2009
Wels sat, staring. He had just got home from college and was hoping to relax. As a prince, everything has to be made 10x harder. Everyone would think the life of a glamorous member of the royal family would make it easier. Free home, free food, maids that do your bidding... But no. He knows what needs to be done. He'd have to be a king. Cold and heartless, he couldn't think of hurting those poor people that serve him, just like his mother. He didn't want to be a king. He'd rather be a knight. He's started to secretly train himself, harder and harder with the other guards he fought.
Suddenly, he heard a little voice. High pitched and most certainly adorable. His train of thought was lost as his little sister, Harper entered, giggling with something in her hand. Around two years ago, He had found this little netherborn devil on the streets, with no parent in sight. Even hours later, he came across her again, nobody. So he decided to take her in, and my god, she could have been the best thing that happened to him. His mother, on the other hand, did not like that.
"Who is she?" She said.
"I found this little girl on the streets, it seems she's got no parents."
"We're not keeping her, she's a devil! She surely will cause trouble!"
"Mother, please! I'll raise her! I'll provide for her! Please! I beg of you!"
"No! She's satanic!"
That argument didn't faze Wels anymore, as he did, in fact, keep her. Despite his mothers protests, he'll protect her no matter what.
Harper ran into Wels' leg, hugging it tightly. Wels picked her up and held her carefully. He played with her soft, pitch black hair. She had bright, pale, porcelain skin and bright red eyes, full of fire so wild.
"Welsie!" She said, excitement evident in her voice.
"What have you got there, Harper?" He whispered, just loud enough for the little one to hear.
She held up a mini harmonica. I was almost too proper for a three-year-old, but that went the same for all her toys. Well, the ones given to her by her 'mother' anyway. Wels had taught her a tune on it, and it worked quite well. It is usually hard to teach her anything, but the harmonica seemed to spark her interest.
"Play! Pia-o!" She yelled, pointing the the grand piano that sat behind them both.
Wels sighed, he couldn't say no to her little face, could he? He needed to get a little more practice on that thing. He turned them both to face it, opening the lid to reveal shiny black and white keys. The piano looked as though it was brand new, despite it being bought many years back, and it being used almost every day since then. He readied himself, as he'd been working on this for a while now.
"You ready, Harp?" Wels said, louder now.
"Yeah!!!" Harper exclaimed, as the little netherborn put her harmonica to her lips.
Wels played a few keys, signaling the beginning of the music. Harper followed playing a little tune on her small instrument.
"It's nine o'clock on a Saturday. The regular crowd shuffles in."
"There's an old man sittin' next to me, makin' love to his tonic and gin."
As the music continued, they got more excited. They didn't even notice their friends walk in. Xisuma, and his little brother, Xaythem listened to the tune intently. Xisuma was about the same age as Wels, they even went to the same college together, although, studying different subjects. Xay was about Harpers age, only a 27 day difference.
"He says, 'Son can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes.
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger man's clothes'"
"La, la-la, di-di-da~
La-la di-di-da da-dum"
"Sing us a song, you're the piano man! Sing us a song tonight!
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody...
And you've got us feelin' alright!"
Harper continued to play the harmonica for a little longer, until she was told to stop. That was all they had so far.
Wels got startled a little by hearing the small applause given by Xisuma. His face went red as X teased him. Wels' face went pink with blush, as that happened when he was given praise by his close friends. They didn't pay attention to the two little ones that had run into the living room to play a game of sorts.
2012
Wels was back to the piano. He had never given up on his little song, even though... Well...
He thought of Xisuma. He and his brother would visit him sometimes, despite the creation of the server titled 'Hermitcraft'. He wasn't sure it would go far, but he may join. Most times, he'd babysit Xaythem for X while he'd do his videos.
The comfort was well needed since the passing of his sister, Harper. Six years old. Six. Years. Old. She had been murdered. That's almost all he could think of now. How he could of been there.
He sat on the piano seat, Xay in his lap, with Harpers old harmonica. He wanted to learn it after a while, and Wels knew that it would have been rude to say no to him. He needed to get his sister out of his head anyway.
"Now John at the bar is a friend of mine. He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke, or to light up your smoke.
But there's some place that he'd rather be..."
Wels sang. He sang harder and harder. He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry so hard. The song remined him so much of Harper. Xay didn't help. He was just like her.
"He says, 'Wels (Bill) , I believe this is killing me!', as a smile ran away from his face.
'Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star, if I could get out of this place...'"
"Oh, la, la-la, di-di-da~
La-la di-di-da da-dum"
He paused for a bit. Tears fell down his cheeks, warm and wet and salty. He sobbed as a feeling as if he was being stabbed engulfed his throat. He barely felt Xay's little hands tug his jacket. Oh, how he missed her.
