It Was Enchanting To Meet You. || DNF

75. The return.

George's head cowered as they approached the palace, a place that he had grown unfamiliar with within the past eleven months.

If there was one 'good' thing that came out of all of this was that he was no longer being dragged by Wilbur, but rather shoved along by two bulky knights that he had never seen before. If he wasn't in the given situation currently, he would've found the will in him to smile, considering that even though it's been only a few months, Wilbur managed to grow, mentally and physically, and that was something that George was incapable of doing ever since the death of his family.

George's face was blank as he listened to the gates of the castle opening, and immediately he wanted to sink into the earth, because, even though this was something he should've expected, the crowds of people that awaited his arrival made him feel sick to his stomach, especially because he wasn't being brought back on the best terms.

Surrounding them were knights of years and slaves for only a couple of days, but even then, they still gathered around the outside of the palace for his return.

George's head drooped down lower to his chest, guilt and panic welling up in his stomach as tears pricked at the corner of his eyes. However, George wasn't crying for himself, not once has he ever done that, but instead, he let the hunters aggressively lead him to God knows where, crying for the boy he loved oh, so much. Where was he? Was he okay? Have they hurt him? Seemed to be the only questions racing through the brit's rampaged mind. If anything, he should hate Dream because if it weren't for him, none of them would be where they are right now.

But no matter what happened, George knew that he couldn't. He was utterly and completely in love with the criminal, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop that.

George's thoughts were abruptly cut off when a loud 'bang' was heard, signaling that the large, golden doors of the castle had closed shut. In some sense, the brunette sighed quietly as relief washed him away; knowing that everyone was locked away behind the large pieces of metal. However, not all good things last forever. That was something that the brit knew all too well. The boy felt a lump grow in his throat as he was led to the Main Room, King Philza waiting for him just on the other side.

He sucked in a large breath as the guards pushed the doors open, a stream of sunlight blooming over his face which caused him to squint his eyes. When he finally adjusted to the newfound brightness, his gaze roamed the place he hadn't seen in a while, seeing that nothing much had changed. Only that the King had even more maids working for him now.

Still a dick, huh? George thought, a tinge of humor laced within it.

"George," the King's voice boomed, and George felt the need to curl up into a ball and hide away from the man that stood before him, but he knew that this moment would've arrived one way or another, so, gulping thickly, he managed to mask his fear and anxiety, saying in a shaky voice, "Your Highness." Philza studied him for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as his eyebrows drew towards one another. "What have you been doing all this time?" the older asked, stepping down the few steps that led up to his golden throne. The brunette didn't know how to answer, his eyes darting around the area as he looked everywhere but at the King's piercing, blue eyes.

"I've been..busy trying to catch Dream, sir. We ran into some problems along the way which delayed the chase, and then Wilbur and the others found us," George spat, lying between his teeth, and he knew that the king could see that. But it didn't hurt to try, did it? The brit's theory was unfortunately confirmed when Philza scoffed, letting out a cold-hearted laugh. "Oh, really now?" he said, "because that's not what I've heard." The words went through one ear and came out the other for George.

The younger boy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, a white pit growing around a black hole that seemed to try to overpower it. Shit, this is bad, thought George, how did they already manage to tell the king what happened?  No matter what conclusion the hunter came to, he immediately discarded it somewhere far in the back of his mind. If the brit thought about it logically, the Royale Community was connected through many things and people, so George was surprised to find himself in disbelief when he discovered that Philza was already aware of the fact.

"You know," Philza began, now approaching the other. "When I heard what had happened, I was in shock. My George? I thought. At first, I couldn't believe it. I mean, come on, now, you've always had such high expectations for yourself, boy," he taunted, now standing directly in front of the drained knight. "How could you have let that happen?"

When no response came from the boy, King Philza shrugged the question off. "Okay, answer me this, then," he demanded, circling the boy as a predator would do to its prey. "What is Dream to you?" he asked, his voice laced with accusation. George stilled, caught off guard. Because, quite frankly, he thought that it would be the last thing the king would ask him. Not wanting to give himself away, he played his last few cards to the best of his ability. "He's..a friend, I guess," the brunette mumbled under his breath. "We sort of bonded while I was bringing him back here." George knew all he was telling was tales, but if it delayed anything bad that was to come to him or the blonde, it would all be worth it.

"Okay," Philza responded after a few seconds of silence, his voice still sounding suspicious. "But," he began, and here, George held his breath. "you do know that makes you a liability, right? His alliance." The knight opened his mouth to fire back, but when no words came, he closed it helplessly, because that's what he was, after all, and matter-of-factly more than that.

The taller narrowed his eyes in the other's direction, a knowing look crossing his features. His expression was not filled with disgust or such, but if George concentrated hard enough, he could see a small tinge of..disappointment? Honestly, though the younger had not noticed it, he wouldn't expect anything less from King Philza. After all, he had just blatantly admitted to going against and betraying the Royale Community. Betraying the oath that he took to the king. Betraying himself. Betraying his family.

"Very well then," the blonde said. "Guards, lock him up," he commanded in a much more cruel voice that was used while talking to his hunter as he made his way back to his throne. "W-wait," George spluttered weakly, being once again dragged away.

He was led to the basement of the castle. It was something of a try-hard replica of the Royale Dungeon, except it was quite smaller, dark, and seemed to be more deserted and lonely. The brunette fought back as much as he could as he was thrown into a dirty cell with no regard for his feelings. The boy's fingers curled around the black, vertical lines that made up the human cage, shaking frantically as tears reluctantly streamed down his pale, tired face. "Please," he whispered, feeling vulnerable.

However, just like they were trained to be, with poker faces, the guards put a lock on the door, securing it to make sure that he wouldn't get out, and began to walk away as if though this was a common thing that happened nowadays despite that there was no one else in the other cells.

"Wait! Please let me out!" George cried, but unsurprisingly, the guards ignored him, leaving the room. George inhaled sharply, choking on his sobs as he took a step back, sliding down the wall which was covered in specks of dried blood that belonged to past prisoners who were executed for their crimes.

The brit did nothing but sit there and cry, hoping that Dream didn't have to go through the same treatment that he had received, or worse.

~

hi everyone!!  thank you all sm for 2.7k reads like wtf, that's AMAZING!!