The sound of rain hitting against the many windows echoed throughout the halls of the castle. It was usually bright inside the castle during the day due to the bright sun shining through and providing a stronger like, but this time, the castle was dimly lit. The only light being from the many candles that didn't quite illuminate the ceiling.

The clouds outside blocked the sun, denying anyone the warm sunlight it often gave out.

Five pairs of footsteps pattered down the dimly lit halls. Two of the five quickened their pace, clearly in some kind of rush. The others didn't seem as desperate to leave, however.

"Hurry up!" Dream demanded with excitement, walking faster than the other three, dragging Swap along by the hand. They were all dressed in clothes a person who lived in the castle wouldn't normally wear. The Queen liked having her people dress a little more extra inside her home compared to how people in the capital dressed.

A black cloak that was an inch away from dragging on the floor was draped over each and every one of them. The fabric disguised their appearance perfectly, hiding any weapons Horror, Swap, and Killer carried on them. They, of course, had to travel light.

"Dream, we're not in a rush. It's not like the capital is going anywhere." Nightmare called out to his brother, walking a little faster just to catch up with the other two in front of him. Killer and Horror also had to pick up the pace.

They were lucky their mother had even accepted their request to go down to the capital. It didn't matter to the twins that they had to stay together and stick with their little protectors. It was rare for them to even go out of the castle, and even then, they were only allowed in the capital and not venture further. They were happy to be able to leave, though.

"Don't go too far ahead." Horror instructed, warning Dream and Swap as the two jogged over to the two large doors that would lead them out of the humongous home. The larger wasn't too worried. As long as Dream stuck with Swap, things would be fine, and by the two's relationship, they weren't leaving each other's side.

"He's too excited. He's not going to listen." The younger twin grumbled before chasing after his brother. Horror and Killer picked up the slack and lightly ran after the others. "The carriage isn't even here yet!" Killer whined out, not enjoying the rush at all. He had eaten a hefty meal before this.

- - - - - - - -

Rain came down hard from the clouds above. The sky seemed gloomy, but Dream's sunny attitude didn't waver. The prince still looked excited even when rain was attacking from above.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said about the other prince.

Dream's hand had been intertwined with Swap's the minute they stepped out of their carrier. The five men stuck close to each other like they were supposed to. If one wanted to go a certain route, then the others would also have to go.

"I wanna go in here." Nightmare said, steering the group into a bookshop.

"Don't you already have a bunch of books?" Killer questioned the young prince.

"We have several libraries back at home. Maybe read all 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 books before getting new ones..." Dream muttered under his breath. He smiled proudly once he heard Swap silently giggle at his comment. Nightmare whipped his head around and gave his brother a glare. "Need I remind you which one of us still sleeps with stuffies?" Nightmare remarked. He quickly walked off to the nearest bookshelf and began his search.

Horror sighed, lightly shaking his head as he walked after the prince. Killer chuckled and grabbed Dream's hand, leading the prince and his guard to catch up with the other two. The older prince grumbled to himself in embarrassment from being called out by his younger brother. "What's so great about books anyway?" Dream mumbled, sulking in his shame for still having stuffed animals in his room even at his big age.

Of course, it was secret or anything.

It never was.

Secrets were hard to keep around.

"You're just saying that because you don't like reading." Swap whispered to Dream with a teasing smile stretched across his lips.

"I like archery more..." Dream confessed. He turned his head away from the other, wanting to hide the yellow hue that danced across his nasal bone.

They all stood around and waited behind Nightmare as he crouched down and picked a book off one of the lower shelves, skimming through the pages and deciding whether the book was good enough to take home or not. Killer spun on his heels, turning to the others with a face that showed excitement and mischief.

𝘜𝘩 𝘰𝘩...

"I heard there's gonna be new Royal Guards." Killer whispered, keeping his voice low as if his words were a secret.