2020
Wels paced. His life- thankfully- had gotton a whole lot better since he joined Hermitcraft. He missed them. That's right, them. A while back, Xaythem- or Evil Xisuma- had tried to destroy Hermitcraft. How would a ten-year-old manage that? Why would he want that? Xisuma suspects that he was being controlled or something. Ex had put on Xisumas helmet in an attempt to ban him, but it went wrong. It caused Ex to be banned instead. He's dead now. He must've died to the void. Judging on how X has acted after that, he didn't take it very well.
"Now Paul is a real estate novelist, who never had time for a wife.
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the navy, and probably will be for life..."
Wels thought of that song. He promised himself he'd keep working on it, despite his grief.
"And the waitress is practicing politics, as the businessmen slowly get stoned.
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness! But it's better than drinkin' alone!"
He sang aloud. He didn't even notice himself being watched. He hummed the tune as he went over to the lone chest, with an item frame that held wheat on it. There was a sign beneath. It read:
'dear wels, this is for u. it is for yor cows and watever elss ther is that eets weat. :)'
Wels looked confused. He could barely read the spelling mistakes, but slowly worked it out. 'It must be from Scar', He thought. Nobody else I know spells like that... I think. Wels wondered. The Hermits didn't usually give out hand-outs? Well, he knew he joined later, but still! He didn't even need wheat. Despite that, he opened the chest.
He hit the ground below him with a hard "oof". He look up, only to be blinded by the bright sun. He put his hand near his eyes, covering them from the sun. From the distance, he heard maniacal laughter erupt. Was this some kind of sick joke? Whatever they wanted, it wasn't funny. He heard the laughter get closer.
Wels saw the figure. They looked exactly like him. Well, almost. He had bright red eyes, full of fire so wild. He blabbled on about destroying the server or whatnot. Wels didn't care though. Once X has him, he'd be banned for sure. He caught his name, Helsknight. Why couldn't he be more creative?
They'd battled, and rapped, and Wels won both. He watched this clone of his retreat to who knows where, but his worries eased when the chat read 'Helsknight left the game'.
"Sing us a song, you're the piano man! Sing us a song tonight!
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody...
And you've got us feelin' alright!"
Hels waltzed back into his home. His hellish home. At least he had Ex. They were together again. But, they needed to plot the destruction of the server. He turned back into his normal form. He was glad. Being tall was weird. He had long, black hair and pale, skin, now drained of brightness and more of a dull colour.
Hels swore he recognized that song. The song Wels sung. It felt too weird. He tried to ignore it, focusing on the white haired person infront of him.
"Lets see, Xaythem-", Hels started, before getting getting rudely cut off.
"Call me Evil Xisuma, thank you very much", Ex said, as it was obvious he didn't like the name 'Xaythem'.
"Ok... Alex". Hels said. Ex didn't know why, but the nickname warmed his heart a little, so he allowed it.
2022
Hels and Ex arrived in Hermitcraft. They wanted to try and annoy them since they'd found out the hard way that destroying Hermitcraft permanently was practically impossible. They found Wels' base, and snuck in. They only planned to be there for a short amount of time, and only to steal a couple of things.
"Hels! Come here! I found something!" Ex shouted. That grabbed Hels' interest.
"Woah..." Hels was in awe. He started at the grand piano, it looked brand new, so he never knew that Wels had had it for longer than he (Hels) had been alive- or dead for that matter-. Hels saw the shiny object Alex held. An old harmonica. Ex blew the dust out of it, in turn making a slight noise.
"Huh, still works!"
Hels sat on the piano seat, noticing Ex holding the harmonica to his lips. Then, he blew a tune. The netherborn devil thought he recognized it from somewhere. He never remembered much from before he died, but that was something he recognized. It clicked. It was an old song that someone- presumably his brother?- used to play. He wanted to come up with something slightly different, though.
Hels began to play. He had no clue where this knowledge of playing came to him, but he didn't care.
"It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday, and the manager gives me a smile.
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see, to forget about life for a while..."
Hels sang. He felt a power in him, indescribable. He wanted go give it his best shot, as he had found an unknown musical talent in himself.
He didn't notice Wels walk in, trying to find the intruders in his base. He looked in his piano room, only to see the culprits. Hels and Evil Xisuma. Hels looked recognizable... and then it hit him.
"And the piano, it sounds like a carnival!
And the microphone smells like a beer.
And they sit at the bar, and put bread in my jar, and say 'man what are you doin' here?'"
"Oh, la, la-la, di-di-da
La-la di-di-da da-dum"
"Sing us the song, you're the piano man!
Sing us a song tonight...
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody!
And you've got us feelin' alright!"
Hels sang with his newfound determination. He looked at the piano, memories flooding back to him. Ex clapped for him, and Hels blushed. His eyes shined. Bright red eyes, full of fire so wild.
Wels spoke, for the first time that day.
"Harper?"
WC: 2000