KittKattGirl

A simple theater geek who loves countless musicals, TADC and Sanders Sides

[some-one56]

Sanders Circus: Chapter 10

The Circus was so dark. There was no one around.

“Hello? Where'd everyone go?”

It was silent. Completely silent.

“Hello???” Thomas looked around, hesitantly walking over to the stage. He couldn't see an inch in front of him. “Patton! Logan, Emile?? Roman???? Someone!!!”

A spotlight shone on the stage, and Thomas flinched from it. He backed away from the stage, looking around in alarm.

A figure appeared in the spotlight, staring Thomas down. Thomas squinted, but couldn't tell who the figure was. They were somehow covered by the shadows, yet still stood in the center of the spotlight.

“You're running from what you've done. I know what you did. Even if you can't remember it.”

Thomas couldn't make out who was speaking, as the voice became distorted and glitchy. “Wh-hat do you mean…?”

“You'll remember.”

The figure's eyes turned bright red.

Thomas sat up abruptly in bed, breathing heavily. He clutched his chest, feeling the pounding heartbeat that was ringing in his ears.

Another dream… more like a nightmare, holy shit…

Thomas inhaled deeply and got out of bed, walking out of his room. It…was still dark. He began to feel a sense of deja vu.

“Hello…?” Thomas called out hesitantly. Everyone was usually awake by now. Unless he woke up early.

Thomas walked out to the stage and hesitated when he saw the spotlight shine. “Uhh…”

Then the lights in the entire Circus switched on, signaling morning. Roman popped up on the stage, in the spotlight. “Goooood morning, Thomas!!! You're up early.”

“Ah…hey, Roman,” Thomas said, glancing around. He really was the first one up. “Uh…how're you?”

Roman's eyes brightened in surprise from the ask. He grinned and sat on the stage, kicking his legs. “I am doing spectacular! And how about yourself? Did you sleep well?”

“Uhh…sure,” Thomas said, taking a seat next to him. “What's the adventure for today?”

“Well actually, it's going to be a bit of a short one today. There's a few technical difficulties I need to iron out in the Circus, so a short adventure is all I have time for today,” Roman explained.

“What if you put a hot iron on your face,” a sudden shrill voice said out of nowhere, causing Thomas to jump.

Roman rolled his eyes. “Remus, that's enough.”

The voice giggled maniacally.

“Uhhh…who?” Thomas asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Remus,” Roman sighed. “He's just a voice in my head, pay him no mind.”

“If he's a voice in your head, why can I hear him?”

“Because I'm gonna FUCK YOUR MOM-”

Roman snapped his fingers, silencing the voice. His eye twitched. “Apologies for that.”

“Uhhh….no worries? He seems….interesting,” Thomas said hesitantly.

“He's an annoying nuisance,” Roman mumbled. Then he sighed and hopped off the stage. “Alright, Thomas! Why don't you gather the others and we can get this adventure started!”

“Uh, sure,” Thomas said, walking off to the bedrooms.

Roman watched him leave, and his smile dropped immediately. He turned around. “Remus, you have got to stop scaring the new people.”

“I don't think I'm the one scaring them~”

Roman's eyes narrowed. “I am not scaring them! Stop saying that! Just…go away.”

“Well, they sure hated yesterday's scary adventure. You heard them.”

“They were just…saying that in the heat of the moment. Of course they loved it. They love all my adventures!” Roman said, crossing his arms.

“They hate the adventures. Just like they hate you.”

Thomas came back to the stage a bit later with Patton, Emile, Janus, Logan and Virgil. They all gathered around the stage.

“Where'd he go? He was just here,” Thomas frowned, looking around for Roman.

A piece of paper appeared in Thomas's hands. He looked down in surprise, reading it out loud.

“Today's adventure is a short one while I take care of some business in the Circus. A pile of weapons will spawn in different areas of the Circus. You must pair into teams of two and go about on a shooting spree. The last team standing is the winner. Good luck! And P.S., Virgil, you're doing the adventure, you don't have a choice <3 -Roman.”

“Motherfucker,” Virgil growled under his breath.

“Patton, do you wanna be on my team?” Emile asked, smiling a little as they walked over to the cardigan clad man.

“Oh, yeah, of course, Em!!! Let's uh, kick their butts!” Patton exclaimed with a giggle.

Virgil sighed and glanced at Logan. “You wanna team up with me?” The silent man in glasses gave a nod.

Thomas glanced at the only person left.

Janus.

Fuck my life.

Ch. 11

[some-one56]

Sanders Circus: Chapter 9

After descending down several flights of stairs Thomas and Logan still couldn't find the exit.

Thomas sighed, looking around. “We've been at this for hours… is there a forfeit option?”

Logan chuckled, opening a door and walking through. “I take it you don't enjoy these adventures much.”

“Not yet, anyway… I hate horror stuff, it just stresses me out,” Thomas said with a sigh.

“I understand that. These adventures can be a lot, sometimes. But you're not alone, so there's no need to worry,” Logan said, giving Thomas a small smile.

Thomas smiled a bit as well. “Thanks, Logan. I'm glad I got to finally meet you.”

Logan's smile grew. “C'mon, let's keep moving.”

After what seemed like forever Thomas and Logan reached the bottom floor. There was a large foyer with dust covered couches and chairs covered in cobwebs. “Hey wait. Roman said there were gonna be ghosts. We haven't even seen one.”

“I wonder if he just said that to throw us off from the Mimic thing,” Logan said, deep in thought.

“That's evil,” Thomas sighed, putting his head in his hands.

“Well hey, there's the exit right there,” Logan said, pointing off to the side. Sure enough, a door with the word “EXIT” stood there, plain as day.

“Let's hurry and get out of here!” Thomas exclaimed, running to the door.

However, just before he could touch the door handle, something yanked him back, causing him to stumble and fall to the floor. “What the-”

Logan's eyes widened in alarm. “Are you alright, Thomas??? What on Earth..”

Another invisible force shoved Logan onto the floor as well, with great strength. Logan grunted, but pushed himself back up.

“I think we found the ghosts,” he said under his breath.

“Great! Just what I fucking wanted!” Thomas cried out in sarcastic horror. He anxiously looked around himself.

Several pairs of eyes opened and stared the duo down from the darkness. They just stood there, unmoving.

Thomas turned around and jolted when a near invisible form stood in front of the exit door, blocking it. One of the ghosts.

“Well, well, well… Looks like we have two left~” a very familiar voice said. Thomas and Logan looked at each other.

Patton slowly walked down the stairs, a sinister look in his eyes. “I assume you know what happens next, right?”

“It's the Mimic,” Logan whispered to Thomas, keeping his eyes on the imposter. Thomas nodded quietly.

“Too scared to talk to me?” The Mimic asked with a dark chuckle. It reached the floor and slowly stalked over to Thomas and Logan. “You both will make an excellent addition to my collection…”

“No thanks, I'm very good, thanks,” Thomas said nervously, scooting back. Logan seemed to have an idea.

The Mimic let out a low growl of amusement, its eyes locked on Thomas. “A jumpy one, I see… Perhaps I'll take you first.”

“You're just afraid to show us your true form,” Logan suddenly declared, a confident look in his eyes. “That's why you're hiding as a copy of our friend. Because you're a coward.”

The Mimic's head snapped to Logan, eyes narrowing in anger. “Insecure? You dare call me such a thing?”

“Prove to me you aren't. Show us your true form and I'll believe you're not insecure.”

The Mimic snarled in rage, its perfect copy of Patton slowly melting off of it. It was truly a sickening sight to see what appeared to be a human melting into nothing.

But the creature that stood in its place was a horrifying sight, especially when up close like this. Its skin was a sickly green with pink organs peeking out along its blob-like form. It had a cluster of eyes that followed Logan's every move. But its three rows of teeth were the most terrifying part of it.

“Do you still think I'm insecure?!” The being snarled, its voice gurgling.

“Yes.” Logan reached in his pocket and pulled out a pocket mirror, holding it up to the Mimic.

The creature shrieked when seeing its reflection. “No no NO!!!!!!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!!!!!!”

It let out a loud, shrill scream as its own body slowly melted into a green puddle on the floor. The lights flickered from the scream, and the surrounding ghosts covered their ears and disappeared.

When the Mimic was finally dead Thomas looked at Logan. “Where did you find the pocket mirror?!”

Logan chuckled and tossed it aside. “I picked it up on the way down here.”

“That was insanely badass, Logan, oh my god.”

Logan smiled and stood up, helping Thomas up as well. “Ready to head back to the Circus?”

Thomas looked at the door and walked over, but then paused. “Will you go back to not being able to talk?”

Logan looked at the floor and sighed. “Yes. But in darker places like this, I'll have my voice back. The longer I'm in darkness, the more memories I can remember as well.”

“Really? Like who you were before the Circus?” Thomas asked, eyes wide.

Logan nodded. “It's still fuzzy, but I remember bits and pieces here and there. Perhaps we could talk about them before-”

He was cut off by Roman's hands reaching through the door and yanking Thomas and Logan through, ending the adventure.

Ch. 10

[some-one56]

Sanders Circus: Chapter 8

“Sooooo….that thing is gone…… We're fucked. We are like. So fucked.”

Thomas looked around frantically, as if expecting the mimic creature to jump out at any moment.

Logan walked up to the cage, staring at the sign. A mimic. He looked over, seeing a book with the exact name on a shelf.

Thomas saw it too. “How…oddly convenient.”

Logan picked up the book and began to read it to himself. “The Mimic is a creature that despises looking at itself in a mirror. So, to hide its body it will use its victims and make itself an identical copy to them. It will go about, collecting souls while swapping between different looks. It is a very insecure, but very dangerous monster. Especially in the dark.” He closed the book.

Thomas stared at him in shock. “You…actually talk…?”

“Precisely. There are times in the Circus when I…am unable to speak. But oddly enough, in darkness, I am able to speak,” Logan said, adjusting his glasses.

Thomas frowned in confusion. “Why?”

Logan sighed and looked at Thomas. “Unfortunately…I'm not allowed to tell you. Not yet, anyway. Now, let's get back to this Mimic.”

Thomas stared at Logan, shocked and dumbfounded. “Uhh…right. So…If it's so insecure and hates mirrors, we just grab a mirror and have it on us at all times, yeah?”

“Do you want to carry a full length mirror the whole time?”

“What about a pocket mirror?”

“Do you see any pocket mirrors?” Logan asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“...Okay yeah, good point. Back to the drawing board.”

“Ughhh, we keep walking into dead ends! We're never gonna get out of here at this rate!” Patton exclaimed in irritation as they came across yet another dead end. Emile was searching down another hallway while Janus leaned against the wall.

Patton turned and stared at him. “Are you gonna help???”

“Nah, you got it from here.”

“UGH.”

Janus snickered and rolled his eyes. “C'mon, seriously? It's so easy to find the way out of here. C'mon, follow me.” He turned right and walked over to a wall. He touched it and pushed in. There was a hidden door in the wall, and he just opened it.

“Wh-” Patton and Emile were shocked by it. “How'd you know that was there?!” Emile asked in shock.

“What can I say? I'm just that good. Now you coming or what?”

Patton rolled his eyes and followed after Janus, Emile hurrying after him.

The hidden passageway was dark and a bit cold, a sudden contrast to the previous room they were in.

“Do you even know where you're going?” Patton asked Janus.

Janus stopped at a doorway at the end of the corridor. “Absolutely.” He pushed the door open and stepped inside, Patton and Emile doing the same.

The door slammed shut behind them.

The room was freezing cold, but Patton and Emile immediately heard muffled yelling coming from the corner of the dark room. Their eyes widened when they saw a tied up Janus in the corner, a cloth over his mouth.

“Janus…?” Patton breathed, a chill creeping its way down his spine. “If…Janus is there…then who…” he slowly turned around.

The Mimic stared Patton down with extremely tiny slitted eyes. It grinned wide, showing rows of teeth. Its copied form of Janus slowly melted away onto the floor, its disgustingly vile form revealing itself. It growled lowly.

Patton and Emile stared at it in utter horror, faces beyond pale. They scrambled back. “H-Holy…oh god…” Patton whispered.

“I don't think the door's locked,” Emile shakily whispered.

“Run. Now,” Patton said urgently. Both him and Emile sprinted for the door. Emile made it out, but Patton screamed when the Mimic grabbed him and yanked him back. “EMILE, KEEP RUNNING!!!!”

The horrified Emile sprinted down the corridor and refused to look back. They forced the hidden door open and stumbled out, back into the guest bedrooms area. They quickly sprinted in the opposite direction, coming across a descending staircase. They had no idea if the Mimic was following them, but they hurried down the spiraling staircase as fast as they could go.

The staircase ended up being five stories tall, and when Emile reached the bottom they were exhausted. They panted, looming around the new room frantically.

