(REWRITING) what never was never could be (BOOK ONE)

I

Tommy walked down the halls of the beautiful castle. His brother, Dream, was home! It was not always insured that his brother would return from his trips, but the King, somehow, always came home. And he always brought goodies. As Tommy speed walked down the halls of the large castle, he thought of the many gifts his brother would give him. Would it be chocolate? Nah, he never got them sweets. A new sword? Nothing too dangerous, Dream would say. Perhaps a compass? Tommy always loved to play with the compasses in the library. It was always so cool to look and see where the North and South poles were. With delight, and a newfound pep in his step, Tommy hurried down the halls and to the large doors leading outside. Big beautiful brown wings fluttered with every step. Loose feathers fell to the ground as his wings shook with excitement. He could not wait to see his big brother. He stepped into the Great Hall, his crown lopsided as he rocked back and forth on his feet, waiting. As per usual, every servant and guard was there to welcome his big brother home.

As soon as the doors opened for Dream, Tommy was rushing to his brother, large wings flapping to give him more speed. He crashed into his brother, wrapping his arms and legs around him as his wings flapped with excitement. His crown had been knocked off with the impact of the hug, clattering to the ground as a certain horned servant rushed to pick it up. "Dream! Dream!" Tommy sang, happily hugging the man. The armor clad man only hugged back, a smile wide under his mask. "Tommy! There you are! I am so glad to see you, little brother."

Soon, Tommy released his brother, Dream taking the crown from the servant and dismissing them with a cold glare. The way the cracked mask looked at the horned servant made him fearful for another beating. He quickly scampered away, waiting to be called upon. Dream turned his gaze back on Tommy, but the boy had not even noticed the oddness of the scene in front of him. To him, Dream's gaze was warm and happy. Dream reached into the satchel on his hip, pulling out a book. "Tommy, this book here is a special book."

"It is?" the winged hybrid looked up at the taller.

"It is! Tell me, what is written in the enchantments on this book?" Dream asked, showing Tommy the spine of the book.

Tommy looked at the spine, frowning and trying to decipher the enchantments. He muttered to himself, as he translated the words of the enchantment table. "Brother? These enchantments are so that only you and I can read or write in this book!"

"Correct!" Dream placed his hand in the golden locks of Tommy. He shook his hand, ruffling up the already messy hair. He chuckled as Tommy leaned into his touch. The masked man smirked, bright green eyes looking at the small child before him. His brother . Dream knelt down to Tommy, smiling still. He held out the book to Tommy. "It is yours since you're so smart!"

Tommy happily took the journal, hugging it close and jumped into his big brother's arms. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'll write in it every day!" Dream hoisted the younger into his arms, holding him on his hip as if he was a young child. He was only 12, but Dream always treated him as younger and more innocent.

"Of course," the green clad man said, tapping his thigh twice. The horned boy quickly ran up, following Dream as he took his brother to the den.

While walking down the halls, Tommy was gushing with everything he had done the entire three weeks Dream was gone. He spoke of his classes, his play time, even the times it had snowed. He told Dream of how he built a snowman and played all day before his tutor brought him inside. He even told Dream the time he snuck into the kitchen for a snack before bed. It made Dream laugh, though he mentally noted to instruct his servant to be stricter.

The Den was where Dream kept most of his prized hunts. Heads of animals lined the walls, even the most precious head of the Ender Dragon, mounted above the fireplace. The walls were adorned with bookshelves filled with altered books to suit the needs of what he wanted Tommy to know. Of course, Tommy was his most prized possession. His phoenix. Dream placed the boy on the stool in front of the couch. "Tommy, write in your book while I groom your wings."

Before he started on the wings in front of him, he pulled his armor off, tossing it at the boy beside him. He pulled off his hoodie, tossing it on top of the arms of the poor servant. The servant struggled to take it to the table where he sat to polish the armor. He sat, placing the hoodie in a basket to take to the washbin later. He started to polish the netherite, cleaning each groove and polishing the metal. Dream lifted his mask off of his face, placing it down beside him on the couch. He only showed his face to Tommy and his servant.

The Tommy nodded, using the table in front of him to start to write. His handwriting was not the best. Quills were hard for him to use as the small nub seemed to slip from his fingers time and time again. As he wrote, Dream relaxed and pulled each loose feather, placing it in a pile to store later. He then got to work on the few pin feathers that had caused some discomfort to Tommy. As he pulled one out, Tommy winced and turned his head to see the bloodied feather.

"Dreaaam, that hurt..." the boy whined, fluffing up his wings. "Why do you have to pull them so harshly..."

"I know, Tommy, but if we don't get the pin feathers out, they will only get infected. Do you want me to have to clip your wings?" It was a punishment he had gotten before. When he disobeyed or flew too far from the tower, Dream would clip his wings and keep him grounded for months. He knew it was for the better, but it always put him in his place.

"No..." Tommy whined.

Dream soothed him with a hum, brushing his fingers through his feathers. He continued to groom the boy, always petting his wings after he pulled another pin feather. It always brought Tommy a sharp pain, but he did not whine again. Once Dream had finished, he pulled the boy back on the couch and hugged him. "You know I would never intentionally hurt you, Tommy...Would I?"

"No..." the latter responded. "I'm sorry Dream. My wings are so sensitive. It's nothing like a scrape on my knee."

"I know, I know. But it really hurt me. I don't want to be the big bad brother." Tommy had turned to face Dream as Dream spoke to him. "It pains me enough to have to leave every month."

"Can you take me with you one day? I want to see the world like you do! You say one day we will own it all, Dream!" Tommy's energetic self seemed to be lit again. "I want to go to the North and South poles! And I wanna see the ocean and all the mountains! Dream, can we see it all?"

"Only if we can do it together..."

Tommy was ecstatic, jumping up from the couch and smiling at his brother. "Really? You mean it?"

"Of course. Once everything belongs to me, I promise to show you every inch of our land, Tommy," Dream smiled, placing his hands on the young boy's shoulders to help him from bouncing off the walls. "You have to promise to be a good boy, Tommy. Or else the deal is off."

"Of course! I promise!"

Dream grinned, a cynical grin, one that a hunter gets once he's captured his prey. And Dream was exactly that, a hunter that has never lost his prey.

Chapter Management