Chapter Text
When Tubbo went off to find Dream he told the Chosen in question that he had lost his family.
He had lied.
He hadn't lost his family, his family hadn't lost him. He knew exactly where they were and they knew how to find him if need be. When he asked if he could go his dad was a bit worried but allowed it after Tubbo pleaded for a few days.
It makes sense that he was worried. Tubbo was the crowned prince to their kingdom, after all.
The Fallen Kingdom was both big and small. It, like many other kingdoms, was made up of a castle and a city, with small villages scattered nearby that answered to the kingdom. The Fallen Kingdom, unlike many of the other kingdoms, was more than that.
It controlled every other kingdom on this side of the continent, basically. It was the kingdom, the head of an empire, basically. All kingdoms ran by themselves, but if something was to happen, if a problem was to arise that a kingdom couldn't solve, they went to Tubbo's father to figure out an answer.
So, him being the crowned prince and a Chosen made his father a bit concerned about letting him leave for long periods of time. Not to mention that he was six.
Still, Tubbo was a very strange, very smart, very special child, and telling him no never worked well. So, they compromised. He'd be back a year before coordination so he could get a crash course on being a king and he had to visit once a year, but other than that he could do what he wanted.
If any of their enemies knew how twisted around his finger the king was, they would've kidnapped him years ago. That might be another reason Jordan allowed him to leave- it was safer to leave him anonymous.
Tubbo thought about all of this as he packed a bag full of food. "I just want to see the sights." He lied.
Dream gave him a look. They had known each other for two years now, so Dream was getting better at catching his lies. It had been a few months since they left the old village Dream grew up in, and Tubbo was a little concerned. Before it was easier to slip out for a week or so without worrying Dream, Puffy, or Sapnap. Now, though, there was George and Phil and Wilbur and Techno and Tommy-
Oh god, Tommy. He wasn't even going to tell Tommy, cause then he might spill the beans and he likes being unknown. He's thought of telling Techno multiple times about who he was, about The Fallen Kingdom, because Techno would know, being a prince that was a part of that empire. He'd understand.
(Tubbo would have to ask his dad about that attack when he saw him. Maybe he would know what happened, why it happened.)
"Don't be so suspicious." Tubbo chided, taking an apple and biting into it. "I'll be back before you know it- you know you can't get rid of me."
"Doesn't mean you disappearing for a week at a time isn't worrying." Dream sighed, rubbing his forehead. "When will you tell me where you're even going?"
"Hmm, when you're older." Tubbo patted his knee, grinning. Really, he means when Tubbo's older. As in, when he has to go back to get crowned king Dream will find out about it. He thinks it'll be funny, the look on his face when he realizes that the kid he's been taking care of is actually the prince to an empire. "If the others ask, tell them that I'm hunting for pufferfish up the mountain."
Dream frowned. "Pufferfish don't live on mountains."
Tubbo paused. "They don't?" He shrugged. "Oh well, tell them that anyway." He surged forward, hugging Dream around the middle before skipping out. "See ya."
He closed the door behind him.
The amount of time it takes to get to Fallen varies, mostly on how much he gets sidetracked. This time he passed a flower field and spent half a day getting flowers for his younger sister. He still arrived at a decent hour (the next day) which meant he could waltz into the dinning room and immediately be served food.
Which is exactly what he did.
"Hey guys!" He strolled in, glancing over the shocked but happy faces as he took his seat, always left empty for him. Immediately a plate full of food was in front of him, and he took a deep whiff, missing the chief's cooking. "Long time no see."
"You're early." Jordan commented idly, amusement lacing his features. His father was calm, dressed in royal red robes with armor underneath. He was obviously happy to see him, but it was lunch and lunch was always with nobles so he was putting on a face for his subjects. "We've missed you."
His sister, on the other hand, was furious. She was dressed in a darker red gown, something flowy that didn't stop her movements at all. It showed in the way that she picked up a piece of bread and threw it at him. "You took my pendant!"
Tubbo knew she would remember that. Yes, he did take her pendant, her favorite one, in fact. He gave it to Puffy because he thought Puffy would like it (which she did). Crumb could always get a new one, she was a princess.
Either way, he knew this would happen. Which was why he brought the flowers.
"Is this a good enough apology?" He gave her the basket full of flowers. While Crumb's never been one for flowers, she did like them. "I even came back early!"
