TW: SWEARING, YELLING, BETRAYAL, FIGHTING, VERBAL ABUSE, MANIPULATION
This is a long one guys, buckle in and grab the popcorn <3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~ Tubbo's P.O.V ~~~~
"So basically, George has been dethroned."
My head snaps up the second the words leave Quackity's mouth.
"What?" I question.
"Yeah,"
"By Dream?"
"Yes, Dream dethroned George and Eret is now king again of the SMP,"
I stand up from my desk and walk around it to talk to Big Q properly. We were in my office preparing for the confrontation, needless to say, we were a mess.
"I don't understand why that man doesn't just become the king himself," I mumble in thought and bring my hand to my chin. I rub my eyes trying to force myself to wake up.
I'm glad I spent time with Niki, I needed that. Time away. It didn't do for my worries much but going back to a place where I don't have to be the president was refreshing. Sleeping in my room rather than the spare room in the Community house was comforting.
Niki also helped me come to some conclusions about what I should do about the exile. I could only see one option really, but it was the last thing I wanted to do.
The door opens and Fundy enters; his arms are full of papers. I knew some of them were for me to go through later and others were blank for the meeting with Dream.
"Fundy, great timing. I'm going to make this short, Geroge has been dethroned, Eret is king again," Big Q relays the message again.
Fundy hesitates as he sets the papers down on the desk.
"Wait what?" Fundy doesn't seem to process Quackity's words.
"That was my reaction as well!" I exclaim.
"But this whole thing started because George was king," Fundy speaks out thoughts aloud.
"Yes, but there's not much we can do about that now. Do we know why he was dethroned?" I ask.
"Yeah, so what happened was George has been experiencing a lot of attacks from public and private domains. There was actually an attack by Technoblade a while ago as well as many townspeople from the SMP protesting his kingship. Dream claimed that he was dethroning George because he wanted him to be safe," Big Q explained. I furrow my brows in confusion.
"But Dream said he didn't care about anything except Tommy's discs, he barely even mentions Y/N anymore," Fundy points out. I feel a weight settle on my chest as soon as Y/N's name is mentioned. Her search has been on hold for a few days whilst we dealt with the exile conflict. Guilt is a fickle feeling, it always seems to come up exactly when you don't want it to.
"Exactly, that's when Sapnap and George took a stand. They've left the country, I don't know where they are at the moment," I run a hand through my hair absentmindedly whilst Quackity explained everything to Fundy.
This was bad. Dream hadn't spoken to me about this. Was this his idea? Or was it Seth pulling the strings? If it was Seth, his goal would be to weaken the SMP, so he would want Dream to instate himself as King, not bring Eret back. Did Dream do this on his own?
"I still don't understand why we're fighting then," Fundy says.
"He's probably upset about the Spirit situation. I am a bit upset about it too. Big Q I know your thoughts on the issue. Tommy thinks so much with emotion and forgets that he needs to consider more than what's black and white," I sigh and the boys nod.
"The issue is that we keep negotiating with Dream. We need to stop trying to please him, I'm in disagreement with everything we've done so far actually," I force away my disagreeing grumble. I knew that Quackity disagreed with what we'd done.
After being pushed around by Schlatt for so long it made sense that he was sick of authority. I was starting to feel the same. Quackity and Fundy were very enthusiastic, it often meant I had to bend to what they liked. They always said I had the final word but I never felt like I had a choice.
"At the end of the day, there is only one thing we need to have in our minds, the best decision for L'Manburg. Our citizens come first. I need you two to promise me that the decision we make will put the nation first," I put my hand out for both of them to shake.
What scares me is the look they share before shaking my hand.
"By the end of today, the walls will be gone," Quackity declared, we all nod in agreement.
I look past the two of them and out the window that overlooks the nation's centre. Most of the citizens had decided to stay inside when usually the town square would be busy. The docks had been cut off so citizens who lived there would at least be free whilst everyone else was trapped behind the walls. The place looked desolate and lonely.
