The sounds of shouting echoed over the dark, churning sea. The loud bang of a canon made his men fall to their knees. Dark clouds billowed above the ship. Dream couldn't breathe properly, he gasped and choked on the smoke filling his lungs. His hand gripped onto the wooden floor of his ship as he looked up, eyes squinting, to see the looming shadow of a man raising a fist before he blacked out.

Dream groaned in pain as he awoke, gripping his throbbing head. Ouch. He ran his palm over the soft porcelain of his mask, and let out a sigh of relief, at least that was still intact. He looked down at his clothes, and couldn't say the same for them. Dirt was riddled over his white cuffed blouse, ridding it of white and turning it into a murky brown. His trousers were dried hard, most likely due to the salty ocean water that they'd been soaked in. His other possessions, that he was almost certain had been on him before passing out, were missing.

"Well, the infamous Dream has awoken." a sharp voice cut through the silence. Dream whipped his head up, his dirty blonde, almost brown hair bouncing as it dried. He was in what looked like to be a vast hall, and standing mere metres away from him was King Schlatt of L'Manburg. The man himself had an aura of power radiating from him, and with a sigh, Dream realised he'd gotten himself in some deep shit. "That's Captain Dream to you, Schlatt." He spat out, glaring at the man standing above him. The glare would be more effective had Schlatt been able to see it, but Dream liked to imagine the other man was smart enough to figure out he wasn't happy. Schlatt raised an eyebrow, "My my, what's with the attitude? You're a pirate you know, I could have you hanged for even existing." Dream scoffed, "We only raid your enemies ships, I thought we had some sort of an agreement, but perhaps I was wrong? Considering you've attacked my ship and put my crew god knows where!" Rage was evident in his voice. Schlatt waved a hand impatiently, walking backwards to sit on his large, golden throne. He leaned back and stifled a wet cough, which caused Dream to laugh. "What, are you sick?" Schlatt rubbed his temple, "Yes, actually. That's why you're here."

"What?" Dream questioned, "do you want me to make you some soup? Sing a lullaby? Rub your back like a little baby?" Dream cooed mockingly, making Schlatt groan in annoyance, but ignoring the quips. Despite Dream's jokes, he was rather confused about why he was brought in. For years, Schlatt and Dream had managed to coexist. Sure, Schlatt was a pain in his ass, and he'd rather him not to exist, and he knew Schlatt thought the same of him, but they'd never gotten into much of a fight. So why now, after who knows how long, had Schlatt kidnapped him? And because he was sick, no less!

"I can basically see the cogs turning in your brain," the man said, which made no sense as Dream had a mask on, but continued "listen here Captain Dream." he growled out an emphasis on the Captain, "it's come to my attention that I've contracted a rather serious illness, one so serious, in fact, that if I fail to treat it within the next three months, I will find myself in a very early grave." Silence filled the room. Schlatt would die? Somehow he never imagined the possibility of Schlatt ever dying, he just seemed so...immortal. Untouchable. "...okay, so you'll die without treating it. What do you need me for? Just treat it." Dream snapped. Schlatt scoffed, "Oh! Just treat it he says! Don't you think I've tried that, you foolish boy?!" "I'm not a boy, I'm a man!" "Well with those stupid questions of yours I must have gotten confused!" Schlatt roared, anger bursting on his face. He sat like that for a moment, before relaxing back onto the seat, rubbing his short, dark beard. Dream was silent.

"There is no cure. No herbs that will treat it, no foreign doctors." He stated, calmer than before. "Except, of course, for the healing tears of a mermaid." Dream rolled his eyes, "Oh come on now-" Schlatt raised his hand, interrupting the tall man. "My men have tried, and they have failed. So now, I ask you, Pirate Captain Dream, to retrieve a mermaid for me." Dream scoffed, "You've gotta be kidding me!" "Well, I'm most certainly not. You will set sail on this journey for me, and you will bring back a mermaid, or merman, whichever is perfect." What was this bloody man thinking?! A mermaid? Capturing them is one of the most impossible tasks to do! There haven't been any sightings for months! "That's impossible, no!" Dream growled. Schlatt leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "I must have phrased that wrong. It wasn't a question. It was a demand. And failure to accept this demand will end in the execution of your entire crew! Now tell me, is that what you really want?!" Dream gulped and fell silent. "Good. I'm glad we've come to an agreement." They sat in silence for a moment, before Dream whispered: "Why me?". "You're the best pirates around, you and your people are more skilled than most of my men. I admire those skills, which is why, if you succeed in capturing a mermaid, I will pardon all your men, and let you leave unharmed."

Schlatt gestured for him to stand, so he did. His legs wobbled slightly, still in pain from his earlier battle. He lifted his chin up to show dominance. Schlatt sighed and snapped his fingers. A tall man, around Dream's height, appeared from the shadows, carrying Dream's coat, along with his swords and other belongings that were in the pockets. Dream stepped forward as the pink-haired man neared, snatching his stuff. He shrugged his coat on and looped his sword onto his belt. He stuffed his compass and such into his deep pockets and looked back up at the man. "Who're you?" Dream muttered. The man narrowed his eyes, "My name's Technoblade." "Dream." he replied. "I know. We've met." Technoblade said shortly, a small smirk crawling onto his face. A spark of recognition spurred in Dream. This was the guy who knocked him out earlier. "Huh." Dream said. Technoblade nodded, before lazily pointing his finger in the direction of Dream's face. "What's with the mask?" "What's with the nickname?" "What's with yours?" they threw back at each other, neither of them answering any of the questions.

"Enough of this, you two." Schlatt snapped. "Dream, be on your way. Your crew are waiting on your ship." Dream nodded, Technoblade walking away to stand by the king. He swept his coat dramatically and stalked towards the huge doors. Opening it, he glanced back before he left, seeing a younger boy hiding in the corner of the room. The boy raised a finger to his lips, indicating Dream not to say anything. Dream rolled his eyes, turned away and slipped out of the hall, the great doors banging shut.

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Author's note! Please read these!

Well hello there, the names Bella! Here's the prologue for this! I'm quite excited to write this book and actually dedicate myself to something. Before you go, I have a few things I'd like to clarify and make known. This is a dreamnotfound fanfiction, obviously, but I'm shipping the characters, not the actual people. Cause that's a bit uncomfy... Uhh, I'll probably write more stuff in my later on author's notes when I think of them, so please, if you see them, read them! I personally dislike reading authors notes but there may be some important information in there and I'll promise to keep them quick so you don't waste any time.

23/12/20