pretty boy || dreamnotfound

midnight mishaps

a glowing light bounces from the moon to the cobblestone path, which twinkles shyly in response. loose pebbles litter the path, making footsteps sound even louder in the quiet of the night. george breathes in, nerves coursing through him as he listens to the sound of his own footsteps. he forces his eyes to the floor, not wanting to make any eye contact with any wandering townfolk. he grips the hem of his shirt in his hands, and shudders at the silent wind which ripples through the air. goosebumps rise on the skin of his arms, and he shivers slightly at the tingling feeling it causes.

it's peaceful, but eerie; being alone in a silent town in the dead of night to meet a stranger. george's mind nags at him, scolding and warning him this is a bad idea, but he doesn't listen. he curses at his curiosity, and wonders momentarily if he should have notified the prince that he was doing this? the boy shakes his head, knowing dream couldn't have cared less.

a loud, echoing voice bellows throughout the empty street, and it startles george drastically.

"you actually came. i didn't think you would." the deep voice sounds surprised at his presence, so he shrugs and looks around for the source of the noise. "do you know why i wanted to meet with you?"

george's eyes flit up as he continues walking to the archway; where he assumes the stranger would be, lurking in the dark shadows within. he shakes his head, aware that he's being watched, even if he can't see them.

he nears his destination, and has to squint to search for the other. his throat suddenly feels hoarse, the nerves rattling inside him seem to dry out his mouth. he finally spots the figure as they step toward george, the moon providing enough light for him to see them clearer. the stranger is still wearing a dark cloak, with a hood which manages to droop over his eyes. the only facial feature george can actually see is his mouth, which is set into a thin line.

"i'll get straight to the point, george." the figure says, taking small steps toward the boy. "we need your help."

george gulps, wiping his clammy palms on the fabric of his shirt. "with?" he manages to get out.

"there's this huge bounty over the prince's head, and it's your duty to deal with it."

he freezes, staring at the stranger in a mix of shock and confusion. "deal with it?" he repeats, needing some kind of explanation. his voice quivers with uncertainty, and he narrows his eyes.

the figure sighs. "we'll take care of the rest, we just need you to kill him. you'll get fifty percent of the money." he pauses, "and it's a lot."

"is this some sort of joke?" george splutters, his own voice scratching his throat painfully.

"we had a feeling you'd act like this." the stranger sighs again, sounding exhausted. "don't tell me you're already attached. we just need the money, george."

"then do it yourself!" he spits back, ready to decline the ridiculous request and leave.

the figure begins walking a small circle around george, before nodding in a direction and starts heading that way. the boy follows absentmindedly as his brain swirls with all kinds of thoughts. a small portion of his mind tells him this is some sort of test, the prince is testing how loyal he is. though, there's a larger part telling him that all of this is completely real, and the prince is going to be in some kind of danger.

the stranger speaks up once again, "i'm going to be completely honest with you."

george nods in response before realising the figure's back is facing him, so instead he murmurs a quiet sound of approval.

"dream should've died a year ago, but somehow he survived. there have been many attempts on his life since then, all have unfortunately failed. see... the prince is a good fighter, and he's only getting better."