Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

   A once beautiful place, now desolate and destroyed. Bodies of dead soldiers, their weapons and their armour is strewn about the battlefield under the bright moonlight. No matter how many soldiers died, there always seemed to be more. They dropped dead fast, arrows and blades stabbing into their hearts or their heads. There was no stopping the carnage. Not until this battle was over. The sounds of metal clashing were loud, deafeningly so. More and more men died every minute that passed. Fire was the only source of light other than the moon on the desolate battlefield, raging uncontrollably and destroying anything that already hadn’t been.
   The two men at the centre were skilled fighters, one's wings made it easy for him to dodge and lunge, while the other used his brute strength to defeat his enemies. Now, they fought together, as they had done many times, to defeat an enemy thought to be unbeatable. No man had challenged it before, an ancient being. An immortal being, as powerful as a god, some would say. Undefeated for thousands of years.
   That changes today.
   The War Of Unsung Heroes.
   The sound of swords clashing together was loud, leaving a slight ring in their ears. He was not human, neither of them were, and soon, they would become immortals. They were nothing but wanders mere years ago and now, they are here, fighting for their place on a throne, thought to be impossible to take. Flames licked at the winged man’s skin, threatening to burn him, but not quite being able to reach. He flew up, away from the fire, hardly thinking before he moved. His survival was the top priority, and his accomplice’s life was a close second. He was keeping them both alive. He must.
   He quickly fell back down to stab his sword into the ancient one. He hardly thought about it, moving by instinct alone. Fighting came as second nature to him now. He'd been fighting for decades. He knew how to defeat an enemy effectively and quickly.
   His ally grabbed a discarded battleaxe from his side and swung it into the being’s chest. Pulling it back by the sword stabbed into its back, the winged man pushed away from the ancient one, leaving it to fall back onto the ground. Somehow, perhaps it was amazing strategy and planning or simply pure luck, the being fell back onto an axe, sticking out of the ground.
   It let out a loud groan; the two men were filled with a sudden wave of hope. They were going to defeat the unbeatable being, by some miracle, it was possible. As they landed a final blow to the ancient being, the moon turned red.
   The fighting stopped suddenly.

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   The palace stood tall and proud upon the hill, raised above the surrounding city, sun shone brightly despite the cold snow that covered the ground. The pristine white snow made the gold decorating the palace stand out more than it did alone; the sun only added to its shine. The tall tower at the back centre dwarfed every other part of the extravagant palace despite the fact that it towered over everything and everyone else. The bridge across the ravine was almost nine thousand feet long and the arches that reached the bottom were over five hundred feet. An amazing palace fitting of such a powerful empire.
   The two kings that ruled over it were known to be legends, myths, even. It was hard to believe that they could be real. Two immortal, unbeatable kings, bound together by the gods for all eternity. It was impossible to have one without the other, they had always been together. For almost four thousand years now, they have been by each other's side and would be for thousands more. Some believed that they were gods, and some believed that they were angels sent down from the heavens. It didn't matter what they were, though. They were the most powerful rulers to ever live, and would be for the rest of time. Nobody could be as powerful as them.
   It was a little over one hundred years ago that they came into power, into their position as kings; their empire had never stopped growing and gaining power since. The Solleapan empire could not be matched, not by anybody. Of course, people had tried but none could ever come close to the empire’s power. It was not only powerful because of its immortal rulers, but its large, well trained military force. They had more than two million soldiers under their command and many more in training. They were never going to be overthrown, that was clear. Almost nobody was crazy enough to declare war on them. It would be a suicide mission, no matter how hard they tried. That's how all other wars declared on them had ended.
   Philza and Technoblade were the two most powerful men on the planet, both as strong as each other. Philza, known by some people in some places as the king of the sun, appeared to be far more merciful than Technoblade. He was a beautiful, wonderful man. His great wings were used to both protect his people and fight for them. The king had won many battles, even wars, single-handedly. His angelic looks and personality were deceiving, however. He had committed many crimes before he gained his immortality, although they were all long forgotten now. Millenia had passed since he had done a majority of those things. Merciful, yes, but no Saint, not by any stretch of the imagination. Although people would still treat him as one, he was anything but, and he never claimed it be.
   Technoblade, known to some as the king of the moon, was the physically stronger of the two and appeared as the dangerous one. He could take down any man or any animal alive with next to effort. One story tells of the man fighting and taming a polar bear with his bare hands, although the legitimacy of it was put into question many times throughout the years. He, much like Philza, was no Saint, far from it, and yet, he was worshipped by many and treated as a god in many parts of the world. An immortal man is bound to be praised and put upon a pedestal no matter what he does. Nobody was willing to risk going against him or upsetting him at all. They would surely die a swift death. Although Technoblade was seen as the more dangerous one, he was far more merciful than his fellow king when it came to methods of killing. Philza was sadistic, he enjoyed seeing people suffer, some said. Technoblade would get it over with quickly. Perhaps that's why everybody treated Philza as if he were higher or more important than Technoblade.
   The two were powerful alone and even more so together. They appeared to have no weaknesses, nothing that could be used against them. They could not die, nor could they be injured. They were simply too skilled, too quick, too strong. Before they became kings, Technoblade would come to fight in arenas, dominating the competition with ease, with Philza cheering him on from the sidelines. It was clear, then, that they could not be fought, let alone defeated. Not even the strongest of mortal men could stand a chance against them. Technoblade seemed to love the feeling of blood on his hands, and Philza loved to see it. If they were mortal, they would have been seen as madmen, murderers, war criminals.
   Nobody was quite sure why the prince came to be. It seemed that they were only creating a weakness for people to take advantage of, which was an absurd idea. They had made it clear that they wanted anything but to be overthrown or hurt in any way. Yet, there he was, a wonderful young prince, made of the moon and some fantastical, ancient magic that only the most powerful of people could ever hope to use successfully. His name was Wilbur. He seemed to be the only thing in the world that could make both immortal kings soften. They put a war on hold for two years for the prince when he was a toddler, before swiftly ending it because the idea of war made the poor child cry.
   Despite being a child of the moon, Wilbur was the light of both Philza and Technoblade’s life. He was the only thing other than carnage that made them seem truly happy. They would change the world for him without a second thought. Wilbur was the best thing that had come into their lives, and without him, they would have been a lot more bored. While having a child running around their palace was a slight inconvenience, if that’s what Wilbur wanted to do, that is what Wilbur would do. He could run around all day, pick flowers in the gardens, pester guards for things, eat sweets all day long. Whatever Wilbur wanted, Wilbur would have and it was not negotiable.

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   One of Wilbur’s favourite things to do was hide in the tall tower that overlooked the rest of the castle. He liked to think that here, he was above everyone else; like the tower overlooked the whole world. He’d sit there for hours, doing whatever he wanted with almost no supervision. If he wanted something, he could yell and the guards would come rushing up to him, all the way up, what Wilbur swore were millions of stairs up to the top of the tower. He liked to look out of the window at the city below, or even at the sea, which was visible despite being miles away.
He’d sit there until he got bored of playing pretend all by himself with his toys or reading books to himself. When Wilbur got bored, he’d make his way down the tower and find Phil or Techno, his beloved parents. They’d ask him what he had been doing all day and Wilbur would tell them about the fantastical adventures he went on in his head. He was very good at playing pretend, even by himself. Especially by himself. He was usually alone, being a prince. Of course, he could go to the city and find who he would call his best friend, Niki, whose mother baked the best cakes that Wilbur had eaten to date, but that meant being followed by someone. He wanted to be alone with his imagination. Plus, being alone meant that he could make the characters do whatever he wanted.
   Techno and Phil were always eager to hear about the enemies the little prince had defeated that day, or what princess he had gone to rescue. They’d stop whatever they were doing, no matter how important, and let their son ramble on about it, even if it made no sense. Sometimes, Wilbur would act out some scenes, which always put a smile on the kings’ faces. Everything that Wilbur did could make them smile. He was their favourite thing in the world and that was as clear as day.
   When Techno was busy, he would pick Wilbur up and place him on his lap, letting the young prince sit and watch or listen quietly. Wilbur understood when he needed to be quiet, like in meetings or when he was writing letters to other important people. Wilbur liked to sit there with Techno, he liked to pretend he was just as important as him. If they were in a meeting, the prince would sit up straight and tall, copying Techno’s stern expression and body language. Sometimes, he copied his hand gestures too, following along as the king spoke. Techno often found himself struggling not to laugh at the boy. It was amusing to watch the child try to mimic everything that he did, Techno found it endearing.
   Phil would often do the same and let his son come and sit in his lap while he did things that Wilbur was far too young to understand. Phil would bounce the prince up and down on his leg and let him play with his soft feathers. Phil would let Wilbur do anything that he wanted to, no matter what was going on. When Wilbur was born, the world became his. It stopped as and when he wanted it to, no obligations were as important as Wilbur was. The avian king would make the entire world come to a halt to read Wilbur to sleep or teach him things. Nothing was inconvenient or too much. As long as the prince got what he wanted when he wanted it, neither king minded. They just wanted to make their son as happy as they possibly could.
   The moment the prince was born, the world was handed to him on a silver platter. He’d never have to work or try for anything. It was all his, from the day he was born. The world would bend to his will, and everyone in the world would bow down to the young prince, even if he would never be king, he would always be the most important person in existence. If he was important to the two immortal kings, he was important to the rest of humanity.
   That’s what Techno and Phil had always told him.
   “You are the single most important person in this world, moonlight,” Techno said, a soft, adoring smile on his face as the young boy grinned at him. “You always will be, no matter what happens.” Wilbur giggled as Techno gently ran his fingers through the boy’s curly brown hair.
   They sat in the garden, surrounded by the most beautiful flowers, many of which had become fast favourites of Wilbur. Even with all of the different flowers, ranging from tulips to Christmas roses, Wilbur’s favourite flower in the gardens were daisies. He learnt from one of his caretakers that he could make chains of them and then use those to make necklaces, bracelets and crowns. Techno would sit with the boy for hours at a time making daisy chains and weaving them with other flowers to make flower crowns for Wilbur.
   That’s what his crown was modelled after; the flower crowns that he and Techno would make together while Phil was too busy to come and play with his son.
   “I thought you and father were the most important,” Wilbur responded after a moment of thinking. He’d never questioned the kings when they told him that, but now, it hit him that no, he couldn’t be. He was only five! Plus, his parents were the most powerful kings in all of history. Surely, they were more important than Wilbur.
   Techno seemed shocked for a moment before he went on to explain, “We bow to you, so the rest of the world will too. Your father and I are very important, but you are the light of our lives, Wilbur. So, you’re more important than us.” He smiled at the boy as he looked up at him with curious eyes, watching the way Techno spoke, hanging on his every word. Techno and Phil were his favourite people, they were incredibly important to the young prince. Every word they said meant everything to him, especially when they praised him, which they did very often. “If you weren’t so important you would not be able to get away with some of the things you do.”
   Wilbur smiled brightly, his expression of pure joy brought a smile to Techno’s face too as he watched the boy bounce happily. He gasped as he picked up the colourful flower crown by Techno’s hand. “Do you think we should give this to father? Do you think he’d like it?” Wilbur asked excitedly, holding up the crown to Techno’s face, showing it to him as if he wasn’t the one who had made it. It was sweet when he did things like that, such a small, childish gesture. It was like Wilbur thought that Techno had forgotten what it looked like in the ten-minute break he took from weaving and twisting flowers together.
   “I think he’ll love it. He always does.” The king smiled down at the young prince, knowing that no matter what happened, no matter how many years passed, moments like these were ones that he would cherish forever. Techno would never forget times like this. The sweet, peaceful moments he got to spend with Wilbur here, in the garden designed to make the prince happy as he grew. Nothing mattered here except for the Solleapan Empire’s prince and the flowers that he weaved together.
   It couldn’t last forever. Wilbur would one day grow out of flower crowns and daisy chains. He would grow out of playing pretend and he’d get too big to sit in Techno’s lap. So, Techno would cherish these moments, the moments of peace and pure happiness. He would cherish Wilbur’s childish tendencies. It wasn’t going to last forever. Techno knew that the little happy boy would someday cease to exist, but that only made times like this more important and memorable. He was going to live forever, he had to cherish things like this, especially when he may never get to have moments like this ever again.
   Wilbur gasped suddenly, putting the flower crown down as he looked excitedly at something over Techno’s shoulder. “Father!” He exclaimed, jumping up to run over to Phil and hug him tightly. Techno watched with a smile as the blonde man picked Wilbur up and put him on his hip, holding him there carefully, making sure that he wouldn’t fall or slip down. “Techno and I have been making a flower crown for you!” The prince said excitedly, pointing to where Techno was still sitting. He gave them a small wave of acknowledgement. It was mostly for Phil, though. Wilbur waved back excitedly with a bright smile.
   Phil walked over and sat down too moving his legs over to the side, sitting as gracefully as he possibly could. He and Techno looked like polar opposites then, Techno sat with one leg outstretched and the other one up so he could rest his arm on it. Phil allowed Wilbur put the flower crown on his head as if it was his coronation. The boy carefully placed the ring of flowers upon his father’s blonde hair, smiling happily as he did so. Phil smiled too. He seemed to love the accessory as much as Wilbur did, adjusting it slightly so it wouldn’t fall off his head when he looked up at his son. He thanked Wilbur as he came to sit back down, crossing his legs as he happily rocked himself back and forth.
   Nothing else mattered then, no issues could ever be more important than their time when they were all together. It became rare when Techno and Phil had so many obligations and things they had to do. It was rare that both of them were free to spend time together. It was lovely. It was temporary, but that made it all the more important. They could never miss an opportunity like this. They wanted memories, they wanted to remember their prince, the best thing in their lives to date. They could never forget. Techno and Phil had forgotten a lot of things over the years, anyone would. A millennium is a long time to remember something, but they would remember Wilbur for the rest of their existence. They couldn’t, even if they wanted to.
   No matter what happened, Wilbur would always be the most important thing in their lives. Always.

Chapter Text

   The day that Tommy was born was a bright, sunny day. Wilbur had been running around the gardens with Techno earlier that day, they had been playing tag for hours in the sun. The summer meant that there was no snow around, despite the normally cold weather. That day was warm and Wilbur remembered it very well. Most people did. It was said to be one of the warmest days the country had seen in centuries, but Wilbur wasn’t quite convinced. It wasn’t particularly warm, he certainly didn’t feel warm. He never felt warm, though. It may have just been a subjective thing. Techno said it was hot that day. He had to take breaks while they played together, even though Wilbur felt just fine.

   Phil had been hiding away for days by then, hiding in one of his secret rooms doing something secretive that Wilbur wouldn’t know about until he was all done. Wilbur would find out, a few days after his little brother’s birthday that Phil had been hiding away to create the tiny baby. With a mix of some magic and a drop of the sun, Phil had made Wilbur a little brother. Wilbur was ecstatic, excited to have someone else around to play with him other than Techno and Phil or Niki on the odd occasion, but she was usually busy and Wilbur wasn’t allowed to go into the city alone. He was too young, apparently. 
   Techno was called away, and Wilbur followed him like a duckling would follow their mother, he toddled along after the king, into the palace and up the stairs. They went up the big staircase that split two ways, with the big family portrait in the middle. It was a painting that was done when Wilbur was only a toddler. He was seven now, much older than he was in the painting. He liked the painting being there on the staircase, it made it seem very important. It made him feel very important whenever people looked at it. The staircase was in the ballroom, and led to the rest of the palace, although they had to walk through a long corridor to get to the main part where their bedrooms were. 
   Wilbur followed Techno and the guard that came to get him all the way down to the end of the corridor, where Phil’s bedroom was. Techno told him that he couldn’t follow him in, but didn’t explain why. Wilbur was very confused about that. He was always allowed into Phil’s room. He was always allowed into any room he wanted to be in. Why Techno was telling him that he had to stay out for a while was beyond him. He’d learn, many hours of lonely boredom later, that it was because Tommy had just come into existence, and Techno and Phil didn’t want him to see yet. 
   So, he went to his room and sat there for a long time. He didn’t have anything to do now, he had planned on playing with Techno until it was time to eat, then he could go to bed and read something with Techno or Phil. He read a little bit but eventually got bored of it, wanting to go outside again and play with Techno or Phil. Of course, he couldn't. Wilbur sat at his window, watching the sun as it set beyond the horizon. He sat bored in his room until the clouds turned pink and the sky went orange.
   That day was, probably, the first day that things didn't go exactly the way that Wilbur wanted it to go. It was the first of many days that weren't going to go the way he wanted it to go. He didn't think it was fair. It wasn't. It was anything but fair, to have everything and suddenly have a lot less because of a baby that Wilbur didn't even know was going to exist. Maybe, if Phil had told Wilbur what he was planning, then it wouldn't have hurt so much. Phil kept it a secret though, so it hurt Wilbur quite a lot. It’s not like he could even properly understand what was happening, either. He was just suddenly unable to spend time with Phil ever. Phil was always busy with the baby and every time that Wilbur walked into the room, he was ignored. Every time that Wilbur came to tell Phil about his imaginary adventures, he’d be ushered away. When Wilbur came to ask Phil to read him a story before bed, he’d always be turned away and told to ask someone else. 
   It hurt. 
   Why was this baby more important than him all of a sudden? Why did Phil even want the baby in the first place? Was Wilbur not enough for him? Was Wilbur not good enough? Why didn’t Phil care anymore? 
   It made Wilbur resent Tommy, a little bit. Every time they were alone together, Wilbur would glare at him, Tommy had taken his father away from him, Tommy had ruined his perfect life. Every time Tommy would giggle and reach out for his brother, Wilbur would frown and turn away, ignoring him until he started crying for attention. Then the nurse would come in, swiftly followed by Phil, who would give Wilbur a nasty, stern look that made him want to curl up and cry. Phil had never looked at him like that before. Phil had never been angry at Wilbur before Tommy was born. It wasn’t fair. 
   Wilbur hated his brother.
   When things like that happened, when Phil would tell Wilbur to leave in that annoyed, exasperated tone that made him feel like crying, Wilbur would go to his bedroom as fast as he could, hide under his heavy, comforting blankets and cry. He’d cry alone for hours sometimes. Other times, Techno would come in, knock gently on the door and rock Wilbur back and forth until he calmed down. 
   “It’ll go back to normal once Tommy grows up,” Techno promised, bouncing the boy on his knee as he buried his face in the king’s shirt, holding onto the soft fabric tightly as if he needed it to survive. Wilbur often felt like he needed Techno to survive, Techno was his protector, the man who took care of him. Especially now that Tommy was around, Wilbur relied heavily on Techno’s protection and support. “Phil is just busy with the baby. Having a baby is very time-consuming. Give it a few years and Phil will go back to the way he used to be, okay?” Techno ran his hands through the prince’s curly hair, a soothing action that helped Wilbur compose himself. 
   “It isn’t fair.” The boy’s voice was shaky, wobbly. He hiccuped as he looked up at the king and brought a hand up to his face to wipe at the tears streaming down his face. “I hate Tommy. I hate him. He took my father from me. I just want him back. I don’t want Tommy. I want dad. I want my dad, Techno!” Wilbur sobbed again, head falling back onto Techno’s chest as a new wave of sobs and tears came.
   Techno rubbed his back and rocked him back and forth. He tried his best to make Wilbur feel better when things like this happened, although he knew that he wasn’t very good at it. Phil was always the comforting one, Techno was the one that did things with Wilbur. He’d have to get used to it at some point though. He’d give Wilbur anything in the world, and in moments like those, all Wilbur wanted was to be comforted. Wilbur didn’t want to cry alone to himself about how much he hated his little brother or how much he wished he could be angry at Phil. He wanted his feelings to be validated, to be told that it was going to be okay, that things will go back to the way they were, that he was still the most important person in the whole world. To Techno, at least. 
   When Wilbur finally calmed down that night, after many bouts of sobbing and yelling, Techno lay the prince in his bed and tucked him in, like Phil normally would. It seemed that was his job now that Phil was far too busy with Tommy. That was alright with him, of course, he didn't mind. He loved Wilbur and wanted to make the boy happy more than anything. 
   "We'll go out on the horses tomorrow, okay?" He promised, brushing Wilbur's hair away from his face. The prince nodded, holding back a yawn. He must have been exhausted, so Techno gave him a “goodnight” and blew out the candle on his end table. He hesitated in the doorway, smiling as Wilbur turned over and pulled his blankets further up. He could see how shaky the boy's breaths were. 
   Techno closed the door gently, giving the guard at Wilbur's door a nod in the dim candlelight. Although it wasn't very high in the sky, the moon shone brightly that night, with no clouds to cover it or the stars. Nights like these were peaceful. When the sky darkened and it became quiet and still. The day was too loud, too bright. The night was much nicer. Maybe it was because of his unexplainable connection to the moon, or maybe he was just a night person. He always felt happier at night than during the day, it was something that he and Wilbur had in common. Wilbur’s love of the night and the moon was because he was a part of the moon, though. Techno just liked the quiet.
   As he walked through the palace, Techno looked at the paintings on the walls. Most had been there for decades now, like the one of the flower forest, which had been in the same place for seventy years by then. The maids did a good job of keeping everything clean, though, so it was hard to tell how old some of the palace’s decorations were. Some of the vases had been in the same place since the palace was first built, ninety years ago. It was a miracle that they hadn’t been broken yet. With a child running around constantly for seven years, it was amazing to both Techno and Phil that many of their ornate vases or statues hadn’t been knocked over yet. Although that may change with the addition of Tommy, it was surprising that Wilbur had always been so careful and gentle with things. On the odd occasion that Wilbur did break something, he politely apologised immediately. He had never been punished for an accident, but he knew that he should be careful around fragile things. 
   It wasn’t a long walk from Wilbur’s room to Phil’s study, where Techno knew he’d be. The man was always in there if he had nothing important to do elsewhere. It was Phil’s favourite place in the entire palace. It was a mess, although Phil would swear it was just organised chaos, that he knew where everything was and just because there were stacks upon stacks of books littered about the room didn’t mean that it was a mess. It was a mess, Techno would always insist. Techno gave up pestering Phil to let the maids tidy the room eighty years ago. The clutter had been collecting since Phil gained access to the room and Techno was sure that it was beyond saving. Techno could never understand how Phil could navigate the room and not trip every time he walked in. 
   Techno knocked on the door gently before opening it. Phil didn’t look at him when he walked in, too focused on whatever book he was reading. Phil had probably read that same book ten times since he got it, Techno recognised one of the illustrations in it. It was some sort of fantasy novel that Phil had taken a liking to some years ago. Phil had tried to make Techno read it as well, but Techno had never been a fan of reading. He couldn’t focus on them properly most of the time, so he spent more time doing other things. Twenty or so years ago, Techno had picked up sewing, which Phil had been all too amused by. Techno was far too burly of a man to be sewing embroidery onto his favourite clothes. It was a dainty hobby, a woman’s hobby, Phil had said. Techno didn’t mind; if he could wear skirts and dresses to events then why couldn’t he sew in his spare time?
   “Phil!” Techno finally called out to the man, grabbing his attention. Phil looked up from his book to meet Techno’s gaze, his strikingly bright blue eyes meeting with Techno’s far duller red ones. The candle next to Phil’s quill set down on the desk, gave the man’s eyes a sparkly sort of look. “You could ignore an entire war happening on our doorstep if I gave you a good enough book.” Techno joked as he stepped further into the room, shutting the door behind him as he stepped over piles of books and whatever else Phil had thrown on the floor of his study. 
   “No, you’re the only person I ignore. My book is far more important to me.” Phil quipped back, rolling his eyes as he put his bookmark in and closed his book. Techno put on an offended look as Phil laughed. “Don’t look at me like that, you’d be more interested in a book than yourself if you were anyone else. You’re surprisingly boring.” Phil continued, holding back a laugh as Techno looked at him with a mostly fake offended expression.
   “Okay, now it’s hurting.” Techno pointed at Phil, laughing to himself despite his words. Phil sniggered, covering his mouth with his hand. Techno shook his head and rolled his eyes lightheartedly, walking over to the desk, over all of the clutter on the floor. If he made one wrong step, he’d trip over and most likely hit his head on something. He could see something sharp looking peeking out from behind a stack of books that gave him a, frankly horrifying, image in his head that he would much rather forget about. 
   “Did you need something?” Phil asked as Techno shifted some of the clutter on the hard wooden desk so he could sit on it. He probably shouldn’t, considering how old the desk was, but he had been standing practically all day and had hardly gotten the chance to sit at all. He would definitely enjoy going to bed that night. Resting for six hours certainly sounded very appealing to him at the time and Techno almost regretted coming to talk to Phil before retiring for the night. 
   Techno turned slightly to look at Phil, “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about something that’s been bothering me for a while.” Phil suddenly seemed a lot more interested, looking at Techno with an attentive look, giving him a nod, silently prompting him to go on. “Since Tommy was born, you’ve been… Ignoring Wilbur a lot. He’s been really upset about it and I just wanted to let you know that if the baby is taking up so much of your time, then I can always try to help, or you can give Tommy to his nurses. You don’t have to be with the baby for the majority of your day, y’know?” Techno tried to phrase it in a way that would upset Phil less, but he wasn’t particularly good at doing that.
   “I haven’t been ignoring Wilbur.” Phil retorted. His tone let Techno know that Phil was upset, despite his best efforts. “I’ve been too busy for him. There’s a difference. If he takes it as me ignoring him then that’s not really my problem. I’m just too busy to be listening to him and playing. Even if I’m not taking care of Tommy, I have other things to do and I need time alone sometimes.” Phil leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest with an exasperated look. Techno was far too tired to be arguing with Phil. The man was too stubborn for his own good, really. It’d get him killed one day, Techno would insist in their youth. Before they gained their immortality, Phil was too stubborn to even keep himself safe. ‘This is fine!’ He would insist before falling and breaking a bone that wouldn’t heal for weeks. Phil called it determination. It wasn’t.
   “I get that, but as I said, you can take breaks from Tommy. I can take care of him for a while if you want me to, it really ain’t a bother to me.” Techno insisted, looking away from Phil and down at the floor instead. “I had to take care of him when you took that two-day nap after making him.” Phil had been so exhausted from the magic it took to make Tommy that he slept for two days straight, leaving Techno in charge of everything. Tommy, Wilbur and the empire. He managed to look after Tommy and make Wilbur feel cared about, so why was Phil so insistent that it was impossible?
   “I’m not arguing with you about this. You’ve always been Wilbur’s favourite, anyway.” 
   “Phil-”
   “I’m not hearing it. Wilbur will get more attention when Tommy is old enough to not need me constantly. You can take care of Wilbur if you think he still needs constant guidance and attention, but I have more important things to do.” Phil said with a final tone. There was no arguing with him this time. Perhaps Techno would get through to him some other day, but for now, that was it. 
   Techno sighed. “Fine. Goodnight, Phil,” He stood up from the desk, careful not to stand on anything that he could trip over or break. 
   “Goodnight, Techno. Rest well.” Phil opened his book again as Techno walked out of the room. 
   He was incredibly frustrating to speak to about issues like this. Phil had always been disconnected from people, in a way. The way that people felt wasn’t something that Phil was going to understand any time soon. He simply couldn’t sympathise or empathise with people properly. Techno usually couldn’t empathise either, but he could sympathise at least. Phil couldn't seem to understand people's feelings or feel bad for them. Maybe that's why he was so good at killing people. He couldn't sympathise with anyone. He couldn’t understand that death hurt people, that other people felt things as much as he did. Techno almost felt bad for him. Phil was too disconnected from other people to relate to or sympathise with them.
   As the king walked back through the corridors, he sighed, glancing outside at the slowly rising moon and the stars illuminating the dark sky. The blot of red that was stained on the moon always caught his eye. He wondered how long it would take before it disappeared and faded away. Four thousand years ago, he and Phil had turned the moon red when they gained their immortality. The day the war ended. He stopped walking, looking at the moon, stained with the blood of the ancient one that once ruled the lands. The being that he and Phil killed all those millennia ago. That day ended a century-long war. 
   The name of the war was now outdated, Phil and Techno were celebrated and praised often now, but before they took their thrones, they were nothing. They’d lived for four thousand years acting as mortals despite their newfound immortality. Back then, they were definitely unsung heroes. The Solleapan Empire was an afterthought. Most definitely not the first thing they wanted to do with their immortality. They couldn’t die, of course, they were going to attempt to kill themselves in any way that they could possibly think of. An anvil dropped on their heads, falling from a great height, drowning, burning alive. They had fun doing it, especially with their now inhuman pain tolerance. Being burnt to death was nothing more than an itch to them, unpleasant, but definitely bearable. In those first few thousand years, they’d tried to die in every way they possibly could. It was fun. A lot more fun than ruling an empire, in Techno’s opinion.
   World domination was second on their bucket list. 
   Younger Techno and Phil definitely had their priorities straight. 
   Techno smiled to himself. He often missed those times. They could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. No limits, no expectations, no responsibilities. He’d go back to that, in a few hundred years. Once Wilbur and Tommy were long gone. He’d leave with Phil, leave the kingdom to another ruler and watch it fall into disarray and eventually be destroyed. When it was no longer theirs, Techno would love to see the Solleapan Empire crumble. One day, in a few thousand years, he’d come back here, where the palace once stood and admire how much it will have changed. 
   That was the best part of being immortal. Watching the world change constantly, never static, never the same. He hadn’t appreciated how temporary everything was until he watched the great monuments be engulfed by the ocean, left to crumble in the water as time passed and they were slowly forgotten about. 
   He looked to the wall again, where a painting of himself was hung. His eyes met with the ones in the painting. 
   He smiled to himself as he remembered that he too would slowly be forgotten. One day, he would be a myth, a legend. Nobody would remember his face save for Philza, his eternal companion.

