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"So much for the Emperors; the rest of this history must deal with the Monster."

-

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—•—

On the balcony, accompanied by a beaming Zephyr, stood Quackity, Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo. They sat on the railing, talking quietly amongst themselves before Dream and George had entered the room.

"Well?" Dream asked, drawing his sword away, but George remained where he was, back pressed worriedly to Dream's front.

Quackity gingerly stepped into the room. "Look, we just came to—"

"Shoes. Off." Zephyr smacked Quackity on the back, pointing at all of the boys.

They mumbled begrudgingly to themselves as they slipped off their shoes and sandals, entering the room bare-footed. Now, Emperor George's bedroom was filled with five young men, a young woman, a gladiator and himself.

"What the hell is going on?" George mumbled, taking specific note of the fact that the man who robbed him was also standing in the room.

All six people bowed.

"Your imperial highness, I hope you're feeling well. You certainly look better." Zephyr said, flicking her eyes over the emperor.

George smiled at her warmly, a recognisable face, but remained rooted to the spot. After the past events, he wasn't so quick to trust groups of men. So he stood still, relishing in the warmth and comfort that Dream's presence was bringing him.

Quackity cleared his throat. "Uh, good morning, emperor. You may recognise me. I, uh, was the man that robbed you."

George hummed skeptically.

"And I just wanted to come here and apologise. That was really uncalled for, on my behalf, and I would completely understand if you were to throw me in prison."

George looked from Quackity to the other boys in the room. He then looked up slightly, catching the gaze of Dream, before he lowered his head again and sighed.

"If I was my father, you would've been dead by now. But, because I'm not the man my father wanted me to be, I accept your apology."

Dream chuckled to himself under his breath as Quackity celebrated, pumping his fist in the air. Zephyr then interjected kindly, raising an arm and hand covered in rings and bracelets.

"If I may, your highness?"

"Of course."

"These are the men that helped Dream find you. They got all the information about your whereabouts, and despite our plan... not going to plan, they really helped." Zephyr said, brandishing a hand through the air in front of the boys.

Each boy shied away under the emperors gaze, closing within themselves like flowers. However, when a grateful smile crept onto George's lips, they all stood a tiny bit straighter.

"Thank you all." George said simply, addressing the boys in front of him.

He then looked from the open balcony doors, to the group in his bedroom, brows furrowed ever-so-slightly. "How did you all get in? I thought security has been increased?"

"Oh, it has. I was able to get in through the front door. The guards recognised me." Zephyr told Emperor George.

"And what about you four?" George pointed from Tommy, to Tubbo, to Ranboo, to Quackity.

Tommy sniffed loudly, making a cockily proud face. "Your highness, we've been in the 'sneaking in' business for a very long time. We can sneak in anywhere—"

"We also came through the front door." Tubbo beamed.

Ranboo nodded. "We just said we were with Zephyr, and they let us in. Although, they did check us for weapons, which none of us have, for the record."

Quackity snorted. "That's what you think, Oreo boy. Luckily, I keep a dagger stored up my—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Zephyr scowled, and Quackity raised his arm, pointing at it.

"I was going to say up my sleeve!"

"No you were not."

"...no I was not."

Wiping away her stormy expression, Zephyr turned back to the emperor, who was still pressed closely to the gladiator chest. Her lips quirked in realisation, but her mouth remained sealed. Instead, she bowed, flicking her hand to make the boys bow too.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay," Wilbur said, exiting the bow. "The last time we saw you, you were in pretty bad shape."

"Thank you all, and I'm doing just fine." George told them, fidgeting with his fingers in nervousness.

"We'll take our leave," Zephyr walked up and pat Dream fondly on the arm. "See you around, Dreamy."

Dream pushed her away lightheartedly and she laughed as she stumbled, before signalling to the boys that they were off. A flutter of a scowl whipped over George's features at this interaction, before he composed himself, undetected. With a little wave, each of the five boys followed Zephyr out of George's bedroom and down the hall, walking single file.

Once George knew they were gone, he released a deep breath that he didn't realise he had been holding. Peeling himself away from the warmth of the gladiator, he took a few steps forward before turning to face Dream.

"Those were the people you worked with you to find me?" George asked, and Dream nodded.

"They certainly are..." George thought for a bit. "Interesting."

"They are great people. Even the one who robbed you," Dream finished with a small laugh. "They're just kids trying to get by."

George acknowledged Dream's statement with an acute nod of his head, before perching himself on the sofa at the end of his bed. He flopped his head into his hands.

"Are you alright, domine?" Dream asked, voice quiet.

George groaned dramatically. "I've been getting so tired lately."

"You're still recovering from your injuries. Here, get some rest." Dream moved forward, patting the emperors bed, but George shook his head.

"I don't want to lie down... I might just take a nap here," George scooted to the side of the sofa, pointing to the spot next to him. "Sit."

"Domine—?"

"Sit."

