into a hideous scowl, a grating, high-pitched whine emanating from its body as it struck at David again and again, claws sending sparks flying every time it made contact with his blade. Stumbling upright, Phillip yanked his sword free from its sheath and lunged in to assist.

The enderman’s attention now divided, it jerked backwards to avoid a swing from David’s golden axe before hurling itself forward again, and Phillip narrowly avoided being skewered on its razor sharp claws. David swung at it again, and this time the enderman seized his axe by the handle, ripping it from his grasp as effortlessly as if he had been a child before hurling it away to lodge itself in the trunk of a giant mushroom. David hesitated, only a moment, but that was long enough for the beast to backhand him across the face and send him sprawling across the nylium-carpeted rock.

“ Dave!! ” Phillip shouted, and he attacked the enderman with renewed vigor. He struck at it once, then twice, and on the third swing his wrist was seized by the beast’s huge hand and slammed down into the rock below him, the back of his head hitting solid ground with a crack as he was hurled down onto his back. Phillip flinched, helpless to defend himself as the enderman leaned over him, its purple eyes filled with malice and rage as it raised its free hand to finish him off.

A wet thud sounded from just above him, and the enderman crumpled, falling atop Phillip’s body with a dagger sticking out of its upper back.

The breath was forced from his lungs as the heavy corpse fell on him, and Phillip gasped, trying in vain to wiggle himself free. David, now completely disarmed with his dagger stuck in their assailant’s corpse, hurried forward to help him.

“You alright??” he asked breathlessly, grabbing Phillip by the arm and dragging him free.

“Yeah,” Phillip gritted out. He pushed himself up, wincing as he rubbed at the back of his head. No blood, at least. “You?” David reached up to prod at his cheek.

“I’ll have a bruise or two.”

“Right.” Phillip looked down at the enderman again, now silent and still where it lay. “What was that?”

“Enderman,” David began, but Phillip cut him off.

“No, I know what it was , but why did it attack us?” He flapped his wings, trying to free his pinched and bent feathers. “I thought that endermen only attacked you if you looked them in the eyes.”

“Same here. You didn’t look at it?”

“Not until it attacked me. Did you?”

“No.” The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, each trying to work out what had happened before David broke his gaze and bent down to collect his knife. “Well, if neither of us looked, I guess it must have had some sort of vendetta.” His fingers closed around the handle of the dagger. “Maybe it doesn’t-”

The enderman convulsed as the knife was ripped from its body, a thin, grating shriek escaping it as both men startled and David threw an arm out in front of Phillip. The enderman surged upright, clamping a hand over the wound on the back of its shoulder, and before Phillip could make any move to defend them it had turned and was crashing off into the forest on its three functioning limbs.

The two exchanged a glance, then, without a word, Phillip sheathed his sword and flared his wings.

“Hey-” David began, but Phillip took off before he could get the chance.

“Get your axe and follow!” He shouted down as he shot up through the mushrooms. “Something’s wrong here.” David glared after him, but obeyed, and Phillip turned his attention to the enderman where it crashed through the mushrooms and hanging vines that made up the warped forest.

It wasn’t difficult to track it, not with the haphazardness of its gait as it fled. Phillip followed the enderman through the air, watching as it battled against the terrain and the limits of its injured body. They were already approaching a dead end, though Phillip wasn’t sure if the enderman knew it yet- from the air, he could see the great cliff that stretched up before them. Sure enough, the enderman’s pained gallop stuttered to a stop as it reached the rock wall, and Phillip circled it once before dropping down into the forest about fifteen feet away.

The enderman snarled at him as he landed, but this time made no attempt to attack, only splaying a large hand over its chest as if to shield it. Phillip took a step closer, and it hissed.

“Phil!” The shout preceded the sound of hooves crashing through the undergrowth, and moments later David was at his side. “Careful.”

“It’s alright,” Phillip told him, careful not to make eye contact with the enderman as he watched it. “I think it’s injured.”

“Of course it’s injured, I threw a knife at it.”

“No, before that. Look at its chest.” Phillip pointed, and David lowered his axe, leaning in slightly for a better look.

It was difficult to tell, given the dim light of the forest and the enderman’s jet-black skin, but it was possible to make out what looked like a gaping hole in the center of its chest. Its ribs were gaunt and visible where they curled around where his heart should be, now nothing but an empty hollow.

“Dear Notch,” David muttered. “Maybe that’s why it attacked.” Phillip gave a grim nod, then drew his sword again, reaching out as far as he could to his right before dropping the blade on the ground. “Hey.” David gave him a wary look. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to show it that we don’t mean any harm.” Phillip took another step closer, earning another hiss.

“Those things are intelligent, Phil,” David warned him. “It could be trying to bait you in.”

“I know they’re intelligent, which is why I’m hoping it’ll understand.” Phillip splayed a hand out in front of him, in a gesture that he hoped any civilized being would recognize as a sign of peace. “Put down your axe.” David grumbled under his breath, but he reluctantly abandoned his weapon, holding up both hands to show that they were empty. Satisfied, Phillip turned back to the wounded enderman, beginning to advance once more.

“Here.” A small bowl was pressed into Evangeline’s hands, filled with thin, neat slices of golden apple. “Try to eat this, if you can,” the doctor instructed. Silently, Evangeline did so, plucking one slice from the bowl and bringing it to her lips, but she convulsed in pain as the sensation of cool fingers on the bones of her withered wing sent pain shooting up through her shoulder.

“Careful,” Herobrine gritted out, and his arm tightened around her waist.

“It’s alright,” Evangeline said quietly. “Let him work.” Herobrine glowered, but went silent, and the doctor shot her a thankful look before returning to her wing.

It had been about half an hour now since Evangeline had woken, and ten minutes since Herobrine had brought her to the physician that serviced Notch and his castle. The doctor, Ashton, had listened to her symptoms and instructed Herobrine to try and warm her while he readied his instruments. This was how she had ended up here, sitting on a hard bench with a blanket half wrapped around her and her husband pressed up against her side.

“It’s not contagious,” Herobrine said, and Evangeline’s eyes flickered up to find the doctor slipping on a pair of white gloves. “We would know by now if it was.”

“It’s only protocol. Besides, I don’t want to risk causing it to flare up more.” Doctor Ashton nodded to her. “Missus Morningstar, you sustained this injury about a year ago, correct?”

“About,” Evangeline confirmed. “Nine… ten months.”

“And you have never experienced something like this in the time since?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Not since I was first hit.”

“At the time you were healed by a golden apple.” The doctor nodded to the bowl in her hands. “Correct?”

“Yes.”

“Clearly it was not a permanent solution,” Herobrine interjected.

“No,” Ashton agreed. “But it was a temporary one. Please, eat.” This time, Evangeline obeyed, sliding a piece of the tart apple into her mouth and swallowing.

She could feel the magic of the golden apple working through her as she bit down on another slice, easing her chill and quelling the bitter churning of her stomach. She could still taste the blood in her throat from when she had choked it up earlier, which had caused her to suspect a far more serious problem than one localized in her wing.

“Does that help?” the doctor prompted as she picked up a third slice.

“It does. I’m not so cold anymore.”

“Good.” The doctor rested a hand on her wing again, and Herobrine shifted so as to not smother her so much. Evangeline leaned on him as the doctor looked over her wing, eating the rest of the golden apple as she focused idly on the window on the far wall.

It was a minute before Ashton spoke again, taking a small step back. “The wither is almost certainly spreading from the initial point of contact,” he told them. “I can see it beginning to spread through her veins, though it retreated when she began to eat the golden apple.” He gestured to the base of her wing, and Herobrine shifted, craning his neck to get a better look. Evangeline stayed still as she felt Ashton’s gloved hand shift the fabric of her top out of the way.

Whatever Herobrine had seen, he didn’t like it, as there was a scowl on his face when he settled down beside her again. “So she has to keep eating golden apples?” he tried.

“I’ve had golden apples recently,” Evangeline protested. “Shouldn’t that have kept it at bay?”

“That leads me to the problem.” Ashton sighed, removing his gloves. “I surmise that the wither inside of you has begun to grow resistant to the magic of a golden apple. Developed immunity, in a sense.”

“What can we do, then?” Herobrine’s tone was obviously tense, and Evangeline rested a hand on his arm.

“I don’t know,” Ashton began. “But-”

“Don’t know?!” Herobrine snarled, cutting him off. “Is your only method of treatment to throw golden apples at your patients?! You were supposed to help her!! ”

“Herobrine,” Evangeline cut in. “Let him finish.” Herobrine fell silent, and Ashton cleared his throat.

“I don’t know,” he continued. “Because you, missus Morningstar, are the only known survivor of wither past the initial wound. But-” he looked pointedly at Herobrine. “There are a few methods of treatment that we can try.”

“Such as?” Herobrine asked testily.

“Such as removing the affected wing.” Ashton gestured to the blackened feathers. “Losing access to the source may stop the spread.” Herobrine looked to Evangeline to gauge her reaction, and she tried to cover up a grimace. “Or perhaps a larger dose of golden apples’ magic would force it back further,” Ashton went on. “Or doses of strong potions. There are a number of treatments that we can try, and, given that the golden apple had a positive effect just now, I am confident that we have enough time to explore our options.”

Evangeline looked up at her husband, feeling hollow. He hadn’t said it aloud, but the doctor’s meaning was clear- they had time to try and treat her, and if they failed, she died.

Herobrine’s jaw was tight. “Potions have no effect on the wither. We saw a valkyrie die to it only minutes after being given a potion.”

“Perhaps, given orally, it has no effect,” Ashton allowed. “But perhaps if they were injected directly into the affected area it would have more of a benefit. Either way, I advise you to come back tomorrow morning, and we can discuss treatment options with Notch in attendance to counsel us.” Ashton began to pack up his tools, folding them into their linen carrying case. “Until then, keep her warm, and have her eat a golden apple with every meal.” Herobrine said nothing, but he nodded, taking Evangeline by the hand and guiding her to her feet.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “Evangeline.” Evangeline squeezed his hand, and together they headed for the doorway, prepared to make the short walk back to their cottage for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

The soft scuffle of hooves on soft netherrack was the only warning that Phillip got before David dropped down into their little shelter, landing nimbly on the uneven ground. When he straightened, though, there was no sign of the boy’s usual pomp or arrogance, his pale face reading only of dread.

“Phil?” he whispered. Phillip shifted, trying to communicate that he was alert, only to send a sharp stab of pain up through his wing and into his shoulder. He exhaled harshly, trying to find a comfortable position before he gritted out,

“Yeah, Dave?”

“I looked all over this area of the valley, for any sign of a way home.” David sank down beside him, one of his own, slender arms wrapped in makeshift bandages and bound against his chest. “There was nothing.” His tone of voice betrayed his quiet despair. “Not even tracks.”

“Right.” Phillip pushed himself up with his good arm, groaning as the fragile healing of his burned flesh ached and tore at the movement. “Guess we’ll just have to start walking, then.”

“And if we run into more ghasts??” David protested, extending his free hand in a halfhearted attempt to keep him still. “There’s no more shelter out there, if we get attacked again-!”

“Then we run,” Phillip interrupted. “Or we die. But sure as the sun rises, I’m not giving up until we’re both dead and gone.” He braced a hand on his knee, looking his young protege in the eye. “And I better not see you giving up, either.” David met his gaze for a long moment, and Phillip could tell that he was trying to steel his nerves.”

“Alright,” he finally said. “Let’s run.”

“Good man.” Phillip clasped his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Now give me a hand up, this old man can’t get off the ground on his own.” David broke into a hesitant grin, looping Phillip’s arm around his shoulders and helping to drag him to his feet. Phillip took a deep breath, lingering in place for a long moment as he braced himself for the pain of trying to move. Then, once he had prepared himself as much as he could, he took a step.

The clack of David’s axe hitting the ground was met by an irate hiss from the enderman, whose face was drawn in a bitter scowl.

“It’s alright,” Phillip said, trying to keep his voice soothing as he advanced. “We’re not here to hurt you.”

“Don’t think it can understand you,” David muttered from behind him.

“Well, if he can, I’m sure he doesn’t appreciate your comments,” Phillip muttered back. David just shrugged. “Stay back there, I don’t want him thinking we have him cornered.”

“Fine,” David said. “But if he so much as makes a move, I’m finishing the job.”

“Fine.” Phillip sank down into a crouch in the nylium about eight feet from the cowering enderman, keeping his wings small and loose against his back to try and avoid looking like a threat. He could feel the enderman’s purple eyes raking over him, studying, gauging the sincerity of his intentions.

Finally, the creature emitted a quiet, despondent groan, slumping against the face of the cliff and letting its hand fall away from the gaping hole in its chest.

Phillip resisted the urge to surge closer, afraid he had been too late. Instead, he carefully crept forward, and the way the enderman tensed at the movement assured him that it was still alive. It didn’t hiss or growl further, though, and Phillip slid his arm out of the strap of his knapsack as he knelt beside it, reaching inside and digging around for a potion while David watched his back. The enderman’s gaping chest wound was even more gruesome up close - though, he could see no sign of blood. Perhaps endermen did not bleed.

Phillip’s fingers finally latched around the neck of a small, glass bottle, and he drew it from his back in order to administer it to his patient. No sooner had its eyes locked onto it, though, than the enderman emitted another horrible shriek, lashing out with one clawed hand and striking Phillip across the cheek.

“ Phil! ” David shouted, hooves thundering over the nylium as Phillip tumbled to a stop on the ground. Blindly, Phillip threw up a hand, shouting,

“David, stop!! ” The steps stopped. Phillip braced a hand on the ground, gritting his teeth as his head spun, and he shoved himself up the moment he had gotten his bearings and held up the potion into the enderman’s line of sight. “It’s safe, see?” he called out hoarsely. Pulling out the stopper, he tilted back his head and took a swig. Within moments, the fresh gash in his cheek began to close.

The enderman watched him warily as the scores from its claws drew shut again, as though there had never been a wound there in the first place. After waiting for what it deemed to be an appropriate amount of time, the enderman lowered its claws again, bending over and turning its gaze to the ground.

Taking this as an invitation, Phillip edged closer again, holding up the uncapped bottle before him. “Here,” he urged. “Drink.” He got no response, and in the time he waited his attention was drawing to the shimmering, inky liquid that glittered from the enderman’s right shoulder.

“Oh,” he mumbled. “He does bleed.”

“His chest isn’t,” David interjected from a few feet back.

“No, but his shoulder.” Phillip nodded to his finding. “Where you hit him.” Carefully, he took another step closer, lowering the bottle into the enderman’s line of sight. The claws twitched, then lifted, and the endermen slipped one clawed finger down into the neck of the bottle to prod at the liquid inside. Apparently satisfied, the enderman gingerly plucked the bottle from Phillip’s hand, tilting back its head and pouring the contents down its throat.

The enderman’s tense body shuddered as the magic of the potion began to take effect, its injured arm uncurling a bit where it had been tucked against its chest. Phillip’s gaze dropped expectantly to the wound in its chest, but the gaping hole remained unchanged. Phillip’s brows knitted slightly.

“Phil.” David’s voice caught his attention, and Phillip glanced over his shoulder. “What are endermen known for?”

“Uh…” Phillip glanced back at their patient for a moment. “Not liking eye contact?”

“Well, that,” David acknowledged. “But also, teleporting. And our friend here hasn’t done that a single time.” Phillip’s face dropped into a frown.

“So he hasn’t. Do you think it’s on account of his chest injury?”

“Could be,” David said. Phillip mused over this for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak again, but the enderman beat him to it.

The enderman’s speech was made up of distorted, breathy sounds, clicks, and warbles reminiscent of an overworld songbird. It spoke for several moments before falling silent again, still gazing down at the moss beneath them.

“Sorry, mate.” Phillip gave him a rueful smile. “Can’t understand you.”

“I think we oughta find a better place to hunker down.” David thumbed over his shoulder. “In case any unfriendlies show up.” Phillip nodded, taking a step back.

“Come on, mate.” He beckoned, trying to to prompt the enderman to join them. “Can you walk?” Silently, the enderman pushed off of the wall and rose to its full height, towering over the two of them as it waited for further direction. “Alright.” Phillip turned away, assured that the giant would follow. “Come on. Let’s go find a place to spend the night.”

“Evangeline.” Notch reached out to clasp her hand in both of his as she drew near, his warm eyes raking over her as he did so. “Doctor Ashton brought me up to speed on what occurred last night. How are you feeling now?”

“Fine,” she answered honestly, her other arm linked with Herobrine’s where he stood at her side. “If a little cold.” Herobrine had insisted that she dress warmly before they even left the house, so she was wrapped in a thick, woolen cloak. There were slits in it for her wings, which she had painstakingly threaded through before they left for the castle, should the doctor feel the need to examine them again.

The previous night had been difficult for both of them. Despite being exhausted, and the threat of the wither consuming her having been banished for the time behind, the thought that she could be slowly dying had been a difficult one to come to terms with. And, from the fact that Herobrine had still been awake when she eventually drifted off around dawn, she could only imagine that he wasn’t faring much better.

They hadn’t talked about it. Not much. Evangeline saw little point, not when they were both distressed and lacked more than the barest amount of information. Herobrine had gotten her in bed, made her drink a few sips of water, then they spent the rest of the night in each other’s arms.

“Have a seat,” Notch prompted, gesturing to one of the plush couches, and Evangeline allowed Herobrine to guide her over to the nearest one. They were in one of the many multipurpose lounging rooms scattered around Notch’s castle, this one with windows facing east, which allowed the morning light to flow through and illuminate the marble tile beneath them with warm sunlight. The atmosphere of the room, on the other hand, was far more somber.

Across from them, Notch sat down, and Doctor Ashton found a seat in an armchair.

“Now,” Ashton began, opening the folder in his lap to reveal several sheets of handwritten notes. “I asked you a few questions about your symptoms last night, but it was late, and I would like to revisit them this morning.” He took his glasses from where they hung on a chain around his neck, and set them on the bridge of his nose. “You told me last night that you had never had an experience like this before, correct?”

“That’s right.” Evangeline shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. “I felt very cold, I was dizzy and lightheaded, and I coughed up blood. Since I ate the golden apple last night, my only continued symptom has been to feel colder than I should for this time of year.”

“I see.” Ashton made a note on the sheet. “Did you eat a golden apple for breakfast as I instructed?”

“Yes.”

“Did you feel any different from before you ate it to after?”

“Not enough that I would notice it.”

“I see.” Ashton frowned, but quickly wiped the look off his face. “Over the course of the last ten months since your injury, have you had any symptoms that you would attribute to the wither in your wing?”

“No.” Evangeline paused, thinking back over the previous year. “No, other than some pain that I had assumed was from how brittle my wing was now. I confess I didn’t think the wither was active at all anymore.”

“Hmm.” Ashton made a mark on his paper. “And have there been any events recently that you think could have sparked any sort of flare-up? An injury, perhaps, or even stressful news?”

“No, nothing like that.” Perhaps Phillip and Tekno leaving on their mission could be considered stressful, but… no, even that had hardly been on her mind. Surely she had been more stressed than that in the past ten months.

“Then I can only conclude that it was only a matter of time before your condition worsened.” The doctor looked to Notch. “My lord, do you have anything to add?”

“How did what you experienced last night compare to when you were first hit?” Notch leaned forward, his hands clasped in his lap. Evangeline wrinkled up her nose, reluctantly thinking back to that day.

Lava-heated bricks scorching her legs where she fell, but she couldn’t feel the heat. Tendrils of ice snaking up through her her veins, strangling her heart, seizing her chest and blurring her vision. Salty tears dripping onto her face, from white eyes that seemed to be the only things that still exist. She’s so, so cold…

“It was similar,” she finally spoke. “In the feelings of cold and weakness. But it wasn’t nearly as intense.”

“Well, that’s good, at least.” Notch sat back. “Doctor, go ahead.”

Ashton cleared his throat, flipping to the next page. “I brought up a few methods of treatment last night, and my lord Notch has agreed that some of them sound the most promising. You mentioned-” Ashton’s blue eyes flicked up to meet Herobrine’s. “That you witnessed another valkyrie perish to wither, and that a potion did nothing to stop it. What kind of potion was it?”

“Regeneration.” Herobrine’s tone was clipped. He had said very little all day.

“I see.” Ashton noted it down. “It is possible that injecting a strong dose of regeneration directly into the base of the wing could counteract the infection.”

“It’s not an infection,” Herobrine countered. “It’s black magic. A golden apple is the only thing that we have found that can even affect it.”

“Regardless of the classification, this is the less invasive of the two procedures that we are considering. Frankly, it can’t hurt to try.” Ashton adjusted his glasses, then looked up. “It will likely take us a few days, though, to acquire the potions.”

“That’s alright,” Evangeline spoke up quietly.

“So you consent to the treatment, then?”

“Yes.” Evangeline folded her hands in her lap. “It’s worth a try. Like you said, it can’t hurt.”

“Very good.” Ashton noted it down. “That is all I need from you, then.”

“Doctor Ashton, you may be dismissed,” Notch told him. “Herobrine, Evangeline, if you don’t mind, I’d rather you stay a few minutes longer.” Ashton stood, bowed- which caused his glasses to fall off his nose - and quietly left the room.

Notch remained quiet for a moment, waiting until the door had clicked shut behind the doctor before he cleared his throat to speak. “How are you holding up?” he asked quietly. Evangeline looked up at Herobrine, who seemed reluctant to respond.

“I…” she began instead. “...don’t think the shock has fully reached me yet.” Her hands knitted tightly in her lap. “I never thought… well, if I were to die, I never thought it would have been like this.” Notch nodded, sympathetic.

“Herobrine?” he prompted. Herobrine remained silent for a long moment.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. Notch gave him a quiet nod.

“Well, if it would ease both your minds, I am confident that we can come up with a solution to this,” he told them. “While this is uncharted territory for us, our healers are very clever. I see no reason to catastrophize just yet.” Evangeline found her husband’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Alright,” she said. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Notch stood, prompting them to do the same. “You may go home, if you like. Or I can have a guest bedroom prepared for you, if you’d prefer to stay close.”

“Our house isn’t far,” Herobrine said. He looked down to Evangeline, who nodded. “We’ll go home.”

“Very well.” Notch agreed. “Keep yourself warm, Evangeline, and make sure you’re following the doctor’s orders.” Evangeline murmured her acknowledgement, then linked her arm with her husband’s, and they began to make their way towards the door.

Chapter Text

David plunked down against the wall across from the enderman, setting his bag down beside him with a grunt and digging through it for a canteen. “Here, Boo.” He tossed it over, and the enderman looked down at it in bewilderment as it hit the ground at his feet. “Want some?”

“‘Boo’?” Phillip echoed incredulously. “Why is he ‘Boo’?”

“Because he snuck up on us.” David crossed one leg over the other, watching as ‘Boo’ poked at the canteen with one slender claw. “Very effectively, I might add.”

“Yes, but he’s sapient,” Phillip pointed out. “He probably has his own name. Isn’t it sort of disrespectful to give him a new one?”

“Well we can’t understand his name, so no,” David countered. “He probably has his own stupid nicknames for us.” Phillip frowned, but didn’t argue further.

It hadn’t taken them long to find an appropriate shelter in which to spend the night, just out of sight of the lava lake that housed Null’s fortress. The newly christened Boo had seemed content enough to follow them there, apparently assured at this point of their good intentions. He had tried to speak with them a couple of times more, but upon realizing that nothing was getting through had gone quiet. Phillip wasn’t sure what they were going to do from here- without a way to communicate, getting any information on what happened to Boo was going to be difficult.

“Here.” Phillip scooped up the canteen, unscrewing the cap. “It’s water, see?” He tipped a little bit out onto his hand, lifting it up to show him, only for Boo to scramble back against the wall, with a vicious, frightened hiss.

“Alright!” Phillip pulled it away hastily, screwing back on the cap and pushing it back over to David. “No water. Got it.” Boo hissed again to drive home his point, then arranged his long limbs into a comfortable position.

David took a long drink of water, then sighed, sliding the canteen back into his bag. “We should sleep,” he said. “I’ll take first shift.”

“Sure.” Phillip glanced over to Boo, thoughtful. “I suppose he’ll get the idea when he sees me go to sleep.”

“If endermen even sleep,” David muttered. “And assuming he’s not getting ready to rip us to shreds as soon as we let our guard down.”

