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Schlatt had sent him on patrol, a border that was less traveled. 'The opposite direction from where his friends ran.'
He shivered from the cruel voice that came from the presidents mind.
His ears moved back when he recognized where he was. The buildings were in rough shape, considering they had been unused and practically destroyed by what had happened. He trudged along, attempting to continue his patrol when he spotted it.
It was buried underneath cracked stone, its torn cover poking through the debris. Fundy knelt down, knowing exactly what it was. Pages were ripped out, but he knew what it said. He was holding the original Declaration in his hands.
He opened the book, flinching when a photo fell out of it. He tucked it into his pocket, trying not to look too closely at their faces.
Wilbur said he had destroyed the book. No one wanted to keep the memory of Eret's betrayal. The day they signed this lingers in his memory.
'I don't want to. I don't want to betray them.'
No one heard Eret's thoughts, no one knew. Tommy passed the book to Eret, letting him sign it.
'They are my best friends, staying here with them has made me happier than I've ever been, but...'
No one else saw the way Eret's hand trembled slightly, and if they did, they assumed it was because of the breeze. Fundy knew that once Eret fully accepted it, it would be over.
'Dream said-'
Eret signed the book with a smile, passing it Wilbur. They all cheered after the music god's speech.
Fundy sighed, finally gathering the courage to look at the photo. They were all so happy.
Thoughts were more than just voices, Fundy learned. Wilbur was patching up Tommy's wounds from a border skirmish. He finally decided to tell their leader about Eret. He walked down the hall, preparing to poke his head into the door and ask to talk.
"Tommy, are you ok?" The music god asked.
Tommy's face was blank, staring at the sky.
"Yeah Wil', I've never been better!" The teen boasted. "Why do you ask?"
He was being held by someone Fundy had never seen before, presumably someone of royalty, judging by the cape and crown.
'Is there anything we can do? Phil there has to be a way.'
"I noticed you were lagging behind, before George showed up." Wilbur asked, his tone much cheerier than his thoughts.
The difference between the two conversations was physically painful. He could stop it, he could walk away. He could go to sleep and forget he was experiencing Wilbur's memory. But he didn't.
It was a little weird, how Wilbur remembers how it happened. It was Wilbur's fault, and he made up for it. He tried to make things right, even if it didn't seem like enough.
The memory cut out when Wilbur walked out the doorway.
"Hey Fundy! How've you been?"
Tommy didn't deserve that.
"I've been good Wilbur, you?"
"Other than the skirmish earlier, I'm doing great!"
The repeated thought of 'never again' echoed from the leader's mind.
Tommy didn't deserve to be dead for five hundred years.
Fundy started walking again, not stopping until he was in his room, alone. He didn't tell Wilbur that Eret might betray them.
He blinked away tears. What would have happened if he told Wilbur that Eret was the traitor? Would things be any different?
"Maybe if I told Wilbur we could have-" He said aloud, cutting himself off with a sigh.
He can't change the decision he made. He couldn't change Eret's either.
Haphazardly throwing the book and photo into his bag, he continued his patrol.