War-Torn Hearts - An Empires SMP S2 War AU

Chapter 4

fWhip stood at the entrance to his cave, shielding his eyes. It had been forever since he'd seen the sunlight, and it was still painful every time.

"LORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORELORE!!!!"

Oh my god, fWhip thought. It was Joel again, flying past the entrance to his empire of the Goblands, wreaking havoc. fWhip wasn't sure how Scott handled him. To be honest, he wasn't sure how any of the northern empires handled him - he was a most absurd being. For a god, he sure was immature. But then again, who in these lands wasn't?

Anyway, he was getting off-topic. No more distractions - fWhip had work to do. Flying gods shouting words of wisdom aside, he needed to go to Gem's. He needed to get some answers. Word of mouth doesn't exactly reach the caves.

He took to the skies, a gust of wind almost knocking him to the ground. He recovered from his unsteady take-off and headed towards Dawn.

*****

Several minutes later he landed at Gem's starter house. He knocked on the door politely before barging in.

"Gem, hey!"

Gem was sitting at her table, staring into space. She jumped. "Oh, dear Saint BDUBS fWhip! Don't EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

fWhip laughed. "Okay, okay! Sorry. But I need your help."

"Okay...who did you kill?" She asked, only half joking. fWhip had kidnapped Oli from her empire only weeks before, making her paranoid.

"That... war that's happening."

Gem immediately narrowed her eyes.

"Yes?"

"I don't know who to side with. I was wondering who you were with."

Gem was hesitant to answer. She didn't want her decision to affect his.

"I... guess I'm with Shelby?"

fWhip was silent.

"Oh."

Gem was extremely confused. "Do you have a problem with that?"

fWhip wasn't sure what to think.

"I...was thinking of siding with Joey."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Gem was close to tears. "Does this mean..."

"Yeah. I guess it does."

She jumped up and was by his side in seconds. She hugged him.

"Come to Shelby's side."

He sighed.

"I can't. I believe in Joey, I think he'll win."

"fWhip, you're my only friend." She said, burying her face into fWhip's shoulder, trying to stop the rush of tears.

"It's okay...isn't it? We can still be friends..." he stopped, realising how untrue that statement was.

"At least, we can still be friends when all this is over."

Gem started to cry.

"What if...I mean, we can't guarantee that we'll both-"

fWhip cut her off. "You are not going to die."

"This is not about me, fWhip." she said bluntly "Swear on it. Swear no one will get hurt."

When he remained silent, she jumped up at the opportunity.

"See? You can't prove that."

fWhip didn't want to promise anything that he couldn't control. He liked to think rationally.

But when it came to Gem, nothing he did was ever rational.

"I swear on my life. I won't let you or I or anyone else get hurt."

The Sun Princess choked out a sob. "You can't control the future."

fWhip looked fiercely determined.

"Yes, I can."

If Gem was sceptical, she didn't show it. She just buried her head further into fWhip's shoulder, determined to stop this constant flow of tears.

fWhip then realised something.

As long as this war would go on, Gem would never be safe. What he had to do would break his heart. But it was for the best.

"Gem, you have to leave. Run. This place..." He gestured to the world around them. "It's not safe anymore. Run. Just run."

She stopped crying out of pure shock. "I- run? Run where?!"

fWhip sighed. "Anywhere but here."

"Oh, fWhip...don't make me leave. I can't leave my team. I can't leave you!"

fWhip started to back away. "You can. You have to."

"No!" Gem ran towards him, but he had turned on his heel and already flown off.

"No..." She said faintly. So faintly that fWhip thought he had imagined it.

He looked down and watched her slump to the ground, her body racked with sobs. They seemed as if they would shake all the air out of her.

fWhip started to cry himself, tears stinging his face against the harsh wind.

*****

He landed safely back in his empire, dried tears staining his face. He brushed them away.

Gem would be okay. She would.

He kicked a pile of rocks over in rage, accidentally summoning a warden. It rose out of the ground, sniffing the air. fWhip had never seen a more intimidating sniff.

"I- Shit!!!"

He flew to the higher part of his cave, narrowly dodging a bright blue blast from the creature.

That was close. He thought. Too close.

He turned and noticed that his mailbox was slightly ajar. He opened it to see a letter from Joey, the page crinkled and torn.

"Bloody hell... I don't need this right now."

He ripped the letter in half, throwing it to the ground. He thought for a moment, before picking it up again.

Dear fWhip,

I summon thee to a meeting with your supreme leader in battle, Pirate Joe, and his trusty followers. Be there at 7 pm sharp.

Or else.

fWhip immediately tore the letter into shreds.

"The war can't start already... Gem hasn't left the land yet!" He exclaimed, throwing the tiny papers far into the depths of the deep dark, where the warden gladly gobbled them up.

He choked back a sob. When he spoke, his words sound strangled. Desperate.

"Gem, wherever you are, stay safe. For me."

The almighty King of the Caves and ruler of Gobland, with the heart of a lion and as bold as brass, slumped against the rocky cave wall, finally letting the tears fall.

It was about fucking time.

DOUBLE CHAPTERS MY FRIENDS!

Have a nice day :DDDDDDDDD

-minimushr00m