||Beefsteak || DSMP ||

1. After a Long Day's Walk

Belle's POV
"Princess, please rest, then we can head east." I instructed, pointing to a tree. Its leaves casted a wide shadow as the Princess's feet dragged in the grass, like they had been for the past three hours.
"Belle please, I can keep going.." the princess argued, her words slurred.
Hell, even my feet swelled and throbbed. The break would benefit us both. However, the stubbornness of the princess forced us forward, through the open plains that soon lost their green and became hard, sandy ground.
The heat of the desert was relentless, my body swaying along to the heat mirages in the distance.
A thud hit my ears and echoed around in my head. I looked back and saw the princess, her hand sprawled forward and her big mushroom crown rolling to a stop at my feet.
I dropped to my knees next to her and checked her pulse.
Exhaustion.
She'd be okay once she's out of the sun, so I used the little strength I had, tying her bags around my shoulders before hoisting her up my back, her arms loosely hanging over my shoulders as I carried on.
This wasn't what I expected to happen the week of the Fujin festival. A cultural event in Funtaura, the land of mushrooms, where on every 12th moon the royalty of our kingdom get their mushroom crowns renewed, a size bigger every festival.
And now the crown of the youngest princess was tied to my hip as I carried her across miles of uncharted land, passed out on my back.
She was all I had left.
All that was left.
I felt grass under my feet after who knows how long, a hill making my legs shake under me as I carried the princess.
Over the hill, I saw tall, dark stone, a wall that reached for the clouds.
Hope quite literally over the horizon as I trenched step after step up the hill.
As I reached the top, I stood still, the wind gently rushing across my face and the air sweet and cool.
Then clouded, my vision faded to black.

Anita's POV
My ears rang and my muscles locked. As if all the blood in my body had been drained, leaving me the world's shittiest raisin.
A loud voice boomed through my confused head.
"Um... WIL!?"
I flinched, rising enough to look over my lady in waiting, Belle, who laid still in front of me.
A blonde boy around my age, with wide eyes, stared down at me.
"Hello?? Is your friend dead?" He asked harshly.
His words registered in my head and my heart pumped adrenaline through my body as I reached for Belle.
Her shallow breath hit my hand and I let out a sigh.
"Thank Moosh-" the presence of the worried stranger came back once the relief settled, and I scanned him.
I could definitely beat him up if I needed to.
I pulled Belle closer to me, spotting my crown and pulling it over my head as quickly as I could while still keeping my eyes on the stranger.
"Wil!" He called out again, avoiding my intense stare.
Someone walked out of the open gates of the huge dark walls that casted a shadow over this entire hill, looking to the boy and running to meet him.
"Tommy? What's-"
The older man looked at us, his face contorting in surprise.
"Hello.." he said cautiously, and I reached for Belle's knife. "Is she.. okay?" He asked.
I looked down at her, my hand stopping.
I glared.
"I don't know. She's been walking for two days and.. maybe more? I think she carried me too."
"Two days?!" The younger one exclaimed. He turned to his companion. "Wil, She's going to die if we don't do something!"
"Calm down, Tommy."
"We can help you!" The boy ignored him, turning to me with panicked eyes.
I leaned back at his volume, but the look on his face had no room for malice.
The man crossed his arms and closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed. "I'll get Tubbo to come help bring them in."
He turned and calmly left, no urgency in his step as the walls of the mysterious confine ate him up.
"Can you stand??" The boy asked me.
My amazement was cut short by the question.
I attempted to rise, my legs shaking a bit, the blood rushing back to my head making my ears beat like drums.
"Y-yes?" I said unsurely as I found my balance.
"You said you walked for two days?!" He awed as he mindlessly grabbed the fallen items from the bag where Belle fell, handing them to me.
"Yes, it wasn't easy." I held my bag open for him in confusion.
"Like- without stopping?"
"Um.. yes." I said again.
A shorter boy now emerged from within the walls, both our gazes following him.
"Tubbo! They were walking for two days!" He yelled.
The boy's eyes widened as he caught up. "Is she dead?!" He pointed to Belle. I noticed floppy ears and bendy horns blending into his dark hair, reminding me of my people. Those who were part cow. He wasn't big enough to be from home, but the familiarity caused my nerves a deserved but brief break.
"No, you idiot! We need to help her!"
I stood to the side as the two struggled to get Belle upright for a good two minutes.
They each lifted an arm over their shoulders and walked her into the walls, where I followed close behind, limping.
"Are you okay?" The boy with horns asked.
"Yes." I said, too fast and with too much worry.
A vast area with newly made buildings and architectural features that put all villages to shame.
"Where are you from?" The horned boy continued as they pushed in a door and laid Belle down on a chair.
"We-"
I thought.
Belle told me not to trust anyone.
Anyone.
"We're from a far away kingdom.."
Fuck.
I truthed.
"Why'd you leave?" The blond asked.
"I- well.. we were driven out by invaders."
Fuck!
Just shut up Anita!
"Invaders??" The other boy asked as he checked the pulse of Belle, walking to a shelf with corked potions.
Lying wasn't my strong point. In fact, I was horrible at it.
So I caved.
"Bad people.. they pushed us out and killed my family."
"Geez!"
"Tommy!" The brunette scolded as he poured the potion on a cloth that he tapped across Belle's forehead.
"Sorry.." he shrank, looking at me with repressed wonder. "I'm sorry for your loss." He corrected.
I smiled slightly. "Thank you.."
"I'm Tommy! And that's Tubbo!"
"I'm Princess Amanitaceae Muscaria."
"You're a princess?! And I'm sorry, but I did not catch that name."
"Anita is fine-"
Belle's closed eyes squinted more, eyebrows furrowed, a groan leaving her throat.
"Um- you might want to back up!" I yelled to Tubbo.
"What?" He asked, turning his back to her as her red eyes shot open.
She reached for her side instantly, pulling the boy back with her dagger to his throat.
"WOAH!" Tommy yelled angrily.
"Belle! Stop!"
"Princess, back away!" She yelled, scanning the room.
"Um.. please let go miss..." Tubbo said.
She looked between the boys.
"Let him go!" Tommy yelled.
"Belle! I order you to let him go!" I demanded.
Her jaw dropped. "Oh- you fungus shaped-!" Belle released the boy and pushed him away. "I should've never completed that oath.."
"Yeah?? Well you did! So don't shank strangers that heal you!"
"If you say so your highness.." she crossed her arms. "Who are you?" She demanded from said almost-shanked boy.
"That's Tubbo and you're a dick!" Tommy yelled.
"And you are..?"
"They helped us when you collapsed. This is their..?"
"Country. L'manberg." Tubbo filled in.
Belle slowly nodded, suspicious.
"Great..."