"GUYS DID YOU HEAR THAT GEORGE WAS DETHRONED?!" I jump when Tommy bursts through the door without warning. I sigh and put a hand to my chest feeling my racing heart. Despite all this time, loud bangs still got the best of me.
"Yes, Tommy we heard!" Big Q shouts and ushers him into the office with us. The room was starting to feel a lot smaller than usual.
"Also Dream's going to be meeting us at the wall in about five minutes, that's what Jack said," Tommy notes as he enters the room and Big Q shuts the door.
"Tubbo, you've literally got the power to stab me in the back or choose L'Manburg," Tommy says once the room is calm again from his entrance.
"Tommy I really don't want to have to-"
"Then don't! You don't have to."
But what if I do?
"We cannot keep letting Dream pull the strings. It's not fair to anyone, and he's meant to be on our side on this," Quackity says.
Dream is on our side, the others don't know that though. It's all a part of the plan, Dream's doing everything he can to get Y/N back and then we'll move on to destroying the Dark Army. I knew most of the plan, but right now Seth isn't letting Dream close enough for him to get any real information.
I wanted to tell the others, the truth sat on the tip of my tongue, but Dream was so adamant that they stay in the dark. Dream is the most powerful person we know, he's ruled over an entire kingdom and it's one of the most prosperous there is to exist. I just need to keep it together a little bit longer. For Y/N's sake.
"You're right Big Q, we can't let him stomp on us anymore!" Tommy urges. I force back my grumble. There he goes, taking them all away on their merry little bandwagon. He'll tell them what they want to hear without even knowing it and then I have no control. I crossed my arms and clenched the fabric of my suit tightly in my fists.
"So we exile Tommy, then what? What does that make us?" Quackity rallies the others.
"Fundy did you get any results from the townspeople?" I ask abruptly. Fundy cringes and looks at the floor.
"Yeah, I did. They weren't very positive. From what I gather after talking to a lot of the town, they want Tommy gone," Fundy speaks carefully like he's walking on thin ice. I look over and see Tommy's face fall and I felt a sad pang hit me square in the chest.
"Alright... Well, they're just the people, what do the people know these days?" Tommy rolls his eyes and stands up a little taller. I saw straight through it, he was shocked definitely. I watch as his nervousness takes over.
"Alright let me say my final piece. L'Manburg was built to liberate us from Dream, as we didn't do that by listening to him. Big Q is right. Now is not the time to end our stubbornness. Here's what I think you should do Tubbo," I sigh quietly. Always about what I should do, not what we should do, because I'm the one with power here. They think I'm soft, I know they do.
"I say we take a stand."
~~~~ Y/N's P.O.V ~~~~
My arms are wrapped around me tightly and I grip my upper arms trying to generate some kind of warmth. The dead grass swishes in the biting wind as it whips past us reddening my face and icing my fingers. Ranboo as usual seems unfazed.
The city was far behind us now, we'd walked all night and into the morning only stopping briefly to sleep on the outskirts. The train tracks ended and now we wandered alone, without guidance. We were technically looking for some sort of road that could take us to a town.
I stop and stand in the whipping air. My hair flies around my face tickling my neck and cheeks as I stare behind us. The looming silhouette of the city stands dauntingly behind us, it felt like it was watching us. I hear Ranboo stop walking as he notices I'm not at his side anymore.
"We may not be able to stay at the first town we find," I project over the wind without looking back at him. I hear his feet shuffle through the long grass as he retakes his place at my side.
"Why?" he asks simply. I look up at his face.
"It could be occupied by the Dark Army, if that's the case they'll know who we are, especially you. We can't be discovered, who knows what consequences there'll be," I turn around and continue on our path.
"We need to get supplies somehow, we have nothing," Ranboo points out the painful truth. All we had were the satchels of clothes slung over our shoulders, the clothes on our backs, and a bar of soap I grabbed from the bathroom.
"I know, that's why we could be better off finding a farm. We can get food there."
"We don't have money or anything of value."
"We'll take it from the fields or find some other way to earn money."
"How are we going to make money?"
"I don't know, I'll sing at a pub or something."
