#br!technoblade

SPOILERS WARNING

“…long gone but still so much brighter, so much more important than him as he pleads,

Okay so I’m thinking about Techno and Ranboo’s relationship and like.. it’s kinda obvious he sees Ranboo as some sort of brother figure, like when he stands up for Ranboo at the stables or takes him to the family tree (am very much in love with that pun btw lmao).

A/N: WHOO! You and I both made it through! Now this is really short and I probably could’ve put it in Part 5 but I like even numbers and I wanted to close this book with a flourish. (Anyone catch the Knives Out reference?)

And for the last time for this piece; all credit for the original idea this is based off of goes to @tuesday-teyz and I hope they enjoyed reading this if they did, if not that’s fine as it is time consuming and quite...stagnant at some parts.

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Technoblade came with Wisp to wish him well and Tommy felt a fraction of worry for the winged general. Wings were usually a sign of superiority which meant Techno very well had a chance to become Emperor. It was no secret though that the general hated politics and despised wearing his ceremonial crown for even the most miniscule of events.

“Stay out of trouble, ok Tom?” Wisp bowed low and cast a rare smile. It was the first time the guard had finally felt like a friend more than a watchful eye reporting to his brother.

“Be safe Tommy. You’ll always be welcome here still.” Technoblade bowed his head and the wings flexed with an intake of breath.

“Thanks Tech.” Tommy said slowly and something called for him to just run and hug the albino Avian. So he listened and felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around his shoulders in turn.

“C’mon Tommy!” Sapnap yelled out from the carriage and Tommy pulled away only to spot blue eyes just like his staring back with sorrow and regret. Tommy’s face steeled to neutrality and he turned away from the Emperor without so much as a smile.

“Get in already.” Dream chuckled and pulled Tommy into the decorated carriage.

“Keep your pants on Green Boy.” Tommy retorted and settled in as the door closed tightly behind him. A window looked back to the castle and Tommy smiled at the thought of never having to see its cold walls again. On the balcony above the front doors was a figure. A lanky one with a bandage covering the right corner of his face. A scowl and glimmer of red in his eyes distinguished Wilbur from the description and Tommy felt a chill in his spine. Deep down he regretted leaving Ranboo and Tubbo to deal with his eldest brother. And poor Fundy.

Tommy had left a letter explaining everything in a way a child could understand and he told the young boy about the butterfly garden and how to take care of it. His nephew knew he was just a letter away and that gave him some era of peace to leaving it all behind.

Esempi was beautiful as Dream said and even though night began to fall just as they reached the outskirts of the capitol, Tommy already favored the warmer weather and greener grass. The carriage stopped and a camp was waiting for them but just across the dirt road was a flower field unlike any other Tommy had seen.

“I guess it’s true what they say, the grass is greener on the other side.” Tommy smiled and spotted a butterfly flitting from a flower. Off in the distance the sun was setting and with a stretch of his hand, the butterfly landed on his hand.

“Welcome home, Tommy.” The breeze came by his ears and spoke the words he could only hear his mother saying. The butterfly’s wings flitted up and down as it rested on the newly appointed Prince of Esempi’s finger.

Fin

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A/N: The plot is winding down and I got EXTERMELY tired while copying and pasting this so if there are slip ups in text where I’ve edited I’m sorry. When I say copy and pasting I swear this is my personal writing, I just wrote it on a personal account so I couldn’t just link it or something

Credits again go to @tuesday-teyz for creating the wonderful world of Butterfly Reign, also I greatly dislike Br!Wilbur with a passion so I apologize in advance for his poor literary stature in this piece

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“Why would you-” Tommy started but the words died on his tongue as air became a thing of the past.

“Because Tommy, this place doesn’t need you like I do. Esempi will treat you like you, not a prince or future Emperor. I feel you’ll be safer there as well. We can get you proper training and even a psychiatrist to help you with the trauma this place has inflicted.” Dream smiled broadly and walked about Tommy’s room describing a wonderful life.

“There are people who can help you Tommy, and I want to be one of them.” Dream finished and Tommy’s heart thawed. He could forgive him. Dream had still been more a friend and brother to him than anyone else in his life.

“I-” Tommy let a smile twitch on his face but then there was an ear shattering crack of wood as the door to Tommy’s room was broken down.

“You stay away from my little brother, you snake!” Wilbur dashed in and a long cut stretched across the right side of his face. Technoblade was close behind.

