Chapter Text
Technoblade doesn’t feel safe very often. Especially during his travels. Being a high-ranking fighter in this world had its pros and cons. Safety wasn’t one of the pros.
He was too suspicious of the inns to actually spend a whole night there. Even if he did, he would never sleep. The owners had a knack for selling out his whereabouts, and Techno wasn’t fond of having a hoard of people at his door.
Some wanted to fight him, some wanted to follow him. Either way, he wasn’t interested, at all.
He didn’t get a lot of sleep due to reasons like this, and the only times he properly feels safe is when he’s at his own home or with someone like Philza. Maybe even Wilbur or Tommy, although he hadn’t been to their place in a while.
And for the first time in many months, Techno has stumbled across a landscape so serene that he genuinely wanted to simply lay down and doze off.
It was around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and there were no villages or towns in sight. It was a vast meadow that he had come across whose fields stretched far and wide, with long soft green grass that waved in the gentle breeze.
The sun was out but covered by clouds, giving rise to a cool atmosphere. It was a beautiful sight and Techno needed a minute to breathe it all in.
He walked around for a while, looking around, spotting a few rather pretty flowers. He recalled seeing them in some book before, but he couldn’t remember their names. He walked for a few more minutes, gently touching the grass, and soon came to a lone tree amidst the sea of green. It all seemed too good to be true.
So he carefully noted down the coords before removing his velvet and fur coat and neatly folding it into a pillow of sorts.
He placed it at the bottom of the tree, watching the leaves move and fall softly.
It didn’t take him long to fall into a deep sleep, safe and cradled by the grass around him.
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“Techno,“ A gentle voice spoke.
“Yeah, mom?” A kid with short pink hair looked up.
He was sitting in his mother’s lap as she stitched, no- embroidered? Yeah, embroidered...a tapestry maybe. He wasn’t sure. But he watched carefully as her fingers navigated nimbly up and down the fabric, creating shapes with loops and knots in the fabric. He enjoyed this. He liked picking colors for her and staring as she incorporated them into her exquisite designs.
“ Pass me another color,” She asked, and Techno reached into the box. She had been using a yellow thread, so he chose a golden shade for her to continue. He handed it to his mom and looked out the window.
A slight gap in the window allowed the rays of the setting sun to enter the room. Techno followed the beam of light and watched as it fell on his mother’s hair. She had light orange hair, quite different from Techno’s pink hair. He didn’t get it really, but his mom had told him that people simply came in many shades. It made sense, and why would she ever lie?
He observed the shine of her orange hair and it reminded him of how his own hair shone in the sunlight. Their hair looked quite similar in the sunlight he realized.
“Mom, your hair. It’s like mine!” The little boy exclaimed happily as he tugged at his mother’s sleeves. The woman laughed and gave him a questioning look, “ Is that so?”
Techno nodded vigorously.
“Nature has a way of reminding us of our similarities. Even though it might not be visible to us most of the time.” the woman smiled at the boy. He didn’t understand what she meant but he smiled back anyway.
“ Tell me a story.” Techno suddenly asked, his eyes lit up.
“What, right now? It’s not even bedtime yet Tech-”
“Please? Just this once? Please, mom?”
The woman sighed and set aside her embroidery materials. She then picked up Techno and made him sit properly in her lap.
“Alright. About who?” She asked him.
“ Theseus! “ The kid clapped his hands.
The woman smiled and patted his head. It was the only story she had told him so far and he seemed intrigued by the tragic tale of the hero.
“How about I tell you my favorite story today? Hmm?” She gently stroked Techno’s soft hair as he thought about it.
“Is it about Theseus?” He asked.
“Not really, but it is...kind of related to him.” Techno turned to look at her. “It’s about the minotaur.” She explained.
Techno let out a soft ‘oh’ and nodded, turning back around and faced the view outside the window.
“ It’s a tale, like the Minotaur’s. But different. This is a story that I heard long ago…”
Techno leaned back into his mother’s touch as her words slowly washed over him.