But then their gaze stopped when they saw a big red door that said “EXIT”. They could kiss it they were so relieved. “Oh thank God it's over-”

“Over?~ Who said it was over?~”

Emile went rigid when Patton's voice cut through them. It was the Mimic, who now had copied itself to be exactly like Patton. Shakily, Emile turned around to face it.

The Patton Mimic grinned sadistically, walking down the last step of the staircase. “Why are we leaving so soon? I was just getting acquainted.”

Emile backed away. They just needed to sprint to the door.

“Cat got your tongue? That's okay, you'd still make a wonderful disguise!-”

Emile sprinted to the door and swung it open, running out. The door slammed shut behind them.

The Patton Mimic blinked in surprise. “Oh. I was supposed to monologue some more and then kill them. Dammit.”

Ch. 9

[some-one56]

Sanders Circus: Chapter 7

Thomas stared at the room in front of him. “Uhh… Nothing but a staircase….going up. I thought the whole point was to go down???”

It was a small room, with only an ascending staircase in front of his eyes.

Logan silently went up the stairs without a word. Thomas hoped this wasn't the wrong door to go through.

While ascending the stairs Thomas noticed that it began to grow darker around them both. “God, I hate this…” He muttered to himself. “Why a horror adventure? Of all things.”

Once they reached the top of the staircase Logan looked back at Thomas. He pointed to a large cage in the center of the room. Inside the cage was a creature of some sort. It looked like a disgusting mass of organs and bones. It was sleeping. There was a sign on the cage that said “MIMIC”.

Thomas felt sick at the sight of it. He stayed silent, following Logan as they silently tiptoed past the cage.

Thomas and Logan made their way to the next door. But just as Thomas touched the doorknob the lights went out. There was a loud crash, causing Thomas to scream in alarm.

When the lights shut off Logan looked down at Thomas with concern. Thomas was hugging Logan tight. He sheepishly let go of Logan and cleared his throat. “Uh- my bad.”

Then he noticed the cage door was wide open. The creature was gone.

Thomas paled. “Uh oh.”

Patton and Emile walked down a long hallway. Thankfully, there was plenty of lighting around them.

“Thanks for letting me go with you,” Emile said softly.

“Anytime, Em,” Patton said with a smile. “I knew you didn't wanna deal with Janus. I..can't really blame you there.”

“He's just…mean every chance he gets,” Emile said quietly. They looked down at the floor.

“Let's not worry about him right now,” Patton said, patting Emile's shoulder. “Now, let's see here…”

Up ahead was a doorway, leading to several guest bedrooms. Patton peeked his head in one of them. “Huh.. Looks dusty in here.”

Emile walked in another guest bedroom and glanced into the mirror. “We don't have to find a key or anything, do we? We just have to escape?”

“I'm pretty sure, yeah,” Patton said from the room he was in. “Just don't die and escape. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly…”

Emile sighed and walked back to Patton. “We should probably keep going then.”

“Sounds like a couple of scaredy cats~”

Patton and Emile both let out a short scream when Janus jumped into the room.

“Janus! How in the world are you here?? I thought you went through the other door!” Patton huffed and fixed his crooked cardigan.

Janus crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Where's the fun in going alone? I'd rather pester you two.”

Emile stuck close to Patton, and Patton rolled his eyes. “Ugh. Whatever, just c'mon.”

Patton and Emile went along down the corridor, while Janus trailed behind them.

While their backs were turned he grinned. Sharp teeth glistened in the light as his eyes turned to slits, staring the next targets down.

“Janus, are you coming?? You're moving like a snail!” Patton called back.

The slitted eyes and teeth were gone in an instant. “Yeah yeah, quit whining, I'm coming.” He picked up the pace and walked alongside the two.

Ch. 8

[some-one56]

Sanders Circus: Chapter 6

Three days had passed, and Thomas had begun to get used to life in the Circus. Sure, it was still weird, but he found himself getting accustomed rather quickly.

They were all interesting in their own ways. Patton was very kind, and seemed to be like a parent most times. Emile was quiet and kept to themself most times. They always seemed afraid of Janus. Speaking of… What a dick. Janus was always starting some fight, or just being mean to Emile. Virgil seemed pretty chill, though the last few adventures they went on, Virgil didn't attend. Thomas assumed that was his thing.

Logan was who Thomas was intrigued with. This person hasn't said a word since he arrived, and yet, there's just something about him. He somehow made the cell door open on its own in that kingdom adventure. Did he have admin codes or something? Thomas grew more and more stumped the more he thought about it.

Then he remembered what Remy told him in the adventure.

Frowning, he left his room, met with Patton. “Oh- hey Patton.”

“Hi Thomas!” Patton grinned with a wave. “How'd you sleep?”

“I…didn't, if I'm being honest.”

“Oh.. How're you holding up?”

“I…” Thomas sighed. “Dunno. I'm just confused about some stuff. Ah..you can come in.”

Patton walked into Thomas's room and closed the door behind him. His concerned frown grew. “What is it, Thomas?”

“In that kingdom adventure, remember Remy?”

“Was that the bandit leader?”

“Yeah. He knew about Abstraction..”

Patton's eyes widened slightly. “Surely, NPCs shouldn't know about that… Unless Roman made them even more advanced…”

“He kept saying to not anger someone, and to just keep doing the adventures,” Thomas said hesitantly.

Patton looked a bit unnerved. “That's…kinda freaky… You don't think he meant-”

There was a knock on the door. “Hey, Thomas, you in there?” It was Virgil.

Thomas and Patton both jolted. “Yeah- I'm coming.”

Thomas and Patton emerged from Thomas's room. Virgil was standing there.

“Hey Thomas- oh- hey Pat,” Virgil said with a wave.

“Hey Virge,” Patton smiled. “Thomas and I were just talking. What's up?”

“Ughh. Roman won't get off my ass about not going on his stupid adventures. Apparently today he made one for me, and I an not fucking going,” Virgil said, rubbing his temples.

“That's understandable,” Patton sighed.

“What do you do when you don't go on the adventures?” Thomas asked.

“Mostly just hide in my room until you all get back,” Virgil shrugged. “It's annoying though, because Roman will wait outside my door singing fucking Disney songs to try and get me to come out.”

Thomas snickered a little. “How unfortunate..”

Virgil sighed again. “Welp. I think he's waiting for you guys. Make sure he knows I'm not coming.” He turned and went to his room.

At the main stage, Logan, Janus and Emile were standing around Roman. Roman looked up, seeing Thomas and Patton. “Ah! There they are! Did you happen to see Virgil? I made this adventure just for him!!”

“Ah…He said he's not going…” Patton said with an awkward chuckle, him and Thomas joining the others.

“What???? Are you-” Roman sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It's fine. It's fine, because you guys are also gonna love it!”

Thomas and Patton glanced at each other.

“Today's adventure is Escape the Haunted Mansion! You all will start at the top floor of the Mansion, and will have to work your way down to the bottom to escape. But be warned! Ghosts are very active, and they definitely aren't shy!”

Horror. God fucking dammit, I hate horror.

“Is participation…really necessary..? I'm not big on scary stuff…” Thomas said hesitantly.

“Yes, it is necessary! Now hurry! The adventure won't do itself!” Roman exclaimed, snapping up the portal and pushing the group inside it. The portal disappeared once they went through.

Roman's smile faded into a look of annoyance as he looked back toward the bedroom hall.

Once they arrived, Thomas looked around. They indeed were on the top floor of a very large mansion. “Oh god…” he muttered to himself.

Janus snickered. “What, don't like horror?”

“Not even a little.”

“That's okay, I don't either,” Patton said softly, eyeing the decor. There was a human skull on the wall, it's haw unhinged as if it was left screaming.

Emile stuck close to Patton, but looked around curiously. Logan walked ahead.

“So…just have to escape. How bad do you think the ghosts will be…?” Thomas asked the group.

“Well, we can't die, so we're safe in that aspect,” Patton said reassuringly.

“But you can die in the adventure~” Janus said in a sing-song voice.

Thomas's face paled. “What.”

“Janus!” Patton scolded, sighing. “Okay, we can, but you'll just spawn right back in the Circus. I promise it's not as bad as it seems.”

The group descended down a large staircase, coming up to three different doors. Each of them had a sign that said “Enter if you DARE”.

“So uhh… I guess we pick?” Patton muttered, going up to the middle door. It wouldn't budge. Thomas and Janus tried the other two doors, and the same happened. But when all three of them opened the doors at the same time, they opened up.

“Maybe we have to split up into pairs to go through these?” Thomas suggested.

“C'mon whiny, you're with me,” Janus said to Emile.

Emile looked back at Patton in alarm.

“You can come with me if you want, Emile,” Patton said softly. Him and Emile quickly went through the middle door.

Janus scoffed and looked at Thomas.

Thomas shrugged and went in the left door with Logan.

Janus's eyes narrowed. He went through the right door on his own, slamming it shut behind him.

“Oh Virgillllll!~”

Virgil jolted when he was summoned to the main stage by Roman. “Wh- oh come on! You could do that this whole time????”

“Virgil, listen,” Roman said with a sigh, sitting at the edge of the stage. “You've been rejecting my adventures ever since you first entered the Circus, and I just want to know why. How can I make these adventures more fun for you?”

“This again?” Virgil sighed. “Roman, I've told you a thousand times I don't wanna be forced to do all those adventures.”

“Nonsense, Virgil!” Roman declared, grinning brightly. “Everyone loves my adventures!! I know you would've loved this one too, I made it extra spooky!”

“Just because I like horror movies doesn't mean I'd wanna be in one.”

Roman let out a huff and stomped his foot on the floor, not unlike a toddler having a tantrum. “Then Virgil, what do you want from me?! I'm trying to make these adventures accustomed to your loves and interests and it just doesn't seem to be good enough!”

Virgil sighed and laid back on the couch. “I dunno, just… keep the adventures open? Let us have some creative freedom with them?”

“Where's the fun in that?!”

“Fun for us, Roman!” Virgil groaned, covering his face in his hands. “If we're the ones you wanna entertain, ask us what we wanna do!”

“What do you wanna do?” Roman asked, sitting across from him. He tilted his head in confusion.

“Maybe a bartending adventure? Or I dunno, going on a hike? With nothing bad happening?”

Roman frowned. “But how am I supposed to tell a compelling story if nothing bad happens?”

“It doesn't have to be a story. Just…” Virgil rolled his eyes. “Nevermind. Forget it.”

“Forget it?”

“Forget I said anything. You're not even listening,” Virgil muttered.

Roman stared at Virgil for a long moment, then stood back up. “Done! I don't even remember what we were even talking about. Good talk, Virgil!” And then he was gone.

Virgil glared at the floor. “Whatever.” He rolled over on the couch, closing his eyes to take a nap.

Ch. 5 Ch. 7

[some-one56]

Sanders Circus: Chapter 5

Thomas sighed, leaning his head against the wall of his cell. They had all been taken to the dungeons, and were each in their own cell. It was dark and dingy, and a bit cold.

Remy paced back and forth, crossing his arms. “Great. Just great. This is just what I needed.”

“Cheer up, boss! We'll figure out how to get out!” One of the bandits said in a cheery tone.

Remy groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh, shut up. Anyone got any ideas on how to get out of here?”

“Nope. Have fun figuring that out,” Janus said, leaning against the wall.

Patton looked around the cell and frowned. “I guess…maybe this was part of the adventure? Maybe the King's supposed to be evil or something?”

“He is”, Remy said with a sigh. “A total jackass.”

“We took the crown because we don't have any money,” one of the bandits said sadly. “The King keeps raising taxes every month, and we're barely surviving as it is.”

“Yeah… We have nothing. And we tried to get jobs, but no one would hire us,” the other bandit grumbled. “And they definitely won't now.”

Remy crossed his arms and studied the keyhole on the lock. “If I had something small and sharp, I bet I could pick this lock…”

Logan stood up and went to the door of his own cell. He stared at the lock for a long time. Thomas glanced over, seeing him staring. “Uhh…Logan? You see something?”

Without even touching the lock, Logan's cell swung open on its own. He simply walked through and grabbed the keyring off the wall. He then began to unlock everyone's cells.

The group stared at him in shock. “Wait- how'd you do that?!” Patton asked, flabbergasted.

Logan smiled and waved for them to follow him up the stairs.

Remy glanced at Thomas. “What in the hell was that???”

“Remy, I have no clue. At this point I'm just trying to go with the flow.”

“Well…Yeah, that makes sense..” Him and Thomas followed the others up the stairs quickly.

Logan continued to lead the group once upstairs, pulling them into the shadows when a cluster of guards walked by.

“I mean…the goal is to give the crown back to the king… do you think he'd accept it even though it's broken?” Emile asked Patton quietly.

“Well, we can definitely try… Surely these NPCs aren't that smart,” Patton mumbled.

“Wow, Patton, I never expected you to be so rude to the NPCs,” Janus smirked.

