Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's a lovely evening. Cold, as expected in the Antarctic Empire, but with a clear sky and a full glowing moon.

Emperor Philza sits on his throne, smiling widely as he lovingly watches his wife, Queen Kristen, dances with their three children; hands held in a small circle as they skip about in the one spot.

The party is in full swing. The marble floors of the ballroom have been meticulously polished so that they reflect every dancer; grand chandeliers lit with orange flames hang above their heads. Banquet tables filled to the brim with any and all types of food the brain could imagine. Everyone, guests, staff, the royals, are dressed their absolute best. Some adorn the most gorgeous gowns while others opt for the finest suits money could buy. They all dance seemingly without a care in the world. Blue and white banners and decorations hang around the walls.

It has all the makings to be a magical night. Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Empires triumph over the Essempee. But Emperor Philza Minecraft suspects that ten years of peace means nothing to the Essempee's ruthless leader who is still ordering his soldiers to storm their borders.

The Emperor's smile grows when he and his wife share a glance, their eyes asking a silent question to which the Empress nods and leads the children over to the thrones. His hand goes for presents for the Royal children, three boxes wrapped in red, yellow and gold. Presents that the king had paid a fortune for but they were worth it. Anything to keep his kids safe. Anything to keep them together.

They leave early tomorrow. Bound to a new, safer haven than their current home named L'manberg. A place Philza has visited quite a few times on Royal duties; each time he returns his sons bombard him with demands of stories and presents. They have always wanted to go, even going so far as trying to hide in his luggage or sneak onto the train, and now they would finally get to. (Of course, Phil had planned to tell them it was an extended holiday of sorts instead of a retreat to avoid an oncoming war that they were destined to lose.)

They would return of course, but only when it was safe.

Philza was pulled out of his thoughts by three small figures barrelling into him with a speed that envied a gunshot. He soon found himself with a lap full of his favourite things; his children.

First is Prince Technoblade, twelve years old and the crown prince of the Empire as decided by the advisors when he was born. He's a quiet thing, often found with his head in a book, ruby eyes covered by his long pink hair, but it's best not to mistake that quietness for weakness; Techno could take any enemy down in a matter of seconds if provoked. Tonight he's dressed like a king. Off-white blouse, brown trousers and a blood red cape to match his eyes and the jewels of his crown.

Next is Prince Wilbur, twelve years old, twin of Technoblade. Talented both academically and musically. Never in his life has Philza seen a child so quickly learn to play at least three musical instruments so quickly. Wilbur usually prefers to wear his signature red beanie over his crown and tonight's no different. Along with his hat, the brunette boy is dressed in shades of blue, gold rimmed glasses sit in front of his brown eyes and he has the brightest smile anyone in the Empire has ever seen.

And finally, is Theseus. Baby Theseus, just barely five, the youngest (and most mischievous) of the three. With blonde hair so gold it made the sun look like cheap copper and eyes so blue the ocean looked grey in comparison. The pride and joy of the family, apple of his parents eye, sporting a tiny red and white suit with gold accents.

Empress Kristen follows behind the three, giggling as they climb up on top of their father. "Let him breathe you three." she says, taking her seat beside her husband. "If you ask nicely, your father and I might have a small present for you three."

The children's eyes light up immediately, spawning a chorus of "present?" "Do you really?" "What is it?" "Can we have it please please please?"

Phil chuckles deep and low, pulling the wrapped boxes out from his cape. "Don't get too excited now, it's nothing huge-"

"Just give it to us dad!" Wilbur whines.

"Hm." Philza clicks his tongue, "Impatient aren't you Wil?" He hands each of them a box; Gold wrapping for Techno, yellow for Wilbur and Red for Theseus. Immediately the three tear into them like savage wolves.

Techno is the first to open his box, holding up the item, head tilting in confusion. "A compass?" he asks.

Philza nods. "Magic compasses." he corrects. "Turn it over."

The three boys obey, turning their identical compasses in their hands to reveal the engravings on the other side.

"To-gether in l-man-berg?" Theseus reads. Techno and Wilbur look at each other excitedly.

"Really?" The twins say in unison making their parents giggle. Philza nods.

"Really." The Emperor confirms.

Theseus, looking confused as ever, looks between Phil and Kristen, eyes wide, "What? What's happening?"

"We're going on a little holiday, bud." The Empress ruffles his golden locks, "To L'manberg."

Realization settles in the youngests eyes as he smiles from ear to ear. He puts the chain attached to the compass around his neck, looking down at the arrow as it jerks around.

"These," Philza points at the item hanging around his youngests neck, "Are special compasses. You see, they'll always point to each other. So no matter where you are in the world, no matter how far, you can always find your way back to each other."

The brothers smile widely, glancing at each other.

"Oh!" the Empress says, "One more thing." She pulls out a circular, jewel encrusted box. It shines under the candle light of the chandeliers above. She inserts a small key attached to a chain hanging around her neck and turns it, round and round until it is wound up.

"A jewelry box?" Techno raises an eyebrow, carefully taking it into his hands, passing it over to Wilbur who then passes it to Theseus. Curiously, the youngest opens it and a familiar tune plays, the lullaby that the Queen sings to them every night.

Theseus exclaims, "It sings!" making everyone around him laugh.

"Yeah, Theseus," Kristen says, "It sings."

Theseus, with bright eyes, watches as the two small figures in the box (that look exactly like his mother and father) spin and move, unconsciously humming along to the lullaby. His brothers join in, singing the words they've heard so many times.

"-Things it years to remember," the twins sing in unison.

The Empress sings the next part, lifting Theseus (who is still mesmerized by the music box) up into her arms, her angelic voice almost brings tears to Philza's eyes, "And a song someone sings," she looks towards her husband with a smile that's soft and knowing.

He sighs, finishing off the song with his pitchy voice that no way matches that of his wife's, "Once upon a December."

From the side of the ballroom, a child, just a year older than the youngest Prince, stands in front of the buffet table dressed in servant attire. If you looked close enough you might notice some shuffling from under the tablecloth and small hands grabbing food off of it before disappearing back under the cloth.

He shifts anxiously, moving his black and white hair out of his eyes so he can gaze watchfully out into the dancing crowd

"Hurry up Tubbo we're gonna get caught!" he whispers behind him.

The shuffling stops, ending with a small bang that makes the silverware on top of the table shake. Then, a small head pops out from underneath the tablecloth.

"Have a little faith in me Ranboo," the other boy, a brunette with blue eyes and small horns poking out from under his hair, crawls out from the table, dusting down his clothes before reaching into his pocket to reveal two iced buns. "One for you," he hands one to his tall companion, "and one for me."

The first boy mumbles a quick "thank you" before taking a bite. "One of these days someone's gonna spot us."

"Probably," the smaller of the two shrugs, "But would you rather go back to eating the gruel from the kitchen?"

"Gods no."

"Exactly."

The two watch the guests dance the night away, munching down on their dinner when they suddenly hear a familiar voice shouting at them.

"Oi!" the two look towards the end of the table, where the cook is shaking his fists and marching angrily over to them, "What are you two doing out of the kitchen?!"

The cook forcefully grabs their arms and the two boys let themselves be dragged back towards the kitchen.

It's about an hour later when the trouble starts.

News travels fast in the Antarctic Empire, particularly the news that Dream, leader of the Essempee, has resorted to dark magic to take his victory against the Empire and successfully stormed the borders. He had stormed in alone, giving the Emperor one last chance to surrender, to bow to him.

Philza Minecraft would not.

The enemy spat threats into Philza's face, threats of a curse that will put an end to the Royal family's bloodline for good.

Philza Minecraft still would not bend.

Dream had stormed out of the castle and for about an hour, the King thought all would be OK.

Much later in life, Philza Minecraft would look back on this moment and think about how wrong he was. But for now,

The Emperor runs through the halls of his Palace, his hands gripping onto both his eldest sons like their life depends on it. Which they do. The Empress runs beside him, her hand holding onto Theseus'.

"Stay together!" Phil called over his shoulder as the screams behind him grew louder along with the eerie sound of bone's clacking together and metal clanging. "Wilbur hurry up!"

The youngest suddenly halted, eyes wide. "Mama!" he says, "your music box!"

The Empress tried to pull Theseus along but the five-year-old would not budge. "Leave it." she commands but unfortunately, Theseus did not listen. Instead he pulled away from his mother's grip and ran back in the direction he came from, much to his family's horror.

"Theseus!" Wilbur cried, copying his younger brother and pulling out of his father's grip to run after the blonde. Techno then followed after and now all three of the Royal children were sprinting down the hallway, right in the direction of the danger.

"Come back!" Phil shouted. As usual his children did not do as they were told. Turning to his wife he said, "Get to the train, I'll meet you there." kissed her, and before she could protest began shoving his way through the crowd of screaming people.

He can hear shattering glass, terrified screams, weapons clashing against each other, shouts, threats, cries for help, for mercy but he ignores them all. He had to get to his kids.

Eventually, the Emperor reached the bedroom. He kicked down the door to find Techno standing protectively in front of his twin and baby brother, who were huddled in the corner of the room.

Philza slammed the door behind them shut when he heard the sound of enemy voices approaching quickly. He pushed a chest of drawers in front of the door for good measure.

He turned to his children, "Don't you ever do that again, do you hear me?!"

The young royals looked fearfully at their father and his expression softened immediately. The king pulled the three of them close to his chest in a warm embrace.

Theseus sniffles. "I just-" He clung to his father's chest, "I wanted mama to have her music box."

Philza's heart clenched as he ran a hand through the youngests golden hair, "I know you did but it's dangerous and we need to go. Now."

"Dad," Techno asks, voice shaky, "where is mom?"

Phil's heart clenches again. "She's…she's waiting for us on the train." 'gods I hope she is.' "We have to go."

The Emperor scans his eyes around the room for some form of escape. The window seems to be the safest option. He could tie the bedsheets together and climb down the side of the Palace. Wilbur and Techno would be fine but Theseus is too young. It's times like these when Phil wishes his wings weren't absolutely destroyed.

Creaking erupts through the room. Four pairs of eyes shoot towards the back wall and see that it's… opened?

"Psst!" a small voice whispers, "over here."

Phil leads his children over towards the opened wall where they now find two small children; a tall one with black and white hair and a shorter one with brown hair. Both of them are wearing servants' outfits but the king doesn't recognise them at all.

"C'mon," the short one beckons impatiently, "Down this hallway, two lefts and then a right. It'll take you to the gardens."

"Thank you," Phil says, incredibly grateful. The passage is tiny, the elder almost has to hunch over to fit in. They hear the wall creak again, closing shut to avoid suspicion but not before he hears Theseus ask "What about you guys?" and one of the two servants says "Go!"

The Emperor scooped Theseus into his arms, grabbed the twins hands like he did before and sprinted down the small passageway. Behind him he could hear the bedroom door being forcefully pushed open and a voice that sounded eerily like Dream's shout "Where are they?!" He didn't want to wait around and hear more.

The snow spirals in the air, the wind blows harshly. The gardens are barren and quiet, so quiet that they can still hear the screams from the Palace. The train station isn't far from here, Phil just needs to get himself and three children there. Alive.

The town isn't any better than the Palace. The place is overrun with Essempee soldiers left right and center. Shops and buildings are being burnt down while civilians are running for their lives. Train bells and horns still sound off in the distance though, a good sign, a sign of escape. A sign of hope.

Philza ushers the children in front of him, saying such things as "Hurry up" and "quickly now" while they run to the station. Thankfully, the train to L'manberg hasn't fully left yet.

The Emperor chases after the fleeting train, putting Theseus on the ground so he can hop onto the back of the cart with ease. He helps Techno up next, who then helps up Wilbur, giving him a reassuring pat on the back when he steadies himself on the train. And then little Theseus, only a child, struggles to keep up with the vehicle.

"Theseus!" Phil pushes the twins out of the way, extending his hand, "Take my hand!"

Terror fills the elder as the train hurries towards the end of the platform and Theseus still hasn't caught up yet. He wants to shout, scream at the top of his lungs for the driver to stop, slow down, please, please, please. The fear dies down for a brief second when Theseus' small hands catch into his only to double when he realises he couldn't hold on, couldn't pull the child onto the train.

"Hold on," Philza begs, "Please mate just hold on!"

"Papa!" Theseus pleads, a fearful expression matching that of his father's.

And then, as quickly as the whole ordeal happened, Theseus stumbled on the snowy platform, slipping and falling onto the tracks below.

Little Theseus falls hard and doesn't get up again. The world goes black and the last thing he hears, amongst the cries and crackling fire, is his family shouting his name.

"Theseus!"

And then there was nothing.

When Theseus awoke he would be left with nothing, no home, no family, no memories. Nothing but a killer headache and a cracked compass.

-

It's been eleven years since the takedown of the Antarctic Empire. The Essempee continues to reign strongly with the tyrant Dream still on the throne and his soldiers roaming the colonies. The Royal family escaped, fled by train the night of the attack and now safely tucked away in L'manberg. Something Dream seems content to let slide for now

Well, most of the Royal family escaped.

Everyone in the land knew of the multiple lives lost that night, including the beloved Empress Kristen who could not escape to the train station in time. The empire mourned greatly. Some began small revolutionary groups whose main goal was to reinstate Philza Minecraft as Emperor, where he rightfully belonged. Those people were quickly executed.

And then, of course, was Prince Theseus. Dead Prince Theseus to some and Missing Prince Theseus to others. No one knew what happened to the young Prince that dreaded night. He just seemed to vanish into thin air like a cold wind in the winter seasons. There are many theories; some say he escaped with his family, others say they spotted him in Business Bay two days after the attack, most believe he perished like his mother. None have been confirmed.

The Essempee have strongly pushed the idea that Theseus is dead but the people suspect that that's only so no one goes looking for him. The child would be sixteen now and the tale of a missing Prince surviving despite the odds and rising up to claim his family's rightful place on the throne could cause enough revolutions to overthrow Dream once and for all. Especially since neither of the crown princes have stepped up to reclaim the throne.

The Royal Family has remained hopeful even after all these years. The pain of losing their youngest member caused them to become desperate and they have announced a ten million gold and silver coins reward for anyone who could find the missing Prince and bring him home to L'manberg.

This caused whispers and rumors to surge around the fallen empire. Honest citizens tried their best to find Theseus whereas con artists studied and dressed up, or got others to dress up, as the young Prince in a cruel attempt to fool a desperate family just to collect the reward.

Well, a promise of a royal sum will do that to some people.

Case in point;

Tubbo is this close to ripping his own hair out. Sure, the guy on stage seems to be roughly the same age as Theseus, but his eyes are too dark of a blue and his teeth are too straight. The closest match he's seen all day but still far too obvious that this was not the missing Prince.

"Next!" Tubbo yells. Beside him, Ranboo crosses a name out of their list.

When the next guy walks onto the stage, Tubbo thinks it's a joke; he's easily in his early thirties- late twenties at best -with dark hair and eyes, built like a warrior and smoking a pipe. He takes a long draw from it, let's the smoke escape from his lips, before he says, "Papa, it's me Theseus-" in a deep and very unenthusiastic voice.

"For fucks sake- Next!" Tubbo turns to Ranboo who is again, crossing a name off their list.

"That's it for today." Ranboo tells him, "This is getting pointless. It's never gonna work."

"Give it time Ranboo," Tubbo sighs, climbing off his seat in the empty theatre and grabbing his coat off the chair in front. His black and white haired companion follows suit.

"Well how much time do you want me to give it?" The taller of the two asks while he puts on his long coat.

"For ten million gold and silver pieces?" Tubbo pushes open the door into the bright daylight, he has to squint to see, "You can wait a bit longer. We just need the right actor."

As soon as he steps outside, the harsh cold air attacks him. The Antarctic Empire is always bleak these days, now that it is the winter months, it is even worse. Usually the streets would be filled with lanterns and food stalls and markets. Now only the markets stand and, despite the crowds, they look devoid of life, shadowed by the ghost of the abandoned palace looming over the town.

Ranboo trails beside Tubbo as they trudge through the snow, "You know what else we need? Food. I haven't eaten in three days, Tubbo, three days."

The brunette sighs. It's true, the last time either of them had a proper cooked meal was when they worked in the Palace kitchen, and that was eleven years ago. Since then it's been scraps of bread, bits of cheese, whatever they can trade for money and food. "You're right." he gives in, "We'll go back up to the Palace again and see if we can find anything to sell, alright?"

Ranboo just nods and the two of them begin the familiar journey to the abandoned castle. As they push their way through the crowded market square they overhear the usual chatter of the sales people.

"This belonged to the Empress herself!"

"Emperor Philza's cloak!"

"Thirty gold pieces! That's my final offer."

Now, while some of the items could be authentic, the more likely situation was the opposite. Didn't stop the demand for things that even had a slither of a chance of belonging to the Royals.

Tubbo and Ranboo aren't strangers to the markets, it is their main source of income after all. There's not really much else to do for money when you're a kid with absolutely no qualifications. Unfortunately that's the case for the two of them. Nowadays, authentic items from the royals are scarce, which is expected given the fact that the Palace has been scavenged from corner to corner. Still, there are some things that Tubbo, after working in the Palace staff since he was four years old, hasn't seen in one of the market stalls.

He smiles when he thinks of the queen's music box, the one that Theseus almost risked his and his family's lives for. That'd surely fetch a pretty penny.

The chatter of the markets follow the duo the whole way upto the ghost town of a building that is the Royal Palace. Dream had decided to keep it standing despite its burnt and broken stature, as some sort of cruel reminder of what happens when you challenge him.

"Do you think he's actually out there?" Ranboo asks once they reach the rusted gates of the castle, "Do you think Theseus is alive?"

He's asked this before. Three times since that dreaded night.

The first happened a week after the attack, when rumors of the prince's sighting began. Tubbo, only turned seven, had said yes knowing none the wiser. The second time happened when the two were rummaging through the castle for the first time, looking for something, anything, that they could sell. The ten year olds were growing desperate and food trading in the Empire had lessened. Tubbo simply said, "probably not." And the third was when the royals had announced their reward for Theseus' return and the duo hatched their biggest scheme yet. Ranboo wondered what would happen if they successfully scammed the royals and then someone showed up with the real Theseus. Tubbo told him it didn't matter, Theseus wouldn't be showing up anytime soon.

"Who knows?" is his response this time. He pushes open the gate with a large creek, "Doesn't make any difference to us."

Secretly, Tubbo hoped the prince was out there. Half so honor could be restored to the Empire, half so he could find him and collect the reward.

They've had no luck so far in their scheme, but it's still worth a shot.

-

A few miles down from the city, in a run down, near collapsed orphanage, a blond boy is rudely awoken by a matron barging into the bunk room.

"Oi you," she drops a heavy suitcase on top of the sleeping boy, smirking, "Get up. It's finally your time to go."

As she leaves the room, nose high in the air, the boy in the bed groans loudly which awakes his bunkmates.

"Keep it down, Tom." One whines.

"What'd you expect from TommyInnit? Everything he does is loud." another says.

He ignores them, instead pushing the heavy suitcase full of his things (which, it shouldn't really be that heavy, he doesn't have much things) and literally crawling out of bed.

The bunk room is crowded, as is the rest of the orphanage. Overcrowding is a huge issue in the building. Too many unwanted kids and not enough beds, clothes and meals. It leads the matrons to kick out any child that's of age to work, sending them into jobs that'll house them.

And today, TommyInnit (as the matrons lovingly named him based on his overuse of the word) is of age. Well, they assume he is. None of them knew his actual birthday. Actually, none of them knew anything about him. Not even Tommy himself.

Truth be told, as much as Tommy hates the orphanage, he doesn't want to leave. He's pretty sure that this shithole of an establishment is better than any job these matrons found for him. They probably picked the shittiest one just to spite him, Tommy wouldn't put it past them. As he gets dressed into his usual clothes - a red t-shirt with a white jumper underneath, a large thick brown coat over the top of it all to block out the cold of the Antarctic, a green bandana around his neck and, of course, the only thing linking him to his past; a broken compass - he thinks of all the horrible place the witches that work at the orphanage could've placed him in.

When Tommy's dressed and ready, the blonde boy sluggishly drags the large case across the wooden floor and makes his way down the busted staircase where the matrons are waiting for him. The head matron holds an envelope in her right hand and a work card in her left.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Tom," she says, handing the boy both items in her hands, "I've gotten you a job that people like you would kill for."

Tommy snarls when she says 'people like you' wanting to retort, but decides to bite his tongue for once in his life.

She begins walking him to the gate. "You'll be working in King George's Estate. A measly kitchen job, mind you, but a job nonetheless."

Tommy is barely listening at this point. He's walking backwards, waving to the other children in the windows. Most are younger than him but some are his age and he recognises them from growing up. He doesn't want to leave.

To work in King George's Estate no less. The thought makes him cringe.

"I've generously given you some money, out of my own pocket, might I add, and your work card. Don't lose them." The head matron continues in her shrill voice, "Go straight down this path until you reach the sign. Go right, not left into town, and that should take you to a small train station. The train takes you straight to Kinoko Kingdom so even a lazy son of a bitch like you should be able to- are you even listening?!"

Tommy turns to face her. She isn't much shorter than him but he still has to look down to meet her eyes, her dark, hardened eyes. "Yeah yeah, down the path then left-"

"Right! You go right!" she grabs the lobe of his ear and drags him to the gate, a painful experience Tommy's experienced too many times.

"You've been nothing but trouble ever since you got here." Matron complains and the boy rolls his blue eyes at the same rant he's heard for eleven years now, "Head in the clouds with that damn compass, acting like you're above us all, like you're some sort of King, instead of the useless nobody you actually are. I give you a hot meal every night, cl-"

"Clothes on my back and a roof over my head, all out of the goodness of your heart and I cause nothing but mischief in return." Tommy recites mockingly as the small woman's grip of his ear tightens so he's bent down. Clearly she's not impressed by Tommy's little recital.

"For someone who couldn't even remember their name, you sure are smart as a whip when you want to be." she says, throwing the gate open.

Tommy smiles but it's not genuine, "Y'know, after eleven years, that's the nicest thing you said to me."

The head matron copies his expression, only her smile could put medusa to shame and turn a man into a pillar of salt. "Think you're funny do you? You haven't gotten a clue what the real world is like, too busy in your fantasies with your imaginary family. Together in L'manberg!" She spits the phrase engraved onto the back of his compass with venom and mockery, it makes Tommy's blood boil, "It's time you grow up, TommyInnit."

With that, she throws Tommy out of the gates and slams them shut behind her, marching back towards the orphanage without so much as a second glance. Tommy flips her off behind her back and starts trudging through the snow.

"Grow up Tommy," he grumbles, mimicking the matron's shrill voice as he ploughs his booted feet through the thick layer of snow that covers the land, "Be grateful. What the fuck does she know?!"

It's too cold out here, Tommy decides as he breathes deep and watches the small cloud that escapes his lips disappear after he breathes out. His bandana acts as a makeshift scarf but even that's too thin, his boots aren't thick enough to completely block out the snow and while his coat would seem to be heavy enough to create some warmth, it's far too big and tattered so instead of heat the coat just felt like extra unnecessary weight piled onto his shoulders.

He drags his suitcase across the ground and wonders how the fuck it got so heavy. Like seriously, the only items he really has are three extra shirts and his compass. And the latter is around his neck so what gives?

"They probably put rocks in it or something." Tommy mumbles angrily, "Wouldn't put it past them."

As he walks down the snow covered path, Tommy is reminded of the times when the staff would lock him in the broom closet for talking back or breaking a window or just about anything really. How they would make him stand at the front of the classroom and solve math equations knowing damn well he couldn't in an attempt to humiliate him. How the other kids would steal his compass, hide them and refuse to acknowledge his existence no matter how much he begged they tell him where it was.

Automatically, Tommy's hand reaches for the broken compass around his neck and clutches it tightly as if those bastards would take it again if he let go.

"Where is it?!" Tommy pleaded every time, "Give it back." The others had just laughed at him, asked "What are you talking about?" which made a weird pressure form behind Tommy's eyes but he refused to cry. Not in front of everyone. TommyInnit didn't cry.

So he yelled. And he punched. And he got locked in the broom closet again.

He got his compass back in the end but Tommy knew then it was only a matter of time before someone tried to take it again.

Back in the present, Tommy stares down at the cracked glass of the compass, watching the way the dial spins around and around without rest like it's been doing since Tommy can remember. Absent-mindedly, he turns it around and runs his thumb across the engraving in the metal.

Together in L'manberg.

Tommy slows, the sign the head matron mentioned now mear steps in front of him, two arrows pointing in opposite directions. To the left, the road continues into town; snow has been swept away so people can actually see the cobblestone path lined with torches blazing and all around so inviting. And to the right, as told, is the train station evident by the smoke climbing into the air and whistle sounding off in the distance.

The train could leave at any moment now. The train that'll take Tommy to his new life of kitchen work at King George's big ass house. Another bunk room filled with random people he probably won't like. Sure, it probably won't be all bad. The castle is most likely warm, something that Tommy desperately wants right now, and he'll be fed.

But King George? Dream's little lap dog that does nothing but sit in his big ass mansion all day? Yeah, no, Tommy doesn't really want to take orders from him.

And it's here where he realizes that he could just not go. There's no one here to tell him off, no matron telling him what to do. What's stopping him from going left? Nothing.

Tommy taps his finger against the compass, chewing on the inside of his cheek in thought. But where would he go? He had no friends or family. He's alone. He's just little orphan Tommy with no one to care about him. And why would anyone care about him? He's a nobody. His thumbs run over the words again.

Together in L'manberg.

It was a matron, a kind one named Puffy who found him a few days after the invasion. He was only five, wandering around the snowy forest in well made clothes and a nasty gash on the back of his head. He had nothing else with him, no clothes or belongings, just a cracked compass around his neck. Puffy came across him after hearing his loud cries in the dead of night and when she asked him his name, he didn't know. When she asked about his home, he didn't know. She asked about his parents, his family, anything that might help her return this boy to where he belonged, and he just didn't know. Then she noticed the compass.

"Together in… L'manberg?" she had said, "Is that where you're from? Is that where your family is?"

The young boy had only shrugged at the time but now…

Maybe he was from L'manberg. Maybe his family had visited the empire that night and got caught up in the attack. If so, where are they now? Are they still in the Empire? Did they escape? Are they even alive?

Maybe they're looking for him.

The thought replays in Tommy's mind. A thought that he's honestly never considered before but now it's all he can think about.

"This is fucking stupid." Tommy shakes his head. A train whistles in the distance, reminding him that, hey, you have somewhere to be and he turns towards the station. "Go right, that's what she told you; go right, be grateful, grow up."

But the more he thought about it, the more Tommy realized that he really doesn't want to go to work. He could go into town. Hell, he could get a train, a boat, a fucking minecart, and just leave. Go to L'manberg and find the thing he's always longed for; a home.

A small ache surges in his head, like rusty cogs that have lay dormant for a long period of time finally turning. Or maybe it's the universe telling him he's being an idiot.

Tommy's bright blue eyes fall down to his compass again and they widen when he sees that the dial has stopped spinning and is now pointing left towards the town, something it's never, ever done in all of Tommy's memory.

It's a sign, Tommy thinks. It's a fucking sign and what sign could be clearer than this? His compass, the one no doubt given to him by his family, the one that's been broken for years, finally works. It means they're out there, Tommy's been dreaming of his family for years and now he's finally got the chance to find them. And who knows, maybe they actually are looking for him.

So screw all the matrons that told him he was nothing. Screw the bastards in the orphanage that mocked him relentlessly for thinking his family was out there. He's not going to follow anyone's orders anymore, he's gonna get what he wants and no one can take that away from him.

Laughing, a smile spread across his face, Tommy turns left and runs. Runs so fast the back of his coat flies up, so fast he momentarily forgets the weight of the suitcase he's carrying.

He's going to find them. They're out there somewhere and mark his words, TommyInnit is going to find his family.

He just needs to get to L'manberg first.

-

The town is nothing like he thought it would be. Quite the opposite really.

It's actually quite dreary here. All grey and bleak, empty even though people flood the streets. They look unhappy, the citizens - miserable even.

And Tommy is utterly lost among them.

He's considered asking for directions a few times, his compass has gone back to its usual state which makes Tommy consider that this whole thing was a mistake, but the unwelcoming looks on everyone's face puts him off.

Eventually Tommy mustered up enough courage to ask a kind looking man for directions to the nearest train station and after a brief exchange, the boy now finds himself standing outside a ticket booth operated by another unwelcoming face.

"A ticket to L'manberg please." Tommy says politely, remembering to say please like the staff drilled into him, while the operator stares grumpily at him.

"Passport." she says, uninterested and clearly wanting to be somewhere else.

Tommy blinks before looking down at the floor. He doesn't have a passport. The only thing relatively close to one is the work card the head matron gave him. "I don't have one."

The woman in the booth rolls her eyes at him. What a bitch, Tommy thinks. She tells him, quite rudely, "No passport, No ticket."

Tommy opens his mouth to protest but the woman interrupts with a loud "Next!" and then he's being pushed out of the way by the person next in line. Huffing, he picks up his suitcase and turns to leave the busy station, pushing past a lot of people rushing to catch their train.

Now feeling defeated, the boy flops down on a nearby bench and absentmindedly twiddles the string around his neck. The station is loud; the constant ring of whistles altering the train's departure along with the yells and shouts of citizens is not a good mix but something about it seems…familiar.

Like he's been here before.

Another horn sounds off, a mother grabs her children's hands and races down the platform to catch the departing vehicle and Tommy watches her go, the small ache in his head from earlier returns.

One of the children struggles to keep up with her mother. She falls behind but the rest of her family fail to notice.

"Mama!" the young girl calls out. She stumbles, tripping over her own feet.

Tommy instinctively flinches, shutting his eyes tight and-

"Hold on! Please mate, just hold on."

He's running on the platform, his hand held in one much bigger than it and struggling to keep hold. The bigger hand belongs to a man, kind looking eyes filled with panic and blonde like him, standing on a fleeting train. Beside the man on the train are two boys, each with a compass around their neck just like his. And they're all shouting, he's shouting with them, loud like the screams of terror and pain around them.

"Papa!"