All eyes were on him in an instant. Not one of them knew how he had gotten such information. Even Horror, the one who got all the gossip and info around the castle, was surprised that he hadn't heard of this first. "Where did you hear that from?" Horror questioned in suspicion. He squinted his sockets at the skeleton as if he'd explode with answers.

"Yeah, how do you know if it's even real news?" Nightmare interjected, turned away from Killer and back to the shelf, placing the book in his hands back and picking up a different book. He flipped through the pages, reading a few lines and looking to see if there were any little drawings in them.

"I heard something about it the other day when I was walking to the baths with Epic!" Killer explained, happy to share his discovery. Although, it was more like eavesdropping than anything else. He had gone off to take a bath with another member of the princes' personal circle. The people who worked for the princes and protected them.

The two had passed by a few gossiping monsters, overhearing about some new Royal Guards joining and two more personal guards, meaning Horror, swap, and Killer might have to switch around. Killer could be passed over to Dream, and Swap could be moved over to Nightmare. Horror could be passed over to any of the two, depending on who the two new guards would be going to. Epic worked under both twins, so he would most likely stay in that position.

News always spread quickly around the castle, but it surprised Killer that the others hadn't heard about it until.

He couldn't ask Epic to confirm his story either or help back him up since the other wasn't with them at the moment and was, instead, back at the castle. He was sharing information with a man, Fell, who worked closely under the Queen and often traveled to other kingdoms for the Queen, collecting knowledge. Epic also traveled to other kingdoms and around other places, but only ever when the princes said to. He worked under both twins, after all. Dream's sent Epic off to many different places before, whether it was in the capital, outside of the castle, around the castle, in another kingdom, or anywhere else, Epic would always come back with something new to say. Lots of stories were always shared.

"And when did Epic come home?" Nightmare asked his trusty soldier. He hadn't heard about Epic's arrival until now.

Epic had ventured off to a kingdom located in the east upon Dream's request. The prince wanted his little traveler to visit said kingdom in hopes of visiting it himself one day. Of course, the Queen would have to approve that little trip first before anything else happened.

"Epic's back!?" Dream questioned in excitement, clasping his hands together in front of his chest with a wide smile plastered on his face. This was exciting news for him.

"Yes, he came home last night. That's when we went to the baths and heard about the new guards that were coming in." The void eyed skeleton said in confidence, getting the older prince even more excited. "I don't know when they'll arrive, though. That remains a mystery."

Horror lightly shook his head. Obviously, Killer nor Epic thought to go and ask for more information about the matter. Fream quickly changed the topic, no longer being interested in the new Royal Guards anymore. He wanted to know if his little personal traveler said anything about the kingdom he had visited to Killer when they were in the baths.

The prince wanted to know if the other kingdom was safe to visit and how likely it was for his mother to allow permission to go.

His mind was racing with questions that Killer didn't have the answers to. The others looked at Dream and laughed at how fast the prince was spitting questions. It was question after question. Killer didn't have any room to intervene or get a word in.

Nightmare ignored the conversation all together, already being used to Dream's constant talking and able to block it out. He piled books on top of books in Horror's arms, making the large skeleton carry everything.

It was a good thing Horror was known for his strength and not his magic power.

- - - - - - - -

Stepping out of the carriage, the queen walked up to a large field behind two larher buildings that looked like they could fit two small villages on each building. Behind her were ten Royal Guards who were following closely behind, like a bunch of dogs sniffing a cat, following the scent in hopes of getting a treat. It didn't help that all the Royal Guards were dog monsters either....

Out in the field were men and women, human and monsters, sparing with one another, using sharp swords instead of wooden ones and throwing safety measures right out off a cliff.

"What good would those with missing limbs serve me and my kingdom?" The queen muttered to herself, heavily sighing as she watched the many fights that were scattered around. Some duals were way too close to each other, barely missing and almost causing an incident to occur. "I guess they're skilled enough to avoid one another." The Queen commented to one of her guards.

