TRYST // Philza X Reader

21

The secret passage was cramped - barely enough room for Phil to stand upright, and the tops of his wings kept brushing along the ceiling. Phil kept a careful grip on your wrist as you hurried down the tunnel, flashing in and out of the light from the torches spaced across the walls. Even in the passage, you could still feel the vibrations of the constant battering of the castle walls.

Phil's grip around your wrist tightened as another boulder hit outside and the force of it echoed through the walls.

The secret passage wasn't too long, and soon enough you were coming to the end of the tunnel - another stone panel that most likely was perfectly concealed from the outside. There was no telling where in the palace it would put you though - you hadn't even known it was hidden behind the throne, much less where it went.

Phil let go of your wrist for a moment to press his ear up against the door, searching for any sound of violence through the stone. You hovered anxiously a half step behind him, one hand resting over the pocket that contained the Totem.

Phil cursed under his breath stepping back from the door. "I can hear fighting outside."

"Do we wait here?" You asked. "I mean, none of the invaders would be able to find us - the only people that know about this place would be the king and his most trusted advisors."

Phil pursed his lips, looking between you and the stone door. "If the rumors are to be believed, his most trusted advisors might be people we have to worry about." He said. "We can't let Etienne get too far either - there's no way of knowing where he's gotten to now. We'll just have to hope that whoever is on the other side of this door is friendly."

With that, Phil shouldered aside the stone panel, letting light into the passage. Wings, flaring out, he stepped into the hallway - effectively drawing all the attention to himself and hiding you behind the feathers. Through the gaps, you counted six pillagers, all of their crossbows now focused on Phil.

Your heart leapt into your chest as the arrows loosed.

It didn't matter though, because Phil drew his sword, cutting the arrows as they were in the air with one swift motion. In the corners of your vision, you saw two shadowy figures leapt forward, cutting down two of the pillagers while they were focused on Phil. Phil paid them no mind, moving forward to cut through the remaining enemies with ease. It was the first time you had seen him in real battle - not just cutting down the undead - and it was a little bit terrifying. Phil was gone - this was the Angel of Death.

The shadows on the other hand, moved like dancers, cutting through the air with precise movements. They seemed to disappear and reappear and you could never catch them head on - there were moments when you thought that they were just tricks of the light, but then another pillager would fall to their lightning fast blades.

The rest of the pillagers fell easily between Phil and the two shadowy fighters, and the bodies fell to the floor you got a better look at who had been fighting in the hallway before you. The twins were composed as ever - the only sign that they had even been fighting were the rips in their sheer robes and the smears of blood on their hands. They didn't seem bothered though, two sets of purple eyes focused on Phil, and hands still wrapped around the hilts of their swords.

"Tarquin." You said, relief flooding through your veins.

One of the twins eyes snapped to yours - Tarquin, presumably - and it took him a moment before recognition flashed in his eyes. "Y/N." He returned. His sister shot him a look, and he turned to her to explain. "The messenger Etienne sent to fetch the Angel."

"Ah." Deirdre said, sliding her sword back into it's scabbard on her hip. "I'm assuming you're the Angel then?" She asked, giving Phil the once over.

"Unfortunately." Phil said, straightening out his hat from where it had gotten knocked askew in the fight. "You both work for the king?"

"More or less." Deirdre said.

"You wouldn't be able to tell me where he's gotten off to then, would you?" Phil continued. "Last we saw him he had come through this passage."

The twins traded a look - silent communication between similar minds - and you could almost see the back and forth. Phil was new, and there was still a battle raging outside. Was he trustworthy? Were they going to have to fight him off if they refused to tell him where the king had gone?

"We have the Totem for him." You said, blurting the words out in an attempt to get the information out of them.

Both sets of purple eyes focused in on you, and then to the bulge in your pocket where the Totem sat. The twins looked back at each other again, but this time the conversation had changed. It was only a moment before Tarquin looked to Phil.

"He's in his own quarters." He said. "Down the hall, to the left and then three doors down."

"Thank you." You said, catching Tarquin's eye and shooting him a smile. He smiled sheepishly back at you.

The moment was interrupted when an arrow whizzed past your head. Phil grabbed you by the wrist, tugging you back into the cover of his wings, and the twins snapped to attention drawing their blades again. Another group of pillagers stood at the end of the hall, crossbows trained on the four of you.

"Godspeed Angel." Deirdre said, casting Phil one more look. There was a solemnity about it, and Phil had the same energy when he looked at her - if circumstances were different, they certainly wouldn't be trusting each other.

It didn't matter though, because Phil was guiding you away, scurrying down the hall and away from the fight erupting as the twins sprang forward, joking with each other as they dove into battle.

"How many did you say you'd felled, o' brother of mine?"

"One hundred and thirty four - and counting, of course."

"Not too bad... you'll have to do better than that to catch up to my hundred and thirty eight of course..."