#beehachu

You slowly and rhythmically tapped your fingers against the desk. It’s not that you didn’t like ruling your empire, the meetings could just be so extremely boring. The advisor from some other place was just rambling on, and you couldn’t find it in yourself to care about whatever trade routes they were talking about. It didn’t even include you yet, anyway.

Luckily, it was over before you knew it. Your own advisor did most of the talking, and all you had to do was just take notes and nod occasionally. The breeze from the beach had you smiling as it hit you in the face when you stepped out of the foreign building. With a quick wave to your advisor and guards, you flew off. They knew you had somewhere to be anyway.

Landing at Crystal Cliffs, you took off your elytra and placed it into your inventory. “Oh Geemm!” Calling out, you made your way to find your fellow Hermit. It didn’t take long before the redhead poked her head out. “Y/N! Hello, darling! What can I help you with?” You pulled out your cross-server communicator, and grinned sheepishly. “I haven’t gotten the heart to tell Jimmy that this isn’t a normal com.. fWhip managed to fix it, though I was wondering if you remembered the code to get back to the Hermitcraft server?”

The wizard hummed. “I’m not sure, to be honest. You might need to ask Pix or Sausage.” “But they don’t know the code! They’ve never been on Hermitcraft!” You huffed. Gem thought for a second, before reaching out to the communicator. “Leave it with me, I’ll do my best, alright? I completely get that it sucks.” Handing her the device, you thanked her profusely, before getting invited in for some tea.

—

You loved your fellow Hermits, so it wasn’t unexpected that you’d get homesick. The feeling was something you and Gem could both agree on. What made it worse, however, was the fact that your boyfriends were so far away. And now that your cross-server comms were broken, it left you feeling more and more alone.

Looking out the window, watching your people go about their life, all you could do was sigh. You weren’t able to properly put your thoughts into words, and the pile of crumpled up papers behind you clearly showed that. With a hum, you picked up your pen again.

My dearest ones,

I wish to send my deepest apologies for the fact I have been neglecting to contact you.

Screw that, I hate writing formal letters.

First of all, I’m SUPER sorry for not contacting you. Jimmy broke my cross-server communicator by accident, and I don’t have the heart to tell him. He still thinks it’s my normal one, and I can’t stand to make him feel even more guilty. fWhip fixed it, and Gem is trying to get it back onto the Hermit servers.

Second of all, how are you lot? I’m doing alright, ruling over an empire is surprisingly boring at certain times.

There is so much to talk about, but my hand is cramping from writing so many drafts. Get back to me, yeah? I’ll be waiting for your response.

Yours forever,

Y/N.

—

The sound of your name being called pulled you out of your slumber, and before you knew it, a pink haired queen was in your room. “Oh, did I wake you up? I’m so sorry! I was just going to check if you got an invite to the masquerade too.” You rubbed your eyes sleepily and hummed. “I think so, yeah. Is it the one Katherine is hosting?” The Ocean queen nodded quickly.

“Mhm! The dress code is fantasy-esque. She also told me to go around and tell everyone that it’s a couples event, since all of us rulers have a partner! There’ll also be some other people of importance, but it’ll mostly be just us.” Your heart sank. A couples event. It made sense, Pix recently announced he found someone, Lizzie and Joel just got married.. But you couldn’t get your boys over here.

Lizzie must’ve seen your face drop, as she visibly sympathized with you. “Oh, I forgot.. I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m sure it’ll work out, yeah?” You bit your lip and nodded, letting yourself be pulled into a hug from the axolotl hybrid. “I’m sure it will. Thanks, Liz.”

—

Gem has been acting weird the whole day. You were sitting in your bedroom, getting ready as Gem did her makeup. “Okay, I need your opinion. Does gold or silver go better with my outfit?” The wizard turned towards you and hummed, looking at your navy blue outfit. “I’d say gold.. Is that Mumbo’s pocket watch?” Gem gasped, smirking at you. “I have to include them somehow, you know? I’ve got something for Scar and Grian too.”