“Oh, come on, Dave, he was scared.” Phillip gestured to Boo, who glanced up quizzically. “He seems to be pleasant enough when he’s not fighting for his life.” David hummed.

“Yeah. I guess I might be a little ornery too if someone ripped my heart out.”

Phillip unbuckled his sword belt and set it aside, finding the most comfortable spot in their little hollow and trying to relax. “Hey, Dave,” he spoke up after a moment. “Do you think that is really what happened to him?”

“That he got his heart ripped out?” David chanced a look in his direction, towards where Boo was eying them through half-lidded eyes. “I dunno. Probably not. He’s still breathing, after all.”

“Right…” Phillip shifted to get a point of rock out of his spine, frowning. “He’s obviously uncomfortable, so it can’t be natural. But the potion did nothing to heal it.”

“Right.” David leaned back against the wall, peering out through the giant mushroom stalks in the direction of the lava lake. “Maybe it’s too severe of a wound to heal.”

“Mm.” Phillip shut his eyes, mulling over all that they had encountered thus far. Strangers growing netherwart in the fortress, an injured enderman unable to teleport… given their proximity, it was unlikely that the two events were unrelated. But how were they connected? How did one strip an enderman of his ability to teleport, anyway?

One thing was for certain, and that was that they were getting no answers out of Boo. If they wanted to solve this, then they were going to have to return to that fortress.

Evangeline shut her eyes as she settled into the hot water, releasing a breath in a strained noise as her withered wing bumped the edge of the tub. It took her a moment to find a comfortable position, since her withered wing hurt to be submerged, and she was eventually forced to hook her wings over the edge of the bathtub and settle down as much as she could manage. At least the water was warm.

It was afternoon. At one point, Evangeline would have found taking a hot bath in the middle of the day to be the epitome of luxury, but today it was nothing more than a reminder of her condition. It wasn’t cold outside, far from it, but no amount of layering had helped her to warm on her own, so she’d asked Herobrine to draw her a bath.

The door behind her creaked, and Evangeline’s green eyes flickered up as Herobrine stepped into the room out of the corner of her eye.

“Here.” He lowered himself to his knees beside the bathtub, revealing the steaming teacup in his hands. “Be careful, it’s hot.” Evangeline’s hand lifted, breaking through the layer of thick foam over the water to wrap around the porcelain.

“Thank you,” she murmured, clasping the warm cup in both hands and inhaling as fragrant steam wafted up towards her face. Herobrine hummed, sinking down to sit on the tile with his back to the tub.

Evangeline sipped at her tea, letting out a small sigh as the hot beverage sent warmth spreading throughout her chest. The water was hot enough that she could almost forget about the chill that followed her everywhere she went, and having Herobrine to watch her back assured her that no one would bother her while she soaked. After a minute, she shut her eyes.

She was dying. 

For a valkyrie, to die would ordinarily be a quick, graceless affair, skewered on an opponent’s blade or left to bleed out after a bloody battle. If they survived the initial conflict, the vast majority of valkyries were returned to good health, if perhaps missing a couple of limbs.

Valkyries did not get sick. They were unaffected by any of the diseases that brought down humans and piglins by the dozens, their bodies strong enough to resist any kind of infection. They did not slowly waste away, in their own home, surrounded by loved ones who could do nothing to save them.

Notch had assured them that they would find a solution. But how could he know? No one had ever survived being afflicted with wither before, not for so long as she had. They could force potions down her throat, feed her a bushel of golden apples, cut off her withered wing. Any one of those could cure her, or maybe none of them would. She didn’t know. None of them did.

She didn’t want to die. After Null, she had resigned herself to a quiet life, watching over the young valkyries, dining with Notch in his castle halls, and enjoying her marriage to Herobrine. Now, not even a year later, Null threatened to take all that away from beyond the grave.

Evangeline didn’t realize that she was crying until a tear dripped off the tip of her nose, landing in her teacup with a soft plip.

She sniffled, trying to rub away her tears before Herobrine could notice, but she was already too late. “Eva?” He turned, and his face changed as he spied her reddened eyes. “Evangeline…”

“I’m alright,” she choked out. “I’m fine. I-” Her throat closed up, and she squeezed her eyes shut again.

“Are you in pain?” Herobrine’s large hand extracted the teacup from her own, and she gave a small shake of her head. “Just… afraid?” She hesitated, then gave a tiny nod. “Alright.” Herobrine shifted, then leaned in and wrapped an arm around her chest.

Evangeline jerked, her eyes flying open in surprise. “What- you’ll get wet-”

“I don’t care,” he interrupted, settling closer. Giving up, Evangeline wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

She committed herself to keeping from breaking down, focusing on the rhythm of Herobrine’s breaths in an attempt to calm her own. He was warm, and dry, though less so the longer she held onto him. His hand rested in the small of her back, below her wings, holding her to his chest.

“It’s going to be alright,” he mumbled. “We’ll find a way to fix this.” Evangeline drew in an uneven breath. She was sure that he needed the comfort as much as she did.

“Alright,” she managed. “I know.” Herobrine breathed out, tucking his arm around her waist. “I just-” her voice broke. “I didn’t want this to happen .”

“I know.” Herobrine drew her closer, resting his other hand in the middle of her back. “I’m sorry.” Evangeline just squeezed her eyes shut, tilting her face into his shoulder and locking her arms around his neck as she silently grieved.

“I have just received word back from my contacts in the Nether,” Ashton stated, clutching his papers to his chest as he followed Notch down the corridor. “We should receive a shipment of potions within three days.”

“Very good, Ashton, thank you,” Notch murmured, only half listening. “You are dismissed.” Ashton bowed, then ducked away, leaving Notch to complete the trek back to his chambers alone.

It was late. Notch had spent the day poring over records of severe injuries, searching for a treatment that they might have initially missed. He had found very little- an unfinished thought here, a reference to a lost document there. Nothing solid. Nothing they could use. Beyond cutting off her wing, if the potions failed to cure her then there was very little more that they could do.

Notch slipped in quietly through the door to his rooms, unbuckling his cape and lifting it from his shoulders to hang it on an ornate hook. He unbuttoned his outer jacket, shrugging it off and leaving him in the white dress shirt underneath. If one knew what to look for, they could see the black mark that bit deep into his side beneath the starched fabric. Notch knew more than anyone that once Null had gotten his claws into his prey, it would take more than potions and golden apples to force him to let go.

No sooner had he stepped towards the wardrobe, however, than Notch was alerted to a messenger’s approach by the patter of hasty feet down the corridor that led up to his door.

Notch was at the door by the time the knock came, startling the young woman with the speed at which he responded. “Yes?”

“My lord.” The valkyrie bowed low, her curly, red hair falling in front of her eyes. “I’m sorry to disturb, my lord, but I was told to fetch you at once. The Queen of the Nether has come to see you.”

Notch’s brow creased in concern. “Thank you very much, Maryanne,” he said. “I will meet her in the parlor shortly.” Maryanne bowed, and she turned on her heel and scurried away as Notch slid his arm back into his jacket.

Notch had feared the worst when he heard the news, but Queen Rosales’ face was serene when he reached her in the parlor.

“Your majesty.” Notch nodded to her as he approached, crossing the room to clasp her hand in his. “Good evening.”

“To you as well, my lord.” Trixtin squeezed his hand, giving him a small smile. “I’m sorry to call so late in the day. I lost track of the hours in the Aether.”

“Please, don’t mention it, I’m always pleased to see you.” Notch studied her face carefully. “What brings you here? Your husband is not injured, is he?”

“No, no.” Trixtin shook her head. “Nothing like that. Not to my knowledge, anyway. No, there was another matter that I wanted to speak to you about.”

“Well, then, have a seat.” Notch released her hand, gesturing to one of the sofas. Obediently, Trixtin selected a cushion, and Notch sank down in a chair opposite her.

“What is on your mind?” he asked her. Trixtin took a deep breath, then let it out.

“I’m ready to retire,” she said. “I want to step down from my throne.”

Chapter Text

David took a step back from their temporary shelter, a pinched frown on his face as he regarded it. “I don’t like this, he said.”

“It’s either we leave him here, or you let me go alone,” Phillip reminded him. David released a heavy sigh.

“Yeah.” He pointed a finger through the mouth of the cave. “Boo, stay.” The enderman chirped at him, and David turned on his heel to leave, only for Boo to duck through the exit in pursuit.

“No, Boo.” Phillip lifted both hands, stepping in his way. “Stay.” He pointed to the cave. “In there.” Boo halted in his tracks, hesitating, and Phillip pointed more insistently. “Go.” Slowly, Boo sank down to his knees, sitting down in front of the cave. Phillip took a step back and Boo began to rise again, but Phillip stopped him with another sharp gesture. “Stay.” This time, when he backed up, Boo stayed put, merely watching them silently as they made their way back towards the lava lake.

Injured enderman or otherwise, Phillip and Tekno had a mission to complete, and since Boo couldn’t teleport they had no way of bringing him along even if they wanted to. So, Boo would stay behind while they did reconnaissance, then they would return to this spot to discuss their findings and determine their next move.

“Do you think that we can assume that the fortress is empty again?” Phillip asked as they neared the rocky shore.

“I don’t think we should assume anything,” David countered. “Especially if they realized we were there. But, if they were only there to check on the netherwart, I think they’re most likely gone by now.

“So, ‘be careful’.” Phillip stepped out onto the shore, spreading his wings. “Got it.” He beat his wings, but before he could get more than three feet off the ground he was seized around the ankle by a clawed, black hand.

“ Ah! ” Phillip flapped his wings madly for a moment, struggling to catch his balance as Boo held him down. “ Boo!! ” The enderman released him, allowing him to set down safely on the rocks. “What on-” 

Boo cut him off with a screech, waving them away from the lava’s edge. He launched into a nervous ramble of incomprehensible sounds, but his tone was clear enough- he was upset.

“I don’t think he wants us to go there,” David offered. Boo grabbed his arm and pulled him - with surprising strength - away from the shore.

“Do you think the people we almost ran across are responsible for his injury?” Phillip mused. Boo made a mournful sound.

“It’s possible.” David wriggled his arm free. “So what now?”

“Now…” Phillip looked to Boo, who was gesturing frantically for them to come away from the shore. “Alright,” he relented. “We can go back, for now. See if maybe he has any way of telling us why he’s so upset.” He turned to follow, and Boo slumped a bit in relief, lowering himself to all fours and leading them back into the forest.

But it wasn’t the cave that he returned to, the shelter where they had spent their night. Instead, he brought them beyond, leading them deeper into the warped mushrooms until they reached a small, unremarkable clearing.

Phillip glanced around as Boo slowed, standing upright again. “David?” he tried.

“No clue,” was his reply. Before them, Boo stooped down and slid his claws into a narrow crevice, lifting up to reveal a hidden hatch built into the moss and mushrooms.

“Oh,” Phillip voiced, stepping closer and peering inside as Boo set the hatch down in an open position. The hatch contained a ladder that descended down into pitch-blackness, dark enough that even his sharp eyes couldn’t penetrate it.

“That’s not ominous,” David muttered. Boo trilled softly, reaching up to touch the gaping hole in his chest.

“Dave, what do you think?” Phillip looked up to meet his eyes, and David grunted.

“I’ve never been one to look a gift enderman in the eye.” He crouched down, grabbing the ladder and stepping down onto the first rung. “Come on.”

Notch rocked back in his seat, studying her majesty’s grave face as he did so. “You wish to step down,” he repeated. Queen Rosales nodded. “Well, that is certainly within your rights,” he said slowly. “But I must ask, what led you to such a decision?”

“I am…” Trixtin shifted in her seat, clasping her hands together in her lap. “...very old. Far older than any human should be. I have been married to Phillip for almost a year now, and I want nothing more than to be able to live out the rest of our lives together in peace.”

Notch stroked his beard, nodding thoughtfully. “I see,” he said. “Have you spoken with him about this?”

“No.” Trixtin shook her head. “Not yet. I understand that for me to call our lives ‘peaceful’ would necessitate him to retire as well.”

“Indeed.” Notch nodded. “And I take it you would like to keep your immortality.”

“Yes.” Trixtin’s eyes flashed up, challenging where they met his. “I have watched over the Nether for nearly 350 years, have I not earned this much by now?”

“I would not suggest otherwise,” Notch assured her. “I only wanted to be sure. Do you have a successor in mind?”

“I do not.” Trixtin sat back, seeming pacified. “I wanted to get your thoughts on the matter before beginning to make any plans. But…” She hesitated. “I do believe it should be a piglin. It is long past time that they should have a chance to put one of their own on the throne.”

“I will take it into consideration,” Notch told her. “Has your husband returned from his mission?”

“No, my lord.”

“Alright. Speak to him when he returns, and let me know what he decides. In the meantime, I will begin to put the process of determining a successor into motion.” Notch rose to his feet, prompting her to do the same. “Thank you for coming to see me. Do you intend to return home, or stay the night?”

“If it is not too much trouble, I will stay.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I will have Maryanne bring you to a room.” Notch grasped her hand, hesitating as a thought flitted through his mind. The queen was friendly with Evangeline, perhaps she should know, but…

“There is another matter I would like to speak with you about,” he said. “If you would not mind informing me when you wake tomorrow morning.”

“Not at all,” Trixtin said. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Notch released her hand, and he led her to the door, outside of which Maryanne was standing guard. Queen Rosales gave him a final bow, then departed with Maryanne to her room.

The queen wishing to step down had been an upset that he had not expected, Notch mused as he headed back down the halls to return to his own chambers. At least she seemed content to wait a time, which meant that he was free to focus on curing Evangeline’s condition. Her reasoning made perfect sense… to spend so many years, as a human, in such a significant position would be taxing on anyone. It had driven Herobrine mad.

He would have to work with her to find a suitable monarch, most likely from among her court. Despite their reputation of being a violent and warmongering species, piglins were as varied in their disposition as any human or valkyrie. It would only be a matter of finding one who could be trusted with the well-being of their entire species.

Notch drew a hand down his face as he let himself into his rooms again, emitting a quiet sigh. All of this could be expanded upon tomorrow. For now, he would need to get some sleep.

Evangeline was asleep.

Her cheek was pillowed on his chest, her lips parted in her sleep and her hands tucked up to her chin. Her good wing was folded loosely against her back, while her injured one was spread haphazardly over the sheets, finally still after hours of her flinching and holding it against her spine. She had whispered apologies all night, every time she twisted and shifted in search of a comfortable spot, and had even tried at one point to go sleep elsewhere so she wouldn’t keep him up. He wouldn’t let her. He didn’t want to sleep until she was settled, anyway.

Herobrine carefully lifted his hand, resting it atop her unkempt locks and smoothing them behind her ear. She didn’t stir, dead to the world. Her skin was ashen and lukewarm to the touch- not cold, but not as warm as she should’ve been, either. She hadn’t left his side since her bath. Even dressed in winter clothes and wrapped in a blanket, she couldn’t seem to keep herself warm on her own.

She was dying.

She knew it as well as he did. Other than their meetings with Notch and his doctor, they had spoken little of it, but her tone and attitude made it clear that she could feel it. The way the wither crawled through her veins, stealing her warmth and her strength. She couldn’t see the dark veins as they spiderwebbed across her back and over her shoulder, but he was sure she could feel them.

He ran his fingers through her hair again, his thumb tracing over the shell of her ear. Notch had told them that they would find a solution. He had assured them they had nothing to fear. Herobrine, laying in bed with his wife’s frail body in his arms, was finding that very hard to believe. His worst nightmare was coming to pass right before his eyes, and there wasn’t a d### thing he could do to stop it.

Evangeline shifted beside him, and Herobrine cupped her head in his palm, pressing a kiss to her hair. The one person that he wanted to keep safe, and she was dying in his arms.

Not wanting to wake her, Herobrine fell still, his only movement being the rise and fall of his chest upon which his wife rested her head. She needed the rest. He did, too, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave her alone. In her state, with a toxin of unknown effect running through her veins, her condition could change drastically without warning. Herobrine did not want to wake to the sight of his wife vomiting blood again.

Instead, he stared up at the ceiling, listening to every heartbeat and tracking every breath that drifted across his forearm. He couldn’t heal her. But he could keep her safe and comfortable while Notch hunted for a cure.

Chapter Text

Phillip skipped the last rung at the bottom of the ladder and dropped down the last few feet, landing in a silent crouch beside his partner. He caught David’s eye for only a moment before turning to look down the corridor before them.

‘Corridor’ was probably an exaggeration- the passage ahead of them was a dimly lit tunnel hewn from solid netherrack, the only sources of light being a soulfire lantern hung every hundred feet or so. It was fairly large, with a roof reaching two or three feet above their heads and wide enough for eight or ten men to walk side by side. The tunnel stretched off into the distance, in the direction of what Phillip knew to be the lava lake. In between the lanterns were vast patches of pitch-darkness, and it was silent aside for their breaths and the thrum of Phillip’s heart in his chest.

David glanced at him, then waved him along as he started to walk. Phillip hung back for just a moment longer to look back up the ladder, catching the barest glimpse of Boo far above them before he fell into step with David.

Neither of them spoke as they crept down the tunnel. Phillip’s hand hovered over the hilt of his sword, and he knew that David was only one odd sound away from drawing his axe. Phillip wanted to say something, if only to break the oppressive silence that settled over them, but he didn’t want to give them away to any potential sentries. So, he stayed quiet.

The path ahead of them began to bend around a corner, and David took the opportunity to whisper, “It’s getting hot.”

“It is,” Phillip whispered back. The air had been almost cool where they first descended, but it was gradually getting warmer the further they went. “We must be going under the lake.”

David was quiet for a moment. “Think this is the path they take to the fortress?”

“Probably,” Phillip muttered. “So Boo showed us this… why? To give us a safer way over?”

“He has to know you can fly,” David pointed out. “And call me crazy, but I actually prefer that over creeping through a dark tunnel under tons of molten rock.”

“Hmm.” They were nearing the bend in the tunnel now, and the pair fell silent again, both of them tense as they began to come around the corner.

What they found around the bend was another roughly hundred feet of tunnel before it widened into a larger, dim cavern, with a low roof and the same soulfire lanterns as a light source. The two of them slowed automatically, but, even in the dim lighting there was no sign of movement. One benefit, Phillip mused as he drew his wings in close, of having dark feathers was that they made it that much easier to hide.

As they neared the widening point, David crouched down by the wall and beckoned for Phillip to join him. “Clear the room, I’ll keep an eye on our backs,” he whispered. Phillip nodded, then rose to his feet again and ventured out into the cavern.

Like the tunnel, this space had obviously been dug out by hand, as evidenced by the jagged crags of rock jutting out from every wall and support pillar. The ceiling wasn’t much higher than that of the tunnel, meaning that he might be able to navigate by air if it came to it, but it would be difficult. Phillip didn’t consider himself claustrophobic, but any valkyrie would be uncomfortable in such a dark, enclosed space.

The cavern was uneven and winding, and Phillip found a couple of small pockets that seemed to serve as storerooms, connected to the main cavern via thin tunnels. These storerooms were stocked with crates of salted meat, cloth, rope, and empty glass bottles. This was more than just a passage. Somebody lived here.

Having made his way around the entire cavern, Phillip retreated back to the tunnel to give David the all-clear, and together they crossed the room to where the next tunnel began. It was here, barely ten feet into the passage, that Phillip caught the first snatch of voices.

A quick glance at David confirmed that he heard them too. It sounded as if a conversation were going on further down the tunnel, with at least three participants and possibly more. All they could hear were the echoes, but Phillip was fairly sure that the voices were piglin in nature. Not a surprise. This was the Nether, after all.

There was little to be done but keep going, and so they continued until they spotted the fork at the end of the tunnel - another tunnel that ran perpendicular across the end of their own.

Phillip waited until it was in clear view before he nudged his companion and nodded to it. “It splits,” he whispered.

“We’re not splitting up,” David whispered back.

“No.” Phillip shook his head. Especially not now that they knew people were down here. “Just be careful.” They crept onward, David casting a wary glance behind him from time to time.

The voices grew louder the further they went, and Phillip dropped into a crouch as he reached the corner, leaning carefully around the wall to the right.

Not far down that direction was another larger room, this one containing a large, rectangular table chipped straight out of the netherrack. Seated around this table were a number of piglins, with plates and tankards before them. They were having an animated discussion, which seemed of little consequence according to the few words that Phillip was able to pick out.

Phillip looked the other way, and found that it faded into darkness, the only light being a single soul lantern at the very end of the tunnel. He cast one last glance at the dining piglins, beckoned David with him, and started to creep down to the left.

They came to a stop before they reached the circle of light that the hanging lantern provided. They were, after all, directly down the hall from the piglins.

“Dead end,” David whispered. Phillip nodded. He could see that much. However, there was obviously something else there- rows of what looked like bars that walled off the outermost parts of the tunnel. A prison?

“I’m going to check it out,” Phillip whispered back, and he started to move, but David seized him by the arm.

“Phillip, dead end,” he stressed. “If they see us, we’re trapped down here.”

“How many are there? Eight? Ten?” Phillip squinted down the hall over his shoulder. “Not the worst odds I’ve ever had.” David snorted, but he fixed him with a hard look before releasing him with a light shove.

“Go on, then.” He turned back to watch the piglins. Phillip rolled his eyes before creeping into the circle of light.

They were bars alright. Golden ones, warped and battered from whatever prisoner they had once contained. Actually… Phillip reached out to grip at the cold metal, peering through in an attempt to study the cell beyond. It was so dark, but he thought he could see something draped against the far wall. A body?

Violet eyes flew open in the darkness, and Phillip lurched back in fright as an enderman shrieked and lunged at the bars.

Phillip hit the ground with a grunt, scrambling back a black, clawed hand shot through the bars to scrabble at the floor after him. The enderman released another hideous shriek, echoed immediately from the right, and Phillip’s chin whipped around to see two more pairs of eyes gleaming from the darkness. Now he could make out the gangly forms of two other captives - each with a gaping hole in the center of his chest. The difference between them and Boo, however, was that each of these endermen had a tiny, green orb resting in the center of the hollow.

“Phil,” David hissed, loud enough to be heard over the cries of the captive endermen. “If our cover’s not blown now, it’s about to be.” Phillip scrambled to his feet, looking back to find several dark silhouettes charging down the tunnel.

“Nether.” Phillip ripped his sword free from its sheath. With this little light and the lack of space, trying to fly to safety wouldn’t be an option. They were going to have to fight their way out.

Evangeline bit into the last of the flesh on her golden apple as she crossed the kitchen, her thick, woolen skirts flowing around her ankles as she tossed the core into a basket. Turning to the stove, she stooped down beside it to gather up an armful of thick branches, and she shifted on her knees to face the open stove. She carefully maneuvered the armful of firewood into the compartment before shifting back, and she reached for the firestarter. Before she could even attempt to use it, however, the kindling burst into flame before her eyes.

“Eva.” The voice made her turn, and Evangeline glanced up to find her husband standing in the doorway.

Evangeline sighed, shutting the door to the stove and bracing a hand on it in order to get to her feet. “I was trying to let you sleep,” she said.

“I don’t need it.” Herobrine stepped into the kitchen, reaching for the package of pork that she had set on the counter. “Here.”

“No, no.” Evangeline moved to intercept him. “I’m feeling better. Let me do this.” Herobrine’s brows knitted, and she elaborated. “Let me prove to myself that I can do this.”

Herobrine frowned at her for a moment, critical, before relenting. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll stay out of your way.”

“Good.” Evangeline pointed to the kitchen table. “Go sit down.” Herobrine hesitated. “ Go. ”

“Alright.” Herobrine lifted his hands in surrender, taking a step back. “Alright, I’m going.” He turned away, and Evangeline waited until he had sunk down in a chair before she returned to her work.

Evangeline wasn’t lying. She did feel better today- a little less cold, less frail. She had still dressed herself in her warmest things when she awoke, and gone straight to the kitchen to start a fire and eat a golden apple. Better to be safe than sorry.

Herobrine, on the other hand, looked as if he’d barely closed his eyes. There were dark shadows on his face, and when she had drifted awake in his arms about an hour before he looked as if he had just dropped off. Now, his vacant gaze was focused on the far window, his face absent as if he were lost in thought. Evangeline had a hunch that he was struggling with the gravity of the situation as much as she was.

