Chapter Text
The castle air was thick with the smell of iron, and even for a 3-year-old who had no knowledge of the violence and cruelty the world held, Tommy’s nose scrunched up at the putrid smell.
He stood in his playpen, crying out for attention that had not been given to him for about half an hour now.
Contrary to popular belief, half an hour is not that short of a time.
It was enough for a child to feel like he had been abandoned,
Enough for a father to go on the run,
Enough for a kingdom to fall under attack.
~~~~~~~~~~
Philza had just put Tommy into his pen when the first attack happened, a far explosion that shook the ground. Yet with no reason to think much of it, he left his child, flashing him a sweet smile with the promise of return.
A promise that willingly couldn’t be kept.
His two other boys, children too young to be concerned about matters to do with the kingdom, joined him in the throne room, where his most trusted adviser informed him on the invasion.
“Your highness,” Sapnap started, paying no mind to the kids “there’s been a breach at the first wall, usually that wouldn’t be much of a concern but.. they seem to be closing in faster than the emergency protocol calls for.”
The kind king took a moment to absorb this information, quickly understanding what that meant
A traitor had betrayed them.
It was the only way the attackers could possibly get through so quickly, someone had to of told them of the kingdoms weak points. Mind you, there weren’t many, which is why the fact that they were found and broken through so easily was bewildering.
Philza didn’t have much time to figure who the traitor was though, for as his brain began to rack through names that could do such a thing, screaming could be heard coming outside the castle.
The two children who had joined him now huddled at his legs, Wilbur, the oldest of the siblings, had somewhat of an understanding of what was happening. Due to this, he held onto his father’s hand for support, the idea of the kingdom being attacked shaking him to the bone.
Techno, on the other hand, stood near his father ready to fight, because even though he was the middle child with no steady grasp on blood and death, he knew he would do anything to protect his family.
But Philza, oh dear Philza, refusing to allow his children to experience war so early in life, swiftly picked them up, a child in each of his arms.
“Sapnap, I need you to get Tommy and meet me in the panic house. This is not a war we can win.” His voice left no room for debate, he knew how riled up his adviser could become, always one to want to fight instead of retreat. It was something Philza had respected, but that passion was not correct for this time.
Sapnap simply nodded at him, agreeing with Philza’s plan, the plan that he would only entrust him with.
And oh did Philza trust.
Despite what you may hear, Philza was a great ruler, and an even better father. He would give the world for his children, if only he could.
~~~~~~~
Sapnap watched as Philza ran off with the two princes, quickly going the opposite way to find the youngest of the royal family.
He had respected the king, thought he was a righteous man
And though he’d never admit it, a father figure
But this was not his kingdom, his loyalty laid elsewhere, so as he searched for Tommy, when he bumped into the mob that had finally breached the castle, he quickly pointed to which way the king had ran and let them be, continuing with his search.
~~~~~~
Philza continued to run with his kids in his arms, not at all breaking a sweat, with all the years he’s been alive, this has to be one of the easier things he’s done.
He wasn’t much concerned about his own safety but instead worried about his kids, who luckily for him were cooperating in staying still. Though he could tell they were scared.
Soft sniffling could be heard coming from Wilbur, and though Techno wouldn’t show it, Philza could feel him shaking in his arms.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Tommy was experiencing.
God he wished he could turn around and go back for his youngest, and don’t get him wrong, it’s not that he didn’t trust Sapnap with the task (or else he wouldn’t have assigned him with it in the first place) it was only because he knew how dangerous it would be for the young man to grab the child and try to escape with him.
But there was no time for double takes, because for him to turn and rescue Tommy, he would have to face the attackers who had found them way too quickly.
(How had they gotten to him so quickly? The castle was huge, with curves and turns to throw off any of those who did not belong, it would’ve- should’ve taken some time for them to find him running down the large halls).
No matter now, because though he knew the task was dangerous, Phil still trusted Sapnap with his life to protect Tommy.
That’s why, when he saw another mob coming from in front of him, and with the rest were hot on his trail, knowing there was no other choice either than being cornered in or escaping, Philza wasted no time in quickly leaping out a window with a secure hold on the kids who refused to look down.
