Drums of the Revolution

Chapter Eight

"Please leave. Both of you." My voice comes out quiet, voice cracking slightly. They don't fight against my request. The sound of the door being opened, shut and locked tells me that they've left. Only when both of my childhood friends are gone does the tense feeling in the air settle down. My hand reaches up, feeling along the base of my neck.

"This gives me all the answers I needed about them. None of them have ever placed their hands upon me like that. Never even from playing around..." My voice comes out quietly, cracking at times. Those boys truly aren't the kids I've desperately tried to hold onto in my memories. When we faced each other on the battlefield a few weeks ago, it was obvious then. However, I naively thought that perhaps I could still convince them to change their ways.

"I'm a fool." The words coolly slip from my lips. A knock brings me out of my thoughts. I look over before frowning and looking away.

"What do you want, Dream." The sound of the door being unlocked once more and opening answers my question and causes me to look over. His back faces me as he shuts the door behind him. Dream turns slowly, as if tentative and cautious about setting me off at the moment. There's a part of me, deep down, that's thankful for his actions.

"George told me what happened. I punished Sapnap for it and came to check on you. Are you alright?" His calm and caring tone confuses my brain. It's like hearing one language while reading another.

"Why do you care? Why would you even bother punishing him? He had every right to do what he did. He shouldn't have, but he did because he was right. I'm just a traitor in your eyes. I'm someone who abandoned you all to join your enemy. I'd be stupid to think everything could go back to normal if I managed to convince you all to stop this madness. Nothing's simple, after all." A dry chuckle escapes the back of my throat. Since I was looking away, I didn't see nor notice Dream approaching me. It's only when I'm suddenly pushed onto my back by a gentle force that I realize. His arms embrace me firmly, in a comforting manner. I'm trapped underneath him, yet I don't fight. I don't struggle. I feel like I've lost that fight for the day.

"I'm sorry." Dream mumbles next to my ear. When hearing those words, I feel like crying again. Instead, I sigh deeply.

"No you're not. You're just saying that to make me feel better. If you were truly sorry, you'd stop this. You'd stop everything. Until that day, I won't believe any of your apologies." Dream doesn't respond right away. Instead, we just lay there in each other's silence. Dream's warmth soon lulls me into a deep sleep. It wasn't hard to fall asleep after what had happened earlier, after all. Maybe when I wake up later, I can start thinking of a way to escape without endangering L'Manburg. Because it's dangerous to stay here any longer.

Why is it dangerous, you may ask?

It's not because I'm behind enemy lines. Nor is it because of Sapnap's actions today. It's because of these feelings I keep getting. This feeling of belonging. It lingers around in my mind like a stain I can't get rid of. Ever since coming back I've felt it. If I don't leave before it's too late, I may find myself not wanting to return to L'Manburg. I can't do that to them, it'd break them even worse that Eret's betrayal. They'd likely never trust anyone again.

When the girl beneath him starts to slow her breathing down, Dream slowly releases his hold on her. Her tense expression in her sleep amuses him. It means she's doing exactly what he wanted her to do. Dream knows his friends like the back of his hand. They've been with each other for over a decade now, after all. It's not hard for him to figure them out. So when Dream saw Sapnap looking guilty earlier, he knew it was the perfect moment to swoop in and play the good guy. Because in Dream's mind, he is the good guy. Yet, she can see right through him. She knew his apologies were a farce and called him out on it. Granted, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to see that; yet, in the delicate state the girl was in, she still managed and was able to determine lies from truths.

"It'd be too easy if you gave in just yet." It wouldn't be as fun, after all. Because that's the end goal, after all. His end goal isn't to reclaim his land. He could care less about it. Dream just wants to put people in their place and have some fun while doing it. The only side he is on is the side of chaos.

The more the better.

That's why he sent that letter to her. Dream wasn't too sure which way the events would sway. There was the possibility she would discard the letter, or her L'Manburgian associates discovering it and naming her a spy. None of that happened, obviously. It went the way Dream wanted it to go. If (Y/N) showed up, it meant that there was still a portion of her that wanted to come back to them. She may say "No." to save face, but he knew. He could tell the moment he saw her that night in the burning forest. The way she hesitated on her words when he asked her to come back.

Convincing Sapnap and George that she was being tricked and misguided was easy enough. They both care about her in their own ways, after all. Not that Dream minded. Not at all, actually. It gave him leverage over his friends. When Dream introduced Bad to her, he knew that Bad's friendliness would be another key factor to chipping away at her resolve. It was even better when he ran into him after their little fight. Dream knew that if Bad cheered (Y/N) up, that she'd start to trust them a little more. Even Eret showing up was planned.

"Make sure you stay away from (Y/N), for now. She seemed a little temperamental today when I spoke with her. Bad's with her currently so I wouldn't go see her, even if you wanted to. I doubt she'd want to see you, either. After what you'd done to L'Manburg." Dream mentions off-handedly to Eret as he walks past him. Eret stops in his place, looking and watching out of the corner of his eye as Dream's figure disappears around a corner.

After all, what happens when you tell someone not to do something? They tend to do it anyways. It wasn't hard for Dream to tell this morning that Eret had spoken to the woman trapped in her old quarters. He held his head taller than he did previously, and he walked like he was the king of the place. Only in name, however. A puppet-master must have their marionettes, after all.

All of Dream's life, he's been manipulating and controlling the outcomes of everything in his life. Including his own friends. Why do you think it comes as no surprise to Dream when it's mentioned that he's the strongest of the group? Sure, they could get stronger physically, but none of them would be able to compete with the mental mind games Dream is able to pull off. There's only one person Dream would say is on his same level. However, he doesn't have to concern himself on his whereabouts. So long as he stays out of this war, everything should go according to plan.

L'Manburg will not surrender. Dream isn't an idiot. They care too much about winning their supposed freedom and saving their "friend". Although, he's curious as to how they expect to win. Unless they have a surprise arsenal up their sleeve, which Dream doubts, L'Manburg has nothing. Everything was stripped from them in exchange for their lives the night of Eret's betrayal. So he wonders how they expect to win.

The girl beneath him moves, curling into his side like a cat. Dream chuckles softly under his breath at the action. It wasn't unusual for him or the others to sleep together with her. Growing up, the girl quite enjoyed it. She would tend to latch onto the closest heat source. She only stopped as they got older because she was embarrassed about her actions and because they would tease her for it. However, if Dream knew anything about his friends, they didn't mind it at all.

Dream stares down at (Y/N)'s calm expression. It seems as though she's calmed down now, even in her sleep. He gets up slowly, carefully untangling himself from her grasp. He knows that if he stays any longer, he'll fall asleep with her like that. Dream can't sleep yet. Not when there's still so much to do. He looks back at (Y/N). His expression can't be seen, even if someone were around to see it if his mask were off. He shakes his head and leaves the room, locking the door and pocketing the key.

Soon... they can all be together again.