Chapter Text

   As the years passed, Wilbur became more distant from Phil, no matter how hard he tried to stay close. He had learnt how to play the piano and guitar in his spare time, helped by Techno at any chance he got and various tutors who came and went over the years. By the time Wilbur was fourteen, he had learnt how to play the piano and the guitar almost perfectly and had started writing music in his spare time, up in the tower away from everybody else. He’d sit in the window for hours, playing songs on his guitar alone. It distracted him and made him feel better if he was ever upset. Techno would tell him to play the piano at events, which Wilbur would do happily, eager to impress the people around him. He would revel in the praise he received. 
   Tommy was seven by that time and he’d watch his brother with admiration and when the people clapped for him, Tommy clapped the loudest. He’d run to his brother and hug him, telling him how well he played and how amazing he was at things. He often felt that Wilbur appreciated his praise less than other people’s, but that wouldn’t deter Tommy. No matter what Wilbur did, Tommy would always love and adore his older brother. No amount of annoyed sighs, dismissive waves or “I’m busy”s would make Tommy love his brother less. Wilbur was amazing and Tommy wished that he could be just like him, so talented and impressive. 
   He wished that Wilbur paid him more attention, or that he liked him more. Wilbur didn’t like Tommy, not at all. He’d always look at him with an almost disgusted look, looking at his little brother as if his very existence was annoying him. It hurt Tommy because Tommy loved Wilbur. He loved his brother so much, but it was unrequited. They got along sometimes and they’d go out to the gardens together. Once, Wilbur made Tommy a crown of daisies but the moment he saw Tommy wearing it, he stood up and left. Everything that Tommy did seemed to upset his brother. Whether he was simply there in the same room or if he was asking him for something or if he was talking too loudly for Wilbur’s liking. 
   Sometimes, Phil was too busy to play with Tommy, and sometimes Techno was too. He knew they had important things to do, so when Phil said that he was busy and Techno apologised and said the same, Tommy would go in search of his brother. He had nobody else to play with, after all, and Wilbur was never busy. He didn’t have anything important to do like Techno and Phil. Wilbur was just like Tommy, they were just princes, and Wilbur was still a kid, just like Tommy was, so he had nothing to be busy with.
   When everyone else was too busy, Tommy would walk and run through the entire palace in search of Wilbur. He’d check his bedroom first, then search the rest of the palace, every room, every hiding place that he had found, every secret room, and finally, he’d check the tower that Wilbur loved so much. If he was in there, though, Tommy knew that he didn’t want to be bothered. Once, when he had gone to see Wilbur in the tower some years ago, Wilbur had yelled at him for disturbing him. After that, Tommy learnt to just ask the guards and leave no matter the answer. He could play alone. 
   Sometimes, though, Tommy would find him somewhere in the palace, walking around and wandering the halls. Tommy would get excited and run to him, “Wilbur! There you are!” He exclaimed as his brother turned to look at him. He looked upset, but that wouldn’t deter Tommy. Tommy would make him feel better, he promised himself. “I’ve been looking for you!” He told Wilbur as he reached him, smiling brightly up at the other. 
   Wilbur looked annoyed. “Why?” He asked, using a tone that made it sound more like a “demand” than an “ask” but Tommy could see that Wilbur was upset, so he didn’t let it get to him. “What do you want, Tommy?” Wilbur asked, with that same annoyed, commanding tone. 
   “I wanted to play with you!” Tommy said. “Papa is busy and so is Tech, so I came to find you because I love playing with you!”
   “No,” Wilbur said with an annoyed, flat tone that made Tommy stop. 
   “...What?”
   “I said ‘no’. I’m busy, Tom, I don’t want to play with you.
   Tommy stopped smiling, looking up at Wilbur with a confused and hurt expression. He brought his hands up to his chest as he looked down at the floor, away from Wilbur’s annoyed look. He felt like he was about to cry, suddenly. Of course, Wilbur had told him no before but never like that . Wilbur had always tried to say it gently, so as to not hurt Tommy’s feelings or upset him. He would apologise and tell Tommy that he had something he wanted to do or that he wanted to be alone. He had never been so harsh about it. Nobody had ever been so harsh with Tommy. He was used to gentle and attentive kindness; quiet, considerate apologies and soft smiles. That was okay. It wasn’t being told no that upset him. It was the way that Wilbur said it.
   “But Wilbur I’m bored and I have nobody else to play with.” He frowned down at his hands as he fiddled with them. “And you’re not busy, you don’t have anything important to do! Tech and papa do because they’re kings, you’re a prince! You don’t have anything important to be busy with!” He felt more angry than sad now, throwing his hands down to his sides and looking back up at Wilbur. “You’re so mean to me all the time! It’s not fair, Wilbur!”
   “I don’t care.”
   “Well I do and I’m more important than you are, so you’re not allowed to tell me no!” Tommy snapped, raising his voice as he looked at his brother angrily. His words seemed to upset Wilbur more. 
   “I’m not dealing with you today,” Wilbur said, turning to walk away. 
   As Wilbur began to walk away, down the hall that he was trying to go down before Tommy found him, Tommy grabbed him, “No! You have to play with me! It’s not fair, I don’t have anything to do and I’m more important than your stupid books and your dumb guitar!” 
   Wilbur stopped. Wilbur stayed still for a few moments. Tommy was confused and let go of his brother, taking a small step back. Wilbur took a breath and turned around. He looked down at Tommy and watched him for a moment. Tommy’s eyes flickered across Wilbur’s face in confusion, he couldn’t tell what his brother was thinking or how he felt. 
    Slap!
   In a second, Tommy was knocked down onto the cold, hard floor. His cheek stung as tears welled in his eyes. He burst into sobs as a guard came rushing over and Wilbur turned and ran away. One guard called out to Wilbur as the other knelt down in front of Tommy, hands hovering next to his shaking body as he tried to comfort the small prince. The armoured man asked permission before taking Tommy into his arms, picking him up off of the floor, and sitting him on his hip. 
   He took Tommy to Phil’s study, where the winged king sat amongst the clutter and mess, writing a letter to someone. He immediately stopped when he saw his crying son, putting the quill in the inkpot and rushing over as fast as he could manage without falling or knocking something over. He took Tommy from the guard, putting the boy down on the floor. Phil waved his hand and the guard gave a bow before returning to his station, leaving Phil and Tommy alone.
   “What’s wrong, sunshine?” He asked softly, moving Tommy’s small hands away from his face. Before anything else, he noticed the red mark on the left side of his face. 
   Tommy sobbed, looking down at the maroon carpet that covered the floor of Phil’s study. He couldn’t manage to get any words out without breaking down again, so Phil picked him back up and took him back over to his desk, where he put Tommy down in his chair and knelt in front of him. Phil stroked the prince’s blonde hair gently as he waited for him to calm down enough to speak. It hurt to see his son so distraught and whatever caused it was going to be fixed. He could tell that someone had hit Tommy, that was obvious. Who did it was Phil’s main worry. If it had been one of the staff there would be some major problems. An anxious part of the king’s mind whispered that Techno could have done it, but there was no way that he would have done that. 
   Eventually, Tommy calmed down enough to speak, enough to shakily tell his father that Wilbur was the one that had hit him. Phil hid his anger well enough, pulling Tommy forward into a comforting embrace, stroking his hair and shushing him as he started to cry again quietly. Phil picked Tommy up, sitting the boy on his hip as he rubbed his back, letting the boy hide his face in his father’s soft shirt, small hands holding the fabric tightly. Phil shielded the boy with his wings as he stepped out of the study, shutting the door as gently as he could manage. 
   His wings wrapped around him and his son, hiding them both from everything. It made Tommy feel safe and warm. He calmed down again, laying his head down on Phil’s shoulder as the king walked through the palace. Tommy couldn’t understand why Wilbur got so upset with him. He had never been hit before and he’d never seen anybody else get hit or hurt at all. Phil and Techno had made sure that Tommy wouldn’t see any form of violence until he was at least a few years older. Wilbur hadn’t been exposed to violence until he was ten, and Tommy would be treated the same. 
   Phil took Tommy to the library, where Techno spent most of his spare time, either reading or sewing or any of the other hobbies that he had taken up over the years. When he opened the door, Techno looked up immediately, putting his embroidery hoop down on the desk along with the needle and red thread he was using. He stood up, coming over to the two of them. Phil moved his wings behind him again and handed Tommy over to Techno. 
   “What happened?” Techno asked Phil as he took Tommy into his arms.
   “Wilbur hit him.” Phil practically spat out the words, clearly annoyed. Techno was shocked for a moment, watching Phil’s face for any sort of indication of lying. There was none. He looked down at Tommy. 
   “Are you serious?” Techno asked after a brief moment of silence. Phil nodded. “Why would Wilbur do that?”
   The question was directed at Phil, but Tommy leaned back from Techno and answered instead, “He was in a bad mood and I was annoying him.” Tommy’s voice wobbled, tears gathering in his eyes again, threatening to spill over if he spoke again.
   “I’m going to sort him out, watch Tommy for a while,” Phil said, looking Techno in the eye for a short moment. Before Techno could protest, Phil turned to leave the room, shutting the heavy wooden door behind him. 
   Techno looked at the door for a moment more, hearing Phil’s footsteps slowly fade away as the man walked down the hall. He looked back down at Tommy, who met his eyes with no hesitation. Techno’s eyes flickered over the prince’s face, his striking blue eyes and sunkissed skin. He looked a remarkable amount like Phil, something that Techno had failed to realise for the past seven years. He could almost call it uncanny, considering that Tommy had no blood relation to Phil, or anyone, for that matter. Tommy was a product of magic and a blessing from the sun, he was not Phil’s son at all, simply a child for him to provide for. Their similar appearance was a strange coincidence. 
   Tommy tilted his head to the side in confusion, making Techno take notice of his pause and quickly snap out of it. He closed his eyes and shook his head, asking Tommy if he wanted to be put down. When he nodded, Techno obliged, letting the boy down and giving him a quick smile. 
   “I’m going to go back to sewing if you’d like to watch?” He asked softly. He was met with another nod, to which he gave a smile before taking the small prince’s hand and walking back to the desk.
   The king sat back in his chair, then picked Tommy up and sat the boy on the desk. Tommy giggled; he wasn’t usually allowed to sit on the tables or desks, so whenever Techno let him, it was exciting. Phil was far more strict about it and gave Techno a stern look every time he caught Tommy on one of the tables. Tommy was too small to reach most of the handles on the doors, let alone climb up on the desks alone. Techno would look away, avoiding the winged king’s disapproving gaze as if not meeting his eyes would absolve him of blame. 
   Techno took his embroidery ring back into his hand, scanning over the flowers he had sewn to find where he had left off. He was halfway through threading a flower when Phil and Tommy came in. He picked up the needle and carried on, threading the needle through the stitches to create something that resembled the petals of a rose. He looked up to Tommy, who watched his hands carefully. Tommy liked watching Techno sew and embroider and had tried to learn once. He had failed, of course. He was five at the time and poked his finger with the sharp needle. He never tried to do it again, content to just watch Techno do it until he was old enough to understand what he was meant to be doing properly. He was happy just watching and occasionally learning the type of stitches that Techno was using.
   After a while, Tommy began to get restless, bored again. Tommy, being a seven-year-old, had a very short attention span that Techno had a hard time keeping a hold of. When Tommy began to swing his legs with a little bit more force, Techno looked up at him. He was done with the final flower now and he could finish the leaves and various bits and pieces later. Tommy needed something more entertaining. Techno’s stitching had kept the boy’s attention for almost half an hour, though, which wasn’t bad at all. Techno knew that Tommy had been wanting to play with someone all day, it would be unfair to leave him alone and bored for much longer. 
   “You okay?” Techno asked softly as he cut off the excess thread that he didn’t need. 
   Tommy met his eyes again. “Bored.” He muttered as he looked back at his swinging legs, watching his feet disappear under the desk and reappear seconds later. “Got nobody to play with.” He pouted.
   Techno looked at him sympathetically. He felt for Tommy and he wished that he had more energy to play with him that day. Tommy didn’t have anyone to play with a lot of the time. He was a prince, so it wasn’t exactly easy for him to make friends. No other children lived in the palace, to Techno’s knowledge. Even if he was wrong, they would be the staff’s children and they weren’t allowed in the main part of the palace, so Tommy would never meet them. Being a prince was incredibly isolating. Techno grew up in a village, so he could go anywhere he wanted to, within reason. Tommy didn’t have nearly as much freedom. If he left the palace, even to just go to the gardens or even if he was staying within the walls, he had to have a guard with him. He couldn’t go anywhere in search of friends. He was stuck in the palace, mostly alone.
   “We can go check if any of the staff’s children can play with you, if you’d like?” Techno offered, although he wasn’t sure if that was possible. 
   Tommy lit up a little. “Can we? Do the staff’s children live here?” He asked hopefully.
   “I think so. I know a lot of them have kids, and they live here, so I’d assume that their kids live here too.” Techno shrugged. He wasn’t sure, he had never checked. They were allowed to bring their children, as long as they were well behaved and wouldn’t cause trouble. They could be handed to the nurses, too, if need be. The only requirement was that they didn’t get in the way of work, so they weren’t allowed in the main part of the palace. Tommy gasped. “You wanna go check, then?”
   “Yes! Yes, please!” 
   Techno smiled seeing the boy’s excitement. It was always uplifting to see children so happy, especially the two that he had helped to raise. Doing things that would make Tommy and Wilbur happy brightened his day, no matter how exhausted or unhappy he was. He stood up, pushing the chair back and away from the desk. He removed the piece of thread stuck to his leg and picked Tommy up off of the desk, sitting him on his hip again. Tommy wrapped his legs around Techno’s waist as best he could as Techno held him in place with one arm. 
   In truth, Techno hadn’t gone down to the staff chambers in a long time, maybe a few decades. He didn’t know who was there or what the place looked like or anything like that. Phil was usually the one that took care of things to do with staff since Techno was bad with people, Techno never needed to be in the staff quarters or even talk to them most of the time. He hardly acknowledged their existence, letting them work around him. Tommy liked to talk to the maids and the guards that were normally stationed outside his bedroom. Nobody else did, but Tommy was seven, he was just happy to be able to talk to someone, Techno figured. 
   He walked through the palace, letting Tommy talk about something that Techno wasn’t properly paying attention to. He nodded and hummed now and then, letting the boy know that Techno was at least half listening. If Tommy knew that Techno wasn’t really focused on him, he didn’t mention it. Tommy rambled until Techno managed to find the stairway down to the staff quarters. He didn’t let Tommy see that he was nervous about going down there. Techno wasn’t sure why he felt that way, he couldn’t explain it. 
   Tommy hopped down from Techno’s side, looking down the stairs curiously. He hadn’t been to this part of the palace before. It was somewhere behind the kitchens and Tommy wasn’t allowed there normally. No matter how much he begged to go explore this place, he was never allowed to. Not by himself. Wilbur was allowed to but he never did. It made Tommy even more curious about the place. He expected something a little bit more exciting, but the idea of being able to meet someone closer to his age was exciting enough for him. 
   The prince grabbed Techno by the hand, leading him down the twisting staircase. Tommy stepped happily, almost bouncing as he counted the steps down. He counted seventeen, but he’d have to recount on the way up. He peeked around the corner, seeing a hallway, illuminated by the lamps on the walls. He assumed there were windows in the rooms, but they were very low down, so he wasn’t sure if windows would do much. They had to be underground by now, especially considering that this place wasn’t visible from the outside. It looked different from the rest of the palace, with stone walls and a strange smell that Tommy didn’t like. 
   He let go of Techno’s hand, deciding to wander alone. Tommy walked down the hallway, looking at the signs marking all of the rooms. A maid walked out of one, looking shocked at the sight of the prince and king. She bowed before going along her way, past where Techno stood leaning against the stone wall and up the spiraling staircase; Tommy watched her as she went. When she left his sight, he looked to the room where she came out from. It was one of the women’s rooms. There were three. He pulled the door open carefully, peeking through the small gap. A boy was sitting on the floor, scribbling on some parchment. 
   Tommy looked back to Techno with an amazed expression, pointing to the door as if to show Techno what he had seen. Techno nodded, permitting him to go in. Tommy pulled the door open more, catching the attention of the small brunet. He turned to look at the door as soon as he heard it open, confusion painting his face. Tommy gave a small wave. The boy looked shocked as Tommy stepped into the room with a smile. He stood up, pencil and parchment abandoned on the floor. He bowed. 
   “Hello!” Tommy greeted, smiling brightly at the boy. He stood up straight again.
   “May I ask what brings you here, your highness?” The boy asked politely, with the tone that everyone addressed him with except for Techno, Phil and Wilbur. It was formal and courteous. Tommy didn’t like it that much.
   “I’m looking for someone to play with,” Tommy explained, shrugging. “Techno said that there might be someone my age down here.” The boy nodded, not saying anything more. It was quiet for a moment. “Do you want to play with me?” He asked.
   The boy was shocked. “Am I… Allowed to do that…?” He asked hesitantly.
   “Well, I’m saying you can, so yes.” 
   The boy was quiet for another moment, processing what he had been told. “...Okay then!” He smiled. “My name is Toby, call me Tubbo, though.”
   “And I’m Tommy! You don’t have to call me any sort of title.” 
   “Okay!” Tubbo smiled brightly at Tommy, who smiled back. 
   Tommy took Tubbo’s hand and led him out of the room; Tubbo shut the door behind them. Tommy proudly showed Tubbo to Techno, who nodded along, amusement painting his features as Tommy happily and proudly introduced him to his new friend. Techno smiled before leading them both back up the stairs and to the main part of the palace. Tubbo and Tommy started talking to each other, both excited to meet someone new. 
   As they walked, Tubbo was amazed by the palace, all of the gold decoration on the walls and the paintings filled him with wonder. He had been to other parts of the palace before, but only briefly, and not this part. He was hardly allowed out of the staff chambers most of the time, so the intricate decorations were amazing to him. Tubbo told this to Tommy excitedly as he looked at everything he could, even something as simple as the large windows was breathtaking. He almost cried seeing it all. 
   “I’ve seen the palace from the outside, of course, I never expected it to be so pretty! This is nothing like how it was before mama started working here. We used to be homeless, and my brother still is. This is so amazing, Tommy! You- You live here!” He explained, making some hand gestures to some things as if to emphasise what he was saying. He gasped loudly, looking up “ There are paintings on the ceiling! ”
   The prince laughed. “There’s painting all over this place!” The paintings on the ceiling were of forests and fields, towns and cities. Beautiful and extravagant buildings and landscapes covered the ceiling of the hallway. Although the paint had faded over the years, it still made the room seem more vibrant and full. “OH! That one, there! That’s my favourite!”
   Tommy pointed to a painting somewhere closer to the end of the corridor. 
   “Phil and I’s wedding?” Techno asked when he could see the painting properly. “Of all the paintings here, that's your favourite?”
   Tommy nodded with enthusiasm. “It’s so pretty! You and papa look so happy.” 
   Techno couldn’t help but smile at that. While it had been seventy years since that painting was made, Techno could easily remember the way he felt in the moment captured in the painting. Once the ceremony had finally finished and snow began to fall as the sun set on the horizon. It would forever be one of Techno’s favourite memories from the past few thousand years. It could only be matched by Wilbur and Tommy’s birth and possibly the moment that he gained The Immortality. 
   “I thought that you’d have liked one of the battle ones.” Techno shrugged. “Most boys your age do.” Wilbur hadn’t. Wilbur had always liked the flowery ones. 
   “Nah, I like the pretty ones,” Tommy said proudly; as if being different from Techno’s perception of younger boys was something to brag about.
   As Techno stifled a laugh, Tubbo gasped quietly. “Is that a bird?” He pointed at one of the windows, where a crow had just landed. 
   Just then, a guard ran down the hall, stopping immediately when he saw Techno. He stood straight, despite his heavy breathing. He had obviously been running for a while and with all of the armour that he had to wear, he was clearly exhausted. Techno felt bad for them, sometimes. Having been a soldier in the past, Techno could understand how they felt in the armour all day. It was heavy and far too hot when the weather wasn’t in your favour. Techno put his hand up and he slouched down a bit. 
   “My apologies, your majesty, I’ve been chasing this bird for the past half an hour at least. I can’t get it out.” 
   Techno looked between the guard and the crow, which would definitely be gigging if it could. It squawked in Techno’s direction, a sound that echoed through the hallway. It may have been startling or eerie , even, if Techno didn’t know why it was there. It had something around its foot, something golden. It was one of Phil’s crows. One of those mischievous birds that loved to torment people and steal valuables from Techno specifically. He had no idea how Phil could like them or why he even had them around in the first place. He’d overheard Phil talking to one of them once but had ignored it, praying that Phil had at least a small bit of his sanity left. Phil was insane, he had no sense about him, but he wasn’t that crazy. 
   That’s what Techno liked to tell himself, anyway.
   He held out his arm and nodded towards himself. The crow flew towards him, landing on his arm. Its talons dug into his skin but not enough to hurt him. The bird’s claws weren’t enough to make the magic repel the bird or even dull the pain. It wasn’t a threat, really. It was just a bird that Phil sent for something. 
   “What do you want?” He demanded, in a tone that, when used on a person, would be seen as rude. It was rude, according to the bird; it was offended. It squawked at him, trying to attack his face. “ Hey !”
   It squawked loudly.
   “What do you want?” He asked again with a more gentle and polite tone.
   It flew up and towards a staircase between two paintings. 
   Techno sighed as he waved the guard away. The two children had been watching from behind, Tubbo filled with wonder and amazement and Tommy with much less enthusiasm. As the guard walked away, Tommy watched the bird as it hovered in the stairway, seemingly waiting for Techno to follow it. The crows were nuisances that liked causing trouble for everyone. Phil loved them, the whole murder. Tommy thought it was weird, most people did. Some of them had figured out how to say some words, small, simple words, but they could speak. Some could say “hello” and others squawked “dad” at Phil. It was strange and nobody could tell who taught them to do that. Tommy was convinced that Techno made them do it. It was the type of thing that Techno would do. It wasn’t Techno, though. They learnt it by themselves. Stupid smart birds. 
   “The bird wants me, you two can find your way to the gardens alone, can’t you?” Techno said, turning to the kids with an exasperated look. Tommy nodded. “Okay, have fun. Don’t get hurt and don’t kill each other.”
   He waved his hand again before turning and heading off towards the staircase. As he did, the bird flew up to the top. Tommy waved him goodbye before taking Tubbo by the hand and continuing down the hallway. Tubbo continued to look out of the windows as best he could. He was short and the windows were quite high up, so it was hard for him to see through them. He could see the sky and the top of another part of the palace. The sun shone brightly as it peeked out from behind the ivory and gold tower. He noticed how strange the clouds looked. 
   Tommy easily found his way to the gardens. He’d done it a thousand times before by now. It was one of his favourite parts of the palace. During the warmer seasons, it was full of bright colours, mostly green with all sorts of different colours for all sorts of different flowers, like it was now. In the colder seasons, when the snow fell and covered everything in a blanket of white, it was still beautiful. Some of the flowers flourished during the winter and against the snow, they stood out boldly. Tommy wasn’t good with the names of flowers, or things in general, but Wilbur had once told him that the pink ones were called cyclamen and the ones that grew up the walls were clematises. 
   The prince shooed away the guards that stood in front of the door, asking them to let him and Tubbo outside. They obeyed, moving to open the big wooden doors that Tommy was far too small to open yet. He could hardly reach the handle on his tiptoes. He dragged Tubbo outside and presented the gardens to him. He pointed out all of his favourite flowers and told him about the flower crowns that Wilbur liked to make and all of the things that Tommy did in the gardens with his family. Tubbo was amazed, as he was with everything in the extravagant building. Tommy liked showing off to Tubbo, he liked showing off to anyone, really. It was one of his favourite things to do. He liked bragging, it was fun. He often made up things to brag about to Techno or Phil, or even Wilbur if he was in a good mood. Now, he had someone new to show off to.

