The Kingdom in the Mirror // DreamNotFound

Chapter 10

Dream groaned in pain as he came too, his head throbbing unmercifully. He blinked a couple times to try to get sense of his surroundings, before his vision cleared.

Fear consumed him as his face paled slightly. His mask was off.

Karl's smiling face filled his forward view. "Glad to see you're awake, Dream. Or should I say Prince Clay." He smirked, as Dream glared at him.

Shuffling from beside them caught Dream's attention and he glanced over to see George still chained up to the wall, refusing to let the tears fall.

They were still in the old tower, Karl, Sapnap, and a group of guards blocking the exit. Dream's wings were tied up tightly behind him, and he was unable to retract them.

He was chained up to the wall beside George, except his own legs were chained as well.

"How did you find us?" Dream spat out, anger dripping from his words.

"I had guards patrolling the edges of the cliffs and in the village after your attempt to assassinate me." Karl started to explain, crossing his arms as he watched Dream's face, "They heard your little argument and followed you to your base, where you left," He pointed at the blonde who looked away after a second, "And we were able to easily take George here."

"And don't think I didn't notice you up on that window ledge."

Dream inhaled sharply, "You said all that to trap me?!"

Karl laughed, "Of course, do you really think I would say all that information in the throne room? I left the windows open on purpose! You fell right into my trap. And you have no one to blame but yourself."

Dream processed it all. He should have known, he was just so blinded by making sure George was all right that it led him right to his demise. He would never save the village, he would never kill the man who had ended his father, and he would never be able to tell George how he really felt. He deserved what was coming to him.

"There's a special place in hell reserved for people like you." Dream seethed, spitting at Karl's feet, who stepped back. Sapnap moved forward protectively, "Don't speak to the King like that." He demanded and Dream laughed bitterly, "What are you going to do about it huh?"

Sapnap raised his fist to hit the blonde, who tensed but didn't look away, but Karl laid a hand on Sapnap's arm. "Just wait, Sap. There'll be time for that later." He soothed, and Sapnap nodded reluctantly. He glared at Dream who smirked back at him.

Sapnap mumbled angrily under his breath as he stepped back to let Karl stand ahead of him.

Karl grinned as he studied the two, "Now that I have the prince, I can officially wipe out any threats left to my kingdom." He held his hands behind his back, tilting his head at Dream, "Hmm, but how to do it, is the question." He smirked, as Dream paled impossibly more.

"You're a twisted monster, you-" Dream yelled at him in one last act of defiance, Karl stepped forward and slapped him across the face with all his might. Dream felt as if his neck broke as his head was forcibly swung to the side from the blow.

He spat out blood.

"That's no way to speak to your king." Karl's eyes glinted with delight at Dream's pain. His mind was so twisted beyond repair that he was more monster than human, controlled by the need for a perfect life, and Dream was the only one to stop him.

George could only watch from afar and sob as Karl beat the living daylight out of Dream, hitting him with his fist in the face and chest, slicing his arms and torso with a dagger, and ripping out feathers from his once beautiful wings. Dream could only cry out in pain and despair as he spent his last few moments in pain.

Finally after Karl had had his fun, he stopped. Dream barely conscious as he tried to breath in air and not the blood rushing from his nose and mouth. He kept spitting out mouthful after mouthful of the red liquid spilling from his face, his stomach churning at the pain on almost every part of him.

"Kill me." He whispered, his voice hoarse from screaming, almost begging Karl to finish him off. He couldn't look up, his whole body hurt so much.

Karl laughed, "No, I don't think so. I think I'll kill George in front of you first." He said, smiling cruelly at the bleeding blonde.

Dream's head shot up, his bruised face filled with fear, "No, kill me. Not George. Kill me instead, please." He begged, but his pleas fell upon deaf ears.

Karl waved forward two guards to help him unchain George and drag him before Dream.

George screamed through his gag, kicking and writhing against the men holding him restrained as they moved, but to no avail.

He was shoved to his knees before the bloodied and battered blonde staring hopelessly at the brunette in front of him. He was still begging to be killed in his stead and it broke George's heart.

Karl walked up behind George, gripping his hands into his own, the guards stepping back. The brit only wept as he felt the blade being placed on his pale throat. He held in his ragged breaths as his nightmare from a few days ago was suddenly replayed in his mind.

"Say goodbye, Dream." Karl taunted, moving to slit George's throat with one flick of his wrist, but in a burst of bravery, George ripped his hand out of Karl's grasp from behind him and grabbed the dagger meant to end his life.

Adrenaline shot through him as he jumped up and turned around in one motion, plunging the dagger straight into Karl's unsuspecting chest.

Horrified, Sapnap and the guards were frozen in shock, as George pulled out the dagger and let Karl's already dying body crumple to the ground.

George stood there in complete shock as well. He had just killed someone. And not just anyone, but the person who had once been his friend and almost killed himself twice.

He placed a hand to his mouth, as the adrenaline left his body shaky. He watched as the blood blossomed across Karl's beautiful clothes, across his damaged chest.

He didn't look up as he heard the men across from him get to their senses first and rush forward, enraged, to end his life.

He didn't look up as he heard chains bust open from behind him.

He didn't look up as he was pulled into a protective embrace, an injured wing covering him, as he was pulled upwards as Dream took off, bursting through the flimsy wood ceiling of the old tower. Bits of wood showered around them, but George was shielded by Dream's large wings, cocooning him in safety.

He could only watch as Sapnap ignored them and rushed forward to Karl's limp body, cradling the treacherous soul in his arms. He couldn't hear the screams of hate and despair coming from the ravenette's lips as the two disappeared off into the calm night.

You thought. I know you did, don't lie, you thought I was going to kill them off. :) 

I'm actually in love with this story. 

Why sad. Happy. -G