it's 1:30AM, and thus technically Monday. update time


Stephen gasped as he was slammed onto his back on the ground, rolling over and scrambling upright as his chest heaved.

"Fight fair!" He protested through gasps.

"Fair?" Cafos echoed, taking a large step back with his wings flared behind him. "In a real battle, your opponent would be using every opportunity they had to kill you."

"If I'm not allowed to teleport, you're not allowed to use your wings!" Stephen shot back. His chest ached from the blow, and he had a hunch that he would have a nasty bruise there later.

"Lucius only gave you a handicap. Not me." Cafos brushed him off. "Come on, then, Stephen." Steve grimaced, but found his stance again before he lunged at his opponent.

Ten minutes later, Stephen was sitting up against a tree beside the sparring grounds, holding a cool cloth over his freshly blackened eye. He was strong, fast, and trained by Notch's most elite fighting force. But, so was Cafos, and Cafos was a valkyrie. Also, he hated him.

Cafos was maybe six months to a year older than Stephen, and he had hated him for his entire life. For years, Steve had tried to befriend him, tried to mend whatever rift lay between them, but eventually he was forced to give up. Nothing he did worked. So he simply tried to avoid him as much as possible. Unfortunately, since Cafos was the closest to his age of the Sons of the Aether, they were frequently paired up together for training and sparring. Sometimes, Steve thought bitterly, it seemed like Lucius liked seeing him beaten.

But, his mentor had told him time and time again that being defeated would only make him stronger. So he had ceased his complaining a long time ago, enduring the harassment and bullying in the various forms it took. It was never too bad - outside of sparring, Cafos never directly attacked him. The worst he had to endure were shoves and dirty remarks.

The sound of a bell ringing came from the center of camp, and Cafos responded immediately, taking off to join the others for the noon meal. Steve lagged behind. Maybe he'd be able to avoid the bully if he joined them a few minutes late.

Eventually, Stephen made his way to the center of camp, grabbed his portion, and vanished off into the woods to eat alone. Usually getting beaten didn't bother him too much, but today he was in too much of a sour mood to endure comments about it. So, he teleported high into a sturdy spruce tree, and settled down on a thick branch to eat his meal.

It wasn't as if he had ever done anything to Cafos. He had always been a jerk, and his cruelty had grown to a peak when Stephen was around thirteen. Steve would assume that he was just a bully, but none of the other trainees had to deal with his abuse. His theory was that Cafos targeted him because he was different, something that he would hopefully one day grow out of.

Finishing the last of his meal, Stephen shifted and teleported back to the ground, intent on finding Lucius to get his next assignment.

"Hey." A voice behind him made him startle, and he spun to find Alexis standing behind him. "You- what happened to your face?"

"Alex- you shouldn't be so close to camp!" Stephen hissed, looking around frantically to make sure none of the valkyries were nearby. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Alexis lowered his voice, setting her hands on her hips. "You were supposed to meet me an hour ago." Stephen's gaze flickered up to the sky, and realized with a sinking feeling that the sun was far lower than he'd thought.

"Sorry…" he dashed a hand through his hair, grimacing. "I got lost in thought."

"Looks like you lost a fight, too." Alexis pointed out.

"I did, I guess. I was sparring."

"Badly?"

"No, my opponent just hates me." Stephen turned away, back towards the camp. "Go and hide, I'll… bring you something."

"Hey, Stevie." Alexis grabbed his arm, and he glanced back with one eyebrow raised.

"'Stevie'?"

"Rolls off the tongue. Anyway, it's fine, I found a patch of mushrooms earlier." She told him. "Why don't you come and rest with me? It looks like you could use it." Steve pursed his lips.

"Look, that sounds nice, but Lucius will notice if I don't show up."

"Just for a few minutes," Alex implored him. "Come on." Stephen frowned, looking again to the camp, but his resolve was crumbling.

"Alright." He said at last. "Just for a few minutes." Alexis grinned, grabbing his hand and pulling him deeper into the woods.


"So not all is well in the world of the great Stephen, elite-warrior-of-Notch in training?"

Stephen frowned at Alex's teasing, rubbing at his bruised face. "Not exactly."

"I gotta hand it to you for managing to make an enemy in a camp of maybe thirty people." Alexis offered him a cloth, soaked with cool river water. "That takes gumption."

"I didn't try to- what does 'gumption' even mean?" Stephen pressed the cloth against his eye, and she nodded approvingly. "He's not even my enemy, he's just a bully."

"Ah." Alexis pulled a face. "I've had my fair share of those." Stephen nodded tiredly, glancing up at the clouds that milled about overhead. It would probably rain tonight. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Is that why you're moping?"