Your friend sighed, pulling you into a hug. “I’ve almost got it working, don’t worry. You’ll be able to talk to them soon enough.” With a soft smile, you pulled away. “Thanks, Gem. You’re the best.”

Joel yelling at you two to get down to leave snapped you out of the moment, and with a quick check to see if the feather was still on the necklace, you grabbed your crown and sprinted downstairs with a laugh alongside Gem.

—

The masquerade was beautiful. Katherine had really outdone herself with the decorations, and everyone looked stunning. The music was slow and soft as everyone arrived. Shrub came over to talk to you, and soon enough the actual music set in. With a wave to the gnome, you watched her toddle off to dance with her partner.

The drinks table was your best friend at the moment, and you silently readjusted your mask. It felt bittersweet to watch everyone, though you couldn’t help the fond smile on your face. The happiness was radiating from everyone and felt contagious.

You hadn’t noticed the latecomers, though. A soft tapping on your shoulder startled you. You turned around, being met by a masked man with brown hair. You were surprised, as you thought for a split second that it was Scar. Over the music, his voice was barely audible, though you heard what he said. “Hello there, your highness. You look lonely, so could I offer you a dance?”

With an awkward chuckle, you shake your head. “No, I’m sorry. I’m taken, though my partners aren’t here. I apologize.” The man was about to reply, before you felt two arms wrap around your waist. About to snap around and punch the person behind you in the face, you paused as you felt feathers tickle your neck. What was going on?

“Come on, darling. Let’s dance!” The brunette chuckled, holding out his hand. You were so confused, until it finally clicked when another voice spoke up. “Stop teasing their majesty, love. Be clear.” Everything went silent. You couldn’t hear the music anymore, and the redstoners voice felt like coming home. Swerving around, you were met with the masked face of your favorite avian.

“Hi, pretty bird.” The huge grin on your face didn’t seem to leave, and you pressed a soft kiss onto his forehead. Turning back to the brunette, you chuckled. “I knew the scars looked familiar. How’re the other Hermits?” Opening your other arm for Mumbo to slot into, you felt Grian still holding onto your back.

“Everyone’s doing good! It’s super chaotic, but we can all agree we miss you two.” The elf ruffled your hair, knocking your crown slightly off-balance. Grian softly chirped as he held you tighter once you tried to put your glass down. “He’s been complaining about missing you during the whole trip here. Scratch that, he started complaining when we got your letter.” You laughed at Mumbo, pulling the mustached man into a proper kiss.

“Alright, pretty bird. Want to dance? We can catch up with Gem later.” The avian nodded right away, and after admiring your lovers’ outfits, he pulled you towards the other couples. He was rusty, that was clear, though you didn’t mind. Gem caught your eye and winked with a knowing smirk, and you couldn’t help but think she had something to do with this. As Grian twirled you around softly, you saw Scar trying to teach Mumbo what to do.

To you, the salty ocean breeze was something you quite enjoyed. You knew land dwellers often complained about it, however you never understood why. A lot of them also complained about the sand sticking between their toes. That also didn’t make sense to you, you thought as you ran around the beach while playing with the turtles that had come from the Ocean Empire.

A baby turtle dove into the sew, looking behind them to make sure you were coming. You hesitated. Father had told you not to swim off anywhere, even if your mother never seemed to mind. Not wanting to upset your new friend, you dove in after him. It took you a bit to adjust to breathing through your gills, though you quickly followed him.

It took you past all kinds of coral and rocks, swimming to the surface and climbing onto a small beach as you reached land again. You took a bit longer, still adjusting to quickly switching between land and sea, and vice versa. Taking a big gulp of oxygen, you shakily stood back up on your feet and stared at the buildings in front of you in surprise. You weren’t supposed to leave your parents their empires, but they wouldn’t be back until later. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, right?

Thanking the little turtle, it swam away as you waved it off and you entered the empire with nothing short of childlike wonder. You were amazed at all the freshwater elements and said aquatic hybrids roaming the street. As an axolotl you felt kind of out of place, yet the villagers all seemed so polite to you. Walking around the marketplace, some fish-shaped cakes caught your eye. In case you did get caught, maybe this would make them less mad?

