Down with the King- Dream SMP

5- Dream

"How did he respond?" Dream asked the guard after he left the isolation cell.

    "Just like you predicted," the guard replied. "He was very confused."

    "Good," he nodded, turning away from the guard and walking down the hall.

    "Christ, Dream," George said, matching his pace. "I'm glad it's not me in that cell."

    "George, why would I ever throw you in that cell?" Dream said, mirroring his best friend's grin.

    "Even so, don't you think you're being a little harsh on him?" George asked, the smile falling from his face. "He's only, what, fifteen?"

    "Sixteen," Dream corrected him. "And no. Tommy is special. He's got that spark, George. If we don't snuff it out now, it'll continue to burn until it's consumed us all."

    "If you say so," his friend shrugged. Dream stopped walking for a moment, stretching his back out.

    "Oh my god, I can't believe I just sat in that room for six hours straight," he moaned, rolling out his shoulders and neck. His joints creaked and popped as he shook himself out, trying to get his blood flowing again. "I'm starving."

    "You should probably get something to eat then," George said. "Want me to make you anything?"

    "I'm sure there's something already made, but thank you," Dream replied, adjusting his course to head to the castle kitchen. "After I get something to eat, let's grab Punz and Sapnap and head into the Nether."

    "It's possible that they could have already perished," George suggested. "The Nether is a very unforgiving place."

    "They're too smart for that," Dream shook his head. "The insurgents aren't stupid enough to walk off a cliff, though it would make our job so much easier."

    As the two of them made their way to the kitchens, they passed by Eret in the hallway. He nodded at the two of them respectfully before continuing on his way.

    "How did you convince Eret to turn on his own people?" George asked, craning his neck to stare after Eret.

    "Geez George, what's with all the questions today?"

    "I'm just wondering!"

    "Okay, okay," Dream laughed before his tone turned severe. "I simply made him an offer he couldn't refuse."

    George opened his mouth to say more, but it was at that moment that they turned into the kitchen.

    "Oh, hey Dream!" a familiar voice greeted him as he entered. Tommy's question came floating back to him as he greeted his little sister.

    Do you have family, Dream?

    "Hey Drista, what are you doing?" George said with a smile.

    "I was bored and made cookies," she replied, taking a sheet pan out of one of the many furnaces in the kitchen. "Want to try some?"

    "Sure," Dream said, reaching for one of the cookies that had already cooled. It tasted fantastic, the buttery cookie melting apart in his mouth. The chocolate was still gooey and only slightly burned his tongue.

    "Just like Mom used to make them," Dream declared with a grin, making Drista beam with pride.

    "So... I heard that you took some prisoners from the attack yesterday morning, can I talk to them?" Drista asked brightly, causing Dream to choke on his cookie.

    "Wh-what? No!" he sputtered, coughing as he inhaled a chocolate chip while George laughed at his misfortune. "Shut up George!"

    "Why not?" Drista frowned. "You rarely let me leave the castle anyways and I want to talk to someone besides the servants and your friends!"

    "Aww, Drista, are we boring to you?" George asked, feigning sadness and causing Drista to roll her eyes.

    "You know what I mean. Besides, I overheard the guards talking about solitary confinement? Do we have a dangerous criminal locked up?"

    "Drista," Dream said, his tone serious. "I don't want you going anywhere near those prisoners, got it?"

    "But Clay-"

    "I said no!" Dream exclaimed, raising his voice. Drista fell silent and he immediately regretted it. He never raised his voice around her, but she needed to understand that this was serious. "Listen, I don't ask much of you."

    "I know," she sighed. "I know."

    "I want you to promise me that you won't go near the prison cells," Dream said. "Please."

    "Fine, I promise," she huffed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm in the middle of something here." She turned her back on them, signaling it was time for him to leave.

    "Come on, George," he said. "Let's go get the others." 

---

    Dream actually enjoyed the Nether. It was so different from his home dimension, so new. It was a place where one wrong step would send one hurtling towards death, a place where survival was never guaranteed. It forced him to become the best version of himself.

    "The trail leads this way!" Punz called out, pointing towards a large blue forest.

    "The Warped Forest," George hummed. "Smart move."

    "Let's go slowpokes!" Sapnap called out, running towards the forest with Punz hot on his heels. Together, they entered the dark forest. Giant blue warped fungus hung over them, branches curling to the ground. The forest was eerily silent, the sound of bubbling lava or hissing fire absent. 

    "Look, it'll be easy to track them," George said, pointing out the footprints in the nether sprouts. Dream frowned. Sure, the insurgents could have been careless and forgotten to cover their tracks, or it could be a trap.

    "Keep your eyes peeled," he instructed them, looking around himself for any signs of a possible attack. They followed the trail until they came upon a huge, warped fungus where the trail suddenly ended.

    "Maybe they climbed into the trees?" Punz suggested when the footprints suddenly stopped.

    "No," Dream said, using the edge of his netherite ax to chop away the blue vines. They fell to the ground, revealing a ladder that led down to who knows where.

    "Nice going, Dream," Sapnap grinned before climbing down the ladder. The rest of them followed Sap into a small room with a few belongings in it. George and Punz instantly started rifling through the possessions in the chest while Dream studied the walls.

    "Here," he muttered to himself, placing his hand on a patch of netherrack that seemed to have been freshly packed. Unhooking his pickax from his belt, he tore down the wall to reveal a dark, recently dug tunnel.

    "Like little rats," he grinned to himself.

    "Hey, good eye!" George nodded.

    "I wonder where this leads to?" Punz asked.

    "It could still be a trap," Dream warned them. "Be careful."

    "Got it, Your Majesty," Punz said, saluting to him before ducking into the tunnel. George and Sapnap followed him, but Dream lingered behind. The insurgents had been here alright, and he wouldn't rest until he found them and brought them to justice. He flicked a match into the room just before crawling into the tunnel to catch up with his friends. Soon after, a loud boom rocked the tunnel.

    "Dream!" came George's exasperated voice. "Did you really have to blow that up?"

    "Yeah! The tunnel could have collapsed!" Sapnap added.

    "Well it didn't, so let's keep going!" he answered them. And yes, I did have to do that.