   “So? What did the bird make me come here for?” Techno asked, leaning against the door of Phil’s study. The second one, the one he used for more important business; the one he showed other people. It worried Techno whenever he was brought here. Based on past experience, it either meant war was being declared or threatened, or someone important had died. Either one was bad and Techno hated both options.
   Phil looked up at him, lowering the parchment in his hand. He took a breath and sighed. “War has been declared on the Tedian Kingdom.” He said as he looked back down at the letter, a dark look in his eyes. The Tedian Kingdom was under Phil and Techno’s command, part of their empire.
   Techno felt his heart sink, a feeling of dread washing over him. “By who?” He asked as he stood up straight. He started towards the desk where Phil sat. The crow that had brought him here watched quietly from a perch in the corner.
   “Travaiwen,” Phil said, glancing back up at the other.
    Techno’s heart sank into his stomach quickly. Of course, they had declared war on one of their kingdoms. It made enough sense. Phil stood up, his chair making a heavy sort of noise as it was pushed back. He started pacing, walking up and down the room as he chewed on his nail, a habit that Techno had been trying to get him to stop for the past few thousand years. It never worked. It was what Phil did when he was anxious and Techno couldn’t stop him. 
   “I have no idea why they’d do this.” He said, putting his hand down on the desk, the other moving up to his hair, combing through it as his frustration grew. “We’ve always had a good… Decent relationship with them and the Tedian kingdom hasn’t been in a war for almost a century now.” 
   “Have you heard about the prince?” Techno asked, voice shaking slightly as the realisation sank in. Phil looked at him confused. “His name is Clay. Rumour has it, he’s the next Immortal. He’s, supposedly, been getting signs from the gods.” He watched Phil as the information set in. “He wants us dead. He’ll come into power when his father dies. He’s about Wilbur’s age and his father is getting old. King Otelin’s reign is coming to an end, he’s going to die soon. Clay will come into power within the next few years, I’m sure. He wants us dead.”
   Phil was quiet for a moment. “Then we should take care of him before he can become a problem,” Phil said, blue eyes meeting Techno’s, an almost determined look in his eye that disturbed Techno. It was the same look he gave Techno all those years ago, when he proclaimed that they were the next immortals; when he decided to walk through fire for the first time. That same look when Phil decided to take their throne in the Solleapan Empire over one hundred years ago.
   “We can’t assassinate a child. He’s Wilbur’s age, maybe a little older.” Techno retorted. 
   “We have to protect The Immortality, Techno.”
   “Murder is not the only way to do that. You’re saying this as if killing him is the only thing that we could possibly do to prevent this.”
   “Do you have a better idea?” Phil snapped. Techno was silent. “It is our duty to protect The Immortality for as long as we can. If we just get rid of him , then there won’t be a problem.”
   “Who will Travaiwen be ruled by when both the king and his heir are dead?” 
   “ Us . Who else?” Phil rolled his eyes. “The plan was world domination, was it not? Another kingdom coming under our rule is not a bad thing, Techno.” Phil began to raise his voice, becoming frustrated at Techno’s arguments. 
   “ Killing a fifteen-year-old is! ” 
   “We need to protect The Immortality, Techno! This is the only thing that we can do!” Phil snapped, feathers puffing up as a show of his frustration. “It’s not like anybody could prosecute us, anyway. We’re the most powerful beings on this planet. We’re practically gods, nobody can stop us.”
   “You’re insane.” 
   “You’ve been telling me that for the past four thousand years, Techno.”
   Techno gave a frustrated sigh, wishing he could avoid these arguments better. He hated arguing with Phil, he was stubborn and in situations like this, was exceptionally good at finding excuses for his actions. No matter how bad they may be. 
   “Look, I just don’t think that killing him is the best option. It’s just rumours. He could be lying or he could be deranged. We don’t know enough to assassinate him.” Techno insisted, forcing himself to be calm, seeing as Phil clearly wasn’t going to. If this escalated any further, Techno knew that Phil would resort to threats, or even violence if he got any angrier. “Give it a few years. We can help out the Tedian kingdom as much as we can and end this war quickly. He’ll be out of our way in no time, Phil.” Techno wasn’t quite sure of that himself, but Phil seemed to believe it.
   “The second that The Immortality is at risk, we kill him,” Phil said with a tone that left no room for arguments. 
   “Fine.”

Chapter Text

   Throwing off his hood, Wilbur walked into the room, pushing open the wooden door, not bothering to knock. In the room was Niki, the girl he liked to call his best friend, his only friend, in fact. She looked at him with a look that nobody else would dare give him. Obviously, he should have knocked but he was so upset that he didn’t think to do it. He just wanted comfort. He would always turn to Niki for something like this, something his parents couldn’t be trusted with, something they wouldn’t understand.
   “What are you doing here?” She demanded with an exasperated tone, putting down the book that she had been reading.
   Wilbur had snuck out of the palace by some miracle after Phil had found him. He couldn’t stand to be there right now, so he left, throwing on a dark cloak and getting out as fast as he could, praying that the guards hadn’t seen him as he slipped away. He went to the only person he knew he could confide in, Niki. She was one of the best bakers in the city and because of that, became good friends with Wilbur in their early childhood. They couldn’t see each other often, but that didn’t make them any less close. They were still best friends and they always would be, Niki didn’t have a choice. 
   “I got yelled at so I snuck out,” Wilbur said as he fell into a chair. He unclasped his cloak, letting it fall down his back and onto the chair.
   Niki sat up, putting her legs over the edge of her bed. “What did you get yelled at for? You seem very upset about it.” She said, setting her book aside. She gave Wilbur that caring look that he was very used to by now. It always warmed his heart, though, no matter how many times he had seen it, how sweet and kind Niki was.
   Wilbur felt tears well in his eyes at the thought of it, throat becoming tight, making it hard to get words out. If he spoke, he’d start crying, he knew that. He tried anyway. “I, uh, I…” He stopped, feeling tears threaten to spill over. “I got angry at Tommy.” His voice broke. “I hit him.”
   “ Oh .”
   Wilbur hummed. He knew that he had messed up. He had messed up badly. Tommy had never been hit before, the only hurt he had experienced was a scraped knee or a small bruise from falling over. Wilbur had hit him so hard that he floored him. He had only realised what he did once Tommy was on the floor and crying. He had no idea why he did it. He didn’t want to hurt Tommy, never. Tommy was annoying and bratty and he stole Wilbur’s life from him, but he was still his little brother. Tommy was Wilbur’s little brother who he loved, despite all of the things that Wilbur disliked him for. He was seven, of course, he was annoying. Wilbur was annoying when he was seven too, he was sure of it. 
   He had never been hit before either. Not by anyone. He knew it was a rather common punishment, though. He shouldn’t have been so surprised when Phil slapped him across the face. That’s what he did to Tommy, he deserved it. Yet, he was so shocked that, in the moment, he couldn’t bring himself to cry. Techno and Phil had always sworn that they’d never hurt Wilbur, no matter what. Maybe that was why he was so stunned; because he promised that he wouldn’t. 
   Then again, Phil was never good at keeping promises. 
   “I feel so bad. I didn’t want to, I don’t know what I was thinking, Niki. I acted without thinking, my body moved by itself, I-” Wilbur put his head in his hands, groaning as he thought about what he had done. Guilt pulled at his heart, trying to pull it down into his stomach. It was a horrible feeling and Wilbur would do anything to get rid of it. “He just wanted to play with me, Niki.” His voice broke again as tears spilt over, falling down onto his legs no matter how hard he tried to will them away.
   “I understand why you’re upset,” Niki said, holding that soft tone that Wilbur sought. “Can you tell me why you got so angry at him?”
   “I don’t know. He was just asking to play with me. I’m always so upset with him for no reason, it’s stupid. I can’t even look at him without being upset, Niki. He makes me so angry.” Wilbur paused for a moment, sniffling and wiping his eyes with his sleeve before looking back up to face Niki, “Why does he get all of that attention constantly when father won’t even look at me unless I’ve done something near impossible!? It’s not fair. It sounds so childish and selfish but I can’t help it! Tommy ruined my life, he stole my life!” He felt himself begin to get angry again. When he realised this, he put his head in his hands again.
   “I feel like this is a problem with your dad, rather than your brother, Wil,” Niki suggested. “He hasn’t been much of a father to you since Tommy was born.” Wilbur looked up again.
   “That’s because Tommy is younger, he needs father more than I do.” retorted Wilbur, as if it was obvious, or that it was absurd to assume otherwise.
   “That doesn’t mean that he has to ignore you. He can focus on Tommy and still pay attention to you.” Niki tried to explain, with something akin to desperation tinting her voice. “Techno does it, why can’t your dad do it too?” She asked. 
   Wilbur looked at her with a bemused look, “Techno doesn’t have to take care of Tommy. Techno isn’t…” He paused, unsure of what he was trying to say. “He isn’t our dad.” Is what he settled on. That wasn’t true, but Techno never liked the idea of being a parent before Phil had brought Wilbur into the world, unbeknownst to Techno. He’d told Wilbur that a lot. Techno never wanted a child. Phil wanted children and Techno didn’t have much of a say in it. 
   “He’s your dad’s husband. He raised you, he is your dad. You have two fathers, Wilbur.” Niki deadpanned.
   “If you were anyone but you, I could have you killed for speaking to me like that, you know.” Wilbur joked, pointing at the girl. 
   There was a sudden crash somewhere outside, which startled both Niki and Wilbur. Niki stood to look out of her window as Wilbur panicked silently, wondering if he hadn’t been discreet enough when leaving the palace. Niki opened the window, leaning out to look down at the street below. Wilbur heard her sigh in annoyance. She shut the window with more force than necessary before turning to leave the room. She told Wilbur that she’d be right back and left, leaving her bedroom door open. 
   Wilbur sighed, now alone in Niki’s room. It was plain, he noticed for the thousandth time. It was always plain. The only decoration was some plants; flowers that she kept to keep herself occupied when she got bored of her other hobbies. Although the vines that she let creep up her walls were interesting. Wilbur had always loved them. His room was much different. He was a prince, though, so it wasn’t a very fair comparison. Wilbur’s room was full of white and gold, a starry night sky painted on his ceiling. The only similarity was the plants. Wilbur kept vases of flowers in his room, although he stopped replacing them when they died a few months ago. He had gotten sick of it. Something about it had upset him, so he never did it anymore. The wilting flowers were taken away and he was left with seven empty vases. It made the room feel empty. 
   Niki’s room was a mess, too. There was nobody to clean it for her and she spent most of her time helping her mother in the bakery. She didn’t have the time to tidy every day, she had told him once, so her room was never really clean. The rest of the house was similar, although her mother would tidy it whenever she could. Wilbur had helped her once, despite her insistence that he shouldn’t, he was a prince, he doesn’t need to tidy. He made his guard help, too. They had fun, that day. Wilbur kicked a shirt away from his foot. It was one of the ones he had seen Niki wear while helping a farmer’s boy carry some potatoes and corn down to the market once. 
   After a while, Niki came back, with someone following her. Wilbur half expected to see one of the guards here to collect him, but, somehow, it was worse. 
   “What the hell are you doin’ here, Virgo?” The boy asked, his voice rough and deep. He was visibly drunk and his speech was slurred, words mixing together, making it harder to understand than it was anyway. “Get the fuck out!” He yelled, shortly before getting a slap over the head from Niki. 
   “Why are you here? You seem to find me wherever I go, no matter what I do. You’re insufferable, Jay.” That was his name, Jay. Jay Schlatt: one of the most insufferable people that Wilbur had met in his fourteen years. He was younger than Wilbur and Niki by a few years, he was around thirteen. How he got his hands on alcohol at that age, Wilbur could never guess. He couldn’t get alcohol, he was older and people could be killed for disobeying him, but someone, usually Techno, always managed to stop him before he could get it. 
   They had met years ago, Jay had run right into him, knocking them both to the ground. Since then, Wilbur had never been able to get rid of him, no matter how hard he tried. It was Niki that connected them. Wilbur had learnt not so long ago that Jay was actually homeless, a street kid. His father was a soldier and his mother worked somewhere else, taking care of his little brother. During one of the few fleeting moments that they got along, Jay had told him that he didn’t mind being on the streets, as long as his brother and mother were okay. Their mother’s job allowed her and his brother to live somewhere, safe and fed. Wilbur felt bad for him, of course, but Jay refused any help that he offered, so, he had stopped trying. 
   “I’m drunk! Niki told me to come here when I’m drunk.” Jay slurred, wobbling on his feet. Niki pushed him onto her bed, letting him lie down and curl into himself. “She helps me.”
   “Why can’t I cry to my best friend in peace?” grumbled Wilbur. He hoped that he was quiet enough that Jay wouldn’t hear him.
   Jay barked a laugh, “What the fuck do you have to cry about? Was his royal highness told no for the first time in his life?” He mocked, putting on a fake frown, faux sympathy tinging his words. “Grow up. You ain’t ever gonna have to face anythin’ bad. You don’t have a reason to cry, Wilbur.” 
   “My dad hit me.”
   “My dad used to do that all the time. My dad used to beat me, get used to it. That’s the closest you’re gonna get to a normal punishment in your life. That’s the most punishment you’ll ever get!”
   “Boys.” Niki’s voice broke through the tense atmosphere, stern, leaving no room for argument. Jay and Wilbur both stopped, looking at her. “Quit it. Wilbur can be upset about his dad hitting him and Jay… Shut up, go to sleep. I'll grab you some water in a second, just lie there and rest.” 
   Neither argued. Wilbur sat in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest as Jay groaned and rolled over onto his other side, facing the wall away from the rest of the room. Niki gave Wilbur a look of sympathy, a soft smile that made him feel less frustrated with Schlatt. He sighed, closing his eyes as he put his head in his hands again. 
   He loved Jay really. He wasn’t that bad.
  “Sorry, Jay.” He muttered.
   “Yeah, yeah, shut up, loverboy.” 
   Wilbur snickered. 
   Despite Jay showing up and immediately arguing with him, Wilbur felt better, now. His face still stung slightly if he focused too hard on the sensation, but he no longer felt like breaking down crying thinking about what he did or what happened because of it. He could move past it and it would never happen again. Wilbur could tell Techno, who was a lot better at keeping his promises, and Phil would never strike him again. Wilbur would never hurt Tommy again. No matter how annoying the boy was, Wilbur would never hurt him again. He wished that he could say that he would never get angry at him again over something so small, but he couldn’t be sure. He would, inevitably. He would snap again and lash out at his brother for ruining his perfect, happy life with both of his parents, but he would never hurt him. 
   Wilbur stayed for a while longer, helping Niki tidy up her room a little to pass the time. It would be a mess next time he showed up, no doubt, but that wouldn’t deter him. Jay fell asleep, snoring loudly as he did. When Wilbur went to wake him up, annoyed by the noise, Niki stopped him. It was probably the first time in a few weeks that he’d been able to sleep in a bad, she reminded Wilbur quietly. They let him sleep and snore, no matter how irritating it became. 
   As Wilbur walked back to the palace, hood pulled over his head to hide himself as he moved through the people walking around, he spotted a guard out looking for him. He knew that the first place they’d check would be Niki’s house, that’s normally where he tried to sneak to. If he wasn’t there, then Wilbur had no donut in his mind that the guard would come back and make everyone panic. Wilbur wasn’t planning on talking to anyone when he got back. He just wanted to avoid everyone, Phil and Tommy especially. He didn’t think that Tommy would want to see him anyway. He would just go to the tower and sit alone until someone came to get him to eat. It was best if at least the guards knew he had returned. 
   So, he reluctantly went to the guard and tapped him on the shoulder, pushing down his hood as the armored man gave him a stern look. As he revealed himself, the man’s expression changed, something relieved but in a way panicked. He told Wilbur they’d been looking for him as soon as Techno realised he was gone. Wilbur hadn’t realised how long he had been away until he noticed the sun setting behind the hills on the horizon. No wonder the guard was panicked. Wilbur shouldn't be out so long, it was dangerous. Although nobody was stupid or crazy enough to try anything too extreme, Wilbur was still a prince, he was still a target for the power-hungry people of the world. 
   The guard walked Wilbur back to the palace as the sunset painted the world gold behind them. The palace was built so that the front faced the sunset. It was a religious thing that began a few hundred years ago, just before the sunset, it would reflect on the great stained glass window near the highest point of the palace; the sun was supposed to make prayers stronger. The window depicted the symbol often used to represent Lady Death and the room behind it was the room that was used for kings’ worship. Wilbur had only gone in there a handful of times and was hardly interested in it. He’d never have to use it, so he wasn’t too concerned about anything inside it. Techno and Phil prayed there, that’s all he had to know about the room. He wasn’t sure that anybody else knew this, not even Tommy had been taken up to the room yet. For such an important place, people were quite adamant about hiding it. 
   As they entered the palace, a maid took Wilbur's cloak, bowing before she left to take it away. Wilbur wasn’t entirely sure where they took his cloaks and coats but he got them back the next day, so it didn’t bother him much. 
   “Your highness, your father wants you in the dining hall.” A guard said in a flat tone as Wilbur started to walk down the hall.
   “I’m not going. Don’t tell him I’m back, either. Just let me sleep.” Wilbur responded, waving his hand dismissively as he continued down the hall. He was tired and he couldn’t be in the same room as Phil at the moment. He didn’t think he could keep himself together. It would take every ounce of willpower in him to not start crying the moment Phil looked at him. Or didn’t. That would sting much more than a stern look. It always did. 
   The guard didn’t respond but Wilbur knew he’d follow his order, he didn’t need confirmation. Somehow, the halls felt longer than usual as he walked toward his room. It felt empty and quiet as he listened to each step he took, boots making a dull sound against the carpet that lined the floors. He looked at the floor as he went up the main staircase, averting his eyes from the painting hung there. A family portrait. He couldn’t stand to look at it then. He liked the one without Tommy in it more, this one looked far too dark, something was off, although Wilbur never had the courage to tell anybody. Something was hidden in that painting, a dark hint at something that Wilbur couldn’t quite put his finger on. The one that was just him, Techno, and Phil was brighter, happier, telling of a better time. Perhaps the painter knew something was wrong. Wilbur thought it best not to think about it too much.
   The paintings on the walls seemed to watch him as he picked up his pace, walking faster down the halls. This hall had always given him a bad feeling. 
   Going from the main entrance of the palace was a hallway, followed by a lobby where the main staircase was, curved around and joined at the top, making a balcony of sorts. The hall behind that was lined with paintings of the previous rulers; there were nine. The first, at the end of the hall, was Soralius. The first king, whose reign lasted forty-three years. Then, his son, Wisan; thirty-two years. Then, a being whose name was unknown. Once, it had been human but then, it discovered The Immortality. It was known by many names, The King Of The Undead, The Ancient One. It had no true name, the name its mother had given it was long forgotten. Its reign lasted three thousand years, an era of devastation and anguish.
   After him, there were six more monarchs that had earned their place in history. Two queens in succession, reigns lasting just over a century between them. Then, a few hundred years after that, a king, who sat on the throne for sixty years. A thousand-year gap, and then another king; fifty-three years. Then, another gap, two millennia this time. The last king, King Amir. He was on the throne for twenty-four years before Techno and Phil came to take it from him. Techno and Phil didn’t have separate paintings, they were both in the one that was hung on that wall. It’s not as if they’d be remembered as separate rulers, they ruled together and would no doubt leave the kingdom together, whether they abandon it or die, they were going together.
   Something about it gave him a bad feeling. Paranoia. As if the paintings were watching him with disapproval. He would never be king, he would never be one of them, so why was he here? It was like they could see him when he made a mistake, giving him the same look that Phil always would, silent disapproval that only Wilbur was truly aware of. The eyes on the paintings almost seemed to move as he walked past them, following him as he tried to hide from them. He could say it felt haunted, as if the souls of the past monarchs were still there. He had a nightmare about that when he was younger, maybe that had something to do with it, he thought. The discomfort had started long before then, though. Even as a baby he had hated it. Phil had told him once that he would cry every time they walked through that hallway. 
   He turned the corner as fast as he could manage without running, as he always did. He kept his eyes down, watching his feet as he walked. The palace felt too big. He felt as though he had been walking for much longer than usual. When he went around another corner, the sun hit his eyes as it set, making him stop to look out of the windows. He could see far past the city from here, even a little past the hills in the distance if he really looked. His eyes began to water from the bright light, so he looked away and continued on his way. 
   Wilbur got to his room and didn’t bother to take anything other than his boots and glasses off before he fell into bed. He’d change later, he thought as he pulled the duvet up to his face, the soft fabric bringing a sense of peace as he finally relaxed. He was meant to do this before Tommy came demanding to play, he remembered. A heavy feeling settled in his heart again, weighing him down as if it were a heavy rock placed upon his chest. He curled into himself, and he could. Because nobody was around to see him. 

   The sun began to set as Tommy and Tubbo lay on the grass, looking up at the clouds and trying to make out shapes. They had played all day, enjoying the peaceful company of someone their own age for the first time. They had played pretend for a long time, Tommy let Tubbo be the king, and he was his knight. They got one of the guards to be a beast for them to slay. Tubbo climbed a tree, but Tommy was too afraid to follow, which made Tubbo laugh. Climbing trees was fun, he could hardly believe that    Tommy had never done it before, not even tried. Tubbo showed Tommy how to make a simple daisy chain, poking a hole in the stem and threading another one through. The guard watching them was covered in daisies by the time he was called to switch shifts.
   Phil looked at the two laying on the grass, pointing up at the clouds. He smiled softly before making his way over to them. They didn’t notice him until he was standing right over Tommy. He gasped happily and jumped up quickly to give his father a hug as Tubbo sat up and watched. Tommy started excitedly telling Phil everything he knew about Tubbo, and how much fun they had together. Phil smiled and nodded along, letting Tommy ramble as much as he wanted. When Tommy finally stopped, Phil gave him a pat on the head.
   “That’s wonderful.” He said, making Tommy's smile somehow become brighter, grinning up at the king proudly. “However, it’s time to eat, sunshine, you need to come inside and say goodbye to Toby for today.” Tommy’s smile fell immediately, looking at Phil in shock as if he thought the suggestion was inconceivably ridiculous. 
   “Can he come to eat with us?” Tommy put on a sweet, whiny tone that he knew would get him what he wanted. It always worked, people were suckers for puppy dog eyes and Tommy was amazingly good at it.
Phil looked at the small brunette, considering it for a moment. “Alright, why not?” He smiled at Tommy again, who brightened up once more, giving Phil a tight hug.
   “Thank you!” He exclaimed, voice muffled by Phil’s trousers. He pushed away and grabbed Tubbo. “Come on, let’s go eat! Then we can play some more until it’s bedtime.” 
   Phil wouldn’t correct Tommy on that. He was supposed to go to sleep right after dinner, but he could be lenient for today. Tommy was excited, he wasn’t going to take away his son’s joy so quickly. Tommy took Tubbo by the hand and started off towards the doors to go inside. Phil followed them, smiling as he watched them talk. Although he wasn’t listening to their words, they were excited. Their pure, childish joy made Phil happy, to watch children play and simply be children was something that Phil would forever cherish. Even if Tubbo wasn’t any sort of royalty and if Tommy were anyone else, they most certainly wouldn’t be friends, children don’t know the difference. Phil and Techno weren’t going to teach Tommy that less wealthy people were less than, they were once those people themselves. Tommy didn’t care who they were, as long as they were nice and fun to play with. It was a child’s only criteria.

