Heeeeeeyyyyyyyyy guess who's back after three months of absence? I'm sorry, things had taken a drastic turn there for a bit. But now I should (hopefully) be back into the swing of things. For now, though, enjoy this chapter!

He gazed at the water that flooded his kingdom, frozen in shock. It had been such a normal day. So, when did things start to go wrong?

He had woken up, same as usual. Gotten dressed, made breakfast, started his merry way to Alphys's house for their daily training. They had been doing this training for a little over two years now, but he still hoped (even though it was unlikely) that she'd realize that he was ready to join the guard.

He was, he wasn't just saying that.

He's not stupid. Nor is he a child, like everyone seems to think he was. Like, for goodness sake! He's over eighteen; which means, he's a legal adult. It baffled him that people still—and would always, he knew that, too—thought he was a child and babied him because of it. Despite his…negative feeling about that, though, he bears it with a smile, because at least he has friends now and he wasn't lonely like he had been as a child.

Anyways—Alphys had greeted him with her usual grin and noogie. Then, they had started trading blows and turns, as usual. Undyne had come over at break time, bringing with her snacks and drinks, while giving a rejuvenating kiss to Alphys which had made her blush and stutter and him grin. They had continued training, this time with an observer who clapped and shouted encouragements for a few more hours until they called it quits for the day.

However, before he could head home, alarms started up.

He had jumped at the first one, as it had been so loud and frankly just a bit terrifying. He had tensed at the second one and grew increasingly worried and confused at the third, fourth and fifth one. It had gone silent for a second, just enough to wonder if it was over with. Then they started again, another five shrieks before going silent and repeating over and over.

He had started to wonder what was going on.

Alphys and Undyne had tensed as well, although they seemed to know what the alarm meant. They had exchanged words that didn't make any sense to him, but seemed to to the other. He had watched them quietly for about a minute before his curiosity and concern pushed through.

"What's going on?" He had asked, making the girls turn to him in surprise, as if they had forgotten he was there.

They had blinked at him for a bit before they got that strange look in their eye. The look which told him that he wouldn't be told the full magnitude of what was happening—whatever it was. He had seen this look many times before. The only person he hadn't seen that look from, was his brother, who had disappeared months ago.

"U-uh…Well…" Undyne had hesitated, seeming to struggle to find the right words. His eyes had narrowed as he braced himself for being babied with a groan of frustration in his head. "It's nothing really, honestly!" Undyne had tired to reassure, however she couldn't really lie all that well; the high pitch in her voice gave her away. "But still, it is a bit bad…uh…"

Alphys had then taken over for her. "It's nothing to concern yourself over." She said it so serious that he had believed her without a doubt, though there was a hint of frustration at being put on the bench again. Then the captain had smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I do have a job for you, so don't look so glum."—That had perked him right back up—"I want you to go through the kingdom and evacuate everyone that you can, especially the children and elders. Okay?"

The thought of evacuating his home made his heart twist in worry for what the alarms meant. After all, it wasn't really a normal thing to evacuate. He had agreed, though, simply because he had been asked to do so and it would make him useful, which was all he had ever wanted.

After that, he had run through the kingdom, making sure people knew to leave and helped them make sure they had their essentials. He wasn't fast enough for everyone, as he had discovered as he ran, passing some bodies of people who he had known and those he hadn't but still cared about. He pushed himself onwards, even as his heart screamed at him to stay and mourn them. He had to make sure others survived; that was his duty.

He had managed to get around half of the people evacuated before the flood had started. One of the children he was helping had screamed, which had told him to turn around and see the dam crack, seconds from falling apart. His eyes had widened and horror and fear seized him. He had yelled for everyone there to run, and they obeyed without a thought.

Now, they stood on a hill just outside of their kingdom and away from the water's edge. It was close, too close in his opinion, but they were safe, at least for now. He watched his own reflection in the water, dull blue eyes staring back at him.

His eyes weren't supposed to be dull. They were supposed to be a bright blue, a blue that people said warmed their hearts when they saw it. Remembering this, he closed his eyes tight, as if he was caught doing something terribly wrong and he wanted this to not be real. He took a few breaths and opened his eyes again, brightness and optimism refilling in them.

