Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there were two princes.
They were twins; born from the same mother on the same eve, raised by the same parents in the same palace, wore the same clothes, taught by the same tutors, and learned the same lessons, skills and etiquette.
They were both of the same appearance. Their hair was the same shade of blond and their eyes the same viridian green, but their smiles weren't as equally bright. Their skin weren't as equally tanned. One was cold-hearted, the other warmer. One was perfect, the other not.
Both princes were loved by their people, but upon the passing of the King and Queen, questions arose of who was to take the throne. The answer was obvious. Who better to lead them than the most clever, flawless, and loved prince? And so the decision was made.
Things were not so simple, however, for the other prince disagreed. He grew resentful when he wasn't considered as perfect a fit for the throne as his brother was. He was just as accomplished as his brother, so why should he be overlooked?
Driven by his anger and jealousy, the young prince raised his sword and challenged his brother to a battle for the throne.
He lost.
But, even as he was at the edge of his brother's sword, even though he had committed treason for challenging the future king, his brother (as he was one so just and merciful) spared him. He was allowed to keep his life, but at the cost of his nobility and to never set foot in the palace again.
And so the prince was stripped of his noble title and exiled. The unrest within the castle was settled, and the chosen prince was crowned king and proceeded to have the most successful reign in Esempi's history.
…or did he? For his story is far from over and neither is his brother's, for when the sun rises, the stars remain in wait for the dark. Though the day comes, the night still persists.
The moon will rise again.
It's hot out. That's the first thing Dream noticed when he departed from the castle.
The second is that Solaris didn't come with them to ensure Dream was taken as far as he had ordered. The third is that the guards kept looking at him sort of funnily. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that it was because he had just challenged the future king—ugh—to a fight to the death. He did know better though, and knew that it was because Solaris had ordered them to kill him the moment they were far away from prying eyes.
Dream was no stranger to his brother's ways. He knew the same ones after all. He was grown behind the same walls to be just as calculating and cunning. Turns out, their skills weren't as equal as he had thought.
"This is far enough," George calls out, loud and commanding. The procession skids to a halt, horses chuffing and hooves scuffing the dirt. Suits of armour rattle, and the knights appear hesitant as they look upon their superior (Not Dream. Not anymore.) for further orders.
George is quiet for a moment, his expression empty and unreadable, but Dream knows him well enough by now that he knows so many thoughts are running through his head. Dream wonders, not for the first time, what they could be. It used to be a game they would play. Maybe they could play it for one final time.
"I spy with my little eye," Dream's tone is playful despite his current situation, but George remains undeterred. "...Hmm, are you thinking about dinner? Looking forward to those scones again?"
Dream jumps in his saddle when George abruptly twists around on his horse to look at him. There is just the slightest bit of expression in his face—his eyebrows are a bit tilted, his lips pursed into a thin line—but Dream can tell he's mad.
"Leave," George barks out, to the knights' surprise. "Follow the road back for about a mile and wait for me."
"But sir—" one of the knights began to protest.
"Did I stutter?" George's voice is steady but firm. Dream rarely hears him so angry.
The knights look at each other questioningly, but they obey without any further retorts. They turn their horses around and before long they're gone from sight.
"Wanted some quality time, huh?"
George glares at him and Dream goes quiet, his sweat turning cold.
"Do you realise what you've just done?" George demands, his hands clenching his steed's reins. "You challenged your own brother, the future king . Just how exactly were you expecting that to turn out?"
Dream scoffs and looks away from George's eyes. "You know that I have just as much of a right to the throne as he does, if not more—"
"That's not the point here, Dream!" George snaps, and Dream once again flinches. Even the horses paw at the dirt, unsettled. "You've just committed treason . You're supposed to be dead—I'm supposed to kill you. "
"You think I don't know that?!" Dream shouts back, throwing his arms out in a fit of frustration. "You think I didn't know what I was putting on the line? I had everything to lose and I—I did lose them."
He shuts his eyes tight and forces the tears away. Tries not to think about how he's never going to see the garden, the library, the town, the places they used to play in—He tries not to think about his home, and how he will never be back there again. How he won't even be allowed a noble death on the battlefield or even at the hands of his brother—just that he will suffer a quiet death that no one will ever know about at the hands of his best friend. At his brother's orders.
"I knew, alright? But I couldn't stand it anymore," Dream grits out, his fists clenching so hard they shake. "I couldn't stand being in the shadow of perfect—perfect Solaris. Perfect " King " Solaris, and listening to everyone sing praises and grovel and kiss up to him and only ever him. Never me. I was sick of it not being for me. I was sick of being the spare . I wanted to prove that I'm just as worthy as he is."
George continues to glare at him, but Dream thinks he sees his lip quivering ever-so-slightly and his eyes get shiny, but it's gone as soon as it was there.
"And look where it got you," he whispers.
He demands for Dream to get off his horse. He does so, slides right out of the saddle and then waits for George to do the same. He doesn't make any move to do so. George only stares, his expression thoughtful.
"What are you thinking about now?" Dream growls. "Just get it over with already! I've already said everything that I wanted to say, I answered your questions, what are you waiting for?"
"Nothing," George says, his voice empty and toneless once again. "What are you waiting for?"
Dream stares at him. Stares at his horse. Stares at the road stretching out ahead of them into the light of the setting sun. He then moves quickly, fumbles with the straps of his bags until he manages to detach them from his horse's saddle, and straps them instead over his waist and shoulders.
"Um, see you around?"
George is facing away from him, but he scowls anyway. "I hope not."
George ties Dream's horse to his, and then spurs them back down the path they came. Dream doesn't watch them go the entire way. He knows that he's been given a rare chance, one that he isn't supposed to have, and he is an idiot but he quite cherishes his life, so he takes it and walks the other direction.
When the sun sets and the night blankets the world, Prince Dream is no more.
The longer Dream walked, the more and more he became aware that on this path alone he has walked more than he has ever walked in his life.
Don't get this wrong, he was very physically fit, he and Solaris never missed out on exercising their bodies as well as their brains, (a good ruler wouldn't rule long without good health) but generally, to get from place to place, they only ever did it on horseback or by carriage. So, no, walking long distances was something he was not used to.
He would have to get used to it fast though, because according to his map, he was still a long way away from the closest village. While he knew it was likely that Solaris would have ordered for his death once he was taken away from the castle, Dream still packed his bags with all the supplies needed for him to survive on his own out here: food, clothes, a bedroll, a tent… It was always good to be prepared, but those things would only last him for a short time. He would like the security of being around people first so that he can resupply before figuring out what to do next.
Dream was still going to fight for his place on the throne, that was a given. Solaris knew him as well as Dream knew Solaris, so ordering him killed was a good move even though he didn't kill him himself. While Dream challenging his brother to a fight to the death was a crime, Solaris killing him would have been an even bigger slight, and not just with the nobles, but with the gods. Losing favor with the gods and the nobles is disastrous for a king's reign.
That's something that Dream is going to have to keep in mind going forward.
For now, he sets up a shoddy campsite. Dusk had arrived sometime ago and the sky had turned into an inky black canvas dotted with stars. It was a beautiful sight, but Dream can't see a foot in front of him, so he sets up a campfire to ward off the chill as he has his scant dinner.
That night, former prince Dream sleeps under a roof of stars. It would be a shame to block out such a gorgeous sight with his tent, especially one ever-changing and only visible in the night. Besides, he needs it to calm his mind of any intrusive thoughts.
The sun isn't as bright in the morning as it was the previous day, so Dream's journey becomes less hot and stuffy and more cool and relaxing. It's less so when it starts to drizzle (though the prickles of chilly droplets feel nice on his skin) and then rain, and Dream has to make a squelchy, soaking-wet walk through the rainfall.
The downpour eases back to a drizzle as he crosses into a sparse forest, but Dream is still soaked through, cold, and uncomfortable. He really misses carriage-rides right about now, and the warm rays of sunshine hidden behind the clouds.
The sky remains dark, however. Maybe even darker than before, and Dream curses his misfortune. Maybe the gods are mad at him after all.
Definitely. They're definitely mad at him, because Dream hears bells, and then snapping branches and scraping talons against tree bark. He sees a flutter of wings and falling feathers before a pair of grey-blue eyes peer at him from between the trees.
Dream swallows. In the dark of the woods and clouds, his eyes can barely make out an outline of wings and feathers on the hunched body of a person.
He knows about avians. Everybody knows about avians. They're cunning but vicious creatures, as well as powerful, magical, and, most importantly, territorial .
Please, Dream prays in his heart. O Prime, do not let me have wandered right into an avian's territory.
He would have to play things smarter here. It's likely that he has. Avians don't lurk very far from their claimed land, so maybe he can offer it something for passage. Bargain his way out. Avians take deals, he knows. There are plenty of stories about them helping the stray warrior or traveller for a proper price. Maybe he can add a prince to the mix.
Absently, he thumbs the smiling moon pendant around his neck. He doesn't need it anymore. It wouldn't hurt to give it away, would it?
"Hello," Dream greets. His voice is steady but his clenched hands are shaking. "Do you talk?"
The avian narrows its eyes at him as its head twitches in a manner that couldn't be more birdlike.
"Of course I do," it scoffs. "Why wouldn't I?" It tilts its head from side-to-side, as if assessing him and all the folds of the clothes on his back. "What's a fellow like you doing this far out?"
"What do you mean?"
