Aloe - Affection, also Grief.
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Warning- This chapter may contain moments of madness, profanity, and/or detailed explanations of pain, if you are uncomfortable during this chapter please leave and read something better. Thank you.
Authors note: Hello! There may be some areas in this story where it wouldn't seem humanly possible to do those things, (AHEM- Paragraph 6-) but I assure you, It is possible in this AU. (In my story they do have inventories like in Minecraft but it's explained in a way that makes it seem they are holding it/have it on their person. Example: Carrying it on their head, unnecessarily big pockets, holding it in their arms, carrying it in their mouth, pinning it in their hair, etc.)
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Prince Dream and Theseus talked while their guards argued, The guards split only when their Princes left for Theseus's chambers. "A prince should never be a stranger in his palace!" The dream had remarked when Theseus shared that he hadn't yet seen his study. Dream took him by the hand as he led Theseus to where he had spent nearly half his life. Theseus stood outside the door as Dream peered curiously at him. "Ready?" He asked, Theseus drew a deep breath in, already feeling the memories and nausea awaiting him on the other side of that door.
"I'm so totally not ready," He breathed in, "But let's do it," He sighed, reaching for the door. Just as the heavy door swung on its hinges Theseus clenched every muscle in his body as the clips flooded his mind.
"Ўⓞυ ℃Øⓤᒪ๔ قĮשє 𝐮𝓟 𝓨ＯⓊ𝓡 𝓞ʷＮ ρ𝓁𝒶¢є ℱ𝐎Ⓡ 𝓡Ａ𝐧乃Ⓞｏ. 𝓕𝔞𝐓ｈ𝐄Ｒ Ａ𝔫Đ тⓔςн𝓝𝓞 ᑕ𝔩ε𝓐ᖇĹƳ 𝐩𝕣𝐄𝒻ｅг нｉϻ όⓥｅℝ 𝕪𝓞Ⓤ, ａℕЎ山Δ𝕪."..."Ğ𝐞ⓣ 𝑜Ⓤ𝐭!"..."...𝓣𝓗Ⓔⓢє𝐔𝓼?"..."ˢ𝕌𝕣ᗴｌ𝓨 𝔱Ｈᗴ𝐑𝓔'𝓈 ˢｏΜᗴ𝒷𝔬ｄ𝔂 үⓄǗ Ⓒαᶰ ｒ𝔢𝐦๏ᵛẸ 𝔦ℕ ק𝕃ᗩςⓔ σŦ ⓡａŇ𝒷๏𝓞. ş𝓸Ⓜ𝔢𝓫𝓞ｄу 𝐍ㄖ𝓽-ร๏-𝕚ⓜᑭØ𝕣тⓐ𝕟Ⓣ."..."ч𝐨υ Ｌᵉ𝕋 ｔ𝓱ᗴ ρÃ𝓁Ãςέ'𝔰 𝓦Ｏŕˢ𝐭 𝓰Ⓞ𝔰𝓢丨ⓟм𝕆ήĞέ𝓇 ι𝐧 ⒽＥ𝔯є, 𝓫Ⓤ𝕥 ŇỖ𝕋 ＹᗝỮŘ ⓞ山Ň вяㄖŦĤᵉя?"..."𝐁ⓤ𝐭 ғỖŕ ａ ℂᵉяtⒶ𝓘Ｎ 𝐬𝕝є€𝐏-ᗪᗴ𝓹ʳĮᵛєᗪ ⓟяƗηĆ𝐄, 𝕚ｔ 𝔪丨g𝕙𝓉 н𝒆Ł𝔭 卄ｉ𝓂 α卩𝓅ＥＡя ｍ𝑜𝓻𝓔 ά𝕎𝓐𝓴Ẹ ａ𝔫ᗪ 𝐋𝔢𝓢Ⓢ ℓ丨𝓀€ 𝔥𝔢 נⓊˢt Ŵ𝔞𝓛ᵏє𝓓 𝐨Ữт ᗝғ ᗩ ℃ⓄｆᖴᎥ𝐧." ... "𝐢 𝒽๏Ƥε Ｙㄖ𝔲'Ĺｌ вε ά乃Ｌέ ᵗＯ 𝐕ƗＳĮＴ 𝓶έ ｅ𝕍єᶰ ᗯ𝐡𝐄𝐍 𝐭нⒺ ⓛｅ𝓣Ŧ𝑒ʳş 𝔰𝐓𝕠Ƥ,"
( "you could give up your own place for Ranboo. Father and Techno clearly prefer him over you, anyway."..."GET OUT!"..."...Theseus?"..."Surely there's somebody you can remove in place of Ranboo. Somebody not-so-important."..."You let the palace's worst gossipmonger in here, but not your own brother?"..."but for a certain sleep-deprived prince, it might help him appear more awake and less like he just walked out of a coffin." ... "I hope you'll be able to visit me even when the letters stop," )
He clutched his stomach and mouth as he stumbled back with wide eyes, vomit filled his mouth and threatened to spill over as the voices rang loudly in his head. Wisp helped steady the prince and Theseus clung desperately to Wisp's arm. The clips just kept coming, as if he'd never stepped outside his study before. The ringing was just as loud as ever, fuzzy static plagued his mind and thoughts- But just as suddenly as they started, they stopped and threw him to the ground, spitting the contents of his mouth on the floor and leaving him for dead.