Chapter Text

   Winter had begun to settle in, leaving the sky dark with grey clouds as snow prepared to fall. The cold weather and dark skies would not prevent Tommy from playing though. When it started to get cold, he and Tubbo played inside, running after each other through the palace with practised ease. Tubbo had begun to learn his way around the palace, making games of tag or hide-and-seek a lot easier to play than they had been earlier in the year when the two had first met. The weather started getting colder some months ago when autumn had begun and since then, they’d been spending most of their time inside, running after each other through the halls. 
   They’d never had problems before and they’d always been undisturbed. Especially after Tommy convinced Phil to let him be without guards when he was in the palace and with Tubbo, he didn’t need guards all the time, he was big now. They had never run into someone or anything like that. So, upon seeing the unknown figure in the hall, Tommy halted dead in his tracks, bolting back around the corner before the thing could spot him. Tubbo stopped behind him, looking confused at the prince. 
   “What’s wrong?” He whispered. He didn’t know if he should, but by the way that Tommy was trying to breathe as little as possible, he figured that he should. 
   “There’s someone there!” Tommy whispered back urgently. 
   Tubbo looked at him confused for a moment before peeking around the corner to see for himself and sure as Heaven, Tommy was right. Someone was standing in the hall, looking around. They must have heard them, Tubbo thought in a panic. The two of them might have been less startled had the figure appeared to be a normal human, but they most definitely were not. A tail swished behind them, curling around their leg and the horns on their head did nothing but reinforce the boys’ fear. Tubbo looked at Tommy with a silent ask for confirmation, to which Tommy gave a panicky sort of nod.
   “What do we do?!” Tommy murmured frantically. 
   Tubbo hesitated. "Uhh…" He mumbled under his breath, bringing his hand up to his face to bite on his nails anxiously. 
   There were no guards around this part of the palace. In some places, like the throne room and the kings' studies. This was just a hallway, nothing worth protecting. If someone was there, there was really no harm in it. When they found their way to the important places in the building, they would be caught and detained, possibly executed, depending on which king was giving the punishment. 
   They'd have to run to get the guards. 
   "Okay, uh, you run and get a guard, I'll keep them here and see if it's dangerous." 
   It was the type of plan a seven-year-old would make. It wasn't the best course of action, but what else could a child be expected to do in such a situation? Tommy was the important one, if it was dangerous and the prince got hurt, then what could happen to Tubbo? The kings adored their children, if anything happened to them, death knows what would happen to the ones that did it. 
   "But what if you get hurt?" 
   "I'll be okay, I'm strong. Go get a guard Tommy, quick." 
   And with that, Tommy gave a nod and took off down the hallway. His fluffy blue cloak dragged behind him across the red carpet as he ran. Tubbo knew how heavy it was, he wondered how Tommy could still run that fast while wearing it. Tommy wasn't exactly a strong kid. He was skinny and relatively weak. Tubbo could lift him with no problems but he suspected that might be because he was a satyr, it was just the way he was built, even as a kid. Tommy was a weak little thing, his bones poking out on his wrists a little too much. Unlike Techno, much like Phil. 
   Tubbo took a breath before he stepped out from behind the corner. "Hey!" He called to the cloaked figure. It turned around quickly, looking at Tubbo as the boy took a few steps closer. 
   He could see their face now. Their skin was pale, almost white with patches of much darker skin across their face, along with the freckles dusting their cheeks. One side of their face, their left, was all dark skin. It corresponded with their long black and white hair, the left was all black and the right was pure white. Their eyes were two different colours too, one red and the other green, although the red could be mistaken for brown if the light wasn't hitting their eyes so perfectly. Their horns were black with magic purple on the tips.
   They looked at Tubbo in shock, almost fear. They seemed to try and say something, opening and closing their mouth as they tried to find an excuse. 
   "What are you doing here? You're not meant to be here!" Tubbo took another few steps closer to them. "Better question actually, what are you?" He demanded. He had to at least make himself seem strong and important if he wanted to intimidate them. 
   "I- I- uh, um-" They stammered. Their hands came up to their chest to fiddle nervously with the chain holding their dark cloak on. They looked almost like royalty, but that couldn't be the case. Tubbo would know if a royal or noble was coming to the palace,  Tommy would have told him. 
   "Can you talk?" 
   They tried to speak again but stopped and shook their head. They tapped on their throat as if to tell Tubbo what the problem was. Tubbo didn't understand but he nodded anyway. 
   "Ranboo!" A voice called; a woman's voice. Sweet and soft. Then, she came down the stairs. The person, Ranboo, apparently, turned to look immediately, before rushing towards the winged woman. "You wandered off, we were worried!" She turned to look at Tubbo, who stared back in confusion. 
   Before she had the chance to speak, Tommy came running back with a guard following close behind. Tommy ran to Tubbo and pulled him back by his wrist. The woman stood, holding onto the boy’s hand as she smiled at the guard.
   “I’m Ranboo’s aide, he got lost somehow while we were going to the main hall, I am terribly sorry.” The woman’s voice was sweet and soft; it matched her appearance well. Her light brown hair was tied in a braid that fell down just past her shoulders, her eyes were a warm brown and she was wearing the same sort of clothes that Ranboo was. Some sort of traditional clothing from a culture that Tubbo didn’t quite recognise. The golden patterns on the dark purple silk made her look elegant, and the transparent layers that covered the outfit and trailed behind her added to that. Tubbo thought she was beautiful, even if he wasn’t sure where she was from. She also had a foreign-sounding accent that he couldn’t quite recognise. 
   “I understand,” The guard said with a nod, turning to Tommy, he continued, “Follow me to the main hall, the kings will be pleased to see you.” 
   Tommy held onto Tubbo’s hand as they all followed the guard to the main hall, the one where Phil and Techno had important meetings that Tommy was never allowed to be a part of. Tommy and Tubbo both felt weary of the two following behind them but did their best to brush it off and act like it was normal. Obviously, the guard knew who Ranboo was, so he must be important. Or at the very least, not dangerous. The guard opened the great wooden doors for them to enter the hall. As soon as he did, Tommy ran to Phil and hid behind him with Tubbo following close behind.
   In the hall were four people, three of them were Tommy’s family, and the other was a tall man, with the same horns and tail as Ranboo, although he had fewer patches on his skin. He wore a crown, so Tommy could only assume that he was a king. Ranboo ran to him, letting the man pick him up and sit him on the table. 
   “Where have you been, we’ve been worried sick. I told you to stay close to me.” His tone was soft and gentle like the woman’s had been. Everybody seemed to treat the boy like he could break at any moment, being all too gentle and sweet with him. 
   Before Ranboo got the chance to respond, Tommy pulled on Phil’s sleeve to get his attention, “Who are they and what are they doing here?” He asked, an impatient edge to his voice. “And what are they?”
   Phil laughed quietly, “This is King Otelin of the Tedian Kingdom, and his son Ranboo, we have some things to talk about with him. They’re endermen.” 
   “I thought endermen weren't real?” Tubbo blurted out.
   Otelin laughed at that. “We are real, just a bit different than the endermen from the old tales.” 
   “Why can’t Ranboo talk?” Tommy asked.
   “He has a stutter and isn’t very good at English yet. He has memory problems, so it’s hard for him to learn a new language, although he has been getting rather good at it.” Otelin smiled at his son. “That’s why he needs Flora,” He gestured to the woman standing to his side, “She helps him when Ranboo forgets.” 
   Tommy nodded, “Why does he have memory problems?”
   “Because of an accident a few years ago.” 
   Tommy went to ask another question as Techno spoke up, “He asks a lot of questions, I am so sorry.” 
   “It’s good that he’s curious, I don’t mind at all.” Otelin smiled. “Ranboo is the same, very curious, he is. I think they’ll get along.”
   “Tommy gets along with everyone, he’s a friendly kid. Not like Wilbur.” Techno chuckled, putting his hand on Wilbur’s shoulder, “He’s become a lot more reserved in recent years. He used to be the most social butterfly around but he hardly talks to anyone anymore.” 
   Otelin nodded in understanding, “Ranboo is very quiet, although that may be my fault, I don’t like him being out of my sight for too long.” He laughed.
   “We are still here, y’know?” Tommy chimed in, crossing his arms as he furrowed his brow. 
   “Yes, we know Tommy, you’re hard to ignore,” Phil said, rolling his eyes.
   Wilbur snickered, which made Tommy feel like he wasn’t understanding part of what Phil said. He looked up at his father in confusion, hoping for an explanation. Phil only ruffled his hair with a quiet laugh. Tommy huffed. 
   “Why don’t the three of you go do something together, maybe you can show Ranboo around, Tommy?” Techno suggested. 
   Tommy and Tubbo nodded as Otelin took his son off of the table, placing him down on the floor. 
   “She can’t come though, we don’t need adults to follow us,” Tommy said. As much Phil wanted to tell him no, the tone the boy used left no room for argument, not because it was stern, only because nobody wanted to deal with an unsatisfied Tommy. 
   "Okay, but you have to take good care of Ranboo, understand?"
   Tommy nodded enthusiastically before grabbing Tubbo and walking back to Ranboo, who stood nervously by his father. Tommy smiled and offered the boy his hand. He hesitated before taking it, letting Tommy pull him out of the room as the adults started talking again. The heavy doors were closed behind the trio as they went off down the hall. Tommy let go of Ranboo's hand and jumped up onto a windowsill. 
   "So, Ranboo. Where are you from?" He asked, swinging his legs back and forth. 
   "I-I am f-fro-from Volaris, the- the ca… capital of Tedia." The boy smiled at Tommy, seeming proud of himself. 
   "You really do have trouble talking, eh?"
   Ranboo nodded meekly, fiddling with his hands in front of him. "I-I-I h-hit mmy head wh-when I w-wa-was ssseven."
   "Oh. How did that happen?" Tommy's voice was filled with newly sparked curiosity.
   "I d-do n-no-not…" He hesitated, trying to think of the word he wanted to say. Eventually, he settled on a word to say, "⍀⟒⋔⟒⋔⏚⟒⍀." 
   Tommy and Tubbo looked at him in shock and confusion. Tommy blinked at the Tedian prince a few times, briefly wondering if he had heard wrong. 
   "Pardon?" 
   "⟟-⟟ ⎎⍜-⎎⍜⍀☌⍜⏁ ⋔⊬ ⟒⋏☌⌰⟟⌇⊑ ⏃☌⏃⟟⋏." He said in an almost guilty tone. He shuffled his feet nervously, clearly trying to think of something to say that the other two would understand. "E-Eng-glish i-is h-h-haard ssome-sometimes." He bowed his head apologetically.
   "Oh. That's alright, I was just shocked, that's all. I've never heard anyone speak that language before." Tommy explained with a laugh.
   "I-it's E-Endoshi." He smiled. 
   Tubbo gasped, "Maybe we should learn it!" He suggested excitedly, looking at Tommy.
   "Yes! Then, we can talk to you better next time we see you!" 
   Ranboo smiled, his chest filling with warmth. He looked down at his feet as his smile grew, overwhelmed with happiness. He was used to being treated with respect, of course, he was the heir to his father's throne, but he always had trouble making friends. Mostly because people were intimidated by him. Tommy's complete lack of care warmed his heart. Tommy and Tubbo cared about him, despite having only known him for ten minutes at most. Not only that, Tubbo was a commoner. He wasn't a prince or a lord, and yet he wasn't scared of Ranboo's power or influence at all. Something about it made him unreasonably happy. 
   Tommy gasped again, making Ranboo look up. "Can you teach us a little bit, maybe?" He asked, hopping down from the windowsill. 
   Ranboo looked at him for a moment. "I c-can t-t-try." 
   Tubbo cheered, throwing his arms in the air eagerly. "Let's go to the library!" He said, brown eyes wide and full of joy. "Might have some books about it." 
   "Yeah! C'mon, Ranboo!" Tommy agreed, smiling at Ranboo and offering his hand again. Ranboo realised then that Tommy was holding his hand so that he wouldn't get lost, just like Flora did. He smiled as he held onto the other boy's warm hand.
   As Tommy and Tubbo led the way to the library, Tommy decided to ask more questions, he liked asking questions, he liked knowing things. 
   "So, do you know why you're here? Like what are they talking about?" He asked, looking out of the windows as they walked down the hallway. 
   Ranboo hesitated for a moment, "I-I th-think d-dad ssaiid s-someth-thing ab-about war. I am n-not su-sure th-though."
   Tubbo and Tommy shared a look of confusion, "What war?" Tubbo asked, "Nobody told us about a war." 
   The Tedian prince hesitated again, "⏁⍀⏃⎐⏃⟟⍙⟒⋏… has… ⎅⟒☊⌰⏃⍀⟒⎅ war on m-my c-country." He seemed to think again, "Tra...wen?"
   "Travaiwen?" Tubbo suggested.
   Ranboo nodded with a noise of affirmation.
   "That's weird. Why would they do that?" Tommy asked, looking up at the ceiling. 
   "I-I d-do not kn-know." 
   "Papa says I shouldn't think about wars, he says I'm not old enough," Tommy said. 
   Ranboo nodded again, noticing the paintings hanging up on the walls, "S-so d-do-does m-mi-mine."
   "Ants are the only thing other than people that declare wars, y'know," Tubbo said suddenly. 
Tommy burst into laughter, "How do you know that?" He asked between giggles.
   "I read it in a book once!" Tubbo grinned with pride.
   "You can read?" Tommy joked, earning him an offended look from the shorter brunette and a light punch to the arm. 
   "Yes, your highness, I can read," Tubbo said in a mocking tone. 
Tommy laughed as he pushed open the door to the library. There were two floors and both had their walls covered in books, there was no shelf with a gap. Ranboo followed Tommy quietly as he and Tubbo started talking to each other about something that he wasn’t paying enough attention to understand. Tommy lead them to the second floor and into a secluded corner. 
   "This is our favourite bit of the library!" Tubbo said. "We read here all the time." He smiled as he sat cross-legged on the floor. 
Tommy pulled Ranboo down with him, sitting on the soft red carpet that covered the floor. "Okay, teach us!” He looked at Ranboo with hopeful eyes and a bright smile. He pat the floor, a dull thud emphasizing his words.

   "Normally, I'm not such a pessimist, however, I fear that this war may result in my death." Otelin's voice wavered slightly at the thought of it. "The throne cannot go to my wife as she has no blood relation to my family, so, that duty falls to… Ranboo." 
   "He's nine years old, isn't he?" Wilbur asked, seeming shocked.
Otelin nodded, "Yes. I don't want to leave him with that at such a young age. I was eleven when I was crowned and I don't want that for my son, too," He took a breath, "and I can't leave him with my wife. He doesn't remember her most days and I refuse to leave him in a place he doesn't know with people he doesn't know. I cannot stand the idea of him waking up every day lost and confused." He hesitated, looking down at his hand, the golden ring on his finger.
   "If it comes to it, we could take him in for you." Techno offered. "We already have Wilbur and Tommy, and if I'm not mistaken, Ranboo knows both Phil and me." He looked to Phil for confirmation, who nodded in return.
   "I wouldn't want to ask that of you, but I feel it may be my only option." Otelin gave a bitter laugh. 
   “Tommy could use some more friends anyway, he seems to get along well with Ranboo.” Techno shrugged, “And I believe it’s the same case with him? He doesn’t get to meet many people. So, even if you do live, it may be a good idea to let him live here for a while anyway.” 
   Techno’s words visibly calmed Otelin, “Yes, I suppose so.” He took in a breath and breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, your majesty. Normally, I wouldn’t take you up on such an offer, but I cannot allow my son to take on such a great responsibility at such a young age. It breaks my heart to even think of it.” He hesitated for a moment, “His amnesia would only make it worse for him to be a king now, it will improve as time goes on but as of right now… He’s simply unfit to lead, not only because of his age.”
   “I understand. These are incredibly unfortunate circumstances and it can’t be easy to make this decision.” Techno gave him a sympathetic smile. 
   “I just want the best for him, as any father would.”

   Tommy groaned as he woke up, the sound of crying interrupting his nap. He rubbed at his eyes as a guard came in to see what the problem was, shortly followed by Flora. Tommy heard Tubbo waking up somewhere near him as Flora picked Ranboo up from the pile of pillows and blankets in the corner of the room. 
   “Why’s he crying?” Tommy asked, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.
   “He doesn’t know where he is, I’m going to take him to his father.” She gave a polite bow before she hurried out of the room, holding Ranboo on her hip. 
   The guard turned to Tommy and Tubbo, “Are you alright, your highness?”
   Tommy gave a small nod as he yawned.
   “You slept through lunch, if you’d like something to eat, let me know.” Tommy nodded and the man bowed before leaving the room. 
   Tubbo yawned beside him, “What was that about? I was sleepin’” 
   “Ranboo forgot where he was so he was scared… I think.” Tommy explained. Tubbo nodded. “Maybe we shouldn’t have taken a nap with him.”
   “Maybe, but he seemed so tired, I’d feel awful if we didn’t.”
   “He’s just scared now, though.”
   Tubbo hummed before falling back onto the bed with a dull thud. “I’m hungry.” He said after a moment of silence. 
   Tommy made an affirming noise as he rubbed at his face, trying to get the sleep from his eyes.

Chapter Text

   “I’m sorry that I couldn’t love you.” The king said, not daring to meet his wife’s gaze as she watched him leaning on the balcony’s railing. The guilt felt heavy in his chest as he watched the stars. It was an unusually clear night, with not a cloud in sight to block the twinkling, distant lights or the waning crescent moon illuminating the night. “You understand that you were a necessity, I tried to love you, I tried to move on but…” Otelin swallowed the lump in his throat. 
   He was more put together usually but admitting this on their balcony in the dim light of the moon, he couldn’t help but be anxious. It was his last night there before he went off to fight with his soldiers and while he didn’t feel guilty for that, leaving his son behind made his heart sink. Otelin knew that his son, his heir, had nobody else to fall back on. Ranboo didn’t remember anybody else’s face or voice. Even Flora was forgotten sometimes. Knowing that he was leaving his son behind, possibly never coming back, it made him uncharacteristically emotional. The very idea of it had brought him to tears just days before. 
   “...My heart belongs to the stars.” 
   “I know.” Ambrosia’s voice was unexpectedly steady, although Otelin wouldn’t dare to look at her, afraid of the expression he may be faced with. “She bore your son, your only child, the heir to your throne. Your pride and joy.” There was a humorous tone to her voice, with an edge of bitterness that he couldn't ignore no matter how hard he tried. "I could never be what she is. I know that." She huffed a bitter laugh. "Your heart belongs to the stars and I can't blame you for it. Some say that men can only fall in love once. They look for their first love in every other woman they court."
   Otelin gave a half-hearted laugh, "I suppose there is an air of truth to that." He watched a bird fly past, "I was married to her for longer than I've been king. She is the only person I could ever see myself loving. We were married days after my eleventh birthday. I was her husband years before I even considered being king." 
   He hesitated, looking down at his trembling hands, holding onto the railing as if he would fall if he didn't. It had been years since she passed, three years. Although, she had told him once that she was truly dead the day they found out about her illness. Doomed to slowly lose her bodily functions as the years went by. In the end, it took three years for it to kill her, blind and unable to move even an inch without assistance. It was a horrible fate, the disease named accordingly, devil's fever. Deadly and evil. 
   He wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. Perhaps it was something that the Ancient one could be deserving of, the atrocities that being committed were unmatched, to believe it was once human gave Otelin a sick feeling that somehow managed to seep its way into his soul, sitting there, stubborn and disgusting as he dwelled on the thought. He had wondered a few times if the same could happen to their good kings, Technoblade and Philza. He hadn't entertained it for too long, the men who had offered to watch and raise his heir if he meets his maker because of this war. 
   Ambrosia swallowed audibly, staring off into the dark night, "She was taken far too soon." She said, voice wavering ever so slightly.
He knew that. He didn't need to be told, though it gave him a small sense of comfort, having someone else say it to him. While he had heard it many times, mostly at her funeral, from advisors and lords, it meant something coming from his wife. The woman he was supposed to love. Their marriage felt fake, the union of two lovers twisted to be this, nothing but a necessity so that Otelin could remain king. Tradition says that he should have had multiple lovers, one spouse and various other people that he could call his lover should one die. He didn't have the heart to do that, though. His heart belonged to her and nobody else. 
   "I only ever saw her in her worst days, months, weeks before she passed on, but she was wonderful. She couldn't see me, yet she told me she knew I was beautiful, the gods told her, or so she said." Ambrosia snickered, "For the sake of my ego, I'll believe that is true. Perhaps Lady Death told her as she neared Neaphea." She was quiet for a moment, but Otelin didn't dare to speak, she had more to say. "If anyone were to be blessed with Lady Death's presence, it'd be her." 
   The king nodded slightly, taking another glance at the stars, at Neaphea, her resting place. 
   "If you do die, I hope you meet her there. Rest your heart where it belongs." 
A moment of silence passed as a breeze rustled the leaves of the forest below. The king felt his eyes well with tears, an unusual show of vulnerability. He blinked them away and a few drops of salty water fell onto his hand.
   "Thank you."

   "Ranboo, my sweet, there you are!" The king exclaimed as his son ran into his arms, Flora following slowly after him. 
   The boy's long dual-coloured hair flowed behind him in a somewhat dramatic flurry, not yet tied as it usually was. The boy hadn't even changed out of his sleepwear yet, the white silk pyjamas were very different to Otelin's blue and gold uniform. Although it was different to the soldiers that served under him, it still matched, although his was decorated with gold instead of silver, a show of power and status. As if his crown and various medallions weren't enough. 
   "F-F-Flora told me t-that yyou wanted t-to see m-me." He smiled up at his father, his eyes sparkling as he looked up with adoration. Otelin's heart melted at the boy's expression, even though he had seen it a hundred times before. 
   "That's right! We have a lot to do today since I'm going away for a while later this evening." His tone was soft. Ranboo had been told many times over the past month or so that his father would be leaving, but Otelin knew he wouldn't remember that. He looked hurt. "I'll be back very soon. I have important things to tend to but I'll be back in no time, I swear." 
   Ranboo looked at his father with sad eyes, the heartbreak visible on the sweet child's face. "When is soon?" He asked, voice much less enthusiastic now. 
   Otelin hesitated, looking over his son's face. "No more than a month, okay? I promise, I'll be back before the Final Sunset and we'll throw a big party this year." 
   That made the boy cheer up. The Final Sunset was his favourite celebration, praying for a good year and appreciating those they loved. The festivities had been put off for the last three years, the Queen had died, Ranboo's injury and then just a lack of time to prepare. This year though was supposed to be the biggest Final Sunset party yet, Ranboo had been helping his father plan it for the past year. Ranboo often forgot the things he had already suggested and arranged, but the king didn't mind, he had eternal patience for the heir to his throne. 
   "Oh, about that! Can- Can we do gifts this year?" He had suggested that three or four times now, but the king pretended to ponder it for a moment. 
   "Hmm… It's not very traditional…" He said in a fake warning tone. The tradition was to use other means to make loved ones feel appreciated, the gifts were meant for the gods during that time of year, offerings to ensure prosperity for their country and happiness for their friends and family.    "However, I think, we can make an exception for this year." He winked at the boy, who lit up with excitement. "I know you love getting gifts from all of the citizens, eh?" He laughed. 
   "He takes after you, your majesty." Flora snickered softly as Ranboo stifled his own giggles. 
   "How dare you, honestly." The king joked, rolling his eyes. He looked down at his son, patting his shoulders, "Right," he stood up with a strained groan,    "You, your highness, need to get dressed and ready, go on." 
Ranboo went back to Flora, holding onto her skirt as she bowed. The king smiled as he watched them leave the room, heavy doors shutting behind them with a click. He sighed contently. His son was happy, even if it was because of a lie. 
   His expression turned grim as that thought came to his mind. The king took a breath as he heard his heart thrum against his ribs. He dismissed his guards with a wave of his hand and turned to leave the room via the door on his right. He headed off towards the chapel, taking a shortcut through the courtyard. He needed to pray; to whatever god would listen to him. Not for his safety. He wasn't particularly worried about himself. He was worried for Ranboo. 
   The boy deserved a good life, long and happy. So, his father prayed. It had become a part of his daily worship to ask the gods to allow his son prosperity and peace as he grew. With the war that had been started, though, the king wasn't too sure that his praying had worked. He could only hope that Ranboo would be in safe hands if he died. He hoped that Ranboo would understand. As much as a nine-year-old can, anyway. 
   Otelin removed his crown, setting it down on the altar as he knelt before it, throwing his cloak backwards so he wouldn't sit on it. Closing his eyes, he put his hands on the holy book, one on top of the other. He muttered his usual prayer under his breath, asking that his loved ones be allowed to live happily and in peace, that his late wife be treated well in Neaphea while she waited for him. Give her my place until I am there to take it, he asked, the same as he did every night since she passed, holding that black, deadly rose that he kept in her name, her rose, her life, now withered evermore. 
   He didn’t need to pray for her safety every night, he’d gotten enough signs by now that she had passed on safely, that she was waiting for him in Neaphea, at peace. It felt wrong to leave her out of his prayers though, so the king had prayed for her every night. The god he worshipped, the Goddess of Fate, had been very patient with him in regards to his nightly prayers for his wife, giving him sign after sign that she was safe, his prayers had been answered time after time. He would continue to pray for her, though. She and his son were the only two people that Otelin would ever put above himself, his queen and their crown prince. 
   With Ranboo in mind, he finished his prayer. Normally, there was a ritual that would follow his morning prayers, but he was sure the Goddess would understand why he had to finish so quickly. His son needed him, their time together was limited and the king couldn’t be sure that he would ever see his son after today. This was important. 
   With a bow and a whispered thanks to the Goddess, he took his crown back, placing it on his head again. As he left the chapel, a crow landed on the windowsill opposite him and he stopped in his tracks to watch it. It looked at him for a moment longer than he would have liked, a feeling of dread washing over him. He couldn’t help but wonder if that was his sign, a warning. Although the sound was muffled by the glass, the bird cawed at him, tilting its head to the side. As his heart sank, weighted down by dread, he couldn’t help but feel that his time with Ranboo today was more important. This was his sign, that bird, the omen of death. It gave his final day with the prince much more importance. 
   “Dad!” His son’s voice came down the hall along with a pair of footsteps approaching. 
   The king looked over quickly but looked back to the window as he caught sight of the corvid taking off. His eyes lingered where the bird had been. 
   “W-Wha- What are you l- looking at?” Ranboo asked quietly as he reached his father’s side, following his gaze to look at the window. 
Otelin shook his head, shutting his eyes as he tried to forget about the bird and shake off the feeling of dread that lay heavy on his soul. “Just a bird, Ranboo.” He smiled down at his son, now dressed and neat. 
   The boy’s hair was tied up into a bun as usual, with a braid on either side of his head, the black and white strands twisting together. Flora was brilliant with the boy’s hair, she always had been. It was one of the reasons that Otelin had hired her to be his aide. He was no good at doing hair, it had always been done for him and he had no reason to learn until he was too busy to devote time to it. His wife knew how to do it and before she died, she did Ranboo’s hair. Now, Flora had to do it. Not only was it her job, but Ranboo wouldn’t let anybody else touch his hair. If Flora couldn’t do it, then nobody would. He would rather just stay inside all day, it was easier that way, in the prince’s mind. 
   “Let’s go for breakfast, eh?” Otelin smiled at him, ignoring the crow landing on the windowsill again, a small bone in its beak. 

   After Ranboo’s accident two years ago, he hadn’t been allowed to ride a horse alone, usually riding with the king. Sometimes, he’d ride with Flora, but usually not, Otelin’s paranoia not letting his son be far from him when they were on the horses. Ranboo had his own horse, he loved the stallion dearly, but he was only allowed to ride it under strict supervision and in the palace courtyard. So, when they went hunting, Ranboo sat in front of his father on his horse. 
   The king was careful to keep Ranboo out of his way as he shot his bow at the foxes and rabbits that lived in the forests in and around Volaris. The animal collapsed as the arrow hit it, falling to the ground with a dull thud that Ranboo could only just hear from where he was standing with Flora, her hands resting on his shoulders. Otelin turned to his son, who smiled. As their guards congratulated their king, Ranboo moved away from Flora to stand at his father’s side, who had already turned to look at another rabbit, hushing the soldiers. 
   He motioned for one of them to pass Ranboo his own bow, much smaller and lighter than the kings, easier for him to shoot. He wasn’t very good at it yet, but he was getting better, slowly. It was harder with his amnesia, but he was slowly learning to shoot better. While he was no expert, he was hardly even a beginner, he was improving, even if nobody but the king and the prince’s aide noticed. Ranboo took his bow from one of the guards as Otelin grabbed his quiver and took an arrow from it. Otelin knelt down beside his son, guiding his hands to hold the bow properly, steadying his shaking hands. He passed Ranboo the arrow and helped his son position it correctly, coming closer to aim the weapon for him. 
   The white rabbit stood out against the dark greens and browns of the forest, so it was an easy target for the crown prince. He drew back the string until he couldn’t anymore and took a moment to readjust his aim, taking a steadying breath as he watched the small animal’s ears twitch as it heard something that Ranboo couldn’t. The veil made it harder for him to see it, but he had always managed before, this time would be no different, he assured himself. Everything seemed to fall silent for a second as he released the string, shooting the arrow right into the rabbit’s side. It let out a squeal as it fell. 
   Ranboo smiled, a little shocked that he had actually done it this time. He looked to his left for his father’s approval, revelling in the pride on the king’s face. The king wrapped his arm around his son, pulling him to his side for a hug.
   “Well done, Ranboo! You’re getting so good at this!” He laughed as the boy dropped his bow to hug him tightly.
   “I did it!” The price exclaimed, practically shaking in excitement. He pushed the king away, who let go of the boy quickly, “Flora! I-I shot the- the rabbit!” He said, looking at the avian woman.
   “Yes, I saw, well done!” She clapped her hands as Ranboo laughed excitedly. 
The guards picked up the prince and the king’s bows as another went to pick up the rabbits and retrieve their arrows. 

