Chapter Text
one
Standing by the looming gates of the castle, he looks around at the courtyard before him. He takes in the sight of the water fountain before him, and the surrounding flower beds. He hears the sounds of rapid footsteps, and he isn’t alone for very long. “Come on, Shigeo! There’s something I want to show you!” He feels someone grab his hand before he’s tugged away, much to the displeasure of his younger brother.
“No fair, Teru! I wanna come along!”
There’s a laugh, one full of life and pure happiness. “Maybe next time, Ototou-kun!~” He hears the disappointed whiny groan from his brother, and he looks between the two of them nervously.
“I-It’s alright Ritsu, I’ll tell you about what happened!” He says, wanting to avoid the two fighting. Momma said it wasn’t very princely of them to get into “pointless squabbles” with one another.
“Fine. But you better tell me everything, nii-san!” His brother replies, crossing his arms and looking at him with a pout.
“He will, now let us go!” The boy from before tugs on his hand, leading him away. He tries to keep up with him, but it’s a little difficult. He’s never had the best stamina after all. The only thing that keeps them together are their hands, which still clutch onto each other tightly.
Giggles and laughter follow along as they run, their destination unknown to him. He doesn’t mind though, because he gets to spend time with his best friend. He knows whatever his friend has in mind, it’ll be amazing. His friend is usually dragging him all around the palace and the surrounding woods, showing him wonderful things.
When they finally come to a stop, they’ve reached a clearing. He gasps in awe, staring at all of the flowers that surround them. “It’s… a flower field!” He exclaims, looking at all of the sunflowers and daisies, and tulips, and so many others.
“Mhm! No one else knows about this spot, only us!” His friend says cheerfully, grinning at him. “This can be our special place to play, no adults allowed!” The sentence is declared proudly, and he can’t help but feel rather happy about that.
“Can we still bring Ritsu here?” He then questions. He did tell his brother he could come the next time, after all.
His friend pouts, crossing his arms, “Do we have to? I wanted this place to be for us.” He mumbles.
“Well… wouldn’t it be mean to keep it from him? I mean, we promised him and all…” He says, shoulders sagging.
His friend falls quiet, as if contemplating a decision. “Alright… I’ll bring Ototou-kun along next time we come back here.” Their eyes meet and he smiles widely. His friend grabs his hand again, “But it’s just us for today, so let’s play, Shigeo!”
They break out into a run, laughter filling the air.
Upon hearing someone knocking rather persistently at his door, Shigeo’s eyes open. He meets the high ceiling of his room, and he blinks. Sunlight spills into the room, casting the curtains in a warm white glow. Slowly, he sits up and stretches, a yawn slipping past him. He looks around at his room, seeing just how brightly the sun illuminated it. The light nearly reflected off of the full length mirror tucked against the wall next to his dresser.
There’s still someone knocking at his door, even calling for him now. “Nii-san, it’s morning! You can’t sleep late today! Nii-san!”
Realizing it’s his brother, he throws the covers off and slides out of bed. Mind still foggy with drowsiness, he opens the door for his younger sibling. “Oh, Ritsu.” Shigeo says as a way of greeting. His little brother, Ritsu, stands in the doorway, fist raised to knock. He looks as if he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t, if his wide eyes of shock are anything to go by.
Ritsu lowers his hand and coughs into his fist, “Good morning, nii-san. I hope you slept well.”
Nodding, Shigeo replies, “I did.” He then takes in the sight of his brother, blinking. “You’re all dressed up.” He notes, confused. And he certainly is. Ritsu’s hair, while still looking a bit messy, has been brushed down. He has on a dark blue tunic, embroidered with gold lacing, outlining the buttons going down the clothing. Underneath the tunic he wore a matching dark blue vest, a white cravat tucked inside. The tunic stops a few inches above the knees of his gray trousers, a belt wrapping around his middle. His trousers are tucked into shiny black boots that reach his calves.