The sound of a child crying forces Tommy's eyes open again. He looks up to see that the girl is safely in her mothers arms and they continue running towards the train.

What the fuck is the only thought in Tommy's mind after that but he shakes it off quickly because someone's watching him.

He can't tell who, not in this crowd, but he can feel their eyes on him; watching him, bearing into him. Tommy scans the crowd in an attempt to identify the creep and sure enough, standing on the other platform across the tracks, he spies a man staring at him.

Oh-kay, Tommy thinks, weird. He slowly grows uncomfortable under his gaze and decides to get the fuck out of there.

He needs to find some other way to L'manberg anyways and sitting here in a crowded train station isn't going to help him.

Sapnap watches him leave, eyes following him as he disappears into the crowd.

It can't be, he thinks just as a conductor calls all aboard for the last train to the Essempee. There's no fucking way.

But there's no denying the uncanny similarities. Everything from the golden hair to the bright blue eyes. Even the face shape resembles that of King Philza. There's no denying it, it's him.

Prince Theseus.

He's alive.

As Sapnap boards his train, only one thing runs through his mind; Dream's gonna be pissed.

-

Next time Tommy decides to run off to a city he's never been before on a big attempt to find his (probably nonexistent) family, he's gotta remember not to ask the half naked man offering him drugs for directions; because this place is fucking creepy.

A large - no gigantic - building stands in front of him cages behind rusted, broken gates. It's all broken and crumbling and shit. Maybe in the past, at least ten or eleven years ago, the place would've looked great; fit for a king even. But now it looked like not even rats would want to live there.

The gates weren't locked and the doors are wide open, barely holding on to their hinges, so no one could object to Tommy's intrusion.

Tommy, a wee bit exhausted from the events of his day - and it's not even three o clock yet! - yawns as he wanders aimlessly around the seemingly abandoned building. All he wanted to do was get to L'manberg, was that so much to ask?

Still, even if he couldn't get to his desired destination, Tommy supposes this place isn't that bad. Even if it's a run down, falling apart, probably a haunted death trap; it's far better than that damn orphanage.

Dust tickles his nose, making him sneeze violently as he shuttles past some coat racks and…are those bones?!

Yup! There, just below the fades spots on the walls where paintings or some sort of pictures used to hang and beside the torn and charred curtains, are fucking bones.

He shutters. And then continues walking, trying to ignore the wave of nausea in his stomach.

As he continues down the dusty, eerily silent corridor Tommy feels a sense of nostalgia; almost as if he's been here before. And it creeped him out.

The walls have eyes; Tommy heard one of the matron's back at the orphanage say that and he's starting to believe it because he feels like he's being watched again. But, after a quick glance around him just to be sure, he's definitely alone.

Still, that doesn't explain the feeling of eyes all over him.

His hands trace over the grimey, peeling wall. It's odd; this place feels so familiar, the long carpet, the broken tables, the few paintings on the walls, yet Tommy knows he's never been here before.

Still…

"What's this one, Papa?"

He's being held by strong arms. In front of him, a painting depicting a woman surrounded by roses.

"This one's of your mother," a familiar voice says, "It was my engagement present."

The woman in the painting is gorgeous. Long dark hair flowing loosely around her face; wearing a black dress with gold accents. He quickly decides, "This one's my favorite."

"Yeah," the deep voice says, "mine too."

His head fucking hurts. Something is missing.

Moving on down the hall, Tommy's feet move automatically, taking him to a bedroom (how did he know that?). Slowly, he pushes the door open and steps inside.

It's a nice room. The wallpaper is a light shade blue with images of different fish. The bed is unmade; covered in an insane amount of pillows and teddy's with a thick duvet.

Scattered across the floor is numerous toy soldiers and building blocks, the wardrobe had been raided long ago, now lying empty, the shelves on the walls are filled with more toys, and in the corner of the room, surrounded by broken records, is a jukebox.

Tommy couches down and picks up one of the pieces of the records, the one with a label. Mellohi is written across it, albeit faded over time.

Tommy feels cogs turn in the back of his head.

Two boys are in his room. One with pink hair, one with brown. They're dancing together as a somber song plays in the background.

"C'mon," the brunette turns to him, smiling down, "Dance with us!"

The brunette grabs his little hand, helping him stand. The pinkette watches, giggling. Together they all spin around in a circle until they're dizzy.

"What the fuck," Tommy whispers to the empty room. He wants to get the fuck out of here.

Turns out, getting the fuck out of here is a lot harder than initially thought. Tommy, the clueless idiot he is, has somehow managed to get himself lost. Hell, he's deeper into the building than before.

Somehow, he's made his way to a ballroom. A broken chandelier hangs from the ceiling, long tables with ripped cloth line the walls, burned green and white banners are hung on the walls, five chairs - thrones - sit at the end of the room.

"Wow," Tommy mumbles, walking further into the grand room, "must've been throwing some party."

A large painting, almost the size of the entire wall, greets him when he reaches the thrones.

Five smiling people; a man, a woman, two children and a baby. Each of them wears the finest clothing, even the baby, the shawl he's wrapped in looks expensive. They all have crowns sitting atop their heads, each with their own colour of jewels. The man has green, the woman has purple and the two children have pink and yellow respectively. The baby doesn't have a crown. One wouldn't fit his little head.

Upon further inspection, Tommy recognizes the man almost instantly.

Emperor Philza. Beside him, his wife Empress Kristen. And the two princes', Techno and Wilbur. So that means the baby is-

"Prince Theseus," Tommy barely mumbles, finally putting two and two together and realising that this is the Palace. His fingers ghost across the face of the baby, mind racing. "What happened to you?"

Something shiny catches his attention. The blonde looks down and there, underneath the smallest throne, is a golden box.

"What the fuck?" Tommy bends down, grabbing the thing in his hands, holding it up to the light. It's bejeweled, and a miracle nobody's stolen it yet. Something about it makes Tommy's head ache again so, naturally, he opens it.

And then a soft tune erupts from the box. Quiet and low and rusty but it sparks something in Tommy, makes him want to sob on the spot. Distorted images flash in his head, full of nostalgia yet he can't quite make them out. It's on the edge of his brain, the tip of his tongue but he can't find the words to-

The hall comes to life. Candles light up magically, the chandelier switches on Music is playing. He's still in the ballroom except it's less decrepit and more… homely.

He's sitting down, watching well dressed people dance eloquently. The place is crowded, like a party of some sorts given by the banners and banquet tables, but it's weird. He can't make out anyone's face.

The floor is polished enough for him to see his reflection and he looks different to say the least. For one, he's no longer wearing his thick brown coat or falling apart boots; instead adorning an expensive suit made from rich red fabric lined with gold trimming. His blonde locks have been combed back neatly and sitting atop his head is a golden crown fit for a king. He doesn't look like himself anymore.

In the reflection, he notices a figure coming up behind him. A woman, with her dark hair pulled back into a bun held together by a silver tiara wearing a deep green dress that drags across the floor as she walks. Her face is distorted but he can tell she's beautiful.

"Don't you look handsome," the woman says, her voice is soft and warm like a hug, it's familiar. She places both hands on his shoulders and kisses his forehead, "My little boy, all grown up."

Where has he heard that voice before?

The current song ends and the orchestra quickly begins playing another, slower one. The woman visibly perks up.

"Oh, I love this song! You're not too old to dance with your old woman are you?" She doesn't even let him answer, taking him by the hand and leading him out further onto the floor. The couples around them part for a moment then bow as the song picks up, joining hands and starting to dance.

The woman sighs happily, beginning to hum along with the music. "'Someone holds me safe and warm' … you know this song, don't you?"

Does he? It's familiar, incredibly so. Familiar in a way that makes him want to jump for joy and scream until his lungs burst at the same time. How does it go again?

The woman continues to sing quietly, "Things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember."

He stares up at her blurred face, a warm feeling of comfort spreading through him. For a moment, he swears he can make out her eyes.

"You've grown so much, you're even starting to look like your father," she giggles, "I bet he misses you, all of them miss you. So hurry up and find them."

More and more of her features appear the longer he focuses on her. And then, a cog turns and turns and-

He speaks, "Mama-"

"Hello?"

A voice snaps him out of his thoughts and Tommy finds himself, not where he last was on the steps by the painting, but instead in the middle of the ballroom floor. His eyes sting with unshed tears but he can't remember why he's crying.

"What are you doing here?"

Tommy's first instinct is to run, someone's found you get the fuck out of there but, after regaining himself, he turns quick enough to give a man whiplash.

On the other side of the ballroom, the far end away from the stairs is two boys of vastly different heights it's almost comical - one of them towers above both his partner and Tommy while the other just barely reaches the tallers shoulders - Tommy has to choke back a laugh.

The shorter one has shaggy brown hair and a fringe that nearly covers his eyes, elongated ears that resemble a goat and even a small - yet sharp looking - pair of horns. He's dressed in a brown puffer coat with a furry hood that looks like it's swallowing his tiny frame.

The other looks… odd, to put it nicely. He's got a bit of a black and white split dyed mullet going on, elongated ears like his friend but his are less floppy and more pointed. And he's tall. Like, tall tall. Like, eighty percent leg tall. He's dressed in a shabby dress shirt and pants with a black coat pulled over his shoulders.

The shortest one speaks up sharply, hands on his hip, "What're you doing here?"

Tommy raises an eyebrow. "I don't think that's any of your business." he says loudly so it gets across the distance between them.

"Well, if you're in our Palace," the brunette says, stepping towards Tommy, "then it is."

Tommy replies, "Good thing it's not your palace then."

The brunette storms closer, his tall lanky friend following behind him. "Oh yeah, says wh-" He stops dead in his tracks once he's only a few meters away from Tommy, staring at him wide eyed.

Tommy began to feel, well, weirded the fuck out! How would you feel if some fucking gremlin started yelling at you about being in 'his' castle and then immediately began staring at you?

The blonde shifts under the strangers gaze, awkward and uncomfortable. "What? Have I got something on my f-"

The brunette cuts him off, "What's your name?"

"Uhm… Tommy."

Tubbo has seen it all, alright.

He's seen pink haired Theseus', bearded Theseus', fuck, old men Theseus'. He has sat in that freezing cold theater for hours upon hours each day interviewing men, women, and children alike. And never - never - in his entire career of scamming has he seen a resemblance quite as strong as this.

It's not even a faint resemblance. It's fucking uncanny. Looking between this random boy and the portrait of the royals right behind him, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

"Tubbo?" Ranboo asks lowly, implying.

"Yeah. I see it too." Tubbo replies.

The Theseus lookalike scrunches up his face. "See what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Tubbo ignores him. "What did you say your name was?"

"Tommy."

Tubbo hums, beginning to walk in circles around the boy. "And what brought you to our Palace, Tommy?"

"It's not-" Tommy starts but then sighs, crossing his arms over his chest, "I'm looking for a way to L'manberg."

Oh my god this is just too perfect.

"L'manberg ey?" Tubbo goes through the mental checklist in his head; same height, same eyes, same face shape. It's almost creepy how perfect this is. "Why so far."

The blonde visibly stiffens, hand reaching up to clutch something around his neck. "Why do you care?" he asks sharply.

"Dunno," Tubbo shrugs, "Maybe, if I deem your reason good enough, I could assist you in some way."

Tommy pauses, considering his options. And then he responds, "I'm looking for my family."

"Couldn't they just come get you?" The brunette makes eye contact with Ranboo, who has been scanning the Theseus lookalike up and down this whole time. The taller of the two returns the look with a glance that says this could be the one.

"Yeah, see that's the problem." Tommy begins, "I don't actually know if they're there, y'know? I'm uh… I'm an orphan. They found me wandering about in the Woods when I was five. Had this big cut on my head and couldn't remember shit."

Same age as Theseus when Dream attacked. God has to be real, and on Tubbo's side.

The goat hybrid finally stops circling the boy and now stands directly in front of him.

He plasters a smile on his face," Well, Tommy you're in luck. You see, me and my partner here just so happen to have a spare ticket to L'manberg. Don't we Ranboo?"

Ranboo chirps up, "We do indeed Tubbo. But, ah," he tuts, "that one's for him."

The tallest of the three points to the portrait on the wall behind Tommy, directly at little Theseus.

"The…the prince?" Tommy asks.

"Yup," both conmen say at the same time. Ranboo informs, "We're going to reunite the Royal family with their lost member."

"So you've found him?!"

"Unfortunately, no," Tubbo feigns disappointment, "But, yknow what's really funny? You look just like him."

Tommy turns around hesitantly, staring intensely at the young Prince in the portrait. Meanwhile, Ranboo leans down to Tubbo and whispers, "He has a compass around his neck. Just like the ones Prince Wilbur and Techno had." to which Tubbo responds, "This is too perfect, something has to be wrong."

Then, when Tommy turns back around he says, "What are you saying?"

Ranboo shrugs, "Not much, just pointing out the facts. You have the same eyes-"

Tubbo joins in, "Same hair-"

"Same face shape-"

"You're the same age-"

"Hold on hold on hold on," Tommy interrupts, flailing his hands around, "Are you implying that I'm Prince Theseus? Christ you fuckers are mad."

Tubbo puts his hands on his hips and raises an eyebrow, "You're telling us you've never considered it?"

Tommy looks at them like he's just asked the most absurd question in the world. "Yeah, because I definitely look like royalty."

"Obviously you're not gonna look like royalty after eleven years of living in an orphanage," Tubbo points out, making Tommy's face shift, "But it's a little convenient don't ya think? You don't know what happened to you-"

"And no one knows what happened to him," Ranboo finishes.

"You're looking for family in L'manberg-"

"And his only family left is in L'manberg."

Tommy doesn't speak, just gazes longingly at the painting. A sky grin forms across Tubbo's face.

"But you're probably right, it's crazy to even think about it." Tubbo sighs, "Really wish we could help but, as we said, the third ticket is for the prince. Hope you find what you're looking for."

Ranboo makes a confused face when Tubbo begins pulling his back across the ballroom.

"What are you doing?!" He whispers angrily, even more confused by the knowing gleam in Tubbo's eye, "Why didn't we tell him about the plan?"

Tubbo shushes him, "And split the money three ways? I don't think so."

That clears nothing up. If anything, Ranboo is just more baffled. "He's the closest thing we've gotten to Theseus! We might never get another chance like th-"

"Trust me."

"-I'm hungry Tubbo!-"

"Trust me. I've got this," Tubbo assures, "Walk a little slower."

Tommy knows it's not possible. There's no fucking way that he - Tommy fucking Innit - is royalty.

…

But it kinda makes sense.

If, on the off, off, off chance, he is Theseus it would explain why this Palace feels so familiar. It would explain the message on his compass about L'manberg. It would explain why he was wandering about, the night Theseus went missing, in royal-like clothing.

But he's not Theseus. He's not. Because if he was then why did the royals leave him behind? Why isn't he with them already? He's not Theseus. He's just boring old Tommy.

Christ, Tommy could see the royals faces if he walked in there, a lanky annoying sixteen year old in shaggy clothes, claiming to be the missing Prince. They'd probably lock him up right then and there for making a mockery of their family.

He looks at Prince Wilbur and Prince Techno's painted faces and thinks how upset they must have been that night. Losing their home, their mother and brother. And the Emperor too. If Tommy walked in there, told them he's Theseus, they might believe it. And then what if it's not true? What if the real Theseus is out there, waiting for his rightful family to come find him? Or worse, what if he's dead?

They'd be crushed, heartbroken, betrayed. Tommy couldn't do that to them.

That doesn't explain the flashes of memories - are they memories - playing in his mind.

Memories of two children riding bicycles around large hallways.

Of a soft voice singing him to sleep.

Of a man, strong looking and kind, lifting him into his arms to reach a book of a high shelf.

But no. It's impossible. It is. There's no way. No fucking way.

…

"Oi! Wait up!" Tommy calls, running towards the duo - Tubbo and Ranboo he thinks he heard them call each other.

They stop almost instantly. The smaller one, Tubbo, turns with an innocent smile on his face, "Hm?"

Tommy stops in front of him, crossing his arms. "I have… considered your point. And, I think I'd made a pretty good Prince, don't you?"

Ranboo and Tubbo share a knowing look. Then they both nod in agreement.

The blonde continues, "But who's to say right? Who knows if I'm a Prince or not? They do." Tommy points to the portrait behind him, "They'll know they're own family, they'll know if I'm Theseus or not. And if I'm not then it'll be an honest mistake and I'll go find my real family."

Ranboo says, "That's true. What do you think Tubbo?"

Tubbo taps his chin in thought although Tommy can tell it's for show. "How do you feel about trains Tommy?"

The blonde replies truthfully, "Never been on one."

"Well there's a first time for everything," Tubbo digs around in his coat pocket and pulls out a crumpled yellow ticket, handing it out to Tommy.

Tommy snatches it out of his hand, "What are we waiting for?"

-

Everyone knows how Dream won against the Empire, how he took over the Antarctic Empire.

Dark Magic, of course.

He raised an army of skeletons from the ground, commanding them with the use of a dark spell, and used them to run the Royals out of town. Because no army can kill what's already dead.

Some would consider it cheating, a cheap tactic, but Dream likes to think of it as an aid that no one else had the balls to use.

Dream believes he is a fair king. He rules from his original castle, hidden away in the Essempee capital, and let's his citizens live their lives. As long as they live by his rules.

If not? Well, those people are swiftly dealt with.

Of course, the threat of the Royals living in L'manberg hangs over his head every day but Dream knows the former Emperor, and he is not stupid. Phil knows that he cannot take on the Essempee, not now when Dream is powering his armies with dark magic, and is probably the reason neither of his sons have stepped up to take the throne.

And then there was Theseus.

Little Prince Theseus, who somehow managed to escape his grasp, disappearing into the night and presumed dead. Dream is no idiot. Despite what he commands his generals and friends to enforce, he knows Theseus is alive.

But what threat does a child hold? Certainly none against a King powered with magic, right?

Wrong.

Just the idea of the boy's survival was enough to start revolutions against him. Syndicates that his army just barely took down. It's not that the boy himself could cause any harm, it's the hope he provides to those miserable bastards down in the Empire that scares him.

Hope is a powerful thing. Enough of it could overthrow a king.

So when Sapnap barged into his throne room, screaming gibberish about some blonde kid that looks like the royal kid, it's understandable that Dream was livid. So livid, that he may or may not have thrown a chalice at a window and smashed it.

The masked man stormed to his tower - the tower, the one that held the book - marching down the dark stone walls towards an iron door, Sapnap following him all the way. Behind that iron door is a room lined with bookshelves and in the middle, underneath a single lantern, is a book on a lectern.

Dream hunches over the lectern, furiously tearing open the book with a bit of a struggle. As it was being pulled open, the dim candles around the room grew brighter, their flames turning a sickening shade of green rather than their usual red and orange. Whispers could be heard and Sapnap kept checking over his shoulder because they sounded so close to him.

"Show me the boy!" Dream demands and the pages in the book begin turning by themselves.

Sapnap creeps closer to his friend, looking past his shoulder down to the book. The whispers grow louder but he can't quite make out what they're saying.

"Show me Theseus!" Dream roars again. This time, a beam of light shoots out from the book and shifts into a portal-like window in front of their eyes.

But nothing else happened.

Sapnap looked from the ball of light to the back of Dreams head. The masked man is gripping the edge of the lectern with such strength that his knuckles are turning white.

Now, Sapnap can make out what the voices are saying.

"Pay the price."

Sapnap was no stranger to this type of magic. Hell, he helped his friend find the damn book in the first place. He knows that all magic comes with a price. He knows the price isn't worth a boy.

"Dream," he places a hand on his friends shoulder, "Dream it's not worth it. It wasn't him, it wasn't Theseus. He's dead."

"No he's not!" Dream yells, making the books on the shelf shake and Sapnap take a step back. The King pulls a dagger from his belt and slits open his own hand, letting the blood drip onto the pages of the book.

The voices whisper "more," and Dream does again, only deeper.

"Show me Theseus." Dream demands again, and this time it works.

The portal-like window shows a lanky child, no older than sixteen. He wears a long brown coat that covers his frame and his golden hair sits messy on his head. He's shuffling down a train aisle into a private booth, followed by two others.

Under the porcelain mask, Dream smiles.

"There you are."

Chapter Text

In a flash of green light, Sapnap is transported to a train station. Not the one in the Empire, a small, breaking one that just barely counted as a building in the middle of nowhere. And he was not alone.

"What. The fuck?"

Upon turning he was met with George on the floor, looking disheveled and his royal clothes now covered in snow. Sapnap extends a hand to help him up, which the other accepts.

"The Royal kid," Sapnap tells him, "He's alive."

An expression mixed with shock and fear finds its way onto George's face. Nervously, he adjusts his glasses, "So what are we to do?"

Sapnap looks towards the horizon and finds a trail of smoke climbing up the sky and the sound of a train horn in the far off distance.

"Now," he sighs, taking a seat on a broken, snow-covered bench, "We wait."

-

The weather in L’manberg is far different from the weather in the Empire and, even after eleven years, Wilbur still isn’t used to it. Today, L’manberg is warm. The sun shines brightly in the clear sky, birds sing in the trees and children play in the streets. When he was younger, Wilbur would dream of coming here and escaping the blistering cold. Everytime Phil returned from his trips all three of the prince’s would crowd around him and demand he tell them every single thing that happened, trying to soak up any warmth they could get.

But now L’manberg doesn’t have the same appeal. It feels weird being here. Without him.

Although, sometimes Wilbur forgets that Theseus isn’t here, as awful as that sounds. Sometimes he’ll go on walks around the town, visit Niki in her bakery, play guitar in the gardens, spend hours in the library with Techno as he recites whatever Greek Myth he’s deemed this weeks favourite, go to the theater with Phil and he’ll be happy and act like everything’s normal.

And then he’ll remember. He’ll remember the attack and the death and the screams of the people around him being slaughtered, he’ll remember his mother and her terrified face as he ran from her unknowing that it would be the last he ever saw her, he'll remember the compass around his neck, weighing him down like a brick, and he’ll remember Theseus, his baby brother he was supposed to protect. He’ll picture him wandering around in the night, still dressed in his little suit, searching for a family that was long gone. He’ll picture him dead in a ditch in the snow.

The Royals don't speak about it, the invasion. Phil doesn't bring it up and Techno and Wilbur have learned not to mention it. Any reference to it is enough to make the Emperor wilt like a rose that’s been left in the sun too long. Techno acts like he’s over it, feins indifference anytime he’s asked of his late mother and missing brother, but Wilbur knows the truth; no one hears the muffled sobs from behind the pinkette’s locked door, no one notices the saddened expression on Techno’s face when he looks at old family portraits. And Wilbur, well, he was never one for expressing his emotions.

But it’s days like this where he can push it down and deal with it later. Not when he’s forced to meet with another money hungry boy that’s claiming to be Theseus. Wilbur has been to enough of these meetings to know that he’ll get nothing out of it other than anger and disappointment, still there's a part of him that hopes that this time it’ll be different. This time, when the guard's escort in the boy, it’ll be him. They’d all look at eachother and know and then things would be ok again. They’d all be together again.

A knock at his bedroom door pulls Wilbur out of his brooding thoughts. He mumbles a “come in” before Techno pushes open the door. His twin looked just as tired as Wilbur felt.

“Dad's waitin’. You ready?” Techno grunts, just barely audible.

Wilbur sighs, standing up from his vanity littered with pictures and dusting off his royal clothes. “As I'll ever be.”

“Let’s get this thing over with.” Techno drags his feet as he exits, his long cape flowing behind him.

Wilbur takes one last look at himself in the mirror. He looks awful, with large bags under his eyes and tear streaked cheeks. Very unprincely and very unready for this meeting. But he’s Wilbur-fucking-Minecraft. And he’ll be damned if he lets anything get him down. So he holds his head high and marches out his bedroom door.

-

This train carriage is bigger than the bunkroom back at the orphanage. Somehow Tubbo and Ranboo have snagged a second class carriage and Tommy isn’t complaining. The three of them have gathered in their booth, Tubbo and Ranboo on one side and Tommy sitting opposite with all of their luggage - well, Tubbo and Ranboo’s luggage (they have quite a lot) and Tommy’s one trunk that he still hasn't opened since it was given to him that morning.

Despite their short partnership, Tommy actually quite likes these two. They’re easy to talk to and surprisingly interesting. Tommy learnt that Tubbo and Ranboo have been living in the abandoned palace since the night of the invasion, so they weren’t exactly lying when they said it was ‘theirs’. Before that they were kitchen boys for the royals, and before that they lived in the streets. Tommy even told them about his life - there wasn't much to tell, this day has been the most exciting thing to happen to him since he set the orphanage kitchen on fire.

Their chatter has died down as the train chugs down the tracks; Tommy choosing to stare out the window, Tubbo munching down on a bun he swiped off the treat carts and Ranboo reading a book.. The silence in the carriage isn't awkward but it isn't comfortable either. And then Tommy spoke up.

“I don’t think I’m gonna miss it,” he announces.

Ranboo looks up from his book, “Miss what?”

“The Empire,” Tommy says, twirling the string of his compass around his finger, “the orphanage.”

“Oh?” Ranboo folds the top corner of the page he's at, marking it for later, “How come?”

Tommy shrugs, never taking his eyes off the passing scenery. “Wasn’t my home, was it? It surely never felt like it. I lived there my whole life - at least, the bits I can remember - but never once did it feel like a home. `Course, I’m probably not the right person to decide what did and didn’t feel like a home.”

“To be fair,” Ranboo smiled, “I don’t think any of us are.”

And, strangely, Tommy felt comforted by his statement. Back in the orphanage, he never had any friends. The other children didn't like him because he was 'annoying' and he didn't like the other children because they were dickheads, so it worked out for everyone. Often Tommy would find himself alone when he wasn't being scolded by matron's. It was lonely, obviously, but the blonde never realised exactly how lonely he was until now. Now that the chance of a family and a home and perhaps even two new friends were dangling in front of him.

He turned his gaze back towards the window. "Do you really think I pass as a Prince?"

"Not at all," Tubbo chimes in, mouth full of crumbs, "But that's what we're here for. We're gonna train you in the ways of royalty so fucking good that not even the royals could tell your not Th-"

"So they know you're Theseus!" Ranboo cuts the brunette off, nudging him harshly with his shoulder but Tommy doesn't see any of that, instead choosing to focus on the training part of that sentence.

"What the fuck do you mean train me?" he asks, scrunching up his nose.

"You can't walk into a meeting with the royals like…that," Tubbo looks him up and down.

Tommy sputters, "What's wrong with my clothes?!"

The brunette raises an eyebrow and deadpans, "You look like you've been raised in an orphanage."

"Well that's not surprising, considering I was!"

"And that's what we have to change," Tubbo begins, interrupting Tommy's attempt to comment further, "That and, well, everything. Your manners, the way your speak, don't even get me started on your posture-"

"My posture?" Tommy's face recoils in insult.

Both Tubbo and Ranboo nod. "Princes don't slouch."

Suddenly feeling self conscious - and a bit overwhelmed with everything he has to do now - Tommy stands up, cursing under his breath as he marches towards the door and jerks it open. And then he storms aways, slamming the carriage door shut behind him.

"Way to go idiot, you've upset him," Ranboo accuses as soon as Tommy shuts the door. The blonde's angry footsteps can still be heard marching down the train.

"Wh-?! What did I do?" Tubbo defends, "I was just being honest."

Ranboo has known Tubbo his whole life and it only took a few hours after first meeting him to understand exactly how blunt can be. Don't get him wrong, Tubbo is his best friend; but christ he lays it on thick sometimes.

"Yeah," Ranboo sighs, "you always are."

Tubbo chews on the inside of his cheek. Yeah OK, maybe he was a bit harsh. But can you blame him? Ten million gold and silver coins is a big fucking reward and Tubbo isn't gonna let it slip by because some orphan can't sit up straight.

Still, the hurt look on Tommy's face made him feel a bit guilty…

"Let's give him some time to cool off. Then I'll apologise."

"So how're we gonna get on that thing?"

The train was approaching fast. Finally, Sapnap thinks, it's been ages. He's been sitting on this bench in the snow for the past hour or something with no one else to talk to but George, who's been complaining about the newest addition to his staff being a no show.

"What do you mean?" Sapnap asks, "It'll stop. We're at a train station."

Even though the glasses are covering his eyes, Sapnap can tell George is giving him a what the fuck are you on about look.

"This," the King begins, dramatically flailing his arms, "Is not a train station. It's a glorified bus stop at best."

Alright, he has a point there. From the looks of things, this 'glorified bus stop' hasn't been used in years so the train will most definitely not stop here. This begs the question: how the fuck do you stop a train?

"So," George crosses his arms, "Any ideas?"

"Um.. No."

"Well, hurry up and think of some!"

Sapnap scoffs, "Why do I have to think of everything!"

"Because you're the one that got us into this mess!" George snaps, pointing an accusing finger at the other.

"Me? You were the one who let the Royals escape that night because you were too busy flirting with Dream to notice!"

"I wasn't flirting!"

In the background, the train gets closer. But the two hunters are too busy arguing to notice.

"Oh Dream," Sapnap mocks in a horrible excuse for a British accent, "You're so powerful, please give me stuff!"

"Well if you just grabbed the kid back at the station and brought him to Dream-!"

"I was on the other side of the platform! What did you want me to do, jump across the tracks?!"

The train is mere seconds away from passing and these two are still too engulfed in placing blame. They don't even notice the green fog that's appearing around them.

"You could've shouted over to him!"

"And scare him off? Alerting everyone around me in the process? Real smart move there Gogy!"

The green fog circles them at their feet, rising up and morphing into a distorted silhouette.

An equally distorted voice erupts from the fog. "Will you two shut up?! The train is coming!"

That catches both Sapnap and George's attention, both of their mouths snapping shut at the sound of the voice (which sounds eerily like Dream's).

A bolt of light shoots out from the fog, up into the sky and then straight back down into a tree a few feet down the track. The tree's trunk snaps, collapsing onto the tracks.

A deafening screech rings through the snowy forest as the train comes to a halt. The carriages shake causing distressed shouts to sound off from the inside.

The two hunters tear their eyes away from the scene, staring fearfully at the fog figure in front of them.

"Bring me the boy! I want him dead!"

