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When streams of sunlight hit his face that morning, Leona knew he only had a little longer before the world sent him its rude awakening, its own birthday present to him. It hadn’t even had the mercy to make it cloudy outside, attempting to rouse him early for what was undoubtedly going to be a long day of well-wishes and royal birthday celebrations that would be nothing but empty gestures to his status. Instead of rising to meet the impending challenge, Leona pulled his blankets over his head and sank back into sleep.
Another year, another largely shitty birthday.
His rude awakening came charging in several minutes later to the pitter-pattering of little feet and his bedroom door being slammed open. Leona braced himself.
“HABBY BIRT’DAY UNCA!” Cheka screeched, landing on top of Leona with enough force to knock the wind out of him.
“The hell did I tell you about doin’ that, furball? ” Leona growled and threw his blankets at his excitable nephew, the young heir squealing with delight. He bundled Cheka up in his blankets and pounced on him with punishing tickles, his nephew writhing and laughing as he fought to be freed from his impromptu prison. Leona allowed himself a small smile when Cheka’s unruly red curls eventually popped out, sitting back and watching his annoying little nephew attempt to untangle himself.
“Unca, help me!” Cheka whined when he was only halfway out of the mess of blankets, his brown eyes big and pleading. Leona smirked.
“Ya got yourself in that mess brat, gotta get yourself out,”
Cheka struggled for a few more minutes before he pulled himself free and crawled onto Leona’s lap giggling and his tail flicking playfully. Leona let him with a sigh, the dark tip of his tail thumping against his mattress.
“Habby Birt’day, Unca Leona!” Cheka chirped. He wrapped his little arms around Leona’s chest as much as possible and squeezed with a little chuff. “Was I ta first ta tell you? Was I, was I?”
Leona rolled his eyes and tolerated another second or two of the hug before pushing his nephew away with a firm but gentle press of his palm against his head. “Yeah yeah, you were the first. Happy?”
Cheka fell back with a giggle and scrambled off Leona’s bed, his little hands grabbing one of Leona’s and attempting to tug him off his bed. “Yeah! Come eat brea’fast with me!”
“Pass,” Leona shook his hand from Cheka’s grasp and grabbed his messed up blankets, throwing them over his shoulder and settling back down. Cheka whined and tugged on his blankets with a pouty jump.
“But ta cooks made mishkaki!” Cheka exclaimed. Leona’s ears perked up at that. “Come on , Unca, come on! ”
“Beef or mutton?” he asked quietly. He immediately regretted it when Cheka gasped, like the little brat knew he had him hook, line, and sinker.
“Mutton!”
Leona felt his stomach growl at the thought of the kabab meal. At least the palace cooks had the decency to make one of his favorite foods for such an auspicious occasion. He left Cheka hanging for another moment or two before sighing heavily and sitting back up.
“Okay, just this once,”
“Yay!”
~***~
Maybe it was a small birthday present in itself for Cheka’s tutor to pull him away as soon as they finished eating breakfast, cutting his nephew’s annoying chatter about the details of the party happening later that night short. He was pretty sure Cheka wasn’t supposed to be telling him about it and that the bulk of what he told him was supposed to be a surprise, but maybe chatterboxes like him weren’t all that bad when they had their ears to the pulse of the palace. Leona took a skewer of mishkaki with him as he strolled through the halls, evading the hurrying servants and patrolling guards with practiced ease.
Cheka’s tutor, in their rush, hadn’t even wished him happy birthday before ushering the heir away.
Whatever. Wasn’t like he was that upset about it. Better to avoid empty well-wishes than to sit through them.
He passed by one of the royal conference rooms and paused, subtly peeking into the cracked doorway. Inside he caught a glimpse of Falena talking with what looked like a dignitary from one of the coastal provinces, arguing about port taxes. Kifaji stood dutifully at Falena’s side, listening but silent. After a moment, the avian therianthrope’s black eyes shifted and met his.
Leona moved on before Kifaji raised a fuss. Second-born princes weren’t supposed to be listening in on meetings that were the king’s concern after all.