"They should be working in groups to practice teamwork and strategies. This is only teaching them to work by themselves and not rely on others." Her guard replied, having great knowledge about training guards since the large dog often trained the princes' personal guards when there weren't any big events to keep him busy.

"Yes, well, I suppose 𝘺𝘰𝘶 of all people would know the right and wrong way to train." The Royal lady said, reaching her hand up and patting her soldier's chest plate.

A woman in full armor from head to toe quickly made her way across the field to the queen, bowing down and greeting the woman once she made it. "It's a pleasure to have you here once again, my lady." The fish monster said, presenting a smile to the queen and kissing the back of her hand in politeness.

"Yes, thank you, Undyne." The queen tipped her head down in greeting and smiled at the monster in return. "I assume you already have my new guards ready to go, am I right?" The woman earned a nod from the fish.

"Yes, of course! And for those two personal R.G.'s that you wanted for the two princes, I have them ready to go as well." The muscular woman led the queen inside to introduce her to her new set of guards that would be guarding the kingdom.

Undyne was a powerful woman who trained the new Royal Guards that would protect the castle and the guards that would protect the kingdom, training them until the queen needed them. Even then, only the best would be selected while the rest would continue to train. It was Undyne's job to make them the best.

The youngest in training were no younger than 16-19, while the much older ones were barely reaching their 50s.

"Your Majesty, your Royal Guards that will be protecting your kingdom and be at your service." The female fish announced. All the guards stood in attendance, their backs straight, and their expressions neutral. Theire gaze was focused straight ahead as they waited for orders. The queen was pleased at the sight, but her eyes kept wandering, looking for two others.

"And the two for my children? Where are they?" The woman questioned.

The guards in the room were drenched head to toe from the heavy rain that was still pouring outside. It was relentless, and yet, they were still forced to continue their training until told otherwise. The queen seemed to be the only one who wasn't soaked like a wet cat. Her clothes were still very much dry to the touch.

- - - - - - - -

The sky cleared, and the rain finally stopped. It was nice and blue out with the smell of the after rain. Puddles of water were scattered all over the place. Dream and Swap rushed into a shop that was filled with all sorts of paintings and trinkets.

The excitement radiating off the two was making Nightmare queasy and rolled his eyes. He didn't understand how some people could get so excited to see a lover. But maybe that was because he himself didn't possess a lover or two like his brother did.

Killer and Horror following without complaint, happy to visit a friend outside the castle. A bell rang as they entered and out came a skeleton with a permanent ink splotch on his cheek, peeking his head out from a room in the back behind the front desk. The tall skeleton smiled as his unique eyelights spotted Swap and Dream.

Dream rushed over and jumped into the skeleton's arms, clinging on with his arms tightly around the man's neck, letting his legs dangle off the floor. Swap, being the more calmer type, walked up and kissed the man on the cheek.

"𝘜𝘨𝘩! Do that when there's no one else around." Nightmare complained before walking away and taking a look around to see what was new since the last time he had visited.

"Hi, Nightmare!" The ink splotched skeleton yelled out to the young prince.

"Hello, Ink." The purple eyed prince replied.

"Oooooh, what is this? Killer questioned, tugging Horror along and stopping in front of an unfinished painting that was almost the same size as Horror. "What is this, Ink?" The larger called out to the artist. Ink waddled his way over with Dream in his arms. The two didn't get to see each other often. Swap was the one who was able to see Ink much more often compared to Dream and despite needing to stay by his price's side at all times.

The night did wonders for sneaking out.

Unfortunately, Dream couldn't say the same.

- - - - - - - -

The castle was brighter than before now that the sun was out and the rain had stopped. The queen walked through the halls with two new personal Royal Guards trailing behind her. She headed into a little office and urged the two men to take a seat. There were tall bookshelves that reached the ceiling. Fancy lights were hung around, and there were many plants that fit well with the overgrown vines that seemed to crawl up the bookshelves and hang off the chandeliers.

