Through It All ~ Dream Team SMP ✅

->Two<-

The city was a flurry of colour around me. I was awestruck by the intensity of everything, and my eyes struggled to take everything in. I was aware I probably looked stupid, rotating slowly, mouth open, trying to comprehend it all. People pushed past me in their hurry to reach whatever destination they found attainable. I caught snippets of conversation as I passed through the amassing crowd, trying to reach the Inn I'd already booked a room at. I didn't need to walk for long.

The Orion Inn stood musty and dull against the vibrant backdrop. It wasn't what I had expected, but it was what I had. The door creaked as I jammed my weight against it, begging it to budge. It seemed to groan in protest, holding fast against the worn flagstones before finally flying open and flinging me inside.

I had to squint against the lack of light, the only source being a lonely, flickering candle upon the bar. I swallowed thickly, as the wizened barman leered at me through cracked glasses, rotten teeth on show.

"Uh... Hello! My name is Tommy, I booked a room here a few weeks ago..." I trailed off quietly, the emptiness and dankness of the Inn setting me on edge.

"We're not taking visitors right now." The bar man's voice was gruff and barely distinguishable.

"Yes, but I paid, quite a lot of money in advance to stay here... So if I could just have my room key, I'll be on my way." My voice was full of fake cheer, as I tried to hide how nervous I was.

"I said no visitors. Out." He pointed a twisted and swollen finger at the door.

"There has to be a mistake, look I-"

"OUT!"

"Is there anywhere else I might be able to stay-" I started.

"Are you deaf, boy? I said out!" I didn't try and argue this time, simply muttering an apology and walking out the door.

The city seemed less vibrant now, as I trudged up the cobbled street with the flow of the population. I kept my head down and meandered aimlessly, having no idea what to do. At first, I'd searched the shopfronts avidly as I passed, hoping to find another place to stay. No such luck. I'd since given up on the idea, sitting hopelessly on a spruce bench, watching the people go by. What was I to do? I had no place to stay, and I was all alone.

<~ Two Weeks Later ~>

I'd given up. I lost the last of my money yesterday, just go get a loaf of bread. The bread had also gone, as I'd torn through it ravenously, devouring it in minutes. I'd sold all my belongings, save my grandfather's compass. I had nothing. My body was weak with hunger and dehydration, and I lay curled up in a dingy alleyway off the outer streets. Everything ached.

I'd tried to find work but to no avail. No one wanted a fruitlessly positive boy from the Outer. They wanted people with experience. The experience I didn't have. My naivety had been shattered like glass. There was no place for me here. But as I'd tried and tried to make things work, my money had slipped away, until the point where I couldn't afford the carriage back home. I was miles away from my family's farm. Walking wasn't an option.

I was homeless and broke, living on the streets of a bustling city. Every day would bring shouting and fights. It wasn't the pleasant safe place I thought it was. I'd seen revolutionaries paraded through the streets and hung in the Town Square by Lord George for treason. The man I'd seen beaten up by the mob hadn't been brought to the gallows yet. He must have gone away into hiding. A smart move.

I heard the speeches Lord George shouted at the traitors swung, claiming the mysterious King Dream to be a kind and benevolent ruler. If he was as benevolent and forgiving as claimed, would I be living a life of luxury instead of the streets? I'd thought to myself bitterly. The King himself was never at the executions. He rarely made public appearances, and if he did, his face was hidden behind a crude white mask, bearing only a creepily innocent smiley face. You could hear the revolutionaries screaming obscenities as they gathered outside the Palace.