———————————————————————

———————————————————————

"If you have overcome your inclination and not been overcome by it, you have reason to rejoice"

-

———————————————————————

—•—

"A visitor?" Dream asked as Schlatt beckoned for Sam to leave.

Getting to his feet, Dream gave Sam a small wave, the other gladiator returning it before exiting the cell quietly, slipping down the hallway and out of sight.

Schlatt stepped out of the doorway, allowing the visitors to step inside.

It was Kristin and Phil.

"I'll be back in five minutes." Schlatt slammed and locked the cell door behind Phil, who cursed at the ludus owner quietly under his breath as Schlatt walked away, humming.

Immediately, Dream was engulfed in a loving hug, smelling of sweet sugars and spices. He wrapped his arms around Kristin and buried his masked face into her shoulder as she smoothed her hands down his back.

Phil also stepped forward, resting a warm hand onto Dream's shoulder, squeezing slightly in a display of fatherly comfort.

"Look at you!" Kristin exclaimed as she stepped back, holding onto the sides of Dream's arms as she examined him. "So handsome!"

Dream chuckled as Kristin lifted his arms, as if searching for any injuries he sustained while working for the emperor. Satisfied with her search, she dropped the gladiators arms and stepped back, now shoulder to shoulder with Phil.

Her face then changed, morbid realisation dawning upon her kind features.

"What are you doing back here?" She asked, and Dream swallowed nervously.

"I had to come back. I didn't have a choice." Dream admitted, and Kristin scoffed.

"You always have a choice. So what happened? He threatened you that if you didn't come back to fight, he'd kill you?" Kristin guessed, and Dream nodded.

Phil laughed dryly at this. "Pathetic."

Kristin smacked him on the upper arm. "Phil! Don't be rude."

Dream laughed at the couples interaction as Phil said: "It's true! He's a gladiator! How could a ludus owner threaten to kill one of the best gladiators in Rome?"

Dream stopped laughing. He didn't really think of that. But, deep down, he knew he couldn't have just killed Schlatt. Schlatt wasn't a murderous smuggler, or one of his opponents in the arena.

Dream couldn't just kill... anyone.

"To be honest, I guess I was just scared," Dream admitted sheepishly. "You're right, Phil. I could've killed him, but I didn't, and I won't. Even if I did, I would be sentenced to execution for it. So, I guess I listened because I was scared of what was going to happen..."

Phil nodded grimly. "I understand, son, I do."

Kristin shifted and picked something off of the ground; a basket that Dream didn't realise that she had been carrying.

"What's that?" Dream asked, pointing to the basket as he sat back down on his concrete slab.

Kristin peeled back the thin cloth that covered the basket and dug around inside, before pulling out something.

"This is from George," Kristin held up a necklace. "He was meant to give it to you a while ago but never got the chance. Here, put it on."

Dream took the necklace, which was a reassuring weight of leather in his hand. He put it over his head, pulling the chords to tighten it, before placing his hand over the pendant. It was an animal tooth of some sort, and he spun it round with two fingers, admiring it.

"Zephyr made it," Phil said, folding his arms across his chest. "She gave it to George as a gift for you."

Dream smiled, eyes still on the necklace. "Thank you."

Kristin smiled down at the young man, exchanging a look with Phil. Phil looked back at his wife, sending her a grin as he reached down and took her hand.

"We just came to wish you good luck for tomorrow," Kristin said, causing Dream to snap his head up. "We'll be cheering you on from the stands."

"Tomorrow?" Dream shot to his feet. "It's tomorrow?

Phil nodded. "Tomorrow evening, yes."

As footsteps echoed down the hall, indicating the approaching ludus owner, Dream suddenly felt queasy.

"But... I haven't trained in months!"

"That's why you'll be training throughout the night," Schlatt appeared at the door, opening it with a clanking of his keys. "You'll train tonight, sleep for a portion of the day tomorrow, then train again before the games."

Dream gulped nervously, Adam's apple bobbing along his throat as Kristin and Phil were asked to vacate the cell. But before she left, Kristin wrapped Dream in a hug again, before taking his hands in hers.

Dream felt her slip something into his hand, and he balled his fist, dropping his arms and slipping it carefully into a fold in his tunic.

Phil reached up and ruffled the unkempt hair atop the gladiators head, and Dream smiled, watching them leave the cell.

Schlatt leaned against the doorway of the cell, signalling for a guard to come and escort Phil and Kristin off of the premises. Once the pair were gone, he sighed, looking at the masked gladiator up and down, bored.

"I'm glad you're back." Schlatt said.

Dream rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm here because I want to be."

"You came here willingly."

"Yeah, 'cause you threatened to kill me."

"True," Schlatt stood straight. "Anyway, get your shit together. Training starts in five minutes."

Schlatt left, leaving the door wide open as another guard appeared and stood in the doorway. Dream turned around, reaching for his pathetic training sword, which he dropped before his concrete slabbed bed.

