Archive of Our Own ^beta

Technoblade knew what it was like to be many things. He knew what it was like to be a prince, he knew what it was like to be a general, he knew what it was like to be a living weapon.

What he didn’t know, was what it was like to be cared for. To be held and truly considering family.

While his parents would refer to him as their son and would proudly parade him around, there was no true love there, simply the knowledge that the child they had was talented enough to cover for their own mistakes.

The first time Techno managed to take down a grown man three times his size, they had looked at each other with a gleam in their eye, a greedy one that Techno wouldn’t understand until years later.

It was confusing for a young child, when he went from ignored to doted on, and it wasn’t easy for Techno. To have been given not a moment of either of his parents’ time for as long as he could remember, simply handed off to nannies and teachers, to being dressed up and tugged along by their side like their perfect copy.

Yeah, it was strange to say the least.

But that was what happened when you were revealed to be a prodigy. People that barely talked to you crawled out of the woodwork to claim that your successes were a result of their care, and then promptly shoved you off to work.

His status as a prince started to be highlighted, and his parents began to train him as an heir now that it was clear that he had some sort of potential lying beneath the surface of his quiet childhood demeanour.

Techno had been vigorously taught for the next few years, being educated in both classroom studies and physical fighting, and he took to both like a duck to water. They were easy for him, the information being remembered and put to use with barely any need for instructions.

It was no surprise when he was tossed into war strategy meetings at a young age, and then was sent off to lead an army only a couple of years later.

Despite his young age, only just a teenager at the time, he had returned victorious. The opposing army had been swiftly defeated with minimal casualties and effort from their side. Considering the strength of their enemies’ force, this was practically a miracle, and soon Techno was being shoved into war left and right, barely ever allowed a resting moment.

And to make it all the worse, his parents had started to become more controlling.

With each fight, he was granted less and less of his own freedom to make decisions, becoming nothing more than a puppet for their experimental schemes.

He would warn them constantly of the holes in their plans, and yet they made him carry out every single one anyways, and when everything inevitably came unravelled and they lost miserably, all the blame was placed on his shoulders.

Nobody liked him anymore, he was practically an omen of death.

His last several battles ended in a bitter defeat, ones caused by the meddling of the King and Queen and yet only ever seen as the fault of the prince.

It wasn’t fair, but he didn’t have any say in the matter. He couldn’t fight back, he couldn’t protest, he was trapped.

Unless maybe he could get out.

The most recent and most formidable enemy that they’d ever faced was the Antarctic Empire, built from the ground up by one man who had held that title for the short period of time in which the Empire had been standing.

It was ridiculously strong considering that it was still in its early days, and it hadn’t taken long for what had once been a small community to grow and start taking land, claiming town after town and spreading further into his families’ territory.

They weren’t pleased about that, for obvious reasons, and so war had been declared.

That action in and of itself was foolish.

Emperor Philza had proven time and time again that he was willing to talk, to communicate and work out an agreement that may even result in no land being lost. However his parents refused the negotiations, egos not allowing it and harsh insults spat back at the man for even suggesting such a thing.

And so here Techno was again, supposed to be fighting yet another impossible fight.

He stared at the papers he had been given, a battle plan scrawled out that was one of the worst he had seen yet. This one wouldn’t even be like the others, where he would return with only a portion of his soldiers and tales of horror.

This plan would probably end in Techno walking back to the castle alone, none of his soldiers even in sight.

He wouldn’t lead them into battle to be cannon fodder, not again. He had seen far too many good citizens die that way, and he wasn’t willing to have another mass funeral. But he knew that he wouldn’t be listened to. He would just end up ignored, the same way that he always was and in just the same manner, with a scoff and roll of their eyes, a complete lack of care for the people dying for the sake of their petty disagreements.

While Techno may not have liked Emperor Philza, he disliked his parents more, and now he finally had the chance to solidify that fact.

He had been given an intercepted message from the Antarctic Empire, one that spoke of a meeting complete with coordinates and descriptions.

It was obviously a trap, Techno was fully aware of this. But was that going to stop him? Absolutely not.

He readied his bags and his horse, even sneaking Carl an extra apple to make up for the journey.

Carl was a trusty steed, having made it just as long through the fights and wars as Techno had. It was refreshing to have him, one of the few living things that didn’t use or reject him. It was a pretty sad fact, and he was aware of that, but he was still thankful. He hopped into the saddle and prompted Carl forwards with a sharp but gentle movement.

It was dark, and the cover of night helped him slip away from the camp unnoticed. They’d realise tomorrow, but it still gave him that small chunk of time to get as far away as he could. Hopefully by then, he would have pleaded his case and would be safely tucked away in the belly of the Empire. Only time would tell, but Techno had his hopes.

The emperor seemed like a reasonable man, so Techno would most likely get away with the risk. Having the child of the enemy was a strategic advantage after all, even when it was Techno.

The coordinates led to a secluded area within a forest. It was honestly rather impressive, since even Techno wasn’t quite sure how they would manage an ambush from the spot. Of course, there would be no ambush that day, considering that only one person had arrived and was fully aware of what was happening, but still.

It showed an impressive level of skill that Techno hadn’t had the chance to see in action yet. They hadn’t needed too, considering how little effort it took to combat the bullshit and predictable plans put in place by his parents.

Techno slowed Carl to a stop in the middle of the clearing, circling around once or twice before fully halting.

He waited, and yet nobody came from the trees. There wasn’t even the rustle of someone shifting, the only thing moving the leaves being the wind.

Smart, they were likely waiting to see if Techno was bait. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you see it, that wasn’t the case.

“You can come out you know. I’m alone. I would like to talk to the emperor, if that much is possible.”

The silence was deafening, the only sound that made its way to Techno’s keen ears being air whistling through the branches.

He nudged Carl and they span in another circle.

Whoever was hiding was doing a good job of it, even Techno unable to spot him with his skills. It made him nervous, both for the reason that he was, for the first time in years, outmatched, and also because if he was actually alone, this was about to be really embarrassing.

He waited in silence for just long enough for the mortification to set in, until Techno sighed and started to lead Carl out of the clearing.

He didn’t get very far though, as he was stopped mid pity-party by a soldier, cloaked in camouflage.

The stared at each for an eternal second, before the solider was peeling off a layer of their disguise to reveal the Antarctic Empire’s coat of arms.

Techno had been right! That made the situation a little less embarrassing, though the knowledge that they just watched him sit in silence for several minutes was almost worse.

“Hello,” Techno greeted with a nod. Upon receiving no response, he talked again, “I would like to speak to your emperor. I am Prince Technoblade of-“

“We know who you are.”

Techno was interrupted by a voice, which was odd. He had never been interrupted before, it came with the perks of his royal status.

He stared at the solider before him, but their lips hadn’t moved. And unless they were practicing their rather impressive ventriloquist skills, then, chances were, it wasn’t them.

Techno turned again, Carl’s hooves soft on the forest floor.

In front of him stood a figure, one that Technoblade would never be able to mistake for a mere soldier.

If it wasn’t the gaudy cloak and dripping jewels that gave him away, or the sword made of a metal so dark it absorbed light, then it was the crown, settled peacefully atop it’s owners head. It was gold, inlaid with shimmering emeralds that practically radiated power.

The man really shouldn’t be wearing it so flippantly in a forest, in the middle of a planned attack, but that was a particular quirk of Emperor Philza’s that he was well aware of. The man never let go of his crown, Techno wouldn’t even be surprised if he slept with the damn thing glued to his head.

It wasn’t too shocking that throughout all of its many battles, damage had occurred. Two of its emeralds were missing, neat gaps left behind where they were once settled.

Turns out Techno didn’t need to go through soldiers to get to the emperor, he was already here. Techno could respect that, a ruler that got his hands dirty if need be, unlike Techno’s parents that used others to fight their own battles.

It was one of the few reasons Techno was willing to put himself before the man despite the danger, he had faith that the correct decision would be made by someone like him. Someone honourable.