“Tommy get back!” Both Dream and Techno shouted. Technoblade addressed him as Tommy and in a fraction second of clear thinking Tommy’s heart glowed with thanks to his blood brother. It was just a moment of clarity before adrenaline took over and Tommy was dashing away towards the closest door. The balcony doors.

“Theseus you can’t leave us!” Wilbur cried out and was met with a stiff bodied Dream standing between Tommy and the crazed Prince.

“Tommy, you gotta get out of here. Sapnap is waiting for you in my chambers. He’ll get you out!” Dream grunted as he pushed back Wilbur. Technoblade slipped by and Dream’s focus shifted. The two broadened princes fell to the ground and a grappling match began. Wilbur was recovering from bashing into a chest beside Tommy’s dressing table.

“Dream-” Tommy took a step forward as he saw Technoblade rear up to throw a punch but then something flickered in the corner of his eye. Brown hair and lanky form reaching for him. Tommy retreated as Wilbur lunged forward to grab him and something cold and hard hit against his back and sent his body careening backwards. Nothing was below him and Tommy tumbled over the railing and down to the gardens below. 

Nobles left over from his party screamed and Tommy went down, down, down without stopping. A scream left his throat. A desperate call for anyone to come and save him. A fall like this would kill him and it was going so slow. The world blurred by but it felt like he was falling for forever.

Then there was something jumping from his balcony. A ghost of some kind and broad wings of pure white with grime sticking to the feathers stretched out and folded close to come after him.

“Technoblade?” Tommy gasped out just moments before his brother grabbed him and the air rushed beneath him and the clouds drew closer with a beat of winter wings.

“Are you okay Tommy?” Technoblade’s voice wavered and a look of steel masked his features.

“You have wings!” Tommy said in shock and clung to Techno’s uniform for dear life as the ground came closer and closer.

“Answer me, are you okay?” Technoblade asked again and set Tommy down on sturdy grass that was frosted with snow already. A single tree on a hill stood beside them.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine.” Tommy stumbled back and admired the great things of legend. “How long have you had them?” Tommy breathed and Technoblade stretched the feathers to full length with a sigh of contentment.

“A while.” He said dully and watched as noble after noble came rushing to see the winged savior of the Crown Prince. The public wouldn’t know of his treasonous words yet and the renunciation of his place as Prince in the Antarctic Empire.

“Is that General Technoblade?”

“The ghost has wings?”

Questions darted around and it wasn’t long before Dream, Wilbur, and the Emperor himself arrived. Wilbur was dumbfounded and didn’t charge straight ahead. He stared, just like everyone else and somewhere in those brown eyes, glimmers of red shone under the afternoon sun.

“Technoblade, you have wings.” Emperor Philza gapped at his son and Tommy felt the need to shrink away and run. This was his chance. Techno had taken the attention and now he could find Sapnap and get out of here.

“Tommy is going to Esempi.” Technoblade snarled and his features twisted in hatred at the nobles. They shrunk back and a few abandoned the scene under the General’s cruel gaze. “And he has full reason to. We have hurt and abandoned him more than he deserves and I want to be the first to say I’m sorry.” Technoblade turned to him now and the wings relaxed, the feathers dragging the ground.

“I’m sorry, Tommy, and I hope you find what you need and deserve in Esempi.” Technoblade muttered and something cracked in Tommy’s soul. Like a piece being put back into place rather than being wrenched out.

“Tech, you’re seriously going to let him leave?! He’s the Crown Prince, we won’t have an heir if he leaves!” Wilbur stated indignantly.

“Then why don’t we use Fundy? He’s about as old as Tommy was when he started cleaning up your mess!” Technoblade growled at his brother and Tommy’s heart tightened again at the thought of his nephew being pushed into the torture of a cycle he went through.

“No! You will not place Fundy under the crown!” Tommy protested and considered taking back what he said and finishing his duties. Becoming Emperor and keeping his ginger haired nephew safe and away from the responsibility of the crown.

“Theseus-” Philza took a step and Dream took three in front.

“That’s not his name, Your Majesty. He will be referred to as Prince Tommy of Esempi from now on. My brother has already approved this transaction and I will expect you to honor it as we will when you accept Ranboo into your status.” Dream said with a voice of such formality Tommy was back at the dinner when Ranboo claimed to be the secret pen pal.

“Ranboo is not-” Philza began again but Tommy stepped up to his ‘official’ brother now.

“If Ranboo is not to be accepted into your court then why did you invite him in? Why did you let the rumors grow so loud it was impossible to hear the truth?” Tommy sneered and felt an arm pull around his shoulders.

