A Prince, Long Forgotten (Discontinued)

Without a Proper Goodbye

A week had passed since their conversation, yet the tension between Tommy and Technoblade still hung thickly in the air. Tommy had recovered from his wounds overnight, but the fever remained as stubborn as the young blonde. Technoblade had no choice but to shove a bundle of medicinal herbs into Tommy's mouth as the teen spat curses and insults at him each morning. Not only did he have to deal with the gremlin child, as Wilbur had affectionately nicknamed the blonde teen, but Techno now had to deal with the crow that seemed to cling to Tommy like a lost puppy. As soon as he would step into the small guest room, the crow would fly into the air and circle Techno's head while cawing in his ears. The first time this happened had been quite a shock to him. He had drawn his sword and swung at the low flying corvid while Tommy roared with laughter. Luckily, the bird was as skilled at avoidance as Techno at combat and was, thankfully, unharmed, except for a few ruffled feathers. Since then, the swooping excitement of the crow had become routine.

And so it was each morning for the past week. Techno would bundle up herbs for Tommy, fix breakfast for the two of them, and bring the plates and bundles up to the room where the gremlin was staying. After forcing the child to swallow the herbs, Techno and Tommy would eat in silence, each waiting for the other to address the elephant in the room. After an hour of awkward silence, Techno would gather the finished plates before hurrying out to tend to his garden, leaving Tommy alone with the crow. The cycle would repeat during lunch and dinner times, but neither brother wanted to address what had occurred that first day. Neither wanted to push against the already strained relationship the brothers shared.

The sun rose over the nearby mountain peak, signifying the eighth day of Tommy's stay. The rays of sunlight slipped between the thick curtains and crept their way to Technoblade's eyes. The man groaned, squinting as the light breached through the deep sleep. Blinking awake, Techno rose, stretching his limbs over his head and allowing satisfying pops to chip away at his desire to continue his slumber. He stumbled to the wardrobe, discarding his nightclothes and slipping into a simple tan tunic and dark brown leggings. Tying his long pink hair into a loose ponytail, Techno made his way to the kitchen, his bare feet barely making a sound against the wooden floors. Techno dunked his hands into the cold water within the cauldron with a yawn, beginning his morning routine. Gathering small handfuls of leaves and herbs, Techno began prepping the bundle for Tommy's fever. He worked meticulously, grinding the herbs into a thick paste as he hummed a simple tune to himself. It was unusual to have such cheery mornings, but Techno didn't question the joyous peace of the morning. Especially since the past few mornings, He'd had to endure Tommy's shouts for breakfast. Techno scraped the paste onto the prepared leaf with a chuckle before tying rolling the bundle tightly, sealing it shut with a bit of thick honey.

Setting down the completed bundle, Techno slipped into the pantry, grabbing two eggs from the basket of those he'd collected the day before. The hens he owned had laid over a dozen eggs yesterday—the two he'd selected hardly made a dent in the small collection. He'd have to find a way to use the eggs before they became rotten. Otherwise, the smell would surely drive him and Tommy insane. Well, more insane than the two seemed to be. Making a mental note of this, Techno returned to the kitchen, retrieving a wooden bowl from the shelf and setting it on the counter. Techno cracked each egg with a sharp tap and allowed the contents to pour into the bowl. Satisfied that there were no shell fragments in the bowl, Techno discarded the eggshells into a jar full of old shells and began scrambling the yolks. He glanced out the window as he worked. The sun was rising just above the treeline, meaning the light would be hitting Tommy, meaning the gremlin child would awaken with demands for food. He threw his head back with a frustrated groan, "So much for peace and quiet...." Holding his fingers up, he began the countdown, "The Gremlin will wake up in five. Four. Three. Two. One," He put down a finger with each number, "Aaaand cue Tommy." Silence followed.