“Why did you come here? You knew it was a trap.”

Techno bobbed his head in agreement, hands tightening subtly on Carl’s reigns. While he had some sort of trust in the man, that was based entirely on his past of smart strategy. Techno would have to sell this for it to work, and make sure they didn’t mistakenly take him for a spy.

“I want to help you. The Empire that is.”

Emperor Philza seemed taken aback, blinking at Techno. While he hid his shock well, it was obvious enough to him, who had spent years doing the same and hiding his own emotions.

“Pardon mate?”

Ignoring how strange it was to be called something so informal by the leader of an Empire that had been kicking his kingdom’s ass, he repeated himself, reiterating slightly to get the point across.

“I want to help the Empire defeat my Kingdom. I don’t like my parents and would rather not have more of my soldiers die to their idiotic plans.”

Emperor Philza took a step forward, and if Techno was any more foolish, he may have presumed that the man was interested. He wasn’t though, and so he stayed cautious. Letting his guard down or presuming a premature victory could be deadly in such a delicate situation as this.

“Their idiotic plans? We were under the impression that they were yours.”

Techno snorted as the emperor’s words, “You would be incorrect. I haven’t had the freedom to lead my armies as I please in years, and it has caused far too many deaths. I am not willing to lead more to the underworld under the guise of a fair fight, not when I’m aware of what the consequences will be.”

Emperor Philza hummed thoughtfully, eyes flicking around and inspecting Techno.

The man still managed to be ruthlessly intimidating, despite the fact that Techno was towering over him with the height from Carl.

“You’re willing to go against your parents?”

“For my people, yes.”

Emperor Philza smiled softy, a sharp look in his eye to contrast the expression, “That’s very noble of you.”

Techno inclined his head, not saying another word. He didn’t want to fuck up, he only had one shot at this. He hoped that he seemed composed on the outside, words of honey to cover the way that his heart was thudding out of his chest, breath always too shallow and sweat beading on his forehead and making his hands damp on the reigns.

“Why should I trust you?”

That was the hard question.

Techno knew he was trustworthy, for he knew himself, but Emperor Philza did not have that privilege of knowledge, having to decide purely on Techno’s past, reputation and his current words. And from all of that, the most important would undoubtably his next words, for his past and reputation could be discarded in favour of convenience.

“I have brought the next plans that have been drafted by my parents for me to carry out, for the battle tomorrow morning. I also have the plans I drafted and had ignored. Of course this could all be staged, but I’m unsure of how to prove myself fully. I am willing to go with you under your own conditions, providing that you don’t seriously hurt me of course.”

Emperor Philza continued to look at him, his cold stare piercing into Techno as he swallowed nervously, awaiting a response as the time stretched on and the silence grew all the more stifling.

“Under my own conditions?”

The relief of a response almost made him slump over, though he kept the previous caution as best as he could, back rigidly straight and tense to the point that pain prickled in his limbs.

“Yes.”

“Let me see those drafts.”

Techno fumbled for the papers, rifling through the bags on the side of Carl. He had been prepared for this, and yet he still ended up scrabbling, somehow having lost all of his previous elegant air from the extended interaction. This was why he cut down on his social life in the first place, and yet now that lack of practice was coming back to bite him.

He was good at standing still and looking smart, having long since learnt to quench the urge to move and fidget in his parents many balls, events and meetings, and yet talking? That was a different matter. He avoided people as much as possible in events, and he never had reasons to speak much in meetings anymore, other than outlining the plan handed to him and rejecting any of his comrades suggestions.

He finally managed to retrieve them, pulling out several pieces of parchment covered in ink and only slightly crumpled.

He held them down for Emperor Philza, before realising that could come off as rude and moving to hop off of Carl, as to be on the same level and not place himself above the other.

Before he could do so, Emperor Philza was already taking them from his hands with an amused look up at Techno, who froze awkwardly. The man flipped through the pages, not a single readable expression crossing his face, before he eventually nodded.

“You can come back to the Empire with us.”

Techno’s eyes widened, “I can?!”

Emperor Philza only served to look even more bemused, and Techno soon realised the way that his words were born from surprise and emotion, rather than the expected gratitude and grace.

“I mean, thank you Emperor Philza, it is gratefully appreciated. Your hospitality is a blessing and I hope that this agreement can benefit us both equally.”

Emperor Philza eyed him for one more damning moment before nodding, walking back off into the trees and returning faster than the time it would take before Techno could even begin to question what was happening, mounted on his own steed, one of the rare ones that seemed to match Carl in strength and speed. At least from what Techno could tell visually, the horse seeming healthy and muscular in the same way that his own was.

“Follow me.” Was the short order that the emperor gave, before prompting his horse forwards and between the trees, Techno hurrying after him.

The journey didn’t take long, and at one point Techno looked back, only to find an army of soldiers that had sprung up from seemingly nowhere. He could place a guess as to where they had been, considering the camouflage they were wearing, but it was eery how Techno hadn’t even noticed until they had chosen to reveal themselves.

Emperor Philza must be an extraordinarily talented leader to organise his troops in such a way that they seemed so hidden, especially considering that they managed to fool even Techno and his years of talent and experience.

They reached a camp before long, and within mere moments, a carriage had arrived.

Emperor Philza entered, and beckoned for Techno to join him. With only a slight amount of hesitance, he did, snagging his bags off of the back of Carl and ducking into the entrance.

“Your horse will be brought along, I presume he is suitable for helping pull a carriage?”

Techno nodded. His parents had made sure of that, only wanting him to have the most skilled companion. Carl was suited for most things a horse could possibly do, including both war efforts and multiple means of travel.

A few minutes passed, Emperor Philza seeming completely unbothered by the quiet and Techno squirming in his seat from the anxiety and awkwardness that he felt. He did his best to hide the nervous movements, but something in the way that Emperor Philza’s eyes flickered made him sure that the man was aware.

The carriage jolted into movement, trundling forwards at an already fast pace, heading back to what Techno could presume was somewhere in the Empire.

“Emperor Philza,” he addressed, waiting until the man’s attention was on him before continuing, “I have a question.”

“Ask away.”

“Are you leaving your soldiers? We seem to be heading back to the Empire, and yet your armies are staying behind.”

Emperor Philza chuckled, “Yes, they can handle themselves. They have talented strategists amongst their ranks and they know a decent few of my own plans. If I am needed at the castle, then it is perfectly acceptable for me to head there.”

“But what if they need you?”

“Like I said, they can handle themselves. I’m never far away and letters exist. It isn’t difficult to get in touch with me, and besides, there are people other than my armies that need me.”

Techno’s brow furrowed. What did he mean by that?

He didn’t receive an answer to his internal question though, partially because he never let the words leave his mouth, and partially because Emperor Philza turned to face the window, watching the nature pass with a serene smile. Techno didn’t have the strength to break that peace, even if the man was the reason for the very war he was supposed to be fighting.

He’d be classed as a deserter now, or maybe his parents would spin the tale to something else. A hostage situation maybe, or something similar.

Techno couldn’t find it in himself to blame the emperor though, considering that his own parents were equally at fault, if not more, for the start and continuation of this raging war.

It hadn’t been going for long, and yet it felt like an eternity. Or maybe that was just because Techno’s life was one awful cycle of being thrown into battle after battle until each enemy merged into one horrifying nightmare.

He sat there, stewing in his own thoughts as they continued to clatter over cobblestones, making their way closer and closer to their destination.

He was somewhat spiralling, as he was aware. A myriad of thoughts occupied his brain, battering at it with harsh jabs. Images of his most respected soldiers learning about his betrayal. Would they be upset? Or would they laugh and claim that they’d anticipated it? Or would they start preparing to fight him, stocking up on weaponry and rationed supplies?

Or worst of all, would they simply not care?

Would they brush it off as nothing, would they even notice he was gone? It wasn’t hard to imagine his bed staying empty and his things untouched, and yet not a single person realising until the next emergency cropped up and they followed protocol to find him.

