No TWs this time guys just a very cute a wholesome chapter <3 giving y'all a break from the *drama*
ALSO, DREAM CONTENT WOO HOO BECAUSE I KNOW Y'ALL ARE DYING FOR IT <3
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I watch the fire crackle as snowflakes fall outside the window. The balcony was coated in a thick layer of snow and it had been snowing since last night. I remember when being locked inside used to bug me, drive me crazy. But now that I don't have the choice, and I've grown used to it, I'm sort of okay with it.
There are days where I can't control myself and I pace the rooms dying to release some energy or smell the fresh air of a forest rather than the dank air of the dead city. Sometimes I break down but Ranboo's always here to comfort me.
I can't wait for the flowers to come back. The grasses that grew between cracks in the concrete on the ground were wild. That meant that some of them would have flowers. Even if they were just dandelions and daisies, the colour would be welcome in such a grey place.
A typical knock came from my door and I called Ranboo in. He had his hands tucked behind his back mischievously. I smile feeling equally as playful.
"Whatcha got there?" I poke and Ranboo tries to repress his smile but he can't keep a straight face.
"Nothing..." he drags out the word.
"Lemme see!" I whine and Ranboo laughs and caves in. He plonks down on the couch next to me and reveals what he had kept in his hand.
"Daisies!" I gasp as Ranboo hands the small bunch to me. I touch the soft petals in amazement and I hear the voices chitter happily.
"But how?" I ask and Ranboo smiles wider.
"⌇☊⊑⌰⏃⏁⏁ ☍⟒⟒⌿⌇ ⏃ ☌⏃⍀⎅⟒⋏ ⍜⋏ ⍜⋏⟒ ⍜⎎ ⏁⊑⟒ ⌰⍜⍙⟒⍀ ⎎⌰⍜⍜⍀⌇, ⟟ ⌇⋏⎍☊☍ ⌇⍜⋔⟒ ⍜⎎ ⏁⊑⟒⌇⟒ ⍜⎍⏁. ⟟ ☍⋏⍜⍙ ⊑⍜⍙ ⋔⎍☊⊑ ⊬⍜⎍ ⌰⍜⎐⟒ ⎎⌰⍜⍙⟒⍀⌇" Ranboo said bashfully and my smile only grew wider. I flung my arms around my best friend and giggled happily.
"Thank you so much!" I say and dash into the bathroom to put the daisies in water. I grab a cup I had kept from a meal and fill it for the daisies. I set them on the small table in front of the couch and sit next to Ranboo again.
"⎅⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ☍⋏⍜⍙ ⋔⎍☊⊑ ⏃⏚⍜⎍⏁ ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⎎⌰⍜⍙⟒⍀⌇ ⋔⟒⏃⋏?" Ranboo asks. I nod.
"I know a little bit about the language of flowers, but just what my mother taught me," I say and smile at the memory.
Mother and I would spend whole days in our little garden growing flowers and tending to our small vegetable patch. I remember daisies used to grow next to the river where the waterfall was. I crumple my brow when I feel something niggle about in the back of my mind. I'm forgetting something...
"What do d-Daisies mean?" Ranboo asks and I smile at his stumbling speech.
"They mean I love you truly," that's when the memory hits me. In full force and I feel a floodgate open in my mind of repressed memories from my childhood.
"Ranboo I remembered something!" I shout excitedly. Ranboo sits bolt upright with surprise and anticipation.
"What?" He asks. I flick through the memory like files in a filing cabinet but the more I do the more I feel saddened. It was a happy memory, but looking back on it was painful.
"It's about Technoblade... and Dream. But I didn't know he was Dream at the time," my voice grows quieter and I lean back against the couch.
I was so innocent, so happy, so carefree. I feel tears prick my eyes and an arm wrap around my shoulders in a comforting side-hug. I lean into Ranboo's side and let a few tears fall silently.
"⎅⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ⍙⏃⋏⏁ ⏁⍜ ⏁⏃⌰☍ ⏃⏚⍜⎍⏁ ⟟⏁? ⊬⍜⎍ ⎅⍜⋏'⏁ ⊑⏃⎐⟒ ⏁⍜ ⏁⟒⌰⌰ ⋔⟒ ⟟⎎ ⊬⍜⎍ ⎅⍜⋏'⏁ ⍙⏃⋏⏁ ⏁⍜" Ranboo reassures me but I shake my head.
"I want to tell you, it is a happy memory. It's just hard for me to think about now, after all, that's happened. Maybe this will help me move on," I suggest and Ranboo simply nods and keeps a comforting grip on my shoulders.
I begin to recount a story from what felt like eons ago.
~~~~ 8 years ago (you're about 14 years old )~~~~
A/N: here's your outfit! Image from @liskin_dol on Instagram <3
I hear the school bell trill from the top of its tower in the small schoolhouse. Everyone in the art room packs up their things chattering about the events of today. Events I'm not a part of. I sigh and focus on the canvas in front of me. The art teacher wishes me a pleasant afternoon and I wave. She knows I usually stay back after class.
I gaze back at what I was painting. Whilst everyone else was painting landscapes or bowls of fruit or their crush who set next to them in history class, I was painting the art classroom window. The summer breeze warmed my cheeks and it blew through the open window. To me, it was the prettiest thing in the room.
The brick wall holding the old oak window frame in place was cracking revealing red bricks beneath the white paint. Light bounces off the panes of the open window panes making them gleam like gold. I smiled and brushed my hair off my shoulders. Mother had let me borrow her navy silk ribbon to tie in my hair. I had smiled all day knowing it was there and I know some of the other girls had looked at it longingly making me stand up a little taller.
The school was small and there weren't many students. It was only big enough for the town. I'm so happy there was an art room for me to draw and paint in. I squint my eyes and focus on the red petals of the Bougainvillea flowers I was painting. A vine of them clutched onto the outside of the window frame. It had bloomed for the warm summer months and looked divine in the afternoon light.
Summer wasn't my favourite season, but it made for the most beautiful lighting. The sound of shuffling footsteps forces me to take my brush away from the unfinished canvas.
"Oh, Y/N, I didn't know you were still here. Are you alright dear?" I turn on my stool and see that it's the lovely woman who teaches the younger kids. Nobody in the school was really a teacher, just members of the town who wanted to share something valuable with us. It made school better I think. Teachers were always super passionate about what they were teaching and genuinely cared about their students.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," I smile sweetly at her.
"I saw that the other girls were braiding hair outside. Why don't you play with them instead of being cramped up in a stuffy classroom?" the kind woman chuckled a little. I smiled.
"I don't really get along with the other girls, and the boys never want to play with me," I say simply. The woman frowns.
"That can't be right, I remember at the easter festival a few years ago you got along with everyone. It was so wonderful to see! I do remember you playing with one boy in particular, why not try and talk to him?" My happy smile becomes more melancholy.
"I would, but he's not from town. He was just visiting," I become more soft-spoken. I was too preoccupied with repressing my blush to talk properly.
"Oh that's a shame, you two looked like you had fun. Are you nearly done painting?" the teacher walked swiftly across the classroom to look at my painting.
"My my that is beautiful!" she breathed.
"Thank you, and no it's not finished but it would be easier to finish once the paint has dried a little more," I say and put my paintbrush down on the small desk next to me.
"Well, why don't I put it in the teacher's office tonight so it's safe. Tomorrow you can come in early and you can finish it," she suggested. Her kindness warmed my heart.
"Can I do it after school? I have chemistry first thing and I wouldn't like to be late," I look up at the woman from my painting and she smiles reassuringly.
"That's perfectly fine."
I pack away my brushes and paints and the sweet teacher puts my painting in the office. I wash my hands and roll my sleeves back down and pick up my reading books that are locked in their leather strap and my notebooks and tuck my pencil behind my ear.
I walk swiftly back through the old schoolhouse, I'm the only student left. My light summer skirt flows around my calves and I push open the schoolhouse doors and step outside. I hear giggling as I close the door and look to my right. I see the girls the teacher was talking about. As soon as they see me their laughter ceases. I feel redness creep into my cheeks and I look back down at the ground and walk away as fast as I can.
I make it back to my house and I can smell something wonderful. I don't need to go into the kitchen to know my mother is trying a new recipe for the bakery.
"Hello darling!" my mother calls from the kitchen.
"Hi, Mum!" I call back and take my books to my room. I drop them on my bed before going back to the kitchen.
"Where's Dad?" I ask leaning my elbows on the back of a dining table chair as Mum pulls something delicious out of the oven.
"He's at work at the moment lovely. But he'll be back for dinner," she says and wipes her brow. It's hot enough outside, I can't imaging working over the hot oven for hours as well.
"Can I go see Techno?" I ask and Mum nods.
"Thanks, Mum!" I say and make to leave.
"Ah! Before you go, missy..." Mum says and comes out from the kitchen. She hangs the tea towel she has over her shoulders and presses her hands on my cheeks and a kiss on my forehead.
"Now you can go," she says and goes back to the kitchen making me laugh.
It takes everything in me not to run to Techno's fields. I duck between the houses and to the unowned fields. I walk across them smiling as the sun kisses my skin and the breeze blows through my hair. I tuck my ribbon in my pocket so it doesn't blow away.
It doesn't long before a familiar hybrid figure comes into view a few meters ahead of me. I lengthen my strides and reach the fence. I stand on the bottom rail of the wooden fence and lean my hands on top to stay balanced. Techno sees me and waves, I wave back enthusiastically and sit on the fence. I wouldn't dare walk on Techno's field, his potato farming is very precise. I giggle to myself at the thought. All this hard labour for a silly competition with the neighbour's kid.
Techno walks over and leans on the fence next to me. He's wearing his regular trousers and boots and a loose white shit. I see that his brow is glistening with sweat from the hard work.
"Ew you're all gross and sweaty," I tease.
"Oh shut up," I laugh as Techno playfully shoves me. We sit together in comfortable silence, we never really need to talk. I look over at his small eclectic house and notice the back door swing open. His younger brother and who I assume is a friend bolt out of the house and back around the side to the town. Whilst the door is open I can hear the faint sound of a guitar and singing from inside as well as the whistling of a kettle. I look back at Techno.
"So what's a sixteen year old like you doing slaving away in the fields instead of out having a ball with the other dumb sixteen-year-olds," I prod and Techno laughs.
"I could ask you the same thing," Techno says pointedly.
"You know why," I say solemnly.
"You know why as well, fucking squid kid," Techno mutters and I laugh at his comment.
"You should try to get along with people who aren't just me and you're parents, Y/N," Techno points out, I roll my eyes.
"Nobody ever wants to talk to me,"
"Nobody except your springtime sweetheart," Techno says dramatically and puts his hands over his heart. I shove his shoulder and roll my eyes making Techno chuckle.
"As if," I scoff.
"I still can't believe you're hung up on a kid you saw for a night years ago," I force back my blush.
"I am not!" I say trying to sound offended. I fail miserably making us both laugh.
Our laughter is interrupted by the sound of hoofbeats behind us. Curious, I twist around to see where the horses are coming from. Techno and I watch as two beautiful horses, one black and giant and the other white and nimble, gallop across the unowned field behind us. The leather on their saddles and bridles is shiny and bright in the sun. Their riders wear shades of green and head towards town.
Techno and I look at each other confused, but Techno isn't confused in the same way as I am.
"Y/N, get your training gear from the shed," Techno orders.
"Wait why?" I question and Techno grins.
"Because that was the prince and princess from that kingdom in the west. If they see that we're fighters, they'll respect us and maybe they'll ask to see our skills!" Techno says excitedly. I smile and nod and dash to Techno's shed.
Techno has always wanted to be a soldier in the army. Techno wanted to fight to protect people, their lives and their innocence. I'll be happy to help him accomplish his dream. I change into my black training pants and sleeveless black top. I grab my mask too and pull it over my head and let it rest on my neck ready to be pulled up. There was no way I was giving the kids in town another reason to think I was a weirdo.
On the way out I grab my iron axe from where it leant next to the shed door. I fold my clothes and put them neatly on a shelf after making sure the ribbon was still safely tucked in the pocket of my skirt. I exit the shed and see that Techno already has his golden axe.
We jump the fence and sprint into town eager to see what was happening. I'm immediately sweating in the heat. We pause when we see the scene in front of us. The prince had gotten off his horse and tied it to the horse water trough outside a store. He had been completely swamped by the richer kids from town. I giggled at his overwhelmed expression as various girls our age swooned and tried to catch his eye. The princess simply sat atop her beautiful white steed and laughed at her brother.
Both the princess and prince had blond hair and green eyes so striking I could see them from here. The princess was younger than her brother and had a cheeky grin on her face. They both wore casual clothing not expecting to be noticed by people so quickly. I watched as the princess said something to the prince and turned her horse around. The prince did a double-take and called out to her but she laughed and simply gave him a back-handed wave before trotting off.
"She totally abandoned him," I chuckle and Techno does as well.
"Come on, now's our chance!" Techno said excitedly and we approach from the side of the prince's ginormous black horse. The horse nickers when he notices us and I smile and pat his broad neck before slipping past.
"Excuse me, sorry everyone but his royal highness has matters to attend to," Techno says slyly and stands on the prince's right. The small crowd makes some confused noises and disappointed chatter. The prince looks at him surprised but his expression quickly turns to one of interest when he sees the golden axe. I move to the prince's left.
