Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Schlatt had always said that Tubbo took the old legends that he found in the library too literally. Ever since he was a small child, ever since they had first moved into the castle, his home had been the library; he would be eager to escape his lessons and scour the shelves for anything that piqued his interest. Dyslexic as he was, with the words floating off the page and jumbling themselves up in front of his eyes, he was determined to be the most researched scholar in the land. He loved fairy tales and legends and tall tales - when his father wouldn’t tell him bedtime stories, he’d make up his own.

As he grew older, the library became too stuffy for him, so he brought his books outside to the sunny garden. There were perfect little nooks and crannies he could slip away into in the shade. the climate in the Capitol was always perfect year-round - it was pleasantly sunny and warm in the summer, and cool and dry in the winter. In warmer weather Tubbo would be accompanied by a tall glass of lemonade, and in the winter a steaming mug of hot chocolate. 

Tubbo would reread the same books over and over again, crinkling the pages between his fingers and making the corners curl. The librarian knew him by name - it’s not like many other people visited, anyways - and always kept his favorite books under the desk. No one else checked them out. The librarian was a nice old man with a long white beard and kind lavender eyes. He’d let Tubbo talk to him about whatever he liked - he was the only one who could look Tubbo in the eyes and return his enthusiasm for literature. When he was younger and still struggled to spell things right, the old man would sit with him and work out the big words. 

Tubbo was about fourteen when the queen mother found him reading in the garden one day. He was squirreled away in one of his many reading nooks - several small fountains spilled out of the stone walls covered in lattices, and most of them worked for a good seat. It was a hot July day, and Tubbo had ditched his stuffy court clothes for a comfortable white blouse and trousers. His bare feet and calves were submerged in the fountain to cool off, and he had a glass of lemonade beside him. He was nose-deep in a book about a pirate captain and a mermaid falling in love - he wasn’t one to lean towards romance but the lore in the story was so good, he made the exception for this one - that he didn’t notice the woman stroll through the garden, spot him, and approach quietly.

“Whatcha reading there, hm?” The voice came from outside Tubbo’s worldscape, and he jumped about three feet in the air, promptly dropping his book in the fountain.

The queen mother lunged forward and grabbed the book before it could be fully submerged. Her blue eyes were wide. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said. “Prince Tubbo, am I right? Schlatt’s son?”

Tubbo nodded slowly, staring at the queen mother in half terror and half awe. Queen Puffy was a force to be reckoned with a court - as King Dream’s mother, she had almost as much jurisdiction over the realm as he did. She used to be a pirate captain, a swashbuckler, before she joined her son at court and took over the role as the woman of the household. She was also, you know, Tubbo’s aunt.

Puffy smiled easily, as if she had been smiling at him every day. “Right. Come on, come on, get out of that fountain. I don’t think the groundskeepers would appreciate you sticking your dirty little feet in there.”

She held out her hand, and Tubbo took it, letting her help him down. He was taller than her by a few inches; she snorted in amusement as he stood up.

“Everyone in this damn castle is taller than me,” she grumbled, looking down at the soggy book in her hands. “Ah, I’m sorry about the book. I can see if I can replace it if it’s beyond saving.”

“I’m sure it’s fine!” Tubbo blurted, taking the book from her. “Thank you for the offer, queen mother. Thanks.”

Puffy smiled again, and Tubbo was blown away by how easy it was. “Please, Tubbo, call me Puffy,” she said. “I’m your aunt, formalities shouldn’t be that strict.”

So Tubbo had a second friend. Puffy did indeed replace the book, and then got him as many as he wanted if he so asked. She often accompanied him in the library or reading in the garden; she too was friends with the old librarian. She told Tubbo all her stories from when she was at sea - stories of mermaids and sea serpents and great monsters from the deep dark depths. Tubbo asked her what was across the great sea - that was the only question Puffy couldn’t answer.

“I used to want to sail into the great sea, when I was younger,” Puffy told him one day as they sat sprawled on the garden lawn. “I wanted to be the first captain to sail it and live. But then, well, I had Dream. Plans changed.”

Puffy always got a distant look in her eyes when she spoke about her son. Tubbo used to think it was because she was sad that he barely spoke to her. He attributed it to motherly love, since it was what he craved so desperately. They were a lonely pair - Tubbo missed a mother and Puffy missed a son. They were matching puzzle pieces from different sets.

One rainy day, Tubbo was confined to the stuffy library and Puffy was holding court. Tubbo had already reread all of his favorite books, and scoured the high shelves for anything else to read. He was supposed to be studying his arithmetic and star charts, but the librarian always let him neglect his studies for a while when they were together. 

Tubbo sighed and slid down one of the ladders leading up to the higher shelves. “Do you have anything new? Anything from the ports?”

The old librarian chuckled and shut the book he had been reading. “Nothing on your level, son. We still need to work on your comprehension sometime. It’s no use reading a book if you can’t read the words.”

“Then give me one with pictures!” Tubbo complained, stomping over to the table where his maths and star charts were spread out. He sat down with a huff, putting his head on his hands. “Why don’t people make books with pictures anymore?”

The old librarian gave a curious pause, considering the cover of his book for a few heartbeats. Then he reached under his desk and pulled out an old, old book, older than time, older than the stones they walked on, older than the moss growing on the underside of the fountains. The cover was blue and worn dull with use, and the spine was marbled with cracks. The edges of the pages were trimmed with gold.

The librarian’s bones creaked like old tree branches as he stepped out from behind the desk and set the book gently down onto Tubbo’s table, on top of his worksheets. The book was wide and thick. Tubbo stared at it with wide eyes before looking up at the librarian.

“Does it have pictures?” he asked timidly.

The old man chuckled. “It does. Listen, my prince. This is a forbidden story - all trace of it has been wiped from our history. Do you know what came before the king?”

Tubbo thought back to his history lessons - at least, the ones he didn’t sleep through. “Um...the untamed wilderness? The creation of the elements, and the world? Dream bending the air, earth, water and fire to his will before creating the end portal and the Capitol?”

Sighing, the librarian closed his eyes. “My, my. How that man is corrupting our history.”

“What do you mean?” Tubbo quipped as the man sat down. “Do you mean our history isn’t right?”

The man patted the cover of the book. His movements were delicate, like he was touching something that might disintegrate. “ This is our history, my prince. And if you read it, you must never share it to anyone. If anyone in the castle finds out that you read this, you and I will both be killed.”

That hit Tubbo like a ton of bricks. He swallowed thickly and stared down at the book, then back up at the old man.

“Even the queen?” he asked quietly.

The old librarian’s eyes glittered. “Even the queen.”

Tubbo slowly looked back down at the book. With a slightly trembling hand, he reached forward and opened the cover with a velvet hand.

The first page had the title written on it in old, faded ink: The Four Kings of the World. Dated: 449 AC.

Turning the page Tubbo was glad to be greeted by an illustration: Four diamonds, all different colors - one white, one green, one blue, and one red. The text read:

Before the world began, there were only the four elements. Air, earth, water, and fire. They were untamable and wild creatures, making it impossible for any one deity to take over the realm in its entirety. That is until the four god-kings of the world appeared and harnessed the elements, bending them to their will and creating the world from the elements themselves.

The next page showed a fearsome man with the head of a pig, crowned with the green crystal. The blood king, Technoblade, harnessed the element of the earth. He created the ground and tilled it, and created the harvest for he first humans. The potato is his sacred food and is offered up to him on his feast days. He is the eldest of the prince-kings, and is also known as the god of war.

Next was an illustration of a blonde boy with a mischievous grin, holding the red crystal like he was going to hurl it at someone. King Tommy wielded the element of fire; he was the only prince-king wild enough to tame something that was already wilder than him. He scorched his brother’s newly created earth and created the great burning deserts of the south. He crafted the sun to feed his brother’s crops and to let the humans have time to play in the light.

The third page showed a much calmer scene: a man cradling the blue crystal to himself, looking out over a moonlit sea. King Wilbur controlled the element of water, as he was the calmest prince-king and could easily create dominion over it. He fed his eldest brother’s crops and battled the burning heat of his youngest brother’s sun. He created the moon for the humans to rest in, and created the great sea around the continent to protect the humans from outside invaders.

Finally, the last page showed a winged man dressed in green, holding the white crystal high above his head. High King Phil was the greatest of all the god-kings. He harnessed the power of air, and breathed life into the first humans. He separated the elements into their own dominions where they would have special power - the airy north, the watery east, the burning south, and the grounding west. He watched over the humans and kept balance between the elements and his sons. 

Tubbo went back and read the words he wasn’t sure about, then looked up at the librarian. “There were kings before dream?” he whispered.

The librarian looked pensive. “Keep reading, son,” he said.

Tubbo turned the page. The text read, The four god-kings reigned over the world in complete peace for centuries; as immortals, they could never die. They created justice and law in the world, and the subjects of their empire were happy. That is, until an invader from far across the sea appeared: Dream, the Kingslayer, the Dreamon, the Crownbreaker. The man who would prove to be the downfall of the Empire.

Dream attacked the god-kings with incredible force and within a few battles, High King Phil surrendered to his enemy. Dream swiftly seized power and wiped any trace of the god-kings from history.

The usurper knew that he could not kill the kings - he himself could not control the elements by himself. Instead, he imprisoned the kings in their own elements and locked them away, deep in the depths of the continent. It is said as such: King Tommy is locked away in a fiery volcano in the depths of the burning desert; King Wilbur is imprisoned under the sea in the east; King Technoblade slumbers under the earth in the west; King Phil controls the element of air from the frozen tundra of the north.

To this day, it is unsure if the kings still live. Many believe that Dream slaughtered them in his first attack and the elements simply rule themselves; most citizens of the empire believe that Dream is in full control of the elements. It is impossible for one man to harness all four; there must be balance.

One day soon, King dDeam will fall, and the four god-kings will ascend to their thrones once again. All hail to the antarctic empire.

Tubbo stared at the last picture for a long time - Dream standing in the center of the map, with the four kings in chains in the north, east, south, and west. Dream was encircled by a red halo, and the Capitol was red with blood. It was hard to wrap his head around it - how could Dream, his cousin, be so malevolent? So violent? How could he tear an age-old empire apart and build his own on top of it?

“Surely not,” Tubbo sputtered, looking back up at the librarian. “How-”

“He erased the four kings’ history,” The librarian replied. “He replaced it with the creation story you’ve learned - that Dream tamed the elements himself and built the Capitol. That he lit the end portal and created life. This book is my family heirloom - it’s possibly the oldest book in this castle.

“I know it’s hard for you to understand now, my prince - but soon there will come a time when you realize that everything you have ever known is wrong. You will question your very existence and everything you know - and for that, my prince, you must be ready.”

Tubbo left the library that day feeling sick. He crawled into bed that night and tossed and turned, unable to sleep as the story in the book kept playing on loop in his brain. The librarian’s words echoed in his head - soon there will come a time when you realize that everything you have ever known is wrong. you will question your very existence and everything you know. He fell asleep to a dream plagued with the pictures from the storybook - the creation story, the four crystals, and Dream and his bloody halo loomed over it all.

It took four days for dream to find out about the book. Tubbo and the librarian had spoken little of the book since the rainy day - Tubbo had seen the book in a dark drawer under his desk. One day, however, he approached the library doors and found two guards standing outside the closed door. They crossed their halberds across the old wooden frame and glared at him through their helmets when they saw him approaching.

Tubbo stopped in his tracks, holding his arithmetic workbook to his chest. “Is the library open today?” he asked timidly.

“Prince Tubbo.” a deep voice said from behind him. “I had hoped to find you here.”

Tubbo slowly turned. Punz, the captain of the royal guard, was standing ominously in the hall, flanked on each side by three guards. Captain Punz was terrifying - he had a scar slicing through one eye and splitting his eyelid in half, turning his eye milky white. Other scars crisscrossed his freckled face, dragging one side of his mouth down and the other up slightly in a lopsided grin. His silvery blonde hair - usually hidden by a helmet - looked messy and unkempt, as if he had been out in a breeze.

Tubbo gulped. “Hello, Captain Punz. What’s wrong? Are we under attack?”

Punz gave him a deadly stare. “Quite the opposite, Prince Tubbo. Come with me. The king would like to see you.”

Tubbo’s chest filled with dread as Punz grabbed him by the arm and led him down the hall. Tubbo walked in step with him but Punz’s grip on his arm was like that of a warden leading his prisoner to the cell. Tubbo had no choice but to mull over Punz’s words - that Dream wanted to see him. Dream had never cared much about Tubbo - he had barely spoken to him, really. He was his only other relative besides Schlatt and Puffy, but made no effort to make an impression. Tubbo’s experience with Dream was about as much as any other servant in the castle - a brief glance every now and then, standing near him on a podium at events along with his father. He had never exchanged words or even a smile with the man.

But his relationship with his cousin was about to get very complicated as Punz tossed Tubbo to the ground in front of the royal throne.

Tubbo had been in the throne room many times - he came here to listen to Dream’s speeches and decrees and Schlatt often made him sit in the seats to observe court. The throne was up on a high, raised dais, like a preacher’s pulpit, with two winding staircases on either side. The throne on top was made of pure gold and shimmered like a sunbeam in the light from the skylight in the roof. Puffy’s throne, slightly smaller, was set a small ways behind his. Tubbo had always dreaded coming here, since it usually meant droning speeches and being bored to death. Now it just filled Tubbo with a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Tubbo,” Dream barked. He looked as intimidating as ever standing before his throne. It was said that Dream’s unprotected stare would turn a man to silt, since he always kept a white cloth wrapped over his eyes at all times. Along with his royal regalia, he wore netherite armor as what Tubbo was sure was a show of strength and power. A crown with sharp golden spikes sat on top of his dirty blonde hair.

Tubbo could feel Dream’s angry stare from behind the blindfold. “Tubbo,” the king repeated coldly. “Does this piece of literature seem at all familiar to you?”

Dream held up his hand, revealing the blue and gold bound book in his iron clutches. Tubbo’s heart jumped into his throat. 

“Well - um - yes,” Tubbo stammered, glancing around. The hall was full of nobles that Tubbo saw around court a lot - and standing at the base of the dais was his own father, looking furious and disappointed at the same time. Oh, Tubbo had really messed up something now.

“I found it in the library,” Tubbo said slowly. “I-I like looking for books with pictures, and, um, that one had illustrations.”

Dream chuckled, setting the book behind him on his throne. “You think this is a picture book, Tubbo?” he asked seethingly. “No. It’s propaganda - an attempted rise against my reign. Some people aren’t happy with how gracious and just my rule has been - they make up silly creation stories like those to try and usurp me.” He snorted. “It’s pathetic, really. People will make up all kinds of stories.”

Dream’s face fell back into a scowl. “Still, such works of rebellion are strictly forbidden,” he continued. “And those who read it are punished by death.”

Tubbo went still. He had a horrible feeling he knew why the library had been locked.

Puffy rose from where she was sitting beside Dream. She had an unreadable expression as she reached out and grabbed Dream’s arm, leaning close as she murmured into his ear. 

Dream’s face shifted. Puffy retreated back to her throne, avoiding Tubbo’s gaze. Dream cleared his throat, readjusting his slightly skewed posture. 

“You, however, have been spared from that punishment,” he said in a clear voice. “This doesn’t mean that you will go unpunished at all. There are, of course, other consequences for having such literature.”

Tubbo walked out of the throne room that day on orders that he was confined to his room for a week, and all his meals and classes had to happen within the confines of his four walls. It wasn’t a horrible punishment at all - in fact, it made Tubbo grow an awful habit of rarely coming out of his room at all afterwards. 

When he went back to the library after his confine was lifted, there was a new librarian. He was younger and much more cranky, and didn’t know any of Tubbo’s favorite books like the old one did. Tubbo began to avoid the library, now; he had practically memorized all of his favorite books anyways. 

Three quiet, slow years passed. Tubbo never forgot about the book and the story the old librarian had told him - it was always a nagging thought in the back of his head whenever he heard anything about Dream. whenever Dream erected a new statue or a new memorial, Tubbo would think, what piece of history is he covering up? What renamed statue of a king is he tearing down to replace with himself?

Reckoning came when Tubbo was freshly seventeen. He had been a dutiful student, lying low and never trying to draw attention to himself. He had mastered arithmetic and languages but still never managed to read perfectly. He caught himself wondering that if the old librarian had lived, he would have been able to read better. 

Two months after his seventeenth birthday, Tubbo was dreaming of his family. It was a hopeful dream, where Dream invited him to rule with him side by side. Tubbo righted the wrongs of history, and raised the librarian from the dead, and it was all wonderful-

 Tubbo was shaken awake by rough hands, and he shot up in bed, sputtering. The person disturbing him clapped a hand over his mouth, putting a finger to their lips. 

“Hush,” they hissed. “Come with me.”

“Puffy?” Tubbo asked blearily as he was dragged from bed. His eyes adjusted to the dark and he saw that it was indeed the queen - her fluffy rainbow hair was hidden under a dark hood, and her furry ears perked out from the sides. 

Puffy once again put a finger to her lips as she took hold of his wrist. “Come with me,” she whispered. “You’re in grave danger.”

Tubbo’s blood ran cold, but he was silent as the dead as he hurriedly dressed himself and was rushed out of the room by the queen. They didn’t speak as they tiptoed through the halls; it was past midnight, and the whole castle was asleep. 

Puffy only spoke when they got out of the main castle, heading down to the royal stables. “You have to get out of here,” she said quietly as they rushed down the cobble steps into the stable yard. “Dream found something hidden in that old storybook - a prophecy. A promise of the end of his reign.”

Tubbo jerked his head around to look at her. “What?” he stammered. “I never saw anything like that.”

“That’s because the page is brand new,” Puffy said, looking back at him. Her eyes looked worried. “The ink was fresh - it told of a boy from inside the castle who would raise the four kings of the Antarctic Empire back to the throne.”

Tubbo stopped dead in his tracks. “Me? ” he whispered. “It’s a prophecy about me?”

“Tubbo, come on,” Puffy hissed, yanking him along. “Listen. Dream and his soldiers are scouring the castle looking for you. You have to run - run as far as you can and wake the kings. You must. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders.”

Puffy guided him to her own stallion - the fastest of the royal horses, she said - and they saddled him in silence, working quickly. Finally Tubbo pulled himself up into the saddle, and Puffy handed him a bag of food, money, and other supplies. A suspicious weight bounced against his thigh as he slung it over his shoulder - he peeked inside and saw the moonlight reflect off of the gold binding of the storybook. 

He looked back up at puffy. “You-“

She smiled devilishly. “You forget i’m a pirate, Tubbo,” she said with a grin. “My sleight of hand is as good as it was twenty years ago. I found an old map in the library, and put that in there too - it may help.”

Tubbo reached down and slung his arms around her neck in an awkward hug. She returned it, digging her nails slightly into his back. 

“Will I see you again?” Tubbo asked. His voice was watery. 

“Of course, lamb,” Puffy whispered fiercely. “I’ll see you when you storm the gates of the city with those kings.”

She stepped away and gave him one last look. “You’re more of my son that Dream ever was,” she said, her own eyes going glossy. 

A shout from nearby startled both of them. Puffy’s face hardened and she slapped the stallion’s flank. “Go!” she hissed. “Go now! I’ll cover for you. Go, my prince! run! Free the kings! Save us all!”

The stallion whinnied and took off in a gallop. Tubbo pressed himself to the horse’s neck as they whizzed past startled guards and sleepy sentries. They pounded along the drawbridge and burst into the city - bustling even now, in the late hours of night. Tubbo had rarely gone into the city; he barely knew the way out. He hissed out squeaky apologies as he startled civilians as he shot past. 

He thought he was in the clear as he rode into the outer rings of the capital, where it was more rural, with more houses. He considered slowing down - but a shout from behind and an arrow whizzing past his ear made him gulp and risk a glance over his shoulder. 

Punz and a dozen guards were hard on his trail, having been alerted by the guards that saw Tubbo’s escape. Tubbo hissed a prayer under his breath and tucked his head closer to the horse’s neck, squeezing his feet against its flank to urge him on faster. 

The guards gave chase until they reached the massive outer wall of the capital - as Tubbo rode through the wide-open gates (he remembered from his history lessons that the gates only closed when the city was under attack) Punz and his men tugged their horses to a halt, watching Tubbo ride off. Tubbo felt Punz’s cold gaze snag on his back until he rounded a bend and they disappeared. 

Tubbo rode until dawn stretched her rosy fingers into the sky, and he stopped in a grove of trees just off the road to rest and water his horse. He was breathless, thirsty and hungry, and he collapsed to the ground as his horse walked over to a nearby stream. 

He spread out the map that Puffy provided on his knee and studied it in the dim morning light. He had escaped the capital from the southern gate, and if he kept riding along this road, it would lead him to the Burning Bazaar - the last known settlement before the burning desert. But the map showed an illustration of a volcano deep in the sands - topped with a crown. 

That’s where one of the kings is, Tubbo thought. That’s where I have to go. 

He and his horse slept through the day, intending to only travel under the cover of darkness. Surely Punz and his men were searching for him throughout the countryside. Tubbo would have to lay low once again - luckily that was something he was good at. 

He fell asleep holding the blue book to his chest as if it was going to be snatched away - it was a promise, a flicker of light, the hope left in Pandora’s box. Tubbo just had to find the courage to release it. 

Chapter Text

Tubbo found a wanted poster of him and his horse tacked to a fencepost on the side of the road after two days of hard riding. He plucked it off the nail and read it as the horse cantered on.

WANTED - Prince Tubbo

Runaway cousin to the HIGH KING. Wanted for treason and plotting against the crown. Stole horse from stables on the evening of the twenty-fourth, and rode south of the capital.

If you have any information, please report to your nearest garrison. 

REWARD: 10,000 gold

ALL HAIL THE KING!

Tubbo crumpled up the paper and tossed it over his shoulder as he rode on. Now that his horse was wanted, too, there was no way he could go into highly populated areas. The stallion was too clean, the saddle was inlaid with gold thread - he would be found out in a heartbeat. 

He left the stallion tied to a fencepost outside a cabin he spotted on the side of the road late one night - it was a farmer’s house, he was sure. He hoped the arrival of the royal stallion didn’t bring any harm to the people who lived there - maybe they could return it or find a use for it.

Tubbo continued his journey on foot but ran out of food after another two days. He was about two-thirds of the way there, he could tell - he had passed several of the landmarks that were on the map. The bag bumping against his hip felt significantly lighter now; he had plowed through all of his dried beef jerky strips and water was getting scarce now that he was nearing the desert. He would have to pray he wasn’t recognized in the Burning Bazaar and stock up on food for his long trek to the fire temple inside the volcano.

He had slept in a shallow dip in the ground near a cliff, and awoke as dusk was falling. The sky was stained indigo and marigold on one horizon, stormy purple and violet on the other. Since he travelled at night now, Tubbo had finally made use of all those star charts he had memorized - he was able to tell exactly which direction he was going by looking at the heavens. He could point out constellations in a heartbeat.

Tubbo yawned and began to gather his things - then froze as he felt the pounding of hoofbeats on the road a stone’s throw away. He threw himself back down and pulled his cloak over him as he peeked through the scraggly brush.

A dozen armored soldiers rode past, all wearing Dream’s coat of arms on their chestplate. Tubbo couldn’t spot Punz - obviously the captain was staying in the Capitol to command his troops from there. The horses thundered past, kicking up a great cloud of red dust, heading south towards the Burning Bazaar.

Tubbo let out a slow breath once the hoofbeats were out of earshot. He crawled out of his hiding place and stretched - if that many soldiers were already this close to the Bazaar, who knew how many more were coming along the same road?

He gathered his things and set out at once, instantly aware of the growling of his stomach. Walking was tedious and boring - he had played I Spy for the first day with his stallion, but that had gotten old quickly. He tripped on rocks and hidden dips in the ground whenever he tried to read the book as he walked. He normally just studied the map - he had the thing committed to memory, now. 

Tubbo walked and walked and walked until he couldn’t feel his feet anymore. He was falling asleep upright, and his stomach was grumbling, and his vision was starting to go blurry around the edges. He needed water; his throat was dry and it hurt to swallow. His water flask was disappointingly empty, and it didn’t help that it had begun to get colder and colder at night as he neared the desert. The dirt was swiftly becoming sand beneath his feet. 

He had completely zoned out, walking on autopilot for ages, that he was only roused to consciousness by the bite of hunger in his stomach and the rosy pink glow of the dawn rising over the silhouette of a faraway city. 

Tubbo stopped. He blinked. Wait, city? 

The Burning Bazaar - the last stronghold before the scorching sands of the desert. It was a hub of dirty trade and auction houses; if you didn’t have a job, you’d be sure to find some form of one there. Tubbo himself had never been, but he’d seen all sorts of merchants and traders come through on festival days, along with the ambassadors, of course. 

Tubbo picked up his pace until he was running, his hood slipping down. The sky lightened and turned a hazy blue as he neared the gates, stumbling as he lost all feeling in his feet. The Bazaar was so far away and isolated from the rest of the country that Tubbo probably wouldn’t have to disguise himself here, but supposed it would be for his best interest. 

He approached the town and run-down campsites around the Bazaar, slipping into the early morning crowd streaming into the city. Even as dawn broke the sky, the city was already bustling - vendors were shouting across the streets, newsboys were running around trying to sell their papers, and pickpockets slid through the crowds like eels. Tubbo kept a hand on the book inside his bag - it would be devastating if he lost it. 

He was exhausted as he broke away from the crowd to find a place to sleep for the day. He found a secluded spot under a tarp in a back alley; it was better than sleeping out in the open. 

Tubbo curled up on the potato sacks under the tarp and opened the book, flipping it open. He skimmed past the pages he had already memorized to the blank pages that plagued most of the book. 

There, on one of the last pages, was a page that hadn’t been there before. The words read:

On the hundredth day of the thousandth year,

When the moon and sun are at their peak,

The four kings will arise from their graves:

King of fire, buried in molten to the south;

King of earth, hidden in war to the west;

King of water, chained at the end of the earth in the east;

And only then may the king of air be freed in the north. 

King of dreams toppled by one of his own

And a prince from another world

Beware, usurper, beware. 

Tubbo shut the book, taking a deep breath. It was self-explanatory - he and someone else (a prince from another world? What on earth did that mean?) were destined to overthrow Dream. How he was going to do about that, he wasn’t sure. He fell asleep cradling the book again, the hubbub of the city reminding him of the lullaby of the Capitol. 

When Tubbo woke, the city was still alive, and it was late evening. He crawled out from under the potato sacks and made a mental note to himself - find food, find water, and then get the hell out of his twisted city before someone mugged him. 

He stayed out of the main streets as much as he could, sticking to smaller vendors with lower prices. He stocked up on water, food, and bought himself a map of the desert to boot. The map didn’t have the volcano on it - he guessed it was to discourage people from looking for the kings - but he supposed that he could put the two maps he had together and figure it out. 

Tubbo strayed into the main streets and was swept up in a crowd almost immediately. He was dazzled by the flags hanging across the tight alleyways, the lights strung from balconies, and the rugs hanging from railings. The Bazaar was nothing at all like a capital. 

A loud, clear voice cut over the crowd. “Hyyyyyybrid auction! Come and see the finest hybrids in all the land!”

The crowd pushed and pulled Tubbo with it, like an ocean tide - he ended up near the front of a crowd in front of a rickety outdoor wooden stage, framed with dirty red curtains. A messily painted sign over the top read BAZAAR HYBRID AUCTION. 

Tubbo pursed his lips and drew his hood up tighter over his horns and ears. Hybrid business was nothing he was new to - hybrids were mostly employed as servants, manual laborers, or just workers in general. Most of the servants in the castle back in the capital has been hybrids - mostly common ones. Cow hybrids, sheep hybrids, pig hybrids; ones you’d see every day. Many hybrids were free, having bought back their freedom or been granted it by their employers once they reached a certain age. But most people - most cruel people - enslaved the poor creatures for life. “Special” hybrids - usually ones that just looked pretty - were bought to stand in parlors and at parties to show off the buyer’s wealth. 

A fat, slimy looking man slithered onto the stage. “Welcome to today’s hybrid auction, ladies and gentlemen!” he hollered over the ruckus. “Let’s get right to the sales, yes?”

Tubbo knew he should just turn away and leave, that it was wrong to stay here and watch orphans get sold out to greedy buyers - but it was like watching a horse race. He couldn’t look away. He watched as three cow hybrids and two pig hybrids were sold off to be servants and laborers. He had a sick feeling in his stomach already. He turned to leave - then the man’s booming voice rang out again. 

“Our last purchase for today, ladies and gentlemen - the rarest of any hybrid, captured straight from the Capitol! Feast your eyes on this! ”

The crowd shouted in surprise as the last hybrid was dragged onto the stage. Tubbo’s breath got stuck in his throat. 

It was the most magnificent hybrid he had ever seen - his face was split down the middle evenly, black and white, with a green eye and a red eye. Two horns protruded from his hair, and he was dressed nicely - a loose white blouse, a corset, black pants and boots. His jaw was unhinged, and strange warbled shrieks came from his throat. Both of his clawed hands were clasped with shackles, and he was dragged out to the middle of the stage by two hefty looking men. 

“An enderman hybrid! ” the auctioneer shouted. “What do you think?”

The people around Tubbo started shouting prices, wages, barters. Tubbo had a death grip on his hood, staring at the hybrid in half wonder, half terror. 

The hybrid was panting with exhaustion as the men holding him forced him onto his knees. He dropped his head; he looked miserable, defeated, tortured. 

A deep tug in Tubbo’s stomach roused him from his reverie. He tipped his head to the side. What was that?

The auction seemed to go on for an eternity - the hybrid stayed on the ground, staring at the floorboards and not once raising his head. Tubbo nosed his way to the front of the crowd as discreetly as possible, and set his hands on the edge of the stage. From his proximity, he could hear the boy’s ragged breathing - and the minute sobs he was trying to hold back. 

Tubbo leaned as close as he dared. “Hi.”

The boy slowly looked up, a tiny movement just so that Tubbo could see his eyes. Tubbo felt frozen in his gaze before he let his head hang again. 

“Go away,” he whispered. “Just go away. I don’t need another one of you patronizing me.”

“I’m not, uh - whatever that big word was,” Tubbo said. “What’s your name?”

The boy lifted his head once more, and Tubbo was careful not to stare directly into his eyes. “What?”

“Your name,” Tubbo hedged. “Do you want mine first? My name’s Tubbo.”

The boy blinked once, twice. One of his pointy ears flicked. “Why do you care about my name?” he asked softly. 

“Because you don’t deserve to be treated like this,” Tubbo said stoutly, nodding at the chains around his wrists and ankles. “You’re not an animal. You’re a person, just like me. What’s your name?”

The boy stared at him like he had grown two heads. After a moment of silence he mumbled, “Ranboo.”

Tubbo tilted his head to the side. “Pardon?”

“Ranboo,” he said, lifting his head a little bit more. “My name’s Ranboo.”

“Well, hi, Ranboo,” Tubbo replied cheekily. He gave him a grin. “I think - I think I can get you out of here, at least, I think.”

Ranboo’s ears perked up. “You can?” he asked, eyes widening. “Oh, please do. You have no idea what kind of terrible food they’ve been giving me.”

Tubbo laughed, and was relieved to see a tired smile crack through the pensiveness of Ranboo’s face. “Is it dog food? Is it literal dog food?”

“Cat food,” Ranboo corrected. “With rotten zombie flesh mixed in. Absolutely horrid. Oh, and dog water.”

“I can’t tell if you’re telling the truth, man,” Tubbo said, catching his breath after laughing so hard. “But - see, i’m from the Capitol, and if the auctions here are anything like that, they don’t ship you off until tomorrow, right?”

Ranboo’s ears went back down and the smile disappeared from his face. “Yeah.”

“No, that’s good,” Tubbo insisted. His fingernails dug into the rough wooden planks of the stage. “I can come break you out tonight.”

Ranboo’s tail flicked. “Tonight?” he echoed. “Do you know where they’re keeping me?”

“I’ll figure it out,” Tubbo assured him. “Trust me - my whole life has been ducking my head and trying not to be seen. It’ll be a walk in the park.”

Ranboo studied Tubbo carefully, and he knew what the hybrid must see: a ragged boy with pale skin, a mop of brown hair under a muddy cape, with buck teeth and a tooth gap and a squint from the sun. In truth, Tubbo wasn’t anything special. He was just a kid with a bounty on his head whose destiny was handed to him with wet ink and an arrow by the ear. 

“Why are you helping me?” Ranboo said finally. He looked sullen again. “You don’t know me. I don’t even know you . Why me?”

Tubbo stared at his fingernails. “I really don’t know,” he admitted after a moment. “Just - listen, it sounds cheesy as all hell, but I kind of feel like I’m meant to do this. I’m currently on quite the big quest right now, and I think you’re meant to be my awesome sidekick.”

Ranboo laughed breathlessly. “Nah, I’m no sidekick,” he said. “Main character right here, baby.”

His last few words were drowned out as the auctioneer announced the winner, and the whole crowd cheered and shouted. The two men handling Ranboo’s chains hauled him upright, and Ranboo stumbled, falling to the side. One of the men grunted and struck him across the cheek, and Ranboo wailed in pain.

“Ranboo!” Tubbo shouted over the tumult, trying to stay against the stage as the crowd surged around him. “Tonight! I’ll come get you tonight!”

Ranboo could do nothing but stare at him in fear as he was yanked to his feet again and pulled off the stage, stumbling over his chains. He vanished along with his handlers into a curtain backstage, and soon enough the auctioneer announced the bid over. 

Tubbo ducked out of the crowd and stuck to the walls as he crept around the back of the stage, peeking under the tarp thrown over the entrance to the back alley. After a moment the two men leading Ranboo appeared, hauling him after them. They dragged him into a back lot out of sight, and Tubbo heard a gate open and then slam closed. 

He found a hiding spot nearby and dozed until evening fell. He would need his trusty cover of darkness for this plan to work. He couldn’t risk sneaking in and getting a lay of the land before he went in - he was going in blind, which was his least favorite thing to do. He hoped security wasn’t tight. 

The city was alive as ever as Tubbo slid out from his hiding place around midnight. He backtracked to the alleyway and ducked under the tarp, keeping to the shadowy walls as he crept towards the entrance to the lot where they had taken Ranboo earlier. 

Peeking around the corner, he saw a wire fence guarded by a single man, and behind that, rows and rows of cages and crates, no doubt full of animals and hybrids up for auction or waiting to be sent off to their new owners. Tubbo pursed his lips and dug his nails into the stucco wall. It was godawful and cruel, and some of it was most definitely illegal - unfortunately Tubbo could only free one hybrid tonight. 

He considered his options. there was the stupid plan - he could run for the fence, try to jump it, and find Ranboo before the guard could stop him. There was the sneaky plan, where he climbed onto the roof and he and Ranboo got out without ever alerting the guard. Or, there was a slightly more risky plan…

Tubbo peeked out from his hiding place and considered his opponent. He didn’t wear any armor, just a simple tunic, cap, and trousers. A band glittered on his hand, and he wore several chunky necklaces. He had a ring hanging from his nose. He looked, for the most part, completely ordinary. 

Tubbo took a deep breath, sent a prayer up to prime, and took off from his hiding place. 

“Mister! Mister!” he wailed, trying to seem as childish and small as possible. “Please! Help!”

The man jolted in surprise, nearly dropping his spear. “Eh? What’s that racket, kid?”

Tubbo skidded to a stop in front of the man and wrung his hands. “Please, sir!” he cried. “It’s your wife! She’s in trouble!”

The man stiffened. “What? What’s going on?”

“There’s a fire,” Tubbo said in earnest. “And a robbery! At the same time! It was near your apartment, sir, but they have the whole block on lockdown, your wife sent me-“

“Is she in danger?” the man demanded. hHs grip tightened on his spear. “I can’t leave my post-“

“She insisted I come to get you!” Tubbo cried. “She needs you to come and get her out! The fire is dangerous!"

“Okay, okay,” the man said breathlessly, obviously flustered and confused. “Alright - just - stay here and make sure no one goes in!” He dropped his spear and jogged off, disappearing into the night. 

“Bingo,” Tubbo whispered, grabbing hold of the fence and lifting himself up and over. He landed quietly on the other side, stepping lightly as he crept between the cages and crates. From what he could see, most of the creatures and hybrids inside were asleep. A few were awake, but they just gave him a glance and looked away. 

Tubbo wandered in circles in the lot for a while (there were a lot more cages than he expected, and that made him sick) until he heard a familiar voice pssst-ing him from nearby. He turned around in a few circles before he spotted Ranboo’s red and green eyes glowing in the dark of a nearby cage. 

“I wasn’t expecting you to actually come,” Ranboo said as Tubbo hurried over. He grinned, and Tubbo returned it. 

“Of course, man,” Tubbo said, pulling a pin out of his bag and sticking it into the lock on Ranboo’s cage. “Do your handcuffs and shackles have locks too?”

“Yeah,” Ranboo said, holding out his hands. The chains clanked softly. “I still can’t believe you’re doing this. I-“

“Save your tragic backstory for later,” Tubbo said, hissing in surprise as the lock clicked open and the door swung open on squeaky hinges. Ranboo thrust his hands forward and Tubbo set to work on his shackles, unlocking one, then two, then doing the ones on his feet. 

Ranboo was quiet the whole time, rubbing his wrists as if he had forgotten what it had felt like. Finally the manacles on his ankles fell away with a clank, and Ranboo stepped out of the cage, stretching up to his full height. He must be at least eight feet tall - he towered over Tubbo, and had to lean down to give him a toothy grin. 

“Holy cow, ” he said breathlessly. “Thank-“

“Hey! Kid!” a voice yowled from behind them. “You liar!”

“Run! ” Tubbo hissed, grabbing Ranboo’s hand and yanking him along. He risked a glance behind them and spotted the guard from before. The trick hadn’t kept him nearly as occupied as Tubbo would have liked. 

“Where are we running to?” Ranboo yelped as he shook his wrist out of Tubbo’s grip and easily kept pace with him.Ttubbo shook his head. “Don’t know!” he gasped. “Just get away from him!”

“Got it,” Ranboo said, and stole a quick glance around. “Hey - c’mere!”

“Wha-“ Tubbo blurted as Ranboo grabbed him by the arm and hurled his arm forward, throwing some sort of projectile forward. Ranboo dug his heels into the ground, stopping himself and Tubbo. He picked Tubbo up (which he did much more easily than Tubbo was expecting) and within moments, they were weightless, floating through a dizzying void, and then pressure was crashing down on them until they were whole again. 

They resurfaced in the Overworld on a roof, and Tubbo tumbled down the slope with a cry. Ranboo shot out a hand and grabbed his wrist, and Tubbo grabbed hold with his other hand before he could slide off the roof, his legs dangling off the side. Ranboo smiled with a breathless laugh, and Tubbo returned it until they were both cracking up as Ranboo hauled him back up onto the roof. 

“I think that’s the most epic escape I’ve ever had,” Ranboo said, leaning back on his hands. he rubbed his wrists again. “Used one of my ender pearls, but that was so worth it.”

“I think i have you beat,” Tubbo said, grinning. “I escaped from the castle in the capital on horseback, chased by, like, twelve guys also on horseback.”

Ranboo whistled lightly. “Yeah, that’s definitely more cool than what we just did.”

Ranboo’s white side sparkled like snow in the moonlight. Tubbo slumped down next to him, and they stared up at the stars together. Tubbo recognized a few constellations at a glance - the ship, the princess, the salmon. After a heartbeat of silence he turned to look at Ranboo. “Your tragic backstory first, tall man,” he said softly. 

Ranboo folded his arms underneath his head and didn’t return Tubbo’s stare. “I’m from the End, obviously,” he murmured. “My mom - my mom’s the ender dragon.”

“What? ” Tubbo hollered. Ranboo gave an uneasy smile. 

“Yeah. I’m not half dragon or anything, though,” he added. “She said she found me freshly hatched from an egg - neither of us know what this side is, by the way,” Ranboo said, tapping his glittering white cheek. "I was born with it. all I know is that I’m half enderman, and the dragon is my mother.”

Ranboo shifted against the still-warm roof tiles. “A few weeks ago...my mother sensed something changing in the Overworld. See, a lot of people think that the end portal can only be lit from the outside, but one side is in my mother’s domain, so of course she can. But only so many people can go through every once and a while - the summer equinox was a few weeks ago, and that’s one of the rare times the portal is open from our side. Mother sent me through to investigate, to find out what was going on.”

Ranboo swallowed thickly. “She...she said that if the king on this side was corrupt and cruel, that I should come back and tell her. She said that if I tell her he’s bad, that she and our army will come back on the winter equinox to take over.”

Tubbo was silent. He stared up at the stars, trying to imagine a world where Ranboo hadn’t gotten captured and Tubbo hadn’t left the castle; would he be dead in a few months on an order from the ender dragon herself?

“But, my dumb butt got captured,” Ranboo said, laughing lightly. “The end portal spit me out right in the middle of the Capitol, and I was caught within hours. I got thrown into that box and shipped off to this place.” He waved his hand around aimlessly. He glanced over at Tubbo. “I gotta say, you’re the first human to smile at me and treat me kindly.”

Tubbo blinked at him. “I just - wow. Huh. Sorry, I’m still trying to process that if I hadn’t left the castle, I would be dead.”

Ranboo laughed. “Well, now that we’re friends, I can spare you. at least - I never found out if the king was bad or not. Is he? You said you lived in the castle. What’s he like?”

Tubbo took a deep breath, in and out. “Well, if it gives you any context, the king was trying to kill me when I escaped the castle.”

Ranboo was quiet. Tubbo scratched his ear and carried on.

“Three years ago, the castle librarian gave me this book,” Tubbo said, sitting up and pulling the book out of his bag. “It tells about four kings that used to rule this world, until King Dream took over and banished them to the four corners of the earth. But - a prophecy appeared in this book, a few days ago. Right before I left. It told about someone from inside the castle going to find the kings and overthrowing Dream, finally. It’s - It’s me. I have to free the kings.”

Ranboo stared at him. “Wwwwwwow,” he said finally. He laughed lightly. “Yeah, I’m definitely your sidekick.”

“But the prophecy also tells about a prince from another world,” Tubbo said, sitting up and holding the book to his chest. “Ranboo, that’s you. You’re meant to help me.”

“So I am a sidekick!” Ranboo cried, sitting up and immediately dwarfing Tubbo in size. “Sweet! I don’t like being a main character, no offense. Too much trauma.”

Tubbo cackled. “Alright, tall man,” he said. “Our first stop: the fire temple in the volcano. I hope you’re nocturnal. We travel by night.” He wiggled his fingers mischievously. 

They hopped down from the roof and snuggled up under a wagon, pulling a tarp over them. Ranboo was cold, but Tubbo snuggled right up to him, and Ranboo stiffened for a moment before he settled his chin on top of Tubbo’s head. 

It was nice, having a sidekick. 

Chapter Text

Tubbo had severely underestimated the desert. 

He and Ranboo had been walking for two days and a half, and they were already out of water. The thing is, it was all Tubbo’s doing - Ranboo didn’t need water often (“it’s an enderman thing, don’t worry”) so Tubbo was the only one chugging through their water supply. All of their food was dried and didn’t offer the slightest bit of moisture. Tubbo’s vision was starting to go blurry and more than once he had stumbled into a sand dune. 

The burning sands desert was the biggest thing Tubbo had ever seen. The sand was red, hence the name, and very, very hot. Tubbo thought he had known heat when he lived in the Capitol - June, July and August were often unforgiving in their heat, causing Tubbo to take his studies and books inside to the cooler rooms of the castle. But down here, there was nowhere to escape, and the sun beat down upon his back, and Tubbo’s cheeks and neck were already sunburned and peeling. 

Night, in his opinion, was worse. The temperature plummeted like a stone until both him and Ranboo were shivering. The dunes would still be warm from the day’s sunlight, so they would burrow down, throw their cloaks over themselves and pray neither of them woke up with a cold. 

“I think we might be walking in circles,” Tubbo said breathlessly around noon of the third day. He stopped to lean against a rock, then recoiled with a hiss, palm burned. 

Ranboo stopped and put his hands behind his head. "I think...you may be right,” he panted. His silky shirt was stuck to his back with sweat. "I think we’re seen that mesa at least twice before.”

Tubbo dug the desert map out of his bag and squinted at it against the sun. The map had been a huge waste of money; the sand dunes changed all the time, covering up important landmarks that were marked on the map. Tubbo was trying to use the stars to guide them, but they had to rest at night or they would pass out from exhaustion anyways. 

Tubbo’s head ached and his stomach grumbled, and he set his hand against his forehead. "Prime, I don’t feel well,” he mumbled. 

Ranboo’s ears perked up. "Are you alright?” he asked. "Do you want to rest?”

“Nah, nah, I'm fine,” Tubbo said, waving his hand. "We can walk a little more. I think south is this way.”

Ranboo pursed his lips but didn’t object as they continued to walk. The boy had been a wonderful companion - he talked just enough to be entertaining, not boring or too much. He barely complained and was a light eater and kept up with Tubbo’s determined walk. 

It wasn’t long, though, before Tubbo stopped and swayed on his feet. His vision was becoming double, and he staggered a step before Ranboo’s hand was firm on his arm and pulling him upright. 

“Tubbo, we’re gonna rest,” Ranboo said firmly. "Come on, let’s just - find some shade.”

Tubbo murmured in protest but didn’t put up a fight as Ranboo tugged him behind a large sand dune, where there was an ample amount of shade. Ranboo dug around in their bag, searching for anything that could be water, but found nothing. 

“Ranboo,” Tubbo said after a moment. "Can you tell me about The End?”

Ranboo blinked at him. "The End?” he echoed. "Well - it’s kinda like the desert, honestly.” He got a distant look in his eyes. "It’s all endstone - well, you don’t know what that is, hah - but it’s pretty soft stone, we build with it a lot...but, there’s not much except for white stone.”

Ranboo cast his arm out across the desert. "Imagine all of this, but white stone. And we don’t have trees - I was so surprised when I saw your trees were green! We have chorus fruit, which is about all we eat. It makes you teleport everywhere if you aren’t holding onto something, though.

“Sometimes, my mother would fly me out to the Outer End- scatterings of little islands off of the main one. I liked to explore them; I'd find all sorts of old cities and ships, and even dragons. Mother never told me where they came from but I loved to fly them and explore new places.” His eyes grew misty. "I miss them. I miss my mother, too. I'm quite homesick - but the desert reminds me of home.”

Tubbo thought of his home - the cold castle walls, the stern stares of his professors and his father. The warm way Ranboo spoke of his mother was completely foreign to Tubbo. He had never felt a warm hug, a soft smile. His father would never take him out to go exploring - Schlatt was always surrounded by advisors and counselors begging for his words of advice. He had never made time for his son - he had simply hired his professors, critiqued his etiquette at dinner, and scowled at him from across the table at royal dinners. 

He wondered what his father was going to be like when Tubbo returned to the Capitol with four kings and an enderman prince in tow. Would he surrender at the gates, or stand with Dream and fight alongside him?

“Okay - Tubbo,” Ranboo said distantly, after a long time. "Listen. I'm gonna - go try and find some water, I think? You seriously need water, but you also shouldn’t get up.”

Ranboo smoothed the hair out of Tubbo’s eyes. "I'm gonna go look around,” he said firmly. "I'll be back by tonight. Just - get some rest for now.”

“Ranboo,” Tubbo mumbled, eyelids fluttering. "Wait...don’t - don’t leave. Please.”

Ranboo pursed his lips together. "I'll be back tonight,” Ranboo promised. "Don’t go anywhere. I'll be back soon.”

Ranboo dug the water flask out of the bag and within moments was gone from Tubbo’s sight. Tubbo closed his eyes for a few heartbeats, then sat up, gasping against the heat on his neck. 

“Ranboo,” he cried weakly. "Wait - Ranboo.”

The boy was nowhere in sight. Tubbo felt his eyes fill with tears - being too emotional must be an effect of heatstroke, he thought hazily. Finally he lay back against the sand and closed his eyes. The tears down his cheeks were a cold relief as he passed out. 

When Tubbo woke up, it was dark, the moon was high in the sky, and it was freezing. Tubbo shivered and pulled his cloak around himself, sitting up. Wasn’t Ranboo supposed to be back by now? What happened? Did he get captured? Or eaten? Was there some sort of terrifying desert monster out there that they didn’t know of?

“Ranboo?” Tubbo shouted, staggering to his feet and gathering his bag up in his hands. " Ranboo? ”

He stumbled through the cold night, looking around frantically for his friend. He tried to look for the shimmer of his white side, the glow of his eyes, but all he got were the rolling dunes of the desert. Of course Tubbo would get attached to the boy he had known for three days after saving him from an auction. 

The consequences of dehydration came back after a while of stumbling around the desert - his vision turned double again and his breath was ragged. He fell to his knees more than once, but always dragged himself back upright, refusing to succumb to the swirling sands. A freezing breeze blew and smacked him across the face, giving him a brief moment of relief. It didn’t last long before his foot slid into a hidden hole and he tripped, squeaking as he tumbled down a sand dune and rolled to a stop.

He lay there, panting, staring up at the clear sky. His eyelids were heavy, and his throat hurt like a burn. Slowly he closed his eyes, succumbing to the darkness, thinking that dehydration was the dumbest way for the hero of destiny to die.

That’s what Tubbo thought as he slipped into unconsciousness. Surely the three jackal-headed men looming over him were a figment of his imagination, too.

When Tubbo’s eyes finally fluttered open, it was to well-lit sandstone walls, warm torchlight, and blinding gold flashes. He groaned, rolling over onto his side, throwing an arm over his face.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled.

“Tubbo!” a faraway voice cried. It echoed, as if they were in a large chamber. "Wake up, man!”

Tubbo furrowed his brows and rolled onto his stomach, slowly opened his eyes and lifting his head.

A monstrous man with golden skin, wide green eyes, and a shark’s head propped up on his hands stared back at him, grinning at him with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

His smile got impossibly wider. "Hey!”

Tubbo shrieked and scrambled backwards, now fully awake. The man laughed and rolled to his feet, moving in slow motion with how tall he was. He soared over twenty feet easily, dwarfing Tubbo and his measly five foot six inches. And Tubbo had thought Ranboo was tall. Gold glittered all over him - his skin had a shiny gold sheen to it, and his eyes glowed like emeralds. His wrists and ankles dripped with jewels, and he had gold bands wrapped around his neck. His intimidating presence didn’t match the huge grin on his face.

“Sorry for startling you!” he chirped. "Oh, here, you’re probably freaked out cause I'm twenty feet tall. Hang on.”

In a flash of light, the man shrank to be slightly taller than Tubbo. He offered a hand to Tubbo, which he hesitantly took after a pause. The man tugged him to his feet with a bit too much force.

“Welcome to the House of the Undying!” the golden man said enthusiastically. "I'm Foolish. What’s your name?”

Tubbo glanced around. The whole building was made out of sandstone, gold and precious materials - the sun from outside came through skylights in the roof and made the whole place feel like a furnace as it bounced off the gold inlaid in the walls. Hieroglyphs on the walls told stories of events Tubbo couldn’t understand. A large eye made of obsidian and emerald blocks loomed over the whole room, which Tubbo quickly realized was a throne room.

Is he a king? he wondered lightning-fast. Is he the king of the south? Have I found him already?

But Foolish didn’t look at all like the king of the south he had seen in the book. The king in the book had been young and blonde and decidedly human - nothing like this shark-headed pharaoh he saw in front of him.

“I'm - Tubbo,” Tubbo blurted without much thought. He returned his gaze to Foolish in time to see his eye twitch and his smile become slightly more strained and forced.

“Tubbo, you say?” Foolish said. It sounded like he was forcing it out of his throat. "Well, welcome, Tubbo! Oh, before I forget, I think I have your friend.”

Foolish stepped aside and two jackal-headed men - so Tubbo hadn’t been imagining those when he passed out - came forward, dragging a boy between them. They let go of him and he stumbled a bit, before meeting Tubbo’s eyes and giving him a huge grin-

“Ranboo!” Tubbo cried, rushing forward and throwing himself into his friend’s arms. Ranboo gave a shout and lifted him up, laughing, spinning him around.

“I thought you died or something!” Tubbo said as Ranboo set him down. Tubbo slapped his hands on either side of Ranboo’s grinning face. "You wandered off all night and didn’t come back!”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” Ranboo laughed. "I was looking for water, then these guys all jumped me and dragged me back here-”

“They WHAT?” Tubbo hollered, whirling to look at Foolish. Foolish plastered another smile onto his face.

“People don’t often come down here!” he said. "It’s my duty to protect the Burning Desert, so I have to question every traveller that comes through.”

“What do you mean it’s your duty?” Ranboo questioned. "You’re just some shark guy that lives in a pyramid in the middle of nowhere.”

Foolish narrowed his eyes, and the atmosphere in the room changed completely. Tubbo felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Foolish sliced his gaze across the room to the other jackal-headed guards standing nearby. "Leave us,” he barked.

In unison, the guards hefted their javelins and quietly left the chamber. Foolish turned on his heel and walked up the steps to his massive throne, and with every step he grew back to his colossal height. He sat down and Tubbo felt the whole room shake.

Foolish wrapped his hand around an ankh-tipped scepter that was resting against the throne. "Have you heard of the wardens of the cardinals, Prince Tubbo?” he asked loftily. His voice had drastically changed from the cheery, enthusiastic tone it had been earlier. 

At the sound of his royal title, Tubbo went still. "N-no,” he stammered. "I haven’t.”

Foolish’s eyes glittered dangerously. "The wardens are four individuals to protect the north, east, south and west,” he said. "They’re handpicked by the high king to protect nosy little boys like you from finding the elemental temples and, in turn, freeing the elemental kings from their prisons.”

Ranboo’s hand, which was wrapped around Tubbo’s tightened. Tubbo gulped. "Um - yeah?”

“I am one of those wardens.” Foolish gave them a look so fierce that Tubbo was surprised he didn’t turn to dust right there. "The warden of the south, protector of the fire temple. I have direct orders from King Dream to slaughter any man that comes through with intentions to visit the fire temple. And, I received an even more direct order from the king earlier this week - that a runaway prince might be paying me a visit.”

Tubbo took a step back. The lofty walls were suddenly too small, he was penned in, Ranboo’s hand was too tight in his grip-

“Don’t go anywhere,” Foolish growled, standing. Tubbo was paralyzed - and he assumed Ranboo was as well - as the warden stepped down the steps to stand in front of them. Tubbo was sure that this was where their journey would end - Foolish would kill them right here, where they stand, or deliver them back to the Capitol for Dream to behead himself -

In a flash, Foolish was back to his shorter height, grinning in their faces. "That’s why I'm gonna help you!”

Tubbo blinked. "What?”

Foolish let out a big laugh and leaned back. "I'm on your side, dummies! Dream’s a big bully and everyone knows it. You couldn’t pay me to turn you in.”

Ranboo’s mouth fell open. "What do you mean?”

Foolish spun his scepter. "I'm eons old, you gotta understand that. I'm nearly as old as the four kings themselves. I've seen the rise of Dream’s rule and the fall of the kings - and High King Phil told me to try my best to become warden of the south before he was locked away. My domain was already the desert. He knew I could keep an eye on his son and lead anyone that wants to free him to safety.”

Tubbo’s heart soared. "So you’ll help us?”

“Of course!” Foolish cried. "That Dream guy has been pushing us wardens around for ages. We’re supposed to keep tabs on the cardinal provinces for him, but then he turns around and accuses us of ruling it in his stead.” he rolled his emerald eyes. "Hypocrite.”

“How have I never heard of the wardens if I've lived in the castle my whole life?” Tubbo asked.

Foolish shrugged. "Beats me. If you’ve heard of anyone, you’ve probably heard of Eret - they’re the warden of the east and easily the richest person in the world. They’ve got a castle, three mansions, the whole nine yards. But you probably haven’t heard the best part - they’re the ringleader of an underground revolution they’ve been organizing for years. Your quest to awaken the kings is a godsend to their cause.”

Tubbo’s mouth was hanging open. "How - what-”

“There's a reason it’s called underground, Tubbo,” Foolish chided. "That means that no one in the castle can know.”

Foolish waved his hand dismissively. "Anyways - you two can leave tonight, when it gets cooler. I can give you as many supplies as you need.”

“Water,” Tubbo and Ranboo blurted at the same time. They exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing.

The rest of the day at the House of the Undying was the most pleasant one Tubbo had had since he had run away from the Capitol. They lounged about by Foolish’s oasis pool, sipping coconut milk and chattering to themselves. At some point Foolish came out and sat with them, and Tubbo asked him what he remembered about the kings. 

Foolish’s gaze grew distant. "Phil was the high king,” he said. "He was all of the prince-king’s father. He cared for them so much - he was the last king to fall, because he wanted to try to save his sons from their imprisonment.”

Foolish twisted his scepter in his hand. "Prince Tommy was the youngest, and man, he was a force to be reckoned with. He would run through the castle day and night, scaring all the servants with his fire spectacle. He had the loudest mouth of anyone I knew. He was so young, and so desperate to fight in the war. Phil knew that if he fought, he would cause more harm to the empire than good, so they tried to hide him away. It didn’t work - Dream captured Tommy and used him to force the other prince-kings to submit and turn themselves in.”

Tubbo sipped his coconut milk noisily. "So, King Tommy - that’s the king that’s imprisoned in the fire temple?”

Foolish nodded. "Yes. It’s going to be difficult to free him - as far as I know, he’s trapped inside the volcano. However, the fire temple has been abandoned for ages. Mostly on Dream’s command. He doesn’t want even his own guards to occupy it, for fear that one of them may get too curious and free Tommy.”

The day cooled off as the sun fell from the sky, and by the time it was falling behind the sand dunes, Foolish was handing them as many supplies as they needed and a map to the temple. He hugged them both - which Tubbo could tell Ranboo was uncomfortable with - patted them on the shoulders and sent them on their way. 

“That felt like a fever dream,” Ranboo said as they were a decent ways away. "Was he a shark? In the desert?”

Tubbo laughed. "I guess?” he hedged. "I'm surprised I had never heard of the wardens. I haven’t even heard of that eastern warden guy he mentioned.”

They walked through the night, thankful for the chilly air. As the morning sun rose, the sand beneath their feet became more packed until Tubbo felt carved sandstone under their feet. 

The sun rose and illuminated the towering mountain in front of them - steam rose from the peak and Tubbo swore he felt the ground rumble beneath him. 

Ranboo’s hand found Tubbo’s. "That’s it, then?” he said softly. "The fire temple is in there?”

Tubbo nodded. "Yeah. That’s it. That’s where King Tommy is.”

They shared a nervous glance, before taking the first step towards their destiny. 

Chapter Text

The fire temple felt alive as Tubbo and Ranboo drew nearer. It was built into the volcanic rock, chiseled away by hand and hammer until it was a beautiful building fit for a king. The long columns at the front soared higher than Foolish could stand, and it was decorated with rubies and amber and tourmaline. Faded paintings on the walls must have described some sort of epic quest before, but they had disappeared with time. The front arch soared high above their heads, the darkness inside yawning like a mouth. 

The stone beneath their feet got clearer and clearer as they neared, the red stone turning to black volcanic rock. It got hotter and hotter as they approached the huge steps, having to help each other up (or, rather, Ranboo climbed up and hauled Tubbo up with him).

“By the old ones,” Ranboo swore under his breath as they stared down the long, dark corridor. A blast of hot air belched out from the depths, and Tubbo grabbed at Ranboo’s hand to stop himself from stumbling back down the stairs. 

“You have a torch?” Ranboo asked softly. Tubbo drew a stick out of his bag and ripped off a strip of his pant leg, wrapping it around the end. Ranboo offered a piece of flint and soon they had a long-burning torch. 

Keeping hold of Ranboo’s hand, Tubbo walked slowly into the mouth of the temple. The book inside his bag bumped against his leg like an omen, a promise, a vow. Ranboo’s hand was an anchor, tethering him down to humanity and not letting him float away into the stars. 

They walked for what seemed like miles - they walked until their feet ached and Ranboo was asking sleepily how far back does this temple go? Torch sconces on the wall told them that they weren’t wandering into a dead end. The air here was stuffy and hot and Tubbo was starting to cough. Holding the torchlight up to his pale hands showed that they were covered in a fine layer of ash. 

“We’re getting close,” he murmured after a brief pause to drink water. The ground had sloped sharply up a while ago, and the sudden uphill terrain had cost them their breath. Inscriptions on the walls described some sort of creation story of fire, but Tubbo had stopped trying to follow it a long time ago. 

Ranboo looked up at him from where he was tightening his corset. "You think?” he asked tiredly. "I mean, we have to get to the top at some point.”

Tubbo nodded. "The air’s getting more ashy, too,” he said. "And smoky. It means we must be getting close to the crater.”

They continued up the steep slope, panting and gasping in the smoky air. After a while, a dim light illuminated the end of the tunnel. Tubbo and Ranboo shared a bewildered glance before they made a break for the top, grinning and laughing as Tubbo tossed the torch behind him. They emerged at the top of the slope, panting and laughing breathlessly. 

The volcano’s giant crater spread out in front of them, dropping off sharply a few feet in front of them. Tubbo dropped to his knees and crawled to the edge, peering down. The lava was like an orange ocean beneath him, burning with the sun, like molten tangerines and mandarin oranges. It looked like it would taste amazing. 

“Wow,” Tubbo breathed. He glanced back at Ranboo, who was scanning the rest of the crater, his tail swishing back and forth thoughtfully. "Hey - what you thinking, tall man?”

“Look,” he said, extending a claw to point to the right. Tubbo followed his finger to see a path carved out of the side of the volcano. It led to a precarious ledge with some strange contraption on it that looked like the huge wheels that let the drawbridge up and down. It had huge chains hooked on to it, and following the chain down, Tubbo watched it descend down, down, down into the lava. 

“You don’t think…” Ranboo mumbled. "That the king is down there? ” Heswung his arm around to point to where the chain disappeared into the lava. Scanning the rest of the crater, Tubbo spotted a similar chain attached to another wheel, descending down into the lava on the other side of the crater. 

“Do we have to pull the chains up?” Tubbo wondered aloud. "I don’t know where else he could be. And surely, as the king of fire, he can survive down there.”

“Is he conscious?” Ranboo murmured to himself. "Surely if he was he’d be fighting to get out. Maybe he’s knocked out down there.”

Tubbo scanned the crater - two pathways arched around to each of the wheels. "Okay, tall man,” he announced, standing up. "You go to the right wheel, I'll go to the left one. If it’s anything like the wheels that bring up the drawbridge back home, we both have to rotate them at the same time to make it work. Got it?”

Ranboo nodded pensively. "Yeah. How easy do you think they’ll be to move? Surelt they’ve been sitting here for decades.”

“If they’ve been sitting here for decades, then why aren’t they broken?” Tubbo asked dryly. "Any other machinery would have broken off and fallen into the crater. I'm sure they’re protected in some way.”

They exchanged a brief nod before going their separate ways around the crater. The pathway was narrow, having corroded over time, and Tubbo was pressed against the wall for the most part. Pebbles came loose under his feet and dropped away into the lava below. The heat here was stifling and Tubbo felt like he couldn’t breathe.  