Maybe then he’d just end up replaced, swapped out for a better and stronger soldier that his parents would truly love, rather than the artificial care they showed for him.

His stomach twisted into ugly knots, swooping violently in a manner that felt much too severe for it to simply be his thoughts.

That was proven correct when he realised the carriage had stopped, the doors opening to allow Techno and Emperor Philza to step out.

It took him a moment to piece together what was happening, having been out of it for majority of the journey down as his mind tormented him with possibilities and isolating ideas.

He exited the carriage alongside the emperor, and was faced with the courtyard of the castle, huge, pointed gates already securely locked and guarded behind them, the only way on being forwards.

The castle was intimidating, to say the least.

It stretched up tall, brushing the clouds and easily larger than the one that Techno resided in, during those rare periods when he wasn’t fighting or trudging through mud with the rest of his army.

Quite possibly the oddest thing about it though, was the way that it was made almost entirely from a tan stone, and the rooftops from a rich brown. It was unlike any other he had seen before, what was normally sharp colours and made from the strongest materials being replaced with something softer, something warm and welcoming.

It contrasted harshly with the snow that was darting around them, icy wind buffeting Techno and turning his skin to a much lower temperature than he was used to.

It was strange, how they could travel for a mere few hours and find such a temperature difference, and yet it was happening. Techno decided not to question it, and instead followed Emperor Philza, walking through the large doors and pointedly ignoring the curious glances of the guards as they were allowed access.

The interior was about what you would expect from the exterior, grand, extravagant, and yet still cosy. It was strange, a castle so inviting, but Techno liked it. It made the truth of where he was feel less daunting.

It was hard to feel completely at ease though, especially when he was following the emperor through the winding halls that felt more akin to a maze than a home.

Emperor Philza was shorter than he was, which shouldn’t have been as surprising as he had found it. Techno was unusually tall, and normally did stand above others, and yet he’d half expected Emperor Philza to be the same with the way that people described him as some sort of fear-mongering being.

Instead he just looked like a person. A very rich person, but a person nonetheless, none of that strange, monstrous aura that he was said to have.

Techno wondered if his enemies on the battlefield thought the same when they saw him, or did he fit that monster idea well enough that he didn’t come as a shock?

Before long, they were entering a small room. Techno had expected to end up in the throne room, since that was where his parents would take people when discussing agreements, but instead he’d been brought to what looked like a standard office.

The furniture was a rich, dark wood, bookshelves lining the walls and a window letting the early morning light in.

Emperor Philza took a seat behind the desk that sat in the centre of the room, gesturing for Techno to sit opposite, on the plush chair that was directly across from his own.

It felt strange, to sit on the same level as the emperor, but Techno did so without asking any questions. Royals could be unpredictable sometimes, and he didn’t want to risk messing everything up because he didn’t do something that he perceived to be odd. For all he knew, this was how they showed respect in the Empire. He was in their land now, he had to play by their rules.

“You’ve brought me an interesting proposition,” Emperor Philza said, a smile curling at his lips, one that Techno couldn’t read, promises of either safety or danger sat neatly in the simple expression. It could likely be both, with the thin line that they were both treading.

“You want me to take you into my kingdom, you, the son of my enemy, as a comrade in these wars. Until just a few hours ago, you were our main issue in the fight, as the leader of most of the armies.”

Techno nodded again. He seemed to be doing that a lot, confirmation without words. Less words meant less chance to fuck this up and send himself to his own downfall.

“It’s tempting, that’s for certain, but as you graciously stated earlier, it’s hard to trust you. But something tells me that I can.”

Trusting someone that should by all logic be an enemy based on a feeling was not something Techno would’ve expected from a man like Emperor Philza. If he didn’t know any better, he would call the man eccentric and wild, making decisions left and right without truly thinking them through.

But he did know better, and he knew that Emperor Philza’s feelings were probably the only thing keeping him from being sent right back to his own kingdom, or down into the prison cells below.

“I am going to give you one chance Technoblade, one chance. Do not wrong me.”

The threat settled in Techno’s head, as did the blatant disrespect from the discarding of his titles, and yet he did not care. Emperor Philza was willing to take the risk and allow him to stay here, to listen to his words and finally give him more control than he ever had while under his parents influence.

It felt too good to be true, but Techno was tired of being wary.

He smiled at Emperor Philza, a real smile for the first time in months, and thanked him profusely.

Emperor Philza took the thanks with grace, before standing and taking one of his guards outside to talk, leaving Techno inside the office.

He sat, and allowed himself to slump over in his seat, folded over enough that his parents would’ve yelled at him had they seen. But they couldn’t, since he was far away from their watchful, prying eyes, and could actually do good now. Providing that the emperor listened to him, of course.

Techno had hope that he would though, considering that the plans he had shown him were flawless, a foolproof way of taking down at least half of the man’s soldiers in a battle, even at a disadvantage.

Someone with that level of strategy didn’t get ignored or brushed off, not easily. While Emperor Philza easily sat at the same level as him, having two people with high levels of skill and planning would do wonders for their progress, even if it was just a few of Techno’s suggestions taken into consideration.

And that wasn’t even accounting for all that he could do with simply the knowledge of his kingdom that he could pass on, to help topple the ranks with hopefully as few deaths as possible.

A few minutes later, Emperor Philza re-entered and Techno straightened, trying to act like he hadn’t previously been hunched over with some of the worst posture known to man.

Emperor Philza gestured to follow him again, and so Techno did.

One incredibly awkward breakfast later, again another tense atmosphere that Emperor Philza appeared to not feel, Techno was shown to his room.

It was in what was called the emerald wing, and maybe that should’ve tipped him off that something was wrong. And yet Techno’s mind was so hazy with the chance to finally relax, that he didn’t realise something was unusual about this arrangement until Emperor Philza entered into a room close to his, a room that was blatantly his own.

Techno gaped, the small glimpse of bedding and messy clothes making it clear that it was lived in, and suddenly the ‘emerald’ wing made sense.

Of course the emperor would have his bedroom wing named after the jewels in his crown, the ones that were his own signature. That wasn’t surprising.

What was surprising, was when the guards pointed him in the direction of a room that was so close to Emperor Philza’s that there was only one other door in between them.

Techno stuttered a question to the guards, but none of his words were answered as he was guided in and the door shut firmly behind him with a resounding click.

It wasn’t a lock, as Techno quickly checked, but rather just the door itself closing. That didn’t prove to make it any less terrifying.

Emperor Philza was becoming less predictable by the minute, providing him with a room so close to his was practically asking for an assassination. Unless that was the point? Give him something so tempting that nobody in their right mind would refuse it should they truly be there to cause harm.

But that didn’t make sense either, since it was so obvious that nobody would take it.

Techno tugged at his hair in frustration, trying to piece together what was happening.

He didn’t like being in the dark, especially not when it was something as serious and important as this, where his life and wellbeing was on the line.

Emperor Philza was unlike any leader he had interacted with before, and that fact was simply becoming all the more daunting as the day progressed.

Techno turned his mind away from the emperor. It wasn’t doing him any good, and it probably wouldn’t be useful until he calmed down or learnt something new. And besides, he wasn’t here to collect information on the emperor, or to take him down. He was here to help. The only analysing he should be doing of him was in order to try and continue his own life, not to pick apart every single little thing that the man did with a pointless paranoia.

Instead, Techno turned to face the room he had been provided, and took note of everything inside it.

It was fairly basic, but still much more extravagant than the tents that he was used to.

The bed was huge, piled high with bedding of different colours, and while the floor was a cold wood, a rug covered a large chunk of it, warming the ground beneath the bed.

It was nothing like the guest rooms at his own castle, where everything was a shade of blinding white, and instead had feeling to it, even though it was clearly not occupied. The walls and sides were devoid of anything personal and the bedding was far too neat for it to be lived in, even if it was recently cleaned.