Exchanging gold with the stall owner, you thanked him a bunch and made your way to the town square. It looked absolutely gorgeous! However, you paused as you saw someone standing there in royal attire along with a cod head. That was an interesting figure.. Was he the ruler of this empire? Carefully making your way over, you cleared your throat. “Excuse me? Are you the emperor of this land?” He paused his conversation, turning to look at you.

“That would be me!” He grinned down at you, “You are from the Ocean Empire, correct?” You simply nodded in response to his question, watching as he turned back to the people he was talking to in excitement. “Lizzie, didn’t you tell me it was rare for your people to travel on land, let alone children?” .. What?

Awkwardly turning around, you shrunk into yourself slightly as you were met with the icy stares of both of your parents. After a few seconds, you sheepishly handed them the box of treats you got them. “I got you guys cake?” The Ocean Queen stared at you for another second before sighing and looking back up at the Codfather. “Jimmy, this is our kid.”

Gem was the first to check up on you after you disappeared again. She’d apparently sent a message to the Hermit servers saying you were back online, and after some Hermits tried to contact you without a response, they grew worried. You had barely moved from your spot, just frozen in time. You didn’t pay any attention to the pinging and buzzing of your communicator, which you only realized was your comm when Gem burst in and frowned at all the notifications.

“They told me what happened, darling. I’m so sorry.” The hug she pulled you in was so soft, it made you feel like you were a fragile piece of crystal. It made you pause, and everything you’ve been trying to suppress and hide came back to you. You started sobbing, and she carefully rubbed your back.

The two of you just sat there, letting time tick by as she just comforted you. Your older sister hummed before pulling away slightly, her hands still on your upper arms. “How about we go to Hermitcraft for a bit?” She shushed you as you tried to protest with clear hesitation on your face. “I know, they’re on there, but if we just ignore them we can do some fun things with Stress, Cleo, False and Pearl, yeah? I can tell Xisuma to try and keep them distracted while you’re there.” Worrying your lip between your teeth, you think before nodding.

“Yeah, alright. Besides, I missed hanging out with Ren too. I think working on my megabase could be good for me.” The wizard grinned and held out her hand. You took it, pocketing your comm and throwing on a cloak before taking her hand and letting her pull you to the off-world portal.

The feeling of traveling was still weird to you, even if you switched between your two home servers a bunch. Xisuma was waiting for the two of you, and you happily handed him a little pouch with berries and other fruits from your empire as a small gift. Gem pulled you along right away, rocketing towards Stress’ dark oak forest. Laughing, you followed. It felt good to be back on the server again!

False and Pearl dragged the four of you along to a clearing in the forest, filled with flowers. You grinned as Stress pulled out a picnic basket from her inventory, settling down on the blanket. The idle chatter started up easily, catching each other up on whatever you had missed. Cleo eventually pulled you against her chest, holding you as a source of comfort. You smiled up at her gratefully.

Night came quickly, and you all ran back to Stress’ place in giggles. Dodging skeletons and spiders, you joked around and the buildings of the brunette’s base came into view. Stress had convinced all of you earlier to have a sleepover, and you were grateful for the distractions everyone was giving you. Somewhere throughout the night, around the time where Gem had convinced Cleo to let her pay the zombie’s nails, Iskall joined.

You hadn’t spoken to the Swede in ages, and it was a lot of fun to catch up with him. Did you understand anything about the redstone plans he explained to you? Absolutely not. However, that didn’t stop you from being excited for him and helping him with suggestions about the aesthetical aspect.

Of course, your peace wasn’t long lasting. It appears Xisuma must’ve gone to sleep, because a knock at Stress’ door made all the chatter pause and a familiar British voice echoed through the building. “Stress, are you in here? I’m trying to find Iskall to help me with a little project I’m stuck on, yet I can’t seem to find him.” You visibly drooped at Mumbo’s appearance, and Stress frowned. The footsteps got closer and she and Iskall shot up, rushing to meet him before he got too close.

