Royal Differences - royal!Bench Trio AU

The Prince's Arrival

"Why can't you have gone, Dad?" Ranboo asked as Dream adjusted his tie for him. "You've never let me outside before, why now?"

Dream let go of Ranboo's tie as he finished fixing it. "Ranboo, you know that you're the one assigned to show up to a meeting in L'Manburg, don't be foolish." He grabbed a cloth from his pocket, grabbed Ranboo's crown, and began to polish it.

"Plus, I have a lot of work to do in the empire. The Badlands just can't stay humble with what I give them. Apparently, they need more supplies to clear a 'newly discovered plant infestation' on their land."

Ranboo let out a short chuckle. It wasn't common that he would have interactions like this with his father. He was always kept inside walls of the dark castle he had explored every crevice of. In the same way, Dream was always busy with whatever work he had that day.

One day he would be taking over land to increase his ever-growing power, the next he would be planning his next attack on the L'Manburg Kingdom. The two just never had the opportunity to have any kind of proper bonding time.

Dream put the now polished crown on top of Ranboo's head and looked at his finished look. "Perfect." He said with a smile.

"Now, Ranboo, I'm trusting you with this meeting. I couldn't send anyone else, so you better make a good impression on L'Manburg, make them know what we stand for."

Ranboo nodded. "Of course, I'll try my best."

"Not try, Ranboo, do."

"You're right. Forgive me."

"And the most important thing, listen up." Dream put his hands on his knees and bent down to get to eye level with his son.

"Do you promise you won't forget what I'm about to tell you?"

"I promise."

"No attachments. You can't let them get to you, and you can't trust them. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Father."

With that, Dream led Ranboo to the carriage to depart to L'Manburg. He helped him go up the steps and sit comfortably on the velvet cushions. He closed the door and waved a last goodbye, and Ranboo waved back. As Ranboo made his way past the castle walls for the first time in his life, he stared in awe of the things he had missed.

Thankfully, Dream didn't limit Ranboo too much on what he could know about the outside world. On the rare occasion that he would be face to face with his father, he would describe what it was like. Blacksmithing and floral shops were familiar to him due to Dream's detailed descriptions. Even some people were recognizable to Ranboo as he passed by subjects in awe of the prince.

Choosing to ignore all of their staring, Ranboo looked ahead, not making eye contact with anyone. All of the attention worried the prince, and it only got worse when he caught glimpses of his people whispering to each other through the windows.

He spotted the curtains, hastily grabbed their tassels, and pulled them down as quickly as he could. Taking a deep breath, Ranboo finally managed to relax and shut his eyes to prepare for the next few weeks ahead of him.

-

"But Wil, I don't need another friend! I already have Big T!"

"I'm sorry about that, Toms, but being friends with 'Big T' won't solve the literal war going on between us and the Dreamon Empire!"

Tubbo sat behind a tall, concrete pillar in the courtyard. He'd been there listening to the two brothers yell at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but the sun only moved ever so slightly when Tubbo looked back at it for reference.

He didn't feel like barging in on them unannounced, so waiting for their argument to die down seemed like the best course of action. But here he was, staying behind a pillar for gods knew how much longer.

Worried about seeing the sunset anytime soon, Tubbo got up and began to walk towards Wilbur and Tommy. "Do you two need some more time? Because I'm not waiting here until sundown."

"Tubbo!" Tommy rushed over towards his friend and went behind him to grab his upper arms. "Quick, tell Wilbur that he's being delusional, and knock some common sense into him while you're at it."

"Um, about that, that's what I came here to talk to you about." Tubbo turned around so he could face Tommy. "What Wilbur told you, that's all true."

"What, but, but Dream doesn't even have a son in the first place! And it's not like that crazy son of a bitch would be able to take care of one anyway."

"Well, fair point, but Dadza did tell me and Tubbo about him, and he'd never lie to us, Tommy."

Wilbur added as he came closer to the two boys. Tommy was in complete denial about everything, and he wasn't backing down. The prince had let go of Tubbo by now, trying to collect his thoughts.

"Okay, let's say this dumb, mysterious prince is real and is coming to L'Manburg as we speak."

"But he is-" Wilbur and Tubbo corrected.

"Shut up!" Tommy yelled back. "So if he was real, why would Dad hide him from us? And why do we have to be friends all of a sudden?"

"One," Tubbo started. "This is the only opportunity Dream has given us to end the war. Even if it's too easy to not be some kind of trap, we can't risk not taking a chance at peace, Tommy."

"And two," Wilbur said. "I don't know why Dad would keep this Prince a secret."

"I know, he tells me and you everything. We're his sons for fuck's sake! Why would he lie about something this big?"

"Tommy, I know you're upset. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pissed off when I first heard it from Dad, but we can question him later. Right now, we have to worry about you getting along with the prince and ending this bloody fight, okay?"

"But, but what about-"

"Boys!" Phil suddenly burst out from the courtyard's entrance. Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo all collectively turned their heads towards the entrance. "The Prince will be here soon. You should all get ready."

Wilbur sighed. "Welp, that's our cue to head inside."

"I'll come with you guys." Tubbo said.

"Gods, you're so fuckin' clingy, Big T." Tommy laughed.

"I am not."

"Sure, sure."

-

It was weird to Tubbo. Standing still outside the palace in silence gets old after a while. Sure, they would make some quick attempts at conversation but it just wasn't very entertaining.

The family had to do this regularly though, so it was nothing new to them.

Tommy always hated it. He despised getting in tight, fancy clothing. Even wearing his crown was an issue for everyone. From time to time he would take it off and look at it, twirling and spinning it in his arms out of boredom.

Of course, Wilbur or Techno would have to take care of him. Mostly Techno, he was always there to watch over the family and make sure they were okay. Though his job was to protect them in case of attack, most of his time at greetings was spent fixing Tommy.

It wasn't until sundown when a carriage that didn't fit in with its surroundings came to a stop in front of them.

The side doors had the empire's symbol on it, a golden circle with a smiley face. It was the same design as the ruler's porcelain mask, which he wore anywhere he went. The overall look of the ride wasn't as bright. The colors weren't as inviting as the rest of the land's environment, it instead completely contrasted it.

Appearance aside, the driver seemed somewhat friendlier. The man's skin was a light shade of green, which went well with his darker hair. Head to toe the driver was dawned in netherite armor, only the rarest and strongest material known to man, and had a sword on him, also netherite.

With a gas mask on the lower half of his face, the man stepped down from his seat and to the cobblestone path. He grabbed the carriage's door handle, then turned to the family.

"Your highness, for the first time in history, I present to you Prince Ranboo of the Dreamon Empire."