Chapter Text
Prince Kyle Oliver White of Charmington was an accident.
It was an open secret.
But Kyle had always known it.
There was three years between him and his oldest sister Shelley and one year between him and his older brother, Seth.Both of his older siblings had been announced early and had had grand parties thrown in their honor.
No one had even aware of Kyle's existence until he made his way into the world kicking and screaming.
Four years later, his parents adopted a little girl named Sarah from Cinderella's Pumpkin Patch—a rather shitty orphanage that had left Kyle's now older sister with issues.
A year later came Glauco—Kyle's now nine year old brother. He had been planned months—or even years arguably—in advance.
Prince Kyle Oliver White of Charmington had been unplanned. A happy little accident, more than one drunken noble had joked when his mother and father were out of earshot. And it was evident to all who knew him.
Kyle was the forgetable sibling, the add-on. The black sheep.
His oldest sibling, Shelley, was just like their mother. She was the picture perfect princess, a beacon of kindess and grace.
Sarah was popular and good with people. She knew what she wanted and tended to get it, always having her eye on the prize.
His older brother, Seth, was one of the most popular kids in school, alongside being ridiculously smart. He'd never gotten anything lower than a B his entire life. Kyle just knew he was their dad's favorite, though it'd never been said aloud.
And then there was Glauco, the baby of the family. Besides being the cutest little thing ever, he was also a wannabe detective, and liked "solving" mysteries around the house. He was undeniably their mother's favorite. He was the perfect mix of their parents.
Sporty and determined like their dad and a little reporter like their mom with a blend of their looks, though his hair was lighter.
Truly the fairest of them all.
Meanwhile Kyle had just been lucky to pass the fourth the grade.
He was the trouble maker. The bad child. The mad child.
He never cared enough about anything but could anyone blame him?
All four of his siblings were the picture perfect sparkling beacons of Auradon. They dressed as they were supposed to, acted kind and graceful and beloved with ease, and never stepped a foot out of line.
They were so sickly Auradon.
And Kyle? He was a punk.
Alternative.
He didn't look like an Auradon Kid and he didn't act like one either.
Why should he?
He knew he was a disgrace in many a citizen's eye and he couldn't give less of a fuck.
He didn't need good grades, perfect looks, or the perfect attitude. He wasn't going to dress in a suit and tie & grit his teeth for all the people he didn't like who didn't even bother to hide behind backhanded compliments.
He had his video games—the ones the adults didn't want him to play. He had his trusty skateboard, and his passion for art. Street art, that is. He was good at it, and not getting caught. Though, when he did get caught, it usually landed him on the cover of 'The Royal Digest,' which never pleased his parents.
Kyle asked questions and didn't shut up when something caught his fancy—he'd been described as a mouthy little shit more than once. He'd been asking about the Isle of the Lost for years. He'd been making Auratube videos about it for just as long.
Prince Kyle Oliver White of Charmington was an accident.
And Charmington never tried to hide it.
King Florian Charming and Queen Snow White loved all their children.
There was no doubt about it. No arguments, no debates, no rumors claiming the opposite. There was no doubt in anyone's minds that they loved all their children.
But that love wasn't always easy to pass around and sometimes someone would fall through the cracks as the very busy duo ran around trying to run the kingdom, Snow White's Snack Shack, report on the hottest scoop, and take care of their children.
Oftentimes it was Kyle who slipped through the cracks.
"I promise I'll help you in a minute, sweetheart. I have to help Seth with speech."
"Sorry buddy, I promised Glauco we would hang out today."
"I know I said we would go today but Sarah had a rough night—"
"What were you thinking?"
"Why can't you behave more like Shelley?"
Everyone was always too busy to spend time with him.
His parents had trouble remembering his interests and his tastes in food, shows, and music.
If someone where to ask Kyle who the least loved sibling was in his family, Kyle would without a doubt pick himself.
Because sometimes, Kyle felt as if he was invisible. Doomed to only be noticed when he was in trouble.
He wasn't supposed to be on the roof.
But that never stopped Kyle from climbing onto it during the night, just so that he could get a look at the isle across the way with the telescope his crush—Mary Ellen—had gifted him for his last birthday.
Kyle thought about the Isle of the Lost often.
He thought about the villains, the sidekicks, the henchmen, and all the others who had booted off there with them more often than he likely should and he often wondered if there were any children on the isle.
He wondered. If there were children on the isle, did they feel as forgotten as he did?
Where they specular, like Kyle's siblings?
Or where they like him? Troubled and forgettable.
Did they feel like they were the least loved child in their family too?