And just as quickly as it appeared, the fog evaporated.

"Let's go," George orders, moving first towards the train. Sapnap follows behind.

Tommy is not a thief alright. But if you decide to leave all your luggage in the care of some train conductor who you know will just throw it in some carriage then you're just asking to be stolen from.

It's surprisingly warm in the baggage cart. Tommy doesn't know how he ended it up here, scavenging through some upper class assholes suitcase, but at least there's no one here. He needs to be away from everyone for a while.

"You can't walk into a meeting with the Royals looking like… that."

"That's what we need to change"

"That and, well, everything."

He had said so casually too, like it didn't mean anything. Though, suppose it didn't mean anything - not to Tubbo at least - but it meant a whole lot to Tommy.

Because he's heard it all before, the insults, the comments about him. Eleven years in an orphanage with some verbally abusive staff makes you pretty familiar with them. If there was anything bad to say about anyone in that orphanage, the matron's would surely say it. Tommy never cared though, he didn't need to impress anyone. Except, now he does. Now he has to impress the Royals. Now he has to impress his potential family.

Christ, what was he thinking? He's not cut out for royalty. If anything, he'll just find some way to fuck everything up.

There's nothing interesting in this suitcase, just a bunch of uncomfortable looking clothes. Clothes that he'll have to wear eventually.

What if they don't like him? What if, after all this time of searching for a family, when he finally gets one, they fucking hate him? Tommy isn't exactly the best dressed, or well mannered. He certainly doesn't sound like a Prince. They're probably expecting a sophisticated young man to waltz in, not an immature kid that can't tell the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon. They'll be embarrassed by him, and Tommy doesn't think he could bear that.

But what would he rather have? A family that may not like him or no family at all?

No family at all. Yeah, Tommy would rather live in fantasies, with a family that loves him, than have his expectations crushed by reality.

Just as he's about to rummage through the next suitcase, the carriage suddenly shook, jerking to a stop. Luggage tumbled around him and Tommy just barely missed a large brown case from falling flat on his head.

What the fuck, he thinks. He can hear annoyed yells from the rest of the train and from the sounds of things, something is blocking the road.

Maybe this is a sign. Tommy's way out of his depth here, what was he thinking? Just this morning he was on his way to work for some king and now he's on a train to L'manberg to meet the Emperor.

Yeah, it's definitely a sign.

Tommy still hasn't returned when the train jerked to a stop. The whistle rings through the many carriages, making both Ranboo and Tubbo jump in surprise.

"What the fuck just happened?" Ranboo cries, nervously jumping to his feet.

Muffled voice chorus outside their booth; passengers complaining, shouting, a few children crying.

"Hello passengers," the conductors voice rings through the intercom, "a tree is blocking the road, until it's cleared we'll be stuck here for a bit. Thank you for your patience."

Just our luck, Tubbo thinks. He only hopes it was a small tree, one that could be easily moved with the help of a few hardy engine workers. But he wouldn't be surprised if a fucking oak tree had landed smack bam on the tracks. Maybe God wasn't on his side.

Ranboo nudges his shoulder just as he's about to join the complaining crowd. "We should find Tommy," he says, "Make sure he's not hurt or anything."

Tubbo nods, following the tallers lead in the direction Tommy ran off in earlier and I to the next car.

They find the blonde emerging from the luggage cart looking rather downcast. Although, the moment he notices the two walking towards him, his usual look of slight annoyance with everything returns on his face. It's a horrible cover up of true emotions. Tubbo supposes that's a common theme with this kid: covering up true emotions.

"Tommy!" Ranboo smiles, "Hey."

For a moment, the three of them stand in silence, just staring at each other. It's…awkward to say the least. Then Ranboo clears his throat, pushing Tubbo forward.

"Oh, right," Tubbo mumbles, also clearing his throat, "I uh. I'm sorry. For saying all those things about you."

Tommy looks surprised at that. "Yeah, thanks big man. You're forgiven I guess." his eyes look everywhere but at the two boys in front of him as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, "But uh, about this whole thing. I've been thinking and- oh fuck."

Tommy ducks down, grabbing Ranboo by the arms and pulling him in front to hide behind.

"What?" the taller says, looking at his partner with a what the fuck? look. Tubbo shrugs and looks in the direction Tommy was.

"I'm dead," Tommy whispers sharply, "I'm so dead."

Tubbo has to stand on his tiptoes to see over the whole crowd, and even then the view isn't great. "What are you- oh." then he sees it.

Two men march onto the train, their eyes scanning across the people looking for someone. Tubbo obviously recognises them; how can he not?

Sapnap, General of Dream's army (the one that isn't made up of undead monsters) and King George.

"What did you do?" Tubbo glares at Tommy with narrowed eyes.

"Well maybe, perhaps, for the sake of the argument, let's just say that, hypothetically-"

"Get on with it!" the two con men snap simultaneously.

Tommy finally admits, "I was supposed to go work for George. When I left the orphanage this morning I was on my way to train but one thing led to another and… now I'm here."

"Perfect." Ranboo exclaims sarcastically, "This is just perfect. We're so screwed, Tubbo. We're screwed!"

"Shh!" Tubbo hastily pushes the other two back towards the luggage car just before Sapnap and George can get close enough to spot them.

As they hop across to the different cart, something doesn't make sense to Tubbo. Sure, while having an employee not show up may cause some minor inconvenience it's hardly something to cause the King to chase down the missing worker. Something isn't adding up.

Like how did George know it was Tommy who was supposed to show up? How did he know where they were? How did they get here so quickly? Why bother chasing them down? And with Sapnap, Captain of Dream's army, no less? Why not one of his many guards?

No, something is definitely wrong. But Tubbo can't figure it out. They make their way to the luggage cart (a few suitcases are opened and definitely rummaged through but no one says anything, who is Tubbo to judge a thief after all?) and choose to hide behind a large tower of cases at the back. Not a solid plan but the best one they have. Even if George isn't looking for Tommy, they'll be safe back here.

"We'll wait here until they're gone," Tubbo says, "There's no way King George will want to stay on this train any longer."

"We should've grabbed our bags," Ranboo sits with his long legs pulled up to his chest, "I don't like that we left all our stuff there."

Tubbo nods in agreement. Tommy shuffles around a bit, getting comfy before pulling something out of his coat pocket, "Not all our stuff. Still got this I guess."

He opens his hand, revealing a sparkling box that the other two have only ever heard about.

Empress Kristen's music box

"You have that?!" Ranboo exclaims.

"Obviously I have it," the blonde rolls his eyes, "It's in my hand."

Tubbo snatches it out of his hands, holding it like the most precious thing in the world. It's more beautiful in person, lined with the most gorgeous jewels and patterns. Carefully, he opens it and the cart is echoed with a soft tune. "Where did you find it?"

Tubbo and Ranboo are too entranced with the music box to notice the way Tommy is staring longingly at the two dancing figures inside it. The blonde shrugs, "In the castle."

"And you just- took it?"

"Well it's mine, innit? If I am actually Theseus," He says that last part hesitantly, like he's unsure of it. He points at the figurines, "Is that them? The Emperor and Empress?"

Ranboo take's his turn of holding the box, "Yep that's them alright."

"And she's…dead, isn't she?" Tommy asks.

"Mmhmm," the shortest hums, "This was a going away present for the princes, before they all left for L'manberg."

Tommy asks, "Did you know them? The Royals?"

The brunette hesitates.

The truth: yes, he knew the Royals - well, one of them. He first met Theseus when he was six.Tubbo was in the garden hiding from his kitchen duties. Ranboo wasn't as lucky to escape them and was scrubbing dishes in the kitchen.

Theseus was under a tree when he found him. Dressed in his usual royal attire lining up tin soldiers on the grass. Tubbo was chasing a bee. He ran into him. Literally, he ran right into Theseus, knocking over his formation of toy soldiers.

"Hey!" Theseus had cried, "Look what you did! I spent ages getting them to stand."

Anyone else would've apologised immediately after toppling over a royal, begging them for forgiveness at this complete show of disrespect. But Tubbo was not anyone else. Tubbo was a child with no respect for anyone.

"You were the one in the way," he argued back, internally laughing at the way Theseus' face scrunched up.

"That makes no sense! I was just sitting here."

"Yeah, in my way. Should've moved if you didn't want to be ran into."

Theseus actually took a moment to think about Tubbo's fucked up logic, "Huh. Guess your right. I'll have to use that one next time I ride my bike over Wilbur's foot!" The prince laughed loudly and returned to sorting his tin army.

Now that he had no bee to chase - it flew off during his interacting with Theseus - Tubbo sat down next to him. He picked up a toy soldier, turning it in his hand. It was the most impressive thing Tubbo had seen at the time. He'd never had a toy before.

"What are you doing?" the brunette asked.

"Making an army," Theseus responded, "Papa has one, says that Techno's gonna 'inherit' it one day and I wanted an army. My army is gonna be the best, with the biggest of men."

Tubbo scoffed at that, "But these are toys, they can't fight anything."

"Yes they can! Look!" Theseus, trying to prove his point, threw a soldier straight at Tubbo's face, then erupted in manic laughter when Tubbo flinched back.

"That doesn't count!" Tubbo argued, returning the favour and chucking a toy back at the prince.

"It does too!"

"You're being irrational!"

"You're irr-at-ion-al!"

"Your face is irrational!"

"Your mum's ir-rat-ional!"

Huffing, Tubbo pouted and went back to admiring the toy in his hand.

"You should make an army," Theseus suggested, "Then mine could beat yours."

"As if! My army could so beat yours!"

"Wanna bet?"

"You're on."

The two boys then spent the limited time they had until someone came to fetch Theseus and scold Tubbo for avoiding his chores making armies using anything they could find in the garden, not just the tin soldiers.

When a voice did call out Theseus' name, Tubbo was reluctant to give back the little figure he was still clutching in his hand. But before he could even consider stealing it from the prince, Theseus offered it to him.

"You can keep that if you want," he had said, "Maybe you can better your armies for next time. You'll need to considering I just complete whooped your ass."

And then Theseus left.

They saw each other a few times after that, had rematches with their 'armies' that neither of them could really tell who won. And then the invasion happened and Tubbo never saw him again.

"No," he finally answers, "We just worked for them, in the kitchen and stuff so we never really saw them."

Tubbo doesn't have the tin soldier anymore, he sold it a few days after the attack in order to feed both himself and Ranboo. Sometimes he misses it. Only sometimes.

The crowd bows when George enters the train but he pays no mind. Although he does see Sapnap roll his eyes.

"My lord," the train conductor bows his head upon arrival. Sapnap scoffs before returning to scan the crowd. "To what to do we owe the pleasure?"

"Just looking for one of my kitchen boys," George replies, "We won't be here for much longer."

"Would you like me to call a few guards for help? I'm sure the staff wouldn't mind," the conductor asks.

"No need," the King waves a dismissing hand. Sapnap, clearing having had enough of the formalities, marches into the crowd, peering into every booth he passes.

George, in all honesty, is still reeling from the fact Theseus is even alive. What are the odds? How could a six year old survive that attack? And where has he been hiding all these years?

What were they even gonna do if they found him? Theseus, from what he can remember of him, was always the troublemaker of the Minecraft family. And that was when he was a child, he's not five anymore. Who knows what mischief he could cause at sixteen. Surely if Theseus managed to avoid capture all these years he must have some tricks up his sleeve.

Perhaps this wasn't going to be the easy mission Sapnap described it as.

The door creaks open. Tommy slaps a hand over his mouth to quiet his breathing. He doesn't even dare peak over the cases to see if it's King George or not.

Whoever it is, they're walking so fucking slowly. Two sets of footsteps take their time sauntering around the luggage cart while the tension grows in the air, almost suffocating Tommy as he waits in anxiety.

Ranboo puts a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. And Tommy really appreciates it because he feels like he's drowning. They all keep still, quiet, while the two hunters carefully step across the floor. Then they stop for a moment, no movement, no footsteps. Then-

"Let's go," a British voice - George - sighs, "He must be at the top of the train, we'll work our way down."

"Yeah," another voice, a deeper one, agrees, "Let's go."

The door screeches open again, before shutting closed once more.

Tommy sighs in relief, "Thank fuck-"

And then a rough hand grabs at his hair, lifting him up to his feet.

"There you are, brat," Tommy recognises this man; the one from the train station, the one watching him. What's he doing here?

"Hang on a minute," George steps forward, lifting up his glasses to examine Tommy's face, "You're the orphan that was supposed to come work for me! The no show- remember I was telling you Sapnap."

The King's aquantice - Sapnap, what a stupid name - rolls his eyes, "That's what you're focusing on? How about the fact we've just caught the missing pri- OW YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

Tubbo would like to say that he's only bitten someone three times in his life and they were all for good reason, ok. He would never do it otherwise, it's his code.

It all happened very quickly; one minute, he thinks they're safe, that they'd escaped and the next Sapnap is grabbing Tommy by his hair. Tommy is kicking, yelling, struggling to get out of the General's grasp but to no avail.

The men seemingly haven't noticed the other two boys still on the floor, far too engrossed in their own bickering, and Tubbo decided this was a good enough reason.

He shot up like a bullet, grabbed the General's arm and bit down as hard as he could.

Sapnap let out a wail, cursing angrily and failing his hand around. But hey, at least he let go of Tommy, who stumbled backwards and hit the floor. Once the blonde got back on his feet, they made a run for it.

They tried to run past George but the King grabbed onto Tommy and pulled him back harshly. Sapnap ran towards the door, blocking the other two from escaping, before pulling out a sword that looked sharp enough to slice through led.

Tubbo thinks they're screwed, they've been caught and he and Ranboo will be arrested as accessories in the harbouring of a runaway kitchen boy (still doesn't make sense but he doesn't really have time to dwell on it). Then he feels someone grab his wrist and suddenly he's being dragged through the labyrinth of luggage towards the back of the cart.

The person dragging him is Tommy, who's also pulling Ranboo along with him. They're heading towards the back door that leads outside and Tommy doesn't seem like he's stopping anytime soon.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Tubbo yells. Behind him he can hear the two hunters chasing them.

"What does it look like dickhead?!" Tommy yelled back, "We're running away."

They reached the door and Tommy gave Ranboo and Tubbo no say before jumping out the back of it.

"The train will leave without us?!" Ranboo protests.

"It's not moving is it?" Tommy says, "We just gotta tire those idiots out, then we'll hop back on before it leaves."

Tubbo thinks the idea is fucking ridiculous. There's no way three teenagers standing in the fucking snow can defeat the General of the most powerful army in the land and a feared King that used to be a general of the most powerful army in the land. There's no fucking way.

Sapnap swung his sword which he just barely dodged before Tommy was pulling at him again.

And as it turns out, this Tommy kid is full of surprises. He's fucking fast! Easily, he runs circles around the two hunters even when dragging Tubbo and Ranboo (who most definitely aren't as fast as him, not even fucking close to it) along with him.

But Tommy gets winded after a few minutes, allowing Sapnap to catch up with them.

"Fucking finally," The General exhales heavily. Must be out of breath too. "Now, we can do this the easy way or," he holds up his sword, "the hard way. Makes no difference to me, you're wanted dead or alive anyway."

Dead or alive? Seems a bit extreme for a runaway kitchen boy. But again, Tubbo doesn't have time to dwell on it as Ranboo fucking kicks the guy in the crotch.

Sapnap drops his sword and curls over on himself in pain, voice going a bit higher as he spits out curses. Tommy bursts out in a fit of laughter.

"Good fucking going big man!" The blonde high fives Ranboo but their celebration is short lived when an arrow comes flinging his way.

The three look back towards the train to find George standing there, bow loaded and aimed directly at them.

"Where the heck did he pull that from?!" Ranboo exclaims and is then cut off by the sound of a train whistle screeching.

The train begins to move slowly.

Oh fuck.

Tommy didn't even get a chance to catch his breath before Tubbo and Ranboo were booking it towards the train. Fuck, he wishes he didn't use up all his energy out running that big lad because now his lungs are on fire.

The train picks up speed just as Ranboo manages to jump back into the luggage cart. The taller reaches out for Tubbo, pulling him up into the cart with Tommy still running.

"Tommy hurry up!" Ranboo shouts, extending his arm out.

Tommy can't reach it, "I'm trying!"

A wave of fear and panic too extreme for this situation hit Tommy like a fucking tidal wave.

Someone's holding his hand, tight. He's struggling to keep up. Screams from all around him.

"Hold on! Please mate, just hold on!"

Tubbo and Ranboo are screaming at him to hurry up. An arrow whizzes past his head reminding him of the fucking mad man King chasing him because he didn't show up for staff roll call.

Tommy reaches his hand out, stretching his arm as far as it'll go until he grasps onto Ranboo's outstretched hand. And for a second, he thinks he's safe again.

Then an arrow lodges it's way into his shoulder.

"Tommy!" Ranboo and Tubbo shout in unison as he stumbles, letting go of Ranboo's hand and hitting the ground.
Something is too familiar about this situation.

There's a ringing in his ears and a pain in his head. He swears he hears someone shouting at him, but it's not his name.

"Thes-"

When Tommy looks up, King George is standing over him.

"You made this a lot more complicated than it needed to be," he complains. The other one, Sapnap, trails up behind him.

"Fucking prick," Sapnap grumbles, grabbing Tommy by his good, not shot at, shoulder and lifting him off the ground.

"Okay, listen-" Tommy tries - and fails - to break free, "I'm sure we can work something out here. George- can I call you George? - George, listen mate, you do not want me roaming around in your kitchen. I'm like a fucking rat, man. I'll just eat all your food and I can barely cook a fucking sandwich-"

"Shut up!" Sapnap snaps, "Just shut up! Christ it's gonna be a long trip back to the Essempee."

The Essempee? Isn't George's Castle in Kinoko Kingdom?

The King sighs, pushes up his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose, "Which is why we should get-"

In a flash of purple particles, Ranboo suddenly appears in front of him.

Which.

What the fuck?!

"I'll be borrowing him, thanks," Ranboo quickly snatches Tommy out of Sapnap's grip - which, how? - and in another flash of purple particles, they've disappeared.

Tommy feels butterflies in his stomach when they eventually reappear on top of the train roof, except the butterflies feel like they've been eaten by tarantulas and those tarantulas have been flattened by a steam roller. Ranboo is still holding him, looking exhausted and breathing heavily.

Tommy looks past Ranboo's shoulder. In the fleeting distance, small versions of a King and a General can be seen cursing at the sky.

Serves 'em right, Tommy thinks, bunch of bitches.

Ranboo walks them both to the edge and they jump down into the luggage cart where Tubbo is pacing relentlessly.

When the brunette notices them, he flings himself at the two of them, wrapping them into a hug.

"Don't fucking do that to me Ranboo!" Tubbo scolds, "I thought you wouldn't make it back!"

Ranboo shrugs nonchalantly, "It was fine. I'm fine. Tommy's fine."

"Uh no! Tommy's not fine," Tommy pushes himself out of Ranboo's hold, wincing quietly when he moves his shoulder, "You just- just fucking teleported or some shit! And I've got an arrow in my fucking shoulder!"

The other two share an oh fuck look. They then spend the next twenty minutes patching up his shoulder with anything they can find in the suitcases surrounding them.

"Wait wait wait," Tommy flails his arms dramatically, earning a small smack from Ranboo - "quit moving," he says - "You're telling me that when I was dragging you two dickheads around, getting shot in the fucking shoulder and trying to bargen for my life, this fucker," he points at Ranboo ignoring the pain that comes with the movement, "couldve just teleported us away?! How can you even do that?"

"He's half endeman," Tubbo answers as he rummages through some poor saps suitcase to find something that could be used as a bandage.

"That…. Yeah OK that makes a lot of sense- but that still doesn't explain why he couldn't just blip us away from those pricks?"

Ranboo is currently cleaning his wound - it took them a while to actually get the arrow out of his shoulder because Tommy kept whining and complaining, and then when they actually did pull it out Tommy screamed so loudly that Ranboo was sure he was now deaf in one ear - with a, now bloody, white shirt. "It's not that easy. Teleporting takes a lot of energy. Like a lot. And you gotta concentrate really hard - which is why we ended up on the roof and not in the cart. And I don't do it often, so I'm not very good at it."

Tommy hums. Fair enough, he supposes. "Teleporting is such a shit power. I'd rather fly."

"They're the same thing," Tubbo says.

"No they're not. Flying is so much better."

"They both involve getting to a different place quicker."

"Yeah but flying looks cooler."

"Flying's for pussies. You just look like a prick in the air. At least with teleporting you can be discreet about it."

"Discreet? Ender Boy over here shoots purple particles out of his ass."

"It's not out of my a-"

"Shut up Ranboo, anyways you're just wrong Tubbo. And they're not alike. That's like saying cereal is the same as soup."

"Well, technically-"

Tubbo looks up from whatever suitcase he's looking through, Tommy turns his head towards the enderman hybrid.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Tubbo says slowly.

"Uh-" Ranboo sputters, "Technically cereal and soup are the same thing?"

Tommy and Tubbo make eye contact. Ranboo questions his life choices.

Tommy inhales. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN CEREAL IS THE SAME AS SOUP?!"

Tubbo joins in, "WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING DO YOU THINK 'MM YES I WANT SOME CHICKEN SOUP FOR BREAKFAST'?!"

"'MEH MEH MEH MEH I'M RANBOO AND MY FAVOURITE TYPE OF SOUP IS COCO PUFFS'!"

"No listen! Because technically-"

"WHO GIVES TWO FUCKS ABOUT TECHNICALITIES?!"

"HOW HAVE I NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THIS?! I FEEL BETRAYED RANBOO! UTTERLY BETRAYED!"

"What are you on about i-?!"

"THAT'S IT! FRIENDSHIP WITH RANBOO OVER! TOMMY IS MY BEST FRIEND NOW!"

"YEAH AND WE'LL BE BETTER FRIENDS THAN YOU GUYS EVER WERE BECAUSE WE HAVE COMMON FUCKING SENSE!"

"This seems really unnecessary-"

"SHHH WERE BONDING!"

After patching Tommy's shoulder up, the three stagger back to their booth. Time must've slipped away from them because it's now nighttime. As soon as they get there, Tommy curls up on the seat, using his coat as a blanket. Tubbo lies down on the other seat, taking up most of the room and leaving Ranboo to sit beside Tommy.

Yawning heavily, Tubbo's eyes fall shut. And then his soft snores fill the booth.

"Hey Ranboo," Tommy says quietly.

"Hm?"

"George's Castle is in Kinoko Kingdom Innit?"

"Uhm, yeah I think so. Why?"

Tommy yawns, "They were gonna take me to the Essempee."

Huh?

Ranboo's eyebrows furrow, "Why?"

"Dunno," Tommy sleepily shrugs. His breathing evens out and Ranboo assumes he's asleep.

The Essempee, Ranboo thinks. Why would they take him there?

Unless...maybe Tommy isn't just an orphan.

Ranboo looks over at the sleeping boy beside him; he's clinging to his coat with one hand and compass to the other.

It was very convenient, how strong the resemblance is between Tommy and Theseus. But Ranboo's interviewed hundreds and a good few have had the same resemblance (albeit not as strong). He just marked it off as dumb luck.

Then Tommy told his story; being an orphan, found wandering the night at age five, the same age as Theseus and the same night Theseus went missing, with no memories whatsoever. Not to mention the compass around his neck, the exact one Emperor Philza gave to each of his sons.

And now that he thinks about it: why would King George come all this way to chase down a missing member of staff? That wasn't even hired yet? He wouldn't.

Unless he was ordered to.

The Essempee, Tommy said they were gonna take him to the Essempee.

Dream is in the Essempee.

Dream, the almighty king with dark powers, who would most likely not want Theseus to make a grand return because of the revolutions that surged around his memory.

Did Dream send George and Sapnap after them? After Theseus?

The enderman hybrid gasps quietly, puzzle pieces fall into place in his head.

Perhaps Tommy was more like Theseus than they originally thought. Perhaps this wouldn't be a scam after all.

But there's no way.

…

Yeah there's no way

"FOR FUCKS SAKE!" Sapnap throws his sword to the ground.

George shoots one last arrow at the train - as of that'll do anything - before sighing, "What are we gonna do now?"

"We have to follow him. We have to get him back!" Sapnap snaps. He goes to pick up his sword from the snow when he notices the sickly green fog from earlier returning. "Oh no.."

"Where is he?" Dream's voice emerges from the fog again just as it takes his form, Where is Theseus?"

Neither George nor Sapnap speak, too afraid to get the words out.

"Answer me!"

"He- he's still on the train," George admits shamefully.

"We almost had him!" Sapnap tried to compensate, "but there was this tall kid, he can teleport and-"

"Enough!" Dream booms, shaking the ground, "You incompetent fools!"

The air around them thickens, it's suffocating.

"I gave you one fucking task! A simple task! And you couldn't even do that! How hard is it to capture a child?!"

Sapnap feels like the air is being pulled from his lungs. He can't breathe. He can't fucking breathe.

And then the fog lessens. And oxygen comes back.

He can hear Dream sigh, deep and echoey. "Find him!"

The fog vanishes, they're alone again.

"What now?" George asks.

Sapnap looks around him, off into the distance. He supposes the next move is to find the nearest town, find a way to L'manberg before Theseus and his ragtag group of children can and corner them there.

He sighs, "Now we find the nearest town and figure out the rest there."

-

Techno hates this.

He sits slouched in his chair, chin resting on his hand and one leg crossed over the other, only half listening to the boy in front of him.

The looks hopeful, probably thinks he's got them convinced but Techno took one look at him and wanted to leave.

He's not Theseus.

Sure, on paper it matches his description, but his hair is the wrong shade of blonde and his eyes are more azure than ocean blue. His hair is perfectly styled, there's not a speck of dirt on his red suit and he stands up straight with his hands clasped behind his back as he lists off facts about their family - the usual stuff, things that could be found in a history book or taught in class or just common fucking knowlege.

Techno knows his brother. He knows that chaotic gremlin that couldn't eat anything without spilling it all over himself would never be this clean. He knows the blue eyed boy that refused to sit still during anything would never be this formal.

And sure, perhaps eleven years alone might've changed little Theseus, matured him, made him a little shy or nervous. But still, there was no way Theseus would refer to his father as "my lord" or his brothers as "your grace". He wouldn't bow to them.

Theseus would march in with the force of a thousand suns. He'd call Wilbur 'Wilby' and Techno 'the blade'. He'd hug them, shout at them, tell them about his life. He wouldn't stand there, stiff as a fucking board like the rest of these fakers have been doing for eleven years.

He doesn't even have his compass.

Techno's patience is rapidly vanishing.

"And for two weeks, every August-"

"Mom and Dad would take us to the Summer Palace," Techno interrupts sharply, perhaps a bit harsher than needed but he didn't regret it. The crushing disappointment in his twin's eyes justified his actions.

They're both tired of this. Tired of being disappointed, tired of being hurt.

They want their brother back.

Techno glares at fake-Theseus, who looks startled at his sudden outburst. Eret, Phil's advisor, comes further into the room already knowing what's going to happen.

"I bet you're getting a kick out of this, trying to fool a grieving family. Is your life really that dull?" Techno asks, sitting up.

Fake-Theseus sputters, "I'm- I don't know what you mean, your grace-"

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Wilbur's face fall. Ok, that's enough.

"Get out," he spits.

"Wh- Prince Technoblade ple-"

"Get out!"

Eret takes fake-Theseus by the arm. "It's time for you to leave sir," he says calmly, "Come on." He leads the kid to the door and escorts him out.

As soon as the door shut, all three royals exhale deeply. Wilbur sniffles a bit, his strong persona finally cracking. Techno gets up and pulls him into his arms, letting him sob into his shoulder until his voice goes hoarse.

Phil watches them sadly, silently. Techno knows this can't be easy for him either, to watch people pretend to be his son every other day.

"My apologies," Eret comes back in, "He was- I really thought it was…" he trails off. "I'll do better next time, I'll ask harder questions, i-"

Phil smiles sadly at him, "It's ok, Eret."

"No," Techno says.

Everyone looks at him.

"Techno?"

"No," he repeats firmly. Wilbur's tearful eyes look up at him and he can't take it anymore. "I'm sick of this," gods he hates how broken he sounds.

"Oh, son…" Phil immediately rises from his chair and comes over to his boys, hugging them tightly. It didn't help, all of them can tell something is missing.

Someone.

He should be here.

"I can't do this anymore," Wilbur admits. His face is red and his eyes are puffy, he looks broken, "I'm done. I can't… I won't…"

Techno often knew what his brother was trying to say, this was no different. He talked about this with Wilbur, a late night conversation when neither of them could sleep, but his twin had refused, and tried to keep up hope. Techno is glad (and a bit relieved) that he's finally letting go.

"We don't want to see anymore fake-Theseus'," He says.

Eret speaks up, "I understand, your grace. I promise to do better next time-"

"No. No next time," Techno can't bring himself to look at his father, too afraid he'll see hurt or disappointment or anger, "We don't want to see anyone fullstop. No more meetings."

Phil let out another deep sigh and said, "I understand, mate," he rubs his sons backs, holding them tighter, "It's too much, I know. No more," he says to Eret, "That's enough."

Guilt gnaws at Techno's heart. His throat burns and his eyes sting with tears. It's like he's being torn apart and stitched back together again.

I'm sorry, he sobs to himself, thinking of his little brother, I'm sorry I couldn't help you

Wherever Theseus is, be it alive or… or dead, Techno wishes him peace. He wishes he could've been here, he would've loved L'manberg, but he's done dwelling on the past, it hurts him too much.

Wherever Theseus is, Techno wishes him rest.

-

The town they get off the train at is nothing like the Empire.

First off, there's no snow. There is no cold for that matter; everything is sunny and bright and even the people look happier here - they still harbor the worn down look, but less miserable than the people at the Empire.

Tommy likes it here. Well, to be fair, Tommy's pretty sure he would've liked anywhere they ended up after that excruciatingly long train journey.

They had decided to freshen up at the stations toilets - a smart decision given the fact they'd been riding that train for two days without changing, and Tommy's been stuck in a bloody t-shirt those two days - which gave Tommy the chance to actually open the truck he was given back at the orphanage for the first time.

