The boy sat up. He ran his hand through his hair and felt a chill draft stroke his palm. Did Tnret have a hole in it? He looked up to check for damage. Wooden boards. Tommy wasn't in Tnret.
He opened his eyes and saw white walls with logs running through them at intervals. A few brewing stands bubbled in the corner and faint villager noises could be heard.
"Good morning." A monotone voice broke him from his confusion.
Tommy looked down. He knew the owner of that voice. The bloodthirsty beast he had once called an ally.
"Technoblade." Tommy said bluntly in recognition of the man.
He had yet to look at the beast, having last seen him covered in the blood of his friends, boar skull mask staring blankly with its shadowy orifices. That was months ago. The man presumably hadn't heard what had happened to the boy since then.
"How have you been, Tommy?"
The question took him by surprise. It had been so long since anyone had asked him that, and now it seemed like the only person that cared was this beastly traitor who had murdered those he used to care about.
"Fine." He answered blankly, not wanting to give the traitor any attention. He averted his gaze further, focusing on the blue sheets his lower half lay beneath.
Having finally regained sense and awareness, Tommy felt a soreness overcome his body. His legs ached, tiny lacerations spattered his limbs like poppies on a battlefield, his hands felt partially numb and his feet were barely moveable. He lifted the blue sheet to look at himself and noticed his feet and lower legs were a shade of purplish scarlet, as well as his hands. He rubbed them together, hoping to usher the numbness from them.
"Frostbite." The beast said monotonously.
Tommy felt a chill on his lower legs and immediately buried them under the blanket he had awoken beneath.
He looked towards the man for the first time since awakening. Not expecting much of a difference, Tommy was taken aback by Technoblade's appearance. His hair was by his side in a long braid, a smaller one dangled by his face which he quickly brushed back behind his pointed ear adorned with scars, rings and cuffs. The mans face bore no discernible expression, his eyes looked tired behind his gold rimmed glasses, and he seemed to have gained a few new scars over his existing many. Technoblade wore a blue and white outfit with red leather showing between the blue and white amour, presumably for warmth. The armour was rimmed in gold, a favourite of his, and had a gold chain running from one shoulder of a white hide cape to the other. His feet were housed in black boots with white fur emerging from the top, Tommy recognised those.
"Were you the one who found me out there?" Tommy asked, initiating conversation for once as he looked towards the shuttered windows of what he presumed was Technoblade's house.
"Yup," The man responded, "You were half frozen to death."
Tommy sighed, if Techno had left him out there then maybe he wouldn't have to continue being a nuisance to those around him. Surely, once Technoblade had kept the boy around for a while and realised how useless Tommy was, he would dispose of him himself. Tommy resigned himself to the fate he saw before him, what else could he do?
Tommy looked down at his lap again, gripping the sheets.
"Care to tell me why you were out there, alone, in rags and barely conscious?" Techno pushed.
Tommy felt numb. Techno was his brother yet they had never been close. They barely felt like brothers. He didn't want to tell the man, yet his lips moved faster than his thoughts.
"Have you heard what's happened this past month?" Tommy inquired bluntly.
"I heard a little from Phil." Techno responded in a tone reminiscent of sarcasm, techno knew everything.
"I left exile." Tommy started. "Something happened. I started walking. Passed out." He didn't want to explain everything to Techno, he would rather not think of it.
Techno nodded and hummed at Tommy's brief summary, seemingly taking in the little information he was provided.
"Those bastards really left you there, huh." Techno continued. "I wasn't expecting a move like that from Tubbo. Seems like his power got to him. Corrupted the kid."
Tommy found himself nodding in agreement without thinking. He caught himself and stopped.
"I've said it before, this is why one person can't rule everyone else, this is what government does to people. They throw out their most valuable assets, the ones that have sacrificed everything for their country." The beast like man stood up and walked towards a chest, his clunky boots thumping with each step. He pulled out armour and clothes similar to his, but tailored for someone with a more slight frame.
Tommy thought about what techno had said. He did sacrifice everything for the country that just threw him aside. He had cared for and given up so much for Tubbo, the one who decided to throw him out. It was unfair.
"The world is unfair, Tommy." Technoblade stated, almost as if he could read the boy's thoughts.
"How about we get those disks of yours back and regain a little balance?"
The man held out the armour and clothing towards the boy. Tommy stared at it, he then stared at the man, his gaze blank and empty. He knew what Techno was implying. Something clicked within Tommy, a spark flickered and lit up his stormy eyes.
He reached a cold hand out and took the clothing.
"Let's do it, Blade."
Tommy stated that with more emphasis than anything he had prior. He meant it.
Technoblade smirked and reached back in to his chest, pulling out the skull of what seemed to be a large carnivore, either canine or feline with protruding sharp teeth. A leather strap was attached to the mask. The man hung it up on a hook next to another skull mask, his own.
"For when it's time." Techno added.
Tommy nodded and begun to change his shirt as techno walked outside.
After a few minutes of snaking his way in to his new clothes, Tommy had changed in to the warm outfit Techno had provided. The outfit somehow fit perfectly. He had been given black leather gloves as well has thick woollen socks to go with his heavy fur lined boots. Techno had said that he would feel the cold more now that he had been frost bitten.
Tommy slid his hands in to the soft gloves, they were comforting. He brushing his hair back, it had gotten longer, just passing his eyes.
The boy picked up his tattered white and red shirt, along with his old jeans, the only items he had been able to keep throughout exile. He walked over to the furnace and slid them in to the white hot coals. He heard crackling as he moved over to a sturdy wooden chair.
"No going back." He muttered to himself.
Techno walked back in the room Tommy sat in, in his hands were a couple spider eyes. Tommy watched as he placed them in a chest and pulled an odd looking stone from the same container.
The man looked towards the blonde boy, his frame noticeably bulked out by the hefty armour.
"It looks good on you Tommy. Quite fitting." Techno said in his usual unenthusiastic voice.
Tommy hummed in response.
Techno motioned for the boy to follow him as he slunk his way out of the cabin, taking note of the scenery around him as he went. Tommy followed behind, tagging along reluctantly. He wanted to work with the man yet still didn't trust him enough to be comfortable.
He felt the cold breeze on his face and the cold sun shining down. Tommy retracted his head in to the soft neck of his outfit as they made their way across a patch of rough and snowy terrain. It had stopped snowing hours ago but the snow that lay was almost a foot deep. Tommy followed in Techno's footsteps to avoid any unforeseen holes in the ground.
Techno stopped a few metres ahead of Tommy, in front of a large stone wall. Tommy came to a halt a step or two away from Techno as the man cleared the snow from a crack and placed his unusual rock inside the crevice.
A rumbling sound made the landscape shudder.
Tommy's head spun around to look at the large wall and part of it fell downwards in to the ground. His eyes widened in surprise as his jaw fell at the sight of the contents inside.
The walls were lined with wither skulls.
Hundreds of them.
Techno walked in nonchalantly as the boy stood in shock, staring at the walls. In the back of the room stood an empty armour stand, chests rimmed the base of the walls.
Techno turned once he had reached the centre of the room.
"Welcome home Theseus."