Three Fates Entwined | Dream Team

Chapter Fifteen

Dream's hands were shaking slightly as he returned to his room. It was the first time in a long while that he was feeling so out-of-control while completing a task, and the fact made him uneasy.

He tossed his sheathed sword onto the table and sat down on the ground. Calm down, he told himself. What are you so worked up about anyway? It's just another task. Calm down.

Does he know?

The thought rang out loud above all the others. The way that the prince, George, had been looking at him, made him feel certain that he at least suspected something.

His fingers twitched. Dream clenched his hands into fists, digging his nails into his skin, trying to use the pain to calm down. He took a deep breath and then exhaled, closing his eyes.

Focus on the task. Nothing else matters.

You can have a week to prepare. A week to gain the trust of the king and the prince, and then kill them. Trust is essential to have before you break it.

But what if I can't force myself to break it?

Stop, you're going soft. You can't afford that. Especially not now.

Inhale, exhale.

Dream opened his eyes again and looked around his room. He felt a lot calmer, as if he'd gained the upper hand again. He was used to being in difficult situations with enemies around him at all times. He was used to fooling everybody.

A knock sounded at his door. Dream leaned back against the side of his bed and tilted his head to one side. Who could be wanting to talk to me right now?

"What do you want?" he called.

"Just to chat," Sapnap's voice said from outside of his room.

Dream hesitated, then said, "Alright, the door's unlocked."

Sapnap pushed into his room, closing the door gently behind him. Dream watched cautiously as he made his way over to him and sat down next to him. He was sure that Sapnap suspected that something was off about him as well.

He needed to step up his game.

"Dream, you know I've basically been living under a rock for my whole life, right?" Sapnap began.

"That's an understatement," snorted Dream.

"I want to know more about you."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "And why is that?"

Sapnap shrugged. "I mean, you've told me that you're, like, super famous, right? I'm just over here feeling curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Sapnap."

"I'm not a cat, now am I, Dream?"

Dream's eyes met Sapnap's cool grey ones. Something overcame him, and all his uncertainties from before dissolved away. He smiled. "You're right, you're not. Okay, fire away."

Sapnap seemed taken back for a second, but then he returned his smile. "So, your name is Dream, right? That's kind of a weird name, if I'm being honest."

Dream just shrugged. "It's unique, I suppose. Personally, I like it."

"Okay, okay, next question. Why are you famous, exactly?"

"I'm a jack-of-all-traits," Dream replied coolly, not missing a beat. "Kind of good looking, skilled with weapons, a decent fighter. All the things were in my favor."

Sapnap looked skeptical. He looked Dream up and down, then said, "Yeah, I'll admit to all those things, but I don't see how that's enough to make you famous. And besides, didn't you say that you always wore a mask?"

Dream bit back a curse. He'd slipped. "Yeah, but before I became widely famous I didn't. That's what kick-started it all."

"Oh. Neat. Is that it?"

"That's it."

He smiled and stretched. Other than that slight stumble, everything had went pretty smoothly in his opinion. Good looks were definitely enough to get someone famous, which meant that it was a pretty reasonable explanation.

Sapnap stood up. He was quiet for a minute, then said, "Is it tough? You know, being famous?"

Dream's smile faded. "Yes," he said honestly. "Everywhere you go, people recognize you. You don't have any privacy. When people talk to you, you have to make sure that they're not trying to get something out of it before you ease up, and that takes forever."

"Trust is a tricky thing, isn't it?" Sapnap mused, giving him an odd look.

"Right," Dream agreed, careful to wipe his face clean of any emotion. "It is."

***

Dream headed towards the archery range. It was a small field with a few simple targets set up at the end, positioned at different distances to hopefully provide a challenge.

He looked over the bows carefully, eventually picking the very first one he had seen. He would've preferred to carve his own bow, but he didn't have the time or the luxury of doing that.

Stringing the bow was an easy matter. Dream slung a quiver of arrows over his shoulder, crossing over the strap with his knife, and made his way over to the targets. He planted his feet in the grass, nocked an arrow, and closed one eye for careful aim.

It had been a long time since he had last held a bow in his hands, but he was confident that he retained at least some of his skills. Having a crossbow would've been better, but a bow still worked all the same.

Dream let go of the end of the arrow. It whizzed through the air and sank into the target he had been aiming for, a ring off of center.

He frowned. Maybe he wasn't as good as he thought.

"That's some skill right there," a voice said cheerfully.

Dream glanced over his shoulder. Filens strolled towards him, his hands clasped behind his back. "What do you mean? I missed the center."

"But you hit the target, didn't you?" Filens chuckled. "Half our men can't even accomplish that right now."

"I'd be better with a crossbow."

Filens shook his head. "Unfortunately, we don't have any that I know of. I suppose the king could get a craftsman to make one for you, but it'll take some convincing for just one man."

Dream pulled out another arrow and nocked it. "It's fine. I'll be fine."

The arrow flew towards the target, hitting directly in the center. Dream allowed himself a small smile. He lowered his bow and gazed up the stone walls of the castle, until his eyes fell upon the window of his room.

Now, the only problem would be finding the room of the prince.