A large desk was in the middle of the room with an equally large chair behind it and two identically smaller chairs in front, one having a moon crescent and the other a sun engraved into the backs of them. Finally, there was a large window that overlooked an even larger garden right behind the lady's study area. There were big curtains that were tied up to let the sun shine through.

Queen Nim sat down, and the two others followed suit, sitting in the chairs across from the woman.

"Sir Jakei, you will be working under my oldest son alongside, and Sir Murder, you will be under both my sons. You'll be working alongside a few others that I'll send your way. For now, please go get changed and wait there after." The queen informed the taller and smaller skeleton.

The two nodded, stood up, and bowed their heads before quickly exiting the room and leaving the Queen by herself.

The two walked side by side, making their way to a nearby stairwell that would take them to the floor above. They had never interacted with each other until now.

"What's your name?" The little one questioned, being the first to speak up. He looked up at the other, who was taller compared to him. The man had a visible red scar below the right eye socket that held a red eyelight, matching the scar perfectly. The other eye was pure white, which reminded the shorter of snow.

"Cross," He said, looking down at the other. He couldn't help but notice the man's unique eye pattern. Both eyes were red, but one held a dash of blue in the center. The eyes reminded Cross of another man's eyes. A tailor down in the capital who wore red and blue in one socket and white in the other. He found that man "𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺" and he found the man next to him falling in the same category.

"Dust." The smaller answered before turning away and facing forward. "I like your red eye." Dust confessed. "It reminds me of this guy I once saw who carried big red eyes." Cross' red was almost the same color as the red he once saw on a larger man. He couldn't get those eyes out of his head. They were bright like lava. Cross's was more of a dull red, not as bright but still close in contrast.

"Hm... I like yours too." Cross complimented the smaller right back. He felt awkward and shy for some reason. Maybe it was because he didn't know what exactly he was doing or saying. He felt like he was copying Dust's words, repeating them back to the other like a weirdo. "They remind me of a friend's."

𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵!

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘴!

"Aren't you that one guy who was body slamming people?" Cross questioned. He had heard about it back at the R.G. training grounds, but had never seen it for himself.

Dust simply shrugged his shoulders, not answering the man's question.

𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘰... 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

- - - - - - - -

The hallways were filled with light, and the many candles had been blown out, leaving a scent of lavender behind. There were sounds of heavy footsteps, running, heading towards the queens official studies.

"You're dragging me!" Nightmare shouted, complaining as he was being dragged away by Dream.

They were both running because Dream's excitement couldn't be contained, and because Nightmare didn't want to be dragged across the floor. Their three protectors were a little ways behind since they were in the castle where it was safe, and the twins no longer needed to be kept on a tight leash.

"I wanna see who we got!" Dream yelled back.

A couple of maids passed by, smiling and giggling, waving to the three men in the back as they walked by. The new group of guards must be very promising by how the maids were behaving.

𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯.

That or the ladies were just messing around like always.

Dream eagerly knocked on his mother's office doors before barging right in without waiting for an invitation. Nightmare yelped as he was roughly yanked inside."Mother, I wanna see the new guards!" The older son chirped, grasping his little brother and shaking him back and forth, rambling on about what he thought the new Royal Guards would look like.

The queen sighed before lifting her hand to cover her lips and letting out a light chuckle.

Horror was the first to enter the room. Following closely behind was Swap then Killer, who stood by the entrance, waiting.

"Alright, alright." The woman walked towards her sons and patted their cheeks before she was out the door. The five men quickly followed her steps. "They dould be in the west wing." Nim announced.

The castle had four wings.

There was the north, east, south, and west.

The West Wing held all the Royal Guards in the castle who weren't out on duty. It was also their sleeping quarters, where they ate, bathed, and slept. It was also where they trained. It was one of the larger wings along with the east wing.