Patton rolled his eyes and took the shards of the crown from Remy. “Ah..lemme just…” He looked up at the ceiling, using a stage whisper voice. “Hey Roman? Our crown broke, can you fix it?”

There was a snap from somewhere above, and the crown was pieced back together, good as new. Patton grinned. “There we go! Now let's give this back to the king!”

Remy and the bandits glanced at each other, then back at the crown. “Well, now that it's fixed…”

Patton eyed Remy. “We have to give it back to the king. It's our task.”

Remy's lackeys rolled their eyes. “Oh come on! We already told you our tragic backstory! You're supposed to side with us now!” One of them exclaimed. The other complained just as much.

Remy let out a long sigh. “It's fine,” he said to the two bandits. He turned to Thomas and the others. “Go ahead, do what you gotta do. Just… Thomas, can we talk?”

“Uhh…” Thomas sputtered, not expecting to be called out. “Yeah..sure.” He followed Remy off to the side. “What's up?”

Remy's normal stoic face faded into a slight look of fear. “No matter what happens? Just keep doing the adventures. Do not let yourself Abstract. And do not upset him.”

“Wait, what?” Thomas asked, color draining from his face. “You know about Abstraction?- wait- what are you talking about???-”

Remy cut him off by dragging him back to the group, his normal stoic face back. “Alright! You all have fun giving the king the crown! See ya.” And before Thomas knew it, Remy and the two bandits were gone without a trace.

Thomas stared at the floor, unsure of what to do or say. He had no idea what just happened.

“Thomas..? What did he say to you?” Patton asked gently, concern in his eyes.

“Let's…talk about it later,” Thomas said hesitantly, eyeing the crown in Patton's hand.

When they had finished the adventure, the group walked through the portal, re-entering the Circus. Roman was there, waiting for them with a grin.

“Welcome back, everyone!! How did it go?” He asked enthusiastically.

“Pretty good, actually,” Emile said softly, looking back at the others.

“Eh, it was fine,” Janus sighed, walking over to a couch and laying down.

“Yeah! It was pretty fun,” Patton said with a smile of his own, leading Thomas to the lounge where the others were heading. Logan trailed after them.

Roman smiled at them as he watched them all sit down in the lounge. Another successful adventure with a new player. He glanced back at the portal and closed it with a snap of his fingers. The adventure was over.

Ch. 4 Ch. 6

[some-one56]

Sanders Circus: Chapter Four

Thomas groaned and opened his eyes. He was soaking wet, but out of the water. He was on the grass next to the river. He sat up, rubbing his head. He didn't see the bandit leader anywhere though. He assumed he dragged him out of the water.

Slowly, Thomas pushed himself up and looked around. “Hello? Bandit guy?? Are..you here?”

A small fire had been set up nearby with some rabbit meat roasting above it. This is some realistic ass adventure, God Damn.

“Oh, you're awake.”

Thomas turned, seeing the bandit leader walking over with a bundle of logs. He eyed the man suspiciously. “I…uh yeah.”

The bandit sighed and put the logs down. “Look, I'm not gonna hurt you. I lost the crown anyway.”

Thomas watched him sit down by the fire. After a second, he did the same. “Oh.. I see..”

The bandit took the rabbit meat off the fire and cut it up in halves. He handed one half to Thomas. “It's all I could find down here. There were a lot of purple rabbits, oddly enough.”

Thomas took the meat and ate quietly, deep in thought. If we can't find the crown, do we stay in this adventure until we do, or is there a forfeit option?

“So why do you need the crown so bad?” Thomas asked softly.

The bandit sighed. “It's ah.. a long story. I assume it is for you too?”

“Yeah… you have no idea.”

The bandit chuckled and stared at the dancing flames. “What's your name?”

“Thomas. You?”

“Remy.”

“Nice to meet you, Remy. Thanks for saving me.”

Remy shrugged, eating. “I'm a bandit, not a monster.”

“How are we gonna get out of here? That bluff was pretty steep…”

“We'll have to climb back up,” Remy said, glancing upwards. “Or, if worse comes to worse, Roman can just snap us back to the others.”

Thomas's head whipped around to stare at Remy. “What?”

Remy's eyes widened for a second, and then he cleared his throat and stood up. “We better start climbing. C'mon.”

“Wait- how do you know about…” Thomas trailed off as Remy walked over to the dirt wall. Maybe all NPCs are self aware about Roman being their creator or something.. What the fuck??

Thomas decided to let it go and followed Remy. “You uh…got any climbing gear?”

“Yep. And so do you.”

“Wh-” Thomas looked down, seeing a rope and a pickaxe attached to his belt. Must've just spawned there.

Thomas grabbed the pickaxe and looked up at the dirt wall. “Well…we better get to climbing.”

“Great. Now we're lost. Nice going, Patton.”

“Janus, it's not my fault! I just hope Thomas is okay…”

“Well…” Emile said hesitantly, looking at the two unconscious bandits they had successfully tied to a tree. “At least we captured those two.”

“Their leader is who we need to get first though. He did have the crown,” Patton muttered anxiously, pacing back and forth.

“Relax. None of this is real. You take these adventures way too seriously,” Janus said, crossing his arms.

“Well, they're very stressful!” Patton huffed.

Logan gently placed a hand on Patton's shoulder, giving him a soft smile.

Patton couldn't help but smile a little back at Logan. Then he sighed and shook out his nerves. “Thomas and that bandit went this way. So let's try and follow them to the best of our ability. And hopefully we run into them.”

“That bandit leader was kinda cute,” Emile mumbled under their breath.

“Are you seriously having feelings for an NPC?! Oh my god!!!” Janus laughed into his hand, earning an elbow to the ribs by Patton.

“He is rather cute, isn't he?” Patton said, trying not to glare at Janus, who was still snickering. Emile ignored Janus and smiled a bit at Patton, nodding.

Logan walked a bit ahead of the group, listening. Then he turned to the others and pointed to the path on the right. Sure enough, Thomas and Remy were trudging back through the brush.

“Thomas! There you are!” Patton exclaimed, running over to him, checking him over for injuries. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” Thomas said with a light laugh. “But uhh.. we have a problem.”

Remy sighed and rummaged in his pockets, pulling out broken pieces of the crown. “It broke during our fall.”

“Oh- shoot…” Patton said, crossing his arms. “Well, I'm not sure what's gonna happen then…”

“Finding the crown was the entire adventure,” Janus sighed, facepalming. “So now what?”

“Should we call for Roman?” Thomas asked. Maybe they could just end the adventure early and go back to the Circus.

As if right on cue, trotting footsteps sounded from nearby. A line of castle guards on horseback rode up to the group, circling them.

The Head Guard dismounted their horse and drew a sword. “By conspiring with the Crown Thieves, I am placing all of you under arrest.”

The group, along with Remy and the other two bandits all looked at each other, then back at the guards.

“Well shit.”

Ch. 3 Ch. 5

[some-one56]

Sanders Circus: Chapter 3

It's dark. What is this place?

Why does it feel familiar?

…

Wait, is someone talking? I think…I hear voices nearby.

…

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Positive. Listen, man, it's one of the fastest ways to make sure this works.”

“Okay… It just seems a but excessive, y'know?”

“Yeah, but I really think it'll be helpful. Ready?”

“...Yeah.”

Who are those people? I can't see their faces… Am I dreaming??

“Thomas?”

“Thomas? Are you awake?”

Thomas gasped awake from the sudden knock on his door and sat up quickly, startled out of his odd dream. He looked over at the door, recognizing the voice as Patton. “Yeah- Yeah, hang on. I'm coming out.”

He hopped out of bed and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to fix it. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he opened the door.

Patton smiled at Thomas and gave a wave. “Good morning! I hope you slept well?”

“Yeah.. Something like that,” Thomas said with a weak chuckle. “Did..you?”

“Yeah. We don't technically need sleep here in the Circus, but it's nice to make a routine to keep yourself occupied,” Patton said. “Wanna head with me to the lounge? The others are there already.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Thomas said with a nod. “Are we going on another adventure?”

Patton chuckled. “Yeah, we go on one pretty much every day. I think Roman's working on one now.”

Both men made their way down the hall and walked into the lounge area. There were four large couches, each a different color. The entire circus was quite colorful, as if something out of a kids show. The others were sitting down and talking.

“Janus, if you don't shut the fuck up I'm going to throttle you-”

“You're just grumpy, Virgil. Lighten up a bit~ Live a little.”

“You snuck a SNAKE INTO MY BED.”

“It could've been Emile. They're the one who turned your other hoodie pink.”

“Wh- no I didn't!” Emile exclaimed in horror at being blamed for something. They looked at Virgil in a panic. “I promise I didn't do that, Virgil, I would never do that to your favorite hoodie-”

“Ah..hey guys,” Patton awkwardly chimed in, bringing himself and Thomas to sit down on a red couch.

Virgil pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I know you didn't do it, Em, don't worry.” He turned to Patton and saluted. “Hey, Pat. Morning, Thomas.”

Emile went back to their notebook, anxiously drawing on the page. Their face was red in embarrassment from the outburst. Thomas felt bad. He glanced at Janus, who didn't seem to care.

Logan was on a couch all to himself, silently listening to the conversation. Thomas wondered about him and why he didn't talk. He'd have to ask Patton about it sometime.

“Ugh, this is boring. Roman better hurry and finish this adventure,” Janus said with a long sigh, checking his nails with a gloved hand.

“So, is this just gonna be…the rest of our lives? Going on adventures? Being trapped in this place forever…?” Thomas asked the others. He was surprised how calm he was about this.

“Eh, pretty much. None of us remember a thing about our lives in the real world, so we just go with the flow here,” Virgil muttered.

“Yeah, it's…easier not to think too hard about it,” Patton said, quieter this time. Thomas noticed everyone seemed to not like talking about this subject, as they all looked at the floor.

“Well…” Thomas started, not really liking the silence and wanting to fill it. “Maybe we could-”

“GOOOOOOOD MORNING!” Roman suddenly exclaimed, appearing in the air above the group. Thomas jumped from the noise, but the others seemed used to it. “Today's adventure is all ready for its players to begin!”

“What are we doing today, Roman?” Patton asked, smiling again.

“I'm glad you asked, Patton! Today's adventure is: Runaway Thieves! A group of jewel thieves have broken into the Castle of Elde and have stolen the King's crown! You all must find these thieves and bring them to justice!”

A portal appeared out of thin air right by the wall.

“Good luck! And most importantly, have fun!” Roman grinned.

Virgil rolled his eyes and stood up. “I'm still tired. I'm not going.”

Roman's smile faded a bit as he looked at Virgil. “Wait, you're skipping?? I thought you said you'd do more of my adventures!”

“I'm not chasing down bandits. See ya,” Virgil said, walking past the portal and toward the hallway full of bedrooms.

Roman watched Virgil leave, but smiled again at the others. “Have fun!” And then he was gone.

Thomas and the others walked up to the portal and stepped inside.

Thomas squinted his eyes when the sun flashed in them. He shielded his eyes with his hand and looked around. Him and the others were in a village. There were people roaming around, going about their day.

“Looks like a lot of NPCs here,” Patton said, looking around. “But this place is very cool looking.”

“Looks just like fantasy,” Emile said softly.

“Lame. Let's get to the violence,” Janus smirked, walking down the street.

Patton sighed and shot the retreating man an annoyed look. “He's always wanting the violent adventures.”

Thomas was about to answer, but a trio of cloaked figures zoomed past him, nearly knocking him over. He stumbled and grabbed onto Patton to steady himself.

The trio wore all black, and sprinted out of the village quickly.

“That's the bandits!” Patton exclaimed. Janus turned around and smirked, quickly giving chase to the runners. Patton, Emile, Thomas and Logan all ran after them as well.

One of the bandits turned their head and saw they were being chased, and the three of them sprinted faster into the woods. Janus led the others into the foliage, refusing to lose sight of them.

After running through the trees, the group eventually lost the bandits. Thomas panted, trying to catch his breath while the others did the same. “Jesus, they're fast,” he wheezed out.

“Yeah,” Patton put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. “And looks like we lost them too.”

“No, they're here,” Janus said, looking around slowly.

“How can you be sure..?” Emile asked anxiously.

“Well…come over here. You can hear faint footsteps..” Janus whispered. Emile walked over to him and strained to listen.

“You hear that? And very soon…they're..gonna…GETCHA!” Janus suddenly grabbed Emile's shoulders when exclaiming his sentence. Emile screamed from the scare, falling over. Janus doubled over and cackled.

“Janus! Stop being mean to them!!!” Patton scolded with a glare, quickly helping Emile back up.

“God, it's literally too easy!” Janus laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

Thomas narrowed his eyes at Janus, but said nothing. Logan silently observed.

A sudden twig snapping made everyone stop talking and freeze in their spots.

An arrow shot out from the shadows, passing right by Thomas's head.

