Tears Come From Cracks in Her Weak Skin

Chapter Thirteen

The first thing she noticed was her change of clothes. Someone had replaced her bloody tunic with a clean white cropped tank top and cut away her pants to change them out for a pair of shorts. She didn't know the last time she was in clean clothes.

The second thing she noticed was the bandages wrapped around her waist, pinpricks of blood spotting through. She gently placed a hand on the white gauze, feeling nothing but a vague pressure on the wound. It didn't hurt though, not like last time.

The third thing she noticed was the crown, the patch, the tie and pin, and the jacket. How they traveled across planes of existence she couldn't say, but they were there, and they were real.

So was it all a dream? Or was it real?

Then she remembered Wilbur's words.

Niki was president of L'Manburg.

She slowly sat up and stared at the items in her lap. They all carried such important memories of their owners, and yet they wanted her to have each and every one.

"Hey! You're finally awake!" Karl smiled as he walked in. "How are you feeling?"

She looked down at the bandages against, "Good, I guess. It doesn't hurt, so I think that's an improvement."

"Heh, yeah. Eret turned out to be a pretty good nurse." He looked down at the items in her lap, "How did you get those? They look like they're from L'Manburg."

"Yeah, I don't know. But, uh, I had the strangest dream. Or hallucination. I really don't know."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah." Karl pulled a chair to her bedside and she told him about Tommy, Tubbo, Techno, and Wilbur in L'Manburg. She left out the part about them still looking like their corpses but told him about what Wilbur said.

"President of L'Manburg? I can't think of a role suited better for you." Karl chuckled.

"President Niki?" Eret said from the doorway, "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think, Jack?"

"I have to agree. It makes you sound powerful." Jack responded.

"Hey Eret, hello Jack!" She waved cheerfully.

"Good morning, Niki." Jack smiled, walking in, Eret followed, carrying a platter full of warm food.

"Morning? How long was I asleep?"

"Only a couple of hours, you practically slept through the night dead as a rock," informed Eret, "Here, eat up, you're going to want your strength to get better so you can become a proper president."

He placed down the platter of food, and Niki quickly recognized her homemade bread soaked in melted butter. She looked up at Eret who nodded his head at Jack, who was smiling. She nodded her thanks and began eating, cutting into the fresh chicken. It had been so long since she tasted warm food. It tasted so good. It reminded her of L'Manburg dinners, everyone sitting at the table, Tommy and Tubbo eagerly waiting to dig into the food in the center of the table, Tommy kicking Fundy under the table. Wilbur and Niki working together to prepare the food, although it was mostly Niki. Wilbur always brought his guitar, and after dinner, everyone would dance together, only the crackling fire atop the hto dog van lighting the scene. They were a family, L'Manburg was her family. And she would miss those lost in the battle, but she could move on. She could learn to love and lead her country. Techno was right, she had a pure and strong heart, and she would use it to lead. She would become the greatest leader L'Manburg knew. She would love this new family, this new L'Manburg.

Her L'Manburg.

Eventually, Eret brought up the rest of the food and doled it out to him, Karl, and Jack. And they ate there, the last of L'Manburg, circled around Niki's bed. It wasn't filled with laughter or music or rowdy dancing, but it was filled with soft stories of good memories and discussions of the future: as soon as Niki could walk, they would hold proper funerals for all who died for L'Manburg, and burn those who died against it. It was time she let them go. Afterward, they would find Tommy's discs and move him, Tubbo, and Techno back into L'Manburg, where they could rest at long last. Then she would assume the position of president, and life would be peaceful. Life would be good again.