We walk in silence for a while. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it wasn't comforting either. It was numb, as cold and as numb as the world around us. I was grateful for the rain last night, it washed away all the snow and made it easier to travel on foot.
The voices had been dead quiet since we left. Sometimes I feel them shift or move about but nothing important. It hasn't hit me yet that we're out. Obviously, I'm overjoyed, but I hadn't yet taken in yet how we had nowhere to go or that we had no idea where we are and that we were probably going to die out here.
It'll hit me tonight if we don't have a town to hide out in. When we have to fight the demons that lurk in the darkness, the lost souls of people long dead.
"I see something!" Ranboo's exclamation throws me from my thoughts. I look up and see Ranboo's outstretched arm pointing at something. I squint trying to see it better.
We stride towards it faster, picking our knees up over the long grass. It becomes clearer and then I realise that it's a gravel road. My eyes widen and my breath comes out in hot puffs of steam as my warm breath hits the cold air.
A road. Hope.
~~~~ Tubbo's P.O.V ~~~~
"What are you suggesting?" I press Tommy hoping for more of a plan. A dumb thing to hope for, I know.
"I'm suggesting that tonight will be a night of war," Tommy's chaotic grin grew more determined by the second. This was not good.
"Tommy, we don't have the resources-"
"No no no listen!" I stop talking. I hate myself for just bending to him like that. I was the president, I should be heard!
"We've been pushed around for so long! We've all given up so much for L'Manburg, we should be fighting for it! There's only one of Dream right? And one more thing and Tubbo I know you're going to be hesitant about this but... I think we should get the Blade."
I feel my heart drop into my stomach as repressed memories surface.
The cage. The heat. The screams. The retched smell. Technoblade's hybrid face.
"Tommy we can't get the blade," I say sounding steadier than I felt. In truth, I wasn't even sure if I was standing on solid ground anymore. All I could think of was the final bursts of red, blue and white mixed with Y/N's screams before everything went black.
"But hang on! Dream's like the ultimate government! He's always pulling the strings. Technoblade hates control and authority and government and all that shit. He'll want to help us. Exile me and you're giving Dream exactly what he wants Tubbo," Tommy's words pour out of his mouth in a jumbled mess.
"Tommy you're forgetting history," I say sternly.
"You know what? Fuck the exile. I've had it with Dream, I'm fucking tired of listening to him!" Quackity immediately jumps on with Tommy's idea.
Of course, he would, I should have seen this coming from a mile away. Suddenly my office felt a lot darker than usual, it felt like it wasn't my place anymore.
"YEAH LET'S GO BIG Q! Here's what we do! Tonight is the night of war! FUCK EXILE, there's more of us than Dream, alright? We've got everybody on our side right now. Once we get Techno on our side we'll be unstoppable!" Tommy raves.
"I think going to Technoblade is a bad idea," I say trying to sway them. But Tommy was like a burning star, you couldn't touch him.
"What they're saying makes sense Tubbo. If we give ourselves over to Dream, who's to say he won't hurt us more?" Fundy joins Tommy and Quackity after a moment's thought. If I could just tell them the truth, then they'd be on my side.
"Tubbo, we're not teaming up with Technoblade. We just have a common enemy!"
"I get the whole 'the enemy of your enemy is your friend' and all that. But what happens after Dream is gone? I go back into power over L'Manburg, a country with a government. Technoblade will turn on us immediately if we're not already dead," I argue back.
"Then we'll just backstab Technoblade," Fundy says with a laugh. But we have nothing. We have literally nothing. We have no weapons, no armour, no army. We'll be dead in seconds no matter who we fight.
"When I was elected I swore to our people that they would have peace. I will not make them sit through another war," I try to stay strong against my friends. I just want them to listen to me for once.
"But they won't, we'll evacuate the city. We'll dig them out under the walls! Dream can't get us in we're underground! We have the tunnels to Pogtopia and they can be safe there!" Tommy almost jumps with excitement. Quackity and Fundy cheer them on.
"We're really doing this?" I ask in disbelief.