"I'm not moping," Steve protested halfheartedly. "Just annoyed."

"You were hiding up in a tree, and you keep staring morosely off into the woods." Alexis pointed out. Steve pursed his lips. Alright, maybe he was moping a bit. "Well, why doesn't this guy like you? You seem likable enough to me."

"I'd like to think so." He sighed. "Cafos is just… he's just mean. Though… I guess he has reason to. His father was killed on a mission when he was very young. That probably grates on-" Alexis bapped his arm. "-ow."

"Don't make excuses for him." She scolded. "You grew up without a father too, didn't you? And that didn't turn you into a punk."

"I… yeah." Though he had never voiced it, Stephen had always considered Lucius to be his surrogate father. The valkyrie had taken a pivotal role in his upbringing, as well as being his primary teacher while he was trained to be a warrior. "I guess."

"Maybe he's just an ### to-"

"Language." Stephen interrupted.

"Maybe he's just a jerk to you because he can get away with it." Alexis poked his arm, and he pulled it against his side.

"Yeah, and they do let him get away with it." Steve's frustration began to seep into his voice. "Lucius says that healthy competition is good for me… good for both of us." Alexis lifted her hand, cool fingers pressing gently to his cheek below the bruise.

"That doesn't look healthy to me."

"Doesn't feel healthy either." Steve muttered. Above them, the softest strains of thunder rolled through the sky. "I should get back."

"Right." Alex's hand dropped. "I'm going to go find a rock to huddle under." Steve gave her a wry half-smile.

"Good luck." Standing, Stephen teleported away, making his way to the opposite side of camp as the first drops of rain began to fall.


Ezekiel squinted out into the dimness as thunder rolled above him, nearly drowned out by the pounding of the pouring rain. An entire siege wagon could be just beyond the curtain of water, he reflected, and he would neither see nor hear it in this dismal weather. At least this would be a very odd location to try and siege, and whoever was attempting to attack them would be as impeded by the weather as they were.

Leaning on the shaft of his spear, Ezekiel heaved a sigh, pinning his wings tightly against his back to avoid the water getting between his feathers. How long had it been since he'd started his shift? An hour? Maybe an hour and a half? He would have at least three hours to go, which, as the rain continued to fall, was sounding steadily more miserable. Already he was aching for the comfort of the stronghold's halls, his warm cot beside a fireplace. He was going to sleep well tonight, that much was for sure.

Something caught his attention out in the rain - a light?

Ezekiel lifted his head, shielding his eyes with his hand to get a better look at it. The smallest pinpricks of light could be seen out in the darkness, which, as he continued to look, were attached to a human form. A man was walking through the pouring rain, slow, a pronounced limp in one leg as his eyes glowed steadily from his face.

Ezekiel frowned, unease snaking up through his stomach. Perhaps this was just a traveler seeking shelter from the rain, but his gut told him there was more at work here. The valkyrie took a step back, intending to turn and fetch one of the inner wall guards to accompany him.

In the blink of an eye, the man had traveled fifty feet, and Ezekiel was grabbed by the collar of his tunic and slammed back against the retaining wall.

"Go ahead," The man sneered, resting the blade of a silver longsword against his neck. "Sound the alarm."

Ezekiel gasped, fumbling uselessly for his sword until the pressure of the blade of his throat stopped him. The stranger was tall, able to look him in the eye- something few humans could boast. His eyes were blank and white, and a pronounced scar ran down the right side of his jaw.

"Who are you?!" Ezekiel demanded. "What ar-"

"I am death." The man snarled, causing the rest of his words to die in his throat. "Tell me what I want to know, and I will kill you quickly. Otherwise…" The blade slid along his throat, and Ezekiel winced at the sting. "…it takes a rather long time for one to drown in their own blood."

"I will tell you nothing." Ezekiel growled. His hand inched for his sword again- if he could only get a hold of it…

"I advise you to reconsider." The man pulled him forward just enough to slam him back into the wall, and Ezekiel cried out, arching with pain as his wings took the brunt of the blow. "Tell me, valkyrie…" the man hissed into his ear. "…where can I find an Aether portal?" Ezekiel blinked, gasping for breath.

"…i-if I knew such a thing, I certainly would not tell you."

"LIAR!" He slammed him into the wall again, and this time Ezekiel thrashed, driving his knee into the man's stomach. This gave him just enough room to draw his sword, thrusting recklessly towards the man's chest. His strike was met, matched, and his sword driven aside, leaving him helpless to defend himself from the stranger's killing blow.

Leaving the valkyrie's body behind, Herobrine moved on, entering through the gates in search of his next victim.


remember to leave a comment. please. i am starving

~FFF