The North Wing was where the royal family and the princes' personal guards slept. The bedrooms were large and spacious. The larger baths and common rooms were located in the North Wing and was one of the smaller wings out of the four.

The East Wing were where the servants, maids, cooks, gardeners, and those who weren't Royal Guards slept. It was a bit smaller than the West Wing, but it was still one of the larger ones.

Lastly, the South Wing was where some of the more important rooms were held like libraries, study rooms, and all sorts of meetings.

Overall, the castle was a safe place. The queen made sure of that. There were Royal Guards stationed all around the castle and even more in and out of the capital at all times.

- - - - - - - -

Two large doors opened, and in came the queen, her two sons, and their 3 personal Royal Guards. They stood there as the large doors slowly closed behind them.

Dream stood proudly next to his mother while Nightmare hid behind Horror's arm and glared at whoever dared to look his way. He hated new people. His brother was the more social and childish one.

"Attention!" A man yelled, getting the attention of the rows and rows of new faces. The man was the head of the Royal Guards and a brother of the queen's little spy, Fell. The princes knew the man as Edge, but supposedly, the Royal Guard went by many names.

"The queen, her Majesty!" Edge announced, now introducing the Royal family. The ones who would be protected by the new line of Royal Guards. "Prince Dream Joku! Prince Nightmare Joku! Heirs to the throne!" There were murmurs and whispers around the room.

No one outside of the castle knew what the princes looked like or their names. They had been a complete mystery to the kingdom, practically hidden away. The queen was the only one in the Royal family that went around, displaying her name and appearance to the world. Even the twins' personal guards were a mystery to the people. They were covered head to toe in armor every time a guest came over to the castle or when the brothers went out, but even then, they princes were always hidden from their people.

And for those who did work in the castle, couldn't leave their position. They'd work for the Queen until their lives expired on their own. They weren't allowed to speak about the Royal family to anyone outside of the castle, or else there'd be death waiting at their front door. There were rules set in place for everyone.

The queen couldn't let those who've seen her sons faces go.

Most people suspected her children of looking exactly like herself. Instead, they were two little skeletons who rarely got to see the world. Some of the Royal Guards recognized the princes and their guards' faces instantly. They had seen the group around the capital once or twice a month, disguised as travelers. Fake names didn't have to be used either since their true names were unknown to the world.

The people referred to the princes as Sol and Luna. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯.

Dream turned his head to the side, expecting to see his brother beside him, but all he saw was Swap and Killer. Swap, too, turned his head, looking behind and spotting Nightmare hiding behind Horror. It reminded him of when they were children. How Nightmare would hide behind Sans every chance he got.

𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

Horror gently nudged Nightmare out from behind him, pushing the smaller to stand on the other side of the Queen, but the prince kept a strong grip on the larger, not wanting to let go.

- - - - - - - -

The silence was deafening in the room. The occasional shuffling was the only thing that sounded from time to time.

Dust and Cross sat across from each other, sitting on wooden benches with their new attires. A heavy sword strapped to their hip with a harness that wrapped around their torso to mid thigh section. They wore armored boots that stopped halfway up the thighs and gauntlets that stopped at the elbows, matching the thigh-high boots in color and style.

Their swords were nearly identical. There was a sun engraved on guard for Cross's while Dust's had both the sun and the moon symbol on his.

Their bodies felt heavy, but that would go away over time as they got used to it. They had gone through training just for this moment.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait?" Cross asked, expecting an estimation since there was no telling how much longer they'd have to wait in the barracks before they were seen. They didn't know who exactly they had to be waiting for either.

Was it the queen?
Was it other Royal Guards?

"Not long." Dust answered.

Cross raised a brow at Dust, not understanding what that meant until he heard the door slam open. He quickly turned his head to the opened door, but there wasn't anyone standing at the entrance. He slid glanced towards the man on the opposite side of him, slightly terrified, not at the fact that the other had guessed right, but the fact that he had already been looking at the door within seconds of it opening.