“Long ago in a kingdom, there lived a brave family of royals. They lead the kingdom with honesty and the best intentions. The King and Queen had a pretty daughter. The sole heir to the kingdom. The princess was known far and wide for not only her beauty but also for showing strategic intelligence and for being a fast learner.
Unfortunately, like all other stories, their prosperity didn’t last very long.”
Techno shifted in her arms, “Did someone die?”
His mother stroked a finger through his hair, “ Not yet, but yes. Their reputation caught the eyes of a neighboring kingdom. They heard about the bustling markets and flourishing economy and sent their armies to destroy it all.”
Techno frowned and let out a small gasp, “That’s so dumb! Why would they do that?”
“ Good things never happen to good people Techno. Good things never last. Jealousy, hatred, such emotions come naturally and are hard to get rid of. It overrides the minds of desperate people and causes them to do bad things. Things are complicated, people are complicated.”
Techno grumbled about something softly and nudged his mother to continue.
“So, the enemy armies set out, marching towards the kingdom. It happened quickly, without any warning. The rulers weren’t ready for a battle, and neither was their army.
The palace was set on fire, similar to the rest of the kingdom. Every house, shop, farm burnt. Swept by flames that showed no signs of regression.
The king and queen were escorted by the highest guards out of the palace and into a safe area. However, two cleanly aimed shots fired from the top of the castle walls, and both the guards fell.
The king and queen were defenseless, and faced a large number of enemy soldiers as they slowly scaled the wall in front of them,”
“They’re gonna die mom.” Techno said in a slightly concerned voice.
“Well, that sure sucks. Anyway,“ she continued “The only thing the king and queen cared for more than their own lives, and perhaps even their country was the life of their daughter. So they both grabbed the swords and shields of the guards on the ground and fought. The princess ran-”
“Wait what?? She didn't even try helping her parents?” Techno was baffled. If someone ever attacked his mom, he wouldn’t hesitate to throw hands. No matter how small he was, he would fight.
His mom sighed, “ Techno… desperate situations call for desperate measures. She could either fight and die cornered or she could honor her parents’ final struggles by escaping and may be returning for revenge. You will understand when you’re older.”
Techno scrunched up his brows yet again.
“ She ran, and her parents did their best to keep the soldiers at bay. Soon the princess reached a nether portal, built underground for any kind of emergencies. Without pausing, she leaped into it and found herself in a blazing hot domain. T might have been hell itself. She glanced around and took in the lava-falls originating from the ceiling of the nether, the sea of lava bubbling beneath her feet, and the pillars of fire all around her.”
Techno’s eyes went wide and his mouth formed a small ‘o’ in fascination. He had read about the nether but no books described it this way. All the books he had read only called it ‘hell’, no other description.
“She would’ve spent more time taking in the hellish scene if not for the sudden humming from the portal,”
“The enemy soldiers?!” Techno gasped, he was engrossed, making his mother laugh lightly.
With a small nod, she continued, “ She ran, not wasting a single minute, and soon she could hear the clanking of the weapons of the enemy soldiers. They were closing in on her and she had to find someplace to hide. She decided to ditch her boots in an attempt to throw off the soldiers chasing after her. It worked, kind of. Gave her enough time to change course and run through small crevices and get to higher ground.”
“What happens if you anger a mob in the Nether?” Techno interrupted.
“They kill you.”
“Huh”
“The princess could see the enemy soldiers realize that she had thrown them off her trail and they were now looking for her. At that moment she saw a large dark structure in the distance. It wasn’t very far and looked to be some kind of hideout. Her feet were throbbing in pain due to the hot netherrack underneath her feet.
So she climbed and made it to the structure. It was a bastion.”
Techno whipped his head around “ What’s a bastion? ”
His mother stroked his head and hummed for a second, “The large dark structure. It’s kind of like a fort. A defense of sorts.”
