Eternity with You

Chapter 12

Dream and Sapnap stayed up nearly the entire night to plan out the kingdom and brought their plans to the people the next morning. Over the course of the week, the people worked together to design homes and buildings that they would need to survive. Once the plan was finalized, Dream started designating the workload between his people and dividing them into teams.

He then took them to the area where they planned to situate the castle and began clearing out the trees and the shrubs so they could have a nice flat foundation. Suddenly a light wind blew through the area and Dream whirled around to find George standing right behind him.

"Ah, George it has been a while."

"Indeed, it has..." George commented before an uneasy look crossed his face as he surveyed the area.

"Is something wrong?" Dream asked.

"Not exactly... It just feels odd."

"What does?"

"Having tiny portions of my power leave me..."

Dream's eyes blew wide, "But why? What is causing it?"

"Well..." George spoke out awkwardly before motioning around to the people clearing the forest. "I told you, My King, that this forest and I are one."

When the realization hit Dream, he felt his heart sink to his stomach. How could he forget such an important thing?

"Men, Halt!" he suddenly ordered, effectively stopping the workers.

Turning to George he bowed his head low to ask forgiveness, "I'm so sorry George, I didn't realize that this would affect you."

"No please do not apologize. I was well prepared for it when I showed you guys around. Do not let such a minor inconvenience stop you." George said desperately shaking his head.

"This is nothing minor George."

"It is, I promise you it is. If I had to compare it to a sensation that you would understand then it feels like getting your hair cut. I can deal with you clearing a few patches of land. I assure you that it would not greatly affect my being in any way."

The entire thing still left a bitter taste in Dream's mouth, but he also knew that he needed to think about his people. They wouldn't survive the winter staying in tents.

"Are you sure? We will need quite a lot of space and wood to build..." Dream said.

"I'll be fine, so long as a portion of the forest lives on so will I," George responded.

With a tense jaw, Dream turned back to his men and asked them to continue with their task. Then without looking at George, he spoke. "George, would you like to go for a walk with me?"

The guardian was caught by surprise by the king's request and had to take a moment to regain the ability to move his tongue. "It would be an honor, My Lord."

Dream then led him away from the construction site, where they ventured into the part of the valley that had remained untouched by the new settlers. The blonde led him deeper and deeper into the words till George could no longer hear the sounds of construction. But he knew that they hadn't stopped working for he could still feel droplets of his power falling away and evaporating into nothing.

It was a scary feeling to be blunt. The feeling of being vulnerable and weakened did bother him greatly, but yet somewhere in his heart laid the assurance that Dream would never let it go too far. Knowing that the blonde noble was concerned for his well-being put his fears that he was making a mistake by letting these people stay in the valley to rest.

Besides, he couldn't protect it forever. As strong as he is, it would take a single torch to set off a forest fire that could render him powerless. They then came upon a bubbling brook and the blonde sat beside it.