River and Wood, A Minecraft Tale

Chapter Twelve, Pisces Village

"He's not a pillager anymore. He won't hurt you, he's with me. I trust him with everything I have. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead." River defended. The two fishermen seemed to calm down after that, "Well, we may not trust him, but we trust your word, Hero." Edward stated. Elias nodded his head in agreement. River smiled at them, "Thank you. And it's River by the way. I've finally found a name for myself." The brothers nodded, "Alright, River. You must be freezing in those wet clothes. You two can go below deck and change into the extra clothing we have if you like." She thanked them once again and accepted the offer without a second guess. After all their toes and fingers were so numb, she thought they might fall off. Ushering Wood to follow her, they began to make their way down below the main deck. The ship wasn't that big, as it only had two levels rather than three or four. The bottom had two rooms, one for sleeping, and another for storing caught fish. She and Wood reached it without any issues. River located the extra wooly clothes with ease. They were piled in a barrel underneath one of the beds. She handed wood a tunic, a cloak, and a new pair of trousers. For herself, she grabbed the same thing only she left out the cloak since it wouldn't fit with her armor. Without thinking she began to remove her diamond armor as well as the clothing she was wearing underneath. "W-What're you doing? I can step outside if you want privacy." Wood objected at first. She smirked, "I saw you shirtless, why does it matter if you see me shirtless? Besides, I trust you." With that in mind, he shrugged and began to remove his clothes as well. As much as he tried not to look over at her, he couldn't help but glance and scold himself for being so intruding. In his defense, she looked so beautiful when she wasn't submerged in all of that armor.

The new clothes were loose on her, but she was able to secure it all with a brown leather belt. Her armor was secured over it since she had to either wear it or stuff it in her satchel. As for Wood, it felt nice to have a hood again. The clothing was a little tight on him since he was taller than most villagers, but it didn't matter. As long as it was warm, there was no complaining. When they were both dressed, they made their way back onto the deck. Edward and Elias were each occupied. Elias was taking care of the sails while Edward took his place behind the small steering wheel. River took a seat near the side of the ship, and Wood soon joined her. While they sat, she pulled out her satchel to see if whether or not the ocean had done any damage to their items. Most of the tools survived, such as her diamond sword, pickaxe, and compass. The map of what she now figured was, the end, was soaking wet, but she knew a cartographer in the villager that could salvage it. Her other maps of the terrain were fine, but the ink was a little smudged. However, their food was now far too soggy, salty, and gross to be edible. "We can't stay in the village for long. We'd be putting everyone in danger if we do..." River sighed tiredly. All she wanted to do was sleep. The sun above them was close to setting, giving the sky a nice hue of pink. "Well, that'll give us enough time to recollect ourselves." He tried to be a little positive. "Yes, but... now we have another reason to be on the run. Wood, I don't know why my ancestors were who they were, but I feel.... I feel I have to go to the end. I need to kill the ender dragon. Not just for my race, but for everyone else. If the beast still has the power to kill, that's exactly what your father wants it to do. Who's to say he couldn't unleash it into the over world if he desired? No one is safe if we don't do something."

Wood thought for a moment. The last thing he wanted her do was embark on a quest that might permanently kill her. Yet, he also knew how strong she was and that she'd do it anyway whether he wanted it or not. "River, if you want to face the ender dragon, I'm coming with you. Your mine to protect and I'm yours to rely on. That's a promise." He finally said. River leaned against him, head resting on his shoulder. He returned the favor by wrapping an arm around her. It somehow felt warm again when they did.

"WOOD AND RIVER SITTING IN A TREE-"

"SHUT UP ELIAS!" Edward shushed his brother before going to ring the bell once again. "Land ho! We're home!" Both Wood and River stood up from their seats, rushing to the front of the boat to get a good view of their destination. Below them, were ice burgs that floated aside to let the ship pass. They were met with the new sight of snow and icicles. Wood had never seen snow before, so he was in quiet awe. As for River, she smiled slightly, for it had been almost a year since she had last been here. The port was nearby, which the ship docked rather quickly. River turned to Edward and Elias, "Thank you again for saving us, we are forever in your debt." Edward chuckled and replied, "It's the least we could do ever since you saved us from the northern invaders!" With that, she tipped her hat, and both herself and wood made their way into town. Pisces Village was known for their fishing industry, unlike Cadia Village which was mostly farming. The smell of the sea was still strong, and so was the faint scent of firewood. "Stay close to me, I um... I don't want people to be afraid." She told him. Wood nodded, and decided to take advantage of the situation by holding her hand. Her face went slightly pink, but she didn't protest. In fact, he made her smile by doing so. They walked down the cobblestone street, where the marketplace was buzzing with villagers. Most people recognized her and happily welcomed her back, almost completely ignoring Wood. The others were too afraid to approach, and stayed put behind their carts of goods.