Finally he hopped onto the jutting ledge with the wheel, stopping to catch his breath. Across the crater, he saw Ranboo arrive at the other wheel, stumbling and catching himself on the old metal. 

Stepping forward, Tubbo examined the contraption. It was similar indeed to the mechanics that lifted the drawbridge - however it was man-powered, meaning that it didn’t work on its own. Tubbo would have to push and pull on it. Ranboo must be discovering the same thing. 

“Ranboo!” Tubbo shouted across the crater, hoping that Ranboo’s sensitive ears could pick up his voice. "We gotta pull them up at the same time!”

Ranboo either gave him a thumbs up or flipped him off, Tubbo couldn’t tell - but at least he heard Tubbo. Tubbo grabbed hold of the crank, adjusted his grip, and then began to pull. 

As it was with several hundred year old machinery, it took a while for it to get going. Tubbo grit his teeth and pushed all his weight on the crank as it came down, forcing it around in a loop. The machinery groaned in protest and the chains clanked noisily as they were pulled in. Across the crater, Ranboo looked like he was having an equally hard time. Tubbo could only imagine how weak his long, lanky limbs were.

It took seemingly forever for them to make any noticeable progress - the setting sun beat down on them and made Tubbo lightheaded. He called for a few brief breaks to drink water and to wipe the dripping sweat off his brow and upper lip. Then it was right back to handling the crank and wheel. After what felt like ages, the chains down in the lava grew closer and closer together until-

“Tubbo!” Ranboo shrieked from across the cavern, loud enough that it knocked Tubbo out of the lifeless state he had been in for the past eternity (how long had they been standing in this volcano?), endlessly pushing and pulling the handle. He blinked several times, taking note of the terrible aching in his arms, looking across at Ranboo. The boy stopped pushing for a moment, pointing down into the lava. Tubbo leaned against the crank, holding it in place, and peered over the edge.

Down below, the chains had finally met, lifting pale hands up above the surface of the burning lake. A mop of dirty blonde hair poked out from the orange-red-yellow-black muck.

“We’re getting him!” Tubbo shouted. "Come on! We’re almost there!”

Tubbo began pushing the crank with more determination now, panting and gasping as he went. Slowly, slowly, the chains came in, and along with the manacled hand came a wrist, a forearm, an elbow, and then a forehead and eyebrows -

Tubbo’s arms were screaming in protest as he pulled the crank again, taking a brief moment to look over the edge at their progress. A figure was hanging from the chains now, suspended by his wrists, head hanging down. He was skinny and pale and blonde, dressed in red and white robes. Tubbo supposed he looked like the drawing in the book - he’d have to look up close to see if he had those crystalline blue eyes. 

He glanced across at Ranboo, who was struggling to push his own crank but Tubbo could almost see the determined look on his face from across the chasm. 

Tubbo waved at him. "We got him, Ranboo!” he called across, laughing. "We got him!”

Tubbo could see Ranboo’s grin from here. The boy must have been too tired to speak, because he just gave Tubbo a weak wave and returned back to the wheel, taking a deep breath before pushing on it again. 

A great rumble shook the earth and made Tubbo yelp, nearly letting go of the crank. However he grabbed on tight and dug his nails into the metal, praying that the wheel wouldn’t release the chains back into the lava. 

Across the crater, Ranboo gave a shout of alarm. Tubbo looked up to see the boy stumble onto his side, letting go of the crank (it stayed in place, thankfully, mercifully) as the ground beneath him shook. 

As if the world was responding to the emancipation of a king, the sheer cliff that Ranboo and the wheel were standing on cracked and groaned and fell away into the lava. 

“ Ranboo!” Tubbo shrieked, watching as his friend ragdolled into the open air. At the last moment he twisted around and reached up, catching the edge of the shorn-off cliff with one hand. He gave a shout of pain, as if the grab had hurt him. Using his tail and legs to scramble back up, he dragged himself onto the rock, safe for now. 

They both watched as the wheel and chain plummeted into the lava, hitting the surface with a great splash. Tubbo was so focused on the lost wheel that he didn’t see the other chain go slack and Tommy dangling by one wrist, hurtling towards the wall below Tubbo until he slammed into it with maximum velocity. 

“Shit!” Tubbo swore, taking hold of the crank again. "Ranboo! Get over here! Before this whole crater collapses!”

Ranboo stumbled to his feet and hurried over the passage, holding his shoulder. Tubbo grit his teeth and tried to push, but with the added weight of the chain down in the lava it was futile. Tubbo was seeing stars from gritting his teeth so hard until he heard a wheezing breath beside him and then there was Ranboo, face screwed up in pain yet determined as he slid his hands in between Tubbo’s and laid his weight on the crank. 

Together they slowly raised the king to the cliff face, dangling by one chain. Evening had fallen and the crater was mostly lit by the lava below as they came to a gasping halt. The chain dragging over the edge of the cliff now had reeled in a pale hand, sticking over the edge. 

“Holy shit!” Tubbo whispered, leaving Ranboo with the crank as he ducked under it to pull Tommy in. He grabbed the king’s hand and used all his weight to pull Tommy in, the dead weight of the other chain still an inconvenience. With a last desperate heave, Tubbo dragged Tommy completely onto the cliff. 

Ranboo left his post at the wheel to crouch next to Tubbo as they examined the boy. He was scrappy, with long, skinny limbs and fluffy hair and long eyelashes. He was breathing, thank Prime, and he was pleasantly warm to the touch as Tubbo checked his pulse on his neck. 

“Incredible,” Ranboo whispered. "He was just - under the lava. ”

“How do we get these shackles off of him?” Tubbo asked, frowning. He turned Tommy’s wrists to examine them. They had a strange symbol on them - an X, and in each open space was one of the four elemental diamonds from the creation story. One red, one green, one blue, one white. 

Ranboo noticed Tubbo’s discovery and hummed. "I have a guess,” he reasoned. "It’s cheesy and cliche.”

“What, a true love’s kiss?” Tubbo teased, leaning down to peck the shackle. 

Ranboo burst out into giggles. "Ew, you know how old that is?” He said once he could breathe again. "No. Here, look. It’s just a hunch.”

Tubbo watched in confusion as Ranboo ripped off a part of his silken shirt, taking out his flint and steel and lighting it like Tubbo had done earlier with his torch. Ranboo poured some of their water over the shackle and then laid the cloth over it, before sprinkling on some dirt from nearby. Finally, Ranboo leaned close enough that Tubbo could see the dying firelight dancing in his two-toned eyes as he breathed on the collection of strange materials softly. 

A few heartbeats passed. Nothing happened. The fire fizzled out and died. 

Then the shackle sprang open, and Ranboo gave a whoop of success. 

“How the fuck did you do that?” Tubbo shouted, bewildered. 

Ranboo gestured to the symbol on the shackle. "The four elements. I'm assuming it was meant for, like, the three other kings had to be present to open them, but they’re present in their elements, are they not?”

They quickly repeated the process with the other shackle, with Ranboo pouring water over it and Tubbo lighting a strip of his shirt on fire, before sprinkling it with dirt and blowing on it. The shackle popped open with little fanfare. 

For a moment Tubbo thought that the volcano was shaking again, but then realized it was a lurch in his stomach. The air grew hotter, and from where it was setting behind the volcano, the sun seemed to blaze ten times brighter. The emerging stars lit up like the lights in the Burning Bazaar. The lava below popped and sizzled with new fervor. The sparks floating around them pulsed and glowed like confetti, casting wonderful golden light across their faces. 

Ranboo gazed around in wonder. "Do you feel that, too?” he murmured. "What’s going on?” 

Tubbo stared up at the stars. "Nature’s starting to return to normal,” he whispered. "One of the elements has been freed.”

They sat there in awe for a long time, Tommy’s head cradled in Tubbo’s lap, before the miracle faded and Tubbo was aware of the rumbling beneath him. He awkwardly picked up Tommy, half dragging him, and shook his head when Ranboo offered to carry him. 

“No way, tall man,” Tubbo said sternly. "We gotta get your shoulder checked out once we get out of this creepy ass temple.”

The walk back through the temple was shorter than their journey in; the night was cooling off and Tommy was pleasantly warm against Tubbo. They decided to make camp a stone’s throw away from the temple, near a rockfall, where they couldn’t be seen by any approaching intruders. Though, Tubbo doubted anyone could get past the House of the Undying. 

Tubbo propped Tommy up against the rocks, wondering when he would wake up. Then he turned to Ranboo, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, tall man. Show me where it hurts.”

Ranboo chuckled and set down his water. "I think I may have dislocated it,” he said. "It was hurting really bad when we were pulling that crank.”

Tubbo reached over their small fire and felt Ranboo’s shoulder through his shirt. He felt the strange indention in Ranboo’s skin and noted the way the boy whimpered as Tubbo’s fingers grazed over it. 

“Alright, I hope my human anatomy lessons didn’t go completely to waste,” Tubbo murmured, gently guiding Ranboo to put his arm out in front of him. "This is gonna hurt like a bitch, by the way.”

Ranboo nodded shakily, closing his eyes and holding his breath. Tubbo set a hand behind Ranboo’s shoulder, and one on his wrist, and counted to three in his head-

With a sharp push, Tubbo shoved Ranboo’s arm back into its socket. Ranboo yowled and jerked away from Tubbo, clutching his shoulder and swearing under his breath. 

Tubbo flexed his fingers. "Did it work?” 

Ranboo tentatively rolled his shoulder, then extended his arm and flexed his hand. "It’s as good as new,” he laughed, turning to smile at Tubbo. His eyes flew wide and his face drained of color suddenly, eyes fixed on something behind Tubbo. 

“Tubbo,” he hissed. 

Tubbo whipped around in time to see the sparks flying off of Tommy, to see the smoke coming from his fingertips. He watched, awestruck, as Tommy’s eyes fluttered open, burning a bright, hot blue, as if someone had bundled up the sky and lit it on fire and placed it lovingly in the king’s irises. 

Up close, lit by the flames of their meager fire, Tommy truly looked like a king. Tubbo just now noticed the ruby and gold circlet circling his brow, the heavy bracelets on his bony wrists, the chunky amulet hanging from his neck, and the tourmaline studs embedded in his earlobes. He radiated an ancient kind of power that Tubbo sometimes felt when he visited the End portal room or the older parts of the castle. It was awesome and kind of terrifying to see a man from the storybook in the flesh in front of him. 

Tommy held Tubbo’s gaze for a few moments, sucking all the breath from Tubbo’s lungs, before Tommy hacked a cough and put a fist to his mouth, coughing out puffs of smoke. "Aw - shit,” he croaked, blinking a few times. The fire disappeared from his eyes as he looked between Tubbo and Ranboo for a moment, mouth open and eyes slightly squinted. 

“Who the fuck are you fuckers, bitch?” he said loudly. He jabbed a finger at Ranboo. "The fuck are you?”

Ranboo burst out laughing. "Holy cow!” he said between gasps. "He’s - he’s funny! ”

“He is not funny,” Tubbo said, giving Ranboo a look before turning back to Tommy, who looked utterly confused and defensive. "Hey, man. I'm Tubbo. We just rescued you from a volcano.”

“Volca - what? ” Tommy said, squinting again. He looked around, fluffy hair bouncing, until he spotted the looking volcano, slightly hidden in the dark to their right. He gave a long shout. 

“Oh, what the fuck!” he hollered. "What the fuck! Holy shit , man, what the fuck happened to me? Last thing I remember, I was with - I was with Wilbur, yeah, Wilbur, and Techno, and we didn’t know where the fuck Phil was - is Phil still around?” Tommy changed the subject quickly, leaping forward and seizing Tubbo’s hands. "Is Phil alright? Where is he?”

“We - don’t know yet,” Tubbo said. Tommy’s hands were warm against his; it was pleasant. "We think somewhere up north. Tommy, listen,” he added before Tommy could open his mouth to yell again. "Listen. You and your brothers and your dad were all imprisoned a thousand years ago. I don’t know how much you remember, but they’re all asleep and locked away. Me and Ranboo - that’s my friend here, say hi Ranboo - are supposed to go and free all of them.”

Tommy squinted again. "What - huh?” he sputtered. "A thousand years-? Is that Dream fucker still around?”

Tubbo pulled his lips into a thin line. "Yeah. Unfortunately.”

Tommy swore and glared at the fire. It swelled in size, and Ranboo yelped and scrambled back from it. 

“Fuck Dream and everyone in the stupid Capitol,” Tommy hissed. "I'm gonna kill everyone in that castle, mark my words. Once we go get Phil, oh, they’re in for it.”

Tubbo leaned away from Tommy as he continued to mumble under his breath, and Ranboo leaned forward, their shoulders brushing. "I don’t-“ Tubbo began, but Ranboo cut him off. 

“We can’t tell him that you’re a prince,” Ranboo said quietly, keeping his eyes on Tommy. "He probably can’t separate the people who were in the castle then that turned on him, and people who are in the castle now. He’d think you’re on Dream’s side.”

“I agree,” Tubbo muttered. "We gotta go in-cog-ni-to. ”

Ranboo gave him a snarky side-eye. "Can you spell incognito ?” 

Tubbo grinned and shoved him lightly. "Fuck off.”

Looking back at Tommy, Tubbo caught the forlorn and slightly lonely expression before he fixed his face back to an uninterested, aloof one. He put his chin on his hand and looked away, muttering under his breath. 

“We can head off in the morning, if you’re feeling up to it,” Tubbo offered. "I'm not sure where we should go first, but-“

“Which way is Techno?” Tommy cut in, meeting Tubbo’s eyes with a determined look. 

Tubbo swallowed thickly. "W-West. But-“

“We’re going west,” Tommy said with finality, looking back at the fire. "We need Techno. He’s big and strong and shit, he can pummel Dream into the fuckin’ dirt if we need him to.”

Tubbo and Ranboo glanced at each other, the unsaid question hovering in the air: So why didn’t he before? 

“Alright,” Tubbo said after a pause. "West it is. We can set out in the morning.”

They laid out their blankets and Tubbo curled in next to Ranboo, back-to-back, like they’d slept since that first night when Tubbo rescued him. Across the fire, Tommy curled up, and by the time Tubbo fell asleep, the young king was still staring into the flames, his eyes making him look a thousand years old. 

Chapter Text

If Ranboo was the perfect travel partner, then Tommy was his polar opposite. 

Tommy was loud and annoying and complained whenever he was hungry. It was wearing down Tubbo’s patience and it had already dissolved Ranboo’s; the enderman boy was crabby and snapped at every slight touch and had a sour expression on his face. He slept on the opposite side of the fire from Tommy each night, which Tommy seemed just peachy with. They had only been travelling across the desert for two days and the two boys could barely look at each other without making a jabbing remark.

On the plus side, since Ranboo wanted nothing to do with the young king, Tubbo stayed up late talking to Tommy until they both fell asleep. After the first day of walking, where Ranboo and Tommy had gotten in a fight about the last few sips of coconut milk, Ranboo was already fast asleep by the fire and Tubbo was stoking the flames. He was anything but tired - now that they had finally freed one of the kings, he was buzzing with excitement and questions.

Glancing across the fire, he could tell that Tommy didn’t match his enthusiasm. The young king had been sullen in the brief moments between arguments and smart remarks, as if he was lonely. Staring into the flames, his blue eyes were dull and he looked a million miles away.

Tubbo cleared his throat. "Are you okay?”

Tommy blinked, looking up at Tubbo. "Huh? What’s that?”

“I asked if you were okay.” Tubbo scooted around the fire a bit so he could see Tommy better. He was still wearing the red and white robes they found him in (Tubbo had promised to buy him more modern attire at the first town they got to) and he often rubbed the edge of his sleeve between his fingers. He spun one of his rings around his finger, too, and played with the ruby amulet around his neck. It seemed like an unconscious action, one that he didn’t think about.

Tommy shifted, hand going to his amulet. "I'm fine,” he mumbled. "Just-just cold.”

“I have an extra blanket in the bag-” Tubbo began, but Tommy shook his head, rubbing his nose.

“Nah! Nah. I'm fine. Seriously.” he glanced at Tubbo and then looked back at the fire. He sighed. "I'm - I'm not cold. I'm never cold.”

Tubbo tilted his head. "Cause of the fire and stuff?”

Tommy nodded, putting his head on his knees. "Yeah. I remember - I remember Phil was always cold. Like - like whenever I held his hand he was so fuckin’ cold, man, like a fuckin’ ice cube and shit. It never bothered him, though, cause like, he’s like that. Y’know.”

Tubbo picked at a rock in the ground. "He’s...he’s your dad, right?”

Nodding, Tommy cast his eyes down. "Mhm. He was badass ‘n shit.”

Tubbo giggled. "That’s it?”

“Nah, nah, he did a lot of other stuff.” Tommy waved his hand. "He was a great dad. Not that I miss him or anything. It just - feels strange, since, like, it feels like yesterday we were together.”

“Really?” Tubbo said softly. Tommy nodded, head tilting back to look at the stars. 

“The last thing I remember,” he said, eyes getting distant, “is Wilbur. We were - we were together, when the Capitol fell. Techno went to help Phil, and Phil had told Wilbur to go and hide me, which was bullshit, I can fight great by myself, thank you, but it was important, I can’t remember why. I think Phil said that I was the one that couldn’t be captured or something-? Can’t remember, but anyways, Wilbur was trying to run with me...we made it as far as the courtyard.” Tommy sniffed in contempt. "Dream caught us there - said he had abandoned his fight with Phil and Techno to come get me. Said he knew that if he had me, Phil would surrender.”

Tommy paused for a moment, and Tubbo wanted to ask him to continue before he cleared his throat. "Wilbur tried to defend me - he was never much good at fighting, the man was all bark no bite - and eventually they got me.” Tommy drew his shoulders up to his ears. "Don’t remember much after that.”

Tubbo was quiet, glancing between Tommy and the fire a few times. "Did...did you fight, too? With your fire powers?”

Tommy scratched his nose and leaned forward a bit. "That’s the damn thing, Tubbo. My fire shit, it’s - it’s too crazy and batshit and uncontrollable, even for me. That’s one of the reasons nobody tried to tame the elements in the first place - nobody could control fire. If I tried to help Wilbur that day-“ His voice hitched and Tommy gulped, and Tubbo saw the faintest of tears glistening in his eyes. "If I helped Wilbur that day I might have caused more bad than good.”

The king’s hands, which had been gesturing wildly and playing with his amulet, paused, wrapping around his legs. He set his chin on his knees and gazed forlornly into the fire. Once again Tubbo saw the soul of a boy that was millennia old - even though he acted like a toddler and complained when he got a pebble in his shoe, this boy had seen empires rise and fall, seen the creation of the world itself. The ratty, blond-haired teenager beside Tubbo lived more lifetimes than he could possibly imagine. 

“I'm - I'm sorry,” Tubbo said after a long pause. Tommy didn’t answer. The fire crackled, and a log shifted in the flames. Across the fire, Ranboo groaned softly in his sleep, tail flicking. 

Tommy shrugged after a moment. "It’s fine. Been a thousand years or so, so, y’know, there’s no changing what happened.” he reached behind him and pulled his blanket around his shoulders, giving Tubbo an unreadable glance. "So. Yes. Goodnight, Tubbo.”

He lay down and turned away from Tubbo, pulling the blanket up over his head. Tubbo stared at his back for a moment before crawling over back by Ranboo, wrapping his blanket around himself. He pressed his back against Ranboo’s, who mumbled sleepily but didn’t wake. 

Tubbo fell asleep staring at Tommy’s shaking shoulders from across the fire. 

The next two nights were spent slowly breaking down Tommy’s walls, brick by brick. They’d talk until the fire dies down to embers, and there was no more light to see each other with. Gradually Tubbo found himself sleeping closer to Tommy, more in the middle of him and Ranboo than before. He hesitantly brought Tommy and Ranboo closer together, and now they could hold a curt conversation without being at each other’s throats. By the time they entered the western wasteland, they were a manageable crew, able to joke and laugh around a fire now. 

The western wasteland was not a territory Tubbo had heard much of in the Capitol - as the name suggested, it was mostly wasteland, dotted with rocky hills and dead trees. There were one or two towns here, but there were no reliable natural resources which made the place practically unlivable. The only thing that remained in the western part of the country were ruins. 

The group walked between massive ruins as they picked their way across the dusty plain. The whole land was tinted a sickly green, and it had been overcast for the day or two they’d been traveling through it. It made Tubbo anxious and Tommy even crabbier than usual. The colossal ruins of old temples, garrisons, and walls made Tubbo feel like an ant as they clambered over fallen stones. Old statues, so old that even Tommy couldn’t identify them, were carved into mountainsides, guarding some ancient treasure that had been lost to history. A warm wind blew in their faces almost constantly, tossing dirt and the fragrance of oleander into their faces. 

“The map says that there should be a town nearby,” Tubbo said after their second day of walking. They had ducked into the ruins of an old temple, and Tubbo had been thankful to find the remains of an old brazier inside. They were huddled around him as he spread out the map on his knee, pointing to a point on the map. 

Ranboo sighed. "We can finally get fresh food,” he said dreamily. "I never thought I'd get sick of beef jerky.”

“These clothes are too hot, too,” Tommy complained. "When are you two going to buy me new clothes?”

Ranboo took a deep breath beside Tubbo, and Tubbo thanked Ranboo’s seemingly endless patience for sparing them another fight. Another day sleeping on the hard ground, and that was it. Tomorrow night, he swore, he'd be sleeping in a soft inn bed. 

Going into the town with no plan seemed to be their worst idea yet. 

As soon as they spotted the town (small, compared to the Burning Bazaar, but good enough for travelers) Tommy took off in a run, sprinting down the rocky slope. Tubbo and Ranboo shared a frantic glance before scrambling after him. 

Tommy’s red robes billowed out behind him as he ran into the gates of the town, and he skidded to a stop, panting. Passerby glanced at him suspiciously as Tubbo and Ranboo caught up to him, Tubbo pulling his hood over his horns and ears. 

Tommy threw his arms out wide and puffed out his chest. "My subjects!” he crowed. "I have returned.”

The crowd milling in the marketplace lulled, blinking at Tommy owlishly. Someone coughed. Tubbo plastered on a smile and grabbed Tommy by the arm, waving awkwardly at the crowd. 

“Hi, guys, sorry about him,” he laughed. "He’s just - really into this stage play we’re in!” He glanced at Ranboo, who nodded frantically, giving a shaky smile and a pair of thumbs-up. "Yeah, he just, uh, really likes repeating his likes. To anyone.”

“It’s not a stage play!” Tommy sputtered, turning to look at Tubbo with a ferocious expression. "I'm-“

“-very excited for his performance!” Ranboo interrupted, pushing Tommy and Tubbo into a nearby alley. "Toodle-oo!”

As soon as they were out of earshot, Tubbo yanked down his hood and whacked Tommy in the side of the head. Tommy yowled in pain, and his eyes flashed with contempt. 

“What the hell was that for?” he hissed. "I was greeting my subjects! Theymust miss me!”

“Tommy, they don’t know who you are,” Tubbo hissed back. "Dream covered you and your brothers and your dad up - they have no idea there were kings before Dream! And if you go around yelling that you’re a king, you’re gonna get us arrested and killed!”

Tommy set his jaw. "Nobody can arrest me,” he said stoutly. "Nobody can kill me.”

“Says the guy who got arrested a thousand years ago,” Ranboo said, crossing his arms, “and thrown in a volcano.”

Tommy turned on Ranboo, seething. "Look here, you freak-“

“Stop it!” Tubbo shouted, wedging himself in between Tommy and Ranboo as the hybrid began to bristle. "Stop fighting! Tommy: Don’t go around trying to convince everyone you’re a king. Ranboo: Stop picking on Tommy. Are we clear?”

Tommy crossed his arms and Ranboo rolled his eyes, but in the end they both mumbled a faint okay. 

Tubbo breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. Let’s go find an inn.”

A few hours later, Tubbo collapsed onto a soft bed for the first time in weeks. He sighed and closed his eyes; if heaven existed, this was it. 

Tommy seemed even more grateful. He gave a long groan of relief as he burrowed himself into the blankets. "This beats a volcano any day,” he murmured sleepily. 

“You guys really don’t know how to accommodate hybrids, huh,” Ranboo said from his bed. His calves hung off the end of the bed frame. 

Tubbo barely heard him; even though his stomach roared with hunger, sleep was an even more tempting affair. "Mm...we’ll work on that when we make Tommy king again,” he said groggily, already half asleep. 

Ranboo said something, but Tubbo didn’t hear it. He fell into a dream about soft pillows and a kingdom made out of marshmallows. It was lovely. 

When he woke up, rain pattered on the windowpane above Tubbo’s head, and Ranboo and Tommy were still snoring in their beds. He supposed he could go out and buy some food while they were still asleep - he scribbled a note and left it on his bed, then gathered his cloak and stepped out in the rain. 

The main street was muddy as he moved between passersby - he made a mental reminder to wash his cloak the next time they got the chance. He moved between general stores, buying food and supplies and he made sure to buy a new set of clothes for Tommy - he found the most boring, bland shirt and trousers possible, something that wouldn’t make him stick out in a crowd. He thanked the store owner as he gathered the clothes into his bag and pushed a few coins across the counter, turning and ducking back out into the rain. He stood under the awning, checking his grocery list, and then glanced up, searching for another store. 

Across the muddy road, a group of soldiers, dressed in bristling iron armor, were conversing with a shopkeeper in his doorway. Each soldier carried a sword or an axe or a spear, all glistening with enchantments. Tubbo couldn’t hear what they were saying over the rain, but Tubbo saw one of them point to a poster nailed to the post outside the shop. He didn’t know how he didn’t realize it before - it was a wanted poster of him, like the one he saw on the way to the bazaar, but now Ranboo’s face was printed on it, too. A third box, with the outline of a man with a question mark for a face, was printed underneath theirs. 

Tubbo froze in his tracks. They’ve found us .

The shopkeep gestured with his hands - he pointed back into his shop and then down the road. Tubbo wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but he didn’t want to stick around and be the one to find out. 

He drew his hood up around his ears and bolted back to the inn, boots sending up cascades of water as he pounded through puddles. They were probably going door to door, trying to see if anyone had seen the missing prince and his enderman companion - was the mysterious outline on the poster supposed to be Tommy?

He burst into the inn room, still dripping water and panting. Ranboo jumped about five feet in the air from where he was thumbing through a book, and Tommy looked up groggily from where he had been napping. 

“What-“ Ranboo said, but was silenced as Tubbo threw Tommy’s change of clothes at him. 

“Change, right now,” Tubbo demanded. "Hurry. There’s guards out on the street - they’re going door to door, they’re looking for us-“

“Who?” Ranboo demanded, setting down the book as Tubbo shoveled the rest of his belongings into his bag. "Tubbo, who?”

“Royal guards!” Tubbo said, turning to look at him. "Who else? we have to get out of here before they catch us!”

As if the thought summoned them, there was a pounding on the door. "Open up!” A harsh voice shouted from outside. "We know you’re in there!”

“Get to the window!” Tubbo hissed, bundling Ranboo and Tommy towards the window. Ranboo fiddled with the lock for a moment before throwing it open, immediately climbing out onto the roof. The roof faced a back alley - a perfect escape. 

“Tommy, come on!” Tubbo said, pulling the king towards the window. Tommy was gazing back at the door as the guards continued to knock, shouting louder and louder. 

“But they-“ Tommy stammered, looking back at Tubbo. "They’re my guards, aren’t they?”

Tubbo’s heart nearly broke in two. "No, Tommy,” he said softly. "Not anymore.”

There was a bang as the guards hit the door with something hard. Tubbo grabbed Tommy by the arm and forced him out onto the slippery roof as he heard the door splinter to the ground behind him. 

Tommy’s eyes wide were as Tubbo slammed the window closed between them. "Tubbo!” he shouted, banging a fist against the glass. "Wait, Tubbo! ”

Tubbo watched as Ranboo grabbed Tommy and pulled him off the edge, the hybrid wearing his own expression of pain. He watched them disappear from sight as the guards grabbed him roughly from behind and forced him to the ground, digging his cheek into the floor and pinning his arms behind his back. He didn’t struggle. 

A few minutes later he was in the back of a wagon, chained to the side and surrounded by sour-faced guards. The rain beat down, but no one offered him a hat. The wagon rolled out of the town, but not east. Tubbo could only hope that Ranboo would lead Tommy to king Technoblade as the wagon rolled west, out into the farthest wastelands of the west. 

An hour later, Tubbo lifted his eyes to see the most massive, intimidating structure he had ever seen look on the horizon. 

It was colossal - bigger than the castle in the Capitol, he reasoned. It was built of blackstone, with four spires on the corners and covered in lava and iron bars. A yawning entrance loomed over them as they rolled into it, and Tubbo had a horrible feeling he’d never see the outside of this place again. 

The soldiers unchained him from the wagon and led him inside, through blackstone corridors made stifling with surrounding lava. No one explained to Tubbo where he was or why he wasn’t being delivered back to the Capitol - but he figured his questions might be answered as he entered what looked like a throne room. 

It reminded him of the throne room in the House of the Undying - a high ceiling, a raised seat in the back of the room, and glowing lava decorations in the walls. Guards in netherite stood at the walls as Tubbo was marched up to the base of the throne. 

On the throne sat a broad-shouldered man, head topped with a spiky crown and black eyes narrowed. His long green hair was braided over his shoulder and he was bulky with armor. Twin scars sliced through his lips and he grasped a trident in his hand. He stood up and towered over Tubbo - why was everyone he met on this journey so tall? - as he swept down the steps, his long robes trailing behind him. He had a key attached to the end of his braid.

“Prince Tubbo,” he rumbled in a voice that sounded strangely sad. "I'm sorry we have to meet in this way, your highness. My name is Sam, warden of the west, keeper of Pandora's Vault.”

That name rang a bell. "This is Pandora’s Vault?” Tubbo asked, voice tinged with awe. A soldier elbowed him painfully in the ribs, but stopped as Sam put out a hand. 

Sam smiled sadly. "Yes. It’s both a privilege and a curse to step foot in here, your highness. Especially someone of your standing.” He shooed away the guards and put a gentle hand on Tubbo’s back. "Walk with me.”

Sam was surprisingly gentle and patient as he led Tubbo through the prison. Even with the manacles on his wrists and Sam hovering over him, he felt relaxed.

“I'm sure you know that the vault is the most secure prison in the world,” Sam said as they walked. "The largest, as well. No one has ever escaped, and never will.” His eyes got a dangerous gleam to them. 

Helooked down at Tubbo. "I regret you ever had to meet me, your highness,” he said. "I barely ever leave the prison - only on summons from the high king do I leave this place.”

“Do you ever see the sun?” Tubbo asked. Sam chuckled. 

“Sometimes I go up on the towers and get a bit of sun,” he sighed. "But the prison requires my full attention, one hundred percent of the time. It’s a busy job.”

They were silent for a while as they walked, the chains on Tubbo’s wrists clanking. He glanced over at Sam who was using his trident as a sort of walking staff. He had a limp, Tubbo noticed. Sam glanced over and saw Tubbo staring at his leg, and chuckled.

“I was injured a long time ago,” he said. "While the prison was still under construction. I oversaw the construction of it, and I helped make most of the redstone contraptions.” He gestured around with his trident at the walls, where distantly Tubbo could hear pistons and redstone repeaters pinging. Tubbo reached out and ran his hand along the wall; he wondered how much of the prison relied on redstone to function.

“One day, I got caught in one of the moving bridges by accident,” Sam continued. "I slipped and fell while it was moving, and it crushed my leg between the bridge and the wall. I couldn’t walk for months; I had to oversee the construction and the redstone from my bed. My leg still doesn’t work the same as it used to.”

Tubbo hummed. "I'm sorry that happened.”

Sam shrugged, the key attached to the end of his braid tinkling. "Comes with the job.”

Another hesitant silence came before Sam took a breath and spoke again. "Tubbo, you know why you’re here, right?”

Tubbo curled his hands into fists. "Yeah,” he mumbled, glancing away. "You work for Dream, huh?”

Sam looked at the ground as they walked. "Yes. He’s my employer, really; he sends me the prisoners that are too dangerous to stay in the normal jails. Everyone here is a royal prisoner.”

Tubbo chewed his lip. "So he gave you orders to arrest me and bring me here? Why not send me to the Capitol?”

Sam was quiet for a while. "I'm not sure myself,” he said finally, as they rounded a corner. "But if I had to guess...it would have to do with the kings.”

Tubbo looked up, startled, but Sam trudged ahead, seemingly refusing to acknowledge that nugget of information. He led Tubbo down a few more twisting hallways until they reached one with a ceiling so tall that Tubbo couldn’t see the top of it. The room opened up into a grid pattern on the floor, with metal grates in between the narrow walkways. Echoing mumbling and distant chatter floated through the stuffy air as Sam led Tubbo across the narrow walkways between grates; glancing down, Tubbo spotted people sitting slumped over in the holes.

Tubbo looked over at Sam. "These are your prison cells?”

Sam glanced backwards. "Yes. Holding cells - everyone here is going to leave soon. Either it be for the Capitol, for execution, for freedom - these are all just temporary.”

Gulping, Tubbo averted his eyes. So he wouldn’t be here long - he guessed Dream was going to come and bring him back to the Capitol from here.

Sam guided him to a grate near the corner. "Here,” he said softly. He brought a sort of heavy chain out of his bag and hooked it onto the chain between Tubbo’s wrists.

The warden lifted up the grate with a mighty heave, letting it crash down across the opposite walkway, and nodded at the side of the hole. "Sit down, please.”

Tubbo glanced at Sam with uncertainty, but did as he was told. He sat down and scooted to the edge, until his feet dangled over the side. With the way Sam was holding the chain, his hands were suspended over his head.

Sam's foot connected with Tubbo’s back, and he squeaked out a half-scream as he slid off the edge. His shoulders jolted in pain as the chain caught him, and he gritted his teeth, dangling from Sam's chain over the edge. Slowly, Sam let him down, the chain running through his hands until Tubbo’s feet landed safely on the bottom of the hole.

Glancing up, Tubbo watched as Sam pulled the grate back over the top, casting a grid-shaped shadow across the cell. Sam’s face looked sad as he hooked the end of the chain to the center of the grate, giving Tubbo enough slack on it to walk around to all of the corners of his small cell; but even if he somehow wiggled his way out, he would need Sam to unlock the chain on the grate for him to go anywhere.

“I'm sorry, Prince Tubbo,” Sam said softly, and then he was gone, leaving Tubbo with nothing but the stuffy air and the distant sound of pistons going off.

Tubbo stared up at the grate for a while, wondering if he was strong enough to pull himself up the chain and somehow wiggle out of the spaces between the grate. After a while he sat down, sighing, the chain giving enough slack for him to sit against the wall with little resistance.

He picked at his nails, chewed at his lip, and hummed songs he could remember for Prime knows how long before he noticed the grated window in one of the walls. He supposed it must go to the cell next door; a way for prisoners to talk to each other. Tubbo stood and tip-toed over to the window; he was a bit too short for it, so he grabbed hold of the bars and lifted himself a few inches off the ground to peer inside the neighboring cell.

“Hello?” he whispered. "Is anyone there?”

At first he thought he was completely alone. Then, slowly, slowly, a figure emerged from the darkness on the other side of the cell. The light from above cast a terrifying shadow across their face until they stepped out into the total light.

It was a young man, with messy black hair and piercing gray eyes. A scar raked through the left side of his face, slicing through his eye and his jaw in a way that reminded Tubbo of Captain Punz’s scar. Part of his skin and lip had been ripped away, permanently twisting the left side of his face into a scowl. A pair of small golden wings fluttered behind him, clasped together with wing clips that Tubbo had seen on winged hybrids at auctions. His white shirt was ratty and ripped, and covered in dubious stains.

The man’s chain connecting him to the grate above seemed tighter than Tubbo’s. "Who are you, kid?” he said, his voice forced into a lisp from his scar.

Tubbo swallowed thickly. "My name’s Tubbo,” he said. "What’s yours?”

The man snorted. "You mean, you don’t recognize me?” He spread his arms as wide as the chain allowed. "The scar? the wings? You haven’t seen my wanted poster on every post in the country?” He smiled to the best of his ability. The scar made him look manic.

Tubbo thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nope,” he said.

The man scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Seriously, man?” he shook his head. "That’s disappointing. You look like you’re from the Capitol, even - did they take the posters down or somethin’, now that they caught me?”

“Who are you?” Tubbo said, not appreciating this guy’s self-centered attitude. 

The guy muttered something under his breath, glancing away before looking back at Tubbo. "I'm Quackity,” he said. "The fox of the west, the greatest gambler in the world? you’ve never heard of me?”

Tubbo thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nope.”

Quackity snarled under his breath again and ran a hand through his tousled black hair. "Bullshit,” he mumbled. "Why the hell are you in here, kid? Sam doesn’t bring kids in here. He’s too soft.”

“I'm...I'm a prince,” Tubbo said slowly. His hands tightened on the bars. "I ran away from the Capitol.”

Quackity hummed. "Smart. Nothin’ but trouble in there. Too many smart men for your own good.” He frowned. "Wait, prince? you mean Dream finally settled down with that warden of the north?”

“What? No!” Tubbo cried. He cringed at the thought of being Dream’s son. "No, gross. I'm Dream’s cousin. His uncle is my dad.”

“Ah, makes sense. That’s why I've never heard of you.” Quackity nodded and looked away. Tubbo supposed that the immediate invalidation should hurt, but he’d heard it too many times before for it to be effective. 

“What did you do?” Tubbo asked after a beat of silence. Quackity chuckled. 

“I owned a casino out here,” he said. "Criminals and no-gooders would come out to try their luck. It was all perfectly legal, trust me. Gambling is in no way illegal. Nah, but in my casino, you gambled for your fuckin’ life.”

Quackity saw the astounded look on Tubbo’s face, and laughed. "It was great, man. You came and gambled your life - if you won, you got enough money to last several generations. If you lose, well, there’s no more generations for you.”

“So you're a murderer,” Tubbo said. He noted how his voice shook. 

Quackity grinned, stretching his scar. "To an extent.”

Tubbo let go of the bars and took a few steps back. "It was nice talking to you,” he said. He could see Quackity’s eyes glittering at him from the other side of the bars. 

“You too, your highness ,” Quackity mocked, cackling dangerously as he retreated back into the darkness of his cell. 

Tubbo sat down and traced the mortar in the blackstone around him, trying to pass the time. He had no idea when Dream was supposed to get here to take him back to the Capitol. He wondered if Ranboo and Tommy got away safely - hopefully they were on their way to free Technoblade now. He hoped Tommy knew where he was going. 

It may have been hours later or minutes later, Tubbo couldn’t tell, when he heard more voices above his cell. He looked up, eyes adjusting to the brightness of the dim lamps above, and then was jerked to the side by his chain as the grate was lifted and sent crashing to the side. He yelped as the chain yanked him into the wall, his cheek colliding with the damp blackstone. 

Shouts came from above. "Let me go, you green fucker!” an angry voice hollered, and Tubbo blinked. Surely not-

With a shrill shriek, Tommy was sent plummeting into the cell, the chain attached to his manacles rattling as it was pulled taut before he hit the ground. Sam holding his chain up above, delivered him gently the rest of the way down.

“Tubbo!” A voice cried from above, and Tubbo awkwardly turned around to spot Ranboo also perched above, next to a shorter man with a red and yellow mask and dark eyes. The man forced Ranboo to his knees and then rolled him down into the cell with an enderman squeak. His feet hit the ground hard, and he winced in pain. 

“Is kidnappin’ kids a new hobby, Sam?” Quackity hollered from his cell. Tubbo could hear the smirk in his voice. 

“Shut up!” the masked man shouted, drawing a small trident from his belt and striking it against the grate. 

Tommy’s eyes were blazing. "Let me out of here!” he hollered as Sam pulled the grate back over the cell and attached Tommy and Ranboo’s chains to it. "Do you know who I am?! I'm-“

“A prisoner of the high king,” Sam cut him off, expression unreadable. "Who should be here shortly to take you to the Capitol for trial.”

Sam and his masked companion left, their footsteps echoing on the stone. Tubbo went over to Ranboo and helped him up, who murmured a quiet apology. Tommy stood staring up at the grate, hands fisted at his sides, face a dangerous expression of rage. 

“I'm sorry,” Ranboo said in a rush. "Tommy and I were going to go farther west - Tommy had an idea of where he thought Techno was - but a patrol caught us before we made much progress. I'm sorry, we should have been more careful-“

“Ranboo, please, it’s fine,” Tubbo assured him, putting his hands on Ranboo’s cheeks. "Maybe - maybe Tommy can still do something to Dream, when he gets here.” Tubbo turned to Tommy. "Tommy?”

Tommy turned after a moment, eyes still blazing. "I know where Techno is,” he said instead. 

Tubbo blinked. "What?”

“I know where he is,” Tommy insisted. "I was looking at your book - shit, man, they took your book, by the way - and I was lookin’ at that map, right? and I realized - Techno’s in the labyrinth.”

Tubbo sighed exasperatedly. "How many places are there in this country that no one’s ever told me about?” he muttered. 

“The labyrinth was an old thing Phil built to challenge guys who wanted to prove their worth as a knight,” Tommy continued. "You’d have to make your way through the maze and then beat a monster at the end - that’s how we got our royal guard. Techno was always in charge of those challenges - he was the captain of the royal guard, actually - and his element was always ‘hella strong there, since it was all earthy ‘n shit.” Tommy’s eyes were bright with hope. "All we have to do is get through that labyrinth and wake him up.”

“But we don’t know where it is,” Ranboo said, and Tubbo had the feeling they’d had this argument before. "All we know is that it’s on the west coast. We could search for miles and not find it - Dream could have destroyed it. The sea could have swallowed it. Erosion-“

“Erosion smosion!” Tommy said, throwing his hands over his head. "I'm willing to bet that Phil put wards on it, so you get exploded or something if ya try to destroy it. Techno’s gotta be in there!”

“Tommy, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we’re in prison,” Tubbo said in a deadpan. 

Tommy scoffed, exasperated. "Well, then we can just break out!” he exclaimed. 

“How?” Tubbo shot back. "Sam said it himself, this prison is inescapable.”

“Maybe for normal people,” Tommy said with a bit of unhinged glee. "But I don’t think this prison has ever held a king.”

Tommy’s hands began to glow ominously. Tubbo took a step back, putting an arm out to guard Ranboo.

“Tommy,” Tubbo said slowly, “remember what you said about your powers.”

Tommy glared at him. Sparks were flying off of his hands. "If there’s any time for my fire to go berserk,” he panted, “it’s now.”

Tubbo gasped as a rush of hot air filled the cell, ruffling Tommy’s shirt and tousling his hair. He held his hands out in front of him, staring at them with wide eyes; Tubbo spotted Quackity peering at them through the bars of his cell. 

“Tommy!” Tubbo shouted. Ranboo grabbed onto his arm. "Stop it!”

“I'm getting out of here! ” Tommy shouted, and his hands erupted into flames. 

The whoosh of air sent Ranboo and Tubbo tumbling backwards, their chains going taut as they were pushed into the corner. Tubbo watched in horror as the flames spurting from Tommy’s hands grew and grew in size, and so did the manic grin on Tommy’s face. 

Tommy turned and threw his hands upwards, and the flames jumped from his palms, shooting towards the metal grate. Almost immediately the metal seemed to turn to liquid, dissolving into droplets of molten lava as Tommy burned a hole into the grate. With the grate came the chains attached to their manacles, which fell to the ground with a loud crash. Tommy doused the grate in flames until Tubbo had to push Ranboo out of the corner to avoid the melting metal. 

Tommy stopped after a while, hands glowing red. His eyes were glowing as well. "Did you see that!” he shrieked. "Look at that!”

“Tommy, what are you doing ?!” Ranboo hissed. "We’re going to get caught!”

Tommy laughed. "No, we aren’t!” he cackled. "Come on!”

Tommy dug his sizzling hands into the blackstone, scraping the crumbling brick out of the way as he cleared out a makeshift ladder, making cubbyholes in the rock for footholds. 

Tommy climbed up as he went, glancing down at Tubbo and Ranboo. "What are you waiting for?” He shouted down. "Come on!”

Tubbo and Ranboo glanced at each other uncertainly before following, climbing up after Tommy. The chains still attached to their manacles dragged loudly against the rock, making Tubbo cringe. 

“Get up!” Tommy hissed, reaching down and grabbing Tubbo by the wrist. Tubbo yowled at the heat and wrenched his hand away. A red burn was already forming in the shape of Tommy’s hand. 

Tubbo hauled himself up out of the cell, heart racing, and then turned around to help Ranboo up. The enderman hybrid was shaking like a leaf. 

“Here,” Tommy said impatiently, reaching forward. Tubbo flinched backwards, but Tommy just put his hand on the chain connecting Tubbo’s hands. Tubbo watched in astonishment as the metal melted away, and then watched as Tommy did the same to Ranboo. The heavy chains slid back down into the cell; Tommy had already burned his off. 

“Hey, kid!” Quackity hollered from his cell. Glancing down, Tubbo saw his gray eyes glittering in the dark. 

Quackity flicked his wings. "Let me out!”

“Tommy-“ Tubbo warned, but the king was one step ahead of him. He threw his arms out and unleashed the flames; Quackity backed into the corner and watched as the metal melted away. 

As soon as there was a decent sized hole in the metal, Tommy hopped down into it, beginning to carve out another makeshift ladder into the wall. Quackity tapped him on the shoulder, and then gestured to the wing clips on his yellow wings. 

Tommy raised his eyebrows. "You trust me, big man?” he said. 

Quackity grinned. "Just do it.”

Tommy tapped the metal clasps; almost immediately they sprang open, loosened by the heat. Quackity gave a whoop of victory and grabbed Tommy, spreading his wings and lifting himself and the king out of the cell, delivering him safely back up with Tubbo and Ranboo. 

“I owe you one, kid,” Quackity mused. "Whoever you are.”

“I'm King Tommy,” Tommy said fiercely. "The king of the south, wielder of the element of fire.”

Quackity hummed. "Nice blaze hybrid powers, hah,” he said, beating his wings and lifting up into the air. "See ya around, losers!”

Quackity shot away up into the ceiling; he disappeared within seconds. Which left Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo standing alone in the middle of the prison. 

Tommy turned to look at Tubbo. "You remember how to get out of here?” He demanded. 

Tubbo gaped at him. "Tommy!” he blurted. "You just - you just escaped the fucking inescapable prison!”

Tommy grinned wider. "Damn right I did!”

Tubbo was silent for a few more seconds, the gears in his head moving for a moment. Tommy’s grin faltered, glancing between Tubbo and Ranboo. 

“That's. Fucking. Awesome! ” Tubbo shrieked, jumping up and down and throwing his arms around Tommy, spinning him around. "You’re so fucking cool! What the fuck!”

“Tubbo, can we save the celebrations for when we actually escape the prison?” Ranboo asked, glancing around fearfully. 

“Sure, sure, yes,” Tommy said, wiggling out of Tubbo’s grasp. "Of course. Come on then, tubster! Lead us out of here!”

Tubbo picked his way across the walkway, ignoring other prisoners who called out to them and pulling Tommy away when he made a move to free them. His hands were still red hot. Tubbo got them to the hallway and broke out in a run, hoping that if they had set off any alarms, they could simply outrun them. 

After a while of running they turned a corner into a hallway Tubbo recognized. Lava ran in rivulets through the walls, and the whole room pulsed with heat. At the end of the hall, guarding a door, was Sam and his masked companion. 

Sam regarded them with his black eyes as they skidded to a stop, shifting on his trident. "Prince Tubbo,” he said softly. "Please return to your cell.”

Tubbo balled his hands into fists. "Sam, I can’t do that,” he said. "I have kings to free.”

Sam looked down, sighing deeply. "Very well,” he said unexpectedly. He tapped his trident twice against the ground, and the spiral door behind him slid open. 

the man next to him snapped his head around to look at him. "What are you doing?” he hissed. 

Sam fixed him with a sad stare. "It’s for our own good, Ponkie,” he murmured. "Trust me.”

Tommy shouldered his way to the front of the group, glaring at them. "How do we know this ain’t a trap?” he growled. 

Sam bowed his head. "I can’t fight you,” he said solemnly. "My leg - I wouldn’t stand a chance. And I am not risking the life of any of my guards to keep you here.”

“I could take him,” the masked man hissed, narrowing his eyes at the group. "I could take-“

“Ponk,” Sam said softly. "Please. I'm protecting you.”

“i don’t need protection!” Ponk insisted. "I'm a prison guard; I'm the one who is supposed to protect you!”

“Ponk, please,” Sam murmured with infinite gentleness. Ponk retreated, muttering to himself. 

Sam fixed his gaze back on Tommy. "I read the book that you brought in here with you,” he continued, pulling Tubbo’s bag out of his robes. "I read the prophecy. I can no longer stand with Dream against destiny. If the kings must be freed, then I cannot stand in the way of fate.”

Sam held out the bag. Hesitantly, Tubbo stepped forward until he was close enough to take it. Sam looked relieved as Tubbo drew the bag back to himself. 

“Thank you,” Tubbo whispered. "Your generosity won’t be forgotten.”

Sam smiled sadly. "I only hope I was able to help you before Dream comes for my head,” he said. "You must go now - before he arrives and realizes you are missing.”

“Thank you,” Tubbo said profusely, edging around Sam and Ponk. Sam kept his eyes downcast and shoulders slumped as Tommy and Ranboo followed, Tommy glaring at the back of Sam's head as they passed. 

They made their way out of the prison with little fuss; Sam must have alerted the guards of their pardon, since none of them moved to stop them. In fact, they seemed to avoid the former prisoners, casting their eyes down and giving them a wide berth. 

“This isn’t the glorious escape I wanted,” Tommy muttered. His hands had returned to normal, if not a little flushed. Tubbo chuckled. 

“At least we’re out, huh?” Tubbo said as they stepped out of the wide archway and back into the sunlight. Tommy seemed to pause and soak up the rays, stopping and tipping his head back to let the sunlight wash over his pale skin. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. 

“Yeah,” he mumbled. "At least we’re out.”

“Now to the mystery labyrinth somewhere in the middle of nowhere?” Ranboo piped up, poking his head between the two. Tubbo laughed. 

“You bet,” he said, patting Ranboo on the head like an obedient dog. "Tommy, are you gonna be our tour guide?”

Tommy grinned and gave Tubbo a mock salute. "Tour guide Tommy, at your service.”

The trio set out across the rocky plain, laughing and joking and shouting on their next landmark of destiny. 

Dream stared down into the burned prison cell. His foot tapped dangerously against the floor. Beside him, Punz crouched on the edge, regarding the melted metal grate with a severe expression. 

Sam gripped his trident for dear life. "They were too fast for my men, my lord,” he said through gritted teeth. "We tried our best. They headed further north, looking for some sort of temple.”

Dream was silent. Sam was unsure if he could even see past the white blindfold across his eyes. He simply kept staring down at the cell, unmoving, save for the steady tap tap tap of his foot against the blackstone. 

Punz stood and stepped closer to Dream, murmuring something inaudible into his ear. Dream hummed, still not making an effort to move. 

Ponk, standing beside Sam sidled over. He slid his hand into Sam's free one. "Is he mad?” He whispered. 

Sam lowered his head to match Ponk’s short stature. "I can’t tell,” he murmured back. "Whatever happens, just-“

He cut off abruptly and stood straight again as Dream turned, regarding him behind the blindfold. 

“They went north, you say?” the king said. His voice was severe. 

Sam nodded, swallowing thickly and shifting on his feet. "Yes, my lord. That's the direction I saw them heading from the towers.”

Dream hummed. "You saw them escaping, and yet didn’t make pursuit?”

“My duty remains to the vault, my lord,” Sam insisted. "Another prisoner was freed along with them; a highly dangerous one. I had to remain here to make sure the prison remained on lockdown so that he did not escape the premises.”

Dream tilted his head to the side. "Did he?”

Sam gulped. "W-We’re not sure, my lord. We haven’t found him inside, but none of the lookouts on the towers saw him fly away, either.”

Dream began to chuckle. It was a deep, dangerous chuckle, one that made Sam's blood run cold and the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The gunpowder in his chest rippled nervously. 

“Do you know why I selected you to be warden, Sam?” Dream asked. "It’s because you are brutally honest. Yes, you are soft, but when it comes to my service, you can be exceptionally cruel. That’s why I had you build this prison - so that even out of my sight, my prisoners are reminded of how cruel my reign can be.”

He began to smile. "And do you know an honest man’s fatal flaw, Sam?” he said in what was nearly a sing-song. "It’s impossible for an honest man to lie.”

Sam opened his mouth in shock, ready to make up a thousand excuses, but Dream was faster. His head snapped to Ponk.

“Punz,” he said, and the captain was moving before the word had left the king’s mouth. Sam barely had time to turn his head before Punz had Ponk in his grasp, twisting his arm behind his back and grabbing hold of his hair through his mask. Ponk yowled in pain, feet scrabbling on the floor as his torso was twisted uncomfortably. 

Sam went ramrod straight. "Please,” he blurted out as Dream took a step towards Ponk. "Please, don’t hurt him. Please, my lord, I'll do anything, anything, just please, please, don’t hurt him. Please. ”

Dream fixed Sam with a gaze of new interest. "Anything?” he said. "How about telling me where the king, my cousin and their little hybrid pet really went?”

Sam's mouth was dry. He glanced over at Ponk fearfully - Ponk’s chest was heaving, and he gave Sam a pleading look. 

“I...” Sam stammered. He looked between Dream, Punz and Ponk. His hands shook against his trident as he leaned on it heavily. 

He could feel Dream’s gaze boring into the back of his head. "Well?” he prompted. 

Sam gave Ponk a desperate look before hanging his head, letting his forehead lean against his trident. "I can't,” he whispered pitifully. "I-I can’t tell you.”

“ Sam -“ Ponk blurted in shock. He didn’t get to say much else. Dream gave a curt nod, and then Punz was drawing his shortsword, wedging it between Ponk’s arm and torso and driving it up-

Ponk’s scream should have made Sam go deaf. It should have shook the ground, sent the prison crumbling into ruins. It cracked Sam's heart in two, made his legs nearly give out from under him as he watched Ponk’s arm fall to the floor, the rest of his body following a few moments after. He screamed and gasped and groaned as he tried to suck in breath, blood splattering his cheek and his chest and all over his small body. 

“Perhaps make better choices about who you lie to next time,” Dream said lightly into Sam's ear as he walked away, Punz at his heels. Sam dropped to his knees beside Ponk, his trident clattering to the ground as he lifted Ponk into his lap, feeling his one remaining hand curl into his hair as they dissolved into one bloody mess on the prison floor. 

Outside, back on their horses, Dream sighed and rubbed his eyes under his blindfold. "That’s incredibly frustrating,” he mused. "Do you know any notable landmarks out west where they could go?”

Punz thought for a moment as he adjusted the horn of his saddle. "I'm not sure,” he said after a moment. "Purpled might. He's been poking around the library recently; he may know some geography that we don’t.”

“A bright little apprentice you have there,” Dream said. "He’ll be a great captain.”

Punz chuckled. "Indeed. He’s been keeping me updated on the situation in the palace since we’ve been gone.”

Dream hummed in interest. "And how’s that been going?”

“The queen mother has made no effort to try and escape the dungeon,” Punz said as they set off down the road at a steady canter. "She goes give the jailer some colorful language whenever he comes to feed her.”

Dream snorted. "She should be grateful I'm not dangling her body from the gallows.” he gave Punz a side-eye behind the blindfold. "She doesn’t know of our plan, correct?”

Punz laughed. "Not a chance. Unless that drunk jailer has been blabbing.”

Dream nodded. "Very well. Send a raven ahead to let the palace know we’re coming back; and then from there send a raven eastward.”

Raising an eyebrow, Punz said, “you’re putting that plan in action already? Tubbo hasn’t even freed the western king yet.”

Dream smirked. "They’ll get there,” he said slyly. "Whether they find their way themselves…” He waved his hand absentmindedly. "Or the revolution finds them.”

Chapter Text

“ Now that interstate is paved with memories, ” Tubbo hollered into the wind, tipping his head back and singing as loud as he could. 

Tommy clapped his hands over his ears. "If I hear you sing that infernal song one more time-“ he muttered dangerously. 

“ Of a past life I lived when I was eighteen! ” Ranboo shouted, half-tackling Tommy and throwing an arm around his shoulders, throwing his head back and laughing. 

“I hate you!” Tommy shouted, wrestling himself out of Ranboo’s arms. "I hate you! I hate you both! that damn song is stupid and horrible and I never want to hear it again!”

“Why?” Tubbo whined playfully, picking up a pebble from the ground and tossing it at Tommy’s head. "Don’t you like the songs made by his majesty High King Dream himself?”

Tommy shook his head fiercely. "Horrible!” he yelled. "Absolutely terrible! Wilbur could make some fuckin’ good music if he were here!”

A day and a half of walking from the prison had landed them in the middle of the wasteland, following the setting sun in the west every night as their compass. Tommy kept saying that they were getting closer, that the labyrinth was just near the sea. Tubbo just wanted to see new scenery besides rocky hills and old, fallen temples. 

Ranboo sighed and put his hands behind his head. "You’ve got better music than the stuff we have back home,” he reasoned. "All of ours is all sad and melancholy and makes you wanna waltz every time you hear it.”

“How's it go?” Tubbo asked, and Ranboo tutted out a short tune using the little ba-ba-bas he often used to sing along with Tubbo. 

“sounds creepy,” Tommy observed. Ranboo laughed. 

“That's an old ender lullaby,” he said. "If we had a piano I could play it.”

“You see a piano around here?” Tubbo asked, throwing an arm wide. Tommy and Ranboo both chuckled. 

They continued on in near silence, Tubbo humming the song under his breath while Ranboo and Tommy exchanged small talk. The boys had definitely gotten on better terms since the prison; they rarely fought now and their disagreements nowadays were more friendly banter than anything. 

“What are your brothers like, Tommy?” Tubbo asked as they reached a lull in the conversation. 

Tommy grinned. "Aw, well, Wilbur, he’s a shit. He’s the middle kid - spoiled rotten - and he was always cracked at music. He used to disguise himself as a fuckin’ commoner and sneak into town to sing at night. People loved ‘im - he was always everyone’s favorite prince. He was pretty ‘n nice and everybody liked him. He would make the castle all pretty since none of us wanted to do it, and he was friends with all the servants and - oh, here’s some old medieval drama…”

Tubbo and Ranboo listened along to Tommy’s story as they hiked up a steep hill. Tommy explained how Wilbur had met a fisherman’s wife when they visited a town on the eastern coast, and fallen in love with her. He smuggled her back to the palace and kept her a secret from everyone else for months, until finally Technoblade found her and Wilbur had to bring her to Phil. Phil wanted to send her back to her husband, but at that point she was already pregnant and it would have been cruel to send her back. She delivered her baby and Phil dismissed her sternly, paying her handsomely to keep quiet about the child. The baby stayed at the palace and was raised by Wilbur and one of his best friends. 

“The kid was a piece of work, I'll tell ya that much,” Tommy said. "Ran around, pranked everyone, caused a ruckus.”

“Sounds like you,” Ranboo mused. Tommy rolled his eyes. 

“I dunno if he made it out of the palace,” Tommy said, eyes growing distant. "Never saw him while we were trying to escape. Hope he got out and died of old age somewhere.”

Tubbo hummed as they crested the hill. "And Technoblade?”

Tommy huffed and laughed, kicking a rock. "Oh, Technoblade, he - Technoblade - Techno…”

Tommy stopped in his tracks, staring out over the valley they had emerged over. Tubbo followed his line of sight - the great hulking monument in the distance was impossible to miss. The wind up here smelled of sea salt, and Tubbo could just barely see the brown-tinted sea in the distance. 

Tommy swallowed thickly. "The labyrinth,” he said softly. "We’re here.”

They walked in silence as they approached. Tommy directed them to the entrance facing the sea, and they walked the length of the outer wall. It was built of old stone, and it hummed with the ancient energy that had surrounded the fire temple. 

A long walk later landed them staring into the cold, dark entrance of the maze. The walls were thick with vegetation as it had grown up over the years, attempting to reclaim the labyrinth back into the ground. The wind whistling down the corridors made a haunting noise. Distant echoes and bangs floated out to them from inside. 

Tubbo gulped, glancing at Tommy. "So...what do we do now?”

Ranboo shifted uncomfortably. "H-He’d be in the middle of the maze, right?” he asked hesitantly. "How will we navigate it? It’s a maze, it’s made to get lost in.”

Tommy glanced over his shoulder at him and grinned. "Techno taught me a few tricks,” he drawled. "Techno used to use string, but I doubt any of you have a ball of yarn on hand.”

Ranboo and Tubbo glanced at each other uncertainly. "What do we need yarn for?” Tubbo asked. 

Tommy walked up to the entrance of the maze. "Techno taught me to leave a trail of string behind me if I ever went in here by myself,” he said. "It would show me where I've already been, and if I needed to get out fast, I could follow it back. Since we don’t have string-“

Tommy stamped his foot, and immediately steam billowed out from underneath it. Lifting it up revealed Tommy’s footprint burned into the stone. 

The fire king grinned at them. "Who needs string when you can have fire? ”

They spent another hour making camp and making sure they were ready for the journey into the maze. Tommy said that he would probably remember the way in once they started walking, so he said they shouldn’t be in there for more than a few hours. Get in, wake up Technoblade, get out. That was the plan. 

They left their bags by the entrance - except for Tubbo, who refused to let the blue storybook leave his side - and brought along a few pieces of bread and some water. They could worry about food later. Tommy was impatient, dancing around at the entrance and constantly asking if they were ready yet. He seemed to be high-energy today - Tubbo wondered if being in the proximity of another king heightened his abilities. 

Finally they set out into the maze, Tommy’s burning footprints being their only guide in the murky dark. Green-tinted clouds swept over the sun soon after they entered, the air turning humid and sticky. Tommy lit a torch at some point to guide their steps. 

they stuck to the walls, making sure that if they had to double back, Tommy’s footprints wouldn’t cross over one another. The corridors were huge - four ravagers could stampede through here side-by-side comfortably. The walls were tall, soaring over their heads, and once or twice Ranboo considered climbing the vines to try and look over the rest of the maze to find the center. Tommy shook his head firmly at the thought - he said that there were traps rigged in the walls for people who tried to climb their way out. 

The boys didn’t speak much as they made their way through the halls - Tommy was jittering with anticipation, and Tubbo’s heartbeat was loud in his ears. He had no idea what to expect from Technoblade - the storybook illustration of him was scary, but he figured it was artistic exaggeration. Tommy’s portrait in the book had made him look like some crazy pyromaniac, and for the most part, that was inaccurate. 

Dusk was falling and the air was getting cooler as Tommy said that they must be getting close. He pointed towards tiles inlaid in the ground, showing the green crystal that was also in the storybook. He said that they only appeared near temples or places that kings resided - Tubbo recalled seeing some on the floor and on the walls of the fire temple. 

