"Where are you taking me?" Sapnap asked when he finished off the last of his rabbit.

Dream bit his tongue, stopping the response that he knew would fuel Sapnap's fire. He lied instead, "I'm taking you to see Karl... the man from your dreams."

Sapnap's eyes widened as well as George's. The prokinetic's eyes filled with tears and he swallowed, whispering, "Really?"

Dream shrugged, not feeling bad about his lie. He said, "You two were separated, right? I noticed a strong connection between you two in your dreams and I decided to help."

"Thank you," Sapnap said honestly. "We were separated when our village was attacked. I haven't seen him in over a year."

Dream nodded. "It'll take us a while to get there, so don't run off. I'm just trying to help... sorry for coming off as aggressive."

Sapnap nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I'll do anything to see him again."

Dream didn't respond and George cleared his throat. The prince muttered, "Dream, can I talk to you for a second?"

George stood up and walked a short distance away, waving at Dream to follow. Dream sighed and got up, watching his target out of the corner of his eye. He approached George and the prince pointed a finger at his chest.

George hissed, "What are you doing?"

Dream swatted his hand away and muttered, "Don't touch me."

George narrowed his eyes. "Dream, why are you lying?"

"Why do you care? He's my assignment, not yours. If you don't like it, leave."

George shook his head and muttered, "Manipulating him by way of the possibility of seeing his lover again is cruel."

Dream rolled his eyes and retorted sarcastically, "Can his highness not handle a little bit of cruelty? Listen here, prince, the world isn't full of rainbows and butterflies like a castle, okay? The world is harsh and unfair."

George's expression hardened. "I know, Dream. I know what the world is like and I know you've lived longer than me. I don't want to be a bad person."

"I never said you were."

"Pulling me into this makes me a bad person," George said.

"You were the one who wanted to come with me."

"I know," George muttered. He hesitated before asking, "What exactly is your... occupation?"

"I think you already know," Dream replied and left George, going to check back up on his hostage.

George followed quietly and listened when Dream instructed them to continue on. The group left their temporary campsite and eventually exited the forest, crossing a small clearing before stopping a ways away from a village.

Dream said, "Stay by me and we'll be through the village in no time."

"What if we get separated?" George asked.

"Aw," Sapnap teased, used to their bickering after an hour of walking. "Does someone need a hand to hold?"

The prince glared at Sapnap and replied dryly, "No. I'm asking a logical question, you don't need to make it weird."

Sapnap shrugged and Dream said, "Just follow me."

Dream walked ahead, hearing Sapnap mutter to George, "He's like super tall, how can you lose sight of him?"

"Shut up, Sapnap," George snapped, catching up to Dream to walk beside him.

George and Sapnap walked on either side of Dream as they entered the bustling streets of the village. Spices greeted their noses as they walked through the market.

Dream halted their walk and instructed them, "Meet back here in half an hour. I'm expecting you to bring back food and supplies for the journey."

The two mortals nodded and Dream added, "Get food that won't rot, okay?"

They nodded again and Dream handed them a handful of coins. The three split up and headed through the market. Dream looked around, what do mortals eat? Dream didn't need as much food as them, so he just bought whatever looked appealing.

He didn't need to worry about Sapnap running off; Dream knew that the pyrokinetic would do anything to see his partner again.

The group gathered half an hour later, piling the food they retrieved into George's pack. Dried meat, nuts, some fruit for the earlier parts of the journey, potatoes, et cetera, were all stored away. Dream sighed when he noticed what else the other two had got.

Sapnap and George were stuffing their faces with sugar filled cookies. George offered him one, but Dream declined.

They continued on, Sapnap trying to peer beneath his hood. The pyrokinetic asked, "What's under the hood?"

"A mask."

"Oh, why?"

Dream shrugged. "To keep my identity a secret."

"But you told us your name," Sapnap said, confused.

"Not my real one."

George looked to him at this. Sapnap asked, "What's your real name?"

"Like I would tell you."

Sapnap quieted and George spoke up, "Will you ever tell us?"

"No."

George nodded understandingly, albeit disappointedly. The group exited the village, continuing on until the sun had set. They stopped outside of a mine entrance, planning on heading through it in the morning. Travelling through the mountain tunnels would be a whole lot easier than going over it.

