Wow, this chapter turned out longer than I expected... I added in a new character, too! (Well, not new if you've seen "Take Back the Night", but new to this story nonetheless).
I know, in her fic, Blackdragon41 called him Aiden, but my fic is a little different, and thus he has a different name.
Seth
"It just doesn't seem right. I mean, think about it. He shows up, destroys an entire castle, then vanishes. Waits ten whole years to show up again. Why? Why did he wait that long?"
The boy with the bright blonde hair and striking azure eyes frowned at the blatant question. "What does it matter? He's dead now. Gone. Poof. We don't need to worry." Nevertheless, despite the dissuasion, he was bombarded with yet more questions.
"You killed him, right? Stabbed the b-bastard, right through the heart. How did it feel, Seth? Did it make you feel better, after what happened to-"
"Cut it out!" The emerald ribbon tying back Seth's hair whipped across his face in the stiff wind, and he angrily swiped it away. "I don't want to talk about it! Why are you here anyway? Who even are you?"
His unwanted companion swayed a little as the gale threatened to unseat him from his precarious perch atop the castle walls.
"I'm Connor, and I've heard a lot about you, Mr Seth! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Connor held out a pale hand to shake, which was promptly ignored. No one talked to Seth when he was in a bad mood. No one, it seemed, except this irritating, overeager, lanky youth. "Can you tell me how it felt? Stabbing someone like that?"
Seth sighed. Apparently, anywhere he went, he would never be able to get any peace. He had become something of a celebrity after he had returned from his mad suicide mission, and the man hated it. Technically, he was still a teenager as he was only eighteen, but you wouldn't know it to look at him. Seth's scarred, muscled arms drew the thin leather jacket, open at the front, tighter around himself as a flimsy ward against the cold.
"It was the single most terrifying experience of my life; to feel a man's soul drain away before my very eyes as a result of something I had done."
Some of the excitement drained from Connor's face, as Seth knew it would. It was always the same, now. They'd come to him - ignorant, battle hungry teens wishing to bask in his presence, to see the man that brought down the monster. He didn't feel like a hero, though. More like a rare animal trapped in a cage.
Just another feature for the kids to stare at.
He turned to Connor, appraised the thin, soft-bodied youth; hands too small to grip a weapon, frame too thin to bear the weight of armour, will too weak to hold his own; and sighed dejectedly once again.
"Connor, I'm going to be honest with you." The adolescent in question gazed up at Seth with wide, curious eyes.
"What is it, Mr Seth?"
"A man like Hero- a man like the one I stabbed is too powerful to die from a simple chest wound. He's still alive, I know it. True, I got him, but I got lucky. He underestimated me, and he slipped up. But Brine won't make that mistake again, I'd bet my last penny on it."
It was a curious sight to watch the blood slowly drain out of Connor's face, and the dark hairs on his arms rise at the revelation. He stammered slightly, mouth agape.
"But that means he's still out there! We need to warn everyone now! We need to-!" He was cut off by a sharp wave of Seth's bronzed hand.
"I tried. They won't listen to me. Said I'm delusional. That's why I was taken off the patrol rota."
"We… We were told that you requested to be taken off! You had a nervous breakdown, didn't you?"
"No. Do you think I want to be trapped within these crumbling walls twenty-four-seven, huh?" He gazed disdainfully at the view from the inner watchtower, stared at the ramshackle dwellings, at the citizens hurrying from cover to cover with their eyes cast downwards. "Everyone is afraid, but they don't do anything about it. The stupid council won't let me leave." Seth made quite an intimidating sight to those below; a lone figure outlined in black, diamond blade at his side, the green ribbon holding back his hair whipping in the wind. The dank clouds and turbulent weather didn't help much, either. It had been like that for weeks now, thick grey fog rolling across the plains and occasionally vomiting forth deep, ominous rolls of thunder. Some days, you could barely see a couple of centimetres in front of you when walking down the street.
A few heavy drops of rain collided with Seth's face.
"Brace yourself, Connor," He murmured.
"There's a storm coming."
"Looks like rain," Ridan said absently to himself, clumsily threading a thin bone needle with a long spool of fine white thread. The spare room's mattress was draped over his lap, the jagged slice where Notch had driven the warrior's sword into the bed all-too-clearly visible in the pale half-light. As he had no other bedding, he would have to try and repair the gash himself. After all, it wasn't as if the mob hunter could just pay someone to fix it for him; a sword incision across the head end of a bedsheet was definitely enough to raise a few questions.
Herobrine was asleep again, so Ridan felt as if he could relax a little. In fact, now that he thought about it, the being had been asleep for an awfully long time. His bandages would probably need changing, as the large wound across his chest still wasn't closing.
"I have to do everything around here." The blonde muttered, stiffly rising from his window seat and snagging the white roll on his way past. Herobrine lay still, breathing lightly, both hands unconsciously pressed against his abdomen.