"Tubbo you can't keep playing this game with Dream. We've never listened to anyone before in our lives, so why should we start now?" Quackity says and Fundy sparks more conversation.
I watch feeling like I'm behind a wall of glass. They fire each other up ready to battle Dream. They simply expect me to follow them because I'm Tubbo. Tubbo, Tommy's sidekick who does whatever he says. Tubbo, the soft little kid who loves bees. Tubbo, the good and kind president who'd never hurt a single person. Tubbo, the victim of terrible tyrants. Tubbo, who rolls over to everyone and everything.
Fine, if that's who they want me to be, I'll be him.
I straighten the collar of my jacket and start walking out the office door.
"Let's get this bitch," I say causing the boys to erupt into cheers. I keep my eyes low and dark as we trek to the walls surrounding L'Manburg. The meeting place was right on top.
The others buzz around me like a swarm of wasps and yell out their scrappily made plan. I don't object, I don't say anything. I simply nod without a smile. Tommy, like always, was being the bright shining that he is, Fundy was planning his chaos and Quackity and excited to join another revolution. I was on the fence, I hadn't made up my mind.
These were my friends, I could see what they were saying. But there was a lot they didn't know, and so many people would be hurt by their plan. There was still only one option in my mind. It had haunted me for so long. But could I betray Tommy like that? My best friend.
What would exile do to us? I had no idea. But I knew exactly what would happen if I didn't exile Tommy. There would be no escape through the Pogtopia tunnels because everybody would be dead before they even left their houses.
The wind howls and whips my hair as I open the door of the government office building. We go down the hill, a beacon of noise and laughter. They're acting like we've already won.
The town square was empty as we pass through. It was too cold today for anyone to be out. We walk to the ladder that I had leaned on the wall last night. We take turns climbing up. I'm still quiet, I haven't said a word.
The others stand behind me on top of the wall. I look up from my feet that I had stared at the whole way here. I see Dream clad in his shining netherite armour, a show of strength. The boys behind me don't see the look Dream and I share.
~~~~ Y/N's P.O.V ~~~~
Ranboo and I follow the dirt road. There were only two choices for direction, I just hope we went the way that leads to a town nearby and not miles away. The cold gravel crunches beneath our boots and I wrap my jacket tighter around me. We were surrounded by trees on both sides now. Evergreen trees that still had their leaves, covered the ground on either side of the road.
"What if we went to L'Manburg?" Ranboo asks gently.
"No!" I shut him down immediately and feel the regret as Ranboo goes quiet.
"Sorry. But I can't do that. I don't know if my memories of that place are real or fake," I mumble.
"What do you mean?" Ranboo asks with a quiet voice.
"I have a memory, of Tommy, Tubbo, Wilbur and I. We were playing chess. But it's wrong. When I see the memory, it's like it's unclear. Like it's behind dirty glass or running water," I try to explain.
"I guess that makes sense, but shouldn't we test it?"
"I don't know if I'm ready for that. Ready for my world to be turned upside down again."
I feel Ranboo take my hand and squeeze it comfortingly. Both of our hands are cold like ice blocks, but we're beyond caring now.
"It's ok, we don't have to go there. I'll be with you no matter what," I look up at Ranboo and smile thankfully.
"Thank you," I say quietly.
We walk hand in hand and float about in our own thoughts. I flick through memories, ones that hurt specifically. But it's not as bad as usual. Ranboo's hand steadied me, made me feel strong. It was ok to think about the past because my future was still ahead of me. I wasn't going to lose that.
I think of times with Technoblade. I see happy memories, from when we're kids. They're clear, I see them, I know them. I think of Technoblade in Pogtopia, those memories are murky. Silent and uncomfortable hours of working on a potato farm with no breaks. When I leave he seems to growl at me, annoyed to be doing the work himself. It was blurry.
I'm shaken from my thoughts when I feel Ranboo stop beside me.
"What is it?" I ask and look up from my feet. He's looking behind us.
I hear the crunching of gravel. How could I have missed this before? I turn quickly and see a cart behind us. It's small and made of wood and has seemingly two parts. Most impressively it's being pulled by a ginormous bull.
