Tyche was on high alert once you made it to Technoblade's room, overwhelmed by what had just occurred in the ballroom. Dream didn't help with her rising anxiety, rushing around the room to close the curtains tightly and check every nook and cranny. While it made you feel safe to know the room was secure, it also validated what happened in the ballroom.

Someone tried to assassinate you.

You couldn't stand to think about it for too long. If you did, you'd probably go insane with paranoia. Instead, you set your focus on Tyche.

The small girl was terrified. It reminded you of when you first met her, standing isolated in young Gresham's office. She looked out of place, so shaken up by the experience that her playful attitude completely disappeared. Even though she seemed like she was never going to fall asleep last night, you told her to take Technoblade's bed for the night. When she looked up at you with wide eyes, you assured her that you'd be up the whole night in one of the armchairs across from the bed.

Tyche didn't like your offer but was too afraid to speak up. Instead, she shakily grabbed your arm and yanked you onto Technoblade's bed with her, cuddling close to your dorm. She allowed you to adjust into a more comfortable position, leaning against the backboard of the bed, before she rested her head in your lap.

"I'm scared."

Her voice was quiet and brittle. You started to gently scratch her head in response, trying to ease her nerves enough to where she could sleep. When she continued to pull on her fingers, you decided to speak up.

"Take a deep breath, Tyche."

The young girl did as she was told, taking in a deep breath and then exhaling slowly.

"Right now, we're in a safe place. Dream's right outside the door and I'm sure he'd run right in if there was anything suspicious."

Tyche only nodded slightly. You felt terrible that you weren't sure how to comfort her at the moment. You didn't want to make any promises, especially ones you weren't absolutely sure about. And at the moment, you weren't sure about a lot of things.

"It's okay to be scared," You murmured, combing your fingers through her hair. "I think everyone's a bit frightened right now."

The small girl rolled over, facing towards the ceiling so she could lock eyes with you. Her lips were pulled into a large frown, her nose was red along with her swollen eyes. There were still unshed tears lying in her eyes. She spoke so softly that you had to strain your ears to hear her.

"Will my dad be okay?"

The question just about broke your heart. You struggled to answer her right away, mind flashing back to the conversations with your mother. While you weren't sure what exactly Technoblade did at the fortress, you knew how Tyche felt. She was scared for her dad, not knowing whether he was going to come back hurt or not. The only way you could think to comfort her is to say exactly what your mom said to you those days.

"Your dad is very strong," You soothed, "I'm sure he'll be okay. This is what he's trained for."

At least, that's what you assume. Based on the way he reacted after the arrow pierced the column, you guessed that Technoblade must be familiar with what to do in those situations. Although your world seemed to slow down after seeing the arrow that just about stuck you, Technoblade's reaction time was surprisingly quick, springing into action and leading you and Tyche out of the ballroom. His demeanor also led you to believe he was powerful. His tall build helped with that thought but it was mostly in the way he held himself.

Tyche broke eye contact with you, changing her focus to the ceiling.

"As soon as Technoblade comes back, I'll wake you up, okay? And the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner he'll be back."

"What if something happens while I'm sleeping?"

"I'll be here the entire time," You answered quickly.

Tyche hummed, turning back over to face away from you.

Maybe one wouldn't hurt.

"I promise."

•••

Tyche fell asleep just minutes after you made your promise. Her once tense and nervous demeanor was now peaceful. Her breaths were steady and deep, occasionally being sounded by her slightly opened mouth.

While it warmed your heart to see her so comfortable, it also made you more sensitive to every little sound around you. It was important that you stay up for her, waiting until whenever Technoblade showed up again. And who knew how long that could take, you could possibly be up until morning just waiting for him. Until then, you'd be wary of every movement or sound in the room.

That's why when you heard the loud squeaking of the door, you flinched quite hard. Thankfully, Tyche didn't seem bothered by your sudden movement, head still lying comfortably on your lap.

Dream walked in, gripping a large midnight black axe. He was wearing intimidating black armor, covering his usual clothing. Over his shoulders was a green cloak that tied in the front, providing a hood that covered his head like his hoodie. The armor and axe were glowing purple, signifying that the material was enchanted in some way. That wasn't surprising, most armor and weapons that guards used were enchanted. What did surprise you, though, was the material the axe and armor were made out of. It was something you've never seen before and it looked terrifying.

Dream shut the door as soon as he walked in, mask staring blankly at you. You watched him closely as he moved closer to the bed, peering over to look at Tyche.

"Is she asleep?" He whispered.

"Yeah," You whispered back, "She fell asleep not too long ago."

Dream straightened back up, placing his axe securely in the holster of his waistband.

"There's another guard stationed outside. I thought it'd be better if there was someone in here too."

