Three Futures Enslaved | Dream Team

Chapter Forty-Two

Dream heard the sound of arguing before he even saw anyone at the top of the stairs.

He raised his head at the voices, getting louder and louder as the people got closer. Two voices, by the sounds of it, and they were arguing. 

"You should've stayed at the house."

"I need to see him! Sam, you have no idea---"

"I have plenty," Sam interjected coolly, his voice ringing out in the stairwell. Dream closed his eyes. He didn't really recognize the other voice, but he knew that it probably wasn't anyone good. No one came to see him just for the heck of it. It was probably a servant to dust the place or an angry villager or knight he must've ticked off at some point.

He heard footsteps as the pair reached the top of the stairs, heading towards him. Still, he kept his eyes shut. He was used to seeing Sam's stoic expression, as if someone would stick him with their sword if he even tried for a smile, but he didn't really feel like having to look up at the face of someone who loathed him with all of their being.

"Look at you and Ponk. That's me and him, okay? That's what he is to me."

"Don't bring Ponk into this," Sam's voice said tightly. 

Dream's brow furrowed slightly. Ponk? Sam had never mentioned a "Ponk" before. But then again, Dream wasn't exactly the type of person who Sam would confide to. The warden's mental image of him was probably a lovely painting of all the blood he had spilled in his life as an assassin, a life that he couldn't even remember. Not that he wanted to. He was rather content being happily oblivious to the life he had led.

"You've got to understand," the other man pleaded. "I've waited for six months. Six! That's like, three quarters of a lady's pregnancy!"

"Why is that what you compare it to?" 

The voice is kind of familiar, Dream decided. He still couldn't place it, though. It felt far off, like a really distant memory. To try and reach it would be too time-taking. But then again, the Suspiro royal twins had given him more than enough time on his hands for trying to unlock his memories.

He could feel the presence of the two right in front of him, feel their gaze burning into his face. Begrudgingly, he opened his eyes.

On the left stood Sam, his arms folded in front of him, his square mask covering his face. On the right stood a man in simple white clothing, a black cloak hanging from his shoulders, the sheath of a sword, slung across his chest. His dark hair was wild and all over the place, longer than Dream's own. A white headband was almost almost hidden behind his bangs. His eyes went wide at the sight of Dream staring at him, and on instinct, took a step forward.

"Nope," Sam said, holding out an arm to bar the man from getting any closer. "I don't trust you."

The man growled, pushing Sam's arm away, but it went right back in place almost immediately. His eyes stayed right on Dream's face, taking in all of his features, as if he was afraid he'd never be able to see it again.

A spark went off inside Dream's mind. Actually, he did know the man. His voice... he'd heard it in fleeting memories, bits and fragments of it whenever he focused hard enough. Even his face was familiar, slowly becoming more clear to him, like he was looking at him through a window that had been fogged up at first but was clearing up as the seconds ticked past.

He jolted as the man reached for his sword, immediately feeling his body shift into a defensive position. But before the man could do anything, Sam had grabbed him, holding his wrists firmly in place in front of him.

"Don't force me to do something I don't want to," he said stiffly, staring at the man. "I'm the warden of Suspiro, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that Dream stays in that cell."

"He doesn't belong there," the black-haired man spat, glaring at Sam. He wretched his hands out of the warden's grasp and stepped forward, gripping the bars of Dream's cell so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Dream? Do you... how are you feeling?"

Dream watched warily as Sam took a step towards the man, his expression mutinous, but something about the man's tone made him pause. He glanced over at Dream, his brow furrowed.

"Dream?" the man in white prompted again. He was still staring at him oddly. 

Dream's gaze snapped back to him, his eyes widening slightly. It didn't matter that the man with the headband was a portion of his memories, proving that they had all been real. His expression was unnerving. Dream had never dealt with anything like it before, and he really didn't feel like dealing with it now. 

"I'm fine," he said, scowling at the man. "What do you want?"

The warrior flinched back, confusion clouding his features. "W-what?"

He saw Sam move, and the self-satisfied smile that floated up onto his face. That smile was enough to push him up onto his feet and all the way to the bars of his cell, until he was face-to-face with the man. "Sapnap," he said, watching as recognition flickered in the man's eyes. "Where have you been?"

"Looking for you!" Sapnap said, his voice rising. "We've searched for so long, ever since you woke up. When Sam said that his prisoner was you, I--- I..."

His words trailed off. Dream frowned. "I barely moved," he said. "I was only in two places the entire time. You could've found me easily."

"We didn't know where you were! The kingdoms are large, Dream!"

Excuses. Dream hated excuses. He fed them to himself all the time, and now that there was finally someone who could give him answers and bring him home, he felt angry that that person couldn't give him something new.

Sapnap's expression became guarded. He looked at Dream and shook his head, almost as if he'd given up on him. 

"I guess you're down to one friend now, huh?" Sam said, unmoving from where he stood. 

"Almost," Sapnap said, raising his gaze towards the warden. "But I don't give up. One of my best features, I think."

And with that, he unsheathed his sword and attacked.