   “Your mother loved it here,” Otelin said, sitting down on the rock beside his son, who stared in awe at the waterfall in front of them. 
He had never been there before, Otelin had always been too cautious to allow his son near the long falls and sheer drops around that area of the forest. He wanted to be here with his son though, even if it was only once. Ranboo had always loved the painting of it that his mother had made, years before he was born. He always wanted to see it. Otelin started avoiding it after she passed, but it felt cruel to not let Ranboo see it. The king wished that he could be here with his wife and his son, just once. If he could have anything imaginable, it would be that. 
   Now, he regretted not bringing Ranboo here sooner. He was always too scared of him getting hurt. That was the reason he told Ambrosia every time she asked, anyway. In truth, being there made his heart ache. It was her favourite place, she’d nag him to take her there every chance she could, just so she could sit with him in peace, away from the palace and capital city, away from all of their responsibilities. It was her way of forcing the king to take a break every once in a while. Otelin couldn’t stand being there alone, it felt wrong. She should be there with them. 
   At least Ranboo was still there. He wasn’t going to die anytime soon. Not in Otelin’s lifetime anyway, he assured himself. 
   “Star- stargazing w-would be nice here,” Ranboo said, pointing up at the sky, unobscured by the trees like the rest of the area was. Here, there was a clearing in the thick foliage. 
   Otelin smiled and laughed under his breath, “I knew you’d say something like that.” 
   Ranboo had always loved the stars, Otelin would often find him on a balcony looking up at the night sky, a book of constellations by his side as he traced the shapes with his finger. There were many pages in his memory book dedicated to the stars he saw, what he thought of them and which constellations they were a part of, so he could never forget. He didn’t want to forget the stars, he had said many times by now, he could forget everything else, but not the stars. The twinkling lights illuminating the dark sky, a gift from the gods to help their people navigate and remember. Ranboo knew a lot about them. He read in a book that they were important because of the gods and had been enthralled by them ever since. When Otelin told him that every star was another world, he was amazed. Otelin cherished that memory. 
   “Can we stargaze here one day?” The prince asked, turning to look at his father hopefully. 
   Otelin opened his mouth to speak but closed it again when that feeling crept up on him. He forced the tears away and smiled, “...Of course.”
He felt bad for lying, but the way his son’s face lit up with excitement made him feel at least a little better about it. It was worth it if he could see Ranboo happy. 

   “I promise I’ll be back soon, petal. Have I ever left home for more than a month without you?” Otelin smiled, stroking the prince’s hair as he hugged him tightly. 
Ranboo sniffled as he turned his face into the king’s neck. “N-no.”
   “Then you have nothing to worry about.” Otelin pushed the boy away to look at his face, wet with tears. “As I said, I’ll be back before The Final Sunset. I promise.”
   That would be the first and last promise to his son that he broke. He just wanted the boy to stop crying, it could hurt him. Otelin could feel the sting from the tears on his skin already, he didn’t want the prince to be in pain. Ranboo was particularly sensitive to water, they never worked out why. It may have been from his mother’s side, but they had no way of knowing. 
   “Now, stop crying,” He said gently, watching his son comply, rubbing his face on his sleeve. “Come here.” Otelin pulled him in again, a heavy weight settling in his gut as he mumbled into the boy’s hair, “I’ll come home.” 
He felt tears in his own eyes, holding his son a little tighter as he heard the door open. 
   “Your majesty, we must leave.” 
   Otelin took a deep breath, steadying himself before he pushed Ranboo away again. He glanced over his shoulder at the general, flashing them a smile before he turned back to the prince, whose eyes were already welling with tears again. He shushed him, brushing the stray strands of hair from his face and kissing his forehead gently. 
   “I love you, sweetheart.” He muttered. 
   “Love- love you too, papa.” His voice broke and wavered as he brought his hand back to his face to wipe at the fresh tears threatening to spill from his mismatched eyes. 
   The king took another breath before he stood up, smiling at Ambrosia as their eyes met. A part of his brain screamed to kiss her, just once, once before he died. He couldn’t bring himself to, no matter how heavy that feeling pulling his heart down became. His eyes flickered away from hers. 
   The king looked at Flora, who held the crown prince close, doing her best to calm his cries. “Take care of him.” He said quietly, afraid that if he spoke any louder that his son would be able to tell that he was on the verge of tears himself. He couldn’t let his son see that. 
   Flora nodded.
   Otelin turned away, letting the general lead him away. 
   The crow from earlier that morning returned, clutching a bone in its talons. 

Chapter Text

   The king fell, knees hitting the smooth marble with a painful thud. His crown clattered to the floor. He caught himself before he could fall forward, grabbing the hilt of his sword again despite the fact that his body was screaming for him to lay down and rest, let go. Everything hurt, he was exhausted. Otelin was covered in dirt and blood, his own and others, the now brown stains on his clothes and body a display of the men he had fought to get here. It had always been his belief that a king should fight alongside his men, on the front lines. Protect his country and his people. Even if his mind screamed at him to give up, let his body go and rest. 
   He couldn’t. He had come so far, he wasn’t going to give up now. He has the prince here, he could end this. 
   Otelin pushed himself up, trying to stand despite any and all pain he felt. 
   “This is ending. Here and now.” The masked prince said, Otelin could hear the smile in his voice even though he couldn’t see it. 
   “Yes, it is,” Otelin replies through heavy breaths. 
   “I’ll give you a choice,” Clay says, taking a step away from Otelin. “You can join me, leave the Solleapean Empire and this war can end...”
   “I’d rather die.” He spat without a second thought. 
   “Great, because that was the second option!” The joy in the prince’s voice disturbed the king. 
   Clay, the crown prince of Travaiwen. He was only sixteen, convinced he was the next immortal. He was delusional, Otelin thought. Most people would agree. Clay was insane, just like every other person who claimed The Immortality was theirs to take. 
   Otelin swallowed as he struggled to stand, ready to fight the boy again. 
   That crow came to mind as he adjusted his grip on his sword. This wasn’t a battle that he could win. He knew that. 
   He would still fight until he couldn’t anymore. 
   For his people, for the men still fighting in his name on the battlefield.
   For The Immortality.
   For his family. 
   For Ranboo.
   Otelin would fight. 
   He had to. 
   Clay ran at him once more. Otelin muttered a prayer as he fought. 
   As Clay’s sword went through his stomach, he prayed for his son and through shaky breaths, he finished his final prayer. 
   It hurt worse than any pain he had felt before, the blade moving as he struggled to breathe. 
   He fell to the ground as the blade was retracted. 
   Otelin is exhausted. 
   Clay watches the king close his eyes before his now lifeless body falls to the ground.
   He turned away, to where Otelin’s crown lay on the ground. He knelt down to pick it up, turning it over in his hands, taking in every detail of the headdress. 
   The prince smiles as he puts it on his head. 
   He breathes a sigh of relief. 
   He feels powerful.

   The Final Sunset was celebrated almost everywhere in the world, although many people celebrated it differently. The most common way was parties, gatherings where people got together to celebrate their year, all of their achievements and the things that had changed. Festivals were another thing, many places held grand festivals to celebrate the coming year. 
   It had changed a lot since it was first introduced as a holiday, thousands of years ago. It began as a day to celebrate the fall of the Ancient One and the better years to come. It changed because of a king some thousand years ago, his grand party for the celebration changed a lot about how people celebrated the new year. It started as small gatherings, thanking and celebrating the soldiers that fought in the war against it. In reality, the celebration was for the new immortals, Techno and Phil. It had taken them centuries to realise that the cheers as the sun set over the horizon were for them. The songs they sang, and the prayers they muttered were for the new immortals who took down the being that terrorized the world for so long. 
   When they became kings, the festivities surrounding the holiday became much bigger, celebrating the immortals. So, Phil and Techno decided to celebrate their victories with grand parties and festivals. Alladell was home to the biggest celebration of The Final Sunset in the country, possibly the world. All countries under their rule had grand celebrations too. Alladell's celebrations could only be challenged by Pexilia, whose Queen was a big fan of all things festive. Every holiday there was celebrated massively, even small ones or ones from religions other than her own. Every day could be a holiday for her.
   So, when the time of year came, when the snow began to blanket the land and the skies darkened in the afternoon, the city began to prepare. For the royal family, this meant Techno and Phil were a lot busier than usual. For Tommy, this meant less time with his father. In previous years, it'd been hellish, an awful thing that Tommy simply couldn't handle. He would cry and sulk and refuse to leave his bed or eat or drink. This year, Tommy had Tubbo to entertain him, much to his family's relief. 
   Then, a few weeks before the festivities began, Ranboo came back, nervously fiddling with his hands, holding Flora's skirt tightly. When Tommy went to the drawing room to see his father, the kings were talking to the Tedian prince and his aide. 
   "...What is he doing here?" The blonde asked, trying to rub the lingering feeling of sleep out of his eyes. The guard that was walking with him left the room, the door shutting with a click behind him. 
   Phil smiled, "He's going to be staying with us while his father is… away." The hesitation should have set something off in Tommy's mind, but he was far too tired to register it.
   The prince nodded before sitting on the couch next to his brother, who was curled into himself, reading a book and ignoring the conversation entirely.
   "Where is his dad?" Tommy asked, pulling his legs up onto the sofa, mirroring the way Wilbur was sitting.
   There was a moment of silence before Phil answered. "At war." He replied, looking away from the Tedian prince and his aide. "We don't know when this will be over, so, Ranboo is staying here, so we can take care of him."
Tommy gasped, suddenly feeling very awake and alert. "Is he like my new brother then?" He asked, smiling in excitement. Wilbur was great, but Tommy would die for another brother closer to his age. 
   Phil thought about it for a moment, "I suppose so, if that's how you want to think of it."
   “Finally! I’m sick of Wilbur, I need a new brother, a better one!” He said, noticing the way that Wilbur pretended that he didn’t care or notice, even though Tommy knew that he definitely did. He wasn’t that enraptured by his book, he probably wasn’t even reading, Tommy thought, he was most likely just using the book to seem like he didn’t care, as he usually did. The youngest prince turned his attention to Ranboo, “I’m the best brother you could ever want!” 
   Tommy didn’t notice Wilbur rolling his eyes or hear the words he muttered under his breath. If he had, he probably would’ve been hurt by it, but he was focused on Ranboo, his new brother, the brother that liked him more, he wasn’t paying attention to Wilbur. Ranboo noticed, though. Ranboo tended to notice things that other people didn’t. As he took a quick glance around the room, he realised that he might have been the only one that noticed. Wilbur didn’t like his brother, he took a mental note. He’d have to write it down before he forgot. 
   He tugged on Flora’s skirt to ask for his book, where he wrote things that he was likely to forget. It helped him when he had to remember important things at a later date, like when things were supposed to happen or people’s names and what they looked like. He had multiple now, all full of notes and drawings and whatever else he felt like putting in there. Flora had told him a few times that if you looked through all of the journals, you could see Ranboo grow up in a way, watch his handwriting and drawings improve, his descriptions, and read about most things he had done in a day. Flora liked reading through his journals, Ranboo had noticed. He hadn’t written that. He didn’t want her to find out that he knew. Not yet.
   His aide grabbed the book from the table behind her and passed it to Ranboo, followed by a quill and a pot of ink. Ranboo set them down on the floor and flipped to the new page. He quickly scribbled down some notes; Wilbur doesn’t like Tommy much, Tommy is my brother now? I think? He ignored anything that was happening around him, the adults started talking again and he could hear    Tommy starting to rant at Wilbur, who, as far as Ranboo could tell, really wasn’t interested. He wrote down a few more things, a reminder to map out the palace and read about the country a little more if he got the time. The two countries were very different and Ranboo hadn’t been reading about it as much as he should’ve, he didn’t think he’d be staying here for as long as he was.
   There was a knock at the door before it opened slowly, “Breakfast is ready.” A woman said softly from the doorway. Ranboo didn’t look up from his book. 
   “Great, I’ll be off then, enjoy your food and I may see you later,” Phil said with a smile. Ranboo looked up in confusion, why wasn’t Phil going to eat breakfast with them? Was that normal? Did he not usually eat because of his immortality? The Tedian prince scribbled the questions down in his journal before hurrying to stand as Flora tapped him with her wing.
   Tommy jumped up from the sofa and rushed over to his father to hug him before he left. Phil ruffled his hair quickly before gently pushing the boy away to leave. Flora went down to pick up Ranboo’s things as Wilbur stood up with a tired seeming sigh. Ranboo watched him put his book down and walk over to Techno, hitting his head on the king’s shoulder, causing the man to snicker fondly at his son. Tommy watched Phil leave with a pout before coming over to Ranboo. 
   “C’mon, we’ll go eat and then I’ll take you around the palace if you want!” The blonde smiled, a bright toothy grin. Ranboo had heard people talk about Tommy many times, the prince of the sun, so they said. He had never believed it, but looking at the blonde now, with his bright smile and eyes like the summer sky, he saw it. He saw the sun in Tommy, energy and confidence and a presence that could make even the most negative of people brighten up a little bit.
   Ranboo smiled back at him and took his hand as Flora passed his journal to one of his guards.

   Wilbur only briefly glanced behind him when he heard the door to the library open before pulling his focus back to his book. He’d read this one a few times now, it was one of his favourites, a fantasy novel that he had stolen from Phil years ago. Techno got him a copy of his own that sat mostly untouched on a shelf in his bedroom. He read the copy that was kept in the library, so he wouldn’t risk damaging his own. He didn’t like breaking or damaging his things and the thought of it made his heart hurt. Especially that book. 
   He looked up when he saw black and white hair in the corner of his eye, looking at the Tedian prince. Ranboo jumped when he was noticed, giving a small yelp. He offered Wilbur a nervous smile. Wilbur tried not to look so annoyed by his presence but he was never good at hiding his expressions. He put the book down, making a mental note of the page he was on. Ranboo seemed like he wanted to say something, so Wilbur prepared to listen, but nothing came. He obviously had something to say, but couldn’t seem to get it out. Wilbur knew the feeling, although he was most definitely not as anxious as    Ranboo was by a long shot. 
   Ranboo stammered something that Wilbur couldn’t make sense of, it sounded like English but he couldn’t be sure. While Wilbur did know a decent amount of Endoshi, Ranboo’s stutter made it difficult to know what he was trying to get out. 
   “⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⍜☍⏃⊬?” Are you okay? Wilbur asked softly. He was good at being patient with anybody but Tommy, especially younger children. Ranboo was only nine, Wilbur knew how anxious he was at Ranboo’s age, so it was easy to be gentle with him. 
   “⎍⊑- ⊬-⊬⟒⏃⊑! ⟟- ⎍⊑- ⟟ ⟊⎍⌇⏁ ⍙⏃⋏⏁⟒⎅ ⏁-⏁⍜ ☍⋏⍜⍙- ⍙⊑⏃⏁- ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⊬⍜⎍'⍀⟒ ⍀⍀⍀⟒- ⍀⟒⏃⎅⟟⋏☌." Uh- y-yeah! I- uh- I just wanted t-to know- what- what you're rrre- reading. Ranboo stammered out, seeming a lot more confident speaking his mother tongue, which Wilbur could understand, of course, it’d be easier for him to speak his native language.
   Wilbur smiled, “⟟⏁'⌇ ☊⏃⌰⌰⟒⎅ ⎎⍀⟒⟒⎎⏃⌰⌰, ⟟ ☊⏃⋏ ⌰⟒⋏⎅ ⊬⍜⎍ ⏃ ☊⍜⌿⊬ ⟟⎎ ⊬⍜⎍ ⍙⏃⋏⏁ ⏁⍜ ⍀⟒⏃⎅ ⟟⏁.” It's called Freefall, I can lend you a copy if you want to read it. “⟟⏁'⌇ ⋔⊬ ⎎⏃⎐⍜⎍⍀⟟⏁⟒ ⏚⍜⍜☍.” It’s my favourite book.
   “C-could you- uh- tell-tell me aaabout it?” Ranboo asked, shuffling his hands nervously.
   Wilbur tried to conceal his excitement, but being given the opportunity to talk about his favourite story was not something he was given often. “Of course! Come sit.” He said, gesturing to a nearby chair that Ranboo could drag to the desk he was sitting at. 
   Ranboo seemed happy as he brought the chair over to sit with Wilbur. He listened to Wilbur go on about the book, the characters and the plot. It was something about a revolutionary war, a small nation taking its independence by force from tyrannical rulers. All set in a world very different from their own, seemingly based somewhere around the time of the Ancient One, with various monstrous creatures and horrors that Ranboo could only hope were never real. Wilbur seemed very excited by the book and all of its different aspects. He admitted, at some point, that one of the characters was very much like him, the leader of the revolutionary war, Sorin. 
   Wilbur only ended up stopping his ramble because somebody came to get him. He was needed for something. He left the book with Ranboo and told him to read it if he ever got the chance before he hurried off with the man who came in to get him. Ranboo took the book with him to the second floor of the library, going off to sit in an alcove to read alone for a while. Tommy had been taken off by Techno some time ago and Tubbo went off with his mother a while before that.
   Ranboo wanted to talk to Wilbur since he never really got the chance. He was glad he got to speak about something that Wilbur seemed to be so passionate about. Tommy told him that he also liked music, which Ranboo also enjoyed, so he had expected to talk about that. Things ended up rather differently though, which was okay, it happened. He wished it wouldn’t, but there were some things that can’t be changed, and that was fine. Especially in a new place, things are different here than at home in Tedia, Ranboo knew. Things weren’t going to go his way. He’d get used to it eventually. Surely. He would have to, he reminded himself. This is home now. He couldn’t go back to Tedia. Not for a long while. 
   He wasn’t supposed to know that. He overheard Flora talking to Techno late in the night a few days ago. He wasn’t going home until his father came back.
His father wasn’t coming back. 
   Ranboo brought his knees up to his chest as he remembered that. Flora’s words had never hurt so much.
   “I don’t know how to tell him,” She had said, her sweet voice shaking slightly, “I don’t want to tell him that Otelin is dead, how could I?”

   “Are you sure you’re not cold? It’s freezing out here, Tubs!” Tommy said, pulling his cloak closer to him as a shiver wracked his body. 
   “I’m fine, you’re a frail little prince, I’m a satyr, I can handle a bit of snow!” Tubbo laughed it off. Ranboo could see his hands trembling. “But either way, fur-lined clothes cost a lot, not really worth it.” He shrugged before trying his best to force away the shiver that went up his spine. 
   “I have spares-” 
   “No, it’s fine, Toms, really! Like I said, I can handle the cold better than you!” 
   Ranboo could believe that; Tommy didn’t seem to be able to deal with the cold well at all. His nose and ears were red the moment they stepped outside. He shivered when they were inside, too, despite always being bundled in warm, fluffy clothes most of the time. Tommy just couldn’t cope with the cold. Tubbo seemed like he was a lot more capable, but that didn’t mean that his hands weren’t trembling. The clothes he was wearing couldn’t have been warm enough for the freezing temperatures of the winter here. It was a lot colder in Alladell during the winter than in a lot of other places.
   There was no way that Tubbo wasn’t cold, but he brushed it off, laughed and dismissed the two princes whenever they brought it up. He’d been doing it for days, ignoring the cold seeping right into his bones. His soul felt cold, but he ignored it as much as he could. His mother couldn’t afford the fur-lined clothes that Ranboo and Tommy wore and he wouldn’t want to take things that weren’t his. He wouldn’t dare ask or suggest that he have one of Tommy’s. No way, he thought, he’d warm up by the fire later. 
   “Hey!” A familiar voice called from inside. The trio looked over, Techno was standing there in the doorway, something blue draped over his arm. “Toby, c’mere.” He nodded his head inside the palace.
   Tubbo hesitated for only a moment, looking at Tommy for reassurance before he made his way over to the king, a knot of anxiety pulling tight as he walked to Techno. He wasn’t sure if he was scared because Techno was the king or because he was so intimidating. Tubbo was small. Very small. Techno was a giant compared to him. Of course, he was an adult, he was going to be taller than a seven-year-old, but Techno was bigger than most people. The king stepped back inside the palace as Tubbo reached him, the boy following him inside. Before Tubbo could ask what he wanted, Techno took the blue fabric draped over his arm and wrapped it around the small brunet's shoulders.
   “It’s one of Wilbur’s old ones, keep it.” He said as he clicked the clasp into place, securing it on Tubbo’s shoulders. “I’ll get you one made soon, but this’ll do for now. I know Wilbur was taller than you are, so, sorry about that.” Tubbo stood in silent shock. The king ruffled his hair with a smile, “Go on, go play. And stop lying about being cold, you could get hypothermia.”
   Techno turned on his heel and walked away. 
   Tubbo stood there stupidly for a moment before turning and going back outside to join Ranboo and Tommy. He pulled the hood of the cloak over his head, relishing the feeling of the soft fur on his skin. Tommy smiled with excitement as he ran to Tubbo, Ranboo walking not far behind. 
   “I knew you were lying to me! How could you?” Tommy laughed as he wrapped his arm around Tubbo’s shoulders. "You can ask me for things. You're allowed to. Especially at this time of year!" 
   "Y-your- your father is a-a soldier, right?" Ranboo asked. Tubbo gave a small nod. "In that case, you should be expecting gifts, no?"
Tommy spoke before Tubbo could, "Yeah! Your dad is fighting for us, just like the men fought for our right to live with dad and Techno! You should be getting gifts!"
   "Not from the royal family!" Tubbo exclaimed in shock. "We were living on the streets a couple of years ago, this is weird for me." He lowered his voice to a quiet mutter, pulling the fluffy cloak closer to himself.
   "Well, it's different now. You're my best friend, you can ask for anything you want or need." Somehow, Tommy's smile warmed Tubbo's chest more than the cloak ever could. Like warm sun on his skin in the summer, seeing Tommy's smile was something he would never get tired of.

   "So, yeah, my dad hasn't spoken to me for almost two weeks, hell, he hasn't even looked at me," Wilbur said, rolling his eyes as he tucked into the alcove a little more.
   He was used to being ignored by his father, of course, he was, Phil hadn't been paying attention to him for almost a decade now. However, it hurt more at this time of year. When Phil was paying attention to everyone else. People he had never met, people he would never meet again, they were getting more care than Wilbur was. It hurt a lot, especially since this was a time to love your family and appreciate them. Wilbur found it hard to appreciate Phil, even if the holiday was in part made about him. It was hard to celebrate the man when he was the root cause of most of Wilbur's problems.
   "He's a busy man, I'm sure it'll get better after it's over, it always does." Niki's soft voice and comforting smile made Wilbur feel at least a little better. She was right, it would be fine once the new year rolls around and there's no more preparation to do. 
   "Still hurts though," Wilbur muttered, hiding his face in his cloak, the soft fur making him feel safer. 
   "I know, Wil, but you'll be okay, it'll pass." She put a hand on his arm, a small, comforting gesture that Wilbur appreciated greatly. Niki was great at this. 
   "Thank you," The prince muttered, smiling behind the fabric of his cloak. 
It was quiet for a moment, neither having anything more to say. They fell into a comfortable silence. Although it was short-lived, it was nice to be there together, a comforting moment of peace and quiet that had been hard to find as of late.
   "Your highness!" A voice cut into the quiet. Wilbur groaned quietly, covering his face with his hands. "His majesty has asked for you in the drawing room." The woman said, ignoring the prince's obvious disdain.
   "What for?" Wilbur grumbled, swinging his legs over the ledge, planting his feet on the floor with a click. 
   "He wants to speak with you about the Final Sunset celebration." 
Wilbur groaned again as he stood up. "Fine, leave, I'll be there shortly." He sighed as the woman nodded curtly and walked away. He turned to Niki again, "With any luck, I'll see you later." 
   She nodded with a sympathetic smile before she spoke, "Hopefully." 

   "So, you aren't homeless anymore?" Wilbur asked, following Jay as he led him towards a small house.
   "This ain't my home! It's Ted's. He's just feeding me and making sure I don't freeze to death." The other boy answered with a shrug. 
   "So, you live with him? In his home?" 
   "No! I go over when I need food or a warm place to sleep, that's all." Jay insisted. "I'm not living with him, that puts too much pressure on the guy."
   "You're very mature for a thirteen-year-old." Wilbur rolled his eyes.
   Jay knocked on the door, ignoring Wilbur's snide comment. It wasn't long before the door opened with a creak and Jay smiled at the man inside. The man inside did not smile. A look of panic painted his features. 
   "Your Highness! I- Wha- why are- um-" He stammered for a while longer before Jay scoffed.
   "Calm down, he's here for me, not you." Jay waved him off dismissively, much to the man's utter horror. "Princey just wanted to hang out, don't freak out, Ted."
   Ted looked mortified at Jay's casual tone, "That's the prince! A royal! The son of The Endless Kings, Jay!" He exclaimed, making various exaggerated hand gestures. 
   Wilbur snickered. "I'm just here to see Jay, honestly. We're… friends?" He wasn't sure about that and he knew that the hesitant tone made Ted more panicked than he already was. "Can we come in? It's cold out here." 
   "Ah! O-of course! Absolutely, your highness, come in, I know it's a mess, I do apologise, I wasn't expecting company." He shot a glare at Jay. 
   Jay walked past him into the house, grabbing Wilbur's wrist with no sort of grace or decorum, dragging him into the house behind him. Wilbur smiled at Ted as he was pulled into his home.

   "So, it's just you three?" Wilbur asked, placing his hot cup of tea down on the counter. 
   "Yep! Just the three of us." He rubbed the back of his neck with a chuckle. "I make the money and do my best to keep them alive and well." 
   "That sounds difficult." 
   "It is sometimes, since my income is mostly whatever the people want to give me that day and my minimum wage. I deliver things for the farmers, mostly milk and cheese and the like." Ted explained, with a soft smile on his face. "It was enough for just me, but then I found Charlie and I couldn't afford meals for both of us some days. And of course, I don't mind, I love both him and Jay to bits, and if them being healthy means I have to skip a few meals then so be it, y'know?" He laughed.
   "How often do you actually eat?" Wilbur asked.
   "Every other day, normally. Sometimes I skip a few days at a time, and that can't be helped, I don't mind, really. It's no big deal." Ted shrugged. "As I said, as long as I can feed Charlie and Jay then I don't mind. It's not like we're living the highlife, but we are living the best life we can right now."
Wilbur hummed, picking up his tea, holding the warm cup in his hands. "How old are you?" 
   "Seventeen, eighteen next week!" 
The prince nodded. "Aren't you a bit young to be taking care of two other children?" 
   "Yes, that's why I can't get the caregiver pay bonus like most parents get. I've explained my situation to the boss, but there's not much he can do since they aren't legally my children and I'm too young to register them as mine." Ted explained, with hand gestures, of course. "And even if I was, that's a long process and I don't have the time for it. Or the money." Although he laughed, Wilbur could tell this wasn’t an easy thing for Ted to talk about.
   “It can’t be easy for you all. I wish there was more I could do to support you without my father’s approval. Especially at this time of year.” Wilbur took a sip of his tea, enjoying the warmth.
   “There’s no need, your Highness, really. Don’t even consider it. There are plenty of people around that are less fortunate than I am, than we are. It'd be unfair to ask for your aid." Ted waved him off with a laugh. "And I doubt the kings would be thrilled to help us anyway!"
   "I suppose, but at least one of them is easily persuaded," Wilbur said, looking down at his cup. "Plus, I'm almost certain that Jay's younger brother is Tommy's best friend." His eyes found Ted's face as his expression changed from confusion to shock. Wilbur almost laughed.
   Ted tried to say something, but the words didn't seem to come to him, stuck in his throat with no way out. 
   "Tommy needed company and Tubbo was the only other child in the palace," Wilbur explained, hoping that was the question that Ted was trying to ask.    "My brother is a very social person, makes friends with everyone that he can, no matter who they are." 
   "Jay is friends with you, Toby is friends with your brother. That is-" He stopped for a second to swallow, "Wow.”
   “Quite a coincidence, huh? I only found out that they were related a few days ago.” Wilbur laughed, rolling his eyes. Tubbo had been talking to Tommy about his family and Wilbur couldn’t help but overhear. Ted hummed in agreement. “However, because of that, I’m sure that we could help you out if you ever need it. I know that Techno, in particular, is happy to help people that are struggling with money, especially at this time of year.”
   “I couldn’t ask that of you.” Ted shook his head, “I appreciate it, but it feels unfair to let you do something like that for me. I’m no different to every other struggling person in this city.”
   Wilbur shrugged, “I understand, but help is available if you need it. Not just for you, of course, as you likely know.” 
   Ted nodded with a laugh, “Yeah, everyone knows how charitable our kings are.” 

