Down with the King- Dream SMP

37- Drista

WARNING: Language

She sat in a small study, brewing stand in front of her as she meticulously measured blaze powder into the funnel. The golden powder fell into the three potions, turning them a brilliant shade of pink, and she nodded to herself. These healing potions would come in handy for their upcoming fight against Dream, but would they be enough? The doubts she'd pushed back earlier came flooding back. She'd thought her potion could save Philza, but it hadn't...

"Hello?" a voice asked, making her jump.

"Don't startle me like that!" she chided as Tubbo entered the room.

"Sorry," he shrugged sheepishly. "How are the potions coming along?"

"Good, I hope," she replied darkly.

"Drista, you're the most talented potion-maker I know," he told her, coming to sit next to her at the desk. "Of course they're good."

"Still..." she sighed, trailing off. "Why are you here? I thought you'd be with Tommy."

"He's resting," Tubbo said. "Poor kid is exhausted."

"At least he's back."

"Yeah," Tubbo said, gazing with unfocused eyes at the wall. "It's strange though... He's the exact same person he was when he disappeared."

"That's good, right?"

"I mean, I guess so," he shrugged. "He's the same, but I'm not. The whole time difference is throwing everyone off. For him, he was only gone for a few days. But for us..."

"It was years," she finished for him. "Trust me, I know how you feel."

"That must've been a huge shock," Tubbo laughed bitterly. "Seeing Dream?"

"It was terrible," she moaned. "Tubbo, I thought he was dead! I genuinely believed he was gone for good and then he just shows up looking like a- a nightmare! I was so scared."

"You didn't look scared," Tubbo said, making her smile.

"Well, I was," she said just as her potions finished brewing. She began pulling them from the stand and corking them, setting the bottles to the side with a few others she'd brewed already. "If I'm being honest, I'm even more scared of facing him now. Before, we just had to deal with Dream, but now he has an entire army of Endermen at his beck and call! I don't even know if there's any Clay left in him anymore or if he's all monster."

"I don't know," he sighed, her question looming in the air above them. "But I was able to bring Tommy back, yeah? Surely that means there's hope for Dream too. You know I still stand by that promise I made all those years ago."

She nodded, remembering all too well the promise they had made to her: not to kill Dream. But would such a promise be kept if this man wasn't even her brother anymore? She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about anything. Nothing made sense and she knew that in a matter of hours, minutes, or seconds, she'd have to fight for her life.

"I'm distracting you, aren't I?" he asked, standing up.

"No, you're not," she shook her head. "But you should be doing something productive or resting. We need to be prepared for what's coming."

"Of course, Your Majesty," he smiled with a bow. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," she returned the smile with a wave before turning back to her brewing stand. She had barely finished another batch before she heard the door open again.

"Yes?" she asked, not bothering to turn around as she placed more bottles within the stand.

"What are you working on?" Dream asked, leaning over her shoulder. She froze, glancing to her right to see his face hovering there, white mask pushed back on his head.