Funky espresso x Madeleine book because yes

Nightmares.

A/N: Joe comin at you hitting ya with the hurt/comfort
Sorry for being dead 4 so long I've been unmotivated
This is VERY angst focused at the start but hey near the end theres comfort so take it >:) - ⚡️

Madeleine woke up in a dark room.
It was pitch black, he couldn't see anything.
But, he could hear something.

A sound of faint laughter.

He looked around, still not seeing where the source of the giggle came from.
He stood up from the ground.
He could tell from the feeling that he was wearing his regular clothes. A white shirt and brown pants.
But, they felt heavier— as if they were weighing him down.
He could tell this was a dream. He hasn't dreamt much, but when he did, it never was a pleasant one.

Another voice, still laughing, could be heard as well.

He quickly turned his head to look for the sound again.
He couldn't find anything.
It was still pitch black.
He couldn't see anything except for himself.

More laughter could be heard in different pitches and voices.

He hated it.
It felt so, mocking. Humiliating.
Were the voices making fun of him?
Had he messed up?

Something pulled him to the ground, making him drop to his knees.
He couldn't move. He felt stuck.
The room got louder with laughter, as if it was getting closer.
He wanted it to stop.
Why was this happening?
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stand up.
He felt tears starting to form.
Crap.
A Knight shouldn't cry.
That's embarrassing.
It shows a sign of weakness.
Stop crying.
Stop it.
But no matter how much he told himself that, it didn't work.

He heard a certain voice stand out.
A familiar tone and pitch, but he couldn't remember the name of the person it resembled.
It was talking to him.
It was shaming him.

"You've brought shame on our family. I do hope you know that, Madeleine. You've ruined your chances."

Hearing the familiar voice degrade him felt even worse.
What had he done?
What had he done to make this person upset?
He can fix it, he knows he can!
Right?
Before he knew it, he was already stuttering out the words "I'm sorry" and "please forgive me" repeatedly.
The voice was terrible.
Awful.
The fact that he knew the person with the voice, but couldn't remember who it belonged to made it worse.
Eventually, the voice stopped.
The dream wasn't over though.

He wiped away his tears, eventually being able to stand up again.
There was a terrible, terrible pain in his legs.

'Relax, Madeleine...this is just a nightmare...you'll be alright..'
He reassured himself that everything was okay.

Until, he saw someone who finally wasn't himself.

It was,

Red Velvet Cookie.
His old childhood friend.
The only person who would listen to him and his constant ramblings of fantasy novels, princesses, knights, dragons, anything he loved.
And Madeleine, in return, would listen to Red Velvet's talk of his pet cake hounds, his struggles as a kid in the forest, and anything else that came to mind.

They were inseparable.
Until..

"Madeleine. Look at me."

He looked down at Red Velvet quickly. His tone felt so cold.

"Why didn't you help me? Why had you not questioned the day when I stopped visiting? Why had you never bothered to check for me? Why did you never..