She collected a package of butter from the icebox, and cut off a pat and dropped it into her pan. She cracked in two eggs for each of them once it had melted, followed by four strips of cured pork. The window to the east was open, admitting a cool breeze that brought with it the scents of grass and dew, and the early morning sun cast dappled rays through the leaves of the tree outside and all over their kitchen counter. It was a perfect spring day, and it kindled just a little bit of hope in the middle of her chest.

She took a step to the left to reach for a saltshaker and her bad leg flared with pain, causing her to falter heavily and grasp for the counter to catch herself.

“Eve!” Herobrine had teleported to her side in an instant.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she assured him as she got her leg under her again. “I’m fine.” Herobrine rested his hand on her waist regardless, hovering close as she took the saltshaker and turned back to the stove.

“You should have your cane,” he muttered. Evangeline held back a retort.

“Maybe,” was all she said. She continued to poke at their breakfast as it cooked. As he watched,Herobrine slid his arms around her waist, careful not to press on her injured wing as he drew her back flush against his chest. Evangeline hummed softly, and she reached up with her free hand to touch his folded ones as he pressed his cheek to hers.

“I don’t mean to coddle you,” he murmured, his words reverberating pleasantly through his chest. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know.” She patted his hand absently. “And I know I’m weak right now. I still don’t particularly enjoy being treated like a piece of glass.”

“I don’t blame you.” Herobrine turned his head to press a kiss to her cheek, and Evangeline scrunched up her face in a giggle as his stubble scratched against her skin. “You were always meant to protect, not to be protected,” he went on. “But you can’t fault me for wanting to.” Evangeline hummed noncommittally. Then she turned, lifting her wings enough to move as she shifted around to face him.

“I suppose not,” she said. “But I’d appreciate it if you let me have a turn every now and then.”

“Very well.” Herobrine cupped the back of her neck in his palm and lowered his head to kiss her. Evangeline shut her eyes as she leaned into the kiss, and she rested her palm against his chest, letting him rock her gently back and forth.

After a moment, their lips parted just long enough for her to murmur, “Breakfast’s going to burn.” Herobrine released a breathless chuckle, lowering his hand from her neck.

“I suppose I should let you go, then,” he breathed. Evangeline smirked at him, then turned as he released her to direct her attention back to the stove.

David grunted as a meaty fist smashed against his jaw, and he staggered back before throwing one in retaliation. His opponent spat out a mouthful of blood and lunged, thick fingers grasping for his throat. David seized one wrist with his left hand and threw another punch with his right, and this time the piglin was sent staggering back by the force of the blow. David lurched off the wall and seized his opponent by the shoulders, rearing back and headbutting the piglin in the snout before dropping him to crumple to the ground.

David staggered back, searching through the darkness for his abandoned axe. Five down, three to go, and he was highly doubtful that these piglins were the only ones in their underground lair.

As they had suspected, the piglins had preferred to attack first and ask questions later, and Phillip and David had been forced to fight back to avoid being chopped up into pieces by swords and battle axes. They were vastly outnumbered, but between their professional training and the cover of darkness they had been able to survive thus far with only a couple of scrapes and bruises.

“Dave!” Phillip shouted, and David whipped around just in time to bring up his axe and block the blade coming down on his skull. He shoved it off and swung, and the piglin shrieked as David’s axe crunched through his ribs. On his left, Phillip darted behind his foe and slit his throat, and David smashed the blunt side of his axe into the final piglin’s head.

David lowered his axe, breathing heavily. “All good?” Phillip asked. David gave him a thumbs-up.

The movement from the ground caught his attention too late, and David didn’t realize that one of his foes wasn’t down until a low, ominous tone echoed out through the winding tunnels.

Phillip jammed his sword through the piglin’s torso, and the call petered off as a goat horn clattered to the ground. “And now our cover is blown,” he hissed. “We need to get out of here.”

“Couldn’t agree more.” David cast a fleeting glance back at the prison before he took off down the hallway. They could deal with the captive endermen later.

They weren’t badly hurt, at least, David wasn’t, but they were definitely tired out from their battle and that horn was definitely a distress call. If they didn’t get out of here before reinforcements arrived, this could go really bad really fast.

They had only just reached their turn when Phillip skidded to a stop and seized David by the arm. “ Wait. ” They both stilled in their tracks, and in the quiet David could clearly hear the sounds of many hooves racing through the tunnels.

“This way,” David hissed, and he took off towards the room where the piglins had been dining. Luckily for them, there was another passage shooting off from it, which they wasted no time in taking. This tunnel was narrow and pitch-black, lacking any of the soulfire lanterns, and the two of them were forced to slow for fear of running straight into a wall.

They could hear heavy footsteps thundering down adjoining corridors as the piglins hunted, followed by a number of enraged cries as they most likely came across their fallen friends. David and Phillip kept moving, their ears pricked for any indication that their pursuers were getting close.

David could swear that the darkness was choking him. Every breath felt heavy in his throat, like a pair of invisible hands had wrapped around his neck and squeezed. More likely it was just the lack of oxygen from being so far underground, and the smoke from the lava boiling above them. Either way the experience wasn’t a good one. He couldn’t see his hands in front of his face, and he was getting increasingly uncertain whether his eyes were open or closed.

Just when he was beginning to think that they would be stumbling around in the darkness forever, the outlines of the walls surrounding them began to appear, and David just about sighed aloud with relief as they continued towards the bluish light.

They emerged into another one of those small, makeshift chambers, this one with a higher ceiling and well-lit by soulfire lanterns. In the corner closest to them was a stack of wooden crates, and David wandered over to check out their contents.

“Careful,” Phillip whispered. David grunted and dug his fingers into the crack of the lid, prying it off and revealing dozens of twinkling ender pearls.

“Oh, Nether,” Phillip breathed. David nodded mutely, and he plucked one from the pile, holding it up to see the way it shimmered in the light. Then he tossed it across the room, and he nearly lost his balance as he was ripped through space to where it fell. “Don’t waste it!” Phillip hissed incredulously.

“Why not?” David whispered back. “Looks like they have plenty.” Phillip glowered at him, but turned back to the crates.

“If each of these has the same number, then there must be hundreds of them,” he muttered. David nodded.

“Think these have something to do with those not-so-happy endermen we found?”

“And Boo? Yes.” Phillip frowned into the crate. “Well, that’s one clue, I suppose.” David scanned the rest of the room as he nodded, soon picking out what appeared to be a large indent in the floor. Grabbing one of the lanterns, David ambled over to check it out, crouching down and lifting up his light to get a better look.

Laying in the hollow was a corpse.

David recoiled slightly, catching Phillip’s attention, and the latter hissed a breath through his teeth as he got close. “Oh, Nether. What??” David stared at the prone form, grey, unmarked and completely hairless. It lacked a nose and ears, possessing only a mouth and eyes that were shut. Tentatively, David reached down, and when he touched it the corpse’s skin was cold as ice.

“It’s Null,” he blurted out. “I saw him after Eve was shot. It’s Null.”

“Are you sure??” Phillip pressed, and at David’s nod he went on. “Well, what is he doing down here?? It’s been nearly a year since his death!”

“Well, his followers were mostly piglins, right?” David pointed out. “Maybe this lot is some more of them.”

“Yes, but what do they have to gain by preserving their master’s corpse??”

“Great question.” David set aside his lantern, and he straightened up, shouldering his battle axe once more. “Probably not anything good, not for us. Stand back.” He raised his axe high, and Phillip backed up several feet as he brought it down onto the center of Null’s chest.

The blade shattered on impact. David shouted in pain as an ear-splitting crack echoed through the chamber, Phillip clapping his hands over his ears in an attempt at defense against the noise. David peeled his eyes open once the echos had begun to fade, and he looked down to find blood running down his leg from where a shard of gold had punctured it. What remained of his axe was cracked and brittle, and there was a bluish-black sheen across the metal.

David coughed, then tossed his ruined axe aside. “That didn’t work.” Null’s corpse remained unmoving, as smooth and unmarked as it’d always been.

“Are you alright?” Phillip asked urgently. “We need to go. I’m sure they heard that.”

“Probably,” David agreed as he plucked the shard out of his leg. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He glanced back to the front of the room, to the mouth of the tunnel opposite of the one they had came from. Instead of going there, however, he headed back for the crates and grabbed an ender pearl in each hand.

“What are you doing?” Phillip hissed.

“Grabbing some for the road.” David beckoned. “Come here.” Phillip relented, jogging over and turning around to allow David access to his backpack.

Only once they had filled up their bags did they take off down the tunnel again, disappearing back into the darkness and leaving their pursuers behind.

Chapter Text

Notch held his arm outstretched before him, his hand clamped around the wrist of his foe. The specter grasped at his wrist with his free hand, but his face was impassive, blank. It seemed that he did not fear the lava that churned below them, hundreds of feet down at the base of the cliff.

Notch was tired. Despite the lava, he was cold. The pain, so frigid that it felt like fire, crept up his side and into his bruised ribs. He would attend to it in a moment.

Null looked down, to where sluggish waves of magma crashed against the cliff’s base far below them, before he looked back up to meet Notch’s eyes. “ Well? ” he voiced, the movement of his lips only barely visible beneath the veil of dark fog that enshrouded his body. “ Aren’t you going to drop me? ”

“Would it kill you?” Notch gritted out. Null’s dark eyes crinkled up with his amusement, and Notch caught the barest glimpse of jet-black teeth.

“ Perhaps it will, perhaps it won’t ,” was his flippant response. “ Either way, you cannot afford to let me go free. ” Notch stared into the living shadow’s eyes for several moments, studying the way he hung, accepting his fate. Then, his grip loosened, and Null released his wrist as Notch dropped him.

Notch stepped towards the edge to watch as Null plummeted towards the lava, not making a sound, any move to save himself or even slow his fall. Only once he had vanished did Notch pull back, allowing a hiss to strain through his teeth as he clamped both hands over the wound on his side.

He wasn’t bleeding, he noted as he looked down. Instead, it seemed as if his skin were rotting around the edges of the wound, flaking away in blackened specks that were clearly visible through the rends torn in his clothing. Notch hunched over as he tightened his grip on his injured flesh, forcing his waning strength deep into the cuts to mend them. To his relief, it worked. The chill retreated into his grasping hands and dissipated, leaving only an ugly, black mark in its wake.

Notch cast one last look over the edge before he turned, stooping down to collect his fallen hammer and hoisting it onto his shoulder. He dearly hoped that he would never have to see Null again.

Boo jumped as the trapdoor flew open, hitting against the carpet of nylium with a heavy thump. An instant later, David was hauling himself up and off of the ladder, inhaling deeply as he flopped aside to give his companion room to ascend. Phillip appeared a moment later, his feathers ruffled and disheveled as he scrambled onto solid ground. His chest ached for a moment’s respite, just enough to catch his breath, but he forced himself up long enough to lift the heavy trapdoor and slam it shut.

“We should go,” he announced breathlessly. Wordlessly, David nodded, and Boo rose to his feet to follow as they began to depart the clearing.

They weren’t able to find the cave again, but that was alright. After all, Phillip reasoned, if they themselves didn’t know where they were going, how much less would those who hunted them below be able to find them?

The terrain was confusing, which worked to their advantage, and it wasn’t long before they were able to locate another pocket in the landscape to be used as a makeshift refuge. The three of them packed inside - more uncomfortable for Boo than for either of the others - before David revealed to him what they had found in the tunnels.

“What do you think of this, Boo?” David held up his hand, an ender pearl laying in his palm. Before Phillip could even attempt to stop him, Boo released a grating shriek , and he had snatched the pearl out of David’s palm before the latter could blink.

“David!” Phillip scolded. “Have some class! Those things are harvested from their bodies, aren’t they??”

“Yes, which is why he’ll definitely know about it,” David countered. Phillip huffed a heavy sigh, then turned back to Boo, just in time to watch as he lifted the orb to the gaping hole in his chest.

The pearl clunked against the exposed ribs, a hollow sound. Boo held the pearl in the center of the cavity for several moments, then removed it, emitting a sound clearly reminiscent of a dismayed sigh. Phillip watched quietly as Boo lowered the pearl back into his lap, staring down at the aquamarine orb cradled gently within his wicked claws.

“Think your theory about his heart getting ripped out may have been correct,” Phillip muttered. David only grunted.

“The endermen we found down there,” he started. “They didn’t have their pearls either.”

“I’m not sure that’s true.” Phillip was staring at the pearl in Boo’s hands. “When I was close enough to get a good look, I could see something in their chests. A speck of something. I think the pearls grow back.”

“Not a lot of point in keeping them around if they don’t, hmm?” David mused. Phillip nodded. “Why hasn’t Boo’s then?”

“I’m sure it takes them a long time.”

“If that’s the case, then those endermen have been captive here for decades,” David said, his tone clearly agitated. “There had to be hundreds of pearls down there.”

“Maybe they have more?” Phillip offered. “Endermen, that is. What were they even stockpiling them for?”

“I don’t know. An invasion, maybe. But the fact that they were storing them in a room with the corpse of their fallen god…” David let his voice trail off, and Phillip didn’t need him to finish.

“It could be coincidence,” he said in a tone that lacked conviction. “Perhaps that room simply made for convenient storage, whether that be for the hearts of endermen or whatever corpses they happened to have lying around.” David snorted in amusement.

“I don’t buy it.” He rocked back against the wall, crossing his legs at the ankles. “Are we in agreement, though? That Boo was their prisoner?”

“He had to be,” Phillip said simply. “Not all of those cells were filled.”

“And he escaped,” David continued. “And he led us back here to… oh, Nether.” David’s face fell. “He probably wanted us to rescue the others.”

“We wouldn’t have been able to, even if we had known,” Phillip tried to reassure him. “The piglins were nearly too many for us to get out ourselves, let alone to escort injured captives.”

“Mmh.” It clearly didn’t soothe him much. “We need to go back for them.”

“Of course,” Phillip promised. “We’ll have to deal with Null, too. Like you said, whatever they intend to do with that can’t be any good.” David nodded. Neither of them had voiced it yet, but Phillip had a healthy suspicion that they had both come to the same conclusion regarding Null’s corpse.

Ender pearls were full of magical power, the likes of which had yet to be unlocked by any mortal from the Aether to the Nether. What if Null’s piglins intended to harness that power to bring their master back to life? It was a little far-fetched, which is why he hadn’t said it aloud. But, honestly- what else did one have to gain from keeping a remarkably well-preserved corpse?

“Well, we’ll have to come up with a strategy, then,” David remarked.

“Of course.” Phillip offered him a ghost of a smile. “Two men against an unknown number of foes, in a stronghold that the enemy knows by heart, to rescue three injured captives and to kill a man that’s already dead.”

“Two men and Boo ,” David stressed. “He’ll have to come too.”

“What? No , Dave, Boo’s injured too.” Phillip shot down his suggestion immediately.

“You saw how those endermen reacted to you,” was David’s rebuttal. “To them we’re no different than the piglins that keep them prisoner and cut them apart. And, unless you can learn to speak enderman in the next couple of days, I don’t think you’re gonna have much luck convincing them otherwise.”

Phillip’s jaw tightened with irritation, but he couldn’t argue. Trying to get out with three hostile endermen would be much more difficult than four peaceful ones. “I suppose,” he said eventually. “Then we’ll have to be sure that we keep him safe.”

“Obviously,” David agreed, and they both looked to the enderman where he sat cross-legged on the uneven floor, rolling the ender pearl between his hands.

Phillip glanced over and caught David’s eye. “Have any ideas?”

David shrugged, a telling smirk spreading across his face. “They did make their stronghold in an enclosed space, underneath a lake of lava. Yes.” David broke eye contact to look out through the mouth of the cave, up to the reddish skies that hung above the mushroom forest. “I do have an idea.”

Cool hands unfastened the buttons on the back of her dress, setting the fabric aside to reveal her shoulder blades, and Evangeline shivered as the mild air hit her exposed skin. She turned her head to rest her cheek on the flat pillow, gazing up at Herobrine where he sat beside the cot. He offered her a hand, and she took it.

Behind her, she heard the soft ping of doctor Ashton flicking the syringe. “Are you ready?” he asked, his voice crisp and businesslike.

“Yes.” Evangeline’s wings tensed involuntarily, and she moved her good one so that her white feathers trailed off the side of the cot. Herobrine’s face was stony, his gaze fastened on whatever the doctor was doing behind her back, and Evangeline braced herself as there was a sharp pinch below her right shoulder blade.

Evangeline had been stitched up before, following bloody battles without potions or golden applies to spare. This was similar, but… the needle went deeper, down to the veins that ran with infected blood. She fought the urge to squirm.

In a moment, it was over, and Ashton pressed his thumb over the site of the injection to stem any flow of blood. “Do you feel any different?” he asked. Evangeline didn’t respond for a moment, taking stock of her body.

“No,” she said at last, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Then we’ll try the other one.” There was a clink from behind her as the doctor collected another syringe, and Herobrine spoke up.

“What was the first one?”

“Pure, concentrated healing.” Ashton flicked the second syringe, twice for good measure. “This second one is regeneration, which works gradually to mend.” Herobrine’s grip tightened on her hand, and Evangeline shut her eyes as the second needle slid into her flesh just beside the first.

This one went quicker, as she was better prepared for what to expect. Doctor Ashton was stepping back before she knew it, pressing a piece of sticky gauze over the pinpricks in her back.

“Anything?” Herobrine asked her, and Evangeline opened her eyes to meet his.

“No.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to feel anything yet,” Ashton assured her, his nimble fingers winding her buttons back into place. “As I said, regeneration works gradually. It could be a number of hours before we begin to see any results.”

If we see them at all, Evangeline thought. But she didn’t argue, instead nodding as she pushed herself up to throw her legs over the side of the cot. Herobrine took her hand once again, drawing her to her feet.

“Come and see me tomorrow morning,” Ashton instructed, wiping his hands on a cloth before beginning to pack up his instruments. “From there, depending on whether or not there are any results to be spoken of,we may consider our next step.”

“Very well,” Evangeline agreed. “Thank you, doctor.” Ashton’s only response was a passive nod.

Herobrine linked his arm with hers, placing a hand on top of her own, and together the two of them exited the healer’s chambers to return to their home.

It was warm.

For weeks, Meryl had cursed the fickle weather of mid-spring under her breath as she endured cold fronts, rain, high winds, and even hail. Such inclement weather hadn’t prevented her from doing her job, of course- she was far too old for that. But she disliked it, and anyone unfortunate enough to be stationed in her vicinity knew it.

But today, it was warm. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, the golden glow of the afternoon sun bathing her Lord’s lands and all within them in a comfortable warmth. She was sure that within days, the temperatures would drop again, but today; today she was comfortable for the first time this year without her cloak.

Meryl tilted her face up towards the sun, her chest heaving in a contented sigh. Her time stationed in Mosenta had been peaceful (despite the weather), and her enjoyment was only heightened by the budding relationship between herself and Lord Lancaster. Steven. Perhaps it was true, as she was told, that a relationship kindled out of shared strife and peril provided a foundation for truly deep understanding and respect. Otherwise, she could not fathom why, out of all the valkyries, he would choose her.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Meryl heard a voice call out to her. She looked down, a smile on her face as she sought out the speaker, only for it to die when she saw the look on his face.

“Steven?” She abandoned her post in a moment, hurrying over the viridescent grass to join him. His jaw was clenched tight, his face ashen, and he had a piece of folded paper crushed in his fist. “What is it?” Meryl asked, reaching for the paper. “Did something happen?” In response, Steven released the paper to her, allowing her to smooth it flat and unfold it to reveal the handwritten text within.

“I just received this letter from my brother,” he said, his voice heavy as Meryl skimmed down the contents of the note. “Something is very wrong with Evangeline.”

Chapter Text

Phillip peered up through the giant mushrooms, shading his eyes with one hand to get a better look.

“I hate this plan,” he stated.

“Yeah, I hate it too.” David’s voice was hushed, trying to avoid startling their quarry. “But, this far out, we kind of just have to take what we can get. Plus,” he added. “This time, we’re the ones with the element of surprise.” Phillip just frowned at him before turning back to the sky.

Floating above the mushroom forest was a herd of ghasts.

Phillip had a not-so-pleasant history with ghasts. Years and years ago, when David was still a young cadet in his service, the two of them had embarked on a Nether trip that went horribly wrong when Phillip’s wings had been badly burned by a ghast’s fire breath. The two of them had been stranded out there for weeks, forced to fight their way back home and only surviving by the skin of their teeth. It wasn’t the ghasts’ fault. They were just animals. But Phillip couldn’t help but be uneasy, watching the bulbous, balloon-like creatures bob up and down to nibble at the tops of the giant mushrooms.

Ghasts were an odd manner of creature, and an uncommon one at that. They were easier to find out here, so far into the unclaimed wastes, but even so the three of them had been forced to travel for two whole days before finding any. This herd was small, only four, which was fortunate. The fewer ghasts there were, the better chance they had of making it out of their hunt unscathed.

They only needed one. A ghast’s explosive breaths, which they used to defend themselves, were fueled by the gunpowder produced by its body. This gunpowder could be used to make rudimentary explosive charges, which David intended to use in their quest to save the captive endermen and wipe out the remainder of Null’s followers.

“Alright, Boo.” Phillip turned away from the grazing ghasts, addressing the enderman who was crouched in the underbrush behind them. “You need to stay here, understand?” He pointed an authoritative finger at the ground, and Boo lowered himself down to sit cross-legged. “Good.”

“Think he’ll do it?” David muttered.

“I hope so.” Phillip took a step back, watching as Boo laced his fingers together in his lap. “He’s smart. He knows he’s hurt.” David grunted noncommittally.

“So,” he started. “We need to take one out without letting it blow, or we’ll lose the gunpowder. That means getting on top of it to get access to its heart.”

“That can’t go wrong,” Phillip muttered. “So I drop you on top of one.”

“Ideally without getting set on fire,” David confirmed. “With any luck, the others will flee.”

“When have we ever been lucky?”

“When we made it out of those tunnels alive?”

“That wasn’t all luck,” Phillip argued, but he acquiesced. “Fine. Just don’t die.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” David straightened, shouldering his axe. “Come on.” Phillip backed up and flared out his wings, then charged forward, scooping up David under the arms and carrying them both up and out of the mushroom forest.

Their appearance was heralded by a cacophony of high-pitched cries and shrieks, the ghasts having noticed immediately what they perceived to be a threat. One of the bulbous creatures swelled up noticeably, and Phillip banked hard to the right as a chunk of fiery brimstone was spewed in their direction, exploding into a cloud of ash and smoke where it hit the cap of a giant mushroom.

“Which one?” Phillip shouted over the racket as the ghasts collided with each other in their attempt to escape.

“Whichever,” David shouted back. Phillip beat his wings and climbed, and David tensed just before he was dropped onto a ghast’s head.

David dropped to one knee as he hit, then toppled over altogether as the ghast’s pliable flesh sunk underneath him at every movement. Phillip flitted away to draw the ghasts’ fire as David’s target shrieked and dipped in the air under the sudden weight. A fireball flew past Phillip’s wing, setting a flight feather ablaze, and he beat his wings frantically to put it out. That was a little too close for comfort.

David managed to get himself upright at last, his free arm pinwheeling as he tried to catch his balance. He took a heavy step back, planted his feet, and raised his axe high.

Before he had a chance to move, one of the ghasts hurled a chunk of brimstone again, hitting another and causing the hapless creature to burst into a massive explosion.

Phillip didn’t even have a chance to react before the blast reached him. He was knocked out of the sky, sent hurtling towards the ground and slamming into a soft mushroom cap. He rolled several feet, then toppled off the edge, bracing himself an instant before he hit something solid.

He didn’t move for a few, long moments, expecting a wave of pain to hit him at any moment. When it didn’t come, he cautiously peeled his eyes open to take stock of his injuries, and he found himself staring up into Boo’s face. Boo chittered at him.

“Hey,” Phillip rasped, then realized a moment later that Boo was carrying him. He squirmed, and Boo set him down on his feet, allowing him to catch his balance.

“ Phil!! ” A shout echoed over the forest, and Phillip blew out a relieved breath.

“ Dave! ” he called back. “You alright, mate?”

