Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You’d been told all your life of the giants.

Every traveler had tales of the massive skeletal creatures that roamed the land, ruled the seas, and patrolled the skies.

But you had been inside your whole life, secluded in the small kingdom of your birth and more specifically in the castle of the king. You parents were servants, cooks in the kitchens, and you were a minor kitchen helper yourself.

Down here, in the lower halls, things were quiet most days. And they were always quiet at night. Your kingdom had not had a war in so long, and the dungeons were empty.

Or you thought they were until tonight.

You’d been exploring the old cells, unable to sleep thanks to the restless feeling in your legs, and heart the shifting of chains.

But these noises were like a drawbridge being opened, even though the accompanying sigh was clearly a voice. You followed the sound, having learned long ago to understand how the castle echoed, and reach a door that had long been neglected, covered in rust and opening easily despite the heavy lock that had once been in place.

“Hello?” you ask as you open the door, peering into the darkness within.

“well, well, we-e-e-e-well,” the responding words slip around the massive room like a shadow, “fifty years and someone finally comes back.”

It takes your torch a moment to pierce the gloom, and you stifle a scream when it does. This huge cell is home to a giant, black bones fading to red beneath his tattered clothes, sockets full of color and disdain as he looked at you, teeth bright yellow and showing in a smirk.

“ah. You had no idea I was here,” he slumps backward against the wall and you hear the chains rattle again. He’s a prisoner, arms and legs shackled to the walls even though he’s sitting. “then go away. I’d like to sta-a-a-arve in peace.”

Starve? Oh stars, “Have you not eaten for fifty years?!” you gasp, and the massive skeleton actually laughs, voice raspy even as it sticks on words.

“no, I haven’t, but it’ll take another few before I final-al-al,” he smacks his back against the wall and sighs, “finally dust. So let me do it in quiet, pest.”

“No way,” you stand up and glare at him as he glances your way, “I’m the child of two cooks. No one starves if we can help it, that’s just how our family works.”

“heh, naïve and cheeky,” the giant huffs, but seems to consider you in a new light, making your soul shiver as you wait for him to finish, “well, if you want to try, go ahead. It can’t hurt.”

That was as good as you were likely to get, and you ran back up to the kitchens.

What to give a giant though?

Maybe…

You went to the dumping room and found what you were looking for. Chocolate. A barrel of the stuff, deemed suspicious and inedible by the advisor for the king since the kingdom that had gifted it was hostile. But it had smelled delicious, and was going to be wasted anyway so…you rolled it carefully down the ramp used for sending water to the dungeons in the old days.

Barrel before you, you guide it into the door and call, “I’m back. I hope you enjoy this…it’s probably the most I can get for a long while but it’s a real treat. And I’ll need the barrel back if you don’t want me executed for theft?”

“we’ll see about that,” the giant rolled the multi-colored pupils in his sockets, managing to take the barrel after you tipped it mostly over the rails of your little platform. There was a locked gate on the right side of it, which had lasted better and was unable to be opened, but you had only just noticed it as you looked away. You didn’t exactly want to see what the inside of a giant’s mouth looked like, having already gathered plenty of nightmare fuel for the evening.

The massive barrel was only a mouthful for the giant, and you heard him swallow thickly in the still night air. And then you looked.

He had three tongues.

Three. And they were dark night-sky blue.

And they were all busy getting every drop of the chocolate out of the barrel.

“Uh…” you just stared now. This strange being was utterly focused on getting the dregs out of the barrel, though you didn’t blame him if he’d been without food for fifty years.

When he did give up and tipped the barrel back onto your platform, he sighed, “whatever that was, it was perfect. You’ve earned your life, puny one.”

You huff, “I have a name, you know.”

“don’t care,” the giant replied with renewed energy in his smirk, “but I do have to say I’d like more of that if you ever run into it.”

“Unfortunately,” you sigh as you pick up the now significantly lighter barrel with both hands, “that was a gift from the south, where it’s warm all year long. It’s called Chocolate, but we can’t grow the plant it’s made from up here. You only got this because the advisor told us to toss it in case it was poisoned. He’s a pompous idiot, though, and I can tell you,” you sigh as you remember, “when we opened it up out of curiosity, there was nothing wrong with it. Would have been a sinful waste if you hadn’t eaten it.”

He listens, and then laughs softly, “of course. Humans are always so prone to paranoia and infighting. Well, if you find any more ‘sinful wastes’ up in your kitchens, I don’t mind taking them, pitifully small as they are.”

“Then tell me your name, even if you don’t want mine.”

There is a glitter in his eyes, a soft chuckle, “They call me Error, destroyer of worlds.”

And your heart clenches.

You’d heard of him. You’d seen the paintings, a huge black shape destroying cities and lifting knights and horses into the sky with blue ropes…and here he was, starving and without power in the dungeon of your tiny, peaceful kingdom.

“How the mighty have fallen,” you murur, and he nods, sighing in an irritated fashion.

“pitiful, isn’t it? these chains,” he rattles them again, and you can see a faint gold glow around the inside, and in the etchings your eyes are slowly making out on them, “took all my power from me. your king’s…well, probably great grandfather at this point, figured out how to trap me. built this castle over my head and sat his throne in it to make sure I could never escape so long as his bloodline lasts. Not on my own, anyway.”

“well, you earned it if the paintings and tapestries are true. Killing innocent people for pleasure,” you aren’t going to coddle a murderer. No, he doesn’t deserve to starve alone, but he shouldn’t think he’s a victim.

“heh. I suppose from your perspective that’s true. Those things don’t exactly show context very well and I doubt you can read,” he looks you over, “no, probably not.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid. I’ll feed you what I can, but that’s the least anyone can do for another person. You won’t get sympathy for much else,” you’re angry now, and you walk out the door, slamming it unintentionally. No one will hear, not this deep down, but you still wince.

Intelligence is something you are very sensitive about, and you felt he insulted yours.

Maybe you can work on that later.

–

You do what Error asked, taking otherwise wasted food that is perfectly good other than being “ugly” or “out of fashion” or some other ridiculous motive. He is ravenous no matter how often you can come, and you soon realize that even if you emptied the entire kitchens of food, you wouldn’t make a dent in filling someone so very large.

It makes your heart sting, thinking that you’re doing so little to help, but Error seems pleased enough with your meager offerings.

And he offers to teach you to read in exchange.

That’s something you cannot refuse, not when you’ve longed to know what secrets lie in the pages of books and scrolls.

His method is simple enough to begin with. Letters, you knew a few already from seeing them embroidered onto tapestries made in honor of the royals, were made out of the blue ropes he could make from the lines on his face. He twisted and pulled them into the shapes and told you what they were, and told you examples of words. A is for apples, B for butter, etc. Food was the medium he knew you understood most, so he used it.

And then you’d have to use a chalk stone you found one day to make the shapes back at him on an old wooden shield you found in one of the cells down in the dungeons.

–

A visitor was not in the plan.

Neither had being captured been in the plan, but that had happened as well.

Still, he was grateful for what he got.

Some bits of food, some company…well, he’d never been one for company but Error was beginning to like this human.

They didn’t cower, even if he could see the fear when he got close despite it now fading as they saw each other regularly. The little morsel even had the nerve to talk back, berating him when he reminisced about destroying castles and devouring their inhabitants. It was…refreshing, having someone sass him, and he liked telling the stories of his conquests and getting stories in return.

True, they were all word of mouth tales, but the little cook had so many. Their mother told them stories, and now they were sharing them with him when their reading lessons were over.

“how did she get to the ball then, if she was all the way at home?” he asked, genuinely wondering. Humans couldn’t teleport, and they were too small to travel long distances on foot.

“The fairy transformed a nearby pumpkin into a gleaming golden carriage, and said seriously, ‘Remember that this spell is temporary. You have until the stroke of twelve before it all vanishes and returns to what it was before, save for the shoes. They will remain as a memory for you to treasure.’ So off went Cinderella to the ball.”

Error nodded, intrigued. “Pumpkins…huh. I never would have thought about those.” He’d only ever seen carriages made of wood, or maybe iron if it was a prison wagon. A golden carriage that had once been a pumpkin was a flight of fancy that made him smile a bit. Magic could do it, yes, but he never would have given something so small a second glance.

“Well, it’s good you’re a giant and not a fairy godmother then,” they actually laughed, and Error couldn’t help the spark in his mind at the sound.

“You’ve never laughed in front of me before. I like it.”

Their face turned softly pink, and they huffed, “Well, it’s hard to feel happy when you’re teasing me all the time about being a peasant!”

“not your fault, true, but it’s fun to watch you react. I’ve been alone for over fifty years, give me a li-i-ittle slack,” ugh he hated when his voice got stuck on a word. It made him feel weak, out of control. He hated that.

And that rage reminded him of what he needed to do.

But later.

Tonight he was learning about Cinderella.

–

You’d really gotten yourself into a hole now.

Error was snarky, evasive at times, and liked to tease. But he’d managed to capture your attention and you couldn’t help caring for him.

He knew so much, and even with his barbs at you now and then, he had taught you to read faster than you’d hoped possible. Now you were writing with some ink and parchment you dug out of the scribe’s and alchemist’s discard pile.

Yes, one side was covered with ink blotches or scribbled out notes, but the other side was clean. As you were telling Error your stories, you wrote them down, preserving them for the kids you wanted to have one day (or adopt, you would gladly love any child who needed you).

Error listened to them (though he couldn’t just leave like most people when you wanted to tell stories) and actually seemed to consider the stories, their meaning, everything.

“I’m going to be sad when this is over,” he says softly one night.

“Huh?” you look up at him, confused. “Over? I’m not going anywhere.”

“I will, though.” He gives a smile, but seems concerned, “cause, as much as you-u-u-u, you’ve done for me, well..” Error sighs deeply, the tingle of his breath a familiar one now. Charged with magic. “I’m going to dust, little squish. Starve to death. Unless I can get out of these chains, but that’s not happening without keys or the kingdom falling.”

You feel your heart shattering. What? No!

“W-well, can I do something? Do you know where the keys are? Or where they might be?” the panic in your throat hurts. You’d barely gotten to know him! You felt so…different with Error, so understood!

“Well, the keys were in the king’s possession when I last saw them, but he bragged, before he left for the last time, that I’d have them over his dead body. The way he laughed…w-w-w-w-w-well, I think he was being literal.”

You know what that means. The crypt, the sealed gate in the castle chapel that has been quarantined thanks to the ghosts of slain kings and queens and knights attacking the monks who went in.

“Okay, but…” your conscience would not allow you to just accept. “I need your word.”

“Uh..which word? You can spell a lot of them now,” he teased, but was genuinely confused.

“I need your word that you won’t kill anyone if I let you go. I want to!” his hurt look had been enough to spur more words, “I want to save you, Error, really, but I can’t let innocent people get hurt. My parents live here, my family, everyone I know and love is here. I have to make sure they’re safe.”

Holding your breath, you look at him, searching…and he slumps, “ugh, fine. I swear, I won’t kill anyone when I get out of here. Just for you,” the familiar eye roll is great for letting you believe him, and you get up.

“Then try to remember how to walk, because I’m going grave robbing,” you give a big grin and get up, “And if you don’t hear from me, it’s been fun being your friend.”

Running out fast, you don’t see the soft blue blush on his cheekbones.

–

The catacombs under the chapel are dank, cold, and creepy. Going past the door with seals on it was easy enough, and once you reached the bottom of the tight spiral stairs to the crypt proper, you knew why.

Before you was a huge set of tunnels, lined with coffins and written inscriptions under each indention. Okay, your mother had taught you how to solve the maze in the gardens when you were little, and this was no different.

Keeping close to the left wall, you read the plaques. Knights, mostly, from what you could see. And you only winced a little when the first moaning echoed through the halls.

You read a plaque that made you hurt, a princess who had died as a child, when you felt the icy hand on your shoulder.

