You've Got To Be Kitten Me - Prinxiety + OC [COMPLETED]

Chapter Fifteen

Roman hurried to his palace, gathering the things he would need on his journey to Namor's side of the Imagination. A horse could take him to the border, but no further. When a creature from the Dream Kingdom crosses the border, it experiences panic attacks and mental manipulation that can make them go insane and make them paranoid until they become nightmares themselves. When a creature from the Nightmare Kingdom crosses the border, they slowly start to forget who they are and eventually stop existing all together.

It wasn't a common occurrence, as most dreams were scared of the Nightmare Kingdom, and most nightmares were disgusted by the Dream Kingdom. Although, this wasn't the case for every being on both sides. Some nightmares were just curious and thought it looked like fun, while dreams thought it would be an adventure to cross the border. There were even some cases of Romeo and Juliet where a dream and nightmare would fall in love from meeting each other at the border, but those all ended in heartbreak. They either had to stop seeing each other, or one of them lost their life trying to be with the other on the wrong side. Dreams who tried to cross to be with loved ones stopped being themselves, putting themselves through horrible trauma that ended with them becoming irreversibly a nightmare. It was worse for nightmares who crossed to the Dream Kingdom, as they disappeared all together.

The prince had seen it happen to a young, black horse from the Nightmare Kingdom who'd accidentally crossed the border. It had wandered too far from home for him to get it to safety in time, so he'd stayed with it and consoled it until it had disappeared. He'd cried a little after it was gone, feeling heavy from the sight.

It was then that he started enforcing the border policy, to prevent any more loss of innocent life on either side. While he and Namor could cross, it was strictly forbidden for citizens on either side to cross. The princes would feel minuscule side affects if they stayed too long, like paranoia or forgetfulness, but they were never permanently harmed like the dreams and nightmares. Roman didn't consider the creatures from the Nightmare Kingdom to be any less alive than his own citizens; he acknowledged that they weren't created as dreams or nightmares by choice, and that just because one came from the "evil" side it didn't make the creature itself evil. Anxiety had helped him learn that.

He felt a tug at his chest upon thinking about him. The creative Side missed him and wondered if he was safe. "If Namor has laid a hand on him, I'll cut it off," he muttered to himself as he finished packing his satchel.

Before leaving, he turned to the crystal ball he kept in his room. It was the Imagination after all. He could use it to see different futures in situations like this, the first one it showed him being the one that usually comes to fruition. Roman took a deep breath as he placed his hand on it and closed his eyes

Virgil flashed before him. He was on the ground, crying and leaning over someone, then that image was gone. There was a glowing purple jar, then it was shattered, then it was gone as well. He saw Virgil again; this time the anxious Side was looking at him fearfully and backing away. Then there was a laugh, low and deep and all he could see was the silhouette of a person.

Roman stumbles back, gasping as he pulled his hand away from crystal ball. "Virgil," he murmured, feeling his chest constrict with even more worry. He figured the figure laughing was Namor, that it was himself he saw the anxious Side crying over, but he had no idea what the jar was or what it meant. Whatever it was, the prince had to stop all this from happening. He needed to save him. Looking up determinedly, Roman grabbed his satchel and walked toward the stables with purpose. "I'm coming, Virgil. I'll save you, I promise."