There were two doors branching off of the opposite side to the entrance. Pulling one open, he found a bathroom, a huge bathtub spanning half the room and all the tiles shiny and polished.

The other was a wardrobe, clothing hanging up across several large railings and shoes lining the floor.

It didn’t escape his notice that they were all in the blue tones of the empire, lined with soft and fuzzy fabric to keep him warm and at least half of them emblazoned with the coat of arms. When he checked, he found that everything was in his size, even the shoes.

That was a bit freaky, but again, this was Emperor Philza.

He was more upset that he would have to shrug off his signature red cloak, presuming that they wouldn’t let him keep something that was the colour of the enemy. Unfortunate, he was rather attached.

He could see a blue alternative but it wouldn’t hold the same meaning, all its history was in his own, not some replacement.

He shed the cloak and stored it neatly beneath the bed, folded up perfectly like how his seamstress taught him, after he insisted on learning some useful life skills rather than just the things he would need to rule. His parents never bothered with anything that could be done by a servant, but even from a young age, Techno had disagreed with that sentiment.

It had come in useful when he had to repeatedly darn and sew up the tears and holes in his soldiers’ clothes, when the next shipment was months away and the air was starting to bite. They were just lucky it was their territory they were fighting in and not the Empire’s, otherwise the cold would’ve gotten to them sooner than the swords.

The clothes that he was wearing were from the day before, having not changed before running off in the night, and so Techno shed them, bathing in the bathroom with some of the far too floral smelling soaps and hair products before picking out some clothes to wear.

There were royal clothes, alongside some more casual ones.

Techno dithered, would the clothes matter that much? They surely wouldn’t have provided clothes that they didn’t want him to wear, unless it was some sort of strange test. Would they expect him to stay formal?

After several minutes of hesitation, Techno sucked it up and grabbed a sweater and loose pair of trousers. If he was in the midst of the enemy and walking constantly on thin ice, then he would be doing so comfortably, no matter what anybody else had to say on the matter.

The clothes were lovely, especially compared to the scratch of his uniform that had been patched together countless times. They didn’t spare any extra clothes for him, even as the prince, and he was stuck with the same as his soldiers. Techno was thankful for the fairness there, but not so much for the actual quality of the clothes.

The sweater he had picked out was padded on the inside with a fluffy fabric, hugging him with warmth and much softer than anything he had worn recently. It was striped with blues and whites, which looked admittedly rather strange with the pink of his hair, but that may have just been because he wasn’t used to seeing himself in any colour other than red.

He tore his eyes from the mirror and left the wardrobe, shutting the door firmly behind him.

He still had his bags, though they had been searched through and his weapons confiscated, which was expected but upsetting. Techno hadn’t gone anywhere without protection in a while, and he felt somewhat defenceless despite knowing that he was deadly enough with just himself.

He had some of his other things though, and so he spent the rest of the day sketching out battle plans, and when that got boring, he started to draw, random little sketches of things he could see. Techno wasn’t a good artist by any means, but it was a nice way to pass the time when things got dull.

Lunch was delivered to his door, and he took his dinner alone in the dining room, Emperor Philza nowhere to be seen.

It was night-time before he knew it, and Techno was thankful.

It had been so long since he had last slept, having stayed awake to find the emperor, and so he was yearning for the chance to be able to collapse properly into that wonderful looking bed he had been given. He hadn’t slept earlier, in case the emperor decided to talk to him, but that clearly hadn’t happened, and so it had been a pointlessly exhausting endeavour.

Either way, he could sleep now, and so without even changing, he sank into the mattress with a pleased sigh and drifted off.

~~*~~

The days continued in a similar manner, apart from one small change.

He would wake up, bathe and get dressed, and then eat breakfast with Emperor Philza in the dining room. Then he would pass the time himself, have lunch, sometimes be called for a meeting in the afternoon, then take his dinner alone before finally going to sleep.

It was a weird but welcome new normal. He may be abusing the fact that he had a bath, considering the way he was ignoring the shower entirely, but after months of fighting, it felt like a wonderful privilege to have the blessing of hot water and good soap again.

But the strange thing wasn’t the baths, nor the occasional meetings. No, the strange thing that had been happening, was that Emperor Phila kept being overwhelmingly nice to Techno.

After only two days he had been prompting Techno to call him ‘Phil’, which he would absolutely not be doing, and had been backing his words in meetings and defending him from suspicion.

It was peculiar, and Techno didn’t really appreciate it. It was nice for someone to have that care, and yet it just seemed wrong. The emperor shouldn’t care about Techno, shouldn’t defend him and let him use nicknames.

The emperor shouldn’t be nicer to Techno than his own parents were.

It was strange and bad, even if it made a warm feeling curl in his heart.

But other than that whole situation, something else was off.

Techno didn’t know what it was, but something was happening that he didn’t know about. At first he wondered if it was some sort of planned fight, but as the week stretched on, he began to doubt that theory.

Then he wondered if anything was actually wrong, or if he was just making things up. And then people would go suddenly quiet when he went nearby, and papers would be hidden, servants would suddenly swerve into different corridors and he would see guards gesturing to each other with nervous glances.

While this could be passed off as the fact that he was an enemy within the castle, he didn’t feel like that was it.

Something was definitely and most certainly going on.

He found out what it was a week after he had arrived, at a wonderful time of ‘far too early’ in the morning.

~~*~~

Techno was woken by a slam and a crash, his door being burst open by someone.

He shoved himself upright the moment he heard, but it didn’t serve to do much as his hair was still covering his face in the same rude manner as it did every morning, blocking his eyesight and making it practically impossible to see.

He did his best to move it without seeming stupid, but it was a difficult task to try and maintain a collected composure after being so rudely awakened.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Techno froze, his hand still trying to sweep back the tangled strands of his hair.

“Pardon?” He asked, tiredness slurring his words slightly and confusion clear within them.

“I said, who the fuck are you?”

He finally managed to swipe the hair from his eyes to where it was probably in a messy heap on the top of his head, and with a few blinks, could really look at the people in the doorway.

There were two, one with brown hair in curls that were neatly coiled but not styled, falling into their face. And the other seemed to have been the one yelling at him, similar curls but slightly messier and much blonder.

What really caught his eye were the clothes that the two were wearing, casual but clearly expensive, just like the ones he had been in for the past week.

He rubbed at his eyes again, clearing the slight blurriness that came with waking up.

“You haven’t answered my question!” The blond yelled again, face scrunched up in anger and hands curled into fists.

A flash of green followed with the movement of his head, and Techno squinted at it. An emerald, dangling from an earring. With that, a realisation crashed over him like an ice-cold waterfall, the jewel striking a memory in his mind. It was one from the emperor’s crown, one of the missing ones.

He looked over at the other, only to see a similar piece peering out from beneath their hair.

Techno would’ve laughed at the situation, if it wasn’t so dire.

Of fucking course he would have two people closest to the emperor burst into his room, of course. That was just his luck, and if he wasn’t careful then all his progress was about to be firmly dismantled.

“Wait,” said the one with the brown hair, head tilting to the side and exposing the earring further. There was a look in their eyes that made Techno shiver, that dangerous look of someone that had clocked something that they could use against you. It was an expression that Techno had seen far too many a time, and this situation felt like a volatile place for it.

“You’re Prince Technoblade, aren’t you?”

Techno stared, not answering as he watched the pieces click together in the blond one’s mind, a breath stuttering in their chest as they looked at him with wide eyes.

Techno peeled his lips apart from where he had pressed them together, “Yes, I am.”

The brown haired one gaped, almost like they hadn’t expected themselves to be correct. It wasn’t the reaction that Techno had expected having seen the manner that they had accused him in, but he couldn’t judge considering the way that his persona had disappeared the moment he was asked for proof upon meeting the emperor.

“What the fuck?” The blond haired one yelled again, voice higher in tone this time, “Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here, not this close to our rooms!”

The illusion of their false bravery fell apart when Techno spotted one of their fists clutching onto the brown haired one’s cardigan, fingers so tightly grabbing on that it turned their knuckles white. They were frightened.

