It is exactly one week after Tommy's naming ceremony. He has spent the last week improving his mobility skills, attempting to refine his communication skills, and desperately trying to ignore his family's insistence on seeing him nearly every day. Philza, at least, helps Tommy with his walking practice. Wilbur's stories are fascinating, and they do help Tommy learn more about the world he is living in, all the details that didn't appear in the Ender Prince. Techno's visits are infrequent, but he seems to understand Tommy's attempt at speaking more than anyone else. Kristin serves no practical purpose, but Tommy will admit that he enjoys lying in her arms. It's warm, first and foremost, and her loving gazes are obviously not a reason why he will continue to snuggle close to her every time her eyes look down on him.

Tubbo, the son of Duke Schlatt and an important character in the Ender Prince, is sitting on the soft carpet across from Tommy. True to his word, Duke Schlatt sent a letter to the imperial family requesting permission to set up a playdate as soon as possible. When Philza and Kristin spoke about it around Tommy, he showed off the progress he had been making. He couldn't formulate the word 'please', but his sounds must have been close enough because his parents agreed to a playdate in a few days. If it went well, Tubbo would be officially recognized as the third prince's playmate, a position highly sought after by many nobles. Tommy wondered if he should reject Tubbo in order to get someone new, further deviating from fate, but he relents that he knows Tubbo better than whoever might show up. He could get horrible luck and the new person will be detrimental to Tommy. It is better to deal with the known devil than the unknown one, is it not?

"Bee!" Tubbo proclaims, slamming a yellow and black block together in an imitation of the insect he keeps repeating. At the residual sound, Tubbo begins giggling. He drops the blocks at his feet, nearly toppling over with his laughter. Tommy, despite himself, is insanely amused by Tubbo's dramatic reactions. He ends up laughing alongside the other baby. He knows what the joke is, but he can mask his reactions as simply one baby imitating another. Even if Tommy did something complex, he highly doubts his minder, Chivone, would notice. She is hardly paying attention to the two babies on the carpet even though they are babies and the sons of powerful people. Tommy doesn't try to get her attention, though. He just doesn't care enough. He can keep himself safe, and he'll try to keep Tubbo alive, too.

He's going to continue to keep Tubbo alive even after this point. The real issue comes with making sure the future doesn't unfold like the plot of the book. Tommy needs to make a real plan when it comes to Tubbo. The first step in making a plan is reviewing the known information. Tommy grabs a random block, throwing it around in his tiny baby hand as he tries to remember everything he knows about Tubbo and his relationship with Theseus.

In the book, it was revealed that Tubbo had been Theseus' playmate. They had grown up side-by-side. Later in his life, Tubbo was forced to move to the palace to accommodate Theseus' needs in the position of a vassal. Tubbo admitted in the Ender Prince that Theseus was better when he was younger. He wasn't kind by any definition of the word, but he held Tubbo in proper respect. It was only when they grew a little older that the position of prince went to Theseus' head. Once he recognized the power he had, Theseus grew cruel to the servants, including Tubbo. He deemed Tubbo as even beneath those servants because Tubbo gave up his status as a duke's heir to serve Theseus. Tubbo silently accepted the abuse, deciding that it was worth it to be Theseus' vassal for the opportunities it brought him.

The breaking point in their relationship occurred when they were freshly teenagers. Because Theseus was never able to contract with an elemental, he practiced magic to prove himself. Unfortunately, he had no talent for magic, either. In a fit of rage, Theseus tried casting a powerful spell not meant for someone of his caliber. The magic went haywire, and it exploded out of him. Tubbo was caught up in the explosion. His face was severely scarred and the rest of his body was irrevocably damaged. Instead of showing concern or remorse, Theseus laughed at Tubbo. He made the servants wait until he was done laughing to escort Tubbo to the imperial physician. When Tubbo woke up, his first interaction was Theseus berating him for being so weak. Because Theseus showed no guilt for physically disabling and permanently scarring Tubbo, the duke's son obviously held a grudge that would spiral into him using Ranboo to get his long-awaited revenge.

Tommy couldn't let that happen. His first idea was to make sure to contract with an elemental, a spirit-like creature attuned to one of the four elementals that existed in the world, but Tommy didn't know how to do that or where to find an elemental. Most people in the Ender Prince had elemental, but the author never indulged how the system worked. Ranboo barely knew, but he eventually got used to seeing elementals even if he didn't know why people contracted with them. Tommy could try his luck, but he doubted anyone would respond to him. His body was cursed by destiny, and his soul was foreign from this world.