The trio of bandits jumped out of hiding, weapons all drawn. Their leader drew a sword and held it out. “So you're the idiots the King sent, huh?”

Patton stepped forward, hands up in a peaceful gesture. “We are, but we don't have to fight… That crown belongs to the King so…maybe you could just give it back?”

“Or we could fight,” Janus smirked.

One of the bandits drew their bow after nocking an arrow, aiming it right at Janus. But their leader held them back. “Easy.” He turned to the group again, eyes on Patton. “If you want this to be peaceful, you'll let us walk away with the crown.”

“Well, we really do need that crown…” Emile hesitantly spoke up. The leader's gaze moved to them. Something in his eyes softened.

Janus scoffed and rolled his eyes. He pulled a dagger out of his back pocket and smirked at the leader. “I'm bored of this. Cough up the crown.” He ran up and sprung into combat. The leader was ready, countering with his own sword.

“Janus! We don't have to fight them!” Patton yelled, gasping when one of the other bandits ran up to him to fight. He fumbled and found a sword at his hip, and quickly pulled it out to block an attack.

Thomas watched the battle take place before his eyes, and he had no idea how to help. That was, until he saw a glimmer of something shiny in the leader's satchel. The crown. They just needed to grab it and return it to the King. Then adventure over.

Thomas inhaled a breath and ran up to the leader and rammed into him. He snatched the crown from the satchel and broke off into a sprint. “Guys, I got it!!! C'mon!!!”

The leader snarled at being run into. He ran after Thomas with incredible speed, his lackeys trailing hot on his heels. Patton, Janus, Emile and Logan looked over and realized what had happened, quickly running after them as well.

Thomas gripped the crown, adrenaline pumping through his body as he sped down the dirt path. He tried to lose the bandits by going through leaves and bushes, but the leader was determined.

“Thomas!!! Keep going!! We'll find you!!” Patton called after him, his voice growing fainter as Thomas gained distance.

Thomas planned to veer off to the right, but he yelled in alarm when the leader tackled him. Both of them went tumbling down a steep hill, rocks and trees scratching them up as they went.

Thomas very quickly saw a deep bluff right up ahead, and before he could try to stop tumbling, he and the bandit leader fell right down the bluff with a scream.

He plunged into a lake, fully submerging underwater.

Ch. 1 Ch. 2

[some-one56]

Aaaaaand here is chapter 2!

Sanders Circus: Chapter 2

Once they arrived through the portal, Thomas blinked and looked around. The fact they were now in a completely different location baffled him. They were at the entrance of a large cave that seemed to stretch on forever. The air was cooler than in the Circus.

“So…we just have to find a key?” Thomas asked. “And avoid uh..monsters?”

“Yeah, but don't worry. Like we said, you can't die here. Just stick with us and you'll be fine,” Virgil said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He let out a sigh. “God, I hate these adventures.”

“I'm surprised you actually went on this one,” Patton said, walking alongside Thomas. “Usually you tell Roman you'd rather jump off a building.”

“Because I would,” Virgil replied nonchalantly. “But I figured I'd come since it's Thomas's first day of Hell.”

“How reasurring..” Thomas mumbled under his breath.

Janus smirked, sliding up to Thomas's other side. “There's a lot more than the adventures, you know. There's the part when you realize this is all hopeless and you're never gonna leave, there's the going insane part, abstraction-”

“Janus! Stop!” Patton exclaimed, shooting the other a glare. “Stop being so mean to everyone. And stop trying to scare Thomas.”

“Abstraction?” Thomas asked with a frown, looking between them. “What's that? Is it bad?”

Patton and Virgil exchanged looks. Emile looked up and studied their expressions while Logan never said a word. In fact, Thomas hadn't heard him speak this entire time.

Virgil stopped walking and crossed his arms. “Abstraction is where someone looses their mind. They give up completely and go insane. It makes them into this..distorted…thing. And…I dunno, bad stuff.”

“After that point, you have no control over yourself. You're just a part of bad code at that point,” Patton said softly. “But…Don't worry! You're not gonna abstract because you've got us!” He quickly put on a smile again.

“It'd be hilarious if he abstracted on his first day,” Janus said with a chuckle, walking ahead of the group.

Thomas narrowed his eyes at Janus's retreating form. He was not a fan of this guy already.

The group continued to walk for what felt like hours, until they finally reached a fork in the path. Two pathways. One on the left, and one on the right. There were signs addressing them both.

The sign for the left path said “The Pathway of Queen Azul- Cursed of Freedom”.

The right pathway sign said “The pathway of King Vermelha- Bound to the Kingdom For Eternity”.

“Which path should we choose?” Emile asked, looking between both paths.

“Left sounds good,” Virgil said, walking toward the left.

“Or we could go right,” Janus said with a shrug, walking off on the right. “You never know.”

“You just picked that to be difficult,” Virgil said with an irritated tone.

“Aww, Virgil, you wound me~”

“Good. Because I'm about to wound you physically if you don't shut up-”

“Left sounds good to me too,” Thomas said, quickly speaking up. He quickly joined Virgil. Patton, Emile and Logan also joined.

Janus narrowed his eyes at Thomas slightly. Then he rolled them and sighed. “Fine, whatever.” He walked over to the others.

After the adventure had ended, a portal appeared, allowing the group to go back to the Circus. They all walked back through the portal, with Roman waiting for them on the other side.

“Welcome back! Congratulations on retrieving the key!!!” Roman exclaimed, patting Thomas on the back as he passed by. “And a wonderful job for Thomas as well!”

“Great. I'm taking a nap,” Virgil said with an eyeroll, walking past Roman and down a hallway.

“I think I'll go annoy Virgil a bit more,” Janus said with a chuckle, slinking off after the grumpy one.

Logan gave a polite wave to Thomas before following Janus and Virgil down the same hallway. That must be the bedrooms.

Emile looked up at Roman, hugging themself like they didn't know what to do with their hands. “Um..Roman? Could you conjure me another sketchbook? Janus, um… Fed mine to the giant spider in the cave…”

“Well of course, my artistic friend!” Roman grinned, snapping his fingers. A bright red sketchbook popped up in Emile's hands. “If you lose that one, I'll gladly make another!”

Emile smiled a little and hugged the sketchbook to their chest. “Thank you.”

Thomas glanced at Emile for a moment, and then gave his attention to Roman. “So, you're…the ringmaster or something? Did you make this whole place?”

“Yep! Sure did!” Roman beamed. “It is my sole purpose to provide fun and engaging adventures for all the players here! Did you have fun?”

“Ah… It was definitely something,” Thomas muttered, remembering when a large vampire bat nearly bit his head off. “But uh…Sure.”

“WONDERFUL!” Roman exclaimed happily, clapping his hands together. “I'll make sure to make the next one even more intense and exciting! You won't regret it!” And then he disappeared.

Thomas blinked at the spot the AI just was. “Uh. What. More intense than that?!”

Patton laughed a little. “Sometimes he gets inspired. These adventures are like little stories he gets to make. And he just wants to share them with us.”

“Some of them are fun,” Emile said softly with a shrug.

“Well, thanks for helping me get comfortable,” Thomas said to them both. “I'm still not really grasping all of this, but…at least I'm not alone.”

“We're always here to help!” Patton grinned brightly. “You'll get used to it after a bit.”

“Yeah…” Thomas took this time to really look around the Circus. “Is this all there is?”

Roman suddenly popped back up, right beside Thomas. “Oh yeah! Time for a tour!” He grabbed a bewildered Thomas by the shoulder and they both disappeared.

When they reappeared, Thomas was looking out at the outside of the Circus. And he was floating in midair…

“Wh- whoa! How am I?!-” Thomas sputtered as he grabbed onto Roman, afraid of falling.

“This is what we call The Grounds!” Roman continued, oblivious to Thomas's fear. “Of course, you know the Circus. That is where you rest up for adventures! And over here is the Digital Lake! And the Carnival is right over there!”

Thomas regained his composure, but was still anxious to look down. “Oh, u-uh…mhm…”

“And really quick, lemme show you this!”

They both popped up in some empty, endless…space. Thomas looked around, seeing the area was mostly white with colorful shapes passing by occasionally. “Whoa…”

“This is The Void! But, we don't venture out here, because it's dangerous!”

Roman suddenly turned and stared into Thomas's eyes, his voice very serious. “I don't even know what's out there. Which means, you are, under no circumstances, allowed to come out here by yourself. Do I make myself clear?”

Thomas shrunk slightly under the intense gaze. “U-um…yeah, no worries…”

“Great!”

“But um…what is the Void? Like, why does it exist?” Thomas asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Roman shrugged. “Not a clue. It's just been here ever since I've been alive.”

“Oh. I see,” Thomas muttered, scanning the area. “Maybe there's a way to leave through here?”

“Of course not! There is no way to leave the Amazing Digital Circus! And besides! Why would you??” Roman exclaimed, waving his hands around. “You can have everything you could ever want here!”

Roman brought Thomas back to the Circus, where Patton and Emile still were. “There we go! Now you've been given a proper tour! I've gotta cook up tomorrow's adventure, it'll be better than ever!” And he was gone.

“His energy knows no bounds, huh?” Thomas muttered.

Patton laughed softly and nodded. “Yeah, you'll get used to it. How about we show you where your room is?”

“Yeah, that..sounds good.”

Patton and Emile led Thomas to the long hallway that held everyone's bedrooms. Thomas noticed as they passed each door, there were signs of peoples’ faces on them. Some of them had big red Xs over them, which made him confused.

Patton noticed Thomas's gaze at them and sighed. “When a person Abstracts, an X appears on their door. It's pretty sad to think about..”

“Is Abstraction like dying..?” Thomas asked, feeling a bit queasy to ask such a question.

“I mean…kinda?” Emile spoke up, frowning at their sketchbook. “From my understanding it's when someone just…gives up. I don't think they're necessarily dead, but…they definitely aren't the same.”

Thomas said nothing for a few minutes as they kept walking. Abstraction sounded horrible to him. He wondered what could push a person to something like that.

When they stopped walking Thomas turned and saw a door. Oddly enough, a picture of his face was already on the door. “Huh.”

Patton and Emile both gave Thomas a smile. “Well? Whaddya think?” Patton asked.

Thomas stared at the image. It was a 2D cartoonish drawing of his face.

“They didn't even get my nose right.”

Ch. 1 Ch. 3

[some-one56]

If there's anyone out there who is an Amazing Digital Circus fan and also a Sanders Sides fan, I made a bit of an AU fic.

I loosely based the Sides off of the main cast in TADC, but they will definitely have their differences.

Pomni: Thomas

Caine: Roman

Bubble: Remus

Jax: Janus

Zooble: Virgil

Kinger: Logan

Ragatha: Patton

Gangle: Emile Picani

Here's chapter one! I hope ya like it!

Sanders Circus: Chapter 1

He winced as bright lights temporarily blinded him, giving him a slight headache. What was this?

Looking around, he appeared to be in some area- it was a large space with black and white tiles. There appeared to be a Big Top tent over his head, acting as a roof. Some kind of circus?

When he turned to his left, he saw a large stage. With several people on it, staring at him.

“Oh come on, is this another NPC?” One of the people asked with a groan, rubbing his temples. He wore a baggy black hoodie with purple patches along it. It looked like he had a nose ring.

“Maybe he's like us?” The person with a grey cardigan draped over his shoulders said quietly, shrugging his shoulders. He gave a kind smile and waved over to the newcomer. “Hi there! I know you look confused..”

“Where…am I?” He asked, looking between each of them. Nothing about this made any sense. He had just put that headset on, and now he's in this weird looking place…

“Well, supposedly it's called the Amazing Digital Circus, or something stupid like that,” the man wearing a black suit and a yellow tie said, flashing a sarcastic smile. He was draped along the stage lazily. “You're trapped in here with us. Better get used to it.”

“Janus!” The kind person wearing glasses scolded, shooting the latter a look. He turned back to the newcomer and sighed. “Ignore him. He's just a bully.”

“Oh, whatever,” Janus said with a chuckle, checking his nails. “What's your name?”

“Uh…Thomas.”

“Ugh. God, you're basic.”

Thomas looked between Janus and the cardigan wearing man, then at the three other people watching him. He remembered one of their names being Virgil. “Uh…and you guys are…?”

“Virgil,” the man in purple said, crossing his arms. He addressed the person beside him, who wore a tan cardigan and had pink streaks in their hair. “This is Emile. They're a really good artist,” he smiled a bit. Emile shyly looked down, scribbling into their sketchbook. Thomas saw a tiny smile on their face.

“And then that's Logan,” Janus cut in, pointing at the last person sitting on the stage, who seemed to be zoned out. “Don't talk to him though. He's crazy.”

Thomas eyed this Logan person, looking him over. He wore a black button down shirt and a blue tie, along with thick black glasses. He also wore a white lab coat. Everyone was definitely oddly dressed here.