Turning quick as a flash, you felt your eyes be captured by the sunken ones of the semi-transparent specter of a king, his royal armor glittering even in spirit form.

“You are not here for yourself,” his hoarse voice echoes from the depths of the afterlife, “and you would not have harmed my daughter like the monks did and would again in their misguided hunt against the world of magic.”

The emptiness you felt as you comprehended what he was saying made your blood run cold. That child, that innocent baby had been murdered for having magic. That’s why the ghosts were attacking. There were tears in your eyes as the old king gave a smile, “You are here to right the wrong I left, and I pray you use that magic that is in you to bridge the gap between magic and humanity, child. Come.”

He floated away, and you couldn’t help but follow him.

He talked as he drifted deeper into the maze, “Whilst I captured the giant, the monks kidnapped and killed my precious child in the name of ‘purity’. They could not fathom that magic was simply part of the world, and at that point, neither could I. So I channeled my anger toward the giant, and it was only once I had died that I knew that I had been lied to, that my child, my last gift from her dear mother, was murdered and had not died of illness. So as my knights, my friends, also passed on, they joined in my rage, and now we keep the deceivers from doing further harm to her or the others who rest here. We cannot rest until we know things have been fixed, that magic will be accepted, and the giant I trapped freed.”

He led you to a room full of opulently adorned caskets, and to the third in the row, “Open the lid and take the keys from my hands. It is up to you to finish what I have endeavored to begin. Good luck, child, and may the stars bless you.”

The specter of the king fades away, and the lid of his casket creaks open, a puff of dust rising from it.

You are as reverent as you can be as you shift the lid again, reaching in and removing the glowing rune keys from the mummified hands of the king. “I’ll do all I can, your majesty. Thank you.”

It’s very simple to find your way back, as if you already know the way, and you whisper your thanks again before climbing the stairs and making your escape.

–

Rushing in with the keys just as dawn was breaking, Error snapped out of a doze as you shut the door. “Get ready for freedom, big guy,” beaming as you finally make the brave move to hop over the gate and down the steps to his chains, he watches you and does not move.

That’s something you appreciate, because you don’t know if your zinging nerves would be able to handle him moving right now. Clink goes the first lock as it’s lifted, and you realize there are eight keys. So you scramble around the chains, feeling Error’s eyes on you, hearing his breathing as you find each lock. The runes on the locks match the ones on the keys, so it’s easy to find which key goes with which lock, and once you’ve freed his feet, Error sighs.

“that alone feels so much better. ugh, I can feel the magic flowing better now. Surprised my feet didn’t dust on their own,” he mumbles as he slowly shifts a hand forward.

“Is magic like your blood, then?” you ask as you fiddle with the first of the locks on this wrist.

“yep. all giants run on magic,” he watches you idly as you finish with the wrist and gives a small laugh as you scramble over him to the other. “it doesn’t surprise me you don’t know that. humans hate magic, after all.”

“The king said that should change,” you reply, and you feel him tense.

“You saw the king? The living one?”

“No. The king who imprisoned you. His ghost led me to the keys,” looking up, you see him staring at you.

“Humans shouldn’t be able to see or talk to the dead; even ghosts should be invisible. If you saw him, spoke to him, you have to be a mage.” His gaze is almost suspicious, and you feel hurt by it.

“I’m still me, even if I am. It’s not like I’d know how to do anything even if I am one,” you keep unlocking his chains, and he finally relaxes.

“true,” he rubs his wrists once you release the last one, and smiles slowly, but you begin to get concerned when it doesn’t transform into grateful tears or stop at a happy smile. No, he gets a look of manic glee and you do not like the look in his eyes as he looks at his hands, “well, thank you for your time and help, little one. I’d stay inside if I were you.”

And he vanished before your shocked eyes.

Chapter Text

You’d done what you had been tasked to do and you’d….lost your best friend and possible crush. It was so stupid to think about now, as you climbed back to the kitchens, that you had a crush on a giant of all things, but…you’d felt special. He’d treated you like you were special, and nobody but your parents had ever done that before.

The tears of shame were hot on your face as you reached the kitchens, expecting the usual dawn bustling to get the royals’ breakfast ready. Instead you were greeted with distant screaming, and your mother’s frantic yelp of, “There you are! We have to go! A giant is attacking the castle!”

You stopped cold with a small, “what?” and were quickly dragged by the arm to the side door that led out of the castle, up a flight of stairs and into the courtyard.

“A massive black giant appeared and has been devouring the guards like peanuts! It’s time to go, now!” you’d never heard your mother sound so panicked, and you felt rage boiling inside as your shame melted away.

“Yes we do!” you storm up the stairs with your frightened mother, but instead of rushing toward the open gates once you reach the courtyard, you shake her off and stand at Error’s feet as he’s tossing wagons out of his way and gleefully devouring guards.

“HEY YOU!” you scream up at him, angry tears in your eyes, utterly betrayed, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

He stills, stops in his tracks, and looks down. The smile is fading as he meets your gaze and the world seems to stand still.

“IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT? IS THIS IT?! DO WE MEAN SO LITTLE TO YOU EVEN NOW?!” It hurts, seeing his promise broken, like the time you spent with him amounted to so much manure.

He doesn’t speak, but you can see his expression shifting, confused at first and then slowly shifting to panic and finally anger before he huffs and vanishes again. At least this time you aren’t stupid enough to want to have gone with him.

–

The people in the castle are cheering for you, in awe that you’d ‘chased the giant away’ even though you did no such thing.

They celebrate you, bless you, make you a protector of the realm and give you a horse and…it’s all so useless.

Because you’re still alone. You still miss Error even though he betrayed you, broke your heart. And you want to know where he went, because good grief you want to ask him why he did it.

Your family are taken care of, your name is being written in so many histories and woven into a tapestry and you just feel sick. Because none of it would have happened if you weren’t a love struck fool and let the giant loose in the first place.

–

Days later, you are shocked to see the guards you’d counted dead trudging through the gates of the castle.

They tell the story of being eaten, terrified and packed together in the dark, hearing the calls and feeling a rush as the giant went elsewhere. You nod, sitting beside the royals as you are, their new pet project, the favorite.

And then they tell of him releasing them in a field far away, turning one to stone and saying, “You are lucky someone wrung a promise out of me. Now leave or you’ll all end up statues like anyone else who crosses my path.”

He kept his word, after all. And you feel yourself zoning out, your body and mouth moving on their own, doing all the niceties and congratulations for their harrowing escape and return, listening as the king makes plans to do a survey of the kingdom to find out just where Error has struck, where he might go, staring the whole mess over again.

And as soon as you’re allowed to be alone, you run.

You run to the crypt and fall down the last three stairs and lay on the dusty stone sobbing.

This is not what you wanted, this is not what you’d imagined when you took the keys from here, and you want to scream. But you can’t scream where the living can hear you, can’t tell them the truth, that it’s all your fault, or you’ll be killed as a traitor and your family with you.

Stars you hate being alive.

“It can’t be as bad as all that.”

“It is though,” you realize you’ve been murmuring all your thoughts out loud through your tears as you get up.

“You aren’t even old for you kind and you feel that way? Must have been a terrible thing that happened but…really?”

The voice is quiet, and you can’t see the owner, but you realize it must be some ghost if they’re down here.

“I let a giant loose on the kingdom because I was dumb enough to fall in love with him. Then everyone thought I chased him away when all I did was yell at him for breaking his promise not to kill anybody. But he didn’t even break the promise and now I’m just lost and confused,” you babble as you begin to really feel the soreness of your legs and hands where you tried to catch your fall.

“well, come to the end of the left corridor. Maybe I can help you.”

Why not? Even if he killed you, you’d be in a better position than you were now. Standing shakily, you get up and turn left at your first opportunity, just walking as the voice speaks.

“Was it the giant in the dungeons then?”

“Yes. His name’s Error,” Your chest hurts saying the name.

“Ah, well, I know him well. You know this whole mess started because of me, him being so angry with humans and them being angry at him for what he did in response. I tried to tell him I’m alright but….well, obviously he doesn’t listen very well. I’m sure you know that by now.”

“I…well yes. He is quite…stubborn,” you admit, now wondering who this voice belonged to.

And as you look up, you see a circle of light, swirling at the end of the hall where you’re very sure a wall should be.

“That’s not the half of it, but then again, you didn’t grow up with him, did you? Heh, just step through the portal, and we’ll talk about this.”

A portal, huh? Alright. You close your eyes as you push through the light, amazed to find yourself now standing in what you think must be a giant’s home. There are tinctures and potions on the tables, the bottles twice your height, and your feet are sinking into the massive carpet spread across the stone floor.

And lying in a raised pallet, facing you, is a giant.

His bones are white, but his right eye socket is drooping in such an odd way you would have to call it melted, and there are bandages over his chest that are turning red as you watch them, slowly coloring and showing he is badly wounded.

“Ah, you’re a bit better looking than my far-sight could pick up. A lovely young human, if you don’t mind me saying so,” he smiled softly and motioned for you to come closer, “don’t worry about the portal. I’ll actually put you back in your room if you can tell me what wing of that castle it’s in. But here, you’re scraped up. Let’s take care of that before we talk.”

Your feet are hesitant, but you wade through the softness on the floor until you are beside the pallet, where he reaches down and gently scoops you into his hands. The bones are warm, and his slow movements let you adjust much easier than you’d thought you would.

“Hello there, little one. I’m sorry my brother hurt you so badly, but I’m hoping we can fix that. My name is Geno. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Up close, his voice was no less soft, but it was enough to vibrate through your chest.

“Hello,” you murmur, and introduce yourself, still a little disbelieving of where you were.

“Ah yes. You see, I knew about you thanks to Error visiting and…well, suffice to say, I’m more than a little thankful that you did release him. He’s my older brother, I missed him terribly. But,” Geno takes a green bottle with his free hand, uncorking it and dribbling a small amount of a white, glowing liquid onto a rag, “I’m so sorry he left you in such a rude fashion. He’s…well, he doesn’t think before he acts, most of the time. And he’s quite selfish when he’s got a plan in mind. He’ll need to fix that if he wants to deserve you, you know.”

You watch, and Geno brings the rag, and its now glowing edge, to softly touch your legs where the stones had scraped the skin away. It tingles, and you gasp, but it’s cool and soothing, and when he removes the cloth, the injuries are gone as if they had never happened, and the cloth is just barely tinged with your blood.

“Did you hurt yourself anywhere else?” he asks, and you hold up your hands and arms. “Ah, yes, thought so. Hmhmm, you know, if that quote unquote “holy” mage hadn’t done this to me, I’d never have learned to be such a good healer. Life’s funny how it works out, isn’t it?”

As your hands are healed by the magic liquid, you ask, “So, a mage hurt you and that made Error hate humans?”

“Yes.” Geno’s movements are measured and careful, putting the rag back and sighing, leaning back on he cushions behind him, “I wasn’t being careful enough, broke a farmer’s barn, and that was enough for those holy types to deem me a menace, stupid as that is. Now I can’t really even leave the house without help, but it’s fine with me. I was a home-body before all this happened anyway. I do miss depth perception though,” He laughs a little, though his free hand rubs at the bandages afterward.

“So you’re blind in that…eh, socket?” you ask, seeing the little white light in the other one brighten a bit as he smiles.

“Yep. And the wound on my chest won’t heal because of the malice the mage had for me. Magic must defeat magic, but the fact I survived is itself a miracle. We’ve tried everything, but it’d take a human mage to fix this. And we don’t exactly trust you guys that much at the moment to go asking.”

This makes your heart ache. “Another person that didn’t deserve what we did to them. Stars, I wish I could help.”

“You might be able to, one day, if someone trains you enough,” Geno seems hopeful as his thumb gently rubs the back of your head.

Error had never touched you, but you’d imagined it somewhat, and the softness in Geno’s actions put you at ease, even if it started the tears anew. “I’m just so sorry everything’s so screwed up.”