His little sister scowled, accepting the basket cautiously before picking through the flowers. After a moment she got up, going around the table and hugging him. "Missed you."
Tubbo smiled, hugging her back. "Missed you too."
Their father smiled at both of them, before standing up. The nobles, who had been watching, all scrambled up to attention. "Lunch is dismissed."
No matter how long he's gone, it's always the same.
He can always hang out with the stable hand, can always play chess with the librarian, can always find the royal mage and ask for blond hair (and never get it). His room had trinkets and gadgets that he could fiddle and work on, and his bed was always soft.
He missed it, but he also didn't.
Maybe it was because he knew he'd come back to it, in the future. This was his destiny, this was his future. And he was okay with that, he really was, he just wanted to see the world before that. Get to know some of his people, even if they don't know they're his people. He'll come back to this one day, he'll come back and welcome it with open arms. But for now…
"I'm pretty sure I won that last one."
"What?!" Tubbo gawked, staring down at the board in front of them. Behind them, Jordan raised an eyebrow from behind his book. "Surely not!"
"I did!" Crumb insisted. "I had more on my side last round, that's a point for me!"
Tubbo huffed, glaring at his sister. "Sure…"
Crumb grinned, venom in her smile, and they both glanced at their father, who was reading and not paying attention. They locked eyes for a moment before nodding.
"Hey dad?" Tubbo asked, getting his attention. "Can you go get that mystery game we played last time I was here?"
Jordan nodded, putting his book down and standing up. He ruffled Tubbo's hair as he passed, leaving as silently as he came.
The moment he was gone they turned on each other. "Listen here Bee Boy." Crumb tried to snarl, but it came out like a cute little hiccup because she was six, almost seven. "You took my pendant and those flowers were not enough."
"You have plenty of pendants Bread Bits." Tubbo snapped back, holding the smile off his face. Neither of them were actually angry, they just found that fighting like they were made it more fun. "You can live without one."
"That was my favorite though!" Crumb pouted, and the door shook. They both paused, staring at it until it stopped. After a moment of silence they continued. "Why'd you need it anyway? For another potion?"
"Why'd I need a pendant for a potion?" Tubbo asked, confused.
"Why'd you need my pearl necklace for a potion?" Crumb countered.
"Pearls look like eyes and they're special and-" Tubbo cut himself off. "You wouldn't understand the details that go into creating a whole new potion!"
"Yes I would." Crumb crossed her arms. "You're not the only smart one here, Bee Boy."
"Smarter than you." He retorted, smirking. "Cause I'm Chosen."
"For being Chosen you sure do fall down the stairs a lot." She remarked, smirking. "Now, what'd you do to my pendant?"
"I gave it away." Tubbo finally said, huffing. "To one of the people taking care of me. I wanted to thank her."
"Oh." Crumb said after a moment. "Okay then."
Tubbo blinked. "That's it?" He asked. "No complaining?"
"No." Crumb made a move on the board. "You gave it to someone as a gift. I have others, so it's fine. I thought you had used it in an experiment, knowing it was my favorite. Your turn."
Tubbo made a move. "I promised dad that I wouldn't do that anymore."
Crumb snorted. "I didn't know you'd actually keep that promise." She paused. "I win."
Tubbo frowned, staring at the board. She… she had, actually. Had gotten enough points to win, while he was distracted. "Well then."
"You're losing your touch." Crumb smirked, crossing her arms just as their dad came back with the other game.
Jordan set the game down, pausing as he stared at both of them. "I just missed something big, didn't I?"
"Don't worry about it." Crumb beamed at him, eyes wide and innocent like the devious six year old she was. Tubbo tried to do the same, but wasn't sure if he succeeded. "We just finished our game. Can we all play?"
Her angelic little chirps completely turned the conversation around, and Tubbo's never been so envious before.
Tubbo's never thought about marriage before.
He was eight, give him a break.
Yeah, he knew that one day he'd probably have to get married for diplomatic reasons, but he never really thought about it. His dad raised both his kids by himself, Tubbo doesn't remember his mom at all, so getting married never really seemed like a big deal.
Knowing that a marriage was already arranged for him was a bit of a punch in the gut, but he could roll with that too.
"Why are you telling me this now?" He asked when it was just him and his dad, alone in his father's private study. The king sat behind his desk, piles of paper stacked up neatly. "How long has this been arranged?"