   “Thanks, by the way,” Jay said, looking away from Wilbur as he spoke. Wilbur cocked his head to the side in confusion. “For givin’ that stuff to Ted and Charlie.” 
   Wilbur looked at Jay for a moment as he processed his words. He turned away with a laugh, looking down at his feet and the drop below them. “That wasn’t me, it was Techno’s idea.”
   Jay looked at him quickly, a look of shock and confusion on his face, “What do you mean, it was Techno’s idea? The king decided to do that?”
   “Of course. It was also Techno’s idea to give Toby one of my old winter cloaks.” The prince laughed, “Techno does a lot of things that people don’t expect of him. Haven’t you noticed?” 
   “I noticed, I just- I don’t know, I guess I just didn’t think he would do that stuff for like- particular people with no reason. Especially not me, y’know? I know you don’t get it because he’s you dad ‘n all, but for me, for Ted ‘n Charlie? That’s massive!” Jay exclaimed. 
   Wilbur looked at him with a smile, “I know that. Which is why I’m so happy that he did it. It means a lot to people like you.”
   Jay looked at him for a while longer, seemingly processing what Wilbur said, as if it was a shock to him. He hummed with a nod as he looked back down at his feet, at the ground thirty or so feet below them. On the odd occasion that the two spent time together without Niki, they came here. Jay had found the place years ago, an abandoned, broken-down stone building. They found a way up to a balcony three floors up that they could sit on. Wilbur got some of his personal guards to make sure it was stable enough for them to sit there one day while Jay wasn’t with him, just in case. 
   They sat with their legs hanging over the edge, swinging their feet over the greenery below. They could die if they fell and that made it all the more fun. In Jay’s opinion, at least. Wilbur was a lot more cautious and scared when they went there. It was fun, yes, but equally terrifying. He got used to it after a while, his anxiety fading away the longer they were there, but it returned every time Jay led him up there. Despite that, it was one of Wilbur’s favourite places to be, with or without Jay. 
   “I’m not a big fan of you royals,” Jay said after a moment of silence. “You’re full of yourself and everyone knows you can’t be a monarch and a good person.” Wilbur felt guilt tug at his heart. “But sometimes it seems like you ain’t that bad, y’know? I don’t got a clue why the kings decide to give so much to us. Nobody does. Maybe that makes it feel even better, the idea that it might just be- I don’t know- because they want to. Not because they have to.”
   Wilbur hummed to let Jay know that he was listening.
   “Royalty tend not to do that sort of stuff unless they have to. Like the handouts ‘n stuff they do at this time of year. They’re selfish and stuck up and hate everyone that isn’t rich enough to buy the world.” Jay scoffed. “I still don’t like you lot, you are selfish ‘n stuck up. But still… The king, the man who’s killed millions of people, done all of these bad things- he came and gave my friends food and warm clothes because he heard we were struggling.”
   Wilbur hummed again as he looked back at his feet. “Techno and my father are a lot better than many kings and queens of the past.” He agreed, “I suppose that could be because they weren’t always royal, though?”
   “Ah. Yeah, probably…” Jay trailed off. He was quiet for a moment. 

   The day was finally here, the Final Sunset, the end of the year. A day of global celebration. The city of Alladell was lit by countless candles, colourful lanterns and the pink-purple glow of magic. Many people had come to celebrate the holiday in the city, from nearby towns and villages, from other countries, everywhere. People came to enjoy the festival, the market, the food, the performers and some, the grand party held by the kings. Many nobles, dukes and duchesses, lords and ladies and even royals from other countries came for the celebration. Many came to the city to pay their respects to The Endless Kings and the soldiers that were under their command. 
The city was busier on that day than it was any other time of the year. No day was as busy as the last day of the year. The festivities had been in preparation for weeks but had begun at dawn that morning and they would end at dawn the next day. That day, everyone was busy with something. It was always hectic, with too much happening at once with no way to get away from the chaos. Ranboo was particularly stressed by this, when he was home in Tedia, he could hide away for as long as he wanted but it was different here. Tommy was needed, so, Ranboo followed. Like a lost puppy, he stuck by Tommy’s side as he got ready for the party. 
   Of course, he had to get ready as well, do his hair and put on his specially prepared clothes. They were quite different from the traditional clothes of his country. Much more white than Ranboo was used to, much different than the traditional dark colours of his country. The clothes were all some sort of white, gold and red, with the occasional addition of some light blue. He had the choice of what clothes he wanted to wear, he could have worn the clothes he was used to, the long silk robes and dark colours; he felt it’d be better to match with the other royals. Even if it was just for that night. His veil was the only dark part of his outfit, the black, sheer fabric covering his face was the only evidence that he wasn’t from here.
   Ranboo stood as close to Tommy as he could as Phil and Techno thanked their guests, a small speech before the party was in full swing. His heart raced as he took note of how many people were there, some faces were vaguely familiar, but without Flora by his side, he had no way to know who they were. She had gone back to Tedia some time ago to spend the end of the year with her family, after many apologies to Ranboo. He wouldn’t have another aide. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t remember them. So, he had nobody to remind him who these vaguely familiar people were or where he had seen them before.
   There was only one he could put a name to, George, son of the Duke of Pichester. They had a particularly memorable meeting last year. Somehow, George had gotten lost and fallen asleep in a storage room. Nobody could find him for several hours, it had sent the entire palace into a panic, almost every person available was rushing to try to find him. Ranboo couldn’t see George’s father anywhere in the crowd of people. 
Aside from the people he didn’t recognise, Ranboo had never seen Tommy look so serious. He had never seen the prince act like a prince was expected to.    The hyperactive boy was gone, replaced by a prince. A real prince. A boy that stood straight and still by his father’s side, hands together behind his back, a coronet neatly placed on his unruly blond hair. He looked like his brother like that. He looked like Wilbur did when he was reading, he almost seemed like he was zoned out, staring at the people attending the party with a blank expression. He smiled politely when gestured to or mentioned by the kings, but kept his more serious expression the rest of the time. It was weird to see. Ranboo had hardly ever seen Tommy without that bright smile on his face.
   While Ranboo hadn’t been able to see much of him, Phil seemed to be acting much different now than he usually did, with a different tone to his voice as he spoke, he carried himself differently, and most notably, he cursed a lot less while addressing his guests. Ranboo could tell when he had to stop himself from saying something inappropriate, the small pause and stammer were probably unnoticeable to everyone else. Techno must have noticed because he stifled laughter every time Phil stopped to correct his language.
   Wilbur looked miserable, Ranboo noticed that rather quickly. He had seemed unhappy since the first time Ranboo saw him that morning. He knew that the crown prince wasn’t fond of parties and large crowds. Maybe he’d sneak away at some point to play his guitar alone, his own quiet thanks to the kings and the soldiers that fought alongside them. Ranboo had overheard Wilbur playing a new song recently. It sounded like the songs that people made for the gods almost. Ranboo didn't know if Wilbur had made the song or not, but it was beautiful either way. 
   As the kings finished their salutatory, Ranboo snapped himself out of his thoughts. He didn't need to smile on cue like Tommy and Wilbur did thanks to his veil. Typically, back in Tedia, he would rarely attend things like this, too many people; too much risk. People weren't allowed to see his face yet, not for a long few years yet. Now, though, he made his own decision. He wanted to be here, even though he didn't like people very much and the idea of having an outsider see his face before his coming of age made his heart race with fear. It felt wrong to sit out the Final Sunset. His first Final Sunset away from home. 
   "Come on, Ranboo, let's find Tubbo!" Tommy said as he grabbed the Tedian boy's wrist. He rushed over the moment the people began to speak amongst themselves.
   Ranboo stuttered something unintelligible but followed Tommy as he descended the stairs to join the crowd of people. 

   Techno gave Wilbur a nudge and a small smile before he left with Phil, walking down the stairs by his side. Wilbur sighed as he looked over the crowd of people talking to one another. He hated this sort of thing, far too loud and crowded. There was nothing to do except sneak off and get into trouble. He'd find Niki, but she was busy with her mother for most of the night, and Jay was off the table. Even if he was here, Wilbur hated the judgemental looks that some of these nobles could give. 
   He took a breath and put on an expression that looked a lot less miserable before he also made his way down the stairs. Immediately, people started to make conversation with him, greeting him with an all too polite tone, all of them sounding far too happy to be there. He was very important, but surely that didn't warrant the chipper tone that all of them used. It wasn't real, of course, all put on to make a good impression on the young prince. Wilbur hated these people most of the time. Something about the way they treated him was so patronising and annoying. He kept his smile though, always. He had a reputation to uphold, not only his, but his father's and Techno's, too. 
Eventually, he sat down, finally given a chance to get away from all of the nobles vying for his attention. His relief was short-lived though. A girl walked over with a smile.
   "May I sit with you, your highness?" She asked politely, pointing to the chair next to the prince.
   Her skin was pale, obviously from a more southern place, and her hair was a strawberry blonde, waves spilling down her shoulders and back. She wore a green dress decorated with gold embellishments and flowers, covered by a warm dark blue cloak to protect her from the harsh cold of the winter weather. 
Wilbur looked at her for a moment too long before giving her a curt nod. He couldn't help but be caught off guard by her beauty; with only a few words, she had the prince enraptured. She thanked him as she sat down beside him. 
   "What's your name?" Wilbur asked, turning his attention from the people to the girl. 
   "Sally Aqilus." She smiled. Wilbur recognized her name, she was the princess of a southern country, Poseinea. Her grandmother was currently the queen and had been for the better part of twenty years. Wilbur had heard many people talk about how beautiful the princess was, the only grandchild that the queen had. 
   "You're more beautiful than they say you are," Wilbur replied with a soft smile, a blush creeping up to his cheeks. 
She looked shocked for a moment before she laughed. "Well, thank you, your highness. I didn't expect that to be the first thing you said to me." 
   "You underestimate your beauty, my lady." Wilbur saw Tommy in the corner of his eye with Ranboo and Tubbo close behind him. The blond put on a show of gagging. Wilbur turned to glare at him until his brother ran off giggling. Sally snickered by his side as she watched the boy run away. 
   They spoke for a while, mostly unbothered by the other guests in attendance. Only a few came over to speak to Wilbur, but they quickly left the two to their own devices. Most of them were adults, in their mid to late thirties or forties and there was only so much they could talk about to a fourteen-year-old before they got bored. Somehow, Wilbur couldn't get over how pretty she looked, watching her speak, hanging on her every word. She spoke softly, lightly with a sweet tone that made Wilbur want to listen to her for hours on end. He'd do just that tonight if she let him. 
   Sally wasn't only beautiful, but she was intelligent too, Wilbur noticed with joy. He could speak with her and not get bored, he could bring up things he enjoyed, rather than things he was told he should enjoy. Sally liked history and music and art, just like Wilbur did. She liked the ocean, too. Wilbur noticed quickly that she wasn't much like the other noble and royal women he'd met. She seemed to reject the royal standards, the things she was almost definitely told to do. She wasn't what she was told she should be, just what she was. Wilbur admired her for that. 
   She noticed. There was no way she couldn't. Wilbur wasn't particularly subtle with showing his feelings. He had no need to hide it. The worst that could happen was rejection, and Wilbur could handle that, as long as she didn’t make a scene of it. Sally seemed reasonable enough though, she wasn’t going to make a big fuss about Wilbur thinking she was pretty. Plus, she was told that almost every day, Wilbur was sure of it. She seemed to take it with confidence, wearing the compliment with pride. It wouldn't make sense for her to feel insulted by Wilbur's poorly hidden interest in her.
   After the sun had set everything became a lot louder, the adults having enough alcohol in their system to loosen up and break away from their noble personas. Sally seemed to share Wilbur's hatred of large, loud crowds. What Wilbur didn't expect from the princess was for her to ask if he wanted to sneak out. Of course, he was planning on it anyway, but for Sally to have asked first caught Wilbur off guard. He didn't mind, not at all. He accepted the offer with enthusiasm, which seemed to shock Sally in turn. 
"I didn't take you as the rebellious type," She laughed quietly as Wilbur hopped down from the wall they were climbing over. 
   "Not rebellious, I just hate parties." He said with a shrug. "And Phil." He added in a quieter grumble that he almost hoped Sally couldn't hear.
   "Why? What's so bad about king Philza?" Sally asked as they began to walk again. 
   Wilbur groaned internally, not wanting Sally to think he was upset with her.    "It's a bit complicated… family drama."
   "I see." She paused for a moment as she lifted her dress to step over something. "I don't like my mother all that much." 
   "Oh?" 
   Sally hummed, "She's very much of the opinion that I should 'stop acting ao barbaric' and by that, she means I should stop enjoying sailing." She rolled her eyes. "Father was always there for me, much more than she ever was, so, I enjoy things that he does, it's not difficult to understand."
   "You're not very lady-like, then?" Wilbur joked with a snicker.
   "Not at all." She groaned in exasperation, throwing down the poofy skirt of her dress. "Mother doesn't seem to understand that I can enjoy things that are apparently for men and be a good Queen."
   "It may help your case to know that Techno does embroidery," Wilbur smiled, "and wears dresses sometimes." 
   Sally laughed, "No! You're having a laugh!"
   "Nope, Technoblade sews in his spare time and wears dresses. Gods know why, he just says that it's fun."
   "See, that's how I feel about my so-called 'manly' hobbies." She made some hand gestures, waving her hands about as she spoke to emphasize her words.
   "Do as you please, you'll make a brilliant queen someday." Wilbur laughed, as he lead them into a clearing amongst the thick trees. "Come, sit down." He smiled as he sat on a fallen tree. 
   Sally smiled as she did, moving her skirt again so she could sit comfortably next to Wilbur. 
   "It's so nice out here." She muttered, looking up to the night sky, dark and clear. With not a cloud in sight, a rarity for the winter months, every distant star was visible, on full display for the world to see. 
   "It is," Wilbur nodded. "I come out here every chance I get, especially at parties like this." 
   "I usually hide in my bedroom. It's so difficult to sneak out at home." 
   "It's usually harder, but most of the guards are busy keeping an eye on every guest we have here tonight." 
   "What are they guarding, though? The kings are immortal." Sally asked.
   "Tommy, mostly. If anything happens to him then this entire world will see Neaphea sooner than expected." Wilbur rolled his eyes. "But other than him, the other guests need protecting. Imagine if your father died here tonight. Not a good look on this empire."
   "Ah, yes, I suppose you're right." Sally nodded her head to the side as she looked from the sky, back to the ground. "But… doesn't prince Tommy have personal guards? I thought for sure that he would."
   "He did. He didn't like being followed everywhere though, so he cried about it until Phil relented and dismissed them." Wilbur rolled his eyes. "He said he was too old to be under constant supervision in his own home. He was six at the time, so that's paraphrasing." 
   Sally laughed. "Frankly, he sounds like a nightmare."
   "He is." Wilbur rolled his eyes. 
   The peaceful silence that surrounded the two was disturbed by the sound of slow footsteps. Both of them stopped as soon as they heard it, giving each other a confused and worried look. 

Chapter Text

   "I'll grab you a drink," Phil smiled at Techno. "I'll be back shortly." He said, giving a polite nod to the guests that they were talking to. He might have just needed an excuse to get away from them, the constant chatter and the numerous voices that just kept getting louder as the night went on. It all became too much after a while.

   There was nothing he could do about it, though, not really. Although he knew what he was getting into, this happened every year. It got too loud and Phil didn't want to be at his own party anymore. Speaking to people got exhausting after a while, speaking to drunk people was significantly worse. Techno liked to drink at these events, so he often had no problem with it. Phil, on the other hand, had sworn off alcohol at a young age. It was rare for him to even touch the stuff, the smell of it was nauseating at best. Drinking it made him gag. So, Phil was usually one of the only sober people in attendance. 

   Phil poured a glass of wine for Techno, his favourite. He liked to say it was sweet, like berries. Phil couldn't believe that for a second. He poured himself a glass of cranberry juice, set on the table mostly for the children. It looked enough like the wine that he had guests fooled for the whole party. There wasn't anything particularly shameful about not drinking alcohol, but it wasn't normal to be drinking fruit juice instead of wine at a party like this. Especially as a king. Phil seemed to be the only person that hadn't been drinking, other than the children.

   Phil caught a glimpse of Tommy and smiled to himself as he picked up the glasses. A blur of blonde hair and white formal clothes rushed past a dark window as the little prince ran after his friend. At least Tommy was having fun. The king briefly wondered where Wilbur was but shrugged it off. He didn't need to keep tabs on him, he was old enough to take care of himself. Either way, he knew where he was, Wilbur always managed to sneak off during parties. Sometimes Phil wished he could do it as well. 

   He turned to walk back to Techno but was stopped by a gentle, cautious tap on his shoulder. Two women approached him, seeming a little nervous, but Phil figured that the alcohol was helping to quell their nerves. He turned his head to face them with a smile.

   "I see that you're busy at the moment but we're having a wonderful time, your majesty." One of them said with a bright smile. Phil returned the smile as he thanked her. They laughed before the two women took their leave.

   As Phil turned back around, he couldn't help but notice the person that walked past him. Their face was hidden by a mask and the rest by a dark cloak. Although it confused him, Phil brushed it off, figuring that it must be some sort of religious practice. His eyes lingered on them for a moment. Phil shook his head, looking down at the glasses in his hands. In Techno's wine, there were small specks of what must have been white powder. He simply removed them using magic and went back to where Techno was, still speaking to the guests. 

   With a smile, Phil passed Techno his glass. It must have been at least his tenth by now. Techno wouldn't agree, but Phil was almost sure his other half had a drinking problem. He'd never bring it up. It didn't bother him, not really. Techno could drink as much as he wanted. It's not as if they had to worry about it. Techno could drink himself into a coma before he would even have to consider stopping. 

   They continued as they were before, guests laughing and chatting, Phil mostly staying out of the conversation. It was at that point that Phil really wished he could leave, go to bed and finally have all of this done with. They'd been preparing for weeks before the actual party and something about that fact made the king want it all to be over. Techno didn't seem all that bothered, though; and Tommy liked it. They couldn't just stop doing it. It had become a tradition and Phil was never keen on breaking tradition. 

   After a while, Techno grabbed onto Phil's sleeve, hand trembling. Phil gave him a look of confusion as Techno used his free hand to rub at his face.

   "I- uh… I'm goin' to bed, I think…" His words slurred together slightly as he seemed to be getting drowsier by the second. 

   "Okay, goodnight, Techno," Phil smiled.

   Techno didn't move for a moment, hands trembling against his will. He was sure this wasn't just a result of alcohol. It all came on so quickly that he felt sick. Or maybe that was just one of the things that spontaneously appeared along with the dizziness and headache. It took a moment to shake it off well enough that he could actually move, letting go of Phil's sleeve in favour of the table at his side. He wanted to say something to Phil, but couldn't make his body work with his thoughts, unable to get his words out of his throat. 

   Phil ushered him away, telling him to go to bed, he’s clearly too drunk to stay. Techno only nodded as he tried his best to walk out without falling over, even as his head pounded and he began to hear his heartbeat loud in his ears. He hardly made it out of the main hall before he collapsed

   The crunch of footsteps startled Wilbur and Sally. They gave each other a quick look of confusion before they both stood to face the direction of the noise. A soft, orange glow illuminated the otherwise dark forest, getting closer with the footsteps. Wilbur pushed Sally behind him, even though he was almost certain that she was more capable of protecting herself than he could ever be. The footsteps drew closer with the torchlight until Wilbur could see who it was. 

   A guard. Wilbur relaxed seeing his uniform, the crest of his country on his chest. The calm was quickly replaced with anxiety as he saw the man’s worried expression. He had clearly been out looking for a while, it made Wilbur feel bad for sneaking out. His thoughts quickly switched, was he in trouble? Why was a guard out looking for him? He couldn’t help his racing thoughts from quickening his heartbeat as panic washed over him. The kings never sent people out to find him when he snuck out, Techno encouraged it, in fact, especially on nights like this. 

   “Your highness, you must stop sneaking off during events, it’s improper,” The man stepped closer, holding his burning torch out in front of him. “You must return to the palace, something happened, you could be in danger.” Those words were the last Wilbur wanted to hear. A heavy ball of dread tugged his heart and soul down.

   “What? What happened?” He panicked, taking a step towards the man. 

   “The king, Technoblade, he collapsed-” Wilbur’s heart fell before the soldier could finish his sentence, and he was sure he could tell. The man hesitated before finishing, “We think he was poisoned, you need to come back to the palace immediately.”

   Wilbur didn’t need to hear anymore, taking the guard’s lead, he ran, holding onto Sally’s wrist. The forest was dense and Wilbur was sure he heard fabric ripping more than once on their way back, whether it was his clothes or not, he couldn’t know. He didn’t care, he just hoped that Phil wouldn’t either. His heart raced, although he couldn’t tell if that was because he was panicking or because he was running. His legs burnt and his chest felt tight as his mind raced with thoughts he never imagined he’d have. 

   What would the world be without Technoblade? How was Wilbur supposed to imagine that? They weren’t called the Endless Kings for nothing, how would the world cope if he died? To poison no less. The entire world would change. This could have been the beginning of a new era, a new immortal to take the throne. Wilbur couldn’t even begin to imagine what that would be like. Nobody could. He could hardly think a coherent thought through the dreadful realisation of what Technoblade’s death could mean. 

   They reached the palace gates quickly, rushing past all of the panicked guests and cautious guards. The soldier that came out to get Wilbur lead the prince and Sally to a part of the building that Wilbur didn’t often go to. He wasn’t allowed near magic too often, it could be dangerous for him, so being around all of the brewing potions and medicines put him on edge. The soldier leading them had to stop before they reached the room and advised Sally to let Wilbur go alone. Wilbur shot him a nasty look before he dragged Sally further down the corridor. 

   Wilbur pushed the door open, pulling Sally in with him as he fought to catch his breath. He hunched over with his hands on his knees to brace himself as he breathed heavily. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder before he pushed himself back upright. Phil rushed over, grabbing his son by his shoulders. 

   “Where have you been? Do you have any idea how much trouble you could’ve been in?” He said, trying to keep eye contact as Wilbur avoided his gaze. “Everybody has been looking for you, we almost assumed you were dead for Death’s sake!” 

   “I am aware, would you just calm down? I’m fine, get off me,” Wilbur pulled away from Phil, too panicked about Techno to care what speaking to his father in such a way would cause. 

   Phil could only look shocked for a moment before Tommy ran over to grab his legs, hugging him tightly with Ranboo and Tubbo close behind him. Phil’s attention turned to Tommy immediately, like a switch had been flipped in his brain, completely forgetting about Wilbur again. Wilbur watched Phil pick Tommy up to soothe him, hushing his frantic breaths. As resentful as he felt, Wilbur did understand why Tommy was so panicked and he couldn’t blame Phil for fretting over the younger prince. 

   “Ph-Philza…?” Ranboo called hesitantly, fiddling with his hands as he shuffled his feet, clearly nervous. Phil looked to him with a look of soft curiosity. "I-I th-think I knnow wh-who- who did it…" 

   Phil's expression turned to shock, almost fear as Ranboo spoke, wringing his hands together as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He looked away from Phil quickly as his expression changed, swallowing the lump in his thoat. 

   "How?"

   It wasn't the response that anybody expected. They'd have thought Phil would want to know who Ranboo thought it was, surely. 

   "W-well- well I- I saw- I n-notice- noticed some- someone…" Ranboo took a moment to collect himself and arrange the words he was trying to say. "They- they put something in- in his- in his wine," Ranboo looked back up at Phil, hoping that he'd listen. He knew what he saw, he just needed everybody else to believe him. 

   Phil seemed to consiser it for a moment. "Who was it? What did they look like?" 

   "I- I could- I could show y-you, b-but I don't- don't remember ex-exactly…" Ranboo responded sheepishly, still embarrassed by his poor memory. He wanted so badly to help but his amnesia would be the end of him some day. 

   "...Later," Phil turned with a sigh. "Nobody is leaving this palace until we know what happened anyway." 

   "That could take days!" Wilbur exclaimed, taking his attention from Sally. 

   "Yes, but that doesn't matter. Finding out what happened matters." Phil snapped, "I won't live in a world without him." 

   Tommy whimpered, a small, scared noise, forced from his throat as he seemed to realise the severity of what was happening. Wilbur couldn't help but feel bad, he was just a kid. This shouldn't have been happening, on his favourite celebration nonetheless. Phil knelt down to hug the boy, stroking his hair as he shushed the slowly increasing cries. Ranboo and Tubbo joined them shortly after, shielded by Phil's wings, a dark blanket of comfort draped over their shoulders. 

   Wilbur looked away, down at the blue carpet covering the floor as he leaned against the wall. A feeling of dread settled in his stomach, tugging on his soul as he tried to push the horrible feelings away. A terrifying reality dawned upon him, everything comes to an end. The endless were once mortal. Forever was impossible. That was possibly the worst thing he could have had to live with. He knew that this night would haunt him forever, gnawing at his brain for the rest of his life. A lot of other people too, of course, but Wilbur knew this would come back to him at the worst time. Nothing is permanent. 

Chapter Text

   Wilbur grit his teeth in annoyance as somebody knocked on the door. He called for them to come in, his strumming coming to a stop as Techno pushed the door open. Wilbur sighed as he looked back at the sheet music in front of him, trying to find his place in the melody and ignoring the other's presence in his space. 

   "Would you like me to bother you another time?" Techno asked, not moving from the doorway while he waited for Wilbur's response. 

   "No, it's fine. Come in, I'm just practising," Wilbur looked down at his guitar, placing his fingers on the correct strings to play the note on the sheet music.

   "Even if I want to talk to you?" 

   Wilbur hesitated for a moment, stilling his movements while he considered it. "...That's fine," He continued as he was.

   Techno nodded before entering the room, gently shutting the door behind him with a soft click. Wilbur brushed his fingers over the guitar strings, trying to play the note on the sheet in front of him. It was his favourite song at the moment, about a bird learning to fly. A metaphor, of course. He heard it once as a child and had held it close ever since, although he went through phases of liking it and not caring about it so much. The Raven's Nest. Only recently did he ever try to play it for himself. 