“We leave tonight Your Imperial Highness, and we hope you have good fortune in the future.” Dream smiled and when Tommy looked over he realized the mask was back in place. He was the only one who saw Dream smiling, teeth and all under that mask.

The whole royal family stood dumbfounded as Dream and Tommy went back to the palace and once their backs were turned to the group only then did Tommy realize he’d been holding his breath for so long.

“Oh my god, I’m gonna pass out.” He chuckled and let out an ear splitting laugh. It felt so good to have cut all his ties. The shock of Technoblade’s wings and Dream’s announcement of his acceptance into Esempi’s family buzzed in his chest and tingled through his bones. 

“Let’s finish getting you packed and then we’ll head for home. Esempi is going to love you.” Dream raised his mask and smiled broadly.

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A/N: Wooo...we’re down to page 9 of 13!! Friendly reminder this idea is inspired by @tuesday-teyz and is NOT canon of any sort and is just a little take on how I think the story COULD (not should, it’s going great rn thank you) have ended if it’s author wanted to cut the chord right after Tommy broke that chair.

Anyway, enjoy

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To the right of His Imperial Highness were the other two princes. Wilbur had his hands behind his back and his shoulders straight as an arrow and Technoblade kept a hand on the hilt of his sword. To the left was Ranboo dressed in a black and white suit with a blue ribbon belt tied around his waist and a necklace of what looked like a cat’s eye around his neck. Tubbo stood close by just behind the lanky boy.

“Theseus, do you understand why you’ve been called here?” The Emperor bit on his words like sword tips, but none plunged into Tommy’s heart to evoke fear and desperation.

“Of course.” Tommy said neutrally and folded his hands in front of him. The crown burned heavy on his head and he silently wished his father would go ahead and just do what he needed him to do.

“And you have no remorse for the slander you’ve put against your own family?” The Emperor stood to his feet and those icy blue eyes so much like his own bore into Tommy’s head. Yet still, no fear accompanied the piercing stare.

“Why should I? The way I see it, this is hardly my family anymore.” Tommy chuckled and the words struck a mark. “Careful Phil, this is hardly my worst.” Tommy thought gleefully.

“How can you say that?!” The Emperor burst out the words and Tommy couldn’t help but flinch just a little. “You dare to say the people who have cared and loved you for years are not your family?” 

“If this is love then I do not wish it upon anyone!” Tommy snapped out with a bearing of his teeth and a step forward. The Emperor fell silent and Tommy saw his window to finish off his plan. “I am exhausted from day to night and none of you have cared to even look at it! None of you have cared to care at all for anything!”

The Emperor stepped back and Tommy set his feet even as the rant of his pain and suffering finally let loose. 

“You cut me with your words and sharpened looks. You watch me bleed out in silence in hopes it will make me crawl back to the very arms that have abandoned and split me open time and time again!” He targeted Wilbur first. Wilbur who had made him dependent on him then left him in the cold night with no one but Technoblade to console his childish pain. “I am bleeding now but by my own inflicted wounds. I play your games and dance around your words but it’s futile because your only goal is to harm and I can’t escape your deadly aim.” Tommy hissed at the one he’d loved so much. The one who left him first. Then he turned to the next person in his path of chaos.

“I needed you to help and guide me, I needed you close and you abandoned me as well. Instead of coming back to do it yourself when you realized I did need you, you sent a stupid guard who couldn’t care less how many times I break down and scream at my walls!” The prince drew a breath before growling with all the ugly rage in his shattered heart. “Your sword will forever be more important than family so I take my own and cut you out of mine before you cut me instead.”

“That’s enough Theseus!” Emperor Philza clanged his walking stick into the ground and Tommy faced the man he once admired with everything he had.

“I’ve had enough! I will speak now! This is my turn to finally be free of your venomous ideals!” Tommy shouted back and balled his fists. He snarled and pointed to His Imperial Highness accusingly.

“Don’t you ever think you are not responsible for my entire downfall.” Tommy said. “Every ink mark put to paper and duty piled into the night you were the reason! You wallowed in your grief for so long you didn’t even bother trying to climb out of it to see how your own children were doing! You once told me Mother would be ashamed, well how would she feel knowing you left YOUR youngest SON to crumble under the weight of it all only to later favor a peasant!” 

“Ranboo is-” Emperor Philza rushed to defend the boy to the left and Tommy stole the ammunition. 