There were murmurs, but no one seemed to be there. It was as if they were hiding.

"Well, then? Go in."

"Me?! Why not you?"

"You were the one that wanted to see them."

"Why not let the oldest go first?"

There was once again silence before a heavy sigh emanated, followed by a large skeleton peeking his head into the room. The strangely tall man had abnormally large eyelights that shined like red rubies would in the sun. Dust was surprised to see those eyes.

"Um....hello?" Cross greeted, tilting his head and questioning who the man was and how he was so tall.

The man looked away and pulled a smaller man out for hiding. A skeleton with yellow eyes and a gold crown with a sun in the middle. He looked like a child compared to the other, but Cross and Dust knew better.

𝘚𝘰𝘭...

"Hello!" The golden eyed skeleton cheered, pulling another skeleton out from hiding and strutting over to stand in front of Cross and Dust in confidence.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴...

Although, the purple eyed skeleton behind his lookalike seemed to be trying to hide behind the older.

𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥...

"What are your names?" A skeleton with black goop running down his sockets asked with an uneven smile stretched across his face. "Dust Murder, Cross Jakei." Dust said, pointing as he introduced himself and Cross to the 5 men in front of them.

- - - - - - - -

Everyone huffed, leaning on the walls as they tried to catch their breaths, grasping at their chests. They only ones not out of breath were Dream, Swap, and Killer, who had been running around, showing the newest members around the 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 castle while everyone else tried to keep up and not collapse from exhaustion.

"Please tell me that's everything..." Dust muttered to Horror as he leaned himself between the wall and Horror's back.

"There's still the bedrooms where you'll get to sleep."

"I'd rather sleep in the fucking halls than walk for another minute..." Dust complained, scrunching up his face in disgust from just thinking about it. Horror silently chuckled at the remark, hiding his smile with the back of his hand.

Dream spun around on his heels, Turing to them with his hands on his hips and a bright smile. "Alright, any questions before you see your new rooms?" He asked the two new men.

Dust shook his head vigorously, not wanting to listen to any more questions or answers. Cross instinctively raised his hand, waiting to be called on like he had been taught at an early age. "Yes!" Killer pointed at Cross, calling on him.

"Are we done?" Cross questioned.

"Nope!"

Killer gave the red and white eyed skeleton a mischievous grin. He was sure to have fun messing with the new guy. Cross groaned and sat on the floor, his legs no longer able to hold him up.

"Come on, next are the rooms in the North Wing! Let's go!" Swap cheered in excitement. He grabbed ahold of Dream's hand and began walking down the corridors that led to the North Wing. Dream giggled, grasping his secret lover's hand with both of his own.

Dust and Cross scrutinized the prince and his guard before looking at each other knowingly. They had read the rule book before meeting the others. This sort of thing was prohibited. Dating of any sorts wasn't allowed amongst them, but maybe a little rule breaking wasn't so bad.

The group began their walk to the North Wing. Dust held onto the back of Horror's shirt for stability as he walked. Cross came up next to him, slouched over and leaning down to whisper to his fellow newcomer. "Don't look like a prince and his Royal Guard to me." The taller said to the smaller, keeping his voice quiet considering they were right behind Horror who could most likely still hear their short conversation.

The mismatched eyed skeleton shrugged his shoulders at his comrade. "Maybe they don't care about the rules... if ya know what I mean."

Cross looked dumbfounded at this new personality that the other seemed to carry. Dust seemed more sparky in a way that Cross couldn't describe. Not too long ago, the other seemed more reserved and quiet, but now he, in a way, was acting like a child teasing others relentlessly.

Sir Murder snorted before quickly looking away, not wanting to burst into laughter at how ridiculous Sir Jakei looked.

Horror turned his head, looking over his shoulder and making eye contact with the second tallest in the newly arranged group. He gave the red and white eyed man a knowing look and held a finger up to his lips, telling Cross to keep what he knew a secret from those who didn't personally serve under the Royal sons.