The avian bares its fangs in a menacing smile, and its talons curve around the bark of the tree and break through it as it leans forward as if to get a better look at him.
"Don't try to play dumb with me," it says in that haughty inflection it has. "It's pretty obvious, innit? Your clothes, your bags… You're from the capital. Noble-blooded. Maybe even royal. "
Dream stiffens. He quickly tries to relax, but it doesn't seem like it escaped the keen eye of the avian above him. It pulls itself forward with its talons, and latches to the side of the ruined tree to continue scrutinizing him with newfound interest. There's a jingle of bells with every movement it makes.
"I'm right, aren't I?" the creature says gleefully. "You must be the disgraced prince, then. The one who tried to kill his brother."
The creature laughs like it's just heard the funniest thing in the world. It's an awful sound, more like heaving than laughing, as if it's trying to dislodge something from its throat.
"I–I didn't try to kill him. He tried to kill me! " Dream insists, feeling the familiar rise of anger within him. "He decreed that I was exiled, but he had actually ordered the knights to kill me in secret!"
The avian's laugh peters off, bells jingling as it wipes a tear from its eye with a talon.
"You humans are rich ," he wheezes. "You're such dicks, you can't even not kill your own brothers for five minutes!"
Dream rolls his eyes and crosses his arms frustratedly.
"Thanks. I'm glad that you find the tragic story of my life so funny."
The creature grins again, but more lazily this time, as if it was simply conversing with an old friend.
"But it is ," the avian sing-songs. "You humans are so caught up—so–so–so… obsessed? So obsessed with power, that you're willing to sacrifice your own blood—your own family —for it. It's hilarious !"
Dream grits his teeth and clenches his fists—out of rage, this time—but manages to reel himself in from picking a fight with an avian.
"Not that this hasn't been a "nice" chat or anything," Dream says, his voice strained. "But I want to make a deal for passage through your territory, if you would so please ."
Suddenly, the smile falls from the avian's face, and it looks more confused than amused now.
"My territory?" It's eyes light up in sudden realisation and it laughs again, though milder this time. "Ohhh, you think this is—Nah, I don't live here! I live far, faaaaar away up at the Slumbering Peak with my flock."
Dream blinks, and a wave of relief relaxes his shoulders. The gods don't hate him after all.
The question still remains, though—Dream's pretty good with his geography and if he remembers correctly, the Slumbering Peak is far from where they are now, so—what is this avian doing so far away from its actual territory?
"Why are you here, then, if you don't live here?" Dream asks aloud.
"Me? What, can't a guy just go out for a nice flight in a gorgeous storm?" the avian cackles, but the light-heartedness of its demeanor shifts suddenly as its expression darkens. "I'm here on… business, actually."
The avian's pupils thin to slits and it makes a rapid clicking noise as its feathers rise and ruffle in agitation, but it's not directed at Dream. Its gaze is fixed ahead of them, towards something somewhere in the distance that's not even within range of sight. Distantly, the sky rumbles with thunder.
"Can't ask for shit around here," the avian hisses. It seems to calm down a bit, though, as its feathers settle down and its pupils go round again. It looks at Dream with barely-hidden anger that he's glad he's not at the receiving end of. "You want passage? Pass through here all you want, but I wouldn't if I were you."
The creature lightly beats its great wings to launch itself forward and latch onto a different tree in front of the other one. Before it could go further, though, Dream stops it.
"Why not? What "business" are you here for?" If he had to guess, he would say that someone had done something to anger it, and he would like to know what so he can avoid doing it himself.
"Oh, you know, blah blah blah, Beware the Wrath of the Storm, blah blah blah, retribution, that kind of stuff," The creature looks back at him and grins cruelly. Even without it hunched over, its wings ruffled and talons dug into the side of a tree like it is, it's a bone-chilling sight. "Making sure some people learn their lesson, is all. So if you were thinking of heading to that village up ahead, you better re think."
The avian pulls itself onto a branch and perches on it with its taloned feet. In a single, steady motion, it spreads its wings to their full length, likely twice as long as it is tall, letting its feathers catch and dance in the wind. Dream has to admit that it's a majestic sight.
It looks down at him. They meet eyes and Dream goes breathless for a moment. What he sees in the avian's eyes aren't like anything he's ever seen before. It was like there was a living storm inside of them, dark and roiling and restless. It was as if there was a barely-contained rage within them that was about to burst out at any second and consume anything and everything in its path.
"If you value your life, you better steer clear and find some shelter," it shouts over the roaring wind that Dream hadn't even realised had picked up. "So long, your highness!"
The creature beats its wings, and a great gust of wind blows through the trees and almost knocks Dream off his feet. There's a loud groan as a tree gets uprooted and crashes into splinters in front of him. Dream's vision is so blurred by rainwater that he almost doesn't see the great creature take flight and disappear over the trees with a jingle of bells.