"You really thought you could escape, didn't you?"
Ice cold chills ran down your spine. You didn't even have to turn around to recognize who was speaking to you.
"How foolish," They mocked. You could practically see their smug expression. "Thought you were smarter than that... guess you'll have to pay now."
Tyche yanked on your arm, screaming and crying as she was being violently pulled away from you. You watched in shock, body frozen and throat tight. Tears were streaming down your face as you tried to yell but nothing would come out. You just stood there with an open mouth and wide teary eyes while Tyche was pulled from you.
One of the guards walked in front of you, raising a sword laced with some kind of black goo to your head. His arm was bandaged and his face looked vaguely familiar. You didn't have enough time to process his appearance before the sword swung back, causing your breath to get caught in your throat.
As the sword swung towards you, you closed your eyes, bracing yourself for the painful, life-ending strike.
•••
Springing up from the bed, you woke up with a violent start. The sweat made your forehead uncomfortably sticky, causing you to unconsciously wipe it away. Although you were already overwhelmed by the current situation, you opened your eyes, thrusting yourself back into reality.
At first, everything was blurry, colors and shapes mixing with each other to form a weird blob of color. You heard shuffling as a hesitant hand settled on your shoulder. Even though the touch was gentle, you jumped away, head darting over to look at whoever touched you. The blur cleared as you blinked several times, the image of Dream becoming clearer. The weird blob of color representing Dream's face formed into a clearer image of his smiling white mask. His head was tilted, his hand hovering out towards you but not touching. His other hand held his midnight black axe but it was hanging limply at his side.
You were breathing heavily, chest rising and falling to the point you almost felt light-headed. Your hand was shaky as you brought it up to your face, rubbing the side of it with your hand. Clearly, you were crying, the tears falling from your eyes making your palm wet.
"Hey," Dream said with an airy voice, "What's wrong?"
"I-" You coughed, realizing your throat was sore and scratchy, "It was just a nightmare."
Dream hummed expectantly, leaning back to give you more space.
"I don't want to talk about it," You mumbled, your body curling into itself. It wasn't like you didn't trust Dream, you just didn't want to replay the terrifying moments over again. Talking about it would make it seem more real.
An image of Tyche suddenly popped back into your head, making you bite your tongue and shut your eyes momentarily. Then, a sudden thought hit you.
Where's Tyche?
Your eyes shot back open, running over the bed and the room. Although you knew she was no longer in bed with you, your hands ran over the sheets in false hope.
"Woah, calm down," Dream asserted, placing a firm hand on your shoulder, "If you're looking for Tyche, Techno took her to bed."
"What?" You babbled, even though you heard him clearly, "But I promised her I'd be there. I-I said I would stay with her."
"Tyche said it was okay. You were still there when she woke up, she was just moved to her room."
"Then.... why didn't you wake me up?"
"Techno thought you needed rest," Dream answered, "Especially with everything going on today."
You squint your eyes at him, "What do you mean?"
"I don't know the full extent of it but you need to get ready. I'll take you to Techno after, he should have more answers for you."
You took a deep breath before nodding your head, swinging your legs over the side of the bed. Dream led you back to your room and stood outside as you cleaned up, making yourself look at least presentable for the day.
As you two walked down the hallway, you felt more sluggish than normal. It seemed that the nightmare got in the way of your peaceful sleep and left you tired. That and the extraordinary amount of stress and terror you felt yesterday before falling asleep.
Dream suddenly stopped in front of you, causing you to run into him and stumble back. The collision startled Dream, making him twist around sharply. He didn't say or do anything as you regained your balance and composure, he just stared at you.
"Are you going to be okay today? I can ask Techno to push things back until you feel better."
"I'll be fine," You answered sharply, a slight boiling feeling formed under your skin. Did Dream really think you weren't capable? You're fine. A little nightmare wouldn't change anything. Then, a sense of regret sat in your stomach. You shouldn't have lashed out at him. Dream's only trying to help.
The conflicting feelings made you feel sick but you were too stubborn to say anything after snapping at Dream. The green-clad man leaned back when you snapped at him, almost as if he was physically taken aback by your outburst. However, he recovered quickly, returning to his previous stance but with tense shoulders.
"Okay," He responded, drawing it out a bit, "Well, if you need anything you can talk to me."
