Fly, Phoenix, Fly - Herobrine x Reader

Chapter Twelve - Trails

Commander Zenith shifted uneasily where he stood before the throne, his gaze focused firmly on the cloaked man that stood on the left-hand side of the Nether Queen's throne.

"Your majesty, you know who that is, right?" He finally asked.

"Of course I do." The queen looked almost offended that he'd asked, gliding across the room to meet him. "He's not exactly subtle."

"Ah..." Zenith turned his attention to her, lowering his voice. "Then you know he should not be here." Herobrine could, of course, hear him perfectly well.

"And what exactly is the point of being queen, commander, if I cannot do what I want?" The queen fired back. "I am well aware of his actions, both centuries ago and in recent days, and I have determined that his place is here - not locked in a cell, or cast out into the furthest reaches of the Overworld. Now-" The queen turned away, heading for a side door. "If you will wait here, I must convene with my men for a moment."

"Yes, your majesty." Zenith murmured as she retreated. It was not until she left his sight that the black-winged valkyrie turned his attention back to Herobrine, who met his gaze quietly. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Does Y/N know you're here?" Zenith finally asked.

"No." Herobrine lowered his gaze to the floor. "And I ask that you would not tell her."

"Why not?" Zenith arched a brow. Herobrine winced, unsure how much of their relationship the man already knew.

"I'm sure that you're aware of her... attachment to me." He said slowly. "If she knew where to find me, I could become a distraction."

"Hmm." Zenith regarded him quietly for a few moments. "Very well." Herobrine's shoulders slumped in relief.

"Thank you." Again, they lapsed into silence. It stretched on for quite some time, and Herobrine was beginning to consider an excuse to slip away when Commander Zenith addressed him again.

"Why here?" The question was... not accusatory, but wary, and Herobrine looked back to find the valkyrie's icy-blue eyes boring into his own. "You helped take down a ring of necromancers operating in our own lands, right under our noses- if you'd wanted to stay in the Aether, I'm sure you could've. And even barring that, you could've easily gone back to the Overworld. But, no- you decided to go and pledge your allegiance to the place to which you were ordered to never return." Those blue eyes were narrowed now. "Why?" Herobrine exhaled softly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"I..." He began quietly. "...came here to petition the queen to lock me up." He paused for a beat. "She refused."

"Oh." The commander frowned, brow drawn in a perplexed expression. "Why?" Herobrine shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"No- I mean, why did you turn yourself in?" Zenith clarified. Herobrine looked away again.

"I thought it would be best for everyone." He said softly. Y/N's face came to his mind unbidden, and he willed it away. "That the Nether would live in fear of me no longer. But..." His eyes flicked back to Zenith's. "The queen had other ideas."

Zenith was watching him quietly with an unreadable expression. "I see."

"Commander!" The queen's voice was accompanied by the creak of the side door, and both men turned to find her majesty standing in the doorway. "Join me."

"Yes, your majesty." With a small bow, Commander Zenith made his way over, vanishing through the door and leaving Herobrine alone in the throne room.