"One day, you're going to tell me what happened to you. That's if you can even talk, that is." Ridan was aware of the incredible opportunity presented to him - nothing much was known about the white-eyed man of legend, and to have the chance to fully interact with him was astounding.
As Ridan rummaged through the piles of old bandages and outdated papers strewn across his desk (he'd never been known as a tidy individual), he heard a slight moan emanate from the still figure on the bed. Herobrine rolled over onto his back, eyes still closed, a low murmuring coming from his partly-closed lips.
"Brother…"
Ridan frowned. So he could speak after all? Then why hadn't Herobrine-
"Son…"
"What? Did you just say…?" There was no record of Herobrine ever having a son, or a wife for that matter.
He must just be delirious, then.
Still, the notion nagged at Ridan. If Herobrine had had a son, what kind of person would he be? Would he share the same trait - those terrifying blank eyes - as his father? What would it be like, growing up under the care of a being like that? The warrior was spared further thought when Herobrine bolted upright from the spare bed, a thin sheen of sweat covering his face, white eyes wide and blinding.
"BROTHER!"
"Whoa! What the Nether?! Don't scare me like that!" After giving himself a couple of seconds for his furiously thudding heart to slow, he relinquished his grip on the iron sword at his side. Herobrine continued to breathe heavily, hands pressed over the bandages across his chest. Sure enough, they had been stained a dark crimson once again.
"Jeez, is this ever going to heal up?" Slowly, Ridan peeled the long strips of white cloth away as the being continued to stare uncomprehendingly into the distance, his rapid breathing starting to subside as he realised what a scene he was making. Ridan flinched slightly as Herobrine raised his arm, but the action was only to wipe the cold sweat from his face. "So, what were you dreaming about just then? Sounded… Intense."
"It is none of your business, mortal." The God's voice startled Ridan; a deep undertone of power perforated every syllable, rich and deathly soft, but Herobrine sounded slightly rusty and out of practise. It was as if he hadn't spoken for a long time.
"OK, OK, I'm sorry. You just appeared distressed." The blonde finished winding the fresh bandages around Herobrine's torso, allowing the white-eyed man to collapse gratefully back onto the bed. Silence resumed, a silence that stretched on for far too long to be comfortable. Eventually, Ridan couldn't stand the tense atmosphere any longer.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you have a son? You said-"
He didn't even have time to blink. One second, he was perched uncomfortably on the edge of his spare bed, tending to Herobrine's wounds, the next his back was flat against the far wall, a constricting pressure on his exposed throat. The being's face filled his vision, features grim and twisted in rage. Twisted in loss, too.
"Do not speak of that again, do you hear me?! I have no son."
"All right! I didn't know!" The inhibiting grip left as soon as it had arrived, leaving Ridan bent double and gasping for breath. Herobrine was back on the bed, stretched out, calm, showing no hint of the dark fury he had exhibited just moments ago. It was such an easy act for him, even in his grievously wounded state, Ridan realised. Such an easy act to toss him around as if he weighed nothing.
I've been too lax around him. Did I really think I could be a match for Herobrine? I've been underestimating him from the start.
No.
It's Herobrine who will underestimate me.
Desperately searching for any menial topic to change the subject, Ridan blurted out the first thought that entered his head.
"How did you get this wounded anyway?"
Great job, genius. That'll sure shift his focus away from killing you.
Herobrine chuckled quietly, watching the horrified expression on his companion's face. Obviously, he could read Ridan's visage as well as the warrior had expected. The man sobered, however, when he recalled the events that had led to his injury.
Should he tell Ridan? Would sharing the knowledge compromise him in any way?
Ridan will probably find out soon enough, if that brat returns to finish what he started. It is better that the mortal hears the story from me.
Herobrine began: "I was-"
Then there was a knock at the door.
Ha. Hahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! I'm so mean!
Well, I might post another chapter of this before "Blood Ties" because I'm having so much fun with this storyline, so you won't have to wait long!
Review answers yaaaaay...
pikamia555 - Me too, friend! 3 I love writing this fic, but I love reading nice reviews like this even more. Thank you! :D
meatboi123 - Why thank you! There will, inevitably, be more chapters to follow, because I really enjoy this fic! Glad I could entertain!
ATRpie - Yes, surprisingly, Ridan is not dead! Yet... And Herobrine can talk too! Conversations tend to be a little... one sided when he can't, after all! Thank you for all the compliments though, and for liking the fanart! Glad I could make you smile!
Blackdragon41 - OH MAH NOTCH YOU LIKE MY STORY YAAAAAY- I mean, thank you! Well, your wait is over - the next chapter is here (which you've probably just read, negating that statement, but never mind!). Happy writing to you too; can't wait for Hero's bane! And 57 under too, I've been constantly checking for an update to that!
Deeptiger55 - Yes, a lampshade! XD I might do a flashback or somethin' for that scene; it sounds so fun to write! Don't worry though - there will be plenty more unbearable cliffhangers to follow!
Jeez, this was a loooooong author's note...!