If the pattern of how his birthdays have gone in the past few years held, then he should have most of the morning to do fuck-all while the servants prepared the afternoon’s celebratory feast and the nobility from across Sunset Savanna streamed into Sunrise City. After the feast, the party would commence, a blowout affair full of performers and simpering nobles and wealthy family heads who only attended to maintain favor with the royal family and to discuss marriage prospects now that he was well past the age to get engaged. A mountain of shiny, expensive, and utterly worthless presents would be piled at his feet like he was the king for the night, offered to him like it was his coronation day instead of just the second prince’s twentieth birthday.
Cheka’s birthday parties over the past several years have repeatedly blown his out of the proverbial water, his fourth birthday celebration lasting a whole week while his were relegated to finishing once the moon was high in the sky.
It was fine. He wasn’t the heir anymore anyway, not after Cheka’s first birthday.
Leona’s tail flicked as he moseyed down to the royal parking garage, finishing off the last of his mishkaki skewer and flicking the stick to the side as he picked his way around the numerous cars until he found his jeep. He had it roaring to life and zooming out of the garage in minutes, basking in the sudden harsh sunlight that hit him as soon as the road was under his tires. Dry wind wormed its way through his thick hair and flattened his ears against his head as he left the palace grounds and navigated his way out of Sunrise City.
The thought to hit up Ruggie briefly passed through his mind, but he shook it away just as quickly. It’d be a headache for him to appear in whatever slum the hyena therian lived in, and it wasn’t like he was going to get an actual birthday present from him anyway, at least not until school started back up again. His classmates never sent any birthday presents to him on his actual birthday, instead choosing to hand them over directly within the first week of school ever since his sophomore year. With him repeating his junior year, that guaranteed him another first week of school spent accumulating presents that were actually semi-decent, or at least not uselessly lavish.
Well–
Leona grimaced as the paved road became dirt, jostling his car for a split second and making his heart skip a beat.
Well, all except one.
One present from a classmate would be sent directly to him, apparating in this evening’s gift mountain with no sender name attached and wrapped awfully in Night Raven College wrapping paper, if what happened last year repeated itself.
The present would be scent-neutral, like the sender was determined to keep their identity a secret from him, and paired with a hand-written note in a neat fancy scrawl that cordially wished him a happy birthday. Last year, it had been the only present he’d actually kept— a handcrafted chessboard set made from several different types of stone, the pieces carved with lion motifs. The chess set had been enchanted to be lightweight in a dead language Leona was familiar with, and the pieces moved on their own with verbal commands. It was clearly the culmination of the hard work of an amateur stoneworker, but it was still incredibly well-made, becoming the board he used at school when he didn’t feel like looking at the one his late mother had given him when he was six.
His thoughts wandered the longer he drove, uninhabited grasslands waving him by. He shouldn’t hope for another present from the mysterious sender, not with his rotten lot in life. No, he most likely wasn’t going to get another thoughtful present from the mysterious sender, because what would possess someone to give him an incredibly thoughtful gift again after how interdorms went last year?
Leona had a short list of suspects of who the mysterious sender might be, or really one suspect. Very few people at Night Raven tried their hand at stoneworking after all, much less making the purposeful effort do to it with their hands instead of magic and enchant it expertly in a dead language. Unfortunately for him, Leona didn’t have definitive proof, and he wasn’t about to march right up to the guy and accuse him of giving him a great gift right in front of his sycophantic dorm members.
No, all Leona could do was lie in wait and see if another mysterious gift appeared. Until then, he mentally prepared his plan for winning this upcoming year’s interdorm Spelldrive tournament, letting the oppressive savanna heat and dry air chase away the flutterings of his heart.
~***~
Leona eyed the growing pile of gifts with a bored expression as attendants of the visiting nobles and rich upper class slowly added to it. He forced his ears to not be pinned to his head and his tail to only flick casually, masking his displeasure and flashing each inept well-wisher a princely smile under his sister-in-law’s watchful gaze. He knew Neema was only hovering because last year he had been a bit more surly and she wanted the event to go well, but her staring was starting to get on his nerves. It wasn’t like he was about to cause a scene after all the trouble she went through to arrange the whole inane affair like some ungrateful cub.