Obediently, Dream allowed himself to sink down into the comfortable cushioning of the sofa. Appearing satisfied, George moved himself along the sofa to lean his body against Dream's, tucking his feet up onto the cushions.

Dream tensed as George rested his head on the leather of his shoulder, but the emperor sighed sleepily and, before Dream could talk back, George was asleep.

Grumbling, and slightly uncomfortable, Dream slipped his arm out from under the emperor, who slumped forward slightly. Dream caught him, wrapping his arm around the emperors shoulders, holding him to his chest. He then leaned back, but did not fall asleep.

As George slept soundly pressed to him, Dream remained alert, and on watch, just like he was trained to do.

—•—

An hour or so later, George woke to an empty couch. Someone had piled up numerous pillows for the emperor to lean against, and he think he knew who did it.

Stretching and yawning, George got to his feet, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He looked blearily around the room, trying to figure out where his bodyguard had went, but upon finding the room empty, he walked out the door.

Rubbing his eyes with a closed first like a child, George trudged down the hall, still filled with the glittering rays of the midday sun. He scuffed his feet along the polished marble, but his footsteps stopped when he reached the parlour door.

Pressing his ear to the surface of the door, George could make out two voices, hushed but angry tones prominent through the wood. They were arguing about something, and George strained to hear, leaning his whole body against the door.

"...fuck are you even here?" Came Dream's voice. "This is my job now."

"I don't care if this is your job now, you do what I tell you, do you understand?"

"Of course I understand! But I have a job to do here. I can't just leave because you tell me too!"

Smack.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me. And for the record, you asshole, I can say whatever I want, and you have to do exactly as I say."

"Go fuck yourself!" Dream shouted angrily. "And how did you get in here in the first place?"

Smack.

Dream cursed in pain and the person he was talking too chuckled. "I have a lot more power then you think."

George listened closely, hearing Dream's angry puffs of breath through the door. He could tell that the gladiator was thinking about his next words over and over again.

"And what happens if I don't accept your demand?" He asked, and George winced at the almost worried tone.

"Then you can say goodbye to your dream job, and say goodbye to your precious emperor. Don't think I'm lying. I am dead serious."

Dream scoffed. "You have no right too—!"

Smack.

"Don't push your luck. I can easily, easily get rid of you. Do you really think the emperor would care if one of his bodyguards went missing? Of course he wouldn't," the person sneered. "He doesn't care about you, you're just a pawn, and you know that too."

George could almost hear Dream shaking his head; imagining the rustling of his blond hair and the slight movement of his mask.

"That's not true. Sure, he may not care about me, but he'd notice that I'm miss—"

"See? Even you know that he doesn't care about you. You really thought that he'd taken a liking to you? Please. Why do you think he got a gladiator has a bodyguard? You are expendable and replaceable, so don't forget your place."

No words were uttered from Dream's mouth for several moments, and George hid a gasp. After a few moments, the emperor heard footsteps, causing him to run back down the hall, ducking into a nearby room to hide.

"You have until midnight to leave this job and adhere to my demands. If you don't, the emperor will never see you again, and I'll make sure that your life as a normal man will be over," the person exited the parlour, voice echoing down the empty hall. "Good day, Nightmare."

The person swiftly took leave, slamming the front door of the villa shut, and the clunking of hooves indicated that they had departed.

However, George remained still, holding his breath as he listened through the deafening silence. Then, he peeked around the corner, peering around the doorway and down the hall. Through the parlour door, he saw Dream.

The blond gladiator kneeled on the ground of the parlour, shoulders hunched. His whole being heaved up and down with frustrated, laboured breaths; his entire body shaking with unbridled rage. His face was down, unkempt hair falling around his face like curtains. The gladiator gripped his mask in his hand, resting it against his thighs.

George flinched when Dream lifted it up into the air, strong arm up as though he was about to throw it. His head remained down, but he changed his mind, slowly lowering his hand and placing his mask on the floor. His body then shuddered with a wretched sob, one that the gladiator quickly dispersed, before slipping the mask back onto his face and getting to his feet.

With a deep breath, Dream walked back down the hallway and, as he was just about to pass where George was hiding, he stopped. George stepped out, looking up at his bodyguard with magnified concern.

Dream said nothing, despite appearing startled. George took a step closer, lifting a hand to Dream's mask and pushing it slightly to the left, revealing a sliver of the gladiators cheek. It was red, tainted with a handprint, as though he'd been struck multiple times.

Moving the mask back into place, George sighed, moving to place his hand tenderly against Dream's chest.

"Who was that?"

"No one, domine."

"Don't lie to me."

Dream sighed, surprising George by bringing his hand up. He wrapped his fingers around George's wrist, and held them there as he spoke.

"Just someone I know."

"And what did they want?"

Dream hesitated. "I... domine... I have to resign."

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Hey homies, this is an authors note!

Debating on whether this book should have a happy or sad ending lmao. I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out 🤷🏻‍♀️

This chapters question/statement: tell me a random fact that you know

Until next time,

Blue :)