Ballad of the Lonely

~Chapter 1~

"Dawn broke in the East, the sky red as the ground." Her voice was music to Phil and Wilbur's ears. They were standing in the doorway as Kristin sat with a 10 year old Fundy in her lap singing his favorite song to help him fall asleep. "My black crows crying, death scattered around." She made eye contact with Phil and gave him a sweet smile as she sang the next lines. "He caught my eye, a soldier alone. Wings stained crimson with blood not his own." She looked back at Fundy.

The sound of her singing was accompanied with Fundy's voice. "He stood, eyes trained on a spot in the West. Skin unblemished, sword clutched to his breast." Fundy started making wild hand motions following the tempo and lyrics of their song. "Unbothered by war, untouched by my hands. The lone man who walked through the valley of death."

Fundy continued this until the final verses of their song where they got less dramatic and theatrical but rather more slow and seemed to take on a somber feeling. "Soon, as his son and his friend came together, my Angel of Death flew faster than ever. Into a war, he flew once again. To search for his son and his warrior friend. He found one alone in a man-made cave, a button to raze the land he had made. Sword in hand my angel cried as his son laid in his arms and died."

Wilbur frowned as he felt the lyrics resemble something he never experienced. Something he had only seen in his dreams. He'd always had this stab-like scar on his stomach and sometimes he would get phantom pains from the scar. He never remembered getting it and Kristen and Phil said he was born with it. But he knows they know it goes deeper than that. Still, he couldn't ignore the pitiful and guilt-filled eyes of his father whenever they would have talks over a nice glass of wine on the front porch or in the living room when Fundy and Kristen were asleep.

After the song was finished, Wil walked over to Fundy to tuck him in as Kristen was getting off the bed. "Alright my little champion, time for bed." Fundy whined at the statement. "But I'm not tired Dad!" He retorted. Wil just ruffled his son's hair. "Go to sleep or I'm not having Uncle Tommy and Shroud visit tomorrow." Wil said. Fundy gasped and pulled the covers up and over his head, chuckling softly as Phil, Kristen, and Wilbur filed out the door. Wil quietly closed the door behind him and as Phil went to get ready for bed, Kristen pulled him aside.

"You're going to have to tell him sooner or later." She said. Wil immediately knew she was talking about Fundy. Wil pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Yes, mum I know. I just-" He sighed again. "I just want to protect him as much as possible. That world is dangerous and you know it! For the Gods' sake you lived and grew up there! The last thing I want is for my son to get hurt because of my decision." Wil said in a hushed voice. Kristen placed a reassuring hand on his arm and looked at him with kind eyes. "I know, but we trusted ourselves enough to let you, Tubbo, Ranboo, hell, even Tommy to walk that world. And I know the last thing you would want is for Fundz to get hurt, but you have to trust that you taught him enough to protect himself. You have to trust him Wil."

Wil sighed in defeat because he knew she was right. "Ok, I'll tell him soon." He said. And off he went to bed, leaving Kristen in the hallway to wonder if  Wil was telling the truth, or just saying 'ok' to get her off his back.

~3 years later~

Fundy's eyes were alight with excitement as he blew out the candles on his cake, his grandparents, uncles, and cousins cheering.

13 years old, he thought.

At that moment, Wil had been packing a bag with potions, bandages, extra daggers, his garrote, and a metal wedding band that he slipped on his left ring finger. He smiled at the memories that came with this simple piece of jewelry. He walked out of his room, a dumb smile still on his face, to the kitchen where from across the house you could still hear cheering and shouting, mainly from Tommy. He leaned against the wall as Shroud, a mixed boy with black shaggy hair up to his shoulders and almost blood red eyes, was running around the kitchen with Fundy on his back and Micheal, a boy with vitiligo, close-cropped pink hair - courtesy of Techno - and heterochromic eyes, running after them.

Tommy was about to get in a fight with Tubbo with Ranboo holding the shorter back but failing. Eventually, Tubbo threw first punch and it all escalated from there with the two boys having been pried apart with the help of Techno and Phil, both still laughing and smiling as they tried to hit each other. Wil decided it was time to step in. "Alright, alright," he said making his voice a bit louder than usual, "are we all ready?" He asked. Fundy popped his head out from the crowd. "Not yet!" He yelped. He sprinted full speed to his room to grab Gods' know what. He came back only seconds later with a brown bag, much like Wilburs, strapped across his chest, his black jacket that he took almost everywhere and its matching black hat, his red-orange hair as bright as flames in the night.

Wil also noticed that he had a leather sheath strapped to his right leg with a five-inch dagger. He turned to the crowd. "Ok, who gave Fundy a knife?!" He yelled. Tommy tried to scoot away from the crowd but Wil caught him. "Tommy!" He shouted playfully. Tommy turned around, his hands up by his head in surrender. "Ok, in my defense, he asked for it and I'm not one to deny my nephew a knife!" He reasoned. Wil chuckled and shook his head knowing that, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't take away the knife as he knew that Tommy had given it to Fundy for his own safety. "Ok, c'mon." He said, beckoning his brothers, parents and nephews to follow him outside.

<~>

They had been walking for about five minutes and all the kids were somehow being carried by Techno, though he didn't seem to mind, Kristen and Phil having a hushed conversation behind their eldest son. Wilbur smiled as they neared their destination; a tree turned portal to another world. He heard someone jog up to fall into step with him. Wilbur didn't even have to turn to see who it was. "Are you sure he's ready for this Wil?" Tommy asked, unsure. "I'm sure." He answered. "I have to trust that I taught him enough to at least defend himself. That is why you gave him the knife, isn't it?" He asked his brother. Tommy only nodded keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"This is a big thing for him ya'know? Finally getting to see the world he was born into." Tommy said. Wil hummed in agreement. Shroud gasped and jumped off of his perch on Techno's shoulder. Micheal joined him in sprinting towards a big oak tree with a shallow, cave-like opening in the center. Shroud and Micheal started pointing at it and shouting things like; "light it!" and "open it!" Tommy chuckled and shook his head. He looked at Wilbur. "Do you want me to light it?" He asked with a smile, holding up a flint and steel.

Wilbur nodded and Tommy jogged to the tree, kneeling down as flashes of light lit up his face from the blond striking the flint and steel. By the time Wil, Techno, and them had gotten to the massive oak, Tommy had lit the portal sending a spiral of cyan energy into the cavernous trunk of the tree and Fundy's face lit up with excitement and wonder.