Surprising no one, there actually are rocks packed in it - pricks - along with some essential items like clothes and a new toothbrush.

Tommy chooses to pull on a shirt similar to the one he had on before, only in yellow. It's much too large for him, almost goes past his knees but at least it wasn't bloody. He fixes his hair - or well, fixes it as much as he can, the shaggy blonde mop still looks a mess no matter what he does to it - and puts his bandana and coat back on.

He peers at himself in the bathroom mirror. He doesn't really look like a prince, he knows that. He'll be lucky if he even gets past the threshold of the Minecraft residence looking like this.

Beside him he hears Ranboo's stomach rumble. The enderman hybrid giggles, embarrassed while Tommy full on laughs and Tubbo fondly rolls his eyes.

"Lunchtime I think?" Tubbo says. The other two nod vigorously, following him out of the train station and down the busy street.

Another difference to the Empire, most of the shops here are actually open. They didn't have to walk that long before stumbling upon a decent café. It's a nice little place; wooden floorboards, cream walls and comfortable looking chairs. And not too crowded either. However it did take them a while to order as Ranboo was plagued with indecision. You'd think a man who's been complaining about being hungry for the past two days would know what he'd want.

Tommy and Tubbo helped narrow down his options, getting rid of things they can't afford, eventually the three landed on sandwiches. Simple, but effective. Tommy also decided to be greedy and order a hot chocolate as well - he's never had one before.

When the food arrived all three boys wasted no time digging in. Tommy happily gulps down his hot chocolate (it's fucking delicious by the way, why has never had this before?)

Tubbo pulls out a battered wallet, emptying their funds - which consists mainly of coins - out on the table and starts counting.

"Do you think this'll be enough?" Tubbo asks, looking to Ranboo for the answer. Ranboo leans over the table and recounts the coins.

"You've put too much," Ranboo says and he pulls away a few coins so they have the right enough, "There."

Tubbo smiles, "Great, now you two wait here. I've got shit to get."

"Like what?" Tommy takes another bite of his sandwich, eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"That's for me to know," the brunette scoops up the remainder of the coins, "And you to find out. Maybe. Depends."

Tommy watches him leave curiously but the moment he's out of sight his attention turns back to his lunch. Ranboo's still scoffing down his sandwiches (and a bit of Tubbo's) like he hasn't been fed in years. Tommy almost thinks he hasn't.

It's so calm here. It's almost hard to believe what happened on the train. Everything in this town seemed so simple here; no chaos, no mad chases, no Kings wanting to kill him for not showing up to work. There's an aura of defeat across the place but it's still better than the train. That whole event feels like a weird dream.

Why had George hunted him down? There's no way he was that upset about a missing servant but the guy seemed desperate to catch him.

He can't quite shake the feeling that he's missing something, the same feeling he had back at the Palace. Like, how had George caught up to them so quickly? Had he seen any form of transport? Then again, Tommy wasn't really looking around him. He was far too busy dodging death.

No point dwelling on it now. Something else he should probably dwell on is the fact that Ranboo has been acting quite odd since their run in with the hunters. He keeps looking at him weirdly, every time they mention the Royals he tenses.

But Tommy supposes he's just a weird fella.

They don't have to wait too long for Tubbo to come back. The brunette returns back with a brown paper bag and Tommy doesn't question it.

"Alright, game plan," he says, "We've got to walk to the next town over and from there we'll get a bus to the docks where we'll hop on a boat heading to L'manberg. It's not ideal, but it'll give us time to work."

Work? What the fuck is work?

He doesn't get the chance to ask, Tubbo and Ranboo are already headed towards the exit.

It's weird having no snow around him, but Tommy can't say he's complaining. It makes it much easier to walk to the next town over.

Their conversation is comfortable as they walk along. It wasn't until they got just outside the small town that Tubbo actually explained what work meant.

"We've got to get your knowledge of the royals up to date," he says, "The princes were practically inseparable. And before you even get to them you'll have to go through Eret. He won't let us just waltz in there, probably take a bit of convincing first."

Tommy's eyebrows furrow, "Convince? I thought we were just gonna see them!"

Convince them? Convince them. Convince means lie and Tommy can't fucking lie to those people. Not after everything they've lost.

"Show up? Obviously," Tommy rants, "Dress up and look pretty? Sure. Whatever. But Tubbo I'm not lying to them."

"It's not a lie," Tubbo says quickly. Ranboo's face falls but Tommy doesn't see that, "I told you, you are Theseus. But the Royals they… they've been hurt, they've been tricked, they'll probably have their guard up and we need to prove you are who you say you are."

Tommy isn't convinced yet. "Who's Eret? Someone else I'll be lying to?"

"He's the Emperor's advisor. He's been with the family for ages now, knows them like the back of his hand. But he's been told to keep his guard up for fakers, those who just want to scam the royals. So yes, he'll take some convincing."

(Tommy doesn't understand the irony of that statement. Tubbo tries not to feel guilty, he's gotten pretty good at not having a conscience over the years)

"Good to know," Tommy says, "But there's one fatal flaw to your plan: you said it yourself, I don't pass as a prince!"

It's the luggage cart all over again.

Christ what is he even doing here? Him? A prince? No fucking way. No one would believe it. Tommy barely remembers his home, how in the hell is he supposed to act like a prince?

But that name, Eret. He knew that from somewhere, didn't he? Or maybe he's just desperate to convince himself. Trying to make himself more than what he actually is: a nobody with no past and no future. Not some all-important royal. Not Prince Theseus Minecraft.

Perhaps he would have been better off going to work for King George. If going to L'manberg means lying to a hurting family, Tommy isn't sure he wants to go there anymore.

"I think you could pass," Ranboo says, gently. And it hits Tommy like a truck.

Such small words, meaningless to anyone else but not to him. It makes him reel because Ranboo doesn't strike him as the insane type; Ranboo is clever and honest and…

And he thinks Tommy could be a prince.

"You really think so?" Tommy asks.

Ranboo nods firmly, "I know so. I used to work in the Palace - you know that - and although I was young I remember them, the royals. They weren't the boring, stuck up royals you're imagining. Empress Kristen was kind to everyone she met, and so smart. Emperor Philza was the same. He was brave and strong and always stood up for what was right. They treated their staff like actual people. Even us kitchen - and that's saying a lot, most nobles treat their servants like rats. And the kids… I'll be honest, I don't remember much about them, but I remember that they were loud."

Tommy huffs a small laugh, "I'm loud."

"I know," Ranboo smiles, "The princes were always together, always laughing and playing. They were fun."

Silence blankets over them. Even Tubbo remained quiet.

"Please come with us," Ranboo says. Tommy looks at him and Ranboo holds his gaze, eyes glowing and smile bright, "There's a real chance that you could find your family and… I don't want you to leave. Travelling would be boring without you, right Tubbo?"

"Right," Tubbo says instantly, sounding a little solem. "There's nothing back there for you, the Empire is a dull shithole these days. Everything is in L'manberg."

Tommy doesn't know what to think of this. Moments like these, they make Tommy realise that… he's got friends.

And his friends have a point.

He kept his eyes locked on the ground as he made his decision. He knew in his heart that if he looked at them he'd either cave in or run away.

He has to choose on his own. It has to be his decision.

Prince material. No, now fucking way. At least, he doesn't think so. But…

But, worst case scenario, Eret tells him he's not Theseus and sends him on his way. And that's it, no harm done.

Best case scenario…

"Dance with us!"

"Soon you'll be, home with me…"

"Tag! You're it!"

"Take my hand!"

"Please mate just hold on!"

Is he making up things? Is he going crazy? There's only one way to find out.

Smiling, Tommy looks back at them. "OK," he says, "Alright. Just a little note I'm shit at school and studying so prepare for the task of your life."

His friends' faces light up.

"Right!" Tubbo claps, "Remember this well then; You were born in the Empire on April 9th, in the Palace - the one we met in-"

"You said that was your palace-"

"Please save all questions until the end of the class! Now where was i? Oh right! When you were born the Emperor and Empress set of fireworks in your honor, the whole Empire celebrated."

Tommy gave a startled laugh, "Seriously? All that for a baby?"

"Not just a baby, a prince," Tubbo says with a nod. "Now, you started piano when you were four."

"Four?" Tommy cuts in.

Ranboo nods, "Yeah, you were quite good at it too. You and your brothers would perform these little concerts for the staff; Wilbur played the guitar and Techno played the trumpet."

It sounds unreal, like something out of a fairytale. Too lovely to be real.

But still, maybe it is.

"Right, I know this is a bit of a… a sore spot for you Tommy," Tubbo says, "But we will need to work on your posture."

He pulls Tommy's shoulders back and now that he stands up properly, Tommy's a good two inches taller. "Chin up," Tubbo says and Tommy obeys, rolling his eyes.

"Don't walk," Ranboo starts, "Try to float."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Tommy grumbles to himself, but makes his steps lighter nonetheless.

At Tubbo's suggestion, Tommy walks with Ranboo's book balanced on his head; he keeps giggling and slouching, laughing harder as he struggles to save the book from falling to the dirt. Tubbo sighs, rolling his eyes each time this happens. Though, to be fair, within the hour of posture training Tommy has made an improvement. He walks with his shoulders back and his head held high in the air.

For a moment, Tubbo could easily imagine a crown on Tommy's head, the same one his barely-counts-as-a-childhood-friend Theseus wore the day they met. Until he starts slouching again. Still an improvement though.

"Back to studying, you've got to know things that others wouldn't. And luckily for you, we're experts on the royals," Tubbo brags.

Shame-faced, Tommy clutches his compass, "What if I can't remember everything? I can barely remember my own history, nevermind someone else's."

"We can work with that," Ranboo says, "You don't remember anything before the invasion? We can just say your amnesia is still affecting you. Which it is, so not a lie."

It seems that has never occurred to Tommy, because he looks staggered by it, "Oh," he says quietly, still clutching his compass, "I guess so."

"Tha can work," Tubbo agrees, "But we'll still need to go over some things, just to get past Eret. Besides, your memory is already improving."

"Thanks," Tommy smiles.

"Now back to work."

Tommy groans. "I hate this," he complains yet again.

"So you've said, a million times," Tubbo rolls his eyes, "Now, where is the Summer Palace?"

"Business Bay," Tommy answers.

"Right. And when did Prince Technoblade first dye his hair?"

"When he was nine. It was an accident, he was messing around with potions and one turned his hair pink. He decided he likes it so he kept redying it," Tommy says tiredly, "We've been over this a thousand times."

"And we'll go over it a thousand more," Tubbo says firmly, "Every night the Empress-"

"Would sing to us. We would all gather in my room, Wilbur and Techno would sit with me on my bed and Wilbur would sing along with her until I fell asleep," Tommy interrupts.

"Yeah she-" Tubbo paused. Wait a minute… he looks up at Ranboo and whispers, "I didn't tell him that. Did you?"

Ranboo looks…guilty? For some reason? "No."

The two partners look back at Tommy. The kid is too busy kicking a rock to notice he's walked on ahead.

Huh.

That's weird.

It's evening by the time they reach the next town. The boat they need to catch isn't leaving until the next morning so they haul up in a tiny Inn.

The feeling of curiosity stayed with Tubbo, even after they had settled down to sleep. Tommy lays on his bed, sound asleep. Ranboo is also passed out on a chair in the corner of the room.

Their boat tickets are purchased, they're all packed, everything is ready.

They'll be in L'manberg in two days.

He has two days to turn Orphan TommyInnit into Prince Theseus Minecraft.

Tubbo isn't one for optimism, life has given him no proof that it works. But this was a special case.

Who else could pull this off if not them?

-

Tubbo was still quizzing him on their way to the docks. They had slept in slightly late and had to rush, giving them barely any time to get ready or properly eat, and yet Tubbo still found time to test him on everything he's been taught so far, and to nag at him every time he slouched.

Tommy is this close to tossing the kid into the fucking ocean.

When they found their cabin, Tubbo pulled out the paper bag he bought back at the first town and slid it over to him.

"There's no chance in hell you'll be allowed even ten feet within the Royals looking like that," he says, not as harshly as he did on the train, "So I bought you some clothes."

Cautiously, Tommy pulls out the clothes- and instantly bursts into a fit of laughter. They're nice clothes, far nicer than Tommy's ever had. But they're too big.

The white shirt was definitely two sizes too big, and although the new black boots looked to be the right size, same as the waist coat, the brown trousers are far too long for him.

"What size do you think I am?" Tommy cackles, "I know I'm a big man but not this big!"

Tubbo rolled his eyes and threw Ranboo's book at him. Laughing still, Tommy dodged it and instead it hit its owner in the chest.

"Just try them on, if they don't fit then we can try to sew them up," Tubbo says, clearly tired of Tommy's antics. He grabs Ranboo by the arm, pulling him towards the door, "C'mon, let's give him some privacy." The two leave, shutting the door behind them, leaving Tommy alone.

The blonde peered at his new clothes. He thinks he could swipe one of Ranboo's belts for his new trousers. They'll still be baggy, but he can just turn them up and be sweet. The shirt though, Tommy has no idea what he's going to do with that. Not to mention the waistcoat.

Still, they're nice clothes. It's nice to have something new, something that someone got especially for him. And it was very nice of Tubbo to do that for him. Mocking aside, Tommy is really thankful he'd the one by his side during this. Both him and Ranboo.

It's times like these Tommy wishes he listened when the matron's tried to teach him to sew.

Oh well, he'll have to rely on his incredible styling abilities.

So he's doomed.

Ranboo has just won his third game of chess when Tommy finds them on the deck. He didn't know what was taking the kid so long but Tubbo didn't seem worried, so he didn't dwell on it.

"I look ridiculous," Tommy's voice comes from behind him, slightly giddy and a bit embarrassed. Ranboo turns around and immediately smiles.

Tommy has actually managed to make the clothes look good. He'd stolen Ranboo's belt to hold up his trousers and had turned up the hems to stop them from trailing past his feet. The waistcoat holds tight against the boy's lanky frame. The shirt did seem a bit too big, but the fit of the waistcoat covered it and Ranboo didn't think the baggy sleeves looked that bad. He's still got his compass around his neck, as expected.

"You look great!" Ranboo exclaims.

"You do," Tubbo agrees with a smile, "Much better."

Tommy's nervous smile grows wide. "Thanks big men. And I uh, I want to give you something." From his pockets, Tommy pulls out two pieces of fabric, one red and one black. "It's to say thank you. For all of this. It's not much, I found them in my suitcase, but hey, now we have matching bandanas."

"Aww Tommy!" Ranboo hops up and hugs Tommy tightly, accepting the black bandanna and tying it around his neck.

"Shut up," Tommy groans, embarrassed, "I hate both of you."

Tubbo takes the red bandanna, smiling widely. "Aw Tommy are you blushing?" he teases.

Tommy's face turns a shade of red, "No!"

"I think he Is, Tubbo-"

"Nope, no, that's it. I'm leaving. I'm going back to the Empire."

The three of them laugh. Tommy smiles as he pulls up a seat, pulling out his own green bandanna, putting it around his neck.

"We look like a team," he says, failing to hide his happiness.

"We are one," Ranboo confirms. The idea seems to please Tommy; he sits up straighter, eyes sparkling, smiling from ear to ear.

Tubbo himself couldn't even deny that he liked the idea too.

-

George has to admit, he's slightly scared. He and Sapnap were only now arriving at the docks, when the ship had already left, knowing full well that Theseus and his little friends are aboard said ship.

A ship that would be docking in L'manberg in two days.

"That brat can't reach L'manberg," the fog form of Dream booms. Beside him, Sapnap's shakes in his boots.

"But- Dream list-" The King gulps, "He's already gone."

The fog thickens again, swirling around like a tornado. George thinks this is it, Dream is going to kill him.

But then the fog disappears yet again.

George looks at Sapnap, who is looking right back at him.

"What do w-"

"Don't you dare ask me what we do now."

-

Dream snaps his fingers and, next to him, hovering above the book, an image appears: Theseus on the deck of a ship, playing chess with those hybrids he's acquainted himself with. They seem to be teaching him to play.

How wholesome, Dream thinks with a scowl, they've got matching bandanas.

"How difficult is it to catch a child?" He ponders to himself. He'd sent his most skilled hunters and they still came up short. Pathetic. Weak.

He's eyes narrow behind the mask at the sight of Theseus' smile.

"Well, if you want something done right…"

He'd given his soul for these powers, for this book, he may as well use them.

Around him, little voices start to whisper. Chanting words of chaos and suffering. Smirking, Dream snaps his fingers again and the image of Theseus splits in four; one of Theseus, one of Wilbur, one of Techno and one of Emperor Philza.

The family is in the garden; Wilbur sits on a bench in the shade provided by a large tree, playing the guitar, Philza sits next to him, braiding Technoblade's hair while the pinkette reads.

"I bet they miss each other," Dream's says, to himself and the voices, "I think it's time for a little family reunion."

"They should see each other before they die."

-

A storm is beginning to pick up. Ranboo was a nervous wreck, flinching everytime the boat rocks from side to side. Tommy had been informed that Ranboo doesn't do well with water - must be the enderman thing. Tubbo looked greener than his coat, burping and shivering in his bunk. Tommy didn't feel sick, thankfully. Unfortunately that meant that he was the one that has to stop their items from moving everywhere.

Now, two out of the three are sound asleep in their respective bunks. Tommy can't sleep.

He tosses and turns in his bed before deciding it's pointless trying to fall asleep. Not with the boat constantly moving.

Sighing, Tommy sits up and reaches over to his coat, digging in its pocket until he feels an object. He pulls out the little box he found in the Palace; Empress Kristen's music box.

Now, maybe it's because he's on a boat, but Tommy swears the moment he lays his eyes on the box the room starts spinning.

He's on perched on a woman's knee as two children in front of him play a tune on the guitar and trumpet. He giggles, clapping along, out of rhythm with the song. He makes grabby hands at the piano…

He's being pushed on a swing, laughing happily and yelling "higher!" Behind him, more giggles come…

They're supposed to be asleep but the thrill of sneaking around was too much for any of them to deny. He's sitting on a step, peering down into the ballroom and the party below. The adults dance beautifully, glittering like treasure…

Dazed, Tommy's fingers trace the delicate details, lingering on the clasp before opening it and letting the soft tune fill the cabin.

Figures dancing gracefully

Across my memory

As the music continued, Tommy felt oddly light headed. He gripped his compass and when he closed his eyes, he saw dancers, graceful and gleaming, dancing to the soft tune.

-

Dream looks upon the images of the sleeping Royals. Four green figures rise from the pages of the book, the size of bats. As they rise, they morph into butterflies, emerald wings leave sparks in their wake.

"Go," he commands and the butterflies fly into the images, vanishing from sight. Mere seconds later, he can see a butterfly hovering over each Royals sleeping head, before exploding into sparks and landing in their eyes.

Dream smirks, its time.

-

Wilbur opens his eyes and finds himself in a beautiful garden. A magnificent castle sits off in the distance. He racks his brain as to where he's seen this before, jumping to his feet when he remembers; The Summer Palace. They went every August.

Smiling, he goes in search of his family.

It's sunny, a warm bright day. He's surrounded by flowers - roses and tulips; Mum's favourite - and green butterflies fly around him.

Wandering further, he finds Techno on a hill. Laughing, he runs to his brother's side. Techno is lying on the grass, eyes closed and face relaxed.

"Techno!" Wilbur chirps, leaning over his brother. Techno's nose scrunches up as he opens his eyes. Once he sees Wilbur, he smiles.

Wilbur felt Techno grab his arm and pull him down to lie beside him. Both brothers laugh as they lie side by side. Wilbur would've been happy to just lay there forever, in the sunshine with his brother,

But then he heard familiar giggles echoing in the breeze.

The brothers hop up, chasing the sound hand in hand. There's no way, it's not possible.

They run across the hillside until they spot another figure. A boy, blonde hair, with his eyes closed. Butterflies land on his nose, making him giggle.

"Is that…?" Techno whispers, stunned and hesitant, but Wilbur is already shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Theseus!" he yells, not noticing the glassy tears forming in his eyes.

The boy - Theseus - stirs before sitting up and looking around. When they lock eyes, Wilbur knows it's him. He'd recognise those eyes anywhere.

The youngest Prince looks confused for a moment, then something clicks and in no time at all he's on his feet, running towards his brothers.

Wilbur meets him halfway, followed quickly by Techno, and instantly wraps his arms around his baby brother.

Because it's him! It's really him!

He looks different, sure; taller, thinner, more defined face. But Wilbur would recognise him anywhere.

"It's you!" Wilbur cries, happy tears, "It's really you!"

"Ye- yeah," Theseus says, a little shy but that only makes Wilbur hold him tighter, "It's me."

When they break apart, Techno holds Theseus by the shoulders, staring intensely at his face, studying it, making sure it was true. Then, after a moment, the pinkette sobs and it's his turn to hold Theseus.

"Wow," Theseus laughs, "You guys miss me or something?"

"You have no idea."

"We need to tell dad," Wilbur says and as if by magic, Phil appears a few feet away from them.

"Tell me what?" the Emperor asks. Wilbut shuffles out of the way, practically having to drag Techno off their no longer missing brother. The brunette feels his heart swell at the sight of his father's surprised expression. And he swears his heart is going to burst when Theseus takes a small step forward.

"Papa..?" The youngest says softly, sounding just as he did eleven years ago. Yep, Wilbur is going to have heart failure.

Phil is speechless, an expression of shock on his face, almost like he doesn't think this is real. He looks at his other two sons for answers. Wilbur simply smiles and nods, and that's all the Emperor needs.

Theseus gets a third death gripping hug. Techno is still sobbing. Wilbur is smiling ear to ear. And Phil is holding onto his youngest as if he'll disappear if he lets go.

They're together again. A whole family. The only person missing is-

"Things my heart used to know," a voice sings. Her voice sings, "Things it yearns to remember."

The four of them look at eachother, once again stunned. Theseus is the first one to move, following the singing. The rest follow behind him.

On a ship, blue eyes still closed in slumber, Tommy climbs silently out of his bed and leaves the cabin.

In L'manberg, the Royals leave their rooms and walk down the hall together. Wilbur's snores fall silent, Techno's head lolls as he walks, Phil's hands trace the walls.

All four of them are deeply asleep, and all four are unknowingly walking to the same fate.

"Come on, darlings!" the Empress calls. They reach the edge of a cliff and peer down below into the ocean. She's in the water, beaming up at them.

"My boys," Kristen smiles her old gentle smile.

Theseus waves shyly, Wilbur squeezes his hand.

"Jump in," Kristen tells them. She gestures for them, giggling at their hesitance. "Come on, the water's fine. Jump!"

Tommy climbs onto the ship's edge, clutching the railing to stay steady.

Techno and Wilbur slip outside, onto a balcony and climb over the railing.

Phil does not follow them. He frowns in his sleep.

Tommy shivers as the rain and wind batters against him.

"Jump!" the Empress calls again. The three boys take a step forward but Phil gives them a sharp tug backwards, holding them close to him.

"Wait," The Emperor says. He looks around at their beautiful garden, their private beach, the sunshine and butterflies and flowers. "Something's not right."

Theseus frowns, looking around as well. It looks all right to him. It looks better than anything he's ever seen.

Or at least, it did. Then things change. Then Kristen starts laughing; high-pitched, harsh, evil.

"JUMP!" she roars. Suddenly, it's not the Empress. It's a sickening green, sharp-toothed monster with wings like a bat. "JUMP!"

Theseus screams, stumbling backwards until he hits Philza. His father shoves both him and his brothers behind him protectively as the scenery around them changes.

It's not their garden anymore; it's their Palace, destroyed and covered in blood and dead bodies. The cliff has crumbled away, leaving a cracked marble floor in its place.

The monster that took the form of the Empress laughs maniacally while flying around them. The butterflies that swarmed the gardens have turned into glowing bats.

The princes stay still, frozen in fear.

Phil jumps in front of them, wings suddenly shooting out of his back and a sword in his hand. As the monster swoops down to reach them, the Emperor thrusts the sword into its chest, running them through. But his arm shook and the monster's clawed hands kept reaching for him.

Techno breaks out of his curse of stillness, grabbing his father's left arm while Wilbur grabs his right. Together they keep him steady.

Theseus watched them, still scared and frozen, his expression mixed with fear and determination. He's crying but he doesn't know why.

"Stay away from my sons!" Phil growls.

There's one last deafening screech and in a flash of green light, the monster vanished.

The scenery changes again. The dead bodies disappear, the walls rebuild themselves. They're transported to the ballroom, it's decorated as it was the night of the attack. They're all dressed in the same outfits as that night.

Slowly, Tommy steps onto the soaking deck, shivering in the rain. Two frantic voices scream his name from across the deck.

"Tommy!" Ranboo calls while Tubbo cries, "Where are you?!"

Once they catch sight of the boy near the edge, they run to him, clinging to him tightly against the wind in an attempt to pull him back.

Tears pour down Tommy's cheeks although his eyes are still shut.

"Tommy!" Tubbo shakes his shoulders, screams into his ear, "Wake up! Ranboo, why isn't he waking up?!"

"It's just a dream Toms," Ranboo says, ignoring Tubbo's question and burns he's getting from the rain, "C'mon it's just a dream, wake up."

The Royal Twins climb back into the balcony. Wilbur's fists are clenched and Techno's eyebrows are furrowed. Behind them, their father begins to wake up.

Slowly, they let go of eachother. Techno turns and states at the empty thrones at the top of the room, heart dropping at the sight of his mother's one. Wilbur stares at the banners with their family crest on it, remember that night, how happy he was before everything went to shit.

It's a nice night out, but the twins can feel the wind, smell the ocean, hear thunder and lightning off in the distance.

Then Phil starts fading in and out of existence.

"Dad?" Wilbur asks, worried. Techno shares his brother's concern and rushed to his father's side. But the Emperor shakes them off and turns to Theseus.

"I love you," he says to his youngest, "I love you and I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."

Theseus feels tears slide down his cheek. The boy clings to his father desperately as he continues to fade. "Papa," he sobs, "I miss you, please-"

Phil shushes him, "It's okay, mate, I know. I miss you too." The older blonde plants a kiss to the top of his son's head. And then he's gone, vanished into thin hair.

The brothers are the only ones left.

Wilbur can hear voices shouting an unfamiliar name, but it seems that Theseus recognises it as he looks over his shoulder each time it gets called. Eventually he turns in the direction of the voices.

Then he starts fading too.

Wilbur is struck with a sudden stab of terror and guilt. He grabs his brother's wrist. The thunder and lightning gets louder but Wilbur knows it's not raining in L'manberg.

"Don't go," he pleads, "Please, please please."

His cried brings Techno out of his stare and he looks towards his twin with pity as he continues to beg.

"You're alive aren't you?" Wilbur cries and Techno winces in pain, "Tell us where you are, we'll come find you. Just tell us!"

He cups Theseus' cheek. He looks bewildered, Wilbur thinks, like he isn't sure who they are.

"Wilbur-" Techno says softly, placing a hand on his twin's shoulder. He looks desperate.

Wilbur ignores him, "Quick, tell us. Where are you?"

Theseus frowns, his matter fading, "I don't…Who are you-"

Wilbur wakes to his father shaking both him and his twin. They're on the balcony, it's a clear night. He blinks, trying to focus his thoughts. His head is pounding.

It wasn't real. Everything he just saw, it was just a dream. Wilbur looks up to his brother; Techno looks broken, he's holding onto his compass.

"What-" Wilbur croaks, his voice is raw, "What was that?"

"I'm not sure," his father answers, "But I saw it too. I saw him too."

"It was a dream," Techno mumbles, "Just a fucking dream.".

Wilbur wants to argue. He wants to scream and shout about how all three of them could not have had the same dream at the exact same time. But he's so tired. So instead he thinks of the smell of the ocean in the ballroom, the sound of thunder, the flash of lightning, the voices…

He shakes his head, "Yeah," his voice is barely a whisper, "Just a dream."

Tommy is freezing, shivering, teeth-chattering. He sits on his bed while Ranboo runs a towel over his hair. Tubbo is searching through his suitcase, trying to find some warm clothes.

Tommy hasn't said a word since they saved him from falling to his watery death. He moves slowly, stiffly. He looks frightened and confused and keeps looking at his compass.

"Nightmare?" Ranboo asks softly.

Tommy shrugs. Tubbo doesn't like his silence, it's so uncharacteristic. It didn't suit him.

When he's dry, Tommy lays down on his bed. Ranboo lays beside him. For a moment, Tubbo hesitates. He looks at his bunk to his friends and makes up his mind.

The bed isn't big enough for three of them. It's a tight squeeze, but it's comfortable.

"Try get some sleep," Tubbo whispers, heart shattering when Tommy's breath hitches, letting out a quiet sob.

"You're OK," Ranboo says so quietly Tubbo nearly doesn't hear it, "We're here, you're safe."

Ranboo and Tubbo say awake to make sure Tommy sleeps. Once they hear his soft snores, Ranboo nods off, followed by Tubbo.

-

In the Essempee, Dream furiously slams the book shut. Magic blasts from him, shattering potions, knocking books off the shelf.

The voices laugh, small giggles on the edge of his hearing.

He grips the lectern. The laughter gets louder, mocking him.

He gave his soul for this. And he still couldn't rid himself of a brat!

"If you want something done right," he spits under his breath, "you have to do it yourself."

Sending his men won't work. Magic from afar won't work.

He'll have to go in person.

He's been fair. The Royals escaped his grasp and he let them live in peace, let them think they were safe, for eleven years.

It's time to finish this.

Chapter Text

Wilbur isn't usually one for conspiracies but something is definitely going on.

Dreaming of Theseus isn't an unusual occurrence for him but when he does he dreams of the little boy he once knew. And when he dreams of what he might look like now, he could never quite make out a true image of him.

But last night…

Last night he saw him. Heard him. Felt him. It was clear as day! He smelt the ocean, heard thunder and those voices. Theseus looked at him like he didn't know who he was or how they'd gotten there. He wasn't that chaotic little boy Wilbur once knew, he was a confused teenager.

Techno had the same dream.

Phil did too.

And they all ended up on the balcony.

Wilbur doesn't sleepwalk. He knows this. Sure, sometimes he talks in his sleep, he's prone to snoring, but never once has he sleepwalked.