   Peeking over Wilbur's shoulder, Techno hummed, "Haven't heard that song for a while." He commented before walking off to sit on the sofa somewhere behind Wilbur. 

   "I recently remembered it, I wanted to learn it. I got the man from the other week to write the sheet music for me." Wilbur said, not daring to take his eyes off of the paper in front of him in case he lost his place again. 

   "How's it going?"

   "...Decent. I've been having a hard time switching between some of the chords, though." Wilbur paused to get his fingers in the right places on the strings. "I was better on the piano." 

   "Then why'd you stop playing?" 

   The question went unanswered. Wilbur's fingers stilled as his eyes locked into place. He furrowed his brow as he sat silent and still. He'd stopped playing the piano some time ago now, he didn't realise anybody had noticed. He didn't realise that anybody would . If they did, nobody said anything. 

   Wilbur didn't know how to answer without sounding ridiculous. He stopped because Ranboo played better than him. An eight-year-old amnesiac played better than Wilbur did. Of course, Ranboo got so much praise for it, and rightfully so. Somehow though, seeing the young prince play the piano, get so much more praise than Wilbur ever had, it put him off. He had started to resent everyone that got praise for things he could do. Tommy had learnt to paint, as well as a seven-year-old could, and Wilbur didn't paint for a month afterwards. He wasn't even sure why. 

   After a while of heavy silence, Wilbur spoke. "Do you remember when I was around eight… Tommy had just been born, and you said - you promised - that father would start being nice to me again once Tommy grew up?" 

   Techno was quiet for a moment, "I do. You were crying your eyes out because Phil told you he was too busy to speak with you." 

   Wilbur nodded, "Yeah, I was distraught. I thought my own father didn't love me anymore." He hesitated for a moment. "I read a book once, about a girl whose mother never wanted her. She grew to hate everybody that was given the things her mother didn't provide for her," Wilbur looked down at his guitar. "I… I'm fourteen, almost fifteen. I don't need my father anymore- but I did . Back then, I did need him."

   "And he wasn't there."

   "He still isn't." 

   Techno went quiet once more. 

   Wilbur took a breath, steadying himself. "I stopped playing the piano because Ranboo plays. He forgets his own name but he plays the piano flawlessly, as if it's simply something he could do since birth. It's effortless, whereas I still struggle." His vision was blurred by tears suddenly. "Seeing him do so well despite every setback- I just- I don't want to do it anymore." 

   "I understand," Techno shifted, "I had three younger sisters. We had to fight for our parents' attention." Wilbur glanced back at the king. "Of course, it's not exactly what you're going through but I understand the feeling. I used to bake, I quit when one of my sisters started." He paused as Wilbur glanced back at him. "I do get it and just- just don't beat yourself up over it. You're not perfect, you're not supposed to be. We're humans, not gods." 

   Wilbur sniffled, taking his hand away from the base of his guitar to rub at his teary eyes. "I know… It just- as I said, Ranboo is eight and has severe amnesia, yet he's still better than me. It's ridiculous but- Gods, I don't know," He let his arm fall as he felt his glasses slip down his nose. 

   "Ranboo struggles too, y'know. A lot . I spoke to him after he played that first time, he played the only song he knows by heart. His mother wrote it. She's one of the few people he can remember with ease. But the song he played, he doesn't remember, he knows. " Wilbur could hear the smile in Techno's voice, a light tone coated his words. "You don't have to play the piano if you don't want to, of course, but there's no need to feel challenged by Ranboo."

   Wilbur was silent for longer than he would have liked to be, but Techno didn't seem to mind. He looked down at the guitar in his hands, barely running his fingers over the strings. He hummed after a while, unsure of what to say. Techno was right, he usually was. Four thousand years of experiences made for quite a wise person, Wilbur supposed. Techno had been coming to Wilbur with advice and help since he could remember. He always knew what to say, always knew more than everybody else did or could. Wilbur listened to whatever Techno had to say. He knew best, after all. 

   "Ranboo would love to play with you sometime," Techno smiled, Wilbur could hear it in his voice as it softened. "He looks up to you… just like Tommy does. You're like a brother to him."

   Wilbur sighed, closing his eyes as he felt Techno's words drop a weight onto his heart. It struggled to hold it, struggled to stay in its place. He wished, more than anything, that he could be the brother those kids wanted. Teach and protect them, be someone to admire. He wished he could be worth admiring. 

   "Maybe you could try?" Techno's voice broke through Wilbur's thoughts. He looked back at him, wondering if he had read his mind. "It can't be that bad of an idea, right?" He said with a softly encouraging tone. He smiled, ignoring Wilbur's confused, almost fearful expression. 

   Although Wilbur wasn't sure they meant the same thing, he turned back around to look down at the instrument in his hands. "...Maybe I should try." 

   Ranboo pulled his knees up, curling into himself in the alcove he'd decided to sit in. It was cold here, much colder than it ever was in Tedia. He was freezing constantly as the winter turned to spring. It wasn't proper here to wear winter clothes in spring. No cloaks, no fur, not even winter colours . As the year went on, blue changed to green, then to yellow. Not to mention, the traditional clothes from Tedia that Ranboo usually wore were not made for this sort of cold. The thin and sheer fabrics provided nothing but vanity, which Ranboo had stopped caring about since it became so cold.

   He was tempted to just stay in bed, under the warm, thick blankets. He wouldn't, but he wanted to. The prince had taken to dragging around one of the blankets so he could be warm around the palace. Either he was next to the fire in the drawing room or huddled in a blanket in the library. Tommy often tried to convince him to play, run around, do something more fun than read. Ranboo couldn't bring himself to, the unfamiliar cold seeping into his joints and bones. He had no idea how the people here handled it so well. 

   The door to the library opened. Ranboo didn't bother looking up to see who it was anymore. It was probably just a maid or guard. He hugged his blanket closer, nuzzling into the soft, fluffy fabric. It did little to prevent the shiver that wracked his body. 

   "Ranboo?" A familiar voice called. 

   Ranboo looked up to see Wilbur looking up at him, head cocked slightly to one side. As Ranboo pulled the blanket closer again, up past his nose, Wilbur walked towards him, up the steps onto the elevated platform. He sat by him in the alcove, putting a gentle hand on the Tedian prince's knee. 

   "You're cold?" 

   Ranboo gave a shy nod, the best he could manage. 

   Wilbur cocked his head to the side again as he hummed. "This room is one of the coldest in the palace," He gestured to the room around them. 

   "Is- is it?" Ranboo muttered, uncertainty lacing his words. 

   Wilbur nodded, "I learnt that when I was very young. I avoid the library in winter, you should too," He gave a short laugh. Ranboo briefly made eye contact before he looked back down. "...Do you want to come to my room? It's warmer. Plus, I have books, if you want to read." 

   Ranboo looked up then, surprised by the offer. "A-ar-are you… are you sure?" 

   Wilbur nodded, "Of course. Tedia is much warmer, I understand how jarring the change must be." He offered a soft smile, sympathetic. 

   "Please," Ranboo nodded, desperate to be warmer. 

   "Come on then," Wilbur smiled as he nodded towards the door, putting one arm around Ranboo's shoulders. 

   He helped the younger boy stand up, wrapping the blanket back around him when it proved to be too difficult to walk down the steps with. Using it as a sort of cloak, draping it over his head like a hood, worked well and hid his face. Wearing the veil constantly was a nuisance and he didn't always cover his face, but today he felt like he needed to. The gods compelled him to be hidden for today. 

   So, Wilbur led Ranboo to his room, making a quick stop at the kitchen to ask for something warm to eat. In Wilbur's room, the fire was lit and going strong, attended to by a staff member, who left as soon as they saw Wilbur and Ranboo come in. Ranboo sat on the bed, letting the blanket slip from his shoulders, joining the blankets already on the bed. Wilbur’s room was similar to the other bedrooms in the palace, the main difference Ranboo saw was the night sky painted on the ceiling and the stars painted on the walls. Tommy’s room had a sunrise, a mix of orange and pink, Wilbur’s was dark. Ranboo felt that it must have been symbolic. 

   He noticed the guitar on its stand, pushed into a corner with some plants. “Y-you play th-the- the guitar?” Ranboo asked as Wilbur knelt before his bookshelf to pick out a book to read. 

   “Oh- uh, yeah,” He shrugged with a nervous laugh. 

   “You-you’re very t-talen-talented”

   “Thank you.” Wilbur sounded shocked, much to Ranboo’s surprise. He was sure Wilbur must have been told that countless times already. “You are too, I envy your piano skills.”

   Ranboo blinked in confusion. “Y-you- you play t-too, don’t you?”

   “Not anymore. I stopped liking it a few months ago. Much prefer the guitar,” Wilbur laughed, although Ranboo could hear some sort of bittersweetness to it. There was something more to it. 

   “Why?” 

   Wilbur looked at him over his shoulder, “You ask a lot of questions.”

   “Yes, I have a lot to learn.” Wilbur didn’t respond, only looked back to his shelf. “Why did you stop playing the piano?” 

   The brunette sighed as he pulled a book from the shelf finally. “Why do you need to know?”

   “I’m curious. I can tell it’s not just because you stopped liking it. Something happened.” Wilbur seemed almost disturbed by his words as he stood up and faced Ranboo. 

“I’d been doing it for so long, I just got bored. I felt confined in a way.” Wilbur lied. Ranboo could tell. He nodded anyway. “Any more questions?” Wilbur joked. 

   “Yes, actually,” Ranboo answered, jumping at the opportunity. "I have a-a lot of questions about you." If he wasn't eight years old, Ranboo thought that sentence could be taken as something strange, uncomfortable, even. 

   "...Oh- I-I wasn't expecting that," Wilbur laughed nervously, a waver in his voice as he sat on his bed. 

   "I like asking questions, it-it helps me f-fe-feel less lost." Ranboo smiled, pinching at the fur-covered blanket he sat on. 

   "What do you mean? Lost like you don't know where you are or just confused?" Wilbur asked, putting his book down on the bed as Ranboo turned to face him properly, keeping his shoes off the bed. 

   “Confused- m-mostly… I-I think.” Ranboo said, a tinge of uncertainty in his tone. He had trouble explaining his emotions. 

   “I used to do the same, don’t worry.” Wilbur laughed before shifting his position on the bed. 

   They settled into silence for a moment before Ranboo slid off the bed to get a book to read as Wilbur opened his. He looked for a while before a familiar title caught his eye. Blood Moon. It was such a popular book that Ranboo was sure everyone in the world had at least heard of it. It was strange seeing it in English and not his mother tongue, but he was sure he’d be able to remember the story word for word by now. It was supposedly an accurate account of the Ancient One’s Defeat. “Forty years ago,” It began, an old book. “ two men were called upon by the Gods to guide humanity to victory against the terror that ruled us.” Of course, Ranboo had his doubts about it; it was mostly regarded as fiction, based on the story of The Endless Kings’ rise to the throne. A particularly famous extract came from the second to last chapter, which detailed the Ancient One’s defeat, “A once beautiful place, now desolate and destroyed. Bodies of dead soldiers, their weapons and their armour is strewn about the battlefield under the bright moonlight.”

   Ranboo picked it up, sliding it out of its place on the shelf and went back to Wilbur’s bed, hopping up to sit with the prince. It would be good for practising his still patchy English since he already knew the book by heart. His father would read it to him almost every night before he learnt how to read himself. The memory held his heart, tugging it vaguely downwards as he forced back tears.

   Wilbur placed his book down as he made a mental note of his page. “Ranboo?” 

   “Yes?” Ranboo responded quickly, startled. He rubbed the tears out of his eyes. 

   “I’m going to the forest tonight, no real reason, I thought it’d be nice if you joined me.” 

   “It’ll be cold…” Ranboo turned to look at the other boy, not wanting to refuse the offer outright. 

   Wilbur smiled, “You don’t have to look ‘proper’ in the dead of night. Nobody will be able to see. Wear as many fur-lined cloaks as you want.” 

   “Th- This feels like… something we’re n-not allowed to do.” Ranboo fiddled with his hands, moving his weight from one foot to the other as he watched Wilbur adjust the reigns on his horse. 

   “Yeah, we’re not meant to be out at night.” Wilbur laughed, looking back at Ranboo. His face was only illuminated by the warm glow of the lantern placed on the ground. “But that’s half the fun.” He paused to double-check the horse, “Right, come on!”

   Wilbur helped Ranboo up onto the saddle, climbing up after him with the lantern in his hand. Ranboo wasn’t allowed to ride by himself, so Wilbur sat behind him, keeping him secure and safe. They made it out of the gate with practised ease. Wilbur had done this a million times before, he knew when to leave and how to get around the guards. He’d have much more of a problem with that if it weren’t such an advantage when he needed an escape. Once they passed the gates, they sped up, galloping down to the forest near the west side of the palace. 

   They didn’t stop until they reached a clearing, where Wilbur pulled on the horse’s reins to stop it. It was illuminated by the moonlight, cold light shining down on them through the gaps in the trees. Ranboo could clearly see the stars here when he looked up, no clouds in the sky to obstruct his view. They shone brightly with the moon, lighting up the world in dim light. The light could not compare to the brightness of the sun, but Ranboo liked it. The sun was too bright and blocked out all light from the stars. The moon was softer. 

   Wilbur helped Ranboo off the horse before tying it to a tree branch. Ranboo followed him to a rock, where they both sat next to each other. Here, Ranboo could hear every sound the forest had to offer, a running stream, the wind, and animals scurrying away at the sight of their lantern. It was peaceful here and Ranboo wondered why he hadn’t been here before. It was so easy to sneak out, why had he been so afraid if this is what he was missing? He’d be tired tomorrow but he knew he’d be grateful nonetheless. Some extra time in bed meant nothing when this was the reason. He honestly thought he could fall asleep there, wrapped in his fuzzy cloak and thick clothing, out in the tranquil night. 

   For once, he didn’t feel trapped, nothing was expected of him here. It felt normal, almost. If he weren’t the crown prince of Tedia, he thought this would be something he could do often. Nobody was watching, nobody could be let down or disappointed by him. By either of them, in fact. Ranboo had a sneaking suspicion that Wilbur felt the same way. With how his shoulders slumped and all tension seemed to release from his body, Ranboo could see the relief Wilbur felt. Being out here was good, for both of them. Ranboo was glad he didn’t refuse the offer now. He was skeptical at the start of the night, afraid of being caught not only because they’d get in trouble, but the idea of being seen without his veil by someone made his heart race. It still did scare him, but something about being here made him feel a lot less important. He didn’t need to be so careful about hiding his face because nobody would care. 

   He watched Wilbur sigh and close his eyes, seeming content as a cold gust of wind hit his face. Ranboo hid away from it, pulling the fur on his cloak up to his nose to shield himself from the almost painfully cold air. A few birds flew overhead, scared out of their trees by the wind. Wilbur began to hum a familiar tune. Ranboo wasn’t sure where he remembered it from, but he recognised it. Clearly, it was a song that Wilbur enjoyed, he hummed it in perfect tune. Ranboo knew that Wilbur was a good singer and he admired it. Ranboo couldn’t sing, but he wished he could. His mother could sing, her voice was beautiful, and he remembered it clearly, somehow. Suddenly, there were tears in his eyes again and he wished he had his veil to hide it. 

   Wilbur looked over, his humming coming to a halt as he noticed the welling tears in Ranboo’s eyes, glistening under the moonlight. “Are you okay?” He asked softly, putting a hand on the younger boy’s arm, trying to comfort him. 

   Ranboo nodded as he looked away, pulling his cloak back over his face to hide it from Wilbur. He sniffled, breath hitching as he blinked the tears away, letting them roll down his cheeks to be soaked up by the fur. Wilbur watched him sympathetically, rubbing his arm as he tried to soothe the boy. He sat and waited until Ranboo calmed down, letting him cry as much as he needed to. Wilbur knew that Ranboo refused to show if he was unhappy, he’d learnt that long ago, when they first met. Something about meeting expectations, he had to guess. Ranboo was still a child, no matter what was expected of him. No matter how little time he had before he became king. Wilbur’s heart fell every time he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine what it’d be like for the poor kid to have to think about his fate every day. 

   Wilbur put his arm around the younger boy, pulling him into his side as Techno had done for him many times. Ranboo turned his face into Wilbur’s side, holding onto him tightly as he cried, tears soaking into the white shirt Wilbur wore. He had no idea how long this went on for. He cried until he couldn’t anymore, sobbing quietly as Wilbur rubbed his arm and did his best to offer comfort. Of course, Wilbur couldn’t know what Ranboo was upset about, he wouldn’t be able to understand, not ever. Wilbur’s parents were immortal, he would never witness their death, he wouldn’t ever have to live without them. Ranboo had a feeling he knew that, but despite that, he held Ranboo and tried to help as much as he could. 

   When his tears finally stopped, Ranboo took in a ragged breath and hugged Wilbur a little tighter, holding onto him as if his life depended on it. Wilbur returned the gesture, pulling the young boy impossibly closer to himself as he kept his eyes on the stars above them. Ranboo would never know, but Wilbur’s vision had blurred with tears more than once that night. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but the feeling tugging on his heart and soul was enough to bring tears to his eyes. He couldn’t make out this feeling or what it meant or why he was feeling it, but, as he would tell Ranboo, he was allowed to cry out here; for no reason at all, if he felt like it. Wilbur was thankful for the darkness that the night brought, casting dark shadows on his face so Ranboo wouldn’t be able to tell their tears were shared.

   Ranboo lifted his head to look at Wilbur, following his gaze up to the heavens, a thousand stars shining down on them in the distance. He could make out every constellation, every god-drawn picture in the sky. He wondered if Wilbur could too, or if the speckles of light seemed random to him, as they did to many others. The sky looked different here than in Tedia, Ranboo noticed quite quickly, slight shifts in the stars' placements that he was sure nobody else in the country would notice. The constellations shifted a little to one side, something he could only notice because of his fixation. The stars seemed to brighten for only a moment, highlighting one of the patterns. Caritatem, generally cited as a symbol of love and hope, a sign from the gods, of course. It was fast enough that Ranboo could have just been seeing things, but he felt tears well in his eyes again as he recognised the symbol as a sign. A message from Neaphea. 

   Glancing down at Ranboo, Wilbur noticed the tears and pulled him close again. If they spent all night here crying, that was okay. Wilbur didn’t mind. He’d done it more than once alone. He was glad he let Ranboo have this. They made it to bed as the sun rose over the horizon, shining through their windows as they both pulled the covers over themselves. Ranboo would hold onto the dream he had of his parents for a long time, writing every detail that he could remember in his book. 

Chapter Text

   "You're going to Tedia?" Tommy jumped up from his seat, cutlery clattering on the table. "Can I come too?" His eyes lit up with hope as he looked to Techno for an answer. 

   Without looking up from his food, Techno shook his head. "Not a chance." He gave a short laugh, almost a scoff before he took a bite of his dinner. 

   Tommy's face fell, "Aw, what? Why?"  

   "Not safe," Techno replied, covering his mouth. "Also, this is for Ranboo , not you. You have no reason to come with us."  He glanced at Tommy as he finished, before going back to his food. "Finish your dinner." 

   Tommy huffed, crossing his arms and slumping in his chair. He muttered something about it not being fair, as if it could change Techno's mind. The king gave a poorly concealed laugh as Tommy sulked. 

   "W-where's Phil?" Ranboo asked quietly, looking up from the potatoes he was poking at. 

   "In his study reading letters. He'll join us soon."  Techno's response came, monotone and uninterested. He looked up at the prince, noticing his mostly uneaten food. "Food okay?" 

   Ranboo nodded, "Ju-just-just not feeling p-potatoes today…" 

   "Pass," Techno points to his plate. Ranboo pushes the plate towards Techno, who scraped the potatoes onto his own plate before passing it back. 

   The door opened with a quiet creak, followed by the ruffle of feathers and fabric as Phil entered. The door was shut quickly behind the avian. 

   The blonde pointed to Techno, "Stop doing that, it's bad-mannered." 

   "Once a pauper, always a pauper." Techno shrugged nonchalantly as Phil sat down, putting the bundle of letters in his hands down on the table next to his plate. He rolled his eyes. 

   " Dad , why can't I go to Tedia?" Tommy whined, looking to Phil for help. 

   "It's not safe."  Came Phil's short response.

   "That's what Techno said!" 

   "Eat your food." 

   Tommy huffed in frustration, crossing his arms over his chest.

   "You better not start reading those letters at the dinner table. That's bad-mannered, Phil." Techno said, pointing with his fork. 

   "This is important, you know that." Phil picked a letter from the top of the pile, sliding his finger under the wax seal to open the envelope. 

   Techno looked at him in disbelief. "Not at dinner, it's not."  

   "We are on the cusp of war, Techno, that doesn't change because we're eating."  Phil retorted as his eyes scanned over the writing in front of him. 

   "We are the most powerful people in existence, you can do anything except be polite at dinner? You may as well have stayed in your study all day," Techno looked away with a frustrated look. 

   "So, uh- Tedia, eh? It's a long trip, isn't it?" Wilbur cut in with a laugh, a hint of nervousness in his voice. 

   "Three days travel. I'm not looking forward to it," grumbled Techno, poking at the rest of his food with his fork. "And most of it is by boat! Awful." 

   "You love travelling." Phil looked up from the letter with a confused expression. 

   "I like being in different places. I do not like boats ."

   Ranboo put his cutlery down on his plate as he joined the conversation, "B-boats m-make- make me feel… sick…" He said.

   Techno nodded with a hum, covering his mouth as he swallowed his food. "They're bad." He agreed. 

   "Boats don't look scary," Tommy shifted himself up in his seat. "I like boats."

   Wilbur rolled his eyes, "You've never been on one, you don't get a say in this." 

   Ranboo grimaced as the carriage hit another bump in the road, worsening his nausea. He was in no condition to see the people waiting for his return home, sickness or not, he just wasn't ready. Thinking about it made him feel worse. As the carriage bounced over another bump, Ranboo gagged, lifting his hand to his mouth. Techno quickly shifted over to him, placing an arm around his shoulders. 

   "We're almost there, throw up as much as you like in the palace, not here," He rubbed the prince's back with a short laugh, trying to soothe the boy as much as he could. “Try to ignore it.”

   Ranboo nodded, swallowing down the feeling of bile rising in his throat. He turned to the window on his left, nudging the curtain out of the way so he could watch the scenery go by. Seeing Tedia again gave him a great sense of peace, he was home. He felt like he belonged again, he wasn’t out of place here like he was in Alladell. Although it felt strange to be home again without his father, Ranboo was happy to be home. Watching the scenery go by through the window, he wrapped his arms around his middle, hoping his nausea would subside soon. 

   After a while, he pulled his veil back over his face, something subconsciously making him anxious as they approached a town. Techno didn't take his hand away from the prince's back, providing a comforting and grounding pressure that Ranboo appreciated. They entered the town as Ranboo leaned a little closer to Techno, making sure his veil covered the part of his face most visible to the window. Techno rubbed circles into his back, a welcome gesture. Ranboo thought that if his father were still alive, he would have been in Techno’s place; Techno had taken on a parental role in the absence of Ranboo’s own. Despite what people said, Ranboo had noticed Techno’s softer nature, much different to the public perception of him. The young prince could not see an unmovable, gruff warrior in Techno, no matter how hard he tried to imagine it. Techno seemed to wish he were the man the public made him out to be, but no matter what he did, Ranboo could never see it. His presence was comforting, nothing like the intimidating monster the stories had made him out to be. 

   Techno reached over to pull the curtain shut as they came closer to the town square, where most people had gathered to see their prince return. He pulled Ranboo closer to himself, feeling his heart racing as he placed a hand on the boy’s side. Ranboo welcomed the embrace, taking a breath as he tried to calm himself. He heard cheering over the sound of the horses trotting over the cobbled road. His nausea worsened suddenly and he turned his head into Techno’s chest, trying to ignore the feeling as best he could. Techno shushed him, rubbing his back again as Ranboo tried to steady his heavy breathing. They’d reach the capital soon, the palace. They couldn’t be far. They’d been going for quite some time now and Ranboo couldn’t wait to be home. 

   As expected, the capital was much louder when they arrived than the towns they passed through. There were thousands of people there waiting for Ranboo’s return home, cheering and throwing flowers as the carriage went by. Ranboo hid himself, making sure the curtains were drawn completely shut as they approached the city. A great sense of relief washed over him as he quickly walked through the palace gates. They shut behind him with a creak, pushed by men clad in heavy-looking armour. The feeling of eyes watching him didn’t leave until he was inside, doors shut behind him with a thud. The staff bowed as he entered, to which Ranboo followed Techno’s lead, nodding at them politely. He felt unsure of himself, that feeling of belonging gone once again, replaced with an uneasiness that settled in his stomach. 

   A man that Ranboo wished he could recognise properly greeted them, stepping in front of the others lined up to see the prince return. “It’s wonderful to have you home, your highness,” The man said. He seemed more important than the others, some sort of boss. He was clearly the one in charge; everything from his demeanour to his clothes made this obvious enough. Ranboo felt like he was supposed to know who he was. He said something to Techno as well but Ranboo couldn’t hear it, too focused on who he was. 

   It didn’t seem to matter. Techno gave the prince a light tap on the shoulder to grab his attention. The man had turned his back and started to walk down the hall. Techno followed him and Ranboo took a couple of fast steps to catch up. Everyone seemed to go back to what they were doing before, whatever that was. Ranboo wasn’t sure. He felt too lightheaded and distant to wonder about it too much. Ranboo followed the man through the palace, keeping pace until they entered the throne hall, where he faltered. He looked at the throne as a terrible feeling hit him. He was thankful for the veil as his vision blurred. 

   Techno stopped the moment he noticed Ranboo falter, telling the other man to stop as well. He placed a hand on the prince’s shoulder, no doubt understanding what was wrong before even Ranboo himself could realise. His father was supposed to be sitting there, waiting for him, Ranboo remembered. He had promised before Ranboo had gone to Alladell. He would be waiting there for him to come home, he promised . He wanted to be home, but he wasn't quite sure where that was. Techno gave his shoulder a small squeeze, the pressure making Ranboo snap back to reality. He looked down at the floor as he started to walk again. 

   They followed the man to a drawing room, full of people. There were around ten of them, four children and supposedly their parents. They all turned to look at them, their faces lighting up. Techno gave a small bow with a relaxed smile and Ranboo did his best to copy it. Ranboo scanned the room to find someone, even something that he recognised, to give him some peace of mind. Finally, his eyes landed on a woman that he recognised well, Flora. He looked to Techno for direction, to which the king only nodded towards the people. 

   Ranboo hesitated for a moment before making a beeline to Flora, resisting the urge to run to her. He wrapped his arms around her the moment he could, finding comfort in the familiar embrace. She knelt down before him, holding him tight enough that Ranboo found breathing a little harder than it should have been. Her wings wrapped around him as well, shielding him from the other people in the room. He heard talking from them all but ignored it, squeezing his aide a little as he turned his face into her chest. He felt at home, somehow. That sinking feeling was gone, replaced with the comforting warmth of Flora's arms around him.