“It’s okay, really,” his expression is so soft. You’d never seen Error look at you like this, like you were something soft and small. He’d always looked at you like a challenge, or…or an equal. But you liked being small, at least right now. It fit how you felt inside. “Like I said, if someone trains you, you could be a really great healing mage, or any kind of mage actually. Your innate magic has been building up for so long it will probably take any outlet you give it.”

“Error didn’t notice till I told him I saw the king’s ghost,” you wonder aloud, still puzzled as you’re patted so softly.

“He’s usually a bit oblivious when it comes to other people. I’m not surprised he didn’t see it in you, being a human and all. He wouldn’t have thought to look,” His good eye light rolls in the blackness inside his socket, and you giggle.

“You’re right about that. He didn’t actually care what my name was till I’d been visiting for a week,” he snorts a bit at your words, and you find yourself feeling better.

“Well, that sounds like my brother. And he’s all in a huff because you got him to promise not to kill anyone. He’s been turning folks to stone instead, and we have to end that pretty quick,” Geno looks around and points.

Following his point, you see map that is far more extensive than anything you’d ever seen before. “That’s a map we giant’s have made. I use it to scry around and see what my friends and family are doing. I couldn’t see or speak to Error because of those chains on him hiding him from magic view, but I could find you. I can’t tell you where his house is now, since he’s moved several times since I was hurt, but I know some folks who can. Other giants, but you’ll have to find them. Start with Dream. He’s a naga, a half snake, who lives in the mountains closer to your kingdom. If he doesn’t know, his brother might, and only Dream knows where he lives.”

You look at the map, seeing more of the world than you knew existed in just its faint lines, but nodded. “The king will let me go if I say I’m going to stop Error. And I will.”

“Good. He needs to stop this useless feud once and for all,” Geno nodded, then set you back on the floor, “which wing of the castle should I drop you off in?”

“Ah, I haven’t memorized my new quarters yet, I’m afraid. But I can find my way from the kitchens, and they should be empty this time of night.”

“Ah, of course. Those fine clothes are clearly new to you with how stiff you move in them,” he gestures to a nearby wall, and a portal your size opens. “just step through, and I’ll see you when you’ve found my brother, hm?”

“Alright. And I will help you, as soon as I can,” you feel the promise settle tight in your chest, held fast till you can keep it.

“I’ll be waiting,” he waves goodbye, and you step into the light.

–

The walk to your new rooms from the kitchens let you clear your head.

You had a job to do. You had to find Error and stop this fiasco at the source, and to do that, you had to ask these other giants. To do this properly, without fear of some idiot seeking glory trying to kill them or out you as a ‘giant lover’ or something, you’d have to go alone.

But that was fine.

And in the morning, when you volunteered in front of the court to seek out the giant and end this terror, the king was more than happy to let you go.

Yes, he tried to send some knights with you to “aid in slaying that terrible beast!” but you turned him down.

“I do not wish others to be in danger, you majesty, and should something happen while I am gone, I would be much assured if the knights were here to fend it off.”

Well, he couldn’t argue with that logic. And off you went on your chestnut gelding to the far reaches of the kingdom with a tearful goodbye from your parents and the cheers you felt burning inside your chest from not deserving them.

–

It was…odd, seeing the kingdom like this.

Sure, you had your heading, able to see the mountains in the distance and follow what roads lead that way in your basic clothes (you refused to wear that ridiculous formal outfit to ride around; that was just asking to get robbed). But you had never been outside the castle before.

The sky was so much bigger without walls to interrupt it, and the hills rolled out as far as the eye could see. There was a vast world beyond your little castle, and if your warm horse had not been beneath you, you would have felt very small and alone indeed.

At least the people were friendly, as you rode through. A simple person on a journey to the mountains, and they thought that was a wonderful idea, gave you the best directions, offered to fill your canteen or share some cheese, lots of happy, kind people.

If you’d known it was like this out here, you’d have left long ago. The nobles were not the nicest of people, even if the king’s family were known for being level headed and considerate. You wished you’d had people more like these farmers and blacksmiths to grow up with, instead of being invisible in the bottom of the castle.

But that was neither here, not there, and as you got closer and closer to the mountains, the villages became fewer, and the people more stoic and quiet. Life was harder here, you could tell, and you didn’t bother them or do much more than asking what the local giant story was while resting at the inn. This was something every town had, you’d been told, and you enjoyed hearing whoever would tell you speak of this giant or that giant. You wondered what their names were, now that you knew they were just large people, where they lived and what they were actually like in person.

You kept going till you began to hear tales of a massive snake giant, who had only been seen by his massive golden coils, living in the nearby mountains. Eager, you asked if anyone had seen this giant recently, and the men had laughed.

“The timid thing barely shows itself nowadays. Last it was seen was nigh on five years ago, up the trail and a little ways to the left once you reach the fork,” says the barkeep, his dark brown mustache ruffling and eyes twinkling. “But if you wanna see him, just go to sleep up there. He comes to bless your dreams, so it’ll bring him around faster.”

This is the best information you’ve gotten, and you thank him for the advice. Everyone around seems to be wary of you though, and one man stops you before you leave. He says, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret once you’re up there. You’re not from here and you don’t know what he means to us who are.”

You are left alone after that and head up into the trail with some worry festering inside you.

They liked this Dream character? Humans liked and apparently valued a giant in some places?

It’s encouraging, because that means that humans and giants have already figured out how to get along in some places, but you just…don’t know about that. Compared to what you grew up with, this area of the kingdom was like a different world. Could the softer, comfier people of the lowlands appreciate a giant with all the good that was already in their lives? It was something to think about anyway.

Still, Dream was up here somewhere, and you hoped to find him.

–

The night was chilly this high up, and you lay close to your small fire as you settled in for the night. The little cup in the rocks you’d found to camp in was nice, and you hoped the sleeping trick would work to draw Dream out.

Twinkling above you were a multitude of beautiful stars, and the thought struck you that you’d never have been out here if Error had not been such a jerk.

It made you laugh, but you also felt the tears in your eyes. You were grateful, for the opportunity, for the things he’d taught you, for the time you’d shared, but it was tinged bittersweet because of how hurt you still felt by what he’d done with the gift of freedom you’d handed him so trustingly.

Your horse shuffles from where he’s tied, and you ask him, “What would you do if someone acted a tyrant after you’d given your whole trust to them? Maybe kick him in the face?”

The horse just looked at you, and you continued to laugh and cry at the same time. Eventually you muttered yourself into a fitful sleep that way, still leaking tears.

–

“Oh no no no, that won’t do at all,” was the whispering voice that woke you from what you were sure had been a nightmare, but you couldn’t remember any of it.

“Who’s there?”

A gasp above your head, and you opened your eyes to see the giant you had been seeking. White bones and a golden circlet on his skull, bright yellow eyes, and matching scales on the winding snake tail that wound out of sight into the mountain paths.

He began to back off, slowly, and you called, “Wait, Dream, Geno asked me to find you.”

Stopping, he whispers again, “You know my name? And Geno?” this seems to confuse him quite a bit. “I’ve never told anybody my name among humans. Is…Is Geno alright?”

“He’s fine, from what he said,” You sit up properly and continue looking him over, “But I came to find out where Error lives now. Geno said he’s moved so much he doesn’t know but that you might.”

Cautious, Dream settled himself a little bit away from you, and your skittish horse fretted in place. “Well, I don’t but…here, I have to make sure you’re not trying to trick me. I don’t like being suspicious, but after all the trouble those monks have caused lately…you won’t be too mad if I set a task for you to prove you’re not out to hurt anyone?”

“Go ahead. I’ll do anything you want, Dream, just to fix this. It’s my fault he’s running around turning people to stone.”

“He’s not just killing people like usual?” Dream seems pleased to hear this, and he quickly realizes he’s not composed enough for a test, so he shakes his head and schools his face into a more neutral expression. “Before I can believe you, you have to tell me things only someone who actually has good intentions would know. The monks would never know the right answers to questions like this, but if you really spoke to Geno and know Error…you should.”

You nod, paying attention as Dream considers you a moment.

“Alright,” Dream sighs and asks, “First question. What is magic?”

That seems almost too easy, but you do put thought into the answer before opening your mouth. “Magic is part of nature, from what I’ve learned. It exists, just like air and water and everything else. It’s not good or bad, but it is about intent. Geno can’t heal because of how bad the intent was from the person who hurt him.”

Dream’s tail, which you noticed had been moving before, stilled as you spoke, “Yes. You’re correct, on all counts. Hm.”

He looks you over a moment, as if reading you, then replies, “If you find Error, what do you plan to do with him?”

“I…” you find it hard to breathe deep enough as you think, “I really don’t know. I just have to stop him from hurting anyone. And ask why he hurt me. Because he did and it won’t stop hurting.”

His browbones curl inward, but Dream nods, “Alright. Last question.” He slides his hand very slowly across he clearing till it’s in front of you. “Would you touch me if I asked you to?”

“What? Yeah, of course.” You don’t even think past that, just reaching out and placing your hand on his fingertip.

That makes him smile, genuine and very eager, “Then you passed. You were honest and accurate, and you don’t think magic creatures are dirty or evil. A monk would never have touched me, especially not so easily.”

You hear a scrambling, and your horse is trying to break his tether. Dream is so big, he must be frightened of him.

“Oh oh oh,” Dream moves faster than you can, a golden glow from his hands as he softly strokes down your horse’s back, calming him, “easy, little one. I’m so sorry I frightened you. Easy, now.”

It was fascinating to watch your horse go from full panic to calm, and when the glow stopped, he didn’t panic again even when Dream moved away.

“How did you do that?” you ask softly.

Dream seems surprised, “Hm? Oh, that’s part of how my magic works. It’s pure positivity, so I can help people calm down or turn their bad dreams to good ones. Though,” he seems sheepish, “I couldn’t quite get hold of the one you were having. Whatever Error did to you must have been a pretty deep emotional wound.”

“It’s…complicated. But I’ll tell you on the way if you want to help me find him?” You want him to come with you. At least then someone will be on an equal playing field with Error if you see him again.

“Oh I…I thought I made it clear I didn’t know where he is right now. Sorry,” Dream did seem genuinely regretful about it, “But maybe Nightmare knows? My brother, he’s…well, he lives in the Long Lake.”

“You mean your brother is the….the Monster of Long Lake?” You’d heard tell of a giant there, usually from haggard travelers asking, begging the king to send someone to slay the beast.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Dream winced when you’d said ‘monster’ “and as much as I love him, he refuses to be kind to the humans who want to live near his lake. And I do believe they may have done something to him about it, because he’s not been answering me when I try to speak with him over magical means.”

“Oh no,” you think of Geno’s wounds, and the cold emptiness you felt at the castle creeps into your chest again, “I don’t care if he knows where Error is or not, we have to go help him.”

“Even knowing how he is to your people? You’d still rescue my brother?” Dream perks up, and you nod emphatically. “Then by all means. Why don’t I carry you and your cute little pony? I can’t go too close to the humans or they might react badly, so you’ll probably have to ride in on your own, but I can get you there much faster than even a horse can ride.”

“That sounds perfect, because if they have your brother, I don’t know what they’re going to do to him,” you scramble closer to Dream, and he picks you up like Geno had, cupping you into his hand and placing you gently on his shoulder.

He holds your horse like you would hold a kitten, and it’s rather cute while still being unnerving. Knowing how easily he can lift such a huge creature, and how simple it would be for Dream to crush both you and your horse, is very humbling and scary.

Even if you can’t quite believe he’d do that from how he cooed over the cuteness of your horse.

Chapter Text

You see the dawn breaking from Dream’s shoulder.

He wears a soft blue and white tunic, and a yellow cloak clasped at his throat with a star shaped brooch, so you are warm and safe as the two of you (and your sleeping horse) travel across the landscape toward Long Lake.