Shigeo blinks. Is there something big going on today?
“Of course I am, nii-san. Today is your sixteenth birthday, have you forgotten?” Ritsu inquires, shocking Shigeo.
That’s right. The maids and butlers of the castle have been very busy these past few weeks in preparation for the upcoming celebration. His birthday has been the talk of the town, how could he forget?
“Oh, right.” Shigeo says, nodding.
Ritsu offers him a smile, “You should get ready, here.” He extends his arm out to him, and that’s when Shigeo notices a neatly folded stack of clothes in his hands. “I had one of the maids hand it to me since I would be the one waking you up.” Ritsu explains as Shigeo takes them from him.
“Oh, thank you.” He replies.
“Come downstairs when you’re ready, mother and father are waiting.” Ritsu says before taking his leave.
Shigeo shuts the door behind him and walks back over to his bed. He puts the clothes down, staring at them. Removing his nightshirt, he replaces it with a white button up shirt. He looks down at the puffy sleeves at the end, a small frown pulling at his lips. He grabs the cravat next, he’s never been good at putting these on. After, he slips on the black trousers, thankful for the comfortable fit. The last time he had to dress nicely for an important occasion, his trousers had been rather uncomfortable. He turned his attention next to the deep purple tunic vest. It’s embroidered with swirls and gold outlines, and the outside is soft when he runs his hands down the material. Running across his chest are four golden pieces of fabric that he buttons together, along with a string of gold that he wraps around a button near the right side of his chest.
He fixes his sleeves, adjusting the vest of the tunic slightly and wraps his brown belt around himself. Once finished, he takes the last piece; a black cloak with a purple inside, and attaches it to his shoulder pad so that it only covers his left arm. The cloak stops a few inches below his tunic, just barely past his knees.
There’s a knock at the door and Shigeo turns over to look at it, “Come in.”
The door opens and one of the maids enters, giving him a polite bow and smile. “Good morning, your highness. I see Ritsu-san has already given you your clothes. Shall I take care of your hair for you?” She asks, and Shigeo nods, albeit stiffly.
She has him sit down at his desk, picking up his brush. The handle is golden and engraved with his family’s name. The maid gently brushes through his hair, smoothing out the unkept ends of hair. He sits there awkwardly, he had never been good with being taken care of by the maids of butlers. He’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but he’s never been able to tell them no.
After his hair has been brushed and his bedhead is no longer evident, the maid takes a step back. “Ah, thank you.” Shigeo says softly, and she smiles at him. He bids her goodbye before heading downstairs to meet with his brother and parents.
Downstairs he finds his parents and Ritsu, along with Reigen, the advisor to his father. The four of them stand around, talking to one another. Shigeo looks at Reigen, his father’s advisor, and sees that even he has dressed nicely for the occasion. He wears a gray tunic with pink embroidery on it. Thin lines of pink run up and down the front of his tunic, outlining the edges of the material. The two halves of the tunic are folded over each other, held together by gold buttons that run down Reigen’s chest. He has a belt resting around his middle, and matching gray trousers.
His father is the first to notice him when he gets downstairs, meeting Shigeo’s gaze with a grin. “There’s the birthday boy!” He exclaims, causing Ritsu and his mother to pause their conversation.
Reigen grins at Shigeo and walks up to him, patting his back, “Morning, kiddo! Happy birthday!”
“Good morning, sensei.” Shigeo replies, not nearly as enthusiastically as his teacher, but he’s still cheery. Reigen has been around for as long as Shigeo can remember. His father had taken Reigen on as his advisor when Shigeo and Ritsu were very young, having been impressed with his sharp wit. Reigen had been a young traveler who had stumbled upon the castle without realizing who had lived there.
The man had claimed he believed the place to be empty, until he bumped into the king himself. After having a long conversation with him, Shigeo’s father offered him a place in the castle and Reigen has been around ever since.