They picked up the pace as they rounded corner after corner, now going in a spiral that slowly got shorter and shorter. Finally they swung around a corner, Tubbo’s feet aching from walking so much, and had to slam his heels into the stone to avoid running into Tommy, who had stopped abruptly. Ranboo jogged up beside them, wheezing.

In front of them spanned a wide room, open to the rolling sky. The floor here was made of sand, and there were no vines on the walls. Mosaics similar to that in the fire temple littered the walls instead, green tiles faded with time. It looked like an arena, Tubbo realized. 

In the center of the arena lay a great hulking creature, its back rising and falling rhythmically with sleep. A faded red cloak was draped over it, and though they were far away, Tubbo could spy great chains shackling the beast to the ground. 

Tommy’s breath stuttered. "Techno?” he mumbled, taking a few steps forward. He paused for a moment, and Tubbo wanted to tug him back and leave and never look back - but Tommy broke into a run, and Tubbo groaned as he and Ranboo ran after him. 

Getting closer, Tubbo could see what Technoblade really was. He was a piglin, or at least a humongous one. Tubbo supposed that if he stood up, he would easily be Foolish’s height. A pink, furry head stuck out from the red cloak, and hooves poked out as well, shackled to the sand. He had wickedly sharp yellow tusks jutting out from his bottom lip, and he looked like he could kill a man by just stepping on him. He was nearly snoring. 

“Techno?” Tommy stammered as he skidded to a stop near his brother. "Techno? Come on, man, wake up!”

“Tommy, hold on-“ Ranboo said, but Tommy had already fallen to his knees and was shaking Techno’s leg. "Wake up!” he cried. "Come on, man, wake up!”

Tommy looked over his shoulder at Tubbo and Ranboo. "What did you do before?” he gasped. "What did you do to free me?”

Tubbo and Ranboo exchanged a glance. "We had to use each of the elements to break the shackle,” Ranboo said slowly. "But-“

“Free him already!” Tommy was shouting now, face red. Hot tears glistened in his eyes. "Get him out of these fuckin’ chains!”

Tommy’s hands glowed red hot as he pressed them to the metal, begging his brother to wake up. Steam rose up from under his hands, but it didn’t make a dent in the shackle. Tubbo crouched beside Tommy. 

“Tommy, just hold on a second,” he said. "Ranboo-“

They were interrupted from a guttural groan, and Tubbo sprang back, startled. Tommy stood slowly, eyes wide. Tubbo backed up into Ranboo, whose clawed, shaking hands wrapped around his arms as they watched Technoblade wake up. 

The massive piglin’s chains rattled as he moved, dragging his feet towards him as he pushed himself upright. Tubbo had been right; he was easily Foolish’s height, if not even taller, and Tubbo could see taut muscle rippling beneath his fur. The ermine mantle around his neck bunched up against his cheeks, and his hooves left deep indentations in the sand. He kept getting taller and taller as he rose to his full height, arms pulled tight from the chains. 

Tommy stood, an ant in front of an elephant, in front of his monstrous brother. His blue eyes were wide and his hands still billowed with steam. He was quiet for a long moment as Technoblade surveyed him, beady red eyes narrowed and steam trickling out between his tusks. 

Tommy outstretched his hands up to Techno, face bright and hopeful. "Techno,” he whispered. "It’s me!”

Techno snorted at him once, twice, and then with a mighty heave, snapped one of his chains in two. 

Tubbo and Ranboo both flinched. "Tommy-“ Tubbo began nervously. 

Techno let out a mighty roar as he snapped the other chain, hands now free. The ground shook as he stomped, stretching the chains binding his hooves until they, too, snapped. He towered over Tommy, glowering. 

Tommy stared up at his brother, eyes now wide not with joy, but with fear. "Techno…?” he whispered, voice trembling. 

With a screech, Techno swatted Tommy to the side, sending him cannoning into the wall. 

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Tubbo hissed, immediately pushing Ranboo back towards the entrance. "Alright. He’s angry. He’s grumpy.”

Ranboo was chittering nervously as Techno stomped over to Tommy, who was groaning as he clambered out of the mess of rubble that was now the wall. He saw Techno approaching and his hands lit up, illuminating his angry face. 

“You want to fight, then, eh?” he shouted. "I'll fuckin’ fight you!”

Tommy flew at Techno with a mighty cry, and Techno met him with the same roar, hands coming up to curl beside him. Shelves of rock and sand dislodged from the ground, and he hurled them at his brother; Tommy leaped into the air and used them as a trampoline, using unusual agility to dodge them and jump off, hurling twin fireballs at Techno’s face. Techno flicked his arm, and a wall of rock came up to shield him. The fire fizzled out against the dry stone. 

Tubbo watched the fight with wide eyes, watching as Techno suddenly grabbed Tommy and flung him all the way across the arena. He seemed to notice the two other intruders; his head snapped towards them, and he roared again, slamming down on all fours and barreling towards them. 

“ Run! ” Tubbo screeched, grabbing Ranboo’s arm and hightailing it in the opposite direction. The ground shook as Techno got closer and closer, and Tubbo’s hand was a shackle around Ranboo’s wrist. Ranboo was panting, eyes wide and wild like a cornered animal. Ranboo risked a glance behind them, and he shrieked as he stumbled, nearly dragging Tubbo down with him. 

Tubbo slammed his heels into the sand. "Ranboo!” he screamed, throwing himself backwards towards his friend. Ranboo was frozen on the ground a ways back, staring up in horror as Techno loomed over him, mouth open, eyes wide with adrenaline and hunger. 

Tubbo was thrown backwards as Techno slammed his hand down, snatching Ranboo up from the ground. The enderman shrieked and struggled, kicking and fighting and trying his best to worm his way out of the piglin’s grasp. Techno stood up to his full height, holding Ranboo up close to his face, and Ranboo raised his terrified gaze to meet Techno’s rabid one. 

All at once, the piglin froze. The only movement was the rise and fall of his chest, and the twitch of his free hand. He was paralyzed, unmoving, staring into Ranboo’s eyes. 

“Ranboo?” Tubbo called weakly, peeling himself off the ground. 

“Get Tommy,” Ranboo gasped, not breaking his eye contact with Techno. "Get - go get Tommy.”

Tubbo didn’t need to be told twice. He hightailed it across the arena, over to where Tommy was stumbling aimlessly, holding his bloody arm. He had a bruise forming on his cheek. 

“You alright?” Tubbo asked as he picked up Tommy’s uninjured arm and looped it over his shoulders. Tommy nodded tiredly, glancing up at Techno and Ranboo. 

“What’s happened?” he slurred. "Why’s he stopped?”

“I think Ranboo is using some sort of enderman thing on him,” Tubbo said. "He’s buying us some time. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“He’s in his piglin state,” Tommy said, gasping for breath between sentences. "He must’ve - he must’ve been in it when the war was goin’ on. It’s the form he uses when he really needs to pummel somebody. It’s the form he uses for war.”

Tommy shook his head. "His mind is wired just for fighting in this state. It usually took Phil or Wilbur to calm him down, I never could.”

Tubbo pursed his lips. "What did they do?”

“They used‘ta - they use’ta blow air in his face or water or some shit, since it would calm him down,” Tommy explained. "Makes sense why they never let me try. I think it would make it worse if I threw fire at his face.”

“It never hurts to try,” Tubbo prompted. 

Tommy swiveled his head to look at him. "Are you mad?”

A screech shook the arena as Ranboo released Techno from his spell - Techno drew his arm back and slammed the enderman into the wall. Tubbo could hear the crack of bones and the high-pitched scream from here. 

“Well, it’s the only plan we’ve got,” Tubbo said, letting go of Tommy. "Listen - I'll distract him and you blast that pig with some fire, alright?”

“You’re crazy!” Tommy hollered as Tubbo took off across the sand. "You’re a lunatic, Tubbo!”

“What else is new, big man?” Tubbo shouted back, grinning at Tommy over his shoulder. Tubbo hurtled towards Techno, who was stomping over to Ranboo, as if wanting to see if he was still alive. From the pained cries, he was definitely still kicking. 

“Hey!” Tubbo shouted, waving his arms. "Hey, piggy! Come and get me!”

Techno snorted, turning around and fixing his beady stare on Tubbo. He huffed, and slammed back down onto all fours, pawing at the sand. His blood roared in his ears; he felt like a matador in the ring with a bull. One wrong step and he could be speared on the end of Techno’s tusks. 

With a roar, Techno charged, the ground rumbling. Tubbo stood his ground, ignoring his body’s screams to run. This was fight or flight, and he was going to fight. 

At the last moment, he closed his eyes and threw himself to the side, as far as he possibly could. He threw his arms over his head and prepared for an unimaginable, crushing pain as Techno stomped on him with his hooves. But all he felt was the rumbling of the ground and the rush of air as Techno sailed past him, digging his hooves into the ground as he tried to stop. Tubbo opened his eyes and watched as Techno bellowed, overbalancing and rolling onto his side. He flailed, trying to roll back over, and Tubbo saw his weak spot. 

“Tommy!” Tubbo screamed. 

Tommy pounded across the sand from where he was watching, skidding to a stop in front of Techno. Techno spotted him, and screeched, reaching out to claw him, but Tommy was just out of reach. Tommy spun his hands together, and they burned with flame, brighter than any fire that Tubbo had ever seen. It was white-hot, and Tubbo felt blinded just looking at it. 

Tommy took a moment to make sure that the fire was stable, and then turned back to Techno, his face a mixture of guilt and rage. He wheeled back, arms over his head, preparing to strike. 

With a mighty cry, Tommy threw the fireball into Techno’s face. 

Techno bellowed as the flames washed over his fur, and he clawed at his face pitifully, back legs kicking. He screeched and groaned, the pain seemingly never ending as Tubbo staggered to his feet, watching the scene from afar. 

Techno took his hands away from his face to dig into the dirt, eyes wild and bloodshot. The fur on his face was singed and blackened, and he stared at Tommy with a crazed look. 

Tommy inched forward, slowly holding out his hands. He did it so deliberately and carefully that Tubbo could tell he was mimicking someone’s actions. Techno watched him warily, huffing with pain as Tommy got closer, eventually crouching in front of his brother’s face. 

“Hey,” Tommy said softly, so quiet that Tubbo barely heard it. He reached out and slowly pushed his hands into the fur on Techno’s cheeks, and Techno flinched, huffing. Tommy stood his ground, pursing his lips and fixing Techno with a determined stare. 

“Come back,” Tommy whispered, and then leaned forward to press his forehead against Techno’s face; he was so small compared to his brother that his head barely reached over the top of Techno’s nose. Still, he kept his hands carded in Techno’s fur as he murmured words Tubbo couldn’t hear. 

Techno let out a long, guttural groan, and went limp, limbs slumping into the dirt. Tommy and Tubbo watched with wide eyes as Techno began to shrink, his wine red cape now dwarfing him in size as he shrunk. Tubbo stumbled over to Tommy as the cape settled, blanketing a new form underneath it. Slowly, gently, Tommy brushed back the fabric. 

Techno had shrunk into a human with pale skin, pockmarked with scars, and long, elegant eyelashes. He was bulky and muscular, and his head rested on a pillow of beautiful pink hair. Tusks still jutted out from his bottom lip, and he had furry pig ears, but other than that, he appeared perfectly human. 

“Tommy…?” Tubbo murmured. 

“Shh,” Tommy insisted, reaching forward and tapping Techno on the forehead. 

Techno groaned and rolled over, slinging an arm over his head. "Five more minutes,” he grumbled. 

“Techno,” Tommy said. "Wake up, big man.”

It took Techno a moment, but he pushed himself up on strong arms, blinking blearily at Tommy. He had the same red eyes. 

“Tommy?” he asked groggily. "What’re we doin’ ‘ere?”

Tommy huffed a laugh. "Long story, big T. You’ve been asleep for a fuckin’ long time.”

Techno’s clothes had shrunk along with the rest of him; his cloak had not. Tubbo left Tommy to help his brother to his feet - though he had a million different questions for the oldest prince-king - and ran over to where Ranboo was still slumped against the wall. 

Tubbo felt horrible for having left his friend over here for a majority of the fight. Ranboo was worse for wear; his pretty silk shirt was ripped to shreds, and discolored bruises were forming on his arms and ribs where Techno had grasped him. Green blood was running from his nose and one of his pointy ears, and his breathing was ragged and shallow. His eyes were closed as Tubbo sank to the ground in front of him, sliding his hands over Ranboo’s cheeks. 

Ranboo jolted at the touch, eyes opening halfway. "God, Tubbo, you scared me,” he muttered, sighing and letting his eyes slip closed again. 

“Are you alright?” Tubbo asked, and Ranboo opened his eyes to give him an incredulous look. 

“Do I look or sound okay to you, Tubbo?” he snarked, and Tubbo muttered that he had a good point. It was good that Ranboo felt well enough to make smart remarks at him, though. 

With a little maneuvering and a lot of pained cries from Ranboo, they got him to his feet. Tubbo could identify a broken arm and a twisted ankle at a glance, and by the way Ranboo kept an arm hovering over his ribs, he could assume that a few of those were cracked or broken. Tommy had managed to get Techno to his feet; standing upright, Techno was still tall, but somehow stayed shorter than Ranboo. Techno could walk with little assistance, and frowned at Ranboo, as if he wasn’t used to seeing people taller than him. 

Ranboo bowed his head respectfully. "Your highness,” he said. 

Techno sniffed. "You some sorta enderman thing, kid?”

“Half enderman,” Ranboo replied tiredly. Techno snorted and muttered, “Figures.”

They followed Tommy’s footprints back to the entrance, Tommy talking rapidly the entire time. He told Techno about Tubbo and Ranboo saving him from the volcano, traveling across the desert and the wasteland, their brief visit to the village and their jailbreak of Pandora's Vault. Techno was quiet for most of it; Tubbo got the impression he didn’t speak a lot at all. But he tilted his head towards his brother like he was listening, red eyes never wavering from him. He was a good listener. 

Finally they emerged out of the labyrinth, the moon high in the sky. The tide had come in, nearly up to the maze’s entrance, and Tubbo was glad they had put their bags up next to the wall. He set Ranboo down next to their things, letting him lean against the wall. Ranboo sighed, clutching his ribs and leaning his head back, wincing in pain at the movement. 

Tubbo turned and watched as Tommy and Techno followed them out. Techno took one look at the sea and broke into a run, splashing through the oncoming waves and wading in up to his thighs. He gave a long sigh and let himself fall back into the water. 

Tommy crossed his arms and watched his brother with a smirk. "He an’ Wilbur are twins,” he explained to Tubbo and Ranboo. "They’ve always been close, even in their elements and shit. A thousand years apart must have been horrible for both of ‘em.”

As Tommy spoke, the moon seemed to shine brighter, and the waves rolling into the shore stopped, the water flattening out. The whole sea seemed to go calm, barely a ripple on the surface. The water around Techno seemed to light up, and looking closer, Tubbo saw tiny, iridescent jellyfish bob up to Techno, brushing their tentacles across his arms in almost a comforting way. Tommy chuckled. 

“Wilbur must’a sent ‘em,” he said, and then his eyes widened. He spun around to look at Tubbo. "Then that must mean-“

“He's awake,” Techno finished gruffly, kicking his legs down and standing up. The jellyfish swirled around him, creating a sort of beautiful glowing halo around his legs. Techno let his fingers trail through the water, and the tiny jellyfish came up to kiss the tips of his fingers. 

Techno turned and waded back up to the shore, dripping with water from the waist down. He stopped in front of Tubbo and Ranboo, crossing his arms. 

“Who are you two?” he asked. "Apparently we’re a thousand years in the future and Dream’s still king. An’ you two are tryin’ ta free all the kings?”

Tubbo nodded, reaching into his bag and fishing out the storybook. "Yeah. The ca - the librarian where I'm from gave me this book. The prophecy on one of the last pages says that me and Ranboo are supposed to free the four elemental kings to take down Dream.”

Techno held out a hand, and Tubbo gingerly dropped the book into his palm. Techno thumbed through it, expression severe. After a while he sighed and snapped the book shut, handing it back to Tubbo. 

“Alright,” Techno drawled. "I guess I can trust you - for now. You kept Tommy safe, and didn’t let him get his brains blown up by Dream. That’s a win in my book.”

“Hey!” Tommy protested. 

Techno glanced at Ranboo. "I'd offer to help heal those wounds, but I'm guessin’ yer allergic to water.”

Ranboo nodded shakily. "Yeah. Don’t do well with it.”

Techno hummed. "Wilbur was able to heal people usin’ his water. I dunno how strong his power is now, since I assume he’s still imprisoned, but he could help ya with that once we get to ‘im.”

Ranboo was already shaking his head profusely. "No thanks, sir,” he said, laughing awkwardly. "I just - don’t do well with water.”

Techno shrugged. "Whatever works, I guess.”

“so do you know where Wilbur is?” Tommy prompted, grabbing Techno’s arm and picking his feet up, hanging from it. "Did those spooky jellyfish tell you anythin’?”

“They didn’t tell me anything,” Techno said. "But I have a feelin’ I know where he is.”

“Where? Where?” Tommy begged like a toddler, tugging on Techno’s arm. His eyes were wide. 

Techno gave him a fond glance. "Endlantis.”

Tommy scoffed and Tubbo gaped. "Endlantis?” they both asked, and shared a surprised glance. 

“Endlantis is real?” Tubbo asked. "I thought it was just a legend. The last city on the edge of the world, built entirely underwater.”

“Endlantis is totally real!” Tommy hollered. "I've been there! Dad built it for mum!”

Techno shook Tommy off of his arm. "Endlantis is real,” he said. "Phil built it. It’s underwater. He built it for our mother, but it was also our...holiday home, if you will. Wilbur especially liked it. No one was allowed there unless they were part of the royal family. I'm guessin’ Dream was able to infiltrate it and keep Wilbur there. It would be inaccessible to commonfolk, since it’s all underwater.”

“Well, then how are we gonna get there?” Ranboo asked anxiously. 

Techno tapped his chin. "Since Wilbur’s awake, and can send messengers like those jellyfish,” he reasoned, “I'll bet he can send us some help once we get there. The closer we get to a king’s territory, the stronger they are.”

Tommy huffed, putting his hands on his hips. "Well, how are we gonna get there in the first place?” he asked. "Endlantis is on the other side of the country . It would take us weeks to get there!”

Techno grinned devilishly. "Not if you have one of these,” he said, and let out a high-pitched whistle. 

The air was still for a moment, before the sea surged and a magnificent steed, made completely from water, leaped out of the sea foam. Tubbo jolted backwards and Techno laughed. He strode forward and pressed a hand to the horse’s face; it was almost iridescent, with gills and fins and seaweed instead of hair. 

“Hey, Carl,” Techno rumbled. "Nice to see ya, buddy. Been a long thousand years.”

“What is that?” Ranboo asked, voice trembling. 

Techno patted Carl’s neck. "A hippocampus,” he explained. "One of Wilbur’s creations. He made ‘em so that me and Tommy could ride across the sea faster, but they’re a nifty way to get across the continent quickly, if yer travelin’ by sea.”

Techno glanced back at the group. "But the kid needs to rest before we head out,” he reasoned, nodding at Ranboo. "I'm not hurdlin’ towards adventure if we have an injured party member.”

“Aw, come on!” Tommy whined. "I wanna go see Wilbur so we can go get Phil!”

“All in due time,” Techno said, stepping away from Carl to tousle Tommy’s hair. Tommy muttered a curse under his breath; Carl huffed and dived back into the water. 

Tommy started a fire - he explained to Techno how he was working on controlling his element more - and Ranboo was the first one asleep, his head in Tubbo’s lap. Tubbo leaned against the wall and stared out at the sea as Techno and Tommy both drifted off into sleep soon as well. They slept in a pile, Techno on his back and Tommy asleep on his chest like a koala. It was cute; it was the most vulnerable he’d ever seen Tommy, and it was the most childlike thing he’d done. It made Tubbo smile. Tommy deserved to be a kid, after all. 

Tubbo fell asleep surrounded by his friends, and for the first time since leaving the castle, he felt truly at home.

Chapter Text

Sharp heels on stone and the swish of Dream’s cape against the floor were the only sounds echoing through the narrow hall as he led his small entourage down the steep stone stairs, a torch held high over his head. For once, he wasn’t swamped by attendants or advisors or soldiers; today he only had three trailing behind him. Punz, as always, walked close behind, armor clanking and hand on the hilt of his sword. Schlatt scuffed his feet along the floor a ways back, running a hand through his greasy hair. Bringing up the rear was Purpled, whistling to himself as he flipped a penknife in his fingers. 

The hallway to the dungeon really needed renovations. Water dripped from the ceiling, and some icky-green-algae-thing made the stairs slick. He had nearly slipped multiple times, Punz having to grab him and push him upright. Dream wrinkled his nose at the dank smell. 

“How far down does this fuckin’ thing go?” Punz muttered. Schlatt mumbled something in agreement. 

Dream snorted. "Beats me. I didn’t build it.”

A few more steps down, and he cast a glance over his shoulder at Schlatt. "You sent those request forms to the other wardens as I asked, right?”

Schlatt heaved a sigh. "Yeah. All of ‘em replied promptly - the warden of the south is still sayin’ he hasn’t seen anything, and the warden of the east is still on the lookout for our group of friends when they arrive. He said he’s not expecting them for a week at least, ‘cause they gotta cross the damn continent just to get there. And warden of the north was just as picky and whiny as ever.”

Dream’s mouth twisted into a wicked smile. "Is he still complaining about his assignment?”

“He only sends complaints every other day, y’know. You’d know if you actually decided to read them.”

Dream sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "Maybe I will. Perhaps I'll visit after this mess in the east is dealt with; it’s been too long since I've seen him.”

They emerged into the main dungeon - still damp and cold, with rivulets of water running between the worn bricks of the floor. The jailer was gone, per Dream’s request. Purpled stayed behind at the door as Dream, Schlatt and Punz continued on. 

Dream stopped about halfway to their destination and turned to regard Schlatt and Punz with a heavy stare through his blindfold. "I'm simply going to talk to her,” he said evenly. "Try and get some answers out of the poor woman. At least get some closure about why my cousin would run away from the castle so willingly.”

Schlatt’s nose twitched. "You killed his favorite librarian.”

“A dead librarian or two isn’t enough to send a child running away, calling for revolution, dear uncle,” Dream said smoothly, turning and continuing to walk down the dim hallway. Schlatt and Punz remained behind, tipping their heads together to speak in low voices. 

Dream slowed as he reached the cell. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the conversation he was about to have. It’s been nearly a month - a month since he locked his mother away down in these drafty cells, away from the sunlight, away from her court. She must hate him now. What kind of son imprisons his own mother? What kind of child?

Dream wasn’t a child, he reminded himself. He was a king. T he king. He stepped out in front of the cell. 

Puffy was a sorry sight to see. Her hair was a mess of frizz, poofing out around her head like a cottonball. She had lost her sweet curves, leaving her gaunt and skinny with hollow cheeks. Her ragged white dress was muddy and ripped at the hem, and her eyes were dim as she lifted her gaze from her lap to look at Dream. She immediately swept onto her feet, standing from where she sat on her cot.

“Dream,” she said, disbelievingly. Her green eyes were wide. "Oh, sweetling, duckling, how are you?”

Dream stiffened. He had expected Puffy to scowl at him, to order him to leave, to shout at him. He had not expected the same mother he had had before, the same kind gaze filled with the same amount of love as always. It almost made him guilty, but he ushered that feeling away. 

“Mother,” he said stiffly. "I'm not here for pleasantries. I'm here to ask you a few questions.”

Puffy gave him a knowing look as she slumped back down onto her cot. She sighed. "Ask away, then.” She said, crossing her arms across her chest. 

Dream kept his fists carefully out of sight under his cape. "Why did you give that book to Tubbo?” he asked. "Why did you betray me and let him go?”

Puffy’s previously sweet gaze turned sour. She hardened her face and glanced away. "I gave it to him because I knew he was right,” she said stoutly. "Prophecies are prophecies. I saw that prophecy in that book with my own two eyes - so did you. I wasn’t going to get in the way of destiny.”

Dream scoffed. "Destiny? you wish to speak of destiny? I've been ruling this kingdom for years; it’s never been better. My destiny is to rule this kingdom forever, until the very foundations of the universe collapse beneath my feet. T hat is destiny.”

“what prophecy speaks of that?” Puffy asked sharply. "What prophecy ensures you’re going to rule forever?”

“Is that a threat?” Dream pressured. "You think I'm not going to rule forever?”

“No!” Puffy threw her hands into the air. "Of course not! Every king has a successor; you’ve been ruling since you were just a boy! You’ll have to give up the throne to someone someday, you’re not immortal!”

“You don’t understand ,” Dream seethed. "You just don’t.”

“What?” Puffy asked, volume rising. "What do I not understand about my own son?” she was on her feet now, fists clenched at her sides and chest heaving. 

“How did I come into power, mother?” Dream demanded. "Do you have any memory of my childhood? My early kingship? What do you remember about my past? ”

Puffy opened her mouth, then closed it. Her fists did something similar at her sides; her fingers flexed, stretching wide and then curling back in. 

“I-“ she stammered. "I don’t - I don’t know, I-“

“Exactly,” Dream said through gritted teeth. "You don’t remember. You never will.”

“But you’re my son, ” Puffy insisted, stepping forward and wrapping her hands around the bars separating them as Dream turned to leave. "I may not remember - I don’t know why - but I do know that you’re my son, my duckling, my sweet little thing. You’re the only person in this whole world I've ever loved.”

“Stop it,” Dream seethed. "Stop talking to me like you care.”

“Why would I not?” Puffy cried. Tears glittered on her waterline. "I'm your mother; I gave birth to you, I held you in my arms as you took your first breath. I loved you and I love you and I will always love you, no matter what you do.” She took a gasping breath as tears began to slide down her cheeks. "It’s a mothers job to love her son. A mother cannot ever stop loving her son. It’s a beautiful, wonderful curse called life.”

Dream opened his mouth to spit a retort, but Puffy barreled on, speaking over him. "You could tear down empires, and I'd still love you,” she said, shoulders heaving. "You could kill me, Dream, and I'd still love you. You could do terrible, horrible things, and the only terrible, horrible thing I could do in return is keep loving you. Just because you refuse to be loved, but prime, trying not to love you is the hardest thing I've ever done.”

Dream and Puffy stood in silence, Dream stock still while Puffy’s emaciated body shook with sobs. Dream didn’t know what to say; he was at a loss for words. Yes, Puffy had always showered him in affection and motherly love the best she could, but never, never did she admit things like this.

“I may not remember much,” she said, voice shaking. "But I remember the first time I held you. Prime, you were a loud baby. I was so exhausted, I was about to pass out, and I asked the nurses if it was a boy or a girl. And they said it was a boy, and I cried. Did you know that? I cried when I found out you were a boy. You were a boy, and I had wished so much for a girl, because I knew it would be easier if you were a girl. And that’s all I ever wanted for you. I wanted an easy life, with smiles and playtime and love. ”

Puffy stepped away from the bars, looking at Dream with a strange mixture of grief, guilt, and disbelief. "Now look what you’ve done, my duckling,” she whispered. "Now look at what you’ve made yourself.”

Dream pressed his lips into a tight line. He turned on his heel and left his weeping mother in her cell.

He stormed past Schlatt and Punz, who exchanged a curious glance before following. Purpled saw the angry king coming and wisely stepped out of the way, averting his gaze to his shoes.

“Did she tell you anything?” Schlatt asked as they emerged into the main castle. There were more people here; it was less likely that Dream would cause a scene in broad daylight.

Dream ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath in. He closed his eyes behind his blindfold, regaining his composure, and turned back to his companions.

“Oh, yes,” he said sweetly. "She told me a lot of things.”

It took the group two days to decide to move. Two days of trying to get Ranboo to simply walk his injuries off; two days of hoping that they would just magically heal. Tubbo, Tommy and Techno all knew very little about first aid and medical practices, so all they could do was sit and watch Ranboo wallow in pain. 

Techno seemed completely unaffected that he had caused Ranboo’s injuries. Tubbo figured he saw his piglin state as a whole other person altogether - a whole other entity, controlled by something far different. Techno hadn’t done this. The piglin had. 

On the second day, Techno rose abruptly and said they had to get moving. He frowned at Tommy and Tubbo’s protests, glancing down at Ranboo. 

“We need to get him to a doctor,” Techno said gruffly. "He’s not gonna get any better lyin’ on the floor. We’ve tried everythin’ we can. The next best thing we can do is get the kid to a doctor or a hospital.”

“But we can’t go around here,” Tommy protested. "Dream and his cronies are probably scoutin’ the area, if they're not already ‘round here.”

Techno rolled his crimson eyes. "We’re not going to a doctor in the west. I'd be surprised if there was even one out here. We’re gonna be killin’ two birds with one stone.”

A sharp whistle later, and Carl the hippocampus was standing on the shoreline, huffing and tossing his seaweed mane. Techno whistled again, and another hippocampus cantered up out of the waves; this one was smaller than Carl, but looked faster. It was nearly clear, made out of water that looked like it was straight out of a tropical paradise. Its mane was soft seagrass, and it trotted in a circle around Carl, huffing. 

“This is Wilbur’s hippocampus,” Techno said, reaching over and patting the smaller horse on the neck. "Good ol’ Chekhov. Wilbur never used ‘im much, since he preferred to just travel by water. Tubbo, you and Ranboo can take Chekhov. Tommy and I will take Carl.”

“Two questions,” Tubbo cut in. "One, where on earth are we going? And two, Ranboo can’t be on water, remember?”

Techno snapped his fingers. "That’s what I'm forgettin’,” he said, and he turned and waded into the water. Even in the sunlight, Tubbo could see the glow of the iridescent jellyfish as they bobbed up to Techno. 

Techno leaned down, hair trailing into the water. "I know it’s hard to reach us here, Wilbur,” he murmured. "But I gotta ask you. I got an enderman kid here, he can’t ride on Chekhov. I need you to cool him down a bit. Just try your best.”

Techno stood up straight, and like a few days before, the sea seemed to still, flattening out. Chekhov stiffened, and then stomped his hooves into the sea - once, twice - and then a thin film of frost crawled over his entire body, turning into a sparkling, white horse, looking like snow in the sunshine. 

“Woah,” Tubbo whispered, eyes wide. 

“Frost is all Wilbur can do, this far away,” Techno reasoned. "But it’s better than Ranboo riding on straight water. It may still hurt.”

“Ice sucks,” Ranboo said groggily as he woke up. “‘S cold.”

“Techno, where are we going?” Tubbo demanded. His hand tightened on Ranboo’s shoulder. 

Techno raised his chin. "We’re goin’ east,” he said. "We can find a doctor there. Plus we can start plannin’ our way into Endlantis.”

“But it’ll take weeks to get there-“ Tubbo began, but Tommy interrupted him. 

“Not on the hippocampi,” he chortled, hopping up to stand beside Techno with his hands on his hips. "These fuckers run fast. W e can get to the east side of the continent in hours.”

Tubbo pursed his lips. "That’s impossible,” he protested. "Not even the fastest hyper tunnel - with soul speed and ice and tridents can move that fast-“

“Because hyper tunnels are lame and outdated!” Techno exclaimed. "C’mon, man, we’re kings! You expect us to go around zoomin’ through hyper tunnels at peasant miles per hour?”

Tubbo glanced between the hippocampi and the kings. Finally he sighed, throwing his hands up in the air. 

“Fine!” He said. "I'll get on your funky water horse.”

Tommy cheered and Techno clapped, turning to gather their things. Tubbo looked back down at Ranboo, who was still groggy and muttering about ice. 

“Sorry, big man,” Tubbo said, clapping a hand on the shoulder of his uninjured arm. "You gotta deal with it until we get you to a doctor.”

Ranboo blinked blearily at him. "Wha?” he asked hazily. 

Tubbo sighed. "We’re going east on some water horses, big man,” he said. "One of ‘em’s ice, just for you. Come on, saddle up.”

They had treated Ranboo’s wounds the best they could - his arm was in a sling made from Tommy’s old king robes, and they had gone back into the maze to cut up some of Techno’s old cape to make a makeshift poncho for him until they could get him a new shirt. He hobbled across the pebbly beach on his wounded ankle, hissing in pain and biting his tongue. 

It was a process and a half, but they finally lifted Ranboo onto Chekhov's back. He yelped in pain as he settled in, wincing, and Tubbo lifted himself up in front of him. 

“I'm gonna have freakin’ bruises on my ass after this,” Ranboo grumbled, leaning forward against Tubbo. Tubbo giggled like a child as Techno and Tommy pulled themselves onto Carl. 

“Everything all right over there?” Techno asked. Carl was pawing at the water, snorting, raring to go. 

Ranboo’s arms snaked around Tubbo to hold his waist. "Fine as I can be,” he said through gritted teeth. Tubbo couldn’t imagine the stinging pain he was feeling - the frost on Chekhov was seemingly always melting, and Tubbo’s trousers were already nearly soaked through. 

Techno clicked his tongue, and Carl took off, jerking Techno and Tommy backwards. Chekhov followed swiftly, head bobbing as he quickly caught up to Carl, nearly overtaking him. Ranboo winced as he bounced on his back, and clutched Tubbo’s waist tighter. 

The ocean was a blur beneath them as they rode, far enough from the shore that a wayward traveller wouldn’t see them. They were moving shockingly fast, the spray sent up by the hippocampI's hooves disappeared behind them in mere seconds. Hoofprints of seafoam was the only clue that they had been there before. 

Tubbo leaned back against Ranboo’s chest, watching the waves go by. In the distance, he saw whales surfacing to spout out geysers of water, saw schools of flying fish leap out of the sea. As they were passing by the southern desert, dolphins joined them; they swam alongside them, fins jutting out from the water as they leaped and played, squeaking to one another as they flanked the hippocampi. 

Tubbo leaned down at one point to run his hand through the water; they were moving fast enough that the spray was a stinging slap against his palm, but the water was warm and pleasant. Chekhov had begun to become more solid, no longer just a thin sheen of frost over water. Ranboo had stopped whimpering in pain; either the ice was no longer wet or he was just hiding his pain well. 

The idle time on Chekhov's back gave Tubbo time to think. He stared out at the ocean and thought about everyone he’d met on his journey; he wondered how his father was doing back in the Capitol, dealing with his son being a wanted criminal. He hoped Puffy was alright, and that Dream hadn’t found out that she helped him escape. He hoped Dream hadn’t found out that Foolish helped them, either. He wished Sam was nicer and that Punz would trip on a tree root and die. He wished Dream would make this whole thing easy and just surrender before a war even started. 

Thinking of Foolish reminded Tubbo of the conversation they’d had about the wardens, back at the house of the undying. The eastern warden, Eret...hadn’t Foolish mentioned something about them being the ringleader of a revolution? His heart soared. Maybe I can enlist their help!

By late afternoon they made landfall in the east, which was drastically different from the western wastelands. The sky was robin’s egg blue, dotted with puffy clouds, and the air here was cool on Tubbo’s neck. Chekhov was solid ice now, and he clinked like ice cubes as he moved. Tubbo and Ranboo slid off of his back, and the hippocampus bowed his head to them before the ice dissolved into frost from his body and he dove back into the crashing waves. 

“Oh, ow, ” Ranboo lamented, staggering as he leaned over on his knees. "Riding a hippocampus is a lot different than riding a dragon. My ass hurts. ”

Tubbo burst into laughter as Technoblade and Tommy stopped with Carl behind them, hopping off his back. Techno murmured thanks to Carl, and the hippocampus whinnied before disappearing after Chekhov. 

“Anybody know where we are?” Tommy asked as Techno flipped his head over, tying his long hair up into a ponytail. 

“We should be due south of L’manburg,” Techno rumbled. "That’s where we always took off from to go to Endlantis.”

“Oh, you must mean new L’manburg,” Tubbo said, turning to face him. "Was it called something different before?”

Techno and Tommy shared a glance. "Well, yeah,” Tommy said slowly. "It was just l’manburg.”

“Dream made landfall there when he invaded from across the sea,” Techno explained. "The whole town was leveled. It’s nice to see that they rebuilt it afterwards.”

They found a path going north quickly and made their way, Tubbo and Ranboo pulling their hoods over their heads. Tommy looked average enough and no one knew what Techno looked like, so Tubbo assumed it would be okay to let them go without cloaks. 

It was clear they were reaching a large settlement as the fields around them turned to cropland and Tubbo could see tall buildings hovering on the horizon. Tubbo found himself relaxing - he was so much more at home here, in a big city, filled with bustling people who wouldn’t turn their head at him. The murmur of constant voices was like a lullaby to his ears. 

New L’manburg was nearly a city state within the country - it had its own flag, its own anthem, its own partial government. It had so many ambassadors that whenever Tubbo tried to remember all their names it made his head spin. He remembered very basic details he had learned in economics: their main export was fish and swine products, along with medicine and weapons. It had a huge population and had been steadily growing over the years, nearly rivaling the size of the Capitol.

The group of four stuck close together as they descended into the crowded city center. Music played from every which way, and people were shouting and laughing and running everywhere. Tubbo had to glance behind him every few seconds to make sure his little trio were still with him. He suggested before they enter to find an inn before they set out to find a doctor that would help Ranboo. 

A shrill voice cut over the crowd as they edged around a circular marketplace. "Evenin’ papes!” A fox hybrid newsboy hollered from where he stood on an empty crate, waving newspapers over his head. "Evenin’ papes, fifty cents a pop! Come marvel at the newest news, straight from the Capitol!”

Tubbo ducked his head and kept moving; who knew, he and Ranboo’s portraits might be printed in there. It took them seemingly forever to find an inn on a quieter street - they ducked inside and reserved a room with little trouble. 

“Here’s the plan,” Tubbo said an hour later after they took dinner to their room. "Me and Tommy are gonna go out and find a doctor. We’re gonna see if we can bring them back here to check on Ranboo. Does that sound good?”

Ranboo nodded profusely from where he was sprawled in bed, foot propped up on a pillow. Techno huffed an okay from where he was perched by the window, staring down at the street below. 

Tubbo and Tommy gathered their meager belongings - Tubbo slung his bag with the storybook inside over his shoulder and dropped some coins in there too - and then they were off, ducking and weaving between the swathes of people bustling to and fro.

Tommy’s eyes were wide as he took it all in. "I forgot what this felt like,” he said, marvelling at the sight. "It’s weird not gettin’ swamped in public.”

Tubbo tugged his hood down a little farther. "Let’s just make this quick,” he said. "I don’t wanna be out here longer than we have to be. There’s more risk of being recognized.”

They searched and searched but found no doctor that would be willing to make a house call, or a doctor who would see to a hybrid in general. They stomped out of their third doctor’s office as the sky was darkening; Tommy’s face was flushed with anger and Tubbo was beginning to get irritated.

“Come on,” Tubbo grumbled. "We can keep looking.”

Tommy sighed, exasperated. "Just forget it, man,” he said, pausing outside the office. "It’s no use. We’ll be better off buying medicine from an apothecary or some shit.”

“But Ranboo needs professional medical attention,” Tubbo hissed. "He’s gonna get sick if he doesn’t see a doctor.”

Tommy tossed his hands into the air. "He’s already sick!” he exclaimed. "The bitch’s got a broken arm and a fever and a twisted ankle! It’s a miracle he hasn’t come down with smallpox or some shit.”

“Don’t call Ranboo a-” Tubbo began, but froze as he felt a familiar weight on his hip disappear. Tommy’s widening gaze only confirmed his suspicions as he whirled around in time to see the fox hybrid newsboy from earlier sliding into the crowd, the storybook and their bag of coins tucked under his arm.

“The book!” Tubbo shouted, and he and Tommy descended into the crowd, ducking and weaving through the throngs of people as they pursued the pickpocket. The boy glanced over his shoulder at one point; he had a black newsboy hat pulled down over his face, but orange ears stuck out of his ginger hair, and Tubbo got an impression of sharp canines and green eyes before the boy was turning around again, putting on a burst of speed.

Tommy swore under his breath. "Hurry up!” He hissed, and he extended his hands like he did when he wanted to use his fire. Tubbo squawked and swatted his hands down as they ran.

“Not here!” He panted. "Not in front of all these people!”

They pursued the newsboy for several blocks until he swung around a sharp corner, and Tubbo and Tommy pounded after him. The boy skidded to a stop as he was cornered at a dead end, and he spun around, baring his teeth and fluffing up his tail.

Tommy dropped into a fighting stance, fists raised up by his temple. "Give us back that book, bitch.” he snarled.

The boy clutched the book to his chest, coiling up to pounce - and then stopped.

His ears perked up from where they were flat against his head, and his tail smoothed out, if not just minutely.

“Tommy?” He asked. His voice had a clipped accent that Tubbo couldn’t place.

Tommy’s fists lowered, and his eyes got as big as saucers. "It couldn’t be - Fundy? ”

Fundy shrieked with laughter and Tommy gave a loud whoop as they ran at each other, pulling each other into a hug that involved a lot of back-slapping and loud cheers. Tommy pulled away, grabbing onto Fundy’s slim shoulders and looking at him up and down.

“Look at you!” he exclaimed. "You’re so big! How damn old were you when the empire fell?”

“Ten years old,” Fundy said proudly, grinning. "I stopped aging at about, eh, I'd say nineteen.”

“But how?” Tommy sputtered. "Me an’ Techno an’ Wil an’ Phil don’t age ‘cause of the immortal thing, but - are you the same way…?”

Fundy shook his head. "I'll explain it all to you later,” he said. His gaze shifted to Tubbo. "You must be Tubbo.”

Tubbo’s gaze was fixed on the book still in Fundy’s clawed hands. "I'd appreciate that book back, please.”

Fundy glanced down at it, as if he was surprised he still had it. "Oh! Of course.” He tossed it back to Tubbo, who scrambled to catch it.

Tubbo frowned. "And the coins.”

Fundy rolled his eyes but tossed him the sack. Tubbo slid them both safely back into his bag, and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“How do you know my name?” Tubbo asked carefully. The last thing he wanted was for Fundy to out him as a royal in front of Tommy.

Fundy seemed to catch on. "My boss has been waiting for you,” he said cheekily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Are you familiar with the warden of the east?”

Now Tubbo was interested. "You work for the warden of the east? Eret?” He gasped, and Fundy laughed.

The fox hybrid gave him a sly grin. "You bet I do. He’s been awaiting your arrival for weeks. C’mon.”

Fundy led them out of the alley and down a few more streets, leading up to what looked like the wealthy neighborhood of new L’manburg. They were a long way away from the inn; Tubbo hoped they could at least tell Ranboo and Techno where they were. At the end of the street was a massive mansion, so large it could probably be called a small castle. Fundy didn’t go in the front doors; instead, he followed the front drive to where it branched off, snaking around the side of the mansion. He skipped down the gravel path and then hopped down a flight of stairs, leading to what must be some sort of basement.

Emerging into the room it led into, it was decidedly not a basement. Tubbo was hit with a million different smells - vanilla and clove and lemon and sugar and something burned. The air was hazy with smoke and flour, and looking around, Tubbo’s mouth watered. Bread and pastries were stacked on racks nearby, clearly cooling. Three huge fireplaces burned along the walls, several pots hanging over each of the flames. A few long tables took up most of the room, and they were covered in flour and cooking utensils. Dried herbs hung over the door, and Tubbo swatted them out of the way in order to pass.

A small bell over the door rang, and Fundy whistled sharply into the kitchen. A sweet, high voice from somewhere inside the room called “ Coming! ” And a few seconds later a young woman came out from one of the back rooms, wiping something on her apron. She was short and petite, with short pink hair and large, dark doe eyes. Her hands were stained with flour and grease, and she had soot smudged over her rosy cheeks. The front of her apron was a wreck of different stains.

When she saw Tommy, she shrieked, and immediately darted forward, sweeping him into a huge, teary hug. Tommy laughed and squeezed her back as she sobbed into his chest. Eventually she recovered enough to step away, wiping her eyes with her already dirty apron.

“Tommy, I thought we’d lost you,” She babbled. "I didn’t want to believe it when the rumors came sweeping through that you were freed - oh, Fundy believed it right away, but I had my doubts. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

“Techno’s free, too,” Tommy insisted. "And we’re here to free Wilbur next.”

The young woman gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. Fundy, who seemed to never stop moving, went still, staring at Tommy with wide eyes.

“Wil?” The woman whispered, as if his name would invoke some primordial god to strike her down. "He’s going to be free?”

“He’s already awake,” Tommy said with glee. "Me and my buddy Tubbo here - ay, Tubbo, introduce yourself!”

“Oh, he doesn’t have to,” The woman said, smiling at him sweetly. "Foolish sent Eret a message describing him and his enderman friend. Hi, Tubbo. I'm Niki.”

“Not to be offensive or anythin’, but how are you lot still alive?” Tommy asked before Tubbo could say anything. "It’s been, what, a thousand years? Only me an’ my brothers an’ my dad should be immortal.”

“Not quite immortal,” Fundy said as Niki lifted herself up to sit on a nearby table. "Once the empire fell, Niki smuggled me out of the Capitol, and I was on the run for a long time. Meanwhile Dream caught Niki and rounded her up with a bunch of other servants in the castle - but she managed to escape with the help of some mystical time wizard.” Fundy wiggled his fingers sporadically for effect.

“He was not a time wizard,” Niki scolded gently. "He was a person who practiced time magic. I guess you could call him a time traveller…? I'm not sure, I never saw him after he saved me and told me to find Fundy, and to go into hiding.”

“He cast a spell on us,” Fundy said. "We don’t age until Wilbur’s freed from his prison. Then we age just like we would have if the empire never fell.”

“A time traveller? ” Tommy squawked. "I never knew we had a time traveller at court!”

“Not at court, no,” Niki corrected. "He just came out of the blue one day, and helped me escape the Capitol before Dream massacred the rest of the castle staff.” Her eyes got soft. "He had the sweetest face I've ever seen, with big lavender eyes and pink cheeks...the type of person you could just squish, they’re so cute.”

Tommy and Fundy snorted. "Sorry your crush is some million-year-old time traveller,” Tommy snarked. He clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "Now what’s all this I've heard about this warden of the east?”

“Oh! Eret!” Niki chirped, eyes brightening. "Of course! Tubbo, I'm sure you’ll want to meet him.” Niki smiled as she hopped off of the table and led the group up out of the kitchens, hanging up her dirty apron on a hook by the door as she went.

The mansion was similar to the castle in the sense that the hallways were like mazes; Tubbo reasoned it wouldn’t take him long to get used to it, though. Every large building like this was the same. Niki took them upstairs to a large room that overlooked the whole city through its windows; the mansion had been built on a hill, so the town sprawled out like a blanket beneath them.

Standing with his back to them at the table in the middle of the room was a person dressed in finery, wearing a light pink blouse and black trousers. A velvet navy cloak rested over his shoulders, trimmed with gold, and his high-heeled boots clacked against the floor as he shifted from foot to foot. A thin gold crown was nestled in his tousled, curly brown hair, and he was tall, especially from the height his heels gave him.

Niki called out and he turned, eyebrows raised. Tubbo was startled to be met with a gaze of complete white; no pupils stared back at him. The warden’s eyes were completely white, no pupil, no iris. 

“You have someone with you, Niki, don’t you?” Eret asked, tipping his head to the side. "Fundy. And two strangers I don’t know.”

“You’ll be pleased to know them,” Niki said cheerfully. "May I introduce Tubbo and King Tommy.”

Tubbo noticed the way Eret stiffened in surprise at their introduction - not a “oh my goodness, it’s actually King Tommy” kind of surprise, but a “oh shit, they’re here” kind of surprise. Tubbo frowned minutely. He figured he just imagined it, as Eret plastered a smile onto his face and swept into an elegant bow.

“It's my complete and utter honor to be in your presence, your majesty,” Eret said. "As your humblest of servants, I have awaited your return for years, my lord.”

Tommy looked rather pleased with this greeting. "At ease,” he said loftily, and Tubbo giggled. "We appreciate your hospitality.”

Eret stood upright, and Tubbo realized stupidly that he must be blind. "I've been expecting you, boys,” he said cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "Though you showed up much earlier than I expected. I thought you were at least going to give me a week to prepare before you came over from the west, hah!”

“How’d you know we were in the west?” Tubbo asked. Eret quirked up a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

“As I'm sure Foolish told you,” Eret reasoned, “I'm the leader of a rather large revolution. It’s about as popular as an underground revolution can get - we’ve been in the inner workings of it since before we knew about the revival of the kings. Even before I came to take Niki and Fundy into my care.”

The pair nodded profusely. "Eret let us stay here as workers,” Fundy explained. "I'm a newboy and Niki's a cook, but he gives us protection against Dream and we help him with the revolution in turn.”

“It’s been a hard process,” Eret sighed, rubbing his temples. "But now with the arrival of the kings, we’re hoping more people will be swayed to the side of doubting Dream’s leadership. More people will be willing to join the cause.”

“That sounds great,” Tommy said, leaning on the doorframe and looking around, squinting. "So you’re blind, eh?”

Eret’s mouth quirked up into a smile. "If you don’t mind, my lord, I'd like to speak to Tubbo in private.”

Tubbo jumped at the sound of his name, and glanced nervously at Tommy. Tommy shrugged and peeled himself off of the doorframe, following Niki and Fundy out of the room. Tubbo took a step inside as the doors shut behind him. He was instantly aware of the aura of authority Eret carried with him.

Eret leaned back against the table. "Prince Tubbo,” he murmured. "It’s an honor.”

“Just Tubbo,” Tubbo insisted. "Please.”

Eret nodded. "I assume you don’t want Tommy finding out about your royal heritage?”

Tubbo twisted his hands together. "If it’s possible,” he replied nervously. Eret nodded, staring blankly at the ground, before looking up at the door again.

“I'd like to thank you for freeing Tommy and Technoblade so far,” Eret said. "You’re very young. It’s hard for a kid like you to take on such responsibility.”

Tubbo shrugged, then realized Eret wouldn’t be able to see it. "I mean...it’s not like I was doing much else at the castle.”

Eret barked a laugh. "So you’re going to attempt to free King Wilbur next?” he asked fondly. "Good. Fundy needs his father back.”

Tubbo’s mouth fell open “ Fundy is Wilbur’s son?”

Eret laughed again, pushing himself off of the side of the table. "Most people have that reaction,” he mused. He turned to look in Tubbo’s general direction. "You’re welcome to stay here, by the way. The city isn’t safe for wanted people like you, but you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need. What’s mine is yours.”

“Can my friend stay here, too?” Tubbo asked anxiously. "And Technoblade, too. But my friend’s hurt - he’s sick and has a broken arm and a twisted ankle-”

Eret put up a hand, silencing Tubbo. Tubbo noticed he had black-painted nails. "Of course,” Eret assured him. "Give me the name of the inn they’re in - I'll send a carriage to pick them up. In the meantime, Niki can show you and Tommy to your rooms.”

Tubbo’s room was just like his room back at the castle - large, with a balcony overlooking the city, with a four poster bed and a lush shaggy carpet. Tubbo collapsed down on the blankets and sighed massively; he had forgotten how nice it felt to sleep on finery.

Ranboo and Techno arrived shortly after, Ranboo immediately being rushed to the nurse’s to be checked out. Tubbo, Tommy, and Techno had a brief dinner with Eret, Niki and Fundy - Techno reunited with the latter, talking to Niki especially frequently. The two were unlikely friends; Tommy leaned over and whispered to Tubbo that there had been rumors that Niki had courted both Techno and Wilbur back in the day. None of the rumors ended up being true.

When Tubbo returned to his room, he found Ranboo already passed out in the room across the hall. His arm and foot had been properly bandaged up, and he was snoring peacefully. Tubbo smiled, shut the door, and got ready for bed.

It felt so nice to be in an actual bed for once instead of sleeping on the hard ground. Tubbo knew they couldn’t stay here forever; he would make himself soft again by sleeping like this. He figured that Techno might opt to sleep on the floor instead, even. He had suggested doing that in the inn, asking Tubbo for a room with only two beds, insisting he and Tommy could sleep on the floor.

Tubbo snuggled down into the cool blankets, watching the lights of the city flicker on from his window. He fell asleep to the low murmur of voices from downstairs, the distant barking of dogs, and the lullaby of a city at night that sang him to sleep.

When Tubbo opened his eyes, it was still dim in the room; he suspected he had woken up early, and the sun had not risen. But when he sat up in bed, he gawked at the sight outside his windows: the sky had been transformed into a beautiful vibrant violet, the color of glitter and amethysts. Galaxies and supernovas swirled in the sky, close enough for Tubbo to see the golden speckles of stardust drifting across faraway planets from here. There were at least three moons that he could see, and the sky as a whole lit up the whole world as if it were daytime.

“Hello, cousin.”

Tubbo whipped around. Standing at his bedside was Dream, draped in rich green cloth trimmed with gold, that ever-present blindfold tight over his eyes. His mouth showed no signs of emotion.

Tubbo scrambled backwards in bed, his legs getting caught in the sheets. "Why are you here?” his voice trembled. " How are you here?”

Dream cracked a smile. "I'm not really here, Tubbo,” he said. "You saw the sky. This isn’t real life.”

Tubbo gave a long pause. "This is a dream,” he realized stupidly, risking a glance back at the windows. "I'm still asleep. I'm dreaming.”

Dream nodded solemnly. "Yes, you are. Come with me.”

Dream crossed the room and pulled open the glass doors to the balcony. A draft of cool air swept through the room, making the curtains of the poster bed sway. Tubbo pursed his lips; this was a dream, so theoretically, Dream couldn’t hurt him. But that still left the questions of how Dream was able to walk in his unconscious mind, and why he was being so tolerant. Last Tubbo checked, he was the one planning an uprising against Dream’s monarchy. He figured the only person he could get these answers from was the man waiting for him on the balcony, so Tubbo climbed out of bed and followed after him.

Leaning forward on the stone railing, Dream clasped his hands together and gazed out at the rooftops of new L’manburg. Tubbo wondered absently if Dream had ever visited it as he stopped beside his cousin, hands trailing on the rough stone of the railing. The two cousins regarded the sleeping city for a long moment before Tubbo spoke.

“Why are you being nice to me?”

Dream chuckled. "I guess this is what being nice is like, huh?” he reasoned. "Listen, kid. I honestly just wanted to talk to you.”

Tubbo bristled. "About what?”

Dream shrugged. "Isn’t it obvious? You’re planning a hostile uprising to place other people on my throne. I guess you could call this a, uh, what’s it called...a parley! A parley.”

Dream’s fingers drummed on the railing and his leg bounced idly. It was a completely human habit that Tubbo was surprised it was coming from him. He dragged his gaze up from Dream’s bobbing foot back up to his face.

“Well, what’s this parley about?” he asked.

Dream’s finger skittered and hopped across the stone. "Honestly, I'm just looking for an answer to why ,” he said. "You’ve been such a...quiet part of court for so long, for someone who would be set to inherit the throne if something happened to me.” He tilted his head to the side, dirty blonde hair falling over his blindfold. "The only thing I did was kill that old geezer of a librarian a few years ago, but I don’t think his death would incite a rebellion.”

Something about that rubbed Tubbo the wrong way. In fact, this whole meeting was eerily unusual; the fact that Dream knew where he was, the way he just appeared in his dreams, the way he was being so nice to him...Tubbo kept his guard up, shoulders tensed around his fluffy ears.

“It’s because of the prophecy,” Tubbo said, and he didn’t miss the way Dream bristled. "That prophecy didn’t appear for no reason. And it wasn’t fake, either; I found the prince from another world it described, and the kings are all real. The prophecy hasn’t lied yet.”

Dream scowled. "I should have hid that damn book somewhere better,” he scoffed. "I always forget my mother’s a thief.”

Tubbo tensed. "Is Puffy alright?”

Dream’s face slid easily back to that aloof, lazy smile. "The queen mother is perfectly fine,” he assured Tubbo in a way that made his skin crawl. Tubbo’s grip on the railing tightened, and he fought the urge to jump over it and drag his entourage back to the Capitol to go check on Puffy.

“Look,” Dream said, leaning down a bit to get to Tubbo’s eye level. "Tubbo, listen to me. We’re the same, you and I. We’re kin. The same blood runs through our veins. We’re royalty; we’re more important than anyone else in the world.”

Tubbo pursed his lips and imagined the dangerous glitter in Dream’s eyes beyond his blindfold. He leaned back, but Dream followed his movements, taking a step forward for every step Tubbo took back.

“Tubbo, I understand how you feel,” Dream continued in a voice that leaked with honey and candy. "You feel out of place, lost, confused on where you should go next. I felt like that once, when I first became king. And something I've learned from being king? it’s to surround yourself with the people you trust the most.”

A grim realization popped into Tubbo’s head, and he regarded the king with a heightened sense of alarm. His back hit the railing. Dream had him cornered.

Even with the blindfold, Tubbo could feel the empathy rolling off of Dream in waves. "Tubbo, you and I have to stick together,” he insisted. "After you ran away...it made me realize how badly I'd treated you at the Capitol. I treated you like any other servant or ambassador in the castle; I never treated you like the royalty you really are. Listen to me, Tubbo. I can give you everything you want and more.”

Dream swept an arm outwards, and Tubbo watched as the scene changed. Instead of a balcony of Eret’s mansion, they stood on a castle balcony, the Capitol spread out beneath them, as lit up and bustling as ever. But it was quiet. Too quiet. It unnerved Tubbo just looking out at the silent hills of roofs and chapel steeples. 

“This could be ours, Tubbo,” Dream said. "I spoke with my mother today, and she made me realize something. I've been ruling for far too long with no successor, but a man like me can’t just settle down. No; I need someone already in the family, who I know will carry on my legacy with honor and who I know will not disappoint me.”

Tubbo leaned on the railing, the smooth marble sliding under his sweaty fingers. He felt sick. He knew what Dream was doing - could feel him messing with his head - but he felt slow, as if his thoughts were moving at a snail’s speed, unable to connect dots or draw conclusions. He looked over at Dream, who was staring down at him, hunched over the railing.

Tubbo took a few deep breaths. "You want me to rule?” He asked breathily. "You’re going to make me king ?”

Dream hummed. "Mm, more like a regent if anything. Not exactly a co-ruler.” Tubbo swore he could see the dangerous glint of Dream’s eyes behind that blindfold. "But yes. Half my kingdom will be yours. All you have to do is wake up right now, kill that ender prince and those two usurpers, and bring their bodies to the gates of the Capitol.”

Tubbo’s head was spinning, and he felt sick. "You want me...to kill them?” He wheezed.

“Kill them,” Dream insisted. "Kill them, and all of your crimes will be pardoned. You’ll be celebrated as a hero. In fact, if you want, you can have a warden position - I'm sure Sam would want to retire after his little slip-up at the prison!”

Dream’s grin was sinister. Tubbo struggled to make a coherent thought. Tubbo took a few wheezing, deep breaths, looking back out at the Capitol. Finally, finally, something clicked.

“The story goes that you usurped the four kings a thousand years ago,” Tubbo said shakily. His fingers trembled against the marble railing. "The castle is older than you. There’s a reason this city is called ‘New’ L’manburg. There’s ruins in the Western Wasteland for a reason. There’s a reason you banished Foolish to guard the least populated province of the continent.”

Dream’s smile began to slip. "What?”

Tubbo managed to stand upright. "You’re lying,” he said. "You’re lying to the entire kingdom. I don’t know how you’re doing it, but you’re lying to everyone.”

Dream’s grin was gone now. He had taken a completely different stance, fists now clenched at his sides and the muscles in his jaw working.

“What are you saying, Tubbo?” he asked lowly, dangerously.

Tubbo’s head was spinning with a thousand new realizations. "It’s impossible for your story to work,” he realized. "There’s no way you can be king. Everything dates back farther back than you could have possibly been born, and-”

Tubbo froze. He turned to look at Dream, who had gone dangerously still.

“Puffy can’t be your mother,” He whispered.

“That's enough, Tubbo,” Dream barked, and the scene around them shifted. Tubbo felt a horrible pull in his gut as he was suddenly in the dim hallways of Pandora's Vault once again. Dream’s clothes and face were lit only by glowing lava streams in the walls.

“Enough games,” Dream hissed. "Tubbo, this is a do or die situation. You either bring me those prince’s bodies, or it’s going to be your head on a spike alongside theirs.”

Tubbo shook his head, backing up. "No,” He said. "It won’t be. The prophecy has to come true - the kings must be freed-”

“What’s going to happen once those ‘kings’ find out who you really are?” Dream challenged, and he swelled in size, growing and growing and growing until he was almost the size of the colossal ceiling. "What happens when they find out that you’re a royal? That you’re related to the very man who locked them away? Who toppled their empire and could have killed them? What will they think then, Prince Tubbo? ”

“Stop it!” Tubbo shrieked, clutching his head. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out, and risked a glance back up at Dream. 

Tubbo got a flash of something horrible - a winged creature with a thousand eyes and a thousand hands and robes made of molten stardust and the sands of time - before Dream’s jaw unhinged and swallowed Tubbo and the Vault whole. Tubbo shrieked as he was pulled down, down, down, down to the depths of hell, the depths of punishment and torture and nightmares. Flames licked at his skin, but could never burn him. The screams of the damned echoed in his ears, but he couldn’t go deaf. Broken nails scratched at his skin from the hills of corpses spreading out as far as the eye could see, but Tubbo couldn’t be hurt. He shut his eyes tight, clapping his hands over his ears.

It’s just a dream. It’s just a nightmare. It’s not real - it’s not real - none of this is real - I'm not real, I'm not real, I'm not real here-

“Tubbo! Tubbo! ”

Tubbo awoke, screaming, shooting upright in bed. His shirt was soaked through with sweat and he was panting as if he had run a mile. He stabbed his fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his face as he struggled to catch his breath.

Ranboo’s cold hands grasped his arm, and he swiveled to glance at his friend. Ranboo must have run in from the other room upon hearing Tubbo’s cries - had he been screaming in his sleep?

“You were having a nightmare,” the enderman said. "I-I heard you from across the hall. Do you want anything? Water?”

“Ranboo,” Tubbo choked, and he dissolved into crocodile tears, burying his head into Ranboo’s nightshirt. Ranboo wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tight; Tubbo fit perfectly in Ranboo’s lanky arms, as if the universe had crafted them that way. Ranboo ran a gentle hand through his hair and hummed, making little enderman vwoops and chirps every now and then.

The door opened abruptly, making Tubbo jump. He curled himself deeper into Ranboo’s arms as he heard a few voices fill the room.

“Is he alright?” He heard Eret say. "We heard him crying from downstairs.”

“He’s okay,” Ranboo assured them. "Bad dream. Nightmare.”

“Do I need to get him a glass of water?” Niki's voice chimed. "Or a new shirt? The one he has now looks like he’s run a marathon in it.”

Tubbo felt Ranboo’s chin move against his hair. "That would be nice, Niki. Thank you.”

The pair left the room and Tubbo shifted, curling up so he was sitting sideways in Ranboo’s lap. He leaned his cheek against Ranboo’s shoulder and settled a hand on his chest; Ranboo cradled him like a baby, rocking him slightly back and forth and continuing to hum his strange Ender lullabies.