Everything would be okay, he repeated to himself, mouthing the words in a tiny whisper that was barely there. He looked over to the survivors, who huddled together, looking miserable and hopeless.

He narrowed his eyes.

He hated the feeling of hopelessness.

He had to fix that. He took a step towards them when he caught the faint murmuring of people a ways away, from the direction where the Queen was having a meeting with her council. An idea sparked in his mind as his body moved towards the meeting. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, but he might be able to help.

He had to make his kingdom happy again.

He had to.

"—leave now," Undyne was saying, playing with her hair in a nervous tick which revealed her worry, "we don't know how long we can keep ourselves dry." There were nods and agreements from the other people gathered there as well.

Alphys was one of the ones who nodded, adding, "Not to mention, we have people who are injured and weak. They need a place to rest and recuperate." This gained another round of agreements.

All eyes went to the Queen as she spoke. "Where, though?" She looked around at everyone with serious eyes and a grim frown. "All our allies have their hands full with their own problems. We can't add to that." Everyone paused as they thought.

In the silence, he looked down at his feet. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping like this. Rather, he should be back at the makeshift camp with the rest of the survivors, leaving this decision making to the important people and the Queen. However, he was tired of sitting on the sidelines and playing the part of the obedient child.

He wanted to make a decision, a big decision and be heard for once in his life. He has always been pushed aside and protected, as if he was so innocent as to need that. Yes, he wouldn't deny that he was a bit naïve. That was fair. But there is a fine line between being naïve and being innocent; they do not go hand in hand, like some people might think. Maybe that was partially his fault, as he never did speak out and tell them what he wanted, hoping that it would show through on its own, but still…

His hands curled into fists at his sides. He thought about the question that had been brought up at the meeting. If…if he could find an answer to that question, then maybe…maybe he would stop being treated like that. Maybe then he would be resected and heard. The thought playing in circles around his head, he glanced up at the gathered people. None of them seemed to have an answer yet.

This was his only chance.

Just like that, as soon as he confirmed it, his mind sprung into action, bring back bits of the speech he heard back in Pixelia. He didn't remember all of what was said, but he remembered enough.

He remembered how he had felt: wonder and amazement, along with a rising amount of respect.

"…If you will help me, I will build you a world where there is nothing but positive feelings…"

He also recalled some rumours he heard. Rumours about a kingdom of happiness, a kingdom of hope and light. A kingdom of positivity. And if there was one thing he knew about his people, it was that they loved positivity. Thrived on it, even.

"…No hate…"

"…no sadness…"

"…no anger…"

It would be…perfect.

"…I ask you now, will you join me?"

His body was walking before he could think about it and his mouth moved, yelling, "ALPHYS!" Everyone there started and turned. But he had eyes for only one of them.

Alphys's eyes widened and she looked almost panicked for a minute before trying to hide it beneath anger. He knew better, though, and he felt a bit of guilt for making her worry. He knew she was only looking out for him.

"Blue?!" Alphys said, almost hissing his name, taking a step towards him, "What are you doing here? You should be with the rest of the survivors!"

Blue flinched, the guilt increasing. "I-I know," He murmured, mostly to himself. Oh, why couldn't he just be content enough to sit this one out? He shook his head. There was no backing out now. "But!" He straightened and looked Alphys in the eye, making her blink in surprise. He had never done this before, after all. "I know where we can go."

His attention slipped and he glanced around. Everyone there twitched with the reveal that he had been listening for a bit. Some looked exasperated that he had bothered to interrupt them while others were intrigued. A few just looked entirely bored with the meeting in general. The Queen was silent.

Alphys hesitated. "Really?"

Blue nodded, focusing back on Alphys. "Mhmm!" He almost smiled in remembrance but caught himself in time. "I heard of it when I was held up in Pixelia, remember? Someone named Dream was there, talking about a place where…" He hesitated a bit, even though he knew this was a good idea. "a place where there is nothing but positive feelings. Like the rumours we've been hearing about!"

