Chapter Text
Soft movement could be heard from a large open field, the person moving with a slow and calm pace through the waist-high grass. The sun was low on the horizon, signaling the day's end.
Tubbo closed his eyes and enjoyed the swift breeze on his face before he would have to return indoors to his cottage. The days continued to get shorter and shorter, nearing mid-fall now. Tubbo had to work long days to harvest his plethora of crops and flowers now that plenty of them were coming to bloom or producing food. Not that he minded much, he very much enjoyed his days outside with the beautiful turning trees and bushes, preparing for their leaves to fall like they do every year. He could have had a much worse job, had been worse off than he was now. What he did every day was something to keep his mind off everything, really.
Tubbo continued walking towards home when the sun only had a sliver of light left to give, finally lowering to rest up for the next day.
Tubbo should do the same.
When he returns inside, Tubbo lights a fire in the hearth, a pot of stew brewing of his plants, and chicken broth he had traded for in the Empire over the fire. Soon, he'd have to get warmer clothes. Back when he first came to The Antarctic Empire with little to nothing, he'd had to endure the Winter with hardly any warm clothes, working manual labor for anyone who needed it in the frigid weather before he could plant his crops and other such flora in the Spring. With only the abandoned cottage he found to provide him some warmth. And as Tubbo would come to learn, Winters in The Antarctic Empire were harsh, where snow and ice layered the ground for months and wind so cold that it made your ears burn and eyes water.
It had been...well, scummy. But, now, as he ate his stew that slowly warmed his insides in his small home, he could say in full confidence that it had all been worth it. He even got to keep bees now! The life he was living was Heaven if you'd asked him.
Tubbo had grown up with no family to speak of, abandoned by whoever he used to be a son too, or maybe a brother, who knows? He had grown up in an orphanage during his younger years, in a Kingdom thousands of miles away from where he now currently lived.
A lot of his memories were fuzzy, blurred out by time. But he could recall the ostracization, the slide glances he would receive from people in the village, usually adults. The dismissive behavior from the Caretakers of the Orphanage, the way he knew they were going to be overjoyed the day they could be rid of him, when he turned sixteen. He had even been told by multiple adults that he was undeserving of a Soulmate. All because he was a Ramesas.
Well, Tubbo finally couldn't take it anymore, the loneliness and humiliation were too much for his young mind to bear with no one there to comfort him.
He left when he was eleven, he would find somewhere new to call home.
Tubbo traveled aimlessly from Kingdom to Nation to City to Empire. He didn't know where to go, never truly finding a permanent home. He would work any job he could to make money for food and other necessities. And Tubbo would try his best to stay in Nations and Kingdoms during the Winter that didn't receive snow every year, so he wouldn't freeze without the proper clothing.
Tubbo was restless and truly, deeply unhappy, with no one to rely on and no place where he could relax. Constantly bring harassed, and, on bad occasions, physically hurt.
He didn't know how much longer he could keep doing this.
One good thing about his travels was meeting so many other Ramesas's like himself. All of them having unique experiences and advice to share with the young boy.
About two years ago, Tubbo had stumbled his way upon a small village, all consisting of Ramesas's. They had immediately offered him sanctuary, giving him food and a warm place to stay. For the six months he spent with the villagers, he finally felt safe and comforted. He made friends and looked up to a woman named Niki, who had taught him many valuable things in his time there, as well as listening to his troubles.
Eventually, Tubbo felt like it was time to move on. He didn't know why that was the case, this place and these people were everything he ever wanted, so why did he feel he had to keep going?
They all had pleaded with him to stay, saying they had plenty of room and space, and love. Multiple people offering their homes for him to live in, but he just couldn't stay. He had to continue on.
Tubbo said his final goodbyes, hugging those he was closest to and waving at familiar faces. Niki had given him a tight squeeze, a sad look on her face. Tubbo reciprocated it, tears growing in his eyes. He had come to almost see her as a mother, leaving her would be so, so hard.
The both of them bumped foreheads and horns together in a show of affection as Niki said she loved him and would always be proud of him. When they finally released, she had dug into her pocket for a handcrafted necklace with a wooden bee carving and a thin string to go around his neck.