“Um… It’s nice to meet you,” Thomas said hesitantly, still a bit unnerved by suddenly appearing in this crazy place. “I know you said this is the uh..Amazing Digital Circus, but… what is it? Like, is this a…game or something? Or am I dreaming?”

“Eh, we don't think about it too much,” Virgil shrugged. “Roman made this place, and we all popped up here just like you did. We've just been here a long time.”

“Yeah! And we get to go on all sorts of adventures so we don't lose our minds,” Patton chimed in with a smile, walking over to Thomas. “They help keep our mind off of..well..being stuck here.”

“Yeah, but the only adventures I like are the ones where I can shoot things,” Janus said, hopping off the stage and joining Patton.

Virgil rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Which is exactly why Roman started making the adventures PG. You had to beat up the NPC in the fast food adventure because he was being annoying. And then somehow got a gun???”

Janus smirked. “I will never not have guns.”

“Wait,” Thomas interrupted, frowning. “There's more of you guys???”

“Nah, just Roman. He's this AI that made this whole place. I'm surprised he hasn't showed up yet,” Virgil muttered. Emile and Logan made their way over to the group.

“He's probably preparing a special adventure for Thomas,” Emile said quietly, shrugging their shoulders.

As if on cue, a new person popped into existence, standing before the others. He wore a red and white suit with gold embellishments, something a ringmaster would wear. He gasped in delight when his eyes landed on Thomas.

“Oh my goodness! A new player! This is INCREDIBLE!” The ringmaster said with a grin, grabbing Thomas's hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “My name is Roman! The ringmaster of the Amazing Digital Circus! And your name is?”

“Uh.. Thomas,” Thomas said hesitantly, shrinking slightly under the intense gaze of the latter.

Roman beamed, releasing Thomas's hand. “Well, Thomas, you will make a fine addition to the Circus crew here! I've actually just finished my latest adventure for you all, so the others will show you the ropes!”

“What adventure is it this time?” Virgil asked with a groan.

“Today's adventure is to find the Golden Key of the Cursed Cave,” Roman began, snapping his fingers. A green and purple portal appeared from thin air. “You will have to find the golden key artifact hidden in the depths of this cave, but be warned! There will be monsters, spells and booby traps-”

“Ha! He said booby,” a voice said out of nowhere.

Roman's smile turned to irritation, as he looked around. “Very mature, Remus.”

“Ha. Suck my weiner.”

“ANYWAY,” Roman continued, huffing in annoyance. “Retrieve the key and you win! Simple as that for our new player, Thomas!”

“Wait..monsters?” Thomas asked, eyes widening in alarm. “Can we get hurt here???”

“Well, technically yes, but it's dulled down a lot,” Patton explained. “We also can't die here, so it's perfectly safe!”

“But you can die in adventures,” Janus said with a smirk, causing Virgil to slap him upside the head. “Ow! That was uncalled for!

Virgil smirked and walked to the portal. The rest of the group followed after him.

Thomas trailed behind them, thinking to himself. What the fuck did I get myself into.

Ch. 2

[some-one56]

Sanders Sides Frozen Au

Chapter Four

Remus bolted outside of the palace as soon as the gates were opened. He saw people flooding in, all wearing a face of joy which perfectly matched his.

He couldn't actually believe it was happening! New, different people coming into the palace. The noise of everyone talking seemed much better than the lonely quiet he was used to.

People smiled and waved at him as he ran past.

Remus wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and had accidentally bumped into someone. “Oh- I'm so sorry!”

The man in question scoffed and crossed his arms. “Watch it- oop-” He seemed to realize who he was talking to. “Uh.”

Another man with glasses walked up to Remus and bowed lowly. “Apologies, your Majesty.”

“Oh- no no, it was my fault!” Remus said with an awkward laugh as the man bowed. “I'm so sorry!”

The first man raised an eyebrow. “Uh. It's fine. You're the future King, right?”

Remus cleared his throat and shook his head. “Oh- no, that's my brother, Roman. I'm just Remus.”

“Just Remus?” The glasses man asked with a frown.

“Yeah… I'm just happy the gates are open,” Remus said, almost forcing a smile.

The glasses man nodded. “How come they've not been opened in years?”

Remus shrugged. “I wish I knew the answer to that question myself.”

“Hm. Well… Interesting, I suppose.”

“Whatever. Can we go inside? My legs are broken and I need to sit,” The sassy man huffed.

“Your legs are not broken.”

“You don't know anything.”

Remus snickered and watched at they began to walk off. “What's your name?” He asked the man with glasses.

The man looked back and smiled. “Logan. Nice to meet you, your highness!”

And then they were gone.

The guards filled the walls of the Throne Room, along with the thousands of people sitting down inside. They were all whispering and chattering to each other until the Archbishop walked onto the platform in front of the crowd.

“All rise.”

Remus walked into the room, as calmly but energized as he could. He stopped off to the side and stood straight. He glanced over and saw Logan giving a slight smile from the crowd, and he couldn't help but smile as well seeing someone familiar to him.

And then the room went silent as Roman entered the room.

Remus went stiff as he couldn't help but glance at his brother, dressed in a formal white and golden uniform with a dashing red sash across his shoulder.

Roman did his best to ignore every single person in that room, as he couldn't afford breaking his concentration. His hands trembled as he kept them at his sides.

“It is with great honor and pride to announce this-”

Ten seconds, and then it's over. Ten seconds that you can easily slip up in.

Roman hesitantly removed his gloves and handed them to Remus, who held them with care. He stared at the Orb and Sceptre for a long moment, almost forgetting where he was and what he was about to do.

When the Archbishop cleared his throat, Roman snapped out of it and shakily took the objects into his hands. He held his breath and stared above the crowd's heads. He didn't even hear what the Archbishop was saying.

The crown was gently placed onto his head.

The pressure in his hands was building up slowly. He glanced down and could see the slightest bit of frost begin to form around the objects, thankfully not enough for the crowd to see. It was becoming painful from how much he was straining to keep the magic from shooting out.

“-King Roman of Arendelle!”

Roman let out a sigh of relief and quickly put the objects down, putting his gloves back on at a lightning speed. He closed his eyes for a second, realizing he had done it. Opening his eyes, he saw the crowd smile and applaud their new King.

For once in so long, he smiled.

The ceremony afterwards in the Ballroom quickly filled up with people, all dressed in suits and ball gowns.

Remus walked in and was immediately hit with the delicious smell of food. He looked around and awkwardly stood in the middle of the crowd, wanting to speak with people but not knowing how exactly to have a normal conversation with somebody.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Roman gracefully walk into the room, standing off to the side. Remus debated going over there. What if he doesn't want to talk to me? I mean he never does anyway… You know what? I'm gonna be brave and try.

Remus confidently walked over, but his confidence went away as soon as Roman made eye contact with him.

Roman smiled and met Remus half way. “Hi.”

Remus fought the urge to let his eyes widen, never expecting Roman to speak first. “Uh- oh, hi!”

“You look amazing. Green looks nice on you.”

Remus grinned at the compliment. He couldn't believe he was finally getting to have a conversation with him! This is the best day ever! “Oh- well, thanks! You look awesome too!!”

Roman laughed softly. “Thanks.” He looked out at the crowd. “So this is what a party is like, huh?”

Remus nodded enthusiastically. “I guess so! It's so nice to see so many happy faces.”

Roman's smile widened slightly. “It really is.”

Remus turned back and looked at Roman. “I missed this so much. It's just like old times, yeah?”

“I've really missed this too,” Roman said softly. “I…forgot how nice it is to talk to someone.”

Remus's smile softened. “It can be like this all the time, you know. We can leave the gates open, maybe? And we could go out and have fun like when we were kids?”

Roman's smile faded, and he looked away to hide the terror in his eyes. “We can't.”

Remus's smile also faded, and he frowned. “Why not? Surely we-”

Roman cut him off, more firmly as he wrapped his arms around himself. “We just…Can't.”

Remus flinched slightly at the tone, seeing Roman turn away from him a little. He opened his mouth to argue, but he closed it. His shoulders slumped. “I'll…talk to you..later.”

As Remus walked away, Roman looked up, the guilt cutting through him like a knife. He breathed through his nose and walked into the crowd.

Remus went out into the courtyard, sitting at a nearby bench. He hung his head and sat in silence.

Why did Roman have to be like this with him? Was it something he said? Or did? Maybe he did something wrong when they were little and Roman was still upset with him for it? That's all he could think of.

No wonder he hates me…

“Are you alright, your Highness?”

The sudden voice caught him off guard and took him out of his own head. Remus looked up and saw a man dressed very fancy in colors of yellow and black, looking at him a bit concerned.

“Oh, yeah…I'm…fine.”

The man sat next to Remus. “I don't mean to pry, but I have a feeling you aren't actually fine. I am Prince Janus of the Southern Isles.”

Remus smiled softly. “Prince Remus of Arendelle. And…okay, yeah, I'm not really fine…”

“Well, I'm here to help if you want to talk about it,” Janus said with a soft smile.

Remus sighed, looking out to the garden. “I'm just tired of being ignored by the people I care most about. I…I'm tired of constantly being shut out by my brother. If he's upset with me, I wish he'd just tell me!”

Janus frowned and nodded in understanding. “Perhaps him becoming King is getting to his head. Maybe he thinks he's better than you…”

Remus's eyes widened. “Do you really think that???”

Janus shrugged. “I mean, I'm not a mind reader, but I just know how some brothers can be.”

Remus glared at the ground. “I can't believe that… I know him too well- well I thought I knew him…”

Janus gently patted Remus's back. “But either way, he's still your brother.”

Remus nodded and smiled up at Janus. “Yeah… You're right.”

Janus looked into Remus's eyes with a soft grin. “You know…you have beautiful eyes.”

Remus's eyes widened, a blush spreading across his face. “I do???”

“You really do. You're truly a work of art.”

Remus shyly grinned and looked away. “You're really pretty too.”

There was a twinkle in Janus's eyes. “How about we go back inside and…share a dance?”

Remus's breath caught in his throat as he stood up with Janus. “I'd really like that.”

~*~

[some-one56]

Sanders Sides Frozen Au

Chapter Three

“Ugh. How long will this Coronation thing be again? Can we just get some food, steal some wine and leave?”

“You don't need a whole bottle of wine.”

“The hell I don't! That's expensive royal wine!”

Logan sighed and picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “Anyway, I'm staying for the entire Coronation, including the Ball afterwards. It's polite.”

“It's boring.”

Logan looked at his friend, Remy, and chuckled. “Sometimes that's how it goes, I'm afraid.”

Remy huffed and leaned against the wall of Logan's house. “It's just some pompous-ass prince being crowned king who can't even bother to be seen in our village. They're all fake.”

Logan shrugged. “That's your prerogative, I suppose.”

Remus had definitely forgotten that the Coronation was today.

He was in bed, snuggled up under his blankets- well… Half of him was hanging out of the bed. How he slept like that, nobody will ever know. He was snoring, albeit loudly when a knock sounded at the door.

Remus didn't wake up. He slept like a rock.

Another knock sounded, a bit more persistent.

Zzzzzzzzzz…..

“Prince Remus!” A voice called out from behind the door with a loud knock, startling Remus awake.

Remus yelped and fell out of bed and onto the floor. “Ow.”

“Your Highness, you need to wake up so you can get ready.”

“Give me a minute, I'm…sleeping on the floor,” Remus muttered in his half asleep state. “Get ready for what again??”

“Your brother's..Coronation…?”

“Ohhhhhhhh….mhm…” Remus closed his eyes again. And then he let that sentence sink in. His eyes snapped open.

Remus bolted out of his room and ran to get changed.

Remus grinned at his suit, which was tailored specifically for him. He thanked the servants that helped him get ready and ran out to the balcony in his room. “Whoa…” He whispered, seeing thousands and thousands of people waiting outside of the gates. People getting to come inside. This means Remus won't have to be alone. At least for this one day.

This perfect, wonderful one day.

Remus laughed and ran down the stairs, waiting by the palace entrance for the guards to open up the gates and let the people inside.

Roman paced around in his room, taking several deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He knew he couldn't get around this. Definitely can't just get crowned King another day.

He closed his eyes and took a final deep breath. He took off his gloves, revealing his trembling hands. He had picked two random objects to represent the Sovereign's Orb and Sceptre that he would have to hold during the ceremony. An empty candle holder and a chalice. Hesitantly, he grabbed both objects and imagined he was in front of the crowd.

The crowd of thousands of people. All watching his every move. If his magic slipped out, he would be done for. He would hurt someone again. Hurt Remus again-

He let out a gasp as his powers went slightly out of control, turning both objects into solid ice. He dropped them after being startled.

Roman quickly put his gloves back on and returned to pacing. “You can't keep them waiting. They're all out there…”

Putting on a neutral face, Roman walked out of his room, met face to face with a guard. “Tell the rest of the guards to open up the gates.”