“Peachy,” came the returning call, and Phillip tracked the voice up to where the remaining three ghasts were bobbing away without a care in the world. Looking closely, Phillip could just barely make out David laying flat on his belly atop a ghast’s head, gripping the creature’s rubbery skin with all his might to keep from falling off. So far the other two ghasts hadn’t spotted him, but that could quickly change.

Phillip didn’t want to look at his wings - he was already envisioning charred, black feathers, chunks of ruined flesh. But he looked anyway, and what he saw caused him to let out a second breath of relief. Other than being a little singed, his wings were uninjured, and hitting the mushroom cap first seemed to have spared him from greater injury.

“I’m coming up,” he shouted, and he turned a thankful look upon Boo before he backed up, crouched down, and took off again for round two.

As far as the eye could see, there were headstones.

Herobrine knelt in the dirt, staring at the marker before him. Above him was the cloudless, indigo sky of the Aether, but the ground was barren of any plant life, except for the wreaths and bouquets that decorated the plot before him. The gravestones went on forever, reaching the horizon in every direction, as if they were the only thing to exist. Herobrine was only focused on one, anyway.

The headstone before him was black. Jet black, like someone had taken it and replaced it with absolute darkness. It had no name, but Herobrine knew who was buried beneath it. The feathers that were scattered over the freshly disturbed dirt, blackened and crumbling like charcoal, made that abundantly clear.

“What are you thinking about?” Came a voice from over his shoulder. A body tucked against his side, and Herobrine threaded his arm around her back.

“You.” He looked down. The woman’s face was obscured to him, covered by her tresses of curly, blonde hair. Her tattered wings were held close to her back, ratty and bloody as if someone had torn out handfuls of feathers at a time.

“Oh.” Evangeline looked down to the headstone, upon which the flowers were already withering away. Herobrine couldn’t weep, he felt numb. He couldn’t tell how long he had knelt here. It felt like forever, but at the same time, hadn’t it been less than a week since they found out?

“What are you thinking about?” Evangeline asked again. Herobrine looked down to find her looking back at him. That wasn’t his wife.

Herobrine released her as if burned, scrambling back and leaving her before Evangeline’s grave. The woman had the same blonde hair, the same green eyes, but her face was bruised, gaunt, and streaked with blood that continued to flow down from her broken nose. “Who are you?!” he cried, though he already knew the answer.

“My name is Angela,” the woman said. “I am a member of the 58th division of the Armies of the Aether. I do not know anything of the dealings of Notch or his plans for you.” She stood, unfurling ragged wings, and Herobrine shut his eyes.

Herobrine opened his eyes.

The first glow of dawn was beginning to light the distant horizon, casting a dull, blue glow through the bedroom window. A blonde head rested on his chest, and Herobrine tightened his arms around her, his palm resting over her spine between her wings. Evangeline’s chest rose, then fell.

This wasn’t the first nightmare to have plagued his rest over the past few nights. They came in droves, dreams of Evangeline dying, dead, of her body crumbling into dust just like Sirben’s had. They haunted his sleep relentlessly - that, and the presence of another familiar face.

Herobrine cuddled his wife close, kissing her hair and tucking her head into the crook of his neck. He rested his thumb against her throat over her fluttering pulse point, taking comfort in every beat of her heart.

The potions hadn’t worked. Herobrine hadn’t expected them to- but he had hoped. Maybe the doctor had been right, maybe a concentrated dose would have some effect. But no. The only change that Evangeline had reported had been some extra aches around the base of her wing. Herobrine couldn’t bring himself to take that as a good sign.

Any further methods of treatment that they could take would only get more drastic from here on out, more invasive. And Evangeline’s body was already breaking down. How much more could she take? How could Notch assure him so readily that they would find a cure? How could he promise such a thing?

Herobrine rested his chin on her hair and shut his eyes. He didn’t think he would be able to sleep again, so he would just wait for her to wake up.

“There are several amongst my court whom I believe could be a suitable monarch,” Queen Rosales told him, her hands folded in her lap where she sat in an armchair in the richly-decorated study. “Primarily, my Minister of Agriculture, Jerald Terran, and my Marshal Varth Higgins. Additionally, I would consider Merdin Larrox, as she is one of my most faithful advisors.”

“I see.” Notch flicked a hand to his feather pen, and the instrument danced across the page before returning to its inkwell, recording the three names he had been given. “I can see the value that each position would lend to a potential king or queen. I imagine that Ms. Larrox has the most experience in what exactly the position entails?”

“Certainly.” Rosales bobbed her chin in a nod. “Merdin has served as my advisor for nearly a hundred years. Even if I should not choose her to be the next queen, I am sure that she would prove an invaluable resource for whoever the next ruler may be.”

“I’m sure,” Notch agreed, and he took note of these things even as he studied the queen’s face and form. Though she faced him, her eyes on his, he couldn’t help but feel that her attention was elsewhere.

“Along with selecting a monarch,” Notch went on. “I believe- and this is just for your consideration, we need not establish this now - that we should put a method into place to handle succession, and the election of a new leader. As you are well aware, to remain in such a position for many years can be quite taxing.”

“Indeed. That is very wise, your majesty,” Rosales said. “I do not think that the standard human practice of electing a monarch’s eldest child would be an appropriate one for this use case.”

“Neither do I,” Notch agreed. “Whatever process that we end up using to select your successor, we may be able to adapt for future use as well.”

“Perhaps,” Rosales said, and she looked down at her hands. Notch watched her quietly for a moment, then softly cleared his throat, returning his quill to the inkwell once more.

“Does something trouble you, your majesty?” he asked. The way that Rosales looked up, then back down again told him that he was on the right track. “Is it your husband?” he tried.

“No.” Rosales shook her head. “He and David are capable enough, I’m sure that he is safe. And I am not concerned that he would berate me for my desire to step down. I only…” She huffed a sigh. “I cannot get Evangeline’s condition off my mind.” Notch’s gaze softened in understanding.

“Neither can I,” he admitted. “It is a very difficult situation for all of us.” He paused. “You have not gone to visit her.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Given that I am directly responsible for her injury, I feel she would not want to see me.”

“Responsible?” Notch’s chin snapped up. “You are not. Why would you think that?”

“I was the one who sent for her. I asked for her by name. I sent her out there, and she’s suffered immensely as a result.” Rosales’ gaze was fastened on the far window, where beams of midmorning sun trickled through the leaves and branches of the skyroot tree that grew outside. “I know I was not the one who dealt the blow, but I still hold some responsibility for her injury.”

Notch sat back in his chair, folding his hands atop his desk. “If that is how you feel,” he began. “Then I suggest you visit her, and offer an apology for any perceived wrongs. I am absolutely certain that she will tell you that it is not your fault, and that she bears you no ill will.”

“I’m sure she does not,” Rosales murmured. “She is a brave and courageous young lady.”

“And a soldier,” Notch reminded her. “Every one of my valkyries knows that when they enter a battle, they may not make it out. Evangeline has been through more peril than many her age, and so far has been very fortunate. If this is to be her end, then…” Notch hesitated. “It is simply a hazard of her profession.”

“Even for a valkyrie, this is a horrific fate.”

“It is,” Notch agreed quietly. “I wish it- wish Null had not been her responsibility. But what’s done is done, and there is nothing we can do to change it.” Rosales was silent. “I think she would like to see you,” Notch added.

“I will think on it,” Rosales said at last. Notch nodded, and he turned back to his papers.

Chapter Text

The Nether was quiet.

Notch staggered against the cliffside, allowing himself to lean for the barest moment before pushing off and breaking into a run again. His footsteps that echoed off the canyon walls were the only sound, that and his labored breathing, exhausted from running so far. His quarry had shown no signs of tiring, but he had to. He had to be reaching his limit.

At the far end of the canyon, a jet-black shape emerged from behind a rock and flitted around the corner.

Notch felt a surge of adrenaline go through him, and he put on a burst of speed, his maul materializing in his hand at his side. He’d known he was close, but not this close.

He skidded around the corner, and pain immediately bloomed in his side as a blade sank between his ribs.

Notch roared, swinging blindly as Null released his dagger and leapt back. Notch jerked out the blade and hurled it away, but he could already feel a deep, choking cold that sunk deeper and deeper into his flesh and bones. Notch ignored it, striking out with his weapon, and the head of his maul caught Null across the abdomen and slammed him against the opposite wall.

Null crumpled to the ground, coughing and retching as he grasped at his stomach. Notch took a lurching step towards him and lifted his maul high, only for Null to hastily roll over just in time to avoid his skull being crushed. He sprang to his feet as Notch swung again, leaping nimbly over the maul before lunging again with another black blade. This time Notch was ready, sidestepping the attack and seizing the living shadow to pin his arms against his sides. Null sneered, struggling, but they were all but evenly matched, and he could not break Notch’s hold.

“This isn’t over, ” Null hissed, as Notch began to drag him forward. From the freezing pain that crept up through his chest, Notch knew that he was right.

Ashton sank down in an armchair across from where they sat, arranging his papers in his lap before he opened his mouth. “From the looks on your faces, I take it there’s been no improvement,” he said. Evangeline, wrapped in a woolen cloak, shook her head.

“No. No improvement.”

“I see.” Ashton made a note on the page on top. “Given that it has been nearly a full forty-eight hours since your treatment, at this point I am forced to conclude that it has had no benefit.” Evangeline shifted slightly and turned her gaze to her husband. Herobrine’s face was blank.

They were back in Notch’s sitting room, meeting with Ashton to assess the results of her injection two days prior. Notch himself sat quietly in a seat to their left, his foot tapping idly as they discussed their next move.

“Well,” Ashton reordered his papers, lifting his glasses from where they hung around his neck to set them on the bridge of his nose. “As we discussed, our next course of action may be to remove the affected wing altogether. Even though the wither has clearly begun to spread to the rest of your body, to remove the source may keep it from spreading further.” That didn’t sound very encouraging. Evangeline bit down on her lip, folding her hands in her lap.

“It’s your decision, Evangeline.” Notch sat forward in his chair, meeting her gaze with kindly eyes. “If you don’t want to, or even just need more time to think on it, that’s up to you.” Evangeline wrapped her hands around her husband’s arm, drawing it against her chest.

“I think,” she said. “I would like both my wings removed.”

“Both?” Notch echoed, his brow furrowing, and Herobrine’s hand tightened on hers. “What for? Your left wing is still perfectly healthy.”

“Yes, but my balance has already begun to suffer from the weight imbalance.” Evangeline shifted her left leg slightly. “It’s only gotten worse since my injury, and to remove the remainder of my wing would only intensify the issue.” She ran her thumb over the back of Herobrine’s hand. “So, I would like them both removed. It isn’t as if I can fly with one wing anyway.” She fell silent, and no one spoke for a moment.

“I understand,” Doctor Ashton finally broke the silence. “Your spine has clearly been suffering under the strain. Assuming all goes well, after the procedure, you may be able to get along without your cane anymore.” He noted something down on the top page. “It would not take more than a few days to prepare for the surgery. Shall we plan for the eighteenth?”

“Alright,” Evangeline said, though her heart was thudding in her chest. She had been considering this possibility ever since Ashton first suggested the removal of her withered wing, but to schedule a date made it all the more real. “We will see you in three days, then.”

“Indeed.” Ashton straightened up, tucking his papers against his chest. “I will see you all then.” He bowed to them, then to Notch, and quietly left the room.

Evangeline gripped the arm of the loveseat, using it and Herobrine’s hand to help pull herself upright as Notch stood and approached them.

“I think you’re making the right decision,” he told her quietly. Evangeline pasted on a smile.

“Thank you, your majesty.”

Notch nodded, looking preoccupied. “I will most likely drop by tomorrow to check in, assuming that my duties do not detain me elsewhere.” He rested his hand on Herobrine’s shoulder, meeting his eyes for a moment before Herobrine dropped his gaze. Notch squeezed his shoulder, then released him. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.” Evangeline bobbed a small curtsy, then caught up her cane and she and Herobrine exited the room.

Herobrine leaned down to her ear as they made their way down the hall. “I can hear your heartbeat,” he murmured. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure.” She nodded quietly. “It’s for the best. There’s no point in my wings dragging me down if I can’t even use them.”

“Right.” Herobrine studied her face carefully for a moment, then finally looked away.

They descended the palace steps together in silence, both of them mulling over the events of the morning. It wasn’t until they were rounding the corner on the path to their cottage that Evangeline caught sight of the figure, a valkyrie that stood facing the door on the stoop of their home.

Evangeline gasped. “ Meryl!! ” she shouted, and the visitor whipped around to face them.

“Eve!” She abandoned her post, hurrying down the path, and Herobrine released his wife just in time for Meryl to snatch her into a hug.

Evangeline squeezed her tightly, then pulled back. “What are you doing here??” she asked, a wide grin on her face. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Mosenta?”

“She came with me.” Both women turned at the voice to find Lord Lancaster standing in the doorway of the cottage. “I’m sorry to enter uninvited,” he added ruefully. “I wanted to ensure that no one was home before we looked for you elsewhere.”

“Steven received a letter from Herobrine last night,” Meryl explained. “Letting us know what was happening to you.” Evangeline’s smile faded, and she gripped Meryl’s arm tightly.

“Of course,” she said. “I don’t know what all Herobrine told you, but I’ve been seeing Notch’s physician since I first fell ill. We just returned from there.” She nodded back up the road to the castle. “Come inside, I’ll explain everything.” Meryl nodded, and she linked their arms together, beginning to lead her down the path towards the cottage.

David raised his axe above his head and brought it down on the ghast’s tentacle, severing it and causing a grey dust to spill out over the mossy netherrack.

“That was the worst thing we’ve ever done,” Phillip said, mopping at his face with the hem of his robe.

“Worse than trekking through the Nether, injured and on foot?” David started to scoop up gunpowder in handfuls, smushing it together in his hands with clumps of crimson mushroom gills.

“We didn’t choose to do that,” Phillip argued. “We did choose to do this.” David just grunted and lopped off another tentacle.

Taking down a ghast had been no small feat, but even Phillip had to admit that it was worth it for the sheer volume of gunpowder that they’d obtained. David would be able to make a good number of charges with it, which they could then use to blow up the Order of Wither’s underground tunnels.

“It would be best,” Phillip mused, watching him work from where he sat on a chunk of Netherrack. “If we could properly map out the catacombs first. That way we could do maximum damage without having to worry about boxing ourselves in.”

“Yeah. Not sure that’s gonna be possible, though.” David mashed another ball of mushroom and gunpowder together, then tossed it into his pile, making Phillip wince. “Chill, Phil, they’re not kinetically reactive.”

“I just don’t particularly appreciate you throwing bombs around,” Phillip grumbled. David just shrugged and started working on the next.

“Anyway, scouting the place out would mean getting in, making our way through every tunnel, and getting out, without being seen. Maybe even multiple times.” He nodded over to Boo, who was sitting on the ground against the trunk of a giant mushroom. “If our resident enderman could teleport, it might be possible. But on our own, no. There’s too many variables.” Phillip pursed his lips.

“So we go with our alternative, which is going in blind.”

“Yup.” David nodded, his face as casual as if he were discussing the weather and not their impending mission into near-certain death.

“Great.” Phillip tipped his head back, looking up at the sky. Certain death it was, then.

He glanced to his right where Boo sat, quiet. His right hand was curled against the cavity in his chest, while he plucked at the reddish moss on the ground with the claws on his left. Did he know what they were planning, Phillip wondered? Did he have any idea? Or did he just trust them enough by now to blindly follow? Should he trust them that much?

Phillip had been a commander of the Aetherian armies for hundreds of years, and every instinct he had screamed that this plan was awful . To bring his only two men, one of whom was an injured enderman whom they could not communicate with, into an enclosed set of tunnels that they were unable to scout ahead of time beyond a shoddy reconnaissance mission. With the goal of rescuing three more (injured) captives, and blowing up the tunnels behind them. The entire plan reeked of a wing-soldier’s recklessness, not the accumulated battle prowess of centuries worth of experience. 

But what other choice did they have? Yes, technically, they could just blow up the entrance tunnel and allow everyone inside to be swallowed up by the lava. Their real target wasn’t to save endermen, after all- it was to wipe out what was left of Null’s cult. Notch, if they really wanted to, they could go back to the capital and return with reinforcements, a force that would be able to properly fight back against the residents of the catacombs.

But that would mean leaving Boo behind, injured and vulnerable without his teleportation. Phillip wasn’t certain if he could carry him on his own, much less him and Tekno both, and he wasn’t sure any of them would survive another walk through the Nether. And he absolutely could not, in good conscience, leave the Order’s captives down there to die. So this was their only option.

“Hey, Dave,” he spoke up again, trying to reassure himself. “Do you think this is gonna work?” I promised my wife I’d make it home , he didn’t say. David didn’t answer for a moment.

“Yeah,” he finally said. “I do.” Phillip nodded and looked back up at the sky.

Chapter Text

Meryl lifted her cup, draining the rest of her tea, and she glanced down at it as she lowered the cup into her lap. Noticing, Evangeline rose to her feet. “I’ll get you some more,” she said.

“No, no, don’t get up.” Meryl shot to her feet. “You’re sick, I’ll get it.” Evangeline fixed her with an aggravated look.

“Woman, let me host, or I swear I’ll hit you with my cane.”

Sufficiently cowed, Meryl relented, her hands raised as she sank back down into her seat. “You know best.” Pleased by her victory, Evangeline bent over the coffee table, picking up the teapot with her free hand and using it to top up Meryl’s cup.

The two of them were seated in opposite chairs in the cottage’s small living room, whilst the men talked around the corner in the kitchen. Despite her weakness, and the daunting prospect of having both wings cut off, Evangeline’s spirits were high. A surprise visit from a close friend was always welcome.

Evangeline dropped a sugar cube into Meryl’s cup, then settled back down onto the cushions. “But I’m delighted to hear that, of course,” she picked up where their conversation had left off. “And as for what he sees in you, how could he not love you?”

“Hush.” Meryl pressed both hands to her cheeks, shooting a wary glance towards the kitchen to ensure that the subject of their conversation wasn’t listening. “I’m sure that I just happen to be the first lady to catch his eye.”

“Well, you are.” Evangeline wrapped both hands around her own mug, reveling in the warmth. “But you sell yourself short. Do you think Herobrine feels that way about me?”

Meryl side-eyed her. “I don’t think that’s a fair comparison when Herobrine is a disgraced monarch.”

“Was a disgraced monarch. And don’t be rude.”

“I’m not being rude. Nothing about my statement was untrue.”

“You can be factual and still rude,” Evangeline argued. “And would you prefer I had married Lord Lancaster, instead?” Meryl took a sip of her tea, then returned her cup to her coaster.

“Touché.”

They fell quiet for a moment, listening to the men’s soft voices from where they spoke in the kitchen. Evangeline couldn’t make out what they were saying- other than her name, every now and then. She imagined she could guess what they were talking about.

“Well,” Evangeline spoke at last. “I hope the two of you intend to tie the knot soon. I’d like to be able to attend my best friend and my brother-in-law’s wedding.” She had intended for it to be a lighthearted jab at her condition, but it caused Meryl’s face to fall, her wily smirk fading into the same look of grief that Evangeline so frequently saw on Herobrine’s face.

Meryl cleared her throat. “How much time do you think you have left?” she asked quietly.

“I don’t know.” Evangeline’s gaze flickered down to her cup. “They’ve never… no one has ever survived being withered before, in the first place. I’m an anomaly. They’re trying to keep it at bay by feeding me golden apples, but the doctor says that it’s developing a resistance to them.”

“Hence, cutting off your wings,” Meryl murmured. Evangeline bobbed her chin in a nod.

“I’m almost relieved,” she admitted. “To have them off, I mean. They’ve been nothing but dead weight for almost a year, and I imagine I’ll feel better once I’ve recovered from the procedure.” Of course, she would grieve. To cut off her wings would be a violent and final goodbye to any dreams she could’ve had about ever flying again. But Meryl had enough on her mind.

“Mm.” Meryl nodded, oblivious to Evangeline’s thoughts. “Getting rid of the wither as well would only be a bonus. And if it doesn’t?”

Evangeline shrugged wearily. “I don’t know. This was… the last avenue of treatment that the doctor has mentioned. Maybe he’ll come up with something else, or, maybe I’ll just…” she trailed off. She didn’t want to say it aloud, that made it sound so final.

“Right.” Meryl didn’t voice it either. “How is…” She nodded towards the kitchen doorway. “...Herobrine feeling about this?”

“This?” Evangeline echoed. “My condition, or just the surgery?”

“All of it, I suppose.”

“He’s… well, we haven’t spoken at length about my wings.” She doubted they would, beyond their brief conversation outside Notch’s castle. “He’s being very strong for me,” she went on. “I know he’s upset- I’m upset, I don’t blame him- but he is handling it very well. I just wish he wouldn’t treat me like a…” she flicked her teacup, causing it to ping softly. “A piece of glass.”

Meryl smiled ruefully at her. “He loves you, Eve.”

“I know. I love him too.” Evangeline smiled into her teacup. Despite her chill, being in her home and surrounded by loved ones… she felt warm.

“I wish I’d made it there faster,” Meryl said quietly.

“Gotten where?” Evangeline asked. “To the fortress? Meryl, no. There’s no point in ruminating on what-ifs.” Meryl heaved a heavy sigh.

“I’m sorry. It’s so hard not to feel responsible.”

“You’re not,” Evangeline told her firmly. “The only one responsible for this is Null, and he’s dead. It’s easy to wonder what might have happened had things been different, but they aren’t. This is the reality we’re living in.

“Besides, I’m… happy.” Evangeline lifted her gaze to Meryl’s warm, brown eyes again. “I am grieved, yes, and I wish that none of us had to endure this. But I’m happy. Null is dead, you’re safe, I’m married to the love of my life. If I am to die, would there be any better way for me to go?”

Meryl exhaled, then leaned forward, resting a hand on Evangeline’s knee. “I don’t know how you can be so calm about this,” she said.

“I’m not the one who’ll have to grieve me,” was Evangeline’s response. Meryl hummed.

“I suppose not.”

Evangeline laid her hand over her friend’s. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said softly. “I wouldn’t want to go without you.” Meryl turned her hand over and gave Evangeline’s a squeeze.

“Let’s pray it doesn’t come to that,” she said. Evangeline nodded and lifted her teacup back to her lips.

Herobrine’s face rested in his hands, his ragged hair falling over his eyes where he sat hunched in a kitchen chair. Steven remained silent where he stood beside him, one hand resting on his brother’s shoulder as his thumb trailed up and down over his sleeve.

Herobrine drew in a shallow breath, then let it out. “She’s dying,” he said quietly. Steven gave him a silent nod.

He could hear Meryl and Evangeline in the other room, chatting away over a pot of tea. Neither of them seemed near as anguished as the man who sat before him with his face hidden in his palms, a deep sadness etched into what little Steven could make out of his features. Steven knew his brother, knew that he loved just as deeply as he hated. His grief was sure to be just as intense.

Steven drew his thumb up atop Herobrine’s shoulder. “She’s not dead yet, Herobrine,” he said softly.

“No.” Herobrine shook his head, not lifting his chin. “Not yet. But you haven’t seen the look on Notch’s face when he talks about her. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t understand this… disease.” He lowered one hand to swipe his thumb over his eye. “He keeps telling me he’ll fix her, but I know he doesn’t know how.”

“Notch is no liar,” Steven told him. “If he says he can heal her, then he will.”

“He can still be wrong. If he knew how to cure her, he would have done it already.” There was a bite to Herobrine’s tone, warning, and Steven backed off in favor of changing the subject.

“She looks strong,” he said instead. Herobrine braced one hand on his knee, lifting his head a bit.“She is,” he said. “For now, anyway. She doesn’t like being coddled. But she’s in pain, she barely sleeps. Wither aside, to live like this must be taxing.”

“I see.” Steven glanced back to the kitchen doorway, listening as soft peals of laughter floated in from the other room. “She seems… happy.” Herobrine’s gaze followed his, and he gave a small shake of his head.