“There you go defending him again! Over your own children! It is not my fault I am heartless when all the love I had was thrown away! All the work and dedication I have put into this kingdom and throne and stupid crown is for nothing!” He shouted and panted as he saw tears fill the blue eyes of the Emperor. Wilbur looked like he might run forward but Technoblade was ready to stop him with an arm. 

“I am done…” Tommy huffed “Being the only one trying to keep everything fine. I am done and tired of pretending I don’t wish I had died with Mother. I am not fine, I am not okay, and I will not be subjected to your neglectful abuse anymore.” He reached for the crown on his head and looked to Ranboo.

“Theseus-” Wilbur started to say but the words died out as Tommy spoke once again to the peasant turned royalty.

“Ranboo…I hope you have better fortune with this family than I have.” Tommy smiled and tears burned his eyes. One fell as he glared at the circlet of silver and blue before he locked eyes with his father. The Emperor of the Antarctic Empire.

“Theseus what are you doing?” The Emperor asked and Tommy grinned.

“I renounce you.” He said and tossed the crown forward where it clattered on the carpet running up to the thrones and slid still as Tommy backed away with his arms outstretched.

Silence ensued before someone who Tommy least expected to break it did.

“Theseus wait!” Tubbo darted from behind Ranboo and Ranboo followed just behind. The boy, once Tommy’s best friend, nearly knocked him over with a rib crushing hug and tears falling onto the suit that still clung to Tommy’s skin. 

“Good luck out there.” Ranboo said and outstretched a hand to shake but Tommy smiled. Now, unburdened by the responsibility of status and reputation, he saw his savior instead of just a peasant boy coming to steal his place. So, he hugged him instead.

“And to you.” Tommy smiled and patted Ranboo’s shoulder before looking back to see Wilbur struggling against Technoblade with a hand clamped over his mouth.

“Let me go! Let me get him back, you bastard!” Wilbur cried out. “Theseus please!” Wilbur pleaded and Tommy stayed still. His eyes cleared and he saw everything once again. 

Wilbur was as broken as he was, if not more so, and something ugly and twisted was keeping him together more than anything. Wilbur didn’t mean to hurt Tommy, but he did. Perhaps more than anyone had.

“I’ll see you guys later.” Tommy said to Tubbo and Ranboo. “And the name’s Tommy, not Theseus.” He said the second part loud enough for Philza to hear and then he left with the echo of destruction bouncing off the walls behind him.

“Theseus-” Philza was the last to call out for him before the doors shut behind him.

“So…Tommy?” Dream’s voice stopped the former prince dead in his effort to leave. He had changed into much more comfortable clothes fit for traveling and was busy packing a small satchel that could carry a money pouch, ink and quills, and a book or two. He wore riding boots as his intention was to buy a steed from the stables in the city and ride it to his next destination.

“Why are you here?” Tommy said flatly and tightened the strings on his satchel before swinging it onto his shoulders and tying the excess to his belt.

“Originally to apologize, but now I’m curious as to where you plan to go now with a target on your back?” Dream said cooly and Tommy could hear the smile in his words.

“Why should you care? We’re through, Dream.” Tommy hissed and bit his tongue. Out of all the people that had hurt him over the years and by how much, Dream’s was the worst.

“I don’t want to be through, Thes- I mean Tommy. I want us to be brothers again.” Dream stepped forward on his last words and Tommy clamped his eyes shut. It still hurt.

“Please, don’t call me that if you’re truly sorry.” Tommy pleaded and stood straight to make sure the satchel stayed secure.

“Tommy please, let me make it up to you!” Dream begged and it made the former Prince’s heart coil.

“You can’t take back what you hid from me, Dream. You can’t undo that betrayal.” Tommy faced his companion and met green eyes unshielded by the mask of a smile.

“I know and that’s why I’m sorry! I should’ve told you at the start and I shouldn’t have followed you to your garden. That was yours and I took it from you.” Dream grasped Tommy’s shoulders and gripped his biceps in an effort to reach Tommy’s iced heart.

Silence stretched out like a canyon and Tommy bit back tears and lowered his eyes from the familiar green of Dream’s. There was a sigh and a shaking breath.

“Tommy, I want you to come back to Esempi with me.” Dream said.

“What?” Tommy’s eyes snapped back to Dream’s. It was like a magnet. Everything slowed and the world became a shade of green. A green akin to home and smooth grass instead of icy snow and cold shoulders.

“I want you to come back home with me, as my brother.” Dream repeated with more force and his eyes lit with a promise of love and happiness.