Cross nervously nodded his head. He still couldn't believe a skeleton so tall could even exist.

Compared to Horror, everyone else in their group looked like a child. The twins especially. They just felt even smaller than they already were. The man was nearly 7ft tall after all.

"I think they're together." Cross whispered to Dust.

"Who? Sol and bandana man?" Dust questioned, earning a nod from the other. He looked up at the back of Horror's head and tugged on the back of his shirt, gaining the giant's attention.

Horror turned his head towards Dust and lowered his head to get closer to the smaller who insisted on walking behind him instead of by his side. "Hm?" He questioned.

"Those two kiss, don't they?"

The other couldn't contain himself and chuckled, lifting a hand up and covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he lightly nodded his head and stood tall once again.

Dust smirked and looked over at Cross, looking smug at the fact that he was able to get the information he wanted and make Horror laugh at the same time. Cross rolled his eyelights and turned away. He wondered who else was breaking the rules in this little group.

"We're Almost There!" Swap shouted, alerting the ones at the very back who were walking behind Horror.

"BRUH?!"

A man's voice echoed throughout the halls. It sounded familiar to Cross, but he hadn't heard that word in a fairly long time. Had it been that long since he last heard his childhood friend.

Everyone turned their head around, confused on why they were being shouted at. The most confused was Dream. He hadn't even heard Epic yell so loudly before.

Before anyone could get a reaction out, Cross was already on the floor, having been tackled to the ground as soon as he had turned around. Epic was on all fours, hovering over Cross's lying and dazed body. The taller could've just as easily had a concussion from the fall.

But that wasn't the most shocking thing that they had witnessed. The others looked at one another in confusion once Epic began speaking in another language, one that Cross seemed to understand and nod to perfectly.

"Oh," Dust said, remembering a rumor that had went around of the other a few years ago.

It had been their first year training to be Royal Guards. Dust and Cross had coincidentally joined the same year, except a rumor about Cross had already been flying around. Although it wasn't exactly considered a rumor if it was a true fact.

The guy spoke a different language.

That fact surly spread around like wildfire at the time.

"Cross wasn't born here, and I'm guessing nither was the guy on top of him." Dust informed the others. It was rare a person to live in a kingdom that they weren't born in, let alone get such an important job.

By the looks of it, Dust guessed the others hadn't known that Epic wasn't born in the Eclipse Kingdom. Either the other had hid the fact or the others simply never bothered to ask and assumed their friend was born here.

"Hm... Well, I guess it does make sense. I mean Epic 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 sorta have the same accent as Cross." Killer commented.

"Really? I just thought they talked funny." Dream confessed, now ashamed for thinking such a thing. But how were they supposed to know when he was rarely allowed out.

"This is actually so stupid considering Ink HAS THE SAME FUCKING ACCENT!" Nightmare yelled at his brother, shaking the other violently for having not realized such a thing sooner.

Killer and Swap pulled the twins apart while Horror walked over to the two on the ground and lifted Epic off of Cross with ease. Cross was finally able to sit up.

- - - - - - - -

"So, where are you two from then if not here?" Nightmare questioned Epic and Cross.

They had all piled up in Dream's large bedroom. Nightmare was sat on a wide couch near a bookshelf that looked like none of the books had been touched in years. Horror sat on the floor in front of Nightmare, sitting at a table that was low to the ground, watching Killer solve a few puzzles that Swap had made to keep the droopy eyed man busy and not interrupted the conversation that was taking place in front of him. Horror and Killer sat across from each other.

Nightmare's legs were propped up over Horror's broad shoulders, wiggling his sock covered feet every now and then.

"I forgot the name but I think it's west from here... right?" Epic said, slightly questioning himself and asking Cross for conformation. It had been a long time since he moved into the Eclipse Kingdom. He was a teen when he did. His birth Kingdom hadn't come to mind u til today when he had seen Cross.