“So…are the stories all true? The ones about what your brother does?” you have to ask.

“Um…I’m afraid most of them are. He can’t control the weather, so those are false, but he does drag ships to the bottom and will, ah, sufficiently waterlog any human who gets too near his home,” Dream obviously doesn’t like admitting that his brother murders humans but…you are reassured that he doesn’t approve of those actions.

“So he’s a large octopus with coal black tentacles and a taste for human flesh,” you state flatly.

“He has bones like the rest of us!” Dream squeaks, “He’s just like me, his lower half is all tentacle-y and he actually wants to go to the ocean but he doesn’t like humans so he can’t get there without dealing with them. He used to be a naga like me but…things happened and now, he’d rather stay in the water.”

“So you can breathe underwater?” That would be a very cool ability to have and you’re a little in awe.

“Oh, no, we can’t breathe water, but we don’t actually need to breathe at all. It’s a vestigial reflex, from what I understand, from before our people were fully magical. Maybe? I haven’t looked into it that closely,” He blushes soft yellow, and you giggle. He’s adorable when he’s nervous.

“So you breathe just because your body does it anyway, not because you need to. That’s still kind of cool. I think people would probably be more afraid of you guys if you didn’t breathe,” you think about this as you look over the landscape. You aren’t THAT high up since Dream moved by slithering, his body just above the ground, but it’s still higher than horseback.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Yes, humans like things to work how they understand rather than being new or different. You’re quite observant, you know. And I’m glad you wanted me to come, because goodness, I haven’t actually talked with someone besides Nightmare for who knows how long! I missed sharing new ideas,” he adds at the end, and you can almost feel the wave of happiness coming from him.

“I’m glad you agreed to come, too,” you give him a bit of a pat, though you aren’t sure if he can feel it through the cloth, “It would have taken us days to get to Long Lake if it was just me and Brownie.”

“His name is Brownie? That’s so cute,” Dream exclaims, gently rubbing your horse’s back with his fingers as he holds him. “I love animals, really, but being so big makes them nervous and they usually run before I can get close. Plus, they’re mostly too small for me to be able to really interact with. So I especially adore horses and cows, since they’re big enough for me to pet safely.”

“Aw, Dream, that’s very sweet. Brownie really seems to like you now that you’ve proved you’re safe for him,” and you mean it. Though you hadn’t had him for very long, your horse had made it clear who he did and did not like.

He liked you, he liked your parents, and he liked the stable hand who gave the horse their food, but he did NOT like the knights or nobles in the least. He was a smart boy, your horse. You liked him, too. And as he woke up and whinnied softly, he was completely at ease in Dream’s hands.

“I am very very happy to hear that,” Dream gave a soft giggle, and in the far distance you saw the glitter of the lake. “We should be there soon, actually, so I’ll stay in the trees until nighttime. You find out what’s gone on with my brother, and we’ll fix things together.”

“That sounds like a plan, and a rather good one, too,” you beam at your giant companion. You didn’t have one past getting here, but Dream would help you and you were thankful for him. And for Geno, for finding you and steering you in the right direction. Otherwise you might still be lying on the floor of the crypt sobbing.

–

Dream lets you and Brownie down at the edge of the forest, wishing you luck and promising to see you in the night.

It’s easy enough to hear about what happened to Nightmare, as the town is celebrating when you enter. The people pat Brownie, happy and calling to you, “Welcome, stranger, on this happiest of occasions!”

“Oh? What’s going on?” you ask, curious even though you know the most likely answer.

“The monster has been captured!” someone cheers in the crowd and more reveling, and music is heard.

As you stop at the inn, people tie Brownie up for you, lead you inside, and begin regaling you with the tale of the monks who came and threw a holy net over the monster, pinning it to the lake bed and dragging it to the surface. Its many tentacles thrashed uselessly inside the net, and now the monks were examining their tomes to find out how to kill the giant beast.

You pretended to be amazed, and happy, and you rested yourself and your horse while eating delicious fish dishes and soft bread.

It was hard, but you reminded yourself that these were not bad people. They had been beset by an angry giant and lived in fear until now, so the monks taking advantage of this to kill another magical being was no surprise. Still, you were fond of Dream at this point, and knowing someone was planning to kill his brother made you upset to say the least.

When the sun was going down, you wave goodbye as the party continues, and head back to the woods.

Dream rises up at seeing you again, his smile so hopeful, “Did you find out what happened to my brother? Is he alright?”

Taking a deep breath, you explain, “Dream, the monks have caught him and are doing research to try and find a way to murder him.”

“What?!” His whole body shuddered, “They can’t! I haven’t figured out how to cure him yet! He’s just sick! Why would they kill him for being sick?”

“Dream!” You hop off Brownie and rush over to him, patting at his cheekbones as he began to cry. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. We’ll find where they’re holding him and get him out. He’s under a magic net, so that’s why he couldn’t talk to you. It’ll be okay.”

Fat yellow tears dribbled down his face, and Dream murmured, “This is worse than him being mad at me. This is worse. I just was trying to find out how to turn him back to normal and they’re going to kill him just because I failed…”

“Oh Dream,” hearing him being so defeatist is painful, and you’re getting a little soaked by his large tears, tingling with magic. “Hey, it’ll be okay. We’ll cut the net and get him out here with us and runa way, okay? We won’t stop till we’re a long way off. Then we’ll go find Error and start trying to fix this problem of people versus magic.”

“Can we really? Fix it, I mean?” The lights in his sockets were shaky and hazy, the small yellow lights so different from the color that filled Error’s. But you wanted those lights back to normal.

“Yes. Dream, the people who lived near your home love you. They wanted me to think twice about hurting you, if that had been what I’d come for,” he seems touched by the news, lights slowly focusing more, getting clearer, “now we have to get your brother out of danger so we can give him the chance to make things right, and to find that happiness for himself.”

“Okay. Okay, yes. Do you have a plan on how to get him out of the net?” he was asking so desperately, and you sigh.

“My plan is mostly using my knife to cut the strands of the net but that’s going to take a while. So, we must go now,” you admit, and as you back off, he nods.

The three of you (counting Brownie) head off toward the lakeside and begin your search of the shore for signs of Dream’s brother.

–

Dream vanishes, as you’re supposing most giants can do to go places, so you ride Brownie along the shore and look for signs of a camp, or large shapes in the water. It’s not an easy search since there are many rocky outcroppings around the lake and some spots where the forest comes right to the shore or obscures the further parts of the lake.

It takes an hour or so, but you soon notice a yellow blur zipping toward you and realize it’s Dream.

“I found him!” he pants as he finally zips to your side. “I warned him you were coming, but he tried to argue with me so I just came to get you.”

“Good!” you were more than eager to get as far away from the monks as possible with Dream and his brother.

Grabbing you up, though being gentle with Brownie, Dream hurried back the way he’d came and you had to hold on tightly to keep from being displaced by the speed. You’d never heard the wind whipping by so fast that it roared, but it did now, and you would have covered your ears if not for needing your hands to hold on.

His speed slowed when you neared a large lump you’d mistaken for rocks at the distance you’d been at before, but now knew to be a massive form trapped under netting tied with rune stones in the knots.

A single bright blue light stared out of the darkness inside the net as you approached, and a slime clogged voice growled out, “I thought I said I don’t want a human’s help.”

“Nightmare, you need their help, and they want to help you. Stop being pouty or you’re going to be killed. Do you remember what happened to Geno? Do you want that but worse?” Dream chastised the massive black shape beneath the net as you were set down.

Dismounting Brownie, you approached the gleaming eye light slowly as it glared at you.

“no, but I’m also saying I don’t want a filthy human near me. they’re all beneath us and deserve what they get, so unless you want this one to die, get them away from me,” hissed the gurgling voice, and you froze in place.

As your eyes adjusted more to what you were looking at, you began to make out writhing tendrils and the gleam of dark bones in the scant moonlight. Nightmare, as his name seemed to be, was trying in vain to escape his prison, and you sighed loudly to get his attention.

“You know Error was less cranky than you are, and he’d been trapped fifty years at least. And was starving. That’s saying something,” you tapped into your inner irritated state, that part of you that longed for the comfort of home and resented Error for making you come out here into danger and no good beds.

“what would you know about Error?” Nightmare’s voice seemed hesitant as he looked you over, eye light barely shifting.

“I know he teases like nobody’s business, and that he just got out and began turning people to stone because I was the idiot who decided he was worth setting free,” you state plainly. “Unfortunately, I fell in love with him, so I have to find him to make sure the whole kingdom doesn’t become a statue garden.”

There was a pause, and you hoped your bluntness hadn’t made things worse.

And then Nightmare laughed.

It was an awful sound, bubbling up from his chest and full of derision, but you smirked as you heard it.

“You? That was you? When he told me some dumb human had been feeding him and set him loose, I didn’t expect you to come after him. Geeze, I thought he’d have been smart enough to kill you. But then again,” He calms down a bit and you see the glow of his inner mouth leaking through the gaps in his pitch-black teeth, “you made him promise not to kill. A very smart human indeed.”

“So will you let them cut this net off you?” Dream pleaded, and Nightmare’s focus shifted back to him.

“if that will stop your whining, then yes.”

That was all the permission you needed, instantly scrambling over to the net and starting to cut. The weights were massive on the sides, all inscribed with more runes than you cared to count, and as you cut the lines, you could almost feel the difference. The stones in the knots were too small to power themselves, it seems, and working your way around the edges seemed to be slowly giving Nightmare’s struggles more power.

“Brother, I wouldn’t have even thought to come if they hadn’t found me,” Dream confessed, lying on the sand near Nightmare’s head. “I just thought maybe you were angry with me for something, even though I was worried. They’re the ones who thought the monks might be to blame.”

“well, that just means you’re stupid like I thought. You trust so easy, and you want to believe the best in people, which just gets everybody hurt,” he hissed back, and Dream clearly felt exactly that way.

“Hey!” you smack the water hard to make noise from where you’re cutting, knee deep in the lake, “He’s your brother, stop being a jerk. I don’t care about whatever it was that made you two fight however long ago, Dream’s my friend now and I won’t let you put him down like that.”

They both looked at you, and Nightmare turned back to Dream quickly, “You haven’t told them about what you did to me, did you?”

“No,” comes the soft, slightly frightened answer, and you keep working, even if you’re now in very much tension from what the tentacled giant might say next.

“well, little human, it’s his fault I’m like this. he was the one who abandoned me, left me to the mercy of the humans in our birthplace, let them chase and deride me until I was forced to flee. And he’s the one who didn’t notice I was heading into danger until it was too late. Let me walk right into the darkness and come out like THIS,” he gestures at his body and sneers back at Dream. “all because they loved you for your powers and hated me for mine. What a lovely twin you are, Dream.”

Dream was crying now, not like before, not hyperventilating. No, these were silent, slow tears that came as he curled in tighter on himself, arms crossed over his chest and not denying a word being said. He was ashamed of himself, and you took everything in as you kept cutting.

After all, no matter what their history was, you were still going to save Nightmare from the monks, because right now, his brother loved him and wanted to help.

“so, now what do you think of mr. sunshine here?” Nightmare’s intense stare made you uncomfortable.

Welp, might as well be honest, “It depends on how young you were when this happened.”

“We were children…” Dream murmured, and you snorted.

“Then none of this is Dream’s fault and you’re just bitter,” you couldn’t believe he was still blaming his brother for something that happened when they were kids.

“He could have stopped it, though! they loved him, they would have listened if he’d just tried to stop them!” Nightmare thrashed, some of his tendrils escaping the small hole you’d made by now and whipping around in anger.

“If he was a child, and they were adults, there was nothing he could have done that would have made them stop,” you’re done with his tantrum. “It’s never a child’s fault when adults do something awful. They probably would have just hurt him, too, if he’d tried to stop whatever they were doing.”

