please help me I have 11 WIPs


It was raining.

The raindrops beat against her face as she lay on her back, the sticky mud beneath her soaking into her clothes and feathers. She ached too much to try and pull herself free. All she could do was shut her eyes against the oppressive raindrops, and hope they stopped before she grew too weak from blood loss to stand.

Thunder rolled overhead, and she wondered if the storm was some sort of divine punishment for her sins. It seemed like the sort of consequence that would befall her - dishonored, disgraced, fallen. An extra nudge to ensure that her punishment killed her.

At least, she acknowledged, the rain and freezing mud numbed the pain of her bloody wing. The cold was uncomfortable, but she would not die in agony.

The rain and thunder roared in her ears, and she did not hear the approaching footsteps until they were all but upon her.

Her eyes flew open. A silhouette stood above her, seemingly unbothered by the downpour. Her heart rate quickened, then slowed again. No wings, human. She shut her eyes again, resigned to her fate- until hands hooked under her shoulders and dragged her out of the mud.

A small cry escaped her as agony shot through her wing, her vision blurring with pain as she clawed at the hands on her. The human spoke, but the cacophony of the storm all but drowned out what they were trying to say. Her continued resistance had no effect on them, as her stiff body was grasped, lifted, and slung over a warm shoulder. Warm… at least there was that.

Evangeline could think of any number of things that a human could want with a wounded, helpless valkyrie, but she was far too exhausted to dwell on them. Instead, she succumbed to the welcoming darkness and passed out.


When she woke, the sensation that greeted Evangeline was pain.

A low groan eased from her throat before she could stop it, and she instinctively tried to draw her wing against her body. The movement only doubled her pain, startling her the rest of the way awake. Her eyes flew open with a sharp gasp, and her gaze alit on… dirt?

"Good morning." A voice greeted her. Evangeline looked down, then shifted, getting her arm underneath her to assist in propping herself up enough to study her surroundings.

She was laying on a low cot in a small, one-room hovel that appeared to have been carved out of a hillside, as other than the wooden supports it was made entirely out of dirt. It was lit by the warm, golden light of a cook fire, over which was hanging an iron kettle. The room was sparsely furnished, containing only a table and single chair - upon which sat a man whom she could only conclude was her host.

The man was tall for a human, with dark hair and a trimmed beard. He was of average build, and Evangeline was struck by surprise at the ease at which he had been able to lift her. He was dressed in simple clothes, shades of teal and blue, and there was nothing particularly remarkable about him except for…

…his eyes.

Evangeline's heart seemed to stop as she met her host's unwavering gaze. Unlike a human's eyes, with dark pupils, or a valkyrie's with irises ringed with gold, this man's eyes were… blank. Not only that, but they shimmered with a faint, otherworldly glow, and Evangeline realized with a stab of alarm that she had seen this face before.

A small sigh escaped the man's lips as she stared at him, and he took a sip from his mug before he addressed her.

"I take it by the look on your face that you recognize me," He stated. Evangeline nodded, her mouth dry.

"Herobrine."

That name still struck fear into hearts in many parts of the Overworld, even though the tale was all but myth to this generation of humans. It had been nearly 300 years since Herobrine, the tyrant king of the nether, had been ousted from his throne and banished from his home dimension by Notch's heavenly armies. Evangeline had been a part of that battle, one of the archers that laid down a hail of arrows to drive him away from populated areas of the Nether and Overworld. Though she had only gotten a glimpse of his face at the time, the anger and malice in those pale eyes had been enough for her to remember them even after all this time.

Except… there was no malice in them now. Herobrine regarded her with calm, slight interest on his face as he lounged in the wooden chair. Evangeline's fists tightened in the sheets as she cleared her throat.

"Why am I here." Her voice cracked with disuse. Herobrine rose from his seat, making her stiffen, but he only went to take the kettle from the fire and pour its contents into a second cup.

"So you don't freeze." He answered, ambling towards her to offer her the cup. Evangeline hesitated, then took it. If it were, by chance, poisoned, she presumed it would be a far quicker death than some alternatives. She took a small sip. The taste was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant, and she lowered the mug into her lap to allow it to cool.

"What business is it of yours if I do?" She went on. Herobrine merely shrugged.

"I don't mean you any harm, valkyrie, if that's what you're asking." He said. "300 years is a long time to hold a grudge." Evangeline fell silent at that. She didn't believe him, and she had many more questions, but did not want to provoke him. So, she just nodded and looked back down at her tea. "You're welcome to leave if you wish." Herobrine nodded to the crude, wooden door. 'I just thought you looked like you could use some assistance." He glanced back at her wing, and Evangeline turned, analyzing the damage for the first time.

The arrow that had pierced her wing had been removed, the area now completely swathed in off-white bandages. Some bloody feathers remained, but many of the affected ones had been trimmed down to get them out of the way. The mud was gone as well, other than a few traces of dirt. Evangeline's gaze dropped down to her body, and she found herself… slightly cleaner, but her skin and clothes were still stained with mud.

She looked up to Herobrine again, now confused. So he had come across her, wounded and helpless, and… taken her to shelter? Cleaned and treated her injured wing, placed her in his own bed to sleep? For some reason, the question that stood out most starkly to her was how she had remained asleep through all of this.

"How do you know how to treat a wing injury?" Were the first words out of her mouth. Herobrine gave her a half-smile.

"I have not always been at odds with the Aether." Was his response. Evangeline didn't answer. This was news to her.

"Well," She finally replied. "If you're hoping that by assisting me you will return into their good graces, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." She lifted her heavy gaze to meet his again. "I've been banished."

Herobrine blinked in surprise, then, to her confusion, chuckled. "What a pair we make then, hmm?" He shook his head, a smile playing about his lips. "I had no such ulterior motives. All I wanted was to get you through the night."

"Why?" Evangeline couldn't hold back the question any longer.

"I told you already." Herobrine drained his cup, then stood again. "300 years is a long time to hold a grudge. It's also a long time to stew in one's own bitterness. I'm not the same man I was as on the day of the final battle." He moved towards the door. "Get some rest, valkyrie. Drink your tea." Evangeline's eyes dropped to her cup again, and by the time she looked up he was gone.

Evangeline emitted a quiet sigh, studying her surroundings again before obediently taking a sip from the mug. As potential circumstances went after being thrown out of the Aether, this wasn't… too bad.

Now all she needed to do was figure out what to do with the rest of her life.