The guard nodded and briskly walked off.

~*~

1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Epilogue

[some-one56]

Sanders Sides Frozen Au

Chapter Two

It had been a day after the accident occurred.

Remus sat on his bed and kicked his legs out of sheer boredom. He didn't understand why he had to have his own room so suddenly. It wasn't fair.

Hopping off of his bed, he opened his door and left his room. That's odd. Normally servants were out doing whatever they did. But it was purely empty. Not a person in sight.

“Ro?” Remus called out, walking down the hallway. He stopped by his old shared room and peeked inside. It was completely empty, his brother wasn't anywhere inside.

Remus heard the voice of his father coming from a room down the hall. He quickly ran up to it and tried to open it. It was locked. He frowned and knocked. “Dad?”

The voice of his father spoke. “Just a minute, Remus. I'm talking to your brother about something. Your mother is in our room.”

Remus was confused why his father couldn't have opened the door to speak face to face with him. “Oh.. Okay..” He said softly and made his way to his parents’ room down a long hallway.

“Mom?” Remus knocked on the door.

The Queen opened the door and smiled, though her cheeks were stained with tears. “Hello Remus. How are you?” She kneeled down and hugged him tightly.

“Mom, why are you crying?”

“Oh, don't worry about it, hun. How are you feeling this morning?”

“I mean, I'm okay but.. Why did Ro and I have to get our own rooms??” Remus asked her softly.

The Queen took a deep breath. “Well, you're both getting older.. It's about time you've had your own rooms anyway.”

Remus let go of the hug and nodded. “Okay..”

“Here, take these,” The King said softly, pulling out a pair of red gloves.

Roman took a shaky breath and put them on. “Will they help at all??”

“They will. As long as you conceal your magic, you will be fine, son.”

“Father, I'm scared,” Roman whispered and wrapped his arms around himself. “I don't wanna hurt anyone..again..” He looked at the floor in heavy guilt.

The King knelt down to Roman's level and placed his hands on his son's shoulders. “I know you're afraid of this. But the more fear you show, the more dangerous your powers can become. You have a gift, Roman, and you just need to keep working on it to get better with it. You just need to be careful first and foremost.”

Roman nodded and sat down on his bed. “I won't let you down, father.”

Years had passed, and both brothers grew with age.

A teenage Remus got a running start and slid down the staircase rail, laughing as he did. Once he made it to the end of the rail, he yelped and fell on his face onto the floor. He snorted and sat up.

The King raised an eyebrow and chuckled, as he saw the entire thing. “I can't keep up with you, Remus,” he said lightly.

Remus laughed and stood up, fixing his messed up hair. “No one can!”

He thought for a moment and looked out the window. “Hey dad? Can we go outside and visit the village? You promised we could.”

The King hesitantly glanced over at Roman's bedroom, then back at Remus. He silently took a deep breath and smiled. “Of course, Remus. But not for long, alright? It's pretty cold, after all.”

“Deal!”

The King watched Remus run into his room to get the proper clothes for the winter weather. He heard a door crack open and quickly went over to it to see the Queen peek outside.

“It's getting worse,” The Queen said in an anxious tone.

The King took a deep breath. “Really..?”

“He had a panic attack that almost turned his entire room into ice..”

The King had a grave look on his face. “Let me try and help him. I promised Remus a day in the village. Would you be willing to do that with him?”

The Queen nodded and left the room. “Of course.”

The King sighed softly and walked into Roman's bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Remus hummed to himself as he walked out into the village with the Queen. He looked up at her. “How come dad couldn't come?”

The Queen gave Remus a light chuckle. “Don't like hanging out with your mom?” She joked with him.

“No, just wondering,” Remus said with a shrug.

The Queen's smile faltered as she looked ahead. “He had to talk to Roman for a bit. So I said I would come with you. I hope that's alright.”

Remus nodded with a soft smile. “Of course, mom. Is..Ro okay? I haven't seen him in years.. I miss him..”

The Queen avoided his gaze, fighting back tears of her own. “He will be alright, Remus. He's just having a tough time.”

Remus frowned and looked down at the snow. “Well..can you tell him I hope he's okay? He won't talk to me. Not even through the door.”

The Queen nodded lightly. “Of course I'll tell him.”

The village wasn't very full. Not anymore. Years ago, even in the winter there would always be people bustling about, selling hot drinks or handmade blankets. But it was like a ghost town. Remus hated the lonely feeling the entire kingdom now has.

“Why is no one out?” Remus asked.

“They're all probably trying to stay warm,” The Queen muttered under her breath.

Remus frowned but didn't argue.

“We have to go.”

“Are you sure this is the only way?”

The Queen nodded sadly and took a deep breath. “We don't have all the information we need about his magic. If we can't find better ways for him to conceal it, it's going to hurt him.”

“If you're one hundred percent positive about leaving..”

“I'll have a ship ready for us for tonight.”

Nineteen year old Remus ran up to his parents and hugged them both. “See you in Two weeks,” he said with a smile.

The Queen smiled and hugged him back. “We'll be back before you know it, Remus.”

“Stay out of trouble in the meantime,” the King said with a soft laugh.

Roman looked over at his parents, hesitant about them leaving. “Do you have to go?” He asked his father in a quiet voice.

The King walked up to his son and smiled softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You will he fine, Roman. I know you will be.”

Roman looked down at his gloved hands, avoiding Remus's gaze on him. He said nothing more to his father.

The King and Queen smiled and walked onto the ship, waving goodbye to Remus, who waved back to them on the dock.

“Bye!!!” Remus called out to them and kept waving. Once the ship was out of sight, he deflated a bit. Alone yet again…

Remus sighed and sat down at his desk, drawing out of boredom. He drew a picture of one of the flowers he saw when outside. With every line he drew, every scratch of the quill against paper, it took his mind off of his lonesome. Even if it was only for a short while.

A knock on his door pulled him out of his thoughts. His heart raced as light filled his eyes. Maybe it was Roman finally coming to talk to him! How amazing would that be???

Remus rushed to the door and opened it, the excitement leaving his body when a servant stood at the doorway instead. But he knew something was wrong by the look on their face.

“I am so sorry,” the servant whispered, tears in her eyes. “But your parents…”

Remus felt his face pale as he stared at the servant. “Are they hurt??? Where are they?- I- I can help them if they got hurt-”

“They're dead, Remus.”

Remus felt his body go rigid. “No… No, you're lying to me, you're..” He looked at the floor and gripped the doorknob tightly. “They aren't dead, they.. They promised they'd be back in two weeks…”

“I'm sorry,” the servant said quietly, bowing her head. She hesitant walked down the hallway to deliver the same news to Roman.

Remus sunk to the floor, his whole world crashing around him. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair.

“They promised…”

Remus hugged himself tightly as he trudged back into the palace. The funeral was so hard. He barely could keep his composure. And he had to suffer through it alone. Again.

He wiped his eyes and knocked on Roman's door, letting his head rest on it as he took a shaky breath.

“Roman, I.. I don't know what to do,” Remus muttered, his voice cracking as tears streaked his face. “It's… It's just us now and… I miss you. I miss mom and dad, I… I don't wanna be alone anymore… I feel like I've lost everyone in my life and I don't wanna lose you too…”

When Remus heard no response from the other side of the room, he slid down the door and curled in on himself. He hugged his knees and put his head down, crying softly.

Roman stared at the ceiling, tears running down his cheeks silently. His room was covered in bursts of ice. His window was laced with frost, and sharp icicles stuck out of the walls.

He looked down at his trembling hands, the gloves only helping so much. The only people that could help him with his magic were gone. The people who have raised and helped him the best they could. Gone.

He was now alone as well.

He heard Remus's voice from the other side of the door and for a second, he contemplated opening that door.

But he didn't.

Roman turned a bit and placed a hand on his door, a quiet sob escaping his lips.

“I'm sorry.”

~*~

1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Epilogue

[some-one56]

Sanders Sides Frozen Au

Chapter One

Taglist: @amazable01 @sloth-21

It was a cold winter night. The winds were harsh, snow fell heavily from the midnight sky. In the Kingdom of Arendelle, the blizzard grew in its intensity, and the wind slapped against windows in its angry whirl. Everyone within the village stayed in their homes, in the warmth and comfort.

Within the palace, a little boy could hear the wind. He peeked out his window and pressed his face against it to watch the snow swirl through the air. He watched as the blizzard started to calm down, snowflakes beginning to gently float down to the ice covered ground.

“Remus, why are you still up?” Another little boy asked with a yawn, sitting up in his bed.

Remus turned away from the window, the imprint of his face on the glass. “Watching the snow, Ro.”

Roman, the older brother by five years, fondly rolled his eyes and hopped out of bed. He looked at his seven year old brother and grinned. “Why look outside when you can have it in here…?” He asked coyly.

Remus gasped and ran up to his brother, jumping up and down. “Do it! Do it, come on!”

“Hmm… Actually, maybe I shouldn't…” Roman smirked.

“Roman!!!”

Roman burst our laughing. “Okay, okay! But don't tell mom or dad, I'm not supposed to do it in the castle.”

“My lips are sealed!”

In the Ballroom, Roman ran into the middle of the room and looked at Remus. “Ready?”

Remus nodded enthusiastically and ran up to his brother in pure excitement.

Roman closed his eyes and held out his hands. He stomped his foot on the floor, a sheet of ice beginning to encase the floor beneath him. Remus gasped in joy and began to skate around in his shoes, making figure eights and spinning around.

“C'mon Ro! Skate with me!!”

Roman laughed and got a running start, skating across the ice next to Remus. Then he stopped when he glanced at the hallway leading past their parents room. “Skating race? Whoever loses has to knock on mom and dad's door.”

Remus's jaw dropped. “You have any idea how mad they'd be???”

Roman smirked. “You in?”

Both brothers stood at the beginning of the hallway, a fresh sheet of ice covering the floor. “On three,” Roman started, getting into a ready stance.

“Three…”

Remus smirked and got ready as well. “Two…”

“One!”

Both of them got a running start and began to skate across the ice. Both of them were going about the same speed, until Remus got a bit ahead. Roman snickered and tried to keep up, but Remus was far too ahead now. But he was going too fast suddenly. The hallway was really long, but it didn't go forever. If Remus didn't slow down, he'd run into the wall at the end of the hallway.

“Remus, slow down!” Roman whisper-yelled to Remus, but even as Remus tried, he couldn't stop. He tried to dig his heels into the ice to slow himself down, but it only caused him to trip.

Roman paled, and in an attempt to help cushion Remus's fall, he shot a blast of magic, which was supposed to create a pile of snow for him to fall into.

But instead, the blast of icy magic hit Remus directly into the head. He fell unconscious onto the icy floor, sliding across it slightly.

Roman went still for a split second, the color draining from his face. “Remus!” He screamed, immediately running over to his unmoving brother. “No..” He sat on his knees and held his brother in his arms, wincing at how cold Remus's body suddenly was.

The doors to their parents’ room burst open, and the King and Queen ran over to their sons.

“Roman! What happened?!” The King asked in horror as him and the Queen knelt down.

“I-It was an accident, I- I'm so sorry..” Roman said in a shaky tone, tears filling his eyes as the Queen gently scooped up Remus in her arms and stood up. Roman hugged himself tightly as the King helped him up.

“We need to go to Them. Remus is ice cold,” The Queen muttered quietly, holding Remus close in her arms.

The King took a deep breath and looked away. “Are you sure we can trust them to fix this..?”

“What other choice do we have?”

The King cursed under his breath and looked to a nearby guard. “Gather two horses for us. It is an emergency.” He watched the guard run off. The King quickly walked over to a bookshelf in his room and opened up a book. A silver necklace with a ruby pendant sat inside of it. He placed the amulet necklace on the Queen's neck and nodded to her. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. They will help us.”

Roman clung to his father as they all rode off through the woods. He squeezed his eyes shut, his magic spiraling out of control as he feared for Remus's life. Frost trailed behind them as they rode off.

When they stopped, they arrived in the heart of the forest. Roman felt unease wash over him as he hesitantly got off the horse and watched his mother gently lay Remus down in the grass.

The Queen took a deep breath and clutched the ruby amulet and closed her eyes. “Spirit, I come to you with my plea. Please heal my son of his injury. Please grant us your mercy.”

Silence took over the entire forest in that instance.

And then, Roman could see a faint mist rise up from the ground. His eyes widened as he heard quiet whispers come from that same mist.

A figure formed in front of the family and slowly looked down at Remus. The figure looked like a woman dressed in robes of earth and rock. She knelt down and placed a hand over Remus's forehead. In a gentle voice, she spoke. “Your Highness, this injury is fixable. But the only way to heal it is to remove all of his memories of your son's magic.”

Roman's eyes widened at that, and he stepped forward. “But- But my magic is a part of me, I.. I can't just hide that from him..”