The fire crackled, the only sound among the occasional crickets. Sapnap was fast asleep, having passed out minutes earlier. Dream knew George was staring, but he said nothing. He stared back, the prince having no idea if he was awake or asleep because of Dream's hood.

Dream studied the prince's discolored eyes, one blue and the other brown. They watched Dream curiously, blinking every so often. George's neck was still red from the other day. Dream felt slight guilt creep in his stomach, a weird feeling that he hated.

"I'm sorry," Dream muttered, hating those words.

George's eyes widened now that he knew Dream was awake. "Sorry for what?"

"For... hurting you."

George's fingers drifted to his neck and he looked away. "Oh, it's okay. It was my fault, I shouldn't have said that to you. I didn't know how much you disliked... that word."

Dream watched as the prince swallowed and looked back at him. George whispered, "I'm sorry for calling you that."

Coward.

The word George had called him, the word that came with the strongest memories. He hated how his voice was raw when he replied, "You didn't know."

"Didn't know now what exactly?" George asked carefully.

Dream didn't reply. He tilted his head back and looked to the dark sky, watching the dark plumes of smoke dissipate. He said, "You should sleep, we have a long day tomorrow."

He looked back to George in time to catch his nod. George shifted his seating to get more comfortable and asked, "Who do you work for?"

"You wouldn't know him."

When George didn't reply, his eyes drooping shut, Dream whispered, "Technoblade, his name is Technoblade."

George was asleep within seconds, not hearing Dream's answer. Dream exhaled slowly and looked back to the sky.

For almost two hundred years he had worked for Technoblade. Not willingly, but Dream owed him a debt when his boss saved him. The two used to be friends, until Dream met someone.

Dream forced his eyes closed, pushing back tears that he hadn't felt in years. His partner, his lover, the love of his life, one more thing that he had lost after losing his entire family decades prior.

When Technoblade killed him, Dream was never the same.

~

Dream watched the moon disappear and the sun rise. He had made the two breakfast, the last fresh meat they'd have before entering the mountain. Sapnap woke first, stretching and yawning as he sat up.

"Thank you again," Sapnap said quietly, "Karl is literally the world to me, I'm so grateful that you're taking me back to him."

Dream pushed away the guilt and nodded. He hated how being around mortals made him feel emotions.

Sapnap tossed an acorn at George, hitting the prince's forehead. George's nose scrunched and he opened his eyes, glaring at Sapnap.

"Eat," Dream ordered before the two could start bickering.

George and Sapnap looked at the cooked venison in front of them. They ate the deer that Dream had hunted and cooked the most tender parts of. Sapnap ate greedily, burping as he finished. George ate quietly, murmuring his thanks. The two were very different in many ways.

Dream gestured to the entrance to the mountain behind them, "Soak in the sun now, we're going to be in the dark for a while."

"It's a good thing you have me then," Sapnap said with a grin, a flame flickering in his palm.

"Oh no," George muttered, "we have to rely on him?"

Dream chuckled and said, "We don't need his fire, but it would be nice to have some light."

Sapnap's grin widened and he headed into the tunnel first. Dream stopped him saying, "I'm going first."

"Why?"

"Do you want to die?" Dream joked. His voice turned serious when he added, "We don't know what are in these mountains, so I should go first."

Sapnap nodded and let Dream pass, letting George go second. Their eyes were met with darkness, but Dream quickly adjusted with his Fae eyes. Sapnap cursed as he tripped over a rock, igniting a flame to give him a better view. For some reason, George didn't trip at all, another thing that Dream added to his mental inventory on George. Although, it could just be luck or balance.

They walked for several hours, nothing interesting happening. The air was stuffy and warm, even more so with Sapnap's fire.

"Aren't you warm?" George huffed.

Dream shrugged, sure, his cloak and thick clothes were hot, but he didn't mind. Although, his mask was making him a little wamer than he would like to admit. He glanced backwards; Sapnap's forehead was slick with sweat, his bandana damp and George was panting, clearly struggling with the heavy pack.

Dream hated the feeling of sympathy that dwelled in his stomach. He didn't say a word as he took the pack from George, quietly slinging it over his shoulder. The prince blinked in surprise, his face softening as he murmured a 'thank you'. Dream didn't respond.