Techno turned his gaze towards the ceiling, confusion flooding his mind. Did I miscalculate? Raising his hand again be repeated the countdown. Silence again permeated the space. Setting down the whisk, he sighed and stomped to the stairs. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Techno shouted towards the room where Tommy had been staying the past few days, "Tommy! You good, man?" Again, silence followed his calls. Rolling his eyes, Techno made his way up the stairs. He grumbled under his breath, rapping his knuckles against the door to Tommy's room. "Yo! Tommy, you alive in there?"

Techno's stomach dropped as again, silence followed. Not even Tommy's crow made a sound. He tried the doorknob, swearing under his breath when he found it locked. "Tommy, open the door!" Anger began bubbling up as he took a step backward. Techno hesitated for ten seconds. Then twenty. He waited nearly a whole minute for Tommy to come to his senses and unlock the door. Techno stretched his arms upon receiving no response, tilting his head at an odd angle, allowing his neck to pop. "Last chance Tommy. Unless you want to owe me a new door!" Hearing no protest, Techno kicked the door with all his might. The lock shattered as the force of Techno's muscular blow caused the door to slam against the wall, surely leaving a hole or a dent at the least within the structure.

Glaring towards the bed, Techno felt all his anger fade away. An empty bed and an abandoned room. The only hint that anyone had been within the room was the wide-open window. Eyes wide, Techno bolted to the window. Sticking his head out, he frantically scanned the area. The azalea bushes below the window were squashed, branches snapped at odd angels, and flower petals scattered across Techno's usually pristine property. Tommy must have dropped from the window and into the bushes below. "That kid is going to be the death of me!" Techno turned away from the window with a huff, pausing as he stomped his way back to the door when something caught his eye. A folded piece of paper sat, pinned against the bedpost with a loose nail. Where Tommy had found said nail was a mystery, one that Techno couldn't be bothered with as he tore the note away from the bedpost. Techno carefully unfolded the parchment, taking in the messy scrawl that belonged to the missing teen.

Techno,

Sorry 'bout ditching you, but I got bored of just laying there all day. I took Morrigan—oh right. You don't know who Morrigan is. Well, I read one of your dumb books and found the name of some woman named Morrigan who had a bunch of crows that followed her around. Since I thought that Morrigan is a totally Poggers name, I called my crow Morrigan. Anyways, I decided to go back home to L'manburg. Wilbur and Tubbo are probably worried about me, even though I'm the biggest man and nothing could ever hurt me. I'm sorry you were so concerned about me because I'm obviously excellent now. I'll tell Wilbur and Tubbo that you're alive. I'm sure they'll want to come to visit you or something. Just don't let Tubbo get too close. He's super clingy!

Hey...I promise to keep in contact. With everything going on with this stupid birthmark or whatever it is. Can we keep whatever happened between us? There is no doubt that I'm not human, and at this point, it's looking pretty likely that I'm a Dreamon. I don't want anyone knowing. Not Wilbur, Eret (You've never met him, but he's pretty POG), not Fundy (you're nephew, I guess), not even Tubbo. If they found out, I'm not sure how they would react. I mean, no one could hate me, right? I'm the greatest thing since the Gods. But, just to be on the safe side, this stays between us. We may not be related by blood, but you'll always be my brother.

From,

Tommy

P.S. Don't think I'm going soft or anything; you're still a bitch boy.

Techno sighed and rolled his eyes. "Tommy... you're such an idiot."

•

Tommy wiped the sweat from his forehead, each step feeling ten times heavier than the last. Morrigan followed closely, swooping between branches, closely monitoring its ward. Tommy's fever escalated with each passing minute, and soon the boy was drenched in sweat. Tommy groaned in frustration as he leaned against a tree, staring blankly at the compass in his hand. The compass was given to him by Eret, who had managed to find a loadstone. He'd brought it back to L'manburg and after creating a compass for each of the founding citizens, placed it beneath the Camarvan. No matter where Tommy was, he could find his way home. As he stared at the shiny surface of the compass, the world seemed to grow faraway as Tommy became aware of a searing pain tearing through his whole body.

Word Count: 1,595