"Yes exactly! Thank you everyone the prince will be back later," I say smoothly. Nobody recognised me but they looked at me strangely. It's not every day you see a masked woman dressed in all black fight clothes. Techno and I look at each other and stifle our giggles. This was so surreal. It takes a little more work to pry the prince from the hands of his adoring fans but we manage to duck around a corner. Techno and I let our giggles loose and eventually, the prince joins in too.
"That was priceless!" I laugh. We lean against the cool brick wall of the shop we stood next to digesting the situation. I'm about to say something when we hear people heading our way. Suddenly I'm fully alert again.
"I think he went that way," a voice says nearby.
"Crap run!" I say and we sprint out of town as fast as we can.
We run all the way back to Techno's fence laughing all the while. I immediately leap onto the fence and sit still full of chuckles from the fiasco. Techno had managed to calm himself and the prince chuckled a little as well.
"Thanks, I wasn't expecting to be so swamped," the prince said and leaned on the fence. My brows knit together with confusion when I recognise his voice. I shake away the thought, it was ridiculous.
"It was inevitable if you were planning on walking around dressed so finely," I say gesturing to his perfectly pressed shirt and trousers. They may have been casual for a prince, but for a small town like ours, they were a dead giveaway.
"I suppose it was a little naive," the prince admitted with a grunt making me giggle. I jump to my feet and balance with my arms out along the fence.
"Y/N, remember what I told you about keeping your feet straight for balance," Techno says. I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out at him. The prince laughs at my antics.
"Do you want to tour the town?" Techno asks the prince who perks up at the question.
"Sure, I guess that's why I came for. I don't know what my sister's doing," he rolled his eyes.
"Your sister is incredible, she totally knew she'd be swamped the minute she touched the ground," I laugh and the prince sighs.
"I wish she let me in on that," he said sourly.
"You should change out of those clothes to avoid being recognised. My clothes will fit you if you want to borrow some," Techno said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, that would be great thanks," the prince said.
"Y/N, you change too, to avoid drawing attention," I stop meandering up and down the top of the fence and salute Techno jokingly. He chuckles and I jump off the fence and head to the shed.
I close the door of the shed and lean against it. The prince was pretty, very pretty. He also seemed... familiar? I couldn't put my finger on it. I shake it from my mind and change back into my clothes and fold my training clothes and put them on the shelf instead. I tie my ribbon into my hair and smooth the crinkles from my blue skirt. Once I'm satisfied I leave my axe in the shed and head back out into the summer air.
Techno and the prince are waiting at the fence for me. I blush when I feel the prince's eyes on me; I look down at the floor as I walk. I was definitely blaming the blush on the hot weather. We stroll down into town and point out the important stuff. The prince asks a few questions, particular about the town square.
Most town squares have a fountain at their centre or a town hall. Our town was different, when the town was built there was a giant tree in the middle of where they wanted to build. They were going to chop it down but then they noticed that hybrids were living in the tree branches. These hybrids were more animal than human and didn't understand what they were trying to do. So it was decided that the tree would become a part of the town and the hybrids would be town residents. So at the centre of the town, the tree stands strong and tall in its own little rings of earth surrounded by decorative cobblestone.
"I've seen the town square before, but I didn't know the story of the tree," the prince said. Techno and I looked at him in surprise.
"When?" Techno asked.
"For a spring festival," the prince said simply. My eyes widened. Could it be? I felt Techno poke me and I looked up and saw his growing smirk. I punched him as a warning and he held back his laughter.
"When exactly was the festival?" I ask cautiously.
"Uh a few years ago, I don't know exactly. It was before I was so easily recognised," the prince said not paying attention and staring off into the distance.
Holy gods, it was him. How the fuck did I catch feelings for a fucking prince?! I must have been staring because I felt Techno whack me lightly over the back of the head. I scowl at him.
"Before we go any further, what do we call you? We can't exactly call you "your royal highness" in the middle of town without drawing attention," Techno asked nonchalantly. I glared at him knowing exactly what he was doing. He smirked and winked at me, sly bastard.
"Well, last time I was here everybody called me greenie because of my sweatshirt," the prince wheezed a laugh and I felt my jaw drop. I struggled to find words as Techno snickered beside me.
"Hey do the town kids still do competitions in the forest?" Greenie asked. I picked my jaw off the floor and nodded. Techno continues to snicker as we lead Greenie to where the forest kids hang out.
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HELOOOOOOOO EVERYBODY
hehehehe see ya'll in the next chapter <3