Something is wrong. And it's fucking bugging him.

Standing on the balcony, sun now high in the sky, Wilbur looks down at his compass. The dial is pointing out towards the sea - he smelt the ocean - like it's been doing for the past eleven years. Eret informed them this morning that there was a nasty storm across the water last night, in Rutabagville - he heard thunder and lightning.

"Where are you?" he says, and hopes that Theseus can hear him.

-

He's here.

Tommy feels like he's dreaming as he steps off the ship and into the docks of L'manberg.

For eleven years he's dreamed of this very moment. For eleven years he's held onto the fantasy of him coming here to find his family.

And now it's reality.

He doesn't know what to do with himself now. He doesn't have a plan. In all honesty, even in his fantasies, he's never gotten this far. In his dreams he'd just walk down the street and see them; they'd recognise his compass and they'd be whole again. He'd be home.

The nightmare he had last night still lingers in his head. He'd dreamed of them- The Royals.

They called him

He called the Emperor 'papa'.

But maybe that's because he's been acting like they're his family. Tubbo's been feeding him more trivia every second of every day. It only makes sense that he'd dream of them.

Still…

The garden had been too familiar. The way he spoke to them, how they interacted, it was too natural.

Tommy wonders if he's just lying to himself. That somewhere, deep deep down inside him, he knows he's not Theseus. Don't get him wrong, he hopes he is, but life has never been easy to him so why would it be now.

He twists the string of his compass around his finger as they try to catch a cab and wonders that, if he isn't Theseus, will Ranboo and Tommy still want him around? Will they help him look for his real family?

Would they still be his friends?

God he hopes so.

There's a knock at the door in the early afternoon. Eret goes to open it and has to do a double take.

There, on the doorstep, is a boy; the very image of Theseus only taller and skinnier. And beside him are two other boys: one rather tall, black and white hair, and one his exact opposite, short, brunette, has horns.

It hits him like a truck, the memories; of two little hybrids running amuck in the Palace kitchen. He remembers them swiping food from banquet tables; he remembers firing a chef when he witnessed him pour a bucket of water onto the enderman boy and lay a hand on the shorter one when the kid tried to defend his friend.

He can't quite remember their names but he recognises the enderman hybrid's multicolored eyes and the goat hybrids floppy ears. They were in that kitchen the night of the attack.

"Hello," Eret says, "Can I help you?"

The shortest one steps forward, holds out his hand which Eret shakes, "Good afternoon sir. I'm Tubbo and this is my partner-"

"Ranboo," the tall one gives a small wave.

Eret eyes the boy in the middle curiously. He took him in; blonde hair, ocean eyes, thin frame.

"I think you should come inside," Eret says, stepping aside and gesturing for them to step in, which they do. The blonde boy looks around with wide eyes.

"Wow," he whispers to himself. Eret can't help but smile.

"Can you fetch us something to eat?" the advisor asks a watching maid, "And some drinks too, please." Then he leads the odd group into the sitting room, the three of them still staring at everything as they walk.

"Take a seat," he says, unable to take his eyes off the blonde boy. He looks so much like Phil- like Theseus. It's uncanny really. Only when this Theseus lookalike took a seat did Eret turn his attention to the other two.

"Tubbo, was it?" he asks. Tubbo nods. "And Ranboo?" Ranboo nods as well.

The advisor looks at the blonde boy, "And… I'm sorry I didn't quite catch your name."

"Tommy," the boy says. He's anxiously gripping the handle of his suitcase when Ranboo puts a hand on his shoulder, then he seems to calm a bit.

Tubbo stands up, hands clasped together in front of him, "This is Prince Theseus Minecraft."

Eret raises an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

The maid returns with silver stays of pastries and small cakes and buns, then another with a jug of lemonade. The maid then left again without a word.

"I…" Tommy hesitates, "I think so.

"You look like him," Eret acknowledges quietly. His eyes glaze over the boy again. It's truly uncanny, more so than any other boy before.

It's all very convenient to him; first the Royals declare they don't want anymore meetings, then they all have the exact same dream on the exact same night, even sleepwalking together. And now this teenager shows up on his doorstep, looking the spitting image of the missing Prince.

He takes a sip of lemonade, thinking.

Prince Wilbur had looked so upset at the last meeting, and Prince Technoblade was so angry. Even the Emperor seemed…desolate.

"No more," Prince Technoblade had ordered. But this kid…

What could be the harm?

The advisor gestures to the silver trays, silently offering their contents to his guests. The offer was quickly accepted as all three boys snatched multiple cakes and pastries, stuffing them into their mouths like they hadn't been fed in weeks.

"OK then," he says, "I'll have to ask you some questions; standard procedure, hope you don't mind."

Tommy wipes crumbs from the corner of his mouth, "Course not."

"Great. First of all, where were you born?"

Tommy doesn't hesitate, "The Palace. The one back the Empire. Our home."

Eret nods, "Good. And what's your brother's middle name? Both of them."

It goes on for hours, though no one complained - not that they would, or could. After eleven years of cons and lies, Eret isn't going to take this boy at face value. No matter how much he looked like Theseus, no matter how much he acted like Theseus, Eret will not see the Royals hurt again.

It's five o clock when they reach the final question. So far, Tommy has gotten everything correct; he even knows when Techno first dyed his hair. But this last question - the newest one Eret has added to the roster, came up with it on the spot - is one that the only real Theseus would know the answer to.

(Eret would be lying if he said he wasn't silently rooting for the kid.)

"This may be a… sensitive question," Eret says gently. Tommy sits up straight, he's fiddling with a chain around his neck that Eret can't quite see. "But I have to ask. Apologies, but how did you escape during Dream's invasion?"

Tubbo has to bite his tongue to stop himself from screaming.

The escape.

How the fuck did he forget to tell Tommy about the escape?

He locks eyes with Ranboo, even he is deflating. They're so fucked.

But Tommy he… he doesn't seem worried or nervous. He frowns, eyes narrow as he stares off at the distance, at the wall. His hands go to his heart, to his compass hidden under his shirt.

And then he spoke.

"There was a boy," he says slowly, thoughtfully, "No- two of them...i think. They were kids- kitchen boys." he stands up, absentmindedly stepping towards the wall, hands tracing the wallpaper, "They opened a wall...there was a tunnel; it led us to the gardens…" he trails off, shakes his head, "Sorry, that sounds so fucking stupid."

Tubbo feels sick. The room actually starts spinning for a moment, his vision blackens. Is that- is he seeing stars?! Blood roars in his ears, Tommy's words echoing over and over. He's happy he's sitting down, because his legs are shaking and would not be able to keep him standing.

Surely not.

There's no way. It's impossible. It's fucking impossible. Theseus is dead, this is a scam- another one of Tubbo's 'get rich quick' plans. He wasn't- Tommy's not…

When he looks at Tommy, his eyes go wide and he questions how he never saw it before. Because the resemblance isn't just uncanny, the backstory is just convenient, the traits they share isn't just dumb luck.

Tommy is Theseus. Tommy is a prince.

It's you, Tubbo thinks. It's the only thought in his head right now. It's really you.

Ranboo doesn't look as shocked as Tubbo expects him to be. He's looking at Tommy with a knowing look and Tubbo feels betrayed. He fucking knew.

Tommy- no. Theseus, Prince Theseus Minecraft stands in a daydream at the other side of the room, oblivious to all that is going on, to the puzzle pieces clicking into place in Tubbo's mind.

It all makes sense now; the odd things that Tommy would do, the things he'd say. How he knew things about the Royals without Tubbo or Ranboo telling him; how he had that compass. His stubborn personality, his loudness, his talkative ways. Even the dream he had last night makes sense now.

Tubbo wants to demand answers but, of course, there's no use in that. Tommy doesn't remember.

Theseus doesn't remember.

Ranboo breaks the silence, clearing his throat with a shaky voice. "Well? What do you think?"

Eret looks staggered. Tubbo wonders if he actually knows the whole story of the escape or if this is the first time he's hearing it. Surely the Emperor had to have told him. It had never been made public, a smart move on Philza's part.

Still staring at Theseus, Eret asks, "Do you like Theatre?"

Theseus tilts his head, "Uhm…" Tubbo almost let out a gasp, memories of his little friend under the tree, setting up tin soldiers, flood back to him. "Never been."

Eret stands up. He walks over to the prince and says, "The Royals are planning on going tonight, some political musical is playing and, well, Prince Wilbur is all into that stuff. Why don't you join us?" he smiles gently, "I can introduce you there."

"But," Tommy smiles nervously, "We uh, we don't have tickets," he points out.

Eret winks at him, "Leave that to me, I'm sure there's room in the budget for you."

Tubbo can't sit here anymore, he has to get out of here. He hits Ranboo's shoulder lightly before getting up and slipping out. Ranboo follows wordlessly. Thankfully, Theseus is distracted with the idea of a musical about politics.

The door shuts behind them. Ranboo opens his mouth to speak but Tubbo cuts him off before he can get started.

"Wait," he says sharply, "Wait til we're outside."

They walk in silence. Tubbo, a bit more slowly than he wants, unable to understand how he hadn't seen it.

In the garden, Ranboo stands nervously. The silence is tense.

"Tubbo," Ranboo begins, voice wavering, "Listen i-"

"You knew," Tubbo says. He glances back towards the house. From where they're standing, they can't see Theseus or Eret. He wonders if the others are here, or are they in the royal accommodations just down the road.

Either way, they're close by. And isn't that what Tom- Theseus always wanted? To have his family close by?

"You knew it was him, didn't you?"

Ranboo looks everywhere but at his partner. "Yes," he finally says.

"Since when?"

"Since the train. After we escaped King George and the General."

Tubbo feels like an idiot.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, he thinks, it was supposed to be a scam. He wasn't supposed to care, he wasn't supposed to get attached. He just wanted the money.

Part of him, deep down, wonders whether knowing the truth would change anything. If he had known he'd found Theseus when Ranboo did, would he have brought him here? And part of him, deeper down, knows he wouldn't have.

"What's the big deal?" Ranboo asks, "He's found his family, he's home Tubbo!"

Tubbo scoffs, "The deal, Ranboo, is that you should have told me."

The deal is actually that Tubbo let himself become friends with the missing prince and now… now he's found his family. Now he'll be gone.

"What's the difference? We're still getting the money, we just don't have to lie to get it anymore."

The mention of the reward money makes Tubbo feel sick. It's not supposed to be like this. "...you should've told me."

"What are you two looking so depressed over?" Theseus suddenly appears at the glass doors leading to the garden, grinning brightly. Tubbo can't look at him.

When he gets no answer, the blonde rolls his eyes. "C'mon, Eret's taking us shopping for tonight."

"Oh, yay," Tubbo deadpans, kicking a rock as he walks back into the house. Side by side, he and Ranboo walk back inside.

Eret is not an idiot; he can see the way Tubbo and Ranboo look at Tommy differently than they had just hours ago. Even now as they trail behind the blonde while he wanders about the boutique, he can see how melancholy Tubbo looks and how apologetic Ranboo seems.

Only the Royals would be able to determine for certain, Eret knows that, especially the princes. Those two know their brother like the back of their hand. Still, hope was rising.

Tommy's an energetic thing. From the moment he stepped into the store excitement radiated off him. He began running about every which way, looking at everything, even the dresses, laughing loudly at the way some of them looked. Sometimes he even knocked over a mannequin - Eret had to quickly apologise to the store owner, thanking the lord they were friends otherwise Tommy would've been thrown to the cirb - Eret is used to this though, he's dealt with Wilbur and Techno growing up and they were just as chaotic.

Even if he isn't Theseus, Eret has to admit he quite likes Tommy. The kid is funny and it only takes three stern talking to's to get him to slightly behave.

And the kid hasn't had it easy. His story really tugged on Eret's heartstrings; amnesia, the orphanage, a desperate want for a family. So even if he isn't Theseus, Eret will make sure he finds who he's looking for. He'll make sure he's looked after.

The very least he can do right now is get the boy an outfit.

Tommy complains each time he has to try on an outfit, rolls his eyes each time Eret hands him another suit, but still dutifully puts them on. None of them have been right so far.

But when he stepped out of the changing room in a black suit with gold buttons and a red tie, Eret nodded approvingly. "Perfect," he says. He has him change out the suit as he plans on feeding the boy before the theatre, and if this is truly Theseus then Eret knows there's a fair chance of the new clothes getting dirty. Best not to risk it.

Somehow, he's not surprised when Tommy opts to wear the white dress shirt and a red vest with gold pinstripes. The colour scheme suits him. What does surprise him is when Tommy ties a green bandana around his neck and smiles at the other two boys - who have been silent this whole time, tension growing between them. Then Eret sees the matching fabrics tied around their necks and he's not so surprised anymore.

When they exit the store, Eret's pale eyes catch a glimpse of the chain around Tommy's neck, but before he can get a good look at it the boy tucks it away under his shirt.

After dropping off the shopping at Eret's house, the advisor led them through the streets to a restaurant.

It's fancy, Tubbo thinks, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a bouquet of flowers on each table. At the front of the room there is a stage with a band and a dance floor.

Theseus keeps tapping his finger in time with the music, humming to himself. Ranboo watches him with a sad smile, Tubbo can't shake the nagging feeling of shame and guilt pooling over him.

I should have known, he keeps telling himself, tossing his food around on his plate. He's barely touched his food but that didn't matter, Ranboo ate enough for the both of them.

He knows he shouldn't be mad at Ranboo, he does. But he can't help it. They're supposed to be a team, they're supposed to tell each other everything.

Tubbo watches Theseus chat Eret's ear off, the advisor watching with an amused smile. Tubbo wants to ask if he knows.

He doesn't get that opportunity until three songs later, when the band begins playing an upbeat tune and Theseus gets an excited glint in his eye, jumping out of his seat.

"I love this song!" he exclaims with a big grin, "Someone come dance with me."

He looks at Tubbo.

"Not a chance," the brunette grumbles, but nudges Ranboo's shoulder. The enderman hybrid shoots him a glare and then smiles at Theseus, following him out to the dance floor.

As soon as they're gone, Tubbo looks at Eret.

"You believe him, don't you?" he asks with an accusing edge, because why else would he do this?

Eret sips his wine with a shrug. "I mean, it's plausible," he says, blank expression giving nothing away. His eyes soften as she adds, "He looks so much like Phil- and Theseus, I'll admit. I think he deserves a chance. The real question is, do you believe him?"

The question catches Tubbo off guard. It takes him a moment to ask, "What do you mean?"

Eret waves his glass slightly, making the wine swirl around. "I'm not an idiot Tubbo, I've noticed how differently you act around him ever since our meeting, how you look at him with guilt. It makes me think that you didn't think he was who he said he was, that you didn't believe him."

Tubbo shifts in his seat, guilt rising.

"I've been doing this for eleven years. I've seen everything; including people like you."

Tubbo takes offence at the way he says that but says nothing.

"People who search out lookalikes and train them in an attempt to fool me. People who care more about money than reuniting a broken family. Phil is a good man, he was a fair Emperor, and I've seen him get his hopes up, get excited, over the idea of someone finding his son. I've seen him get crushed, hopes torn down, eyes fill with disappointment. Same for the princes. But make no mistakes," Eret takes off his sunglasses for the first time and Tubbo can now see his blank eyes stare into him. It's… unsettling. "I won't see that family hurt again, I'm disobeying orders right now even letting you stay here. But you know something I don't, you know if he's telling the truth. So, do you believe him?"

Tubbo watches Theseus and Ranboo on the dancefloor, spinning around like madmen. He doesn't look like Theseus right now; he looks like Tommy, loud, annoying orphan Tommy who Tubbo found wandering around his Palace.

He doesn't look at Eret when he answers, he keeps his eyes on Theseus and Ranboo. "Look after him," is all he says, "buy him some tin soldiers, he used to love those."

"I will," Eret promises.

Tubbo supposes he'll have to be content with that; he knows how this will end. Wilbur and Techno will know their brother, Philza will know his son. No more tricks, no more schemes. Theseus will be home with his family.

And then he'll be gone. And that'll be the end of it.

Tubbo doesn't allow himself to admit that the idea of that hurts him.

-

George and Sapnap are not having the best time.

They're stuck in a small town in Rutabagville for the past day and are now having a, frankly, terrible dinner at the best restaurant they could find and even that looks like a pigsty.

"This place is shit," Sapnap complains.

"Agreed," George sighs for the eighth time that evening. Their carriage isn't showing up until the morning and even then they have a worse fate than a shitty dinner waiting for them back at the Essempee.

Truthfully, George has no idea what Dream is planning to do now. Theseus would be in L'manberg by now, probably with the Royals if the little group didn't dawdle around.

They drag their feet back to the Inn they're staying at after they finish their underwhelming meal, and the moment the door slaps shut green fog engulfed them.

Wind blows even though they're inside, blowing in every direction creating a twister of fog. George had to close his eyes against the wind; he hears Sapnap struggle against the mist.

And then it stops.

George opens his eyes and he isn't in their tiny room anymore. Instead he finds himself in a run down building; it appears to be abandoned, given by the dusty sheets over the furniture and cobwebs.

In front of them is Dream, surrounded by a group of skeleton soldiers.

"What the-" Sapnap takes a few feared steps back, "Dream what the fuck?!"

"Welcome to L'manberg," Dream says. The smile on his mask seems to bear into him, "Hope you enjoyed your little break. We've got vermin to exterminate."

-

When Tommy appears at the top of the stairs dressed in his new suit, Eret smiles. And when he reaches the bottom of the steps, struggling to tie the tie, Eret offers his help. It looks good on, Eret thinks it suits him well.

In all honesty, Phil hasn't told him much about their escape - the Emperor hasn't said much about that night at all - except for one detail: two kitchen boys helped. He didn't say how or who they were. He kept most of it under wraps, in order to stop it leaking from the public.

Only the Royals knew how they escaped; only the real Theseus would know. It's not a question he asks often, in fact, he never did. That was for the Royals to ask.

Still, he had to be strict with this one and, given that the boy has the looks and the knowledge, he had to ask.

And Tommy had got it right.

Tommy knew it was two kitchen boys that helped them, not a guard or a maid or a butler. Two kitchen boys. He knew.

Eret has gotten his hopes up before and had them crushed each time. But this one is different. This time, he is sure this is the right one.

When he realises that Eret, Tubbo and Ranboo are staring at him, Tommy shifts nervously.

"What?" he asks, "Do I look stupid?"

"You look amazing," Ranboo says, and Eret can see Tubbo's melancholy rubbing off on him; he's more quiet that he was at the start, he's less nervous and has a bittersweet look in his eye everytime he looks at Tommy, as if the blonde will disappear and he's OK with that...kinda.

"Like a prince," Tubbo adds quietly, still melancholy as ever.

Eret can sympathise with them both.

The advisor places a hand on Tommy's shoulders, smiling at him before leading him and the odd duo to the car. He holds the door open for all three of them and then slips in quietly beside Tommy, who's nerves are practically radiating off him.

Eret takes a chance, makes another bold move and hopes to the gods that it's the right one. He leans close to Tommy and whispers, "I believe you."

Tubbo feels out of place here, dressed in a green suit, sitting between barons and duchesses.

Eret had left them to join the Royals in their private box; but he had managed to snag them fantastic seats, front row, center balcony.

As the curtain rises, Tubbo spots them; Prince Wilbur, Prince Technoblade and Emperor Philza sitting together, beside them is Eret. The advisor scans the crowd and once he spots them, he waves.

Hesitantly, Tubbo turns to Theseus. "Look, up there."

Theseus leans forward, following Tubbo's line of vision and when he spots his royal family he gapes, falling perfectly still.

"That's… that's them," the prince whispers. The orchestra music plays but Tommy only has eyes for his family, "That's really them."

"It is," Tubbo says.

"Do you think they'll know me?" Theseus asks.

"They will," Ranboo says with certainty, "Of course they will."

Theseus was already remembering more and more on his own, without Tubbo or Ranboo's help. If he didn't know who he was, his family certainly will.

Now they just have to wait until intermission.

Time is already dragging for Tubbo, he can't even imagine how Theseus is feeling.

After what felt like ages, it's finally time. Tubbo was only half paying attention to the musical - something about presidents and war and politics - but when the curtains fell and the lights brightened, he sat up. Other people began to move around them.

"Let's go," Tubbo says, "It's time."

For a moment, Theseus looks like he's going to faint, but he's stubborn and determined. Pressing his lips together, nodding, he stands up to follow Tubbo and Ranboo.

When they reach the hallway, there's a dismal tension hanging between the three. Ranboo and Tubbo stop midway, Theseus a good five feet ahead of them. Then the prince stops and looks at them, tilting his head in confusion.

"Why are you two looking at me like that?" Theseus asks them. Beside him, Tubbo hears Ranboo hold in a whimper.

"It's just-" Ranboo says, voice shaking for a second before he composes himself, "We're gonna miss you, Tommy."

Tubbo feels a weird pressure behind his eyes.

Theseus shakes his head at them, chuckling, "You're so clingy. Besides, I'm not going anywhere."

If only you knew, Tubbo thinks. Because princes don't run around with kitchen boys- with con men. Because once they're reunited, the royals will take back the Empire and Tubbo and Ranboo will be back to rummaging in bins for something to eat.

But there's no time for dwelling on the inevitable now. As they make their way to the royal box, no one spares them a glance. Eret has gotten all of them correct attire to fit in.

They reach the box all too soon.

"Wait here," Tubbo tells Theseus, "We'll introduce you."

Before his hand reaches the doorknob, Theseus stops them. "Wait! I uh…" He's fidgeting again, but smiles all the same, "The past few days have been fucking crazy. I mean- the train and-and the thing on the boat, couldn't have been easy for you guys to put up with and i-" He's practically vibrating on spot, from anxiety or impatience? Tubbo doesn't know. "Thank you," Theseus finally says, "For everything."

Ranboo and Tubbo look at each other; small sizzling sounds can be heard from the enderman hybrid as he hastily wipes his eyes to avoid any more pain. The taller one turns back to Theseus, smiling, "You're very welcome. It's been an honour travelling with you."

" Jeez Ranboob, don't get all formal on me," Theseus jokes, it seems to calm him down.

Tubbo has never been an emotional person, so this feeling is quite odd to him. He struggles to find the right words to express everything so he just settles on, "Good luck."

(Neither of them notice that, when they enter the box, the door doesn't fully shut. But Tommy did, and being the curious bastard he is, lingers close to listen.)

As promised, Eret is waiting for them. The curtains to the box are mostly open and Tubbo tries not to stare but he hasn't been this close to the royals since that night.

"Excuse me sir," Tubbo begins, like they'd rehearsed, "Would you please inform the Emperor that we have located his missing son. Prince Theseus is waiting outside the door."

"I'm sorry, but the Emperor and Princes will not see anyone," Eret says with a wink.

"Tell them not to waste their time, Eret," Phil calls harshly from over his shoulder, "My sons and I have been through enough. I won't put them through anymore."

Prince Wilbur twists round in his seat to look at them. His eyes roam over them for a moment, eyebrows furrowed, when he lands on Ranboo, makes direct eye contact with him, his expression blankens and he sits up a little.

"Maybe we should try later," Eret mumbles, trying to push them out of the room. But the advisor fails to take their stubbornness into account.

Tubbo ignores Eret and steps further into the box, straight up to the Royals with Ranboo following closely behind.

Because even if the royals didn't want to hear it, they were going to fucking listen. Because Tubbo didn't spend five years of his goddamn life learning all he could about the Royals, learning things that no one but Theseus would, holding audition after audition and coming up short each time, scheming and planning day and night for a way to scam these fuckers out of their money, only to find the real Theseus and bring him here.

Because Theseus is right here. Just a doorway away from his family. They're not lying anymore, they actually found him. They found Theseus and, even if it was accidental, a slip up on both their part for failing to see the obvious, they like him. He's they're friend and Tubbo and Ranboo will be damned if they fail him now.

They won't let him be alone anymore.

Phil looks a little scandalised when they stop in front of him, Wilbur looks suspicious and Techno looks surprised.

"Listen, we're not here to fuck around-" Tubbo says harshly but Ranboo cuts him off.

"What he means," the enderman hybrid says, "We mean you no harm. My name is Ranboo, this is Tubbo. We used to work in the Palace."

"That's a new one," Techno scoffs. Phil stands and pulls a golden cord. Tubbo can faintly hear a bell.

"Go away," Phil says, firmly. His green eyes flick from Tubbo and then behind him. Ranboo looks between the brothers, noticing the same compass that Tommy has hanging around each of their necks.

"We've come all the way from the Empire," Tubbo continues, determined as ever.

"And others have come from Kinoko," The Emperor says.

Tubbo grinds his teeth, getting impatient now. Ranboo takes this opportunity to speak up before his friend says something to get them beheaded. He points to the compasses, "Theseus has th-" He's cut off by two guards bursting in.

"I know you," Wilbur says.

"I don't care how much you've trained this boy," Phil shouts at Tubbo, "It's not him. It's never him!"

"But it is him!" Tubbo yells back, dodging hands grasping for him. Ranboo isn't so quick, a guard easily grabs him.

"Phil, please hear them out-" Eret says, grabbing the Emperor's shoulder.

The whole thing is chaotic; Ranboo struggling against guards' grip, Tubbo dodging grasping hands, Phil shouting orders, Eret pleading with him and the twins staring in bewilderment.

"Tubbo and Ranboo," Techno says. For a moment, Ranboo is hopeful but the prince's face goes from confused to outraged in a matter of seconds and it scares the shit out of him. "I know about you! You're con artists! You hold those fucking auditions to find a Theseus lookalike just or get the reward money!"

"No you idiot!" Tubbo says frustratedly, "I worked in the Palace! We were the one that helped-" He's cut off when a guard grabs him.

"Get them out!" Phil orders.

"No wait!" Ranboo struggles against the guard's grip; he looks straight at Wilbur. "It's him! I promise it's him! Theseus he-" he manages to get one arm free and uses it to point at the compass, "He has that compass!"

Wilbur's eyes widen but it's too late; Tubbo and Ranboo are being thrown out, landing ungracefully on their backs and the door is slammed shut.

Rubbing his head, Tubbo looks up and sees the devastation on Theseus' face. His heart sinks.

He heard. He heard it all.

Con men… Theseus lookalikes… reward money…

Tommy feels like he's being burned from the inside out. Like he's being torn into shreds and he hates how close he is to crying. Why should he cry? No one would cry for him. This whole thing has been one big fucking con.

"You- you bastards," he stammers, backing away, "you were lying from the fucking start…"

"No," Ranboo says, scrambling to his feet, "No, Tommy listen-"

"I was just a part of your fucking scheme!" Tommy spits. His fists clench and his chest heaves- the last time he felt this way was when those bastards at the orphanage tried to take his compass.

He feels so stupid. He actually thought they were his friends.

He actually thought he was Theseus.

Who is he fucking kidding? He's not Theseus. He's just Tommy; little orphan Tommy, a fucking nobody.

He can't stay here, not after this. He turns on his heels and storms away, nails digging into his palms, ignoring the yells that come from behind him.

But those two hybrids won't leave him alone. They're fucking following him.

"You have to listen to us," Tubbo says, "It- yeah, ok, it started as a scheme, but you are Theseus. You-"

"Fuck off!" Tommy shouts, ignoring the stares from the people around him - the fuck are they staring at? Haven't they seen a kid have his dreams crushed before? - "It's bullshit! The whole thing- from the very fucking start you lied to me! And I actually believed you!"

"Tommy listen- what you said about the kitchen boys, and the escape, it's-"

"Shut up!" Tommy stops at the top of the stairs, "Just shut the fuck up! I don't wanna hear it from you!"

"Theseus-"

The name catches him off guard, but it adds to his rage. "JUST FUCK OFF!" he screams, throwing his arms up, "I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

The con men stop dead in their tracks. Only their eyes move, flickering from him to each other to their surroundings. Ranboo looks at him, silently pleading, but Tommy is done. Done with both of them.

He needs to get out of here.

Just as he turns to run, there are hurried footsteps. And his heart shatters.

There, in front of him, is Prince Wilbur, Prince Technoblade and Emperor Philza, with Eret running behind them.

They're here. They're in front of them. And it's not a dream like on the ship. It's real and-

He's on the beach, he's playing in the sand while the princes' splash around in the water. The Emperor and Empress smile at them.

He's sneaking down the stairs, the princes' at his side. It's night. They walk to the ballroom, in the middle there's a tree decorated with lights and tinsel and a star on top. There's boxes under it wrapped in colour coordinated wrapping paper.

They're all in a bedroom, someone's singing and he's tired and warm and-

It's not their fault, Tommy knows this. They didn't ask to be tricked. But Wilbur gasps at the sight of him, Techno looks stunned in his spot and Phil takes a step forward to him, reaching out and Tommy is bubbling with hate.

"Fuck you," he spits, "Fuck you all."

And then his actions catch up with him and he staggers back down the steps with a terrified expression on his face. And he runs.

Summoning every amount of energy he has, fueled by anger and fear and embarrassment and hurt, he keeps running; across roads, in front of cars, down dark streets. And he doesn't stop until he reaches Eret's house.

Glassy tears fall down his cheeks. He tries telling himself he's only crying because that's the fastest he's ever ran and he's out of breath and the cold air hit his eyes. When he falls, tripping over his own feet in Eret's front garden, he tells himself he's only crying because he's hurt.

And that isn't a lie.

It hurts. It really does.

He hauls himself up, because he's a big man, and runs into the house.

Wilbur feels like he's going to faint.

"That…" he grasps his compass, the dial had spinned, following the boy as he ran, "That was…"

"Theseus," one of the boys, Tubbo, says stiffly, "Told you so." he looks bitterly at them.

"No," Techno says, "No it… It can't be..it's-"

"Impossible," Phil breathes, "How- how?"

Wilbur looks at the two boys. Phil had been blinded by anger and grief, Techno had been wary of another trick, but he knew those two looked familiar. He knew.

Those two- those ruffed up looking hybrids had saved them eleven years ago.

Those ruffed up looking hybrids have brought Theseus home.

And it is Theseus, Wilbur is sure of it. He's so sure of it.

Theseus had looked so angry- so sad. Theseus had run from them.

"We need to go after him," Techno says.