His second idea is to learn to control his magic. Theseus' problem was his impatience with it. Tommy was planning on going slowly. He was going to learn the basics before he even thought about branching off. And when it did come time to branch off, he was going to learn healing magic, not the destructive powers Theseus wanted access to. If, by some chance, the magic explosion became something else, Tommy was going to heal Tubbo's body as best he could. That isn't just because Tommy wants to survive but because he hated reading about Tubbo's troubles in the book. He was going to ensure Tubbo had a happy ending.

That led Tommy to the next phase of his plan. He knew how to keep Tubbo from hating him- he need only be kind to the boy and avoid scarring him when they grew older. That was going to be more than easy. No, Tommy was going to help Tubbo achieve all that he wanted in this lifetime. Tommy continues down his list of what he knows about Tubbo and his wants.

Tubbo was incredibly intelligent. He possessed very little magic, and he never contracted with an elemental, so his ability to create machines from basic parts was his own redeeming quality in the eyes of the nobility. Theseus did not allow Tubbo to cultivate this skill, however. He forbade Tubbo from inventing, and this later grew more extreme when Tubbo was denied access to the imperial library and world-renowned academies. Tubbo was able to build in secret, but he didn't get to flourish until he started traveling with Ranboo across the lands.

Tommy was going to find a way for Tubbo to get an apprenticeship with the imperial artificer. Tubbo is going to learn everything he wanted to in the book about creation underneath the imperial artificer. Tommy didn't know how he was going to pull that off, but he had a few ideas. He could pull rank, if he had to, although he really didn't want to. He would rather Tubbo prove that he deserves the position and allow Tubbo to have all the time he needs to achieve his dream.

Tommy isn't going to force Tubbo to be his servant. He'll keep Tubbo as a playmate until they reach an age where that is unacceptable, and then he'll let Tubbo go. Tubbo will probably still have to move to the castle if he wants to be an apprentice here, but Tommy is going to make sure that Tubbo remains the heir of his father's dukedom. Since Tubbo is magically and elementally inept, the nobility will put up a fight against his ascension, but Tommy is ready to fight back. He isn't going to let the nobility get away with anything in this life. He knows all of their future schemes. He'll do away with each one without letting anyone know that it was him. After the nobility is put in their place, Tommy could probably leave the empire to start his journey across the continent.

Before Tommy can continue his master plan, he feels something touch his arm. He looks up from the block he's been staring intently at to see Tubbo touching his arm. The baby lifts a block up at Tommy. The blonde slowly takes the block from Tubbo. The brunette giggles excitedly, clapping his hands together. He gathers more blocks into his arms to drop them in Tommy's lap. The blonde rolls his eyes as he uses the blocks to make a tower. He is able to place them in the right spot despite his limited dexterity. His hard work comes crashing down when Tubbo throws his forearm against the middle blocks. Tommy glares at Tubbo, but the brunette starts laughing. Tommy smiles as he starts to build another tower. Like a pattern, Tubbo knocks this one down, too. Tommy starts to make it a game, trying to figure out when Tubbo decides to hit the tower.

Tommy determines that it's more about the height of the tower than the amount of blocks because he makes several smaller towers that Tubbo only stares at curiously. He nudges his foot into one, but it merely slides a little instead of falling. Tubbo laughs at that, and he starts to kick his feet up, falling to his back on the carpet. The blocks go flying around the carpet. Tommy crawls to Tubbo's head to avoid getting hit.

Tubbo stops kicking his feet when he notices Tommy. He reaches his hands to the ceiling, staring absently in Tommy's eyes. Tommy grabs Tubbo's hands, trying to figure out what the baby is doing. Tubbo starts shaking both of their hands with enough force that Tommy nearly topples over in surprise. Tommy catches himself, and he attempts to steady their arms. Tubbo laughs at the resistance, continuing to shake his elbows even as his hands are held in place. Tommy grins stupidly at the baby lying by his legs. He does not understand what hollow thoughts are going through Tubbo's head, but he is amused by every one. Tommy never imagined babies were this irrational.