She had gently put it on him, saying if he ever needed her, to smash the necklace in two.
Tubbo smiled up at her and they hugged one last time before he was on his way again. He already had a destination in mind. It would be a long trip, but The Antarctic Empire was known to be one of the safest places for non-Human's to live. Many of the citizens being non-Human themselves. Hope swelled in his chest as he traveled to the Empire. This could finally be the place where he was free from judgment, where he could have his own house and his own farm and his own bees.
After all, the Emperor was not a Human himself, either.
And that was how he ended up here, sitting in front of the fireplace with a now-empty bowl of stew. Tubbo found himself absentmindedly playing with the necklace Nikki had given him. He never took it off.
Tubbo sighed, he should get to bed, he needed to go to the market tomorrow.
Tubbo woke up with the sun as per usual, today he had planes to head into the closest shopping area in the Empire, about an hour walk.
He loaded small buckets full of plants, flowers, food, and a few jars of honey. Those would undoubtedly make him the most profit considering bees were hard to properly care for in this Empire, what with the deadly Winters and such.
Tubbo wished he had a cart to wheel all his goods in, but he didn't have enough money to purchase one, nor would he be able to wheel the chart through miles of thick woods to one of the many entrances to the Empire.
He could tell when he passed over the border to the Empire, the guards on watch giving him a slight wave with a hand free of weaponry, sleep still evident on their faces.
Tubbo waved back with a much more energetic movement, a smile on his face. Because Tubbo came officially into the Empire's borders a few times a week, the guards that stood watch all knew who he was at this point and had no reason to stop him. One of them was even a prime customer for his honey and carrots.
One thing Tubbo found very pleasant about this place, besides the almost no harassment he received, was that the boarders had no walls or some sort of reinforcements put up like Tubbo had seen so many other Nations do in his travels. It made the place, surprisingly, feel safer as well as welcoming. Of course, he could only speak of what he knew, and he had only seen a very small portion overall of The Antarctic Empire. Considering it was hundreds of miles long and hundreds of miles wide. Though, to be fair, he doubted many people had the time to venture across a majority of the Empire either, but he wished he could.
Having no walls gave a sense of confidence and assured safety, and yes, well it was possible that was not the case, it still didn't change the fact that that's how it made him feel. And, if what he heard of not only the Royal Family but the military power they possessed as well as the allies they had in not only the overworld but other Realms as well, Tubbo believed there would be few who would try and attack.
Tubbo arrived at the town square with many free booths open, a few people already setting good of all sorts out onto their respective selling areas. Colorful table cloths covering the wood of their booths and signs describing what they offered.
While Tubbo wasn't that fancy with his setup, he did have a small checkered cloth he laid out neatly onto his table after he paid the woman who ran the center square for his booth space for the day.
He got to work setting all his products out gently and neatly, and in about an hour, the town market was filled with people ready to start their day.
By lunch, Tubbo had nearly sold out of all his goods, making a good amount of money that he was more than happy with. He would be going to purchase a heavy Winter's coat straight away when he was finished with selling.
"Have a good day, Sir!" Tubbo remarked cheerfully to a man he just sold his last bouquet of flowers to.
Alright, he only had a few carrots and one jar of honey left, and he knew exactly who they would be going to. Hildon, one of the guards at the border, would just be getting on break and immediately come to his stand to purchase the remaining items.
Just five minutes later, that exact man had arrived at Tubbo's stand, already getting out gold coins.
"Good, I thought you had already sold out," Hildon said with a relieved smile and a friendly demeanor.
"How could I forget my best customer? I would be mental if I didn't leave some carrots and honey for you," Tubbo replied with a smile. Hildon had a way of lifting people's moods, or at least Tubbo found him to.
"I owe you one," he replied with a grateful look, handing Tubbo the proper amount of coins, already knowing the price by heart.
"Naw, you don't. Honest, I'm glad you've stuck around this long," Tubbo told him while packaging his food into a paper bag.
Hildon gave a small laugh, continuing the conversation.
"Y'know, there's gonna be a Festival this upcoming Sunday, right on the day of Mid-Autumn. In the Capital. I heard the Royal Family's gonna be there. Are you going?"