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A/N: Again inspired by @tuesday-teyz and their wonderfully dark SBI fic Butterfly/Anteater Reign on A03 and this part and part 4 have both been inspired by the song Am I Supposed to Apologize. Just the general feel of it y’know?

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“It broke us all as well! Technoblade left for years! Wilbur ran away, and I was left alone.” Tommy growled and snarled. “You want to know why I am positive he’d replace me? His own son?” Tommy dared. Something ugly clawed at his throat and furious words poisoned his tongue.

“I-” Sam only got half a word out before the prince snapped the string he’d been clinging to to keep it all in until the right person came to cut it.

“His own children are forbidden from calling him by name while a commoner of poor descendancy may address him as such!” Tommy shouted and far in the back of his head he smiled and laughed with how well this was going. And even further he was crying with regret. He didn’t wish to act this way to Sam. He didn’t deserve it yet it was necessary now. Bushes rustled and flowers were trampled as the people of his party came to see the spectacle of the Crown Prince Theseus losing his wits.

He thought of his flowers, the beautiful petals carelessly stepped and wretched from their stems. These people didn’t deserve the beauty his mother had cultivated and passed to him. They didn’t deserve his vision of an Empire.

“Ranboo is more my father’s son than I ever will be and he can have him! That lowlife and His Imperial Highness deserve each other!” Tommy spat and the world grew quiet as two voices rose out in unison.

“Theseus!” It was like a barrier had been cracked open. Brothers. Two halves to a whole that vanished long ago, finally reunited over the destruction and chaos of their younger sibling.

Wilbur and Technoblade stepped out from the crowd on either side and the voice in Tommy’s head, finally free to think as it wanted, smirked deviously. This was perfect.

“You both can have him too! Isn’t that what you wanted, Prince Wilbur, to have Ranboo as your brother rather than me?” Tommy smiled widely and stretched his arms in magnificence. 

“Theseus this is nonsense, you’re making a fool of yourself.” Wilbur took a step forward and under the glare of the sun Tommy could’ve sword he saw fogging tears behind the crystal clear lenses over his brother’s eyes.

“So?! No matter what I do for this Kingdom and the man who sits on its throne, I’ll be scorned because I know the rules!” Tommy clawed at the strings attaching him to the morals he’d be forced into. He let his tongue sharpen with the truth he’d been held from saying for far too long. “I bow and be polite, I say and do the right things but it won’t be enough because the one who TAUGHT me those things doesn’t even care! You think father sees the pressure of being the perfect prince?! You think he even cares?!” 

“Theseus that’s enough.” Technoblade commanded and Tommy found no pull in his chest to obey. He felt a spark instead to evoke destruction.

“Don’t pretend you’re any better!” Tommy whirled on the general and set his feet in the instinctive position of battle. Technoblade taught him to dance rather than fight, then he left him when he needed him most. “Don’t you dare think for a second you’re spared from my pain! Both of you abandoned me! Do you know how dark it was? To be alone all those years and months and days without anyone to even call my friend?” 

“This is not the place to be discussing it, Theseus.” Wilbur hissed and Tommy felt a hand reach for his shoulder before he whirled around and smacked the lengthened arm away.

“Don’t you dare fucking touch me.” Tommy snarled and almost broke at the way Wilbur’s eyes blurred and darkened.

“Songbird-” Wilbur reached again and the nickname resonated in Tommy’s head. 

“His Imperial Majesty requests the presence of the three princes immediately.” A guard appeared from the crowd and Tommy’s blood turned to ice. All that was left to do was finish it all off with a nice little bow.

“What were you thinking?” Technoblade growled low once the doors to the gardens shut behind and the party was left.

“Tech, just stop.” Wilbur hissed and Tommy heard the broken shards of a brother. Not the venomous fangs of Prince Wilbur.

The three carried on in silence till the throne room loomed in front of them. Technoblade and Wilbur were instructed to enter first and a guard, who Tommy didn’t recognize and wore much darker armor than the usual palace brigade, stood menacingly behind the Crown Prince.

“You’ve really screwed this up this time.” The guard growled and Tommy smiled, knowing the guard couldn’t see.

“All will be forgiven.” He muttered in response and after another moment, the doors to the throne room were pulled open and Tommy was ushered inside.

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A/N: I realized about halfway through copying this over that it wasn’t going to fit...thankfully it’s completed so I can just make however many drafts and post it all in order. It’s 13 pages, 6,680 words, and 36,191 characters.

Inspired by @tuesday-teyz ‘s Butterfly Reign if anyone forgot, totally not canon as the series is still ongoing and this was written after Theseus destroyed a chair over Technoblade’s back.