Pearl immediately started talking about some stuff she got up to in a singleplayer world, and you just tuned her out to background noise as you got lost in your head. You should talk to them, right? At least demand an explanation about why they were so.. cruel to you. Voids sake, you all promised no one would be left behind at the beginning of your guys’ relationship.. They knew how much anniversaries meant to you!

Standing up, you ignored the frowns shot your way. With a simple, “I’m going to talk to them,” you pulled on your elytra and huffed. Anger and frustration slowly replaced the heartbreak you had felt recently. Gem silently wished you luck while Cleo just cheered on your rage. You smirked at them, the zombie waving you bye as you practically stormed out. In the hallway you came across Stress and Iskall frantically trying to get Mumbo out. With a frown, you marched past and grabbed his wrist without sparing an actual proper glance to his face.

“You, with me. Now. Show me where the other two are.” The noirette stumbled along startled, equipping his own elytra with shaking hands. He was scared, good. Normally you’d hate the sadistic little voice in your head, but you think they deserved it this time. You ignored Mumbo’s nervous attempts to chit chat during the flight and simply landed when you saw the other two chatting in front of Grian’s rock.

The elf and avian immediately looked up when they heard someone land, brightening when they saw it was you however pausing as they noticed the pissed off look you wore and the way your arms crossed defensively. Mumbo landed next to you, hands fidgeting while he looked to the ground. Scar opened his mouth to question what was happening before you spoke up. “What the fuck? We make an agreement, a promise, and the three of you just go on behind my back? Sure, you know I’m all for one on one dates. But on our anniversary? What is wrong with you guys? Do you even know how happy I was when Gem gave me a fixed comm, and how crushed I was when absolutely no one answered me?”

“Y/N-” You practically growled at Grian. “No, you fucking listen to me. There’s no excuse for this! You could’ve sent Gem or Pearl a message about what you were doing or, Void forbid, just tell them you’d be gone for the day!” Your angry rant was cut off by a hug, a teary-eyed Scar burying his face in your neck as he whispered. “We missed you so much. So, so much.” The raging fire simmered down to just a small flame, and you hesitantly hugged him back. You might be mad at them, but you still loved them more than ever.

“We, uh.. We spent our anniversary building us a little cottage. We included things from your empire!” Your heart panged at Mumbo’s admission, anger getting replaced by heartbreak again. Your voice was weak when you spoke up again. “You guys.. didn’t forget about me?” “Goodness, no! We would never! Do you want to come check out the little house?” Biting your lip, you nodded.

Spawning into a new world always felt weird. It came with a slight disorientating dizziness. After your vision steadied, you tuned in to the conversation your friends around you were having. Scar and Ren were talking about lord knows what, maybe Hermitcraft? You waved to them and walked to Joel, who also just spawned in.

“Hey!” You grinned, laughing as the man clearly got startled. With a sheepish smile, he tried to compose himself. “Jeez- Hi there. Any clue on what game we’re playing this time?” You shook your head. From behind you, Grian gathered everyone’s attention to explain the game. Across the circle of your friends, you noticed a man with a particular mustache. As you waved with a slight grin, you tried to suppress the giggle that was bubbling up from him waving back.

You felt like a middle school kid with the way you felt. Once everyone had heard out Grian and knew the premise and rules, you turned around and sprinted away with Joel trailing behind.

—

“Okay, okay. So your soulmate just almost died?” You laughed, Joel hitting your shoulder. “Not funny! I could’ve lost a life already!” Sighing, you handed him some more steak. “You’re right, you’re right. Luckily you’ve got me to save you.” The brunette npdded and ate the meat.

<Tango got blown up by a creeper.>

<SolidarityGaming died.>

The two of you looked at them in shock, before Joel burst out laughing. “Of course Jimmy is one of the first to die. I’ve heard that Scar is on the surface here somewhere, by the way. Want to go and find them?” With a nod, the two of you quickly found your way out of the cave you were in.