He didn’t miss the way that they said ‘our rooms’ either. There had been other doors in the corridor, ones that he wasn’t led to. He presumed that was because they didn’t want him directly next to the emperor and sharing a wall with him, but maybe that wasn’t the case, maybe they were just already occupied.

But that didn’t explain how he hadn’t seen them before, how he had been here for a week and was only just meeting them as they broke open his door in the early morning, sun barely even above the horizon.

“I just got placed here, I didn’t choose the room,” Techno spoke, trying to clear his throat from the hoarseness that was always residing there when he woke, “And I’m here because I formed an alliance with Emperor Philza. That’s all.”

“You formed an alliance with the emperor?” The brown haired one said, sounding sufficiently shocked that the opposite side’s precious leader had come willingly over to them, enough so that he was allowed to freely stay in the rooms right beside their own.

Techno was also still confused on that, so he probably wouldn’t be able to help them there.

“Yes, I did. Now if you don’t mind telling me, who exactly are you two?”

Techno tried to be polite, but his words may have come off harsher than intended from the bubbling frustration of being woken up and immediately interrogated.

“We do mind telling you, actually,” the blond haired one sniffed, looking down at him.

Techno suddenly felt rather self-conscious, still in his rumpled bedding and not even dressed, as these two fancy fucks stared at him and threw jabs. It was rude and very much so unappreciated, though he doubted that they’d care for his feelings.

“Boys, what are you doing?”

Techno startled as Emperor Philza appeared behind the boys, and by the way that they jumped, he caught them off guard too.

The two’s demeanour instantly changed, going from intimidating to much more light-hearted, their chuckles and panicked glances towards each other making them seem less scary and more ‘caught red-handed’.

“I told you we had a guest, why are you bothering him?”

The brown haired one spluttered, “You didn’t tell us it was him!”

Techno probably shouldn’t have been as proud as he was for the fact that he was worth a pointed whisper of just ‘him’. Did that mean that he was notable enough that they didn’t even need his name? Or was it just because he was there? Whatever.

“He took a risk coming here and joining us, I want you to play nice.”

The blond scowled, “Why should we play nice? He literally led armies against you dad! How are we supposed to trust him?!”

Oh.

Oh, that made much more sense as to why there were two boys running around the castle with parts of the crown casually hanging from their ears.

They were the emperor’s sons.

He hadn’t even known that he had children, that probably wasn’t even public knowledge. The fact that he knew now probably was a sign of something, a new loyalty cemented into place.

Techno really couldn’t risk pissing these guys off if they were the princes. While Emperor Philza was protecting him now, who knew how long that would last for? If the two complained enough, then he very well may find himself tossed out to the birds in favour of their comfort. The emperor sure seemed to care about them, with the way that neither of them seemed to have any qualms about immediately criticizing the man’s decision to harbour Techno.

“Look, lets talk about this elsewhere. You’ve just woken the poor kid up, we can discuss it over breakfast okay?”

Techno watched as they left, not bothering to correct Emperor Phil on his description of him.

Techno wasn’t a ‘kid’, and he hadn’t been for a while now. He had been tossed into war as a young teenager, and had been fighting ever since. That sort of thing ages people beyond belief, so while he was technically only nineteen, he was still more mature than most people he’d met.

He lost the title of ‘kid’ ages ago, back when his parents decided he was the perfect weapon. He’d long since made peace with that, he didn’t need someone coming in and pretending like it was anything different.

His door swung shut and he stared at the polished wood for another few seconds before letting himself fall back onto the mattress with a groan of suffering.

It was probably time to get up now, even if he was still tired. He was already awake after all.

~~*~~

The emperor’s sons were never quite that openly hostile for a while afterwards, seemingly having taken whatever Emperor Phil told them to heart. Instead, they decided to do something else.

Since that morning, the two princes had made it their mission to make Techno’s life a living hell, in every small and petty way that they could.

The two had moved back into their rooms, Techno discovering that they’d been tucked away into a different part of the castle for the first week of him living there. It made sense of course, since what kind of person would allow for such danger to be close to their children, but it was still surprising.

The princes seemed to be what the big secret was, as now that he knew, the whispers and suspicious behaviours had died down considerably, which was nice. He no longer felt like he was walking with a target on his back, though he still did avoid leaving his room as much as possible.

The day after meeting them, Techno had been given a lunch made of mostly burnt food and what looked like leftovers, nothing like what he had been eating before. He shrugged it off at first, but when it started to consistently happen, he presumed that the princes must have a friend in the kitchens. It was fine though, since he was used to the sort of food that soldiers ate on the move, which was much worse than scraps of a royals meal.

On the second day, he received a load of his clothes washing, where each item had a weird, gross mushy pulp inside of it. Techno soon found it to be pages from the book he had been reading and conveniently lost that morning. He sighed and spent the next few hours picking the dried scraps from the strands of the woollen sweaters.

On the third night, Prince Tommy, as Techno had learnt, had remembered that his bedroom was directly next to Techno’s. That was Techno’s fault, since he accidentally bumped into it when he was recovering from a nightmare and made him aware, but ever since then, Prince Tommy had been purposefully banging and whacking it throughout the night, making it difficult for him to sleep until the other decided that he wanted to doze off too.

It was that sort of thing, continuously and non-stop for the next few weeks, only worsening in severity.

Holes in his clothes, plates smashed before they even got handed to him, his things made dirty right after being cleaned and so on.

It was infuriating, but it all felt worth it when Techno got to sit in meetings and actually participate. Thanks to him, the war was dying down and almost fully quenched. Techno felt a little guilty that he was playing such a major role in taking down his own parents, but then he would see the way that Phil treated his sons, and that jealously would fuel him only further.

Phil cared for them so much, hugging them and letting them cling to him, even in meetings. If Techno had ever tried to latch on to his father like a leech in the middle of war arrangements, he would’ve been yelled at and ridiculed. When Tommy did it, all he got was a small chuckle and a cradling arm, letting him tuck himself into Phil’s side as he talked.

Techno hadn’t told Phil about what his sons were doing. He didn’t want for them to team up against him and force their father to kick him out, as was the likely result. Even if Phil took his side, he didn’t want that either, since he didn’t want to have a hand in any sort of scorning that may be had towards the children that the emperor treated so dearly.

While Techno could hope that Phil would be kind, he was never sure. The man had been wonderful to him so far, but Techno had never truly pushed, always mindful of his actions and words. He didn’t want anything to go wrong, especially not when he had gotten so far.

Especially not when he was starting to feel safe at last.

And so he took the treatment, and he took the mocking and rude insults that the princes tossed behind their father’s back. He took the accusations of ‘spy’ and ‘traitor’ in his stride, just moving on and trying his best not to let it get to him.

And he was doing well. While it was demotivating, he could find more than enough to get him back up on his feet whenever it got him really down, and the change he was having made it all worth it in the end.

It didn’t make it any less irritating to take cold baths and have to spend his free time fixing up sweaters and cleaning ink stains though. But he was doing well.

He could tell that it was irritating the princes too, and maybe that was part of the reason he was finding it easy to continue on unbothered, since with every lack of reaction, the two fumed more and more. It was amusing to watch them clench their jaw and pretend like there was no reason that they were watching him like a hawk, waiting for him to snap.

So Techno carried on, helping out in meetings and ignoring the glares from the princes sat either side of Phil.

He wasn’t cruel to the princes though, and other than gaining satisfaction from their frustration, he actually made an attempt to do the opposite, to be kind. It wasn’t very difficult to be honest, since the two were actually quite likable when they weren’t busy trying their best to make him break.

There were a few memorable times that stuck out to him: defending Prince Wilbur in the middle of meetings when some of the council were getting a bit too sure of themselves, sneaking Prince Tommy the extra cake that he’d been wanting from the kitchens, leaving books they’d been wondering about outside of their doors so that they didn’t have to fumble with the library ladder. Just things like that.