As you keep cutting, Nightmare is glaring at you, and Dream seems to not believe what you’re saying, even though the smile he gives you says he appreciates it.

“So you’re taking his side in this. typical human, not able to think past the surface,” he spat into the water to show his disgust with you. You just shrugged and kept cutting.

“No side to take. People do stupid things when they’re scared, and if Dream’s powers are all positive, yours must deal with the negative, am I right? They made dumb decisions on panic and made you a scape goat for everything wrong with them.” You were speaking from experience. How many times had the kitchen staff blamed little kid you for something going wrong when THEY were the ones who had messed up? How many nobles had called you filth just for being in their way by mistake? How many punishments had you taken in sad silence when you had done nothing to deserve them?

Something in your expression had made the brothers both stare at you, and you huffed and kept going as angry tears burned your eyes. “Adults are stupid when they’re scared. They don’t think about anybody but themselves and will gladly hurt anybody else to keep themselves from taking any blame. It’s not fair, but neither is life, so suck it up.” Your father always said that to you when you were crying. Stop or he’d give you something to cry about. Crying wasn’t strong, and you had to be if you wanted to amount to anything in the kitchens.

“they got you, to, huh?” Nightmare said, thrashing stilled and eye light considering you slowly. “we can feel all that pain, you know. open wounds aren’t easy to hide.”

“Is that why you befriended Error?” Dream asked, hesitant, but clearly concerned for you. “Because you felt trapped, too?”

What?

You weren’t trapped, what were they talking about? You knew your place, same as your parents, no sense wanting more even…even if you had been so happy to learn to read and…and feel special and…

Oh stars now YOU were crying because they were RIGHT.

Refusing to answer, you stubbornly looked back down and sawed at the net, breaking line after line as you continued around, getting deeper in the water until one of Nightmare’s tendrils wrapped around your waist and drug you away.

“don’t drown yourself just to avoid a question,” he huffed, and the deep chill of his touch slowly seeped in to make you shiver till he set you down on shore, “and you’ve done enough. I can get out now.”

Before you could do much else, Dream’s hands carefully cupped around you and lifted you up.

“It’s okay to not be okay, you know,” he said softly as you watched Nightmare wriggle his head and shoulders out of the net before flopping his tendrils out along with him. He just had a simple green tunic on, you noticed, soaking wet and clinging to his bones. You were trying not to listen to Dream.

“listen to him. irritating as he is, he knows how to make you feel better. doesn’t work on me but, well, that’s cause I know he’s a dork,” Nightmare dragged himself to shore and angrily balled up the net. “I’d throw this on those cowards at the monastery but that’d just give them their ammo back.”

You jumped as the net burst into flames in his hands, the crackling calming you as the evil thing burned.

Dream’s finger was rubbing your back, and you finally let yourself go. Was it really okay not to be strong? Was it really fine if you broke under the weight of your responsibilities?

Maybe not to your parents it wasn’t but…it was to Dream and Nightmare.

–

Nightmare could move on land perfectly fine, and you heard him speaking to Dream without understanding the words.

You were so tired, and finally someone bothered to ask if you were okay being the savior of two species and your answer was no. You just wanted to be happy and safe and cared about, but the world had decided you were going to be a hero whether you could actually handle it or not.

It was probably safe to say the full magnitude of what had happened with Error hadn’t fully hit you till now, all the fanfare at the castle and this quest and the king’s ghost and all that. So now you were going to cry about it and hopefully that would make you feel better.

“I think maybe we should talk to Geno. I was hoping you’d know where he was,” Dream said to his twin, and you just curled in on yourself. Yes, please, you wanted to be something smaller right now. Something that didn’t have to save the world if it didn’t want to. Not a human, not a thinking being.

“I don’t, but that’s a good idea. They need something to stop this spiral, too,” you hadn’t heard Nightmare’s voice so clear and soft before. It helped.

“Alright. Once we’re far enough away, we’ll set up a scrying then. Would you help me let them sleep?” Dream asked, and you didn’t really know what happened next. Your feelings dulled and your tired body gave out.

–

Something warm was dripping into your mouth.

It woke you up enough to drink it, but you didn’t want to open your eyes.

“Stubborn, aren’t they?”

“I can tell you that’s an understatement,” Nightmare’s voice, that one.

“I just hope we didn’t go to far,” Dream was talking now.

“No,” oh you knew that voice now. It was Geno. “It just takes a little longer for humans to get used to magic, that’s all. Especially since their own is in such a pent-up state. They’ll wake up soon enough.”

Well, you did want to see Geno again, so even though it felt like a mistake, you opened your eyes and looked around.

Geno’s house, you recognized, and Dream and Nightmare were curled nearby, resting on coils and tendrils like pillows.

The scent of the house hit you, and you could finally identify it. Medicine. It had the stringent, dissociated scent of the medical about it, and a hint of citrus. It made you nervous until the scent of warm chalk and milk hit you to overtake it.

Looking up, you saw you were in Geno’s palm, and he had what looked like a glass tube in his other hand. It was so small compared to his fingers, but you realized the red residue inside must have been what you’d been drinking.

“What happened?” you asked, voice rough from sleep.

“You’d been holding yourself too tight for too long,” Geno explained.

Nightmare added, “Tends to break people when they can’t hold it anymore, so you had a bit of an episode. Had to make you sleep before you got too deep in the despair and Geno gave you some stuff to help you handle it better.”

“it’s not too strong, since I didn’t know the right dose for a human sized person, but it’ll help you stay clear headed till you’re more ready to talk about it,” Geno finished, setting his little tube to the side and looking you over. “You’ve come a very long way and done quite a lot. I’m actually surprised this is the first time this happened. Even a giant would have been hard pressed to handle all you have.”

There’s not much you can say to that, not knowing the right words for an occasion like this, but you nod in acceptance. If you thought about it, you were surprised, too. “I guess I didn’t know I was allowed to feel any different.”

“yeah, I’d say that’s right,” Nightmare rolled his eye light, and you thought about when Error would do that. You missed it. How long had you even been away from him? A few weeks? It felt like forever.

“But you know you can now, so be sure and tell us if you need to talk,” Dream said softly, and you give a reluctant agreeing nod. Geno transfers you to Dream’s hands, and you see him shift uncomfortably before laying back on the pillows.

“So neither of you know where my brother is living right now,” Geno asked the twins.

“I’m afraid not,” Dream answers, “He always just talked to me through scrying, not in person.”

“And the last time he moved, he never got around to telling me where,” Nightmare is idly braiding his tentacles together as he sits, not really looking at anybody else.

Geno rubbed the bridge of his nose, or the bone under that area anyway, and finally put his hand up, pointing at the ceiling, “I know who else we could ask.”

“the weirdo dragon?” Nightmare asked, and Dream seemed offended.

“Ink is not weird, he’s excitable.”

Laughing softly, Geno nodded, “Yes, Ink is sure to know. He can never leave my brother alone, so we ask him.”

“And where do we find this Ink dragon?” You’re not sure about meeting a dragon, but you’ve met a lake monster, a mountain serpent, and two land giants so why not?

“I’ll give you the directions,” Geno replies as he begins writing it out on a piece of parchment from a nearby table.

Chapter Text

Nightmare actually decided to carry you while Dream read the map.

“Alright, we just have to go toward that peak there,” Dream gestured toward the lone mountain in front of you, “And we’ll be able to find Ink relatively soon.”

“kind of surprised the hyperactive nut hasn’t come down to greet us already,” Nightmare mumbled as the three of you headed forward.

“Guys?” you ask, and the two look at you, “Where’s Brownie?”

Dream looked away, guilty, and Nightmare answered, “That’s your horse, right? We were in such a rush to get you to Geno that sunshine forgot to bring him.”

“I’ll go back and find him later! I promise!” Dream cringed as you stared at him.

“So he’s just supposed to wander around the lake and survive on his own, possibly be captured by the monks, and used for evil. Or hurt and left for dead,” you are not impressed or amused, and Dream slumps to the ground under your gaze.

“hehehe, dream, I like your human now. They don’t let you get away with your panic mess ups,” Nightmare snickers and you feel bad as Dream nods.

“I’ll…I’ll go get him. Right now.” Before you could even apologize, he disappeared.

“Just you and me now, tiny,” Nightmare stated, and you did not want to turn around and look at his expression. “you know I didn’t expect you to actually want to save me? it’s kind of funny, knowing how you feel about Error and my brother. Well, and Geno.”

You don’t like his tone, like he’s mocking you, but you don’t say anything.

“nothing to say?” he poked your back and you finally looked at him. Well, you weren’t expecting that look. He had more of a thoughtful expression going, just kind of curious, and he was using one of his tendrils to do the poking.

“I’m not sure where you’re going with this, so I don’t have the words yet,” you reply just sitting in his palm and feeling the slight chill of his black bones.

“Well,” he shrugged and blinked slowly, letting you get a good look at his face for the first time. His right eye was covered by a layer of sludge, the same sticky stuff (you assumed) that coated his tendrils, leaving little black drips and stains. It was good you really didn’t care about your clothes.

“Well what?” you prompt.

“Well, are you going to explain why you wanted to save me or not? I assume it has a lot to do with my dork of a brother,” he huffed.

You can’t argue with that but, “I was actually just scared? Knowing what happened to Error and seeing Geno, when Dream said you might be in trouble, I kind of couldn’t think of anything besides saving you.”

Nightmare tilted his head to the side a little, the tendril gently prodding you again, “you honestly just wanted to save me to stop anything bad from happening to me. that’s kind of weird, you know. most people don’t hear about something dangerous and instantly rush in to save someone from it.”

“Guess I’m not most people then. At least not about this…whole monk thing. They kill humans who have magic, too. Children even. They’re awful and need to be stopped,” just thinking about how much you probably don’t know about the monks’ evil compared to all you do is making you feel sick.

“wow, and here I thought they were just annoying,” Nightmare seems genuinely surprised, but not bothered. “I’m not exactly an advocate for human life, but there’s a special kind of hell for people who murder kids. They aren’t old enough to know better yet. Scare them, sure,” He grinned wickedly and you glared at him, “but don’t kill them.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page about that at least,” and it is a very big relief to know. You don’t think you could be as forgiving of Nightmare as Dream was if he didn’t have SOME kind of morality.

“You do realize if I hadn’t been sinking boats and keeping humans out of vulnerable areas that lake would have been fished dry in two generations? Or have humans not learned about conservation yet?” he asks, and you’re utterly confused. “Ah, that clueless look tells me everything. Ignorance might be bliss, but it also gets you killed in the right circumstances.”

You don’t know if you’ll ever get along with him, but Dream returns and is sniffling and holding Brownie close. “I really didn’t mean to leave him behind. I’m sorry.”

Seeing him so upset, you sigh and smile, “Dream, I’m not mad at you. It’s okay, we’ve got him now and we can keep going to see this Ink guy.”

He nods, and Nightmare growls a bit and starts heading toward the mountain again.

—

Nightmare’s touch gets a little too cold for you, and Dream happily sets Brownie down so you can ride. You’re close enough to the foot of the mountain that the giants don’t have a way to get ahead of you, and the cave Geno mentions in his directions is easy to see.

Heading up the hill, you see splashes of color over some rocks, and tree trunks, and pretty much anything in the path of the splash, and it makes you wonder what sort of dragon this Ink is. Presumably a skeletal one, like Nightmare and Dream are skeletal, but you aren’t sure.

Brownie stops at one point, a short distance from the cave, but utterly unviewable from inside. “You don’t like this place, Brown-brown?” you ask as you pat his flank.

His gives a snort and worries the ground with his front hooves.

“Okay then,” you aren’t about to push him; poor horse has been through enough already. “You go back to Dream. I’ll come back with a new friend, hopefully. Or at least directions.” Hopping down, you give Brownie another pat and set off, hearing him make his way back toward the twins as you approach the opening in the mountain.