—

On the surface, you found Scar running around some Jellies, Grian looking tired from his antics and Mumbo and Etho just talking. Before the two of you reached them, you nudged Joel and leaned closer to whisper. “How much do we want to bet that Grian just figured out he and Scar are soulmates?” Joel chuckled and mumbled back, “A diamond if you hit Scar and Grian gets protective.” “Deal!” You laughed, running towards the group.

“Ow, what was that for?” Scar looked up at you and pouted, rubbing his head. His soulmate’s head snapped up at you, glaring. “Excuse me? What was that for?” You began to giggle, though it quickly turned into a scared laugh. Joel quickly calmed him down, slipping the diamond towards you.

—

“So, any luck finding your soulmate?” Etho looked at the three of you that didn’t have a confirmed bond yet, to which everyone shook their head. You laid back onto the grass next to Scar, and the two of you started to point out constellations while the others spoke.

“Anyone you hope to be your soulmate?” His voice was soft, as to not disturb the four next to you. You just shrugged. “Not particularly. I just hope it’s someone that isn’t super clumsy. I don’t want to die that quickly.” Scar hummed, starting to tell a story about his recent escapades in Hermitcraft.

A scream ripped the moment away. Shooting up, the two of you saw Joel getting attacked by an enderman. Everyone did their best to help, though unfortunately..

<Smallishbeans was slain by enderman.>

<Etho died.>

“.. Well, at least they figured out that they’re soulbound. I’m going to pick them up from spawn.” Grian grabbed his sword and made his way to spawn. When he came back with the two yellow names, everyone quickly made a dirt hut to spend the night in.

The next day, everyone set out to try and find as many goat horns as they could. Waiting for the goat to strike and then hopping up on the ledge surprisingly took a lot of effort, though it was fun. You laughed in glee as you jumped up again, Etho next to you barely making it up in time. As you moved some hair out of your face, you looked over to the others standing to the side. Joel taunted Etho for almost missing while you grinned, and when you looked over at Mumbo you caught him staring at you, almost dreamily.

Of course, that’s not what he thought. It was your imagination. Or atleast, that’s what you told yourself. The blush that went down to his neck as he looked away betrayed him.

The six of you took turns jumping up and down, and the sun slowly began to set. Scar convinced you to try and get one last horn, and even though you were tired, you agreed. All went well, until you missed your jump and slipped onto the stone. It didn’t hurt too bad, but you could see half a heart get drained from your health bar.

A deep, though quiet groan came from the side, but you didn’t pay it any mind. It might’ve just been a zombie. “Dang, are you okay? Did that hurt at all?” You smiled at Mumbo’s concern. “Yeah, I’m fine. That just took half a heart.” The man paused.

“Half a heart?” He looked at something, which you guessed was his health bar, and you gasped. “Wait, Joel?” The man hummed. “Could you come here and hit me, please?”

He raised his eyebrows at the uncommon request, though walked over and hit you over the head. Mumbo groaned once more, rubbing his head. You lit up. “It’s you!” Quickly eating a bit of bread, you hummed. “I can count on you not randomly dying, atleast.” He met your eyes, and you swore the whole world went quiet for a bit.

You once again felt like a middle school kid.

“Okay, we got the horns! Let’s head back!” Scar called from behind everyone, ripping you from the moment as both of you looked away with warm cheeks. You got handed a few goat horns and got pulled away as Scar started chatting on.

Everything just felt empty. After the amount of love you had shared, it was all stripped away.

Before, your bed was completely filled. Most nights were spent being held in the redstoner’s arms, an elf draped over the three of you and colorful wings covering you all as a blanket.

Now, it was just you.

Even if you tossed and turned about, you couldn’t get a source of comfort to lull you asleep. Your people noticed too, and your advisors told you to get some rest. That they’d handle the meetings and other duties you had planned for the coming days.

You know why they left, Scar and Grian had a new game to prepare for and they couldn’t access their items here. It made so much sense, and you didn’t blame them at all, you just couldn’t find a way to get rid of the ache in your heart. There was no soft chirping to fill the silence. No humming of elven songs. No mumbling as Mumbo planned a new redstone contraption.

