TRYST // Philza X Reader

19

The closer you got to the throne room, the more the crowds of people thinned out, until the hallways were empty but for you, Phil and Eret. The click of Eret's boots on the stone floor was the only sound besides the muffled din of the battle outside and the occasional rumble as another boulder from the catapults hit the palace walls. As you passed windows, you peered outside, looking for any sign of the fighting.

You reached the throne room in a matter of minutes, Eret having almost jogged the whole way there. The doors were already ajar as you approached, and Eret just pushed them open even more, holding them open as you and Phil stepped inside.

When you walked in, the throne was empty.

Your eyes darted away from the dais and to the windows, where the king was standing, hands shaking at his sides as he watched the battle unfold below him. He didn't seem to notice the other people in the room until Phil cleared his throat, and the king's eyes snapped to the door, locking onto Phil immediately.

"Philza." The king said, relief flooding his voice. "You came-"

"What the hell is going on, Etienne?" Phil asked, eyes fiery.

Etienne's eyes darted back out the window to the battle for a moment. "We drove them off one time thanks to the timely arrival of King Eret, and now that you're here - just in the nick of time again, may I add - you can help us drive them off again and lend me that Totem of yours." His eyes drifted back to Phil. "You brought that Totem, didn't you?"

Your eyes snapped to Phil, but he gave away nothing, still focused on the king. "How did you even know I had it?"

"When that Simon fellow came back saying it hadn't been in the cave at the end of the map, I assumed you'd found it at some point." Etienne said. "How else would you still be so young when Herobrine and I were ripe with age?" He paused for a moment. "You do have it with you, yes?"

There was a moment of semi-silence in the room - you could still hear the battle going on outside, of course - but no one said anything now. You could see Eret looking at Phil, waiting for him to say something. The king was looking at him too, but his eyes were focused on Phil's pockets, looking for any sign of the Totem, almost greedy in his stare.

You shifted so that you were standing halfway behind Phil, the bulge in your own pocket hidden behind his wings.

"You seem more concerned about that Totem than the war going on outside your window." Phil said.

"Because that's how I win." Etienne said. "Don't you see?" He stepped away from the window, coming towards Phil.

Phil took a slight step back, the feathers on his wings puffing up somewhat. "Etienne..."

"They're trying to kill me, Phil." Etienne said, arm going wide to gesture back out the window, and the battle still raging outside. "I can't let them kill me - I can't let them win. Not after everything they did. Have you forgotten what it was like before I was in power? All the killing and pillaging and-"

"Like you were any better?" Phil interrupted, shooting back. "I told you before I left that I would be keeping an eye out, and do you know what I saw? You marginalized entire races of people simply because of something their ancestors had done, and neglected your own subjects as well."

"Necessary evils." Etienne said.

"No, that's pointless revenge." Phil argued. "You're not worthy of the Totem, even if I ever was going to give it to you."

"Traitor." Etienne growled. "Do you not have any sense of loyalty to your king-!"

Etienne was interrupted when a boulder hit the wall outside the throne room, the crack resounding into the chamber. The floor shook under your feet, and you grabbed onto Phil's forearm to steady yourself as a sheet of rubble rained down from the ceiling, covering the room in rock dust. Windows broke, and glass rained into the room like falling stars, shattering into minuscule pieces as the shards hit the floor.

Phil's wings spread out, covering both you and Eret from the falling glass as best as he could. Across the room, you watched Etienne throw his arms up to cover his face from the falling shards, and he curled in on himself, ducking away from the windows. "Traitors!" He was still crowing. "All of you!"

"Your Highness, please-"

Etienne paid Eret no mind though, still covering his face as he fled from the room, using a small passageway that had been concealed behind his throne. As soon as he fled, the passage sealed back up, leaving no trace that it was even there in the first place. The last pieces of glass fell from the now broken windows and Phil lowered his wings, shaking the shards out from between his feathers. You let go of his arm, stepping out from behind him now that the king was gone.

Eret shook the dust from the rubble and the glass out of his hair, eyebrows furrowed and looking confused - as one would be when you had just witnessed the king flee from the room shouting about loyalty. You weren't quite sure how you were feeling either, in the moment.

Phil seemed unfazed though, like he had been expecting something like this to happen. He just sighed, adjusting his hat on his head and brushing the rubble out of the folds of his robes. "Right." He said. "Etienne that rat bastard... I should have expected this of him."

"Philza?" Eret asked, looking to him, brows still furrowed.

"He's not coming back." Phil said, eyes flicking over to the panel of stone behind the throne that you now knew was a secret passage. "Which means we're going to have to save our own asses - and everyone else's while we're at it."