“She puts on a brave face,” was all he said, and then he fell silent again. Steven nodded absently, continuing to knead at his shoulder.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, listening to Evangeline and Meryl’s voices that drifted in through the open doorway. Steven’s mind wandered as he stood there, trying to comfort his brother. He ought to speak to Notch himself. Herobrine’s perception of the situation was likely tainted by fear, there may be more hope than he was willing to believe.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her,” Herobrine said quietly. Steven glanced down, looking at his downturned face. “I thought it was over when we got her here,” Herobrine went on, his voice dull and stolid. “I thought I… that she’d be safe here. Away from the hazards and the violence of the lower realms.” He shook his head, despondent. “That Null would be able to finish her off from beyond the grave, it’s…”

“Don’t resign yourself to your grief just yet, Brine,” Steven cut him off gently.

“I’m not, but I can’t help but consider it.” Herobrine lowered his voice, as though afraid that his wife would overhear. “She’s… the only thing that keeps me sane. If she were to die, I don’t know if I…”

Steven’s grip tightened on his shoulder, and he leaned down to murmur into his ear, “If that were to happen, I would not let you grieve alone. I would take you back to Mosenta with me and Meryl.” Herobrine pulled away.

“I should not be around your people, Steven, especially not in a state like that.”

“You should not be alone either,” Steven told him firmly. Herobrine didn’t answer for a long moment.

“Alright,” he finally said. Steven bent down and pressed his lips to the top of his little brother’s head.

“It’s not healthy for you to sit and dwell on nothing but your grief,” he told him quietly. Herobrine’s lips twitched into a mirthless smile.

“I will be dwelling on it no matter what I do.”

“Nevertheless.” Steven extended a hand, and Herobrine looked at it. “Come with me,” Steven prompted. “Let’s go and walk before it gets too hot.” After a moment’s hesitation, Herobrine took his hand, letting himself be drawn to his feet. Steven released his hand to give him a pat on the shoulder, then turned and led the both of them outside onto the back porch.

Chapter Text

“My men tracked the shadow for several miles,” Aries told him, his chin raised and his raven-black hair spilling over his shoulders. “Eventually it reached a Nether portal and escaped within. Our men pursued, but to no avail, the shadow swiftly lost them amongst the terrain.” Aries fell quiet, waiting for his king’s response. Notch only continued to stare out the window.

“I see,” he said at length. Aries straightened his shoulders.

“If there is blame to be cast, your majesty, it should be on me. My men followed their instructions to-”

“No, Aries,” Notch interrupted him. “None of you are at fault. I am to blame.” He resumed his gazing out the window, and Aries shifted his weight.

“I… yes, your majesty.” He cleared his throat. “What would you have us do? I can send out several legions to comb the Nether, though it is a lot of ground to cover.”

“No, that will take too much time.” Notch rose to his feet, descending the shallow steps from his throne. He had yet to get over the odd, hollow feeling in his chest. “I will hunt him down myself.”

“Your majesty, is that wise??” Aries protested as Notch crossed the throne room towards the exit. “We don’t-- know what this thing is capable of.”

“I know.” Notch’s voice came out a bit more forcefully than he intended, and he cleared his throat. “I know,” he repeated himself. “I know what he can do. And I know that he cannot overpower me.” He paused under the arch for Aries’ reply, but the man only frowned at him.

“You’ve…” he began, hesitated. “Something has changed about you, your majesty.”

A small, rueful smile graced Notch’s lips. “For the better, I hope.”

“I believe so.” Aries studied him for several more moments, then lowered himself into a bow.

“Good hunting, your majesty,” he said. Notch inclined his head to him, then turned and walked away down the hall.

“This is you.” David poked at the sandy dirt with his pointer finger, pointing out the crude stick figure that he had scribbled on the ground. “And this is us.” He tapped a second set of stick figures, one with a pair of wings scrawled onto its back. “You,” he pointed at Boo. “Us.”

“Get to the point, David,” Phillip interjected.

“Um, I’ll get there when I get there.” David tapped on the figures again. “You are gonna go with us-” he punctuated this explanation by gesturing around to his companions again, “down there.” He pointed to the hatch in the ground, almost invisible where it sat hidden about five feet away. Boo, kneeling over his diagram, let out an incomprehensible warble.

Their bombs had been made, their plan hatched. They had prepared as much as they were physically able. It was time for them to return to the catacombs-- this time with Boo in tow. If all went well, they would rescue the Order’s captives and trap those that remained, along with Null’s corpse, under a sea of lava. If all didn’t go well… they would meet each hurdle as it came, Phillip supposed.

“Your friends are down there.” David dug his fingernail into the dirt, drawing out three more lanky stick figures, then drew an arrow towards the hatch. “And you need to tell them that we’re not there to hurt them. Capiche?” Boo chirped. “Okay.” David dusted off his hands and hauled himself to his feet. “Let’s get going.” Phillip, knelt across from him, got to his feet as well. He wasn’t sure how much of David’s speech Boo had actually understood, but a series of crudely drawn illustrations were probably the best form of communication that they were going to get.

He seemed to have gotten the gist of it, at least, as Boo followed the two of them over and watched as David pulled open the heavy, camouflaged hatch. They paused for a moment to listen, and, upon hearing nothing, Phillip dropped down to the second rung and began to descend. Boo came next without prompting, his long limbs somewhat cramped in the narrow shaft, and David took up the rear with his knapsack full of makeshift bombs, lifting the hatch and shutting it again behind them.

The dim tunnel was empty when they reached the bottom. The only sounds they could hear were their own movements, echoing loudly in the large, barren space, and the low rumble of lava that churned above them. Boo straightened up as he reached the bottom of the ladder, the ceiling just barely high enough for him to stand upright, and a low, chittering noise escaped his lips.

“I know,” Phillip muttered. “You don’t like this place, huh?” David hopped down the last two rungs.

“He’ll like it even less when we get to the prison,” he commented. Phillip hummed noncommittally and started to walk.

It was all too clear that Boo had been here before, from the way that he walked in a crouch with his shoulders hunched and his long, pointed ears swiveling at every echo or unexpected sound. Phillip couldn’t blame him-- if he had articulated ears, he was pretty sure they’d be swiveling too. Yes, this time around they had slightly more of an idea of what to expect. But so did the Order. They knew that they were out there, that they’d killed their men. Surely they wouldn’t be as lenient with their security as they had been several days prior.

Sure enough, when they came to the bend in the corridor that led up to the first cavern, a peek around the corner revealed two piglins that stood guard at the entrance.

Phillip leaned back around the wall with a frown. “Guards,” he whispered. “We won’t be able to take them by surprise, there’s too much room between us and them with no cover.

“How many?” David whispered back. Boo went to peer around the wall, but Phillip stopped him with a raised hand.

“Two. But it’ll be far more than that if they get a chance to raise the alarm.”

“We’ll have to be quick then.” David handled his golden axe out of its sheath. “Boo--” he pointed to the enderman, then to the ground. “Stay.” Boo rumbled softly.

Phillip backed up several steps and flared his wings. “If this doesn’t work, we’re going to end up fighting the whole Order of Wither,” he warned.

“Yeah, I know. If it comes to that, bombs away.” David lowered himself down into a start position. “C’mon.” Phillip took off.

While the guards clearly saw him as soon as he’d appeared around the corner, they hardly had time to register his appearance before Phillip had drawn up short and slammed both heels into the first piglin’s head. He dropped like a stone as the other shrieked in fury, raising a golden axe high. Phillip narrowly managed to get his own sword up in time to block it.

David’s hoofbeats were thundering down the corridor as Phillip and the piglin exchanged blows, and the unfortunate guard didn’t switch targets fast enough to avoid David’s axe before it took his head off. Phillip lowered his sword as the piglin’s body crumpled beside the first-- which was swiftly relieved of its head as well.

The two of them fell silent for several moments to listen, and only once they had confirmed no reinforcements were coming did David bend down to reach for the fallen guard’s axe.

“Hmm.” He lifted both axes in either hand, weighing them before setting down his own. “Mhm.”

“That’s our first obstacle,” Phillip muttered as Boo trotted down the corridor to join him. “Likely not our last.” He turned to enter the cavern, leaving his sword hanging at his side.

The tunnels were largely quiet, as they had been before, though the deeper they went the more Phillip could hear faraway echoes of voices. It seemed as though sound did not carry quite so easily to and from the first guardpost, which Phillip was thankful for. David soon took the lead, as he had a better sense of direction. Phillip trusted him to guide them back to where the endermen were being kept.

As they neared the narrowed tunnel that led to the prison, a horrible, grating shriek echoed down through the catacombs.

The trio froze in their tracks, Boo’s ears flattening back against his head as he let out a warning noise. The sound was unmistakable as an enderman, and Phillip could feel a cold weight settle in the pit of his stomach. 

Abandoning stealth, he took off down the hall with David in close pursuit, sparing only the barest glance to the right at the fork before turning down to the left. He could see half a dozen piglins as soon as he’d turned, and he was sure they would see him if they looked, but they were all wholly focused on the task before them and the enderman’s cries drowned out any other sound. It wasn’t until he was about twenty feet down the hall that Phillip could see exactly what they were doing.

An enderman lay prone on the rugged netherrack, held down by a loop of rope around its neck that was attached to the end of a long pole in a piglin’s hands. Two more piglins held down the poor creature’s wrists, and between them and the rope it could not break free no matter how hard it struggled and thrashed. A fourth piglin held a pair of forceps. As Phillip watched, the enderman’s shrieks grew higher in pitch as the instrument was forced between broken ribs, and there was a loud crack as a shimmering orb was ripped from its chest.

Phillip clamped his hands over his ears as the resulting scream echoed off the corridor walls. Gritting his teeth against the deafening noise, he broke into a run and raised his sword high.

The first piglin never knew what hit him, Phillip’s sword severing his head from his neck before he knew he was under attack. The second was luckier, getting up his blade in time to block Phillip’s first swing and forcing him to dance back in alarm as another piglin lunged at him. David arrived a moment later and brought his axe down with a roar upon Phillip’s foe, leaving a deep gash upon his chest that sent him crumpling to the ground, and Phillip swung again for a neck only for the piglin to lock their blades together. The piglin shoved him hard, and Phillip grunted as he was slammed back against the bars of one of the cells.

The piglin reached for his neck, and Phillip tensed, but the meaty hand was seized before it could reach him by a clawed, black hand.

Boo shrieked in fury as he tore the piglin away from Phillip, seizing his wrist in both hands and hurling him against the far wall. Phillip staggered upright and raised his sword again, only able to spare Boo a quick glance before lunging back into the fray. He would have to trust him to be able to handle himself.

One by one, the piglins fell, until the floor of the makeshift prison was covered in blood and corpses. Phillip wiped off the blade of his sword on his pants before he sheathed it, and he looked to the enderman on the ground, who was struggling to free himself from the rope looped around its neck.

“Here.” He reached out a hand, and the enderman immediately stilled. Boo interjected with a series of chitters that caused the enderman to visibly calm.

“Let’s make this fast,” David hissed as Phillip reached for the rope, and the enderman allowed him to loosen it enough to pull over its head.

“Right.” Phillip straightened up, looking to the cells in which the other two endermen watched with wide, violet eyes. “We’ll need to find a key for--” David brought down his axe on a lock, smashing it and tearing the door off its tracks. “Never mind.” Boo called out to his friends as David went for the other lock, and he grasped the fallen enderman by his arms and lifted him to his feet. Now that the noise had diminished, Phillip could hear loud voices and heavy footsteps coming closer.

“Come on,” David prompted once the last of the captives were freed. “Mission accomplished, let’s get out of here.” Beckoning them along, he turned and ran back down the corridor.

By the time they reached the fork in the tunnel again, it was already too late. A group of piglins, at least ten in number and fully armed, were charging down from the way they had come.

“Dave,” Phillip started, only to be cut off.

“Take the enders and go! I’m right behind you.” David slung his knapsack over his shoulder and snatched out a makeshift bomb, throwing it down towards the piglins. Phillip obeyed, breaking into a run down the other way as he heard the click of a flint and steel.

He could hear hoofbeats as David ran after him, then the shouts of the piglins were drowned out by a deafening boom.

Phillip nearly stumbled as the ground shook beneath them, a number of startled cries coming from the endermen. When he chanced a look over his shoulder he could see molten lava as it flowed lazily around the corner, consuming chunks of brittle netherrack as it went.

“I hope you know the way out,” he hissed as David fell into step beside him.

“Sure do,” was his breathless reply. “They do call me the human compass.” Phillip was too focused on their predicament to argue.

They continued along through the catacombs in such a manner for some time, David at their head, who intermittently set off a bomb either behind them or to seal off an avenue of attack. Once, they were not in time to stop their assailants before they reached them, and were forced to fight them off while lava crept up ever closer behind them. It was getting unbearably hot, the rescued endermen were weak and slow, and Phillip couldn’t shake the fear that they had already closed off their only way out.

Eventually their path took them back to the chamber where Null’s body lay.

The endermen balked at the entrance, and at first Phillip assumed it must be the crate of ender pearls that still laid open from their last visit. When he looked back at them, however, he found four pairs of violet eyes trained on the hollow where Null’s corpse rested.

“Suppose he was still around when they were taken prisoner?” David muttered, having also followed their gaze.

“Maybe.” Phillip crossed the room to the other exit. “Blow it up. Let’s get rid of this thing forever.” David grunted, waving the endermen along, and he dug in his knapsack for another of his makeshift explosives.

“Last one,” he said. “Stand clear.” Phillip prompted the endermen to back up down the tunnel, watching as David tossed the bomb into the room. He crouched down, flicking his flint and steel until a spark caught the gunpowder scattered over the ground where the bomb had rolled, and he jogged over to join the others as Phillip put his hands over his ears.

Boom. The ceiling caved in, chunks of jagged netherrack crumbling over the ground as lava began to pour in through the freshly opened ceiling. Phillip watched with morbid curiosity as it flowed over the crates of peals, causing several to shatter and pop under the extreme heat. As they popped, an odd, shimmering haze seemed to collect in the air above them.

“Come on,” David urged him, but Phillip put up a hand.

“Wait.” He pointed to where the lava flowed into the hollow, around Null’s grey corpse. David stilled at his side, and they both watched as the lava and the haze collected around the body on the ground.

A dark smoke began to rise from the basin, and at first Phillip thought that the body must be burning. The smoke grew darker and thicker, nearly obscuring the body beneath it. And then it moved.

Phillip froze. Surely not. And then a black hand had grasped the edge of the hollow, bracing itself as the body struggled to sit upright.

“Go. Go!” David was shouting, and this time Phillip wasted no time in obeying.

It was lucky that they left when they did, Phillip acknowledged faintly as they ran. The lava from previous charges had already spread to many of the tunnels, if they had lingered much longer they would have had a much more difficult time getting out. As it stood, they were able to get to the exit tunnel without issue. There were no more battle cries, no more hoofbeats other than David’s own. Only the low churning of lava as it consumed the catacombs behind them.

They only slowed once the caverns were behind them, and only then because several of the endermen desperately needed rest. Phillip and David pushed them as fast as they were able to go, and when they reached the ladder urged them to ascend first with Boo at their head to open the hatch. Phillip stayed at the bottom and watched as they climbed, as flowing lava crept around the bend in the tunnel.

“Phil,” David prompted, and he glanced over. “They made it. Go on.”

“No, you go. I can fly if need be.” He turned his gaze back to the lava, and his heart dropped into his stomach.

A jet-black figure ambled around the corner, wading through the lava without any signs of discomfort. It cocked its head when it saw Phillip looking, stopping momentarily as it stood to stare back. He felt as though it stared right through him.

“Notch,” David whispered.

“Go, Dave,” Phillip snapped, and his friend finally turned and scrambled up the ladder. Phillip tore his gaze away from Null as he turned to follow, climbing up the ladder as fast as his hands and feet would take him.

“We need to leave,” he commanded as soon as he’d reached the top. “Away from-- that.” David nodded, grabbing Boo’s hand, and Phillip slammed the hatch shut before he spun to lead the way.

“Did we just revive Null?” David hissed as they fled.

“It seems that way.” Phillip couldn’t shake the terrible feeling that had settled in his chest from the first time he saw the body move. “Eve and Herobrine killed him once,” he said, in a tone far more confident than he felt. “Surely we can do the same. First, we have to get the endermen to safety.”

“Right.” David’s voice was strained, and they fell into an uneasy silence as they left the catacombs behind.

Chapter Text

Evangeline pulled her cloak tighter around herself as a cool breeze blew through her, her feathers shivering as she tucked her wings against her body.

“Cold?” Meryl’s voice was sympathetic. “I know how that feels.” Evangeline huffed a sigh. 

“And yet, I can't help but notice that you're not wearing a coat.”

“Hmm.”

She had no reason to. It was a warm, sunny day, and the sun had just peaked in the sky above them. The springtime flowers on the skyroot trees had all but withered away to make way for green and golden foliage. From where they stood, leaning on the railing of a great, stone bridge that spanned the gap between two islands, Evangeline could see some of the younger valkyries diving in and out or a waterfall that cascaded down to the overworld below. And yet, she was barely warm enough wrapped in a wool cloak.

There were two more days before her surgery. She was trying not to think about it, since doing so only caused an unpleasant feeling to settle in the pit of her stomach. 

“You’re worrying me,” Meryl muttered, and Evangeline blinked and looked up. “What are you staring at, anyway?”

“Nothing.” Evangeline broke into a little grin. “Just lost in thought.”

“That’s worrying too.” Meryl leaned over to nudge her, and Evangeline nudged her back.

“So I’m not allowed to think?”

“No.” Meryl wrapped her arm around her friend’s waist and tugged her against her side. “Not right now. We’re having girl time.” Evangeline snorted a laugh.

“Well, fine then.” She rested her cheek on Meryl’s shoulder. “Tell me about Lord Lancaster, then. Are you going to move down to Mosenta permanently once the two of you tie the knot?”

Meryl scoffed, flustered. “No. I don’t plan to, anyway. Commander Zenith didn’t move to the Nether when he married the Queen, did he?”

“He’s a commander, though,” Evangeline pointed out. “You’re just a wing-soldier.”

“Just?”

“Yes, which means you can quit!”

“I don’t want to quit.” Meryl sighed, tucking Evangeline’s head into the crook of her neck. “Besides, even if I should be stationed elsewhere, I can easily visit him from just about anywhere.”

“Sure,” Evangeline acknowledged. “But, my husband didn’t want me fighting any more once we were wed.”

“You lost your wing.”

“Yes, but I have a feeling he would have done everything in his power to keep me home regardless.” Evangeline closed her eyes. “He didn’t want anything to happen to me.” Meryl hummed softly. 

“And we all saw how that turned out.”

They stood there for a few minutes in silence, Evangeline’s eyes shut and her head pillowed on Meryl’s shoulder. The arm wrapped around her middle was warm, as was the sun that beat down on her golden hair. This was nice.

Eventually her neck started to stiffen, and she reluctantly lifted her head. “We should probably head back,” she said. Meryl nodded, uncurling her arm from her friend’s waist and stepping back.

“Yeah,” she said. Evangeline released the railing to follow, then looked down as something soft brushed against her leg.

“Oh,” she said, and Meryl followed her gaze to the small pile of grey and white feathers that laid around her feet.

Phillip sank down against the side of the small, netherrack basin with a quiet groan, reaching down to try and rub the life back into his aching calves.

“If we make it back alive,” he said. “Trix is never going to let me hear the end of this.”

“Hey, if we kill Null again, she’ll never have to know.” David hauled himself over the edge after him, pausing to watch as the endermen clambered over the edge to join them. Phillip grumbled to himself.

“I’m going to tell my wife that I accidentally reanimated an ancient evil.”

“Fine, suit yourself.”

Phillip wished they’d had the opportunity to go further. Even after reading the reports, after hearing the account of their battle from Evangeline’s own lips, Phillip felt woefully unprepared to take on Null. He knew that he was fast, and agile, and could easily hold his own in a fight, to say nothing of the wither skeletons that he commanded. Phillip had been told that they had all crumbled when Null died, but… he would doubtless make more as soon as he had the corpses on hand to do so.

But the endermen could not run any further, and Phillip, unused to being on foot for so long, was starting to feel it as well. They had no choice but to stop and rest.

David sank down to sit at the base of the half-formed walls, setting down his axe beside him on the jagged netherrack. “So, what do we do about them?” He gestured towards the endermen. They were currently engaged in some kind of conversation, or, at least that was what Phillip gathered from the way they were warbling and chirping at each other.

“I’m not sure,” Phillip confessed. “None of them are really in any shape to be out here on their own. That one can barely stand.” Boo had practically dragged one of the prisoners since they had made it out of the tunnels.

“Well, I hate to say it, but our priority's going to have to be Null if it comes down to it,” David said.

“I know.” Phillip frowned at the cluster of endermen. “I’d hate to leave them after the trouble we went to, but… yeah.” David grunted and fell silent.

They spent a few minutes resting and recovering from their flight, the two of them splitting a package of pork jerky between them. As they ate, Phillip mulled over their predicament, over their options and each potential consequence. 

Only once Phillip had finished his meal did he speak back up. “How did we revive him? Was it the lava?”

“I don’t know. The ender pearls, maybe,” David tried. “Looked like they gave something off when they broke.”

“Maybe.” Phillip shook his head, troubled. “If that was the case, that’s likely why they imprisoned the endermen in the first place.”

 David grunted.  “Either way, he’s back now. And we really need to find him before he runs off into the wilderness and starts from scratch.” Phillip glanced over.

“I was under the impression that we would be the ones running.”

“What for? I mean, he’s got no backup,” David pointed out. “His skeletons crumbled, and whatever was left of the Order’s been turned into bacon bits. If we ever have a chance to take him down, it’s gonna be now.”

“We don’t know that,” Phillip protested. “We thought the Order had been wiped out already, prior to a few days ago. Who’s to say there isn’t another pocket out there somewhere? Or that some didn’t make it out, for that matter?”

“Still! We should take advantage of this before he gets a chance to bulk up his army.”

“Maybe.” Phillip drummed his fingers on the ground beside him. “In that case, we should hope he does hunt us down, because finding him out here isn’t going to be easy.”

“Got that right. And if he’s got any sense-- which he reportedly does-- he’ll come to the same conclusion I did.”

“Mm.” Phillip looked to the endermen, who by then had gone quiet. Though they all looked very similar in feature and form, he was still able to pick out Boo without much effort-- not only by his face, but by the way he sat taller than the rest and gazed off into the distance.

“Okay,” David said, and he lifted a hand to point at each of them in turn. “Eeny, Meeny, and Miney.”

“What?” Phillip looked from him back to the endermen. “Are you naming them?”

“Yeah.”

“Dave, what’s the point in naming them if we can’t tell them apart??”

“I can tell them apart,” David countered. “Not all endermen look the same, Phil.”

“I didn’t say that!” Phillip paused. “A better question is what we should do with them now. Do we leave them?”

“Kind of have to.” David gave a small shrug. “At least Boo can hold his own. You saw him against those piglins.”

“Right…” Phillip got up, bracing a hand against the wall and stretching his wings as much as he was able. “And taking them back to the capital to get reinforcements is out of the question.”

“If we want any chance of finding Null, yeah.”

“Suppose we should get going then.”

David hefted his axe as he stood. “Let’s.”

Evangeline tugged her wings through the slits in her woolen cloak, and several more feathers cascaded down to the ground.

“Any chance you’re just molting?” Steven muttered as she folded the cloak over her arms.

“No,” Herobrine said from where he held his wife’s wrist. “She molts in early winter. She did barely six months ago.”

“So either my internal clock is six months fast, or…” Evangeline shook her wings and lost more feathers. “...well, something’s wrong.” Herobrine said nothing, watching the feathers as they drifted across the floor.

Every feature of his wife’s appearance was more proof than the last that something was deeply wrong. Her skin was pale, hair stringy and thinning, and her arm was gaunt beneath his fingers. Now, her wings, which had already begun to fade into a sickly grey, were beginning to lose feathers. She was falling apart in front of him.

“Notch should be told,” Steven said quietly. “Maybe the surgery can be moved up?”

“We were waiting on preparations to be made, last I heard.” Evangeline’s voice had a slight tremble to it. “But, maybe it’s worth asking.”

“I agree.” Herobrine felt as though his chest would burst from dread.

“In the meantime, here.” Meryl snatched a golden apple from a bowlful on the kitchen counter, all but forcing it into Evangeline’s free hand. “Eat this.” Obligingly, Evangeline took a bite.