Tubbo was already half asleep when Niki returned with the water and a change of shirt. Tubbo allowed Ranboo to wrestle the sticky shirt off of him and pull the new one over his head, before raising the glass to his lips and coaxing a few sips down his throat. Tubbo already felt better; his heartbeat had slowed and his breathing had evened out.

At some point Ranboo moved Tubbo back onto his pillow, and Tubbo cried out like a toddler for its mother, reaching out and grabbing onto Ranboo’s wrist as he turned to leave. "Please don’t go,” Tubbo asked timidly. "Please. Stay here. I-I don’t want the nightmare to come back.”

He felt Ranboo hesitate - felt him wish for his own bed across the hall, to sleep alone and probably feel more at home that way anyways. But Tubbo relaxed as Ranboo slipped under the covers and pulled the blankets over them, pulling his pillow over closer to Tubbo’s.

Tubbo moved close enough that he could feel Ranboo’s body warmth. "Goodnight, Ranboo.”

Ranboo giggled, and Tubbo felt his foot poke Tubbo’s under the sheet. "Goodnight, Tubbo.”

Chapter Text

“Endlantis,” Technoblade said, leaning over the table on his hands. "The last city at the end of the world. The underwater city. The last untouched stronghold of the late Antarctic Empire - or so we thought.”

The group was circled around the table in Eret’s war room. The table was circular and had a full map of the continent, complete with the oceans on the east, south, and west, and the reaching, uncharted tundras to the north. Techno stood on the east side of the table, and dragged his finger from the edge of the continent out to sea. 

“Endlantis is due east of L’manburg,” Techno said. "It should only be accessible to the royal family. Only Wilbur can open the entrance. Without Wilbur’s cooperation, it’s impossible to get in.”

Tubbo pursed his lips. He was on the northern side of the table, between Ranboo and Tommy. On the other side of the table was Eret, Niki, and Fundy, and two attendants stood quietly by the door. The room had a wall of glass doors at Tubbo’s back, letting the light from an overcast sky bleed onto the carpet through the sheer curtains. 

Techno tapped the edge of the map. "It should be easy enough to get in and get out,” he said. "There are defenses, but they’re programmed ‘ta only sense non-royals or someone it don’t recognize.” his crimson gaze flicked to Tubbo. "Tubbo may be a problem in this regard.”

Tubbo bristled. "I'm going on this mission,” he said sharply. "It’s my prophecy.”

“I never said you weren’t,” Techno grumbled, and Tubbo’s cheeks flushed, embarrassed. 

“Tommy and I will just have to make an effort to protect you,” Techno concluded. 

Tubbo stared at his shoes. Ever since the labyrinth, he’d felt like dead weight - Techno and Tommy and even Ranboo had spectacular, otherworldly powers, and he was just some mortal. Especially to the kings, who didn’t know he had royal blood. He could barely swing a sword, and the only self defense he knew was the knowledge to protect his temples. Guilt tugged against his stomach. He wanted to do something to assist them, not just have them carry him around the continent like a useless slug. 

“How long do you think this will take?” Eret asked. 

Techno shrugged. "Most likely a few hours. The easiest time to get into Endlantis is high tide - the way down is shorter, then. We don’t need much preparation, either. It should be a get in quickly, get out quicker extraction.”

Tommy clapped his hands sharply. "Then let’s go!” he chortled. His eyes were alive with excitement. "I wanna go see Wilby!”

Eret put a hand up. "Unfortunately, I can’t let you go immediately,” they said. 

Tommy stiffened and Techno crossed his arms over his chest. "Why?” the older prince-king barked. 

Eret didn’t flinch. "There’s a large storm coming in from the east,” they said. "The ocean here gets notoriously dangerous during storms. You two might be fine, but I am not risking Tubbo’s life.” 

Yet another reason their mission would be slowed. Tubbo dug his nails into the wood grain of the table. Why did he have to be so normal?

Ranboo seemed to sense his frustration, and slid his clawed hand into one of Tubbo’s. The enderman had been healing beautifully with the help of Eret’s nurses. He could walk without a crutch now, and he was due to be released from his arm sling later today. It was amazing what a few days of rest could do. 

Techno sighed, obviously frustrated. "Fine,” he huffed, as if he didn’t want to bother arguing with Eret. "We’ll wait for the storm to pass. In the meantime, Tommy and I can come up with a plan to head north after we rescue Wilbur.”

Tommy and I. Tubbo barely resisted the urge to slam his fists into the table and throw a tantrum like a child. This was his mission; the prophecy didn’t call for the kings to rescue each other. It called for Tubbo to rescue them. Tubbo was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. 

Eret dismissed them a few minutes later, the Tubbo was the first to storm out of the room. No one seemed to notice his bad mood; Tommy and Techno had their heads together, talking, and Eret and Niki had gone off together. Fundy had gone to do his paper route before the rain started and Ranboo-

“Tubbo!” Ranboo called, hobbling after his friend. Tubbo huffed and turned around, glaring at the other boy. 

Ranboo’s face was painted with worry. "What’s wrong?” he asked. "Do you...wanna talk?”

“I don't know, Ranboo!” Tubbo cried, throwing his hands in the air. "I don’t know! Everything just feels wrong, and I don’t know what to do.”

Ranboo pursed his lips and glanced around. He motioned for Tubbo to follow him, and led him into a small sitting room, windows open to a peaceful courtyard. A small fountain gurgled from outside. 

Ranboo sat down on the plush couch, and Tubbo sat down across from him, slouching against the cushions. Ranboo looked at him expectantly, and Tubbo took a deep breath before letting it all spill out. 

“I just feel useless,” he blurted. "All of you guys are so cool and have cool powers - Tommy has his fire and Techno has his earth and you have your cool enderman powers, and I just have nothing! I'm slow and useless and I don’t have anything special about me. I'm just some dumb prince who got chosen to free a few self-centered kings!”

His voice rose sharply at the end, and he sucked in an anticlimactic breath. His eyes burned with uncomfortable tears. He tried to blink them away, and rubbed at them with his sleeve. 

Ranboo stared at the table, obviously thinking. His leg bobbed up and down from where it was crossed over the other. Tubbo thumbed at his long sleeves, anxious for his friend to say something, anything, to make him feel better. 

“I…” Ranboo said after a long pause. Finally, laughed, a soft, short, breathy laugh. "Tubbo, do you know what I would give to be as normal as you?”

Tubbo blinked. He hadn’t expected an answer like that. "What?”

A faint purple blush pulsed across Ranboo’s cheekbones. "I mean - Tubbo, it’s like you said. You’re so normal, and that’s amazing. W here I'm from, everyone is like me. I'm normal in the end, but here...here, I'm so different. It’s so easy to pick me out in a crowd, and you saw how humans treat me. People don’t like what’s different. They don’t like what they don’t understand. They trap it and put it in a cage and gawk at it like an animal in a zoo.”

Ranboo pushed a clawed hand through his hair. "What I'm trying to say is - you’re so lucky to be normal. I'd give anything to be like you and just go walk through the street with no one staring at me. No powers for people to try and trap me to use. Being normal would be so cool.”

Tubbo stared down at his hands. Hot tears had begun to fall down his cheeks as Ranboo spoke, and they splashed down onto his lap. He had never thought of it that way - of seeing it from Ranboo’s perspective. He had always thought the others saw him as lesser than them, as just a dead weight to carry around. He had never thought that they might desire to be him the same way he desired to be them.

“So you think Tommy and Techno feel that way?” he asked quietly, looking up at Ranboo through his curls. Ranboo’s face softened. 

“Well, I don’t know about them,” Ranboo said hesitantly. "They’ve had a long time around people who are different from them, but - it doesn’t mean what I said doesn’t matter. Tubbo, you’re beautiful, no matter if you have superpowers or not. You know how often I wish I had human skin? or normal colored hair? or freakin’ normal eyes?”

He had drawn a huffing laugh out of Tubbo. Tubbo smeared his tears away with his sleeve, leaving snot and water on the fabric. "I - yeah,” he stammered. "Okay. Yeah. Thank you.”

Ranboo stood and stepped over the low table with one stride, and crouched in front of Tubbo. Even crouching, he was nearly at Tubbo’s eye level. He pried Tubbo’s hands away from his face and held them gently. His tail flicked back and forth like a pendulum. 

“Tubbo, no matter what you are, or what you look like, I'll always be your friend,” he said genuinely. "No matter what happens from now until we free this kingdom. I'll always be here for you.”

fresh tears sprang into Tubbo’s eyes, and he sniffled, throwing his arms around Ranboo’s neck. Ranboo jumped a bit, and then wrapped his good arm around Tubbo’s shoulders. They sat there for a long time, before Tubbo’s tears soaked through his shirt and Ranboo was starting to get burned. 

“Thank you,” Tubbo sobbed, wiping his eyes with his sleeves again. "I just - yeah, thank you.”

Ranboo smiled sweetly. "Y’know what? stay here. I'll be right back, I promise.”

Ranboo peeled himself away from Tubbo and slid out of the room. Tubbo snuggled back into the cushions, picking at loose threads in his sleeves. A while later, Ranboo returned, carrying a fancy tray with him, which he set down on the low table and knelt beside it, nodding to the floor across from him. Tubbo slid down to his knees in front of the table, glancing at the collection of objects on the tray. A teapot, two porcelain teacups, a small bowl of different leaves, sugar and small cakes wrapped in gold leaf. Ranboo made a small sound at the back of his throat. 

“I've never made human tea before,” he muttered. He glanced up at Tubbo. "Tea’s a special tradition in the end. We have it after important meetings, or whenever we need a clear head, or after we’ve made up after an argument. It’s a way to calm down and bring ourselves back to reality.”

Tubbo watched, mystified, as Ranboo handled the tea set with infinite grace. He had had tea before, of course, but the servants at the castle had always poured his tea for him, prepared it just right, and he thought if he had tried to handle the teapot he would spill the hot water everywhere. But Ranboo was exceedingly gentle with it; he poured the water into the cup just the right amount, and picked through his option of leaves, frowning. Obviously he wasn’t familiar with the types of tea leaves. Tubbo leaned forward and gently picked up the small bowl of matcha; Ranboo hummed and took it, tapping the side as he shook a bit into their teacups. 

“In the end, we grind up chorus fruit to make powder like this,” Ranboo said, raising the matcha bowl. "It takes the whole teleportation gimmick away, so it’s safe to drink whenever.” He stirred his tea with his spoon. Tubbo reached to get his own spoon to stir his tea, but Ranboo made a yelping sound and swatted his hand away. 

“No, no!” he exclaimed. "Sorry, I - I'm supposed to prepare it for you. I'm supposed to make it, and then we both enjoy it.”

Tubbo hummed in understanding and sat back on his haunches. He let Ranboo stir his tea and make sure it wasn’t too hot; finally he hummed in satisfaction and sat back, setting Tubbo’s cup back on his plate. 

“There you go,” he said. "Made just the way I make it in the End.”

Tubbo gingerly picked up the teacup, bringing it up to his lips. He had had matcha tea back at the castle, but this was strangely different - it was sweeter and tangy and a million different flavors exploded on his tongue. He made a small sound of satisfaction and gulped even more down. Ranboo giggled and daintily lifted the cup to his own lips. 

“I'm glad you like it,” he said bashfully. "I made a lot of tea in the End; it was one of my favorite pastimes.”

“Can you tell me more about the End?” Tubbo asked as he drained his cup and thrusted it forward for a refill. "Please?”

Ranboo beamed with sharp teeth. "I would love to.”

———

Twenty minutes later, after draining their teapot of steaming water, they took a walk around the mansion grounds. Eret had advised the group not to go into the city again - they had everything they needed in the mansion, there was no need to go out and run the risk of getting caught - so they kept inside the fences. Ranboo stepped outside and scooped up a handful of dirt, looking pleased with himself. 

“One of my favorite parts of the End is the festivals,” the enderman began. "There’s one that celebrates the first harvest of chorus fruit - there’s a little bit of time each year where the fruit doesn’t grow, I think it’s what you guys call seasons. We just have harvest time and empty time, but, yeah, same thing. Anyways, once the fruit starts to bloom again, the dragon chooses one enderman to pick the first fruit, and it’s supposed to bring good luck for the rest of the year.”

Tubbo kicked a pebble. "Have you ever gotten to pick the fruit?”

Ranboo shook his head. "Nope. It’s a tradition for the commonfolk to do. As a prince, I get my own festival for my birthday.” Another embarrassed blush scorched across his cheeks. 

Tubbo burst out with a laugh. " You get your own festival?” he giggled. "I would have never thought such a humble guy like you would like the spectacle.”

Ranboo’s flush got deeper. "I didn’t ask for it!” he exclaimed. "It’s my mother that arranges it each year. It’s really just a big party in the palace, really, but the commoners get off of work for the day and there’s theater plays and music and dancing all night…”

He trailed off, and Tubbo realized for the first time that the enderman might be homesick. Tubbo looked up and caught the forlorn look in his eyes, staring up at the overcast sky, pungent with the promise of rain. Once again, Tubbo felt useless and slow. He was homesick for even the Capitol sometimes; of course Ranboo would be as well. He was in the completely wrong dimension. 

“Do you want to go home?” Tubbo asked softly. It would be a huge hassle to get Ranboo into the Capitol unseen and an even larger problem to get him to the End portal. But Tubbo was willing to do it all and more for Ranboo. 

Ranboo thumbed the pile of dirt in his palm. "Yeah,” he sighed. "Everything here is so different. The sky, the plants, the air...in the End, everything is so plain. It’s just - it’s just endstone and chorus fruit and obsidian and void. Here, everything is so loud and bright and colorful, and that’s wonderful, but that doesn’t mean I miss the quiet.”

The enderman tilted his face towards the sky. "I like it when it’s nighttime here,” he said softly. "It reminds me of the void. I miss flying over it.”

Tubbo blinked. "Flying?”

Ranboo smiled. "Yeah. Y’know how I was telling you about those little dragons in the outer End? They’re part of a tradition in our culture. An enderman comes of age when they travel to the outer end and tame a dragon. After that, they’re partners for life. The dragon and the enderman serve each other until one dies. I have - a few dragons.”

Tubbo’s mouth fell open. "You have multiple? ”

Ranboo laughed. "Uh - yeah. I like exploring beyond the islands where the ceremony takes place, so I have a collection of dragons who like to come fly with me. Most of them live out on the islands, but my mother made a whole pavilion for them to live in.”

Tubbo whistled. "Once this is all over, can you please take me to ride a dragon?”

Ranboo grinned with all his teeth. "Oh my gosh, of course! And you’ll have to meet my mother, and see the castle, and, on, you must come to my birthday festival.”

Once this is all over. A time after this whole prophecy seemed like an impossible-to-reach goal - Tubbo felt like he would be travelling around the world for years before he could get a whiff of freedom. He hadn’t thought to look forward to anything after all of this. But walking around the gardens with Ranboo, he allowed himself to hope - hope for a nice life living in the Capitol again with the kings, safe with Puffy, visiting Ranboo every single day in the end.

Tubbo decided that hoping was nice.

---------

The next four days spent cooped up inside the mansion seemed to drag on forever. Tubbo distracted himself with a number of different activities; he helped Niki in the kitchen, scoured Eret’s expansive library for anything he hadn’t read before, and had tea with Ranboo every day. It was nice to have downtime between saving the world.

One day, as thunder rumbled outside, Tubbo found a chess board in the library. After so many lonely days in the Capitol with nothing to do, Tubbo had made himself a master at chess. He didn’t have anyone to play against back home - sometimes Puffy would be free to play a round or two, but she wasn’t very good anyways - so most of the time Tubbo played against himself. Commanding the board from both sides, it got a bit boring playing by himself, but he made do. 

Later that day Tommy found Tubbo squirreled away with the chess board and demanded they play a round. Tubbo was delighted; he had never had the chance to show anyone his skills at chess.

“Just sayin’,” Tommy announced as he sat down. "I'm quite cracked at chess.”

Tubbo smiled sweetly. "I'm sure you are.”

Tommy took the black side, and Tubbo took white. Tommy let Tubbo go first (“it’s the gentlemanly thing to do”) and Tubbo confidently moved a pawn up two spaces. Tommy glanced at him and did the same.

“You’re quite good, aren’t ‘cha?” Tommy mumbled after a long beat of silence. For a few minutes the only sound had been the patter of the rain on the windows and the quiet shuffle of pieces against the board.

Tubbo smirked as he moved his knight forward. "I have a bit of experience.”

A while later, Ranboo found them deeply concentrated on their pieces and drew up a chair to watch. He said he had a similar game in the End - they used a large circular board instead of square, and the games could last for hours, either as a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat game or a slow, strategizing campaign. 

Tubbo rested his hands against his mouth, surveying the board. His queen was out in the action, but Tommy’s was still behind a fair amount of pawns and a knight. Tommy’s king was in a tough position, trapped on the edge between his own pawn and bishop. Tubbo pulled his hand back from his queen and scooted a rook over, which made Tommy frown.

“You’re a weird ass chess player,” he mumbled, moving a pawn forward slightly.

Tubbo moved his knight in an arc, behind the pawn and breaching Tommy’s defense of his queen. "I've practiced a lot.”

Tommy cursed under his breath as he squinted at the board. Ranboo appeared to be on the edge of his seat, watching the competition with wide eyes. Tommy snatched up Tubbo’s knight, and Tubbo retaliated, taking the offending knight in turn.

Finally Tommy backed his king up into the corner, and Tubbo tapped the black piece with his queen, tipping it over and settling his queen over the black king. "Checkmate.”

Tommy’s mouth fell open. "Man, you’re busted at this!” he cried. "I want a rematch!”

“Noooo, I wanna play next!” Ranboo said, bouncing up and down in his chair. "I think I understand the rules now. Let me play, let me play.”

Tommy and Ranboo traded places, and Tubbo subsequently wiped the floor with the enderman within a few turns. Ranboo was delighted with the game, though, and begged both Tubbo and Tommy to teach him. So they spent the afternoon in the corner of the library, giggling over chess pieces as the storm raged on outside.

The next day, Techno insisted on everyone practicing their fighting skills. Tubbo and Ranboo admitted to being quite awful at fighting - Tubbo had barely even picked up a sword - and Ranboo said he was more of a pacifist than a fighter. Nevertheless, Eret pointed them to a courtyard with a glass roof and cobblestone floor where they could practice. 

The room was horribly humid, and Tubbo was certain it was going to be made even worse by sweating. Techno and Tommy took the first sparring round, as they were the most experienced. Eret and Fundy stood by Tubbo and Ranboo, watching (or listening, in Eret’s case) intently as Techno and Tommy danced around each other. Techno was obviously the better swordsman, but Tommy was fast, choosing to evade instead of cross blades. He didn’t use his fire while he fought, unlike Techno; Techno used the environment to his advantage, raising the cobblestones around Tommy to attempt to block his escape. But Tommy was as nimble as a squirrel, finding tiny footholds and handholds on the stone to scamper up and around them. However it was finished rather quickly: Techno trapped Tommy in a tent of rock, limiting his movement. 

“I think I won,” Techno rumbled. 

Tommy scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Only by a little bit,” he snarked. The way he was trapped between the slabs of rock made his statement rather detrimental. 

Techno let go of the stone, letting it smooth back into place. He turned to look at Ranboo and Tubbo, who were attempting to blend into the wall in hopes they didn’t have to fight. "You two. Come on. You need to learn how to hold a sword.”

“But my arm still hurts,” Ranboo whined, but the look in Techno’s eyes suggested that they shouldn’t argue. They dragged their feet across the stones, standing in front of Techno as he surveyed them, judging which sword would fit better in their hands. He gave them both dull training shortswords, grinded down to soft edges to not hurt the opponent. Techno had them stand facing each other and barked orders, stalking around them as he adjusted feet, raised arms, and pushed shoulders back. 

“Poise and attention are everything,” Techno said. "You must have a neat record of everything going on in battle. If you forget about a man behind you, it could mean a knife in the back.”

He taught them certain stances and had them do simple jabs and swipes. Tubbo thought that it felt more like dance practice than training. Tubbo was beginning to get bored before Techno suggested they spar with each other, just using what they know and their instincts. 

facing Ranboo, Tubbo felt like he was at an unfair disadvantage. Ranboo was tall, of course, but had an enderman’s grace, and he could move elegantly in battle like a dancer. Tubbo felt short and stunted and clumsy next to him. Still, Techno gave the starting whistle, and the waltz began. 

Ranboo assumed the defensive, turning the flat of his sword towards Tubbo to block blows instead of dealing them. Tubbo stepped forward, swatting at Ranboo’s sword with just about as much might as he could muster with one arm. Ranboo’s sword left its defensive position momentarily, and Tubbo found himself narrowing in on his target. Before, he had been discouraged with Techno’s instruction of keeping a keen eye on everything. He felt like battle would be so distracting - but at least with Ranboo, with one opponent, he could zone in on this one person. He jabbed forward, trying to stab through Ranboo’s defense, but Ranboo swatted Tubbo’s sword out of the way with his own, and he was back on the defensive. 

They went around in circles of each other for a long time, Ranboo choosing to defend himself and Tubbo being forced into an offensive. It seemed to go on for forever, until Techno groaned. "Ranboo, holding your sword in front of your face forever will not win a battle!” he barked. "Attack!”

Ranboo pursed his lips and gave Tubbo an apologetic look, before stepping forward and feinting hesitantly. Tubbo blocked it easily, and found instinct catch onto his limbs. He turned, catching Ranboo off guard, and then blinked in surprise. The edge of his blade was under Ranboo’s chin, just shy of his neck, and Ranboo was staring at him in surprise. 

“How'd you do that?” he squawked. 

“Good, Tubbo,” Techno said. He nodded in satisfaction. "You guys can take a break. Tommy-“

“Actually, I'd like a spar with the earth king,” Eret said unexpectedly, stepping out from where she was standing with Fundy. She wasn’t exactly dressed for combat - she was wearing a puff-sleeved blouse and a high-low skirt with high heeled boots - but she took the blunt training sword from Tubbo, and Techno took Ranboo’s. 

Techno smirked. "Would you like me to go easy on you? As a start?”

“Oh, please, no,” Eret said pleasantly, her heels clicking on the cobblestone. "It’s a learning experience.”

Techno hummed in agreement, and paused as Eret took her place at the other side of the courtyard. He surveyed his enemy, and then he moved, feet thumping against the stones as he ran, raising his sword as he bore down on Eret-

Eret barely moved or reacted. She swerved to the side, swinging her sword in a large arc. Techno adjusted quickly, meeting her blade with a large clash. He looked confident, if not a little startled at Eret’s quick reaction. Tubbo felt himself start holding his breath. 

Eret was surprisingly graceful and dodged almost every blow from Techno - Tubbo had no idea how she did it. The spar went on for a long time, and they seemed evenly matched. Like Tommy, Eret was elusive and agile, preferring to dodge rather than attack. Techno was a brute force, barreling forward and having to catch himself as Eret danced around him. It reminded Tubbo of the trick he had played in the labyrinth, of stepping out of the way of Techno and making him fall over. But finally Eret misstepped and Techno’s sword hovered next to her neck. They regarded each other for a tense moment, both panting, before Eret broke into a smile and Techno huffed an awkward laugh. 

“You fight well,” Techno said, lowering his sword. "Better than I expected.”

“Oh, the heels don’t bother me all that much,” Eret said cheekily. Techno cracked a smile as Eret sauntered away, handing her sword back to Tubbo. 

Tubbo and Ranboo spent the rest of the afternoon practicing with each other, arms and legs growing sore as Techno worked them down to the time when the courtyard went dark as the sun set. They all were dismissed for dinner, and Niki served them a delicious meal of soup and potatoes, a meal that Techno seemed to particularly delight in. 

After dinner Tubbo and Ranboo went immediately to bed; after Tubbo’s nightmare, Ranboo had been sleeping in Tubbo’s room, but Tubbo ushered him away tonight. He assured his friend that he would be fine. After Dream didn’t come back for a few nights in a row, he got the feeling the king had lost interest in trying to manipulate him. 

Tubbo was very wrong in that regard. 

Dream didn’t waste any time assuming a front of pleasantries this time. Tubbo awoke in his room again, spotted the star-dusted sky, and immediately whirled around. He was greeted by Dream once more, his mouth pulled into a scowl. 

“Well?” the king snarled. 

Tubbo scooted over, feeling trapped by the blankets. "Well what?” He said stoutly. 

“You haven’t killed the kings or that damn Ender prince,” he hissed. He leaned way too close to Tubbo, and Tubbo backed up uneasily. Dream smelled like sweet mushrooms. 

“I'm not going to kill my friends for you!” Tubbo cried. "You think I'm so naïve when I'm not!”

Dream growled and shoved himself away from the bed. "I know where you are, Tubbo,” he growled. "I know exactly where you and your friends are. I could kill you all at the drop of a hat.”

a zap of boldness zipped through Tubbo’s veins. "Then kill me,” Tubbo said, sitting up straight and staring Dream in the eye behind his blindfold. "Kill all of us.”

Dream grit his teeth. "Fine,” he seethed. "I will.”

“This is a dream,” Tubbo said, sliding his legs out from under the blanket and standing as Dream stalked away. "You can’t hurt me here. You can’t hurt anyone here, and you won’t hurt anything after the kings are freed.”

“Shut up, Tubbo!” Dream shouted, and suddenly there were fingers wrapping around his neck. Tubbo screamed as he was pushed back onto the bed, Dream’s fingers pressing hard against his windpipe, a nail digging into his pulse point. He gasped and choked, hands flying to Dream’s wrists. 

“You think I can’t hurt you?” Dream seethed. He was trembling. "This is my realm. Everything is my realm . You have no idea what I'm fucking capable of.”

Tubbo let out a feeble wail, feeling his eyes water as he clawed at Dream’s hands. He could feel the bruises being pressed into his skin. Dream seemed to grow in size the same way he had in his previous nightmare. 

Dream grinned, and his teeth sharpened down into needles. "Y ou won’t be able to escape me! ” he shouted, shaking Tubbo as he squeezed all of the air out of his lungs. "Y ou cannot escape me! Not ever! ”

Dream bore down on Tubbo, sinking his mouthful of needles into Tubbo’s cheek. Tubbo let out a choked scream, pain flooding his nerves, and his legs jerked from the lack of air and from the pain. His screams cost him the last reserves of air in his lungs. Dream’s teeth sunk in deeper, deeper, until Tubbo felt needle scratch bone, and he let out one last breathless scream before, in a whirlwind of colors, everything was gone. 

Tubbo woke up with a gasp, the full fury of his wounds blazing through his skin. He cried out involuntarily, gasping and wheezing. His breath was stuttery. His ears were ringing, and he didn’t notice Ranboo beside him, crying out his name, until the high pitched wail slowly went away and Tubbo registered the hands on his shoulders. 

“Tubbo,” Ranboo gasped, eyes wide as Tubbo turned to look at him. "Holy crap, Tubbo, what the hell happened? What happened to your cheek?”

Tubbo raised a shaking hand to his cheek. It was dark with blood. 

Distantly, he heard Ranboo shouting for help. He was slipping back into unconsciousness, and he tried to fight it. He tried to keep staring up at Ranboo, but he was limp. and his eyelids were too heavy.

The door burst open, but Tubbo felt too exhausted and numb to react. He felt Niki's warm hands on his skin and Eret’s commanding voice. Tubbo was groggy, not quite focused, as he felt a cool towel on his cheek and on his neck. He groaned involuntarily, and he let his head loll back into whoever’s arms he was in - Ranboo, he thought. 

He blacked out again, and Ranboo’s hands were snug around his waist. 

The next time he woke up, he was somewhere different - a white curtain surrounded his bed, and his sheets were pristine white. A vase of flowers stood at attention on the bedside table. A few bandages and herbs were scattered around the table. 

Ranboo sat in a chair nearby, his long legs balled up in front of him, his arms wrapped around them. He stared off to the side, lost in thought, but his head snapped forward as Tubbo shifted. 

“Are you okay?” he cried, shooting to his feet. Tubbo, really, felt fine - his throat aches and his cheek throbbed dully, but other than that and the fact he felt exhausted, he was fine. 

“I feel okay,” Tubbo said, pushing himself upright against the pillows. He guessed he was in the infirmary, where they sent Ranboo when he needed to be treated for his arm and ankle. The curtains were drawn tight around his bed, shielding him from any prying eyes.

“Don’t move too much,” Ranboo advised anxiously, hands flitting over the sheets. "The doctor said you’re still pretty weak.”

Tubbo trailed his hand across his throat, and then across his cheek. This throat was sticky and smooth with some sort of salve. A thick bandage had been taped to his cheek, and it hurt to put pressure on it.

Ranboo blinked at him owlishly. "Tubbo, what happened last night?” he asked softly. "I woke up to you choking from your room, and when I came in, you were bleeding from your cheek and you had horrible bruises on your neck, but you were still asleep.” his eyes shined with worry. "Are you sure you’re alright? Can you tell me what happened?”

Tubbo smoothed out the wrinkles in the blanket, noting the way his hands trembled. He had been trying to keep the truth about the nightmares from his friend - he didn’t want Ranboo to worry about him - but soon the words all spilled out.

 “I had another nightmare,” he whispered. "I'm sorry I never told you about the first. The first time, Dream appeared and tried to convince me to switch sides. He said that we could be stronger together, but-” his breath hitched. "I said no. Of course I said no. He tried to convince me to kill you and Tommy and Techno.”

Ranboo’s lips were drawn into a tight line. "Are you sure it wasn’t just a normal nightmare?” he asked hesitantly. His leg was bobbing up and down anxiously, and Tubbo shuddered as he was reminded that Dream had the same habit. The enderman wrung his hands together. "Are you sure you weren’t just having a really realistic dream?”

“No,” Tubbo said stoutly, twisting the blanket in his hands. "I'm sure it was him. Because - because last night he told me that dreams were his realm, his domain, and I wouldn’t doubt him.”

Tubbo’s eyes suddenly burned with tears. "He told me that he knew where we were,” he said shakily, his throat closing up, and he had a terrifying moment where he was back in Dream’s clutches, back with his hands wrapped around his throat. But he focused on Ranboo in front of him. This wasn’t a dream. Ranboo was here, and he was real. 

“He said he knew where we were, and that he could kill us all easily,” Tubbo whispered. "Dream almost never lies. Especially when he’s making threats. Ranboo, I'm so scared. ” his voice died off into barely a wisp of sound. "I've never been more scared in my life, Ranboo. I don’t want Dream to kill you. But he can do it, he can do it so easily-”

“Shh,” Ranboo hummed softly, leaning over and wrapping his long arms around Tubbo. Tubbo went limp in his arms, feebly clutching his shirt, and sobbed into his shoulder. This was becoming a common practice between them, wasn’t it? but it meant that Tubbo was safe, that he was free to cry and vent and get everything out. Ranboo was a sturdy rock in a hurricane, and Tubbo was clinging on for dear life.

“We’re safe here, with Eret,” Ranboo assured Tubbo gently. "Eret won’t let Dream hurt us. And I won’t let Dream hurt you. Ever. I won’t let anything hurt you anymore.”

Tubbo sniffled and buried his face deeper into the crook of Ranboo’s neck. Ranboo’s hands were firm on his back, an anchor to reality. Ranboo was more than just Tubbo’s friend, he realized - the prophecy may have forced them together, but they were brothers bound in blood, watching each other’s backs and patching each other up when the other was hurt. Ranboo was Tubbo’s soulmate, he decided. And soulmates can’t be separated.

“We'll go get Wilbur, and then we’ll leave,” Ranboo promised. "We’ll be out of here so fast that all Dream will find are the beds we slept in. And then we have one king left. Easy peasy.”

Tubbo sniffled, a sodden laugh. "Yeah. Easy peasy.”

He wished it could be that easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Chapter Text

Tubbo’s injuries from the nightmare cost them another four day delay. He was frustrated with himself once again - despite all his best efforts, he was slowing the team down. Techno assured him that it was fine, that they needed to wait until Tubbo was healed properly, but Tubbo didn’t miss the way Tommy glared at him out of the corner of his eye or grumbled under his breath. 

Tubbo assured everyone that he was fine; the only injuries were the bruises on his throat and the deep gash in his cheek. His cheek was the most serious injury - the wound was deep and had to be looked after to make sure infection didn’t set in. His cheek was swollen up, and it made it difficult to eat some days. 

Finally, after a day in the infirmary and three days in his bed, Eret and his nurses deemed him well enough to move around. Eret advised against venturing out immediately, but Tubbo was as impatient as Tommy. The moment he was cleared, he packed a bag of his storybook, some water, a bit of food, and a plain change of clothes. Tommy and Techno didn’t need much, and they were ready to go by noon that day. 

The trio, Ranboo, Eret, Niki and Fundy rode their horses down to a private beach that Eret had access to. It was near the place the royal family used to leave from to get to Endlantis, Techno said. They tied up their horses and Tubbo, the kings, and Ranboo trudged down the sand to the edge of the water. 

Tubbo turned to look at Ranboo. “Hey,” he said softly. “Ranboo. I’m sorry, but - but you can’t go on this rescue.”

Ranboo’s eyes got impossibly wide. “What?” he cried. “Tubbo, I'm in the prophecy too! I’m going with you!”

“It's not safe for you, Boo,” Tubbo said, grabbing his friend’s hands. “It’s all underwater. We’re gonna have to ride Carl and Chekhov out there, and I don't want you getting burned. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt.”

Ranboo pulled his mouth into a tight line. “Tubbo, please ,” he begged. “I promised I would keep you safe. I promised that I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, and I’m not about to let you go off alone into an underwater city!”

“I won’t be alone!” Tubbo cried. “I have Techno and Tommy with me.”

Ranboo tore his gaze away. “You know what I mean,” he mumbled. His tail flicked from side to side, agitated. 

“Ranboo, do you think I want you to stay here?” Tubbo said, squeezing his hands. “Of course I don’t. But where we’re going is just too dangerous for you. We’re gonna be surrounded by stuff that can kill you. It’s not worth the risk.” 

“But then I can't protect you,” Ranboo whispered, his voice dropping. His eyes were watery. “Tubbo, if something happens to you down there, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Nothing bad is going to happen,” Tubbo promised profusely. “We’re gonna go down there, get Wilbur, and be back before dinner. I promise. ”

Ranboo’s eyes resembled something like a begging puppy. “You promise?” he whispered. 

Tubbo stood on his tip-toes to press a gentle kiss to Ranboo’s cheek. “I promise,” he repeated. “I'll be back before you know it.”

He let go of ranboo’s hands, and it felt like a deep weight in his stomach to walk away from him. He willed himself not to look backwards as he trudged over to where Tommy and Techno were waiting for him by the shore. 

Techno’s mouth twitched. “Ranboo’s not comin’?”

Tubbo shook his head. “I don't want him getting hurt.”

Techno sighed, looking out to sea. The midday sun highlighted his olive skin, turning his eyes to blazing rubies, and the salty wind made his hair swirl around his shoulders like seagrass. 

“It shouldn’t be too dangerous,” he murmured. “That place should be abandoned. There’s no way for anyone to get down there.”

Tommy was hopping up and down in place. “Come on! ” he pressed. “Forget about Ranboo, I wanna go see Wilby!”

Tubbo frowned but Techno merely rolled his eyes. He whistled sharply, and then Carl and Chekhov came leaping out of the water, huffing and pawing the sea foam. Techno pressed his forehead to Carl’s, ankle deep in the sea, and Tommy hopped up onto Carl's back. Tubbo approached Chekhov, and the hippocampus seemed to recognize him; he huffed at him and nuzzled his hair as Tubbo put a gentle hand to his neck. 

“Hey, bud,” Tubbo murmured. “Only one rider this time, big guy.”

He pushed himself up onto the creature’s back, hands digging into his seagrass hair. Techno mounted Carl a few moments later, and Eret stepped forward to send them off.

“Be safe,” they said. “Remember, come straight back afterwards. I’m willing to bet King Wilbur will need medical attention afterwards.”

Techno huffed. “We’ll be fine,” he rumbled. “I know where we’re going.”

Eret gave a short nod and stepped backwards. “Very well, then. Godspeed, gentlemen.”

Techno clicked his tongue and squeezed Carl's flanks with his thighs. Carl whinnied and turned, galloping off across the waves. Tommy let out a whoop, and Chekhov followed with little prompting from Tubbo, galloping after the kings. He risked a glance backwards; Fundy and Niki were waving, and Eret stood at the waterside watching them go. Ranboo was further up the beach, arms hugging himself, looking away. Tubbo pursed his lips and turned back forward. 

They rode for about half an hour, from Tubbo’s calculations. The gentle rocking of Chekhov underneath him nearly lulled him to sleep before Techno gave a shout over the spray of the ocean. Tubbo blinked the salty water out of his eyes, squinting. Clouds had swept over the sun, leaving an overcast haze in the sky, and there was the faintest scent of rain on the wind. Tubbo yawned, stretching his back, and slouched, hands digging lightly into Chekhov’s mane. 

Techno was shouting something at him over the roar of the wind. Tubbo cocked his head to the side, confused, and then spotted the flying projectile out of the corner of his eye just in time to throw himself flat on Chekhov’s back. Tubbo whipped his head to the side and watched as the block of ice that had been sailing towards him crashed into the rough waves. 

Tubbo screamed. “ What the fuck was that? ” he shrieked as Techno pulled Carl up next to Chekhov. Techno’s hair had long since been ripped from its ponytail, thrashing in the wind behind him. Tommy had his arms tight around Techno’s middle, squinting against the spray of the sea. 

“Defense mechanisms,” Techno shouted over the wind. “The ones I told you about. We gotta dismantle them if we wanna get in safely.”

Turning, Tubbo surveyed the area as they approached. The water seemed to dip down up ahead - as they neared, Tubbo got a glance over the edge. Water swirled together in a massive funnel, turning and turning towards the middle where it dropped off into a massive hole. A whirlpool. The perfect protection for an underwater city. Along the rim of the whirlpool were what looked like spires, with long metal poles sticking up out of the seafoam; Tubbo kept an eye on one as they approached, and eventually the top of the spire glowed blue, and another massive block of ice emerged from the sea, and after hovering for a few seconds, was hurled at the hippocampi. Carl and Chekhov swerved, letting the ice crash into the sea between them, sending up a wave of spray. 

“If we want to get in there quickly, we gotta get those ice spires destroyed,” Techno shouted as they regrouped. “They’ll only target Tubbo, unless the mechanisms have changed. Tubbo-”

“I'll lead the ice away from you,” Tubbo suggested immediately, keeping a close eye on the spires as they neared. “Tommy, it’s like we did with Techno at the labyrinth. I’ll draw the ice away so you guys can destroy them.”

Techno’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Tubbo, that’s way too dangerous,” he said. “I get that you want to be a hero and everythin’, but-”

“Just let me do this!” Tubbo shouted. “You said it yourself - Chekhov is faster than even Carl. If there’s anyone who can do it, it’s me!”

Without waiting for an answer, Tubbo took hold of the seagrass of Chekhov's mane and pulled him to the side, squeezing his flanks with his legs. Chekhov huffed and swerved, galloping alongside the spires instead of heading straight inside the whirlpool. The sky was dark with clouds now, and Tubbo could see the flash of lightning on the horizon. They had to get inside Endlantis fast, or risk getting caught in this storm. And he was going to be the one to get them in - not Techno, and not Tommy. Techno’s comment about him trying to just be a hero had rubbed him the wrong way.

Tubbo pursed his lips and pressed himself low to Chekhov’s back as they whizzed past the first spire. Sure enough, as Tubbo expected, the top glowed blue, and a massive ice block rose to the surface of the water, narrowly missing Chekhov’s back hooves. Tubbo leaned as close as he could to Chekhov’s ear. “Come on, bud,” he whispered. “Techno told me you could run wicked fast. If there’s any time you need to run fast, it’s right now. ”

Chekhov gave a loud whinny, and put on a burst of speed, ducking his lead low as he raced across the choppy waves. Tubbo pressed himself low to Chekhov’s back, digging his hands into the seagrass mane. He held his breath as the ice block spun towards them, and he waited to be crushed, to be thrown into the ocean by the makings of ancient machinery-

The block crashed into the waves behind them, sending up a huge wave of sea spray. Tubbo was soaked, but he just shook the hair out of his eyes and kept going. Glancing behind him, he spotted Techno and Tommy a ways back - Techno lifted a hand, and a huge shelf of rock rose from the waves. Techno sent it slamming into the spire, and there was a groan of old machinery as it toppled into the sea, sending up an even bigger splash.

Tubbo weaved through the spires, dodging blocks of ice and letting Techno take care of the defenses. Chekhov rode faster than the wind, not once tiring, not once slowing down. Tubbo got hit with wave after wave of water as the ice blocks pursued him - one got so close that it turned Chekhov’s back legs to frost and Tubbo could feel the chill on the back of his neck like melted snow - but Techno swiftly took care of any offending spires.

Finally they made a full lap around the whirlpool, taking down the last spire with flourish. Tubbo sat panting on Chekhov’s back as he tugged him to a stop, waiting for Techno and Tommy neared on Carl. Tubbo was completely wet, and if he had to take a wild guess, so was the change of clothes he brought with him solely to change into a dry set. He pushed his sopping wet hair out of his eyes to look over at Techno and Tommy. They weren’t much drier; Techno’s hair was a wet curtain hanging down his back, and Tommy’s once-fluffy hair was plastered to his skull. He was shaking like a leaf from the freezing water. It had definitely been a good idea to leave Ranboo behind, no matter how much Tubbo regretted it.

“Good job, Tubbo,” Techno said, looking down at the middle of the whirlpool. “I’m sorry for underestimatin’ you earlier.”

Tubbo gave him a curt nod. “‘S okay.”

Techno peeled some hair out of his face. “We gotta go down there,” he announced. “That’s the entrance.”

“Aw, can’t we have Wilbur open up the easy entrance?” Tommy whined. “I don’t wanna jump down a whirlpool hole.”

“Wilbur isn’t strong enough to do that,” Techno scolded. “We gotta go down the peasant entrance.” He shrugged, as if shaking off some sort of apprehension. “Well. Here goes nothin’.”

Carl started off down the slope, and Chekhov followed a moment after. The water here swirled angrily around the hippocampi’s feet, and they moved slower, too. Tubbo imagined that rough, fast-moving water like this was akin to walking during an earthquake. The creatures whinnied and huffed nervously as they picked their way down the funnel, tossing their manes and stamping their hooves. Tubbo held on tight as Chekhov continued down slowly, holding his breath.

Finally, with little issue, they came to a stop at the edge of the middle of the whirlpool. The water cascaded down in a mighty waterfall down into the center, and it was shallow here, and Tubbo spotted drains under the water to catch most of the water so the hole didn’t flood. Still, an impressive amount of water poured down into it, and Tubbo leaned over to try and spot the bottom.

Techno and Tommy slid off of Carl’s back at the edge of the pit, and Tubbo slowly did the same. The adrenaline of his run from the ice was beginning to wear off, replaced with the shocking cold of the water. He rubbed his arms, desperate to warm up.

Techno peered down the pit, then glanced at Tubbo. “You ready?” he rumbled.

Tubbo nodded, trying to hide the fact his teeth were chattering. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Techno turned and jumped down the hole. He disappeared into the spray sent up by the water down below, and a moment after, Tommy followed, sliding into the sea spray with an enthusiastic yell. Tubbo hopped up and down, hyping himself up, before taking a running start and leaping down to join them.

He fell and fell and fell, his stomach crawling its way into his throat, before he hit something shockingly warm and then immediately after, shockingly cold, and then a moment later his downward motion was suddenly cut short as he fell straight into an infestation of cobwebs. He yelped as he landed, bouncing up slightly, and tried to wrench his arm free from the sticky fibers. He was slowly sliding downward, and he struggled for a moment, but stopped once he heard Techno call from below:

“Don’t move. That’ll just get you stuck more.”

Tubbo glanced down. Techno stood under the cobwebs, helping to pull Tommy out. Tommy was cursing and grumbling under his breath about spiders and sticky stuff. Once Tommy’s feet were safely on the ground next to him, Techno reached up and managed to grab onto one of Tubbo’s belt hooks, and tugged him down until he could grab onto his arm. In no time at all, Tubbo was falling free of the webs, squeaking in surprise as he stumbled to his feet. Techno let go of him and Tommy caught him by the shoulders before he could fall.

“This way,” Techno said, leading them down a dark hallway. Tommy summoned a small handful of flame to light their way; he had been practicing controlling the element with Techno in the days they were driven inside the mansion by the rain. He had gotten quite far within only a few days. Tommy didn’t seem to be one to dedicate himself to a task for a long time, but he had stuck to the lessons Techno had given him. Tubbo respected him for being so diligent in his training.

Light came from up ahead, bright enough so that Tommy was able to extinguish his fire. Tubbo realized that the tunnel they walked through was glass - in fact, this whole structure seemed to be glass. He ran his hand along the smooth wall, and swore he saw some sort of deep sea creature staring back at him.

They emerged into a smaller room, and this one’s ceiling stretched up high enough that light from above the waves could filter in. It was still dim, and Tubbo nearly tripped over a broken barrel at his feet. Glancing around, the room was scattered with similar obstacles; old crates were stacked along the walls, and the remnants of broken boxes, barrels and containers littered the floor, scooped here and there into small piles. Muddy footprints crisscrossed the floor, and upon smearing the toe of his boot through it, Tubbo revealed it to be fresh, wet mud.

He glanced at Techno, who was tense. He had a hand on his sword. “Be careful,” he said slowly. “We don’ know what could be down here.”

They took two steps towards the next corridor before Techno moved, drawing his sword and turning in one smooth movement, holding the tip of the blade to the intruder’s throat. Tommy re-lit his fire, illuminating the person’s face.

At first, Tubbo thought it was Ranboo - had he somehow snuck into Endlantis with them? How had he gotten across the sea? But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the enderman at all - this man had black and white skin, yes, but instead of being evenly split down the middle, this man’s skin was a mess of splatters of shades of white and black. He had gleaming amber and violet eyes, and long black hair shot through with streaks of gold and purple. A pair of gold goggles were nestled in his hair, and he wore a slightly tousled vest and striped dress pants. He had clawed hands like Ranboo, too, and held them up on either side of his head in surrender as Techno’s sword hovered inches from his neck.

The mysterious man smiled, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth. “Pardon my silent entrance, my lord,” he said slyly. The way he smiled made Tubbo on edge. “I didn’t want to startle you.”

“Who are you?” Techno demanded, and at the same time Tommy barked, “Tell us your name, fucker!” The brothers glanced at each other dubiously.

The man chuckled and gently pushed Techno’s sword away with a finger. “My name is Ranbob,” he said, sweeping into an elegant bow. “I was appointed the guardian of Endlantis by Dream.”

The trio bristled. “So you work for him?” Techno growled. He looked like he was about to run the man through.

Ranbob shrugged, and even managed to make that look regal. Every movement he made seemed to be elegant and velvety. “I guess. Though he leaves me down here for months on end, and the food is dreadful. I would love a promotion.” His eyes glittered dangerously. “You can imagine that I am sympathetic to causes working against His Majesty.”

Techno shot Tubbo a quick glance, and Tubbo shook his head minutely. Tubbo had never once heard of Dream sending anyone other than the wardens to protect the kings’ resting places. There was someone suspicious about this - something that made Tubbo’s skin crawl whenever Ranbob’s dual colored gaze swept over him.

“Oooooookay,” Techno said slowly. He didn’t sheathe his sword, but lowered it. “Alright. Well, if you’re workin’ with us, you can show us where the main chamber is.”

Ranbob’s eyes narrowed minutely. “Well, isn’t this your royal city, King Technoblade?” He said in a tone that was layered with honey. “Please, I wouldn’t want to lead you. Lead me, if you may.”

Yeah, that was definitely creepy. Techno and Tommy shared a glance, before Techno took hold of Tommy’s arm and pulled him around to walk in front of him as they continued down the corridor. Tubbo hurried after them, anxious to get out of range of Ranbob’s beady stare. 

They went deeper into the city, still only lit by the fire in Tommy’s hand. The light cast their reflections onto the glass; Tubbo caught his own gaze in the mirror. He had dried off a bit, but the bandage still taped to his cheek was soaked through, and surely pressing salt water into his wound wasn’t doing it any good. He peeled the soggy patch off of his cheek and tossed it into a nearby pile of discarded crates. He couldn’t get a good look in the dark reflection in the glass, but the wound simply looked like a large smear of mud.

“What happened to your cheek?” Ranbob was suddenly in his ear, and Tubbo jerked back. He glanced over at Tommy and Techno - who had slowed down and were casting cautious glances back at the man as they walked - before swallowing thickly and replying.

“Oh - it was an accident. On our way here.”

Ranbob nodded much too enthusiastically. Had he blinked once since he met up with the trio? Tubbo wasn’t sure; he had certainly stared at them long enough to have blinked.

“It looks quite dreadful,” Ranbob lamented. “Almost like a bite. What kind of animal could do that?”

Tubbo went still. His breath got caught in his throat, and his feet scuffed against the ground as he halted, staring at Ranbob in half terror, half shock. Ranbob smiled back, leaning forward ever so slightly, hands clasped behind his back.

Techno stopped, glancing between the two, and Tommy stepped forward, shoving himself between the two. “Bitch,” Tommy addressed Ranbob sharply, then grabbed Tubbo’s hand with his free one and pulled him over to Techno. Tommy marched on ahead, leaving Techno to bring up the rear with Ranbob. Glancing behind them, Tubbo saw Ranbob continue to walk after them, that creepy, thin-lipped smile never dropping, never blinking, never halting from the strange, bouncy way he walked.

“What’d that asshole say?” Tommy muttered as he pulled Tubbo along. Tubbo unfroze slowly, swallowing a few times to wet his dry throat. He took a few deep breaths, noticing how much his hands had started to shake.

“How’d he know the wound on my cheek was a bite?” Tubbo whispered shakily. Tommy’s brow furrowed.

“That shit’s a bite?” he retorted. “Aye, even we didn’t know it was a bite! How could that fucker know?”

“He’s lying about working against Dream,” Tubbo said, risking another glance backwards. Ranbob was staring straight at him, smiley as ever, and Tubbo quickly ducked his head to avoid his gaze.

“Figured,” Tommy sniffed. He squeezed Tubbo’s hand; his own was pleasantly warm. “Listen, I’ll get Techno to kill ‘im, and then we can get rid of that Ranboo-lookin’ fucker forever, m’kay?”

Funny enough, this was Tommy being genuine and earnest. He gave Tubbo a toothy grin, and Tubbo managed to smile back, squeezing his hand in return.

“Aye, why does he look like Ranboo?” Tommy wondered aloud. “Seems uncanny, innit? Like, Ranboo doesn’t have any family, right? Enderman and shit…”

Tommy’s voice blurred into ringing as they emerged into the main chamber, and Tubbo stared up in shock. The room was massive, bigger than the biggest room in the castle, bigger than the holding cell room in Pandora’s Vault, bigger than the throne room in the House of the Undying. The walls were glass, arching up into a massive dome, getting close enough to the surface to let a bit of light leak through. But the room was dim for the most part, lit only by massive obsidian pillars that circled the room - they arched up and around like the spiral staircase in the throne room of the Capitol, and each was topped with a beacon of a different hue, shooting a beam of blinding light into the distant expanse of the ceiling and beyond. The whole room smelled of salt and mortar, and the hairs stood up on the back of Tubbo’s neck. This room was not meant for mortal eyes to see. This room was something wholly magical, something absolutely immortal. Tubbo felt his knees give out underneath him, and stumbled, but Tommy grabbed onto his arm, pulling him upright.

Suspended in the middle of the pillars was a young man with a mop of brown hair, wearing long flowing robes. His arms were extended to the sides, as if they were being pulled, and his head was tilted back, staring straight up.

Tommy suddenly let go of Tubbo, going ramrod straight, blue eyes widening. “ Wilbur! ” he screamed, louder than Tubbo had ever heard anyone scream. Tommy darted forward, footsteps echoing against the stone, and even from here, Tubbo could see Wilbur slowly move his head down.

“Tommy?” came the weak, echoey reply. “Tommy?”

“Wilbur,” Tommy cried, skidding to a stop underneath his brother. He held his arms up as if waiting to be lifted; he glanced back over his shoulder at Techno, and even from this distance, Tubbo could see the glitter of tears in his eyes.

“Lift me!” he shouted back at Techno. His voice was strained. “Get me fuckin’ up there!”

Techno looked conflicted, as if he wanted to be the first one up there with Wilbur, but with a wave of his hand the rock underneath Tommy was growing upwards, raising him up off the floor and to the place in the air where Wilbur hung. Techno delivered the rock gently up under Wilbur’s feet, and Tommy threw his arms around Wilbur, burying his face in his brother’s neck. It looked like Tommy might be crying. Wilbur’s chin moved up and down as he spoke to Tommy. 

Tubbo glanced over at Techno, alarmed to see him slinging the bow he carried off of his shoulder, and pulling an arrow out of the quiver hanging at his belt. “Uh, Techno, um...watcha doin’?”

“Beacons are holdin’ him there,” Techno said, knocking the arrow and pulling back on the string. He squinted up at Tommy.

“Tommy, I’m bringin’ ya down,” Techno yelled. “I gotta destroy these beacons. I don’t want ya gettin’ thrown off by the explosions.”

“ Explosions? ” Tubbo sputtered, whirling to look at Techno. “You can’t explode them! This whole place is glass; with enough shockwaves it’ll shatter and we’ll all drown and suffocate and shit!”

“Not if we free Wilbur first,” Techno said with a shrug. In seemingly one movement, he let go of the arrow, lowered the slab Tommy stood on, and then loaded another arrow, aiming for another beacon.

Tubbo watched the first arrow arc, then hit square on its target of a beacon. It pierced the nether star in the center, and it detonated, shaking the whole room as it exploded in a shower of sparks. Tubbo felt the rush of cold air from the explosion from here. He glanced around at the glass around them nervously.

Wilbur seemed to lurch in the air with the first explosion. Tommy cried out and reached up again, as if he could catch him. Wilbur groaned, and Tubbo took a few steps forward, unsure of what to do, and then stumbled as another beacon exploded.

“Tubbo!” Techno shouted. “If you want somethin’ to do - find that Ranbob guy! He ran off when we got in here.” He leaned back as he aimed another arrow.

Tubbo turned and darted between the obsidian pillars with new purpose. He hadn’t noticed Ranbob had scampered off - too enraptured by the beauty of Endlantis, he guessed. He scanned the dark glass walls, searching for any hallway or staircase Ranbob could have escaped through. Finally he spotted a glass hallway near the back of the room, and Tubbo took it, his footsteps echoing over the crash of another explosion.

There was loose dirt under his feet as he ran - where did Ranbob get dirt? Tubbo didn’t know if there was an easy way out of this place without Wilbur’s assistance. A light from ahead told him he was going the right way. Tubbo skidded to a stop at the end of the hall.

Ranbob stood with his back to Tubbo, tinkering with a bunch of things on a table in front of him. The dim light came from a redstone torch beside the man. Ranbob sighed heavily, and then turned, picking up the torch. The red light made his smile and eyes look even more manic.

Tubbo didn’t know when he had unsheathed his sword, but suddenly it was in his hands. He had added the sword to his collection of items he brought with him on a whim, even though he was still unsure of how to properly use it. But now he was glad he had brought it - maybe he could simply intimidate Ranbob. 

Tubbo thrusted the sword forward. “Listen,” he said hotly. “I know you’re working with Dream.”

Ranbob’s smile grew. “Oh, why on earth would you think that?” he said sweetly. “I said I was on your side.”

“Then how’d you know this was a bite?” Tubbo demanded, pointing at his cheek. “No one knew this was a bite! Not even Ranboo!” His grip on the sword tightened. “And - and why do you look so much like Ranboo, anyways?”

Ranbob laughed. It made Tubbo’s skin crawl. “Oh, Prince Tubbo, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” Ranbob blinked, and suddenly his eyes were a dark green, and much more human than they just were. He blinked again, and suddenly they were Ranboo’s green and red ones. Tubbo choked, taking a step back. Ranbob cackled, and his eyes went back to normal. 

“Prince Tubbo,” Ranbob hissed, and suddenly it wasn’t Ranbob’s voice - it was Dream’s, Dream was here, Dream was inside of Ranbob, Tubbo realized with a jolt. His eyes widened - and Ranbob - Dream? - saw the look of recognition pass Tubbo’s face. His grin spread impossibly wide, looking cheshire in nature, and suddenly he was contorting, neck bending to the side much farther than it should, and his teeth were growing out of his mouth, and his eyes were bulging like a frog’s, and he was laughing, an awful sound, like nails on a chalkboard, and Tubbo felt his stomach heave, he wanted to throw up, he wanted Ranboo, he wanted to leave -

With a terrified shout, Tubbo swung the sword, and it hit its mark. It sliced through Ranbob’s quickly shrinking neck, and Ranbob made a horrible gurgling, choking noise. He slumped to the ground, dark purple blood spurting out of the wound in his throat. Tubbo stumbled backwards a few paces, a hand flying to his mouth. He stared down at Ranbob’s twitching body, the life draining out of him by Tubbo’s hand. Tubbo had just killed someone, stolen the life from their body. Ranbob would never get up again, never live out the rest of his life, never get to see the light of day again-

Tubbo was roused from his spiral by the hiss of something mechanic. He glanced down, and spotted the redstone torch that had tumbled out of Ranbob’s hand. The glowing red dust from it had scattered across the room - and suddenly, as the floor lit up underneath Tubbo’s feet, he realized that it wasn’t dirt scattered across the floor.

Tubbo turned and ran. He went as fast as his feet would carry him, trying to beat the signal that was zipping through the lose redstone dust, trying his best to run against time. He burst into the open room, gasping, and his gaze went to the ground. Where did the dust go? Where did it lead to? What trap had Ranbob set for them?

“Tubbo!” Tommy’s voice called. Tubbo whipped around, spotting Tommy waving at him from the middle of the room. Wilbur was limp in Techno’s arms, and Tubbo realized numbly that he was free. His brain had little means to rejoice.

“There’s a trap!” He shouted, running across the room towards them. “We have to get out - Ranbob set a trap - he-”

Tubbo was cut off by the muffled hiss of TNT under the cobblestones they stood on.

Wilbur inhaled sharply, and his eyes widened. “No-” he whispered.

Endlantis exploded. 

It detonated from the outside in, the TNT exploding from the rim of the room. The glass immediately shattered, and Tubbo watched in horror as foaming black water rushed in. Wilbur cried out in shock, and Tubbo staggered backwards as the tidal wave of water loomed over, threatening to crush them. A pillar of earth shot up to try and block it - no doubt an effort from Techno to protect them - but the water crashed over it, and the rest of the glass shattered with a mighty roar, and then there was water in Tubbo’s shoes and there was spray on Tubbo’s face and then-

The water hit him like a wall. He was slammed backwards as if he’d been hit by a cavalry of horses; his back slammed into the ground and then he was lifted up and away by another wave, tossed back into the swiftly rising water. Tubbo screamed as the water closed over his head, and he frantically tried to swim to the surface - he burst out of the water for a few seconds to get bleary bearings and a gulp of air. He floundered in the water for a moment, looking for Tommy, Techno or Wilbur, but saw no one. Then the water cascaded over his head once more and he was sent spinning down into the cold depths of the ocean once more. 

Tubbo filled his cheeks with air and shut his eyes tight - the last thing he wanted to do was get salt water in his eyes. The wound on his cheek was already screaming in pain from the saline solution in the water. The water was tossing him around like a cat playing with a feather; opposing currents picked him up and spun him every which way, making his head go dizzy and causing him to loose direction. He didn’t know which way was up anymore. He floundered aimlessly, trying in vain to swim in what he figured was up, until a cold current swept by his hand. His lungs were burning - he felt the tension from his nightmare with Dream build up in his chest again - and then he felt the current again. It wasn’t a current, he realized, as cool seagrass tickled his fingers. 

Tubbo reached out blindly, feeling his cheeks about to burst with all the air he was holding. Chekhov - this must be Chekhov - darted away and then ducked under him, guiding his neck between Tubbo’s arms. Tubbo grabbed onto his mane, holding on for dear life, as the water rushed into his face as Chekhov moved. The pressure this far down in the ocean was nauseating - Tubbo’s ears felt like they needed to pop more than ever before, and he felt like he was weighed down by a ton of bricks. His lungs felt like they were going to pop - he had the grim realization that this life in darkness is what Eret had to live with every day - and then Chekhov burst to the surface, and Tubbo’s eyes flew open, gasping in a huge breath. 

Chekhov darted back underwater - no doubt to go look for the others, and Tubbo squinted around. The storm had hit full-force - rain fell in torrential curtains, and the waves were rough and leagues higher than Tubbo’s head. The clouds were black as night, shot through with arcs and veins of lightning, and thunder shook Tubbo to his core. He gasped and sputtered, trying his best to keep his head above the water. A wave crashed down onto him, pushing him back underwater, but he clenched his teeth and kicked upwards, breaking the surface again, heaving in gracious gulps of air. Water slapped him in the face again and again, and he tried desperately to paw it out of his eyes, but it was just replaced by more sopping-wet hair. He could already feel like legs begin to go numb - be it from the cold or treading water for so long, he couldn’t tell.

Tubbo looked around frantically, searching for any familiar faces amongst the dark water. Whitewater from the waves was the only distinguishing feature from the army of waves breaking over Tubbo’s back and head. He panted, spinning around as he searched for Techno’s pink hair or Tommy’s blond, but found nothing except saltwater.

A choked gasp from behind him alerted him to someone’s presence. He turned, and was immediately slapped in the face with a wave. Tubbo sputtered and clambered back to the surface, gasping and flicking his hair out of his eyes with a jerk of his head. Through his blurry vision, he could just make out Techno’s pink hair pooling around his head in the water.

“Techno!” Tubbo sputtered. He kicked his way towards him - or as much as he could with the waves working against him. Techno turned, blinking the water out of his eyes.

“Have you seen Tommy or Wilbur?” Techno shouted, voice muffled by a mouthful of saltwater. “Where are they?”

“Don’t know!” Tubbo gasped as he managed to flounder close to the king. “Haven’t seen them.”

Techno looked more worried than Tubbo had ever seen him. He spun around in the water, searching in vain for his brothers. “Tommy!” he screamed, the loudest Tubbo had ever heard his voice go. “Wilbur! Wilbur! ”

Tubbo felt his chest tighten with something that wasn’t a lack of oxygen as he joined Techno in his search. His eyes burned with something that wasn’t salt water. Tubbo wanted to cry. What if they had come all this way, only to lose Tommy and Wilbur here? It seemed to get more and more grim with every moment that passed without seeing them burst from the water. He felt helpless, even more than usual. Techno was groping around in the water, screaming his brother’s names over the roar of the waves and the rain hitting the water. He looked like a man who had lost everything; his hair was plastered to his face, and he was pale with the cold. With the way his shoulders shook, Tubbo couldn’t tell if he was just freezing or crying.

And if Technoblade started crying, what hope was there?

Tubbo was ready to surrender himself to the crashing waves until finally he heard a shriek of relief from behind him, and spun, spotting Tommy surface and toss his hair out of his eyes, gasping and groaning for breath. He had Wilbur in his arms, who was conscious but still groggy.

