An Empire for two | Nightmare sans x reader

♔CHAPTER ONE♔

"I FIND YOU QUITE
INTERESTING."
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☽Nightmares POV☾

His breath came in small spurts, hot and nervous. At his sides, his pale fingers curled into sweaty fists, swinging forward as if it would make him faster. Behind him he could hear the baying howls of the dogs and jeering laughter of the villagers. Mud smeared Nightmares face as sweat dripped from his skull, but he didn't stop. They were out for blood, his blood.

"Please Dream, be there!" Nightmare cried aloud, throwing himself forward with even greater abandon. His lungs and heart were pumping, but the air didn't seem to be enough as he sprinted forward, panic trembling in his exhausted bones.

They were going to kill him. They really were going to kill him this time. No longer did the verbal and physical abuse cut it, they needed bones to shatter. They needed him dead. So as his small legs propelled him forward, Nightmares eyes finally met the Divine tree.

But...no longer was it vibrant with life. No longer did the birds sing upon its large, proud branches. The remnants of fresh leaves laid crumpled upon the sticky ground; ashen and dead like rotten weeds.

The tree was barren.

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It was a brand new day in the Moon kingdom. Sunlight poured in from the horizon as the birds sang their song of the mornings arrival. Shopkeepers young and old flocked to the streets, setting up their market stalls for an early start of business. All was at peace, and through the hassle of the outside world rested Nightmare, the king, safe within the walls of his castle.

He had fallen victim to working himself to sleep again, slumped over his office desk, hands drenched in spilt ink and covered in documents. Weaponry contracts, war contracts, his entire life revolved around contracts now and it was eating him alive. Pathetic was the only way he could describe it really, he spent more time sleeping in his desk than his actual bed, which was only a couple doors down.

"Nightmare? Are you there?" The voice returned once more, this time sounding more urgent.

Nightmare, who was half asleep at this point, let out a long, raspy sigh. If only he was a mere boy again, he wouldn't have needed to get up. He could've ignored the call of responsibility and fallen back into the world of dreams, a happy grin aiding him there. But no, he was an adult now and had a kingdom to run. So he pulled himself together, wiped the ink clean from his hands and fixed his posture with a little stretch. With a small cough, he managed to clear the sleepiness in his voice— him and mornings never shared a healthy relationship. Once decently presentable, he finally spoke "Come in."

Perhaps it was a bad idea allowing one of his subjects to see him like this. His office was a mess and he doubted he looked any better. But it was too late, the large wooden doors began to creak open, revealing a figure dressed in white. Their face was hidden behind a stack of documents, but Nightmare didn't need to see it to know who it was.

They wore a black and white cape embedded with fluff around the collar, and a black turtleneck top with the kingdoms signature logo in the centre, a moon crescent. A large, predominant cross was embroidered into their belt and fingerless gloves which complimented their name and style, Cross.

"Your daily reports are in, boss" Cross spoke as he took a step inside the dimly-lit office. His eyes squinted at first to get used to the dark, but once familiar with it, he poked his head from behind the stack of papers. He was expecting the usual bored glance and passive-aggressive "what" from his King, but instead, he was greeted with chaos. Chaos in the way Nightmares workplace looked eager to be put out of its misery...along with him. It was an eyesore to say the least— to Nightmares standards especially. His office, no matter the occasion, was always flawless. Cross blamed it on his perfectionism, so to see such...disharmony was a sign that something was wrong.