   Eventually, she pushed him back to look at him. He let her move his veil out of the way, meeting her bright amber eyes with his mismatched ones. She smiled softly at him before letting his veil fall in front of his face again. Her wings moved back behind her and suddenly, he felt eyes on him again. He grabbed onto the avian's skirt, holding the translucent top layer tightly as she stood up. She put a hand over the top of his. 

   "Your highness," She said, catching his attention, "These are your family, you can't just hide from them," She laughed. Ranboo shook his head. 

   "I-I don- don't know th-the-them." He said, taking a small step towards her again, trying to get behind her, as if it would help him. He wanted to hide, be gone, anywhere but here. 

   "We've met before!" A young girl exclaimed, jumping up before being stopped and held back by her mother. "We have , I know it!"

   Ranboo looked to Techno for support, hoping he understood him even through his veil. He looked at Techno, pleading with him to step in and help. Flora brought a hand up to Ranboo's head, stroking his hair as she noticed him begin to panic. 

   "He has some bad amnesia, it's unfair to force this on him so fast, don't you think?" Flora gave a short laugh, sounding nervous. 

   "The doctors said he'd be recovered by now, don't act like you know better than them." A man said. He looked eerily similar to Ranboo's father. 

   "He does have severe amnesia. You have no way of knowing Ranboo's condition." Techno jumped in, quieting the man quickly. He looked down at the floor, supposedly in embarrassment. 

   Suddenly, Ranboo regretted coming back to Tedia. He felt out of place and uncomfortable. The looming sense of dread worsened as Ranboo took another step behind Flora, hiding from the people who were supposedly his family. The only family that Ranboo knew he had was his parents. These people were strangers, no matter their blood relation. Techno was more like family than these people were. He shoved his face into the soft fabric of Flora's skirt as he felt himself start to panic. 

   The room quietened suddenly, the sound of footsteps coming towards Ranboo was loud. He gripped the fabric impossibly tighter until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, scared of who he would see. Sanguine eyes looked back at him with a pitiful expression, they seemed to stare right through him, past his physical self and straight into his soul. Techno looked for a moment before sighing. He stood from where he knelt in front of the prince, who could no longer see or read the king’s face.

   “I would like you all to leave.” 

   Ranboo felt his heart sink as he looked up at the great building in front of him. It was a holy place, where his Epetia, wedding and coronation would be held. The building itself seemed larger than it should have been, towering over the rest of Volaris. It was made centuries ago, with great, intricately designed pillars and brightly coloured stained glass windows typical of the 2800s, symbols and images taken from the Book of Fate. It was an old building, but Ranboo realised that he was standing next to something - someone - even older. It made his head a little fuzzy to think about it. It was constructed almost three thousand years after Techno was born, the oldest building in the city. Countless kings and queens had been crowned here, all sharing this one place. Ranboo wondered if this tradition would ever end. 

   He wasn’t quite ready to enter, he wasn’t meant to be here for another few years, not until his Epetia, when he was ready to show his face to the gods and be accepted. Ranboo wasn't sure how he felt about being here, although the sinking feeling in his stomach was not a good sign. However, he didn't have much of a choice, this was what his father wanted, he had given explicit instructions before he left. Ranboo was unaware of this until a week before they came back to Tedia, which he felt slightly bitter about. He knew it was to protect him but he couldn't help but feel a little betrayed being left in the dark about something so important.

   The sun shone on the stained glass windows, reflecting harsh sunlight straight onto the prince's face, softened only a little by the dark veil over his face. He looked down as his eyes began to water, squeezing his eyes shut to alleviate the stinging. Techno looked at him, stifling a laugh. 

   "You okay?" He asked, watching Ranboo rub his eyes with the heel of his hand. "Sun in your eyes?" Ranboo nodded, blinking away any remaining tears from his eyes. He shut his eyes again to see the shapes the light left behind his eyelids. 

   "It's- The- the sun i-is on the windows…" Ranboo said, taking his hands away from his face. 

   Techno rolled his eyes lightheartedly, "Don't look at them, then." He put a hand on Ranboo's head, intending to ruffle his hair before realising the mess it would cause. Flora spent multiple hours doing up Ranboo's hair for the day, he didn't want to ruin it. 

   "Th-they're pretty…" 

   Techno laughed, "You're right, can't argue with that," he moved his hand back into his pocket as he looked back to the building in front of them. 

   There was a beat of silence before Techno looked back at Ranboo.

   "Are you ready to go in?" He asked softly. "It's much nicer to look at the windows inside." 

   "I…" Ranboo hesitated, glancing back at the great building. "I'm n-not sure… I'm… I'm scared ."

   Techno gave him a sympathetic look, "Why's that?" He asked, tapping Ranboo's back so he would look at him. 

   "A-a lot of things," Ranboo turned to face Techno but averted his eyes, not ready to meet his gaze just yet. "Th-this… I-I-I can't- can't pr-process i-it…" 

   " Ah , I see," Techno nodded. "It's not just about this place, is it? It's more than that." 

   Ranboo looked away and gave a quick nod, hoping to hide his expression and how much it was truly affecting him.

   "It's the coronation itself, isn't it? You're not ready." 

   Hearing the words made the prince's heart sink as if they took hold of it and dragged it downwards. He knew it was true but hearing it said aloud back to him made it all feel so much worse. Techno could tell , he could see him ; look straight through the veil as if it wasn't even there. It felt like he was just showing off his feelings and not trying to hide them. Or, he wasn't trying hard enough . 

   Techno didn't pry for a verbal response, he got an answer; he knew it anyway. 

   "I wasn't ready either." He said, looking back up at the monastery, "Being king is a big thing, especially for such a small prince." Ranboo looked back at him, "You're not ready, you won't be until years into your reign, but that's fine. You'll make it anyway, won't you?" 

   Ranboo looked at all of the people watching him as his heart pounded against his ribs. Usually, Techno's presence could calm him, simply knowing the king was behind him should have slowed his racing heart, but not this time. Although his veil hid his face for now, he felt like they could all see through it. It wasn't so much the children as it was the adults, the other children wore veils of their own, long hair tied and braided. The adults, though, Ranboo could see them, what he was expected to be. 

   It hit him suddenly, just how little time he truly had. Looking at the people in front of him, a crowd of unfamiliarity that made him feel sick, it made every second spent waiting feel like time wasted. He had five years before he was expected to be like them. He saw the other children, how they seemed carefree, devoid of worry or sorrow and he wondered how they could be so happy at a time like this. They were excited, overjoyed to see Ranboo stand there, as they would be in five years when it was real. When his Eipita came, his wedding, his coronation, they and so many others would be overjoyed to see it happen, to watch Ranboo lose every sense of safety and shelter he had. 

   Techno placed a hand on his shoulder, firm but comforting in a way that Ranboo struggled to understand. The king’s presence was grounding and it snapped him back to reality. He started to speak, reading from the book off to his side. Ranboo didn’t properly register the words and he figured it had something to do with Techno’s inability to properly pronounce a lot of the language. His words slurred together and he paused every few seconds to double check he was saying the right things. The hand on Ranboo’s shoulder squeezed a little tighter as he came to the end of the passage, a silent ask for confirmation. 

   Was he ready?

   Of course not. He wasn’t ready, he never would be, especially not now. 

   By the time Ranboo had truly registered how he felt, Techno’s hands had moved from his shoulders to the bottom of the veil. A feeling of dread overwhelmed him as Techno hesitated. It gave Ranboo one more second to register his surroundings, the people watching him, the sun shining brightly through coloured glass, unlit candles, the symbol of immortality shining down on him from the window above and the presence of every ancestor in his bloodline watching him . It was too much. Years ago, his father stood here, feeling the same as him, crowned at eleven years old. 

   Ranboo felt his heart race in his chest as Techno moved to lift his veil. 

   Tears flooded his vision, the world around him becoming a blur as his eyes began to sting. 

   He couldn’t do it. 

   He turned, forcing Techno’s hands from his veil as he hid against his torso, shoulders shaking as he cried. He heard people move behind him, standing from the pews as Ranboo felt Techno’s arms shield him from them. He heard the king tell them to sit, forgoing Endoshi and switching to English in his haste. 

   “What happened?” Techno asked softly as Ranboo’s sobs slowed to sniffles. 

   Ranboo shook his head, “I can’t- can’t d-do-do it…” He reached beneath his veil to rub at his eyes, face stinging as the tears rolled down his cheeks. “I’m- I’m not re-ready. N-not yet…”

   Techno brought his arm over the boy’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. “I get it, it’s a lot. You’re just a kid. It’s a big responsibility for such a little boy, isn’t it?” 

   Ranboo could only manage a nod before he sobbed again, turning into Techno’s side as a new wave of tears fell from his eyes and clouded his vision. 

   “We don’t have to do this. We can focus on trying to get to know your family if that’s easier?” Techno suggested. “Or we can ignore all of it and just go back to Alladell, you’re allowed to back out.” 

   The prince considered it for a moment, rubbing the tears from his eyes again. He wanted this. This was how he was supposed to prepare. He couldn’t keep acting like this if he was going to be the king in only a few years' time. If he couldn’t handle this, a practice, in front of only family, he wasn’t going to be able to be king. He wouldn’t be able to get married or take his father’s place or make his parents proud. If he couldn’t handle this, then what could he do? He was being childish, he decided, nodding to confirm with himself. 

   “W-we don’t ha-have t-to g-go-go back I’m just…” He hiccuped as he paused, “I’m b-being ch-childish.”

   “You’re ten.” Techno's response was fast, a tone of disbelief lacing his words. “You are a child. You’re allowed to be childish. You’re not ready, that’s okay. We’ll go home and we’ll make you ready; in your own time.” 

   Ranboo looked away, down at his feet to avoid Techno's eyes. In moments like these, it felt like Techno could truly be his father, or at least someone's father. He would never accept the title, not even from Wilbur or Tommy, definitely not from Ranboo. Despite his insistence otherwise, Techno was like a father to them all. He fit perfectly in the gap that Otelin left when he died. He took good care of Ranboo. He took good care of all the children that he met. Ranboo supposed it was just in his nature to protect and provide.

   "We'll go back to the palace and we'll leave tomorrow, how's that sound?" He said softly, rubbing Ranboo's back, watching expectantly, waiting for him to return his gaze. 

   The prince could only nod. He wanted to go home, where he didn't have to worry about this so much. He would never be ready . He could never be fully prepared for how hard his coronation would be, no matter how much he learnt or practised, it would always evoke a great sense of dread when he had to think about it. For the next few years, even thinking about this place would weigh on his soul, tugging it down to the pit of his stomach. 

   For now, he was okay. He was better, at least. Techno was good at helping people, he prided himself on it and Ranboo had seen it hundreds of times by now. Many kings, especially an immortal like Technoblade, would have abused something by now, it was bound to happen after almost a century of being a king. Yet, Techno was kind and loving to a fault. It was almost hard to believe that he was the cold one between him and Philza. 

   Phil was distant, Ranboo hardly ever saw him. Of course, he had things to do, Ranboo couldn't fault him for being busy, especially with tension rising between the empire and Travaiwen. That didn't mean he was less distant though. Ranboo saw him at meals and when Tommy begged him to come do something with him. At first, Ranboo had expected Phil to be far closer to Wilbur than he was. However, it seemed like every expectation he had about the kings and their family was flipped on its head once he met them.

   It made the stories feel much more like stories . The Technoblade described in Blood Moon was nothing but a character; so detached from the man sitting beside him that Ranboo could hardly believe it was supposed to be the same person. There was an air of truth to it, but Ranboo knew most of it was made up and exaggerated by now. Of course, Techno was intimidating, but nothing like the brute described in most stories about him. The same went for Phil, he was so much more than the stories made him out to be. 

   They were people, as human as Ranboo was. They had always seemed so far away, such impossible beings but being here, seeing a side to them both that very few people ever would, made them seem normal . It made them feel more like people and less like a legend or a myth. Techno was here next to him, sympathising with Ranboo because he understood . He was human and understood what feeling so overwhelmed felt like. Knowing that - seeing that - it made Ranboo feel at ease. There was no need to be afraid of a person like Techno.

   Techno tapped the prince's back before he stood up with a groan. "C'mon, let's get back then," He offered his hand for Ranboo to hold. 

   The boy took it gently as he stood up next to the king feeling safer by Techno's side than he could anywhere else in the world.

Chapter Text

   “We’re about to go to war Techno, why is this what you’re so worried about? It was months ago!” Phil chided, taking a step to turn away from the other man. 

   Techno watched him in disbelief, amazed that Phil could still be missing the point.“It’s the reason we’re about to go to war! There were so many better options than this!” 

   Phil rolled his eyes, “Like what? Trying to kill us is punishable by death almost everywhere in the world, you didn’t want us to kill him, so I tried to sort it another way.” He paused for a moment. “Either way, you’re fine. Nothing happened to you, I don’t understand why you’re angry now. It was months ago and you’re completely fine.”

   “This isn’t about me anymore, Phil. We’re going to war. People are going to die because you thought poisoning me and accusing a foreign king was a good idea !” 

   “ I didn’t accuse him, it was everyone else that thinks he’s fucking deranged! This war was going to happen anyway, he wants us dead, we may as well give him a good incentive.”

   Techno’s eyes flickered over Phil’s face, searching for something to say. Phil had never properly grasped that his actions had consequences, Techno wasn’t sure why he expected this time to be any different. Maybe because the consequences were right in his face, right on his doorstep. Yet, Phil still wasn’t understanding. They’d been arguing for days, since Phil confessed to what he did at The Final Sunset. 

   “You’re… Insane. You’ll risk the lives of millions for what? If he is nuts, this will pass, he’ll die and everything will go back to the way it’s been for almost a century. If it is our time…” Techno stopped, hesitating for a moment. He liked to think he was okay with his life coming to an end but… 

   “You don’t want this either, Techno. We’re still fit to rule, we hold The Immortality and will continue to do so until the Gods take us down themselves.” 

   …They weren’t finished here. Not while Wilbur and Tommy were still here, not while Ranboo needed them. Techno couldn’t help but feel guilty about the lives that will be lost but if that’s what it took to stay, just a little longer, he could accept that. He figured that Phil already had. 

   He sighs, looking away from Phil. “I’m still upset that you poisoned me for this. If I had died, then what?”

   “I knew you weren’t going to die, I made sure of it. The poison was only strong enough to make you sick, mixing that with all the alcohol you drink, it wasn’t hard to make you pass out.” Phil said, pointing at him. “You really need to stop drinking so much.”

   “We’re not having this conversation for the hundredth time. I’ll see you at dinner.” Techno muttered as he turned to the door to leave. He sighed, hearing Phil shuffle some papers on his desk as he opened the door. 

   The sound of quick footsteps caught his attention and he turned to see the source of them. He looked quickly enough to catch a glimpse of Ranboo disappearing around the corner. Off to the library, Techno guessed. He was there a lot when he had nothing else to do. He must have just finished his classes for the afternoon. Techno sighed and started his way down the hall, trying to shake the lingering feeling of dread in his chest. 

   He made his way to the drawing room, where he heard Tommy pestering Wilbur. His illness had been bothering his older brother and he had been taking full advantage of it for the past week or so.

   "Do not touch me, you diseased rodent !" Wilbur shouted, swatting Tommy's hand away from him with a book. "Go away!" 

   Techno decided to leave them alone and continued his wander through the palace.

   "It's a cold Wilbur, calm down-" Tommy argued through his laughter. He clutched his side as it began to ache. "You-" He tried to continue but was cut off by his own laughter as Wilbur scowled at him.

   Wilbur circled around the sofa slowly, holding his book up to defend himself, as if Tommy was some sort of wild animal. Tommy's illness wasn't serious but Wilbur was not prepared to be sick for the first time. He glanced towards the door, ready to escape his brother's illness. Tommy realised and dashed to catch him, barely missing as Wilbur made a run for it with a yell. The guards moved out of their way as they ran down the halls, stepping aside as the princes ran by. Wilbur considered throwing his book at Tommy to slow him down but couldn’t bring himself to damage it or risk slowing down. He turned sharply to his left, feeling his heart sink as he nearly tripped over himself.

   As they turned the corner, Tommy skidded across the floor, socks giving him no traction against the marble floors. He scrambled to get up as Wilbur ran through a door, slamming it behind him, although it didn't latch and bounced off of the frame, swinging back open for Tommy to chase him through. Tommy made it through in time to see Wilbur disappear around the corner again, catching a glimpse of his coattails behind him. The blonde prince grinned as he continued his pursuit, laughing loudly as Wilbur turned to check if he was still there, yelping when he was. He picked up his pace as he tried to get away. 

   The laughter made Tommy’s chest tight and his throat dry, but he carried on, pushing through as his breath became raspy. Wilbur ran up a flight of stairs, almost missing the staircase and having to take a few steps back. He sprinted up as fast as he could with Tommy following right behind him. He slipped on the last few steps, yelping as he lost his footing. He used his hands to scramble his way up the rest of the stairs. Tommy stopped for a moment halfway up to catch his breath but was quick to get back to it, determined to catch Wilbur before he got to his bedroom, where he knew he’d be trying to get to. 

   Wilbur turned up another flight of stairs, slamming the door behind him. It latched this time, forcing Tommy to waste precious seconds fumbling with the handle to reach his brother. He swung the door open, ignoring the loud bang it created, missing the faint crack of the wood, and ran up the stairs. 

   As Tommy started down the hall, Wilbur slammed his bedroom door shut with a shout. “Leave me alone, Tommy!” 

   Tommy slid to a stop in front of the door, fighting to turn the handle as Wilbur did everything he could to keep the door firmly shut. 

   “Let me in! ” Tommy whined, shaking the handle. “Wilbur, come on !”

   “No, no, no, no! Leave, leave, you’re sick, you’re infected, go away!” 

   Tommy burst into laughter again, tears in his eyes. “You-you’re ridiculous , Wil!” He managed to exclaim through giggles and laughs. “Let-let me in, I can’t-” He laughed, “I can’t breathe, gods above!”

   He could practically hear Wilbur scowl at him through the door before it cracked open ever so slightly. He heard Wilbur back away quickly and entered in time to watch Wilbur sit on his bed with an unhappy expression. Tommy calmed himself down before plopping himself on Wilbur’s stool, pulling it away from the vanity. Wilbur frowned at him for a while as he did. 

   "You're messing things up." He chided. 

   Tommy rolled his eyes with a scoff. "I'll put it back before I leave." 

   Wilbur gave him a suspicious look before moving to put his book on the end table. He put it on top of a few other books already stacked neatly. With a sigh, he lay down, letting himself relax for a moment before Tommy coughed. The older boy rolled his eyes in annoyance at first but sat up to check on his brother when he heard gagging. 

   "Gods, this is really bad, isn't it?" 

   "No, I'm-" A cough interrupts him. "I'm okay." Despite his claims, his voice gave out and he continued to cough. It sounded painful, a rough noise that ripped itself from the boy’s throat. 

   "I hope that illness kills you, whatever it is." Wilbur joked, hoping to lighten his brother's dimming mood. 

   Tommy coughed one more time into the handkerchief with an offended look. "I hope you get assassinated- no, no, I hope you kill yourself so nobody has to get punished. You'd be doing the world a favour!" Tommy responded with a laugh. Wilbur scoffed with a soft smile.

   Coughing interrupted Tommy’s giggles again and Wilbur couldn’t help but feel bad. Whatever it was, a cold, some sort of infection, it was getting worse. It seemed that every day, the coughs grew more painful, the body aches and pains more frequent and the exhaustion more obvious. The doctor hadn’t been called yet, it had only been a week or so since it started and Phil didn’t want to be too hasty, although Techno had been protesting this the whole time. As much as he disliked his brother sometimes, Wilbur did feel bad seeing him in such a state. He himself had never been sick before. Tommy had only a handful of times; it was never this bad. Not so bad Tommy could hardly run without choking on his own breath. 

   “Come on, you should be in bed. Call Toby to get you some food and get some sleep.” Wilbur said after a moment, letting Tommy stop the fit before he spoke. “Or at least go to bed. You shouldn’t be doing all this running.”

   “You sound like Techno.” Tommy rolls his eyes lightheartedly. 

   “That’s a good thing. Now, go, out, rest .”

   Tommy groans before standing and turning to leave. He only gets a few steps away before he’s reminded to push the stool back to the vanity. Wilbur didn’t really mind, it wouldn’t take much to get up and do it himself, but he couldn’t let Tommy leave his request unfulfilled. It was less about keeping his room tidy and more about being the older brother; about these things being his and Tommy can’t just move them as he pleased because they were his big brother’s. Tommy didn’t get out of the door before Wilbur told him to close it behind him. He would leave in only a few minutes but again, it was his room and Tommy would respect that.

   “I don’t know, I feel so stuck sometimes. I know I kind of won the genetics lottery, I’m a prince, but I always feel like I’ll never be more. I’m just the prince. I won’t even be king. I can’t leave, I can’t do anything.” Wilbur explained, looking at the pastry in his hand. 

   “I get that. Ted won’t let me do shit, I tell ya.” Jay rolled his eyes before taking a bite of his food. He takes half of it in his mouth, as he usually would. Wilbur had gotten over it a while ago, although it still disturbed him when Jay would chew with his mouth open. 

   Wilbur continued after a moment of considerate silence. “It’s also my father though, he doesn’t let me do anything but at the same time he wants nothing to do with me. He watches me when I do anything, just so he can disapprove, I think. He wants me gone and I know that but he won’t give me a chance to leave. I’m an adult now, I should be able to go places and do things for myself.” 

   “Your dad kinda sucks Wil, gotta be honest.” Jay shrugged as he swallowed his food. “My advice, get outta here whether he likes it or not!” He barked out a laugh, punching Wilbur’s arm without much force,

   “Your advice sucks, Jay. I can’t leave.” Wilbur rolled his eyes in exasperation.

   “Why not?!” Jay exclaimed, disbelief filling his voice as he threw his arms out in an exaggerated shrug.

   “Father will never allow it! We’ve talked about this. I can’t go anywhere.” 

   “Sneak out like a normal teenager!” 

   Wilbur hesitated. The obvious answer is a hard no, of course Wilbur wouldn’t sneak away from his perfect life. Yet, he found himself considering it. A moment passed, silence filling the space between the two boys. Could Wilbur really run away from here? Would he? It could be so easy to leave, to be rid of the burden weighing on his shoulders, to escape the crushing pressure from his father. His eyes flickered over Jay’s face, searching for any sign that he didn’t mean what he said. Wilbur finds nothing of the sort, as Jay looks at him with an expression that made it obvious he thought what he said was obvious, like Wilbur was stupid for not considering it earlier.

   “See!” Jay speaks before Wilbur can find a single word. “You know I’m right, this is why you come to me for advice!”

   “I came to you because Niki is busy.” Wilbur rolls his eyes, forcing the shocked expression from his face, turning away from Jay. “I’m not running away. I’m the lunar prince of the Sollepean Empire, Jay, it’s not happening.” 

   “Just a suggestion.” 

   Jay took another bite of his food as footsteps approached the two boys. 

   “Hey! Sorry!” Came Niki’s sweet, sing-song voice. She lifted her skirt to step over a rock, running over to Wilbur and Jay, waving excitedly as she approached. “Mom needed me a lot longer than I thought, I’m glad you’re still here.” She laughed as Jay helped to pull her up onto the wall they were sat on. As she sat the smell of warm bread and sweet pastries filled the space.

   “It’s fine, we didn’t miss ya.” Jay said with a shrug, laughing as Niki scoffed. 

   “I guess you don’t get any more bread then, do you? Rude.” She rolled her eyes, ignoring Jay’s loud protests with practised ease. “Anyway, Wil!” She said, talking over Jay entirely. “How are you, you said you wanted to talk to us about something.”

   “Ah, yeah… It’s, um… It’s Tommy.” Wilbur confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. Jay fell silent as Niki tilted her head curiously. “He’s sick. A lot more sick than my father or Techno are willing to admit, I think… and as much as I hate him sometimes, I’m worried.” He looked down at the floor. 

   “Oh, Wil, I’m sure he’ll be okay… Everyone gets sick around this time of year.” Niki tried to assure him with a soft voice, sweet like the food she bakes and as soft as her hair. 

   “No… I’m not sure. I’ve got a horrible feeling that this will turn out to be so much worse than it seems.” Wilbur took a deep breath. “He’s been coughing so badly, he chased me through the palace earlier and he could hardly breathe. He’s been so sick and I’m so worried. I try not to show him but I know it could be more than we think. It’s getting worse every day…” Wilbur hesitated for a moment, trying to push away the heavy feeling in his chest, “I’m hoping that the doctor can come by soon to check on him.” 

   “Since when do you care about your brother?” Jay asked through a mouthful of fresh bread. “I thought you hated him!” 

   Wilbur thought for a moment before responding, “I do… Most of the time.” 

   “It could be… Devil’s fever…?” Niki suggested hesitantly, nervousness clear in her voice. 

   “Don’t say that.” Wilbur shook his head, words coming out rushed. “It’s… No. It’s not. It can’t be.” He shook his head again, “The gods wouldn’t allow it, do not say that.”

   “What are his symptoms like?” Jay asked. 

   “ Not Devil’s fever .” Wilbur insisted, frustration becoming clearer with every word that fell from his mouth. “I know Devil’s fever and Tommy does not have it!” 

   “Okay, gods above, calm down, Wil.” Jay rolled his eyes, leaning back as he bites into his bread again. “Just askin’” 

   Niki jumped in before Wilbur could argue. “Look, okay, if you’re sure it’s not… That… I’m sure everything will be okay. The doctor will come, give Tom some medicine or magic and it’ll be fine. No need to worry!” Niki smiled. “I remember when my mom got really sick and I was so scared she wouldn’t be able to work anymore, but she’s fine, isn’t she?” 

   Wilbur nodded as he took a deep breath to compose himself. “...Yes. I remember, you came to me crying because you thought we couldn’t be friends if your mother was sick…” Wilbur laughed at the memory, although scary at the time, it had become a fond memory over the years. Niki passed over a warm bread roll to Wilbur. “I took you to Techno to ask if it’d be okay…”

   The two laughed, as Niki spoke again, “See? I bet, in a few years time, we’ll laugh about this conversation too. Tommy will get better and it’ll be just fine. You have nothing to worry about, Wilbur. You have the best doctors in the country to make your brother well again.”

   “Can’t wait to tell your brother you actually cared about him.” Jay laughed, pointing at Wilbur mockingly. “It’s gonna be so funny one day.” 

   “Yeah, yeah, shut up.” 

   Wilbur felt a weight lift from his shoulders as he laughed with his friends, fresh bread in their hands and a warm feeling in their chests. For the first time in days, he felt comforted. Under the early spring sun, sounds of laughter mix with the rustling of leaves and the flow of the nearby river. It was nice to be away from the palace sometimes, although Wilbur couldn’t help but wonder, through the joyful laughter, if he really could run away and escape this life. Maybe he could be a normal person and truly understand Jay and Niki when they talk about their lives. Jay could be right.