“Tommy!” Techno roared, ducking underwater and fighting the current towards them. Tubbo made his way over slowly, and watched as Techno helped lift Wilbur a bit from Tommy’s arms. Tommy looked exhausted; he might not be able to get cold, but staying underwater for that long must have been torture. He gratefully let Techno take a majority of Wilbur’s weight.

“How the fuck do we get back?” Tommy shouted. “It’s too rough for the fuckin’ hippocampi!”

“We’ll figure it out-” Techno began, but stopped as Wilbur lifted his head and said weakly, “Wait.”

Wilbur grit his teeth as a wave smashed over them, sending them underwater once more. Tubbo pushed himself to the surface again, and so did they. Wilbur took the opportunity - the slight calm after a wave - to close his eyes and hold his shaking hands over the churning water, brow furrowing. The water under his hands glowed bright blue, and with a loud shout, Wilbur thrust his arms skyward.

There was a final, grim rumble of thunder, and then the clouds dispersed, skidding outwards from them in a great circle, leaving the sky above them crystal blue. The sun shone once again, warming Tubbo’s face. All at once, the remaining water in the sky fell to the ocean’s surface with a loud slap - and oh, the ocean. As soon as the rain was gone, Wilbur slammed his hands into the water, and Tubbo felt the water pulse against his body, and the water flattened out in a great circle from where they floated.

Tubbo gaped at the now calm ocean, save for a bit of seafoam and whitewater here and there. Wilbur groaned and slumped backwards, only to be caught by Techno.

“Get us out of here,” Wilbur gasped. “Techno-”

Techno didn’t have to be told twice. He whistled, and Carl and Chekhov exploded from the surface, and immediately Techno pulled himself onto Carl. Tommy helped lift Wilbur up to him, and then he and Tubbo dragged themselves onto Chekhov. Tubbo was shaking all over - both from the cold and from adrenaline. He flopped against Chekhov’s neck, and Tommy set a warm hand against Tubbo’s back. The hippocampi darted off across the waves, and Tubbo drifted in and out of cold-induced naps on the way back.

Finally land came into sight - the sea was still calm, and they seemed to have caught up with the clouds. The sky here was overcast, but Tubbo still felt warmer than he had ever been in his life. Tubbo spotted a long pier stretching out into the ocean - familiar silhouettes stood at the end, some pacing apprehensively, some staring out to sea.

“There,” Tubbo said weakly, nodding at the pier. Techno - riding behind Wilbur to make sure he wouldn’t fall off - nodded, steering Carl gently towards the pier.

The hippocampi stopped as they pulled up next to the pier, huffing and tossing their manes. Tubbo slid off of Chekhov’s back and thudded to the rough wooden planks of the pier with a groan. He wanted to sleep for a thousand years.

“Tubbo!” a familiar voice cried, and that was the only reason Tubbo struggled to a sitting position. It wasn’t needed; Ranboo bowled him over with a hug anyways. The enderman swamped Tubbo’s smaller frame, and he fit perfectly in the curve of Ranboo’s chest. Ranboo was crying , and surely that wasn’t good for him. And surely hugging someone soaking wet wasn’t good for him either.

“Hey, big man,” Tubbo said breathlessly, patting Ranboo’s back. “You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

Ranboo pulled away, sniffling. “We saw the storm from here,” he sobbed, grabbing onto Tubbo’s hands and squeezing. “We were terrified something had happened, oh my god, Tubbo, what happened to you? ”

Looking down at himself, Tubbo was surprised to see how dreadful he looked. His shirt was ripped in more places than one, and he had long since lost his shoes. He was shaking like a leaf from the cold, still. Gunpowder, redstone dust, and Ranbob’s blood were all somehow still smeared on his hands and caught under his fingernails. He felt his vision go wobbly when he noticed the dark purple blood, and leaned gratefully into Ranboo.

He turned his head to watch Techno dismount from Carl, lifting Wilbur down with him. Eret was there, too, and hooked one of Wilbur’s arms underneath his. Tubbo’s ears were ringing again, and he couldn’t hear what they were saying. Ranboo made a surprised noise as Tubbo went limp in his arms, his head thudding down between Ranboo’s hip and thigh. He got one grim look at his bloody hands before his eyelids got too heavy to keep open, and he slid into unconsciousness. 

When he woke up again, Tubbo was back in the infirmary. Ranboo wasn’t there this time - it was a nurse instead, and she told him sweetly that Ranboo was getting treated for the burns he got from hugging Tubbo. Tubbo didn’t have the energy to feel guilty.

His hands were clean, now, but they still felt dirty against the clean white sheets. Most of his injuries had been treated already - he was dry, and he had a new patch on his cheek for his bite. His blankets had been warmed with hot coals, and they changed them every hour to ward off hypothermia. The nurses said he was incredibly lucky to spend that much time in the ocean and not get incredibly sick. In the end, Tubbo was cursed with an annoying cold, but he was released from the infirmary within a few days.

Wilbur, on the other hand, needed much more attention. He was completely exhausted and deprived of any food and water; something was wrong with his breathing, too. When Tubbo was released from the infirmary, he found Fundy pacing at the door. The fox hybrid jumped about ten feet in the air when Tubbo emerged.

“Where’s Wilbur?” Fundy yelped, darting forward and grabbing Tubbo’s hands. “Is he alright? They won’t let me see him.”

“Uh...I dunno,” Tubbo said, shrugging. “I haven’t seen ‘em, either.”

Fundy groaned and released his hands, going back to pacing. Tubbo had returned to his room, where Ranboo had been waiting patiently to give him a massive hug - this time, one that didn’t burn. The two slept next to each other that night in Tubbo’s bed, no questions asked - Tubbo could tell Ranboo was spooked from nearly losing him. Tubbo let the enderman fuss over him; he didn’t mind.

A few days after the rescue, Wilbur was finally deemed well enough to leave the infirmary. Techno and Tommy had argued about him staying so long - they said that since he was immortal it was impossible for him to succumb to human illnesses - but Tubbo wasn’t sure how much he bought that. He had heard Wilbur’s awful wheezing coughs and the doctor’s worried, hushed voices during quiet nights in the infirmary. Finally, though, he recovered, and according to the nurses had been bouncing off the walls in eagerness to get out. Maybe the infirmary just made everyone stir crazy.

Wilbur had a welcoming committee at the door to the infirmary. Tubbo, Tommy, Techno and Ranboo, of course, but also Eret, Fundy, and Niki. Fundy was fidgeting anxiously, running a hand through his hair and fixing his vest and fiddling with a necklace. Niki was much more reserved, but Tubbo could tell she was apprehensive - she kept shifting from foot to foot, and rubbed her arm as if she was cold.

Finally the doors opened, and Wilbur stepped out, looking infinitely more healthy. The color had returned to his cheeks, and the eyebags under his eyes were almost completely gone. His hair looked more fluffy, and his eyes were brighter. His gaze swept over the group, and fell on Fundy, who was front and center. The king’s face split into a huge smile - Tubbo thought it might be the biggest smile he’d ever seen - and he threw his arms wide.

“ There’s my little champion, ” he cooed, and Fundy gave a cry, and suddenly he was swept into his father’s arms, throwing his arms around his neck. They were nearly the same height. Wilbur cooed at Fundy some more, ruffling his hair and picking him up and spinning him around. Finally he set his son down, putting his hands on his shoulders as he stepped back.

“Look at you!” He exclaimed. “You’ve gotten so big!” His brown-amber eyes were glittery with tears. “My champion’s all grown up!”

Fundy gave a watery smile. “God, I missed you so much,” he sobbed, pressing his face to Wilbur’s chest again. Wilbur laughed and wrapped him in another hug.

Finally Fundy pulled away and Wilbur regarded the group again. This time his gaze landed on Niki, and Tubbo realized that she had started to cry. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was shaking minutely. As soon as Wilbut noticed her, she burst into loud sobs and fell into his arms, and Wilbur hugged her back silently, pressing his face into her hair. Their relationship was clearly different than Wilbur and Fundy’s - not nearly quite as loud, but deep, respectful, and understanding. Eventually Wilbur pulled away and clasped Niki’s hands.

“Thank you for taking care of him,” Wilbur whispered. “How…?”

Niki smiled through her tears. “I’ll tell you the story later.”

Wilbur nodded and Niki stepped away, letting Wilbur finally look at Tommy and Techno. His gaze seemed to change when his eyes flitted over Tommy, but nevertheless, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his little brother. Tommy immediately complied, closing his eyes and returning the hug.

“Oh, Tommy,” Wilbur whispered into Tommy’s hair. “I thought I’d lost you.”

Tommy snickered. “Can’t get rid of me that easily, bitch.”

Wilbur huffed a laugh and pulled away, ruffling Tommy’s hair. Finally he stepped towards Techno, and grabbed his hand, pulling him into a hug.

“I’ve missed you, you bastard,” Wilbur said, his voice highlighted with a smile.

Techno cracked a weary smile of his own. “You go a thousand years without your twin and he starts getting clingy,” he snarked, pulling away. “How the hell’d you wake up on your own?”

“Woke up same time as you.” Wilbur’s eyes glittered. “Somethin’ to do with the twin thing, I’m sure. You sure took your sweet time about coming to get me.”

Techno shrugged and gestured towards Tubbo and Ranboo. “Thank them,” he rumbled. “They’re your real rescuers.”

Tubbo’s chest swelled with pride as Wilbur stepped away from Techno and regarded him and Ranboo. An easy smile spread across the water king’s face. “Ah, you’re the little enderman boy I had to turn Chekhov to ice for,” Wilbur mused, sticking out a hand. “Wilbur.”

Ranboo took his hand and immediately dropped into a respectful genuflect. “Your Majesty.”

“Oh, gosh, get up,” Wilbur said, tugging Ranboo to his feet. “You’re my rescuers! No need for formalities.” Wilbur turned to beam at Tubbo. “And you must be this Tubbo I’ve heard so much about.”

Tubbo smiled as he shook Wilbur’s hand. “It’s a pleasure, Your Majesty.”

Wilbur snorted. “Real respectful lot you’ve got here, huh, Techno?” He said, glancing over his shoulder at his brother. “Maybe we should get them to hold lessons for the townspeople.”

Techno rolled his eyes. “Townspeople were already plenty respectful.”

Eret cleared his throat from where he stood nearby. Wilbur turned towards him, and Eret lifted his chin. “Pardon me for interrupting, my lord,” he said. “My name is Eret, Warden of the East. I’ve been watching over New L’manburg, along with Fundy and Niki, in your absence.”

Wilbur nodded, then seemed to make the realization that Eret couldn’t see him. “Ah, yes, sir,” Wilbur corrected quickly. “Thank you. You have my ultimate gratitude.”

Eret looked apprehensive. “If you don’t mind, I would like to have you all in the war room for a meeting.” Eret seemed to glance between all of them. “I’d like to know the kings’ next moves, so Niki and I can plan the revolution’s next move accurately.”

Wilbur raised an eyebrow as they began to walk. “Revolution?” he echoed. “Do tell.”

Tubbo stuck close to Ranboo as they crowded into the war room. There were a perfect amount of chairs, and Tubbo took the one closest to the windows. Eret took the seat o the opposite side of the table, and everyone else sat down with idle chit chat. Tubbo noticed with a start that there were soldiers stationed along the walls.

Eret sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I am assuming your next move is to go north,” he said. He stared blankly across the table at Tubbo. “That is where the last king is located, yes?”

“Yeaaaaah, Phil! ” Tommy shouted, slapping the table a few times. Eret frowned in his direction, and Tommy seemed to pout, sliding down in his chair.

“There’s a road that goes north, to the Warden of the North’s mansion,” Eret explained. “I cannot guarantee your safety if you chose to visit him. His loyalties are...constant, if you get what I mean.”

Tubbo fidgeted in his seat. “Do you think we should go to him?” He asked.

Eret shrugged. “If it were me, I would say no,” he said. “It would take away time and resources to go out of your way. However, the Warden’s mansion and the town around it is the last settlement that far north. I can give you enough supplies to get you to Kinoko, but you will have to get your own resources there and press on north.”

“So we should go to this Kinoko place,” Techno rumbled, “and just try not to get noticed by this warden guy?”

Eret nodded, lips pressed into a thin line. He stood abruptly. “Yes, that’s what I think you should do.

“However,” he continued, beginning to slowly pace around the table, “I do have a question. What is your plan after freeing High King Phil?”

“Attack the Capitol,” Wilbur said immediately. “That’s the plan, right? Attack quickly, cut off resources. Catch them by surprise.”

“Dream’s waiting for us,” Tubbo argued. “That’s why he hasn’t made a large effort to capture us, right? He’s keeping a majority of his forces in the Capitol to make sure its defenses are strong.”

Eret sighed, nodding. “Yes, that is most likely the case.”

Wilbur pursed his lips. “Well, at the very least, we want to go straight to the Capitol from Phil’s prison,” he said. “The faster we get rid of Dream, the faster everything can go back to normal.”

“And I assume you will want Niki and Fundy back with you at court as soon as possible?” Eret asked, turning towards Wilbur as he stalked around the table. Wilbur nodded curtly. “Of course,” he said easily, glancing at Fundy and smiling. “I want to spend as much time with my son as possible.”

“Fantastic,” Eret said with finality, stopping his silent march around the table behind Tubbo’s chair. “Well, then. I suppose I don’t have any more use of entertaining you all.”

“What?” Tommy’s blurted remark was the last thing that Tubbo heard before the scrape of a knife being unsheathed and feeling the sharp prick of a blade at his throat. Tubbo gasped, making a choked noise, and struggled against the feeling of the knife. Eret - this must be Eret - dug a hand into his hair, stilling him.

“ No! ” Everyone else at the table cried, surging towards Tubbo and Eret. Ranboo, the closest, swiped at Eret with unsheathed claws, but the soldiers by the walls were moving, too. One of them grabbed Ranboo and forced the enderman to his knees, kicking in his knees and making the boy yowl in pain. The solider had one hand in his hair and the other pinning his hands behind his back. The rest of the soldiers did the same for the rest of the assembled group - two men had to be used to pin Techno down.

“This is how this will work, my friends,” Eret said smoothly. “If any, and I mean any of you move to try and free Tubbo, he will die in an instant. Nothing you can do will save him.”

Tubbo gulped, and felt the knife push against his pulse point. His gaze swept over the group - Ranboo looked horrified, eyes wide and teeth gritted. His irises had dilated down to slits. His tail was thrashing angrily behind him. Niki and Fundy both looked a mixture of terrified and confused; Techno was snapping at his captors, still struggling to escape, and Tommy was shouting, trying to roll over to knock his captor off of him. Wilbur’s teeth were gritted, and he was shooting Eret a look so filled with venom that Tubbo was shocked Eret didn’t drop dead on the spot.

“Now, I think there’s a few things you’d like to know about your little friend Tubbo here,” Eret said, and Tubbo’s heart dropped into his stomach. No, no, please, anything but this, anything, I can’t lose them - this prophecy is the only thing I have left-

“ Prince Tubbo has been lying to you about his identity this whole time.”

The whole room seemed to go still. Tommy stopped shouting. Even Techno stopped struggling. 

“W-What?” Tommy stammered, eyes going wide. “You’re a fuckin’ royal? ”

There was no point in denying it. Tubbo squeezed his eyes shut, and the hot tear that slid down his face was telling enough.

“You bastard! ” Tommy screamed, thrashing against the soldier holding him down again. “You lying bastard, Tubbo! I trusted you! I fuckin’ trusted you!”

“He’s not like the rest of them!” Ranboo’s cry of anguish broke Tubbo’s heart. “He’s good! He’s not like Dream at all!”

“All those fucking royals are the same,” Wilbur shouted, his voice ringing over Tommy’s slurred curses. “All of them are greedy and venomous snakes.”

“You’re one to talk,” Ranboo spat with so much spitfire that Tubbo was shocked it was from him. Tubbo opened his eyes to see Ranboo glaring at Wilbur from across the table, teeth bared. Ranboo hissed at him. “The whole reason you were in that prison is because you are a royal!”

“When I’m fuckin’ done with you, Tubbo, you’re going in that goddamn volcano!” Tommy shouted. “Traitor! Traitor! ”

“Please, stop,” Tubbo whispered, barely audible. The knife shifted against Tubbo’s neck.

“Tubbo is Dream’s cousin,” Eret said, further damning Tubbo. “That storybook he carries around? The queen mother gave it to him. This is all just a ploy to lead you straight into Dream’s clutches.”

“That’s not true!” Tubbo blurted. “That’s not true! The queen mother is good! Puffy is good! ”

“How can we believe you?!” Fundy spat, ears pressed flat against his head. He glared at Tubbo. “How can we believe you, now that we know you’re a royal?!”

Tubbo let out a choked sob, his head lolling against Eret’s chest. “You can’t,” he admitted. “You can’t.”

“We trusted you, Tubbo,” Techno said, and the hurt in his voice startled him. Tubbo squeezed his eyes shut, and more salty tears slid down his face.

“Stop it!” Ranboo yowled. “Eret’s lying! None of this makes sense! He’s lying! ”

“Yes!” Wilbur shouted back. “ Tubbo’s lying!” Wilbur sneered at the enderman. “Like I said, all royals are the same!”

“No, they’re not! ” Ranboo screamed, and Tubbo half expected the windows to shatter. Eret sighed impatiently. 

“This is all a wonderful argument that I’m glad I started,” he said, “but I need to start threatening you again. Tell me the location of Phil’s prison.”

“That’s High King Phil to you,” Techno muttered, and Wilbur and Tommy bristled. “We’ll never tell you,” Tommy spat, eyes flaming. “You fuckin’ work for Dream, too!”

“Tell me where his prison is,” Eret repeated, “or I’ll kill Tubbo and Niki.”

“What?” Niki’s horrified cry came, and then she gasped in surprise as the man holding her pressed a blade to her neck. Her eyes went wide, and she locked gazes with Wilbur. “Wil-”

“Niki, you’re going to be fine,” Wilbur assured her, not taking his eyes off of Eret. “You can kill Tubbo, but if you lay a hand on Niki-”

“Just give me the location, and we can all go home,” Eret said pleasantly. “No one will get hurt if you just give it up.”

Wilbur snapped his mouth shut, eyes glittering as he tried to think of what to do. Tommy fidgeted on the ground, apprehensive, and Techno was glancing between Wilbur and Tubbo.

Tubbo’s teary gaze found its way to Ranboo. The enderman was staring at him, pupils back to normal, and he looked as if he were trying to get Tubbo’s attention. Ranboo’s tail flicked out, and he leaned forward just the tiniest bit. He mouthed something, something so quiet that no one could hear - but Tubbo read it just fine: I believe in you.

Tubbo pursed his lips. No matter what the kings thought of him - no matter what happened with them - this was his prophecy. And by the Beings, he wasn’t letting a misunderstanding get in the way of his destiny. 

Tubbo didn’t give himself time to think. He worked best under the pressure of adrenaline. He leaned forward, then throwing all his might backwards, headbutted Eret in the face.

Eret shouted in pain, immediately dropping the knife to clutch his face. Tubbo caught the knife before it fell and threw it, praying and praying and praying it would hit its mark, and it did. The knife sank into the neck of the man holding Niki, and he choked, slumping to the side. Niki screamed, scrambling away from the man’s body, and chaos erupted. 

Techno surged upwards, throwing the men who held him off of him. Tommy did the same, yowling as his hands burned with flames as he sent the man holding him scrambling away. The soldiers holding Fundy and Wilbur opted to let go of them to unsheath their weapons.

Ranboo twisted around towards his own captor, jaw unhinging and mouth opening wide as he sank his razor-sharp teeth into the soldier’s neck. The man screamed, trying in vain to yank Ranboo away, but Ranboo pushed him down, letting out a garbled shriek of an enderman as he dug his teeth in and ripped out the man’s throat. Ranboo staggered to his feet, panting, and glanced at Tubbo. The bottom half of his face was covered in dark blood, and he spat the pulsing organ out of his mouth.

Tubbo grabbed the knife he had tucked into his belt and spun, just as Eret unsheathed his own sword. Tubbo managed to duck and roll out of the way of Eret’s first slash, and he hoped the warden would lose him in the chaos of the room. He grabbed Ranboo’s hand and threw open one of the glass doors that led to the balcony, running into the blinding sunlight.

“Ranboo-” Tubbo said as they neared the railing, but Ranboo was already one step ahead. Ranboo had a deadly aim with an ender pearl - he chucked it into the sky and grabbed onto Tubbo, and after a few seconds they collapsed onto the rolling fields outside the mansion. Tubbo scrambled to his feet, peeking inside his bag to make sure he still had everything - sure enough, his map and his storybook sat there innocently.

“Come on,” Ranboo urged. “They’re gonna start to send out search patrols soon.”

Tubbo looked up at his friend. “What about the kings?” he asked softly.

Ranboo frowned. “They betrayed you!” He exclaimed. “They turned against you just because they found out you’re related to Dream. That’s unfair, Tubbo. Come on, we have a headstart. We can make it to Kinoko before them if we push.”

Tubbo glanced back at the mansion. So they really had come all this way just to lose the kings.

“But…” his whispered, hand tightening around the strap on his bag.

Ranboo slid his hand into Tubbo’s free one. “I’m sorry, Tubbo,” Ranboo said softly. “But we have to go. Come on.”

Tubbo let Ranboo pull him away, into the nearby forest. Tubbo was numb; so much had happened in such a short amount of time. There was no easy way he could process it like this, on the run, glancing over his shoulder. He decided that he could worry about his sudden lack of kings later.

He turned and followed Ranboo north. 

Chapter Text

Tubbo padded through the halls of the castle, quiet, holding a large book to his chest. He was ten, fresh out of an etiquette class, and he was bored. He had snagged a book from his room as he passed it, and was set on reading it in the gardens. It had been raining for the past few days, and this was the first day of sunny weather they had had in a week. The other castle children had been out flying kites and playing tag in the courtyards all morning. Tubbo would much rather curl up with a book with his feet in the fountains of the garden. 

Stepping out onto the breezeway, he was met with a warm wind, ruffling his hair and giving a small relief to his cool neck. He sighed contentedly, squinting against the sun, searching for a place to hide away to read. 

Eventually he settled down on a small, grassy hill, flopping down on his stomach to prop his head up on his hands. It was a small, secluded area behind some fountains - if anyone was taking a leisurely walk through the gardens, they weren’t likely to find him. Tubbo let out a long breath and began his descent into the book, letting the fantastical story take him away, up into the clouds of his imagination. The sun was warm on his back, and the breeze was welcome against his cheek. Eventually he found himself with his cheek on the warm pages, eyes fluttering shut as the sun and the wind quietly guided him into a nap. 

When he woke up, it was later in the day; the sun had sunken down and clouds were gathering on the horizon. Tubbo groaned and sat up, rubbing his cheek where he had rested it against the book, and closed it. He must be late for dinner, now, if he hadn’t completely missed it. 

He stumbled to his feet, eyes still blurry with sleep, and nearly stumbled straight into an enderman. 

Tubbo froze as he stared at the scaly black creature in front of him. He was on eye level with the creature’s belly, and he felt his pulse quicken as he realized just what he was staring at. There were stuffed creatures in one of the parlors of the palace; it had taxidermized zombies, creepers, endermen, piglins...it was awfully creepy and easily Tubbo’s least favorite room in the palace. He recognized the scales from the stuffed enderman in that parlor. He stood stock-still as he looked slightly to the side at the creature’s hands - large and clawed, able to carve Tubbo’s heart out in a breath. Slowly, slowly, Tubbo’s gaze travelled up, up the monster’s body and toward its head. 

Tubbo knew the stories about endermen - how they became feral, hideous monsters once you looked them in the eye. They could tear a man limb from limb, and their angry cries were supposed to make you go deaf. Tubbo let his gaze drift slightly to the side, staring at the clouds in order to see its face. 

The enderman seemed...passive. Its glowing violet eyes gazed at him in an almost curious manner, big and round and searching. Its mouth was toothy and stretched wider than a human’s, and little purple flecks seemed to pop from its body like sparks. Tubbo could feel his chest pumping up and down in a panicked state. If this enderman decided to attack, that was it. Tubbo had no means of protection, just the large book he carried in his hands. What could he do with it? Chuck it at the monster and hope for the best?

Tubbo squeezed his eyes shut. If he wasn’t looking at the enderman, he couldn’t make eye contact, so it couldn’t hurt him, right?

“ Vrrp, ” came a distorted sound. Tubbo choked down a whimper as he heard the grass crunch. The creature was stepping closer. He anticipated the feeling of claws digging into his skin, of teeth meeting his neck, of an inevitable death where his body might not be found for days. 

A feathery feeling brushed his arm, and he gave a little gasp. Daring to open his eyes, he immediately looked downward. To his surprise, it was a clawed hand, but it wasn’t ripping his arm off. Instead, it was gently clasping a red rose, offering it to him, gently brushing it against his arm. Tubbo dared to glance up at the creature’s face again, averting his gaze to the side. The creature gave another hopeful purr, and its massive mouth stretched into something that could have been a smile. 

“I-“ Tubbo stammered. He looked back down at the rose, and then hesitantly reached out, sliding it out of the enderman’s hands and into his own. “Tha-Thank you. I guess.”

The enderman gave a happy little mrrp! and an explosion of purple particles fluttered from its body. Tubbo found himself smiling, gaze traveling up to look the enderman in the face-

The enderman’s mouth opened in a massive shriek as Tubbo’s eyes reached its face. Tubbo staggered back, alarmed as the enderman thrashed its arms, and only then noticed the sword piercing through the creature’s chest. 

Tubbo’s eyes got as wide as saucers. “No-“

The enderman collapsed at Tubbo’s feet, green blood flooding from the hole in its chest and creeping through the grass. Tubbo pressed his hand to his mouth in shock, his other arm gripping his book and the rose. 

Captain Punz was there, suddenly, kneeling in front of Tubbo with a worried eye. “Are you alright, Prince Tubbo?” he asked. “Did the thing hurt you? Did it touch you?”

Tubbo hoped Punz wouldn’t notice the rose clutched in his grasp as he slowly shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “No, it didn’t.”

Punz patted his shoulder. “Alright, then. I suggest you get inside, little prince. A breach in the walls like this requires a full sweep of the castle. Run along.”

Tubbo nodded, still bewildered and confused. A few other soldiers came forward and began dragging the enderman’s body away, but Tubbo’s eyes tracked Punz like a hawk. He would never forget the way the emerald blood stained Punz’s shiny diamond sword until the day he died.

Tubbo woke up with a jolt, gasping. He flicked his hair out of his eyes and snorted, scratching swifty behind a furry ear. It was just a dream, he assured himself. A dream. He’d had a dream about that day with the enderman countless times. And still, every time he had it, it still shook him to his core. The enderman’s scream, the green blood flowing out of its twitching body, the way Punz simply brushed the encounter off as protocol...it rubbed Tubbo the complete wrong way. That enderman had been kind, it had been sweet, it had offered him a flower. It had done more than anyone else at the castle had ever done for him. Tubbo knew he had been right for always being uneasy of Captain Punz.

Beside him, the friendly enderman he had in this moment shifted in his sleep, groaning softly. Tubbo huffed a small laugh. Ranboo, despite being quite touch-repulsed when he was awake, clung to Tubbo like a monkey at night. Tubbo supposed that it might be for warmth, but the eastern plains were pleasant and the temperature was tolerable. It was cool during the daytime and warm at night; Tubbo wasn’t surprised that a majority of the population lived out here. Tubbo sat up, managing to move without disturbing Ranboo. Ranboo made a little mrrp sound, and his tail flicked, as if mourning the loss of Tubbo’s warm chest up against his body. Tubbo looked down at Ranboo for a longing moment, gently brushing the hair out of his face. The way he was laying displayed the white side of his face, which glittered like freshly fallen snow in the clear moonlight. His features were sharp, Tubbo noticed, with high cheekbones and a pointy nose. Under his breath as he slept, he made tiny purring noises, and Tubbo had noticed that he did them more often whenever he was warm. Ranboo was really just a big cat, wasn’t he?

Tubbo untangled himself from his and Ranboo’s shared blanket. They had set out from New L’manburg in haste a day ago now, and had bought meager supplies that would get them a bit of the ways to Kinoko. Without Eret’s sourly promised supplies, they would have to restock often, delving into Tubbo’s precious stash of coins. They had managed to buy a traveler’s horse at a stable in the outskirts of the city - it was a sturdy Clydesdale with shaggy hair that hung in its eyes and over its hooves, but it was also massive, and could carry both Ranboo and Tubbo comfortably without breaking a sweat. Tubbo was a bit heavy for his age, yes, but Ranboo was as thin as a board and light as a feather, so the enderman’s addition didn’t make a huge difference in the long run. They had managed to scrounge up a ratty blanket, some food and water, and other needed provisions, but Tubbo had been so used to the fine foods in Eret’s mansion that it was going to take his stomach a while to get used to it. Already he had found it hard to choke down a mouthful of dried pork and slightly sour tasting water, but he made do. He carefully stood up without disturbing Ranboo and shrugged his jacket on. The Clydesdale was asleep under the shadow of some nearby pine trees - they had stopped in a small grove of coniferous trees, giving them cover if Eret’s soldiers chose to give chase. Tubbo and Ranboo had seen them in the outskirts of New L’manburg, like the royal soldiers in the town in the Western Wasteland. Obviously searching for Tubbo, Ranboo, and the kings, he assumed - he would be surprised if they hadn’t gotten out of the city. 

Tubbo pulled his jacket on tight and tiptoed away from their camp, out towards a hillside he had spotted when they had stopped here. He stepped out of the trees and was immediately assaulted by moonbeams - it was a full moon, and it made it as bright as sunlight. It was helpful to Tubbo, though - he had spotted a shallow pond and some brightly colored plants growing around it. Back in the Capitol, he had found a book full of wild herbs with beautiful illustrations, their names, and their uses. Some were medicinal, some were edible, some were poisonous. Tubbo had memorized the whole book from front to back. He hoped his prowess in remembering what herbs looked like was still as polished as it was back in the Capitol.

He knelt beside the pond, brushing aside the tall grass in search of some herbs - there! He spotted a small white flower and dug his fingers into the muddy water of its base, fishing around for the roots. He grabbed hold of it firmly, and pulled, uprooting the whole plant. A small little tuber plant sat in his palm, muddy and staining his sleeve dark with water. Tubbo grinned and cleared away a small patch of grass, distributing the katniss plant onto the ground and crouching down to find another.

Before long, Tubbo had a strange bouquet of katniss, dandelions, dock and nettle, the latter three all adorning the pile with their colorful flowers. Tubbo hefted the armful up, making a mental note to come back to the pond to purify some water later, and headed back to camp, arms heavy with possible food.

He dumped his pile of plants in the corner of camp, and caught sight of his hands. They were dark and muddy from groping around in the dirt for the past half hour. In the shadows cast by the pine trees around him, the mud could almost look like blood.

Tubbo’s vision went double for a moment, and he swayed on his knees. Blinking rapidly, he dispelled the intrusive thought to the best of his ability. Rushing back to the pond, he plunged his hands underwater, frantically scrubbing his skin free of any mud or stains. He pulled his hands out of the water and found them red after scrubbing them so hard, but he sat back on his haunches, relieved.

The memory of Ranbob’s blood on his hands was still as fresh as those katniss roots in his mind. He took a deep breath of the warm, slightly muggy air, and sighed. Their ride here the day before had been mostly quiet, leaving Tubbo and Ranboo to brood in their own thoughts. Tubbo’s had been nothing except guilt, guilt, Ranbob’s death, and more guilt. He stared down at his slightly shaking hands. Those were the same hands that had just taken a man’s life. Tubbo had never thought he would ever have to kill someone - he was always safe behind towering walls and battalions of soldiers who would take a hit for him. Tubbo shouldn’t feel guilty, he knew - it was an act of self defense. He still hadn’t told Ranboo about the incident in Endlantis. Tubbo was scared to - Ranbob had looked so much like Tubbo’s companion that it only frightened him more. If he imagined hard enough, it could have been Ranboo on the other side of Tubbo’s blade-

Tubbo shut his eyes tight. Stop it.

He curled his hands into fists, determined to put the image out of his mind. He was already dealing with so much - his betrayal of the kings, the weight of the quest, the destruction of Endlantis, Dream’s invasion of his sleep, Puffy’s safety, whether or not the wardens were alright after they betrayed Dream. Tubbo was just one boy. He shouldn’t have to carry all this with him. He slowly got up and staggered back to the trees, feeling dazed. 

Tubbo sat down a short ways away from Ranboo and their dying fire, staring at the ground. For the past day he had been rethinking the situation at Eret’s mansion - could he have avoided the exposure of his secret? He supposed it would have come out eventually, especially when they got to the Capitol, but he thought by then the kings would have full trust in him to not care. Tubbo took a deep breath of the warm air, feeling his lungs fill up with summertime and grass and flowers and butterflies, and then he let it go, a breeze ruffling his hair and whispering through the trees. Moonlight filtered through the canopy of nettles, leaving splotches of light on the grass like the spots of a calico cat. The moon washed over Tubbo once or twice, and he tilted his head up towards it. He was bewildered by how bright it was. He was also surprised at how blurry it was - wait. When did his vision get blurry?

It took Tubbo a moment to realize he was crying, and it took him even longer to realize why. 

Tubbo let his head fall back against the trunk of the tree he sat against. His shoulders heaved with quiet sobs that he stifled to try and not disturb Ranboo. He knew exactly why he was upset. It wasn’t because of the kings or Ranbob or the massive guilt he carried around - it was because this little grove of pine trees, this warm air, this moonlight, was what Tubbo was truly striving for. Peace. His whole life he had been locked up behind stone walls, unable to experience the true wild nature of the countryside, unable to taste the sweet air and feel the sea spray on his neck. He wasn’t able to gallop across long distances on a horse, wasn’t able to taste a thousand different foods in a day if he so chose. 

Out here, he was free, and for the first time since he started his quest, he was safe, and free to do what he wanted. Right now, sitting in this peaceful grove with his best friend not ten feet away, Kinoko seemed like a suggestion. The quest seemed as far away as the twinkling stars in the sky. Tubbo wanted to grab onto this moment and put it in a bottle and save it for a day when he knew he would need it. Tubbo wanted to stop time and stay in this grove forever. He just wanted this peace, this freedom, and Ranboo. Peace, freedom, and Ranboo. That was all Tubbo really needed. 

As if the thought called him, a groggy, sleep-coated voice called out, “T’bo?”

Tubbo closed his eyes and chose not to answer. Another breeze arrived to kiss his neck and his cheek. 

There was a rustle of blankets and a small grunt as Ranboo sat up, and then a small tap on his knee to signal that Ranboo was there. Ranboo slowly took Tubbo’s hands and Tubbo felt the enderman press a feather-light kiss to his hair. 

“Are you alright?” Ranboo asked softly. His warm breath stirred Tubbo’s hair. 

Tubbo sighed, eyes still closed. “Dunno.”

Grass rustled and whispered as Ranboo sat down next to him. “You know you can talk to me if you’re upset, Tubbo,” he said. “I don’t like seeing you sad.”

Tubbo sighed and finally opened his eyes, letting his head fall to the side onto Ranboo’s bony shoulder. He had long since lost his pretty silk shirt and corset he had started with, and now wore the same rough travelling clothes as Tubbo. “I’m just so overwhelmed,” he whispered. “I’m so tired, Ranboo. I just wanna go home.”

Ranboo wrapped an arm around Tubbo’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, Tubbo,” he said. “I want to help, but I don’t think I can exactly take you home right now.”

Tubbo managed a weak smile, but it disappeared within seconds as he sighed. “There’s so much piling up,” he admitted. “I’ve caused so much bullshit, and I don’t know if I can fix it.”

Ranboo shifted, “Like what?”

Tubbo counted on his fingers. “I feel bad about leaving Puffy behind - Dream probably knows she betrayed him. And I feel guilty for making Foolish and Sam betray Dream. And I’m scared to sleep if Dream comes back. And I feel bad for keeping the secret from the kings, and the quest is overwhelming in itself, and I feel terrible for destroying Endlantis and killing Ranbob and just - Ranboo, there’s so much.”

Tubbo blinked away tears and looked up at his friend. Ranboo’s eyes were distant, illuminated by the moonlight. Finally he looked down at Tubbo, slowly, slowly.

“Tubbo,” he said shakily, “who’s Ranbob?”

Tubbo went still. His hands, which had been fiddling with his sleeves, stopped moving. He swallowed thickly and glanced away from his friend.

“Ranboo,” he started, “When we were in Endlantis, there was someone down there besides Wilbur. His name was Ranbob, and he looked just like you, and Dream was controlling him. He’s - he’s the one that blew up Endlantis. Techno told me to go find him when he and Tommy were freeing Wilbur, and when I did, he was gonna attack me, and then I - I just - I swung my sword and I-”

He choked, and he buried his face into Ranboo’s shoulder, sobbing. The moment was replaying on and on in his head - the way Ranbob’s eyes bulged like a frog’s, the way his blood spurted from his throat, the way he gurgled as he tried to scream around a bloodsoaked esophagus. Ranboo wrapped his arms around Tubbo tight, and held him until he calmed him down enough to speak again.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it,” Tubbo said breathlessly an eternity later. “It still feels like his blood is on my hands, and sometimes I think he’s you. I think I killed you, Ranboo, and it’s fucked me up.”

His hands dug tight into the front of Ranboo’s shirt. Ranboo rubbed his back comfortingly, and Tubbo could tell he was searching for something to say.

“Tubbo, that was an act of self defense, wasn’t it?” He said finally. “He would have attacked you. He could have killed you. You killed him before he could do anything.”

“But I killed him,” Tubbo protested. “And even then, I was too late. He dropped a redstone torch that lit the TNT when I killed him. I couldn’t even save Endlantis.”

“You didn’t know that, Tubbo,” Ranboo said, his hold on him tightening slightly. “Tubbo, you did what you had to do.”

“But I killed him! ” Tubbo hissed, wrenching himself away from Ranboo to look at him. “I killed him! I took his life away. His body got buried by an ocean of water. He didn’t even get a fucking burial-”

“Tubbo.” Ranboo seized Tubbo by the shoulders. “Listen to me. If the kings died a thousand years ago, what do you think Dream would have done to their bodies?”

Tubbo wrinkled his nose. “I don’t care about the kings anymore.”

“He would have burned them,” Ranboo said, ignoring Tubbo’s remark. “He would have put their heads on spikes. Listen - you did what you had to do. You killed him in self-defense. It’s okay to be scared about this. What I’m saying is, it’s okay because it was self-defense. But it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to be scared about all of this. You’re a kid, Tubbo. We’re kids.”

You’re a kid, Tubbo. Tubbo blinked. Everyone on this adventure had treated him like an adult, like he was the one to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. No one had seen him as a child who needed help. He slowly calmed down, and Ranboo’s grip on his shoulders relaxed. His eyes shone with worry.

“You feeling better?” he asked softly.

Tubbo nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.”

Smiling softly, Ranboo pulled Tubbo in for a hug. Tubbo dug his nails into the back of Ranboo’s shirt and buried his face into his shoulder. Ranboo was still warm from sleep, and he was comforting; every time they hugged, they seemed to slot into each other perfectly, as if the universe had crafted their bodies to cradle each other. Finally they separated and Ranboo ruffled Tubbo’s hair slightly.

“Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s go back to bed.”

Tubbo followed him slowly, dragging his feet over to the blankets. His head was still swirling with guilt and doubts, but he felt infinitely better after talking to Ranboo. He sank into Ranboo’s arms and the enderman wrapped the blankets around them. Tubbo wasn’t expecting to be able to sleep so easily, but he slid into a pleasant, dreamless sleep soon after. 

When Tubbo woke up to the first sight of the rosy dawn on the horizon, he decided not to worry about himself anymore. He closed his eyes and locked the memories of Endlantis, of Dream’s nightmares, of everything that affected himself away deep in the recesses of his mind. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer Prince Tubbo, heir to the throne of the Antarctic Empire - he was Tubbo, wielder of the prophecy of the four elemental kings. And if that’s what fate had reduced him to, then goddammit, he was going to fulfill it. 

They travelled on horseback for days across the eastern plains - everything here was closer together and more crowded, making it harder to traverse traffic and get from one place to another quickly. It also meant that they could blend into the crowds more easily, though, which was a plus. They never risked staying at an inn, opting to sleep in the forests outside of small towns. They’d duck inside the marketplaces to buy supplies they absolutely needed, but other than that, they continued on their way to Kinoko undisturbed. Tubbo made sure to count his blessings. 

They did not see the kings as they travelled northward - that didn’t surprise Tubbo at all. They didn’t have a map or an understanding of modern geography, and Tubbo wasn’t sure if they knew the location of High King Phil’s prison. Still, Tubbo hoped and prayed they were ahead by at least a little bit. In truth, he was sure this whole prophecy could be fulfilled without him, but he liked to believe they needed him there to free Phil. It was wishful thinking. 

The terrain slowly shifted from grassy plains to dry tundra; Tubbo preferred this over the plains. The grass here was shorter and yellow with the cold. Little, colorful shrubs grew everywhere, covering up the crunchy yellow grass to make the landscape look prettier. The hills from the eastern plans turned into small-scale mountains here, craggy and snowy. The sky was still robins-egg blue, free of clouds nearly every day, and it got steadily cooler as they travelled. Up here, the towns were more spread out, and there weren’t as many travelers on the road. They passed one or two every now and then, most of them travelling eastward and passing them on a much faster horse. There wasn’t a tree in sight to make camp under, so Tubbo and Ranboo slept under the open sky every night. 

One night, as they were settling in for bed, Tubbo glanced up at the sky, and was absolutely floored. He had never seen so many stars before. The sky was absolutely flooded with them. There were hundreds, thousands, that he’d never seen before. A huge, dusty cloud was there, too, shining and as colorful as the sky in Tubbo’s dreams. It looked like some sort of rift between dimensions. It was magnificent. 

“Ranboo,” Tubbo whispered as Ranboo spread out their blankets. “Look.”

Ranboo tipped his head back, and Tubbo saw the moment the enderman saw the glory of the heavens. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened; Tubbo saw galaxies and other worlds reflected in their emerald and ruby depths. The hue of the stars stained everything purple. The world was silent out here, not a whisper of wind nor the call of a bird. It was just them, together, under an open sky, staring up at waterfalls of stars and rushing rivers of galaxies. Somewhere, in the dark, Tubbo’s hand found Ranboo’s.

They didn’t sleep for a long time that night. They pulled the blankets over themselves, but they stared up at the wide expanse of violets and amethysts above them for what seemed like forever. Tubbo finally fell asleep with his head on Ranboo’s chest, the freckled sky burned into his eyelids.

When he woke up, it was not to the bright, starlit sky. It was to a pale dawn, with a dusky blue dome above him, dotted with pink clouds. It was also to a kick in the stomach, a smack in the face, and a howling enderman next to him.

“Ranboo!” Tubbo cried as he was kneed in the stomach by the boy’s wayward foot. Tubbo wrenched himself away from him, heart rate skyrocketing. Ranboo was still asleep, but was thrashing like a dog when it dreamt. He was whimpering and yelping, limbs flailing out randomly as he tried to fight off whatever attacker was plaguing his dreams.

Tubbo grabbed onto Ranboo’s shoulder, shaking him. “Ranboo!” He shouted. “Boo, come on! Wake up! It’s a dream! Come on, man!”

It took a few hard shakes, but finally Ranboo’s eyes flew open, and he gasped. He sat up, chest heaving as he caught his breath. He put a hand to his chest, and then ran it through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes.

Tubbo put a reassuring hand on his back. “You alright, big man?” He said softly. 

Ranboo took a few wheezing breaths before closing his eyes and nodding. His hand was still clutched tightly in his hair. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. I’m good.” He let his hand drop to his side. 

“You sure?” Tubbo asked, moving to sit in front of him. Ranboo looked shellshocked, like a cornered animal, eyes wide and terrified. Dangerous tears dangled from his bottom lashline.

“Hey, hey,” Tubbo chided, reaching forward and brushing them away before Ranboo could get burned. “It’s okay. I’m right here, Boo. You wanna talk about it?”

Ranboo looked up at Tubbo, slowly calming down. “It was about the End,” he said softly. “It was getting destroyed - my mother-” he choked on a sob and buried his face into his hands.

“Hey, Boo, it was a dream,” Tubbo reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. It was painfully hypocritical, as just a few days ago Tubbo had sworn off acknowledging those terrifying nightmares from Dream. Still, he squeezed the enderman’s shoulder reassuringly. Ranboo leaned into the touch, minutely, and heaved a long sigh, wiping his eyes.

“It was Dream doing it,” he said, voice wobbly. “He was doing it. But he looked different - he was bigger, and he had wings and so many eyes and-”

“-a thousand hands?” Tubbo finished, feeling his palms break out in a sweat. Ranboo looked up at him with bewildered eyes.

“How’d you know that?” he asked. “He looked like - like some sort of angel, but…”

“I saw him in a dream, in that form,” Tubbo said. “I don’t know what it means - but he didn’t hurt you, right? It wasn’t a physical dream like mine was?”

Ranboo shook his head, rubbing his jaw unconsciously. His tail flicked absentmindedly beside him. “No, it wasn’t. I think it was just a nightmare.” He shook his head like a dog shaking off a fly. “Let’s just - let’s just go. I’m sure it was nothing.”

They packed up their belongings and saddled their horse for today’s journey, but Tubbo couldn’t help but continue to worry about Ranboo’s dream. Somehow, Dream was influencing their dreamstate, crawling inside and plaguing their sleep. Tubbo thought it was just him, but now Ranboo? He had to get rid of Dream before he did something terrible to them in their sleep.

They continued on throughout the day, crossing between snowcapped mountains and valleys covered in blue flowers. The air here was crisp and clear, and it made Tubbo feel like he was inhaling cool water. It tickled his lungs and made him cough whenever he took too big a gulp. 

Finally, after a week and a half of travel, they crested a hill and saw Kinoko sprawling out beyond them. It was a magnificent city of dark prismarine, gabled roofs and huge mushroom structures, filled to the brim with vines and courtyards. It had a wall surrounding it, but besides that, it looked peaceful, almost serene. It was quieter than the Capitol or New L’manburg. It seemed like a vacation spot rather than a city.

They continued down into the city, passing through the gate with little trouble. Tubbo and Ranboo kept their hoods drawn tight over their faces as they searched for an inn on the outskirts of the town. Street vendors sold food that made Tubbo’s mouth water as they passed, and people walked to and fro, chatting and doing their evening errands. It was nice and peaceful here; it seemed that the people here were oblivious to the threat of Dream’s power. Tubbo desperately wanted to try some of the street food, but Ranboo reminded him gently that they only had so many coins.

They got a room at the most ramshackle looking inn they could find, and it was ramshackle indeed. The beds creaked insufferably when Tubbo sat on one, and this Time Ranboo’s entire leg dangled off the end of it. It smelled like mold and water, but Tubbo supposed that they didn’t have to stay here long. Stock up on supplies and then continue their journey north. It felt strange not to have Ranboo’s warmth next to Tubbo as he slept, but he snuggled into his creaky bed anyways and drifted off to sleep.

He woke the next morning, counting his blessings that he didn’t dream, and glanced over at Ranboo. The enderman was curled in a ball to avoid any limbs from falling off the bed, and was purring in his sleep. Tubbo smiled and went about cleaning up their things after they had dumped them on the floor after they had arrived. Pulling the blue book out of his bag, Tubbo considered the smooth cover. He sat down on his bed - it gave a groan - and opened it, flipping past the other kings’ pages to High King Phil’s. He ran his hand over the illustration of the winged man, holding the white crystal high above his head. He was the kings’ father, the strongest of them all - if Tubbo freed him by himself, would Phil alone be able to destroy Dream?

Tubbo pursed his lips. If he and Ranboo could free Tommy without help from the other kings, he was sure he could free Phil. Wait. Tubbo blinked, flipping back to Techno’s page. He hadn’t freed Techno - Tommy woke him up and Techno broke his chains himself. He hadn’t freed Wilbur - Techno had sent him to go find Ranbob while he and Tommy freed Wilbur. Techno had ordered him around like a dog when this was his prophecy. The realization made Tubbo’s lip curl and made his fingers dig dangerously into the fragile paper. He had to be the one to free Phil. This was his prophecy, and he would be the one to free the last king.

He slammed the book shut, making Ranboo jolt awake. The enderman blinked blearily, rubbing his eyes. “You okay?” He slurred.

Tubbo nodded, shoving the book back into his bag. “‘M fine.”

Ranboo frowned, but didn’t press further. They were going out into town today to get some supplies, and then were leaving tomorrow morning. That was the plan, at least. Tubbo was pulling on his jacket when there was a polite knock at the door and a shrill voice called, “Housekeeping!”

Tubbo glanced at Ranboo, who shrugged and went to get the door. Tubbo continued to button his jacket without much thought until he heard Ranboo scream.

He whipped around to see his friend hit the floor, wrestled down by the soldiers who were now swarming into the room. Ranboo hissed and shrieked against his captor, but his arms were pinned behind his back and his cheek was digging into the floor. Tubbo sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled back a few steps as a man shouldered his way through the group.

He was tall, with tanned skin and dangerous, dark eyes. Scars crisscrossed his face, and he wore light netherite armor. His hair was gathered in a short tail at the crown of his head and kept out of his eyes using a white bandana.

“Prince Tubbo,” he said nonchalantly, shifting with his huge netherite axe. “You’re under arrest by order of the Warden of the North.” His dark eyes gleamed. “We’ve been expecting you, your highness.”

“No-!” Tubbo shrieked, making a dash for the window, but the soldiers were faster. They grabbed onto Tubbo’s jacket, then his arm, and it was over. He was wrestled to the ground, but not without a fight. His nails left bloody scratches on the faces of at least two of the soldiers. But finally manacles were clasped on his wrists and he was shoved out of the room, leaving a small group of soldiers to gather his things.

A wagon similar to the one that had delivered Tubbo to Pandora’s Vault awaited them outside. Tubbo kept a sour expression on his face as they lifted him up into it, chaining him to the side. Ranboo followed a moment later, shackled next to Tubbo, and Tubbo grabbed his hand.

“You alright?” He asked.

Ranboo shot a glare at the surrounding soldiers. “Fine. Except for the inevitable bruise on my face and wounded pride.”

The wagon jerked to a start, and they sat down, hunkering down in hopes that the townspeople wouldn’t pay attention to them. Their cloaks had been abandoned in the inn room, leaving Tubbo’s ears and horns and Ranboo’s tail, horns and coloring open for anyone to see. They didn't let go of each other’s hands for the entire ride.

The dark-eyed man who had captured them pulled his horse around to trot beside the wagon, as if gloating. “Thank you boys for being so lenient in your capture,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for your arrival. The warden supposed it was only a matter of time before you showed up.”

“How’d you know we were there?” Tubbo spat.

The man grinned. His canines were especially long and sharp. “We’ve had every inn in the city on strict protocol to report any suspicious individuals,” he said cheekily. “It’s worked wonders so far.”

The wagon rolled up into a circle drive in front of the biggest mushroom Tubbo had ever seen. He couldn’t tell if it was natural or built to resemble one. Windows in the stem showed that it was hollow and livable inside. The wagon stopped, and Tubbo and Ranboo were unchained from the side. The soldiers had an iron grip on Tubbo’s arms as he was led up the steps and into the mushroom.

It was dim inside, but nicely furnished. A large spiral staircase was in the front hall, and he and Ranboo were lugged up it, followed by their dark-eyed captor. They emerged into some sort of throne room ( How many damn wardens have throne rooms?! Tubbo thought), which was lit only by candles and luminescent lichen on the walls. Great windows let the overcast sky into the room as well. 

Sitting on a throne at the end of the room, flanked by two great dragon statues, was the Warden of the North. He looked visually unthreatening - he was pale, with an aloof expression behind a pair of dark glasses. He had messy brown hair and wore a (silly) mushroom hat. He wore a cape of the same pattern as the mushroom on his head, dotted with plants and vines, but other than that, he looked incredibly...average. He sat lazily on his throne, chin propped up on his hand and legs crossed. He looked...bored.

Tubbo was about to underestimate him, until he saw the three prisoners chained and closely watched by soldiers on the floor in front of him.

“Oh, fuck,” Tubbo muttered to Ranboo as they were dragged forward. The warden looked up lazily from where he had been looking at his nails, causing the other captured questgoers to twist around to see the newcomers.

“Oh, fuck you!” Tommy shouted as soon as he saw Tubbo and Ranboo. he wriggled against his chains, but his wrists were bolted to the floor, his hands manacled by shackles that covered his entire hand, making his fire magic futile. Wilbur and Techno were chained in the same way, and each king had two soldiers pointing a halberd at their head at all times.

“You coulda’ locked us up with anyone else, but it had to be the royal fucker!” Tommy yelled as Ranboo and Tubbo were dragged forward to get shackled between Tommy and Techno. Tubbo shot Tommy a glare full of venom, and Tommy spat at Tubbo’s feet the best he could. 

“How the fuck are you here?” He hissed at the king. Tommy rolled his eyes languidly.

“Came here hoping to beat you to Phil,” he muttered. “We were gonna stay here for a night to rest. Then these fuckers came barging into our room and dragged us back here!”

Tubbo pursed his lips. So the kings would have beat him to Phil if they hadn’t been interrupted. He wanted to kick himself.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, please,” The warden said, yawning hugely. “Can you, like, not fight right here? I’m trying to do something.”

“We’ve been waitin’ here for like, three hours,” Techno muttered. “And you haven’t done anything.”

“Oh my god, stop!” The warden whined. The dark-eyed man came to stand beside the throne. “Ugh, whatever. I’m George, Warden of the North, and I have orders from Dream to, like, kill you or whatever.”

Techno raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. “Really commanding attitude you’ve got here, bud.”

“Stop it!” George cried, stomping his foot like a child. “I’m trying to be dramatic! Ahem,” he cleared his throat and adjusted his cape. “As I was saying. I have orders from Dream to kill you, so I guess I’ve got to do that.” He glanced sideways at his companion. “Sapnap?”

The man beside him hefted his massive axe and grinned. “Yes?”

George waved his hand lazily towards the assembled group. “Kill them, please.”

Tommy began to struggle against his chains as Sapnap walked over, every step like a gong. Tubbo felt his heart rate spike as his dark eyes swept over them, sharp teeth glinting through his lips as he grinned. 

“Any particular order, George?” he called back, spinning his axe casually between hands. 

George rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “Whatever you want. Kill the loud one first, if you want.”

“Oh, fuck you, bitch!” Tommy cried as Sapnap walked over. The guards hovering over Tommy sheathed their halberds in favor of pinning Tommy to the floor, giving Sapnap a perfect view of his pale neck. There was a rattle of chains to Tubbo’s right as Techno struggled against his bonds, growling and yanking at the manacles.Wilbur was shouting something, Tubbo couldn’t hear - the ringing that filled his ears and the pit of dread in his stomach was too loud as Sapnap stopped beside Tommy.

Time slowed as Sapnap raised his axe. Wilbur’s mouth was moving in slow motion, and for the first time, Tubbo saw real fear in Tommy’s eyes as he watched the axe move.

Sapnap brought the axe down, and suddenly time was moving normally again, and Tubbo couldn’t help the yelp of terror that escaped his throat-

“Wait!” A foreign voice called. There was a flash of gold and a whoosh of air, and then someone was grabbing onto Sapnap’s axe and pushing it away, crouching defensively in front of Tommy.

Sapnap’s mouth fell open, but it wasn’t him who spoke. “Quackity?” George cried from his throne, shooting to his feet. He pulled his glasses off to give the man a bewildered look.

Quackity looked much better off than he had when he had left them at the prison - he wore a nice suit jacket and slacks, with a red tie and a pocketwatch tucked into his suit. He grinned at Sapnap and George, his scar still making him look slightly deranged.

“Hey, guys,” he said. “Yeah, I know you’ve missed me, but I kinda owe this kid a debt, so I can’t let you kill him.”

“Quackity!” George repeated. “Where - what - how-”

“Yeah, it’s a long story,” Quackity said. He glanced between Sapnap and George uncertainly. “Listen, guys, just let the kid go. He let me out of Pandora’s Vault.”

Sapnap visibly paled. “Pandora’s Vault? ” he echoed. Tubbo was startled to hear his voice tremble. “Q, where have you been? ”

A spark of emotion lit the air between the two, but it didn’t last for very long before Tommy was wriggling again. “Can you just listen to him and make these fuckers let go of me?” He shouted. 

George scowled, but flicked his hand. The guards begrudgingly backed away, and Tommy sat upright, cursing at them under his breath.

Quackity stared George down. “Listen, these kids helped me get out of the Vault,” he said stoutly. “I owe them a debt. At least for now, let them go.”

George hesitated, and Tubbo felt some unsaid complaint hover in the air. He glanced between his prisoners, as if weighing his options.

“And what if I refuse?” He said carefully.

Quackity’s eyes glittered. “I’ll leave and never come back.”

“George, please,” Sapnap begged, turning to look at George with pleading eyes. “Let them go. Come on. I can’t lose someone else after Karl.”

George’s eye twitched, but finally he sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “ Fine, ” he huffed. “But if all of our heads are on spikes outside the Capitol tomorrow morning, it’s not my fault.”

Tubbo let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding as the guards moved forward to unshackle him. He rubbed his wrists appreciatively and glanced to the side, making sure Ranboo was alright. The guards were unchaining the kings as well, much to George’s chagrin.

Wilbur climbed to his feet and dusted himself off, fixing George with a haughty stare. “Thank you, sir,” he said in a tone that dripped with venom. “Your kind actions will be appreciated.”

George clenched his teeth and looked away. Quackity turned back to Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo.

“You boys alright?” He asked casually, sticking his hands in his pockets.”Figured I’d cash in that debt. Quite the coincidence I caught you guys here, huh?”

“Thank you, I guess,” Tommy said, obviously pleased with himself. “I’ll be sure to remember you once I take back the empire.”

Something in Quackity’s eyes shifted. “Oh, yeah, I was meaning to ask you,” he said. “After we spoke at the prison - I did a little digging, a little research, if you will. Are you guys really those four kings I read about?” He wrinkled his nose. “Well, three in assembly.”

“Yes,” Wilbur said, pushing Tommy aside. He looked down his nose at Quackity. “We’ve come back after a thousand years of imprisonment to take back our throne.”

“Huh.” Quackity scuffed his foot against the ground. “That’s interesting. Very. Well, I welcome you guys back to the Antarctic Empire.” He swept into a low bow.

“Quackity, shut up so they can get on their way,” George called from nearby. Quackity rolled his eyes and gave them a mock salute. 

“Safe travels,” he called as the kings, Tubbo and Ranboo were ushered away. They made it as far as the front courtyard before Tubbo was wheeling on Tommy, sending his fist into Tommy’s cheek. Tommy yowled in pain and immediately retaliated, eyes burning with hatred as he jumped on Tubbo, sending both of the boys to the gravel of the ground. Tubbo’s heartbeat was roaring in his ears as he and Tommy fought and kicked, both landing hits here and there. Tommy’s fist would connect with Tubbo’s chin, but then Tubbo’s foot would lash out and catch him in the stomach. The fight lasted all of about five seconds, though, before their respective parties were yanking them apart. Tubbo gasped as he was pulled off of Tommy by clawed hands, staying sitting against Ranboo as Techno and Wilbur pulled Tommy to his feet.

“What the fuck was that for?” Tommy spat. The guards had quickly dispersed, leaving the group to their own discord.

Tubbo spat some blood out onto the gravel. “That,” he growled, “was for making me lie.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” Tommy shouted, eyes blazing dangerously. He tried to surge towards Tubbo again, but Techno held him back with a strong arm. “I never made you do anything!”

“When we first rescued you from the volcano, you said you would kill anyone in the castle or anyone associated with Dream,” Tubbo said, staggering to his feet. “ You made me scared enough to hide my identity.”

“If you would have just told me, maybe I would have fuckin’ trusted you!” Tommy shot back.

“Clearly not!” Tubbo cried. “The way you acted at Eret’s confirmed my suspicions that all of you would have left me for nothing if you had found out who I really was. You forget this whole damn thing is my prophecy. I’m the one who’s supposed to be freeing you from those fucking prisons, not you. This is my fucking job, and if any of you want to try to take it, you can fuck right off.”

He was panting, he realized. Unconsciously, his hand reached back, and Ranboo’s slid into his. Tommy’s face was flushed, and Techno and Wilbur had concerned, if not curious, expressions.

“Listen,” Wilbur said after a long pause. “Tubbo, I know you understand that we don’t have the best history with other royalty or people related to Dream. And I know now that this is your prophecy - Tommy told me about the storybook you carry. About the prophecy you were given. It was wrong of Tommy and even Techno to doubt your place as the leader of this quest. However I do think it would have been better had you simply come clean to us about your identity rather than hide it.”

Tubbo swallowed. “I agree,” he replied. “I was just...scared, I guess. I didn’t want to lose the respect I had.”

Wilbur nodded carefully. “That’s okay. I, personally, forgive you. I know you aren’t Dream, and that you aren’t trying to work behind our backs to turn us in, or else you wouldn’t have acted like you did at New L’manburg. I’m sorry.”

Tubbo nodded. “Yeah. Okay. It’s okay.”

Wilbur glanced back at Techno, who shrugged. “Guess I forgive you too,” he said nonchalantly. Tubbo gave a forced smile, and then looked at Tommy.

Tommy gave him a venomous look and shook his head. “I,” he said, “don’t forgive you. And I dunno if I will.”

He jerked out of Techno’s grasp and wiped his bloody nose. He glanced at Wilbur. “Now where we going?”

Wilbur gestured at Tubbo. “Why don’t you ask our quest leader?”

Tommy muttered under his breath and stalked off. Wilbur sighed and put his hands on his hips, but looked over at Tubbo.

“Where to?” He asked, brown eyes glittering with trust.

Tubbo took a deep breath and drank in the respect of a king. “North,” he said, feeling himself puff up with pride. “We go north.”

Wilbur grinned. “To Philza fuckin’ Minecraft.”

Chapter Text

The lands north of Kinoko got steadily harsher and harsher the further they travelled. For a while, it was the same dry tundra as the rest of the way there, but slowly it got colder and colder, and with the cold came snowdrifts and packed snow. Tubbo had never seen snow before in his life - the first time he spotted a pile, he gave a childish laugh and flopped down into it, expecting it to cushion his fall. The snow this far south was more like slush than anything else, so Ranboo had a good laugh at Tubbo crawling out of the snow soaking wet. 

Slowly, though. the landscape became pure white. White hills, white plains, not a speck of color in sight other than the rocky grays and muddy browns of hills, or the rare sight of some flowers that had the ability to grow in such extreme conditions. All the trees here were barren and leafless, unless they saw the rare evergreen clinging to a hill. There were no spruce forests this far north, Wilbur told them.

The nights were the worst. With little to no cover, they took shelter in the shadow of craggy mountains, their only lifeline being Tommy’s fire during the night. Howling winds and freezing temperatures sent Tubbo burrowing deep down in his blankets, desperate to keep onto the last bits of warmth in his core. Tubbo longed to sleep snuggled next to Tommy, who was practically a portable space heater, but the young prince-king always slept on the other side of camp from him, hogging all of his warmth to himself. And he even said he couldn’t feel cold!