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“Prince Theseus, this is a horrible idea.” Tubbo pinched his nose and covered his eyes with his palm. “You can’t just leave! And to involve Ranboo in this scheme could be treason!” 

“And why would that be? Because he’ll be crown prince once it’s done and I will have no place in the kingdom.” Tommy protested.

“Who’s to say he even WANTS to be crown prince?! It drove Wilbur to run away and you want to practically destroy your own family!” Tubbo glared at Tommy and Tommy glared at Tubbo.

“The crown did not do that, Emperor Philza did this. He left us both to rot under the pressure.” Tommy spat.

“And who’s to say he won’t do that to Ranboo?”

“Oh please, His Majesty has treated Ranboo more like a son than he ever has me or Wilbur!” 

“That’s not true! You don’t know what Emperor Philza has done for you both.” 

“Oh and you do?!” Tommy snapped and Tubbo recoiled.

“Hey, is everything alright?” Ranboo poked his head into the study the two had retreated to and Tommy drew his shoulders back.

“Everything is fine, Ranboo. How would you like to be crown prince?”

Everything was set. Ranboo knew his role and no matter how many times Tommy tried to fix his acting abilities but the poor boy was hardly mediocre at best.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Ranboo asked Tommy long after Tubbo had given up on trying to convince Tommy of back thwarting his plan.

“Ranboo I’ve sacrificed more than enough for this so-called family and I’d be lying if I said I won’t regret this even a little,” Tommy had responded, “But yes I am sure. It’s time I tasted the freedom I deserve and I can’t thank you enough for your part in this.” 

“Why would you thank me?” Ranboo had asked and Tommy paused on his words.

“Maybe you’ll know one day.” Tommy had decided to be vague instead. Honesty would be saved for the grand reveal Tommy predicted to happen within two days.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Lady Beau asked and set her fan on the lap of her dress. Tommy sat across from her at his desk filing paperwork and dipping quill into ink and pressing it onto paper in a cycle of boredom and sleep deprivation.

“I can’t say I have much other choice if I want to stay above insanity.” Tommy joked.

“Everyone will think you're not right in the head.” She pointed out.

“Then maybe I’ll live the rest of my life truly with only the people I can really trust. No one tip-toeing around me and second glances at everything I do. They’ll just accept my actions because I won’t be considered ‘right in the head.’” Tommy sighed and fell back in his chair. His head pounded and the crown prince became suddenly aware of how crazy his plan was.

“Will you be alright Theseus?” Lady Beau asked and Tommy paused his breath. That name. It didn’t sound right to him anymore.

“I’ll be fine Beau, and please,” Tommy sat up and folded his arms across his chest. “Call me Tommy.”

The garden was buzzing with people and Tommy bit his tongue till it practically bled. He couldn’t say anything as himself here. He was surrounded by people who were watching his very breathing pattern. Beau had floated the rumor and increased it tenfold. At this point most assumed it to be true now that the Emperor was going to adopt Ranboo and replace the Crown Prince. It was only a matter of time before some noble tried a crack at Tommy’s frail demeanor, all that was left was to put on a show.

“Prince Theseus, may I speak with you?” Duke Sam approached and startled the prince.

“Sam, I thought you returned to The Badlands already.” Tommy picked the pieces of his shattered soul and held them together with furious strength.

“No, I leave tomorrow.” The Grand Duke replied and led the Prince away with an arm around his upper back. “Walk with me, please.” He said gently.

“What is it you wished to discuss?” Tommy asked after they were out of earshot of his party.

“The rumor, about Ranboo and His Great Majesty.” Sam looked at Tommy with eyes that seemed to see right through it all. A looking glass placed in the pupil of the Grand Duke. 

Tommy stayed quiet. Something tightened in his chest. He didn’t want Sam to be the one to try and take a shot at him. Sam who had saved him from Fran, even if it wasn’t required. Sam, who loved building things and beautiful dogs. Sam, who sacrificed his future for the Badlands.

“I know it isn’t true.” He said quietly and Tommy’s world twisted. “I’ve known your father for a long time, and he would never replace you.” 

“What?” Tommy’s mouth twitched down from its regal form of neutrality just for a moment. “I’m sorry, I can’t say I believe you.” He chuckled and took a shuddering breath.

“Theseus, His Highness has never been one to cope well and losing your mother, the Empress, was enough to fully break his soul,” The Duke stepped forward to Tommy and Tommy stepped back in instinct. He was lying. He had to be. 

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