The room was quiet as Evangeline ate the apple, Herobrine’s gaze trained on her forearm as he ran his thumb back and forth under her wrist. He had been run through in his own throne room, cast out from his kingdom, and spent a winter starving and frozen. None of those scenarios came even close to how powerless he felt right now.

Evangeline swallowed the last bite and set the core back on the counter. “I don’t really feel anything,” she admitted.

“From the apple?” Meryl clarified.

“No. Well, yes, but-- from my wings.” Evangeline flapped her wings gently, allowing a few more feathers to come loose. “It just feels like molting. And it isn’t as if I’ll be needing these feathers for much longer, anyway.”

“Still.” Herobrine released her wrist, putting his arm around her waist instead. “Notch should be informed.”

“I can go,” Meryl offered. “There’s no reason for Eve to exert herself.”

“Meryl, please.” Evangeline scoffed weakly, but her tone betrayed that she was glad to stay inside.

“I’ll come with,” Steven interjected. “We’ll be back shortly.” His hand found Meryl’s and gave it a squeeze.

“Alright.” Evangeline leaned into her husband’s side. “Thank you.” Steven nodded and turned for the door, stepping out onto the back porch with Meryl at his side.

Herobrine watched as they shut the door behind them, then his gaze shifted to the window as they withdrew down the path. At his side, Evangeline’s breath hitched, and Herobrine shut his eyes as he drew her against his chest.

Chapter Text

Notch grunted as he slammed into the stone wall, pain shooting through his shoulder where he had made contact. By the time he had opened his eyes the shadow was nearly upon him, and Notch threw up a forearm to block a fist aimed at his throat. He rammed a knee into the shadow’s midsection, sending it stumbling back, and he used the moment afforded him to surge back to his feet.

The shadow lunged, and Notch seized the jet-black fists in his own. Never before had a being come even close to matching his strength-- but against this foe, he struggled.

“What are you?!” he gritted out.

“You know what I am.” The shadow leered at him, hands trembling where it tried to push him back. “Come now, don’t look so surprised. You had to know that this could happen.”

“I didn’t quite anticipate it happening like this.” With a mighty shove, Notch sent the shadow staggering back, and his maul materialized in his hand.

“You’re not the only one with party tricks.” A maul identical in size and shape appeared in the shadow’s grasp, just pitch-black like the rest of it. Without ceremony, the shadow swung, and Notch ducked aside to return the blow.

The shadow swung again, and again with deadly precision that Notch could barely keep up with. It seemed to know every move he made before he made it, knowledge that Notch was not privy to. He wished he could summon backup, but he could not do so without removing his concentration from the fight-- and his men were too far away to hear the commotion.

Blow for blow they fought, until the shadow slipped, raising its maul to block a strike-- which shattered the head into a thousand pieces.

The shadow froze, staring at the broken fragments of its weapon. The next moment, Notch had clubbed it in the side of the head, sending it crashing against a wardrobe with a crack.

The shadow was still where it lay at the foot of the wardrobe, skull visibly deformed as Notch came to stand over it. Just as he thought his foe was vanquished, it moved-- bones knitting back together as it dragged itself off the ground.

“You asked what I am.” It turned its face towards Notch’s, ignoring the head of the maul pointed towards its chest. “I am Null. And, by freeing me-- you have doomed yourself, as well as this world, to misery and pain.” Notch curled back his lip in a sneer at the threat.

The shadow lunged, and Notch took a heavy step back to brace himself, but instead of attacking it bolted for the window. Notch spun on his heel as glass shattered, and he turned just in time to see the shadow leap from the roof.

Notch rushed to the window, gripping the sill tightly as he scanned the courtyards below. As he looked, his frantic gaze caught a glimpse of the shadow-- Null-- darting across a bridge.

“Guards!” he roared. “Aries! To me, at once!”

Evangeline rested her chin on her folded arms, adjusting herself until the sheet draped over her legs lay flat. She hadn’t been able to stop shivering since she lay down-- the doctor had told her that getting another source of heat in the room was out of the question. The only thing that helped a little was Herobrine’s hand, which laid on the bare skin in between her wings.

“I’ve seen a valkyrie without wings before,” she murmured absently. “He lost them in battle. It was… odd.”

“Are you nervous?” The pad of Herobrine’s thumb traced up and down over the ridges of her spine.

Evangeline exhaled. “I don’t know if it’s possible not to be nervous before the amputation of a limb. Or two.” Herobrine hummed quietly.

Doctor Ashton had managed to pull together the materials for the surgery a day early, which was how Evangeline had found herself here, laying on her stomach on a hard cot and dressed in a shapeless, white gown that was open along her spine. Herobrine sat on a stool beside her with his hand on her back, his expression blank as he gazed off into space. Evangeline wasn’t sure if the gesture was meant to comfort her or him more.

An especially violent shudder ran through her body, and she squeezed her hands into fists.

“Where is he?” Herobrine muttered irritably. “He told you he would only be a few minutes.”

“I’d rather him take his time than rush it,” Evangeline murmured. “Besides, I’m not really going to freeze.”

“Still, I hate to see you shaking.”

“Mmh.” Evangeline shut her eyes.

“Eva.” His hand lifted from her back, carding instead through her hair. “I love you.”

Her lips twitched into a smile. “I love you too.”

“And I will love you…” His hand trailed down to the nape of her neck. “...no matter how odd you look without wings.” Evangeline snickered.

“Alright.”

The door clicked, and Evangeline opened her eyes again as Doctor Ashton stepped into the room.

“Right,” he started as he crossed the floor. He was dressed in simple blues, and his long hair was wound up into a bun. “We’re ready to get started.” He set down a case on the surface beside the cot, one that Evangeline avoided looking at.

Herobrine stood, reluctantly withdrawing his hand. “I’ll see you after,” he muttered. Evangeline nodded, her throat too tight to say anything as he turned and quietly exited the room.

“I’m going to knock you out now,” the doctor told her, and Evangeline tried to press the memory of having wings into her mind forever. “You’ll likely feel a little sore when you wake, but it won’t be bad. I’ll be using healing potions to mend the wounds as soon as I’m finished. Alright?” Evangeline nodded. “Drink.” A white cup appeared in front of her face. Reaching out, Evangeline lifted her head enough to drain the contents, and the world began to fade.

David pulled back the camouflaged hatch and immediately took a step back, fanning away the heat from his face. “Well,” he said. “That… worked, I guess.” Face pinched, Phillip nodded. Barely ten feet below the hatch was lava.

The two of them had, with some reluctance, left Boo and the other endermen in the hollow they had been using as a temporary base and ventured out in search of Null. As always, their hunt began at the last place they saw him-- the now-lava-flooded catacombs where the endermen had once been held prisoner.

“Well, he’s not down there,” Phillip observed. “He didn’t seem all that bothered by the lava, but surely even he won’t be swimming in it.”

“Yeah, probably not.” David stepped back, leaving the hatch open. “Where to now?”

“Well, back to the fortress, maybe…” Phillip trailed off as he scanned the clearing. “Or follow the footprints.” David followed his gaze to the patches of withered nylium that led away from the hatch.

“Yeah, that works too.”

To Phillip’s relief, the trail of footprints led away from where they had left the endermen, he noticed as he and David took to the air in pursuit. It didn’t lead to the fortress, either, curving around the lava lake to the north. Unfortunately, where the vegetation ended so did their trail of clues-- but from there they were able to spy the smoke.

Phillip touched down on a ledge about a hundred yards from the campsite, lowering himself down into a crouch at the edge. “They got established fast,” he muttered. David grunted in acknowledgement.

A large fire sat roaring in the center of the netherrack plateau, ringed by crude tents of varying sizes. A fairly standard camp-- the two of them had passed several like it on the way out. To see any life at all this deep in the Nether was uncommon, though. Within the camp Phillip could make out just a few piglins moving about, dressed in black. More of the Order of Wither.

“There’s no way they put this up in the last 24 hours,” David muttered. “No way. Right?”

“I wouldn’t think so. Also--” Phillip pointed. “Unless more than half the camp is sleeping, there aren’t nearly enough residents for all those tents.”

“Maybe they took over someone else’s camp?”

“Who else would be out here?”

“True.” David rubbed at his beard. “Well, I don’t know then. Maybe this is a different, unrelated cult.”

“Could be,” Phillip deadpanned. “Whoever they are, they’re most likely our best shot at finding Null.”

“Yeah-- especially because the trail we found leads straight towards them.” David stood, stretched, then shouldered his axe. “What do you say, Phil? Hows about we stop in and ask a few questions?”

“Sure, but-- let’s keep it subtle.” Phillip flared out his wings. “Wouldn’t want to raise a fuss.”

“Of course not.” David took a step back, then launched himself off of the ledge, hanging in space for a split second before Phillip swept down and snatched him out of the air.

Herobrine stared down at the tiled floor beneath him, mindlessly counting the shapes he found in the patterns there. His knee bounced ceaselessly, causing the couch to squeak and the heel of his boot to tap against the floor. The sound was grating even to his ears, but it was better than the stillness. He didn’t think he’d be able to stop anyway.

The parlor he was seated in was small, cozy, with a pair of tall, paneled windows that admitted the waning daylight and cast glowing patterns over the walls and furniture. He wasn’t alone-- Evangeline’s friend, Meryl, was seated in an armchair to his left. To her credit, she hadn’t commented on his fidgeting. Steven had been with them at first, but had since excused himself to ask a private audience of Notch. He hadn’t said why. Herobrine could probably guess.

The sun had dropped nearly to the horizon since Doctor Ashton had sent him from the surgery room. It had been… an hour, maybe. There wasn’t a clock in the parlor, which was probably for the better. How long could it take to cut off a valkyrie’s wings? Herobrine had removed limbs far more quickly than this-- but, then, his methods couldn’t exactly be considered ‘safe’.

Herobrine clasped his hands in his lap, knuckles going white with tension. Surely the doctor knew what he was doing. He was Notch’s personal physician. But none of them had ever tangled with wither before, and Eva was so weak. What if the blood loss-- or the shock--

Movement caught his attention, and he looked up as Meryl sank down beside him on the couch.

Herobrine’s knee stilled, and for a few moments neither of them spoke. Meryl didn’t look at him at first, her own hands clasped in front of her, before she quietly cleared her throat.

“I’m worried too,” she said softly. “But she’s going to be alright.”

Herobrine shifted. “Do you mean for the surgery, or overall?”

“For the surgery,” Meryl clarified. “But I think she’ll be alright overall, too. If anyone can heal her, Notch can.” Herobrine’s lips upturned into a humorless smile.

“That is what worries me. Notch has been trying, but he has yet to succeed.”

“Yes. But we’re not out of options yet.” Meryl told him. Herobrine said nothing.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. “I didn’t like you at first,” she said. “You could probably guess that. Not only did you… do all that to the Nether, but you broke my best friend’s heart. Even if you did save her life.” Herobrine didn’t answer, gaze fastened on his hands. “And finding out that you had been hiding from her in the Nether for forty years didn’t help anything. But, ah… by this point, I think you’ve redeemed yourself.

“And regardless of my opinions, Eve loves you.” Her hand rested on his arm. “She loves you more than you could know. You make her very happy.” Herobrine blinked back the stinging in his eyes.

“Likewise.” His voice was rough. “She makes me very happy.”

“If she were to… not survive this.” Meryl’s hand tightened on his arm. “She would go happy, knowing you loved her.”

The dam broke, and Herobrine pressed a hand against his face as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Meryl was quiet as he pulled himself together, running her thumb back and forth over his forearm. Herobrine had long brushed away his tears by the time he trusted himself to speak again, and when he did it was in a whisper. “Thank you.”

“Mm.” Meryl gave his arm a little pat. Herobrine continued to stare at the ground, her words playing over and over in his head. She would go happy. But would he survive without her?

The creak of hinges drew his attention, and Herobrine looked up to see the doctor stepping into the doorway.

“I’m finished,” he said. He was wearing a fresh set of clothes. “She’s still sleeping, but you may come and see her if you’d like.”

Chapter Text

The ground rushed towards him as Phillip dipped low over the campsite, and David braced himself an instant before he was let go.

The black-robed piglin barely had a chance to squeal in warning before David smashed into him, both of them tumbling along the ground for a moment before David vaulted to his feet. All around him piglins shrieked and drew their weapons, and David brandished his axe.

“Hey, you guys,” he called out. Above him, Phillip circled the camp from the air. “I’m looking for a guy called Null. About yay tall, pitch-black and surrounded by smoke-- you really can’t miss him. Anyone know where I could find a guy like that?”

“Kill him,” one of the piglins growled, and several of them raised their axes as they charged. David just sighed.

The first one to reach him gave a wide sweep at his stomach, forcing him to jerk back before returning with a swing of his own. Their blades clashed and sent sparks scattering over the netherrack. A cry from behind him had David spinning around just in time to block another attack, and he slipped in between the two before they could pin him.

He caught the barest glimpse of movement from above as he went, and the next moment Phillip’s heels slammed into a piglin’s head with a sickening crack. The piglin dropped and Phillip climbed again. David ducked under an axe and reached down in the same movement, grabbing the fallen piglin’s weapon, and as he blocked his foe’s next strike he brought down the borrowed axe on his skull.

He spun around before the piglin had even hit the ground to block again, seizing the handle of the axe bearing down on him and twisting it hard. The piglin staggered, growling, but didn’t let go. David pulled back hastily as the piglin threw a punch, then hit the ground at a shout from above him.

“Dave, look out!” And Phillip swept over his head, snatching the axe from the piglin before him and carrying it into the sky. Stunned, the piglin didn’t move in time to avoid David’s next strike.

More of them were upon him before he knew it. David’s axe flashed in the lavalight as it carved through the air, only vaguely aware of Phillip picking off the men around him as he focused on his own fight. He swung his axe to block an oncoming strike, and where the blades met his axe shattered into a thousand pieces. David shouted in alarm as his weapon crumbled, jerking back and slamming into a solid body. A burly arm wrapped around his bicep, pinning him, and David reached into a slit in his waistcoat as a golden axe arced down towards his head.

With his free hand, David hurled an ender pearl, appearing mere feet outside the fray just in time to avoid an axe to the face.

“Dave!” A shout came from above, and a new axe clattered to the ground beside him. David scooped it up and charged back into battle.

Despite their odds, the battle wasn’t long. One by one, they cut the piglins down, using a fair number of their pilfered ender pearls. By the time the last of their enemies fell, the two of them had sustained a couple of minor injuries-- and broken a couple more axes.

“These are so flimsy,” David muttered, nudging a golden axe with his hoof as he rubbed at his bruised shoulder. “I miss my axe.”

“Shouldn’t have broken it.” Phillip folded up his wings against his back as he came up beside him. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that got us anywhere.”

“Ehh, well, at least it was cathartic.” David kicked the axe away. “Maybe we can find something in the-- uh--” His words stuttered to a halt as leisurely applause rang out through the immense cavern.

“What a show.” A shadow peeled away from the mouth of a tent, stepping out into the light where the wrongness of it was plainly visible. Phillip froze. David reached for another axe. “You came all this way for me? If I’d had known I would be having guests, I would have cleaned up first.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, we got it for you.” David crouched, brandishing his weapon.

“I see that.” Null looked over the bodies littering the campsite. “I recognize you two. You were the ones that woke me.”

“Yes, how did that happen, anyway?” Phillip interjected. “Last we’d heard, you were dead.”

“I hate to disappoint, but I don’t die. And if you’d like to continue breathing, I suggest you turn tail now.” Null advanced closer, hands met behind his back, and the two of them exchanged a glance as he continued with no signs of slowing down.

The moment Null came within range, David lunged.

Null leaned back to avoid his first swing then retaliated, drawing his hands from behind his back to reveal a sword in each one. He sliced at David’s neck with one and followed it up with a swing from the other, both blades glancing off his golden axe and sending slivers of gold flying through the air. David ducked out as Phillip came in, silver blade arcing towards Null’s chest only to be struck away by his own. Before Null could raise his sword again he was slammed against the ground by Phillip’s great wing, one sword escaping his grasp and clattering harmlessly over the netherrack.

Phillip raised his sword to drive it through Null’s heart, but Null rolled out of the way as it fell and launched himself back to his feet.

A fresh sword appeared in Null’s raised hand as David lunged for him again, bringing down his axe with nearly enough force to disarm him again. David hammered his axe against Null’s swords, again and again until the golden blade splintered, and Null was forced to throw himself to the side to avoid Phillip as he attacked from behind.

David ducked back to search for an unbroken axe, and as he did heard Phillip grit out, “No matter how many times you come back from the dead, there will always be more of us to put you down again.”

“How very heroic of you.” Null jabbed at Phillip’s stomach, forcing him to backpedal quickly. “Do you know how many of your kind I have put down? More than you would be able to stomach, I’d wager.” Phillip responded by bowling him over with his wing again.

David finally managed to find an axe still in one piece, and he braced his hoof on a piglin’s body to grab it-- only for the body to give beneath his weight and send him staggering.

“What the--” David lifted his leg, looking down at the body beneath him that even now crumbled into ash. “Uh oh. Hey, Phil!” He grabbed the axe and charged for Null again. “We’re about to have company!”

“What??” Phil deflected a strike towards his head, backing up to let David take his place.

“Skeletons! The bodies are withering.” David whacked the handle of his axe into Null’s fingers, causing him to grunt and drop his sword. In retaliation, Null sliced at his arm and cut open his sleeve. David’s heart nearly stopped before he’d confirmed to himself that he hadn’t been cut.

“Well then we’d better make this quick.” Phillip beat his wings, taking off again as Null and David faced off on the ground. David bashed the flat of his axe into Null’s head, making him stumble, and he stuck out a hoof to trip him and sent him tumbling to the ground.

David dropped to his knees over Null, pinning him down as he raised his axe, and Null dropped his remaining sword in favor of seizing David’s wrist with both hands. David growled as he tried to force the axe down. Null was strong, even more so than some of the valkyries he’d sparred with. He couldn’t make ground!

Unexpectedly, Null twisted his wrist harshly, and David shouted in pain as his axe clattered to the ground. Null surged forward and slammed him onto his back, inverting their positions and wrapping his hands around David’s throat.

David gripped at the icy hands as they tightened, thumbs pressing into his windpipe and making it impossible to breathe. His head was starting to swim from lack of oxygen, no amount of kicking or struggling could seem to dislodge his hold. Removing one hand, Null drew it back and summoned a fresh sword.

Phillip slammed into him from the side, sending them both sprawling and Null’s sword flying out of his hand. David sucked in a breath, shoving himself upright and clawing at his throat. Before his vision had fully cleared, he was snatched up off the ground, and David grasped at Phillip’s hands as he was carried away from the battlefield.

“You alright?” Phillip shouted. David gave him a breathless thumbs-up. “Good. Let’s come back to this later.”

“Yeah,” David rasped. His throat still ached from being strangled. “Yeah, I like that plan.” He looked back as Phillip carried him away, catching the barest glimpse of black before they flew out of sight.

Evangeline felt as if she had already been awake for a long time when she finally came to. One moment, the voices around here were incomprehensible gibberish, and the next she could understand them perfectly clearly. There was an ache in her shoulder blades. It felt as if her wings were far too heavy… or too light, somehow.

Eventually, she opened her eyes. The world was slanted before her, and she gradually realized that her head was on its side. There was a flat pillow stuck under her cheek and arms, something tight wrapped around her chest, and… a large, warm hand that carded through her hair.

“Eve?” The sound of her name had her tuning into the conversation around her, and Meryl’s face appeared in front of her own. “Good morning.”

“Eva,” her husband’s voice interjected before she got a chance to respond. She hummed, closing her eyes again.

“Hey.” A hand touched her cheek, and she reluctantly opened her eyes. “Sleepyhead.” Meryl smiled at her. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Evangeline murmured. “Mmh… a little sore.”

“The doctor said that’s to be expected.” Herobrine’s hand stroked down the back of her head. Evangeline knew vaguely what was going on. She’d just had surgery. Her wings were gone.

“Everything go okay?” she mumbled.

“Yes,” a new voice answered, one that she recognized as the doctor. “Everything went very well, you did not lose much blood at all. I do encourage you to ensure you are consuming enough fluids in the coming days regardless.”

“Hmm.” She resisted the urge to shut her eyes again. “Alright.”

She was quiet for a few minutes, listening to the quiet conversation around her as she continued to wake up. Herobrine and Meryl were discussing some of the recent changes made in Mosenta, which Meryl had observed during her time stationed there. Evangeline was still cold, though it didn’t feel as intense as before she’d gone under. She was hesitant to hope that it was a good sign.

Eventually, her neck began to feel stiff, and she braced her forearm on the cot and started to rise.

“Careful.” Herobrine’s hands moved to her waist to support her as she pushed herself up, helping her to sit upright with her legs over the side of the cot. She winced as her neck popped, then hugged her arms to her chest, leaning over her knees.

“Here, here you go.” Meryl disappeared briefly from sight only to return momentarily with a cloak, one that she leaned over her to wrap around her shoulders. The hood was adjusted until she could see, and Evangeline sighed.

“Thank you.”

“Are you still cold?” Herobrine leaned into her field of view, searching her face. She nodded.

“I don’t think it’s as bad.”

“Alright.” He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

“You all should go home and get some rest,” the doctor said, and Evangeline glanced up as he stepped around the cot. “Chemically-induced sleep rarely has many benefits.”

“I feel it.” Evangeline gave a rueful smile. “Yes, I’d like to go home.”

“Do you think you can walk?” Herobrine asked her.

“I’ll try.” Carefully, she scooted to the edge of the cot, reaching down until her bare feet touched the cold floor. Herobrine’s hand remained on her waist as she stood, cautiously taking her own weight-- only to immediately topple forward and into Meryl’s arms.

“Eve!” Meryl exclaimed, and Herobrine’s stool shrieked against the floor as he shot to his feet.

“I’m alright, I’m fine.” Evangeline’s cheeks burned as she gripped at Meryl’s arms, struggling to keep herself upright. “That’s… just going to take some getting used to.” Her balance felt horribly skewed… of course, she no longer had a quarter of her weight attached to her back.

“Here.” Strong arms wrapped around her back and legs, and Evangeline sank back as Herobrine lifted her against his chest.

“Keep giving her golden apples,” Doctor Ashton instructed him as Herobrine tucked the cloak around her. “I will see you again in three days to check in on her condition.”

“Alright.” Herobrine turned for the door, and Meryl fell into step behind him.

Evangeline rested her head back on her husband’s shoulder, reveling in the warmth he gave off as he carried her out of the room. “You’re so light,” Herobrine mumbled above her. Evangeline just shut her eyes.

Chapter Text

Evangeline was asleep.

Herobrine stood beside their bed, gazing down at her sleeping form and drawing comfort from each rise and fall of her chest. She was laying on her stomach, half-curled around a pillow and smothered by blankets. She hadn’t wanted to lay on her back. He supposed it would be strange to get used to, after not being able to for so long.

The moon had already hit its peak, and now began its slow descent back down to the horizon. Herobrine, despite having been up since early the previous morning, was far too agitated to sleep. He didn’t like the way that his wife looked so small there, practically swallowed up by the bedsheets. He wanted to lay with her, but he was too restless to stay still for long, and he didn’t want to wake her. She had struggled so much lately to sleep.

He had seen, while he was putting her to bed, a glimpse of the white bandages wrapped snugly around her torso. They made her look so frail. She had been cheerful enough before she went to sleep, which lifted his spirits somewhat, but she was still so cold.

Averting his gaze from her sleeping form, Herobrine blinked, then quietly left the room.

The cottage, his home, felt so cold and empty without her smiling face. Herobrine had spent countless years alone, his only company the livestock he kept for food. That loneliness was a thousand times more intense now— and she wasn’t even gone yet.

Yet. Steven had urged him not to resign himself to his grief, but Herobrine was having a difficult time doing so. Perhaps, his fear told him, if he allowed himself to bear it now, it would soften the blow when the time came. If the time came, he reminded himself. They didn’t know if the surgery had helped yet.

Herobrine lowered his gaze to the floorboards. A few wispy feathers drifted across the floor there, and he stooped to pick one up. It was grey, and brittle. It crumbled between his fingers.

His chest tightened, and he turned to hurry back to the bedroom, sinking down on the edge of the mattress to watch his wife sleep.

