Three Fates Entwined | Dream Team

Chapter Nine

Dream didn't know what to think when he spotted the village.

He knew that they'd see his mask and recognize him in an instant, even if his new companion hadn't. It made him wonder what sort of secluded life the guy had lived to not know who the greatest and most feared assassin was.

"Ooh, village," Sapnap said as his eyes fell upon the rooftops below. "We should go there, maybe settle down for the night. I don't think the wild likes me too much right now."

Dream didn't know exactly what to make of that statement, so he chose to ignore it, instead focusing on what he could make of the village. There was a good amount of houses and structures, and it was very big. Patches of farmland surrounded it, and a path led directly towards the castle that he could just barely see in the distance. It was a good village, and if he wanted knights to come to him rather than go to them himself, then it would be an ideal place to wait.

"You're right, we should go," Dream agreed. He fiddled with the straps of his mask. "But, uh, I think I might startle them if I walk in with this mask. You said yourself that it makes me seem like an assassin."

"Psssh, you're not, so what do you have to worry about?"

Sapnap would be suspicious if he said that he didn't want to go, and the only decent excuse he could come up with was that he didn't like crowded areas or people in general. But that wouldn't work. Sapnap would just drag him to a deserted house, and he'd still be seen.

"Hey, uh, what's your name?" Sapnap asked, disrupting his thoughts.

Dream frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your name. You haven't told me yet, and it's kind of uncomfortable at this point."

His name. He couldn't be truthful and tell him that it was Dream, because then he'd be able to suss out who he was. Then again, maybe the man was so oblivious that even his name wouldn't be able to spark a connection.

"My name is Dream."

Sapnap frowned. "'Dream?' What sort of name is that?"

"Excuse me? Says the man named 'Sapnap.'"

"It's a weird name," Sapnap said decidedly. "Dream... that sounds sort of familiar, I don't know why."

"Don't dwell on it for too long," Dream advised. "Memory is a tricky thing. Let's just go to the village."

He tugged off his mask, letting the sun's rays hit his face. No one would recognize him anymore. His blond hair alone wouldn't be able to give away anything. It had been a long time since he had taken off his mask in front of someone, and yet he didn't feel worried or anything around Sapnap. Maybe it was because of how little the man seemed to know about him. He treated him like a normal person, not some sort of assassin that wanted to kill the very same king that Sapnap wanted to serve. It was a nice feeling.

"Woah, dude," Sapnap said, staring at him. "I thought you wore a mask because you were, I dunno, really hideous or something. But you're not. You're actually kind of good-looking."

"Thank you?"

"Why do you wear a mask?"

Dream's brain whirled as it tried to come up with a good explanation. "I'm famous, actually. I hate all the attention I get, though, so I use the mask to hide what I look like. That way, I can take it off when I don't want to be recognized and everything is fine."

Sapnap frowned. "If you're famous, why didn't I recognize you?"

Dream laughed. "That's a good question, actually. I don't know. Maybe you've lived under a rock for most of your life?"

The man blushed and scuffed at the ground with his toe. "I have been focused mostly on training and stuff," he admitted sheepishly.

So that explained it. Another reason why Sapnap was the perfect person for what Dream had in mind.

"On the topic of me being famous," Dream said, grabbing the chance to hide another aspect of his assassin life, "that means that you can't go around shouting my name, okay?"

Sapnap tilted his head to one side. "Yeah, that makes sense. What do you want me to call you, then?"

Dream shrugged. "I don't know. Clay?"

"Clay's fine by me. I just hope that I don't slip and let your identity out."

Dream smiled. The guy was so sincere, it made him feel sorry for deceiving him like that. But he had a task to accomplish, and Sapnap provided him with an opportunity too good to pass up.

He tied his mask to his belt, making sure that it was far back enough that his cloak would cover it completely. His outfit wasn't much of a problem, since most people only knew him by his mask and name.

Sapnap excluded, of course.

"C'mon, let's go," Sapnap said excitedly, eyeing the village below. "I'm hungry."

Dream followed him down the hill and towards the village. Everything was going so smoothly, especially when none of it had been planned. It was as if fate wanted him to succeed.

"Hey, Dream, you're a good fighter, aren't you?"

"Hm?" Dream glanced up at Sapnap in surprise. "Why do you ask that?"

"Well," Sapnap said, rubbing his neck, "you easily overpowered me when I attacked you, and before that you must've taken out all those assassins that had taken me. You're using a long knife, which is hard for someone unaccustomed to its length and power, and the ease with which you hold it suggests that you're either skilled or stupid. I think it's the first."

Dream blinked in surprise. For a man who couldn't even recognize the most feared assassin ever, he was definitely very observant. What a strange combination.

They reached the village. Dream stared at its well-worn path, leading into the center of the town. He had never done anything as risky as going out into the open without his mask, with a person who knew his name right next to him.

All to take out the royal family.

It had better be worth it.