They continued for a while in silence until Dream stopped abruptly. George stumbled into his back and coughed in surprise. Dream didn't move, causing George and Sapnap to go still.

"What is―"

"Shh," Dream whispered, "listen."

A quiet growl echoed through the tunnels, sending a shiver up Dream's spine. He relaxed slightly and muttered, "It's just a wolf."

"Just a wolf?" George asked incredulously, "Do you know how big wolves can get!?"

Dream glanced over his shoulder and shrugged, "If it's living here, where's it getting it's food? There's nothing alive in here except us, so that means it's weak from lack of food and water."

"Yeah," Sapnap whisper-yelled, "that makes us its food."

Dream ignored their fear and continued on, George and Sapnap not arguing with each other for once. The tunnel opened into a large cavern and the two mortals gasped. Stalactites hung from the ceiling of the cavern, dripping slightly.

The cavern was immediately cooler in temperature than the tunnels, making George shiver. Small pools of water littered the floor and a creaky bridge hung across a wide gap. Dream sighed at the annoyance of crossing something so unstable.

"We're not crossing that are we?" George asked nervously.

When Dream didn't answer, Sapnap answered for him in a wary tone, "I assume that means yes."

Dream nodded and started across the bridge, gripping the rope railing tightly. If he feared anything, it was heights. Under his gloves, he knew his knuckles were white, but he wasn't about to voice his fear in front of the others.

Sapnap followed behind quickly, George complaining about going last. They all held their breaths as they crossed. The wooden beams shook beneath them, causing Dream to blanch. He made the last steps quickly and turned around, noticing that Sapnap was over half way and George was a short distance behind him.

Dream's racing heart slowly calmed now that he was on steady ground, but he felt it drop at a new presence. The wolf from before had decided to make an appearance. The scraggily creature paced quietly at the end of the bridge, seeming to decide if it wanted to pursue the possibility of food.

Sapnap stepped off the bridge with a relieved sigh and Dream saw him pale when he saw the wolf. George was about halfway, his brows furrowed in concentration.

"George," Dream whispered, causing George's head to whip up to look at him, "I need you to go a little faster."

"What?" George asked. "No way, I'm taking my time. I will not go faster and risk falling."

"Okay, just don't turn around then," Sapnap said, his eyes wide.

Dream scolded him, "What the hell Sapnap?! If there's anything you're not supposed to say in this situation, it's that!"

George's eyes widened and he turned his head, yelping at the sight of the wolf on the other side.

"Just hurry up!" Dream whispered loudly.

George was frozen for a moment that lasted too long. The wolf noticed this and took its chance. The creature bounded onto the bridge, its tail swishing. George snapped from his trance and shouted. He stumbled across from the bridge, his eyes wide in fear.

Dream swore as the wolf neared George. He stuffed the pack into Sapnap's arms and pulled out his sword and, in the heat of the moment, jumped onto the bridge and ran to George. His arms wrapped around the prince and shoved him towards Sapnap, who was waiting anxiously with wide arms.

Dream noted George's eyes which went from fearful to panicked as Dream turned around barely in time. He hissed as the wolf's jaw sank into his arm, its teeth punching holes in his skin. Dream swore and swung his sword into the junction where the wolf's neck met it's shoulders.

The creature yelped, its jaws releasing Dream, and fell backwards off the bridge. Dream panted heavily, wincing as a sickening crunch echoed throughout the cavern as the wolf hit the ground. His teeth bit into his cheek as searing pain coursed through his arm.

He sheathed his sword and walked off the bridge. George was there immediately, grasping his arm gently.

Dream yanked his arm away and muttered, "I'm fine."

Sapnap's face was pale as he said, "Dream, that bite would've killed a mortal."

It would've killed George. The unspoken sentence hung in the air.

I know, Dream thought. He didn't answer, looking to his arm where blood dripped heavily down. George would've been dead from blood loss and that's if he would've managed to get away alive. Dream looked to the tunnel and saw a sliver of light at the end.

"Let's continue," he grumbled.

"Dream, no," George said, "we have to look at your arm."

"I said I'm fine," Dream said harshly, causing George to flinch, "I can look at it better in the sunlight anyways."

He didn't miss the look of hurt on George's face as he turned around and started his way out of the wretched mountain.