Broken Kingdoms || Beeduo

Chapter 6

**Tubbo's POV**

I finish packing a bag of items I'll need for my journey. The end portal is quite far and I have never been very far outside of the castle walls as my father wouldn't allow it. He said that I must remains here to stay 'safe'. Safe from what? I know of the dangers that lie outside of these walls. There are zombies, skeletons, creepers and endermen, which are usually not hostile unless provoked.

I glanced back at the castle one last time before I snuck underneath the wall. I had dug out an escape behind a bush a long time ago. I'm surprised nobody found it. I had always planned to use it to go explore, but I never had a reason to. Now I do.

I ran through the forest as fast as I could for 20 minutes. I need to get as far away from the Kingdom as possible so that they can't find me after they become aware of my disappearance.

I feel myself becoming more and more out of breath and I reluctantly stop. This is not a good place to rest. I hear the bones rattling in the distance. Skeletons. They're near. I grab my water bottle while slowly looking around my surroundings. I pray that I do not come into contact with anything hostile. I may have my sword and have the sword fighting skills of a prince, but that won't stop me from being ambushed. I need to make it to the End Kingdom if it's the last thing I do.

**Ranboo's POV**

The Kingdom is quiet for now. The hostility has died down significantly. The quadrant stationed in the nether brought back 5 prisoners, one of them being from The Nether Kingdom's army.

Most of them have been executed due to the fact that they were deemed 'useless'. I'll be damned if I have to hear the screams of another innocent person. Everyone has been instructed to return to their business. I often wonder how our kingdom that once remained neutral unless provoked turned into hostile killers. I understand that the death of a queen leaves scars on one's heart, it left scars on mine, but to murder everyone and everything? That's not what she would have wanted.

I hid some food in my satchel and put on my cloak. I need to get away for a little while. My father does not care where we anyone goes in their spare time. The rules of this Kingdom are as follows:
-your loyalty must be to your King
-you must be present for all public trials
-you must not conspire with anyone outside of the Kingdom.

Anyone who breaks these rules will be deemed a traitor and face trial.

Not many rules, but it's surprising how difficult they are to follow.

I stare at the entrance to the portal. I take a deep breath and walk through. Guards are stationed at the other side, guarding the portal. They bow slightly when they notice the royal crest on my cloak. "Punz. Foolish." I greet as I continue walking towards the staircase that leads to the surface. They keep their head down, mostly because I'm part of the royal family, but also because they know that endermen, even part endermen, do not like eye contact, it aggravates them. My father has put so much fear in the hearts of our citizens that they do not speak unless told to speak. Once I tried to make a friend named Wilbur. My father said that Wilbur did not "treat me like royalty" and he ended up exiling Wilbur's father for "not raising him right." Wilbur was forced to stay here and was raised by his mother who wasn't a very good mother and he has never been the same since. Since then, I have not tried to make friends as I fear the backlash that they will receive.

When I reach the surface I take my hood off and bask under the light of the moon. The stars and moon are so beautiful. There's quite a few endermen out tonight. Some of them greet me as I walk by. I greet them in return. I continue walking until I reach the place that keeps me sane. In the side of a mountain, I have created a hideout. Once, a few years ago, I planned to run away and live here, but I realized that if I did, I'd be alone. Forever.

I put my satchel on the ground and run my hand along the familiar obsidian walls that line my hideout. I often come here to release all of my emotions. As prince, I must remain void of emotion, but that's not who I am. I don't understand how other citizens can act as if the constant hostility doesn't affect them. I know that some of the people who live in our kingdom are human, and even they do not flinch at the murder of an innocent person.

This must end. I start thinking about the old man again. He died to give me that message. 'not all those are lost' what does that even mean?! What does he want me to do?!

I'm pulled from my thoughts by a yelling outside.

"No you don't understand! I need to talk to the End King! Please this is important!" He screams.

"Oh you'll talk to him alright. During your trial tomorrow."

"Trial? I haven't done anything! Release me!"

I watch as a boy around my age is dragged down the stairs by endermen. He has an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. Must have got into a fight with a skeleton. I quickly grab some bandages from my safe space that I keep in here just in case and I stuff them into my satchel. I walk quickly and with purpose back to the portal.