"Glad you're finally listening," the other boy, Ranboo, rolls his eyes.

They all run outside but Theseus is nowhere to be found.

"He's at Eret's house," Tubbo says.

"And how would you know?" Techno says a bit harshly. Tubbo turns to him, eyebrows furrowed and a bitter look in his eye.

"Oh gee, I wonder," the little hybrid says sarcastically, "Maybe because he's alone in an unfamiliar city and it's the only place he knows, all his luggage is there and, if the last few minutes are anything to go by, he probably wants to get the fuck out of here."

"That's enough," Phil orders, "Both of you. Tubbo is probably right, it's the most logical place for him to go. Eret, will you fetch the car?"

"Of course, sir," Eret says and then he's gone.

Wilbur is fidgeting in impatience. Techno is tapping his foot in agitation. This is taking too long.

Wilbur notices Tubbo and Ranboo glance at each other, silently communicating. Ranboo looks towards a black car that Wilbur has only seen a few times in Eret's driveway.

"You didn't," Ranboo says suddenly.

Tubbo smiles mischievously, digging around in his blazer pocket and pulling out a set of keys. "Of course I did."

Ranboo looks both shocked and not surprised at all, "But we cant-"

"Does that really matter?" Tubbo asks.

"Yes it matters, Tubbo!"

"What are you two going on about?" Phil interrupts.

Ranboo pauses for a moment, thinking, "Can any of you drive?"

The Royals shake their heads. Tubbo's smile grows.

"It's the only way, Ranboo, Eret's taking forever and he'll probably be on a train by the time we get back to the house,'' the goat hybrid says.

Ranboo sighs, "Fine."

Tubbo cheers, walking towards the shiny car.

"Hold on," Techno says, "Wanna let us know what you're doing?"

Tubbo rolls his eyes again - the cheek of this kid! - "I'm taking you to see your brother. Now, are you coming or do you wanna wait for Eret to come back?"

The family look at each other. Phil moves first, following Tubbo to the car, then Wilbur goes after him.

Techno hesitates, "Can you even drive?"

Ranboo and Tubbo laugh.

They screech to a halt outside Eret's house, knocking into a lamppost. Tubbo looks proud of himself - as if he hadn't just almost knocked down three people on the drive here - while Ranboo looks like he's seen god.

Really, Wilbur thought Tubbo did alright. He only ran a few red lights, knocked into a few lampposts. But he didn't hit anybody… he nearly did but it was fine. And it was funny when Ranboo grabbed the wheel every time Tubbo almost hit someone.

All amusement fades when he looks out the window at Eret's house. Just like that, he's sixteen again, frightened to hope yet terrified to give up. It had only been a short look but the boy looked just like Theseus from his dream.

When he asked where are you? he didn't think he'd get an answer. He didn't think the answer would be so close.

"Bring this with you," Ranboo says, pulling a small box from his jacket pocket. Phil took it and Wilbur has never seen his father look so devastated. And he understands why.

It's mum's music box. The one from that night.

If Ranboo has this, then maybe he's telling the truth. If they're being honest then- then this boy has the compass.

Wilbur looks down at his own compass and gasps, tears threatening to spill over his eyes. The dial is pointing East, towards Eret's house.

"Where did you get this?" Phil asks, hands shaking.

Ranboo gives Tubbo a look - they're communicating again - and then Tubbo sighs, "You've been hurt," the boy begins, "All three of you have been hurt badly. And I'll admit, I was going to hurt you too - whether I intended to or not - and I'm sorry. But that's him. That's really him."

"So go get him," Ranboo says with a shaky smile, "Look after him for us."

Wilbur opens the door, practically diving out of the vehicle, followed by his brother.

"Don't get your hopes up," Techno grumbles and Wilbur wants to scream at him. But he understands his brother's point of view, he's scared of being hurt again. And Wilbur is too.

But he's Wilbur-fucking-Minecraft, he reminds himself with his head held high with determination, and he's going to get his brother.

Tommy slammed the door shut behind him, locking it and ignoring the worried questions from the maids as he frantically began to pack.

They were right, he thinks bitterly, the matron's were right, I need to get a fucking grip.

He should have known it was a scam. He should've known he didn't have a chance at a family. He'd imagined everything. He doesn't have a family, they're not looking for him. They're probably fucking dead. They're probably glad to be rid of him.

Together in L'manberg. What a fucking joke. No one here wants him. No one anywhere wants him.

He took a deep, shuttering breath and continued to hastily pack, throwing shirts and objects that didn't even belong to him into his suitcase. He picks up the red waistcoat and hesitates- then throws it to the corner of the room. He hates how he's shaking, he hates how he can't stop himself from crying. He doesn want to keep crying over those bastards. Those lying bastards.

He doesn want to care anymore. Not about them.

There's a knock on the door. Tommy sighs heavily, "I already told you, I'm fine!" he says.

The door knob jiggles as someone tries to open it. Tommy groans loudly.

"If that's you two, you can go to fucking hell! Piss off!" he shouts. There's a good chance he just shouted at the maid but Tommy doesn't really care right now, he continues to pack.

Tears prick at his eyes again. He presses the heels of his hands to them, biting down hard on his lip. "Go away!" his voice cracks, "Seriously, I will stab you."

It's quiet for a moment, and then there's another knock - a louder one. Tommy groans again, frustration taking over as he storms towards the door and swings it open.

"I fucking told you to-" he shuts himself up, wincing, stomach churning, as he locks eyes with the Emperor.

For fucks sake.

Tommy suddenly feels very small. He doesn't even notice the Princes until Techno clears his throat.

"Uhm…" Tommy's at a loss for words. He's utterly tongue-tied. They're probably here to fucking arrest him after his stunt at the theatre.

But they don't arrest him, instead the Emperor smiles at him. Tommy hates the way it fills him with warmth. "Hello," Phil says kindly, "Do you mind if we come in?"

Tommy, still speechless, moves aside to let them in.

It's… awkward. Tommy doesn't know why they're here in all honesty, and it doesn't help that they keep staring at him.

Techno eventually pulls his eyes away from him and frowns at the state of the room. "Going somewhere?" he asks, it's not jokingly or mean, it's a genuine question and he says it with a bit of worry.

"Uhm, yes." Tommy says.

"Where?"

Well he hasn't thought about that yet. "I dunno," he shrugs, "Somewhere. Anywhere. Away from here anyway."

Wilbur tilts his head. "Who are you?" he asks calmly.

"That's the question, Innit?" Tommy grumbles bitterly, "I haven't a fucking clue."

"Where's your family?" Phil asks, sitting down on the messed up bed.

Tommy's getting a little sick of these questions. "Don't have one."

There's silence, it's thick and heavy and Tommy hates it. They're still fucking starring at him.

Techno takes a seat next to his father, "We don't want to be tricked any more."

He says it accusingly, as if Tommy knew about this whole scheme. As if Tommy would've gone through with it if he knew.

"Well that's a bit stupid Innit?" he snaps harshly. The Royals don't speak and Tommy is sick of this quiet so he goes on, "I mean, you had to have expected this. You offer up money for the return of your son? Of course people are gonna take advantage of that! What? Did you think the world was full of nice honest people? Get a grip!"

The princes look a bit stunned. Phil's expression is unreadable and it just makes Tommy angrier, "The worlds a shitty place, alright. Maybe you don't know that because you get to sit up here in your mansions and have life handed to you on a fucking platter, but the world is shit!" And Tommy can't stop it from pouring out, "People leave you in fucking orphanages for eleven years with nothing but a stupid trinket-" he rips the compass off his neck and chucks it to the corner of the room, not noticing how Wilbur's eyes follow it, "People hurt you, they hell at you, they mock you, they hit you! They lie to you; they tell you that you're this big important person and promise you a home and a family…and you believe them because you're fucking desperate and follow them across the fucking ocean and let them dress you up and teach you random fucking trivia… and… and-" He closes his eyes, chest burning, "I didn't know. I swear I didn't know! I just- I don't know who I am, I don't fucking remember anything! And I thought- I hoped that-" he sobs, "I was stupid enough to believe them, to get my hopes up. I thought I was remembering but I'm just kidding myself. I'm sorry, I don't wanna trick you. I'm so fucking sorry."

When he opens his eyes, they're still staring at him. Wilbur has something in his hands. Techno's hand is gripping onto something around his neck but Tommy can't make it out.

Phil pats the space next to him. Tommy sits next to him.

"You mean it don't you?" Phil asks, "You don't know who you are."

Tommy shakes his head. He doesn't know what they want but the longer he sits here, the dizzier he feels. He might be going crazy but he swears he remembers…

Phil tossing him into the air, laughing at his delighted shrieks.

Wilbur strumming his guitar in the corner of the music room.

Techno teaching him how to hold a sword.

Beaming with pride after showing them the new song he learned on piano, shouting for 'papa' and 'mama' to come listen to him.

Their voices calling him throughout the years, "Theseus, Theseus, Theseus."

He snaps out of it with a gasp when Phil places a hand on his shoulder. Wilbur is holding his compass in his hands. They're looking at him, teary eyes filled with hope, they're smiling so sweetly.

The princes reach into their collars and all the air is knocked out of Tommy's lungs when they pull out compasses that match his. Except, theirs aren't broken, the dials aren't spinning like mad; they're pointing at him. Techno holds his out, turning it around so Tommy can read the inscription on the back.

Together in L'manberg.

Tommy can't breathe when Wilbur does the same thing, revealing his matching engraving. He thinks he's dying as he tries to catch his breath. It's not real, it's a lie, this is a dream, it's not real its not real it's not-

A soft tune fills the room. Tommy pulls his eyes away from the compasses and looks towards Phil; he's holding the music box Tommy found in the Palace.

All of them are in his room, on his bed, crowded together as the Empress sings…

"On the wind, 'cross the sea," Tommy sings quietly, mesmerized by the dancing figures of the Emperor and Empress, "Hear this song and remember."

The Royals join in; Wilbur's voice shakes, Phil's hitches awkwardly and Techno's nearly gives out entirely. "Soon you'll be home with me," they all sing, "Once upon a December."

The song stops and the box closes slowly. They're all sobbing, no one speaks.

Tommy feels like his life is flashing before his eyes. And in a way, it is. Because he remembers.

"Tommy…?" Wilbur whispers cautiously and Tommy doesn't have time to ask how he knew his name.

"You…" he begins, slowly, carefully, "You broke my bike."

Wilbur blinks, "What?"

Tommy pauses, everything becoming clearer by the second, faces that have been blurred for so long finally clearing, "Yeah…you broke my bike. You stole it and rode it down the stairs, crashed into a suit of armour and the front wheel came off. I cried for fucking hours."

Tommy huffs a laugh at that memory, his memory. He looks a Techno, "And you're the one that named me Theseus - which I still think is a stupid name by the way - because you'd just read that book on Greek Mythology and became obsessed with it."

Techno sobs, smiling shakily. Tommy looks at Phil, "And when I couldn't sleep, you used to carry me around the Palace and tell me the stories behind each one. My favourite was your engagement gift, it was-"

"Your mother," Phil finishes for him, wiping a tear from his eye, "It was a painting of your mother."

Tommy sobs, a big beaming smile on his face. "Papa," he cries and Phil- dad. His dad pulls him into a tight hug, holds him protectively. For the first time in his life, Tommy feels whole.

When they part, Tommy turns to Wilbur and Techno - his brothers, his brothers - they're looking at him like he's not real, that he'll disappear with the wind any second.

"It's you," Wilbur says shakily, "It's really you."

"Y-yeah," Tommy replies and before he can even blink Techno and Wilbur have thrown themselves at him. All three of them fall off the bed and onto the floor. Techno pushes himself onto his knees, holding his brothers in his lap. Wilbur sobs against his shoulder, fingertips digging against his back.

"Never fucking leave again," Techno pleads.

"You're gonna regret saying that, I've somehow managed to become more annoying over the years," Tommy laughs, tears streaming down his face, "Of course I won't."

He can't move with how tightly they're holding onto, not that he wants to anyway. He couldn't have been paid enough to let go. He couldn't imagine ever letting go again, he wasn't going to let go again; never, not for anything.

He's home.

Tommy's not sure he's cried so much in his life. He can't bring himself to move; he sits on Techno's lap, in both of his brothers arms, all three of them teary messes, clinging to each other and he's never felt more safe. He's not sure how long they stay like this but eventually Phil stands up from the bed.

"Alright," he says, voice still watery from crying, "Stop smothering him, you two. It's my turn. Let me see my boy."

Let me see my boy. Tommy's heart soars. Reluctantly, Wilbur and Techno let go of him and with shaky knees, he stands in front of his father.

Phil looks him up and down, smiling kindly the whole time. He seems nervous, Tommy thinks, its hidden underneath the facade of confidence.

"Look at you," he says, cupping his face in his hands, "You've gotten so big."

Tommy then realises just how much time has gone by since he last saw his family. Eleven years. Eleven years separated. The last time Phil saw him he was a terrified five year old.

Phil's shoulders shake, his face crumbles along with his facade. Tommy's heart aches.

He reaches out, "Papa-"

"I'm sorry," his father blurts out, "I'm so sorry." Before Tommy could say anything, Phil hugs him again, so tightly it hurts, nearly lifting Tommy off his feet.

"You didn't-"

"I let go," Phil says, voice breaking, "I should've held on tighter, I should've jumped off that damn train, i-"

Tommy cuts him off, "You would have been killed."

"You could have been." Phil says then shakes his head, "But let's not think about that now, let's bring you home."

Home. Tommy wants to go home.

The newly reunited family gathers their things. Tommy's suitcase isn't heavy at all but Phil insists on carrying it. Wilbur keeps hold of the music box. Tommy holds onto his brother's hands as they walk down the stairs. The gaping maids and butlers quickly bow and Tommy doesn't think he'll ever get used to that.

(Tubbo and Ranboo are nowhere to be seen and Tommy pretends that doesn't sting a little bit.)

Phil has never believed in miracles but as he sits in the back of his car with all three of his son's squeezed in around him, he thanked whatever God there is for this.

He's afraid to blink, afraid this is all a dream. Scared that if he looked away, Theseus would disappear again. But when he looks back, Theseus is still there, clinging to his brother's. Phil keeps a hand on Theseus' shoulder and allows himself to feel calm, to be happy and content. His old guilt can be felt again tomorrow, they can ask questions tomorrow. For now he's happy to sit with his family, knowing they're safe and where they're supposed to be.

Still, there's a new wave of guilt gnawing at him when Theseus looks around the family estate. Sights that would've once been normal for the young Prince now seem to surprise him.

Where were you? Phil wonders.

He doesn't know yet, where Theseus had been all these years nor how he had come into the company of those ex-kitchen boys. Days ago, he wondered why Theseus hadn't come home sooner, what had kept him? But clearly something else has happened.

Who are you? Wilbur had asked him, and his answer made Phil shiver.

I haven't a fucking clue.

Did he really not know who he was?

Phil shakes his head. No, no. Those thoughts are for tomorrow. Tonight, his boys must get some much needed rest.

When he finally returns to his own room, he looks at the portrait of Kristin and himself hanging on his wall. Sitting down on his bed, he smiles.

"He's home, my love," he whispers, "They're all safe. And I won't let anyone touch them."

The servants are rushing around, bowing and curtsying whenever they speak to Theseus and Techno thinks his brother looks absolutely baffled by all the attention.

"Can- can I sleep in your room tonight?" the youngest asks, nervously fidgeting with his hands.

Techno snorts, "If you think we're letting you out of our sight for the next eleven years, you've got another thing coming."

"We can go to my room," Wilbur suggests, and that's that. They all troop into Wilbur's room and Theseus finds himself gaping at the sheer size of it.

The three cuddle up on Wilbur's bed, Theseus in the middle and a twin on each side.

"We missed you," Wilbur says, grip momentarily tightening.

"I'm sorry I didn't remember you," Theseus says. Techno knows they'll have to ask about that but it can wait til tomorrow. There's time for tears and explanations tomorrow, but for tonight Techno just wants to be with his brothers. This is the happiest he's been in eleven years.

At first, he's hesitant to close his eyes. He wants to stay up all night and make sure nothing comes to harm his family. But Theseus begins falling asleep first, curled up with his brothers and utters three little words Techno hasn't heard him say in years.

"I love you."

And Techno let's his eyes slip shut.

Wilbur wakes up first, which isn't unusual. He wakes with a panicked feeling in his gut- had it been another dream? But then he realises who he's holding and Wilbur isn't sure if he wants to laugh or cry.

Both. Both are good.

Because Theseus is here. Theseus is home. He's here, asleep and curled up against Techno's side. Wilbur decided right then and there he's never letting Theseus out of his sight. Ever.

Techno keeps snoring, but Theseus stirs and wakes up slowly, running his eyes and glancing around the room before looking at Wilbur.

"Fuck," he says, laughing breathlessly, "That wasn't a dream."

"Nope," Wilbur says, pulling his brother towards him, "You're stuck with us."

Theseus groans, struggling against him, "Oh my god- since when were you this clingy?!"

"Since you disappeared on us," Wilbur retorts and Tommy stops struggling, instead melts into his brother's hold and mumbles a small "That's fair."

After a while, Techno tosses and turns until he's awake.

"G'morning," he mumbles, voice thick with sleep.

Theseus pulls out of Wilbur's hold - much to the elders' dismay - and looks around his room. His eyes gleam when they land on something. "Holy shit!" he laughs in disbelief, hopping out of the bed, "You kept these?!"

Wilbur sits up and sees what Theseus is gawking over: an old set of tin soldiers, one's he used to play with.

Theseus grabs them off the shelf Wilbur's displayed them on, dropping down to sit cross legged on the floor and begins to order them in various stances. Wilbur gets flashbacks to a little four year old boy sitting in the corner of the music room back in the Empire with the very same tin men.

"Yeah," Wilbur nods, "Dad shipped off a bunch of our stuff before the attack."

Theseus frowns, "He lost one."

"What do you mean?"

Theseus counts them all, pointing at each one, "There's eleven, there's supposed to be twelve."

"Uhm, hate to break it to you but there's always been eleven there." Wilbur says.

"And he would know too," Techno yawns, "He used to stare at your toys for hours-'

Wilbur chucks a pillow at him, landing with a soft oof.

Theseus stares at the tin men on the floor with intense concentration on his face. "No," he says surely, "There were twelve but… I think I gave one away..but," he looks up at Wilbur, "I don't remember who to."

Techno shrugs, "Whatever, it's just tin anyway. Now. I want breakfast."

When they walk down to breakfast, Tommy resists the urge to ask where Tubbo and Tommy are.

Phil is the only one sitting at a huge table filled with more food than Tommy has ever seen in his life.

It's crazy to think this used to be his normal.

He feels like a fish out of water, yet right at home at the same time.

He sits beside Wilbur, drinks some orange juice and takes a bite out of some toast, eyeing the sausage, bacon and eggs warily.

Does he just… help himself? He supposes so. There's so much food here that Tommy feels a bit overwhelmed and a bit sorry for the bastards back at the orphanage, since they still have to eat that grey gruel. A few days ago, he was eating that grey gruel.

Everything seems so out of his depth, a part of him shrugs off the old memories of the orphanage coming back to him. But another part of him doesn't want to dismiss them; he can't forget that he's been gone for a long time. And the majority of that long time was spent being pushed and shoved in a long line for some grey gruel. He can't get all big headed now.

Tommy isn't stupid, he knows this can't be all smooth sailing. All of this - the food, the homes, the staff, the title - is going to take some getting used to.

"Theseus," Phil begins, looking highly uncomfortable, "I know you're only awake and I know this might be...a lot. But if you don't mind me asking; where have you been?"

"You said you didn't know who you were?" Wilbur prompts.

"I didn't remember anything," Tommy says, "Not even my name. They called me Tommy at the orphanage-"

"Orphanage?" Phil frowns; he looks so sad.

Tommy shrugs, "Orphanage," he confirms. "A matron found me in the Woods and I couldn't say who I was or where my family was so she took me back to the orphanage. It was shit to be honest. Too many kids and not enough money to house and feed them all. And the staff fucking hated it there."

"And how did you cross paths with Tubbo and Ranboo?" Techno asks. Tommy wilts at the mention of them. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet, it's still raw.

They lied to him. The whole time, they were lying to him. How can he forgive them after that?

"Funny story actually," Tommy says, forcing his tone to light and joking, "I was meant to go and work for King George, but I said fuck that," he points to his compass, "and this thing lead me to the Empire, after years of not working. And I took some bad directions from a half naked guy - clearly on drugs might I add - and he sent me to the Palace where I met Tu-... Them."

"You were gonna work for George?" Techno says in utter disbelief, "That coward?"

"Yeah, technically he should be working for us," Wilbur laughs.

It's a weird thought; George working for him. Tommy snickers at it. He'd love to see the look on George's face when he realises his runaway kitchen boy was actually the missing Prince.

"What are you laughing at?" Phil asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"George," Tommy wheezes, "Fuck- he and some captain showed up on the train and they- they fucking shot an arrow into my shoulder!" he laughs more, "Imagine their faces when they find out who I am."

Phil rolls his eyes fondly, but Wilbur and Techno burst out laughing.

After breakfast, they all gather in Phil's room. He pulls out boxes filled with old pictures of the family, before and after the invasion.

Tommy looks at them curiously, holding each one like their priceless riches instead of frayed photos. One of them, in a gold frame, is of the whole family playing on a beach, with a baby Tommy smiling happily as kid Wilbur and kid Techno build sandcastle kingdoms and their parents watching them in the background.

"Oh yeah I remember that day," Wilbur says as he takes the frame from Tommy, "Techno ruined my sandcastles."

"Heh? I think you're forgetting the part where you tried to drown me," Techno accuses.

"You have no proof that that happened," Wilbur retorts.

Phil chuckles, "Actually, I was there, and yes- you tried to drown him."

Wilbur huffs, opening his mouth to argue more but Tommy doesn't focus on that. Instead, he eyes the painting on the wall; one of his mother.

He gets up, not noticing that the rest of his family are watching him, and makes his way over to the portrait.

She's pretty. It's weird to think that, until a few hours ago, Tommy didn't remember what his own mother looked like, but this painting does a spot on job on capturing her. She looks exactly like the last time he saw her.

"I remember her now," Tommy says quietly. Phil gets up to be beside his son.

"She wouldn't want us to be sad," his father says, "Not now when we're all together."

Tommy knows he's right, but it's still sad to look at his mother's smiling face and know he'll never see her.

But he's home. He's home with his family and he hopes she would be proud of him for never giving up. He knows she'd be proud of Wilbur, Techno and Phil; after everything they lost they've still managed to stay strong all this time.

Tommy believes that life ends with death, and that is all. But he really hopes she can see this.

-

One guard - a living one, not a bag of bones - hands Dream the newspaper that morning. They had already heard the news, but the headline just confirms it:

ROYAL FAMILY REUNITED; MISSING PRINCE THESEUS FOUND!!

George and Sapnap watch Dream warily as he reads. His expression is unreadable because of the mask but the small huff he lets out almost sounds amused.

Almost.

"Do you like parties?" he muses idly.

George looks over at Sapnap. The General has the same wary look in his eye that he does. Then, slowly, Sapnap responds, "I mean, yeah?"

"Great," Dream says, "Then we must attend." He sets the paper down; it's upside down from where George is sitting but he can see a large photo of Theseus on his family on the front page.

"Attend what?" George asks sceptically.

"The reunion, of course," Dream says, "We'll let them have their fun. And then we'll kill them."

Instantly, George and Sapnap deflate.

The General looks uncomfortable. He glances at the newspaper, at the photo of the happy family printed on it and winces. "Dude," he begins uneasily, "He's just a kid."

"He's a pest," the masked man says. With a snap of his fingers, the paper burst into green flames and crumbled to ash. "All of them are. They're an infestation in my kingdom and they will be exterminated as such. Won't they, General?"

Sapnap flinches back at the harsh tone before dropping back in his seat.

"With any luck," Dream says, "We'll kill those idiots once and for all."

The General shifts uneasily but doesn't say anything more. The guards around them don't look fazed in the slightest, they all have a strange green tint in their eyes.

As for himself, George knows this is the right thing to do. The mystery that surrounded Theseus' fate had only made him more popular. With the prince now in L'manberg, Philza's supporters back in the Empire could arrange a coup and overthrow all of Dream's allies, including him. George knows the only reason Philza didn't fight back against the Essempee or try to take back the throne was because the former Emperor was too concerned with finding his missing son; once upon a time, Philza was the most feared warrior in all of the land, who knows what he'll do now, who knows who he will and won't spare.

And besides, George saw first hand what that kid and his little friends were capable of back in the train. That tall bastard could teleport for fucks sake! He's dangerous!

He's a kid.

Somehow that doesn't feel like a justification.

-

They haven't seen Theseus since that night at the theatre; it's been four days and Ranboo is starting to get desperate.

Is Theseus still angry? Does he hate them? He hates not knowing for sure.

They've been staying in Eret's house - "It's best to give them some space," Eret had said, and Tubbo was more than happy to do that - but then a golden envelope was handed to them that morning. The Royals are throwing a ball tonight, and they've been invited. And they'll see Theseus and the thought makes Ranboo feel sick.

What if he's still mad?

"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" he'd screamed. What if he really does?

Tubbo doesn't want to go, a fact he has made very clear to Ranboo along with the fact that he doesn't want to see Theseus or - as Tubbo so kindly put it - 'those royal bastards' ever again. Not after what he said.

I fucking hate you.

He's upset, obviously, given the fact he moped moodily around the house, grumbles everytime Ranboo brings up the Royals and is adamant on their departure. Seriously, Tubbo acts like one more hour in L'manberg will kill him.

But they couldn't leave, not when Emperor Philza summoned them to his estate. It's only down the road from Eret's house, but the thick tension in the air makes the walk seem to stretch forever. Tubbo gets more angry as they approach.

The guards at the gates let them in straight away; a butler is waiting for them at the front door.

"Good morning, gentlemen," the butler says with a smile and bows. It's weird, Ranboo has always been the one bowing to others, not getting bowed to.

The servants thanked them for bringing Theseus home, they didn't know it was supposed to be a con. If they did, they wouldn't be bowing.

The butler leads them upstairs to Philza's private office. Ranboo looks around at the book-filled shelves in the office, wringing his hands as the Emperor looks at them from behind his desk. Tubbo flops down on one of the green chairs, looking slightly aggravated, followed by Ranboo.

There's a huge box on the desk - the box itself would be worth a fortune, engraved with gold and lined with emeralds. Inside sits more gold and silver than Ranboo has ever seen in his life.

"Ten million gold and silver coins," Phil says, gesturing to the box, "As promised."

He looks at them and something softens, "Along with my sincere gratitude. You saved us all that night," he says, "And now you have brought my boy home. I cannot thank you enough, really." He looks down at clasped hands, "I will have a member of staff help with packing it. Anything you need, it will be done, just ask. Anything you want, you will have."

Ranboo locks eyes with Tubbo and nods.

"We don't want your money," the brunette says stiffly.

Philza is clearly surprised, sitting up straighter and frowning, glancing at the money between them both like he expected them to laugh at him, "No? Then what? Anything you want will be yours."

"Nothing," Tubbo says, slumping in his seat, "We don't want anything from you."

"Why the change of mind?"

"It's more like…" Ranboo hesitates, frowning uncomfortably, "It's more a change of heart," he admits.

Tubbo doesn't say anything. Ranboo knows he's not the best with emotions, especially when it comes to sharing what he's feeling, but Phil seems to understand because he's smiling.

"I see," he says softly, "Nonetheless, the offer still stands. If you want or need anything, let me know."

"Thank you, your grace," Ranboo says and Tubbo didn't wait for permission to leave.

"We're leaving after the party," Tubbo decides as they make their way back down the stairs. Ranboo doesn't have it in him to argue.

So instead, he asks, "Where are we gonna go?"

"The only place we can go, Ranboo, the Empire," Tubbo frowns as he walks.

Ranboo is relieved his friend didn't snap at the Emperor, because god knows anything Tubbo had to say could've ended them up in prison. And now, to keep them out of prison, they just had to get out of here without seeing-

The princes are walking up the stairs.

They're dressed for the party later tonight and they all look like something from a fairytale.

Techno wears a pale pink suit that compliments his hair, with a golden crown and matching rings. Wilbur has replaced his red beanie with a crown that resembles his twin's and he's adorned in a deep-blue suit with a ruby brooch of the Minecraft family crest and a ruffled necktie. And if Ranboo hadn't heard his laugh, he wouldn't have even recognised him. The youngest prince wears a ruby red suit, much like the one Eret bought him, with golden embroidery along the hem, with black trousers that actually fit him without needing to be turned up, a shining crown on top of his golden hair. All three of them wear their compasses

He's not wearing his bandana. Ranboo hasn't taken his off. Tubbo has, and he pretends he doesn't know where it went but Ranboo sees it sticking out underneath his pillow.

Despite the fancy, definitely expensive, clothes the three of them keep pushing into each other, running around and play-fighting. Eret watches them with an amused yet tired look.

"Please don't ruin your clothes," he says, with a warning tone. Theseus laughs, before he looks in their direction and spots them, eyes wide.

"Hey," Ranboo says.

"Hi," Theseus responds stiffly, twisting his compass around his finger. For a moment, he visibly softens, even taking a tiny step forward, but quickly glances away again. "Did you get your reward?"

"Why? Big prince like you surely wouldn't miss ten million coins," Tubbo says and Ranboo wants to hit him, because once he says that, Theseus' face twists to a scowl. Ranboo settles for nudging him, hard.

"You look great," Ranboo offers. Wilbur and Techno creep closer to their brother, watching Tubbo and Ranboo curiously. Theseus looks surprised at the comment, softening again.

Tubbo rolls his eyes, "C'mon, Ranboo. We have bags to pack."

"Wait," Theseus says quickly, just as Tubbo is about to push past him, "You're not coming to the ball. That's…shit."

Tubbo scoffs, "Oh yeah, real shit. I bet you'd really hate it if we w-" Ranboo nudges him again, so hard he nearly crashes into the wall. The brunette sighs, "We have no business in L'manberg anymore."

"Oh, please," Eret says, "I must insist you two come. It would mean the world to Phil if you were there."

