listen to your heart // dnf // DISCONTINUED

seven

Present Day - October 15, 2856:

It has been a few weeks since the dreaded council meeting. King Dream had been meeting with a few members individually since then. Many from George's kingdom, Vindeniht, and a few from his Leohtreve. Being King of both Kingdoms came with a lot of responsibility. Responsibility he had not planned for. He was fine ruling one kingdom, but two? He had once laughed at the thought.

All the responsibilities were weighing him down, shackles of massive responsibilities he dragged behind him everyday. With each hour, they grew heavier. The strength he once had, the strength able to drag this weight every hour of every day, was quickly dwindling down like the embers of a fire doused in water.

Long ago he had no weights. Long ago he was younger, when he was able to fly through life. Even as a prince he had not been responsible for much.

Recently, the weights have been insurmountable. Dream always gave in halfway through the day. The weights had only been increased by the trauma and repercussions of the War they had just won.

He had lost his best friend in the War. Tears formed in his eyes every time he heard or thought of him. So, he made a decree for all those within the Kingdom's castle walls to never speak his name.

Every time a memory slipped past his mind's wards, every time he was reminded of his best friend, he searched for a distraction.

Tonight had been one of those nights. The seventh one in a row, to be specific. It wasn't like he had been counting. For King Dream, each day blurred together with the next. But his friends, his advisors, and his guards kept track.

They followed close behind him, making sure he didn't cause too much of a commotion and made sure he wasn't seen by any outsiders who would gossip and spread word of his foolish actions. They would run up to Dream, swooping an arm underneath, diverting him to another area or would run up to the villagers, turning them away with boring small talk.

Tonight, the guards were on edge more than usual. Likely because King Dream was walking the fine line on the edge of the castle's roof, bottle in hand. One misstep and the King would end up a red, dispersed splat on the cobblestone below.

Dream swayed back and forth, feeling the exhilarating thrill thrum through him, liquor trailing down his hands and chin.

Sapnap approached him as he would a wild wolf, hesitantly making small increments of advancements. A few feet away from the roof's edge and Dream, he sat down, laid back and tilted his head towards the sky.

His voice broke the silence of the night, "Dream, come lay with me."

Dream whirled around, causing the guards to tense in anticipation, but he held his arms out, catching his balance, "And why would I do that?"

"Because you love the stars," Nick replied, patting the rooftop below him.

"I may love the stars, but I hate you more," his words slurring and fading as he took a swig from the bottle.

Sapnap furrowed his brow, "We both know that's not true. Now get your royal ass over here."

Dream groaned, but complied. He jumped down, his legs barely able to withstand the action. He laid down beside Sapnap, sighing as he looked up at the white twinkling lights.

There were long minutes of silence before the two heard a rustling sound in the distance. They both exchanged a curious look. They were both on the roof of the castle, there were no bushes or trees near them... so what had made the noise?

The guards tensed around them as well, their heads swiveling in all directions, surveying the area.

The rustling noise sounded again, this time much louder.