The guards on either side of the door moved aside as the young woman approached, one of them pushing the door open for her before stepping out of the way. She gave them a thankful nod. Getting the door herself would have been difficult with her hands full like this.
The bundle that rested over her shoulder, though bulky and wrapped in cloth, was not as heavy as one might expect for a body. Beyond that, it was cold, chilling her even through the layers of fabric between them. The temperature difference was quite noticeable in the heat.
The woman stepped through the doorway and immediately locked eyes with her queen.
"Your majesty." She bowed, as low as she dared with the corpse resting over her shoulder. The queen gave a gentle nod in response.
"You are the one who contacted me?" She asked, her face only faintly visible beneath her veil.
"Yes, your majesty." The young woman confirmed. She stepped forward, making her way towards the circular table that sat between her and the queen, and with a small grunt of exertion she heaved her cargo onto it with a thud.
The queen sat quietly as the woman unwrapped her bundle and revealed what lay inside - the body of a young, piglin man, likely no older than 20 or 25 years of age. His throat was slit, and his pink skin was ashen. The young woman could hear a soft growl from one of the guards.
The queen was silent for a moment longer, studying the corpse. "You killed him, correct?" She finally asked.
"I did- in self defense." The young woman clarified, mindful of the piglin guards lingering behind her. "I was out in a warped forest, leagues from here, no one else around, when all of a sudden he came at me out've the trees. Tried to talk to him but he only growled and lunged. Nothing I could do for him but to put the lad out of his misery." Gracefully, the queen stood, making her way around the curve of the table to get a better look at the young piglin's body.
"Had he any physical abnormalities?" She murmured, resting a gloved hand on the pale forehead only to jerk back her hand in shock. "He's cold."
"Yes, your majesty." The young woman nodded. "That is the only thing I noticed. No foaming at the mouth, no boils or other signs of disease... only growling and groaning, and a sort of vacant stare."
"I see." The queen retracted her hand with a frown, then lifted her gaze from the table. "You've seen this before, haven't you?"
"I have." The sound of a man's voice caught the young woman off guard, and her green eyes flashed up as a man in a dark cloak seemed to melt out of the shadows. His features were obscured by his hood - all but his eyes. Those glowed.
She took a small, halting step back as the cloaked man approached her, focused on the piglin's corpse as he stopped beside the table. Reaching down, he took a hold of the neckline of the piglin's ragged tunic and drew it down to expose his chest. The young woman emitted a hushed gasp when a blackened wound came into view just over his heart.
"Well?" The queen prompted as the man pulled his hand back.
"It's as I feared." The man muttered. "The Aether should be informed immediately."
"Phillip will be here tomorrow, I'll tell him then." The queen said. The man nodded, then turned his blank gaze back to the young woman.
"Thank you for bringing this to our attention, miss...?"
"Alex." The woman supplied.
"Alex." The man gave her a nod. "I regret to impose upon you further, but, would you be willing to mark on a map where you had this encounter?"
YOU ARE READING
Fly, Phoenix, Fly - Herobrine x Reader
FanfictionSequel to Fall, Angel, Fall. Forty years after the events of Fall, Angel, Fall, Herobrine and Y/N are reunited when an old threat rears its ugly head. Their relationship remains strained as they are forced to work together, unable to pick up where...
