(Just in case you're a little confused, I just combined chapters 1 and 2, so yeah. The numbers have been pushed back a little bit.)
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It was evening already. You preferred just walking around the nearly empty halls, not having to talk to everyone. Indeed, the rest of the castle had a darker brick and wood scheme than the added-on ball room. The lanterns were all naturally lit by flame, most of the light coming in from the large windows lining the walls to the outside world. Beyond that...more city. Almost..endless city...
There was also this, strange, fortress feeling to the place. In some spaces along the wall it looked as if long ago there had been once been just thick stone, with small holes in it only large enough for arrows and spears to be sent through; distant corners which had once been filled with ammo, now holding crates for harmless items like food and blankets; and even entire rooms where once hundreds of soldiers had been bunked, now repurposed as storage space. Indeed, this castle of old was built for war. Now, the peaceful sky had sent the fortress into a lifelong hibernation. However still its hidden history loomed in your mind as you thought again and again about the purpose of it.
You hated its ever so living GUT. Though you knew it were no live beast...you wished you could slay it as one.. You wished to avenge your people; take back what was rightfully yours!-
"Didn't expect to see you here.." Spinning quickly on your heels, you saw a figure of a man. THE man, to be precise. Herobrine stood leaning against one of the dark oak pillars, staring out a window at the brown and grey city beyond. A huff left his mouth; a sigh of discontentment. "Listen, I'm sorry about what my mom has put you through... She had good intentions at heart, however, it didn't take her long to emotionally separate herself from your kind... It is a struggle to stay connected; that I can assure; but is still no excuse to see the mortals such as yourself as 'pawns'... And for that I understand there is little to defend her with."
"...What could POSSIBLY be in that diary of yours that would be so.. embarrassing.. for you? *Little gasp* Did you KILL someone?" You asked.
"I've killed many, remember.?" He stated, though, there was no pride, no joy, not one positive emotion in sight. In fact, his tone stooped to sound shameful, even. This interested you, for you had always imagined this man as a laughing maniac, who for decoration alone would hang the wings of Falks on the walls of his castle, gloating to all who saw about those "glory days." This was...unexpected..
"Yh.. yeahh?.." You did still tremble slightly at the reminder, though, having to remind yourself that this was, indeed, still the same one responsible for your kind's near extinction.
"Then sleep soundly knowing it wasn't something like that. Just...personal stuff...I would not prefer my people knowing about.." Again, his glowing gaze wandered to the window, staring aloof toward the horizon. The sun would be setting soon on the complete opposite side of the sky.
You stood stiffly in his presence, scratching at your own hand anxiously. When Herobrine appeared to lose interest in you, you ever so slightly bowed, turning to skip away.
"I know you lied to me." His voice clashed harshly into the back of your eardrum; your entire body froze, head completely sinking in-between your shoulders. You were too scared to turn and face him. Too terrified at the thought this might be your last moment alive.. "...You don't like rocks as much as you said you did.." For some reason the sound of his claim slipped out cooly; you could practically hear the smirk on his lips.
Then, you heard a step in your direction, followed by another, slower one. Shivers arose, bending your hairs from head to toe to stand up. Still you had little to no idea how Herobrine would react to even the littlest of attempts at deceit.
"So, what is it you really like, then?" A hand was placed on your shoulder; big and strong. Doesn't matter that his question sounded friendly. He was still...him.. Your skin under his hand screamed, your muscles fighting moreso to stay still than to jerk away. Sweat ran down your forehead, mind already imagining all the ways you could die right here and now. "...Are you okay?" His little smile turned to concern as he felt your whole body shiver under the weight of his hand.
Slowly, he turned you around, even more worried to see your face pale; your eyes glossed over, refusing again to make eye contact with his.
"..(Y/n)...?"
Slowly, your hand rose, grasping his loose hand with your own shaky one, and ever so carefully lifted it off of your shoulder. Then, you dropped his hand at your side. "..Don't touch me..." You whispered. Still, your eyes did not look into his. They barely even moved from that daze; staring at a distant wall.