Before either of them can respond, a guard speaks up impatiently.

"Excuse me, but you will bow to the princes," he says, "And address them as Your Majesty."

Theseus looks a bit uncomfortable at the reminder of his title. "No its- its fine-"

"Your Majesties," Ranboo says; he starts to bow, ignoring Theseus' impatiently waving hand. He'd rather not get arrested for disrespecting the royals, thank you very much.

Tubbo does the same, albeit reluctantly. "Your Majesties," he half spits, half says sarcastically. Ranboo thinks the nudges aren't working.

"It's fine," Theseus insists. He hesitates, always a strange sight from him, but before anything more can be said, one of the maids rush in.

"Apologies, my Lords, but Sir Billiam and Lord James have arrived."

"Duty calls," Eret says, throwing Ranboo an apologetic glance as he ushers the princes out of the room. Theseus glances back; just before the door closes and gives them a small wave.

It wasn't a lot, but it makes Ranboo feel better. Perhaps they could sort things out after all.

Maybe, he thinks, maybe it'll be ok

Tubbo doesn't like feeling like this. Like a clusterfuck of emotions swirled into one raging mess.

He knows he shouldn't have been so mean to Theseus but at the same time, what does it matter? They're never going to see each other again, never going to talk again. Tubbo may as well get it all out now that he has the chance.

Except, he didn't say everything he wanted to say. If he had, perhaps he wouldn't be in such a rush to get out of L'manberg, and away from the Royals, as soon as possible. If he had, maybe Theseus wouldn't hate them…

…

Tubbo doesn't like feeling like this. He's upset and misses Theseus - misses Tommy - and every time the blonde is brought up he wants to hit himself for ever starting this scheme in the first place. He wants to try and make things ok again, he wants to be friends again.

But then, at the same time, he wants to rip his hair out and headbutt the nearest wall until his horns break and scream and yell. Because he's angry; angry that he let himself get attached to someone that was supposed to be a mere pawn in a get rich quick plan, angry that he didn't see the truth sooner, angry that, despite his efforts to get the royals to believe him, despite delivering his family to him, Theseus hates him, angry that he hurt is friend.

Well, Theseus isn't his friend. Never really was. The Guard had reminded him of that; princes aren't friends with kitchen boys.

Despite all these complicated emotions, Tubbo can't help but add worried to the list.

Because, Dream had to have heard by now. Fuck, the whole world had to have heard by now. Back in the Empire, people are probably holding secret parties. He knows, deep down, that the rebels who had been forced to hide in the shadows would be waiting for Philza Minecraft to command them. He knew that the syndicates surely had a plan in place.

He doubts, anything with Theseus, would remain quiet.

Only days ago, Tubbo would have shrugged it off. It had been a con, a scheme, a chance to get rich and change their lives. A part of him always knew that, if it worked, whoever they claimed was Theseus would be thrust into the spotlight, and Dream's line of target. Tubbo wouldn't have dwelled on it, he didn't care.

But now…

But now it's Tommy.

He sighs, rubbing his eyes. He blames Ranboo for this mess. He hates feeling like this.

As they walk to greet Sir Billiam and Lord James, Tommy has to fight the urge to keep glancing back. The door is closed, Tubbo and Ranboo won't follow - not that they'd be allowed.

He's seen them, and it hadn't been….totally awful. That's a plus. It was awkward, Tubbo is definitely mad at him and frankly he wanted the floor to swallow him up right then and there but…

But he was happy to see them.

He wants to stay angry, he really does, but it's a bit hard to do when Ranboo looked so sad and, underneath Tubbo's glares and bitter comments, Tommy could see he was as well.

Despite knowing he'll just see an empty corridor, Tommy glances back.

Hopefully they come to the party. He'll have lots of time to talk to them there.

-

"Any news?" Phil asks. Eret shakes his head.

"None yet, sir," he says, flipping through the newest paper. "All the same; no word from the Essempee, no sight of Dream.'' He allows himself a small smile as he adds, "But the mood in the Empire has certainly changed for the better. There's rumours of private celebrations and Dream's guards had their hands full; a crowd of rebels marched in the streets waving the old flag."

Phil hums, considering it all. "I doubt Dream will stay hidden for long but at least we can enjoy this calm before the storm. After that, I believe it's time for my family to return home."

Eret raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure we can handle that? Our forces are very scarce and-"

"Inform me if you hear anything new," Phil orders. Eret nods and goes back to flicking through the paper. Phil heads downstairs to see his boys and greet his guests.

-

The ballroom is crowded, and, from behind a thick emerald green curtain, Tommy watches his brothers mingle with nobility. Journalists and photographers wait patiently for his entrance. It looks exactly like the parties from his memories, which are returning at a rapid pace now, so rapid it sometimes left him dizzy. It's been eleven years but part of Tommy expects to see his mother in the crowd. He stares at the four empty thrones at the end of the room and expects to see a fifth; expects to see her sitting there, waiting for him.

But Kristin isn't waiting for him, it's an entire ballroom full of strangers he's only met a handful of times over a decade ago. It's the entire world waiting for him and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't freaking out. Tommy doubts he's what any of them expect their missing Prince to be. Hell, he's still getting used to being called Theseus again.

It's nearly six. His nerves only grow as time approaches. He knows the plan off by heart: as the clock chimes six, Phil will introduce him; he'll make a speech about his son's safe return and then the curtain will be pulled back and Theseus will take his spot on his throne next to his brothers.

Tommy leans against a pillar, and as he does he spots Tubbo and Ranboo chatting with Eret. His eyes widen when he sees what they're wearing.

Oh, he thinks. Around both of their necks are the bandannas he gave them.

"We look like a team,"

"We are one,"

Despite himself, he smiles and then forces himself to frown again. They owe him an explanation and he'll be damned if doesn't get one. He isn't going to forgive them until they explain everything.

Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder. Tommy turns and sees his dad standing there.

"You should know," he says quietly after following Tommy's line of vision, "They didn't take the money."

This is one of the rare moments where Tommy is truly speechless - there seems to be a lot of those moments recently.

They didn't take the money.

They didn't take the money!

"I think they're sincere," Phil says, "Despite how it started, I think they care about you, mate."

The clock chimes six. Phil flashes him a comforting grin before stepping out to greet everyone and start his speech.

They care about you.

Perhaps it'll be ok after all.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy swears he sees a flash. Turning behind him he stares at the large glass doors, wide open leading out into the back garden. As far as Tommy could see, everything is still peaceful out there.

Maybe it's the fireworks, Tommy thinks but that can't be right. There was no sound. He takes a curious step forward but then Phil calls his name. Quickly he jumps back into place as the curtain gets pulled back and the ballroom bursts into cheers and applause.

Tommy scans the crowd; his mother isn't there, but the rest of his family are. Phil is looking at him with pride, Techno is smiling widely and Wilbur even wipes a tear from his eye - emotional bitch. And, despite their fallout, at the back of the room, Ranboo is cheering along with the crowd and Tubbo is applauding. They're smiling at him like everythings ok and Tommy hadn't just said he hated them a few days ago, like Tubbo hadn't looked at him like he was scum of the earth a few hours ago, like Ranboo's voice wasn't doused in sadness when trying to keep the both of them civil.

Perhaps it'll be ok after all.

Sapnap is sweating as they make their way towards Philza's estate. Dream's spell had sent them to the back garden, at the entrance of a hedge maze; the mansion is glowing like a beacon in the night, lights in every window. The back door is open and Sapnap can hear music and applause inside.

He remembers the last party Philza threw; on a cold, clear night just like this one. The Palace looked like something from a fairytale even when Sapnap arrived mere minutes after Dream's threat. All the guests there knew there was danger approaching, though none of them knew just how quickly it was coming.

When Dream won, Sapnap laughed in victory. When he saw Empress Kristen's body dead on the ground, Sapnap felt guilty. And when his best friend began slowly losing himself to that book and its power, Sapnap chose to stay on his good side.

It was eleven years ago, but if Sapnap knew what would've come from it, if he had known what would become of his best friend, he would have burned that damn book.

"He's a kid, dude," he mutters. No one dares answer him. Dream, his eyes fixated on Philza's estate, didn't even seem to hear him.

Sapnap thinks longingly of a time before the war, when he and Dream were mere hunters, dumb kids with a hunger for battle.

If only he had known.

The party is in full swing. Theseus is the center of attention, as expected. The band is playing a cheerful old tune - one of Kristen's favourites - and the three brothers are dancing together - well, Wilbur and Theseus are dancing. Techno is watching them, embarrassed. Theseus keeps looking down at his feet and Phil can see him mouth the counts.

"They're doing great," Eret says, watching them with a smile. Wilbur, Techno and Theseus look so happy that Phil can't look away.

Guards keep journalists from keeping too close to Theseus; the Emperor had made it known that any questions should be directed towards him, not the boys.

A few tables down, Tubbo is sipping absentmindedly on a - non alcoholic, Eret checked - drink while Ranboo talks away happily to him.

It's going well, Phil thinks. Techno catches him looking at them and rolls his eyes fondly; Phil just shakes his head in mocked approval.

Then, just as Phil was about to turn to Eret, a flash of green surrounded the room and then the lights all cut out.

The band stops in confusion, dancers halted; concern murmurs break out and then a shriek rises from the darkness.

In seconds, everyone in the ballroom is screaming. Some people run for the exits.

Phil, confused as to what's going on, turns around to where everyone is running from. And his heart sinks.

There, on the dias, is Dream. Standing with King George and General Sapnap at his side and a handful of guards at his side.

Without hesitation, Phil runs for his sons with Eret on his heels, not to mention plenty of his own security. He pushes the boys behind him, cursing at the fact he's unarmed.

Dream's face is unreadable behind the mask but Phil is certain the man is smiling sadistically. And his suspicion is confirmed when gloved hands reach up to unclasp the porcelain mask.

He looks…ill. Pale and sickly with dark circles under his eyes and scars covering his face. Half of the man's face is covered in an inky black substance that seems to surround his whole body. His glowing green eyes stare directly at Theseus and his grin has a manic edge to it.

"Your Majesty," he says, almost pleasantly, giving a mocking bow, "It's been far too long."

"You," Tommy hisses, though he doubted Dream heard him, nor would he care if he did. Tommy's fist clench, Wilbur puts a protective hand on his shoulder but it does nothing to calm him.

This monster killed his mother. He killed so many innocent people the night he invaded, and many more after. He's the whole fucking reason Tommy spent eleven years alone!

"Guards!" Phil yells and the guards all run forward, weapons aimed at Dream and his small group of men.

It should have been easy, over in seconds, but Dream only laughs. With a careless wave of his hand, there's a burst of magic that sends the guards - along with everyone else unfortunate enough to find themselves in the ballroom - flying backwards.

The windows shatter and green fire suddenly lines the walls, the flames reaching the ceiling. Wilbur, Techno, Tommy and Phil all land in a pile. The partygoers slam into the wall; some get up again, run to the open doors to escape, others are unconscious. The guards' swords are melted, spilling onto the floor like water.

Dream begins to laugh, surrounded by a green fog, summoning tiny versions of those awful monsters Tommy had seen in his nightmare. Some guard cringes, looking incredibly frightened. George looks at the monsters warily while Sapnap looks openly defiant. The rest don't seem surprised at all.

They're such a small group, but Dream has some tricks up his sleeve.

Phi rises to his feet, wiping blood from his nose. "How did you get here?!" he demands.

The little monsters begin to laugh and Dream's smile finally wavers. He pulls a glowing book from underneath his cloak.

"I paid a price," he says, eyes zeroing in on Theseus. "Get them," he orders. And the monster's swoop down.

"GO!" Eret screams, pushing them towards the door. None of the royals dared argue; they all ran. The monsters roar, chasing after them.

From the side of the ballroom, hidden underneath a table, two former kitchen boys watch as chaos breaks out.

"What are we gonna do?!" Ranboo cries, "We have to help them!"

"No we don't!" Tubbo says, "We need to get the fuck out of here!"

"We can't just leave them!"

"Watch me!"

Green fire crackles as Ranboo grabs Tubbo's shoulder to stop him from leaving. He makes direct contact with him, "We owe it to them. To him."

This is not the time to guilt trip me Ranboo, Tubbo thinks bitterly, but he can't deny the gnawing guilt in his heart. "Well what are we gonna do?! Teleport three feet away from those things while I bleat like a fucking goat?!"

"You're the brains in this operation!" Ranboo barks, "Think of something!"

Well, he has no fucking idea what to do about those monsters just yet, but - looking around at the long tablecloth - he might have an idea about handling the guards.

It's… insane, completely utterly insane. But it just might work - for a little while at least, just until they can think of something permanent.

"We can trip them," Tubbo says.

Ranboo grins, mischievous but a little unsure, "You think that'll work?"

"You got a better option?"

Ranboo pauses, looking between Tubbo and the guards chasing after party guests. He hears shouts and thundering footsteps, flashes of green light and terrified screams. "Ok, lead the way."

To be fair, Ranboo thinks the whole plan is madness. He's crouched in the shadows at the top of the stairs holding the end of a tablecloth with the other end tied to a pillar after he just barely managed to teleport both of them out of there. Tubbo stands on the landing, in fully visible light.

Hurried footsteps approach and Tubbo begins to shout, waving his arms. "Oi!" he calls, "Big ugly dickheads! Over here!"

The guards, three of them, clearly weren't intimidated by a five foot five child. One of them chuckled.

"Ah, alright," the man says, aiming his sword at him, "Tell us where the Royals are and we won't hurt you."

"I'd like to see you try," Tubbo says, "I could take all three of you down."

The guards laugh at him, but Tubbo smirks and pulls a sword - which, again, a lot of hassle to get off a suit of armour while escaping the ballroom - and begins recklessly swinging. The guards managed to duck and dodge but one tripped over his feet and landed on his ass with a yelp.

The rest of the guards face the goat hybrid with their weapons drawn.

"Oh fuck this," the tallest guard snarls. They run at Tubbo, who immediately races down the landing stairs. The guards run after him and that's when Ranboo pulls on the rope.

Their startled shouts are very satisfying.

The guards are sent flying down the stairs, tumbling over themselves and they roll straight into the room lying open at the bottom of the stairs. Tubbo slams the door, grinning but struggling to keep it shut when the guards immediately begin to shout and bang on the door.

Ranboo comes up behind him, sliding the sword between the door handles to keep it shut.

"Three down," Tubbo says, out of breath.

"Five more to go," Ranboo finishes, "What next?"

Sneaking past five people should be easy enough; it's the green mist Ranboo's worried about.

What happens if they walk into it? Ranboo doesn't want to find out.

As they sneak through the eerily silent corridors, Ranboo thinks of that book Dream had. Surely that's where his power is coming from, and if they want to get out of here alive tonight they'll have to get rid of it.

The only question is how?

Tommy's lungs are on fire. He doesn't think he's run that fast before in his life.

They're trapped in Phil's study. He, Techno, and Wilbur are hunched under the desk, holding each other tightly while Phil and Eret move all the furniture in front of the door, armed with envelope openers and candlesticks.

"What are we gonna do?" Wilbur asks quietly, "We can't wait here forever."

"Agreed," Techno gruffs, "We're sitting ducks if we stay here. You saw those things, I don't doubt they can knock down a door."

Tommy hugs his knees, sinking further into Techno's side. He's reminded of that night, it's all too similar to this and he can't help but fear it's going to end the same way; with him left alone with nothing but a broken compass.

He doesn't even realise he's shaking until Techno tucks his head under his chin.

"Hey," the pinkette says softly, "You're OK. We're gonna be ok."

Wilbur wraps both his arms around his brothers, whispering comfortingly into Tommy's ear, "We won't let them separate us again."

Techno nods, "Yeah, you're stuck with us whether you like it or not."

Tommy huffs a laugh but doesn't respond. His mind is too preoccupied thinking about the innocent people who got caught up in all of this, all the lives that could be lost tonight just because some maniac wants him dead.

Tubbo and Ranboo are here, his brain reminds him, they could be dead and they think you hate them.

Tommy tries to push that thought away; if the last few days have taught him anything it's that Tubbo and Ranboo are two of the most cunning people on this planet. They're too stubborn to die to some superpowered bitch and his fancy green fire.

Still, he can't quite shake the image of his only friends dead on the ballroom floor.

Little taps on the door pull Tommy out of his thoughts. He feels Techno tense as he holds him.

The taps turn into banging, green fog seeps under the door and Phil stands protectively in front of the desk, envelope opener gripped firmly in his hand.

"Stay behind me," Phil orders, "and no matter what, Stay together."

The door shakes; shrill shrieks turn to load roars and then the thing is blasted right off its hinges and engulfed in green flames. The monsters from before swarm the room. Phil swings the dull blade around but it does little to stop them.

Techno rises to his feet, picking up the nearest object and chucking it straight at the little demons; Wilbur and Tommy follow suit and suddenly there's books flying everywhere.

It's pointless though; everytime someone hits the little bastards, they evaporate into green mist and reform stronger than ever.

"Everyone one out!" Phil yells, still trying to swat away the monsters. Wilbur wastes no time grabbing both Tommy's and Techno's arm and pulling them into the hallway. Eret and Phil follow after them, slamming the door shut and trapping the little demons in the room.

"That should hold them," Eret sighs in relief, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Not for long," Phil warns before turning to Tommy and his brothers, "We need to get you out of here."

"What?!" Techno protests, "We can't just leave. This is our home! We have to fight for it!"

"Techno I am not arguing with you right now," Phil says sternly, "We can have other houses, what matters is that we're all alive and together."

Techno looks like he wants to argue more, itching to enact revenge on the man that tore his family apart, but bite his tongue.

Wordlessly, Phil leads them down the empty hallway cautiously and as they round the corner they come to an odd sight: Tubbo and Ranboo standing over a tied up guard. The guard is out cold, blood seeping sluggishly from a wound in his forehead most likely given to him by the paperweight Ranboo is holding.

"That was fun," Tubbo laughs.

Ranboo nods, "That guy was fast."

"We're faster," Tubbo says earnestly, giving Ranboo a high five.

They both look unbearably smug. That is, until they notice the Royals. Then their faces fall a bit.

Tubbo's eyes narrow at the sight of Tommy and usually Tommy would take offence to that; probably come out with some snarky insult, but he's just so fucking relieved they're alive. It takes everything in him not to rush to their side.

"What are you lot still doing here?!" the goat hybrid demands, "That evil prick wants you dead!"

"We were actually just trying to get out," Phil says.

Tubbo and Ranboo's eyes go wide, they're looking at something over Phil's shoulder.

"Better be quick," Ranboo says, pointing, "Cos here comes trouble."

A horde of tiny green demons fly down the hallway, clawed hands scraping at thin air. When they spot the little group, they let out a horrible high pitched shriek and surge forward.

"Run!" Wilbur cries.

They do. They run as fast as their legs will take them. To both of their surprises, when Tubbo starts falling behind, Tommy grabs his wrist and pulls him along but Tubbo doesn't allow himself to feel relief yet, not when they're being chased by a swarm of demons and have magic to dispose of.

"We need to get rid of Dream's magic," Tubbo says as they sharply turn the corner.

"How on earth are we gonna do that?!" Wilbur screams.

"The book!" Ranboo shouts, "We need to destroy that book! Without it he won't be able to perform any spells!"

Techno demands, "And just how do you plan to do that?! We won't be able to get within three feet of him without those things killing us!"

As they rush down the stairs, Tommy suddenly cries out, "The fireworks!"

"What?" Wilbur pants as he runs, "What are you on about?"

Tommy looks back at Tubbo with a mischievous glint in his eyes. The brunette catches on instantly and looks back at him with a grin.

"I have an idea."

It doesn't take long for the monsters to start lashing out. They roar in fury, sending outbursts of magic while they chase, streams of green fire flying across the floor and walls.

The worst part, Wilbur thinks, is that they have no idea how to kill the little beasts. Every time they try to hit them they evaporate. They can only run and hope to get rid of him.

As they run, Eret suggests splitting up but no one likes that idea. Ranboo and Tubbo knock down furniture in their wake, throwing vases and ornaments over their shoulders in hope to slow the monsters down. It does little good; the monsters just split apart when they hit and reform louder than ever.

They sprint down the corridor, heading towards the back of the estate.

"To your left!" Phil yells, and the rag-tag group follow his instructions, running left towards the side doors. Phil flings them open. "Go go go!" he cries, ushering everyone ahead. One Tommy pulls Tubbo past him, he slams the door shut and they all race towards the maze. They hear glass shatter behind them and knew the monsters wouldn't be stopped that easily.

Maybe running into the maze wasn't the best idea, but it's the only place to hide.

They all run, following Techno's directions - "Left! Straight ahead! Right- Your other right Tubbo!" - seeing as he apparently knew this maze like the back of his hand, and finally, finally, the roars grew distant. The group reach a dead end, huddled together, watching the path with wide eyes, preparing for the worst.

Nothing comes. All is silent. Tommy sighs in relief just as a scream so utterly loud, so piercing, that he slams his hands over his ears. When the scream stops he's left with his head ringing. The rest looked as shaken as he felt.

As they watch, the green swarm shoots straight into the air before fleeting back to the estate.

And finally, they can breathe again.

Sighing, rubbing his forehead, Phil turns to Tommy. "Well then?" he asks, "You have an idea?"

Tommy has a feeling he's not going to like it.

He's right. Phil hates it, along with Techno, Wilbur and Eret.

"No fucking way are we leaving you alone!" Wilbur protests.

"I'll be fine," Tommy insists.

"He won't be alone," Ranboo speaks up. He looks at Tommy from the corner of his eye, cautious and quiet, "Tubbo and I are going with him."

The rest of his family look more shocked when Tommy nods. "Exactly," he says, "I'll have them with me. You just have to wait for our signal."

Picking a stick up from the ground, Tommy draws a rough map of the maze. He marks X's in the center.

"That's where we'll lead them," he says, "If we aim it right we can bring down that statue- even if it doesn't hit Dream the whole mansion will go up in flames."

"It's a good chance to get that book," Ranboo says, "If nothing else."

"And we know how to get out," Eret says, looking thoughtful, "Those idiots will be stuck in fire and we can escape. With any luck, anyone who's gotten out has alerted the police and reinforcements are on their way."

"And outwitting those two hunters shouldn't be too hard," Tubbo adds.

"George and Sapnap," Ranboo corrects.

"Whatever, point is we can pull off anything over those idiots."

Techno snorts in amusement, "You've got nerve kid."

"You're insane," Phil says, "You're absolutely insane. I don't approve of this."

"Good thing I didn't ask for your approval then," Tommy says, crossing his arms stubbornly. When he looks to his brother his resolve weakens.

"You can't seriously be going through with this," Wilbur says, worry prone in his voice.

"I'll be right back, promise," Tommy swears, hand in his heart.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Techno warns, "Or Dream will be the least of your worries."

Techno is all for blasting fireworks, but not while Theseus runs off alone. He hates this.

He's gathered the fireworks from the supply shed along with everyone else. Theseus helps set them up, but once that is done he runs off, Tubbo and Ranboo following behind him.

Wilbur keeps grumbling about how he hates this, Phil tells him to shut the fuck up, trust his brother and get ready.

"We've got one shot here," their father reminds them, "so let's make this count."

Techno watches him and his heart pounds faster and faster. Every voice in his head is screaming at him.

Nope. No fucking way. Not again. He swore to protect his brother and he'll be damned if he doesn't.

It seems Wilbur is thinking the exact same thing. Techno looks at him and he nods back in silence.

Once Phil and Eret's backs are turned, they run after their brother.

Tommy nearly screams his lungs out when two pairs of hands grab his shoulders. He whirls around, ready to punt the fuckers into the sun and groans into frustration when he's met with Wilbur and Techno's eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" he hisses.

"Making sure you don't die," Techno says, as if it were obvious.

"You need to go back to the maze."

"No," Wilbur says, folding his arms, painfully stubborn, "We're not leaving you alone."

Tommy groans, "Listen i know you guys have some… issues with being separated after the whole eleven years thing-"

"That's putting it lightly," Techno huffs.

"-but I've got this. And you need to go back-" Tommy is cut off when Wilbur presses a finger to his lips, shaking his head in disapproval.

"You know you can't stop us. We're stubborn as fuck, and we are not letting you do this alone." His eyes narrow, giving the youngest brother a fierce look, "We're the fucking Minecrafts. This Dream fella has no idea who he's fucking with."

"We're not leaving you alone," Techno says, "Not this time."

Tommy visibly deflates, his firm expression softening, "You clingy fuckers-"

"What the fuck are we? Dog Water?" Tubbo interrupts, "we're not leaving you alone we're right here you know."

"Tubboooo!" Ranboo hisses, "They were having a moment."

Tubbo scoffs, "They've got they're whole fucking lives to have moments. Meanwhile, the longer we stand here, the higher chance Dream catches us."

"He's got a point," Tommy grumbles. He eyes his brothers, scowling before wrapping his arms around them. "Stay close."

"Same goes for you," Wilbur says.

Dream's little demons have killed a lot of people, but none of the bodies that George comes across are the people Dream wants dead.

He shutters each time he walks past a corpse, stomach churning uneasily.

He wants to go home. Back to his mushroom castle far away from all of this. He wishes Sapnap never looked across that train platform. He wishes Dream never found that book.

He doesn't want to be doing this.

They meet in the ballroom; green flames still devour the curtains and decorations and dance across the floor unnaturally. There's a group of people on the floor, some unconscious, some… not.

Dream's eyes narrow, glowing fiercely, when he realises that four guards are missing. Small whispers getting louder, mirroring his anger.

"Where are they?!" Dream demands.

The King stands stiffly beside Sapnap, legs quivering slightly, "I haven't found them yet."

Dream scoffs, and maybe he would've further ranted about how incompetent George is, but they're interrupted by a loud annoying voice.

"Oi pussyhole!"

George glances up and there are the princes, waving dramatically along with Theseus' two little friends from the train; the taller one blows kisses while the shorter one flips them off.

"Sorry for interrupting your little chat with your boyfriend," Theseus calls "Just wanted to drop by, tell you that your men are shit at hunting!"

"Yeah!" Technoblade says, "But seriously, can't you guys get a room? It's gross."

Wilbur nods, "And right in our ballroom too. What's next? Having sex in out dining room?"

"Say, Dream, you're not looking so good," the taller one says, "A bit of concealer would do wonders for those dark circles."

"Yeah and maybe change your fucking clothes," the shortesr says with up most seriousness, "Seriously, is everything you own green? Makes you look like a little piss boy."

"Oh my god! He does look like a little piss boy!"

"Heyyyy, little piss boy!"

"Pissssssss boyyyyyyyy! "

With a frustrated scream, Dream shoots a wave of magic at them. It cracks like lightning and they just barely jump out of its way only seconds before it hits.

Dream stands, stiff as a statue, arm still outstretched; the only sign of life being his heaving chest. More green demons form from the green mist, whispering to each other like ghosts. George hates that sound, it makes his skin crawl.

But if the royals and their companions are scared, they certainly didn't show it. They just laugh loudly, as if a shot of lightning didn't just almost kill them, chanting "Piss boy! Piss boy! Piss boy!" and, faster than George has seen them, run around the ballroom.

"Later bitch!" Theseus calls over his shoulder.

"AFTER THEM!" Dream yells. He leads the charge, George trailing behind with Sapnap at his side, slowing down with every step.

They don't even make it two corridors down when Tommy trips and falls. Try as he does, he can't get back to his full speed.

"Stupid carpet!" He groans, looking over his shoulder to see Dream's hunters approaching closer. He looks at them and Wilbur knows he's gonna suggest something dumb like leaving him behind.

Not a fucking chance.

Wilbur grabs his left hand, Techno grabs his right and they zoom off, easily pulling him along.

"We can do this," Wilbur says, "We can fucking do this."

They make it to the garden and run towards the maze, lingering for a moment, letting Dream catch up.

Sure enough, moments later, Dream, Sapnap, George and a swarm of little monsters catch up. For a second, they stand in the doorway, peering into the darkness but when he spots them, Dream shouts orders to chase them.

Tommy flips them off and they run into the maze. This time they run slower, making sure their pursuers would follow and be led to the middle of the maze.

"Phil is gonna kill us," Wilbur says as they duck behind a corner.

"That's what you're worried about right now?" Ranboo mutters.

It's a delicate balance and one that leaves Tommy's heart pounding in his chest. Making just enough noise to attract the hunters, run just slow enough that they know where they are, but still keep out of reach. Tommy is many things; delicate isn't one of them.

Dream shoots out spells at random, setting fire to chunks of maze bushes, all the while those monsters make their ungodly screams, whispering and whispering until Tommy wants to yell.

Techno wraps an arm around him and he clings to him while they run.

Almost there, he tells himself, just a little further.

Dream killed their mother and took their home; it's his fault Tommy was separated from his family in the first place. Tonight, one way or another, he was going to pay.

As they get closer to the center, they slow down. The screams get closer and closer, footsteps can be heard loud and clear.

Almost there, we can do this.

They reach the centre and stop at the base of the statue, an intricately carved marble piece of their mother.

As planned, Tommy stops and turns around, standing up as straight as he can.

"Come on then, piss boy! If you're brave enough!" he shouted, "Or are you scared of a kid?!"

An awful green glow surrounds Dream as he confidently steps out of the shadows. Sapnap and George hang back, weapons held loosely in their hands.

"There you are," Dream chuckles, "Nowhere to run now. This little game of yours is done."

Tommy smiles, "Never."

Swiftly, he pulls Wilbur and Techno to the ground, tackling them away from the statue. "NOW!"

The fireworks go off and it's all just chaos from there.

It really doesn't help that Tommy can hear Techno's cackling over the fireworks. Somehow that makes the whole thing creepier. Hopefully it creeps Dream and his gang of idiots as well.

The fireworks rain down from all angles. The noise is deafening, smoke burns his lungs and some of the sparks are way too close for comfort but it works nonetheless.

George screams, ducking to the ground, hands over his head while he shakes. Sapnap staggers back, dropping his sword, trying to take cover. The guards scatter, dropping their weapons and frantically looking every which way, trying to find the source of the fireworks.

A firework soars right through a bunch of the monsters and they scream, vanishing from sight. Fireworks soar through the maze, setting hedges on fire as they go. It's utter madness. It's dangerous, Tommy knows that, but the look of terror on his enemies faces are truly satisfying.

