Emeralds For Trade // DNF Royalty AU

Chapter 4.1: What A Mess You've Made

The wild autumn flowers were closing up in the fields. The hues of pinks and purples that once littered the terrain were giving way to the green grass they once overshadowed. As George sat alone in the carriage, he had a lot of time to think about what Sapnap had told him. Perhaps he was too rash to decide on the type of person King Dream was. Was he being unfair?

It was a difficult situation to navigate, and an unprecedented one at that. When he had spoken to his parents before, they didn't have any experience to properly advise him. He didn't mention the specifics of the letter, but he did let them know that he was very forward. Despite his mother's hesitance to expose him to the Emeralds so early, she seemed pleased to know that Dream had a good impression of her son. She seemed to side with Sapnap, while his father was a tad bit more protective.

"Honey, this is good!"

"We barely know the man, Is he really fit to court my boy?"

"Court-? Dad, you're looking way too far ahead!" George's cheeks were scarlet pink as he spoke.

"Can you blame me? You're my son."

Needless to say, it was once again up to him to make a decision. And that's how he found himself miles from home, the gentle rocking of the carriage doing little to soothe his worries. The words of his loved ones were swimming through his head, but he tried to focus his attention on the sound of hooves against dirt. He watched the way his knee bounced with every pebble on the road. Bump. Bump. The plush red seat was comfortable, but not even the finest foam or feather fillings could make the time sitting in the same spot more bearable or ease the burden of the crown laying over his head.

Obsidian was easy to pass through this time, almost expecting him even. The guard barely asked a few questions before letting the carriage proceed. It was surprising, but as he arrived at the pearly gates of Emerald, he realised why.

An unfamiliar carriage embellished with familiar colours sat at the front of the castle. The coachman was perched on the front, which meant that the visitor had just arrived or was scheduled to leave rather soon. From a distance, George could hear a clatter of metal and wood, and he could make a guess as to what was going on. As his own carriage came to a stop and he stepped out carefully, the guards greeted him with a slight bow. He was slightly taken aback by this, and he wasn't sure whether this was common practice or not. He took a mental note to ask his parents more about formalities during visits like these.

As he approached the grand entrance, he saw through the gaps in the hedges off to the side that shielded the field. A clatter of armour sounded in the air as a blur of pink and silver slammed into the ground with a distant grunt. Squinting, he noticed a foot press onto the chest plate, and a hooded individual had a wooden blade raised in the air in triumph.

Nobody stopped him as he approached the walls of greenery, following along it until he found an opening a few steps ahead. The moment he emerged from the cover of the hedges, heads turned to snap to him. The hooded figure, who he now noticed donned a white mask, had a hand extended to the ground. In one smooth motion, the other man, who he identified as King Technoblade himself, was lifted from the ground, his free hand readjusting the hog piece covering his eyes. Both kings stared at George for a few moments from their positions in the field.

Before George could say a word, Tubbo got up from his bench, and whatever he was working on before was left forgotten in Niki's lap in a hurry.

"Prince George! His Royal Highness, please, let me show you inside," said the young boy, whom George had never met, with a warm smile on his face.

He followed the boy back through the hedges on the other side of the field, glancing over his shoulder to see Dream looking back at him, gaze lingering on the smaller man. The king seemed as though he wanted to approach, but Techno punched his shoulder lightly, drawing his attention away from him. The young servant boy guided him inside, up a flight or two of stairs to a sitting area he hadn't seen before. It was on the other end of the castle to the ballroom.