Everyone shifted and murmured amongst themselves. There were arguments and agreements that Blue heard, although he tried to still focus on Alphys, who was nodding slowly as she considered his idea.

Before she could tell him of her opinion, however, the Queen stepped forward, silencing everyone with a resolute look in her eye.

"Very well." She said, smiling at Blue in thanks. "Then that is where we will go."

"Cross! Hurry up!"

"I'm sorry for the fact that I find it hard to run in stressful situations."

"This is NO TIME FOR SARCASM!"

"OKAY, YOU DIDN'T NEED TO SHOUT AT ME!"

"Both of you, shut up! I think we lost it…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…oh, thank g—"

ROAR!

"NICE WAY TO JINX THINGS, TEMPLATE!"

Dream was the slightest, tiniest bit annoyed at the dullness of his meeting. Well…perhaps dull wasn't the right word. It wasn't boring, they weren't just talking on and on in a droning voice that made Dream want to sleep. If fact, he would rather it be boring instead of this mess.

All the yelling was giving him a headache…

As if in hearing his thoughts, the people seated around the meeting table grew louder.

Dream winced, the pounding of his head growing to meet the level of volume, and subtlety tried to sink down in his seat, pushing down a yawn as well. He hadn't slept well the other night, strange feelings—negative feelings, a surge of anger and disgust rising in him, as, after all, what use is he if he can't stay positive all the time?—keeping him from sleeping peacefully, undisturbed.

In all honesty, actually, it was selfish of him to think he should deserve to rest undisturbed while there are so many other people who can't afford to sleep like that. It was his duty to help them; sleeping would only hinder his actions and leave him with less time. Less time meant fewer people get help which meant the more he failed in his duties as the guardian of positivity.

It also meant less time he would have in planning to find Nightmare and destroy negativity for good.

One of the councilwomen stood up so suddenly, that her chair made a horrible screeching noise against the floor as it fell. All eyes went to her and Dream took the time to rub his temples to try and help his head not feel like it's exploding. "—weren't such a goddamn asshole," the councilwoman was saying, hands moving as much as her mouth did, "then maybe we wouldn't have this problem!"

Across the table, another councilwoman stood up, a councilman trying to make her see sense and stay in her seat. She ignored his efforts, however, and pointed a finger at the first one, speaking angrily. "Don't go blaming this on me now—"

The first councilwoman through her hands in the air, looking as done as Dream felt. "But it's YOUR fault?!"

"OH, come on—"

Before she could continue, the doors to the room burst open and a couple of guards entered, both moving to stand to the side as Captain Kevin entered after them. Kevin was nervous, Dream observed as he watched the captain gulp, scan the room and everyone's faces before landing on Dream. Kevin sagged in relief and briskly walked towards him.

Another guard came running in, speaking quickly, "I-I'm sorry, sir! He just—" Dream held up a hand to silence him.

He returned his attention to his best (though rather disliked) captain. "Captain Kevin," he spoke as calmly as he could with his headache, "Why are you interrupting this meeting?"

Captain Kevin hastily bowed and spoke quickly, just as the other guard did. "Another survivor group, much like our Swapfell friends, arrived." The sentence had made Dream straighten and start out of the room before he could even process it fully. Kevin followed behind him, keeping pace easily, still talking. Dream listened with an attentive ear as he heads to the guest hall as fast as he could without running.

"Their kingdom was attacked and the attackers knocked out an important dam of theirs that started to flood the kingdom. Their queen said it didn't seem to be their intention, as the enemies retreated soon after." Kevin fell silent, clearly thinking of what else to say.

Dream saved him the trouble. "Do they have injured people? Those in need of medical aid?"

"Yes." Kevin nodded, still following Dream. "Surprisingly, while they all have some scratches, few of them are severely wounded."

Dream stopped at this and took a deep breath. He turned to face Kevin, keeping himself cool and collected, squashing down the irritation he felt at seeming to be the only smart one among the two of them. "But they are still injured, right?"

Kevin hesitated. "…yes."