"Ew," The green prince groaned, "Are you alright?" Theseus shakily stood and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Fuck you, I just puked! OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY!" At first, Theseus couldn't even enter the room without throwing up, but Dream started to go in and have Theseus hold items he'd held regularly to see his reaction. Most books, parchments, and files were okay to touch. But ink bottles, candles, and quills caused headaches and nausea. Eventually, Theseus could stand in the doorway without feeling nauseous, which caused him to overflow with excitement.
"I did it! I can stand inside my study! I'm so fucking awesome!" He beamed, swinging his arms in pride. "Yeah! You're doing amazing!" Dream praised, a large smile on his face. Although dream's clothes got covered in Theseus's puke, he still rejoiced when Theseus was able to sit in the chair behind his own desk without passing out or getting a headache. Although the accomplishment may seem small, it made all the difference to Theseus and Dream, Wisp even allowed them to sneak food from the bakery before dinner as a reward. (After Dream changed of course.)
The trio ran from the chef who waved their wooden spoon at them as he chased the thieves far from the cookery. Dream ran with a butter-cooked bun in his mouth and delicate pastries in his steady arms and he'd stuffed his sleeves with pretzel sticks and caramel candies, while Theseus giggled alongside him with a cherry pie in his left arm and an apple pie in his right, his vest pockets overflowed with strawberry and lemon macaroons, and Wisp ran slower than them but urged the pair to run faster as he held on desperately to the cheesecake wedges and fruitcake in his arms. Even as Wisp ran he balanced a cinnamon bundt on his head and dodged the chef's flying rolling pins that threatened to trip him.
The trio ran from the bakery and hid within the palace walls, giggling and laughing the entire way. As the trio enjoyed their spoils they joked and sat in the gardens, Theseus's cape served as a picnic blanket as they ate. "Ahem," A deep, husky voice grumbled. They all turned their heads to the general who wore an unreadable expression like a mask. They all stopped very suddenly and waited for the chastisement or punishment, however, Technoblade's features turned from empty and emotionless to a sly smile. "Got room for one more?"
Prince Theseus beamed with delight as he patted the empty spot on the blue cape next to him, holding a Strawberry Macaroon out to him. As Technoblade sat he took the treat and ate with the group, enjoying the conversation, telling jokes, and laughing the entire time.
Theseus noticed before the rest of them, and he stared at the large weeping willow that was the central point in the garden. As he stared, the others began to notice Theseus wasn't quite paying attention to the conversation he would've enjoyed and tried to find out what he was looking at.
ACHOO!
The sound echoed throughout the gardens, the one who had sneezed stood behind the tree, covering his mouth and muttering curses to himself. "Must be some poor servant with allergies," Techno remarked, turning back to cut himself a slice of fruitcake.
"Doesn't Ranboo have spring allergies?" Wisp blurted, his mouth full of candies. Theseus groaned at the mention of him, "Please don't even name him around me! I'm gonna throw up if you people keep talking about him!" Dream recoiled at this, the thought of having to change a third time making him cringe in disgust. "Why do you hate him so much?" Wisp swallowed,
Swilc stole ðæge pro forwards êow! The ringing screamed, somehow, he knew what it was telling him. 'He stole them from you'? What does that mean? He asked, Man l¯æðan êower! They don't hate me! Was his reply to the ringing voice.
Theseus clutched his head and groaned as the ringing screamed at him; Tengan forðweg! Tengan âwegêade! No! There is no reason to "Get away," I am safe here!
"I... I don't know," He said, wincing at every syllable that wasn't what the ringing screamed at him.
"What is it saying?" Technoblade asked, a serious look on his face. It seemed as though he knew about the voice, about how it whispered things to Theseus no one knows, it whispered secrets and songs, stories and advice, but screamed in anger and fear, wanting him to know more, think less, talk more, stay silent, the way they scream warnings at him like a snake and yet wanting him to be in trouble.
"Sê reccan lygewordêower êower. ðolian nealles trûwian trûwde. Mâl oferhîeran hlêoðor for ðâm ðe. Sîn hlêoðor yfelic." Theseus recited, staring at Technoblade with wide eyes. "Smêan nân n¯ænne êower. Swilc lîcian [Ranboo] su sêlost! [RANBOO] su sêlost!" The prince's eyes filled with tears as he recited what the voice echoed. Technoblade looked sad, he listened but he himself could hardly handle the truth in what the voice said.
"Hindan sê wollentêare sealh?" Technoblade suddenly perked up at this, "What's behind the weeping willow?" He asked, turning to face the big tree.
"𝙼𝚢𝚗𝚍 𝚕î𝚏𝚐𝚎𝚍â𝚕." ... "'𝙼𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑?'" 𝚃𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍.