Archive of Our Own

Wilbur laughed as his pupil pulled him into the snow. “This is deeply unprofessional.”

Tommy shoved snow at him and Wilbur spluttered, trying to wipe it off. “F*ck that’s cold!”

“It’s snow,” Tommy said matter-of-factly. “As in, it is colder than zero degrees. Below freezing.”

“I know!”

“Then when are you stating the obvious?”

“Prime, I should never have listened to you. Your winter activities make no sense.” Wilbur was more a hot-chocolate-and-a-book sort of person.

“Aw, c’mon!”

Wilbur stood up and dusted himself off as best he could, though the snow still stubbornly clung to his coat. “You’re going to freeze to death Your Highness.”

Tommy lay in the snow and folded his arms. “Just for ‘Your Highnessing’ me I’m going to stay right here.”

“And then your father will kill me too.”

Tommy laughed and the sound warmed Wilbur’s heart. Prime, two months ago he’d have done anything to hear Tommy laugh about his father, or even smile.

He held out his hand and Tommy batted it away. “I mean it. I’m going to die here.”

“Ideally.”

Wilbur whipped around. “What the -”

A figure in dark green, face covered by a mask, stood behind them. As Wilbur watched the figure flicked twin knives out from beneath his cloak.

Pure unadulterated terror swept through Wilbur. F*ck. The man was after Tommy, that much was clear, but what could he do about it?

He glanced down at his pupil, whose smile had been wiped away. When I tell you to run, run he said silently.

What?! No?!

This is not a negotiation.

He was pretty sure Tommy got the message because the boy nodded slightly.

Wilbur turned back to the cloaked figure. “What do you want?”

The man behind the mask laughed coldly, sending chills down Wilbur’s spine. “You must be Wilbur Soot.”

“I am,” Wilbur replied, trying to stall for… something.

“They say you’re good at what you do.”

Wilbur shrugged. “I try.”

“Then you’re not stupid Soot. You know why I’m here. Now stand aside. I have no reason to hurt an ordinary man.”

“Wilbur’s not ordinary!” Tommy piped up angrily. “He’s the best tutor I’ve ever had!”

“Yeah, now’s not the time to defend my honour Tommy,” Wilbur said calmly.

The masked man laughed again. “You’re a smart one.”

Wilbur started sliding his hand inside his coat. I know you’re there somewhere…

“And we both know you don’t carry any weapons. Besides, what would you do with them?”

Wilbur stared the man down, eyes locked with the ones painted onto the mask. “I’m not going to let you hurt my student, whoever you are.”

The man sighed. “I don’t want to have to go through you, you know. I respect your profession.”

“I do not respect yours. Assassin.”

“Teacher,” the man nodded, almost respectfully. “I’m sorry about this.”

Wilbur gulped as the man began to make his way towards him through the snow. He was ready to die for Tommy, but -

He’d rather it didn’t come to that.

With all his nonexistent might, Wilbur hurled his hardback book into the face of their attacker. “Tommy, RUN! NOW!” he commanded.

Tommy obeyed.

Adrenalin must have assisted Wilbur’s throw because the book slammed into the assassin's face and he stumbled backwards, blood dripping from behind his mask.

Wilbur wasted no time admiring his handiwork, choosing to flee instead, grabbing Tommy’s hand as he caught up with him and pulling him towards the palace and safety.

He shoved the boy inside and behind a guard before checking they weren’t being pursued, spinning around just in time to see a flash of green disappear over the palace walls.

“Holy sh*t,” Wilbur breathed, collapsing to the ground.

Tommy pushed past the guards and hurried over to where his tutor knelt on the floor, gasping for air.

“W-Wil, you’re a f*cking legend!”

Wilbur tugged the boy into a tight hug. “Prime that was close. Oh - oh f*ck. That - that was -”

Tommy hugged him back. “You were so f*cking brave! You!”

“H-hey, you little sh*t,” Wilbur laughed weakly.

Tommy grinned at him. “Though I am taking points off for whatever this is.”

“Shut up. I-I thought you were going to die… Well, m-more like I was about to take a knife for you.”

“Aw, you’d take a knife for me?”

“Of course.”

“Awww, Wilbur…” Tommy said, burying his head into Wilbur’s shoulder.

“What happened?!”

Wilbur glanced up and saw King Philza - or Phil as he now called him - sprint into the room. “Are you two alright?!”

Tommy disentangled himself from Wilbur and leapt up. “A man tried to kill me!”

“A man what?!”

“Tried to kill me. With a knife.”

“Two knives actually,” Wilbur added.

Phil pulled his son into his arms. “Thank Prime you’re okay.”

“Thank Wilbur too, he threw a book at him.”

“You did what?”

Wilbur blushed. “I - uh - I couldn’t think of anything else to do.”

Phil blinked. “Quick thinking.”

“Thanks.”

“C’mon, let’s get out of the hallway and somewhere a little safer.”

–o0o–

Later that night Phil sat with Wilbur in his study, both sipping on mugs of particularly strong tea.

“Prime, I came so close to losing him,” Phil sighed.

“I did my best.”

“Oh - no - sorry, I’m not blaming you Wil,” Phil said hurriedly. It amazed Wilbur how quick the king was to avoid insulting him these days. It was a little strange honestly, having the most powerful man in the Antarctic Kingdom apologise to you, but he wasn’t complaining. “You saved his life with that book. I’m just worried about what will happen when you don't have one on you.”

“I always have one on me.”

“You know what I mean. Besides, it’s not fair for you to have to educate and protect my son. You’re just barely past childhood yourself.”

Wilbur chuckled, though it was somewhat true.

“C-can we keep him out of the gardens?”

“Not a chance,” Wilbur said, vetoing that idea immediately. “I need to take him outside for lessons sometimes. And you know him, he’d go crazy trapped indoors.”

Phil smiled and Wilbur knew he was relishing the fact that he did know his son, for the first time in months. “You’re right.”

“I know,” Wilbur smiled, sipping from his mug.

“But it’s still dangerous out there. You saw the masked man slip over the wall, he can probably get in just as easily.”

Wilbur considered that in silence.

“There must be something else we can do.” We. This wasn’t the first time Phil had referred to himself and Wilbur as ‘we’ - f*ck’s sake he called the king Phil these days - but sometimes it was still jarring.

“How… how about some sort of bodyguard?” Wilbur suggested. “A personal guard of sorts?”

Phil nodded slowly. “That… that would work.”

He stood suddenly and walked over to his desk. “I’ll start on it immediately.”

Wilbur smiled, glad the king had gone for that idea rather than insisting on something more intrusive. “Do you want help?”

Phil waved a hand. “No, I’ll handle it. You should rest Wil, you’ve just stopped an assassination. I think that counts for something.”

Wilbur laughed and stood up, gulping down the last of his tea. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Hopefully. I’ll have a guard for Tommy by then,” Phil replied.

Wilbur nodded his head and closed the door quietly before returning to his rooms.

–o0o–

“Wilbur, Tommy, meet Technoblade. Technobalde meet my son Tommy and his tutor, Wilbur Soot.”

Wilbur looked up at the man Phil had chosen as Tommy’s royal guard. His hair was long, pink and tied back in a neat braid that just brushed his waist. He was ridiculously tall, with broad shoulders and plenty of muscle to match, a few scars showing he knew what to do with it too.

Wilbur couldn’t help feeling a little weedier than usual next to him.

Tommy shot forwards and extended a hand towards him. “Nice to meet you Techno! Can I call you Techno?”

Technoblade shrugged. “If you want Your Highness.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Don’t bother with that. I’ll call you Techno and you call me Tommy. Deal?”

Techno flicked his gaze at the king, then at Wilbur, evidently unsure of what he was supposed to do.

Phil decided to break the silence, thank Prime. “You can call him Tommy if you want. Allow me to show you to your room.”

Techno’s room was to be directly next door to Tommy’s. Wilbur followed the royals down the corridor, glancing at Techno out of the corner of his eye. The man walked with far more confidence than he had had the day he arrived at the palace. Eyes straight ahead, back straight, arms by his side.

Tommy would be safe, that was certain.

–o0o–

Wilbur couldn’t sleep. Every time he thought he’d moved past his own insecurity it came back in the dead of night, whispering that he didn’t belong in the palace, he wasn’t of noble birth, didn’t have the right to call the king ‘Phil’, wasn’t well-educated enough to teach the Crown Prince.

It didn’t help that the newest addition to the palace might as well have been Punz.

The way he held himself, the muscle, the strength he must have…

Prime, it was all too reminiscent of Punz and the other boys at the orphanage who had mocked him for his glasses and held him down as they threw his only book in the stream. Who had laughed when he said he wanted to teach, who had made his life a living hell until he held that letter from the palace in his hands and decided to take a risk for the first time in his life.

Wilbur rolled over. He knew he was being unfair, Techno was Techno and Punz and Ant and the rest were the rest - so far away now he’d be surprised if he ever saw them again, quite frankly. But still, he couldn’t help the way his shoulders tensed when Techno looked at him.

Tonight was a bad night apparently.

Wilbur climbed out of his bed and put on his dressing-gown before slipping out of the door and heading down the corridor. He decided to head to the library. Usually there was a fire in there, even at this time of night, and maybe being in his favourite room would help him relax enough to sleep.

Wilbur opened the door gently. Stepping inside he was surprised to see Phil sitting in an armchair, chin in his hands, staring into the fire as though it was a riddle he was trying to solve.

“Phil?”

Phil jumped a little. “Wh-what? Oh, Wilbur, it’s you.”

“Couldn’t sleep either?”

Phil shook his head. “Worried about Tommy.”

Wilbur nodded, taking the armchair across from his king. “Want to talk about it?”

Phil sighed. “What’s there to say? Someone threatened his life.”

Wilbur bobbed his head in acknowledgement.

“And I… I can’t lose him Wil. If I lose him before… before I’ve had a chance to make it up to him…”

Ah. I see.

“You’re not going to lose him.”

“I have before. I lost him when he was standing right in front of me.”

Wilbur never knew what to say in the face of the king’s guilt. Part of him wanted Phil to move past his mistakes and forgive himself. But he was also a little thankful for it.

It was that guilt that had motivated the king to try for the first month after what Wilbur had coined ‘The Incident’. Tommy had been afraid to say anything that might upset his father and would rather lock himself in his room than spend time with him. Phil had been torn between giving his son space and spending time with him, not wanting to disrespect his wishes but equally wanting to make sure his son knew he cared.

More than once Wilbur had found the most powerful man in the kingdom slumped in the corridor outside Tommy’s bedroom, head leaning against the door.

“You found him again.”

“No, you found him. You found him and brought him back to me.”

Wilbur blushed, but shook his head nevertheless. “No, you did that. You changed for him Phil.”

“I’m trying to change but…”

“You have already changed. You eat with him, spend time with him, hug him. He smiles when he mentions you now.”

“He does?” Phil asked, brightening.

“I should have told you earlier. Yes, he does,” Wilbur confirmed.

Phil smiled. “Thanks Wil. I needed that.”

“Anytime.”

–o0o–

Wilbur looked up from his desk. “Tommy, you good?”

“Hm?”

“You haven’t moved since eleven o’clock. If you’re struggling you can just tell me, remember?”

“Yeah, I know. Sorry,” Tommy said, blushing.

“Don’t apologise, it’s fine. What’s the problem?”

Tommy shook his head. “It’s not the work, it’s just my… brain I guess? It doesn’t want to work.”

Wilbur laughed. “Sounds like you need a break. C’mon, let’s go to the garden.”

Tommy raised his eyebrows. “We’re still allowed out there? After last time?”

“Of course. That’s why Techno’s here,” Wilbur said, standing up. “There’s no way we’re keeping you trapped indoors kid.”

Tommy grinned. “Let’s go then!”

Wilbur followed his pupil outside, noticing that the moment they left the classroom Techno joined them from the shadows. He couldn’t decide whether he felt safer, though on the whole he’d rather be slightly nervous than outright petrified the way he had been when the assassin attacked them.

Tommy bolted headlong into the snow the moment they opened the door. Wilbur strolled after him laughing. “You’re going to get soaked doing that.”

“That’s the idea,” Tommy winked. “Join me Sooty.”

Wilbur folded his arms. “Sooty is not making a comeback, Prime help me.”

Techno snorted from behind him, but when Wilbur turned around his face was as stoic as ever.

“Techno, will you join me?”

Techno stared at Tommy. “Sir?”

“Join me! It’s nice down here!”

“I - uh -” He glanced at Wilbur. “I don’t think I can? It wouldn’t be safe.”

“Why don’t you build a snow fortress?”

“You mean… like an igloo?” Techno said slowly.

“Yeah! Do you know how?”

“I do.”

“Wilbur! We’re building an igloo, want to join us?”

Wilbur titled his head. Did he? He’d probably wind up wet and cold. On the other hand…

Eh, what’s the worst that could happen?

“Sure,” he replied. “I have no idea how to build one though, so Techno’s in charge.”

Techno looked at him sideways. “Uh - okay. We’re going to need a spade and a slope.”

They spent the rest of the morning - and all of the afternoon - building an igloo in the palace grounds. Techno did most of the work, Tommy hovering around him like a moth around a flame. Wilbur did his best before admitting defeat and focusing on the details instead, making sure there were no gaps in the sides and smoothing the walls, laughing at Tommy’s antics.

When it was done the three of them stood back, admiring their work. Wilbur glanced up at Techno. His posture was much more relaxed, hands on his waist, a slight smile on his face.

Tommy crawled inside, followed by Wilbur. After a moment’s hesitation he beckoned Techno inside too. The guard raised his eyebrows in shock but crawled inside anyway.

Tommy grinned at them. “This is castle Tommy.”

“Tommy you live in a palace.”

“I can have two castles!”

Wilbur ruffled his hair, rolling his eyes at Techno. As he did he made eye contact with the man for the first time.

Looking into his eyes was not as intimidating as he thought it would be. There was no trace of cruelty in them - surprise lay there instead, and something stranger too. Wilbur couldn’t help smiling, even as Techno averted his gaze once more.

They never did finish the history lesson.

–o0o–

Wilbur decided he liked Techno, strange as it felt. Once he got used to the stronger man’s presence he found it almost comforting. Like he had a fortress to fall back to if something went wrong, stoic and firm, except for the rare moments that Techno let his mask slip and allowed a smile to make its way to the surface, or a huff of laughter to escape him.

He always pulled it back in immediately afterwards though. He seemed surprised whenever Wilbur teased his pupil or called him ‘Tommy’ and when he overheard Wilbur refer to the king as ‘Phil’ Wilbur thought for a moment he might have to pick Techno’s jaw off of the floor for him, until it clicked shut once more and the mask returned.

He also called Wilbur ‘sir’ which was… bizarre. Sure, some of the servants that he didn’t interact with often called him that, but none of the guards did.

Techno was f*cking weird, but Wilbur liked the man anyway.

–o0o–

Techno stuck his head into the classroom.

“No Tommy?” they said together.

A pause, each waiting for the other to give an explanation first.

“No, he’s with his father,” they said simultaneously.

Wilbur burst out laughing and a smile crept across Techno’s face too.

“Prime, great minds think alike I guess?”

Techno shrugged. “I suppose so.”

Wilbur picked up his mug and took a sip. Techno furrowed his eyebrows so Wilbur raised his. “What’s wrong?”

Techno blushed. “Nothing, sorry sir.”

“Now I’m curious, go on.”

“Well, it’s just…” Techno began, awkwardly. “I was wondering why you never get your food tested. Ever. Aren’t you worried someone might try and poison you?”

Wilbur squinted at him. “No? Why would I be?”

Techno squinted back. “You aren’t afraid someone might want you dead?”

“No. Why would anyone want to kill a teacher?”

“A teacher?”

Okay, now I’m well and truly confused. “Uh - yes, that’s what I do.”

“What were you before, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Before?”

“Before you became a teacher. What - where do you come from?”

“I was a… child, I suppose? I lived in a village in the Outer Provinces, you probably haven’t heard of it,” Wilbur replied, bewildered.

Techno blinked. “You mean - you’re not - what?”

Oh.

“No, I’m not a noble,” Wilbur explained. “Just a commoner that got lucky.”

Techno seemed to have stopped working.

“Sit down Techno, you look like you’re going to pass out.”