One time, he had been wandering the gardens late at night, trying to explore the place a little under Phil’s suggestion. He chose to do so late as to avoid the gardeners or any of the other people that he was likely to bump into.

It didn’t quite work out as expected though, as he realised when he came across both of the princes, curled up together in a small marble structure towards the edge of the gardens.

It was one of those strange buildings that can be found in fancy gardens, with only pillars instead of walls, and a hexagonal roof and floor. They usually had small tables in, but this one was empty, aside from the two figures inside of course.

He almost turned around the moment he saw them, but upon hearing no jeers, he paused.

The two were tucked into each other in a manner that reminded him of the cats that he would sometimes see, and they were both fast asleep, air puffing out of their cheeks and visible in the cold of the night.

Techno looked at them for a few moments. He should’ve left, but he felt bad just abandoning them to the cold. Their lips were starting to change colour, and he knew from experience how uncomfortable that was.

Without words, he slipped off the blue cloak that he was wearing and tucked it over their shoulders, before making his way back to the castle hurriedly before the wind started to make him shiver too.

They never talked about these small exchanges, but Techno knew that they were aware it was him. It was obvious in the way that they would give him funny glances the next time they saw each other, hands clutching whatever item he had shoved by their doors and an unanswered question in their eyes.

Techno just moved on with his day and let them wonder. They were likely under the impression that he was doing it for some sort of ulterior motive, which wasn’t true in the slightest, but wasn’t too far of a stretch considering his background. If he was in their place, then he’d likely suspect the same.

The constant harassment and borderline bullying was stretching on a bit too long now. Thankfully, the two never went as far as making Techno’s life unliveable. Considering that he had spent most of his recent life in the army, not many things would dip the quality of his stay below the conditions he was used to, and since the princes never seemed to have stepped outside of their privileged world, none of their actions had been seriously devastating.

While to them, torn clothes and burnt food might be the end of the world, Techno was a bit more resilient.

But that resilience couldn’t last forever, and it came crashing down on the night that had started like any other.

Techno was alone in the library, flipping through books. He had just finished his latest one on mythology, and was considering learning more about the topic. He brought a book down from the top shelf titled ‘The Story of Thesus’, when a creak drew his attention to the door.

The two princes stepped inside, letting the door fall shut behind them with a heavy slam and staring at Techno with unabashed judgement.

“What?” Techno prompted, fingers tightening around the novel he was holding.

“Why are you still here?” Prince Tommy asked with a scowl, stepping forwards with a fury in his pace until he was only a few feet away, Prince Wilbur following closely behind with an equally stormy look.

It was upsetting that they disliked him, since Techno imagined that they may have been able to get along just fine otherwise, as friendly acquaintances. Prince Wilbur was his age, so it wasn’t like they lacked anything in common. He supposed they were all princes too, but with the differences in the way that they were treated, that barely felt like a similarity.

“I am still here because I am helping your father with the war.”

“But why?”

“Because I want to end it, and that wasn’t happening when I was under my parents rule.”

It was a song and dance they’d played a million times before, jagged questions hurled at Techno and calm responses back, only further stirring the anger of whoever was yelling that time.

“Why can’t you just leave already?”

“Because the war isn’t over.”

Prince Wilbur scoffed at him, a fresh wave of anger rolling over his features, “Why don’t you go and fight then huh? If you want the war to be finished. Use your fancy fighting strategies and go like you did before.”

Techno’s breath caught in his throat and he gripped the book even harder.

In all his time at the Antarctic Empire, nobody had managed to get him where it hurt, no matter how much the princes tried. But now they had gotten awfully close, now they had figured out that it was the fighting that screwed him over, the constant way he was perceived as nothing more than a weapon.

The conversation was headed into territory that Techno didn’t like, and he wanted it to stop, now.

His breathing sped up, barely enough to even be noticeable, and yet of course Prince Wilbur realised. That prick could see anything if it benefited him enough.

“You don’t like that idea, do you? Going back to fight? Pity considering that’s all that you’re useful for.”

Techno swallowed down the lump in his throat, “Stop.”

“Stop what? Telling the truth? You are better fighting, you’re a tool to win the war, that’s all! That’s the only reason you’re staying here.”

“I said stop.”

Prince Tommy tugged at his brother’s sleeve with a concerned look, “Wil? I don’t think-“

Prince Wilbur shrugged him off, not even pausing the onslaught of poisoned words now that he’d figured out the button to push.

“Oh come on!” He laughed mockingly, “You didn’t really think that my dad’s letting you stay here because he likes you or something?! You’re just useful, that’s all. You’ll help us win the war, and then you’re done, your usefulness will expire and you’ll have to leave! And let me tell you, I am so fucking excited for that day where I’ll never have to see your infuriating face again.”

The words pounded into Techno’s skull, a stabbing pain with each insecurity that Prince Wilbur managed to find, and he squeezed his eyes shut as the thudding in his head got worse, blood flowing loudly through his veins like he was back on the battlefield.

“I told you to fucking stop!” Techno yelled, the book falling to the floor from where it had been trapped in squeezing hands that had now moved to his ears.

Techno felt stupid, stood there with his hands pressed hard against his ears like he was a small child again, but he couldn’t find it in himself to move them. It was all too overwhelming, and he could feel hot tears prickling at his eyes and threatening to spill.

Hands closed over his own, and Techno’s heart jumped at the touch before they started to tug and tear at his protection .

He opened his eyes again to see Prince Wilbur with a stony face, wrestling his hands away from his ears and opening his mouth to talk once again.

“If you want me to stop, then why don’t you just leave my fucking house and family alone?!”

Techno felt a rush of anger spark up inside him, and before he could even think twice, he had thrown his hands violently out and shaken the prince off, his own shouts filling the room.

“Why do you want me gone so badly?! I am trying to help, I am trying my best to keep you and your idiotic brother alive! I have been working with the emperor and I have sat in those meetings and provided valuable insight and I know that you’re aware of that, because you were there too! Why the fuck is it my fault that you can't grasp that I have good intentions?! I want this war over, stop trying to get me to leave when I am trying!”

Techno gasped in a breath of air, pausing just long enough to see Prince Wilbur’s shocked face through the clouds of red, Prince Tommy stood behind looking terrified. Whether it was for himself of Prince Wilbur, Techno couldn’t tell.

“And you guys have been tormenting me this whole time for no reason! I know that you don’t trust me and I know that I’m the enemy but couldn’t you at least trust your father’s decisions?! Instead I have been sat here dealing with all the shit you’ve been pulling on me and I haven’t even told anyone! I’ve sorted it all out myself to protect your sorry asses from getting in trouble! And what do I get in return? Nothing! Not a single ‘thank you’ or so much as a nod of acknowledgement! I have been giving you things and covering you with my cloak in the cold and standing up for you in meetings and you just don’t care, and instead spend your time trying to make me go! Well too fucking bad because I am staying until this war is over, and I am going to be fucking happy.”

He didn’t know what else to say, ending his yelling with heavy breathing and the familiar thrum of adrenaline in his body.

The two princes didn’t seem to have any response either, watching him with wide eyes and parted lips.

A dampness was covering his cheeks and Techno suddenly became aware that the tears he had barely been holding back had ended up spilling, half of his words interrupted by sobs. He jutted out his jaw and tried to recollect himself, but even as he did that, his throat closed up and he could feel a fresh wave of water stinging his eyes.

He shouldered past Prince Wilbur, leaving a wide berth between him and Prince Tommy and exiting the library, the doors slamming heavily shut behind him in just the same way that they had when the princes had entered.

He walked through the corridors at a fast pace, keeping his head down and avoiding all eye contact with the servants and guards he passed on his journey, entering his own room and falling into his bed with a sob of relief.

That was where he spent the rest of the day, curled up among the blankets and letting thoughts swirl around in his head, although half of them remained incomprehensible and the other half were hollow.