All that was left was just the soft ticking of the redstoner’s pocket watch, along with the random scattered feathers across your room. You really didn’t feel like getting up, but the possibility of your comms being fixed was a great motivator. Pulling on a cloak to hide your face, you launched a rocket and flew off.

—

“Gem?” The wizard felt a pang of sympathy. Your voice was weak, and clearly lacking the usual mischief. The other Hermit quickly opened the door for you, pulling you into a hug. “Oh, darling.. Can I do anything for you?” She felt you shake your head against her shoulder, and hummed. “I’ve got something for you, yeah? Follow me?” You slowly pulled away and nodded.

The ruler led you to her office. As you looked around, you realised you haven’t been here before. The redhead tapped your shoulder and held out something. Once you realised she was doing so, you looked down and gasped. “I messaged Xisuma and he told me what to do, so it should be all fixed.” With a soft squeal, you pulled her into another hug.

“Thank you so much, Gem. You’re the absolute best.” Once the two of you wrap up small talk, you wave her goodbye. “Enjoy today, darling. Come by wheneve you need to!”

“Thanks Gem! I will!”

—

You landed back at your castle with a soft ‘oof’ as you hit the ground, and you quickly sprinted up to your room. Your staff smiled as they saw you happy, and the mood in your empire picked up. Quickly slamming your bedroom door behind you, you threw off your elytra and cloak.

As you dove onto your bed you couldn’t wait to talk to your favorite people. It took a bit for your communicator to load, though once it did you immediately searched for Grian’s contact and pressed the call button. It rang.. And, rang? That’s weird, usually the avian answers right away, no matter who called. With a shrug, you hung up and tried calling Scar.

.. He also didn’t pick up. Neither did Mumbo. You frowned, though decided to try Grian’s contact again. This time it went to voicemail.

“Hello! This is Grian. Unfortunately, we decided to turn off our comms for the day to spend it with each other. So sorry for any inconvenience, though you’d understand it for an anniversary. Shoot one of us a message, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!”

Throughout the message, you could hear your other two boys mumble and giggle. Once again, you felt empty. You put your communicator down and turned around to stare at the ceiling with blank eyes.

Inside, all the days seemed to blur together. Inside, everything was covered in this sickly sweet red syrup. Inside, you felt like you were a butterfly trapped in its pupae.

On the outside, however, it was all the complete opposite. Much to Joey’s chagrin, you were Xornoth’s new favorite. Said demon was currently sitting at a throne and was writing away. What exactly? You had no clue. He had invited, actually, he basically demanded you to sit with him while he worked. It felt good, to be honest. He took care of you excellently and all you had to do was try and spread his stuff.

Xornoth sometimes hummed and carefully ran his hand through your hair, looking at you like you were the only good in this world. After about half an hour of silence, you decided to speak up. “Hey, X? What’re you up to?” The demon glanced down for a second. “I’m just looking through my old plans, doll. Seeing which are still relevant and which aren’t.” You nodded and shifted. Sitting on the ground for this long hurt, but you felt comfortable here.

“Do you need a pillow to sit on, my gem?” The hand in your hair ceased, and you pouted in disappointment. “Yes please, if it’s not too much trouble?” The horned man pulled a velvet pillow from.. lord knows where, and handed it to you. You gratefully placed it underneath you, and leaned your head on his leg. He continued to brush through your hair, and the room fell back into a peaceful silence.

–

“Joey, for the last time, I didn’t do it!” The emperor of the Lost Empire rolled his eyes, scoffing. “Yes you did, I saw you do it!” You groaned, fed up with this whole ordeal. All you asked for was one normal breakfast. “For the last time, I don’t even like your stupid yoghurt! Leave me alone, I didn’t take it. Go bother Sausage or something!”

“What’s going on here?” The booming voice echoed through the hallways, making both of you freeze. “Y/N took my yoghurt, and is now lying about it!” “I did not!” The demon scoffed. “Joey, doll. You’re the only one that eats yoghurt around here.” The ruler rolled his eyes and walked out of the room with a few curses muttered under his breath.