She shifted and grabbed a glass of water before continuing , “She ran into the bastion, not fully realizing the presence of other people in there. She ran down the stairs and jumped over broken walls and stumbled into a large room, with a floor of lava and stacks of gold blocks in a dark shrine in the middle of the pool. She stood there and looked, her eyes widening, at the lava floor, and the barely traversable path leading to the shrine, at the dilapidated shrine itself, and it was then that she noticed the Piglins.”
She turned to Techno and pulled him back up in her lap since he had started sliding off quite a bit , “Do you know what Piglins are?” to which Techno shook his head.
“They’re people of the Nether, hybrids. They look like humans but they’re bigger and have boarish or pig-like features. They have always been considered monsters but the fact is that they are skilled enough to trade and converse with each other. They are also good at fighting, archery, and building. Who else do you think built the bastions?”
“The piglins slowly turned to look at her as well. And in that instant, the princess almost collapsed had it not been for the sound of metal armor that made her jump over to the steep ridges in the walls.
The enemy soldiers were here and they now faced the Piglins.
The Piglins didn’t like invaders, and so both sides clashed. Several men were killed off in an instant by the enchanted crossbows. Even as the Pigliins fell more and more kept coming, and soon the entirety of the enemy soldiers were killed off. The princess sat there in a daze, unsure of how she was ever going to escape.
But then one Piglin approached her. And he was gentle. He wasn’t angry at her. He didn’t try to attack her either. Instead, he signaled, with his hands asking if she was alright. The princess could only stare, and so the Piglin placed a hand on his chest and spoke, ‘Brute.’. “
“Piglins can speak???” Techno was amazed. He hadn't heard or read anything like this ever before.
“Well, I don’t think all of them can… just some... who have had a bit too many encounters with overworld folk. Anyhow, this is just a story.” His mother smiled at him. “What do you think happened next Techno?”
The kid suddenly closed his eyes, held his chin, and began thinking deeply, “Hmmm,”. His mother shot him an amused glance and grinned a little when he seemed to come to a conclusion.
“According to my calculations,” he paused dramatically, and his mother raised her eyebrows, ”They fell in love and lived happily ever after!”
At that techno’s mother let out a loud laugh, she laughed for a while and although Techno didn’t understand what exactly he said made her laugh, he was glad to see her happy.
After wiping the tears and still grinning from his answer Techno’s mother smiled brightly at him, “You know what Techno? You’re right. The Piglin Brute was one of the rare Piglins who had learned enough overworld lingo and had read a few books that he had found from overworld travelers. He approached the princess, talked to her, took care of her, and made sure she was safe. The enemy kept sending more soldiers after her, but the Piglins in the bastion protected her. She too did her best to learn the Piglins' language and help them out. And they lived happily ever after.”
With that Techno’s mother smiled brightly at him and Techno grinned back. But he gave her a little frown, “But you said the story was about the minotaur?”. His mother paused. She buried her face on top of Techno’s head, and she stayed there for a while. Techno didn’t ask again, not sure if he said something wrong.
She spoke after a few minutes, “ This was more of a prequel… they had a son… and it all went downhill. But that’s a story for another day!” She perked up again, although it seemed forced, Techno wasn’t going to do anything to make her sad again. And so they went about their day as usual, engrossed and content with their lives.
He had been so naive.
It was after he grew up, into a young adult with all the pretty features of his mother, with the best fighting skills than anyone else around him, it was then that he understood what his mother was talking about.
The story was the prequel.
He understood what that meant the day the soldiers came.
He understood whom his mother was talking about when they forced their way into the town.
He understood what she had meant by complicated when the soldiers set the whole town on fire.
He understood it all when they broke into his house and took his mother away.
He understood it when his mother screamed at him to run before the soldiers grabbed her by the hair.
“If someone ever attacked his mom, he wouldn’t hesitate to throw hands. No matter how small he was, he would fight”
And so he set out. Wearing the deep red robe that his mother had embroidered with gold thread. He took a crown from his mother’s drawers that she had hidden away from him.