"Yeah, in the west. Maybe a little north?" Cross informed, looking over towards the bed where he assumed Swap and Dream were having a nap since he didn't hear either of them make a peep in a while.

He wondered is the whole group knew about the prince and the guard's relationship and if so, how had they been able to keep it hidden for so long.

It was against the rules.

It said so in the rule book that everyone was made to read on their way to the castle.

𝘚𝘰, 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭?

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩?

Cross didn't want to imagine the outcome of being discovered if he were to even break that specific rule.

"It's called the "X lands", short for...." Cross glanced up as he thought. He had never thought about what the X stood for. "I actually haven't thought of that before."

"What 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 the X stand for?" Epic questioned, looking over at Cross.

"Maybe Ink knows?" Horror interjected, throwing in some ideas.

The others looked at Horror. Even Killer had stop his puzzle solving to look at his friend. "Doesn't he had a horrible memory?" Killer said, already knowing the answer.

Ink wasn't the best to rely on when it came to having to remember things. The man had a few issues.

And maybe a few screws loose...

"Oh! What about Error?" Epic threw in after a moment of silence. Nightmare sunk into the sofa at the name, his cheeks flushing purple at the idea of visiting 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 man out of any other person. "Why do we have to go see 𝘩𝘪𝘮?" He questioned, gritting his teeth and folding his arms across his ribs.

"I thought you liked him?" Horror raised an eyebrow before jurking forward by a foot slamming into his back.

Oops...

"Ooh, is it that one guy with the strings on his face and the multicolored bones? The seamstress?" Cross asked. He had seen the skeleton before. He thought the man had pretty eyes too, kinda like Dusts, but the seamstress had more color and looked a bit unhinged.

"Yup! He knows a 𝘭𝘰𝘵."

"I don't think the puzzles are working anymore..." Epic whispered to Horror as they all looked at Killer. ""We Can find something else later." Horror reassured the skeleton with one eye closed.

"Anyway, Error and his older brother Geno have a lot of knowledge. I don't know how or why, but they do." Epic informed Cross. Cross nodded his head before looking over at Nightmare who seemed to be annoyed with the whole idea of visiting a man he "𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥".

"Are you and the seamstress also seeing each other?" Cross questioned the sulking prince, earning a laugh from Epic and Killer and a chuckle from Horror before he was kicked between the shoulder blades again, almost hitting his head against the table.

𝘈𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦...

Surly if one prince was in a secret relationship than the other would be too, right? It was the only thing that made sense to Cross. Why else would the younger prince look flustered and angry at the same time.

"No, they aren't a couple. Dream's the only one with partners right now out of everyone in the room." Epic corrected Cross. He thought it was a good assumption though.

"Partners? Like more than one?!" Dust finally spoke, sitting up from his laying position next to Horror. He hadn't spoken at all since entering the bedroom. Horror had even forgotten that the smaller was even next to him.

"Yup-"

"Hey, you can't say anything!" Killer interrupted Horror. Of course the larger would be the one to tell. "Better to say it now than later." The young prince said, rising up to sit straight and pointing a finger to the two sleeping on the bed. "Those two and Ink." Nightmare said without shame.

"Don't be a snitch about it either." Killer told Cross and Dust. Horror nodded, agreeing with his friend that it was better to keep that relationship a secret for anyone that wasn't in the princess close-knit circle.

Cross's lips were sealed.

And so were Dust's.

- - - - - - - -

CREATOR NOTE: Next chapter will be skipping a year into the future. Sorry this took so long to publish. This story is my last priority after my two others that I'll post on here once I'm finished with them.

There's a few stuff about the au/world that I so badly wanna talk about because I love throwing stuff around, but I'll probably post it separately or just answer any questions if needed.

P.S.: The brothers are NOT a ship! They are related and not at all lovers or will ever be lovers.

Ok, that's all! Until next time!

(Sorry for any misspellings)