“So, darling. Since you’ve invited Katherine to a dinner party, I was thinking we could do that tonight. Do you think you can have it set up by tonight with Sausage’s help?” You nodded quickly, looking up at him.

—

Unlike you and Joey, you and Sausage got along. The preparations were easy work, and you laughed as you tried to find a good seating plan. “No, no, Sausage- Xornoth goes at the head of the table, and Katherine on the other.” “I know that! But what about you guys? Joey’ll murder us both if we sit next to him, Xornoth probably wants you two sit on either side of him and I’m most likely not allowed to sit next to you. We’ll be too loud.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Just sit next to me! If X gets mad, just say it was my idea. He can’t get mad at me.” The assassin huffed, puffing up his cheeks. “Fine, but I’m not taking any blame!” Giggling, you continued to set the table. It was all decorated with red, and even though you’d normally find it disgusting, you couldn’t help but marvel at the decor. Sausage squealed in pride, and you gave him a high-five, both going your separate ways.

There was about an hour left until Katherine was set to arrive, and Xornoth was insistent on you helping him choose an outfit. While it was most likely a ploy to have you swoon over him more and sink deeper into the red mush that was your brain, you found that you didn’t mind. It was nice to not have to think too hard. You helped him fix his tie, before he hummed in content. “That should do it, thank you my gem.” Unable to help the big grin that spread over your face, you followed him to his study and sat down next to the demon as he finished some work.

The almost domestic moment was interrupted by a servant who came knocking at the door, informing both of you that the guest had arrived. Making your way down, you sat next to Sausage and politely greeted the cat hybrid. She gasped, whispering something to you. “Poor thing, what have they done to you?” The words didn’t register in your mind. Xornoth did hear them through you, though, and glared at the ruler as he blocked it out from your memory. You were his vessel, after all.

You’d like to think the dinner went smoothly. Joey and Sausage bickered less than normal, the former looked at you with jealousy way less and it was sweet. It felt like a breath of fresh air to talk to someone not corrupted to a deep, hidden part of you. Towards dessert, the Lady of the Overgrown stood up and walked up behind you. “I apologize if this is rude, however I was requested to bring a present for Y/N.” She hummed, quickly slotting a necklace around your neck. You frowned, confused by the buzz that started up in your chest.

“It was made by the ruler of Crystal Cliffs itself. You don’t mind, do you, Xornoth?” The demon looked like he was reaching his boiling point, holding himself back from whatever violent crime he was planning.

The deeper part of yourself could cry in delight at the feeling of magic coming from the amethyst necklace. It was hard, but it managed to climb up slowly and carefully. To anyone else, you probably just looked confused. Though internally you didn’t know what to do. It hurt. “Xor- Katherine? It feels weird..” Your voice was nothing but a mere mumble, and the demon saw blood once he realised the feline ruler had managed to break through your façade. She seemed delighted, though, and quickly pulled you up, away from any sight of the demon that might drag you back down.

“I know, sweetheart. But you can do this, yeah? Gem made this for you, I’ve got you.” You couldn’t help it as your eyes filled with tears, whispering to her in a plea. “Get me out of this prison, please.” The feline nodded, picking you up with surprisingly a lot of ease and running out, hoping she’d be flying off once Sausage and Joey catched up.

When the first breeze of fresh air hit her face, she equipped her elytra and was about to ask you if you needed help, only to frown when she saw you passed out. Okay, she could do this. Holding you as close and tight as possible, she fired a rocket and made her way to the academy.

It wasn’t an easy flight at all, with Joey and Sausage right on her trail, though she managed to fly into the school as Scott and Gem closed the door, ignoring the angry knocking, which quickly turned into banging, by the two corrupted. She carefully laid you down on a table and sighed. “They’re not fully here yet. But, the necklace helped a lot. I think we need that spell but in a bigger form.” The wizard nodded, quickly setting out to do so. Katherine sat down next to you, brushing hair from your forehead as she watched the red glow pulse. “You can do this. Please, have the strength to break out.”