The queen comes right over to Shigeo, patting him down and fixing up his clothes the way mothers smooth down their son’s clothes until they deem it perfect. She straightens out his collar and fixes his cravat for him, “Look at you, my handsome boy.” She says while she fixes his clothes. Shigeo stands in front of her while she straightens his outfit, feeling smothered. He finds Ritsu’s eyes and sees his little brother smirk teasingly.
Shigeo can’t help but frown at him.
Finally, after what feels like forever, his mother steps back, nodding to herself. “There, perfect.” She hums before cupping his cheeks and pressing a kiss for his forehead. She pulls back with a fond look, gazing at him with adoration only a mother could have for her child. “You’re growing up so fast.” He meets her eyes and offers a tiny smile. His mother returns his smile before turning to look at Ritsu, “Don’t you go growing up on me as well now, Ritsu!” She threatens, causing Ritsu to nervously chuckle while Reigen and their father laugh at her antics.
“Come now my dear, you can’t truly stop the boys from growing.” The king laughs good-naturedly, smiling widely at his family. “Now that you’re both here, why don’t we have a nice breakfast to begin our day? It’s bound to grow busy later in the day.”
Shigeo falls into step beside Ritsu as they walk to the dining hall.
Shigeo can’t help but peer at every person who enters the castle for tonight’s celebration, curious and ansty. He watches as men, women, and children all walk through the large doors of the palace, smiles on their faces. Excitement is in the air, and if Shigeo is being honest, he’s rather excited himself. The castle is never this full, but he supposes the prince’s sixteenth birthday is a rather special occasion.
“Looking for someone?” Shigeo turns around to see Ritsu behind him, raising his brow with crossed arms.
“Ritsu.” Shigeo says, surprised.
Uncrossing his arms, Ritsu walks over to him, coming to stand at his side. Together, the brothers look out into the crowd. “I don’t think he’s going to be coming, nii-san.” Ritsu tells him, and Shigeo tries to not feel disappointed. Deep down, he’s known the truth, that his old friend probably wouldn’t show. But still, he had been hopeful.
“I know, but I was hoping…” He can’t help but say, frowning.
“He hasn’t sent you a letter in years, nii-san. Did you really think that just because you sent him an invitation he’d show up? Clearly his kingly duties are more important than his friend’s birthday.” Ritsu practically hisses, and Shigeo winces. Upon seeing that he spoke too harshly, Ritsu is quick to apologize, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”
Shaking his head, Shigeo looks at him, “It’s alright. You do have a point…” He sighs. He hasn’t heard from the young king in years, it was probably naive of him to really believe that his childhood friend would drop his duties for a night to pay him a visit on his birthday.
Ritsu frowns and goes to say more, but is interrupted by a stranger approaching them. “Good evening, young princes.” The stranger greets, bowing to the siblings. “It is truly an honor to be in your presence on such a wondrous occasion.”
Shigeo feels a bit awkward in front of the man, glancing over at Ritsu. Ritsu meets his eyes before looking back to the stranger. “Thank you.” His little brother says in response.
Trying not to cower behind his younger sibling, Shigeo hurriedly adds, “Y-You don’t have to continue bowing.”
With a smile the man straightens and Shigeo catches sight of rosy red cheeks. He wonders if it’s natural for someone’s cheeks to be that red. The man stands before them with short, choppy, black hair. He wears a dark green tunic with even darker green trousers and brown shoes. There’s a belt wrapped around his middle, holding what look to be pouches. The sleeves of his tunic are cut off, revealing the gray shirt underneath. He looks polite, but he also seems to ooze confidence if the smile on his face is anything to go by. The man offers both princes a smile, “My name is Ekubo, my lieges, and I am but a humble magician.”
“A magician?” Shigeo asks, intrigued.
“Yes,” Ekubo nods, “I’m a traveling magician you see. I know quite a bit about magic and its properties.” Shigeo looks at the magician with interest, but Ritsu doesn’t give him the chance to say anymore.