More colorful splotches, making you think of the smocks the royal portrait painter usually wore. Maybe that’s what this was. Paint.

Once you’re at the entrance, you call inside, “Um? Hello? Is there a Mr. Ink living here?”

“Oh a new voice!” you hear movement, but then there is a rattle of chains and you’re struck with pain. “Um, I can’t actually make it out of here, so if you wouldn’t mind coming in? just head straight forward and then take a left when you hit the back.”

Sort of used to shenanigans by now, you do as asked, continuing to speak, “Well, Geno sent me and Dream here to talk to you. Uh, and Nightmare, but he’s not as happy to be here.”

“Oh? You got both of the twins together in the same place and survived? That’s really neat! Now, I can’t tell by your voice, but I’m guessing you’re not another giant, are you? Because I think I know pretty much all of us and…”

You don’t hear the next words as, when you take that left turn he suggested, your feet slip out from under you and you go sliding, and screaming, down a slope to land hard on a pile of old canvases.

“Oops… forgot about the slope. Sorry. But I was right! I’ve never met you before,” Ink continue to talk, and as you get your bearings again, you take in the space you’ve entered.

There are a few torches here and there, covered in glass globes to throw the light around the large cavern. One wall was a massive map even larger than Geno’s, covering more land and sporting colorful dots. Before you could concentrate on it, though, you tuned back into what Ink was saying.

“I wish I could have come to greet you but uh…kind of chained to the wall. Heh,” you looked and saw the sheepish smile of the skeleton before you. He had a pair of horns sweeping back from the top of his skull, and small fans that covered the hole where his ears would be, the membranes of them swirling rainbow colors. He was mostly humanoid from there down, at least till the resurgence of rainbow magic coating his body from the ribs down and blending into the shimmering scales of his dragon’s lower body.

“Um, can I just say, wow?” you murmur as you take him in, wincing at the massive runed shackle around his right leg.

“Oh? Oh, you like my scales? I’ve had a lot of down time to polish them since the Brotherhood of Purity broke in here, but it’s good to know all the hard work paid off.” Ink was pretty chipper about things, considering his belly area was sunken in so tight it looked like the center of an hour glass. “Anyway, I don’t suppose you brought the twins in here with you? I don’t think you can reach that key all the way up there.”

You look where he gestures and groan. Above the big hole you’d slid through, a large key was laid on a rock shelf high above. “No, but maybe they heard me scream when I fell?”

As if on cue, one of Nightmare’s tendrils slips down the hole, “Ink, you idiot, did you break our human with your dumb house?”

“Hey, Nightmare! No, they’re fine, I’m just chained to the wall down here and we need some help getting out,” Ink said in delight. “Also, if you have the horse the human came with, that’d be lovely, because I’m literally starving.”

“NIGHTMARE DON’T YOU DARE!” you and Dream shout at the same time, and Nightmare’s tendril flops limply.

“like I’d get both of you mad at me. and I don’t want that creature angry either. Some of the expressions it makes are weird enough already,” after a moment, the rest of Nightmare’s body joins his tendril and he looks around, “geeze, and you still have that stupid map up. we told you to get rid of it, but I guess it’s too late now.”

Ink looks between you and Nightmare, then flops, “Okay, if we’re being honest here, I’d be eating the human if I could reach them, but seriously, can we get that key off the doorway and unlock me? I won’t eat anybody Dream doesn’t want me to if I can just get loose and get to my food stores.”

“uh, yeah, the human is kind of important cause they made pals with error and made him promise not to kill humans, so I can’t let you eat them either,” Nightmare turns a soft turquoise on the cheekbones. “and I like arguing with them. They make sense sometimes.”

You are surprised that your instant instinct after hearing all this is to grab onto the nearest tendril and hug it. Nightmare’s cold, but Ink just said he wanted to eat you.

“They did? He did?! OH wow, yeah, no, that is definitely a friend and not a snack, then. Sorry, human!” Ink seems kind of scatterbrained, if you had to put a word to it. He changes his mind very quickly. You’re not going to be comfortable with him for a while.

Wrapping his tendril around you, Nightmare lifted you up and let you get the key, “I don’t trust those monks to not put a curse on a non-human touching that. You take it.”

Not like you have much of a choice if you’re going to find out where Error is, so you pick up the key and cling to it, since it’s very heavy and Nightmare is being purposefully slow, snickering when you turn to glare at him. Okay, so he’s safer than Ink, but Nightmare is still going on a list of people you’re irritated with. Along with Error.

Nightmare puts you down and you approach a little before stopping, “I won’t let you loose until you swear on your own life that you won’t hurt me. After what you said, I don’t trust you.”

Ink considers you, seeming surprised, “Wow, you’re right, Nightmare, they’re a cautious one. Okay. I swear, on pain of death, that I won’t do anything that would hurt you purposefully. I can’t cover accidents.”

“Reasonable,” you nod, and go forward, though still tense and ready to drop and run at any point. But, good as his word, Ink just lays on his front and lets you get to the lock on his leg easier as he chats with Nightmare.

“I’d never really thought the humans were really aware of us, you know? I thought we were just stories for them, but then those monks banded together and they came in here and were pretty sadistic about how they chained me and left the key in sight and everything. But now they have my map, so we should probably check on everyone when we get the chance,” his voice just rambled on over the words, and Nightmare just nodded, looking bored.

As you twisted the key (with great difficulty as the chain was covered with more of the paint you’d seen outside) you chastised the dragon, “Never underestimate someone just because of their size. It’s dangerous for you and demeaning for the other person. You might be big, but humans have you in numbers. It’s rather scary what people do in large groups.”

Ink made a thoughtful noise as his leg popped free, a raw patch having been worn onto the leathery rainbow hide of his feet, a few oozing spots where scales had been torn loose. The fluid that came out was black and thick, and when the smell hit you, you knew what it was.

“You bleed ink?” you ask as you head back toward Nightmare, looking up at Ink as he’s lying there flexing his newly free leg.

“Mmhm, I do. At least from the lower half, my bones make marrow instead. The skin down there is mostly my magic, and being the creative powerhouse that I am, I literally bleed my namesake. Convenient, should I ever become trapped and injured and have to write my last will on the wall. But I don’t want that to happen,” he slowly got to his feet once you were safely wrapped in Nightmare’s sticky tendrils. “Now, I need to get to my food stores behind a boulder in the upper level, so if we can all slip back up there?”

As Nightmare turned, you saw Ink stretch, and a pair of wings, matching the fins on his head, unfurled slightly in the limited space. A true dragon, as you realize, when his yawn also spurts a very small amount of flame.

However, still, you observe him as Nightmare easily slithers out with the aid of his tentacles, and Ink is rather like Dream in his disposition. Upbeat, almost always smiling at least a little, excited for new things, and very much glad to see people he knows as he hugs Dream once you get outside and see him curled protectively around Brownie.

“Dream! I missed you so much! Have you spoken to Blue?” Ink asks as he lets your first companion go.

“Yes, I talked to him just last week. Since we’d lost track of you and Error, we’ve all been a bit more cautious,” Dream responds as Ink darts over to a large boulder, rolling it aside and diving inside.

“That’s good, because the Purity sect has my map, so everyone should probably move,” his echo is interesting, and you are glad when Dream takes you from his brother and sets you on his shoulder.

When you hear the sound of eating, you relax. Ink is feeding himself, and not on you or your now-adored horse.

–

Dream and Ink chat as the latter eats, and Nightmare takes a nap in the shade of the rocks. You learn a lot about him, in the time he’s recovering from his ordeal.

He’d been chained up for about six months, which makes you wonder what would have happened if he’d been stuck as long as Error had been, and had probably been the first that the Brotherhood of Purity located. They’d used his map to find Nightmare, and who knows how many others, but they did not yet have a mage capable of inflicting damage like what had been done to Geno or worse.

Ink had no manners to speak of, continuing to talk even when his mouth was full and muffled the sound, and forgot what he was saying frequently because he went off on tangents.

While he was talking, Dream introduced you properly to Ink, and Ink marveled at the story of you and Error, and then your journey thus far.

“Wow, Dreamie. And you!” He popped out of his cave at last, the rainbow membrane that faded into the iridescent white of his draconic underside now stretched out and much more healthily shaped. “You are by far the most Determined human I’ve ever seen. Well, at least in as much as a soul whose main trait ISN’T Determination can be. But we’ll talk about all that later! I’ve got to take you to the house of Glitchmas!”

You laugh. “Error would smack you for saying that.”

“I know, he’s so fun to mess with,” Ink grinned like an imp. “Ooh and now, knowing that you’re his favorite person in the world, I have so much more to tease him with!”

“How am I his favorite person in the world?” you want to know how Ink came to this conclusion. “He betrays me, then runs away from me when I confront him, and now he won’t even talk to anybody. Dream’s been trying to contact him since we started out to save Nightmare and he hasn’t answered yet.”

“Well, knowing him for centuries, I can give you several reasons,” Ink chirped, his wings fully extending behind him as he flexed his shoulders, “Firstly, you freed him from prison! You did that for me, too, and I definitely have you in my top ten favorites now! Also, you fed him, right? And what did he say?”

You blink a few times and look away. “He kept asking for chocolate every time after the first one.”

“Yeah!” Ink nods, “If Error says he likes something openly, even if just a little, he clearly likes you for giving it to him. Also, food is super important, there’s a whole subgroup of us that values it above most else, so there’s that, too!”

You nod, following his logic but still doubtful.

“Dream,” Nightmare wakes up and huffs, “can we make the flappy chatterbox tell us where Error is now?”

“Huh?” Ink stops in place and gets up on his feet, “Oh, you wanna see Error? No problem! I’m not going to die now, so I’ll just take you to him. He’s not that far off.”

Surprised, Dream tucks you gently into the pocket of his tunic, and you happily vanish into it for a break from Ink’s incessant talking.

–

Geno scrys with your group that night.

“Oh thank stars,” he sighs when Ink waves at him over Dream’s shoulder. “Where have you been, you wanderer?”

“Chained to my wall at home,” he smiles and lifts up his leg to show the nasty wound that he had yet to let Dream attempt to heal, “Look at my injuries! I haven’t seen my own ink without needing it in ages!”

“he’s just as crazy and talkative as ever, geno,” Nightmare groans, bundled tight in his own tendrils. “please tell me we don’t have to stay with him once we get the human to Error’s house.”

“Well of course I’m not going to make you stay,” Geno answered, “But once you do get to my brother’s home, please remember that he’s going to be angry, more than likely.”

Something in you boils out and you hop up inside Dream’s pocket, “What right has HE to be angry when I’m the one who has to deal with all his idiotic cruel mess?”

“Ah,” there’s a small shrink in his shoulders before Geno answers, “He’ll think he’s the one being put upon for the promise. So he’ll be angry, and someone has to talk to him and make him see sense. He’s so used to being alone, and very much fought against, that he forgets people can be kind.”

“very rarely, yes,” Nightmare’s voice bubbles up again, and you throw a rock from your pocket at him. It lands ludicrously short and he laughs.

Geno gave a chuckle of his own, “Well, if anyone can get through to him, it’s that little spitfire there. Give him my love, hon.”

“I will, but only after he apologizes to me,” you shout back, but you can’t be mad at Geno. If you had any living siblings, you’d have probably been the same about them.

–

Ink chatters so much during the walk that you don’t really even hear his voice anymore. It’s just the background of your life this week, and you’ve come to like it. You enjoy his tangents because of how infectious his excitement is, and you like how he and Dream seem to be very good friends.

But you are thankful for the silences late in the night, when he and Dream are sleeping and its just you and Nightmare awake. You’ve found a peace in his chilled tendrils, relaxation in the quiet companionship.

The reason it was taking so long was Ink was estimating the distance by flight rather than on foot, which he’d remembered neither of his companions could do the morning of the second day.