A letter was all that was handed to him. The cloaked figure didn’t say anything, just a hand holding out the paper. The ruler took it with a hum, and opened it to read what it said. All it contained was a location and time a trap needed to be set up, but the sigil at the bottom made his eyes glint red. He recognized that symbol everywhere, and he would do whatever the demon asked him to.

“Thank you, Xornoth. Safe travels back, friend.” The demon didn’t bother to reply, turning around and disappearing as quickly as he arrived. Sausage chuckled, eagerly beginning to plan the trap.

—

It was a gorgeous day out. You giggled as you saw fWhip chase after Gem for putting flowers in his hair while he was asleep, though you missed the presence of your younger brother. You pulled out your communicator and looked at your recent messages, though nothing new had been sent.

<Y/N: Sausage! Gem and fWhip pulled me along to the flower field, want to come too?>

<Y/N: They’re chasing each other now, need back up, I can’t be the only sane sibling here.>

<Y/N: Hey, are you okay? You never skip out on going to the flower field, let alone ignore my messages.>

<Y/N: Message me when you get this, I’m getting worried.>

There was around a few hours between the last few messages, and you couldn’t ignore the feeling of dread. He never ignored his siblings, so what’s wrong? This isn’t like him. Gem must have noticed that you were feeling off, because before you knew it you had the twins on both sides of you. “Still no response?” She asked quietly, starting to thread a flower into your hair too.

You just carefully shook your head. “I’m getting worried, this isn’t like him at all. Do we need to go check on him? What if he’s dead?” fWhip chuckled. “He’s not dead. We didn’t get a death message. Maybe he’s still asleep? I’m pretty sure I saw him up after midnight.” You shrugged. “We should still check on him, just in case.” Your older sister stood up and held out her hand to help you up. “Last one in Mythlands owes the others a diamond!” With a laugh, you flew away.

What you failed to notice when you arrived, was Sausage behind some rocks. He was very well hidden, you would’ve given him that if you knew. Say you did see him, you also would’ve seen the red eyes and grin he gets when he isn’t himself anymore. With a soft ‘swoosh’ you landed, directly on the tripwire. You patiently waited for the twins and didn’t hear a ‘hiss’ from below you.

Gem was in front of fWhip, though the alchemist was desperately trying to catch up. Before they could get close, though, you just felt blistering heat and you were gone.

—

You coughed once you woke up, shooting up in your bed. The dust and gunpowder had made its way into your lungs, and you couldn’t seem to get it out. Everything hurt, your ears were still ringing, you didn’t even know where you were..

Until you slowly heard your sister's voice. “Hey, hey. Careful. Do you want some water?” You shook your head and let her lean you against her. “What happened?” You were shocked to hear your voice. It sounded raw and scratchy, and you couldn’t use it for too long. Gem hummed. “The Assassins Guild. fWhip is dealing with Sausage.” Oh. Oh.

The wizard was right, if you listened closely you could hear the always-stoic tinkerer yell at, who you supposed, was your younger brother. You didn’t like the yelling, though. All you wanted to focus on was Gem threading her hands through your hair carefully. The pain was unbearable, the explosions still thrumming through your bones.

You heard fWhip yell after Sausage to ‘get back here’, but before you knew it the door to the room you were in flew open. “Get out, Sausage. I don’t think they want to see you. Not after what you’ve done.” The voice from behind you sounds cold. Eerily cold, a tone you’ve never heard being used towards family. “No, I want to hear him out, please?” You could see the youngest wince at the way your voice sounded and your current state.

Sausage carefully stepped inside, sitting on the ground a bit away from your bed. Once he started to explain, he couldn’t stop. He spilled everything from the way he tried to fight to say no, to the mental cage he got locked in as soon as.. something happened. It was clear he felt guilty, and even though you could tell the oldest two did not want to hear it, you felt bad for him. You could hear him attempt to talk about a.. demon? You had no clue.

Once he started to taper off, his voice cracking at the ends of his sentences, you opened your arms to beckon him in. “If it wasn’t intentionally me, it’s okay. Just give me time to heal, yeah?” The youngest nodded into your shoulder, holding you as close as he could without hurting you. It was clear it weighed heavily on him, and the other two started to notice too.