“I’m not going to,” Techno said, but he sat anyway. Suddenly he seemed much more human, sat side-on at a desk, face flushed with embarrassment. “You’re really not a noble?”

“Not even slightly,” Wilbur confirmed. “I know, I can’t really believe it myself sometimes.”

Techno heaved a sigh and Wilbur knew it was one of relief. “Thank Prime, an ordinary human being.”

This is new. This is Techno throwing the mask away entirely.

“Prime Wilbur - I can call you Wilbur, right?”

“Please do, almost no one calls me ‘sir’ here.”

Techno raised an eyebrow. “Do you want them to?”

“F*ck no!”

Techno laughed. Genuinely laughed, loud and deep. Wilbur grinned.

“So they just… let you call them by their first names? Even though you’re… common? No offence.”

Wilbur nodded. “Pretty much. It was weird for me too, especially at the start.” Prime, having a conversation with someone the same rank… it was like a breath of fresh air. No matter what, Phil was still his king and Tommy was still his student so this…

F*ck he’d missed this.

Techno snorted. “Yeah, I imagine it would be. And you had to take care of that spitfire on your own.”

You have no idea. “I managed. I threw a book at an assassin last month, that was a proud moment.”

“A book?”

“I’m a teacher! It was all I had on me!”

“You don’t carry weapons?”

“I don’t know how to use weapons.”

Techno stared at him. “How are you still alive? Prime. You better be glad I’m here!”

“I am,” Wilbur smiled. More than ever, he was glad Techno was there.

–o0o–

Techno stroked Henry’s nose hesitantly.

“I think he likes you,” Tommy said as Henry pushed his nose into Techno’s chest.

“He’s a good horse,” Techno smiled.

“You like horses?” Wilbur interjected.

Techno nodded. “I used to have one called Carl. Most loyal creature I’ve ever known.”

“What happened to him?”

“He retired,” Techno shrugged. “He was injured in the leg and it never healed properly, so I left him with my father before I came here.”

Tommy grinned. “Do you want to ride Henry?” Techno stared at him. “You’d be okay with that?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you to!”

“I’d love to but I can’t,” Techno explained. “I need a bigger horse than you do.”

“How about dad’s?”

Techno’s eyes widened. “Tommy that -”

“Dad won’t mind! And if he does I’ll tell him it was my idea!!” Tommy said, grabbing Techno’s arm and tugging him towards Phil’s horse, Crow.

Apparently a young Tommy had named him.

Tommy whirlwinded everyone into the outdoor menage and Techno onto Crow.

Techno glanced down at Wilbur. “You sure the king will be okay with this?”

Wilbur nodded. “He’ll be fine with it. Have fun!”

Techno was cautious at first, and though Wilbur didn’t know much about horses he knew that Techno did from the way he handled the reins and spoke to Crow as though the animal could understand him. Maybe he could.

Techno trotted around the area for around ten minutes

Then he suddenly and swiftly transitioned into a canter.

Then a gallop.

“He’s really good!” Tommy exclaimed. “Go Techno!” he shouted, waving furiously.

Techno laughed and waved back.

–o0o–

Wilbur was surrounded by books, which was just the way he liked it. He opened the one closest to him and noted down when it was published, the name of the author and the title before giving it a number. Reorganising the library had been a slightly impulsive thing to do, but now that Tommy was making Techno give him riding lessons Wilbur found he had a lot more free time on his hands.

He heard the door open and he peeked over the edge of his book-wall.

Techno was staring at him. “Wilbur,” he said, doing a poor job of suppressing the urge to laugh.

Wilbur nodded at him with mock-formality.

“Techno. Welcome to the library.”

Techno placed his elbows on the books and peered down at him. “Are you the royal librarian as well as the tutor now?”

“Not officially,” Wilbur shrugged. “But I like books and there’s a whole library here with no librarian so…”

“I see.”

“Could you try to look a little less like a man about to bury me in books?”

“I think this stack might collapse of its own accord.”

“That stack is a masterpiece in engineering,”

“We’ll see what Sam has to say about that,” Techno chuckled.

“If you’re not here to kill me, why are you here?”

Techno blushed. “I was looking for a book.”

Wilbur’s eyebrows shot up. “You were?”