A light snow began to fall, growing into a steady snowfall the further north they walked. By the time they were a week into their journey, Tubbo could barely see ahead of him with how much the snow was coming down. He stuck close to Ranboo, who never hesitated to share his coat or blanket with him. The snow got deeper with every mile they trudged, which was easy for Ranboo’s long legs and agony for Tubbo’s tiny ones.

The cold got so bad that Tubbo began to lose sleep over it - he would be kept awake by shivering, incessantly trembling and sticking his fingers in his mouth to keep them warm. One of those nights, Tubbo was shaking so bad that he was kneeing himself in the stomach, and pressed himself closer to Ranboo, who purred in his sleep and instinctively curled his body around Tubbo’s smaller one. Tubbo whimpered around his fingers, knowing that if he took them out of his mouth, the stinging cold wind on his warm fingers would be an even more unbearable pain.

“Tubbo,” a voice whispered over the wind. Tubbo peeked over Ranboo’s shoulder, shuddering as his neck poked out of his jacket and got caught in the howling wind.

Wilbur was awake, sitting against the rocks they were sheltering up against, poking their meager fire in hopes that it would keep going. Wilbur glanced at Tubbo, then reached over and pried a blanket off of Tommy. The boy mumbled in distaste, but WIlbur ignored him, standing up on his knees to drape the blanket over Ranboo and Tubbo.

“Ohhh.” The warmth drew the sigh unwillingly out of Tubbo’s mouth. The blanket, warmed by Tommy’s body heat, was like a small miracle against the cold. It may have only been a few degrees warmer than the rest of their blankets, but it may as well have been dunked in hot coals and melted in the lava of the Fire Temple. Tubbo took his hands out of his mouth, burrowing them deep in the blanket before the heat was sucked out by the howling wind. Ranboo seemed to respond in his sleep, too; his purring became even louder, and he stretched, arms settling above his head.

“Thank you,” Tubbo whispered over Ranboo’s sleeping frame, blinking at Wilbur. Wilbur smiled and shrugged, continuing to poke at the flames.

“Least I could do,” Wilbur whispered back. “Tommy’s being a shit. He holds grudges like this.”

Tubbo glanced away, blinking as snowflakes got caught on his eyelashes. “I don’t care, really. He has a right to be mad.”

Wilbur sighed through his nose, his breath billowing out in a great cloud. It made him look like Schlatt when he smoked those great big pipes in his study. He stared down at the fire for a long time, and the flames danced in his dark eyes.

“I should be the same way, really,” the water king said after a few drawn out heartbeats. “Losing Tommy that day a thousand years ago was my biggest mistake.”

Wilbur must have seen Tubbo’s puzzled glance out of the corner of his eye, because he shifted and put his head on his knees. “Has Tommy told you about what happened that day, when the Capitol fell?” He asked. “Phil and Techno immediately went out to face Dream - I’ve never been one for fighting, and Tommy’s powers were too wild and unpredictable for the battlefield. Phil gave me the job of hiding Tommy away - at the time, we didn’t know Dream only planned to imprison us. We thought that if Dream got his hands on us, we’d be dead. And Tommy staying alive was our only hope at the Empire surviving.”

Tubbo tilted his head to the side. “How so? I thought you said his powers were too unpredictable.”

Wilbur’s mouth quirked up into a smile. “That's exactly why. If Tommy were to escape, he would be the only one powerful enough to stop Dream. Phil and Techno are the most experienced in battle and with their powers, yes, but Dream was counting on that. He was riding on the fact that he could be unpredictable, and knew we wouldn’t know how to fight against that. It would take someone unpredictable like Tommy to beat someone unpredictable like Dream.”

Wilbur glanced over at his brother. He was asleep, laying across Techno’s stomach, using his arms as a pillow. Techno was snoring lightly, nose and ears twitching each time a snowflake landed on them. Tommy’s head rose and fell with every breath Techno took.

“I’d thought I’d failed the moment we were surrounded,” he said distantly. “We got as far as one of the courtyards, and Dream found us. He told us he had already captured Techno and driven Phil into retreat, somewhere outside the castle walls. The Capitol had fallen within hours, and we had all failed. Phil failed to protect the Capitol, Techno failed to protect Phil, and I failed to protect Tommy.”

Reaching out, Wilbur slid a hand into Tommy’s blond curls. The boy groaned and shifted his head in his sleep, burying his face in his arms. Wilbur was quiet for a long time, deep in thought as he stared at his brother. Tubbo found himself holding his breath, as if he could will Wilbur into speaking again by choking his lungs of air.

“He ripped him from my arms,” Wilbur said finally, after a pause that felt like a millennia. “Dream did. I was trying to run again, trying to get Tommy out of there. I knew if Phil hadn’t died defending the Capitol, it was because he wanted to see Tommy safe, and so I tried my best. I tried using my powers, for once, but I’ve always been one for evasive maneuvers and peace talks.” Wilbur smiled bitterly. “I tried to run, and Dream grabbed Tommy, and pulled him away. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Tommy, and he looked so little, so scared. He was - he is sixteen. He’s only sixteen.”

Much like the first night Tommy was with the party, the firelight showed Wilbur for what he really was - a thousand and twenty-something, cursed with immortality and knowledge and power. He looked more like a king than a prince in the dim, dark shadow of the snow. He removed his hand from Tommy’s hair and pushed it through his own, sighing tragically.

“And then I woke up,” he said softly. “In Endlantis. In what once was my family’s summer home, where we could go and not have to worry about anything.” He let his head drop, curls bouncing. “Gods, I miss my mother.”

Tubbo glanced down at Ranboo. Mothers. He didn’t remember his mother; she had died back when he was a baby and Schlatt didn’t talk about her. He spoke about her briefly when he was drunk - only vile things, though, ones that Tubbo had carefully chosen not to remember. He pulled his warm blanket closer around his ears, flicking snow off of them.

Tubbo sighed, sending a cloud of snowflakes up into Ranboo’s face. “Yeah. I miss my mom, too.”

The snowstorm would only get worse from here, Technoblade announced as they packed up the next morning. The closer they got to Phil, the harder nature would fight back to remain the way it had been for the last thousand years. 

“It won’t be easy to get him back,” Techno told the group as they huddled behind the rocks for the last time. Techno’s crimson eyes were dead set. “Dream won’t have made it easy to get him back. So prepare to fight Goddess Nature herself.”

Goddess Nature did indeed fight back. Tubbo was blown backwards into the snow several times, as were Ranboo and Tommy with their lightweight bodies. Techno had to carry Tommy on his back through some particularly deep snowdrifts, leaving Tubbo - who was significantly shorter than Tommy - to flounder his own way through. 

Tubbo noticed, as they continued, black birds that kept soaring far overhead as they journeyed on. Sometimes they were just pinpricks of black pepper in the sky through the storm, and sometimes Tubbo awoke to a crow in the middle of camp, picking at the remains of their fire. They never stuck around for long - just long enough to catch a glance of the travelers before flying off. Tubbo was uneasily reminded of how buzzards followed their prey before it died.

More and more birds continued to show up until there was a whole flock trailing them, seemingly waiting for one of them to keel over and die. When they ran out of food, Tubbo thought about killing one if just to have a few scraps of meat. He decided against it, though, when we woke up one morning and found Techno gone from his place as Tommy’s pillow. Tommy was resting on Wilbur, now, and Techno was gone, shallow footprints in the snow leading to where he went. It was still early in the morning, and dark, and the storm hadn’t kicked up for the day, so Tubbo untangled himself from Ranboo, grabbed an extra blanket, and trudged after the earth king. 

Tubbo found Techno a stone’s throw away, out of the cover of the rocky slope, completely surrounded by crows. They speckled the snow like pepper, and he had his arms outstretched so the birds could perch on him. He had three on each arm, one on each shoulder, and even one perched on his head, hilariously. The crows pecked at his feet, and Tubbo watched in awe as several of them would flutter forward and drop little shiny trinkets at his boots - some dropped shiny bits of rock or metal, others dropped flowers, and some even brought forward small dead rodents like a ratter cat. Techno turned slightly, and Tubbo saw a genuine smile on his face as he stroked one of the birds under its beak. The snow looked like stardust against the black backdrop of the corvid’s feathers. 

Tubbo decided not to hunt the crows after that. 

Still, they were hungry, and Tommy and Tubbo made it known that they were. The elements were driving them back together, it seemed, though not without resentment. Tommy still refused to speak to Tubbo, which Tubbo was just fine with. Still, the colder it got, the closer the group would have to sleep to stay warm. The brothers all slept crowded in a pile in the first place, but neither Tubbo nor Ranboo was exactly a portable heater, so as they journeyed further north, the closer they all slept. Finally, one day, Tubbo woke to a laughable arrangement; Tommy and Wilbur both had their heads on Techno’s chest, and Tubbo himself was snuggled in the curve of Wilbur’s body. Ranboo curled in a ball near Techno’s head, the enderman’s forehead against the prince-king’s cheek as they slept peacefully. The snow caught on their eyelashes, and was a stark contrast against Wilbur and Ranboo’s dark hair.

The days all blended together, only differentiated by where they slept at night and how many crows Tubbo could count following them. They ran out of food embarrassingly quickly; feeding five people was much harder than they had all expected. After they gave the last bit of bread to Tubbo, they were forced to trudge along through the snow with grumbling stomachs. Sometimes, as they walked, Tubbo caught the incessant feeling that they were being followed, but when he glanced back, all he saw was the blizzard, or the flashing black feathers of a crow.

Finally, after what seemed like years walking in circles, a mountain appeared in their path, seemingly out of the fog of snow and wind. Tubbo was delirious and exhausted by the time they arrived, stumbling over his feet and the thick snow so that Ranboo would have to steady him. The only thing that stirred him out of his stupor was Techno’s exclamation and Wilbur’s shout of excitement.

Blinking snowflakes out of his vision, Tubbo looked up from minding his feet to see a giant cave opening in front of him, lined with teeth of icicles and sweeping down steeply. Techno trudged ahead of them - the snowdrifts were nearly up to the earth king’s waist - and peered down into the dark opening.

“We’re here,” Techno barked, glancing over his shoulder.

Tubbo was immediately alert. Techno ushered them forward, one by one, pulling them across the snowdrift and into the cave opening. He pulled Tubbo in, and Tubbo gasped in alarm as his feet nearly went out from under him - Wilbur caught him at the last moment and Tubbo grabbed onto his jacket, eyes wide as he stared down at his feet.

Wilbur huffed a laugh. “You alright, big man?”

Tubbo cracked a smile. “Never seen ice before.”

The floor was, indeed, ice. Frozen in almost a wave pattern, it slanted down sharply down into the cave. Looking around as Techno helped Ranboo and Tommy across the snow, He found similar carvings in the wall as in the Fire Temple - parables of the elements, he assumed, but it was dark and some of the carvings had been rubbed away by erosion. Tubbo ran his hand along the smooth ice as Tommy and Ranboo clambered their way in.

Tommy peered down the dark hall. “Well?” He asked Techno loudly. “How are we getting down? It’s all slippery.”

“Like this,” Techno rumbled, pushing Tommy over like a toy soldier. Tommy screeched as he pinwheeled backwards, rolling a few times before he was sliding on his back down the icy slope and out of sight. Wilbur burst out into a hearty laugh, and Tubbo allowed himself a haughty snicker. Tommy cried out as he ran into something at the bottom, and shouted a string of curses back up at his brothers.

“Well, at least we know it’s not booby trapped,” Wilbur wheezed, pushing his hair back from his face as he caught his breath. “Who’s next?”

Techno sighed. “I guess I’ll go,” he lamented dramatically, sitting down and slowly inching forward over the slope. His descent down the ice slide was a lot more graceful than Tommy’s, and his red cloak acted as a sort of blanket for him to slide on.

Wilbur giddily hopped down the slope himself, pushing off of the top to get the most speed he could. Tubbo and Ranboo exchanged a glance, grinned, and then a moment later Tubbo was sliding down the slippery slope, Ranboo a moment behind him.

It was exhilarating, sliding down into the dark with no clear direction. Wilbur shouted something in front of him, but Tubbo couldn’t hear it past the wind whistling in his ears. A laugh tore itself from his lungs, and he could hear Ranboo yelling behind him, just barely.

Finally, the end came all at once; the floor banked out straight suddenly, and Tubbo grunted as his tailbone whacked against the hard floor. He slid forward, still with his momentum, and slammed into the back of Wilbur’s legs from where he was standing, almost causing him to topple backwards. Tubbo was panting, and he laughed, managing to sit up - until Ranboo came sailing out of the dark and slamming straight into Tubbo, oversized limbs and all.

“That was the best entrance to a dungeon ever! ” Tubbo cheered after he was done laughing, struggling to his feet, turning back to Ranboo to help him up. The bottom of the cave was lit by little blue lanterns in the walls, casting a sort of neon light around the small room. Looking around, Tubbo spotted Techno and Tommy already over at some sort of large circular door - it was emblazoned with the elemental crystals from the storybook in their respective cardinal direction. The two prince-kings were deep in discussion, and Wilbur joined as soon as he walked over.

Wilbur glanced over his shoulder as Tubbo and Ranboo approached, beckoning them over. “This is the door,” he explained. “We’re trying to figure out how to-”

“Got it!” Tommy hollered, slapping his hand against the red crystal on the right side of the door. The crystal lit up under his palm, casting the room in an almost purple light from the red and blue light. Techno immediately went to the other side, pressing his hand to the green crystal, and finally Wilbur crouched down, putting his hand on the blue crystal. With all three kings’ hands on the door, the white crystal on the top of the door blazed with light, and there was an ancient rumble under their feet. Tubbo grabbed onto Ranboo to keep him steady as a circular panel in the middle of the door was pushed forward, the diamond-shaped engraving flipping to reveal a fifth crystal - purple, speckled with shiny silver like stars.

Tubbo stared at the crystal for a long moment, before looking up at Ranboo. Ranboo returned his gaze, eyes wide with wonder.

“Our prophecy, boss man,” Tubbo said softly, intertwining his fingers with Ranboo’s. Ranboo’s face split into a smile, and together they stepped forward and reached out, pressing their hands against the violet crystal.

The whole room shook as the crystal lit up under their palms. Tubbo kept his hand on it for as long as he dared until the door itself trembled, and all five of them backed up, watching as the crystals were pulled back into the door, and it slowly lifted up into the ceiling, raining dirt and pebbles down on their heads. Tubbo put his arms over his head to avoid any further injury, and once there was a distant boom and the room stopped shaking, he opened his eyes and got his first look inside the ice cavern.

The room was made completely out of ice, giving it a sort of heavenly, sparkling aura. It was almost made to look like a ballroom - a balcony circled the entire room, looking down at a lower floor accessible by a grand staircase in front of them. The same blue lanterns were held in alcoves along the wall, and blue fire crackled in a brazier near the back of the room. 

In the center of the room, suspended in the air by his ice-covered wings, was High King Phil. 

He wasn’t as grand and imposing as Tubbo had expected - he was gaunt and pale, really, with long blonde hair swept back into a loose tail. His wrists and elbows were bony, and his arms were chained to the ceiling above his head. He wore long green robes, and his wings were dark as night, speckled with white like a starlit sky. 

Phil looked up as the door slid out of the way, blue eyes glinting with hood humor. He gave them a lopsided grin. 

“It took you boys long enough,” Phil said. 

All three prince-kings let out a similar cry of anguish - even Techno, who Tubbo had never seen such emotion from - and immediately all three of them were racing down the stairs to their father. Phil let out a cackling laugh as Tommy and Wilbur both began talking over each other, while Techno tried in vain to direct them to help him break the ice on Phil’s outstretched wings. 

Tubbo and Ranboo watched the reunion listlessly from the door, unsure if they should intrude on such a tender moment. Tommy threw his arms around his father’s legs and sagged from them, begging to know if this is where Phil had been this entire time. Wilbur threw his arms around Phil’s middle and did something similar, hanging off of his father like a monkey as he babbled through his tears. Techno’s hands were out in front of him, as if he wanted to join the embrace, but retreated and got to work smashing the ice on Phil’s wings with the hilt of his sword.

“Have you been awake this entire time?” Wilbur sobbed, looking up at his father with glossy eyes. “Have you been fucking awake for a thousand years? ”

Phil chuckled, jostling with every swing of Techno’s sword against his icy prison. “Centuries are mere childsplay to me, mate,” he jested, and then hissed in pain as the ice around his wing shattered, sending it crashing to the ground. He was now lopsided, dangling from one wing and his wrists above his head.

“Shit, fuck, here.” Wilbur swiftly untangled himself from his father and rushed over, picking up his wing in an attempt to balance him out. Techno rushed to the other side, resuming his silent attack on the ice, brow furrowed and lip curled in determination.

Phil looked down at Tommy, still hanging off of his legs, and Tubbo was floored by the amount of fatherly love glowing in his blue eyes. “Tommy,” Phil sighed, smiling widely with an expression of total relief on his face. “God, fuck, mate, you scared the fuck out of me during the Capitol attack.”

“Wilbur tried to get me out,” Tommy babbled, continuing to paw at Phil’s robes as if to convince himself his father was real. “Wilbur-”

“I know, I know, kiddo, I know,” Phil hushed him, and Tommy buried his face in his robes, muffling cries. Phil’s gaze lifted to snag on Tubbo and Ranboo, still standing awkwardly in the doorway. Something in his eyes changed, and a slow smile spread across his face.

“Come here,” he said. “Both of you.”

Tubbo and Ranboo shared an uneasy glance before carefully picking their way down the stairs - the ice here wasn’t as slippery as the tunnel, but it was still slippery nonetheless. They clutched onto each other’s arms as they slowly made their way across the smooth, icy floor to the high king.

Ranboo immediately dropped into a respectful genuflect at Phil’s feet, Tubbo a moment behind him. Tubbo was surprised at the amount of sheer power rolling off of the king in waves. It felt like gilded gemstones, white warhorses, high windows in a sprawling palace. It also felt like wild prairies, dancing in the forest until dawn, soaring through the clouds without a care in the world. This was a man that held impossible power. This was a man who, in his prime, could have wiped all traces of Tubbo from the world with a flick of his wrist. This was a man who could command the winds themselves. This was a man who could control the entire world.

“You are the prophecy holders, no?” Phil said, his voice gentle yet stern. Tubbo glanced up from bowing his head to meet Phil’s electric blue gaze. It was like his voice - soft and strict at the same time. Tubbo gulped.

“Yes, sir.”

Phil smiled at that. “We did a good job selecting the criteria, then. We were afraid that summoning a prince from the Capitol would be a bad choice.”

Tubbo blinked, sitting up straight from his genuflect. “What do you mean? You - You knew about the prophecy?”

The ice on Phil’s remaining wing shattered, and Techno caught the massive limb with a grunt. Phil winced and screwed up his face, prying open one eye to glance at Techno.

“Chains, please,” he hissed.

Techno summoned a stone block out of the floor to stand on in order to reach the ice chains holding Phil to the ceiling, but no matter how hard he whacked at them with his sword, they didn’t budge. Wilbur even managed to untangle Tommy from Phil’s robes in order to try and burn through them, but that didn’t work, either.

Ranboo was still in a polite genuflect when Wilbur’s gaze swiveled back to them, eyes widening. “You two,” he breathed. “Come here.”

Tubbo clumsily clambered to his feet, slipping and sliding, but eventually both he and Ranboo pulled themselves up onto the block behind Phil. Wilbur waved his hands at the chains. “Only the prophesized ones can break the chains of the High King,” he said. His eyes shone with awe.

Tubbo’s mouth opened with a pop, and he glanced at Ranboo. Ranboo had a similar look of surprise on his face, and he looked down at his claws hands. Tubbo found himself doing the same. They were red and slightly shaking from the cold. Were those hands that seriously had power enough to free a High King from a prison that had held him for a millenia?

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” Ranboo whispered, seemingly reading Tubbo’s mind. Tubbo looked up at his friend, and saw total trust in those emerald and ruby depths. Taking a deep breath, Tubbo nodded, and together they reached out and wrapped their fingers around the cold chains.

The chains began to hiss and squeal like burning metal, and steam rose from between their fingers, but they held on tight. Slowly, slowly, Tubbo felt the chains dissipate under his palms, until finally-

Phil slipped from the chains with a surprise shout, but Techno was there, catching Phil before he could slam into the ground. Phil grabbed onto Techno’s arms like a lifeline as he was slowly put down onto unsteady feet, Techno looking like he just wanted to pick Phil up again to make sure he didn’t fall.

Dark wings steepled over Phil as he used them for balance, and he sighed the deepest sigh Tubbo had ever heard, rolling his shoulders back and rubbing his wrists. “This,” he sighed, “is the greatest feeling a man can have.” He flapped his great wings once, twice, and then lifted a few inches off of the ground before coming back down. He wore the biggest, most shit-eating grin on his face as he looked over his sons, pride glimmering in his eyes.

The high king threw his arms open wide. “Boys,” he chortled, and immediately all three of them crashed into their father for a hug, all trying to speak but getting drowned out by Phil’s booming laughter. Tubbo and Ranboo lingered behind, still excluded from the family reunion. Ranboo’s cold hand found Tubbo’s.

“We did it,” Ranboo whispered. “We freed the kings.”

Tubbo let out a long sigh. He had expected this to feel like the greatest victory of them all, but the weight of a thousand worlds still felt heavy on his shoulders. “Yeah,” he said with mimed hopefulness. “Yeah, we did.”

A few moments later, Phil untangled himself from his sons and turned to Tubbo and Ranboo, face softening. “You boys are the true heroes here,” he said, laughing. “Dream thought he was smart by venting all of his information to me as he locked me up - he said how only someone of his blood and someone with Ender blood could free us from our prisons.” 

Tommy frowned from behind Phil. “But Ranboo wasn’t with us at Endlantis,” he said icily.

Tubbo clapped in surprise, startling Ranboo. “Ranbob,” he said, even though the name still sent a chill down his spine. “Dream magicked him to resemble Ranboo, and he must have made it so that form would have Ender blood on accident. Dream accidentally freed Wilbur himself in a way.”

Ranboo’s mouth fell open. “ Seriously? ” he stammered. “I’m that important?”

“Aww, boss man, you’ve always been important,” Tubbo said, throwing his arms around his friend and grinning. Ranboo warbled in delight and enthusiastically squeezed him back.

“I’ll tell you boys the truth,” Phil said after a moment, and then every eye was on him again. He fixed his gaze on Tubbo and Ranboo. “About that prophecy. Me and-”

There was a loud boom from outside, and the whole room shook. Hairline fractures appeared in the ice all around them, and Phil threw his wings out to keep his balance. He cocked his head to the side, and then his hand floundered in the air for a brief moment before Techno gripped it tightly. “Go,” the earth king murmured, and Tubbo had to choke down a screech of alarm as Phil’s eyes rolled back into his head, presenting glassy white scleras, almost like Eret’s.

“What’s he doing?” Tubbo managed to whisper in disbelief as another explosion rocked the room. Ranboo was holding onto Tubbo’s hand tight. Techno gave them a sideways glance.

“The crows,” the king said simply. “He watches through the crows.”

Everything clicked - the crows following them, Techno’s affinity to them, the number of them increasing as they got closer. It had been Phil, watching over them, all along. Tubbo opened his mouth to make a sound of disbelief, but then Phil’s eyes were snapping back to normal, and he was pulling his arm out of Techno’s grasp.

“It’s Capitol soldiers,” he said, turning to Techno. “They’re guarding the entrance and using explosives to try and lure us out. We can’t get out that way.”

“Then how are we gonna get the hell out of here?” Tommy squawked. “I’m cold, and I hate the fuckin’ snow!”

Phil and Techno shared a glance, and slowly, grins spread over both of their faces. With a stomp of Techno’s foot, a large hole appeared in the ground, sloping slightly downwards into the dark. Wilbur and Tommy seemed to realize what was going on at the exact same moment, because they, too, got shit-eating grins on their faces.

“What?” Tubbo asked, slowly becoming more worried as Tommy began to giggle. “What? Are you gonna sacrifice us or some shit?”

Wilbur went over and clapped Tubbo on the shoulder. “Tubbo, my boy, have you ever been in a hyper tunnel before?”

Tubbo frowned. “Well, yes, they’re in the Capitol-”

“Good, because this is nothing like a hyper tunnel,” Wilbur said. He lashed out with a hand, and immediately ice appeared at the bottom of the dark tunnel. Tubbo suddenly had a feeling of dread that he knew where this was going.

“ Ice tunnel! Ice tunnel! ” Tommy whooped as another explosion rocked the room. Wilbur pulled Tubbo and Ranboo over to the tunnel, and Tubbo held onto Ranboo for dear life.

“Get prepared for the ride of your life, boys,” Phil chortled, and Techno jumped down the tunnel with a childlike whoop, and then Tubbo was being pushed from behind, pulling Ranboo with him, and he fell screaming into the dark. He slammed his eyes closed and clutched onto Ranboo as they both fell onto their backs, sliding down the slope and gaining speed.

“Stand up, you two!” A voice that might have been Wilbur’s called from behind them. “Can’t keep good speed if you’re laying down!”

A few moments later the other kings joined them - Wilbur helped haul them to their feet mid-slide, and Tommy leaped in front of them, holding a ball of flame in his hand to light their way. Techno went in front, making the tunnel as they went, Wilbur just behind him and keeping the ice path going. Phil slid behind them, making a gust of wind at their backs that kept their forward momentum going. Phil in particular seemed to be enjoying the ice tunnel the best, whooping and cheering like a child as they went over twists and turns. Tubbo and Ranboo were clinging to each other for dear life, but somehow miraculously stayed on their feet.

“Is this seriously how you guys get around?” Tubbo shouted over the whistling wind.

“Only if hippocampi or Phil aren’t available!” Wilbur shouted, grinning back at him. The water king looked more alive than Tubbo had seen him. In fact, all the kings had a certain healthy glow to them that wasn’t there before. Tubbo blinked, but it didn’t disappear. Was it because he had freed all of the kings? Were all of them at maximum power?

“Where the fuck are we going?” Tommy yelled after a long moment.

“The Capitol!” Phil shouted back. He had a wild grin on his face. “Straight to socking it into Dream’s face!”

“What?!” Tubbo and Ranboo shrieked in unison. “We can’t attack now! Dream has an army! ”

“We can take ‘em!”

“How’d that turn out for you before?” Tubbo shouted, and then snapped his mouth shut. He swiftly averted his eyes, catching Ranboo’s quiet curse of oh, pearls. The tunnel went deathly quiet, save for the scrape of their feet against ice, the wind in their faces, and the rumble of earth as Techno moved it.

Tubbo was wholly prepared to be smited by the High King himself before he heaved a large sigh. “Okay, you’re right,” Phil said, and Tubbo figured he’d never been so elated to be validated before. “Attacking Dream head on isn’t the best idea, I admit. We can lie low in the Capitol for a bit and get some more information.”

“Thank you,” Tubbo said. He continued to hold tight onto Ranboo, though, almost afraid that he would be struck down anyways. A blow never came, though, as they whisked their way through the tunnel.

Much like the hippocampi ride, it was over much quicker than Tubbo expected. What felt like a short eternity later, Techno guided the tunnel gently up and to a stopping point. Tubbo blinked a few times as Tommy put out his fire, making his eyes adjust to the dark.

“We should be right under the Capitol,” Techno said. His crimson gaze swept over all of them. “I tried to find an empty house. Um. Phil, you’re kind of - well - not dressed for the job.”

Phil glanced down at his emerald green robes and great black wings. “Oh, oops,” he said, laughing. “I guess one of you will have to sneak out into town and get me some new clothes.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes and Tommy snickered. Techno, meanwhile, was carving out a tunnel through the roof. Tubbo watched in awe as Techno carefully rolled the dirt away and revealed floorboards above them, light filtering through the cracks between them. Unsheathing his sword, Techno broke through them and pulled himself up into the house, his weapon poised to attack if he saw anyone. After a moment, he gave the all clear, and one by one they all crawled out of the tunnel. Tubbo’s eyes watered from the sudden bright light of the windows of the house, and looking around, their surroundings were truly decrepit - the house was run down, and the windows were smashed or broken. The floorboards were dusty and cobwebs were everywhere. Dim afternoon light filtered in through the broken windows. 

“Wow,” he breathed. “That was fast.”

“Hyper tunnels ain’t got nothin’ on us,” Techno rumbled as he peered around a few corners, checking for unwanted intruders or squatters. “We should be good here for a while. Wilbur, I think you should go out and get Phil some clothes.”

“Me?” Wilbur sputtered. “Why me?”

“You’re the least jarring to look at out of the rest of us,” Techno said, waving his hand around at the rest of the gathered party. “Tommy’s blond hair is hard to miss, so is my pink hair. Tubbo and Ranboo’s faces are probably on wanted posters everywhere, and Phil’s wings and cloak could draw attention. Attention is the last thing we need right now.”

Wilbur crossed his arms, but sighed in defeat. “Fine,” he grumbled. “But I’m not happy about it.”

“You never are,” Techno said nonchalantly as he tossed Wilbur a bag of coins. Wilbur crept out the door, looking around for people, and then slipped out.

Tubbo padded over to the window, looking out at the Capitol with bated breath. From here, he could see the castle - the place where he’d grown up. His own home. His father was in there. Dream was in there. He let out a shaking breath.

“You alright?” Ranboo murmured as he came up behind him. Tubbo put his hands on the windowsill in an attempt to steady their shaking. Ranboo gently picked them up, and Tubbo breathed a sigh of relief. Ranboo’s cool hands were like a lifeline, tethering Tubbo down and not letting his mind float away into unwanted territory.

“It’s just...so weird to be back,” Tubbo breathed. “It’s weird to be here and not be in the castle.”

Ranboo hummed. “I understand,” he said, rubbing his thumb over Tubbo’s knuckles. “Whatever happens with Dream, I’ll always be with you. I promise.”

Tubbo looked up at him, smiling slightly. “Pinky promise?” He asked, holding up an outstretched pinky. 

Ranboo blinked at it a few times, as if unsure of the custom, but then gingerly reached out and wrapped his pinky around Tubbo’s. “Uh - pinky promise?”

Tubbo snickered, shaking Ranboo’s hand around a few times. “Now we can’t break that promise. Or else we have to bite off each other’s pinky.”

Ranboo paled, and Tubbo burst into peals of laughter, throwing his arms around Ranboo. “It’s a joke, it’s a joke!” He assured him, and twirled him around a few times. That feeling of hopelessness he had felt back in the ice cavern was gone now - he was back in the Capitol, on his home turf, and with four kings and an ender prince behind him, what could go wrong?

A lot. A lot could go wrong, actually.

Later that night, Wilbur came rushing back into the house, looking flustered and scattered. He tossed the clothes he had bought at Phil, but then pulled a red piece of paper from his jacket, saying that it had been nailed onto the doorframe outside. 

They all gathered around a fire that Tommy had made to read it. As Tubbo mouthed the words to himself, he felt a stone drop lower and lower into his stomach.

Dear Prince Tubbo, Prince Ranboo, and the four fraudulent kings of the Antarctic Empire,

You are hereby summoned to attend a banquet hosted by His Divine Majesty, High King Dream, at the castle in a day’s time. Formal attire is advised. The proper attire will be delivered to your place of residence by tomorrow morning.

If you do not appear at the banquet, you will be killed.

If one of you tries to stay behind, you will be killed.

We await your presence at the castle with enthusiasm.

Signed,

His Divine Solar Majesty, High King Dream

Chapter Text

“A murder ball,” Technoblade said icily as soon as they had read through the letter individually about five times. He sat sulking by the fire, the embers catching in his already crimson eyes, arms crossed across his chest. He looked like someone had just kicked his favorite puppy. “Dream’s invited us to a murder ball.”

“We don’t know if it’s a murder ball,” Phil reasoned hesitantly. “I mean - not for sure.” The high king stood by the window, arms wrapped around himself as he stared anxiously out at the city that was slowly lighting up as the sun drifted down out of the sky.

 This was Tubbo’s favorite time of day, especially in the summertime - when the air was warm but not hot, cool but not freezing. There were breezes drifting through the streets and the gardens, carrying the smell of lemon and the spices of the food market, but Tubbo’s favorite thing was the noise. 

The city was truly alive after dark - the rowdiest of musicians came out with the moon, bringing with them their harps and flutes and hurdy-gurdys to awaken those night owls who lived in the night life of the Capitol. Partygoers and ale drinkers ran amok alongside pickpockets and footpads, richly dressed nobles bumping shoulders with the dirties of peasants. But down there, it was dark, and it was lively - no one cared who they interacted with, as long as they brought with them a night full of drink and song and warmth.

Tubbo liked the music, but the best thing about the Capitol was the chorus of insects in the trees during the summertime - cicadas and locusts and crickets made their own choirs up in the courtyards of the palace where Tubbo used to reside, and he would sit out on his balcony often, reveling in the cool warmth of the moonlight on his face and the chorus of bugs chirping back at him. Sometimes, he could hear the frogs warbling down in the koi ponds, but more often than not, he brought his book out onto the moonkissed marble of his balcony and simply listened, preferring the company of six-legged and winged creatures over his royal relatives.

From the decrepit old house that they were holed up in, Tubbo could not hear his bugs. He could only hear the rowdy shouts of drunkards and partygoers. He could hear the crackle of the fire that Tommy made in the center of the room, Wilbur’s incessant mumbling as he paced, and the anxious warbles that crept out of Ranboo’s mouth as he huddled close to Tubbo. They were crouched in a square of moonlight that made a pattern of a windowpane on the floor, on the opposite side of the room from the kings.

Tubbo pursed his lips. “Well, we don’t exactly have a choice,” he pointed out, leaning a bit closer to Ranboo. “We either show up and die, or don’t show up and die.”

“We could try to leave,” Techno rumbled, turning to look at his father. The moonlight turned Phil’s hair to spun silver. “Leave town tonight, back through the tunnels. We could be out of here before dawn.”

“They already know where we’re staying,” Wilbur pointed out anxiously. He paused in his pacing, under the dark shadow of the loft. The firelight made his eyes look manic. “They figured that out within a few hours of us arriving in secret, from underground. ” His face scrunched up. “I’m sure they could track us wherever we went; they already tracked us down up north.”

“It’s almost like there’s a spy among us,” Tommy hissed, glaring pointedly at Tubbo. Tubbo made a face at him, and Phil sighed, rubbing his forehead. 

“Boys,” The older man barked, quieting them. “We need to think of a proper plan on how to handle this. It’s clear we can’t run away - Dream would find us either way. Right, Tubbo?”

Tubbo was startled to hear his name, expecting the conversation to stay between the family. He looked up from where he was pulling the threads out of his thin blanket, blinking. He found his mouth dry, and quickly wet his lips as he scrambled for words. He hadn’t expected to be called upon.

“Um - yes,” Tubbo stammered. “He definitely has his ways of knowing people’s business, if you get what I mean. He has spies everywhere.”

“Spies,” Tommy mumbled, glancing away from Tubbo. The young king was huddled next to Techno, wrapped in a blanket against the slight chill. The firelight turned Tommy’s hair the color of ripe wheat fields the same way the moonlight turned Phil’s hair to liquid starlight. Techno continued to stare into the flames, prodding it every so often with the tip of his sword, looking almost bored. Tubbo simply rolled his eyes and snuggled closer to Ranboo, who seemed to be off in his own world. His eyes were focused somewhere far away, and he was swaying back and forth slightly, the small whines he made being the only things that let Tubbo know his friend was okay. Tubbo intertwined their fingers, and Ranboo made no reaction to them.

Phil stepped away from the window, turning back to the group. He had dressed himself in the new clothes Wilbur had gotten, and he looked incredibly plain compared to his forest green robes he had been wearing previously. The only thing that made him stick out like a sore thumb were his shadowy wings and his long, platinum blonde hair. Techno had been right that Wilbur looked the plainest out of all of them.

“I think we should go,” Phil said. He was still hugging himself. “It could be a good opportunity to get information, and get a layout of the palace, if it’s changed at all. We can see how many men he has, how defended the palace is.”

“So you think he’s inviting us to dinner and then letting us walk out of there?” Wilbur said dryly, crossing his arms across his chest. “No way. No king invites his enemies to a dinner party and lets them live. Techno knows what I’m talking about.”

Techno nodded solemnly. “The Black Dinner. Scotland. Fourteen-forty-something. King James the Second.”

Putting his hands on his hips, Wilbur looked at Phil pointedly. “Going in there is a death trap.”

“Staying out here is a death trap!” Tubbo pointed out, wriggling his way out from under the blanket and standing up. Four pairs of royal eyes stared back at him. Tubbo gulped.

“What I’m saying is we’re sitting ducks out here,” Tubbo continued, gesturing wildly with his hands. “If we choose not to go, they’ll just swarm the house and kill us here. If we go to the dinner, we’ll have a chance to do all the stuff that Phil said and more. Dream will have changed things since I escaped, most likely - he would have replaced a lot of the staff, rearranged bedrooms, and imprisoned sympathizers.”

Tubbo’s eyes widened. “Speaking of which - Puffy! She’s in there, and she’s on our side. We need to get her out.”

“She’s in the castle?” Phil asked, his tone wary. He raised a questioning eyebrow. “Are we sure she’s not sympathetic to Dream?”

“I’m sure. She’s the one that gave me the storybook.” Tubbo turned and pulled the book out of his bag, and recognition lit up Phil’s eyes. “She’s Dream’s mother - the queen mother - but she helped me escape the palace. I’m sure she’d help us, but I’m almost certain Dream’s done something terrible to her.” Tubbo’s throat closed up, and he hiccuped. “I don’t know if she’s even still alive.”

“We’ll find her, Tubbo,” Techno said, his voice taking on an uncharacteristic softness. Tubbo’s eyes caught Techno’s gaze, and it was warm with sympathy. “We can try our best to get her out.”

“So you’re agreeing with Phil?” Wilbur stepped out of his cover of darkness again, frowning. The king had commonly been the voice of reason between the kings, calming them down when petty fights put them at odds, but tonight, he especially seemed rattled by the letter. He gave his twin a scalding look. “You think we should just waltz right into Dream’s hands?”

“Not into his hands,” Techno said gruffly, turning to look at his brother. He gestured towards Tubbo. “Tubbo knows the ins and outs of the palace, and once we get inside, you’ll have a lay of the land as well. You’re our strategist, Wil, and you’ll be one of our best bets for infiltrating the palace.”

“With what army?” Tommy challenged, suddenly at odds with the man he was cozied up against. Frowning, he stared up at Techno defiantly. “Last time we checked, Dream has an army. We don’t. I don’t think there’s a way we can beat him if we can’t match him in numbers.”

“Numbers don’t win battles.”

“But they help,” Wilbur muttered darkly, turning away from the firelight. Phil sighed and looked back at the window at the twinkling city, and Tommy and Techno regarded each other before turning back to the fire. Tubbo sat back down, hugging the book to his chest, and he felt Ranboo stir beside him. 

“Hey, boss man,” Tubbo whispered as Ranboo blinked back into reality. The enderman shook his head, and then smiled blearily down at Tubbo. 

“You back in the land of the living?”

Ranboo laughed. “Yeah. Sorry. Zoned out.”

Tubbo placed a gentle hand on his friend’s arm. “You’re good. Were you listening? I think we’re gonna go to that dinner.”

Frowning, Ranboo squinted down at Tubbo. The boy had been looking more tired recently, and he was often still awake when Tubbo fell asleep and the first to wake in the mornings. Tubbo needed to make sure he was getting enough sleep. The dark circles under his eyes were only getting more and more prominent. “Really? You’re just going to hand us over to Dream?”

“Not really,” Tubbo said, yawning and leaning into Ranboo’s bony shoulder. Ranboo swept the blanket back over them. “We’re gonna go to get information and then escape back out here, I think. And I wanna try and save Puffy.”

Ranboo hummed, leaning his head down to rest on top of Tubbo’s. “I see. Well, I did make a promise to stick with you, didn’t I?” Tubbo could sense him grinning. “I guess I’m stuck with your nutty plans.”

Tubbo chuckled. “You can’t get rid of me. You’ll always have me.”

Ranboo snuggled a bit closer to him. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

He made sure Ranboo slept that night.

The next morning, Tubbo woke to a light rain tapping against the window above his head, and the drip drip drip of water dropping from the ceiling. He managed to wrestle his way out of Ranboo’s grasp and stand up, stretching, taking a look outside. The sky was gray and overcast, with the aforementioned rain coming down in light sprinkles. It was chilly inside the decrepit house, as Tommy’s fire from the night before had long since burned out. Tommy was asleep in Techno’s lap, with the earth king leaning against a wooden pole, snoring softly. Wilbur was snoozing under the stairs, turned away from the rest of them, which left Phil sitting by the window on an old box, staring down at something in his hands.

The air king glanced up as Tubbo stood, his hair illuminated once more by the clouds outside. “Good mornin’, mate,” he greeted softly. “Sleep well?”

Tubbo nodded, walking over and minding the creaking floorboards under his feet. “Mhm. What’re you doing up so early?”

Phil’s smile sagged, and he glanced back down at the object in his hands. “Thinkin’.”

Glancing down, Tubbo found a small miniature cupped in the man’s hands. It was a beautifully painted portrait of a woman with rosy skin, dark lips and dark eyes, with a cascade of rippling black hair falling down over her shoulders. A small crown was nestled on her head, and she was smiling at the viewer with an expression like she could tell what you were thinking. A small, painted banner under her bust read MY BELOVED. Phil was holding it so lovingly that Tubbo would have thought that it was the last thing on earth.

Tubbo slowly knelt next to the box Phil sat on. “Is that...your wife?”

Phil’s smile slowly returned. “She’s my everything.”

Resting his chin on the crate, Tubbo stared down at the woman’s portrait. “I don't remember my mother that well. My father used to talk about her, but then he stopped. I - I think I like Queen Puffy as my mother, instead.”

Phil chuckled, tucking the miniature back into his cloak. “She was the best mother to those boys. Nursed all of them, never once asked for a nanny or a governess. Taught them, raised them, and loved them like any other mother in the world. They loved her. We loved her.”

A clump was rising in Tubbo’s throat, and he dreaded asking the question nagging at his brain. But he did it anyway: “Is she okay?”

Something shifted in Phil’s eyes, and his smile vanished. He averted his gaze to stare out the window, and he stayed silent for so long that Tubbo was afraid he had overstepped.

“She’s fine,” he said finally, almost making Tubbo jump. “She’s alright.”

Tubbo took that as his cue to leave. He carefully stepped over Techno and Tommy’s sleeping bodies to crouch down next to the fire pit, and used his own flint and steel to strike up a new fire. Phil was still staring wistfully out of the window by the time Tubbo had a fire going, but they were both startled out of their reveries by a thump outside the front door. It roused Techno, who snorted and sat up, hands curling protectively around his brother. The air seemed to fall still in the house for a moment, but after a few tense heartbeats of nothing happening, Tubbo crept over to the door and peeked out.

“What is it?” Techno asked blearily.

Tubbo leaned down and picked up the velvet bag left on the doorstep and stepped back inside, grimacing. “Our party clothes.”

A groan came from back behind the stairs as Wilbur awoke. “If we have to match, I’m not going.”

The rain had stopped, and the moon was half-full and shining down on the busy streets of the Capitol as the group stepped out of the house later that night. They had all cleaned themselves up the best they could, but they could hardly call themselves royal guests. The clothes that Dream had delivered to them were of the finest caliber of royal attire, but Tubbo had struggled to pull a comb through his hair and Tommy had howled at the prospect of washing his face.

Even with the prospect of walking into their own funeral hanging over their heads, Tubbo quite liked the clothes Dream provided. They were beautifully crafted suits, gilded and velvety, with small capes and tassels and jewels jangling. Wilbur’s worries of them having to match were quelled by the uniqueness of the attire, and the different colors. Phil’s clothes were the color of ferns, gilded and layered with white cloaks. It even had slits in the back to fit his wings through. Techno’s robes were the color of wine, with silver armor on the shoulders and elbows. Tommy’s were of a similar hue, but shorter and more form-fitting. Wilbur’s were lovely and velvet, made of a deep sapphire blue that shimmered in the growing moonlight.

But the real show-stoppers were Ranboo and Tubbo’s cloaks. They had obviously been made to complement each other; where Ranboo’s cloaks were made of deep violet and silver, Tubbo’s boasted the brightest of greens and golds. Once they emerged from the makeshift dressing room in their respective cloaks, Wilbur had laughed and said they were the sun and the moon.

The clothes were a bit much to get used to - Tubbo was accustomed to much more simple royal attire. Clearly Dream was trying to cater to the popular fashion of the kings’ day, judging by how easily they moved in the long, flowing robes. It took Tubbo a while to figure out a way to not trip over the trailing cloak. Ranboo had been given a pair of heels to wear, and he clutched Tubbo’s arms as he worked on walking in them without stumbling.

“It’s like walking on toothpicks,” Ranboo giggled as they staggered around the loft, Ranboo dragging Tubbo with him as he attempted to keep balance. “It hurts my toes!”

By the time they were all done, everyone looked presentable enough. Wilbur had coaxed Tommy into washing the grime off of his face, and Phil had preened his wings, leaving a small pile of black feathers on the floor. Techno had twisted his hair into a complicated braid-tail, and Wilbur tussled with his own hair every few minutes. Tubbo had picked the dirt out of the crevices of his horns, and helped Ranboo brush his hair. Ranboo suggested pinching their cheeks to give them a youthful flush.

When the moon rose over the rooftops and the cacophony of the Capitol had begun again for the night, a carriage pulled by two coal-black horses arrived in front of the rundown little house. Tubbo stepped out of the door first, the streets still glistening from the rain. He glanced sideways at Ranboo, who seemed to glow with an ethereal light in the moonshine.

The carriage driver squinted at them as they stepped outside. “Prince Tubbo?” He asked. “Mhm. Get on inside, kid - the king’s waiting.”

Familiar gravel crunched under Tubbo’s shoes as he stepped out of the carriage and stared up, up, up at the walls he’d grown up in. It hadn’t changed a bit - why had he expected it to? - and the windows still glowed with that warm amber light. The spires were still blue, the walls still pristine white, the ivy on the lattices still flowering. From out here, it seemed more like a fairytale destination than the coffin the kings were making it feel like. Wasn’t this their home, too?

Tubbo didn’t think he’d be back here so soon. He had played in this courtyard countless times, making little gravel piles and picking the morning glories off of the lattices. But that when he was a boy - he was a man now, born and reared by prophecy, and ready to fulfill it. A small part of him wished he could go back to those days of his childhood, where he could run and play and do whatever he wanted without worry. Little Tubbo hadn’t known what life-changing destiny had hung over his head. All little Tubbo had known was his books, his father, and the gardens.

Ranboo’s small gasp of amazement came from beside him. He turned to see his friend staring up at the towers, green and red eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar. 

“So this is what overworld castles are like?”

“Are they different from yours?”

Ranboo looked down at him and smiled. “Very. Ours - well, ours float.”

“ Float? ” Tubbo sputtered, but Ranboo didn’t have time to reply before the kings were clambering out of the carriage. Wilbur took one look at the palace and wrinkled his nose and disgust. Phil’s eyes lit up and he gave a breathless laugh at the sight, and Tommy had an expression full of wonder. 

“Never thought I’d be back here,” Phil said, laughing. His wings were up and at attention, as if he wanted to soar up to the spires and look down at his Capitol. Would be expect to see the same Capitol he had left a thousand years ago, or map out battle plans of his beloved city? 

A courtier that Tubbo recognized but couldn’t name tiptoed down the front steps, looking like he just swallowed a lemon. “Prince Tubbo,” he said in a weasley voice, bowing low. “Welcome home, your highness. And welcome to the Overworld, Prince Ranboo.”

Ranboo gave the courtier a haughty stare that was much more royal than anything Tubbo could have mustered. The courtier seemed to wilt under the enderman’s gaze; Tubbo was slightly impressed. He wouldn’t have predicted the defiance from the quiet Ender prince.

“Ahem - right this way, your highnesses.”

Tubbo could tell the kings were miffed by not being properly introduced. Still, they followed behind Tubbo and Ranboo as the courtier led them up the steps and into the grand hall. His internal map of the palace came rushing back - if he turned left, he would be taken to the council rooms and the war room; if he turned right, it would bring him to the salons and the parlors. if he continued up the curving staircases, it would take him to the throne room and the quarters of the royals and those closest to the king. Tubbo’s old bedroom was up there - he wondered if anyone had touched it since he left. 

They continued up the staircase, the trains of their robes trailing behind them on the steps as they ascended. The only sound was their heels on the cold marble, the distant clatter of dishes, and muffled music coming from another room. Tubbo took the lead ahead of Ranboo as they continued, already figuring where they were going to go. He was right. 

The courtier led them straight to the Solar Dining Hall - the one Dream used for the most prestigious of his royal feasts. It was huge, and almost every adornment in the room was made of solid gold. The frames were gold, the sconces were gold, the candelabras were gold. The light bouncing off of the gilded furniture always made Tubbo’s head ache. A grand marble staircase sloping down into the room was the only thing not gold or draped in a red velvet carpet. 

A scrawny herald stood at the top of the stairs. Tubbo’s etiquette lessons flashed through his head - stand tall, shoulders square, chin up, chest puffed out, mind your steps - before the herald raised his voice and let the whole room know they were there:

“His Royal Highness, Prince Tubbo; Prince Ranboo of the Enderlands; and the fraudulent kings Phil, Technoblade, Wilbur and Theseus!”

Every head in the room turned to stare at them. Dozens of pairs of eyes all zeroed in on Tubbo at once, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe - he was never the center of attention at the palace, he was always in the back with a book or tinkering with tools or just not showing up to events at all, and no one would care because no one cared about him but why were so many people staring at him -

Ranboo’s cool hand slid into his. He was shaking, too. Tubbo looked up to stare between his eyes, and Ranboo offered a small smile. 

“I’m here,” he whispered. Just like he had back in the house, when he promised to never leave Tubbo’s side. He could only hope he would keep his vow.

 Tubbo took a deep breath, squeezed his hand, and descended into the sea of gold. 

Keeping his eyes facing forward, Tubbo swept down the stairs, hand still clutched in Ranboo’s. Every single eye burned into his skin as they descended, the trains of their cloaks trailing behind them. Glancing in a mirror across the room, Tubbo could spot the other kings’ faces - Phil was arm in arm with Techno, and had his chin high and lofty. Techno was glaring outwardly, and Wilbur had an unreadable, aloof expression. Tommy was scowling. If Tubbo’s etiquette instructor had seen the fire king, he would have given him ten lashes for such an expression. 

They got to the bottom of the stairs and stopped, Tubbo’s sweaty palm still clutched in Ranboo’s. A pair of servers on either side of the stairwell bowed deeply, and Tubbo nodded at them, taking the brief moment of silence to scan the room. Nearly every seat was full, and Tubbo’s blood ran cold as he recognized several of them. Foolish sat in his human-sized form next to Sam, guzzling his wine, while the Warden looked feverish and jumpy, actively avoiding Tubbo’s gaze. George sat near the end of the table with a sour expression, Sapnap slouched in his seat on his right. Tubbo’s throat closed up even tighter once he saw Eret’s milky white eyes from across the room, carefully downcast. But worst was Schlatt, his own father, seated near the end of the table, dressed in his finest royal clothes and glaring snake venom at his son. Tubbo was surprised he didn’t shrivel up and die under so much scrutiny. 

But at the end of the table, slowly standing from his seat, was a man draped in green. The same blindfold wrapped over his eyes, and the same twisted smirk on his face. Tubbo couldn’t breathe. The last time he had seen him, he remembered the pain of Dream’s teeth in his cheek, the feeling of needles against bone, and the way Ranbob’s eyes had changed to Dream’s own. Ranboo’s hand in Tubbo’s was the only thing keeping him from collapsing on the floor. Surely his face was a mess of fear and shock. 

“Prince Tubbo,” Dream said, and his voice carried easily through the crackling air. Tubbo could see his sly smile from across the room. “It’s such a pleasure to have you home. We’ve been so worried.”

Tubbo had rehearsed a magnificent speech for his homecoming - a threatening, bone-rattling thing that could shake any man to his core. A speech that was so emotional and raw that Dream would throw down his weapons the moment he heard it and proclaim the kings back in power. 

But instead, Tubbo saw the empty chair next to Dream, and his own emotions spoke for him. 

“Where is the queen mother?”

Dream’s smile vanished for a split second before he was forcing it back onto his face. He completely ignored Tubbo’s probe and said, “Well, Tubbo, please do introduce me to your companions for the night.”

Tubbo had struck a nerve, he could tell. The jab was noticed by everyone else in the room - the other guests were now glancing at Puffy’s empty seat uneasily. Tubbo had planted a seed of doubt, and all there was left to do was sow it. 

A gentle brush of air against Tubbo’s cheek was all that announced Phil’s arrival on Tubbo’s empty side. The high king was only a few inches taller than Tubbo, which made the display of power a bit weak next to Ranboo’s staggering height. Still, Phil squared his shoulders and stared Dream down across the table. 

“You know me well enough,” Phil said. His tone was polite, but underlaid with enough venom to down a horse. The slant to his brow was telling enough. “It’s nice to see you again, Dream.”

“And you, Philza.”

The icy tones were enough to freeze the tension-filled air. They stood in a slightly awkward silence, Tubbo still hanging on to Ranboo’s hand for dear life, before Dream smiled and gestured. 

“Why don’t you sit, my esteemed guests?”

The atmosphere slowly cooled, with the people at the table quickly averting their eyes back to their plates or choosing to mumble to each other. Tubbo scanned the seats - there were only five seats left at the end, with the sixth being Puffy’s empty seat on the other end of the table. Tubbo ground his teeth. He was playing right into Dream’s hands, but if he didn’t, it could be someone else down there next to their arch enemy. 

He gently untangled his hand from Ranboo’s, and pressed a gentle kiss to his gloved knuckles. “I have to go sit by Dream,” Tubbo whispered. Ranboo’s eyebrows furrowed and his lips dragged into a frown, but Tubbo squeezed his hand once before releasing it, feeling like he was letting go of a lifeline. “I’ll be just down here. Make sure no one does anything stupid.”

Ranboo nodded, looking like he wanted to move to take his hand again, but settled with turning towards his chair. Tubbo walked with his head held high to the end of the table, passing behind Foolish, Sam, and his father, before he reached Puffy’s empty seat. It felt wrong, more wrong than wrong, to slide into the seat that once belonged to the queen mother. Tubbo shivered as he sat down. The kings and Ranboo suddenly seemed so far away, down at the other end of the table. 

Dream waved his hand, and a server came up and filled Tubbo’s glass with wine. Tubbo had never liked the bitter drink, but he picked it up nevertheless and took a hesitant sip. It was still nasty on Tubbo’s tongue, and he choked it down, trying to keep a straight face. The food had not yet been brought out, but honeyed rolls and charcuterie boards were free to pick from. The whole room smelled of the upcoming dinner, candle smoke, and the stench of too-sweet incense. Tubbo glanced down the table at his friends to see how they were settling in. Ranboo wisely sat next to Foolish - the golden immortal seemed to be the safest out of the Wardens - with Tommy sliding into the seat beside him. Phil and Wilbur sat down opposite them, Wilbur sitting down right next to Eret. Tubbo saw the way Eret froze up and seemed to hold their breath, but Wilbur made no remark to the traitorous Warden. Phil took his seat next to Wilbur, eyeing Dream at the end of the table warily.

“Tubbo,” Schlatt said, and oh, his voice was wobbly. Giving his father a quick glance, he saw his dark eyes were foggy and his cheeks flushed. He was already tipsy. Usually he stayed at least mildly sober until the first course was served. Tubbo had always been frightened of his father when he was drunk.

“Tubbo,” Schlatt repeated, coughing slightly and fixing his son with a withering stare. “How has your adventure been?”

He said it like it was laced with poison. Tubbo swallowed and glanced sideways at Dream. Always aloof, the king had a small smile on his lips and was staring straight ahead, but Tubbo had no idea what was going on behind that blindfold. It made him uneasy, and his stomach lurched. Prime, please don’t let me get sick on this table!

“It’s been lovely,” Tubbo said carefully, swirling his drink around in his cup. “Prince Ranboo is a wonderful companion. I enjoy his company.”

Schlatt made a sound that was either a cough or a burp - Tubbo often couldn’t tell when he was drunk - and sluggishly reached for his cup. “Endermen,” he scoffed, burying his face in his goblet. “Eerie motherfuckers.”

He may have said more, but it was lost in his wine. Tubbo resisted the urge to rebuke his father for such rude behavior, and instead turned back to his plate. He reached out and took a honeyed roll from the basket, and tore it into smaller pieces. The kings seemed to be sticking to themselves. Tommy and Ranboo were murmuring to each other and Wilbur and Phil were both sipping from their goblets. The dinner was going...well, in the most uncomfortable way possible. Tubbo didn’t trust the way that nothing was happening.

“I’m so eager to hear of your journey, Prince Tubbo,” Dream said. Leaning closer to Tubbo, he smiled, and Tubbo felt his stomach lurch again. Suddenly he was back on that starlit balcony in New L’manburg with Dream, staring out at the Capitol as the king coaxed him to his cause. Tubbo grabbed his cup and took a long sip of wine. Prime, how badly he wanted to leave!

“I’ve heard you’ve been hopping all around the continent,” Dream continued pleasantly, taking his own roll from the basket and tearing it open. He moved so casually, while Tubbo felt like he was pent up in a cage next to the king. “First to the Burning Bazaar, then to Pandora’s Vault, then over to New L’manburg...you’re just a little traveller, aren’t you?”

“I guess I am.”

A shiver went up Tubbo’s spine from Dream’s adoring tone. It reminded him too much of his own dreams. Choking down another sip of wine, he caught Ranboo’s gaze from the other end of the table. The enderman gave a questioning thumbs-up, as if to ask if he was alright, and Tubbo replied with a helpless shrug.

“I see you’ve found those kings,” Dream observed, swallowing his own gulp of wine and setting down his goblet. “Quite annoying, aren’t they? You get sick of them after a while. They argue so much.”

“And how would you know?” Tubbo asked in deadpan, taking a bite of his honeyed roll. It was still warm, and heavenly; Tubbo had to cool his burning throat with another sip of wine. He could sense Dream’s cheshire grin without having to see him.

“I would have thought you would just assume my omnipotence.”

“You flatter yourself, King Dream.”

“I try my best.”

There was no emotion in their words - only flat probes, offhanded comments. The apprehension was starting to boil again - from Tubbo’s icy behavior, Schlatt’s alcohol intake, and the unease of nothing happening.

The table sat in near-silence for a while - the only sounds were the guests speaking in low tones to one another. George and Sapnap seemed to be particularly chatty, leaning over to one another and giggling. George kept making sly glances at Dream. One was so loaded with potential desire that Tubbo nearly gagged. He wished Ranboo were down at this side of the table so that he could point out the Warden’s schoolgirlish behavior. 

Wilbur and Eret still hadn’t spoken, but Wilbur had the Warden in some sort of silent chokehold. Every time Eret reached for a roll or some cheese, Wilbur would simply move his hand, and the action would force Eret to scurry back into themself. Wilbur was terrorizing them by simply breathing. Tubbo spotted Phil roll his eyes once or twice, and hid his giggles with his goblet.

Finally, as if the quiet couldn’t last any longer, the doors behind them opened and unleashed a flood of succulent scents into the room. Dinner was served. Tubbo kept his back straight and chin up as the servers carried their main course in. He tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn’t stop his gasp of shock as the huge platter was set in the center of the table.

It was the most vicious taunt at a royal guest Tubbo had ever seen. It was a boar - a huge one - on a bed of rosemary and chives. The tusks had been left in, and two stuffed crows sat on either side of it, wings spread. The aroma made Tubbo’s mouth water almost traitorously. But the worst part - the worst part, the part that made Tubbo’s stomach turn inside out, was the ender pearl wedged into the beasts’ mouth in place of an apple.

If Tubbo was any other man, he would have taken Ranboo’s hand and left. But he sat. He sat next to Dream, who was smiling, and next to Schlatt, who was muttering about how long the food had taken. Tubbo sat.

He could see the kings’ faces from here. Ranboo pressed his lips into a tight line, and his eyes flew wide at the sight. Tommy’s mouth fell wide open, and he leaned forward, his body alight with disbelief. Phil looked horrified at the sight of a pair of his beloved crows stuffed and primed for dinner, and Techno’s nostrils flared and he wore a look of quiet, deadly rage as the boar was settled down on the table.

George glanced sideways at Dream. “Are you serious?” He asked, slightly accusingly. “That’s a bit much, Dream.”

“Oh, come on, George,” Dream said, and his tone was almost patronizing as he gave the Warden an easy smile. “I’ve been craving pork for weeks.”

Sitting back in his seat and looking away, George scoffed. Servers came forward with heavy knives and sliced into the boar, divvying out portions to the guests. When a hunk of meat was placed in front of Techno, he stared down at it with an unreadable expression. Phil put a hand on his arm and whispered something into his ear. Whatever it was, it made Techno’s face warp into a snarl and he looked away, obviously upset.

“Dream,” Schlatt slurred after a moment, leaning back in his chair and jabbing a finger at Dream. It made the wine in his goblet slosh over the side. “Really?”

Dream’s smile vanished. “Do you not like a little friendly joke, Schlatt?” He questioned dangerously. Schlatt was sober enough to shut up and bury his face back into his cup. Tubbo wanted to strangle something. 

The Wardens and accompanying guests hesitantly dug into their food, casting awkward glances at the kings. Tommy was slumped back in his seat with his arms crossed across his chest, obviously refusing to eat. Ranboo was wisely treating himself to the honeyed rolls and nothing else, but Phil was, surprisingly, cutting into his portion of the pork with fork and knife. Techno sat and simply watched the other partygoers, taking a small sip of his wine every now and then.

Tubbo poked at his pork with a fork, as if testing if it had any strange coloring. Phil was eating his just fine, and it seemed to come from the same area of the boar as Eret’s plate, and the Warden looked just fine...he guessed it couldn’t exactly be poisoned if they were all eating the same meal. Tubbo reached over his plate for a honeyed roll anyways, copying Ranboo. His stomach growled like a wolf as the fragrant aroma of the pork filled his senses, but he was determined to not so much as touch a morsel of it. Phil might be being polite by eating it, but Tubbo wasn’t going to be subject to Dream’s intimidation anymore.

It was once again an uneasy silence as the guests ate. Tubbo, Tommy, Ranboo, and Techno’s food sat cooling on their plates as they either refused to eat at all or gorged themselves on the other food available. It seemed like ages later when Dream dabbed his napkin at his lips and set his unseen gaze on Techno.

“Technoblade,” he said loftily, “are you not hungry?”

Techno looked up from his wine, his crimson gaze dangerous. Tubbo felt a chill run down his spine; he would never want to be on the receiving end of such a stare. Still, Dream didn’t so much as flinch as they stared each other down.

“Forgive me, Dream, I’m vegetarian.”

