My Dreamland // DNF

Ch. 8- Adventure Man

"Yeah, everything's gonna be perfectly fine." Karl tried to convince himself, as he walked down the paths of the wooded trails, closer and closer to his impending doom.

George made thorough attempts to try to reassure Karl that he'd be in and out in no time, and he was just really there to get a hint of what Logstedshire was planning.

Karl thought back to the strained look on George's face when he mentioned Dream, and the confusion in his own mind that followed when George said he couldn't be trusted.

"I guess I thought they were closer.." Karl's mind wandered off into trying to decipher George's words.

Maybe the king was just taking precautions, after all, the duo seemed to hit it off from the start, regardless of where their loyalties laid. Or maybe something did happen, that caused reality to hit.

"We are in two different worlds aren't we?.. but that didn't seem to matter earlier-"

Suddenly Karl's mind raced back to when he last saw Dream, the blonde man had been staring at George, and Karl himself noticed the undeniable look in his eyes. As he continued down the forest, he tried to decide exactly what that look was, perhaps admiration? Bliss? Maybe even devotion? Karl continued this debate in his own mind, even though deep down he knew exactly what that look was.

The depth in Dream's eyes alone told the whole story. But he also knew nothing could ever be, it seemed the odds were against them. The vague thought of that alone made Karl sadden, as he had finally seen George, his good friend, happy again, that pure joy that sparkled in his eyes had been gone quite a long time. And although he knew Dream had something to do with its return, he didn't want to dwell on the hope it would stay, as he knew all too well how bumpy that path can be.

As if on cue, Karl tripped over a tree trunk root and quickly threw out his hands to break his fall. He composed himself, standing up with a jump and brushing the dust off his knees.

"And now I'm just talking to myself, how grand." Karl rolled his eyes and with a huff turned to continue his mission. However his dramatic exit was cut short as a loud ribit halted the spring in his step. He whipped his head back, tousling his curly brown hair in the wind. As he lowered his gaze, his eyes noticed a shiny green frog on a nearby rock.

The frog seemed to give him a reassuring croak, which surprisingly softened the load on Karl's shoulders.

"You too buddy." Karl said with a rising grin. The frog gave its acknowledgement, and continued on its way.

The small exchange really did seem to calm Karl, as he turned back around with newfound confidence and marched through the forest.

"If a frog can be so at peace in the midst of chaos, so can I."

Karl felt himself getting closer and closer to the dark castle, and the sounds of noisy passerbys growing imminently. The stress began to build once again, until he was suddenly face to face with the kingdoms border. He remembered how he'd never really ever left Kinoko Kingdom, and the fear combined with excitement and adrenaline grew until a second later, he found himself marching to the town with vigor in his step.

He first came across a crowded marketplace. There were countless people rushing and shopping about, with just as many knights patrolling the area.

Karl lifted the hood of his cloak over his head at the sight of them. As he tried to navigate the area, he began to bump into more and more civilians, apologizing frequently, all while trying to keep on track.

He only realized then that George hadn't really given him a game plan, or where and who he was exactly supposed to go to, in reality George had basically just shooed him off. Karl didn't usually get angry often, but that thought made him enraged.