As he fell (wow did he fall fast) he *opened his wings of night, wings that were shapes cut through the matter of creation into the darkness beneath, and in which distant lights glimmered- lights that may have been stars or may have been something entirely else.*
(*This is a quote from Good Omens (a show that I LOVE*))
Carefully swooping through the air, Philza drifted with Wilbur and Techno safe in his arms, leaving the angry mob behind to ravage the castle as he flew to where he would be meeting up with Sapnap.
~~~~~
Dream watched as the chaos unfolded.
Who else would you imagine to start all this?
Well, to be fair, he wasn’t to one killing guards left and right, he had just snuck in with the mob
After telling them how to do so, that is.
Eventually getting bored of the slaughter unfold, he left them alone, venturing off to see what else he could do.
Maybe find the friend that helped him start all this.
After pointless roaming, he stopped to vandalize some priceless-looking vases having moment use for the money they could probably earn. While the CRASH of the glass pieces echoed through the hall, he was stopped by another irritating sound.
Was that a child crying?
He followed the wretched sound, not out of curiosity, but instead out of boredom.
It didn’t take long to find the small prince.
Dream slowly snaked his way to the child, Tommy’s eyes glued into him. Eventually, when he stood close enough, the little boy reached out his arms, clenching and unclenching his fist. A gesture asking to be picked up. The hooded man took a second before grabbing the child, not like one would imagine though, as he held the prince upside down by the leg.
Tommy couldn’t help but let out a giggle.
~~~~~~~~
Sapnap had finally arrived at Tommy’s room, having to navigate the damn annoying halls. Though his aggravation quickly faded away and turned into shock at finding a man holding the child upside down, as if he didn’t know how to do it correctly.
Damn it, he hadn’t gotten here in time.
Would he get yelled at for not having killed the child by now?
“Dream, you’re gonna drop it?”
Sapnap watched as Dream turned to look at him, a smirk on his lips
“Hey Pandas, nice to see you too.” He hummed “I don’t really think it would matter if I dropped him right? I mean he’s technically not supposed to be alive.”
The adviser went quiet, knowing that the playful tone in Dreams voice was off. “Yea... Dream, I swear I was going to do it- the halls are just so long and I had to help the mob out not to mention I didn’t know you were tagging along- I swear I was on my way to put him down though, I just needed more time-“
He was cut off by laughing. Dream’s laughter
“Who says I want him dead? I think I just found my new plaything.”
Sapnap shuddered.
~~~~~
Dream corrected the way he held Tommy, swaddling him in his arms, innocently cooing at the kid. Sure, he wasn’t one for being soft and such, but the excitement of having something so powerful yet so weak sent adrenaline throughout his body.
“Come on, I don’t wanna be here when those guys start stealing shit. Do you know where the king went?” Dream spoke to Sapnap as they left the room, strolling his way out of the castle.
There was a hesitant pause before his friend answered, one that caused suspicion to arise
“No.”
Dream quickly spun to look at him, and even with the simple mask that covered his eyes, the anger that radiated from him was clear “What do you mean NO?”
“I-I mean like, the king told me to run, all I saw was him leaving with his kids, and I guessed he was coming to get this one- that’s why I was trying to get here before he did. I don’t know what happened after we parted ways.”
The hooded man sighed, not sure what to make up of Sapnaps story, there was something he was keeping from him. What that was Dream couldn’t tell.
Yet.
“Fine” he calmed down due to the fact that Tommy seemed to be at the edge of tears and that was something he did *not* want to deal with. “We have his kid, that’ll fuck him up enough, everyone knows how he is about his family, a shame we couldn’t have a little more fun”
The disappointment about not being able to torture the man a bit more was evident in Dream’s voice, but it was something he could deal with, a plan already brewing in his head.
Tommy would not die.
And Philza would suffer.
~~~~~
Sapnap wasn’t sure why he lied.
Dream was his friend, the person that had been with him through thick and thin.
He owed nothing to the king.
So why did he lie?
This is a question he would ask himself as he and Dream made their way to the Enchanted Forest, where Tommy would now be raised.
The question of why he spared the man he viewed as a father to which he owed nothing to.
~~~~~
The King waited in a run down shack in the Enchanted Forest, finally calming down after escaping the events of the castle. Now all he waited for was Sapnap to bring his child, the other two children nervously watching the window.
And they waited
And waited
And waited until they could no more.
And a month had passed with no news of Sapnap or his child.
And desperation grew into fear.
And Philza wept for his presumed dead baby.
Tommy. His baby.
The forgotten child.