~~~~ Tubbo's P.O.V ~~~~
"We've come to a decision," I faltered. Dream was terrifying in this state. A long jagged crack ran down the face of the mask, it was never cracked before. The hood of his sweatshirt covered his hair and his armour shone brightly with an uncountable amount of enchantments. This was not the man I had met with earlier this week, this was a completely different person.
"Dream, you're a bitch! And you're ugly!" Tommy jeers from behind me.
"Tommy," I scowl and turn briefly to look at my cabinet. Fundy laughs at Tommy's remark still in good spirits.
"Dream do you have any final thoughts?" I ask coldly. Behind my words, my mind is screaming. I don't want to do this, but I have to.
"No, I don't, I just want to hear what your final decision is," Dream says. He gives me nothing to work with, nothing that can help Tommy. I won't be getting any sympathy from anybody. I'll just go along with it like always. It will be ok.
"Look around," I say and turn towards L'Manburg. Only the whistling wind fills the silence.
"There's giant obsidian walls," Dream notes.
"There is, and that is a problem. Dream we..." I trail off and look to L'Manburg.
What would I be doing to this place if I just go along with what Tommy wants? What Quackity and Fundy want. What would happen to my people?
I look down at the nation and take it all in. The silhouettes of families through lit-up windows, the remnants of snow on the rooftops, the soft glow of the hanging lanterns and the reflections on the lake. The water mill and drains were slowly filling the crater under the platforms with water. Soon it would look beautiful like nothing ever hurt this place.
I look back at Tommy. My best friend, the person I owe so much to. Quackity and Fundy wait expectantly, excitedly. They all wanted to fight again, they were prepared for another rebellion. But was L'Manburg?
"Tubbo," Dream says.
"Yes?" I turn back and Dream sighs in thought.
"I trust you. You're the best leader that L'Manburg has ever had. You've always made the best decision for L'Manburg as a gracious leader. I trust that whatever decision you came to was the best one for L'Manburg."
He's doing it on purpose. I know he is. He's pushing me to exile Tommy. But he had one thing right. I am the leader of L'Manburg, not Tommy or Quackity or Fundy. Suddenly, for no reason at all, I find the whole situation funny. A giggle escapes me as I think about it all. I was standing on top of an obsidian wall deciding the future of a nation that nobody ever really wanted me to have.
"You know, this is funny actually," I smile as I finally realise what I'm about to do.
"I'm sorry Tommy, I'm sorry," I turn and look at the guys. Tommy laughs trying to pretend he understands the joke.
"Dream-"
"Tommy, I am so sorry," I cut Tommy off. That's when my words finally reach him, he gives me a perplexed look. Of course, my words hit him now, when it's far too late.
"Dream," I start and turn back to face the green man.
"I've come to the decision that it would be best for the nation, the most logical thing to do," I pause briefly and take a deep breath. I look back at my best friend.
For what it's worth, I really am sorry.
"Is for Tommy to be... exiled from L'Manburg," I hesitate as I say the words.
"What?" Quackity demands.
"Teaming with Technoblade is an awful idea! It's an awful idea!" I state my opinion clearly.
"We just had this discussion!" Fundy yells. I can't even bring myself to look at Tommy's face.
"What are you doing Tubbo?!" Quackity bellowed.
"War is not the best thing for this nation!" I fumed. I'd had enough of their influence on my decisions.
"Nothing involving any kind of conflict is the best for this nation! You guys are thinking emotionally, irrationally. There's more than the four of us living in L'Manburg! War will bring destruction and terror, a new regime that we don't want to enforce upon our citizens," I assert.
Immediately they're on my back again. They badger me, yell at me, try to get me to take back my words. I take the moment to look at Tommy. He doesn't say a word. He doesn't make eye contact. He just stares, straight through me like I'm not even here.
"HEY EVERYONE THAT'S ENOUGH! OK?!" I scream at them. Instantly their mouths shut, I've never yelled at them like that before. They stare at me completely shellshocked.
