Royal Reputation

Chapter 21

George ran through the hallway as quickly as he could. He wanted to get to Dream. He wanted to make sure he was okay, and to reassure him. He forgot how far away the vault was.

After a few minutes he finally reached the stairs downwards, quickly going down them. No Dream in sight. Which was good, right? It meant he was safe in the vault, right?

He went up to the door, put in the password, and went inside. He sighed in relief when he saw Dream in there. But his relief was very quickly replaced with worry again. He walked in, accidently leaving the door cracked.

Dream's sword and mask were on the other side of the room, clearly having been thrown. Dream was leaned back against a wall, crying. It had only been six minutes max, but he already looked a complete mess.

George quietly approached him, but made sure his presence was known. Dream looked up at him as he sat in front of him, but quickly looked away.

"Go away. I don't deserve to be with you." Dream said with a surprisingly steady voice. But of course, being so good at 'acting' had its benefits.

George didn't listen, and tried scooting closer before getting stopped by Dream.

"George! Didn't you hear me?! It's done, it's over, everything is gone. Everyone is gone." Dream said, his voice full of bitterness and despair.

George stayed silent for a second, not usually the one comforting someone else. He didn't reach for Dream again, but didn't get any further either.

"Dream, no it's not. Everything is going to be okay-"

"-Going to be okay?!" Dream yelled, cutting him off. "Ya, everything is going to be okay for you. Which I'm thankful for. You'll be able to find someone to replace me and-"

George shook his head violently. "I could never replace you-!"

"It's inevitable! George, people aren't just going to forget about that. People aren't just going to allow me back into their king's life." He yelled, his voice echoing in his emotions. He paused, pushing his hair out of his face to keep it from sticking to his wet face.

"You know nothing of how I was looked at in my hometown. No one would dare look in my direction for fear I was going to curse their very soul. And that was before I was even out of school. People don't trust me. It's just human nature."

George watched and waited for a second, heartbroken, seeing as he had more to say. As he did, it seemed like the weight of the world was pushed down upon Dream, tears still spilling out as he visibly slouched downwards.

"I tried my luck. To make a reputation for someone who didn't have any family background. And to see all that effort, just down the drain... George, shit, it hurts..." Dream said, placing his head onto his lap, just crying out now. The tears surprised both of them, Dream not being able to remember the last time he cried like this.

George came over, not being pushed away this time, pulling Dream into an embrace on the floor. Allowing him to just cry into his chest. He tried to remember the way Dream would comfort him, and copied some of the hand motions that helped him.

After a minute, Dream stopped making noise, which worried George. He looked at him, but instead saw the cogs in his head clearly turning. He didn't know what he was thinking about, but in his current mental state, it left him anxious.

All of a sudden, Dream sat up, slowly. He gave George a bittersweet smile. "Thanks George, for that, I guess I'll always know there is one person who accepts me." Dream said, placing a small kiss on the king's nose.

He continued. "I have an idea. What if, when you went to look for me, you couldn't find me. And- And everyone found out I escaped. Then I'll apply for a guard in the castle- just a regular one who wears the helmet at all times. And I can keep protecting you, just from afar."