Revenge at its finest.

Dream roars in anger, his spells adding to the chaos.

"We need to go!" Techno shouts. Tommy grabs his brother's, jumping behind the statue. Eret looks at them from around the corner, white eyes wide and frightened.

Tommy nods and Eret disappears from sight for a moment. The princes join him as he pushes forward the biggest firework they have, intended for the grand finale; it looks more like a rocket and a firework.

Coughing and hacking, Tubbo, Ranboo and Phil join them, stumbling out of the smoke.

Techno is still chuckling to himself.

"You're terrifying, you know that?" Tommy asks his brother as they eagerly light the rockets.

"Thank you," Techno says; he looks proud of the statement and claps Tommy on the back.

Some guards come around the statue right as the fuse reaches its end. They swear loudly and jump out of the way, diving towards the walls of the maze although that isn't much safer anymore. The rocket shot right at the base of the statue.

The group didn't wait; as soon as the rocket launched, they turned and ran. There's a deafening bang, sparks and lights fill the air, the smoke grows thicker and the statue collapses. Fire crackles behind them. Tommy hears George scream and Sapnap swears frantically.

And above it all, he hears Dream's echoing scream, eerily sounding like that of his monsters.

They stagger out of the back of the maze, out of breath and wheezing.

"That should keep 'em busy for a while," Tommy says, bent over, hands on his knees.

"You three," Phil gasps, pointing at them with a shaking finger, "Are grounded. Forever!"

"That's fair," the three princes chorus.

"I can't believe we didn't get that book," Ranboo grumbles.

"Fuck that," Tubbo says, "I'm just glad we're alive."

Eret clears his throat, "We should get going,"

He has a point. They start to run again; when Tommy looks back, most of the maze is on fire and he can still hear Dream's yells. Green monsters shoot into the air like fireworks themselves, barely viable among the smoke.

"That was brave of us," Ranboo says quietly.

"It was insane," Tubbo corrects, a little stiffly, "But yeah… it was brave."

"We need to talk," Tommy tells them, running beside his brothers, "Like- a lot."

"We-" Tubbo's eyebrows furrow, like he's just remembering he's supposed to be angry with Tommy, but then his face falls. "Yeah, we do," he agrees.

"As much as you want," Ranboo says. Tommy smiles, compass hitting his chest as he runs.

They're more than halfway to the gate. Tommy can see cars speeding towards the estate, local guards jumping out, heavily armed and running to their rescue.

They're more than halfway to the gate when the ground begins to shake and splits apart.

Tubbo screams, clutching onto Ranboo. Phil just manages to hop across a small chasm before a wall of green fire shoots up from the ground, rising higher and higher, taller than the trees, taller than the entire mansion, completely cutting them off from any help.

There's a huge chasm in front of and a ring of fire all around them. And behind them, stands Dream, Sapnap and George. They're all covered in Soot, bruises and cuts, their clothes are ripped and dirty. The black that covered half of Dream's face is now covering it fully, his green eyes glowing so brightly it hurts to look at them, the book held open in his hand.

Eret is screaming for them, held back by the massive wall of fire. The police run forward, shouting for Dream but what good will that do?

Tommy stands tall, hand in hand with his brothers and faces the man who tore his life apart.

"You're dead!" Dream growls, echoey, "Just like your followers, just like your empire, just like your Empress!"

"You couldn't kill me when I was five, what makes you think you can do it now?" Tommy says, head held high. His crown slips down his forehead, Techno's cape is dirty and ripped and Wilbur's tie is long gone. They look a mess.

"Don't be afraid," Phil says quietly to him.

"Of this guy? Never," Tommy says, and it's almost the truth.

"This ends tonight," Dream says softly, a whispered threat. There's a heartbeat of silence before the green monsters appear in a wave, soaring towards them.

They try to jump out of the way, but they're not fast enough. The wave knocks them flying; Wilbur and Techno to the left, Phil to the right and Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo backwards. Tommy's crown falls off, rolling away but stopping at the edge of the chasm.

He lands heavily, his head swimming, everyone's voices muffled and slow. His vision is blurring in and out. Groaning, he tries to sit up and everything spins faster.

"Tommy!" Ranboo is shaking him, "Tommy, get up, please!"

Eret is still screaming for them, the police are still trying to get past the enchanted flames and Tommy knows it'll do them no good. They won't get past unless Dream wants them too. It's just them and an utter maniac in here.

Fuck this, Tommy thinks, hauling himself to his feet, legs shaking, there's no way I'm dying to this guy, not now.

"Theseus!" Phil calls, "Catch!" Tommy looks up and sees his father holding a shining sword that looks vaguely familiar. Within seconds, his father throws the sword through the air, Tommy just barely catching it in his shaking hands and he doesn't even have time to question where he got this from before the monsters begin flying at him, tiny clawed hands reaching for him.

As they reach him, Tommy thrust the sword straight through them. The monsters scream, dissolving, their hands still reaching for him.

"That's it, Tommy!" Ranboo encourages weakly. He's helping Tubbo up to his feet; Tubbo clutches his ribs, Coughing. "You got this dude."

I got this.

He has his family back; his brothers and his father. He has his friends. He knows who he is and he isn't about to let Dream take that from him again.

Tommy grips the sword tightly, the monsters have disappeared and he aims it at Dream with both hands. His eyes narrow in on the crown on Dream's head.

"I believe that belongs to my dad," he says.

Roaring, looking more erratic than ever, Dream attacks. "GET THEM!" he screams, the ground shaking again. And to Tommy's shock, no one moves.

Dream's magic is flying everywhere, but to Techno's surprise his minions don't move. The guards stammer, but don't get any real words out. George looks at Dream in disgust.

Sapnap speaks up alone.

"No," he says, lowering his sword, "No," he repeats firmly.

In that moment, Techno couldn't tell who hated Dream more; he and his brothers, or Sapnap.

"You dare defy me?" Dream hisses, "You? You idiot!?" A burst of green lightning shoots out of Dream's hand, straight at Sapnap, but George tackles him out of the way. The lightning hits the side of the mansion, sending chunks of plaster raining down."

Theseus runs at Dream with- is that Phil's sword? How did he get that? - and Wilbur shoots arrows from a distance - where are they getting these weapons?

"Technoblade!" a voice shouts. Techno looks over to see Ranboo holding a crossbow and Tubbo at his side holding spare fireworks.

Grinning, Techno motions for them to throw it to him, they do, and after loading it, Techno aims at the bastard that destroyed his life.

Dream dodges (that bitch) and the fireworks burst in the sky. He eyes Wilbur and with a blast of magic, sends the prince flying back.

"WILBUR!" he and Theseus screams, but Wilbur is already sitting up sluggishly, eyes unfocused and dazed.

Dream dodges Theseus' sword almost lazily, smirking in amusement at the youngests untrained attacks.

"Stick to hiding, kid," he says mockingly, "You're no warrior."

Four huge monsters emerge from the book, nearly twice the size of Dream himself. Two grab Techno before he could move and throw him towards the chasm. He hears his little brother scream his name and he barely catches himself on the edge. He doesn't dare look down, he doesn't want to know how deep it goes. He claws at the grass, trying to pull himself up- and then a strong pair of hands grab his wrists, pulling him to safety.

"You okay, man?" Sapnap asks. Techno pushes him away.

"I'm fine." he says, getting to his feet and scrambling to find his makeshift rocket launcher.

"Looking for this?" the General outstretches his arm, holding the crossbow in his hand. Techno snatches it off him but Sapnap doesn't look bothered. He nods over to Dream, still dodging Theseus' attacks.

"Wanna kick ass?" he asks.

Techno grins viciously. "Oh yes," he says and then they join the fray.

When Wilbur sits up, head spinning, vision blurred, he thinks he's dreaming again. He wonders if he'll wake up in his bed and this night would just be an awful dream; then they'd go to the real party and everything will be OK. But everyone is screaming and there's fire everywhere - his brothers are yelling and his father is calling his name - and Wilbur knows it's not a dream.

It's not a dream, but that doesn't mean they can't kill the monsters. That doesn't mean they can't stop Dream.

That fucking book.

"Hey, Wilbur," Phil's voice becomes clear, filled with worry, "Mate are you alright?"

Wilbur ignores him, climbing to his feet.

"Wilbur, take it easy," his father says, hands holding onto his wrist.

Wilbur scans around the scene and sees George hiding among the chaos. They make eye contact and he glares at him. George cowers slightly as Wilbur shakily makes his way over to the King, ignoring his father's worried voice and grabbing hands.

"Get up!" Wilbur commands, "Don't just sit there, fight back! You owe us that much!" He doesn't wait for an answer; running right back into the fight again with a sword he picked up from the ground and hopes the king is brave enough to do something.

Turns out, he is.

George joins him, a bow in hand. Phil comes up behind them both as well wielding an axe.

"Ready?" Phil asks

"No," George confesses weakly.

"Too bad," Wilbur replies and runs straight for the demons.

Tommy isn't fast enough. The monsters rise and fall with shrieks that make his head pound; blasts of lightning have him, Ranboo and Tubbo ducking behind benches and statues for cover. He looks through the flames and is met with Eret's frantic gaze. He's crying and Tommy hates it.

All he needs is that book. How fucking hard is that? All of Dream's spells come from it; if they destroy it then Dream would be powerless. The fire would die, the monsters would disappear. All of this would end if only he can get that fucking book.

He feels very small as he catches his breath.

Sapnap takes a swing at Dream but the monsters wrap around his neck like a noose. When they throw him he slams into a statue of a warrior and doesn't get up again. George is surrounded, frantically shooting arrows at the little demons but they just disappear and reappear again, laughing at him.

Phil, Wilbur and Techno join them behind one of the last standing statues, reaching for him and Tommy holds them close, squeezing his eyes shut as he tries to work out a plan, he needs to think, to plan, to-

Ranboo and Tubbo look at each other with knowing eyes filled with underlying sadness.

Ranboo pulls the Royals off Tommy, wrapping his own arms around the boy. When Tommy opens his eyes the enderman hybrid is smiling at him, eyes shining.

"We should have told you," he says softly, "I'm glad you've found your family."

Tubbo joins the group hug, a surprise to Tommy - Tubbo hasn't been one for physical contact - "You're gonna be a fantastic Prince," he smiles softly, eyes filling with tears, "but my army could still beat yours."

Tommy's eyes widen at the familiar words and suddenly memories of afternoons spent under a large tree back in the Empire flood back to him; memories of a little boy playing armies with tin soldiers, all twelve of them; memories of that boy opening the wall in his bedroom.

Tubbo is that boy.

Tubbo helped them escape that night.

But, there were two boys. Does that mean that-

Ranboo is still smiling at him. And it clicks.

But before Tommy could express his connection, the two hybrids are running towards Dream.

"WAIT!" Tommy screams. They're going to be incinerated, they're going to be thrown to the fire, they're going to die right in front of him.

But they're smart, and, although Tommy knows it costs him so much energy, Ranboo is teleporting them all over the place, making them harder for the demons to catch. They're in front of Dream before he even gets a good look at them.

Tubbo jumps on him, hands clawing for the book, while Ranboo draws his attacks.

If it wasn't for how terrifying all this is, the sight would've been hilarious, Tommy thinks as he breaks from his family's grip and runs forward.

Tubbo, a five foot five goat child, climbing on Dream's back, trying to get a good grip and reaching for the book and Dream scrambles about like a spider on a hot plate, blasting magic all over the place, green monsters swirling around and lashing out at random.

But finally, finally, Tubbo's hands grasp the pages of the book and pulls. As he does, Dream grabs his arm and throws him over his shoulder, landing on the ground with a loud bang. Dream's free hand grabs his neck and lifts him off the ground,

"You insufferable little brat!"

Tubbo's face changes to an expression of offence, as if he wasn't currently being strangled, "Excuse you, I am seventeen!" he chokes out.

While Dream's distracted, Ranboo - feeling rather lightheaded - teleports to his side and tugs the book from his hand.

"Tommy!" Ranboo shouts, "Catch!" He throws the book through the air; Tommy discards his sword to the ground and jumps.

It's higher than he's ever jumped before, sending him into the air high and fast; he catches the book in mid air and Dream screams. The demons go quiet, almost as if they're waiting to see what will happen. George gasps, Sapnap is still unconscious and Dream, roaring like a maniac, throws Tubbo with all his might.

Just as Tommy lands, Tubbo does as well.

Tommy lands in the middle of the rubble. Ranboo screams as his best friend is being thrown through the air, making noises that resemble an enderman's squawk. It's obvious he's trying to teleport but he's used up all his energy before, and Tubbo reaches out for him.

Tubbo lands with a heavy thud. Ranboo rushes to his side, wincing and gasping and the little sizzling sound is back, but Tubbo doesn't get up.

Tubbo…? Tommy thinks, watching them. For a moment, time seems to slow. Tommy can only focus on Ranboo, frantically shaking Tubbo and squawking. Tubbo doesn't move, doesn't tell Ranboo to be quiet or make some snarky comment, doesn't brush Ranboo away or open his eyes. He doesn't move.

As Dream runs at him, Tommy opens the book, grabs a bunch of pages, and rips.

"No!" Dream screams. Bursts of light come from the book; monsters rise into the air, laughing. The Royals run to their youngest; Techno picks up the sword, holding it to his chest.

"That's for Tubbo," Tommy says coldly.

The monsters swoop down, but this time they have a new target: Dream. They swarm around him laughing and pulling him away from the Royals.

"Give it back!" Dream screams, black uncovering his face and eyes filled with true terror. Wilbur locks eyes with him, smiling sweetly

The brunette rips out some more pages. The monsters' laughter grew louder.

"That's for our home!" he says

Techno thrusts the sword into his younger brother's hands and rips out more. The monsters surrounding George vanish completely.

"That's for Theseus!" he growls.

Phil joins the party and rips out another handful of pages, his usually kind eyes filled with vengeance.

"That's for my wife!" the Emperor yells.

"I'LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!" Dream yells, looking straight at Tommy, "YOU PESTS!"

Tommy drops the book on the ground. All four of them take hold of the sword and raise it high. Tommy holds Dream's frantic gaze with his own eerily calm one.

"I," Tommy says, loud and clear, "am Prince Theseus 'Tommy' Careful Danger Innit Minecraft. And you're just some bitch with a magic book."

They bring the sword down with all their might, stabbing it straight through the book and the ground below. The burst of green light is blinding; it shoots into the air and explodes like fireworks. Dream screams in terror while the monsters claw at him.

"No!" he screams, "NO!"

"The price," the monsters laugh, "the prince the price the PRICE!" They drag Dream down, screeching and laughing. When they claw at him they don't draw blood, but light, more green light.

Before their very eyes, Dream begins to change.

He becomes more ill looking. His skin is translucent, beams of light shooting from him. His eyes melt away entirely and Wilbur wants to look away because it's disgusting and terrifying but he feels rooted to watch.

In seconds, Dream looks on the verge of death. The chasm glows green and the monster's drag him towards it, kicking and screaming.

"NO!" Dream howls, "Just a little longer, please, just a little while longer!"

"The price is ours, it's paid paid paid PAID!"

They drag him to the edge and he falls, howling and screaming for mercy. Laughing in triumph, screaming in delight, the monsters soar with him. The light is so bright that Wilbur has to shield his eyes.

There's a final flash.

And then the cheering starts.

Wilbur looks around and the fire is gone. The monsters are gone. The chasm begins to close, ground shuddering as it does.

Sapnap, groaning, sits up, rubbing his head and smearing blood across his face.

"Jesus," He groans, "What the hell happened?"

George rushes to his side and tackles him in a hug, to which Sapnap lets out a small oof but embraces him back.

Phil, sobbing harder than Wilbur has ever seen before, wraps his arms around them all. Eret runs up to them and joins.

"You're okay!" Eret rejoices, sobbing a little, "Thank god you're OK!"

The sword is thrown on the ground, right beside what remains of the book, and Wilbur slumps against his father in relief.

"Is it over?" Techno asks, uncharacteristically unsure and quiet.

"Yeah mate," Phil says, kissing the top of his head, "It's finally over."

Wilbur feels as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. The cheering grows louder, party guests shouting in rejoice.

But Theseus pulls away, sprinting towards the two hybrids at the other end of the garden. Wilbur's heart sinks; Tubbo still hasn't moved.

Tommy falls to his knees right next to them, heart pounding, struggling to breathe. Ranboo is shaking, wincing as tears roll down his cheeks, leaving streaks of irritated skin in their wake and Tubbo is so terribly still.

"Tubbo?" Tommy lightly nudges him, eyes stinging. "Tubbo cmon, get up. We won- Dream's dead i- you need to wake up and so we can laugh at him." He sobs, no tears fall, "Tubbo please."

Ranboo, shivering, shifts over to Tommy's side and Tommy snakes his arms under Tubbo's unconscious form and holds him to his chest, shuddering and trying very hard not to break down.

"Please," he repeats, desperate.

People have crowded around them now but Techno and Wilbur shoo them away.

"Back up," Techno orders the crowd, "Give them some room."

Phil kneels next to his youngest. Ranboo sniffles, wiping his eyes.

"He isn't waking up," Tommy gasps, tears threatening to spill over, "Dad why isn't he waking up?!"

Phil looks at him with the utmost sadness in his eyes, but Tommy refuses to meet his gaze, instead holding the unconscious boy in his arms tighter.

"I forgive you, you- you absolute dickhead," Tommy sobs, "This isn't funny anymore, wake up."

"Mate-" Phil lays a hand on his shoulder but Tommy shrugs it away.

"He's fine," he insists, "He'll be fine, he is fine. He just needs- needs-" he doesn't know how to finish. He doesn't know. He doesn't have any answers. He doesn't know how to fix this. For fucks sake, he has just killed Dream! He destroyed the book, he...he..

Something moves slightly. So slightly anyone wouldn't have noticed, and Tommy nearly does, brushing it off as his imagination. But it is again! And a tiny cough, barely audible.

And then an oh-so familiar voice grumbles, "Can't…breathe…"

"Tubbo!"

Admittedly, it definitely doesn't help Tubbo's ability to breathe when Tommy squeezes him. Ranboo bursts into fresh tears and practically jumps on Tubbo, smothering him in a hug.

"Don't scare me like that ever again Tuberculosis Underscore!" Ranboo scolds. Tommy, with great reluctance, loosens his grip on Tubbo, letting him breathe.

"That was…crazy," Tubbo coughs, rubbing his head and wincing. "Let's never do it again."

All that Tommy can think to say is, "You didn't take the money." At that, Phil backs up.

"Oh," Tubbo says, faintly surprised at the topic, unfocused eyes looking at Tommy, "No, we didn't."

"...Why?" Tommy asks quietly.

Tubbo, who probably has a concussion, answers like it's the most simple thing in the world. He doesn't even need Ranboo to nudge him. "Because you're our friend. And we love you."

It was one thing hearing it from his brothers and his father; Tommy really feels like he's going to break down now, but he can't keep the smile off his face.

Ranboo smiles, "We do. And we would've helped you to the ends of the earth if we had to."

Tommy has just played a massive part in defeating the evil dictator that's been plaguing the land for eleven years, but every inch of him feels like the sixteen year old he is. He feels like he did before his memories returned and maybe Tommy and Theseus can coexist.

Smiling, laughing, tears finally falling, he holds his two odd friends close.

"You're so clingy," he says, "I love you guys too."

Wilbur rests his head on top of Tommy's, Techno drapes himself over his back and Phil hugs them all, humming Kristen's lullaby.

People are still rushing around and shouting; they all, especially Tubbo, need medical attention. Tommy wants to sleep for a week and simultaneously doubts he'll ever sleep again.

All the same, he's happy to kneel here with them. As Eret approaches them with the medics, gently checking them all over, Tommy couldn't stop smiling.

He's home.

-

Wilbur and Techno look amazed to be back at the Empire. They stick close to Phil, looking around the dock with wide eyes. It's not a pretty sight; a rundown town, snowy roads and dark clouds overhead, but the twins look at it like it's the most beautiful sight they have ever seen.

No, it's not a pretty sight but Tommy understands. They're home.

They'd arrived on Phil's ship, the family flag flying high.

Their guards are in front of them and behind them. Tubbo and Ranboo stand at Tommy's side. Sapnap trails behind them, out of Dream's uniform and in one of their own. He looks relieved whereas George walks with his head down.

The two are to be under close watch, day and night, ordered to help track down the remaining of Dream's forces. It was a task they accepted. Tommy thinks, while they are relieved that he's gone, Sapnap and George miss Dream - not the Dream they had defeated, but the Dream they knew before. Tommy almost forgets there was a before.

Hand in hand, The family step of the ship; Techno, Wilbur and Phil take their first step onto Empire soil in eleven years.

The waiting crowd fell to their knees, heads bowed. The mayor (only distinguishable by his green hair and gold amour) steps forward and bows low. Tommy thinks he looks like he's going to cry.

"Welcome home, your Majesties," he says.

Phil claps his shoulder, smiling. "Good to be back, Sam."

-

The Empire has transformed.

It's snowing, as it always is, with dark clouds overhead, but green and white banners flicker in the breeze; the Minecraft family crest has been painted on the sides of buildings and sewn into little flags that are being waved by the cloud. Eret dabs his eyes and Phil looks downright serene.

It's still bizarre when people offer him their hand down from the train. It's crazy to think how different things had been a short while ago. Tommy denies their help, jumping off the train.

The crowd burst into deafening cheers. Hats were thrown into the air; children sitting on their parents shoulders point and wave rapidly, trying to get their attention. Well meaning civilians and guards keep the crowd back. Tommy doesn't think he's ever seen a crowd so joyful before; so many people are crying, but they're still laughing and cheering and clapping.

Phil waves, looking around eagerly. Techno and Wilbur seem too amazed to remember how to greet a crowd.

"We're home!" Wilbur says happily.

Techno nudges him, but he can't stop grinning, none of them could, "bow you idiot, the people are watching."

Techno takes Wilbur and Tommy's hand and, together, they bow letting the cheers and shouts wash over them.

They're home. They can rebuild. They're safe and together, they can slowly start to fix what Dream had destroyed. Tommy is reminded of a conversation he had with his mother.

"It's not about riches and power," The Empress had said. She was sewing shirts for a nearby orphanage and Tommy, only four, sat watching her. "It's not about who's strongest, my love. It's about giving them hope." She saw his confused pout and smiled, giggling gently.

Tommy pointed to the pile of shirts. "That's shirts," he said in his seven year old wisdom, "Not hope."

Kristen shook her head and held him closer. "You'll understand when you're older," she said and Tommy rolled his eyes. You'll understand when you're older. So it's one of those boring grown up things

She saw his frustration, his wandering attention, and smoothed down his hair; she cupped his face and made sure he was paying attention. "It's about showing them you care," she said, "That you'll do whatever it takes for them."

He thinks he gets it now. Or, at least, he's starting to.

Tommy looks at their banners, flying high for the first time in eleven years and hopes his mother can see this.

We'll make this better, he thinks, because it will be a group effort, a massive group effort, but it'll be worth it.

Dream is gone, they're home where they belong, and things can finally start to get better.

They won't have the Palace ready in time for Phil's re-coronation; one glance at the place and it's obvious, and no one wants to use the Palace that Dream had lived in until all of the man's belongings were gone, so they'll be holding it in the town square. The nobility seemed terrified when they told Phil, but he just shrugged.

"Sounds perfect," Phil says. The instant sighs of relief were almost painful; then again, these are the same people who crept around Dream for so long, terrified they'd lose their heads if they upset him.

"Outside is fine," Phil reassures and they all go back to their business.

"You'd think we were about to explode," Techno says.

"Can you blame them?" Wilbur shrugs, helping to scrub the eleven year old blood off the floor despite everyone's protests that it's improper.

"Not really," Techno admits.

Techno grabs a scrub brush and joins his twin on the floor while Tommy and Phil grab mops and get cleaning. Tubbo is helping some of the maids clean up the kitchen he knows so well. Eret and Ranboo, Tommy knows, are in the town square handing out food and care packages to the townsfolk, all merrily looted from Dream's Palace.

The place will be back to normal in no time.

It's odd being back here. As Phil wanders around his wife's study, he's filled with sadness and nostalgia.

This is where she was, he was told, this is where Dream killed her.

His hands run over the scratched mahogany desk, eyes welling with tears the longer he stays in the room. He opens one of the drawers and finds a piece of paper lying among broken glass. Curiously, he picks it up and can't stop the tears from running down his face.

It's a photo - one he hasn't seen in a long, long time - of his family. It was Techno and Wilbur's birthday, Theseus - or, Tommy as he still likes to go by - was just a baby.

The photo shows the twins, hands holding a knife, cutting into a three tier birthday cake. Phil is watching them, smiling, holding a small Tommy, whose hands are outstretched towards the camera, attempting to get to the photographer,in his arms. The background is decorated with streamers and balloons and banners of all kinds.

Kristen took this photo and she demanded she keep it in her office, framed on her desk.

He turns the photo over and, in familiar handwriting, the words My Boys are written.

Smiling, Phil holds the photo close to his heart before turning to leave, when another piece of paper catches his eye. Picking it up, his breath hitches.

Oh. Phil clutches the paper so hard it crumples and he immediately smoothes it out again.

It's a note. A note from her. One Phil has never seen before and possibly the last thing she ever wrote.

It was written that night, Phil deducts from the rushed handwriting and the faint smell of ash from the paper, these are her last words.

With watery eyes, he begins reading.

My love,

Time is short, I can hear their footsteps approaching and I doubt the bookshelf I pushed in front of the door will do anything to stop them, so I will keep this simple. I'm sorry.

I could not escape in time and now I'm trapped, and we both know what will become of me once I'm found.

I'm sorry for leaving you so soon, sorry for leaving the boys. But I know you'll be okay. I know you will keep them safe.

Take them to L'manberg, they've been dying to go since they were born. Let them have fun, laugh, play games, run amok and go on their own little adventures.

One day they'll be safe, one day you'll return and punt this Dream guy into oblivion. But until then, stay together.

I know you'll miss me, but do not grieve. You're all together and that is what's important.

I love you, my dear. Hold your head high; I'll always be with you Phil.

Give the boys a kiss for me,
Kristen xx

Phil doesn't realise he's crying until a tear hits the paper. He bends over the letter holding it to his chest.

For eleven years he wondered the fate of his wife and now he knows, she thought of them.

In her last moments, right until the end, she loved them.

That night, as Techno lays down for bed, he holds his compass, and opens his mother's music box, letting the soft tune fill the air. He lies on his side, facing Wilbur and Theseus - Techno doesn't care what that kid says, Theseus is a great name and it's far better than Tommy - to make sure they're still there, that they're safe.

He mouths the words to the song, Kristen's letter to his Father on his mind. Phil had shown it to them, with tearfilled eyes and after reading it, Techno understands why.

His mom had been right, finally they came home.

The music slows, lid of the box closing and with it, Techno's eyes

We're home.

The day of Phil's re-coronation dawns brightly; it's still freezing, snow covers the ground, but there's not a cloud in sight. Workers hastily hammered a stage together and laid a green and white carpet across it, decorated with flowers and placed four thrones in the center.

Eret, Sapnap, George and, of course, Ranboo and Tubbo are in the front row, beaming away. They're all decked in Empire colours, Ranboo and Tubbo smile proudly with their new titles of (big)men-in-waiting to the youngest prince.

As the clock strikes midday, The Royals step out of a carriage dressed in their finest attire. A long carpet has been laid out, leading their way to the stage.

All eyes are on them and Phil holds his head proudly, like he's in his element (which he is) but Tommy couldn't be more out of his comfort zone. He just hopes the crowd doesn't notice the way his hands shake.

Phil walks beside his sons rather than in front of them, something he insisted on. Something Tommy has come to know is that Phil doesn't care how things are supposed to be done. He does things his way, and he wants his sons with him.

The priest gives the usual speech; dawn of a new era, bright hope for the future, end of tyranny, and it feels like the whole crowd is holding its breath.

As the priest holds the crown high over his father's head, Tommy speaks out Tubbo and Ranboo.

Ranboo gives him two thumbs up and Tubbo nods in assurance, genuine smiles on both their faces.

I can do this, Tommy thinks, and then doesn't even know why he's so nervous, he's not even the one being crowned.

Still, he can do this.

"You're gonna be fine," Techno whispers.

"You've got us looking out for you," Wilbur whispers.

The crown rests on Philza's head, emerald and diamond jewels glistening in the sunlight. He stands and accepts the sceptre and orb.

Tommy watches him as he stands - head up and shoulders back, just like Tubbo kept nagging him to do - and thinks that his father is the most amazing man in existence.

Together they face the people of the Empire.

The priest steps back, Techno, Tommy and Wilbur hold each other's hands, united.

"Presenting Emperor Philza Minecraft, Prince Technoblade Minecraft, Prince Wilbur Minecraft and Prince Theseus Minecraft."

"Tommy," he says before the crowd begin applauding. He smiles at the priest and Techno rolls his eyes fondly, "It's Tommy."

Chuckling, the priest corrects himself, "Presenting Emperor Philza, Prince Technoblade, Prince Wilbur and Prince Tommy."

The crowd applauds, cheering so loudly the ground seems to shake. The sun rises high into the sky and Tommy looks towards the Palace, their home, getting closer and closer to normal each day

He wonders if there will ever come a day when everything feels like a bad dream. If, one day, the idea of sleeping on a damp floor will seem absurd.

But Tommy knows one thing: he's not alone anymore.

The priest takes the sceptre and orb. The princes stand beside their father, grinning and gesturing for the rest of their family to join them. Eret helps Ranboo and Tubbo up on stage, and they immediately run to Tommy, tackling him in a hug.

There's a piercing WOOO from George and Sapnap, and laughter from the crowd.

"We've got our work cut out for us, ey boys?" Tommy says.

Ranboo scoffs, "What an understatement."

Tubbo shrugs, chin up, smirking and no doubt scheming. "Who else could do it but us?" he asks proudly.

Wilbur beams at them, and Techno holds them all so tightly that he lifts them off the ground and knocks the crown off from his head. Tommy smiles, leaning against his family and basking in the sun's glowing rays.

"I'm home."