Cheka had been right though, at least. Leona glanced away from the line of well-wishers and to the performers acting out a spelldrive game on the large open platform at the end of the staircase leading to where he and his family sat. The performance, as told to him by Cheka, was a reenactment of the spelldrive game he had led Savanaclaw to victory in during his freshman year. He couldn’t decide if he was insulted or not. On one hand, he was pleased that his victory was being acknowledged and celebrated as it should be, but on the other hand, sickened by the fact that that was the last time he’d had a victory worth celebrating, the last time something he’d accomplished deserving to be played out under the starry eyes of the ancestral kings.
Leona checked the status of the moon slowly rising in the sky. It was going to be another several hours before he would be allowed to hide away in his bedroom and catch up on some well-earned rest. Maybe his pile of gifts could actually be useful, serving as a barricade against his doors so Cheka couldn’t wake him up.
He glanced back at the gift mountain.
No mysterious gift yet.
Closer to the platform, he could see Cheka and his young betrothed gasping and pointing at the colorfully ornate masks and rigged displays as they played through the end of the first quarter, the play version of him scoring what had been his fifth goal that game. The fake disk wasn’t operated by magic, held by a performer dressed in all-black and carried by them across the pretend field with firecrackers sparkling around it to imitate his magic sending it towards the goal ring. Right as it was about to, the performer paused.
Leona’s ears twitched as everything seemed to stop, all the loud music and incessant chatter ceasing as everyone turned their attention to the heavily armored man walking stiffly into the firelight. The attending guards shook off the quiet first, a pair of them advancing toward the man. Out of the corner of his eye, Leona saw Falena sit up on his throne and lean forward with a curious expression, Kifaji whispering in his ear.
“Announce yourself, sir,” one of the guards loudly requested. The features of the man were too far away for Leona to distinguish, but the shock of dark teal hair on his head and the green and black armor narrowed down for him where the man had come from.
“Baul Zigvolt, left general of Her Majesty Maleficia Draconia, Queen of Briar Valley,” the man said in a deep, booming voice. After a beat– “Here to present a gift to His Highness Prince Leona Kingscholar,”
Leona couldn’t take his eyes off the man as hushed murmurs spread through his birthday crowd, his heart hammering and his spine rigid. He sat up slowly, ignoring the intrigued looks Falena and Neema were sending his way.
Just what the hell was that stupid lizard trying to pull?
He heard Falena clear his throat. “Welcome, General Zigvolt of Briar Valley. You may approach,”
“Leona,” he heard Neema whisper to him. “Just what did you do to curry the favor of Briar Valley while at school? We haven’t had any legitimate diplomatic relations with them in centuries,”
“I didn’t do shit,” he grumbled back, watching Baul ascend the stairs. The closer he got, the clearer it was that the man was a nocturnal fae, with pointed humanoid ears, teal scales tracing his jaw like they were facial hair, elongated fangs poking out of his mouth, and reptilian eyes. Leona side-eyed his sister-in-law and frowned at her pointed look and raised eyebrows. “Honest, Neema,”
“Briar Valley clearly felt the need to have someone hand-deliver a birthday present to you for some reason,” Neema shot back. She poked him in the side playfully. “Isn’t their crown prince a year below you? Did you befriend him?”
Leona’s ears flattened, ignoring how his pulse jumped. “Like hell I did,”
Neema hummed thoughtfully and sat back as Falena got to his feet. He walked towards Baul as the fae climbed the last few steps and stopped. Falena extended a hand to him and smiled warmly.
“On behalf of Sunset Savanna and the Kingscholar family, I welcome you, General Baul,” Leona’s older brother said. Baul glanced down at Falena’s hand for a split second before grasping it and giving it a firm shake. Curled in his other arm was a package wrapped in Night Raven College wrapping paper.
No .
“You honor me with such a warm welcome,” Baul intoned, his grip on his package shifting. “My presence here will be brief. I was ordered to hand this to Prince Leona directly and then to be on my way,”
Leona felt his skin crawl and forced his hair and fur to flatten as all eyes zeroed in on him. Baul gave him an appraising look.
“You are Prince Leona Kingscholar?”
Leona’s ears twitched. “Yes,”
Baul glanced at Falena before stepping around him and holding out the package to Leona. Leona took it from the fae man carefully and set it in his lap, the weight of it surprising him.
“My prince personally requested I watch you open it,” Baul said after a beat of silence.
“Did he now,” Leona muttered, already pulling the shitty wrapping paper away. Mystery sender solved, he supposed. Of course a sheltered prince like Malleus Draconia would use too much tape to wrap a present up.