Cursing, Dream bent down to retrieve the sword and, at the same time, the small vial that Kristin had given him slipped out, landing quietly on the hay strewn floor. Standing back up, Dream kicked the vial under the slab, his chained ankles clinking as he faced the guard again.

The guard looked at the gladiator and raised an eyebrow.

Dream pointed to his ankles. "Are you gonna stand there all night, or are you actually going to get me out of these things?"

—•—

The next morning, after a sleepless night, George edged out into the garden, lack of sleep showing in his dark eyes.

Karl sat on the steps of the porch, looking out into the garden with dazed eyes and lowered lashes, in an almost daydreaming state of unawareness.

"Good morning," George greeted, taking a seat next to Karl on the steps. "I was wondering where you had run off to after dressing me."

Karl looked to the emperor apologetically. "Sorry, George."

"That's alright..." George played with his fingers nervously as he admired his garden, watching the various servants work at maintaining its natural awe.

Karl eyed his friend suspiciously, before sighing and placing his arm around George. George leaned into the embrace, pressing his head against Karl's shoulder.

"You're nervous, aren't you?"

George nodded. "I might watch him die tonight."

"He won't die," Karl said. "He'll win, okay? Nightmare is the best gladiator in all of Rome and, besides, they're not fighting to the death, right?"

George shook his head. "No, no I guess they're not. But I'm still nervous for him. What if he gets hurt? What if he loses, and he has to stay at his ludus forever?"

Karl shrugged, releasing George from the one-armed hug. "He's a gladiator, George. He's gonna get hurt, but it's literally no different from any other fight... hold on..."

"What?" George's brows furrowed.

"Are you... worried about Nightmare?"

"Of course I'm worried!"

"I thought... you didn't care about him, and you never will? You said that, right?"

"I... that was ages ago. I didn't mean it."

"Oh? And what changed your mind?" Karl smiled.

George grimaced at his friends facial expression. "Karl—"

"AHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH HIM?! OH MY GODS, I FRICKIN' KNEW IT, OH MY GODS—!"

George slapped his hand over Karl's mouth, grumbling: "Karl! Shut up!"

Karl laughed behind George's hand, licking it in order to get the emperor to withdraw.

Smiling like a little kid, Karl said: "Admit it; you're in love with him, aren't you? You're scared of him getting hurt because you're in-frickin-love with him. Am I right, or am I right?"

"..."

Karl stared at him challengingly.

"..."

"George."

"You're—"

"—I'M RIGHT!" Karl cackled. "AHAHAHA!"

"Karl." George buried his hands in his hair, flopping his head down out of embarrassment.

Truthfully, he was very embarrassed.

Not because Karl was making such a big fuss about it.

But because it took him way to long to figure out why he was feeling butterflies every time he saw the gladiator.

And, now, he finally knew.

"I am in love with a gladiator."

And he didn't even know what Dream's face looked like.

Karl stopped laughing, elbowing Emperor George playfully in the sides. "Took you long enough, didn't it?"

George groaned, reality catching up with him. "I'm the Emperor of the Roman Empire. I can't be in love with a gladiator, let alone a man."

"Why not?" Karl scoffed. "I am."

"Becau— What did you just say?"

"I said 'I am'," Karl said. "I'm in love with a gladiator as well, and he's a man."

George blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah? I thought you knew this?"

"No, I didn't know! Who... when... what?"

"Who? Sapnap, the gladiator. When? I dunno, a few weeks now? What? I pardoned him, which I did by giving the ludus a heap of coin." Karl listed off.

"When were you planning on telling me you were dating your bodyguard?"

"When were you planning on telling me you were in love with yours?"

"Touché." George said.

Just then, a knock from the back door sounded. George and Karl both turned around, to find a puffing Zephyr gripping the doorframe. She brushed a loc of hair away from her face, walking out onto the porch whilst catching her breath.

"Zephyr? Are you alright?" George asked, getting to his feet.

Zephyr shook her head. "I came as soon as I heard. Is Dream really...?"

George nodded sombrely, and this caused Zephyr to wrap the emperor in a tight hug. After a moment, she stepped back, greeting Karl as well, who had stood up and was watching on with concern.

"What was he thinking?" Zephyr paced the porch.

George watched the girl walk back and forth, jewellery glinting in the sunshine. She came to a stop before the emperor, fingers gripping her chin.

"George, I have something urgent to tell you."

"What is it?"

"It came to me in a vision a few hours ago."

"A... vision?" Karl muttered, but both George and Zephyr seemed to not hear.

"What is it?" George insisted.

"Don't freak out."

"Zephyr! Just tell me!"

Zephyr took a deep breath, rambling: "Ifmyvisionistruethenallfightsinthesegamesaretothedeath."

George blinked. "Pardon? Slow down."

"If my vision if true, then all fights in these games... are to the death."

———————————————————————

Hey homies, this is an authors note!

George's confession— lol finally

This chapters question/statement: favourite film or tv series?

Until next time,

Blue :)