His response only made you feel worse about lashing out at him.
"For now, though, you'll be with Techno." Dream motioned to the double door on his right.
You nodded, head hanging lower than normal. "You're not going to stay with us?"
Dream shook his head. "Don't need me guarding when Techno is there. I'll be looking after Tyche."
The name made your head perk up. "Tyche? Will you tell her I'm sorry about earlier? And I'll pay her back with cookies."
"I already told you Tyche said it was okay but if it makes you feel better, yes," Dream chuckled under his mask.
"Thanks, Dream," You responded, a small smile settling on your face, "Talk to you later?"
The man only responded with a nod before opening one of the double doors and motioning for you to walk in. You did as he said, walking through the door. The room was fairly large, being slightly smaller than your bedroom. Technoblade was standing behind a large desk in the middle of the room that was cluttered with yellow folders and loose paper. The round-rimmed glasses that sat on the hybrid's face slid down, causing him to push them back up. You stood just beyond the door, watching as he moved from paper to paper as if he was looking for something.
"I-uh-was told to see you?"
Technoblade's head shot up to look at you. After a second, he took off his glasses and walked in front of his desk, sitting in one of the armchairs. You sat in the armchair across from him, placing both of your hands in your lap.
"Yes. We have a lot to do today but I thought it would be better if I explained everything first."
You squeezed your hands tightly. "What's happening? Dream wouldn't tell me anything."
Technoblade sighed, leaning back into the armchair. "The attack last night has caused chaos in the fortress."
The mention of the event made you hold your breath and replay the events in your head. You had to start bouncing your leg to avert your attention.
"Everywhere within a 20 chunk radius was searched but nothing was found. The only evidence we have is the arrow and the broken glass."
Techmoblade took another deep breath before continuing, "The Elders want to have a meeting to discuss what to do now. I thought you should be there."
Your eyebrows furrowed at his statement, the bouncing of your leg pausing, "Why?"
"They want to exile you."
His blunt statement made your heart sink. They want to get rid of you? They want to send you back to the overworld? This wasn't fair, you didn't do anything. How about Tyche? What would happen to her if you leave?
What would happen to you? The Greshams are surely still looking for you and you'd be killed the moment they find you. Being exiled might as well be executing you.
"The Elders think that you were a part of the attack," Technoblade added, "They thought it was weird how you showed up with Tyche. Not many people would risk their lives for a Nether hybrid. Also, the fact that this all started when you showed up makes them weary."
Each addition made you curl more and more into yourself. Did they really not trust you? They think that you're too good of a person to bring Tyche home? The thought of being exiled and taken away from Tyche made you want to cry. You finally found someone you cared about after your parents passed. At this point, Tyche was like a daughter to you. You were finally becoming close with Dream, being able to call him a good friend. And all of it will be ripped away because you were too nice.
"Why are you telling me this?" Your voice cracked, emotions seeping through.
"I want you to be there to defend yourself. This is about your life, your future."
You nodded as Technoblade paused, leaning forward in his chair.
"I also don't believe you have a part in this whole mess," He admitted, "I've seen the way you talk about Tyche and Dream has talked a lot about you. It just doesn't make sense for you to go through all of this for something as stupid as a promotion."
The confession made the uneasiness in your stomach settle. At least Technoblade thought you were telling the truth. It made you feel accepted by him which is a huge milestone in your mind, to gain the approval and trust of Tyche's father. It made you determined to face the Elders, to fight for your position in the Nether and next to Tyche. They shouldn't be able to exile you because you came from the overworld, because you had an attack on your life.
"How do I convince them I'm not part of it? That it's worth keeping me here rather than turning me in?"
The corner of Technoblade's mouth rose into a crooked smile. "I could try and argue that you saved Tyche but they already think that it was all a setup. I think you're going to have to be willing to give as much information about the Greshams as you can."
"I'll do that," You agreed immediately, "Anything anyone wants to know, I'll give it. This is my life now, I'm not going back with the Greshams."
After all, your family is here with Tyche and those you trust. And the people who trust you.
•••
My google doc with this is almost 80 pages long. I feel like I'm crazy. It takes a good 30 seconds to load every time I open it lol.
Also, this wasn't proofread because I'm tired and don't have time so if you find mistakes, it's okay to tell me.
Hope you all have a great day/night <3