"Hm." Dream narrowed his eyes and made Kevin fidget from his searching gaze. He decided not to press anything. "Is that all?"

Kevin looked confused, as if he hadn't expected that. "I think so. In any case, they can tell you anything else."

Dream nodded in agreement, turning back to start walking again. "Very well, you are dismissed." He paused again after a couple of steps, turning again back to Kevin, who was luckily still standing there. "Oh, and be sure to get everyone who can do healing magic and bring them back here."

Kevin's eyes widened in horrified realization. He quickly nodded, adding a bow on for good measure. "Yes sir!"

Dream watched his healers heal their injured guests quickly and efficiently, nodding in approval. His headache had miraculously disappeared and he savoured the sweet relief of a calm mind. Now, he could focus and make sure his guests are treated as such and with respect.

Straightening, he looked around until he spotted the goat monster in a crown and cape. She was watching her subjects get healed, concern etched across her face. A smile tugged the ends of his lips. She seemed like a great ruler.

Nodding to himself, he walked towards her with quiet steps. "Queen Toriel?"

She turned to him quickly and, upon realizing who he was, bowed. "King Dream," she said, voice quiet and smooth, looking him in the eye. "I thank you for letting us in your kingdom."

"An empire, actually." Dream corrected her gently, smiling in pride.

Queen Toriel blinked in surprise. "Oh?"

Dream nodded, looking out towards where the sun hung low in the sky, illuminating the room in an evening glow. "Yes. It just turned into one fairly recently, as we were running out of space and one of our councilwomen decided that it would be best if we spread out a bit. Make some Lords and have them go out with a fair bit of our people and build a smaller kingdom a few yards away." He closed his eyes. "Close, but not too close."

He opened his back up again to see Queen Toriel nodding slowly, shock still written in the background of her face. "It makes sense," she said, pausing before continuing "…Monarch Dream."

Dream laughed a bit out of surprise at the formal title. "Please," he waved his hand as if it would dispel the words. "Just call me Dream. We are both rulers after all."

Queen Toriel smiled. "Very well. Then call me Toriel."

Dream returned the smile and looked around once more. Everyone looked so hopeful and happy to be given a place to rest. He watched as families shared laughter and tears while some even mourned for their dead. He made a mental note to check up on those ones, make sure they become happy again, even if it would take a bit.

He returned his attention back to Toriel as he spoke. "Well then, Toriel, until your people have recovered and decided where you will go, or if you will go, now that you're here, you are free to stay here in the castle." He smiled yet again. "Your people will be given free rein to the place, as well as the surrounding town."

Toriel looked shocked once again, though she really should've been used to it by now. "Thank you again, Dream." She bowed for the extra bonus, looking back at him with a conflicted face. "I don't know how we'll repay you."

Dream shook his head. "You don't have to. Me being able to help is payment enough." They exchanged another pair of smiles and settled into silence as they watched the people get healed.

Blue watched in awe as Dream let them stay without hesitation. He had expected kindness from what he had remembered of the speech, but he hadn't expected so much of it. He looked over his people, whose faces were newly awash with relief and hope.

His heart warmed at seeing it.

He looked back to Dream, who had drifted back to watch everything happen from then on in. Looking down for a brief moment, he looked back up with a force od determination gripping his heart.

He walked up to Dream, who had heard him approaching and looked over at him. "Thank you, Your Highness. I know I'm just a boy and my words mean nothing to you, but really…thank you."

Dream blinked at him, seeming taken aback, as if no one had ever thanked him for anything, even though Queen Toriel had just before he approached. Blue frowned, a slight concern tugging at his heart. That wasn't a good sign.

Dream then composed himself and spoke in a quiet, though a bit shaken voice from what Blue could tell. "You feel than the rest of your people, like you are…happy. All of the time. I mean, genuinely, real happiness, not the kind that my magic can make someone feel, the fake stuff." Dream stared at him with eyes that seemed almost…desperate for an answer. "How is that? How is it that you can remain this happy after a tragedy like this?"

Remember to tell me what you think! Hope you enjoyed! Anna out, for now.