Going through the mountains was hard even for giants, so you had the time to get used to these three and their ways. It was nice, and you soon began to feel connected with them, even Ink, who slowly began to ask you questions about the world from “so far down”.

The trees that reached their necks were towering to you, and everything that was impossibly small to them was the right size for you. You could pluck the dead scales off Ink’s tail with ease when he could not get his clawed fingers in the right angle to do so himself, and you loved being able to scratch that little crevice in Dream’s spine that itched him terribly (you saw that there was a healing crack there, but did not tell him since it was so small), and combining this with Nightmare’s tired acceptance of you and your company, you felt amazingly at ease.

In all their size, their strength and magical power, you felt more secure in the grip of these giant skeletons that you’d found across the land. Humans made you nervous, made you afraid, mostly because of how fake they were, hiding their real motives to try and get something.

But you were far too small for the giants to hide things from you out of fear, and insignificant enough that manipulation of you was as simple as picking you up and placing you elsewhere. They could use fear instead of cunning, and it would work, but that is not what you got from them.

You received interest, curiosity, gentle touch, and soft voices. Their massive hands never crushed you, even as easy as that would be, and those jaws were only bared in smiles and teasing smirks rather than spelling your doom. Magic was a tingle in your leg as you were healed from a scrape and a soft warmth oozing from their bones, not the jolt of death you knew it could be from all those tapestries of wizards and giants alike destroying homes and people.

Curling up on Ink’s chest, the warmest place in the chilly valley Error’s home was located in, you draw your blanket closer and close your eyes. He’d said your group would reach Error’s house tomorrow, and you wanted to be at your best to meet your ‘friend’ once more.

But you weren’t afraid now as you had been when he’d first left. Now you had three very large reasons to be able to speak freely, and Error would have to listen.

Chapter Text

You woke when Ink started talking.

Surprisingly it wasn’t the crack of dawn, and you were now traveling upright, cupped to his chest with a hand. He wore gloves, very soft and well used. Not that he wore much else, but you weren’t surprised. If your body was covered in the mystifying whorls and patterns that decorated Ink’s bones, you wouldn’t want to cover them either.

“And then I told him he was being difficult and he just left! But that’s Error for you, isn’t it?” he was iterating to Dream, who nodded.

“Telling stories without me?” you asked, and you were instantly scooped into Nighmare’s grip right out of Ink’s hand. WHOO that was a temperature change, from Ink’s dry, sun-like warmth to the damp cold of Nightmare’s tendrils.

“good morning,” he grinned as he saw you jolt from his chill. “ink was hoarding you till you woke up. we’re almost there.”

“Okay, but COLD!” you yelped, and that made him and Ink snicker. Ink didn’t seem to mind you being stolen if it was entertaining.

Dream came to your rescue, at least verbally, “Brother, please, at least let them ride till they’re at themselves. They do have to address Error on their own. You know how defensive he gets if he feels outnumbered.”

“yeah yeah,” Nightmare huffs, reluctantly setting you down as Dream does the same for Brownie. The giants have to go very slowly for you to ride and still keep up with them, but that’s fine. Now that you know you’ll be going in alone, you’re a little more hesitant to arrive.

You can almost see your destination, though, a large shape in the distance that stands out in color from the rest of the mountains around you. Brown against grey, and getting larger by the moment as you approach.

“Um, guys, what do we do about the turning people to stone thing? He was kind of doing that last I checked,” maybe they have some insight.

Dream hummed in throught, and Ink said, “Well, if he’s doing that, one of us should go with you. That way at least you’ll have someone to turn you back to squishy bits.”

“Ink, don’t frighten them like that. Error wouldn’t turn THEM to stone; they saved him, he’d at least be hesitant enough for them to get a word in,” Dream admonished.

Nightmare sighed deeply and ushered them forward to have their argument while he stayed behind, “I can taste the fear off you, tiny. Don’t mind them. I know Error, probably better than they do, and he won’t turn you to stone. He IS going to yell, and he IS going to be difficult, but knowing how he reacted to you yelling back at him at your castle…heh, well, he’s going to want to hear what you have to say.”

That bubbling tar barrel of a voice oozed into your chest and stilled the panicked fluttering of your heart. Nightmare was right. He could have done any number of awful things to you right there in the castle, but he didn’t. He even kept his word and let the guards go after eating them. That…that meant your opinion of him was important to some extent.

You did mean something to Error and he should listen to what you have to say.

You hate to say that you reached out your hand for him, and Nightmare would never admit that he gently touched the tip of his tentacle to your palm, dwarfing it so much even with the barest minimum of his being.

But it happened.

And you felt better for it.

--

It was decided that Ink should take you to Error’s door simply because he refused to let either of the twins do it.

You also wanted Dream to stay back and keep Brownie safe, because no other mortal creature knew the vast amount of crazy you had been through other than him. You would never in your life find a companion of his caliber.

The house itself was like a normal home, only fit for someone giant size. The roof was thatched with whole trees, the beams of a material you couldn’t name, thick enough to Ink as a pine tree would be to you. Massive stones made for the bricks, and the door seemed to be several tree halves melded together in some fashion. You weren’t a builder, you couldn’t say.

Ink knocked and called, “Error! I brought a surprise for you!”

“g-g-go away, you irritating squiiiiii-squid. I’m not done sulking.” Oh you wanted to punch yourself for how your heart leapt to hear his voice again.

“Error!” you yelled at the door, and heard a thud and rushing footsteps coming your way.

He looked…better, you notice as Error flings the door open to stare at you in Ink’s hand. His cheekbones were not so prominent, movements smoother, more sure. His eyes were brighter, too. You smile in spite of the quaking of anger in your chest. He’s healthier now.

“start talking,” he finally spits out, looking now between you and Ink.

“Error, I came to talk to you about what you did at the castle…and later, apparently, because people aren’t supposed to turn into statues,” you sound like an idiot, even to yourself. “But stars, mostly I just want to ask why you broke your promise.”

“What?! I di-i-i-I,” he clamped his mouth shut and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths, “I did not break it. I let those humans go, and I didn’t kill anyone.”

“But you would have if I hadn’t said anything, or if I’d stayed inside till you left.” You had stood up in Ink’s hand, said dragon also watching the argument with interest.

“Well yes! Wouldn’t you want to murder a few idiots after they starved you and left you for dead for FIFTY YEARS?!” you wince at his high volume, the malice in his stare.

Finally, Ink interjects, “I don’t think they would, Error.”

“And what do you have to do-o-o with this?” his attention focused on Ink as you try to calm down.

“Well, me and the twins brought them here. Y’know humans don’t know where everybody is, and thank stars or those purity weirdos would have already burned your cute house to the ground. Also, your brother says hi.” You could catch your breath in his rambles, looking Error over. He was clean, dressed in full clothes, and the places on his wrists (the only ones you could see) were still raw and pulsing blue, but not nearly as large as the wounds you had seen when you’d unshackled him.

Part of you shudders as you remember that detail your initial rush to free him had blocked, and Error sees where you’re looking and pulls his sleeves down further. “Geno? What does he have to do with anything?”

“He helped me find you,” you answer and Error turns pale. “The living king was going to try to find you on his own, and Geno helped me know where to start when I volunteered to go instead.”

“of course you’d come to put me back in irons,” he hisses, and you physically feel a stab in your chest that knocks you back to your knees.

“Error! Stop!” Ink holds you close to his chest now, suddenly protective, “They came to keep you from getting attacked! All alone, just them and their little horsie against an unknown. And come on,” He huffs in irritation as you try to recover from that strange pain, “all they ever talk about is how hurt and used you made them feel when you just up and left. They missed you! They fed and freed you, and you scared them and somewhat betrayed their trust. Stop being a tantrum baby and fix this.”

“Don’t call meeeeeeeeeee, me names, Ink.” Error was very upset, and you didn’t know how to de-escalate this. “They’re a mage! Did you know that? They could do anything!”

“Uh, yeah, they told us as soon as they met us,” Ink blinked, confused. “They want us to teach them healing so they can help Geno.”

“They….they what?” Error seemed to be having trouble dealing with this information. “But they…why would anybody come all this way if they weren’t angry?”

“Error, I am angry, but I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to understand why and maybe help you figure out a better way to deal with…well, people, if that’s possible.” You just want him not to resort to hurting innocent people when it was those stupid monks who did everything.

He’s baffled, clearly, but you saw Error relenting, the tension around his sockets slowly easing until he sighed and rubbed his sockets. “Fine. Go get the other two idiots and come in. It’s too suspicious for you three to all be outside.”

Relief was an understatement of how you feel now.

--

Dream didn’t know about this.

Yes, the human and Error clearly had made a connection. Even with as estranged as they currently acted, Dream could feel the affection there, the concern and search for connection from the human and Error’s soul reaching out timidly for the presence of another.

Their dynamic was out of sync, though, and the negative parts of Error’s feelings were blocking things rather effectively.

Still, it was nice to be in a proper home, to have a soft rug under his scales and be able to enjoy company with his brother by his side. That was hopeful, that was good!

And he could even feel the small pulses of amusement and teasing from his brother…Nightmare hadn’t been this calm and personable in decades. And all from one small being with a penchant for honesty.

“And that’s it,” They had been explaining to Error what had gone on after he left, all the way till they arrived here.

He laughed, the glitches in his voice making breaks in the sound, but at least he was having fun. “so you’re tel-el-elling me the squid wanted to eat you? haha! Ink, you’ve improved some,” Error teased, and Ink whined, blushing rainbow.

“I was hungry! Sue me! You don’t have a literal fire in your belly that needs fuel!” the whining tone belied Ink’s shame at being so desperate when Error had been treated far worse for far longer.

“Ink, hush,” you told him and Dream smiled. You’d have snapped at him when you first brought him out of the cave, but at this point you counted Ink as close as either him or his brother. Well, maybe not as close as Nightmare. He’d seen, in the times he had to turn over in the night, how you slept in the shelter of his brother’s body, and the safety that seeped from you in his hold. Ironic, really, compared to that fear the first mention of him had brought up.

“I won’t hush if he keeps teasing me,” Ink pouted, crossing his arms, and Error and Nightmare both snickered.

“he’s gonna keep doing it. happens every time,” Nightmare cooed, and you snort, pushing the tendril he was trying to sneak around you away. He was playful, sharing in the conversation, and it eased Dream’s soul to see it.

“Dream?” you ask, and he jolts. “You got far away for a minute. Are you okay?”

The other three his size turn to look, and Dream feels his cheekbones heating, “Y-yes! Sorry, I was just…ah, well…” He hates to admit this and possibly break the moment, but everyone’s looking now. “It’s just so nice having all of us together peacefully.”

They all look at each other, and you ask, so innocently curious, “Did you guys used to not get along?”

“Error and I were fighting like…every day for a long time,” Ink said, shrugging, “But then Geno got hurt and he didn’t care about fighting with me anymore.”

“yeah, because you were always coming around and doing crazy things to my house,” Error rolls his eyes.

“and I tried to kill dream at least six hundred times before I got distracted with the lake.” You look up in shock at Nightmare and he pushes you gently, “that was long before your ancestors were born, pipsqueak. Clearly I can be civil now.”

Sadly, you leaned into his tendril and looked at Dream, worried.

“He’s telling the truth, but I’m very glad things have changed,” Dream moved his hand to be in your range, and you cuddled his fingers. Wow that made him feel good, and when he smiled up at Nightmare across the table, he actually got a smile back, even if it was a small one.

Error made a gagging noise, and you looked to him, sticking your tongue out, “Just because you have problems expressing your emotions doesn’t mean we have to.”

“pfft,” Nightmare tried not to laugh, “error, you literally picked the most stubborn human in the world as your best friend, what the heck?”

“Not like I had a choice. They were the one who showed up…obviously they did a good job,” now he was pouting about it, how sweet.