Tubbo hid his smile in his goblet of wine as Dream pursed his lips, his cheeks flushing. Phil seemed to be smirking around his bite of pork, and Tommy was hiding his furious giggles in his sleeve. Techno sat back leisurely in his seat, obviously comfortable in this newfound position of authority, swishing his goblet of wine around lazily. Dream cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, regaining confidence, but didn’t speak again as he took another bite of a roll.

Swallowing his own bite of a roll, Tubbo glanced over at the king. “Dream, you haven’t answered my question from earlier,” he said, savoring the way Dream looked mildly ruffled at Tubbo’s sudden comment. “Where is Queen Puffy? How is she?”

Dream’s mouth was tugged down into a slight frown. “Puffy is doing just fine, Prince Tubbo,” he said icily. “She chose not to come to dinner tonight. She didn’t want to see you.”

Tubbo bristled, and his grip on his fork tightened. He remembered Puffy saying something long ago, about her son: Dream is many things, but my son is not a liar.

Dream was lying.

All of Tubbo’s nerves demanded that he get up and flee the room, that he tear up the palace until he found her. But that would put Ranboo and the kings in danger, at the mercy of Dream’s power. Surely every exit was guarded by Punz or someone else in the guard. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to escape, Tubbo realized suddenly. The doors at the top of the stairs had closed after they had entered, and the doors back to the kitchen had shut as well. He glanced up at the gilded balcony wrapping around the second floor to the dining hall, looking down at the table. Was it just his imagination, or did he see movement up there?

Schlatt seemed to be hush-hush about Puffy as well, because when Tubbo turned to give him a questioning look, he quickly averted his gaze down to his pork and took a long sip of wine. His drink had been refilled at least thrice now. Tubbo wrinkled his nose and pushed his own goblet away. He had already begun to feel a slight buzz in his head.

Most everyone had finished their meal, and were speaking softly to each other. Eret kept glancing Tubbo’s way, as if they wanted to signal to speak to him, but Tubbo averted his gaze each time. Sam jumped about five feet in the air when Tubbo reached across the table to grab a roll or some cheese. Once again, Tubbo felt uneasy at the center of attention. Nothing had happened except some taunting and probing questions; was this all Dream wanted them for? Surely not.

“Tubbo,” Dream said after a long while. “I’d like to know about your, uh, your little Ender prince down there.”

Tubbo gave him a sharp look from the corner of his eye. “I thought you knew everything.”

“Not everything. I don’t know thoughts or feelings. How is he? What’s he like?”

“And why do you want to know?”

Dream pressed a hand to his breast, as if mocking hurt. “I’m only trying to make pleasant conversation, Prince Tubbo.”

“That sounds patronizing, King Dream.”

“Well. Can you spell patronizing, Tubbo?”

“Dream, I don’t know why you invited us here.” Tubbo clutched the tablecloth in favor of digging his nails into his palms. It was taking all of his willpower not to wrap his hands around Dream’s throat and squeeze. “It’s not like you to invite royal enemies to a nice dinner party just to chat.”

Sitting back in his chair, the king scoffed and may have rolled his eyes behind the blindfold. “Tubbo,” he tutted, shaking his head. “I’m just trying to do what’s best for you. You need to see those kings - they’re not good for you. Look what they’ve made you do. They’ve landed you in prison, gotten you hurt, nearly killed...it’s not safe with those four for a prince like you.”

“I highly doubt you are concerned for my well being, King Dream,” Tubbo replied icily, tracing the raised designs on the base of his goblet. “Last I saw you, you bit me.”

Shrugging, Dream hummed, setting his chin on his hand. “Yes, I guess I did that.”

“Therefore I don’t exactly feel particularly welcome in your company.”

“Aw, we don’t want that.” Dream sat up and waved a hand at George. “Warden George, would you mind stepping outside the room for a moment?”

George looked up from spreading butter on a roll, frowning. “What? Why?”

“Because I said so. And I asked nicely.” He gave George a winning smile.

A faint flush stained George’s freckled cheeks as he pursed his lips, and he stood, making exaggerated, dramatic movements as he pushed his chair out and stalked out of the room. Sapnap stood to follow, but Dream held up a commanding hand, and he sat, eyes narrowed in suspicion. The doors slid shut behind George, and Tubbo had to wonder if he imagined the click that followed.

Dream stood, spreading his arms wide as he addressed the assembled guests. “My friends,” he began, “it’s an honor to have all of you here. I have waited a thousand years to see some of you. This party has been a long time coming, hah!”

No laughter accompanied his own. Phil took a sip of his wine. Foolish coughed. Dream plowed on, not missing a beat.

“I hope you have enjoyed the food, my esteemed guests. We’ve had wild boar running in the kingswood for months in preparation for this meal, and I sent my best hunters north to find the fattest crows. The wine comes all the way from New L’manburg, courtesy of our own Warden Eret. I have faith you fancied the meal.

“I know you must all be wondering - did I just summon you all here from your posts and exile to simply chat over dinner?” Dream chuckled. “Of course not! This is a royal dinner party, after all. And what would a royal dinner party be without entertainment?”

Dream gestured to the balconies above, and Tubbo’s suspicions from earlier were confirmed - men shuffled out from the shadows, hefting instruments of every kind. Slowly, the solemn band struck up a slow tune that was akin to a funeral march. The party sat for a few long, awkward moments, listening to the music play, and Dream remained standing, head bobbing to the rhythm. 

After a while Dream reached down and picked up his goblet, lifting it into a toast. “I present a toast,” he said as everyone else picked up their cups, save for Tommy. “A toast to the return of the kings, and may a bright future be ahead for us all.” A wicked smile crossed his face as he lifted the goblet to his lips, and said, “And may the goddess bless us.”

The atmosphere shifted as everyone raised their cups to drink, but Tubbo stayed stock still, not daring to move, lest he miss something. His eye caught on movement in the balconies. The music had stopped, and the musicians were setting down their instruments, pulling something else out in their place-

The first crossbow bolt pierced the ender pearl still lodged in the boar’s mouth.

Tubbo screamed, and the whole table seemed to react at once. Goblets went flying, red wine staining the pristine white tablecloth. Chairs screeched and fell backwards as everyone stood at once, caught off guard and confused as the rain of crossbow bolts began. Tubbo threw his arms over his head and ducked, feeling bolts whizz past his ears. Screaming from every which way disoriented him, and he felt his hands begin to shake. What should he do? Should he run? Should he hide under the table until it was all over? Should he-

A cold hand grasped his own, and Tubbo shrieked, the sound lost in the cacophony of the rest of the room. His head shot up and smacked against the table above him, but finally his blurry gaze fell on the black and white boy in front of him.

“Come on!” Ranboo hissed without much authority, his tone more laced with fear than bravery. Ranboo dragged him out from under the table, and Tubbo followed, bewildered and confused. The room was a mess - someone had ripped the tablecloth off of the table, and there was wine and food everywhere. Guests were trying to hide in any available corner - Eret was cowered in the corner, taking in the chaos with wide blind eyes. Sapnap had drawn his sword and was trying to climb up onto the balconies to take on the archers head on, but by the number of crossbow bolts already lodged into his shoulders, Tubbo would be shocked if he made it out of the room alive. In fact, Tubbo would be surprised if anyone lived to see anything outside of this bloody dining hall.

Ranboo pulled him towards the door, trying earnestly to yank it open. A crossbow bolt pierced the door above Ranboo’s hands, and he flinched away, shaken. Tubbo grabbed his hand again and pulled him back through the chaos, dodging wounded people and overturned chairs. At one point he tripped and fell over a fallen statue - its nose had been chipped off by a crossbow bolt - but he clambered to his feet and kept running across the room. The floor rumbled as Techno suddenly summoned a wall of earth in front of the staircase, protecting Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy, who had all immediately regrouped as soon as the assault began. Tommy reached out for Tubbo, and he dived into the makeshift fort, straight into the fire king’s waiting arms.

“Tubbo,” Tommy shouted over the discord, and Tubbo was surprised to hear how much terror clogged his voice. “If we don’t make it out of here, I just wanted to say I’m sorry - I love you like a brother, you know-”

“Shut up, Tommy!” Wilbur barked as he peeked around the wall, trying to see if the coast was clear. Phil was on edge, tense and coiled for action. He wouldn’t get any - Techno resorted to making a protected path to the doors with his walls, and when the doors on this side didn’t budge either, Phil held out his palm. A gust of wind came seemingly out of nowhere, and with enough force, the doors flew open, screeching on their hinges. Tommy grabbed Tubbo’s hand once more and pulled him through, and Tubbo’s stomach lurched again. Was he going to be sick? 

“Come on, big man,” Tommy hissed under his breath, hauling Tubbo along. He was stumbling over his own feet, disoriented and discombobulated from the shock of the attack. His throat closed up uncomfortably, and his eyes stung like he had been dunked into salt water. Something deep in his gut felt wrong. More wrong than wrong, more devious than the devil himself. Tubbo’s vision blacked out multiple times, but Tommy kept pulling him along like a ship in a storm.

Finally they burst out into the open air of the front courtyard, gasping for air from their sprint. The shiny pins on their suits were glinting as their chests heaved, and Tubbo collapsed into a heap, shaking and breathing hard. Tommy knelt beside him, setting a warm, comforting hand on his back as he coaxed him to breathe deep. Tubbo was confused; he wasn’t used to Tommy doing this. What was missing? What felt so wrong?

“Tubbo, you’re bleeding,” Wilbur said, and Tubbo glanced down at himself. He hadn’t noticed the crossbow bolt poking out of his thigh until Wilbur pointed it out, and it didn’t start to hurt until he mentioned it, too. As soon as Tubbo laid eyes on it, it began to burn like a wasp’s sting, and he gagged in pain, doubling over once more. His hearing went staticy for a moment, and when it returned, Wilbur was talking anxiously with Tommy. Phil and Techno were blurry beyond the water king’s brown curls and furrowed brows. Tubbo didn’t catch most of their conversation, and his eyes shifted to the stars beyond Wilbur’s head. If he bled out in this courtyard, he wouldn’t mind dying beneath the stars he and Ranboo had gazed up at just days before.

Wait.

“Where’s Ranboo?” Tubbo blurted, sitting up abruptly out of Tommy’s arms. All of his senses were heightened - his vision was sharper than a knife, and he could feel every individual pebble digging into his hands. He could feel the burn of every breath in his lungs. He saw the way Tommy’s face contorted into an expression or pure horror, and the way Wilbur’s eyes widened in shock.

Tubbo ran.

He didn’t care about the stinging wound in his leg anymore. He didn’t care about the possible dangers of going back into the castle. Captain Punz could come around the corner at any moment and strike him dead, but it wouldn’t matter. Tubbo would blaze past anyways, a meteor on its way to ground zero.

Tubbo burst through the doors of the dining room once more, surprised to find it empty. He could no longer tell if the red stains on the floor were blood or wine, but it was slippery all the same as Tubbo careened down the stairs. He tripped over the train of his cloak multiple times as he staggered through the mess, searching aimlessly for his best friend. Ranboo’s name was screamed out of hoarse lungs as Tubbo fell on his hands and knees, searching for the enderman under the table, under chairs, behind statues. Tubbo’s fists were bloody from punching the floor in anguish by the time the kings caught up to him and pulled him upright, ushering him away from the bloodstained hall, kicking and screaming.

The only remainder of his best friend was a bloody ender pearl clutched in his grasp.

Chapter Text

Purpled was convinced that the screams that drifted through the halls that night would never leave his head.

Not permitted to attend the dinner himself, Punz had instructed his apprentice to stay in his room and not interfere with the higher-ranking guards’ business. King Dream had given them strict orders, Punz had said, and no inexperienced soldiers were to accompany them that night.

So that left Purpled alone in his dorm room to study his books. Punz had put him on research duty ever since Prince Tubbo had escaped the Capitol, having him scope out possible places where he would go to stop for food or supplies. Apparently his research had been helpful so far - his work had managed to intercept the prince and his enderman lapdog at a village in the Western Wasteland and suggest that he might head to Kinoko after escaping New L’manburg. But Punz had given him the crucial information that Tubbo and his four traitorous companions had found their way into the city, and that his job was no longer needed. That was just disappointing - scouring books and maps had been the highlight of Purpled’s month. It was a nice change of pace from his routine of sparring, basic lessons, and private lessons with Punz.

At least it wasn’t his week to clean the barrack bathrooms.

His constant visits to the library had introduced him to several novels, as well. Purpled had never thought of himself as much as a literary enjoyer, but he had seen an interesting title on a spine as he had been scanning for atlases. He had picked up one book, read it within two days, and then came back to check out the next two books in the series. Reading - such a foreign thing to Purpled. Born of wedlock and sold into the ranks of the army, Purpled had thought he would never get the chance to learn to read and write. Many of his friends within the ranks still couldn’t read long sentences, and their handwriting was wobbly - Captain Punz tried his best to provide a basic education to his soldiers, but there was only so much one captain could do.

Purpled’s quiet retreat within his books was interrupted by loud, thumping footsteps outside his door, the sound of giggling, and the loud voice of a friend he knew too well. He gave a long, exaggerated sigh as his door was thrown open, spilling light from the hallway into the dim room. 

“What’s up, pisser?” Boomer hollered as he trounced inside. Hannah followed close behind, grinning like a lynx, and Boomer plucked the book out of Purpled’s hands with a dramatic sigh. Purpled didn’t attempt to grab it back.

“Dude, you’re like, the one person I know who still fuckin’ reads, ” Boomer complained, tossing the book onto Purpled’s desk and sitting down heavily in his chair. “I think you’re one of five people that even uses that library.”

“Punz has me do tracking work, dude,” Purpled pointed out, propping his feet up in Hannah’s lap as she sat down at the end of his bed. Technically, girls weren’t allowed in the boys’ barracks, and vice versa, but everyone seemed to make an exception for Hannah. Everyone liked her, even irritable Captain Punz. All she had to do was shoot a guard a smile and they would give her whatever she wanted on a silver platter. She was also one of the best warriors in their rank - she could topple some of the burliest boys on Purpled’s barrack floor. 

The trio had been inseparable since they had arrived at the palace. Boomer had been offered up by an unwanting mother for the service at a young age, and Hannah had come later, volunteering herself once she reached the required age. Fast friends from the get-go, the three of them rose through the ranks as a team, their only difference in rank being when Purpled was promoted to Captain Punz’s apprentice. It was an honored position, to be a captain’s apprentice - Purpled would be the next captain of the guard when Punz either retired or passed away - and Boomer and Hannah had both been given high-ranking jobs for such a young age. That never stopped them from visiting each other frequently and having their own mischievous, teenage escapades. 

“What’s the use of tracking work if the target is literally in the city ?” Hannah pointed out, leaning back on her hands. She raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Are you getting fired, finally?”

“I’m not getting fired!” Purpled yelled, exasperated, as Boomer laughed obnoxiously. Hannah rolled her eyes and shoved Purpled’s feet off of her, standing to go poke around on his desk. 

“ Anyways, what torture are you two subjecting me to tonight?” Purpled asked with a sigh, folding his arms behind his head. From the cheshire grin on Boomer’s face, it was nothing good. 

“Well, you know about that dinner Dream’s having,” Boomer drawled, leaning forward. “And you weren’t invited, so it must be hella confidential.”

“And you want to break in.”

“Exactly.”

Groaning, Purpled dragged his hands across his face. “You guys are gonna be the death of me. Sneaking into a state dinner?” He peeked between his hands to glare at them. “We’re all gonna get killed.”

“Killed?” Hannah scoffed. “Execution of royal guards is treason, right?”

“Not unless they’ve broken a royal offense,” Purpled shot back in the same tone. “And I think sneaking into a royal dinner is offense enough.”

“Lighten up some, man,” Boomer complained, letting his cheek fall into his hand. “You’re no fun anymore. What happened to us terrorizing the cooks for cookies and shit?”

“We grew up,” Purpled mumbled, turning his head away. “We’re not kids anymore, Boomer. We have to start thinking about shit, man.”

“You’ve been thinking about too much shit, I think,” Boomer concluded, standing and stretching his hands over his head. “Punz has you acting like you have a stick up your ass. All you do is work, work, work.” Genuine concern shone in Boomer’s emerald eyes. “Dude, you gotta get out every once and a while.”

Purpled heaved a ginormous sigh. “I’m guessing you’re not going to leave me alone until you get me out of my room?”

“Nope,” Hannah said with mocking cheerfulness. 

Letting his hands fall to his sides, Purpled sat up. If there was one thing that categorized Hannah perfectly, it was stubbornness, and even if Boomer might relent, there was no way she wouldn’t. She’d drag Purpled out of here by his ear if she had her way. 

And yet, Purpled’s rank might hang in the balance here. He was specifically told by Punz to stay out of everyone’s way during the night, and that it was best to stay in the barracks while the dinner was in full swing. Royal dinners were nothing to sneeze at - Dream often hosted the most powerful people on the continent in his halls, and the last thing he needed was a few cadets for the noblemen to trip over. If it was Punz calling the shots, Purpled would be scrubbing the bathrooms for months and made to be Schlatt’s cupbearer until he thought he had learned his lesson. But Dream was in charge of punishing troublemakers of the castle at his royal affairs. If Dream had his way...Purpled could kiss his rank goodbye, and be sent out to slum in the streets without so much as a dime to his name. Boomer and Hannah weren’t protected by shiny pins on their uniforms, and they ran the risk of losing their lives for mischief like this. 

Oh, but to have fun again. The younger trainees were more disciplined, more scared into obeying orders from Punz’s scalding stare, but when the trio were younger, it was so much more relaxed. They could play with the children of the nobles living in the castle, playing tag in the gardens and courtyards when they had free time. Purpled had sparred with dukes’ sons and noblemen, and he vividly remembered Hannah knocking a nobleboy out cold for calling her soft. He had sparred with Prince Tubbo once or twice, and he remembered winning. He wasn’t surprised. 

They had run through the kitchens each day begging for sweets and seconds, and the rosy-cheeked cook always rolled her eyes but slipped them extra buttered rolls under her apron. Boomer had the idea to hide under the table until the kitchens closed for the night to steal sweets, but were rudely discovered by the butcher searching for his lost piglet. They had gotten a strict reprimanding from Punz that day, but they were right back to their mischief the next day. 

Those fleeting memories - Boomer’s contagious laugh and Hannah’s giant grin. Purpled hadn’t realized how much he’d missed his friends. Distracted and obsessed with his work, Purpled had pushed them to the side, yearning to please Punz in any way he could. He scanned every map, answered every question, did anything the captain asked of him, and now he had been pushed to the side. He thought he had proved himself. He obeyed every order, and where did that land him? In his dark room, poring over his books?

“Alright,” Purpled sighed. “Let’s go spy on this damn dinner.”

Sneaking out of the barracks was the easy part; they’d been doing it practically their whole lives. Slipping past the guard set up for the party was trickier - they had been stationed to catch possible troublemakers like them. But they had all been in these positions before. Forced to stand for hours, not move a muscle, look intimidating. All it took was a few well-timed sprints as patrols passed a corner and being as silent as possible, and then they were on the second floor above the dining hall, outside one of the double doors leading to the balcony that wrapped around the hall. 

Boomer squatted next to the door, pushing it open just enough to peer inside. “There’s people on the balcony,” he muttered. “Musicians. It’s not well lit; we can probably slip past to a part of the balcony where there’s no people.”

Hannah went first, always a master of stealth. She crept inside, glanced both ways, and then ushered the boys inside. Tip-toeing and remembering his stealth lessons, Purpled edged after her, leaving Boomer to bring up the rear. Sure enough, musicians lined the walls, sticking to the shadows so they wouldn’t be seen by the partygoers below. They crept to the front of the balcony, where no musicians stood, and crouched in the dim light, peering down through the railing at the party. 

Dream sat in his gilded chair at the head of the table, merrily drinking wine with a smirk on his face. A dark-haired man with a mushroom hat and glasses sat to his left, and shockingly, Prince Tubbo sat to his right, looking like he would love to be anywhere except next to the king. Tubbo nearly outshone the king on his gorgeous green and gold robes, but his demeanor and plain looks lessened the shock. Schlatt sat next to his son, along with a tall man with long green hair and a man with golden skin and a shark’s head. The other side of the table boasted a man with messy, dark hair and dark eyes, and a person with snow-white irises and a pensive expression. 

Hannah gestured at the four men dressed in finery. “Those are the Wardens, right?” She whispered. “I remember learning about them in class. They regulate commerce and law outside the Capitol, and report back to Dream.”

“So Dream’s just having dinner with his lackeys,” Boomer murmured. He nodded at the other end of the table, closest to them. “But then, who are they?”

Five other men sat at the other end of the table, all sporting different expressions. Some were anxious, others aloof, but all had telltale tension knotting their shoulders. They picked at their food, delicacies that Purpled could only dream of tasting. Honeyed rolls and sweet wine - the kind of food that he used to see in the kitchens but never dared to try and steal. That was royal food, ambrosia and nectar, food of the gods. 

Still, the appearances of the five men were nothing short of spectacular. They all wore extravagant robes similar to Tubbo’s - so they must be in his entourage. This was the group Purpled had been tracking all this time? He scanned them, his military brain taking control. The enderman hybrid was tall, but skinny. Unformidable. So was the young blond next to him. The pink haired man across the table looked like he could snap Purpled in half with a flick of his wrist, and the two other men - one with dark wings and the other with curly hair that hid most of his face - seemed plain at best. 

“Apparently four of them are kings or something,” Purpled whispered. “They’re the ones I’ve been helping Punz track.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Hannah flailed her hands in the air, garnering the boys’ attention as he furrowed her brows. “ The four kings? As in the elemental kings? Those kings?”

Boomer barked a laugh that was dangerously loud. “Dude, that’s an old wives’ tale. A fairy tale. That’s not real.”

“Well, then what are we looking at?” Hannah asked pointedly, gesturing down at the assembled guests. “You know how that story goes - there were four kings that controlled the elements, and they all coveted the power selfishly among each other. Dream came and wrested the power from them, and divided it equally throughout the land to do its own thing. Those kings are supposed to be dead. ”

“ Well then what are we looking at? ” Boomer mocked, sticking his bottom lip out. “Dude, if they’re dead, they can’t be sitting down there plowing through wine.”

“And why hasn’t Dream killed them already if they’re such a threat?” Hannah wondered aloud, sliding down onto her stomach to rest her chin on her hands. “What is going on with this dinner?”

“Shh,” Purpled shushed her as Dream stood, lifting his wine glass. His voice carried through the entire room as he spoke about how it was an honor to host such auspicious guests and explained that the wine hailed all the way from New L’manburg. Purpled shivered as Dream swung his head around, the subject of his blindfolded gaze anyone’s guess. The blank stare of the white cloth covering his eyes always made Purpled uneasy; it must be his soldier’s mind being paranoid. He wanted to know what everyone was doing at every moment of every day, to keep track of their movements and assess them for potential threats. The fact he could never see where Dream was looking made his skin crawl. Though, he would rather be stuck wondering about it his entire life instead of vaporized by his gaze. Boomer used to wonder if he slept with the blindfold on.

The sound of hissing strings made Purpled jump. He hadn’t caught Dream’s announcement about the music, and now the musicians all around them were picking up their instruments and beginning to play. It was a somber tune, one that didn’t feel suited for a dinner party at all, but Dream managed to nod his head to the nearly nonexistent beat and smile. 

After torturing his guests with such awful music for long enough, Dream hefted his goblet of wine. “I present a toast,” he announced, voice as clear as a bell. “A toast to the return of the kings, and may a bright future be ahead for us all. And may the goddess bless us.”

Purpled’s eagle eye immediately snagged on Tubbo as everyone else raised their glasses to their lips to drink. Tubbo’s goblet remained in his hand, untouched, as he stared up at Dream, a dark, calculating expression on his face. Was this really the sweet prince boy he had known to sleep in class and chase butterflies in the castle courtyards?

He was so engrossed in watching Tubbo’s every move that he nearly missed the crossbow bolt lodging itself into the ender pearl in the main course boar’s mouth, and he jumped about five feet in the air as the prince screamed. The room exploded into motion, everyone standing and running and screaming, as the musicians around them tossed their weapons aside in favor of hefty crossbows. 

“ Holy shit! ” His exclamation of shock was lost in the cacophony of the room. He leaped to his feet and backed up, pressing himself to the wall as he watched the chaos unfold. Dream immediately fled as soon as the rain of bolts began - ah, so this was his order. Dream wouldn’t be sticking around to get shot - and left his guests to their own devices. Tubbo and his enderman pet tried the door on the far side of the room, but upon finding it locked, picked their way across the no man’s land of the dining hall. The storm of sounds was almost like that of war - screaming and rumbling and the sharp sound of a bolt being loosed from the string. Purpled’s hands were clammy, and his chest was rapidly rising and falling - when did his cheeks get so flushed? When did he find it hard to breathe?

“Purpled!” Hannah’s voice rang out over the chaos. He blinked once, twice, and found her in front of him, eyes wider than usual and eyebrows slanted up in worry. Slowly, Purpled’s ears stopped ringing, and he could hear Hannah’s soft words and Boomer’s high pitched, shrieking curses.

“ Come on, we have to fucking leave!” Hannah shouted, grabbing Purpled’s hand and then yanking Boomer along by the collar as she made a beeline for the door. Purpled twisted his head around one last time to see someone’s legs poking out from under the table, and the enderman hybrid from before, slumped over a fallen statue, covered in green blood with crossbow bolts sticking from his back like porcupine needles.

He didn’t get another good look. Hannah was pulling him and Boomer through the door and out of the bloody dining room, and then he was focusing on one foot in front of the other, making sure he was breathing, zeroing in on Boomer, who was still screaming. He didn’t stop running until they were back in the barracks, and he stumbled through his door, leaving Hannah to deliver a hysterical Boomer back to his room.

Dragging his feet, Purpled collapsed onto his bed, staring out at nothingness. Isolated from the front lines and true action for so long, Purpled had forgotten how it was. How it looked, how it sounded, how it tasted. The way it burrowed deep into Purpled’s mind and nested there, along with the screams and the stench of blood and gunpowder and your eyes constantly stinging from the smoke. Because in the end, war never left someone who courted it. Purpled would never forget a child’s charred sock he saw in a muddy puddle while on the march, or the piles of bodies waiting to be burned. And he didn’t think he would ever forget the way blood had smeared the gold goblets or the way the enderman had screamed Tubbo’s name as the crossbow bolts entered his body.

Purpled didn’t sleep that night. 

When Tubbo awoke, it was in a numb haze of his ears ringing and a horrible throbbing in his leg. He cracked his eyes open, and was immediately assaulted by sunlight beaming through the slits in the tent above his head. With a groan, he lifted a sore arm to cover his eyes as he squeezed them closed again.

The sound of shifting from nearby made Tubbo loll his head to the side and peek in between his fingers. He was laying on a makeshift pallet of mismatched blankets under a ramshackle tent, and the air smelled of wet pavement and something coppery. Murmurs from somewhere around him piqued his curiosity more, and he slowly sat up, wincing slightly as a stinging pain shot up his leg. He managed to wriggle into an upright position and take in his surroundings once more. Sure enough, he was in some sort of tent, alone. He had been given a change of clothes; a shirt that was three times his size and patchwork pants, but one pantleg had been shorn off to make room for-

Tubbo’s hand shakily passed over the slightly grimy and bloody bandage encircling his thigh. Every touch was like an unpleasant needle to his skin, so he removed it, burrowing it back into his oversized sleeve. He hazily remembered the crossbow bolt that had been sticking out of his leg the night before. Or, was it even last night? How long had he been out? 

Careful not to irritate his leg, Tubbo sat up a bit more, glancing around. Several medical tools were scattered around - a rolled-up scrap of bandage here, a bloody scalpel there. Bloodsoaked towels were laying out to dry in the back of the tent, and bowls of water sat nearby. The sound of the city floated in from the other side of the tent flaps - horseshoes on cobblestones, yelling of barterers, the jingle of bells from someone’s passing cart. It was all too loud to wake up to. Tubbo wanted to wake up to birds singing and dawn’s rosy glow on the horizon, and his best friend at his side.

The thought of Ranboo’s smiling face sank onto Tubbo’s chest like a thousand bricks. His stomach did somersaults and he gagged, throwing an arm out to the side to catch himself from sinking back onto the blankets. His eyes flew wide and his cheeks flushed as he dry heaved, trying and failing to bring up whatever nonexistent food was in his stomach.

His recollection of that night was so muddled, he didn’t know what was true and what wasn’t. Was that Ranboo’s screaming he had heard? What had even happened? Had he imagined the bloody ender pearl in his hand? But the guilt and the emotion in his chest felt too real, too raw, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like the way it stuck to him like honey and forced him down, unable to move if only to get more entangled. Another painful dry heave accompanied by Ranboo’s lilting laughter, Ranboo, Ranboo, Ranboo Ranboo Ranboo Ranboo Ranboo

“Tubbo!” There was a swish of a tent flap, a commotion of voices, and a brief flood of light into the dim room, and Tubbo looked up through his matted hair, shaking so badly he could barely focus. He got an impression of pink hair and yellowed tusks before strong, able hands were grabbing at his shoulders and easing him back down, along with gentle scolds of get your ass back down on that bed and you’re going to fuck up your leg even more. Tubbo wasn’t sure which was more alarming - the way his vision swam or the fact Techno was swearing - but either way, the man somehow coaxed Tubbo back onto his makeshift bed and had him close his eyes. Agonizingly slowly, Tubbo caught his breath, whimpering every time Techno’s soothing hand left his hair from where he was petting it. The man’s hands were cool compared to the heavy humidity of the tent, and he leaned into them gratefully. Eventually Tubbo lost all responsiveness to the king or the outside world in general as Techno slowly enticed him back into the realm of sleep.

The next time Tubbo awoke, he felt different. When he opened his eyes for a second time, he was not beset by sweltering sunlight. Instead, a watercolor-pink sky smiled down at him as he blinked, eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks, and he let his head fall to the side. Nothing much in the room had changed - the bowls were still there, the towels, the blankets - but the sounds of the city seemed quieter. Usually it picked up more at night. Was the city just strangely asleep, or was Tubbo doing something wrong?

A new addition to the room was the boy sitting in the corner, furiously turning something over and over in his hands. It took Tubbo a long, shocked moment to realize that the boy he was looking at was Tommy. His face was filthy, covered in dirt, and his hair looked like someone had rubbed mud into it. His face was twisted into a scowl of concentration as he bent over the puzzle in his hands. He was dressed similarly to Tubbo - an oversized shirt and patchwork pants. A far cry from their royal clothes from the dinner.

Every tiny movement sent pain shooting up his thigh, Tubbo realized quickly. He whimpered aloud, and his hands moved down to try and clutch his leg. Tommy’s head immediately shot up, and he abandoned his task, throwing it to the side. Instantly he was at Tubbo’s side, setting a warm hand on his back and another coaxing his hands away from his leg.

“Hey, hey, man, relax,” he murmured. His voice was hoarse and broken, but it was the softest Tubbo had ever heard it. Tommy turned his head to look at him, his brows furrowed with worry. “You wanna try and sit up?”

Tubbo nodded furiously, already wedging his arms underneath himself. Tommy counted to three under his breath, and with a heave, Tubbo pushed himself up into a sitting position, trying to ignore the pain coursing through his leg. Tommy eased him up against a support pole, and Tubbo let out a large sigh as he leaned back against it, propping his leg up on a pile of blankets.

“Take it easy, man,” Tommy soothed, patting his leg gently. He plopped down next to Tubbo, grabbing his task from earlier from where he had abandoned it on the floor. It was knitting, Tubbo realized. Already he had knitted a large square of blue yarn. He fiddled with the needles, and then looked back up at Tubbo. “You lost a lot of blood when we brought you back here. Phil and Wil managed to patch you up, but they said you were lucky you didn’t have to amputate it or some shit.”

Tubbo rubbed his eye. His arm aches with soreness. “Where are we?”

“The slums.” Tommy scowled as he continued knitting. “Techno had us move after we got back from the party. You’ve been out for days, man. Freaked us the fuck out.”

Days. Days wasted without any progress made towards their goal. Towards killing Dream . Tubbo’s lip curled and his fingers dug into his sleeves. 

“I wanna kill Dream.”

Tommy’s head lifted from his knitting, and he blinked, startled. “Pardon?”

“I wanna kill Dream.” Tubbo moved his venomous gaze to Tommy. All he could remember from that night was Dream’s cheshire grin and the way he had been so smug. He had known his plan all along, of course - he had planned to kill them all in that dining room. And the only gratification Tubbo got from that night was that Dream failed. 

“Hey, man, I know you’re probably, like, messed up in the head from Ranboo,” Tommy said slowly, “but-“

“What?” Tubbo’s voice was hoarse. “What do you mean?”

Tommy blanched. “Uh, hah, man, I think that’s something Phil should tell you-“

“ Where’s Ranboo? ” Tubbo hissed, reaching forward and grabbing the front of Tommy’s shirt. The king squawked and batted his hand away, and Tubbo released him, feeling his blood roar in his ears. 

“We don’t know!” Tommy blurted, holding his hands defensively in front of him. “We don’t know, man! I’m sorry! We - we don’t know where he is. We couldn’t find him after the dinner.” A loaded silence fell between them for a few moments. “I...I’m sorry, man, but - the likelihood he got out of there…”

Tubbo felt his lip curl. “You’re lying.”

Tommy’s face flushed red, and he scowled. “Why the fuck would I lie about this?” He shouted, his voice like a sharp trill in Tubbo’s ear. He seemed to puff up to twice his size. “I fuckin’ cared about Ranboo too, you prick! Don’t act like I don’t!”

Tubbo began to form a spitting retort, but was interrupted as the tent flap was brushed aside. Phil stood there, looking only slightly more put together than Tommy. He wore simple brown robes, and his hair was no longer in its signature tail. His wings had lost their glossy sheen. His blue eyes were darker, more stormy, as he fixed his stern gaze on his son. 

Phil’s mouth pressed into a tight line. “Tommy.”

The single word seemed to send Tommy curling in on himself. The boy mumbled what might be an excuse for an apology before gathering up his knitting and quickly darting out of the tent. Phil held the flap open for him until he was out of sight, and then let it drop, sighing deeply and looking over at Tubbo. 

“I guess maybe he wasn’t the best choice of the first person you saw when you woke up,” he said, the joke falling flat on his deadpan tone. 

Tubbo watched as he went over to the bowls of water, wetting a towel before wringing it. He pressed the cool cloth to Tubbo’s face, and he made a sound of contentment as Phil gently washed his face, being careful not to be too forceful with his brushes. 

“Where’s Ranboo?” Tubbo asked after a long, long pause. Phil was on the other side of the tent again, folding towels, and at the sound of Tubbo’s voice, he paused. Tubbo saw the way his hands trembled over the towels. 

The man took a deep breath before letting it go. “Tubbo,” he began gently. The look he gave Tubbo was meant to be directed at a coffin being lowered into a grave. “Listen. I know it’s hard to accept it - I’ve had to bury friends, I’ve watched my sons fall in front of me-“

“Stop.”

Phil, mercifully, paused. He looked almost surprised. Tubbo looked down at the bandage covering his hand (what had he scratched his palm with? Glass? His own nails?) and then curled his fingers in, ignoring the pain. A shuddering breath made his chest click with moving bones. 

“Why do you keep talking about Ranboo as if he’s dead?” Tubbo finally asked with a trembling voice. 

Phil’s wings slowly sank to the floor as if they were melting. “Oh, Tubbo,” he whispered, and it was so akin to blurry words Tubbo remembered being whispered in a pale, milk-scented nursery that he almost started crying. “Oh, Tubbo, I’m sorry. We never got a good chance to tell you.”

“What proof?” Tubbo demanded. He wasn’t sad - no, it was anger that was making his eyes sting with tears. His hands burned with pain as he curled them into fists. “Phil, how do you know he’s dead?”

“He never came back out of the palace after the dinner,” Phil said. “All of the guests either escaped or were mortally wounded during the skirmish. We’ve only been able to pick up gossip here and there, and we learned that the Warden of the North’s guard that was there was wounded badly and seemed to be on his last legs. Warden Sam is either dead or missing. It was too dangerous to go back into the palace to look for him.” Phil’s eyes were sas with centuries worth of grief. “Tubbo, I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose a friend, someone that feels like a brother to you.”

“Ranboo’s more than that,” Tubbo hissed, and his bruised ribs stung in protest. “Ranboo’s so much more than a friend, and he’s not fucking dead.”

“Tubbo, I know it’s hard to accept at first-“

“Stop it!” Tubbo shouted, and Phil fell silent once more. Tubbo’s chest heaved painfully, and he couldn’t help the soft whine of pain he gave as he leaned back against the side of the tent. 

“Just fucking stop,” Tubbo growled, fingers twitching to tear at something. An ugly, messy feeling grew in his chest - neither grief nor sadness, but not anger or rage either. He itched to do something, to wrap his hands around Dream’s neck and shake and squeeze until he was screaming and gasping for air, until blood streamed from his nose and eyes and mouth-

“There’s someone out there you should see,” Phil said quietly, making Tubbo blink. The blood disappeared from his hands, and his vision sharpened once more as he looked up at Phil. The man had placed the towel to the side to dry, and picked at his feathers. He sent a sideways glance to Tubbo, and pursed his lips. “She’s been wanting to speak to you ever since she arrived.”

“She?” Tubbo repeated hoarsely. His hands shook - he could only imagine one person who would want to see him that badly. Kind green eyes and rainbow hair and a contagious laugh and soft hands that would card through his hair until he slept. Tubbo grabbed into the post in an effort to scramble to his feet, but winced as pain shot up his leg. Phil was there in an instant, grabbing onto his arms and helping him stagger to his feet. Slowly, as if learning to walk again, Tubbo hobbled to the flap door, trying his best to put as little weight as possible on his bad leg. They awkwardly maneuvered themselves under the flap and into a slightly bigger tent - this one had pillows to sit on, a few bags of food scattered around the place, and piles of clothes. One of the flaps was open to the street outside, and sunlight spilled in, letting in the sounds of a city as well. Tubbo leaned heavily on Phil as the man practically carried him into yet another tent off of the larger one. Muffled voices came from inside, and then became clear as Phil drew back the flap. 

Seated inside was Techno and Wilbur, next to each other and bent over a messy sketch of the Capitol. They were murmuring to themselves as Phil and Tubbo entered, but looked up and fell silent. Both looked about the same as Phil and Tommy - dirty hair, dirty faces, and dirty clothes. Everyone seemed to be trying to blend in with the rest of the population. 

But Tubbo’s eyes landed on a person he would not have thought to see in a million years. Pink hair and eyes like a doe’s raised to meet Tubbo’s own, and the woman’s cheeks flushed as she stood up straight from where she was leaning over the map. 

“Niki?” Tubbo stammered weakly. 

Niki smiled, but it was muted. “Hello, Tubbo. It’s been a while.”

Phil eased Tubbo down onto a pillow to sit, but Tubbo couldn’t take his eyes off of Niki. She looked wholly different than how he had last seen her in New L’manburg - there were purple circles under her eyes, and the flour on her face had been replaced with a yellow-brown bruise across her left cheek. Her hair was pulled back into a disheveled bun and it had seemed to have lost some of its vibrant color. 

“Why are you here?” Tubbo asked as Phil made sure he was steady. He held onto the small table in front of him for balance. “How did you - how’d you find us?”

“I saw Wil in the market.” She turned her dark gaze to Wilbur, and it softened slightly. “I came here looking for you from New L’manburg. I managed to escape after Eret left for the banquet.” The light faded from her eyes. “I wasn’t able to bring Fundy with me. As the heir to the Antarctic throne should the kings die, he has been under careful watch.”

Wilbur scowled and dropped his head; obviously this was not the first time he had heard this news. Tubbo looked down at the map in front of them to avert his gaze. Faint red marks were scattered across the page - x’s and boxes and arrows. It almost looked like battle maneuvers. 

“What’s this?”

“Our plan to invade the palace,” Niki replied, the resolve returning to her eyes. “After the atrocity of the banquet - betraying the right of the guest and firing upon his own men - the people of the Capitol are in a state of disarray and unrest. Rumors and gossip about that night have been spreading like wildfire. I brought some men with me, and they have been tasked with spreading false information that innocent parties were killed in the skirmish.”

Tubbo’s eyes blazed in the dim light of the tent. “So this is our plan to attack Dream?”

Techno nodded. “Precisely.”

Tubbo spread his hands on the table, taking in the map. “When do we move in?”

Wilbur blinked, and shared an uncertain glance with Niki. “Tubbo, we can’t move in immediately-“

“Dream has Ranboo,” Tubbo interjected, sending Wilbur a scalding glance. “He is not dead. Ranboo is somewhere in that damn castle, and we’re getting him out.”

Niki sighed, sounding exasperated. “Tubbo, there’s practically no way Ranboo could have possibly survived in that hall-“

“He’s alive, ” Tubbo barked, slamming a fist down on the table and making everyone jump. His eyes glittered dangerously. “I don’t want to fucking hear you make excuses. We’re focusing on killing Dream and taking back the Capitol. Getting Dream out of the picture is our main goal.”

Techno hummed, looking uncertain. “I like this change of heart, Tubbo,” he mused. “This ruthless side of you. You should let it out more often.”

“Don’t encourage him, Techno,” Phil chided from where he was still standing by the flap. Techno rolled his eyes and looked away. 

“I want Dream dead,” Tubbo repeated. “That’s all that matters.”

Niki nodded, slowly. “Alright, Tubbo. That was already our plan. Even though Eret turned out to be a traitor...the underground revolution in New L’manburg is still stirring. They still want to overthrow Dream, no matter who they’re behind.” 

“Good.” Tubbo’s lips curled into a dangerous grin. “We’re going to need an army.”

Tubbo’s days fell into a bleak routine: wake up, get checked over, sit with Niki, Techno and Wilbur and discuss battle strategies, nap, sit out in the sun, and then sleep. Phil and Wilbur kept a watchful eye on all of Tubbo’s movements - whether he was staying still enough, propping up his leg, and getting enough water. Every morning when he woke up, it seemed like his leg was getting better and better; his recovery seemed to be going extremely fast. A week after Tubbo awoke to Tommy in his tent, he could maneuver around their tent without much assistance. 

Tubbo soon learned about their whereabouts - they had set up a large tent in the slums of the Capitol, where an avian and a man with pink hair could walk the streets without drawing any eyes. He was able to sit out on the side of the street and catch some sunlight during the afternoon without being outed as a royal prince. The kings’ clever disguise of appearing like other impoverished citizens had been foolproof so far. 

Niki and Techno had also been seeking his counsel for making battle plans. Tubbo managed to give them a detailed map of the palace from the inside, in order to scope out a proper plan to get inside. Slowly, their plan was built. Too slowly. 

Tubbo still itched for violence. Ranbob returned to his dreams, but not to make him wake up in a cold sweat. Instead, Tubbo relished the dark blood on his hands, delighted in the feeling of swinging the sword through his emaciated neck. Dream found himself at the end of Tubbo’s sword, too, more often than not. Mountains of corpses of the king haunted Tubbo’s dreams, but it was anything but a nightmare. 

His leg seemed to heal miraculously; every morning he would wake up and it would be less and less severe. Soon enough he could spar for short times with Tommy, but it felt bittersweet without Ranboo there to cheer him on. He went to bed each night wrapped in rage that they weren’t any closer to their goal. 

Finally, finally, two whole weeks after the banquet, Niki called everyone to the map tent. They were packed in like sardines, and the air was hot with their breath. Tubbo sat on a pillow across from Niki, shoulder to shoulder with Tommy. The woman was muttering in low tones with Techno for what seemed like an eternity, but finally she stood upright, looking Tubbo in the eyes.

“I’ve officially called the men stationed in New L’manburg to begin moving towards the Capitol,” she said firmly. “King Technoblade and I have determined our course of action. Thanks to Tubbo’s help, we have constructed our battle plans, and as news of the army marching on the Capitol spreads, we are counting on the hope that citizens of the Capitol will also take up arms.”

Tubbo couldn’t help his slightly maniacal grin. “When will they get here?” He said in a rush before Niki could continue. “When will we storm the palace?”

Niki held up a hand. “Patience is war, Tubbo. We must wait for the opportune moment. We cannot rush blindly into battle without first taking note of our own numbers and strengths. Our first course of action is to take the Capitol town itself, and then move inward towards the palace.”

“That wasn’t the deal.” Tubbo’s breath was hot in his throat. “You promised that I could go straight to Dream.”

“That isn’t possible, Tubbo,” Technoblade insisted. “We need to take this one step at a time.”

“We need to kill Dream,” Tubbo hissed, leaning forward in defiance. “That’s my quest. My quest is to kill Dream.”

“We can’t just march in,” Wilbur said, but Tubbo interjected. 

“Sure we can!” Tubbo shouted. “I gave you a detailed map of the palace. We can sneak in and kill him. I want him dead! ”

“Tubbo, my gods, no one cares!” Tommy scoffed, cuffing Tubbo around the head. With an animalistic growl, Tubbo batted his hand away and pounced, bowling him over. Tommy shouted in surprise and began to kick and flail, trying to shove Tubbo off of him. Tubbo plunged his fists down, trying to connect with any flesh he could find. 

The room exploded into commotion. The rest of the kings cried out in surprise and rushed forward. Phil grabbed Tubbo by the shoulders and yanked him off of his son, while Techno and Wilbur helped Tommy stagger to his feet. The fire king already had a bruise forming around his eye. Tubbo was unscathed, save for the burning of his breath in his chest and the way his hands trembled. 

“What the fuck, man?” Tommy spat. His eyes were wide like a cornered animal. “What the fuck was that for?”

For once, Tubbo didn’t have a smart remark. He simply stood and stared, catching his breath. Staring down at his shaking hands. He blinked once, twice. 

Under his fists, it hadn’t been Tommy. It had been...Dream. 

“I think Tubbo needs to rest some more,” Phil said, cutting through the white noise growing in Tubbo’s ears. “He needs some time to himself.”

Phil guided Tubbo back to his tent, leaving a muttering Tommy and a shocked Niki around the table. Tubbo didn’t realize he was crying until Phil sat him down on his pallet and put a cool towel on his forehead. The king was quiet and patient as Tubbo began to cry, shoulders shaking and hugging himself as he gently cleaned up his face. He pressed a gentle kiss to Tubbo’s hair, and then he was gone, leaving Tubbo alone with his tears and his thoughts. 

Eventually, Tubbo let himself slide back onto his back and roll over, curling into himself. The ender pearl he had recovered from the banquet floor found its way into his hands; he must have pulled it from his pocket. He sobbed into his knees, shaking all over, unable to discern whether it had been Dream’s blood on his fists or Tommy’s. 

Am I a monster? Am I going to kill my friends? What’s wrong with me?

“Ranboo,” Tubbo whispered hoarsely between sobs, as if he was a child calling for its mother. “Ranboo - I want - Ranboo.”

But nobody came. 

Chapter Text

The kings, Tubbo, and Niki slipped silently out of the Capitol the day after Tubbo’s outburst. They thought it best to get out of the walls quickly, to give themselves enough time to train and to meet the army that was marching to them from New L’manburg. According to Niki, they should be reaching the Capitol in three days’ time.

Techno thought it best to tutor Tubbo privately until the day of battle came. Every morning Tubbo would stumble over, still bleary-eyed from sleep, into Techno’s tent, and for the rest of the day, the earth king would drill him on sparring, battle tactics, and philosophy. 

The philosophy part confused Tubbo the first time Techno brought it up. “What does philosophy have to do with war?” He questioned on the first day of his lessons, as Techno paced the floor. He tipped his head to the side, confused.

Techno crossed his arms over his chest. “Philosophy has  everything  to do with war,” he said. “It’s the study of knowledge, Tubbo. And there’s certain knowledge - certain  philosophies  - that are necessary for war.” He leaned forward, onto the table where Tubbo sat. His red eyes were dark today. “It will help you control what’s going on in here.”

He reached out and tapped a rough finger against Tubbo’s temple. Tubbo reached up to touch his head, frowning. “What?”

“Your outbursts,” Techno said, pulling away to pace again. “Your anger. I was an impulsive young soldier like you were, once, desperate to protect everyone. You have to understand you  can’t  protect everyone. The only thing you can do is protect yourself and know what you’re doing. If everyone did that, then we wouldn’t have to protect each other.”

Tubbo gulped. Guilt gnawed at his gut, but he was determined to face this head-on. He didn't want what happened between him and Tommy to happen again. “Alright, then. Teach me.”

Techno’s eyes glittered. “Know thyself, Prince Tubbo,” he drawled. “And you will know thy enemy.”

By the end of the three days, Tubbo’s arms ached from sparring nonstop, but now he could hold his own against Tommy and even Wilbur if he really tried. He felt confident enough to head into war. He was fitted for armor and even given his own horse. On the dawn of the fourth day, he was roused earlier than usual by a commotion outside his tent.

Stepping outside, he watched in awe at the crowd of soldiers spilling into the camp. Men and women of every age and background milled around the central circle, some equipped with weapons and armor, some staring doe-eyed at the other soldiers. The air was suddenly full of voices and the clanking of metal, and within a few hours, a true army camp was spread out across the hillside outside the Capitol.

That afternoon Tubbo was summoned to his first proper war council in the main tent. It consisted of the normal group - him, the kings, and Niki. Though now they had a proper table and a sketchy map of the plain outside the Capitol gates.

“We’ll be ready to strike tomorrow,” Phil reasoned. He glanced at Niki. “Our new forces are fresh and raring to go. Plus we’ve had a few defectors from the Capitol itself, so our ranks have more than swelled. Probably not enough to fully match the Capitol’s army, but-” 

“We’ll be fine,” Techno assured him. “We have more than enough soldiers. We’ve constructed a flawless plan. And plus, the Capitol doesn’t have the power of kings on their side.”

“But they have catapults and skilled archers and a full cavalry,” Tubbo argued. “You’re making it seem like it will be a walk in the park.”

“Our plan fixes all of that,” Wilbur said dismissively. “Trust us, Tubbo. We’ve been to war before.”

Tubbo bit back a biting retort about how the last time they had been to war, they had been defeated. Tommy seemed to notice Tubbo’s discomfort and turned to his brothers.

“Just because we have magic, doesn’t mean they can’t beat us. I hate to rub salt in a wound, mate, but they did it before.”

Techno pursed his lips. “I know,” he said, and it sounded like he was gritting his teeth. “That’s why I’m not making the same mistakes I did before.”

Phil set a reassuring hand on Techno’s shoulders. “We’ll make sure of it,” he assured him. He turned to the rest of the table, eyes aglow. “Now. Here’s the plan.”

That night, as the camp fell asleep, Tubbo was restless. He tossed and turned in his cot, unable to find a reason to sleep. His mind raced with the thoughts of tomorrow. Finally, he gave up on trying to fall asleep and threw his blankets aside, ducking out of his tent.

The moon shone brightly over the camp, and all was quiet save for the quiet hum of voices from inside tents, the braying of horses, and the crackling of fires. Tubbo made his way through the camp, up to the highest point - a small hill covered in trees near the rear. He trudged up and sat under the boughs of a large oak tree, staring out at the camp spilling over the plain, and then out at the Capitol beyond. Tomorrow, he may be just another body laying on the grass, the life draining out of him. The thought made him shudder, and he buried his head in his arms.

He was doing this for Ranboo, he had to remind himself. Somewhere in that castle, Ranboo was alive, and he was waiting for him. Tubbo could feel it. All Tubbo had to do was rip and tear through the Capitol forces to get to him.

Techno’s teachings had helped - he no longer felt the urge to strangle anyone who so much as made it seem like Ranboo was dead. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air. Tubbo knew his enemy, just like Techno had said. Dream wouldn’t just kill Ranboo. He was too valuable of a pawn to the high king. 

“Tubbo?” A faint voice called, and Tubbo glanced up to see Niki standing, bathed in moonlight, at the base of the hill. He waved down at her, and she trudged up the incline towards him, 

“Hey,” she said softly as she sat down. The moonlight turned her pink hair to silver and her pale skin to pearl. She didn’t say anything else for a long time as they sat and stared out at the camp. She seemed to have joined him for the same reason he came up here; her fingers drummed nervously against her knees. 

Tubbo swallowed. “Are you nervous, too?”

Niki laughed dryly. “Everyone’s always nervous before battle. Even Technoblade.”

“I find that very hard to believe.”

Niki tipped her face up towards the moonlight, smiling wistfully. “I remember the day Techno went to war,” she said. “The day we decided that Dream was a problem. He found me where I was in the kitchens, and he told me about it. How he was scared that something was going to go wrong.”

“ He  was scared?” Tubbo blurted disbelievingly. “Really?”

“Very,” Niki mused. “They had worked so hard to build up that empire, Tubbo. And to see it fall in a matter of days...it really rattled them all. The kings you see today aren’t quite the ones from a thousand years ago.”

Tubbo stared down at the tent where the kings were asleep. He wondered what they were dreaming about. Was Wilbur having nightmares about losing Tommy again? Was Techno tossing and turning, mortified that he would lose his empire a second time? Was Phil dreaming about watching his sons die at the hands of the man that was so close to doing it last time?

“We’ll be fine tomorrow,” Niki murmured, but it sounded like she was trying to reassure herself. “Truly.”

Tubbo nodded, taking a deep breath. “I know.”

The next day, the kings and Tubbo stood on the green plain, staring out at the Capitol gates. The gates were wide open, inviting any travelers in who wished to come and see the glory of their awesome Capitol.

The sight of the open gates made Tubbo’s blood boil. It was common knowledge to the people of the Capitol - and the inhabitants of the surrounding cities - that closed gates were a sign of war. To have the gates wide open with an enemy army camped outside - what message did that send? Was it an invitation...or a threat?

“That’s unexpected,” Phil whispered. It’s the only words that have been spoken since they came out to survey the field. So far, no army had appeared on the horizon. It was still early in the morning, and the kings’ army was still rallying back at camp. This was their last look out at the battlefield before they would be taking it with their army.

“Is it some sort of sign?” Wilbur wondered aloud. “Is he...inviting us in?”

“It’s a taunt,” Techno drawled. “A declaration that he doesn’t think us a threat. His army facing ours is not considered a war in his eyes.”

Phil scoffed. “He wants a war?” He grumbled. “We’ll give him one.”

The kings trudged back through the camp and swept back into their tent. They went over their plans for what felt like the thousandth time - Tubbo could recite it in his sleep at this point. He listened absentmindedly as Techno gave their starting positions.

“Tubbo, Wilbur, and I will start at the front,” Techno said, pointing it out on his map. “Phil will be carrying out his part of the plan. Does everyone understand?”

“Hey!” Tommy yipped, bouncing on his toes. His fists were curled at his sides and his brow furrowed adamantly. “What about me? I’m not sitting out another fuckin’ war.”

“Tommy, your powers are...unpredictable,” Wilbur sighed. “We can’t endanger our own men.”

“That’s what you said a thousand years go!” Tommy shouted, eyes burning. “I’m not the same kid I was behind those castle walls. I’m a fuckin’ mature man, I can fight!”

“Tommy, you  are  the same kid,” Wilbur retorted, eyes hooded. “Nothing has changed in the past thousand years. You still have a weak harness on your power-”

“I want Tommy to lead our secondary forces,” Techno said suddenly.

There was a moment where the room sputtered in surprise. Tommy whipped around towards his brother, mouth wide open and eyes shining with hope. Wilbur scoffed, glancing at Techno with shock and then turning to Phil for affirmation.

Phil shrugged, wings moving up and down. “I don’t see a problem with it.”

“He’s sixteen!” Wilbur cried, standing up. The thunder outside rolled even louder as if to protest along with him. “That’s no place to send him into battle!”

“Tubbo’s sixteen, and you have no problem sending him into the fray,” Techno said, leaning against the tent wall. “You’re makin’ up excuses.”

Wilbur sputtered for an answer. “He’s a prince!”

“So am I,” Tubbo deadpanned.

Wilbur sighed angrily, the rain hitting the top of the tent even harder. “I don’t want Tommy to be put in danger,” he huffed. His voice wavered and got incredibly soft. “I-I just don’t want what happened to happen again.”

Phil hummed under his breath and Techno’s shoulders dropped. Tommy glanced over at his brother, cheeks flushing, as if embarrassed. “Wil,” he protested, but his voice was softer. “I’m not gonna get caught again.”

Wilbur looked down at his brother, concern shining in his eyes. “Tommy, I can’t risk this,” he whispered. “You’re my little brother. I can’t lose you again.”

“But you won’t,” Tommy said, rushing forward and throwing his arms around his brother. “I’ll be so, so careful. I promise. I swear.”

Tubbo turned away from the intimate moment. He didn’t belong here, while this was going on. He stepped out of the room, into an open space lined with shields and weapons. He ran his hand over the hilt of one of the swords, taking a shuddering breath. Adrenaline twisted in his stomach. It was almost time to take to the field.

The tent flap behind him swished to the side, and Techno’s lumbering footsteps crunched on the grass. “Are you ready?” He rumbled.

Tubbo took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Ranboo’s glittering smile imprinted itself on the inside of his eyelids before he opened them, swallowing thickly. He turned to face Techno, towering above him, already donning his armor.

“A thousand battles,” Tubbo quoted, “a thousand victories.”

The battlefield was eerily quiet and too loud all at once as Tubbo sat astride his horse, clutching the reins. He, Techno, and Wilbur all sat astride their horses at the front of their forces, waiting for the army to fall into position. Across the field, the Capitol’s forces were in neat boxes and rows, much more organized than the rebel forces. And, of course, much more in numbers. 

“Their cavalry is impressive,” Phil muttered. He stood beside Techno’s horse, flicking water off of his wings. He squinted through the downpour, frowning. “Will we-”

“We’ll be fine,” Techno muttered. “Numbers don’t win battles.”

“I’m sure they help,” Wilbur said uncertainly. He glanced behind him, and Tubbo followed his gaze; the last of their infantry were falling into line. Their forces were ragtag at best. While all of the Capitol forces always wore the same uniform, wielded the same swords, and boasted the same crest on their shields, the rebel forces all had different swords and only some had shields. Their archers had twenty arrows each - it was all they could afford - and only a handful of soldiers actually brought horses along with them. The rest of their cavalry had to supply from neighboring towns and farms that were willing to volunteer their animals to the cause.

“I think we’re ready,” Wilbur reasoned, turning back to Techno. Techno nodded, taking a deep breath, reaching forward to pat his chestnut horse on the neck. “It’ll be alright, Carl,” he murmured. “You’ll run straight and true.”

Tubbo blinked. “You have another Carl?”

“All of my horses are named Carl.”

“Oh.”

Tubbo squeezed the flanks of his huge Clydesdale as the kings conversed quietly. The rain beat down incessantly, turning the grass into mud. All he had to do was get past this army. All he had to do was fight and claw his way through hundreds of soldiers, and then Dream would be at his mercy. He gripped the reins a little tighter.  Let me get to Ranboo. Set me loose. Let me tear at their skin, let me claw at their eyes. Uncage me.

“Wilbur,” Phil said, softly, like leaves falling. The one word - two syllables - was so small that to the passing soldier, they may not have even heard it. But the weight of the entire world balanced on the water king’s name. 

Wilbur raised his hands skyward. Wilbur began the war and ended a thousand years of peace as thunder began to roll.

Clouds materialized over the sun, blocking out the light and blanketing the field in darkness. The clouds were black, blacker than coal, and looked meaner than any storm Tubbo had ever seen. Wilbur’s eyes were closed, and he swayed slightly back and forth as he focused. Tubbo blinked as a raindrop landed on his nose, and tilted his head back as raindrops began to patter down, first as a sprinkle and then suddenly all at once, like a slap. Tubbo ducked back under the tent, followed quickly by the other kings, but Wilbur remained out in the downpour, arms outstretched and a small smile on his face. He seemed to glow in the rain, and the water caught on his curls and dripped down into his face. 

Thunder made the ground shake, and Tubbo tore his eyes away from Wilbur. Step one of their plan was done. Step two-

“My turn,” Techno muttered, stepping forward. He knelt, setting his palms on the grass as if he was about to break into a sprint. He closed his eyes, and the ground tumbled underneath Tubbo’s feet - but not with thunder. Tubbo watched as the ground on either side of the field split open, the ground cracking and pulling apart in a small earthquake. It penned both armies in, creating an almost natural border, giving them no choice but to face each other head-on. 

“Phil,” Techno said as he stood, tossing his hair over his shoulder, and the world trembled on a knife’s edge for a moment. “Rally your people.”

The high king’s grin was manic with a thousand years of buried vengeance and a childish urge to destroy.

Phil shot into the air, not needing to be told twice. He banked into a slow glide over his troops, dark wings nearly disappearing against the still darker clouds. A roar washed over the crowd of gathered troops, hefting their swords and bows into the air at the sight of their king. Tubbo’s ears were filled with the cries of a people who had been deceived and lied to for millennia too long. His breath hitched as his veins beat with adrenaline as he had never felt before. Thrusting his sword into the air, his battle cry joined the choir of a hundred others. 

After a few long moments, Phil turned in the air, swooping low to flash overhead of the kings and Tubbo. Tubbo held his breath as the king spiraled up, up, up - until he disappeared into the clouds altogether. 

There was a beat of silence, as Tubbo’s eyes strained to find Phil in the black clouds. He nearly missed Technoblade drawing his huge claymore out of its sheath, hefting it impressively with one hand. He pointed it forward, and another cry arose from the forces behind him. Techno’s eyes glowed as if the shouts and caterwauls of his army gave him more power. Beside him, Wilbur sat a little taller in his saddle, lifting his chin and hefting the halberd in his gloved hands. Tubbo unsheathed his own weapon - a clever shortsword that fit perfectly in his palm as if it had been made especially for him.

“You two know the plan?” Techno queried. His voice was barely audible over the cries of the soldiers. 

Tubbo and Wilbur both nodded solemnly. “Down to the fine print,” Wilbur muttered.

Techno nodded, setting his jaw grimly. He hefted his claymore once more, pointing it skyward as if summoning lightning from the clouds. And summon lightning he did - with a twitch of Wilbur’s hand, twin lightning strikes - one after the other - cracked against the ground between the two armies. The hairs on the back of Tubbo’s neck stood up as the electricity charged the air and sent a shiver down his spine. 

There was a rumble of hoofbeats, and Tubbo risked a glance backward. The signal had been clear enough - Tommy, waiting at a moment’s notice behind the rest of the soldiers, leaped astride his horse and took off, Niki at his side. A chunk of men rode with him, disappearing into the trees of the nearby forest.

Tubbo turned apprehensively back to the battlefield.  Please, Prime, let this work.

“Come on,” Techno muttered under his breath, lowering his sword. “Take the bait.”

A few anxious heartbeats hovered in the air between the two armies, charged with the electricity from Wilbur’s lightning before it was clear that Dream’s men weren’t going to budge.  They  had something to defend.  They  were digging in and waiting for the rebels to come to them. Tubbo took a deep breath and glanced at Techno.

Techno’s eyes were narrowed with thought. After a long moment, he sheathed his claymore and slid out of his saddle, feet landing on the wet grass.

Wilbur gave his brother a look of surprise and fear. “Techno? The hell are you doing?”