He fell asleep at some point, tear stains dried on his face and pulling at his skin, still in the clothes he had been wearing the day before, complete with the patched-up holes from where a prince had taken a knife to them when they were drying.

~~*~~

He was woken the next morning by a situation that was all too familiar, though this time there was a significant difference.

Once again his door was pushed open by the two princes, gently this time around, and they stood awkwardly in the doorway.

Techno sat up, and when he realised who it was, scrambled towards the corner of his bed, as far away as he could be from the two. The action seemed to make them wince, though Techno was too busy with the panicked thoughts flying through his head to care.

Why were they here? Had they come to tell him that he was screwed, that Phil, the emperor, had finally decided to make Techno leave? Had the argument yesterday doomed him, was there a declaration of exile with his name stamped upon it?

Techno didn’t want to know, he didn’t want to find out. He had half the mind to shove his hands back over his ears, but with the way it had ended last time and the humiliation it had brought when he’d processed his actions that were more suited for a toddler than an adult, he didn’t do so.

“Look,” Prince Wilbur started, and his voice made Techno flinch back an imperceptible amount. The princes wouldn’t have noticed, but the motion jabbed into Techno.

Why was he flinching at the sound of the prince’s voice? He was a warrior, he had killed several times more people than anyone else at his age, he should be stronger than that. He was being pathetic.

“I’m sorry.”

What?

Prince Wilbur’s words floated in the air, seeming unreachable and unreal, like if the tales from Techno’s books suddenly sprouted into reality.

He shouldn’t be apologising, why was he apologising? Well, no, he definitely should be apologising for what he had said yesterday, but Techno hadn’t expected him to. It was dreadfully out of character, and he couldn’t help but think there had to be something else behind it, a reason that he was acting like this.

There was no way that the princes actually felt guilty, was there? Not after the long weeks of bother they’d been causing him. If they were going to feel bad for their actions, it should’ve happened a long time ago, not just now, not just when Techno protested.

“Pardon?” Techno asked, once again a wave of familiarity hitting him from the first time he met them.

“I’m sorry. We are both sorry.” Prince Wilbur reiterated, though the words didn’t make any more sense the second time around.

Techno reeled as he looked at the two.

“We are sorry, I swear,” Prince Tommy cut in, his first words since before the argument. He sounded more torn up about it than Techno expected, voice quieter than he had ever heard the brash boy sound.

“You’re sorry?”

“Yes!” Tommy insisted, though he was partially drowned out by his brother’s next sentence.

“Of course we’re sorry! What we were doing wasn’t right, we fucked up with the way we treated you and again, we’re sorry.”

There was an air of frustration in Prince Wilbur’s words, and yet it didn’t seem aimed at Techno.

What caused this switch? It couldn’t have been what Techno said, surely.

“Why are you sorry now? Why not before? Why even act like that in the first place?”

Wilbur sucked in a breath and looked away from him, Tommy taking over the explanation.

“We talked to dad, and he explained some things to us.”

Ah, that made sense.

Of course Techno’s words alone weren’t enough, there had to be the opinion of Phil to make his own seem valid. It was expected, but it still stung more than it should’ve done.

He sighed and nodded, bringing his duvet higher up until it was almost covering his face, “Okay, I understand now. Thank you, you can leave.”

“No, wait,” Prince Wilbur said, pausing as he minced over his words, “It wasn’t just what dad said that made us understand. The stuff you told us yesterday made us think, and we are genuinely sorry.”

Techno stared. The idea that the two were actually apologising from their own views was wonderful, so wonderful that it seemed fake. But Prince Wilbur had said with his own words that it was nothing to do with their father, so maybe, just maybe, their apology was honest?

“If you’re sorry, then why did you do it in the first place?”

Both of the princes shuffled were they were stood, almost bumping into each other since they were still stood in the frame of the doorway, a stupid decision really, considering Techno’s whole room was there, but he wasn’t about to question them. Not anymore than he already was at least.

“Because we were scared. We thought that you had joined to be a spy, and to betray us. We didn’t want you hurting our dad, or our people.”

The vulnerability coming from Prince Wilbur wasn’t like anything Techno had heard from him before. He had presumed he would get a half-assed reasoning about how he didn’t do anything too bad, or that he just didn’t want Techno near his room.

But for him to tell someone that he presumed was an enemy the truth, and to do so in a manner that could be borderline dangerous should Techno have been what Prince Wilbur thought, that was impressive and a little bit daunting.

If Techno was a spy, if the royals had been wrong in their presumptions, then they would have sentenced themselves to death with what they had just told him. They’d essentially confessed that Techno could have the chance to kill Phil, that it wasn’t impossible like everyone was led to believe.

Of course, it could simply be the overactive worry of the princes, but Techno doubted it. Something in their eyes spoke of a haunted past, and the idea that someone could hurt their father didn’t seem to be unlikely for them.

“Okay, thank you for the apology. I’m sorry for yelling at you. That was rude and inappropriate of me.” Techno’s voice was rushed, trying to find a quick solution to this strange conversation.

“No it wasn’t!” Prince Tommy insisted, voice quickly raising back to the volume that Techno was used to, “You had every right to! If someone did that stuff to me then I would’ve been kicked out ages ago for getting back at them!”

Techno huffed. There was something slightly funny about the prince’s indignant complaint, and the way that he genuinely thought that they could run Techno out like that.

“Prince Tommy, I was in the army for years. Did you really think that I wouldn’t be able to mend my own clothes?”

Prince Tommy flushed, grumbling to himself. Techno watched with a vague amusement, until a flash of movement from Prince Wilbur had him shifting his attention.

The prince was looking at him with what seemed to be concern, his head having snapped over to Techno at some point.

“How long have you been in the army?”

Techno chuckled nervously, a little off put by the intense gaze he was suddenly under, “I don’t know, maybe about five years?”

He did know actually, and it was definitely five years. He had been counting, counting each birthday he spent away from home and every cake made from potato rather than eggs and flour. Every celebration he spent alone in the walls of his tent, nobody even bothering to congratulate him.

“And how old are you?”

Oh. Techno could see where this was going now. He didn’t like to tell people his age, since they always would look at him with that pitying expression and rub salt in the wound that was still raw and hurting from when his parents looked at his child self and saw a fighter instead of a kid.

“I’m nineteen, same age as you.”

He could see the words wash over the princes, horrified looks covering their faces and giving Techno that familiar, uncomfortable, sick feeling.

“You’ve been fighting since you were fourteen?!” Prince Tommy shrieked, the type of yell that Prince Wilbur normally told him off for.

He didn’t do so now, too busy looking ill at Techno’s words.

While he wasn’t a complete stranger to this sort of reaction, often had by the kinder of the people he met, he still didn’t like them. It made him want to crawl somewhere far away from everyone, where he couldn’t be seen or heard and he could let out his emotions without being observed like he always was.

Even now he could feel the urge to cry again, but he did his best to squash it back down. He already did that around the princes, he couldn’t do so again. Weakness wasn’t something to be shown around others, that was one of the few useful lessons his parents taught him.

Instead of slumping down and sobbing, he clutched the duvet tighter in his fists, keeping it up at his chin and fighting the urge to bury his face in it, away from prying eyes.

The princes didn’t seem to have any bad intentions, not anymore, but even just the way that they were there and seeing Techno made him uncomfortable. He wanted them gone, but at the same time, he didn’t.

It was nice having people apologise to him for once in his life, especially considering that they seemed unnerved by the childhood that Techno had experienced and knew was wrong, but rarely had people express that to him. At least, not people that had once been his enemies or been aided by him in war.

The most sympathy he usually got was pity and extra bread slipped to him by the sweeter innkeepers, or a pat on the back from a solider after a particularly hard battle, though those stopped as he got older.

Most of the sad looks followed that pattern. He could remember a lot more of them from when he was little, a boy that was visibly a young teenager having to lead people two or three times his age into life or death situations. People felt bad about that, though never bad enough to get him out.