"BE QUIET! YOU'VE UNDERMINED MY AUTHORITY FROM THE GET-GO, OK? All of you! No one here has ever respected me! You all jump on these merry little bandwagons of destruction. It's not ok and you don't have the best interests of this nation at heart. You have made that more apparent than ever before today!" I shout at them. Maybe for once, they'll hear me. As I finish talking Tommy finally finds his voice.
"YOU AGREED WITH US! You agreed that this is what- Why would you... Why would you go back on the plan now?!" Tommy speaks so quickly I barely understand his words.
"When I was sworn in I made a promise. To do what was best for the nation. Right now, Tommy your presence here is not what's best for this nation," I jab at Tommy with my words.
"Tubbo," he splutters out.
"What?" my words sound like ice. In truth, I was trying to hurt him, so that he wouldn't want to come back. So that he couldn't ruin things again with his stupid obsession over these music discs.
"No, no Tubbo you agreed with us! Why?" Tommy asks breathily.
"All of this is based around the music discs. We can't sacrifice everything for the music discs," I scolded.
"But Tubbo before L'Manburg it was just us! Just us and the discs! L'Manburg is everything but what about the discs?"
"LOOK AROUND TOMMY! ISN'T THIS ENOUGH? WHAT WOULD BE ENOUGH TOMMY?" I explode feeling my emotions start to tip me over. I force back the tears of frustration that hid just beneath the surface.
"They're just music discs, they shouldn't be able to dictate the future of an entire nation," I speak in a low tone trying to convey my seriousness.
"Tubbo, you know what this looks like?" Fundy asks. His ears twitch back and forth no doubt an expression of his distress. His tail flicks by his legs angrily.
"What?" I challenge.
"We agreed on something and you have changed it all last minute. For your benefit. Do you know what this looks like, Tubbo?"
"What does it look like, Fundy?"
"You're acting like Schlatt. This is exactly the kind of shit he would pull on us," Fundy accuses. His words hit me, but I refuse to falter again. I will not be seen as weak.
"You are acting like Schlatt, Tubbo. Take it from someone who was his right-hand man," Quackity immediately agrees.
I look down at L'Manburg again and catch sight of our reflection in the lake. I look at myself, I stand opposing my friends with Dream behind me. I look at my horns and the suit I was wearing. No matter how much I try to hide my ears or horns, I was never going to be rid of them.
Nothing will ever be the same again, but that's ok.
"Tubbo, this is what Dream wants. Why would- Why... Why?" Tommy strides closer to me.
"Because going your way is not the right way," I state simply.
"Oh yeah? And how is this the right way?" Fundy demands. Tommy dashes at me and grabs my shoulders like a begging man.
"Tubbo, the discs- how is this the right way?" I shove his hands off me.
"THE DISCS DON'T MATTER TOMMY! HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT?! THEY DON'T MATTER!" I get right in his face and scream at him forcing him to step back. My eyes widen when I realise what I've done.
I quickly steady my expression and step back from him. I walk over to Dream and tuck my hands behind my back.
"Dream, please detain and escort Tommy out of my country," I command. Dream nods and puts a hand on my shoulder before he passes me.
How is it that the last person I expected comfort from was the one who gave it to me? I watch Dream wrenches Tommy's hands behind his back and ties them together with some rope. Quackity and Fundy try to object but they're both too shocked to do anything.
"Tommy, you are hereby exiled," I say with finality in my voice.
"Tubbo?" Tommy stutters in disbelief.
"Tommy, you're a liability, you need to leave now," I say sternly.
"But Tubbo... You're my friend," I feel my heart stop in my chest. I can't say anything.
"Goodbye, Tommy."
~~~~ Y/N's P.O.V ~~~~
The cart was more of a two train caravan. It was made mostly of wood and was painted with many bright colours. A person with a big hat sat in the driver's seat holding the reins that strapped to the bull's face. The two parts of the caravan weren't particularly large, that was probably why there was two of them. The windows were wooden and had shutters on the outside that has been bolted shut for the journey. Small plants and vines hung from the overhanging roof of the caravan or sat in plant boxes under the windowsills.
