PRINCESS ANARCHY | DSMP

37. Friend of Techno's

   DREAM AND NIA ARRIVE EARLY.

   Expectedly so, because travelling as a duo takes much less time than as a group of however many L'Manburgians volunteered to hunt down Technoblade. They come in around Tubbo's L'Manburg dock, which was untouched even during the Pogtopia versus Manburg war, and clearly worked on more thoroughly later on.

   Nia gets off her horse, tying its leash to the closest tree she can find. She follows Dream to L'Manburg wordlessly, gaping at the country that she helped destroy months ago. It stands again in its full glory, though instead of emitting power and fear like it did during Schlatt's reign, it has a much more cozy feeling. One that makes it obvious the current president is much more amicable and open. It's quite inviting with its wooden structure and the lack of daunting huge black walls.

   The crater that Wilbur created during the Manburg war is now filled with water, creating an artificial lake filled with cod and salmon. The remnants of the country's terrible past are almost erased by doing something as simple as connecting the hole to the sea and letting it fill up with water.

   Nia frowns as she enters L'Manburg behind Dream. His indifference to the country shows in his nonchalant stance and relaxed shoulders. Especially because no important member of its cabinet is currently present. L'Manburg is built right above the crater of the old Manburg, and admittedly, it's beautiful.

   "So, Tubbo's still president?" the princess asks, her eyes roaming over the buildings in the country along with the 'WANTED' posters of Technoblade. Dream stops right in the center, before a stage set up for an execution.

   Nia is left to stare at a simple redstone contraption that can be activated by a lever, an animal cage next to it. She reclines her head, straining her neck, as she looks up at the sky and takes a full note of the build. Right above the animal cage hangs an anvil.

   "Nice cage, isn't it?" says Dream with an obvious mirth in his voice. He cocks his head to the side, the mask with a perpetual smile gazing at her. "It's for Technoblade. Bet the butcher army likes bacon." He's teasing Nia, trying to aggravate her. It's working.

   Nia stares at the cage, bleary-eyed as her vision turns red with fury. She knows Technoblade has hurt them and the country by contributing to its destruction, but he doesn't deserve any of this. A public execution while trapped in a cage for animals? It's inhuman, and doesn't make the butcher army any better than Technoblade for what he'd done to them. Are they even planning to conduct a fair trial?

   She can't even wrap her head around the fact that Tubbo would go through with something like this. He knows what it's like to be publicly executed. Why would he wish such an experience for anyone else? Or has he not forgiven Technoblade, after all?

   Clenching her fists and biting her tongue, the princess takes a few steps forward to be closer to the podium. She sneers, her face contorting with disdain.

   "Technoblade doesn't deserve this," she says plainly, turning around to look at Dream. Nia finds that he's no longer standing behind her, having disappeared. Instead, her gaze sets on a scowling Niki as she walks by a Technoblade poster, shaking her head.

   "Nia, hi!" Niki greets the princess with a petite smile upon her lips. Happy to see the woman who's been gone for months, though confused about her visit. "What are you doing here? Are Sara and Stela with you?"

   Nia smiles thinly, shaking her head. "They're not," she says. "I'm here alone . . . for reasons." She clears her throat.

   "Oh," Niki says, pressing her lips together. "Technoblade isn't here."

   "I know," Nia smiles. "That's exactly why I'm here," she elaborates. "I came to save Techno."

   "What do you mean?" Niki questions with a raised brow.

   "Tubbo, Quackity and Fundy want to execute him," Nia explains further. "So, I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen."

   Niki gapes at Nia, shocked by the information. She clearly hasn't heard of anything like this happening. Nia raises an eyebrow at the girl, tilting her head to the side. She wonders how the information could've missed Niki, if Tubbo, Quackity and Fundy were recruiting volunteers for the army.

   "They would never—" Niki doesn't get to finish her sentence.

   "But they will," says Phil, jumping into the conversation. The two women have to look up at the porch of Phil's house, where he stands, unable to move further than that because of his house arrest. There's a constant frown resting on his lip, a shadow of guilt across his face as he feels responsible for the butcher army finding the compass that leads right to Technoblade.

   Nia stares at the man, her lips apart. "You're Philza, the Angel of Death," she says. The princess has seen the man before. On the day of the Manburg war, and after he killed Wilbur. She never spoke to him, however.

   Phil looks back at her with a soft smile that disappears almost immediately. "And you're Nia, a friend of Techno's." 

   "You could say that." Nia presses her lips together and nods in agreement. "Why are you— what are you doing up there, Phil?" She inquires with her eyebrows furrowed.

   "I'm on house arrest," Phil sighs. "For withholding information from the President of L'Manburg." The man scowls, his wings puffing up slightly, showing the damage that the explosion of Manburg had caused him.

   "What do you mean, Phil?" Confusion spreads across Niki's soft features. She has no idea.

   "I— when Techno moved away and decided to retire, I helped him move. And he gave me a compass that would always lead the way to his new home in return." Phil's wings fluff lightly as he thinks of his friend. Who is in danger, no less. "They took it."

   Philza's tone is menacing. Nia would hate to be on the receiving end of it; especially against the Angel of Death. She wonders just how much of this is going to come back to bite the L'Manburgians in the ass.

   "Phil, that is horrible," says Niki sympathetically.

   "Is there any way to get you out of house arrest?" asks Nia.

   "I'd have to get rid of these stupid ankle monitors they put on me." Phil shakes his head indignantly, a frown set on his lips.

   The princess nods, taking note of it. Surely, she can help him get rid of the monitors and get him out of L'Manburg. That's what Technoblade would have wanted anyway.

   "Can I ask you something, Phil?" Nia looks at the blonde man, who furrows his eyebrows at her in return. "I understand this might be completely unrelated, but I must ask."

   "Sure," he says.

   "Why did Death choose me over everyone else as the next vessel of Ionia after what happened last time?" Nia tilts her head to the side, a sincere expression of curiosity across her face.

   Phil smiles at the princess, shrugging.

   "You had the strongest will," he replies. "And you wouldn't defy death even if it meant bringing back your loved ones."

   "The last trial," Nia mumbles under her breath.

   Phil nods. "You chose to respect Death rather than bring back the people you care about. Not even Technoblade. Not many would let the person they love die, knowing they can bring them back."

   "Yeah, well, Technoblade never dies."

   Phil laughs.