“Something I wish I didn’t have to do,” Techno said, walking forward. The rain pattered down onto his armor and dampened his braid, making it sway heavily back and forth, bulky with water. He stood like a champion taking back his homeland, in the middle of that muddy battlefield.

Techno glanced over his shoulder at Wilbur. “If I fall in that pit,” he said, “don’t hold back. I’ll be fine.”

Wilbur’s face went pale. “Techno,  don’t- ”

“I don’t really have a choice,” Techno said with a dry laugh. He turned back, closed his eyes, and let the chaos take the reins.

Tubbo had seen this process in reverse, in a rush of adrenaline and fear. But now, watching it in almost slow motion, it looked far more gruesome than before. Techno grew and grew in size, his armor cracking and shattering against his body as it bulged and expanded outwards. Coarse pink fur pricked up from his skin, hands, and feet curling and hardening into hooves. Ivory tusks broke through gums and lips, splattering his chin with blood, and his face lengthened into a furry snout. A great bellow came from his throat as he crashed onto all fours, throwing his head back and trumpeting his battle cry. The very earth trembled under his feet.

Technoblade, the Earth God of War, was ready for battle. 

Techno took off, sending mud flying backward from his back hooves as he began to gallop across the field, red eyes blazing. Even from such a great distance, Tubbo could see the disturbance that Techno’s hoglin form caused in Dream’s ranks - the cavalry horses were cantering in place nervously, and the soldiers astride them were fumbling with their lances. Techno tore across the field with startling speed, leaving a trail of churned-up earth behind him, on a mission to tear through the enemy ranks.

“It’s working,” Wilbur said. “Look.”

Dream’s cavalry was on the move.

The first wave of horses broke away from the infantry, galloping straight for Techno. A flurry of arrows arced through the air towards the hoglin, but any that struck him was but a sticker burr on a lion. Tubbo felt his breath start to speed up as the hoglin and the cavalry got closer and closer together, on a collision course-

Techno collided with the first wave of horses with a mighty roar. The screaming of men and horses alike echoed back to the rebel soldiers, and Tubbo blinked, ears flicking. He watched in awe as Techno took on the whole cavalry on his own, tossing his head and sending men and horses flying. He’d kick his legs out and knock men clean off their steeds. Grabbing a man in his teeth, he’d shake the man like a rag doll before turning to his next victim, teeth stained red.

Wilbur made a sound of disbelief. “I forgot how fucking  bloodthirsty  his war god form is,” he said, laughing in surprise. “Prime  above,  Techno.”

Tubbo scanned the field. “Is that the whole cavalry?”

“Sure looks like it.”

“Is it your word to signal Tommy?”

Wilbur nodded. “All he needs is my signal. Then that whole cavalry is gone.”

Tubbo took a deep breath. “And then it’s all us, right?”

Wilbur sent him a grin. “What, you nervous?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Wilbur giggled, slightly unhinged. “You’ll get used to it, mate. Think Techno’s had enough fun?”

Tubbo smirked. “Your call.”

Wilbur, unsurprisingly, let Techno have another full minute of battle. Once it was clear Tommy would be getting impatient, Wilbur raised his hands to the skies.

Tubbo watched, ever mystified, as Wilbur worked. He pulled raindrops out of the air, collecting them group by group until he had a huge, dripping puddle of water over his head. A smirk played on his lips as he let it swirl around him, closing his eyes, deep in focus. He paused for a moment that seemed to last forever, and then threw his arms forward, eyes hooded with concentration and ancient magic.

The water surged forward, plunging into the damp grass and disappearing all at once. There was a breathtaking moment where everything stayed the same - Techno’s growling, the shouting of men, the snorting of Wilbur’s horse.

And then the ground began to shake.

Tubbo squeezed his thighs against the flanks of his horse, gritting his teeth as the tremors wracked his bones. His horse whinnied in fear, spooking, and he wrenched on the reins to correct it. The cavalry didn’t seem to notice the sudden change in the atmosphere; they were still hacking away at Techno in the center of the field. Tubbo watched with bated breath, waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting until the moment came-

There was fire.

Explosions rocked the ground beneath them, and Tubbo grabbed his horse’s mane to keep from toppling off. He watched in shock as the ground around the cavalry exploded, earth flying into the air as the scene was enveloped in smoke. 

Tubbo gasped as horses and men fell alike, tumbling head over hooves into the pit. Techno, too, fell, bellowing as he sank into the pit of men and beasts. He had known what was going to happen, but - he hadn’t expected it to be so real. And  raw.  Men were dying right before Tubbo’s eyes.

He shut his eyes tight and clutched his reins tight.  Don’t freeze up. This isn’t like Ranbob.

“Tubbo?” Wilbur’s voice drew him back into the present. The water king’s eyes were alight with excitement. 

“Would you like to make a speech?”

Tubbo’s mouth was dry. “A speech?” He said hoarsely. “Me?”

Wilbur gestured back at the soldiers. “They’re your men more than they’re mine.”

Tubbo gulped, slowly turning his horse around to face the soldiers. They stared back at him with wide eyes, apprehensive with the thought of charging into battle. Tubbo took a deep breath and looked out at the sea of soldiers.

“Today is the day you fight for your rightful king,” Tubbo shouted, surprising himself with the power of his own voice. “Today you fight not under the banner of Dream, but under the banner of High King Phil and the prince-kings. You have been lied to and fed fantasies of Dream’s great deeds for a thousand years too long. Today you will take back what is rightfully yours!”

The soldiers cheered, the roar of their excitement like a wave against Tubbo’s chest. He paused until they quieted down, and then continued.

“You fight under the command of four great men. Once we take back the Capitol, they will be your rulers. You will find no better men anywhere else in the world.” Turning to Wilbur, he gestured towards him. “King Wilbur is just and fair. King Technoblade is fierce and courageous. King Tommy is passionate and loving. And your High King Phil is the greatest man to ever walk this earth.”

Tubbo hoisted his sword high into the air. “This battle is yours!” He shouted. “We are not fighting for the kings’ freedom, but yours! Take back what was stolen from you a thousand years ago!”

A final, raucous roar came up from the gathered soldiers as they lifted their swords and bows out to their leaders. Tubbo, satisfied with his speech, turned back towards the battle at hand. Wilbur was staring at him in surprise.

Tubbo ignored him. He just lifted his sword, and let out one more battle cry: “ For High King Phil! ”

He dug his heels into the Clydesdale’s flanks, and the horse brayed, taking off down the incline and into the field. Wilbur was a moment behind him, hefting his halberd, his blue cloak flowing out behind him. The cavalry followed close behind, the horses anxious to move after staying still for so long. The wind streamed through Tubbo’s loose hair, pressing his ears close to his head, and he felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

The heartbeat pounded in Tubbo’s ears as they galloped closer and closer. The opposing army was moving, too, rushing forward to support their falling cavalry. The rain splattered against Tubbo’s cheeks, and he tightened his hands around the hilt of his shortsword. The horses swerved around the pit that the explosions caused - Tubbo glanced down at the carnage, at the piles of bodies and Techno howling as he clawed his way out of the fray - and then they were running full-tilt towards the oncoming army, horses panting, blood roaring. 

There’s a moment, before the chaos, where Tubbo saw in perfect clarity. Every individual raindrop, every blade of grass, every panel of armor on the soldier’s armor. The strange moment lasted forever and also no time at all. The entire world held its breath for an agonizing moment, and then there was hell.

The Clydesdale slammed headfirst into the crowd of men, and the  sound  of war was unlike Tubbo had ever heard. He jolted as the horse plowed over the first line of men, gulping at the sound of garbled screams and the crunch of bending metal. His sword would be no help here, moving this fast against men clad in armor, so he kept riding, plowing through the crowd until the soldiers saw him coming and scrambled out of the way as he blazed past. 

The rebel cavalry slammed into the infantry like a wave, and the sound of yelling and screeching metal and the braying of horses made Tubbo’s ears ring. He pulled his horse to a brief stop, watching the carnage as the armies fell apart from their neat lines, dissolving into one on one battles of life or death. Wilbur was still astride his horse, near the front, aiding his men by making quick work of the opposing soldiers by stabbing his halberd through their backs and riding away to help another struggling soldier. Techno had made his way out of the pit of fallen cavalry, and threw his head back, bellowing. He charged forward towards the fight, and slowly he shrunk back down to his human form. Fighting as a hoglin would have been devastating for both sides. Carl appeared from what seemed like nowhere, and Techno grabbed onto the saddle and hoisted himself up, galloping towards the fray. 

A yell broke Tubbo out of his observation. A Capitol sword struck the Clydesdale’s flank, and the horse whinnied in pain, kicking its back legs to defend itself. Tubbo made an  oof  noise as he was thrown back against the horse’s rear, and then let out a strangled yell as the horse broke into a gallop, throwing him from the saddle at the sudden movement. He hit the ground hard - but didn’t stop. His foot was caught in the stirrup, and of course, it was his wounded leg. The horse dragged him through the mud and carnage, unaware it was dragging its rider through certain death. Tubbo threw his arms over his head as soldiers fell all around him, desperately thrashing his leg until finally, finally, his foot slipped loose and he slumped to a stop, panting hard. 

There was no time to waste. He dragged himself to his feet and hefted his shortsword. He couldn’t be caught off guard. 

And of course, the first soldier he faced would have to be a familiar one. 

Tubbo watched as the lithe boy in front of him yanked his sword out of the already limp body of a rebel soldier, whipping his head around to search for another fight. His ultraviolet eyes blazed with bloodlust, and his beach blonde hair was splattered with mud and slicked down to his scalp with rain. His stance was rigid, feet apart and calculated, arms out by his sides as if expecting a challenge from all directions. But his eyes landed on Tubbo, and an unreadable expression crossed his face. 

“Prince Tubbo?” Purpled stammered, his voice barely audible over the din. His eyes lost some of their excitement. 

Purpled  always  beat Tubbo in their spars when they were younger. Purpled was Punz’s protégé, always by his side, always watching, observing. He was going to be captain of the guard once Punz died or stepped down - if he survived this battle. 

No. If he survived  Tubbo. 

For once, Purpled was not the first one to strike. Technoblade’s words rang in his ears -  and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. 

And fall Tubbo did. 

He hefted his sword with a guttural cry, letting that rush of adrenaline and pure instinct take over. He swung his sword high over his head, plunging down, forcing Purpled to scramble to throw his own sword in the way. The blades slid off of each other with a hideous screech of metal, and Tubbo’s training flashed through his head -  don’t overbalance. Force your enemy back. Stay on your toes. 

He didn’t give Purpled time to recover. He slashed forward, forcing the soldier backward, sliding one foot forward on the muddy ground. Slash down, then a jab, blocked by the hilt of Purpled’s sword - Purpled twisted and brought his sword down in an arc, but Tubbo ducked and rolled, coming up with his back completely covered in mud. He caught Purpled’s oncoming blow with his own sword, and they were locked in a standstill for a long moment - the rain cascading down, swords trembling with the force of two boys hellbent on striking the other down. 

Something flickered behind Purpled’s eyes - hesitance? Fear? - that made Tubbo’s hands twitch around the hilt. That gave him an extra surge of power to his veins - that drove him over the edge. With a shout, he heaved his sword upward, jabbed his elbow into Purpled’s chest as he stumbled, twisted around, and then plunged his sword down. 

The feeling of the sword passing through flesh and striking bone shuddered through his arms, and he gasped. Purpled’s eyes bulged, and he choked as blood poured out of his mouth, and suddenly it was Ranbob on the end of Tubbo’s sword. Tubbo yanked his sword back, stumbling, and Purpled slumped to the ground, clutching the wound in his stomach and giving wet, garbled cries. He coughed and gasped as blood filled his lungs, and Tubbo watched in numb horror as his body twitched for a few moments more, and then fell still. 

Tubbo managed a rattling, dry breath. The rain continued to beat down. The world did not weep over the soldier’s death. Tubbo just lifted his sword and continued to fight. 

He lost count of the number of soldiers he crossed blades with. Some he killed, some he pushed into the crowd of other battling soldiers. He was numb with white fury, fighting his way towards an ender prince in the high tower looming above them. 

It was a long time before Tubbo saw a familiar face on the battlefield - he spotted Wilbur and Techno fighting back to back, moving as if they had danced this waltz for ages. Techno was bulky and heavy, swinging his claymore in long, slow arcs, taking out droves of enemies at once. Wilbur was quicker and shiftier, jabbing at his enemies from a distance and using his magic to his advantage. He hefted his halberd in one hand and swirled a whip of water around in the other. Together they moved as one unit, protecting each other and leaving a wide berth around them at all times. 

After a while, Techno jerked his head towards Wilbur. “Second phase,” he shouted over the turmoil. Tubbo risked a glance over at the open field from where they had come; Tommy and the forces he had led to detonate the explosives under the battlefield were galloping closer, on a collision course to join the fray. 

Wilbur’s lips pursed but he nodded. “Cover me,” he commanded and ducked under Techno’s arm as Techno swung his claymore in a wide arc. Wilbur knelt on one knee, head bent, lips moving in silent prayer. His hands hovered, twitching and splattered with blood, out in front of him. With the same movements Tubbo had seen him use at Endlantis, he gritted his teeth, furrowed his brow, and threw his hands to the sky. 

Immediately the clouds scattered outward like sheep, revealing the bright blue sky that seemed so foreign after what seemed like an endless storm. The final drove of rain fell to the grass with a wet slap, and the battle lulled for a brief moment as the soldiers gazed up with wonder at the sky. Wilbur then swept his hands down, and the grass sprung back up as all the water was sucked up out of it, leaving the ground bone dry. The mud around then hardened immediately, and any men that were floundering through mounds of it were stuck, easy pickings for enemy soldiers. 

Tommy arrived in a flurry of excitement, whooping and yelling atop his horse as he blazed past. His sword was a blurry arc as he swung it back and forth, scattering droplets of ruby into the air as he struck enemy soldiers down. The grin on his face was that of a child given a new toy, and he was laughing, head thrown back and curls bouncing as he galloped through the fray. The fire king’s arrival caused new energy to surge through his veins, and he leaped back into the battle. 

The sky turned from blue to dusky violet as the sun fell into evening. They must have been out here for hours, incessantly hacking at each other in an attempt to push the other back. Tubbo had no idea who was winning - every Capitol soldier he struck down was replaced with another. He had no chance to take a break and count his soldiers. 

He caught glances of the kings from time to time - Wilbur seemed unharmed somehow and fought on with constant determination. Techno was a mountain in the middle of the fray, knocking down any man who dared come close. Tommy had lost his horse at some point but continued to fight on foot, dancing around his opponents and slipping into their weak points. Phil was still nowhere to be seen - good. Their plan was still in motion. 

The kings and Tubbo had drifted closer and closer together throughout the battle, and soon were fighting in a loose circle, almost back to back. Tubbo ducked and rolled out of the way as his opponent slammed down their halberd, eyes blazing behind their helmet. Tubbo reached out and grabbed the shaft of the halberd, using it as leverage to swing his leg around and slam his heel against the side of the soldier’s helmet. Their eyes rolled back into their head and they slumped over, unconscious. Tubbo tossed the halberd to the side and spun to find a new victim. 

A shrill scream cut through the air and seemed to electrify the battlefield. Tubbo spun, eyes wide with horror, as he saw Tommy go down, wrestling with the man twice his size on top of him. Silvery blonde hair stained with blood, scarred face screwed up in frustration, blind eye blazing in fury. 

“Punz!” Tubbo screamed, but it was lost amongst the turmoil of the battle. Wilbur whipped around, his face a painting of fear and grief and horror, and thrust his halberd back into the soldier he was fighting, finishing the fight before sprinting towards his brother. 

Punz grabbed Tommy and hauled him into a sitting position, brandishing Tommy’s own dagger he had wrenched from his hand against the king’s pale neck. Punz grinned, still lopsided as ever with his awful scars. 

“Take another step, and he’s dead,” Punz shouted, and Tubbo and Wilbur both skidded to a stop. Tommy’s face was twisted in fear, whimpering against the blade at his neck, and he looked up at Wilbur pleadingly. Wilbur flinched as if he had been struck, and Tubbo saw his knees wobble. Still, he stood his ground, a dangerous shadow falling over his eyes as he took a step forward. 

“Closer!” Punz barked, bringing the dagger even closer to Tommy’s skin. A faint red line appeared against the blade, and Tommy whimpered, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth against the pain. 

“Step away,” Wilbur growled, his voice trembling with the power of a thousand seas, “from my brother.”

Punz laughed, the blood on his face making him look unhinged. “Words won’t convince me otherwise,” he hissed. “Either you drop your weapons, surrender, and accept Dream as your almighty king, or I slit the boy’s throat.”

“ Wilbur ,” Tommy cried, and it sounded pitifully small, like a child. Wilbur barely reacted. His eyes were wide and trained on Punz like a manic deer in headlights. His hands were trembling where they hovered in front of him. He had dropped his halberd on his dash over. 

The water king made no sound as he lifted his hand. Slowly, like a puppet being pulled by a string, Punz’s trembling hand moved away from Tommy’s throat. 

The grin slid off of Punz’s face, and he made a choked sound of shock. “What - what are you-“ he stammered and shouted in surprise as he was jerked back, head smacking against the ground. Tommy scrambled away from him, rubbing his neck, and Wilbur continued to move like a puppeteer, lifting his hands up and down, back and forth as he controlled Punz’s very body. Tubbo watched on in numb horror, too shocked to even wonder how he was managing to do something like this. 

Wilbur stepped forward, moving his hand and forcing Punz to lay flat on his back. Punz’s face was twisted in pain and fear as he stared up at Wilbur, breathing hard. Wilbur loomed over him, face shadowed, emotionless. 

“Whatever you’re doing-“ Punz choked out. “Stop - stop it-“

“Shut up,” Wilbur snapped, and Punz’s mouth closed with a sharp click of teeth. Punz stared up at him in terror as Wilbur slowly moved the hand wielding the dagger up above his own face. 

Tommy gasped minutely. “Wilbur-“ he whispered. 

“You’ll never hurt any little princes again,” Wilbur said, voice like thunder. “Go to hell.”

Punz screamed as the dagger in his hand came down. 

It was bloody - bloodier than Tubbo would have thought. He tore his eyes away after the first blow, breathing hard as he stared down at the bloodstained grass. Punz’s screams continued for far longer than Tubbo would have expected - clearly, Wilbur was relishing in the satisfaction of torturing Tommy’s attempted murderer. Finally, the screams stopped, and Wilbur’s shuddering breath reached Tubbo’s ears. Tubbo slowly turned, risking a glance down at Punz’s body. At the horrible, gory sight, Tubbo gagged, feeling bile rise in his throat, and clapped a hand over his mouth. “Holy  fuck, ” he choked out, leaning over onto his knees. 

Wilbur stepped away from the mutilated body, seizing his halberd from where he had discarded it earlier. He turned to Tommy, who was staring at Punz’s body in horror. Slowly the fire king looked up at his brother, immense gratitude in the sky blue depths. 

“Tommy,” Wilbur said. “Light them up.”

A grin spread over the boy’s face, and his hands caught aflame. 

Tommy plunged his hands into the dry grass, and a circle of flame exploded outward, snaking between the soldier's legs and crawling up into the brush that hadn’t yet been hacked away. Tommy’s eyes were manic, blazing with the reflection of the flames as they climbed higher and higher, and he stood, arms outstretched, head was thrown back in shrieking laughter as the flames danced around him, like a witch refusing to burn. 

A surge of adrenaline filled Tubbo’s veins. He stood up straighter, holding his sword tighter, taking a deep breath of the hot air. Tommy’s arrival on the battlefield had started the real fight, but  King  Tommy’s entrance was about to turn the tide.

Tubbo dived back into the fight with new fervor. The heat of the fire at his back gave him new resolve; he fought like he never had before, the opponents all blending together. The burnt grass crunched under his boots as he spun, searching for more soldiers to kill. Blood freckled his cheeks and stained his sword. Smoke billowed into the sky like pillars, and laughter let Tubbo know where Tommy was at all times.

The sun had slipped behind the distant trees and Tubbo was fighting by the light of the fire when a roar overtook the battlefield. Glancing up, Tubbo saw dark wings flash across the indigo sky. Phil was back - which meant victory was nearly theirs.

Wilbur’s clear, high voice rang out across the field. “Fall back!” He cried. “Fall back!”

Tubbo pushed away from the woman he was fighting and broke into a run back towards the other side of the field, sheathing his sword as he went. He fell into step with Tommy, who was practically skipping, eyes still alight with bloodlust.

“You ready for the final show, Tubbo?” Tommy asked cheekily, grinning. “Ready to finally take back this shit?”

Tubbo gave him a smile despite his exhaustion. “You bet, man. I’m right beside you.”

The Capitol forces gave a feeble chase, obviously confused by the sudden retreat. They fell into their formations again, clumped together once more, trampling the embers on the dry grass. The remaining rebel forces skidded to a stop at the edge of the pit from the explosions. The bodies of the soldiers and the horses were just dark lumps in the falling night.

Phil landed with a whoosh of hot air in front of them. “I’ve been watching,” he said breathlessly. “You boys have been wonderful.”

Tommy beamed with pride and puffed out his chest. Wilbur still looked minutely rattled from his confrontation with Punz and nodded stiffly. Techno hefted the claymore on his shoulder and narrowed his eyes out at the Capitol forces.

“It’s now or never,” He muttered. “Time to show them who the real kings are.”

Phil nodded grimly, turning towards the oncoming soldiers. Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy all stepped up beside him, and Tubbo stepped back, letting them take the lead. This was no longer his fight. The victory of this battle would go to the kings.

Phil took a deep breath, looking serene as ever. “Take it back for your mother.”

Techno moved first, thrusting out a hand, and a wall of rock jutted up through the ground behind the oncoming army. His jaw was set with concentration, and his hands moved up and down as he kept summoning up more and more rocks. Wilbur swept his hands side to side, closing his eyes, the rising moonlight washing over his curls. The still-damp earth behind them shriveled up as Wilbur summoned the water forward, swirling around him until he sent it slithering crashing forward, growing and swelling until two massive waves surged on either side of the army. The soldiers shouted in alarm and tried to turn back, but were met with Techno’s huge wall. The walls of water closed in, penning the army in on itself, forcing them closer and closer together.

Finally, Phil stepped forward, closing his eyes. He flapped his wings, and rose a few feet from the ground, arms outstretched. He flapped his wings harder and harder, weaving his hands through the air until the air around him grew blurry. A great gust of hot wind made Tubbo stumble, and he watched in wonder as the tornado around Phil grew and grew until Tubbo couldn’t even see him anymore. With a flourish of his wings, Phil banked into a spin and kicked the tornado out into the field. Tommy let out a cry as he threw his arms outward, sparks flying from his fingertips. Flames poured from his palms and into the funnel of angry-looking clouds, and then all at once, it caught aflame, a spinning wheel of certain death. With a simple thrust of his hands, Phil sent the fire tornado towards the Capitol army.

Tubbo couldn’t look away as the army was engulfed in flames. It was gruesome and bone-chilling and bloodcurdling. The soldiers staggered out of the carnage, aflame within their armor, burning alive. The screams of men being baked alive inside a funnel of fire would never leave Tubbo’s mind. He was going to have nightmares about this for weeks, he thought numbly to himself.

Still, Tubbo’s face stayed perfectly stony. He watched and watched until there were no more screams until the tornado fizzled out into sparks. Wilbur let the water seep back into the ground and Techno flattened the entire field. The pit behind them stitched itself back together, burying the dead underneath. In a few moments, the field looked almost normal. Almost as if an elemental battle hadn’t just taken place.

The victory is not cried out by raucous applause. No one begins to cheer. Instead, the soldiers move forward solemnly, retrieving their dead and gathering the bodies of the enemy for other burials. Tubbo’s ears rung with static as the soldiers moved around him, and everything blurred together. He swayed slightly on his feet. Had they won? Is this what victory is like? Quiet and solemn, like rain on a warm afternoon? Where was the sense of accomplishment?

There was no noble deed done here, Tubbo reasoned. There were no Capitol survivors. Yes, this was a fight to kill or be killed, but still, victory seemed bittersweet on Tubbo’s tongue. He heaved a shuddering sigh, staring down at his hands. They were almost unrecognizable - covered in mud and soot and blood. He was sure his face didn’t look much better. 

All the stories he had read had the hero come out completely unscathed, armor as shiny as ever, triumphant on his horse. Tubbo was cut and bruised in more places than he wasn’t, his armor was covered in mud, and his Clydesdale was being dragged by a team of five men to be burned. War was not pretty. War was war.

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder, and Tubbo jumped, hand flashing to his sword. But it was just Niki; she gave him a look of surprise before it dissolved into calm understanding.

“I didn’t mean to make you jump,” she said softly. “The kings are going to get cleaned up before we make our final assault on the castle. I suggest you join them.”

Tubbo nodded, not fully hearing her. He staggered off in the direction she directed him in. His bad leg was throbbing painfully. So that was that, then? The battle was over. Just like that. They were just moving on from the carnage, onto another target.

Tubbo stopped in the middle of the field and stared out at the Capitol in the distance. He wondered how many civilians had watched the battle. He wondered if Dream had observed it from one of the high towers of the castle. He wondered if Ranboo could hear the screams from inside.

He took a deep breath. The air was still thick with smoke.

The next time the sun rose, Dream would be dead by Tubbo’s hands.  Mark my words.

Chapter Text

It took about twenty minutes for Tommy to collapse. 

The kings had doubled back to camp to change into presentable clothes, but Tubbo was itching to leave. He didn’t care if he had to stumble into the Capitol covered in filth - he would get inside those gates to get to Ranboo. But the kings insisted that they should look noble for taking back their Capitol. Technoblade went as far as to completely wash his hair before they set out. 

Tommy was swaying on his feet as they went about their hasty preparations. Tubbo didn’t pay it any mind, at first. He supposed it was just exhaustion - they all looked tired, after all. They had just fought for their lives, and still weren’t going to catch a break until the Capitol was safely in their hands. The plan had been to keep plowing forwards until Dream was dead. No stopping to rest. 

All of their plans had been working a little too well, so when Tommy hit the floor with a smack, Tubbo found himself thinking, ah, there’s the wrench in our plans. 

“Tommy!” The four remaining kings shouted in unison, rushing forward to hover around him. Tommy struggled to sit up, looking pale, trying to wave them off. 

“‘M fine,” he mumbled, glaring at them beneath golden curls. “Fuckin’ tired, is all-“

He coughed, and red splattered his lips. Tubbo felt his heart jump into his throat, and he felt his own knees wobble. Was this it? Was Tommy going to die here, on the brink of victory?

“No, no, no, no,” Wilbur mumbled, brown eyes wide with terror. “Tommy - Tommy, please-”

Phil ripped away the thin gold armor encircling his abdomen, and inhaled sharply. The smell of copper filled the air as they all gazed down at the bloodsoaked fabric of Tommy’s tunic. 

“Fuck,” Phil whispered, voice trembling. “Tommy, what happened?”

Tommy took in a shuddering breath. “A knife slipped under my armor,” he admitted, sweat beginning to slide down from his forehead. “I-I didn’t wanna bother you durin’ the battle. I thought I was fine. I am fine. I promise.”

The blood on Tommy’s lips and chin said otherwise. Tubbo’s chest was tight, like an entire ocean’s worth of pressure pushing against his ribs. Tears were burning his eyes, and he slumped down to sit, shoulders heaving with deep breaths. 

“Tommy,” Technoblade said, and his voice was the most fragile thing Tubbo had ever heard. He cradled Tommy’s head in his enormous hands, and was staring down at him, crimson eyes watery. “Tommy, you’re gonna be just fine, alright?”

Tommy stared back at his brother, blue eyes losing their glow. “Fuck, Techno, I’m kinda scared,” he mumbled, laughing lightly. “I wanna go home. I don’ wanna die out here.”

“Shh,” Phil chided. There were tears streaking down his face as he leaned forward, clutching Tommy’s hand. “It’s alright, Tommy, you’re gonna be fine. We’re gonna make you feel better.”

Tommy’s blond eyelashes fluttered. “You better fuckin’ hurry up,” he muttered, and his eyes slid closed. 

“Fuck, Wilbur!” Phil cried, and Wilbur’s open palms pressed immediately to Tommy’s abdomen. He closed his eyes, and Tubbo watched in fascination as the blood drained from Tommy’s tunic. Tubbo moved slightly closer to get a better look as the blood crawled back into the nasty gash in Tommy’s stomach, leaving his skin pale and slightly bruised. Wilbur’s brow was knotted with concentration as the wound slowly knitted itself back together, sealing itself back up until all that was left of the life-threatening wound was a pale pink scar and the blood on Tommy’s lips. 

Tubbo gaped. “You - you just-”

“Manipulated his blood,” Wilbur said shakily, bloody hands moving up to cup Tommy’s cheek. Tommy murmured something incomprehensible and leaned his cheek into Wilbur’s hand, drawing a slight smile from the water king. “The human body is seventy percent water. Water is the life force of everything; wherever there is life, there is water.”

The gears were going at lightning speed in Tubbo’s mind. “So that’s how you killed Captain Punz. You - you manipulated his blood and - and made him kill himself.”

Wilbur winced and rubbed his neck. “Yes. Manipulating a whole body takes a toll. Mending wounds like this is much easier.”

Tommy roused, groaning, spitting excess blood out of his mouth as his eyes fluttered open. Phil let out a sigh of relief and gathered his son to him like a mother hen. “You scared me, you brat,” he mumbled into Tommy’s hair. Tommy clutched his father’s robes, squeezing his eyes shut, and Techno placed a comforting hand on Tommy’s shoulder. 

Tubbo let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He scrubbed at his face, as if to dispel the terror he had felt for his friend. He had already lost Ranboo to Dream’s clutches; he couldn’t lose Tommy, too. 

“Let’s get cleaned up,” Phil said finally. He stood, wings puffed out, Tommy in his arms like a toddler. His blue eyes were heavyset. “We still have a Capitol to recover.”

Their march into the Capitol was not triumphant. There were no trumpet blasts, no cheers of civilians, no white flags flying above the castle. In fact, it was eerily silent as they cantered through the cobbled streets on fresh horses. Tubbo had never, ever, not once in his whole life seen the city so quiet. It was like everyone had silently up and left, leaving nothing but a ghost town behind. 

But there were still people - glances into windows showed women huddling with children by the fireplace, sending fearful glances at the door. Shades were drawn, doors were shuttered, and animals had been brought inside. The only sounds were the horseshoes against the cobbles and the caw ing of Phil’s crows as they circled high overhead. 

“It’s eerie,” Techno murmured as they made their way through the winding main street. “Just a few days ago it was bustling with people.”

“I saw everyone evacuating into their homes during my flyover,” Phil mused. “Once they realized they were losing. It won’t be easy to win back their favor - especially sympathizers to Dream’s monarchy.”

“Just wait until they meet me,” Tommy boasted, puffing his chest. He seemed like a completely new person after Wilbur healed him. Tubbo had thought he should at least rest before their final push to the castle, but Wilbur had shaken his head and insisted that he was fine. 

“My healing works better than any other medicine in the world,” he had said. “It’s like it never happened. He’s fit as a fiddle.”

The houses around them changed as they neared the inner sectors - hay-roofed cottages turned to sandpapery tiles turned to brick. Gardens overflowed with flowers and vegetables, and yet their flowery curtains were drawn against the kings’ solemn march to the castle. 

Finally they emerged from the residential areas up into the royal sector of the Capitol - filled with offices and royal stables and other places where nobles and royal officials would conduct their business. It was as empty as the rest of the city. The castle loomed, silent, above them, clouds gathering. Tubbo wasn’t sure if it was the weather or Wilbur’s growing nerves. 

They stopped their horses in front of the main steps. There was no herald to announce them or courtiers to lead them through the castle. They were absolutely alone, with nothing but the lonely moaning of the wind through the courtyards. 

Tubbo took a deep breath as he stared up at the spires. This was it. The moment that his whole entire journey had been boiling down to - his final confrontation with Dream. After this, he’d be done. Done with his adventure, free to...well, he wasn’t quite sure what he’d do. But the moment before a final showdown wasn’t the place to dwell on what came after. 

“Tubbo,” Phil’s voice broke through his reverie, and he turned to look at the air king. Phil was smiling, but it was sad; he held out his hand, and Tubbo hesitantly took it. Phil’s palm was cool against Tubbo’s. 

“I just - I wanted to thank you,” Phil said profusely. “Thank you, for all you’ve done. For my sons, for my kingdom. You did what no one else in the kingdom could. You’re more of a savior to these people than any of us.”

A wave of emotion struck Tubbo hard, and tears burned his waterline. “Don’t make me all sappy right before this,” he protested, laughing as he wiped at his eyes. 

Phil smiled and drew Tubbo into a comforting hug. Tubbo squeezed him back; Phil was lovely to hug and warm to the touch. His hug reminded him of Puffy. Tubbo held on for as long as he dared before Phil gently moved away. 

“If you need someone to...y’know...take care of you after this,” Phil offered. “You’re welcome to stay with us. I don’t know what happened to your father.”

Tubbo’s heart jumped into his throat. Schlatt hadn’t so much as crossed his mind since escaping the banquet - he’d been so busy planning the battle and worrying about Ranboo that he hadn’t thought about his father at all. He didn’t know if he was still in the Capitol - surely he wouldn’t have fought in the battle. Tubbo didn’t recall Schlatt ever picking up a sword or talking about how he had served in the army before. Most likely he had been holed up in the safety of the castle for the battle. 

“That...that would be wonderful,” Tubbo said softly. “Only if Ranboo and Queen Puffy can stay with me.”

Phil smiled - the kind that made his eyes disappear. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“You two saps coming?” Wilbur called from the top of the steps. They had tied off their horses and were waiting for their father and Tubbo with expectant expressions. 

“Yes, yes,” Phil sighed, ascending the steps with one flap of his wings. He turned back to look at Tubbo, a soft smile on his face. “Are you ready?”

Tubbo took one last deep, deep breath, inhaling the warm Capitol air, closing his eyes. If everything went to plan, Ranboo would be safe in his arms in under an hour. Puffy would be safe, the kings would be safe, and Dream would be dead. His journey would be over. 

Tubbo clenched his fists and climbed the steps towards the kings. 

The castle, like the rest of the city, was hauntingly quiet. Tubbo had no idea where everyone was - there was never any protocol for a hostile invasion, or what to do if they needed to hide. Nothing ever happened that would call for such a widespread evacuation. Tubbo feared the worst as they made their way through the cold marble corridors of the castle. 

“Where do you think he’d be?” Techno asked softly as they passed through a hallway lined with marble busts. Paintings on the walls followed them with their eyes as their footsteps echoed through the empty halls. 

“The throne room,” Tubbo answered. He had taken the lead, knowing his way around the castle best. “It’s where he meets most of his royal guests. He’s probably waiting for us there.”

He led them up a grand marble staircase, careful not to slip on the velvet purple carpet. The golden doors to the throne room looked in front of him, shut tight - but there was a figure slumped over to the left of the doors, leaning against a pillar, his raspy, shallow breathing the only sign that he was still alive. 

Tubbo’s blood ran cold. “Father!” He cried, rushing past the kings to fall to his knees at his father’s side. He lifted Schlatt’s face in his hands, tilting it up towards the light. Schlatt’s eyes were hooded, and he was drooling down his chin. His royal clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, and his hair looked like it hadn’t been combed in days. 

“Tubbo?” Schlatt muttered, gazing blearily up at his son. His shaking hand came up to lightly rest on Tubbo’s wrist. 

“Yes, it’s me.” Tubbo’s eyes were stinging. “I’m here. What - what happened?”

Schlatt’s head lolled in Tubbo’s hands. “Bastard put poison in - in the drinks,” he wheezed. He sounded like he was fighting for every breath. “Last night. Somehow knew he was gonna lose that battle. Wanted no prisoners in the castle.”

Tubbo felt horror turn his veins to ice. He turned to look at the kings, whose eyes were wide. 

“He killed his whole castle staff?” Tommy whispered, voice wavering. “Just - just because he lost?”

Phil put an arm around Tommy, closing his eyes. Wilbur turned away from the scene and Techno pressed a hand over his mouth, eyes dark. 

Schlatt coughed. “None of us knew about it,” he muttered. “Until people started dropping. I dunno how many people are left. I tried to reason with him, but-” He broke off into a fit of awful sounding coughs, and Tubbo’s nails dug into his cheeks. 

“Father - please - we can help you,” he pleaded, turning back to Wilbur. But the water king’s eyes were solemn, and he shook his head. 

“I’m sorry, Tubbo,” Wilbur said softly. “The poison is already in his bloodstream. It would do more harm than good to try and separate it.”

Tubbo’s heart dropped to his gut, and he turned back to Schlatt. His dark eyes were losing what little light they had, and Tubbo tugged him closer. 

“Father,” Tubbo whispered, voice beginning to tremble. Hot tears were sliding down his cheeks. “Father, I’m - I’m sorry, I’m so sorry - I left you here, I left you here with Dream - this is all my fault - if I had just stayed, I could have helped you-”

“Kid,” Schlatt coughed. He squeezed Tubbo’s arm weakly. “I treated you like shit your whole life. ‘Cause of your mother...shit...I never treated you like a son. And I know I must’ve contributed to the reason you ran away.”

Tubbo’s tears splashed down onto Schlatt’s cheeks, and his shoulders were shaking. He could hear the kings moving away, giving them room. 

“I’m sorry, kid,” Schlatt mumbled. “I’m sorry for being a shit dad. I’m sorry I drove you away.”

“No, Father,” Tubbo breathed. “You were right. If I hadn’t left - I never would have freed the kings - I never would have started this revolution. We’re going to kill Dream, Father.”

Schlatt stared up at him blankly for a moment, and Tubbo had a pang of fear that he was already dead. But then, with a final heave of strength, Schlatt lifted his arm and set his sweaty palm into Tubbo’s hair. 

“Give ‘im hell,” he whispered. “And save my sister.”

Slowly, like ice melting, Schlatt fell still and cold in Tubbo’s arms. Tubbo felt his face screw up and his shoulders curl in, but the ringing in his ears muted how loud he must have been crying. He pressed his face into his father’s chest, inhaling that sickly sweet scent that always followed him around, clutching at his shirt like a child. 

It felt like hours later when Phil put his hand on his shoulder. “Tubbo, I’m sorry, mate,” he murmured with infinite gentleness. “But we have to go. We can come get him afterwards.”

Tubbo let Phil tug him to his feet, staring numbly down at his father’s still body. He felt dizzy and numb - it felt...unreal. Was Schlatt really...gone? Just like that?

This didn’t feel like the soldiers Tubbo had cut down on the battlefield. This wasn’t like putting a sword through Purpled’s stomach or watching Punz stick a knife through his face. This was a hollowness in his gut, a high pitched ringing in his ears. He half expected to blink and Schlatt to stand up, good as new. 

But he didn’t. He lay there on the tile, cold as ice. 

Tubbo took a deep breath and clenched his fists. Closing his eyes, he reminded himself of what he had to do. Kill Dream. Free Ranboo and Puffy. Emancipate the kingdom. 

Tubbo swallowed thickly and turned back to the kings. A brand new fire lit his veins, and he felt more powerful than any thousand year old monarch. 

“You heard him,” he muttered darkly. “Let’s give him hell.”

Tubbo pushed open the doors to the throne room with the might of a thousand armies. The room looked exactly like it always had - the massive skylight, the stained-glass pattern on the floor, the pillars on either side. The pulpit-like dais at the back of the room, gilded and shining like a gem. 

And there on the throne was Dream. 

He was lounging on his throne like he had all the time in the world. He looked no different than all the other times Tubbo had seen him. Nothing screamed, “ I just ordered the deaths of my entire castle and I’m currently holding my mother and an Ender prince hostage. ” He was perfectly normal - as perfectly normal as a thousand-year old king could get. 

Dream lifted his head off of his hand as they entered, cracking a smile. “Ah, Tubbo, you kept me waiting,” he said, stretching languidly. “I’ve been waiting all day.”

“Get the fuck up, Dream,” Tubbo barked, advancing towards the throne. Dream, mercifully, didn’t make a smart remark. He simply stood, expression unreadable under his blindfold. He shuffled up to the edge of the dais, staring down at the group below him as they stopped at the edge of the stained glass mural on the floor. 

“I’m impressed with your battle,” Dream mused. The skylight behind him illuminated his frame, making him look almost angelic as he gazed down at them. “We’re evenly matched when it comes to victories in the field.”

“You talk big shit for a guy who’s about to die,” Tommy snarled. His eyes were aflame with rage already. 

Dream laughed - a breathy, high little thing. “I forgot how fun you all are. This has all been quite entertaining, really. I’ve had a good time watching your little adventures across the land. I haven’t had such a busy month in centuries.”

Tubbo’s hand tightened around his sword. “Dream,” he said lowly, “we’re going to give you one chance to come down here and surrender. Pledge your allegiance to the kings, lay your crown at their feet, and free Ranboo and the Queen Mother.”

Dream chuckled. “And if I don’t?”

“We’ll cut you down where you stand.”

Dream smiled, and his feet lifted off the ground. Tubbo watched in awe as the king drifted down from the dais like a specter, robes flowing in the slight breeze. “I would really like to see you try, Prince Tubbo.”

Tubbo drew his sword as Dream stopped to hover on the other side of the stained glass mural. He felt heat on his right side as Tommy summoned flames in his palms. He tensed, heart pounding, blood roaring in his ears as he prepared for this final showdown. 

But Dream simply smiled. “I’ll make you a deal instead, Prince Tubbo,” he said pleasantly. “I know there’s something you want more than these kings’ thrones back. I know this very, very well.”

Dream stretched out a hand, and Tubbo flinched - but nothing happened. Dream’s grin made his skin crawl. 

“What would you do if you had to choose?”

The floor beneath his feet rumbled, and Tubbo stumbled, careening backwards. The stained-glass mural on the floor that had been there for as long as he could remember was shuddering, hairline fractures spreading across the colorful glass. They snaked across the glittering purple and red glass, creating a beautiful, fragile display, before it shattered. 

Tubbo threw his hands over his head, squeezing his eyes shut against the shattered glass. The sound was ear-piercing, and left his ears ringing even after the sound of crackling glass had ceased. Slowly, he opened his eyes, looking around in shock at the colorful pieces of glass all around him. It didn’t look like he had been cut by any of the shards, but his ears still hurt from the sound. He glanced across the newly made hole at Dream, who was smiling at him, floating a few inches off of the ground. He gestured minutely at the chasm. 

Tubbo hesitated, but then edged his way to the side of the hole, never taking his eyes off of Dream. Finally, he glanced downwards. 

The sight almost made him pitch over the side and plummet to the floor down below. 

Green and red eyes stared up at him from the assortment of colored glass that now covered the floor. They were shivering, their clothes reduced to shreds, and they looked like skin and bones. Chains snapped around their wrists and tethered them to the wall, and blood streaked their skin - both from old wounds and from scratches from the glass. 

Holy. Fucking. Shit. 

“Tubbo!” Ranboo and Puffy cried at the same time, straining against their chains as soon as they locked eyes. Puffy’s ears were folded against her head, and her eyes were full of tears, staring up at Tubbo in desperation. Ranboo just looked exhausted, covered in bruises and dried blood, eyes begging for Tubbo to do something. 

“No!” Tubbo shrieked, throwing himself down onto the edge of the pit. Firm hands grasped his shirt, keeping him from falling headfirst down into the dark. Tubbo’s heartbeat was going haywire, his brain moving too fast, his breath hitching. “Ranboo! Ranboo! ”

“ Tubbo! ” Ranboo coughed, voice strained and hoarse, stumbling against the tension of his chains. His pretty violet robes were in tatters, showing off his skinny shoulders and toothpick arms. There was mud smeared on his cheeks and his eyes were red and puffy. 

“Holy shit, holy fucking shit,” Tubbo gasped, scrambling backwards and looking back up at Dream. “Let them go! Let them fucking go!”

Dream laughed once more. “You think it was going to be that easy? Just by asking me nicely?” He shook his head, staring down into the pit. “We’re going to play a little game, Tubbo.

“You are going to choose one of them. One of them will be free - returned safely to you and your precious kings. The other, well…” Dream lifted a hand, and a storm of lightning and stars burst into existence in his palm. “They will meet quite a terrible fate.”

Tubbo’s heart seized, and he felt the hands on his shoulders tighten. “You’re fucking sick,” Tommy spat, eyes flaming. “You’re a fucking bastard!”

“Tick tock, Prince Tubbo,” Dream mused. “Their lives are in your hands.”

“Pick him,” Puffy cried, staring up at Tubbo with wide eyes. Tubbo thought he would collapse even further - hearing her voice, her voice, her voice. She had lost her sweet curves, leaving her gaunt and sickly-looking. Still, her eyes had that determined gleam that made Tubbo keep from laying down on the floor and never getting up again. 

“Pick him, Tubbo, please,” Puffy gasped. “He’s young - he needs to get out of here-”

“Don’t listen to her,” Ranboo said hoarsely. “Don’t. Tubbo, listen. Let her go. Trust me.”

“I’m not leaving you both down here!” 

“You don’t have to,” Ranboo insisted, taking a step forward. His arms strained behind him from the chains. Something glimmered deep in his eyes. “Tubbo. Please. Trust me . Choose Puffy.”

Tubbo stared deep into Ranboo’s eyes. Ranboo stared back. 

It clicked. 

Tubbo stiffened, leaning back slightly. He blinked a few times in realization, before looking up back towards Dream. 

“Puffy,” he croaked. “I pick Puffy.”

“ What? ” Tommy shrieked. Wilbur’s mouth dropped open in shock. Even Techno looked alarmed. 

“ No, ” Puffy moaned, hanging her head in defeat. Dream looked surprised - or, at least as surprised as someone wearing a blindfold could get. But he stretched out his hand, and the shackles fell off of Puffy’s wrists and she began to lift, up, up, up until her feet rested against the floor, and she slumped to the ground, legs shaking. 

Tubbo scrambled forward, gripping Puffy’s arms. Her seabreeze and driftwood smell hit him like a wave, and he wanted to cry again. Puffy tilted her head back to look up at him, tears making clean tracks through the mud on her face. 

“Why?” She whispered. “Tubbo, honey, why?”

Tubbo squeezed her shoulders and looked back at the pit as Dream descended down towards Ranboo. He didn’t say another word as Dream reached towards Ranboo, hands already sparkling, Ranboo’s eyes wide and animalistic and rabid.

The moment the chains fell from Ranboo’s wrists, he pounced. 

Letting out a guttural, garbled cry, he sprang at Dream, teeth and claws sharpening to razor sharp points. He bowled the king over, snarling and clawing and snapping his teeth at him, blood splattering in arcs across the grimy stones. Dream howled in pain and writhed under Ranboo’s claws, struggling to get free, clawing at the stones in an attempt to drag himself away. 

Finally Dream grabbed Ranboo and shot up in the air, carrying the writhing enderman with him. He spun and hurled Ranboo’s lanky body at the group, and Techno rushed forward to catch the boy in his burly arms. 

Dream was bloody - golden ichor flowed from cuts on his cheeks and his royal tunic was tattered. His blindfold was ripped, showing one furious green eye glowing with anger. The atmosphere of the room shifted, and Tubbo felt his pulse speed up - sweat broke out on his forehead, and he felt every muscle tense under his skin. 

Dream’s robes shifted around him like sand. “You’ve made a grave mistake, Prince Tubbo,” he snarled, and then his hands began to glow. Tubbo’s feet betray him as he stumbled back, the hair on the back of his neck standing up as galaxies and sunflower supernovas swirled in Dream’s palms. 

“What-”

There was a massive boom, and then the throne room around them was erased as if paint had been thrown over the walls. Pillars turned black, the broken floor was stitched over, and the skylight turned dark, letting faint green light trickle in from an emerald glass window. Dream hovered over a hollow marble table, surface slightly raised at specific intervals with decor shaped like eyes. 

Tubbo had never seen this room before, and he had thought he had explored the entire castle. Where was this room? What wing? What tower? He was disoriented from the change, and Dream smiled wickedly above them. 

“Your end is here, Tubbo,” he shouted, his voice reverberating throughout the room. He flung his arms out wide. “ This is where your story ends. And I won’t make the same mistake that I did last time—I’ll cut down each one of you kings, and make sure you never come back.”

For a moment, it was only Dream and Tubbo. The next step in this moment was in Tubbo’s hands, and yet he waited - he took a deep breath. Then another. He glanced to the side, to Ranboo, who was staring back at him with the most trust and love that Tubbo had ever seen in anyone. Despite the blood on his face and the loose, ripped fabric hanging off of his bedraggled frame, there was something there that filled Tubbo with more strength then any potion or armor ever could. And right beside him was Tommy, blue eyes filled with admiration and fury and determination. And Techno, lifting his claymore; Wilbur, already with water swirling lazily up his arms, and Phil, the picture of elegance and poise, wings spread, ready at a moment’s notice to pounce. Even Puffy, unarmed and weak, looked just about ready to hurl herself into the oncoming fray herself. 

Dream had the power of ancient gods and archaic civilizations, galaxies and dying stars on his tongue, stardust flowing through his veins. 

Tubbo was just a boy. But all it took was a stone to fell Goliath. 

Tubbo lifted his sword. “ Fuck him up .”

Time went from a snail’s pace to that of a peregrine’s dive in a heartbeat - Tommy gave a ferocious cry that took all of his chest with it, and fire so hot that it burned emerald green spewed from his fingers. Dream twisted and dove around the inferno, a glittering silver sword materializing in his grip, only to be met with icicles sharper than knives driving up out of the ground, barely avoiding being pricked in the foot. Dream swept his arm in a large arc, and blazing balls of light arrowing towards them. A wall of brick shot up, and the balls exploded against it, sending debris and shrapnel flying. 

“Surround him!” Came Techno’s bellow, and Tubbo complied, ducking into a roll to avoid another arc of light as he came up on the side of the table. Tommy took a running leap off of the table and grabbed onto Dream’s robes, screaming in fury, hands burning, clawing his way up Dream’s body. Dream hissed in annoyance, trying to shake him off while still occupied with Wilbur wrapping his water whip around his arm. 

“Fucking pest!” Dream snarled, giving Tommy a harsh shake. Tommy’s eyes gleamed, and he reeled back before sinking his teeth deep into Dream’s arm. 

Dream howled, cheeks flushing with pain. He gave a huge heave of his arm, and Tommy was detached like a troublesome flea, cannoning to the ground with a large thump. Tubbo would have been concerned, if not for Tommy stumbling to his feet, spitting Dream’s ichor from his mouth. 

Well, he’s weak when he has to multitask, Tubbo reasoned, the cogs whirring and turning in his head. Dream managed to wrench his arm free of Wilbur’s grip, and turned to face Techno head-on, sword and claymore scraping against each other with a horrible screech. Another sword appeared in Dream’s hand as Phil hurtled across the table with a flap of his wings, and then he was grappling with both of them, teeth clenched. Techno managed to bat away his sword and take a huge swing at him, but Dream somersaulted in midair and managed to drive his heel into Phil’s chin. Phil hissed in pain, but caught Dream as he was coming back up, sinking his sword into his calf. Dream didn’t have time to react; he was already clashing with Techno once more. 

Tubbo was so enraptured with the fight that he didn’t notice the boy next to him, presence like fallen leaves, until he spoke. “It took you long enough to come rescue me, man.”

Tubbo jumped, half from Ranboo’s words and half from the explosion from Tommy as he joined the fray. “Boo!” Tubbo cried, throwing his arms around Ranboo’s neck, sword clattering to the floor. Ranboo chuckled, squeezing him equally as tight before pulling away, cupping his face. 

“Are you alright?”

“Am I alright?” Tubbo sputtered. “Look at you! You look like a fucking corpse! What the fuck did he do to you?!”

Wincing, Ranboo rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Uh...starved me? A little? It’s fine.”

“It’s not fucking fine, man!” Tubbo shouted. He gripped Ranboo’s shoulders, as if he was afraid he was going to disappear. “I thought I lost you! I thought you were fucking dead and gone!”

“I thought I lost you, ” Ranboo said earnestly, grasping Tubbo’s wrists. His grasp stung like a wasp’s sting, but Tubbo could barely feel it. “Dream—Dream kept saying how you were all going to die out on the battlefield. Dragons, Tubbo, I thought—I thought you were dead.”

“I could never, ever leave you,” Tubbo promised, voice hallowed. He wrestled a hand out of Ranboo’s grasp and brought it up to his cheek. Their whole journey had led up to this point—everything, from the prophecy predicting their meeting, to their escape from the Bazaar, their freeing of the kings and Ranboo’s eventual capture. Everything had been laid out in the stars for them, and that’s exactly what Ranboo was—a star.

“Ranboo, did you think I would ever leave you here by yourself?” Tubbo whispered, feeling his eyes sting. Ranboo smiled sheepishly, and pressed Tubbo’s forehead to his own, closing his eyes.

“Of course not,” he whispered. “You’ve always been there to save me. And here you are again, Tubbo. I knew you would come get me, just like you always do.”

Tubbo wrapped his arms around Ranboo’s shoulders, and closed his eyes. For a long moment, under the blaze of earth, wind, and fire, it was just a pair of star-crossed heroes holding onto each other for dear life as the universe continued to spin around them. For that moment, they were more important than the stars, and more serene than the moon. Ranboo’s steady, calm breaths were like the rhythmic waves of the ocean against Tubbo’s chest. 

For that single, hallowed moment, time itself paused reverently to allow the two princes a moment of reconciliation. Forgiveness, friendship, love—all of it was passed between the two in a moment of unshattered silence.

This is what forever is supposed to be like, Tubbo thought, dazedly. Right here. In his arms.

Silence was broken as Dream was sent sailing over their heads, crashing into the wall with a shower of dust. He staggered to his feet, spitting golden blood out of his mouth, and his green eyes fell on Tubbo and Ranboo.

The High King gave an animalistic snarl and charged, and Ranboo leapt to his feet, suddenly alert. Despite his injuries, he grabbed Dream by the arms and managed to wrestle him off of his path towards Tubbo, slamming him to the floor and leaping on top of him in a messy dogfight. Tubbo scrambled to his feet, unsheathing the small dagger he had tucked in his belt. He had lost his sword in the earlier struggle. But there was little he could do—Ranboo was fighting like an animal, all snapping teeth and gleaming claws. Purple smoke poured from his jaws in his rage as he and Dream rolled and kicked, each trying to get on top of the other. With Tubbo’s tight chest, the struggle seemed to last ages, and he was frozen in place from where he crouched in the shadow of a statue’s pedestal. But finally Dream dug his elbow into the cobbles and raised his sword above Ranboo’s head, teeth gritted and eyes wild.

“No!” Tubbo screeched, diving at them and butting his head into Dream’s ribs. With strength Tubbo didn’t even know he had, Dream was sent flying, head snapping back against the wall. Tubbo had the naive hope for a brief moment that he had broken his neck—but Dream shook off the dazed look in his eyes and lifted himself back up.

Only to be swept up in a wave of water that sucked him back into the fray of the elemental battle—Wilbur’s face was contorted into that of pure rage as he stretched out his arms, allowing the waves to toss Dream around like a cat playing with its food. Finally he curled his hands into fists, and Dream’s body seized up, and his face flushed.

“This is for my mother,” The water king hissed. “For all you did to her kingdom!”

Dream bared his teeth, and managed to wrench his arm free and hurl his sword at Wilbur. Taken off guard, Wilbur gave a guttural cry of pain as the blade sunk into his shoulder, and he sank to his knees, releasing his hold on Dream. But the water was immediately replaced by earth as Techno stood with feet apart in front of his twin, ready to defend.

Without a word, Techno’s red eyes glowed as he raised his shaking hands, and the two huge statues on either side of the room twitched.

“ This one’s for our mom,” he muttered.

The statues cracked and crumbled from their pedestals, showering Tubbo with a rain of pebbles as they leaped at Dream, glimmering blades drawn. Dream summoned two more swords to counter them, lifting off the ground to gain height. But Techno joined the fray as well, brandishing his claymore and rushing in alongside his stone minions with a mighty roar.

Ranboo staggered to his feet, wincing. “I’m guessing he’s got it?” He asked hesitantly. 

One of the statues crumbled into dust as Dream sent one of his silver swords slicing through it like butter. Tubbo grimaced. 

“I don’t know how we would help?” He said hesitantly, giving Ranboo a helpless shrug.

The next statue followed suit soon after, leaving Dream to focus solely on Techno. It would seem Techno had the upper hand with his bigger weapon and frame, but Dream was quick, dodging around Techno’s sometimes clumsy movements. Tubbo found himself holding his breath as Dream slid under a large swipe of Techno’s claymore, slipping around to his back. But instead of plunging his sword into his spine, Dream gave a precise, hard punch to the bottom of Techno’s neck.

Techno choked and crumpled like a card tower. Ranboo cursed under his breath and fished up one of Dream’s discarded silver swords from under some rubble. “Pressure point disabling,” he muttered. “I learned that once.”

“We need to help them!” Tubbo insisted, even as Phil dived down on massive wings to take Techno’s place. “Dream’s weaker when he’s fighting multiple foes!”

Ranboo nodded, moving to follow Tubbo but wincing after only a few steps, holding his side. “I-I’d love to help, but…I’m a bit ou-out of commission for a minute.”

Dark blood was seeping between Ranboo’s fingers. Tubbo swore. “Okay. Yeah. Take it easy, big guy. Phil can handle it—”

A cry from Phil alerted them otherwise. They looked up to see Dream toss Phil across the room like he weighed nothing, sending him rolling over and over, feathers flying. A weak groan was the only thing that told them he was still alive.

Three kings down, one standing.

Tommy stood amongst his fallen brothers and father, looking lost. His blonde hair was full of dirt, and he had never looked younger than he did at that moment. He took a long look around at Techno and Wilbur, laying gasping on the floor. At his once noble father, now just a helpless pile of feathers. 

Dream floated silently in the middle of the room, absently twirling his swords. He half-smirked, and tilted his head at Tommy, as if to say, want to come play?

Something was brewing within the fire king. Something big. Like lava bubbling under the surface. His shoulders began to heave, sparks flying from his fingers, face flushing. His eyes sparkled with tears over his fallen family, over everything he had lost over these lonely thousand years. 

Tommy had been the beginning of Tubbo and Ranboo’s journey, and now he would end it.

With a ferocious roar, Tommy exploded. 

There were no words that could possibly explain the sight of a boy on fire. The fire that enveloped Tommy was that of pure, unbridled rage, and it burned white hot as he rushed at Dream so fast that Tubbo saw the smirk fall off his face before Tommy collided with him. If Dream had been fast before, Tommy was faster. The fire king no longer fought with a sword; his weapons were his fists, his screams, and his teeth. He landed whatever blow he could afford—punches to the ribs, kicks to the groin, bites to the arm. And for what it was worth, he was winning.

“Tubbo,” Ranboo gasped. “Now. We have to kill Dream now. He’s weak.”

“But—” Tubbo stammered, turning to look at Ranboo. He looked deathly pale. “How do you—”

“It’s now or never,” the Ender prince said grimly. “We have to d-do it now. ”

“He’s right.” An unexpected voice spoke up. They looked back to see Puffy lifting Phil to his feet, looking dazed but alright, for the most part. “The kings have to hold him in place. Go, Tubbo, Ranboo. Get out there.”

Tubbo nodded, slinging Ranboo’s arm under his own to lift him to his feet and help him stagger across the floor. Tommy was still screaming, landing blow after blow, still not losing power. After helping Phil, Puffy had darted over to Techno, gently helping him recover from the blow to his spine.

Tubbo half-dragged Ranboo up the stairs to the table, gently prying the sword from his hands. The Ender prince looked like he would collapse at any moment.

“Hang in there, big guy,” Tubbo hissed. “It’s almost over.”

Phil heaved himself into the air, gritting his teeth against how much he must be hurting. He swept around Dream and Tommy, shouting something that Tubbo couldn’t hear over the fire king’s screams. Whatever it was, Tommy must have heard it, because he stopped darting around Dream and instead focused one immense pillar of flames towards the man. Phil flapped his wings again and again, creating a great billow of wind that only made Tommy’s flames stronger and Dream weaker.

A huge slab of earth came up on either side of Dream, pinning him in. Techno was on his feet, teeth bared, hands trembling at the effort. The coy smirk on Dream’s face was slowly beginning to wear off.

Tubbo glanced towards Wilbur. He was leaning against Puffy, still bleeding heavily out of the wound in his shoulder. There was barely any light left in his eyes, and he looked like he would just rather fall over and pass out.

“Come on, Wilbur!” Tubbo cried, desperate. “You can do it!”

Something roused inside Wilbur at Tubbo’s words. He took a deep breath and heaved himself to his feet with Puffy’s help, and threw his arms out, letting water come shooting forward. It wrapped around Dream, pinning him in place over the table.

For once, Dream looked scared.

Dream looked terrified.

He strained against the bonds that held him as Tubbo and Ranboo helped each other up the stairs, sword dragging between them. Dream was right in front of them, theirs for the taking.

Tubbo hefted the sword, making sure Ranboo’s hand was wrapped around it tight. “Dream,” Tubbo shouted over the havoc of the elemental noise. “You’ve ruled this land for a thousand years too long. You’ve torn innocent families apart. You killed my father. You turned good people to the side of evil.”

Tubbo brandished the sword, and to his satisfaction, Dream flinched. Tubbo glanced towards Ranboo, trying to catch his breath.

“Any speeches?” He asked breathlessly.

Ranboo stared at Dream for a long time, as if considering what to say. Finally he tightened his grip on the sword under Tubbo’s hand and leaned in close. 

“Fuck. You.” He hissed.

Tubbo might have passed out. Shit, Ranboo swore. Wait, he had a magical destiny to fulfill first.

Screaming with the weight of stars and kings on their backs, Tubbo and Ranboo drove the silver sword deep, deep into Dream’s rotten soul.

Dream gasped. Golden blood poured down his chin as his body convulsed, seizing with the grips of death. Ranboo yanked the sword out of his body, and Dream made a horrible noise, like he was choking on his own blood.

Oh, Tubbo thought, thinking distantly of Ranbob. He is.

The kings released their grip on him, and Dream fell to the middle of the table, a bloody, convulsing mess. He gripped the wound in his stomach and stared out at Tubbo with wide, bulging eyes, lips trying to form words that never came. Tubbo wanted to drag his eyes away from it, but he couldn’t. He watched and he watched and he watched.

Death was a little bit beautiful.

It was beautiful as Dream finally, finally fell still, the only slight movement being the shakes of rigor mortis. Tubbo didn’t dare let himself breathe until even those stopped, and he heaved out a massive woosh of air, sword clattering to the ground.

Time, which he didn’t even realize had stopped, seemed to come alive once again. All of the kings slumped to the floor, groaning in pain. Ranboo stayed standing, staring at Dream’s limp body, swaying slightly on his feet.

“Shit,” Tubbo said simply. “Shit.”

“Yeah,” Ranboo mumbled. “Shit.”

Tubbo let his head thunk against the stones as Ranboo crumpled like a paper doll. Tubbo just, like, needed a sec, he was sure Ranboo would understand.