“I’m sorry, but we should be finding our parents. Dinner will start soon.” Ritsu says before grabbing hold of Shigeo’s hand and pulling him away. Shigeo glances at him with confusion but doesn’t resist. Together, they move about the crowd, trying to avoid anyone who is dancing or standing in groups talking as they try to make it back to their parents.
“Ekubo-san seemed interesting.” Shigeo says, “I wonder what he knows about magic.”
Ritsu huffs, “He seemed really weird to me. I don’t like him.”
“You shouldn’t be so quick to judge people, Ritsu.” Shigeo admonishes lightly, a small frown on his face.
“It’s because you’re too trusting, nii-san. Someone has to be suspicious of people.” Ritsu retorts, as if he’s annoyed with his self-imposed role.
“Is it really such a bad thing to see the good in people first and foremost?” The elder prince can’t help but ask, curious.
Ritsu sends him a frown of his own, “It is when you’re the prince and heir to the throne.” He explains bluntly, and while Shigeo knows he has a point, he doesn’t outright admit it. He prefers to assume the best of people rather than assume the worst. Perhaps it’s something that he’s picked up from his father, the king. After all, their kingdom has been in prosperity for many years because of his father and his ideals. They’re on good terms with the surrounding kingdoms, having made peace treaties with them.
Shigeo is ripped from his thoughts when he feels someone bump into him, causing him to fall backwards. “Nii-san!” He hears a squeak of surprise from in front of him and Shigeo opens his eyes to see a young girl sitting on the ground.
Despite the slight ache from falling without catching himself properly, Shigeo looks at her in concern. “Are you alright?” He asks her, hoping she didn’t seriously hurt herself.
The girl looks up at him, wide blue eyes blinking at him. “I’m fine…” She says, and Shigeo takes in her appearance. Her long midnight blue hair fell past her shoulders, two halves of it pulled away from her face. Her soft pink dress lay crumpled on the floor, some sections displaying a flower pattern since the light hit it correctly. Her sleeves come down to her wrists, long and puffed out. The two stare at each other for a few more moments before Ritsu is helping Shigeo up, making sure he’s alright. Once Shigeo is standing, he offers the girl a hand and a nervous smile. She smiles back, apologizes for bumping into him, and disappears into the crowd.
“Who was that?” Ritsu inquires, watching after her disappearing figure.
“I’m not sure.” Shigeo says, shrugging.
Turning his attention back to his brother, Ritsu takes in Shigeo’s state of dress and cracks a smile, “You better straighten yourself out nii-san, or mother will have a fit.”
Shigeo looks down at his clothes, seeing them ruffled up after being knocked over. He nods to his brother and quickly smooths out his clothes. He just hopes his mother won’t notice anything.
Dinner passes with little issue. Shigeo’s parents make toasts to him, as does Ritsu. He tries to pay attention, he really does. But his eyes keep drifting over to a vacant seat, one that he desperately wishes would be filled already. In truth he knows that won’t happen, that the person meant for that seat isn’t coming. He’s known this since Ritsu caught him searching through the crowd of guests earlier, but there was still some hope in him.
That empty seat squashes his hope though, and makes him confront reality.
Teru isn’t going to arrive, he isn’t going to appear and sit in that chair and talk to Shigeo like there isn’t years of silence between them.
His friend has clearly moved on, and perhaps it’s finally time Shigeo does as well.
Over the course of their meal, he hears talk of marriage. Shigeo listens in as wealthy nobles whisper amongst each other about the possibility, since the eldest prince is approaching the age. They wonder who he will marry, if it’ll be one of their own or someone from a different kingdom, to truly unite the lands.
Honestly Shigeo doesn’t want to think about how he’ll be crowned king soon, let alone marriage. There’s too much pressure on him with that title, he doesn’t feel prepared for it.