David lifted his chin, resisting the urge to rub at the bruises as Phillip scrutinized his throat. “What do you think, doc?” He balled up his clothes in his lap. “How long’ve I got?”

“I don’t see any punctures, so I think you’ll be fine. Maybe eat a golden apple or two when we make it back to the Aether.” Satisfied, Phillip sat back. “And invest in some scarves.”

“Right…” David pulled his shirt over his head again. His neck still ached. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The two of them had fled from the battlefield, back to their temporary base camp where Boo and the other endermen were waiting. David was a little concerned about Null following them— especially now that he’d have backup. But, if nothing else, at least he and his flunkies weren’t nearly as fast as a valkyrie.

“Well.” Phillip exhaled, rocking to his feet to pace across the basin. “That went well. We’ve lost the element of surprise, and now he’ll have fodder for his undead.”

“Yeah. And he’s, uh, really strong.” David rubbed pointedly at his throat. “And allegedly can’t die. Which I believe since we saw him come back to life.”

“So we have an immortal, incredibly strong psychopath, who has the power to summon weapons at will that can kill with a single cut, on the loose with a number of giant walking skeletons,” Phillip summarized. “Who almost killed you on his own.”

“Not looking great for us, is it?”

“Not particularly.”

“Well.” David crossed his legs, leaning back against the side of the hollow. “Brainstorming time, I guess.”

The two of them mulled over their situation for several minutes, listening to the far-off sounds of the Nether. The endermen, who had been sleeping when they arrived, were still huddled up in the opposite end of the hollow in a tangle of limbs. David could make out a couple more tiny pearls resting within sets of broken ribs.

“A year ago,” Phillip said eventually. “When the wither skeletons attacked the capital, some of our number were able to destroy them by dropping large chunks of rock onto them.”

“I mean, if someone dropped a giant rock on me I’d probably be destroyed, and as I recall those things are brittle. So yeah— that would probably still work.” David leaned forward over his legs, watching Phillip as he paced. “But Null’s probably too quick for us to smash him like a bug.”

“It’d handle one of our problems, at least.”

“Yeah.” David rested his chin in his hand. “What I wouldn’t give for a portal to the Aether right about now. A hundred archers would take care of him. Then we could drag his sorry corpse to jail and just kill him again every year or so.”

“Maybe…” Phillip frowned, coming to a stop by the left wall. “That… sounds a bit risky to me, given that he can’t be damaged while he’s ‘dead’.” He made air quotes.

“We could figure it out when we got there. The first step is just to get him killed again.”

“Definitely.” The two of them fell quiet again for a moment. “What about those bombs you made?” Phillip eventually asked. “We could kill another ghast.”

David made a face. “Dangerous and time-consuming. Maybe as a last resort.”

“What other resorts do we have?”

“Find a herd of hoglins and point them in his direction?”

“How is that less dangerous than killing a ghast?” Phillip paused. “And for that matter, I haven’t seen a single hoglin since we got out here, even in the crimson forest.”

“True.” A beat of silence. “Maybe the Order was hunting them.”

“Could be.”

“Other than that, we could… just, fight him again.” Davis plucked at the hole in his shirtsleeve. “But that seems a little irresponsible without giving ourselves some kind of edge.” Phillip nodded.

“And we may be more familiar with his fighting style, now, but so is he with ours.”

“Yeah.” David slipped his waistcoat back on. “And now we’re back to smashing him with a rock.”

“We can keep working on it.” Phillip finally sank down to the ground, tucking his wings around himself. “For now, we ought to rest. I’ll take first watch.”

David shook his head, “Nah, I’m good, I can—“

“You were nearly strangled,” Phillip interrupted. “Rest.” David put up his hands in surrender.

David arranged himself against the side of the basin, leaning back with his hands clasped over his chest as he stared up at the foggy cavern above them. To his left, he could hear the enders chirping quietly amongst themselves, and he wondered idly how much they knew of their predicament. With a final huff, David regulated his breathing and shut his eyes.

Evangeline leaned heavily on her cane as she stared into the mirror, studying the woman that she saw in her reflection. She was still dressed in only the thin shift that the doctor had provided her, above the neckline of which peeked starched, white bandages. Her body was gaunt, feeble. Her strength had waned over the past nine months already, but this sickness had taken an especially significant toll.

Her spindliness was heightened further by the fact that her wings, and with them the majority of her silhouette, were gone.

“You alright?” Herobrine murmured from over her shoulder. In the mirror, she could see his hands where they hovered around her waist. 

“Yes.” She blinked, lowering her gaze to her bare feet. Her skin was covered in goosebumps. “I’d like to get dressed.”

“Alright.” Herobrine lifted one hand to the nape of her neck, starting to unfasten the ties on her gown.

The rest of the bandages came into view as Herobrine helped her to draw the shift over her head, wound tightly around her ribs and over her collarbone. Evangeline tried to turn, to see where her wings had once been attached, but the action caused her to wobble as she nearly lost her balance.

Herobrine put his hands on her hips to steady her. “Careful.” Evangeline whispered her thanks and turned back to the mirror.

She studied herself in the mirror, leaning on her cane as Herobrine sought out new clothes. Her free hand lifted to the site of a lightened mark on her abdomen, the evidence of where a hoglin tusk had once punched through her from behind. It wasn’t her only scar— far from it, actually. But it was her most dramatic one. Though, perhaps that honor now belonged to the stumps where her wings used to be.

“I think this would be easier if you were sitting down,” Herobrine commented absently as he came up behind her, fresh garments draped over his arm. Evangeline hummed.

“How does it look?”

“Your back?” Herobrine’s hand lifted again. Evangeline nodded. “It looks… alright, I suppose. I don’t want to remove the bandages without the doctor’s go-ahead.”

“Mm.” She shifted back. “Fair enough.” Herobrine took her arm and helped her over to sit on the bed.

He helped her dress in long, wool stockings and a long-sleeved dress, finally putting an end to her shivering. There was a gap in the back of her dress, intended for her wings, of course, and Herobrine layered one of his shirts under the dress to cover it. Only once he had finished buttoning up the back of the dress did she let herself fall, sinking back to lay flat on the mattress.

“This feels odd,” she remarked.

“Laying on your back?” Herobrine lay down beside her. “I imagine it does.” He reached out and gathered her into his arms, folding her slender body against his chest, and Evangeline wrapped her arms around him as she tucked her nose into the crook of his neck. For a moment, neither of them moved.

“You should get some breakfast,” he murmured into her hair. Evangeline didn’t feel hungry, but she nodded anyway.

“‘lright.”

He helped her get up, ensured she was steady on her cane, then hovered as she carefully made her way out into the hall. Her center of gravity had shifted drastically— and, after nearly five hundred years of the same thing the change was jarring. But every step granted her more confidence, and by the time they reached the kitchen she had no trouble getting herself to the table.

“Here.” Herobrine passed her a golden apple from the bowl on the counter, then turned to the stove as she sat down and took a bite.

The kitchen remained quiet as he prepared breakfast for the two of them. Evangeline’s thoughts wandered as she ate the apple, the taste of which had dulled drastically after eating them for so many days in a row. She focused on sitting up straight, recalibrating her balance, and getting used to the feeling of fabric that pressed all the way down where her wings should be.

Just as she was finishing the last bites of her apple, a knock sounded at the front door.

Evangeline exchanged a glance with her husband, then braced a hand on the table to stand. “Don’t get up,” Herobrine protested.

“No, no, I want to,” she insisted as she caught up her cane. “It’s most likely Meryl and Steven.” Reluctantly, Herobrine relented, trailing along behind her instead as she hobbled out into the living room.

Evangeline braced herself on her cane and drew open the door, coming face to face with the queen of the Nether.

“Evangeline.” Queen Rosales gave her a warm smile, and Evangeline’s mouth dropped open.

“M-majesty,” she stammered, then leaned in obligingly as the queen offered her arms for a hug. “I- what a surprise.”

“I’m so sorry to turn up uninvited.” The queen gave her a gentle squeeze, then let her go. “I had come to confer with Notch on a matter of politics, and he informed me of your condition. I wanted to come and see you.” She lifted her face to look over Evangeline’s shoulder. “Herobrine. It’s good to see you well.”

“Likewise, your majesty.”  Herobrine’s voice was quiet.

“I appreciate you making the time to visit,” Evangeline hastened to say before she forgot her manners. “Please, come in. Have you eaten this morning?”

“I have,” Queen Rosales assured her. “Please don’t stand on ceremony for me, I’m here as a friend.” Evangeline nodded, her cheeks tinged with pink, and she allowed Herobrine to draw her back into the house.

“Have a seat,” Herobrine offered as the queen closed the door behind her. “I’m going to finish Eve’s breakfast.” He guided his wife to sink down on the sofa, and the queen sat down adjacent to her as Herobrine disappeared back into the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Evangeline swallowed the last bite of her eggs, setting down her fork on the plate in her lap and clearing her throat softly. “Does Commander Zenith know yet?”

“No. I haven’t spoken to him yet.” Queen Rosales sat perched in an armchair on the other side of the coffee table, one leg crossed over the other at the ankle. “I intend to discuss it with him as soon as he returns from the Nether."

“Will you be leaving the Nether?” Herobrine asked quietly. The queen nodded.

“I would like to move to the Overworld. With Phillip, ideally.” She laced her fingers together in her lap. “I understand if he prefers to remain in his position, though.”

“He’s been at it for a very long time,” Evangeline said.

“I know.” The queen broke into a small smile. “Twice as long as I’ve been alive.” Evangeline chuckled quietly at that.

Evangeline had been surprised, of course, at the news that Queen Rosales was stepping down from her throne. But she couldn’t fault her for it, her reasoning made perfect sense. Three hundred years was a long time to rule, especially for one who was not meant to live to be older than a hundred.

“Have you decided on a successor yet?” was Evangeline’s next question before she reached for her glass of water.

“Not yet. That is what I came to discuss with Notch,” the queen said. “We’ve made some progress, there are a few candidates whom I believe would be a good fit for the position. I of course want to leave the throne in good hands.”

“Of course,” Herobrine murmured. Evangeline rested her hand on his thigh.

“Herobrine,” the queen addressed him. “Obviously you may refuse if you wish, but Notch and I have discussed enlisting you to assist with the change in command.” Herobrine shifted.

“How so?”

“You served as my advisor for nearly forty years, and you did so faithfully. Not only that, but the candidates I have in mind are already familiar with you— Terran, Higgins, and Larrox.” The queen ticked them off her fingers as she named them. “I believe you would be an invaluable resource for whomever we may select.” She paused. “At the same time, I would not ask you to leave Evangeline during this time.”

Herobrine nodded. “Perhaps. Depending on her health.”

“I completely understand. Thank you for being willing.”

“Mm.” Herobrine fell quiet again, and the queen turned her attention back to Evangeline.

“Notch had told me that your surgery went well. Do you feel any improvement?”

“Not particularly.” Evangeline shook her head. “I’m hesitant to call it either way. Maybe it didn’t work, or maybe it did and it will just take some time for me to process.”

“I see. That is the outcome I pray for.”

“As do I, your majesty.”

Their conversation lapsed into silence. Evangeline ran her thumb back and forth over her husband’s thigh, musing over the thought of Herobrine returning to the Nether. She knew he would be loath to leave her, surely he would not go unless she were able to come with, or…

“I think I should be returning to the castle,” the queen said eventually, interrupting her host’s train of thought. “But I do intend to see you again before I depart for the Nether. I’ll likely be staying until Notch and I have selected a new ruler.”

“Very well.” Evangeline rose, grasping her cane to steady herself. “Thank you again for visiting.”

“Of course.” The queen stepped around the coffee table to draw her into another hug. “It’s very good to see you.”

Evangeline, stooping down, smiled into her shoulder. “You as well.”

She and Herobrine saw Rosales off, Evangeline lingering at the front door as she watched the queen make her way down the path and back towards the castle. Herobrine, standing over her shoulder, was quiet for several moments before he spoke.

“Three hundred and fifty years,” he said. “She managed it for longer than I.”

“She wasn’t cut apart in her throne room,” Evangeline murmured. “Nor does she have Null to contend with.” She took a step back, and Herobrine shifted aside, saying nothing as she moved back into the living room and shut the door.

Phillip sank down into a crouch on the edge of the platform, peering down at the campsite below with narrowed eyes. To his left, David hummed low, pointing.

“Doesn’t look like they intend to move anytime soon.”

“Hope not,” Phillip muttered, following David’s pointing finger to the crude walls being constructed around the campsite. “Would make it all that much easier to keep tabs on him.”

“Hmm.”

Instead of fleeing, or seeking out a better stronghold, it appeared as if Null had chosen instead to fortify the campsite he had taken refuge in after his escape from the tunnels. They could see him from where they stood, standing still in the middle of the camp by the ever-blazing bonfire. Perhaps controlling the wither skeletons took away from his ability to control his own body... or maybe he just couldn’t be bothered to help.

As for the skeletons, they were about a dozen in number, silently collecting chunks of whatever material they could find and piling it up in a ring around the edges of camp. With his sharp vision Phillip could make out the places where bodies had once laid, able to pick out scraps of brown and black fabric laying in heaps of dust and ash.

“Why would he build a wall?” David muttered. “He knows you can fly. Unless he’s specifically building this wall for me.”

“That still wouldn’t make sense.”  Phillip scanned the wall again. “Maybe it has another purpose.”

“Maybe,” David said, but his tone was doubtful. “If anything it sort of contains him, making it easier for us to drop rocks on him.”

“Yeah…” Phillip lowered himself down to sit, crossing his legs instead. “He survived out here in the outer wilds of the Nether for millennia, surely he has some grasp of how to properly defend himself.”

“Yeah, but he usually just sent his minions out to cause trouble. I mean, a year ago, nobody knew he existed.”

“True…” Phillip trailed off again in favor of studying the surrounding terrain. The camp was only about twenty yards from the edge of the lava lake, though unfortunately both Null and his skeletons were reportedly immune. There was a cliffside that towered up hundreds of feet on the opposite side of the camp, placing it in a narrow strait, though Phillip wasn’t sure that would be of any use to them with only two men.

“You know,” David commented, and Phillip glanced over to see him peering up at the Nether ceiling. “I can think of an easier way to drop big rocks on him.”

“What’s that?”

“Blow up the roof.” David pointed. Phillip frowned at him.

“That would be difficult and dangerous.”

“The cliffside there would work too.” David lowered his pointing finger to the massive ledge that hung over Null’s camp. “We’d just need some more explosives. Get up there and out of sight, he wouldn’t even know what was coming."

“Wait, hold on,” Phillip protested. “Even if we were to acquire more explosives-- which would mean killing another ghast, mind you-- how could we guarantee he’d be hit? We would need to blow up a considerable area.”

“Not necessarily-- and yes, I know. Netherrack is brittle, it fractures easily. A few charges could take care of that whole area up there.” David gestured in illustration. “Assuming Null’s still here when we get back, which seems like it’ll be the case, we could flatten him and his skeletons without putting ourselves in the line of fire.”

“Assuming,” Phillip muttered, but he was starting to think he might be right. He didn’t like this plan-- just like their foray into the catacombs, this had far too many variables. What if Null had disappeared by the time they got back, or if he survived the collapse? “I thought you didn’t want to fight a ghast,” was all he said.

“Yeah, but I’d rather fight a ghast than tangle with Null and his bone squad of doom.”

“Fair enough.” Phillip was reluctant, but, for now, this seemed like the best plan they had. “And if he has gone by the time we get back?”

“We won’t be much worse off than we are now.”

“Right.” Phillip mused over this for a moment, then came to a decision. “Back to the crimson forests, then.”

“Mm.” David glanced off in the direction they had come. “I hate to leave Boo and the gang, but we can’t exactly tell them where we’re going.”

“You communicated our plan to them before,” Phillip pointed out. “But they certainly won’t be able to come along. We won’t have time to be watching over four endermen. But, I’m sure they’ll be alright for a day or two.”

“Right.” David straightened up again, backing away from the edge. “Guess we stop back there, then head off.” Phillip got up as well, casting a final glance down to the campsite and spreading his wings. All they could do was pray to Notch that Null would be there when they got back, or they would be back to square one.

Evangeline sank back on the bench, folding her hands into the fabric of her skirt as she shut her eyes and tilted her face towards the sky. Carefully, Herobrine sat down beside her, and her lips upturned into a smile as he snaked his arm around her waist.

“Tired?” he murmured as she rested her cheek against his shoulder.

“Mm.” Her smile widened. “When am I not?”

“Hmm.” Herobrine adjusted his grip to better support her. “If you’d like to sleep, you can. Is it easier without your wing?”

“...maybe. I’m not sure yet.” Evangeline lifted her feet to tuck them up onto the bench. “I'm still a little sore, but at least I’m not so tender anymore.”

“Good.” Herobrine ran his thumb up and down over her waist, a small smile appearing on his face as she curled up into his side.

It had been too long since he and Evangeline had been able to get outside, at least for a reason other than to pass back and forth between their cottage and the doctor’s quarters. Spring was fast turning into summer, bringing warmth and sunlight with it. Herobrine was sure that his wife needed both of those things.

She seemed to be recovering from her surgery well enough thus far. It hadn’t taken her all that long to regain her footing this morning, and already she barely used her cane when she walked. It lifted Herobrine’s spirits, even if she was still tired and frail.

Herobrine adjusted his grip on her, lowering his chin down towards her ear. “How are you feeling?” he murmured. “About everything?”

“Hmm.” Evangeline opened her eyes to peek up at him. “I’m alright.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’m…” She dropped her gaze back down to the rippling grass. “I’m not sure if it’s fully dawned on me that my wings are gone. But they were already useless, and it seems as though this has helped… maybe. Either way, I’m alright.”

“Good.” Herobrine lifted his head again, and the two of them spent several minutes gazing off towards the setting sun.

It was growing late in the afternoon, the sun beginning to dip out of view behind the islands that hung in between them and the horizon. The first few strains of orange and pink had begun to color the sky and illuminate sets of wispy clouds, which cast their hue over the scattered landscape of the Aether. Herobrine had missed this view in his centuries spent below.

“Do you ever--” Evangeline cut herself off with a cough, cleared her throat. “Ever wonder what might have happened if I had never lost my wing?”

Guilt stabbed through Herobrine’s chest. “Yes.”

“Do you think you would have stayed with me?” Evangeline pillowed her cheek on his shoulder again, still gazing off into the sunset. “Or would you have stayed in the Nether?”

The question caught him off guard, and Herobrine was forced to consider it for a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “Knowing all I know now, of course I would, but then…”

Evangeline hummed. “I understand.” She shifted against him, hugging her arms to her chest. “I’d likely still have been a soldier.”

“Surely.” Herobrine used his free hand to tuck a strand of golden hair behind her ear. “It took you losing a wing to get you to retire.” Evangeline chuckled at that. “Would you have let me leave you?” he murmured, lowering his voice further. “I recall you being… fairly opinionated on the subject.”

Evangeline lifted her face to bat her eyes at him. “Rest assured I would have at least accompanied my commander on every visit to the queen.”

“Hmm.” Herobrine smirked, then dipped his chin to press a kiss to her forehead. “I think you would have won me over eventually.”

“I certainly hope so.” Lifting her hands, Evangeline captured his face in between them and drew him in for a proper kiss.

Herobrine’s eyes opened halfway as he pulled away, gazing into her own for several moments. A series of brutal what-ifs had haunted his thoughts ever since she was injured, which had come to a head when her health began to decline. At the very least, it seemed that her daydreams were not quite so somber.

A pang went through his chest, and he wrapped her in his arms again, cupping her head in his palm and resting his cheek against her hair. If he were to lose her, he felt as if he would bypass his immortality to die of heartbreak.

The sun had fully disappeared behind an island now, and Evangeline shivered as a breeze played through her hair. “Ready to go inside?” Herobrine murmured.

“I won’t be any warmer there,” was her rueful reply, muffled into his shoulder. “But… yes.” Herobrine loosened his grip, and she lifted her head to give him a smile. “Maybe I’ll take a hot bath.”

“Alright.” Herobrine pressed a final kiss to her lips, then drew back, taking her arm and helping her get to her feet. “You’re still feeling alright?”

“I am.” She clung to his arm until she was steady. “I’m still cold, but…”

“Hmm.” Herobrine linked his arm with hers, and the two of them began to make their way back down the path. “We’ll see what the doctor has to say in a couple of days.”

“Yes.” Evangeline’s hand found his, and they lapsed into silence for the remainder of their walk back home.

Chapter Text

Herobrine didn’t miss the way that Evangeline shivered as the last button on her dress came undone, the fabric falling aside to reveal the bandages layered beneath. Nor did he miss the flinch she gave as the doctor’s shears rested against her bare back, sliding beneath the bandages and beginning to carefully cut them free. As they fell away, Herobrine’s heart dropped into his stomach when her skin came into view-- spiderwebbed with snarls of black veins that crawled from the nape of her neck all the way down to her waist.

The three days since the surgery had passed, and Evangeline was not getting better. In fact, she seemed to be getting worse. Despite initially feeling stronger with the weight of her wings relieved, now it seemed as if she were declining even faster. No amount of layers could keep her warm, her skin was cold to the touch, and she had been forced to begin using her cane again almost as soon as she had stopped.

Meryl and Steven had spent the daylight hours at her and Herobrine’s cottage, meaning that Evangeline never wanted for a listening ear or a set of hands to assist her. But she was plainly discouraged. She had been so hopeful that this would work, this would cure her, and now that hope was dashed to pieces. They didn’t know what else they could do.

Herobrine didn’t know how to feel. All he knew was that his world was crumbling around him.

“It’s not good, is it?” Evangeline asked quietly, hugging her balled-up cloak against her chest.

“No,” was the doctor’s reply. “The surgery sites have healed perfectly well, but it is obvious that the wither is still in you.” Herobrine silently reached for his wife’s shoulder. “Tell me about your condition over the past few days,” the doctor continued. Evangeline shifted slightly.

“Overall, I felt slightly better on the day after the surgery, but since then I have gradually felt worse.”

“So there has been no improvement.”

“No.”

“I see.” The doctor adjusted the back of her dress to get a better look. “Have you experienced any new symptoms?”

“No.” She shook her head. “My existing ones have only gotten worse.”

“I see.” A moment’s hesitation, then the doctor withdrew his hands. “It seems… as far as I can tell, the wither has become far too deeply entrenched for me to remove by any standard means.” He began to button up the back of her dress again. “I’m afraid this affliction is out of my scope of care.” Face grave, he lifted his eyes to meet Herobrine’s. “I’m truly sorry.”

Herobrine stared at him, an iron grip slowly squeezing the breath from his lungs. “Oh.”

“I will continue to work with Notch. Perhaps, between the two of us, we can find a solution.” The doctor broke eye contact, and he offered Evangeline a hand down from the table, which she accepted. “In the meantime, rest as much as you are able, keep warm, and continue to eat golden apples. This should give you the highest likelihood of decelerating your decline.” Herobrine reached for his wife’s hand as the doctor released her, and she stepped close to lean against his side.

“Thank you for everything,” she said quietly. Ashton nodded, clear regret on his face, and he turned to put away his instruments as the two of them quietly left the room.

Meryl and Steven had been waiting for them in the room beyond, and both of them swiveled to look as the door swung open. “Well?” Meryl asked, standing. “What did he say?” Herobrine’s throat was too tight to respond, so he looked to Evangeline instead, who swallowed thickly.

“He said there’s nothing more he can do.”

Meryl exclaimed softly, then rushed to catch her friend up in her arms, Evangeline sagging against her as her face crumpled. The sight of her tears brought Herobrine’s alarmingly close to falling, and he turned away, not looking up until Steven took ahold of his arm.

“Herobrine.” His tone was aghast. Herobrine pulled away.

“Not now, Steven.”

“H-he said--” Evangeline spoke up, her voice watery. “He and Notch may be able to come up with something, but--” She hiccuped.

“I’m sorry,” Meryl whispered, and she was clearly on the verge of tears as well. Herobrine forced himself to sober before he lifted his head.

“We should go home,” he rasped. “The doctor prescribed her warmth and rest.”

“Do you want to be alone?” Steven asked quietly. Yes, Herobrine thought, but Evangeline answered for him.