"Kyle?" His father's voice from down below startled him. "You know you're not supposed to be on the roof, bud."
Kyle sighed and peered over the side of the roof to see his father down below with his trusty horse. "What are you doing up?"
"Couldn't sleep. What are you doing on the roof?"
"Just looking at the stars." Kyle sighed and began to climb down the roof with ease, using the tree that was right next to his window to get to the ground as he usually did when be snuck out. Not that his father needed to know that.
Florian frowned. "I don't want you getting hurt up there. It's a long fall."
"I'm careful."
"I know you are." Florian adjusted his grip on the reins. "But all it takes is one single mistake to slip or lose your balance."
Kyle shrugged, apathetic as usual. "I guess you're right."
Florian studied his son's expression. "Are you doing okay? It's really late."
"Just couldn't sleep." He was thinking about them again. But his father didn't need to know that. "But what else is new?"
"Did you want any tea? You know your mother keeps a hearty supply of chamomile in the pantry."
Kyle didn't bother reminding his father that he didn't like tea.
"It's late. Figured it was best not to wake anyone."
Florian shook his head. "Nonsense. Nobody's rooms are close to the kitchens."
"Sarah's a light sleepier. She'd wake up if there was a pea under her mattress." Kyle disputed, moving forward past his father and his horse: the sooner they got inside the sooner his father would forget to worry about him.
"Then we'll be quiet. I know how to stop a microwave before it hits zero." Florian joked. He didn't understand why Kyle was behaving this way. He just wanted to help.
Kyle sighed.
Time to do things the awkward way.
"I'm the one who doesn't like tea."
"Ah." Florian shifted. "Well…I'm sure we have hot chocolate somewhere. It has the same effects as chamomile. I think."
Kyle gave in, already knowing that his father wasn't going to leave him alone.
"Do you ever regret having me?"
Kyle didn't know what made him ask the question.
Maybe it was the overwhelming, painfully awkward silence that had begun to suffocate the room,
Maybe it was the comforting warmth of the hot chocolate that was currently running through his brains or the tacky reindeer mug that Kyle had made when he was five that Kyle had sworn he'd thrown away when his mom was pregenant with Glauco.
Or maybe it was the glances his father kept sneaking his way.
Kyle didn't know.
Florian paused, his mug of tea halfway to his mouth. "What? No, of course not."
"You don't have to lie." Kyle replied, patiently. Fidgeting with his straw. "I know I was an accident."
Florian set down his mug. "If by 'accident' you mean 'we didn't happen to be planning to have a kid,' then fine, sure. But there was by no means regret in that equation."
"Even with the way I am?"
Florian's brow furrowed. "Way that you are? What's that about?"
Kyle rolled his eyes. "Oh come off it, we both know that everyone thinks I'm the bad child."
"Who's everyone?" Florian asked. "Because as far as I'm aware, you're just a normal child."
"The Royal Digest. The royals in court. The teachers at school. Reporters." There were more people who thought Kyle was a rotten child than he could count on his hands. "Like I said, everybody."
Florian started counting off on his fingers. "Royal Digest is just a magazine; they'll say anything to get people to buy them. The royals that I happen to fraternize with don't seem to think you're a bad kid—I think Aladdin actually likes you. Teachers think every kid who isn't a quiet little angel is a bad kid. Don't listen to reporters—aside from your mother, obviously." He glanced up, as if Snow White would magically appear and scold him for clowning on her profession.
Kyle took a sip of his hot chocolate.
"Well, you still have to admit that I'm not an easy kid." He thought bitterly of his siblings. "It would make sense if you wished you hadn't had me. It sure would have made your lives easier."
He sounded confident in his words.
"I'm not sure what kind of kids you've been raising, but all kids aren't easy kids. Every child has their difficulties—and before you say anything, yes even Shelley."
"Funny considering how often I'm compared to her." He muttered, unconvinced.
Florian looked around conspiratorial. "Don't tell her I said this, but when she was a little younger than you are now, she went through her 'earth terror phase,' and she'd leave little piles of dirt all over the school, trying to get people to care about the environment. She got in trouble for it."
Kyle laughed.
A true genuine laugh. "No way."
"Yes way."
Prince Kyle Oliver White of Charmington was an accident.
He was the least loved of his siblings.
He was the black sheep and the problem child.
Charmington's careless prince.
But Kyle was a happy accident—and least loved didn't mean not loved at all. He was wanted, his parents didn't regret having him. and they loved him just the way he was: flaws, stubborn opinions, trouble making tendencies, and all.