The Spirit looked up at Roman and tilted her head to the side the slightest bit. “Of course you can, dear. It is what will keep both of you safe. You must learn to control this magic before you lose that control and hurt someone worse than this.”

Roman tensed up at her words and looked down st the ground. He watched as the grass around him turned to ice. The fear grew inside of him and only caused his powers to spiral. “I don't think I can control them..”

“You can and will.” The Spirit waved her hand softly over Remus's head, a green aura covering his body. She whispered something and lifted her hand off of his head. “It is done.”

A streak of white appeared within Remus's hair from where he had been struck.

“He will he alright, your Highness. He will just no longer have memories of the magic.”

The King and Queen both nodded and looked at the terrified Roman, pulling him into a gentle hug. Roman hugged them both back, unable to take his eyes off of Remus.

“We will help you control your powers,” the King whispered to Roman, letting go of the hug. “I know you're afraid, but we will help you the best we can.”

Roman hesitantly nodded and stared at the white streak in Remus's hair. “Okay.”

~*~

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Epilogue

[some-one56]

A Dream is Not A Wish

Chapter Seven~The Fallen Prince

Roman blinked a few times after the damage was done. He was now out of the trance, staring at his finger, which had a small droplet of blood from the breakage of the skin.

His eyes filled with terror once they met Virgil's.

"V-Virg...il.." Roman's words became slurred as he swayed on his feet. His eyelids immediately became heavy as his legs gave out on him.

Virgil ran over to Roman, catching him before he could hit the floor. "No.. nononono, Roman, stay with me- stay awake, you're fine. Don't- don't go to sleep yet-"

But Virgil was too late. Roman went limp in his arms, the curse in deep affect. The only thing relieving to Virgil was the fact that Roman was still breathing.

Logan, Janus, Remus and Patton ran over as well, all trying to help wake Roman up. Nothing worked.

"No.. This can't be fucking happening," Virgil shakily said, tears pricking his eyes. He sunk to his knees, holding the sleeping Roman close to his chest.

Remus quickly looked away, wiping his eyes. His entire body trembled as he fought to keep himself from crying.

"Well, well... I see you've found my little surprise," the voice of the one and only Maleficent said, materializing into view in front of the group. She wore a proud smirk, gripping her scepter tightly.

Virgil hissed in anger, about to get up, but Remus stopped him.

Remus slowly got up, staring Maleficent down. He balled his fists so tight, that his knuckles cracked. He was so angry, all he could see was red.

It's funny how emotions work, isn't it? Remus had never felt such anger before. He never had to.

But when his brother's life was at stake?

He can become very scary. Very fast.

"What? Are you trying to be intimidating?" Maleficent asked in a condescending tone, grinning at Remus. She was clearly amused.

Remus growled lowly, and was about to lunge, but Janus stopped him.

Janus quickly pulled out Roman's sword, handing it to Remus. "I think you'll need this."

Remus held the sword tightly, staring at it for a moment. At first, he didn't think it was a good idea using Roman's weapon.

But then, a surge of power ran through his body, all from the sword. His eyes widened at the feeling, but he only gripped the sword tighter. He watched in awe as the sword began to glow a faint red.

Remus smiled softly as he stared at the sword a moment longer. Then he snapped himself out of it, lunging at Maleficent.

Maleficent only laughed, easily dodging him. "Once you're done with that lightshow of yours, we can fight like real adults~"

Remus said nothing as he managed to slice at Maleficent's shoulder.

Maleficent let out a surprised yelp of pain, holding her injured shoulder. She stared at Remus, narrowing her eyes. "Alright, you little pest. You're getting on my last nerve. Perhaps I should just finish you off right here."

Maleficent dropped her scepter, her eyes glowing bright green. She began to grow, while her body began to change into something more sinister.

Remus quickly grabbed the scepter while Maleficent was busy. He makes a breaking motion, attempting to break it over his knee as an example. He then tosses it to Janus, mouthing for him to break it.

Janus nods, immediately trying to snap the scepter in half. "This has to be the only way to stop her," he said to the others.

"It's made out of Austrailian Buloke wood, it's the strongest kind there is," Logan said to Janus. "You'll need over seven thousand pounds to break it."

Remus turned back to Maleficent, who had turned into a dragon with glittering black and purple scales. Her green eyes glinted as she growled at Remus.

Remus ran away from the group, trying to distract Maleficent. Thankfully, it worked, and she began to chase after him.

Janus tried breaking the scepter by smashing it against the wall. It just bounced off the wall, hitting him in the head. "Ow-"

"Hold on," Logan said, gently taking the scepter from him. "I might have an idea."

Remus continued running, gripping the sword as he turned back. Maleficent was gaining on him.

She swiped at him with her claws, but he dodged her. He managed to stab her hand with the sword, only pissing her off more.

She snarled at Remus, breathing out green fire from her mouth.

Remus quickly slid out of the way, before getting burnt.

Please hurry up and break that damned thing already, he thought to himself, taking off in a mad dash down the hallway.

However, Remus was caught off guard by Maleficent shoving him roughly against the wall. Her claws dug into his arms, keeping him pinned. He frantically struggled, trying to free himself from her hold.

Maleficent grinned, her razor sharp teeth glinting in the dim light. "I'm doing you a favor," she growled out lowly. "I'll kill you so you can be with your brother in death. Isn't that the sweetest?"

Remus ignores her words, continuing to struggle. She had knocked the sword out of his hand, and it was currently behind her. He winced as her grip on him tightened.

"Hmm...Perhaps you should get to speak since you won't live much longer~"

A small green light appeared at Maleficent's fingertip, and she pressed the light against Remus's throat.

Remus suddenly coughs, as it feels like his breath was sucked back into his lungs. "What- how did you do that-" he sputtered out.

"Magic," she chuckled. "Now...any last words?~"

"Yeah, actually," Remus said as he stopped struggling. He leaned in close, staring Maleficent down.

"Nobody. And I mean. Nobody. Hurts my brother."

Maleficent only chuckles. She raised her claws, about to strike him, but she froze suddenly.

She looked down at her dragon paws, seeing them begin to dissintegrate. "No..." She whispered out, as her entire body began to fade out from existence. It was a searing pain, and she fell to the floor. She let out a shrill scream as she completely disintegrated into ash and dust completely.

Remus sighed in relief. "Perfect timing." He grabbed the sword, rushing back down the hall to the group. He grinned, seeing they had broken the scepter.

"Remus! Thank God you're okay," Janus said, running over to him, pulling him into a hug.

"Define "okay"," Remus snickered.

Janus's eyes widened. "You can talk again???"

"More on that later, how's Ro?" Remus asked.

"Well..." Janus mumbled, glancing back over at Virgil. Who was cradling the limp Roman close. Patton was at Virgil's side, his head hung low.

Remus kneeled over across from Virgil. He gently put a hand on Roman's arm, noticing how pale his face was. His body was cold to the touch.

"I thought breaking the staff would break the curse.." Logan muttered, dropping the broken halves of the scepter.

"Ro..?" Remus whispered, shakily taking a breath.

Virgil was silent. He wipes at his eyes, but tears continue to fall.

Remus sniffled, quickly wiping away a tear. "Fuck you, Maleficent," he mumbled. "Fuck this whole thing. Fuck you, Dream Keeper, I hope you die a gruesome, horrible death. For all that you've done, I want to be the one to kill you."

No one stopped Remus, for they all agreed with him.

Remus shakily stood up, going over to one of the windows. He saw that the barrier of briars was now gone, and a sunrise peeked through the clouds.

A red mist began to cover the floor, and it caught Remus's eye. He turned around, frowning when the mist began to grow. It had the faint smell of berries.

"What is this..?" Janus muttered.

"It's replacing Maleficent's magic," Logan said in quiet and awe filled voice.

Roman suddenly sat up, coughing slightly. He looked up at his friends, eyes wide. "Guys..?"

They all snapped their attention to him.

"ROMAN!" Virgil yelled, grinning as he tackled the prince into a tight hug.

"Virgil you're killing me!-" Roman yelped out.

"Sorry!"

Remus smiled softly, filled with relief.

"Holy shit, that uh..was intense. I actually never wanna watch a Disney movie ever again," Roman said, getting up.

"I'm glad you're okay.." Virgil smiled.

"I do need to tell you guys what happened while I was out though.."

"What happened?" Janus asked with a frown.

Roman takes a deep breath, rubbing his temples. "Well, the Dream Keeper visited me I guess in my dreams?? He was trying to make me give up my role as Creativity... When I denied him, he said he'd keep the curse within me. He said I'd wake up, but I could easily fall asleep again and not wake up.."

Virgil locked eyes with Roman. "We'll cross that bridge once we get to it, okay? For now, we need to figure out how to leave..."

"Well, there's the portal," Patton said softly, pointing to the portal that had just appeared.

"Well that's convenient," Roman said, walking over to it. He looked at the others.

"Well...to the next story."

              ~¤~

Taglist: @samders-sides @thegirlthatdoesntofficiallyexist

Prologue - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

[some-one56]

A Dream is Not A Wish

Chapter Six~The Curse

Virgil tried to stay awake throughout the hours, but he was fighting the urge to lay down and sleep.

He looked over at the clock on the wall. It was 3AM.

Sighing, Virgil glanced back at Roman, who was also still awake. He was reading a book he found, seeming to try and keep himself calm.

Virgil then looked back at the others. Janus was buried under the blankets on the bed, curled up. Remus was laying next to Janus, one of his legs wrapped around him. He was snoring loudly. Patton was sitting in a chair by the wall, his head drooped slightly while he slept, and Logan was on the floor, leaned against the wall, barely asleep.

Virgil looked out the window, seeing the barrier of briars. He looked back down. "This is insane," he whispered.

"I know," Roman whispered back. "Y'know, years ago, I would've loved something like this. The fact that I'm in a Disney movie, in the world, getting to partake in it. But...knowing that we could die from all this.. it's terrifying. And I'm scared for Thomas.."

"So am I," Virgil said with a shaky breath. He ran a hand through his hair. "But it's better now that we're all together again. If we had to do all of this alone, it would suck ass."

Roman put his book down, laying it on the vanity. "When I first got here, the Dream Keeper appeared. And he told me Thomas would be better off without us. ...I told him that wasn't true, because it's not. But he said he could take care of Thomas on his own."

Virgil stared at the floor a moment longer, before looking back up at Roman, his face more alarmed. "So..he did this to get rid of us? To kill us off so Thomas is practically forced to listen to him?"

"That's what it sounded like he wanted.." Roman took a deep breath. He stood up. "But I'm not letting him get away with this. I've let Thomas down too much, and I'm not letting him down again."

"Roman, we don't stand a chance against him.. not right now, anyway," Virgil said, gently grabbing Roman's arm. He pulls Roman softly, sitting him back down.

Roman sighed, glaring at the floor. "I suppose you're right. But still... We can't let him do this. We still don't even know who or what he truly is."

"I think..Janus might know him," Virgil whispered, glancing back over at the sleeping Janus. Remus had practically gotten on top of him at this point, and was just trapping Janus underneath him.

"We can ask Janus more about him when they all wake up," Roman said quietly.

Virgil sighed, glancing back at the others. Then he saw something shiny in the corner of the room. "Oh, you've got your sword again?"

"Yeah. I thought the Dream Keeper disintegrated it, but luckily it's still in tact," Roman said. "Next time I see him, I'm stabbing him, I don't care anymore."

"You sound like your brother," Virgil joked, snickering softly.

Roman stuck his tongue out. "I take great offense to that statement," he said in a playful tone, chuckling quietly. "But we are twins, after all."

Virgil grinned softly, patting Roman on the back. "So. I've gotta ask. How does it feel being a Disney Princess?"

Roman smirked, fondly rolling his eyes. "Oh, it's just magical," he said sarcastically, grinning. "How about you, Snow White?"

Virgil laughed softly. "I'll never look at apples the same way ever again."

Roman laughed at that, sighing softly. "Yeah, that's fair."

Virgil sighed, his smile lingering for a bit. Then he looked back at Roman, his smile fading slightly. "But um.. In all seriousness, how are you doing?"

Roman's smile also faded as he looked down. "It uh.. I'm fine, Virgil."

"I don't need Janus to tell me that was a lie."

"Okay, fine.. I'm not..doing the best," Roman sighed, leaning against the vanity table. "I mean, this whole thing is one thing, but..if you're talking about the breakup, I'm still feeling like utter garbage."

Virgil nodded softly. "I get it.. Nico was..amazing.. but sometimes, you just have to move on, I guess.."

"Moving on isn't easy," Roman whispered, closing his eyes for a moment. "I..can't move on. I'm just..trapped in the past, and the memories.. I can't move away from it all."

Virgil was silent for a few minutes, just listening to Roman's words.

"Like I said...I keep letting Thomas down. I'm not trying to, but I am. No wonder he thinks so little of me.."