He glances over at his parents many times during dinner, but neither seem to have taken any notice of the surrounding conversations.
The celebration wraps up soon afterwards, leaving the royal family to get ready for bed. Shigeo disappears to his quarters as soon as he can, feeling drained from a party he barely participated in. Big social gatherings have never been his thing after all. He changes into his sleeping garments after removing the stuffy clothing he’s been stuck in all day and slips into bed.
The bed sinks under his weight and he lays down, content to stare up at the ceiling for a bit of time. He reflects on the day and what his new age may mean for his role in the kingdom and exhales softly. It’s moments like this that he wishes Ritsu were heir to the throne instead of him. Being the next in line to be king is a lot of pressure, and Shigeo isn’t sure if he can step up to the plate.
Not like Teru did, anyway.
But he knows Ritsu is fully capable of doing so. His little brother far exceeds him in many things, and Shigeo knows he’d make an excellent king.
Feeling his eyelids grow heavy, Shigeo lets them shut and drifts off to sleep.
He’s woken up by the sound of footsteps outside. Pushing the covers off as he sits up, Shigeo rubs the grit from his eyes. Tossing his legs toward the side of the bed, he gets up and pads over to the window. Any drowsiness Shigeo might have felt upon waking is gone within an instant as soon as he sees uniform clad men outside his window.
The men before him are dressed in dark yellow scarves and armor. He spots one of the men holding a flag pole, and Shigeo sucks in a gasp. On the flag is a familiar insignia, one of a bold B, covered in golden curls.
He’d recognize that flag anywhere.
Hope starts to blossom in his chest, Teru must have remembered his birthday after all! Leave it to his old friend to make a fashionably late appearance, Teru always did have a flair for the dramatics when they were children.
Despite the weirdness of Teru’s sudden arrival, Shigeo starts to smile the slightest bit. He feels so relieved to know that his friend hasn’t forgotten about him. Pulling away from the window, Shigeo wonders if he should meet Teru outside. Surely Teru would want to see him as soon as possible. Deeming this is a good idea, Shigeo slips on his slippers and heads to the door of his room.
Perhaps he should wake up Ritsu before he goes outside. He knows Ritsu will never admit it, but he can tell that his younger sibling views Teru as a good friend just as Shigeo does. Maybe Ritsu will want to greet Teru as well!
With his mind made up, Shigeo reaches for the door knob.
And then he freezes, stopping.
He smells smoke.
And just like that, any excitement that had previously been bubbling up in his chest bursts, disappearing. Worry and fear replaces it, nearly sending Shigeo into a panic. Why does it smell like something in the castle is burning? He doubts it’s from the kitchens, considering those are on the opposite side of the building. This fire is close by.
Maybe one of the butlers knocked over a candle?
Yes, that sounds about right.
Calming himself, Shigeo grips the door knob and pulls his door open. But the excuses he’s made up for the smoke don’t prepare him for the blazing inferno that awaits him outside of his room. He gasps, eyes widening at the angry flames that eat up anything they can touch. His panic returns almost immediately, and his first thoughts are of his family.
Pivoting on his feet, he runs towards Ritsu’s room since it’s closer than his parents’ quarters. “Ritsu!” He calls out as loud as he can. “Ritsu!” Shigeo’s voice rips through the air, and he tries calling Ritsu’s name a few more times.
He never gets a response.
Forcing his legs to continue moving, he ignores how his lungs burn in protest. Shigeo has never been the most athletic, but he refuses to stop until he’s found his brother and parents. He tries to move quickly, needing to outrun the flames behind him.
He’s surrounded by the orange lights however, there is no ‘outrunning’ them. Smoke is everywhere, and he can feel his shirt sticking to his skin, soaked with his sweat. He gasps loudly, trying to take in huge gulps of air. As he runs, the fire only travels up the walls of the castle and reaches the ceiling. He hears the sound of creaking wood and he looks up as a wooden beam burns, breaking off from the support beam it was previously attached to.