"Wh... Why? I'm not going to hurt you.." A slight smile crept up onto his lips reassuringly.
"-Don't." You forced out, a little louder this time. Then, he saw it. Tears. Tears brimming your eyes. The faint but oh so crucial expression he needed. Immediately, he knew this wasn't about pride, anger, or even sadness --but a petrified fear known only to those who have experienced much and healed little.
"....What did I do..?" The king whispered a simple question, so full of empathy and understanding.
Your tongue was glued to the top of your mouth, no words able to escape it. The haze from earlier began to return, but this time it was accompanied by so much fear you could no longer hide the buckle in your knees or the chill riding your spine. At last, your mouth opened, but your jaw lost its grip, and your mouth stayed open slightly for several seconds as your mind attempted to compute words through the feelings. Only one word could be said. One which was whispered so quietly, he could barely hear it. "....Everything..."
And then you slipped away. Darkness had settled into the castle by then, for the sun was setting on the other side of it. Herobrine was left confused. With a heavy heart, his head dropped to his chest. He had only two options... Burn his diary and lock away his mother so she could never share his secrets, or have those dreaded truths be unleashed, letting you go in the process...
Though it hurt to see you like this...he wasn't going to be locking away his own mother OR exposing himself anytime soon...
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Alone you cried a few hot tears, wresting your arms on the railings on the great balcony to your room. Kim was still gone and hopefully would continue to be for some time. Under the twinkling stars, you just needed some alone time..
As you sat on your knees, hunched over the railings, feeling sorry for yourself, you heard an odd, intense flapping sound, like a chicken trying to escape a snake kind of flapping.
"(Y-Y/n)! There you a-!" Your soggy eyes just barely caught sight of his familiar face, before it vanished in an instant.
"Joa!!" Leaping up, you leaned over the railing, spotting the old cousin of yours hanging just barely from the railings of the balcony. "Oh my-! Le- let me help you!" Quickly, you reached down with both hands and in a struggle, heaved the old man up onto the balcony with you. "Whew! Might... Might want to lay off on the powdered bristles for a couple years.." You heaved, practically on the ground. Joa just began to laugh.
"And looks like YOU might need some exercise as well! Might I suggest some late night flying?-"
"Seriously!?! Do you even SEE where we are, Joa?! This is Herobrine's freakin' castle!!" You flailed in frustration on the floor, motioning to the very doorframe behind you --the top of your head pointing to it since you were on the floor-- and massive structure beyond it.
"Well...heh.. I saw that!" Joa stood up again, brushing himself off. You stuck flat to the floor with a misery stricken mood, just, unwilling to put any effort into the rest of the day.
"Hhhhh, I hate it here.." You groaned. "..Yo, wait," sitting up quickly, "what if I just made one of those rope things out of curtains like they do in the movies and climb down??"
"-Or you could just fly."
"Pfft! No! That would be... extremely unprofessional."
"Heh, well so would climbing down by hand-made rope!" Joa looked to you again with a jolly smile, which dropped slowly when he caught your true emotion. A somber look in your eye as you turned to see where your wings would usually be: now just a tight, swaddled mess, probably too messed up by this point to ever.... work again..
"....What's your opinion on wing removal surgery..?" You asked, a very different mood in the air. Joa just stared, a sadness in his eyes.
"...(Y/n).. You should have listened to me when I told you to stretch them more-"
"Nevermind that." You spoke sternly. "But, if I am going to survive this place.. I can't have these useless limbs which bring me nothing but pain constantly strapped to my back!"
"It is highly discouraged! For generations, our kind has been built on the purpose of flight. It is with great pride that we carry these burdens... However, in your position.. I do see your point.... The trick will be finding someone trustworthy enough...but...I'll see what I can do. But still, surgery should be your LAST resort. Afterall, that is a part of you you would be chopping off." Turning a little, as if readying to leave, Joa headed the balcony railings again.