"That isn't true in the slightest," Virgil said, pulling Roman into a gentle hug. "He thinks the world of you, Ro. You are so incredibly important to him..to all of us. I know you don't believe me, but it's the clear truth.."

Roman leaned against Virgil, gently hugging him back. He smiled slightly, hugging him a bit tighter.

"And once we get back to him, he's gonna see just how important you are. And once you and him are ready, we'll go look for a new prince charming," Virgil said quietly.

Roman grinned softly, releasing the hug. "He better be a theater nerd, otherwise I don't want him," he joked.

Virgil laughed softly. "Oh god, the last thing we need is another you."

Roman laughed with Virgil, playfully shoving him. "Oh please. You love me," he snickered.

Virgil shrugged. "Eh. I tolerate you," he teased.

Roman grinned. "Well that's good at least."

Virgil chuckled, leaning back slightly in his seat. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

He felt hours begin to pass, and his eyelids began to feel heavy. The room started to become a blur as his eyes started closing and opening again.

He yawned, snuggling up in his chair, closing his eyes for a second. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a green fog. Deciding it was a trick of the light, he ignored it, slowly drifting off to sleep.

              ~¤~

Virgil was startled awake by someone frantically shaking him. He groaned, slapping the person's hands away, hissing. "What the fuck is it???"

"Virgil, wake up," Janus said, his tone frantic as he tried to shake Virgil awake again.

Virgil hissed again, shoving Janus off again. "What??? What is it??"

"Roman's gone."

"WHAT?" Virgil was wide awake by those words. He shot out of the chair, glancing around the room. Roman wasn't there. "Fuck. Fuck, I didn't mean to fall asleep! Shit!!"

"I already sent the others out to search for him, but we need to look too," Janus said, pulling Virgil out of the room.

Virgil ran with Janus, frantically searching all over the castle. "Oh my god, this is bad."

There was a faint green mist covering the floor of the entire castle, and Virgil noticed it seemed to be coming from a certain area. "Janus. Look."

Janus looked at the mist as well. "Where do you think it's coming from?"

"Let's follow where it's leading," Virgil said, quickly beginning to follow the mist. Janus followed after him.

The mist was taking them both to the tallest tower in the castle. Logan, Patton and Remus had all caught up with them.

They all stopped when they came face to face with a wooden door. It was slightly creaked open. The mist was flooding out of the crack in the door.

Virgil quickly opened the door.

At the other side in the room, Roman stood over a spinning wheel. He slowly raised his hand, his finger hovering over the spindle.

"ROMAN, DON'T!" Virgil screamed, running toward Roman. His fear was spiking at this point.

But Virgil wasn't fast enough for the curse.

Roman's finger descended on the spindle.

And he pricked his finger.

~¤~

Taglist: @samders-sides @thegirlthatdoesntofficiallyexist

Prologue - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 7

[some-one56]

A Dream is Not A Wish

Chapter Five~Once Upon My Dreams

Virgil sighed deeply once the group arrived in Wonderland. "Well this ought to be fun," he muttered sarcastically as he walked out of the portal.

Janus stopped next to Virgil, crossing his arms as he scanned the area. They appeared to have landed in the Red Queen's kingdom. "This definitely won't go wrong," he muttered with an equal amount of sarcasm.

Patton helped Remus through the portal. "We need to find some actual clothes for Remus too. You think we'll be able to get him something?"

"We'll find something here," Virgil said, walking down the path, toward the castle. "The portal seems to appear close to the person we're looking for so...Logan should be close by."

The four stuck together as they walked down the path of rose bushes. The Red Queen's castle was getting closer as they kept walking.

Virgil was about to say something, but he froze when he felt a pair of eyes staring him down. He stopped walking.

Patton turned to Virgil. "Kiddo..? What is it?"

"We're being watched," Virgil quietly hissed, his eyes darting around.

Janus looked at Virgil, noticing how serious his tone was. "Alright. How about we head to the castle to get some clothes for Remus, and we can look for Logan on the way?"

Virgil was still looking around, trying to find who was watching them, but he nodded at Janus's suggestion. "Yeah...Let's hurry."

Remus clung to Janus as he tried to speed walk to the castle. Janus held him close, helping him every step of the way.

Patton glanced around some of the rose bushes, noticing red paint covering some of the white roses. However, it didn't look exactly like red paint...

"I think these were painted in blood..." Patton whispered to the group, going over to a rose bush.

Virgil's eyes widen. "Holy shit, you're right... This is insane.."

"Yeah..it is," Janus mumbles. "Let's keep going."

They made their way into the castle. Surprisingly, there weren't any guards around to kick them out.

"I can make him some clothes," Patton said suddenly, grinning. "There's a lot of fabric here, I can whip something up!"

"I didn't know you could make clothes," Virgil said with a raised brow.

"Well I used to not be able to, but I can now! I guess since I'm technically Cinderella now," Patton said with a shrug.

"Well, if you can find the materials, go for it," Janus said. "Just try to be quick with whatever you do."

"If you and Virgil wanna go look for Logan, Remus and I can stay back to make his clothes," Patton said to Janus.

Janus nodded. "That works. Just..both of you, be careful."

Remus smirked, giving Janus a salute. He grabbed Patton by the arm, quickly running off to find materials.

Virgil sighed, rolling his eyes. "Alright then.."

Janus sighed, pulling Virgil out of the castle. "You think they're gonna get caught?"

"Probably-" Virgil was cut off when he looked ahead. His eyes widened, and he pulled Janus down, hiding behind a large bush.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Janus asked in alarm.

Virgil shushed him, even paler than before. "I saw her."

"Who?!" Janus whisper shouted.

"The Evil Queen! She- she's here!" Virgil whispered frantically. "It must be midnight.."

"What are you talking about???" Janus asked, narrowing his eyes at Virgil.

Virgil peeked out from behind the bush, seeing the Evil Queen looking around the area. She had a basket of six bright red apples. "Shit."

"Virgil, you've got to start explaining things," Janus said, trying to get Virgil's attention again.

"I'll explain later, just...Don't make any noise."

Janus peeked out from behind the bush as well, seeing the Evil Queen. "What is she doing?"

"Looking for us," Virgil muttered back. He continued to spy on her, frowning when he saw her take an apple, placing it on a table. And then, she walked off.

"So, don't eat that," Janus quickly says, coming out of hiding.

Virgil goes over to the apple, examining it. "Yeah, no kidding.."

"So..she got here through the portal too?" Janus asked, watching Virgil.

Virgil nodded. "..What if this isn't a poisoned apple though?"

"We aren't testing it out," Janus said sternly. "You of all people should know that."

"I know, but.." Virgil had this strange urge to eat the apple. It was like some..pull. "I haven't eaten anything all day and I can't trust the other food here."

"And you can trust that?" Janus asked, narrowing his eyes. "What's going on with you?"

"I- I don't know!" Virgil said quickly, trying to throw the apple away, but he just couldn't bring himself to. "Just..one bite.." he muttered, leaning in to bite the apple.

"Virgil, wh- what are you doing?!" Janus exclaimed, reaching over to try and pry the apple away from Virgil.

But before he could, Logan tackled Virgil to the ground, chucking the apple far away.

Virgil suddenly snapped out of it, eyes wide. "Logan?!"

Logan pulled Virgil to his feet, smiling softly. "Hello Virgil, Janus," he said softly.

Virgil grinned, pulling Logan into a hug. "You have no idea how thankful I was for you to do that- you saved me, Lo."

Logan hugged Virgil back, slightly surprised. "Well, I'd rather you not be dead."

Janus smiled. "Good to have you with us, Logan."

"Where are the others? Are they here too?" Logan suddenly asked, letting Virgil go.

"We have Patton and Remus with us. They're in the Red Queen's castle. Pat's making clothes for Remus right now," Virgil explained.

Logan's eyes shot wide. "They have to get out of there. Now."

"Why?? The Queen of Hearts isn't scary. She's just a spoiled brat," Janus said, crossing his arms.

Logan shook his head. "She's different in this story. She's a cold-blooded murderous woman. The second she sees you with me, she's going to want to behead us all."

"Terrific," Janus mumbled, sighing. "So she's insane?"

"They're all insane here," Logan said, glancing back toward the castle. "C'mon, we have to go get them out of there.

"I don't think so," a female voice said behind the trio.

Virgil spun around, his eyes widening as he saw the Evil Queen had returned.

"Hello there, Virgil," she smirked, taking a step closer. Logan and Janus pulled Virgil back, staying close to him.

"Oh, there's no need to be afraid," she chuckles. "You won't find your friends in that castle."

Janus growled. "What did you do."

The Evil Queen chuckled. "I may have teamed up with another Queen."

The Queen of Hearts appeared at her side. She had a cage with both Remus and Patton inside of it. "Look at them. Their heads would look so nice in my throne room."

"They really would, dear," the Evil Queen grinned.

Virgil paled even more. "Shit," he whispered, glancing at Patton and Remus.

Patton was trembling violently, and Remus was holding him close, trying to calm him down.

"Let them go," Logan said, glaring at both of the Queens. "They have done nothing to you."

"Oh, we know," the Evil Queen smirked. "We simply just want you all dead~"

Janus glanced back at the portal, his eyes widening when it began to turn green. "Guys. Look," he whispered to Virgil and Logan.

Both Virgil and Logan looked at the portal, also confused and worried.

The Queens noticed this, and stared at the portal. "What the.." the Evil Queen muttered.

While everyone wasn't paying attention, Patton and Remus's cage slowly unlocked, as if by magic.

Patton and Remus were suddenly shoved out of the cage, both tumbling to the ground.

A dark chuckle echoed throughout the area as the portal glowed a brighter green.

And then, Virgil's eyes widened when he realized he was being pulled into the portal. He yelped as he fell all the way through it.

Janus and Logan were also sucked through the portal. Lastly, Patton and Remus were as well.

           ~¤~

Logan winced once he hit the cold stone floor. "If we're being taken through portals, could we at least have a nice landing?!?"

Virgil got up, brushing himself off. He looked around, narrowing his eyes. "Maybe we're in Sleeping Beauty. We need to find Roman."

The group all nodded, beginning to search the rooms within the castle. So far, they couldn't find their friend.

"Shit, what if he's already asleep???" Virgil muttered, going through each room.

"Maybe it hasn't yet, just deep breaths Virgil," Janus said softly, glancing up at a staircase. "He's definitely up there."

Virgil sped up the stairs, seeing that they led to a single bedroom. He flung open the bedroom door, absolutely relieved to see Roman staring back at him with wide eyes.

"Oh my god- Virgil?!?" Roman asked, running over to him. Virgil hugged him tightly, grinning.

"Thank god you're okay," Virgil whispered, holding Roman close.

The rest of the group ran into the room, also relieved when they saw Roman.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you guys are here," Roman said, letting go of Virgil. "Look out the window."

Janus moved to the window, peering out of it. "There's a wall of briars surrounding the whole castle.."

Roman nodded. "Maleficent wanted to make sure we couldn't leave once you all got here," he sighed.

"Do you know when the curse is supposed to take affect?" Logan asked Roman gently.

Roman hesitantly shook his head no. "No.. I can't stop it, but surely true love's kiss isn't the only way to stop it.."

"We need to leave through the portal," Patton quickly said. "Maybe the curse won't affect Roman once we're out of this story.."

"The portal's gone," Logan sighed. "It disappeared after we got here."

"So we're stuck here?!" Roman asked, his fear growing. He began to pace around the room again.

"We'll find a way out," Janus said, leaning against the wall.

"What if we can't go home? Thomas.." Roman muttered, hugging himself tightly. "We have to get back to save him.."

"We might have to defeat the Dream Keeper to do that," Patton said shakily, helping Remus sit on the bed. Luckily, Remus now had actual clothes on.

"What time is it here?" Janus asked, checking his nails.

"It's like..2 in the morning," Roman said hesitantly.

"Well, we should probably all get some rest. It's been a long day, and if we want strength to fight Maleficent, those Queen bitches and the Dream Keeper, we need rest."

"Go ahead," Roman said, sitting at the vanity in the corner. "I'm not sleeping for as long as I can. Too risky."

Virgil sighed softly, sitting next to Roman. "Then I'm styling up with you." He looked at the others. "The rest of you, go to sleep for a bit."

"Are you sure?" Logan asked.

Virgil nodded softly.

The four all nodded, getting comfortable around the room. One by one, they fell asleep.

Roman sighed, blowing out the candle that illuminated the room. He stared at his reflection in the vanity mirror, his face stained with dried tears.

Virgil gently puts a hand on his shoulder. "Everything is gonna be okay, Ro.."

Roman looked down, taking a shaky sigh. "I would love to believe that, Virge.."

"Then why don't you?"

"Ever since I got here, I've become less optimistic."

              ~¤~

Taglist: @samders-sides @thegirlthatdoesntofficiallyexist

Prologue - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 6 - 7