He adorned his braided hair with the heavy gold crown.
He took the sword that he had earned after winning several competitions.
And he single-handedly broke into the fortified castle, slaughtering any and all enemies mercilessly until he found his mother.
She had been locked up in a room, alone. They hadn’t killed her since they had spent so many years looking for her. They couldn’t kill her so easily.
Technoblade had thought that his mother would have abhorred him for massacring people. He thought she would refuse to accept him as her son.
But she had always been full of surprises.
As soon as she saw him enter her room, clothes bloodied, sword in hand, wearing- wearing her crown, she stood up and hugged him.
She was proud of him. And before Techno could process it, she whispered “Kill the king, Technoblade.”
How could he defy direct orders from his mother?
Direct orders from a princess?
Direct orders from a Queen?
And so he turned around, his robe whirling behind him. He walked through the gilded halls with marble pillars. He turned around and climbed the short flight of steps, he walked past the portraits hung over the stairwell without sparing them a glance.
These halls and corridors belong to his mother. Belong to him .
There weren’t many guards up here, however, they were better than the ones that fought Techno before.
But not better enough to kill Technoblade.
Techno stepped aside and stabbed his sword neatly through a gap in the guard’s armor, and then used him as a shield against the oncoming attack of the other guard. Then he proceeding to stab the second guard in the chest and move up again, towards the main throne room.
The King simply sat there, in his seat, as if all this was a mere scene in some play, a scene from a fairytale that would be passed down for generations. Technoblade marched forward, his sword out and bloody. His heavy boots made a loud sound with every step.
The king stood up and drew his sword as well. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.
It was a short battle. The king may have been able to command vast armies but he couldn’t command death.
His bloody figure lay on the ground, blood spilling from the several wound on his torso.
It was a pitiful sight.
A king, bloodied and on the verge of death.
His royal clothes dirty and muddied by his own blood.
His crown, the crown that had been carefully crafted with intricate carvings and gold and precious jewels, had toppled over and was bathed in blood as well.
A symbol of a fallen kingdom, Technoblade thought.
He jerked his sword, to get rid of the blood, and turned around to see his mother walk up the stairs and enter the throne room.
The sun was setting and the lowering rays lit up the room. The curtains swayed gently as they bathed in the sunlight, and his mother walked over to him. She only spared a brief glance to the dead king and then looked up at her son, prince, now king, that she had raised.
Meanwhile, Techno could only stop and stare at his mother, the way her hair resembled his own under the setting sun. Her orange hair and Techno’s pink braided hair.
She bent down and picked up the bloody crown, slowly wiping the red stains before placing the crown on his head.
Techno stared at her, her blue eyes met his questioning red ones, and she smiled softly at him.
“Blood for the blood god” she had whispered.
“Blood for the blood god.” He had whispered back.
It was then that he understood, he was the minotaur in this story.
The cursed child of a princess and a monster. With ‘heroes’ out there who wished to kill him.
He was the minotaur and so there would be a Theseus.
That’s a problem for future Technoblade, he decided.
He had a kingdom to lead right now.
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He remembers leading the country, his mother alongside him.
He remembers the people rejoicing over the return of the true heir and rulers.
He remembers the kingdom flourishing, he remembers the kingdom dying.
He remembers that power corrupts.
He remembers that good things never come to good people.
No kingdom, no government, never again, he promised himself.
Especially not after his mother’s demise.
It was sad, having to let go of his mother’s legacy.
But it was for the greater good. He had the blessings of a god now and didn’t need to depend on mortal needs like food, water, or companionship.
And so he left.
He traveled, fought wars, toppled kingdoms single-handedly, dominated fights with hundreds of brave warriors, and made a name for himself.
Years passed and he continued his travels. Even farming for months straight at one point.
Eventually, he found family. He found someone he could call brother, He found someone he could call a friend.
He found his Theseus.
But his story would not end like the Minotaur’s.
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