The wooden wheels of the caravan grind the gravel as it stops. The woman driving the cart lifts the ginormous sunhat and lets the light hit her face. Woah. She was pretty.
Her auburn hair was tied tightly in braids on her head and she wore a big woollen coat with colourful patterns on the trims. Her boots and the bottom of her navy jeans were muddied and her face was dotted with freckles and her eyes looked like liquid gold.
"What are you two doing out here in such a horrible place?" she asks softly. I look behind us and see the faintest outline of the city skyline, she knew where we were from.
"We're travellers, we're looking for the closest town, we just got a little lost," I lie smoothly. The woman hums.
"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" despite her youthful appearance, this woman was wise. It was clear she had seen a lot in her life.
"I'm travelling to a town not far from here with my boyfriend. By cart, it doesn't take long, but on foot, it will take days," she explains. I weigh up our options in my mind.
"Is the town occupied by soldiers?" I ask not mentioning any specific name.
"It's one of the last places that aren't."
"Can we come with you? I promise we won't be a bother, and we'll do our best to help you," I ask meekly. The woman smiles brightly at us.
"Of course you can, you seem like lovely folks. Myles!" She sticks her head through a cloth-covered window by her head. I hear a mumble from inside the caravan.
"Come say hi!" she calls. A moment later, a hand pushes a trapdoor on the roof of the van.
Myles sticks his head through the gap in the roof and waves at us shyly.
"Hello," he waves to us and we wave back. He then ducks back inside closing the trapdoor behind him.
"I don't know where you two want to sit. Probably best if you missy, come sit with me in the front and your friend is probably better off in the back. Myles is also quiet so you don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want," the woman says kindly. I thank her and Myles opens the door on the side of the caravan letting Ranboo in. I settle on the seat next to the woman.
"I'm Lorelei, and this is Angus, say Hi Angus!" I look down at the bull.
Surprisingly, he turns his massive, horned head and grunts roughly. I don't know how, but I know that he's happy to see me. His eyes are big and brown and full of kindness, no wonder Lorelei picked him.
"I'm Y/N, and my friend is Ranboo," I say with a smile. Lorelei had a comforting aura, she felt like home almost, or what home should be. She was laid back and relaxed but also she was a breath of fresh air for me. Colour in a world of grey.
"Ranboo isn't human, is he?" Lorelei says. It's less of a question and more of a statement.
"No, he's Enderian and the last of his kind that we know of," I explain and Lorelei's sunny expression saddens.
"That's horrible. Is he always so quiet?" she asks curiously and flicks the reins. Angus listens to her command and starts walking again at a brisk pace.
"Only around new people. When he warms up he's super chatty," I say smiling. When we first met Ranboo didn't even say a word. But after a few meetings, lessons and breakfasts with Schlatt, we became inseparable.
"Myles is the same!" Lorelei laughs. We jump a little bit when we hear a burst of laughter from inside the caravan.
We share an amused look and I peep through the curtain-covered window into the back. Myles and Ranboo sit facing each other in a seating area under the small window.
I can't see very far into the van but from what I could see it was incredibly cozy and eclectic. More small plants hung by the windows from the roof and all the seats were made of old leather or random patchworks of fabric that Lorelei and Myles must have found. Two large chests line the back wall opposite the door and they were covered in bits and pieces of random objects. There were hand towels and clothes, pillow and blankets, a watering can, some odd books, small figurines of animals, flowers growing in jars, an open chest of music discs. Colourful patterned tapestries hung from the ceiling and colourful curtains covered the shut windows from the inside. A patterned red rug covered the floor and a cozy looking leather chair sat in the back corner next to a stack of more chests. A table was tucked by the door under a window that was littered with maps, books, quills and a magnifying glass.
Ranboo hugged a round cushion to his chest as he laughed and Myles leant back against the seat heavily. The seating area was 'U' shaped and hugged the walls of the caravan making it extra cozy. Myles looked as sweet as he sounded. Long dark brown hair hung over his face hiding freckles and a scar that ran across his nose. He was wearing a yellow sweatshirt over a black tee-shirt and jeans and boots like Lorelei.