"I am here to pick up his grace, the duke's son," A servant calls from the open doorway. Chivone looks up from whatever she had been crocheting to nod at the babies on the carpet. Tubbo spits up slightly as the servant approaches them in a dark black and gray uniform common in the southern duke's household. The servant reaches down to pick Tubbo up carefully, setting the baby against his shoulder. He does not make any type of face as Tubbo spits on his shoulder. He, instead, bows slightly to Tommy and exits the room with that emotionless expression. Tubbo waves his hand at Tommy. The blonde waves back and watches Tubbo have an absolute riot over it.

"It is time to pick up, your highness," Chivone states simply. She places a colorful crate down beside the carpet. She begins to pick up the blocks, setting them inside the crate. Tommy helps her by grabbing a few blocks and crawling over. He puts in a significantly less amount of blocks in the crate than Chivone did, but she does not comment on his work ethic. She lifts the crate up when they are finished, and she sets it near the chests of his other toys in the corner of the room. Tommy hasn't even gone through all the toys yet. He doesn't think he ever will, especially since he isn't interested in toys. Chivone has tried setting him on the carpet with toys before, but he's always more focused on his maneuverability training to pay attention. Chivone has stopped setting toys out by now.

Chivone picks up Tommy next. Instead of bringing him to the toys, she brings him to a makeshift changing station. This is where she changes his linen and wipes his butt. Tommy- the nineteen year old inside a baby's body- cringes at the feeling, but he ignores it like how he ignores it when he gets a bath. He just waits for Chivone to finish, changing his clothes into his nightwear. She finishes in record time, making this process swift, much to Tommy's benefit. Chivone picks him back up. She sets him down in his crib. She goes around the room to blow out the candles. She opens the curtains for the window, tapping against the glass as if testing if the magic is still working. Tommy doesn't know what Chivone can tell by touching the glass, but she seems satisfied when she exits the room.

Tommy doesn't even bother closing his eyes. He stares at the door until it opens up. Except, the usual face isn't peeking into the room like a thief surveying for guards. Techno walks into the room with a purposeful stride, completely unafraid of being caught. Tommy winces, attempting to scramble away from the edge of the crib Techno is approaching from. He wraps his fingers around the bars of the crib. He doesn't have an escape plan. He can barely walk around; how is he supposed to get out of his crib without hurting himself?

Techno stops at the edge of the crib. His pink hair cascades down his shoulder. His red eyes glow in the light of the candle he's holding. He wears a solemn frown on his face. He looks entirely like a beast ready to devour Tommy. The blonde heaves a deep breath, ready to scream as loud as he can to alert someone that the second prince is attempting to kill him. He doubts anyone will be able to stop Techno, even if he is young. Techno was chosen by the water king elemental for a reason, and while the contract hasn't been established yet, Tommy highly doubts he's affected the world enough for that contract not to be established in a few years time.

Techno touches Tommy's forehead with his knuckles. The touch isn't harmful. In fact, it's extremely gentle, more like the wind or a ghost caressing him. When Techno lifts his hand away, he explains what he's doing there. "Wilbur is preoccupied at the moment. He asked me to tell you a story tonight in his absence. I have agreed under the condition that I may choose what story I read. Tonight, Theseus, we shall learn the history of your name."

Tommy blinks at Techno. The warrior begins to recite the story from memory without a book in his hands like Wilbur has to use. "Once, a long time ago, there was a race of people known as the Ancient Builders. They were powerful because they were highly knowledgeable. They built structures and machines completely unique to them, centuries ahead of our own technology. During the height of the civilization, there was an island nation called Crete. This nation was ruled by a king named Minos. One day, Minos was given a special bull from one of the three gods the Ancient Builders believed in. Minos did not sacrifice the bull to the gods as intended, so the gods cursed Minos' wife to fall irresistibly in love with the bull. This resulted in the birth of a half-man, half-bull creature that would later be known as the Minotaur. In despair, Minos has his architect build a great labyrinth to put the Minotaur in.

"After Crete won a war against Athens, another city-state, Minos declared that seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian maidens shall enter into the labyrinth. They were always devoured by the Minotaur. It was only until the king of Athens' son, Theseus, volunteered to go that the people began to hope for salvation. Theseus went to Crete. While there, he allied himself with Minos' daughter, Araidne, in order to get thread so that he might find his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus followed her advice, and after he defeated the Minotaur, he was able to return to the surface. Theseus returned home, and... well, that should be enough of the story for tonight."

