A Matter of Time || Dreamnotfound

23

Dream left the campsite, George in his arms, and wandered through the white forest.

He walked for hours through the night, the cold chilling him down to his bones. He shivered and hugged George closer to him. Dream eyelashes were frozen, his once-damp cheeks now long since dried.

He stumbled in his step, cursing. Sitting down to catch his breath and hopefully warm up, he hated to admit that he missed the warmth of Sapnap's fire. But it was too late now; Dream was long gone from their camp.

Dream shivered, his teeth chattering as the cold seeped through his pants. Was it delusional of him to hope that George was warm?

"Hello? Who's there?"

Dream sat up at the voice, recognizing the strong female accent. He called out, "Minx, is that you?"

A hooded figure appeared between a pair of trees. The female figure was clothed in layers with fur lining and dark hair appeared from under her hood. She stepped forward, asking hesitantly, "Dream?"

Dream sighed in relief, swaying as he stood up. "I need your help."

Minx pulled her hood back to reveal her face. Her kohl lined eyes narrowed at the body in Dream's arms, but when she looked up to Dream, a smile split her face. The witch turned and motioned for Dream to follow, saying, "Follow me, my place is this way."

Dream stumbled after her, relief and adrenaline pumping through him. George was okay. Minx was going to bring him back.

Minx led him into her small cottage, stomping the snow off her boots. After removing her boots and telling Dream to do the same, Dream relaxed as his cold limbs were greeted with the warmth of the cozy home.

Minx shrugged off her layers of coating and led Dream into a living space. "Would you like something warm to drink?"

"No, thank you," Dream replied, not making a move to take off his layers. He glanced at George and asked, "I need you to heal him."

The witch's eyes darted to the figure in Dream's arms. "How badly is he injured?"

Dream hesitated and Minx noticed this. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she led Dream into her work room. Potions and herbs lined the shelves on the walls and a cauldron sat in the corner. Mix motioned to a table and Dream gently laid George down.

Minx froze, looking at Dream with confusion and horror. "He's dead."

Dream nodded, an expectant look on his face. "I know. You can bring him back, right?"

"Are you crazy?!" Minx exclaimed. "This is dark magic, I don't mess with that. Who knows what could happen."

"Minx, please," Dream insisted, "it can't be that bad."

"It can't be that bad?!" Minx repeated hysterically. "Dream, I could bring back a demon in his body. Or he could come back worse than before. I don't know what happens after death, he could be gone."

When the witch didn't seem to budge, Dream turned desperate. He pleaded, "Please, Minx. I need him back, he― he means everything to me."

Minx's expression didn't change. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Dream, but I don't want anything to do with dark magic. I will not revive your friend."

Dream walked around the table to get closer to Minx. Minx's eyes were wary as she took in Dream's desperate expression. He grabbed George's hand and said, "He's more than my friend. I love him." He paused before he whispered, hanging his head, "It's my fault that he's dead."

Minx said nothing and Dream continued with tears in his eyes, "I promised to protect him... look at him now. Minx, please help him. I'll do anything."