I stop looking through the gap and come back to Lorelei.
"Yeah, they're going to get along really well," I giggle and Lorelei laughs.
~~~~ Tubbo's P.O.V ~~~~
The van was dead quiet and the tension was obvious and thick. I leant back against one of the benches whilst Fundy and Quackity stood opposite me on the other side of the middle table.
"Tubbo, I just don't understand why you did it. Why would you switch at the last second?" Quackity asks with evident confusion in his voice.
"It was for the best. Tommy thinks too emotionally, this is the logical thing to do. Now we don't have a target on our back," I explain roughly. I didn't want to admit any real details that could give away what Dream and I were trying to do.
The exile was a step to gain Seth's trust in hopes he would be more comfortable around Dream. Perhaps then it would be easier for Dream to pry information out of him. I hadn't spoken to Dream since we last met before Tommy ruined everything in the meeting. When Dream returns we would have to talk about our next move.
"Why didn't you tell us that that was what you were going to do?" Quackity groans and rubs his hands up and down his face stressfully.
"I didn't think I was going to do that until I realised that it was the thing that made the most sense," I try to explain. I was lying, but it was better than letting them in on what was going on. The less they knew the less likely it was that they would get hurt.
"Wait until word gets around that you exiled Tommy! What will our allies think of us? They'll think we're weak, that we just do anything Dream says because he's the bigger fish! So what the fuck do we do next?" Quackity yells. I look at Fundy, he was always quieter but I expected him to be vocal in this conversation. Leant on the table with his palms and stared at it deep in thought.
"Ok listen. Quackity, I recall you saying once in a desperate situation, let's not think about what the fuck happened or why, let's just think about what's going on right now. Tubbo made a huge mistake, and I agree, but it happened. I have something in the van that might help us move forward," Quackity and I share a confused look as Fundy bends down to look under the desk. I choose to ignore his statement about me making a mistake.
"This is a written L'Manburg hitlist," Fundy says resurfacing and puts a piece of paper on the table.
"What?" I question.
"I have a list of people who've hurt L'Manburg. Now, as long as we take care of the people on this list, we shouldn't have to worry about anything anymore," Fundy slides the list over to me and I quickly skim the details.
Schlatt, Wilbur, Technoblade and Dream. Two of the targets had already been taken care of. I didn't think Dream should be on the list, but I could see why Fundy had put him on there.
"There are two main targets on that list, Technoblade and Dream," I state and hand the list to Quackity for him to skim over.
"We were about to make a deal with Technoblade, his stance against governments could be a massive problem for us if he decides to come out of retirement," Fundy explains, I nod.
"Once we get rid of Technoblade and Dream, L'Manburg will be safe," Fundy adds.
"Fundy, you're right. Forget the past, what happened happened even if it was a massive mistake," Quackity mumbles.
"Honestly, Quackity in the future I think you will thank me," I asserted my stance on the issue. They may think it was a mistake, but I didn't. Although, no matter how much I knew it was the right decision it didn't make me feel any better for exiling my best friend.
"I don't want to think about that right now, Tubbo. Fundy, I'm way ahead of you. I've been planning something for a while that I think you two might be interested in," Quackity says in a low voice. Fundy and I share a confused look, we turn back to Quackity and he smirks darkly.
"Follow me, fellas."
~~~~
HELOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT I'M NOT DEAD AND I HAVE WRITTEN A VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER WOO HOO!!!!
I don't have much to say besides I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Congrats to @MoonSucks who chose the names for our two OCs Lorelei and Myles.
Also, this is kind of what they look like.
This is Lorelei <3
This is Myles :)
You will get to know them more since I'm planning on having Ranboo and Y/N stay with them a little longer.
I HOPE YOU ARE ALL HAVING A WONDERFUL MORNING/EVENING/DAY/NIGHT <3 <3 <3
Don't be afraid to reach out if you're struggling! Support is always there even if you feel like you're alone. You're all beautiful people! :)