Tommy would laugh if he had the energy. He already knows how the story ends. Araidne is abandoned on an island. Theseus' father kills himself because he thought Theseus had died. Theseus is killed by someone he trusted after his entire nation turned against him. At least, that was how the story ended in Tommy's world. He wonders if the story is as dark here under the false name of being the Ancient Builders instead of the Greeks.

Tommy closes his eyes, though. He likes Techno's voice. He likes the feeling of Techno caressing him. If only Techno wasn't his executioner, he thinks he would have really loved Techno.

—

"Please, wait," Tubbo calls. Ranboo slows his pace until he is standing still. His tail flickers anxiously as he turns. Tubbo shakily takes a seat on a bench. He leans against the back of the bench, gritting his teeth. He lets one of his legs stretch out in front of him while the other remains bending. He doesn't sit properly, but Ranboo can't find it in himself to care, especially not when Tubbo's face is white with pain.

"What's wrong?" Ranboo calls out worriedly. He comes to lean down in front of Tubbo. He worries that someone will catch them slacking off, but Tubbo's eyes are bright with unshed tears. Ranboo reaches his hand up to wipe those tears away. His hands hesitate as he glances at the burn scar stretching across Tubbo's face. Ranboo wonders if his touch will cause Tubbo discomfort.

His question is answered when Tubbo drops his face into Ranboo's palms. Ranboo startles, but he makes sure he doesn't flinch back. He instead flicks his thumbs underneath Tubbo's eyes to collect the tears. Ranboo frowns. Tubbo is the strongest, most rational person Ranboo knows, maybe more than Prince Techno. He is always standing proud even when Prince Theseus tries to cut him down and undermine his abilities. This broken sadness is a new facet to Tubbo that Ranboo didn't know existed. Part of him wishes that he never saw it, never learned that Tubbo is fallible, but the bigger part of him just wants to comfort Tubbo.

"My leg hurts," Tubbo mentions vaguely, but Ranboo knows. He has seen Tubbo change before. While he doesn't like staring, his attention was drawn to the horrible burns surrounding broken patches of skin on Tubbo's body. It nearly made Ranboo puke the first time he saw it, but Tubbo assured him that the wounds were old. It was only recently that Ranboo began to suspect that Theseus was the one who caused those scars. It was probably because of that comment Theseus made earlier while harshly stroking Tubbo's cheek that made Tubbo's wounds ache.

"Can I get you some medicine? Or should I escort you to Ponk?" Ranboo asks. He doesn't have wounds like Tubbo does, so he doesn't know what he's supposed to do in this situation. They vaguely remind Ranboo of the wounds that are caused when Enderians touch water, but he doubts a chorus fruit-based cream would do anything beneficial to an Overworld mortal. Even if it did, Ranboo didn't have access to chorus fruit, even though he wishes he did. He's sure Tubbo would like it.

"I want to go home," Tubbo whispers, fully falling forward into Ranboo's chest. Ranboo hugs his friend, tucking Tubbo's head under his chin. Although he knows the feeling of homesickness well, he doesn't understand where Tubbo is talking about. Is he referring to the southern dukedom with his father? Is he referring to the harbors with his mother? Is he referring to his room in the palace? Is this 'home' something Tubbo wishes he had but doesn't? Ranboo cannot fix this problem until he knows the answer.

Without any idea where he should bring Tubbo, Ranboo closes his eyes and imagines the place Tsar Philza brought him during his first few days here. It was a secret spot in the garden that no one else knew about. Even Prince Theseus didn't know about that, and Ranboo knew that Tubbo's 'home' didn't include the prince that hurt him so thoroughly.

When Ranboo opened his eyes, he was sitting in the meadow. Tubbo startles to an upright position. He looks around the area with wide eyes. Ranboo smiles, placing his hands on the grass beside him. The meadow is surrounded by thick trees with weeping vines descending from their mighty branches. There is a stream that trickles directly to the right of them. Wild flowers bring a spot of color to the wide expanse of bright green. The sunlight reflects across the dew and the running water, illuminating the space in a nearly divine light. Birds chirp from the trees, butterflies flutter across the breeze, and Ranboo even believes he's seen a fox darting around the roots of the trees on the other bank.

"Thank you," Tubbo whispers, taking Ranboo's hands into his own as he stares across the beautiful area. Ranboo keeps his attention on Tubbo, smiling gently as he squeezes Tubbo's hands. He doesn't say it out loud, but he does breathe all his wishes for Tubbo's health out into the space, hoping whatever god preserves this little pocket of serenity will hear him and understand.