Please read the AN at the end!

The feeling of Michael's lips on my cheek still burned my skin even after I awoke the next morning. Michael had stood watch all night, making me feel slightly guilty for sleeping the entire night away. Michael was quick to brush off my apologies and remind me of my weakness from the previous day.
He checked my wound after I woke up as well, smiling and telling me it was healing well. He applied more ointment, this time it didn't burn like hell, and wrapped it again in a new bandage.
We quickly headed out after a small breakfast type thing. Boomerang was unusually skittish but I brushed it off, thinking it was just due to us being in a territory she's never been in.
Michael trotted softly around Boomerang and I, poking me every now and then with his sword and giggling. I smiled at his immaturity. I don't think I'd ever seen a king act like a child in front of the world like this.
Michael's sword had a large bloodstain on it.
I paused for a moment before proceeding to question him about it.
"That knight... Did you know him?" I asked him. Michael slowed Topaz to a halt for a moment before telling him to pick up his walk.
"Yeah..." Michael trailed off.
"How do you do it?" I asked him.
"Do what?" He asked me back.
"Just... How do you kill people and not have any regret after doing it? Or guilt?" I asked him.
I think I crossed the line.
Michael's eyes blazed for a moment and his hand tightened around his swords hilt. A low growl sounded in his throat and his muscles tensed.
"I always feel guilt and regret after it. That knight I killed, I had a silent vigil for him after you feel asleep. But you wouldn't know that because you were too tired to see if I was okay," Michael growled menacingly. I swallowed and backed Boomerang up a bit.
The light and happiness in Michael's eyes returned in an instant and he looked at me before putting on a sad look.
"I-I'm sorry. Being the ex-commander... That happens sometimes," Michael breathed under his breath. I smiled slightly and moved Boomerang closer to him.
"It's alright, love. Come on, I think I hear a creek up ahead," I smiled, purposefully using the word 'love'.
So, the day went slowly. Michael and I made small talk about this and that, but nothing too serious. I might have caught Michael staring at me one to many times and I may or may not have blushed after each one.
I stretched out on Boomerang. My legs were incredibly sore and I wanted more than anything to stand. I heard Michael moan a bit when he stretched out his legs and I felt dirty thoughts prod at the corners of my mind. I blushed and looked away, forcing the thoughts away.
"Let's get some food and we can call it a night, yeah?" Michael asked me, smiling. I nodded and smiled back, already beginning to slide off of Boomerang.
I tied her to a tree and loosened her saddle a little. She let out a quiet breath, letting me know she liked it. I rubbed under her belly a little bit before retrieving my bow and a few arrows.
Michael met me in the middle of the clearing. He nodded to me and we headed out into the forest.

By the time we got back it was going on nightfall. I quickly skinned the chicken I had killed and Michael built a fire. I skewed two pieces of the chicken and handed one to Michael.
While we cooked our meal, I admired the way the firelight danced off of Michael's features. His hair seemed to brighten as well, making it look like a messy ball of fire.
He's so handsome...
"Have you thought about your parents at all?" Michael asked, knocking me from my romantic thoughts of him.
"Kinda. Just a little here and there," I told him. Michael nodded solemnly.
"What about you?" I asked him, realizing after what a stupid question that was.
But Michael just laughed a little and smiled at me.
"A little. I mean, both my parents are probably dead so," He sighed. Probably?
"So, you believe that your father might still be alive?" I asked him.
"Not my father," Michael breathed gently.
"What do you mean? I thought your mother was killed?" I asked him, beginning to chew at my share of the chicken.
"Well, there wasn't any real evidence that she was killed. Time in the Nether is different then it is here. If she did somehow manage to escape from the Wither she could've easily camped out until she figured out a way to get back," Michael told me.
"How much time would've passed in there if she is still alive?" I asked him. Michael thought for a moment before looking up again.
"A year," Michael said quietly. I couldn't help but hear the slight regret and disheartening tone in his voice.
I stood up and sat down next to Michael and leaned against him. He stiffened for a moment before gently wrapping an arm around me and holding me closer. I breathed in content and nuzzled a little deeper into him.
We stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. Being wrapped in Michael's embrace seemed to be my type of therapy. It calmed and soothed me enough to lull me into a peaceful sleep.

Hiss...
My eyes blinked open just in time to see a creeper explode in front of me.
I was knocked backwards and tumbled a bit into a tree. I got on my hands and knees and searched for Michael. He was in another corner, struggling to get up.
I felt something drip onto my shoulder and I felt it, noticing blood staining my hand. I followed the blood trail up into my ear.
I was now deaf in my left ear.
I suppressed the feeling to scream in anger as I struggled back onto my feet. I scanned my surroundings, already trying to adjust to my deafness.
Fire was the first thing I noticed. The creeper blew up the fire and now it was burning the trees around us.
I heard another hiss from my right and I jumped forward, grabbing my bow and knocking arrow. I shot the creeper in the head before it could explode. I watched it turn to a pile of ash and sighed a quiet sigh of relief.
"Gavin!" Michael screamed.
I felt a hand wrap itself around my arm and the scent of rotten flesh wafted into my nose. I held back a gag as I reached for the knife at my belt and stabbed the zombie in the eye.
When I looked back up, Michael was fighting his own set of mobs. It was amazing how precise he could fight. There was no flaw that I could pick out in his movements.
I heard an arrow fly fast my head and I rolled to the side, kneeling and firing an arrow at a strangely dark skeleton.
When I stood back up, I choked a bit. The fire was spreading quickly and the smoke was eating up every bit of oxygen Michael and I had. I noticed Michael's movements slowing down as he fought for breath.
I dashed over to him and pushed my knife into a zombies head. Michael quickly pointed to the horses and I dashed over to them, untying them and mounting Boomerang. Topaz galloped over to Michael, trampling a skeleton in the process. Michael mounted him quickly before dashing off into the forest.
I followed Michael, pulling my cape over my nose and mouth to block the smoke from it. As we escaped the territory, it became easier to breath, but my lungs still burned even after the fire was just a distant glow on the horizon.
Michael slowed Topaz down to a light trot before halting him on top of a hill. I pulled Boomerang up next to him and we looked into the distance at the fire that continued to rage.
"Your ear," Michael rasped quietly.
"I know. I'm deaf in it now," I choked. I coughed a bit before wiping a bit of the blood off of my ear.
"Come here," Michael ordered, hopping off of Topaz. I did the same and Michael rummaged through the pack on Topaz's flank.
Michael cleaned off a bit of the blood and dripped some liquid into my ear. He told me it should help heal my ruptured eardrum but even he seemed a little unsure and doubtful if it would actually heal it.
"Michael, did you notice the skeletons looked a little darker than usual?" I asked him while he wrapped my ear.
"Um... Yeah," He said slowly.
"Why were they darker?" I asked him as if he actually knew the answer.
Michael was hesitant to answer me for some reason. He let out a sigh and paused in his work. He turned me to him and looked me dead in the eye.
"They were the Wither's minions, which means the Wither has tracked us down and is trying to kill us."
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Please read the AN!
Author's Note:
Hello! Merry Christmas Eve Eve! What did you think of this chapter? Good, bad, okay, you couldn't care less because this is getting repetitive? Let me know please! It really helps out a lot!
Also, I kind of what to start a Mavin one shot book but I was wondering if you guys would read it? If you'd like it, please let me know.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!