“Error,” you asked softly, looking at him, “Can Dream heal your wrists for you?”

“huh? oh, yeah, maybe,” Error holds out his wrist, the dribbling blue from it making you wince, but Dream sees it’s not nearly as bad as it could have been, must have been when fresh.

“Oh, yeah. Geno probably did the groundwork, right?” he asks as he starts the process.

“Mmhm. He ran out of steam before he could finish. It was alright enough for me,” Error just watched as Dream worked, the green magic around his fingers seeping in and healing the worn down bone.

You watched, fascinated, and it was clear to see how naturally you gravitated to the healing, Dream able to see the sparks in your soul as you latched on to the sight and feeling.
This would be good. He supposed, now that your goal of finding Error had been reached, that someone would need to train you in healing magic to channel your innate magic.

Even if Geno was the best, Dream would take the basics for you, if you wanted him to. He’d have to ask later.

--

“So what do we do now?” Error asked, just looking at his four guests.

He just…didn’t want them here anymore. He’d had fun, catching up, but he just needed quiet now.

“Well, since I can fly without leaving everybody behind, I’m gonna head home. Just scry me up if you need me! And I might visit some cause I love our little buddy,” Ink made a rumbling purr in his chest, making the rainbow gel between his bones glow with his inner fire. He also was petting the human, who pushed his fingers away and huffed good naturedly. That…why did that make his chest tight and uncomfortable?

The other two bid Ink goodbye and Error called after him, “Make sure you don’t lead those idiots to my house.”

Ink just laughed and took off, leaving Error alone with the twins and the human.

“We should probably go, too. We made sure our human got here, so we’ve done our job…but I don’t want to go too far in case…” Dream trailed off, looking nervously out the window.

“there’s a lake I saw on our way in,” Nightmare comments, and Error can’t help but notice the way you relax instantly, “we can stick around near there so we don’t have to travel ages just so this tenderfoot can talk to his new best friend.”

“Don’t act like you don’t enjoy the human, too, brother,” Dream teased with a smile, but both the naga and the octopus get up and give you small touches of farewell.
Nightmare smiles.

And Error feels like it burns when you lean into the touch of his tendril.

Why does Nightmare make you so happy? Of all people? You’re still stiff and awkward with him after the way you left each other, but Nightmare gets a fond goodbye?

It’s infuriating.

And when you ask Dream to take care of your horse for you, and he nearly cries from gratitude, Error has to look away or he’ll vomit. Why does Dream make EVERYTHING into some kind of sickly-sweet bonding thing? He’s saccharine and Error remembers why he avoided him usually.

When the door closed, Error couldn’t help snarking, “Well, when are you going to join them, pipsqueak?”

“Huh?” you looked up at him, confused.

“When do you plan to leave? You found me, got the other guys here, when are you going to retreat to get the ‘capture the evil giant’ plan going?” Might as well tell them he knew this wasn’t as friendly as they made it up to be.

“Error, that’s not what I’m here for. I just want you to turn people back from being stone, alright? I wouldn’t do that to you. You’ve been through enough.” Why do they look at him like this? Like his words had cut them to the core and left them bleeding. Like his suspicions had no ground.

“I won’t but sure, amuse yourself with the idea it might happen. But seriously, when are you leaving? You’re a human, you should be with humans.” Push them back, get them away from here so their inevitable betrayal isn’t as strong.

“I’m not going anywhere, Error. I’m staying here, even if I have to camp outside,” and that was not how this was supposed to go.

--

Error is acting like a butt.

He keeps seeming startled when you’re still here in your camp on his kitchen table, and once he’s over that, it’s suspicion this and sarcastic denial of feelings that.

And you get on his case about it because YOU ARE DONE being afraid or hurt.

“Stop it, Error. I didn’t kill you when you were weak and against a wall, literally, and I don’t plan on it now!” you yell after listening to another snide remark that you just wanted to wait till he was sleeping to strike. “I stupidly fell in love with you and then you left and hurt my heart and now when I come halfway across the world for you, you just want to stay at a distance from me. Well fine!”

You’re crying as you start packing up your camp, “If you are so sure I just want to hurt you, even though I was t-trying to at least be friends after all this, I’ll sleep outside like I said I would! But I’m not leaving till you change your mind about the stone people. It’s time to stop this cycle of hurt between humans and giants…”

It feels silly, really, to be packing up when you’re so far from the ground that you couldn’t possibly get down alone, but your dignity demanded it.

Lucky for you, Nightmare decided to come in as you finished up and Error was sputtering indignantly.

“I felt the negativity in here from the bottom of the lake, what’s going on?” he glances around and sees you sitting on the edge of the table with your things and Error gesturing frustratedly at you. “oh. stood up to him, did you?” His cold tendrils lift you from the table and you gladly sink into them.

“Stooooooo-stood up to me? They’re being ridiculous and maaaaaaa-making themselves upset just because I’m not a gul-ul-ullible sap!” Error’s words were confused, but harsh, and you winced.

“uh huh,” Nightmare pulled you close, “sure, error. Even you know there’s not a dishonest bone in their body, so when you’re ready to fess up about your emotional constipation, come see us.”

Before you could even get out the door, Error had jumped on Nightmare and the two began to fight with you stuck between them.

Nightmare hissed and Error yelled, “You no good jellyyyyyyyy-jellyfish! Give my human back! You shouldn’t even be with them in the first place!”

“like hell!” Nightmare spat back, and you were flung into a set of cushions on a nearby seat. Though the intention had been clearly to get you out of harms’ way, you hear and feel a loud CRACK in your arm when you hit the fabric, and scream at the initial sear of white-hot pain from your now broken bones.

The fight goes silent, but you aren’t sure if that’s real or just the ringing in your ears drowning it out as the pain overwhelms your mind, blocking most of your other senses and sending waves of nausea through your belly.

It takes a lot of deep breathing and looking upward to keep yourself from vomiting and fight down the pain, even though it does not improve in the least, but the cold tears on your hot cheeks are helping.

Movement at your periphery makes you turn your head, and both giants are frozen as they stare at the bizarre angle your arm is at now.

“Y-y-you broke them,” Error’s bones have gone pale, the blackness of them receding to a dark grey.

“Trying to keep them away from your idiotic fight, yes,” Nightmare’s whole body looks solidified, a few cracks even appearing in the surface as he moves, startled socket wide with a tiny dot of a light inside. “you’re going to have to heal them.”

“Why me?!” Error yelped, and frantically looked you over even as he tried to scoot away from Nightmare, “I started this, they won’t want me.”

“You know I can feel heartbreak different than just anger, right? They confessed their crush on you and you didn’t respond. Go apologize and take them in this instant or I’m getting Geno down here to chew you out.”

“Don’t!” Any mention of Geno got Error going, a dedicated brother to the end, “I’ll do it. At least the taking in part.”

“All of it,” Nightmare demanded as Error crawled over to your position, your head swimming as the shock began to set in, “get them healing, and I’m going to sit right here until you tell the truth to them. Or so help me, my brother and Ink will help me drag you to Geno’s.”

Error swallowed nervously and looked at you. You could barely comprehend what was going on right now.

“okay, we-e-e-e, ah, I’m going to have to eat you for this to work,” he said, looking incredibly scared and worried.

“And why’s that?” you try to say, but it comes out in a whimper. You’re a little miffed at the idea he’s just going to take you out for being injured.

“cause that’s how we get my magic all around you-ou-ou and heal all your injuries fastest. Can’t digest anything alive, anyway, it’s noooo-not how magic works, not even mine,” he picked you up surprisingly gently, handling you for the first time since you arrived, and huffed, “just try not to move too much so you don’t hurt yourself worse.”

You want to argue, but he plops you into his mouth and closes out the light pretty quick.

Or at least, the light from outside. His mouth glows a deep royal blue, and the three tongues inside are easing you oh so softly backward, maneuvering so as not to put pressure on your arm. You’re too loopy from the shock and pain to really react, but he’s so WARM inside, and his magic is soft and tingles on your skin, dulling the burn in your arm and letting your brain finally pass out so it can reset itself.

--

Nightmare watches until he sees Error swallow, smirking at the way the other giant’s skull was on fire with blue blushing. He waits, and when he sees the visible wince as the human hits bottom, Nightmare speaks, “Now was that so hard? They’re unconscious, so the apology will have to wait but…you’re an idiot all the same.”

“Don’t you thi-i-ink I know that?” Error growled, but Nightmare’s smirk just grew as he saw his arms go protectively around his stomach, “My stupid paranoia just got them a broken arm, and I’m furious at myseeeeeeeeeeee-self.”

“You should have told them before you ever left their castle. Just taken them with you,” Nightmare rolls his one visible eye light as he stands and Error pushes himself up as well.
“They had literally just shown themselves to be a mage; you know how mages come off to me,” Error sighed, rubbing his sockets, “just…It took this for me to admit to myself that I care, can we ju-ju-ju-just wait till they wake up to have this mushy discussion?”

“sure, but that means Dream and Ink get to be in on it, too. And you’re going to turn the humans back to flesh and blood, too. Seriously, we’ve got enough problems with the monks without a whole army after us because you were getting vengeance,” he was a reasonable person, really, Nightmare told himself, not asking for a much bigger favor after all the shenanigans he’d gone through to get the little squishy human here in one piece.

Error pouted, a strange sight to see, but nodded, “deal. it’s not worth a full scale war when…well, when I have what I wanted out of it anyway. Someone to help my brooooo-brother.” He tried to hide the gentle swipe of his thumb over his stomach, but Nightmare saw it anyway. Ooh hoo, Error had it bad, and it was so funny to watch.

“fine.” Heading for the door, Nightmare adds as he leaves, “but you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do when they wake up because they won’t remember a lot of what just happened.”

--

You wake up to soft murmurs of voices, your friends’ voices, but as if heard from underwater or behind a thick door.

Wherever you are, you are warm, and comfortable in the softness. A soft blue glow filters through your closed eyelids. It reminds you of Error, and you feel comforted.

Wait.

Error?

Opening your eyes, you wake up more as you see the blue, rippling walls all around you, the same material that is beneath you. More and more images from before you slept come back, your argument, Nightmare, flying through the air only to be blinded by pain.

Looking at your arm, it’s fine. Completely normal, if slightly sore and bruised a bit.

Somehow, you were healed, and then you hear Error’s voice, louder than any of the others, “they’re awake.”

“Yeah, I’m awake. What happened?” you’re confused by where his voice is coming from, both above and around you.

“Let me get you out of there first,” he sighs, and the wall to your right is suddenly sprouting one of Error’s yellow and red fingers, making a slit in it as you watch in awe.

He plucks you out, and you look around and down, seeing him press the edges of a hole in his stomach together, the blue glow of his magic sealing it shut again. Now you remember a little bit of the last few moments you were conscious, and you’re more than ready for an explanation.

“Oh good! Welcome back, friend!” Ink giggles as he looks at you, everyone gathered around a table. Even Geno is here, and as you take in more of your surroundings, the familiar walls of his house appear. So Error brought you to his brother.

“I think you have something to tell them, brother,” Geno smiles, and you see the teasing in his eye lights.

“I…mmmngh,” Error’s face now grabs your attention. He looks uncomfortable, multicolored eye lights darting everywhere before settling on you. “Before anything about what happens comes up, I wa-wa-want to let you know that…um, that IIIIII,” he smacks his chest with his free hand, “I heard what you said before the fight. And thaaaaaa-that I…”
He paused, and Dream said softly, “Go on! You’re doing wonderfully!”

That got a small dismissive noise, but it started the words again, “That I actually…I care about you, too.”

He wasn’t going to say love. Not right now, and that was fine with you.

A cheer goes up from Dream, Ink, and Geno, and Nightmare just snickers, prodding Error with his tendrils and getting them slapped away.

It’s not perfect, not a fairy-tale or a romance, but for a life like yours….You’ll take this.