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

II

Dream only ever stayed so long, almost never a full week. So when Tommy stood in the Great Hall, his crown lopsided again, he watched as the servants helped Dream into his clean armor. He wore his signature mask, a new one with no cracks or scratches. It was the symbol of their kingdom. That mask was Dream's crown. He only ever took it off in front of Tommy or his servant, Tubbo's, eyes. Him leaving was always the worst for Tommy. Tommy would cry for hours after he left, begging for him to come back safe and sound. It was the same every month, and eventually Tommy would get over the loss and return to his normal everyday activities.

The night before Dream left, the two brother's sat as Dream groomed Tommy's wings once more. They had just returned from the youngest's flying session. It was odd. Tommy was only allowed to fly after dark. Whenever he asked why he wasn't allowed to fly after dark, Dream would always reply with the same thing. "You are precious, Toms. If someone saw you flying in the day, they would storm the castle to take your wings. If I'm not here, then who will save you Tommy?"

Tommy only nodded, his head lowering a bit. "I know, Dream. I just wish I could see our land during the day. It's so pretty at night, I bet it's pretty during the day too!"

"Of course it is, Toms. But until I make sure there are no threats, I cannot let you fly during the day," Dream's tone shifted, pulling on a feather harshly.

Tommy shifted, trying not to wince as his feather was pulled on roughly. He knew better than to argue or push the subject. So he kept quiet and instead asked a different question. "Where are you headed this time, Dream?"

The older man sighed, lowering his hands and wrapping them around his brother to pull him closer. Tommy giggled and snuggled closer to his brother, smelling the freshly washed hoodie. Dream had always told Tommy that he had to wear nice clothes and always look his best. While Tommy followed his every word, Dream always got to wear comfy jeans and hoodies. Though, Tommy didn't mind. He only teased and said he was the better dressed.

"Toms, I'm going to be gone a long time this next trip," he ruffled his brother's hair, still hugging him close. "I'm going all the way up to the Arctic Empire."

"Why all the way up there?" Tommy asked, confused. The Arctic Empire was their sworn enemy. They never gave up their territory.

The map of the SMP was divided amongst nations. The biggest three were L'Manburg, the Arctic Empire, and the Dream Kingdom. Dream had taken over many other parts of SMP like the Badlands, and the Church of Prime. He always said that the last remaining two nations would be the hardest to force under his control. Both nations had the fiercest warriors on their side, and many of their members had defected from their old lands to be "free."

"Well Toms, I am planning to take down Prince Technoblade and his father, King Philza," Dream continued to pet the winged boy, letting him relax into his arms as they spent their waning few hours together. "It is going to be bloody and very hard. But do not fret, Tommy, I am taking a few totems with me so I will not die."

"But Technoblade's saying is that he will never die..." the young boy cried, hugging his older brother.

"Of course, but tactics is where we can beat any defense," he didn't go into detail about what tactics he would be using, but Tommy did not press further.

It was wrong of him to even doubt Dream. He continued to lay on his brother, eyes closing softly as his brother pet his head. The night ended with the two brothers sleeping on the couch next to the dying embers of the fireplace. While one dreamed of happy times ahead, the other dreamed of taking the kingdom of the Arctic Empire. They slept peacefully, not waking till the morning dawn lay across their faces.

That evening was written into Tommy's book so that he would never forget it. He made a pact with himself that we would sit and write each day in the journal so that when Dream returns, he could tell him everything without forgetting a detail. Giddy with excitement, Tommy wrote every detail of each day into the journal, his chicken scratch turning into legible marks as he progressed in his penmanship.

One particular day, two weeks after Dream's initial leaving day, a horned servant was folding the laundry for Prince Tommy when the prince walked in. This ram was named Tubbo, a young servant of the King, and one of the only ones that had survived so long. Tommy had known him for so long, having become friends with him years ago. Of course, the sly one would never act as if they were friends with Dream around, but once he left, the two would make excuses to see each other.

So as Tommy walked in and saw Tubbo folding his laundry, he squealed and hugged his friend, surprising the ram. "Tubbo!"

"Prince Tommy!" the other shouted and hugged back, checking over the shoulder of his friend to watch the door of the large bedroom close. "Toms, you know not to shout with the door open. The guards might snitch."

"I know, but I was so excited to see you!" the two pulled apart as Tommy reached down and picked up his school books. "Today was just so boring. Ugh. I can't do any more calculations or my head might explode. Tubbo, they gave me three pages of homework!"

The winged boy fell back on his bed, wings spread and arm covering his eyes. He was being over dramatic as always. Tubbo walked over looking at the writing. He was never taught to read or calculate anything, so he was no help. Instead, he comforted his friend. "Tommy, if you don't do the work, they might tell King Dream and you will get in trouble. I don't want to see your wings clipped again. Maybe we can do them together and you can teach me?"

The process of them working on Tommy's homework was always the same. Tubbo would incentivise Tommy with head scratches, extra desserts, or even to sneak out and play in the throne room at night. The two were hellions loose at night. But the incentives always worked. Tommy groaned and sat up pouting as he walked to his desk. The latter followed, holding the three sheets of work. "Let's try to get one sheet done and then we can play for a bit."

Again, Tommy groaned but agreed nonetheless. Tommy sat in his chair as Tubbo grabbed a stool and started to work on the problems. Even though Tommy hated the calculations, he was rather good at them. The process of finding the solutions was the hardest part. It took 5-10 minutes per each problem. Tommy's attention span was approximately 3 minutes. This proved some difficulty as Tommy started to tap his quill or talk about the food they would have tonight, or something wildly different. The winged boy could not pay attention, losing all focus and ending up taking 15-20 minutes on a single problem. In total, it took around two hours for one of his sheets of work. By the time the two were done with all the work, it was well into the evening and dinner was only 30 minutes away.

"Tubbo, will you be at dinner tonight?" Tommy asked as he put the sheets in his book.

"Unfortunately, no," he responded. "I have to prepare King Dream's quarters. I like to keep the linen fresh and the room free of dust if he ever respawns."

The winged boy sighed. "Can I bring you some dinner after then? We can eat here if we need to. I don't want you to go hungry again."

The ram laughed but it did not reach his eyes. "Tommy, I don't need to have you get me food. I can survive with the servant gruel."

"It's not fair Tubbo. Why do you and the rest of the servants have to eat gruel while there is so much left over food in the dining hall."

Tubbo didn't respond. He didn't want to ruin the image that Tommy had of Dream. While Tommy lived in luxury, the other servant lived in poverty and fear. Dream expects perfection out of all of them. He had killed several the last time he was home because he had gotten word of Tommy sneaking about. This was the main reason Tubbo was being so secretive about his friendship with Tommy. If the King found out, Tubbo would be killed. So, in fear, the ram tried his best to not cause trouble and keep himself safe.

So while Tommy dined, Tubbo cleaned. All while Dream slayed guard after guard at the Arctic Empire, a smile of glee behind his white mask.