But then he got older, and his babyface disappeared, and the awful plans starting to come into play. And then people stopped caring as much.

So while the looks weren’t something he was exactly unused to, it had been a while, and these seemed better than the others. Still awful, but more understanding and less invalidating. He wanted them to leave, but at the same time, he wanted to bask in the strange type of caring worry being shown by the people that hated him until the past day or so.

They stayed in silence until slowly and steadily, their expressions cleared.

“Prince Techno,” Prince Tommy started.

The name made him jolt. He hadn’t heard himself referred to as anything other than ‘General’ for far too long.

“Yes?”

“Me and Wil were wondering if you want to hang out with us today?”

His mouth went dry.

What?

This had to be some sort of elaborate joke, but the two were waiting for a response earnestly, the fear of rejection clear on their faces.

“You want to hang out with me?”

“Yes. Dad said that he thought we’d get along, and we feel bad, so we thought we could bake something.”

Techno didn’t quite feel like he was processing things quite right.

They had just apologised for treating him awfully, and then got hit in the face with the reality of Techno’s life, and now they were asking to bake? Not only was that a strange progression, but it was a weirdly fast and specific one.

“…Bake something?”

“Yeah! We have a friend that bakes in the kitchen, Niki. She’s Wilbur’s age. And yours too I guess!”

Tommy seemed enthusiastic, but the way he was fiddling with the hem of his shirt told a slightly different story. Was he nervous for Techno’s response?

Again, weirdly fast progression and it was hurting his head a little.

“Okay.”

The princes lit up, not quite grinning, but an obvious joy crossing their face. The juxtaposition from the previous day to this was wild, and yet Techno could help the curl of happiness in his own stomach. It was nice for someone to want to hang out with him, to actually try and set something up to do.

And when Techno had to wash flour out of his hair later that day, he could firmly say that he was the happiest he’d been in a while, even if he had been forced to endure some of Tommy’s musical renditions and Wilbur’s tall tales of a ‘mermaid’ he once met.

They were strange, and it was even stranger considering how they had hated his guts just a day before, but it was nice.

~~*~~

The third time Techno was woken by the princes entering his room, several weeks later, he was starting to get tired of it. Why couldn’t they bother him when he was actually awake and thinking straight?

“Techno.”

Wilbur sounded sombre, and Techno sat up immediately.

While he was the more likely to be serious from the two princes, he was still normally cheery, and hearing him sound so solemn at an early time was concerning, to say the least.

Tommy was stood next to him, tucked partially behind and his finger’s curled into Wilbur’s sweater, something he was rather fond of doing.

One time it had been Techno’s sweater that he grabbed, and Techno’s brain had nearly shut down from how effortless the action was, and how he shifted his arm to accommodate for the boy without even having to think twice, like it was natural for him to be there.

That moment wasn’t particularly on Techno’s mind though, since he was distracted by the red-rimmed eyes instead, Tommy’s lower lip wobbling slightly as he fought to keep it together.

“What’s happened?” Techno asked, urgency laced in his tone.

Wilbur licked his lips, taking in a deep breath before he talked.

“The war has been declared over.”

Techno stared at him, searching his face for any sign of a joke. There wasn’t one.

“What?”

“The war had been declared over. Dad told us this morning and we wanted to tell you now, so you didn’t find out in the next meeting like everyone else.”

Techno blinked, sleep still crusted in his eyes.

He knew the war was close to an end, but he didn’t realise it was that soon. It had felt like they were teetering on the edge of their victory for years, even though it had only been a couple of months. Once the princes stopped bothering Techno, it was much easier for him to put his all into the meetings. He had thought he’d been doing that before, but then that was quickly proven false by the way his productivity shot up when he didn’t have to spend hours undoing pointless problems that Tommy and Wilbur had caused.

It seems his parents had finally given in, only months after they lost most of their armies.

The Empire had agreed to avoid killing to the best of their abilities, and so instead of graves spread out for fields, the Empire’s population had instead grown, as Techno welcomed in all of the soldiers he had seen in passing. They’d grown a new sense of respect for him it seemed, which was appreciated but unexpected.

A lot of things recently had been unexpected, but Techno was getting rather good at taking them in stride.

“The war is actually over?”

Wilbur nodded, tense and clearly worried.

Techno wasn’t sure why they seemed so scared. The war being over was a good thing, it meant that they could celebrate and find joy in their daily life, instead of having to wait on edge for the next attack. It meant that meetings could slow down and they could spend more of their time having fun rather than shouldering important duties.

It meant that they’d get to see Phil outside of mealtimes, meetings and the occasional day off.

“Isn’t this good news? Why are you both upset? The war is over now, we don’t have to worry about it anymore, we can relax.”

The princes glanced at each other, something in the look that Techno couldn’t read.

“The war’s over now.” Tommy spoke, barely over a whisper and sounding resigned.

“Yeah?”

“You can leave now, if you want.”

Techno’s lips formed an ‘o’ of understanding.

They thought he would want to leave once his job was over.

Why would they think that? Even when they argued and snapped at each other, Techno still wanted to stay, he didn’t want to return to his kingdom alone.

And now he had people he cared about, why the hell would he leave?

“I’m not going to go.”

“You’re not?!” Wilbur sounded surprised, eyes locked onto him instead of settled on the floor like before.

“No, why would you think I would?”

The two princes looked at one another again, until Tommy spoke, “Well, we weren’t very nice before. We didn’t think you’d want to stay.”

Techno stared at them before scoffing, “Are you serious? That was like, two whole months ago. And besides, you’ve been really nice since then. It’s nice here.”

“You think so?”

“Of course.”

Tommy beamed, dropping his hand from Wilbur’s sweater and darting over to him instead, throwing himself onto Techno’s bed and into his chest, successfully knocking all of the air out of his lungs and laughing at the noise it resulted in.

Techno toppled back from the sudden weight, arms instinctively coming up to wrap around the boy. His brain took a second more to catch up, the stuttering realisation that this was a hug making him feel awfully emotional and fuzzy.

He expected Tommy to let go after a moment, but when that didn’t happen, he held him tighter and buried his face in Tommy’s curls with a small smile that was hidden to the rest of the world.

Yeah, he didn’t want to leave, not at all.

~~*~~

That was the first change of many.

The hug marked the beginning of Techno being exposed to the sheer amount of clinginess that a family could show, half of his time being spent pressed against Wilbur or with his arm around Tommy. He never thought he was one for physical touch, but that was probably just a response to his environment that lacked it.

You couldn’t miss something if you didn’t know that you needed it.

But now, he was finding himself becoming equally as clingy as the others. Admittedly, he still wasn’t a fan of contact with most people, but with the royals, it came as easily as breathing. It felt equally as necessary too, and Techno couldn’t even be upset about it.

The next change was when he accidentally called Phil ‘dad’.

He swung around afterwards, slapping his hands over his mouth despite the fact that they were covered in colourful icing from the cake he had just eaten and he was smearing the mess over his mouth.

Wilbur and Tommy had lost their shit, accidentally spitting out bits of the food they hadn’t swallowed yet from how hard they were laughing at Techno’s rapidly reddening face.

Phil had just smiled, in that way he did, with a tinge of tears to his eyes, and told Techno that he could call him whatever he wanted to.

That particular change took a while, but eventually, Techno found himself calling Phil ‘dad’ more often than not. Wilbur and Tommy took to introducing him as their brother, and eventually, he was family in all but law.

That changed too, after Techno’s old parents disowned him and he was able to be officially adopted by his dad, crowned the third prince of the Antarctic Empire.

He wasn’t bothered by a blue wardrobe anymore, though his old cloak was retrieved from its spot beneath the bed and was hung up near his others in its rightful place.

On the year anniversary of him joining their side, he was gifted something in a small box. He wasn’t embarrassed to admit that he cried when he opened it to find an emerald earring, another empty hole gracing his dad’s crown.

He got his ears pierced that day, and while it stung a little, his heart was nothing but full of love and warmth, and no amount of pain could change that.