He handed the man his bag and pondered his statement. He always wanted to see the Capital, It's where the Palace was and had the most amazing buildings, shops, and food. "I genuinely wasn't aware there was going to be a festival if I'm honest, Hildon."
Hildon raised an eyebrow. "Really? Huh, I thought everyone had known. Though I guess you don't officially live within the Empire's borders, do you? Well, either way, you should consider going, Tubbo."
Tubbo made a noise of contemplation, his face twisted in thought. Eventually, he let out a sigh. "Aw, I don't think I'll be able to attend, my harvest season is just starting to kick into full gear, and I can't risk a single day. Although I'm sure I would have liked it."
Hildon's face fell slightly in disappointment. "That's too bad. We only ever get to see the Royal Family together in person on rare occasions, but I get it. Well, I'll save you some food if you don't end up going, but if you do, tell me. I'd be really cool to see you there."
Tubbo smiled, although a little more downtrodden. "Will do, have a lovely day."
Hildon waved back at him, "You too, Tubbo!"
Tubbo briskly exited the tailor's store into the cold evening air, a new fluffy coat hugging his upper body. He had ended up staying in town for the remainder of the day, buying more food he required and a few more candles, as well as a few potions from a local Witches shop.
Tubbo had rairly been able to get his hands on potions before he settled down where he was now, only ever seeing them back at the settlement of Ramesas's and abandoned ones he came across on his travels. Generally, the ones that he found were a risk to ingest into or put on the body, so he only ever used them in emergency situations. But now that he had the money to buy himself safe potions for a proper Witch who knew what they were doing, Tubbo thought it a good idea to purchase a few for emergencies. It helped make him feel safer.
Other than that, he ended up spending the rest of his day at a nearby park, with, surprisingly, a beehive. All of them lovely little fellows.
Before he left for home with his baskets and buckets, he went to the tailer's store and purchased a coat a few sizes too big. He hoped that by doing this he would give himself a few years to grow into it properly, so he wouldn't have to spend his money on a new coat every year.
Although, now looking at the sky with the sun bearing setting time, he wondered if maybe he should have left earlier.
A primal sense of fear stuck him right in the chest, causing him to stop stiff for a moment, eyes wide and heart beating fast. Although The Antarctic Empire was known for being friendly to Non-Human Species, there were still incidents that happened, and most of them being after dark and when the person was alone and helpless. Tubbo couldn't help but think he fit the definition perfectly.
He started walking faster, he still had about fifty minutes before he would reach his cottage. Tubbo wrapped his new coat that practically swallowed him tightly around himself. As if it was some sort of protective barrier, while also trying his best not to drop everything else he was holding.
He would make it home, Tubbo was sure of it.
Tubbo had exited the border a good while ago, the guards on duty waving him a good night. Now, he was deep in the forest on the path back home that he had memorized. Tubbo was oh so grateful to be able to see in the dark better Humans, his way able to be seen even in the pitch black of the forest. He didn't have full night vision, but enough to understand his surroundings. And he was just as thankful at this very moment for his even better hearing. Even the slightest of sound he could detect around him, and even though it scared the Hell out of him every time he heard something, at least he was able to be aware of there was danger.
Tubbo suspected he was only a few miles from the cottage now, and that made him sigh in relief.
That was, until he heard the labored blathering of someone in immense amounts of pain.
Tubbo jumped and his left ear immediately shifted to the left, where he knew the sound to be coming from. It was hard to hear, so whoever it was must be around fifty years away if he were to guess.
He started walking cautiously off the path and in the direction of the person in pain. If someone was hurt, it was his job the help, even if this did put him in a little bit of danger. How could he just willingly walk away when he knew someone could be in need of help? He couldn't, he just couldn't.
As he got closer, he could identify more about the voice. On the younger side, and most likely male.
Tubbo's heart began to beat faster in his chest as he approached, his pupils blown wide in worry and anticipation of something bad happening.
Then, Tubbo saw them in the distance, leaned up against a small tree, holding a hand to their abdomen that was seeping a dark liquid.