Techno nodded. Wilbur pushed himself to his feet. “What book? Maybe I can help!”

“Uh - greek mythology?”

“Greek mythology? I wouldn’t have - actually,” Wilbur interrupted himself, “no actually, that makes sense.”

“It does?”

“Yeah, I can’t explain it, but it fits,” Wilbur said, grabbing a ladder and climbing to one of the higher shelves. “Greek mythology is up here for now, but I’ll move it lower now I know you like it.”

“Thanks Wil.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Surprise me.”

Wilbur closed his eyes and reached out at random, pulling out the myth of Protesilaus. Huh. That fits too somehow.

He passed it down to Techno. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks. Do I need to, uh, sign something?”

“Not yet, but I should probably implement something like that,” Wilbur mused. “It’ll have to be an honesty system and I’ll hunt down anyone that doesn’t comply. With knives.”

“I thought you couldn't use weapons?”

“I’ll learn.”

"I’m almost afraid.”

“Return that book Techno or I swear I will put salt in your tea.”

Techno gasped. “You monster.”

Wilbur threw his pen at him. Techno ducked and escaped through the door.

F*cker Wibur thought fondly.

–o0o–

“Techno?”

“Wilbur?”

Techno stared at his new companion on the balcony.

“What are you doing here?” Wilbur asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I’m going on a walk,” Wilbur shrugged. “I do it when I can’t sleep.”

“I see.”

“You?”

“Couldn’t sleep either.”

Wilbur nodded sympathetically.

Techno went back to surveying the gardens. Wilbur walked over to him and leant on the railing, peering into the darkness below.

It took a while for Wilbur to register just how heavily Techno was breathing.

“Techno, you okay?”

“Hm?”

“You… you seem… upset?” Upset wasn’t quite the word he was looking for but it would do for now.

“I’m not upset,” Techno replied evenly.

“Upset isn’t really the word I’m looking for. Unsteady, I guess?”

Techno shook his head. “I’m fine.”

And Wilbur would have believed him were it not for his eyes adjusting to the starlight, allowing him to see the slightly-too-fast rise and fall of Techno’s chest.

“Tech… I get it if you don’t want to talk about whatever’s got to you. But if you do I’m all ears.”

Techno squinted at him. “How?”

“How do I know something’s wrong?”

Techno nodded.

“Your breathing is off.”

Techno looked away and stared back out over the balcony.

Wilbur stood next to him in silence. If Techno didn’t want to talk about it that was -

“I-I was only fifteen.”

Wilbur said nothing, letting Techno collect his thoughts.

It took him a full minute. “I lied. When I joined the army. I was fifteen, not eighteen.”

Wilbur resisted the urge to whirl around and stare at Techno, forcing himself to move slowly instead, trying to avoid popping this fragile bubble.

Techno’s eyes were the saddest he’d ever seen them.

“I went into battle at sixteen. I killed a man at sixteen years old.”

“Prime,” Wilbur breathed.

“I was a prisoner of war at seventeen. It wasn’t… it wasn’t fun,” Techno laughed joylessly. “I turned nineteen there. I remember on my birthday I woke up and realised I wasn’t sure what colour the sky was anymore. I didn’t see grass until the war ended.”

Wilbur wanted to cry.

The war with Las Nevadas had ended just two years ago.

“Sometimes… sometimes I dream I’m still there,” Techno said quietly.

“So you go outside.”

Techno nodded. “I just… I have to be sure.”

Wilbur felt tears slide down his cheeks. “Prime… Techno…”

Techno smiled sadly. “You’re crying.”

“Of course I am - f*ck, Techno - I had no idea -”

“Don’t pity me, please Wil. I got enough of that when I went home. Yes, it was f*cked up - it probably f*cked me up too. But… I am who I am at least partially because of it. And I don’t want to be someone that people see as broken.”

Wilbur nodded. He understood. He could try. “You hid it so well…”

Techno shrugged. “I didn’t want you to think less of me. I can still protect Tommy. I’d lay my life down for him.”

Wilbur’s vision was blurring. He wiped away his tears with his sleeve.

“Prime, you’re more cut up about this than I am.”

That did not help Wilbur keep a lid on his emotions.

