Finding Them

        A sword was at their throat, their head could be lying next to their body in seconds if they didn't act accordingly.

"Who are you?" Techno growled, the sword never wavering.

"Techno, what did they do?" Phil asked approaching the two, he couldn't help as a very similar previous situation played through his mind like deja vu.

"They were watching us sleep. Probably planning on killing us," Techno spat, glaring at the captive. Phil sighed, what was he going to do with him?

"Fine, then. Who are you and what do you want with us?" he asked, taking Techno's side.

"I wasn't- I mean no harm. Could you possibly just, maybe, take the sword away from my throat? It's, getting pretty close there." A woman's voice spoke from beneath the hood. Techno grabbed the hood down, it was hard to see in the night but she seemed to have pale skin, black hair and deep brown eyes. Her voice was soft and kind, but they weren't going to be fooled easily.

"No, not until you can prove you aren't a threat." Techno didn't hesitate, confidence radiating off of him.

"Then what can I do to convince you otherwise?" She asked, still nervous of the blade oh so very close to her throat.

"Drop all of your weapons, answer all of our questions," he instructed.

"I mean, I could do that but you could also kill me very easily then," she thought aloud. Techno scoffed.

"That's kind of the point." The blade got closer.

"Fine, fine." She took all of her weapons and dropped them on the ground. They mainly consisted of variants of small knives, but she also had one sword. "So what do you want to know? I did as you asked I'll answer your questions, can you put the sword away now?" she spoke confidently, despite her situation. Techno grumbled, but removed he weapon.

"What are you doing here?" Phil came over, asking the question most of them had been wondering. The woman brushed a strand of hair from her eye.

"Well, I could ask you the same thing, I come through here on a regular basis. Barely anyone travels through these wood, yet the past two days it seems to be picking up popularity," she explained. This piqued their interest.

"Who else came through before us?" Phil asked quickly. She raised a brow before answering.

" Oh, um, they were two boys. They looked to be around twelve to thirteen. The brown haired one was weird, he kept talking to himself, through himself, if that makes sense? He dragged the blonde all the way to the dungeons. I think he hit him in the head with a stone or brick as well," she recalled her previous encounter. "I was actually going back to the village to get some help, I need to get that boy out of there before they execute him, but I need help," she finished slightly out of breath. The three blanched, she was talking about Tommy and Tubbo.

"Listen, our brother is the one who was taken to the dungeons; we've been looking for him, would you mind taking us there?" Phil stepped toward her worry and excitement coursed through him. They knew where he was, they could save him; but could they do it in time was the question.

"Well, I'm glad our motives align, I'd be more than happy to take you to him, get him out of there. That other boy with him was unsettling, unstable, it's not safe for him there," she explained, concern lacing her tone.

"Mmmm. Thank you, how soon can we leave?" he asked.

"If you're up for it, right now. Just keep close and be quiet, we'll be there before the sun rises."

-

"Tubbo?" Tommy asked, his eyes held the unspoken question. 'What do you choose?'

"Tommy," his voice broke sobbing.

"I can't- I can't do it, I would never do that! Tommy's my best friend!" Tubbo turned to Schlatt, angry tears spilling over the dams of his eyes. Schlatt glared.

"This would've been so much easier if you had just done as you were told," he was seething. "I wanted you to do this willingly, to feel the pain of killing your best friend. You will kill him!" he spat. "You know what they say; if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." One moment Schlatt was standing next to the boy. The next he was gone. Tommy watched with wide eyes as Tubbo suddenly hunched over in pain.

"Tubbo?" Tommy asked, trying to get to his friend, the chains rattling. Tubbo screamed, pain searing through his body, trying to defend himself from the intruder. Suddenly, it was silent, all except for the heavy breathing coming from Tubbo. The heaving boy glanced up at the younger through his bangs, smirking, a blood-thirty look in his eyes.

"Tubbo?" he asked again. No, this wasn't Tubbo, this wasn't his Tubbo. This was Schlatt. He trudged over to Tommy slowly, like his feet were made of lead.

"No, no," Tommy shook his head backing away. He didn't want to die, he wanted to live. What about his brothers? What would they do? They could finish the prophecy without him, couldn't they? They could, Tommy decided. He sucked in a breath. He knew Tubbo was trying, he knew Tubbo didn't want to, he wasn't in control. He knew it was himself or Tubbo. Yes, he knew all too well. Tommy exhaled, a calmness replacing his fear. Only one of them would leave here alive. Tommy decided it would be Tubbo.

He didn't feel the sharpness of the knife plunge into his chest. He didn't feel the warm blood trickle out of his body. He didn't feel his legs collapse, or the soft hands that caught him before he hit the floor. He didn't notice Schlatt leave, satisfied with his work. The only thing he noticed was Tubbo, his tears dripping from his face onto his own. He could see the complete and utter sadness in the brown eyes of his. Why was he so sad? Tommy would always choose Tubbo, all and every single time.

"Tommy! Tommy? Tommy, no I-" he cried, cradling the boys head in his hands, kneeling next to him. "Tommy, it's okay, you're going to be okay," Tubbo whispered sweet nothings, white lies. They both knew where the knife had ended up. They both knew there was no hope for him. Yet, Tommy listened. He listened, but he didn't believe.

"Tubbo, it's okay," he coughed out, blood filling his taste buds. The other panicked, concerned at the sight.

"No Tommy don't, you're going to be okay, you're going to be okay." He clawed and ripped at the chains, desperate to get them off. In his desperation he didn't notice Tommy's shaking hand reach up, resting on his cheek, brushing away his tears. A memory made its way to the front of his brain, the time when he was first learning how to cook and ended up burning his hand severely. Tommy was there with him, and just like now, he wiped away his tears. He shouldn't be the one consoling him, he was the one dying. Tubbo grabbed the hand and held it close to his face, as tightly as he could. He couldn't lose Tommy, not when he just got him back, not when he didn't even get to say sorry. He wasn't ready, but if there's one thing they could understand is that, you're never going to be ready; not for death, not for anything.

"I'm so sorry Tommy, I shouldn't have gotten so upset, I shouldn't have agreed with Schlatt, I shouldn't have let you get hurt," he cried.

"Tubbo," Tommy satted weakly, "I'm glad it was me, because; I'll always choose you." He smiled, his eyes filled with pure and utter happiness. How could someone portray such an emotion when they were so, so close to death? Those words they weren't white lies. They just held all the truth, and everything that was left unsaid.

Tubbo watched as the light faded from Tommy's eyes. The once bright baby blue was now a dull grey. In the basement of a castle, the furthest you could go, a boy mourned his friend.

"NO TOMMY NO!" he screamed, he cried, and if anyone heard the faint screams coming from the depths of the dungeons, they shrugged it off. They must be imagining it; after all, no one was allowed there in the first place.