My Dreamland // DNF

Ch. 9- Rising Flames

The rising sun began its journey up the sky once again, but this time Dream wasn't there to meet it at his balcony.

He walked across the now familiar cobblestone paths, the soft breeze swaying through his hair as the branches of nearby trees followed the motion. Dream looked at the sunrise and paused for a moment, taking in the crisp morning air.

He sighed a deep breath as he looked upon the beautiful horizon, then turned to continue his trail. Although he walked swiftly through the forest, the heavy burden on his mind made each step tiresome.

He could feel himself getting knocked down again and again as a war raged on in his own head. It seemed as if everything had turned upside down, and he was left to figure out which one was right-side up. He couldn't understand why he had never questioned his Majesty Halo's motives until now, as the more he ventured in the more he wanted to escape.

Maybe he had just been living in darkness, simply unaware of the light.

That had to be it, Dream decided to himself. But the thought wasn't as reassuring as he hoped it would be, as he still had that absolute feeling of pure dread deep in his heart. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Dream knew something was going to change, and nothing would be the same, but the more he thought about it, he realized perhaps that wasn't a bad thing.

Dream thoughts then switched to the very reason everything had changed in the first place, or rather the person that had changed it, and a smile rose to his face. However the short feeling of comfort quickly diminished as he recalled the last time he spoke to George. Dream didn't know why the news of George's engagement had struck something inside him, after all he wanted to be happy for him.

"Well I don't want him to marry anyone just to save his country, I-" Dream said to himself, his thoughts beginning to entangle like a web.

"I just-" he paused for a moment, gathering his scattered feelings. "He deserves to be happy." Dream finally decided with a smile, setting aside any other thoughts that revealed just how much he truly cared for the young king.

"He's..." the blonde started out. "He's just....." Dream began to laugh at himself for his loss for words, as he abandoned the makeshift sentence and just smiled to himself. As he rounded the bend the view of George's cottage came into view and Dream found himself walking a tiny bit quicker.

George tended to the flowers outside his house, watering them and glistening them with his blue magic. The sun shone against his back onto the greenery, warming everything it touched. The brunette eyed a budding rose, admiring it for a moment.

With a smile, George waved his hand over the blossom and it glowed into an ornate flower.

"You'll have to teach me that sometime." Dream said as he approached the king from behind. George recognized the voice immediately and rolled his eyes as an expanding grin spread across his face. He turned to face Dream.

"Uh huh, well I'm not sure how well you'd do, it's hard to get to my level of expertise." George said with a smirk.

Dream was slightly surprised by George's sudden confidence, and returned the comment with a gleaming eye roll of his own.

"So what's today's adventure, your majesty?" Dream said, his usual playful sarcasm intact.

George's expression turned fearful for the smallest moment in time, but was soon returned to his normal placid facade. Dream's eyes shone with a hint of worry, and George was quick to reassure him.

"Well, the enchantress just needs one final element for the protection spell, but I'm afraid it's no easy task to retrieve."

"Count me in," Dream said with no hesitation.