A strangled yell manages to escape the young prince before he tries to avoid it. It’s over for him if he’s caught underneath it.
In his attempt to escape the beam, he trips and falls, causing a slipper to fall off his foot in the process. He doesn’t acknowledge it as he lands harshly on the ground, knocking into the floor with his chin. He bites his tongue upon impact, tears springing to his eyes as a result. Shigeo pushes himself up on his elbows as he looks behind him and sees the beam land where he previously was standing.
Panting harshly, Shigeo lets himself cry. Why is this happening? Did someone do this? Was it one of the guests who started this fire? Why can’t he find his brother or his parents? Have they even escaped yet? Please don’t let them be sleeping still. He could care less about the castle and everything in it, what matters most to him are the people inside. They can just rebuild someplace else, it’ll still be home. But that’s only if his family is safe.
He pushes himself up and stands on two wobbly legs before forcing himself to continue to Ritsu’s room. Before he can take any more steps though, he hears voices cry out, “Your highness!” “Nii-san!”
Eyes widening, Shigeo turns around to find his brother and a stranger running toward him. Squinting his eyes, he realizes that the stranger is Ekubo, the magician from the party. Under normal circumstances Shigeo probably would’ve questioned why Ekubo is with his brother, but that’s the last thing on his mind right now. “Nii-san, are you alright?!” Ritsu exclaims as soon as he reaches him, and Shigeo feels as if he can collapse in relief.
Instead, he manages a weak smile, “I’m alright. Are you?”
Ritsu nods and Ekubo takes that as his time to jump in, “The whole place is covered in flames! We have to get out quickly!”
“Not without our parents.” Shigeo tells him. If Ritsu is alright then they have to be safe.
Ritsu nods in agreement, but Ekubo looks like he wants to protest. He doesn’t argue though and together, the three of them break out into a run, intent to search the castle. They have to search quickly though, for time is against them. The fires are relentless, covering every hallway and degrading everything they come into contact with.
The trio continue to search for the king and queen, hoping to find them in their room, or at least any sign that they’re alive. But they find nothing. On the bright side though, they also don’t find anything to signify that they aren’t alive.
Until they stumble into the dining hall.
The sight before them makes Shigeo want to scream, cry, shout in anguish, maybe all three at the same time. There’s a harsh gasp from behind him, and Ekubo is screaming “Look away!”
Laying on the ground, surrounded by flames, are two bodies. They’ve been burned to a crisp, parts of their clothing burned off and charred thanks to the greedy flames around them. All Shigeo can do is whimper as he recognizes a melted golden crown while Ritsu lets out a choked cry.
They both stare at the charred corpses of their parents, dread falling over them.
“I said look away!” Ekubo shouts once more before grabbing both of them. He looks around wildly before finding a window nearby. “Good enough.” He huffs before dragging the boys over to it. Ekubo mutters a curse before slamming his shoulder into the glass. Thanks to the force of his blow, a small crack forms in the window.
He smirks before slamming into it again. The smoke from the fire is starting to catch up with them, however, and Ekubo has to stop his escape plan a few times to cough into his palm. Shigeo and Ritsu do nothing to help him, too wrapped up in grief. The magician doesn’t say anything to them though and instead focuses on breaking the glass.
After a few more attempts, Ekubo finally shatters the glass. He’s able to open a hole wide enough to push the brothers through. He winces though as he sees Shigeo’s cheek get cut from the sharp end of the now broken window.
Once both brothers are safe, Ekubo climbs out as well. He grabs their wrists and starts tugging them away, toward the forest for safety.
Shigeo glances back at his home, feeling a whirlwind of emotions ripping through him. The entire castle has been engulfed in flames, and he sees groups of knights running in with spears and swords. He only ever remembers those knights welcoming him with smiles on their faces. But now there are angry scowls and pleasured grins of satisfaction.
Why?