Chapter Text
At first, the thought of living in a castle, as a prince no less, was daunting to Dream. However, as time progressed, he realised it really wasn’t so different than living in a tower. Sure, there was more space and more people, and he could technically leave whenever he wanted to, but the stone walls and large murals were comforting, familiar.
He adored his mother, even if he had only met her a month or so ago. She was a very put-together and wise woman, but she was also funny and caring. She would tell him stories, of the kingdom and his father, who had passed away about ten years ago, and she was very patient with his difficulty understanding some things. It was nice, for once, to not be reprimanded for being curious.
Cross, as a gift, had been pardoned of all his crimes and was enjoying a life of luxury as a royal guardsman. Dream liked being able to see him every day. Familiar faces were scarce now, though not as much as they had been, so he appreciated getting to see him every morning.
All in all, Dream was enjoying this new life he had been missing out on for seventeen years. He finally felt like that missing piece in his life was falling into place, that things would finally begin to make sense.
But, it didn’t.
No matter how much time he spent with his mother, or with Cross, the aching hole in his heart only grew until it was an annoyance. Something was missing, but Dream didn’t know what. His missing piece didn’t make him feel sad, like he had when he found out he was the missing prince, or restless, or any type of unhappy. All he felt was longing, but he didn’t know what for.
He confronted his mother about it one morning at breakfast.
“Hmm…” Nyx hummed, pausing her work to lift a well-manicured finger to her lips. “You’re probably still getting used to everything Sunshine. I’m sure it will all settle in eventually.”
He took her words and decided not to worry about it. His mother was very smart after all.
~
Nyx was roused from her reading late one night by a soft tapping at her bedroom door.
“You may come in.” She said, and the door creaked open. Soft yet dark purple eyes peered at her as the figure slipped through the door and shut it behind him. The boy stood, hands clasped tightly in front of him and back ridged, golden crown shining among dark waves.
“I was just wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.” He said, quiet even in the silence of the room. Nyx put down her book and moved till she was sitting along the edge of her bed.
“Of course, you can talk to me Starlight.” She said, beckoning him forward. “Although I’m sure I already know what this is about.”
The young man sat down beside her; hands still clasped tightly where they rested in his lap. “Will you please let me see him?” He asked.
Nyx felt her heart clench. Gently, she placed her hand on her eldest son’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I promised I would let you see him, didn’t I?” She received a nod in return. “And you will. There are just a few things I need to tell him before I let the two of you meet. Could you wait just a little longer? For me?”
When her son only nodded again, she pressed a soft kiss to his temple. “Thank you.” She said. “Goodnight.”
Taking her dismissal, the boy stood and left the room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.
~
Dream awoke feeling like someone had vacuumed all presence of moisture from his mouth. His room was sweltering, and he felt that if he didn’t get some water to drink immediately he would die of thirst. He eyed the string hanging a little away from his bed. His mother had told him that, if he ever needed anything, he could pull the string, and someone would get it for him. However, it was late and Dream still felt bad about doing things like that, so he decided to venture to the kitchen on his own. He wasn’t entirely sure where the kitchen was, but he’d find it eventually.
As he made his way down to the main floor, he found that the kitchen was infinitely easier to find at night-time than it was in the day. It was the only room with the lights still on. After having downed about two whole glasses of water, Dream filled his glass again and began making his way back to the stairs.
Just when he had begun climbing them, a soft and melodious tune rung out from the silence. It was quiet, as it was coming from somewhere else in the castle, but Dream felt intrigued. It was a piano, no question about it, and the notes were high and light. Though, somehow, the entire tune seemed melancholy, as if the piano was crying. Dream made his way towards the sound.
“Silver light.” A low and quiet voice sang from the darkness. Curiosity spurred Dream on. “He turned his face up to the starlit sky.”
“And on this night began to wonder why.” Dream rounded a corner and found the voice carried on louder the more he walked. “He knew that soon the day would come.”
When finally Dream reached the end of the hall, he was greeted with a door, cracked open only the slightest bit. He recognised the door; it led to the ballroom.
“Born to be.” He pressed the door open wider and stepped into the room, the moonlight seeping in from the windows illuminating the vastness of the ballroom. “An heir of beauty and serenity.”
“Into this world he entered quietly.” A grand piano sat across the room from him. The player of said piano was facing the doorway, framed in silvery rays, and had yet to notice Dream entering the room. He couldn’t see his face, as the boy’s head was down, but something in him jumped and lurched at the sight. “To his surprise, he was the one.”
Dream held his breath, not willing to give away his presence as he fought down the tightness in his throat and a sudden urge to cry. A part of him knew it wasn’t because of the music.
“Destiny was close behind him.” The boy at the piano raised his head slightly and the light of the moon finally caught his face. Dream took in the boy’s messy dark hair and deep purple eyes, but his eyes widened as they trailed the shape of his face. “Phantom of borrowed life.”
The exact same face he had been seeing all his life.
“And the sea was a reminder.” His doppelganger continued to sing, voice reverberating off the polished stone walls. Dream was frozen in place. “Mirror of given light.”
All at once, Dream’s balance failed him and he fell back onto the door with a thud, immediately trying to regain balance when the piano tune came to a screeching halt. When he looked back, the other boy’s purple gaze was locked on him, eyes wide and glassy in the moonlight. Dream wasn’t sure what it was about those eyes that made him want to cry, but they did.
“Who…are you?” Dream barely whispered, trying to voice the questions his mind had been screaming. The boy visibly swallowed.
“I…My name is Nightmare.” He said, voice thick. Dream’s chest tightened painfully.
“Do I…” Dream began as he tried to quell the shaking of his voice. “Do I know you?”
Nightmare seemed to sag where he sat. “No, I…you…we were only babies…” The tense he used was purposeful, and Dream’s breath caught in his throat as he processed what was meant.
“You’re my…” Dream gasped.
“Brother.” Nightmare finished, standing from the piano bench. He made his way across the room until he was standing right in front of Dream.
Dream only stared, and the longer he did the more he could see how similar they looked. It was in the sharpness of their jaw and the curve of their noses, the shape of their eyes and the softness of their cheeks.
“You’re my brother…” Dream said, still trying to process everything. He watched Nightmare’s lip quirk upward into a half smile and his nose scrunch up, violet eyes going misty.
“I can’t believe you’re home…” Nightmare said, so quiet Dream barely registered it. But he did, and the tears he had been fighting since he entered the ballroom finally slid down his cheeks.
“Yeah…” Dream choked. “I’m home…”
Hesitantly, Nightmare’s arm’s spread and Dream didn’t waste a second, slotting himself into his brother’s arms and wrapping his own around Nightmare’s back. He let himself breathe, tears of relief and happiness staining the shoulder of Nightmare’s shirt, and finally, finally, that aching longing in his chest faded till it was nothing but the steady beating of his heart.