Techno pulled Wilbur towards him, wrapping him in a hug.

“I-I should be the one hugging you…” Wilbur chuckled weakly.

“You’re the one crying.”

Wilbur pushed Techno off of him and changed angles so they could hold each other.

Techno let out something that sounded almost like a sob.

They stayed there on the balcony until neither of them had tears left to shed.

–o0o–

Wilbur looked up as the classroom door opened. It was a guard, face red with exertion. “T-teacher? The king wants to see you. His chambers”

Wilbur raised an eyebrow at him. “Tell him I’m waiting for Tommy. And don’t run this time, you look exhausted.”

“It’s Tommy.”

“What?”

“It’s Tommy,” the guard repeated.

And Wilbur began to sprint down the corridor.

–o0o–

Wilbur burst into Phil’s room. Sh*t, f*ck, where is he?! Please don’t be dead Tommy, please, I need your smile in my life. There’s still so much I have to teach you, you’re too young, too young to die. Please, Prime, let him be alive.

Tommy lay unconscious on the bed. Wilbur placed a hand on his pupil’s forehead, feeling too many emotions to count.

“He’ll be okay,” Ponk said gently. It was no secret that Wilbur loved his pupil more than anyone else in the world. “He was just drugged.”

Phil’s shoulders were shaking. “I can’t - I can’t -”

“Phil,” Wilbur said, placing a hand on the king’s shoulder. “Phil, h-he’s fine.”

“I can’t do it again Wilbur.”

“What?”

“Not after… not after K-Kristen.”

Oh Prime. Queen Kristen. Killed in an assassination.

Four years and four months ago.

“That’s why,” Wilbur breathed. “That’s why you pushed him away, isn’t it?”

Prime, how had he missed that? Four years, Tommy had shouted that day.

Holy sh*t.

Phil nodded. “She was everything to me. And I lost her.”

“I’m so sorry Phil.”

“A-and she left me him. And I couldn’t - I couldn’t lose him too, I couldn’t go through that again.”

Wilbur just rubbed small circles into the king’s shoulder.

“B-but if he dies - then I wasted that. I broke her last gift for four years, and then I lost him. And her. Forever.”

“He won’t die Phil. He was drugged.”

“This time.”

Wilbur glanced at Captain Puffy.

“Where’s Techno? Who did this?”

“Techno caught the culprit. It was Tommy’s manservant, Dream. But he lost a lot of blood. He’s in the infirmary.”

Wilbur’s breath caught in his throat. Prime, Techno. You f*cking moron and hero and everything in between.

Everyone was still alive.

That was enough.

–o0o–

“What am I going to do? I can’t trap him here, but I can’t protect him either. I can’t set an entire unit on him, he’d hate it but I have to make sure he’s safe.”

Wilbur glanced at Techno, who was a little too pale. “He is safe.”

Phil shook his head. “What if that had been poison? Or Dream had decided to use a weapon instead? Or he had an accomplice? Or -”

“Phil.”

Wilbur stared at Techno. Of course his friend chose now to start calling King Philza ‘Phil’.

“Phil,” Techno repeated firmly. “Listen to me, just for a moment.”

He shifted in his seat and winced. “Look, I know you’re scared - terrified even. Like the whole world’s crashing down on you and crushing you half to death, because there’s danger everywhere and no way you can be ready for all of it.”

Sorry, how is this helping?

“And you’re right to feel that way. The world is full of people and not all of them are good.”

“But you have to trust me when I say that most of them are. And you can’t live in fear. You have to get up and move on, even though doing so means admitting that you can’t plan for everything."

Phil blinked at Techno.

“For now, the danger is gone. There will be more one day, but we can’t predict or change that, no matter what we do.”

“If you spend all of your life avoiding danger you’ll never get to live.”

–o0o–

The snow finally thawed. Winter in the Antarctic Kingdom always seemed to last a few months longer than it should.

“Galanthus,” Wilbur said, pointing at the small bell-shaped flowers. Tommy nodded and picked one for the flower press.

“We called them snowdrops,” Techno interjected.

Phil tilted his head. “I like them. They feel hopeful.”

Techno smiled. “They mean spring has arrived.”