You nodded, watching as Dream took a brief survey of the room before sitting on one of the armchairs. His usually sarcastic tone was dry and chillingly serious. He leaned forward slightly but still kept a tense posture.

"So, care to tell me what happened?" Dream asked, tilting his head.

"Uh, I–Well," You stuttered, taken aback from his behavior. His question came across accusatory, as if you had an underlying motive being in the fortress. You had nothing to do with your attempted assassination and even if you were planning something while undercover in the fortress, you wouldn't be risking your life.

Dream picked onto your shock and added on, "I haven't been informed on what happened yet. I've only been told that you and Tyche need to be in lockdown until further notice. I assume you know what happened based on your and Tyche's reactions after coming out of the ballroom."

You bit your tongue and nodded. Although his demeanor was off, his explanation seemed reasonable. He just wanted to know what happened, it could help to know what he was looking out for while guarding. You thought he'd know already, especially if he was stationed outside of your room for so long but apparently not.

"Someone... tried to kill me," You answered, your voice getting quieter the more you spoke. You didn't want to admit it out loud yet, that only made it more of a reality.

"How?"

The sight of his white smiling mask sent chills down your spine. Normally, it didn't bother you but at this moment the mask only added to his serious tone. While he might have a more empathetic look under it, you could only see the unsettling emotionless expression.

"They tried to shoot me with an arrow."

"And they missed?"

"Mhm."

"Well, if they were trying to kill you, then they're not that good if they missed," Dream joked, letting out a breathy laugh.

You didn't laugh.

Dream could be trying to lighten the mood but he wasn't doing too well at it. He stopped laughing when he realized you weren't doing the same, clasping his hands together in his lap.

"Is Tyche okay?" He changed the topic, focusing on the little girl sleeping in your lap.

"She's scared, unsurprisingly. And she's worried about Technoblade."

"Techno's gaining control of the situation right now," Dream defended, "He'll most likely be back by morning and then he'll hold a conference about what happened, how to prevent it, stuff like that. And he'll probably also have you be checked by Bad again if he isn't hungover."

You cracked a smile at that one, causing Dream to laugh a little. No offense to Bad but you weren't too excited about going back to be checked after spending so much time in the medical wing when you first arrived. You hoped you were done with that phase, however, it all just seemed to be replaying backward.

"Tyche is still worried about him either way. After all, he is her father. It's understandable."

Dream sat silently for a couple of seconds, making you fidget in place.

"You really don't know who Technoblade is?"

Your eyes squinted, your lips pulling into a frown. "He's... Technoblade?"

Silence.

"I don't know what you're trying to get at, Dream," You sighed, getting aggravated by his attitude. He did the same thing the last time you spoke. Was there something special about Technoblade? Why wouldn't you have heard about it?

"Nevermind," Dream dismissed, waving his hand as if he was physically clearing the conversation.

You were a bit upset. He already brought this up two times. Clearly, it was important enough for you to know if he brought it up multiple times. It felt like he was keeping secrets, ones that you felt you deserved to know.

"You're free to sleep while I'm here," Dream spoke before you could ask questions. Reluctantly, you moved along from the other topic but wrote a mental note to bring it up another time.

"I told Tyche I'd be with her the entire night."

"You'd be with her, just sleeping. I'm here if anything happens. I'm the one who's carrying a weapon, anyway, so I'm more equipped for a battle right now."

"I told her I'd look over her," You quickly added on, ignoring the weapon comment, "Can't do that if I'm asleep."

Dream hummed, finally leaning back in the armchair. "Whatever works for you. I just thought some shuteye would be nice before the chaos of tomorrow begins."

"Chaos?"

Dream's mask zeroed in on you. "You're involved in this mess. Not only with Tyche but you also were almost killed today. It wouldn't be surprising if you were brought in for more questioning or included in some of the conferences. Some sleep could be nice before you had to go through that. Have a clear mind to get through the day."

Your stomach twisted. More questioning? Being included in conferences? It made sense but you weren't mentally prepared to take on that challenge. What if they really thought you weren't innocent? What if they thought you planned all of this? That you were just a spy in the fortress?

"Stop overthinking it," Dream scolded, "You'll be fine. Techno will be there the entire time."

The statement should have comforted you but it only made you more conflicted. While you bonded with Technoblade at the ball, you weren't even close to trusting him completely yet. And the same could probably be said from his perspective.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm your mind. You have to focus on the moment and take everything one step at a time. Right now, the moment is staying with Tyche and making sure she is safe. You'd promised her that, and you'd keep that promise.

•••

So, I've been gone a while but I hope this long chapter helps with that :)

I moved into my dorm and started classes. This semester's looking busy already haha. I'm going to try to keep up a consistent schedule of at least updating once a week but I might miss a week or two because college is my priority right now.

I hope you all liked this chapter and have a great day/night <3