“No.” She leaned back, scrubbing the tears from her reddened eyes. “N-not right now. No.” Still leaning on Meryl, she reached for her husband’s hand and squeezed it. “I don’t think we should be alone right now.” Herobrine squeezed her hand back.

“Alright.” Steven maneuvered his way around the group in order to herd them towards the exit. “Let’s go home.”

Meryl sank down on the couch next to Evangeline, taking her cold hand and folding it between her own. “Kettle’s on,” she murmured. Evangeline nodded listlessly. In front of them, Herobrine was seated in an armchair, gaze fastened firmly on nothing.

It had been quiet since they had gotten back. Evangeline could feel the constant sting of tears behind her eyes, and as such did not trust herself to speak. She knew the news would have affected Herobrine just as badly. She wished she could comfort him.

While the two of them grieved, Meryl and Steven had taken over. Even now Steven was in the kitchen preparing food, while Meryl went back and forth between helping him and sitting with Evangeline. She was very grateful for the company, especially given that Herobrine was in no shape to comfort her.

Evangeline thought she had come to terms with this already-- with the threat of imminent death. She had already shed enough tears, spent enough nights tossing and turning and keeping up her poor husband. She thought she’d accepted it, but apparently acceptance was so much easier when she still had some hope. Not to say that now there was none, but… the doctor’s words had been far from inspiring.

She’d already known, when they arrived at the castle, what the outcome was likely to be. She wasn’t getting better, she was reliant on her cane again. She was so cold. But to hear it from the doctor’s lips that she was going to die had been a blow she wasn’t ready for. And, from the way he had barely looked at her since they arrived home, she could imagine that Herobrine hadn’t been ready for it either.

Meryl was rubbing her palm, staring down at their entwined hands. Evangeline turned her hand over and captured Meryl’s warm one, causing her friend to give her a questioning look. Evangeline gave her a watery smile.

Abruptly, Herobrine pushed off the chair and stood. “I’m going to the castle,” he stated. “I’ll be back tonight.” Without further explanation, he turned and stalked from the room, vanishing out through the front door.

Evangeline stared after him for a moment, watching through the window as he retreated down the path, before she turned to meet Meryl’s equally shocked gaze. “Oh dear,” Meryl said quietly.

“Y-yeah.” Evangeline’s voice cracked, and she rubbed at her eyes again. “Oh, Herobrine…” Meryl captured her other hand and drew her into a hug.

Evangeline rested her brow against Meryl’s shoulder and shut her eyes as a few more tears slipped free. Herobrine’s distress had been clear to her from the beginning, but he had always made a point to be strong for her. It hurt her to see him suffering.

“Eve…” Meryl murmured, rubbing her back beneath the stumps of her wings. “He’ll be alright.” Evangeline sniffled.

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“If anything happens to you, Steven’s promised to take care of him,” Meryl told her. “I promise he’ll be alright.”

Evangeline took a deep breath, let it out in a shuddering sigh. “And you?”

“And me. I’ll be alright.” Meryl’s hand stilled on her back.

“Will you?” Evangeline lifted at her face, wiping at her eyes again as she forced a smile. “You won’t mourn me forever?”

“Of course I’ll mourn you forever.” Meryl mirrored her smile, and she reached up to brush away a stray tear of her own. “Every time I need a sparring partner, or every time I see your husband. Every time I listen to a waltz.”

“That’s not making me less sad.”

“Sorry.” Meryl’s smile widened, and she pulled Evangeline back against her chest. “I’m sorry. I will mourn you. It’s only fair-- you already mourned me.” Evangeline forced out a watery laugh.

“But I’m not coming back.”

“...yeah.” Meryl’s arms tightened around her. “I know.”

They lapsed into silence again, Meryl still rubbing circles into Evangeline’s lower back. Evangeline rested her cheek on her best friend’s shoulder, gazing out the window towards where Herobrine had gone.

“I wish I knew what to expect,” she whispered. Meryl hummed.

“From death?”

“Mm.”

“Right…” Meryl’s flawless wings closed around them both. “For me, it was… nothing. I was being cut down, and then I was waking in Steven’s dungeons. Anything that happened between them was faint and blurry, as though from a dream.”

“Oh.” Evangeline’s vision blurred again. “It’s… s-so odd to think about.”

“Yeah.”

From the other room, the kettle began to sing, and Meryl straightened up as her wings retracted. “I’ll go get that,” she murmured. Evangeline leaned back as they untangled themselves from each other, and she watched as Meryl stood and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Chapter Text

The heavy oaken doors creaked in protest before him, giving way to the grandness and splendor of Notch’s throne room. Across the opulent tiles was the king himself, who looked up in surprise at the sight of the visitor in his doorway.

“Herobrine,” he said, then hurriedly waved away the valkyrie he had been conversing with. “We will continue later.” The valkyrie nodded and scurried off, leaving Notch to turn towards the man who now strode across the room towards him. “Herobrine,” he said again. “Where is Evangeline? I heard the news from Doctor Ashton, I--”

“She’s at home,” Herobrine interrupted him. “She’s dying.”

“I know.” Notch’s dark eyes traced over his form as Herobrine stopped before him. “I am so sorry, Herobrine.” Herobrine’s breaths were coming too fast, his hands clamped into trembling fists where they hung at his sides. Sucking in an uneven breath, he fell to his knees, bracing his palm against the floor at Notch’s feet.

“I need you to kill me.”

Notch stood stock-still for several moments, then shifted, taking a step back. “No.”

“Please.” Desperation leaked into his voice, came out in the form of tears that stung at his eyes and rolled down to the tip of his nose. “I can’t live without her.”

“No.” Notch’s voice was more forceful this time, and he seized Herobrine by the arm and tried to pull him back to his feet. “You are more than your relationship with her. I know you love her, but you do not need her.”

“Do you know what I was without her?!” Herobrine wrenched his arm out of his grip, staggering back a step as fear and grief mixed with boiling rage. “I was a psychopath! A murderer! She was the only one that helped!” He advanced a step forward, Notch stood his ground. “You could not be bothered to come down from your mighty throne. You did not come when I suffered-- when I terrorized the Nether, you were silent!”

“I did not know.” Notch didn’t move.

“And when you learned, you sent your armies to chase me away! You released me upon the Overworld, to murder and pillage or to freeze!” Herobrine braced his hands on Notch’s chest and shoved, sending his king stumbling a step back. “You told me you would save her! Liar!!”

“Herobrine.”

“She’s innocent!!” Herobrine swung his fist, it thudded against Notch’s palm. “She’s perfect, and I let Null kill her!”

“Herobrine. You are--”

“She’s the only thing that keeps me sane!!” Another punch, another block. He was blinded by tears. “I can’t live without her. Kill me, or I will kill your precious valkyries, your Nether queen, I will destroy--”

“I can’t!” Notch’s voice was thunderous, stunning Herobrine into silence with the force of it. “I cannot,” he repeated. “I could not take your life, not even if I wanted to.” Herobrine stared at him, disbelieving.

“You’re lying. You created me--”

“You have accused me enough,” Notch rebuked him sharply. “I am not lying to you. I gave up the power to destroy something as powerful as you a long time ago.” A deep despair filled Herobrine’s chest, smothering his anger and loosing the tears in his eyes. He stared at the blurry figure before him, despondent, as tears ran freely down his face.

“Then, what--” His voice broke. “Will I do?” Notch, his face a mask, reached out and drew him into his arms. Herobrine pressed his face into his shoulder and wept.

Herobrine could not remember the last time that he had broken down like this. The last time he had felt so utterly lost, his world shattering into a thousand pieces while he stood and watched. Notch was all but holding him up now, with one arm wrapped firmly around his waist and the other braced between his shoulder blades. Herobrine clung to him like he had as a small child.

He sobbed until his throat ached and his stomach churned, his face red and swollen from tears. Notch remained silent through it all, offering only a quiet, physical support. As his cries began to taper off, Notch shifted, lowering them down until they knelt together on the throne room floor.

It wasn’t until Herobrine had begun to collect himself, gasping for breath and trying to clean off his face, that Notch spoke again. “I failed you, Herobrine.” His voice was low and quiet. “I sent you into a role you were not prepared for, and I left you there to struggle. I am so sorry, but I understand if you will not forgive me.” Herobrine didn’t have the breath to respond.

“If I had told you, three hundred years ago,” Notch drew a strand of long hair out of Herobrine’s face. “That one day you would be home, in the Aether, and happy-- would you have believed me?” Mute, Herobrine shook his head. “And yet it came to pass. So believe me when I tell you that you will make it through this.”

“I don’t want to,” Herobrine forced out. “I don’t want to watch her die.”

“It is natural for all things to die, Herobrine.” Notch tucked the strand behind one pointed ear. “And it is natural to grieve them.”

“Then what about me?? Why would you curse me with this immortality??”

“Because I am selfish.” Notch offered a small, sad smile. “And I didn’t want to lose you.” That’s not fair, Herobrine thought, but he said nothing.

“Does Evangeline know how you feel about this?” Notch continued when he didn’t respond. Herobrine shook his head.

“How could I tell her?” he choked out. “She suffers enough.”

“Yet you were content to force her to live out the rest of her days without her husband.”

“No. I-- I intended to wait until after her death.”

“That hardly makes it better does it?” Notch cupped his chin, forcing his head up to meet his eyes. “You will tell her.”

“That will help nothing.”

“And who does it help if you hold down your grief? Or do you forget that she loves you as well?” Notch rebuked him gently. “Don’t leave her to grieve alone.” Herobrine dropped his gaze. “Herobrine.”

“Alright,” Herobrine forced out. “I’ll tell her.”

“Good.” Releasing his chin, Notch drew him back into his arms.

Herobrine held onto him for several minutes longer, staring listlessly at the far wall. He didn’t want to go back. Didn’t want to face the reality that waited for him at the cottage, that Evangeline would die and he would be alone again. How could fate be so cruel? To give him such a perfect life, then to take it away? Was this the punishment he had earned for his sins? If so, why must Evangeline suffer for his folly?

Don’t leave her to grieve alone. Of course, he was selfish. To spend his days thinking about himself, when she was the one dying.

Notch shifted on his knees, pressing his hand to the back of Herobrine’s head. “Stay here for the night.”

Herobrine tried to pull back, but Notch’s grip was firm. “I can’t,” he rasped out. “I told Evangeline I would come back tonight.”

“Is she alone?”

“No-- Steven and Meryl are with her.”

“Then she will be alright for tonight.”

Herobrine’s heart quickened in his chest. “What if--”

“She will be alright, Herobrine, I promise,” Notch cut him off. “I promise. The doctor’s findings were that she was not in any imminent danger. His estimates were that she has at least a month.” Notch ran a hand through Herobrine’s hair, working out tangles and snarls as he went. “Stay.” Herobrine resisted, but his resolve soon failed him. One night.

“Alright.”

Notch finally released him, and he pressed his lips to Herobrine’s forehead before drawing back. “I’ll send a valkyrie to tell them that you’re spending the night here.” Herobrine nodded, still not wanting to meet his eyes.

His legs were stiff when he finally stood, limbs trembling from aftershocks as he wiped his sleeve across his face. Notch directed for him to follow, and he did, falling into step behind his father as they walked towards the exit to the throne room.

The creak of hinges drew her attention upwards, and Evangeline raised her head to look as Steven stepped out into the garden. He gave her a smile, then bent down to speak quietly into Meryl’s ear. She nodded, and he kissed her cheek before he straightened up to go back inside.

Meryl stared after him for a moment before she turned back to look at Evangeline, her cheeks visibly flushed even in the dim light. Evangeline poked her left hand out of her cloak to waggle her ring finger at her. Meryl snorted.

“Shut up.”

The sun had long set, though it hadn’t quite disappeared behind the Overworld below, meaning that the sky still glowed pink all the way up to the Aether. A scattering of stars hung over them, twinkling merrily without care for the woes of those who lived beneath. The sounds of crickets chirping filled the evening air with a droning resonance, and lightning bugs sparkled amongst the blades of overgrown grass. It was peaceful.

Herobrine hadn’t come home. He wasn’t coming home, according to the young valkyrie who had dropped by about an hour before. Apparently he had chosen to spend the night at the castle, with Notch, and he would be returning the following morning. The news of her almost certain death was a heavy blow, to be sure, and Evangeline couldn’t blame him for going to Notch for comfort. She still wished that he were home with her.

In his absence, Meryl had stayed with her, and Steven ensured that she was warm and fed. She and Meryl had moved out to sit in the garden when the sun first began to set, talking and laughing and amusing one another until Evangeline had nearly forgotten that the wither inside her would soon be taking her life.

“You two need to hurry it up,” Evangeline reminded her. “I still want to come to your wedding.”

Meryl scoffed. “Tell him that!”

“You can’t find him a ring?” Evangeline arched a brow at her. “Take some initiative.”

“He’s a lord! I’m not proposing to a lord!”

“Coward,” Evangeline teased. Meryl reached over from her chair to nudge her.

“I didn’t see you proposing to your husband.”

“I didn’t get the chance! He beat me to it!”

“Take some initiative!” Meryl flopped back into her chair with a sigh, adjusting her wings until they laid in a comfortable position. Evangeline gazed over at her thoughtfully.

“I miss flying,” she murmured. Meryl looked over, sympathetic.

“I’m sure.”

“It still doesn’t feel entirely real.” Evangeline tucked her cloak against herself, looking up to the star-speckled sky again. “Not having my wings. I still… try to move them. Still turn sideways through doorways.” On her right, Meryl nodded quietly.

“It’s only been four days.”

“Of course,” Evangeline allowed. “I’m sure I’ll get used to it.” If she had time, anyway.

They were quiet for a little while, Evangeline watching the horizon as the last dredges of sunset faded away. She was tired, and she probably would have gone to bed already if Herobrine were here. As it stood, she was putting it off. Trying to sleep alone, in a cold bed, sounded horribly lonely.

“I’ll carry you.” Meryl’s voice broke the stillness unexpectedly, and Evangeline’s head swiveled to face her.

“What?”

“I’ll carry you,” Meryl repeated, her warm, brown eyes meeting Evangeline’s own. “If you want to fly again.”

Evangeline stared at her for several moments, then inhaled sharply. “Wait-- you mean, right now?”

“If you want.” Meryl sprang to her feet, and Evangeline pushed herself up to sit up straight. “Are you feeling up to it?”

“Yes.” Evangeline’s heart beat faster in her chest, and Meryl grabbed her hand and helped her get to her feet.

“Here, hold still.” Meryl bent down and slid an arm behind her knees, hoisting Evangeline up against her chest. “Oh, you are light,” she breathed.

“Easier than dragging me halfway through the Nether, hmm?” Evangeline grinned up at her as she locked her arms around her neck. Meryl returned her smile, then crouched down, spread her powerful wings, and took off.

Chapter Text

Meryl rearranged the two remaining cards in her hand, then reached forward to set an eight of hearts onto the pile. She glanced at Steve, who played as well, and Evangeline looked down at her own hand. She pursed her lips.

“It’s not very nice of you to gang up on me,” she said. “I’m dying.”

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Meryl scolded her. Evangeline drew a card, then made a face.

“Pass.”

“I win.” Meryl set down her last card. Steven sighed and tossed his hand down on the coffee table.

“Maybe we should play a different game,” he suggested. Meryl giggled at that.

The night had not been as lonely as Evangeline had feared. After their impromptu flight-- which she had thoroughly enjoyed-- Meryl and Evangeline had appropriated the bedroom for their own use, meaning that she wasn’t left to shiver the night away on her own. Meryl wasn’t quite as warm as her husband, but she made for a viable substitute.

Steven had woken them about an hour after sunrise with breakfast, and had since directed them into the living room where they were now playing cards. It was raining lightly outside, small drops pattering rhythmically against the cottage windows. It made for a peaceful atmosphere, but not optimal weather for being outdoors… which was a shame. Evangeline was already longing for the skies again.

Evangeline glanced at the front window for what must be the hundredth time since they started playing as Meryl shuffled and dealt the cards again. Herobrine still hadn’t come home.

“This is peaceful,” Steven commented, picking up his hand and fanning them out towards himself. “How have you and Herobrine typically spent your time over the past ten months?”

“Don’t ask her that,” Meryl interrupted. Evangeline choked on a laugh.

“Typically,” she shot her friend a warning look. “We would be working with the children, or working in the garden. Or resting.”

“That sounds pleasant.” Steven smiled at her. Evangeline smiled back, even as a pang of loss tore through her chest.

She looked to the window again after her turn, and this time she saw a man coming up the path towards the door.

Evangeline sat up straight, and Meryl followed her gaze out the window. “Oh,” Meryl said. A moment later, the doorknob clicked, and the front door creaked as it swung open.

Herobrine stepped into the cottage, his blank eyes tracing over the occupants before landing on his wife. “Good morning,” he said quietly. Evangeline nodded to him, even as her ire spiked. Was that all he had to say??

“Good morning,” she said. Herobrine met Steven’s eyes, then looked back to her.

“I need to talk to you,” he said. Evangeline nodded, and she set aside the blanket on her lap, grabbing her cane as Herobrine helped her to her feet. She cast Meryl and Steven an apologetic glance as Herobrine led her away and down the hallway.

He said nothing as he brought her into their bedroom, sitting her down on the edge of their neatly made bed. He started to sit, but seemed to think better of it-- his hair and clothes were damp from the rain. Instead, he lowered himself down to kneel on the floor in front of her.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come home last night,” he started, voice soft. “Notch insisted I stay.” Evangeline nodded. Why? “He…” Herobrine’s gaze dropped. “...insisted that I tell you what we spoke of, as well.”

“Which was?” Evangeline breathed. Herobrine reached out and took her hand, warming her frigid fingers. For a long moment, he was quiet, and when he spoke his voice was barely over a whisper.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to say goodbye to you.” There was a brokenness in his voice that she had never heard before. “It’s tearing me apart.”

Any anger that Evangeline may have felt evaporated in an instant, replaced by sorrow. “Herobrine…”

“And it’s foolish,” he went on, his voice rough. “For me to make this about myself, when you’re the one who’s dying. But I can’t keep from feeling that I won’t be able to go on.” Evangeline gripped his hand tightly.

“You have to.”

“I know.” Herobrine bowed his head over their joined hands. “I know. I have no choice, I can’t die.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Evangeline slid off the edge of the bed, and Herobrine’s hands shot to catch her as she lowered herself to the floor in front of him. “I mean, if I am to die, you must live on in my stead. Otherwise my life will have been for nothing.”

Herobrine stared down at her with reddened eyes. “That won’t make it any easier for me to be alone again.”

“I know.” The sight of his tears made her eyes begin to sting again, and Evangeline twisted her hands free in order to capture his face between them. Herobrine flinched at her cold touch, but didn’t pull away. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wish I could fix this.”

“You shouldn’t be the one saying that to me,” he whispered back.

“Maybe.” She offered him a watery smile. “Listen to me.” She cupped his face in her hands. “I am fading, yes. I likely will not live much longer. But I have been so happy over these past months. I could not have asked for any more in life than my life here, and for you.” Tears ran down Herobrine’s cheeks, running against her palms.

“I thought we would have eternity.”

“As did I.” Evangeline blinked harshly to force back her tears. “It breaks my heart to leave you. But you will not be alone. You will have your brother, have Notch-- you’ll have Meryl. She will need someone to grieve with.” She lifted a tender hand to tuck a strand of damp hair behind her husband’s ear. “I will need someone to carry on my memory.” Herobrine shut his eyes as fresh tears trickled down his face.

Evangeline ran her thumb across his cheek, shedding a few tears of her own while her husband cried. He was visibly suppressing sobs, his uneven breaths were proof enough of that. Evangeline didn’t speak. Nothing she could say would take away his grief.

Only once Herobrine’s tears had begun to dry did he speak, and his voice was raw when he did so. “Alright,” he managed. “For you.” Evangeline brushed away his tears.

“I love you,” she whispered. Herobrine leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers.

“I love you,” he echoed. “I will love you, for eternity. I won’t let anyone forget you.” Evangeline smiled through her tears.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Herobrine drew her hand to his lips and kissed the backs of her knuckles.

“And--” He drew back, meeting her eyes again. “I will strive to make however much time you have left your happiest yet.” Evangeline’s smile widened.

“Thank you.” She squeezed his hand. Herobrine drew her into a fervent kiss.

They stayed like that for several minutes, knelt together on the bedroom floor and drawing comfort from each other’s proximity. Herobrine held her close, whispering promises, to cherish her and to look after her until her time came. Evangeline, in turn, promised to fight this sickness until she no longer could.

Eventually, once both of them had run out of tears, Herobrine helped her back to her feet, and the two of them left the bedroom to rejoin their loved ones, having agreed amongst themselves that they’d had enough of grieving for the day.

David hopped over the edge of the small hollow with a grunt, dusting off his hands and looking over at the endermen as Phillip clambered in after him. “Hey, guys.” He got a high-pitched squeak in response.

“Wait a minute.” Phillip did a quick headcount. “We’ve only got three.”

“You’re right. Where’s Boo?” David turned in a slow circle. “Boo!” A chirp caught their attention, and both of them swiveled to find the enderman in question emerging from amongst the giant mushrooms. He warbled at them as he approached, arms full of scraps from various fungi, and he cleared the wall in a single step before beginning to pass out his findings to the others.

Six days had passed since David and Phillip had left the endermen here, set off deeper into the Nether in search of another ghast. Two days had passed since they had finally encountered a herd, and had managed to separate and take down one of the smaller ones without quite so much trouble as last time. In the time since then, the duo had constructed a fresh batch of bombs, rested, and headed off again towards where they had left their lanky rescues.

They had checked, on their way back, whether Null’s campsite was still there. Sure enough, he had barely moved since they last saw him-- still standing in the center of camp with his wither skeletons milling about around him.

“Hey, buddy.” David gave Boo a pat on the leg before sinking down to the ground. “Looks like you guys managed okay while we were gone.”

“They have food aplenty, and…” Phillip nodded in the direction of Null’s camp. “It seems as if Null hasn’t come across them.”

“I’d be surprised if he came this far out.” David rummaged through his backpack, offered Phillip a paper package. “He probably doesn’t even know they’re out here. Hog jerky?”

“Thanks.” Phillip took it, mulling over the statement as he unwrapped it. “Does make you wonder why he’s still here.”

“I mean, he probably knows we’re still here.” David suggested. “Or thinks we are, anyway. Or maybe he plans to spend the next fifty years or so rebuilding his infrastructure. “

“Maybe.” Phillip bit into a piece of jerky. “Unfortunately for him, I don’t think his infrastructure is going to survive having several tons of netherrack dropped on top of it.” David snorted.

“Hope not.” He took a bite of his own food, and the pair lapsed into silence as they ate. Phillip mused over Null’s actions as he did so. Did he anticipate an attack? He had beaten them alone when they had previously clashed, and now he had backup. Surely he wasn’t afraid of the two of them… though, even if he was prepared, no amount of preparation could save him from them blowing up the cliff above his camp.

“Heyyy, bud, your pearl’s looking better.” David’s voice had him glancing over, and Phillip watched as David beckoned. “Look.” Boo trotted over obediently, lowering his gangly limbs to sit cross-legged beside him. Sure enough, there was a shimmering orb in the center of the cavity of his chest that was about the size of a small apple.

“So it is,” Phillip murmured. “Wonder if he can teleport now.”

“Haven’t seen him do it, so… maybe not.” David patted Boo on the knee. “A shame. It would be nice to have a man who can teleport on standby while we crush Null with rocks.”

“If we could communicate that to him, anyway.” Phillip popped the last piece of jerky into his mouth, then crumpled up the paper and stashed it away in his bag. “I’m ready for this to be over.”

“Seconded.” David glanced up at the ceiling, high above them. “I’m ready to go home.”

“Mm. I miss my wife.”

“Aww.” David nudged him with his hoof. “Well, assuming luck is on our side, we should be out of here by this time tomorrow.

“Right…” Phillip settled back against the netherrack, curling his wings halfway around his body. If luck was on their side. And if it wasn’t…

“I’ll take first watch,” he finally said. David grunted, leaning back and placing his hands behind his head.

“Alright,” he said. “Night, Phil.” He shut his eyes and fell quiet. Phillip glanced at Boo, still sitting at David’s side, then lifted his gaze up to the Nether sky.

Hold on, Trix, I’m coming home soon.