"Since you were two." Jordan said, grimacing. "Trust me, if I could, I'd cancel the arrangement in a heartbeat. It's for-"
"Diplomatic reasons." Tubbo guessed, shrugging. "It's cool, I just want to know why."
Jordan sighed, putting down a letter he was reading. "You were set to marry the firstborn child of the Ender kingdom. You know how humans feel about hybrids and the like- doing this would create a branch to reach out to other kingdoms like that. We could offer trade and protection, and the Ender kingdom isn't a part of the empire."
That sounded all very interesting and cool, and Tubbo-
Wait.
"I'm marrying a hybrid?" He asked, eyes widened. "Awesome!"
Jordan paused for a second, throwing his head back and laughing. It was nice to see his father smile. "That was the plan." His face fell. "Now, I'm not too sure."
Tubbo frowned. "Why? What happened?"
Jordan sighed, rubbing his hand down his face in frustration. "I met your to-be a year ago when I visited- she was a kind young lady, a lot like you in a way. The thing was, she wasn't the king's firstborn."
Oh, Tubbo knew what that meant. He was a smart kid, and while he left this place frequently he still remembers old rumors and gossip that would never go away. "Oh."
"Yeah, oh." Jordan leaned back in his chair. "I learned a few weeks ago that the king actually had an elder son with one of his staff. The problem is that the son and his mother disappeared shortly after he was born. No one knows where he is."
Ah, that was quite the predicament. "Don't worry about it." He finally said, smiling. "Maybe I can find him while I'm out and about."
Jordan caught his son's eye and flashed a hint of a smile. He leaned over and ruffled his hair. "That would just be your luck, wouldn't it?"
"Yep!" Tubbo beamed, thinking for a moment. "Do you know his name? My, uh, husband to be?"
"Always remember that if you don't like him when you meet him you can call it off." Jordan said lightly. "Diplomatic or not, I want you to be happy."
"Thanks dad, but I got a feeling it won't be a problem." Tubbo assured. "What's his name?"
"Ranboo."
Tubbo's head shot up, eyes wide. "Ranboo?!"
Both Dream and Techno looked at him weird. "Uh, yeah?" Techno raises an eyebrow. "Why, you know 'em?"
"Oh, no-" Oh my god- "-s'just a cool name, is all."
Oh my God oh my God ohmygod ohmygod-
Tommy huffed and crossed his arms. "His name is boob, it's not that cool."
Tubbo barely heard him. His mind was whirling. "Hey Dream? Can we visit him, after we're done here?"
Dream's face was hidden behind his mask, but his stare felt like it was burning Tubbo's skin. "Yeah, I guess we can. He's been through a lot though, Tubbo, he might not want to talk."
Oh, Tubbo's not worried about that. If he wants someone to talk, he can get someone to talk.
And maybe he can also get his father to 'accidentally lose' a few crates of goods near Bad's and Skeppy's house, accidentally. Just so they can have a few extra supplies- feeding a whole new person is definitely taxing, and Tubbo can't imagine the amount of money that would cost.
Half a million gold should do.
He goes to the town's library the next day and looks up some hybrid and ender customs, just so he doesn't make a fool out of himself. First impressions are important. He doesn't really care about any arranged anything, he just wants an ender friend, that sounds so cool!
When he does finally meet Ranboo, he messes it up and trips and falls. Ranboo panics and freaks a bit because Tubbo somehow managed to sprain his ankle and Ranboo somehow managed to make himself think it was his fault. He spends the rest of the trip carrying Tubbo around on his back to make up for it, even though Tubbo tells him multiple times it's unnecessary.
(Once. He told him once. Then he just went with it because it's a piggyback ride, of course he went with it.)
He told Ranboo about his own history when he was eleven, hiding how he knew all this stuff about Ranboo by basically avoiding the question all together. Ranboo barely knew any of his own past, besides what he experienced. His mother didn't tell him much, but it was enough that he believed what Tubbo said. When asked how Tubbo knew all of this, Tubbo just kind of… floated around the answer.
They grew a lot closer, after that. Tubbo told Ranboo all he could about the Ender kingdom, still hiding how he knew what he did. He thinks that, if he tells anyone, it'll be Techno or Phil, just because of their past. He doesn't think it would be fair, otherwise.
Well, whatever. He'll figure it out later. This is not the thing to be thinking about when everyone's surrounded by cultists and Techno looks like he's about to be a part of a ritual.