"You won't have to, because I'm coming with you!" You had decided. "I'm not staying here with this MURDERER!" You spat.
Slowly, Joa turned back to you, almost astonished. "Is he.. (Y/n)? Is he REALLY a murderer? Because last I heard, those he killed, died on the battlefield as volunteers... He may not have our best interest at heart, but that doesn't make him some CoLD bLoOdEd MuRdeReR, who thirsts for our blood. I know we joked about him being like that at home, but in reality, he is just as much a killer as he is a savior. We just so happened to be on the wrong side of history."
"But we WEREN'T." You still felt like arguing. Seeing you were in this mood, Joa just saluted briefly, turning to leave again.
"Goodnight, (Y/n). I'll be here tomorrow with more news, but I say we take this slow, one step at a time... And DON'T try anything Stoopid while I'm gone. You hear me..?" Then, he dove, his little wings flapping fiercely to keep him from smacking into the ground thirty feet below.
He was right... There was no reason to stay longer. Thing was, you really only had two options of escape, which you had observed while patrolling around the castle earlier: flight, or rope. Flight would mean, you know, having to use two wings you hadn't used properly...well.. ever. Usually, 'you' don't learn how to fly until 'you' turn 13, and you were only 12 when...stuff happened. Don't think Joa ever got the memo that you never actually learned how to fly.. Probably just assumed you had taught yourself after this many years. Oh well. Rope it is!
You decided you weren't waiting until tomorrow. Not after two mental breakdowns in a row! If you were leaving, it was going to be right now! You saw no guards patrolling the hedges below, and heard no voices on the other side of your bedroom door.
With great haste! You ripped the dark green curtains from their place, pulled off the blankets and sheets from the bed, and yanked even some of the pillow cases off their pillows for good measure. Tightly, you tyed the many pieces of cloth into one long rope. When done, you slowly lowered the long cloth. Some of the knots weren't perfect, but you would just have to hope they would last you long enough.
The end of the "rope" was then tied to the balcony's edge, and down, down, down you sent the other end. The other end of the rope hovered over the ground by just a few feet. Perfect! After one quick moment of testing the rope's hold to the balcony's railing, you descended at last. Excitement built up within. If it was this easy to escape such a castle, maybe you should come by sometime and break in, stealing some of Herobrine's treasure for yourself! Much of it had at one point belonged to your ancestors, so it would only be fair to repossess what had been stolen!
You climbed down slowly, carefully, making sure not to slip on your way down. As you did so, you continued to watch for guards. You had seen a couple positioned around here before, but for some reason they were gone now, leaving you with the PERFECT window of time for you to escape!
Halfway down. Everything seemed to be going PERFECTLY.. until...
The knot between the bedsheet and curtain suddenly loosened. With wide eyes, you realized it was already too late!
The knot came undone, sending you plummeting almost 20 feet to the ground.
Crack!
You withheld a scream, your lungs physically unable to produce sound. Thankfully, you were durable enough to be able to survive a fall from almost any height under 50ft. But, your weak wings couldn't say the same thing. You fell on your back, an unlucky wing trying its best to stick out enough to fly, but too restrained to actually move much. A useless bone shattered, causing useless pain to run through your system like wildfire. The rope fell gracefully over and around you, beautifully combining with your dead looking sprawled out form.
Tears shot into your eyes, your mouth mouthing "ow, ow, ow" over and over again, but unable to verbalize anything. For a moment, you wondered if you were going to be stuck like that all night, in pain and too scared to confront ANYONE about it. After all, when they ask what hurts, you wouldn't be able to answer truthfully..
In defeat, you curled up in a ball, gasping for air, both sorrow stricken and in great pain. So this is how it ends... Nothing gained, everything lost... And still you never found out what you wanted to do with your life.. Truly, all was lost...