The present quickly revealed itself to be a thick, old tome, the pages yellowed and the dark blue leather covers worn with a creased spine. The language on the cover made Leona’s chest ache with interest, the fluttery feeling spreading through his veins and dancing across his bones as he carefully paged through it.
“The tome is a personal favorite of His Highness Prince Malleus Draconia from the Briar Valley Royal Library, specifically selected by him based on his understanding of your interest in ancient curses,” Baul informed him loudly. Leona heard twin gasps from his brother and sister-in-law. “Does this please you, Prince Leona?”
The title usage left a bad taste in Leona’s mouth, but that sensation was dim compared to the burning he felt blaze across his cheeks like wildfire in the height of the dry season, untamed and leaving nothing unscorched in its path.
What the fuck was that damn lizard trying to say to him?
He flipped the cover shut and noticed a small letter poke out. Leona teased it out and tucked it under his hand to read later, trying to regain composure.
“Yes,” he replied softly, swallowing back the pleased growling-hum that threatened to breach his throat. He couldn’t take his eyes off the old book Malleus had given him. “Tell that li- tell him that this pleases me greatly,”
“Excellent,” Baul said. He turned back to Falena. “Thank you for your hospitality. I will take my leave now,”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Falena asked the fae man. “Festivities will be lasting late into the night, and you’ve done us a great honor by coming here,”
“Nay, I must depart,” Baul said stiffly. “Goodbye, King Falena and Queen Neema,”
A pause.
“Goodbye, Prince Leona,”
Leona looked up just in time to see Baul disappear in a burst of fireflies, much like how Malleus would whenever he didn’t feel like walking in or out of a place. The commotion kickstarted something in his brain, and he shot to his feet.
“I need to go,”
“What? But Leona-” he heard Falena start to say, but he was already disappearing back into the palace, tome and letter in hand.
~***~
Leona slammed his bedroom door shut and gently set his new super old tome, handpicked for him by Malleus Draconia on his bed before ripping open the letter with a thrashing tail. It unfolded neatly into his hands, revealing Malleus’ pretentiously fancy handwriting.
In hindsight, he should’ve recognized Malleus’ handwriting from last year’s present. Leona growled at himself. How could he had been so stupid to miss that?
Dear Kingscholar,
Felicitious tidings for your twentieth birthday today. If you are reading this, then Baul has successfully delivered my present to you. I hope you enjoy it— I know I have many times in the past. It would please me greatly for it to be added to your collection, something I know you take great pride in.
Upon Lilia’s insistence, I have recently acquired a cellular telephone so I may better communicate with our peers. Lilia informed me that it is a smart one, and has games on it as well. I have included my cellular number below so we can mutually register each other as contacts.
I look forward to seeing you again in this upcoming year at Night Raven College. Now that we will both be third years, perhaps our schedules will be more aligned to have a chess game or two? I have greatly missed your presence since the interdorm Spelldrive tournament.
Yours,
MD
Leona read the letter over again, gritting his teeth. Something was rising in his chest and gnawing at his bones, something too complicated for him to even begin to unpack in that moment. Instead, he shoved it down and fumbled his phone out of his pocket, punching Malleus’ number in.
He was going to give that smarmy lizard a what-for .
Malleus picked up after the second time Leona called him. Leona pictured Malleus struggling to answer whatever Olympus smartphone model Lilia got him and felt a shred of smug amusement just as Malleus’ voice filtered in through the call.
“ Hello? ”
“Draconia,” Leona greeted flatly.
“ Oh, Kingscholar, ” Malleus sounded too pleased. Leona growled and began to pace his room. “ You received my present then? ”
“ Yes ,” he ground out. “What the hell do you think you’re doin’, sendin’ me shit like this?”
There was a pause on Malleus’ end. “ Did you not enjoy it? ”
He sounded like a kicked puppy.
Leona wanted to throttle him .
“Did I-” Leona sputtered, his tail thumping against his bedframe as he passed it. “I ain’t tellin’ ya! You gonna explain yourself at all, ruinin’ my dorm’s scouting opportunities and then sendin’ me fancy birthday gifts like you’re courting me?”
As soon as he said it, Leona took a deep, stuttering breath. He felt insane almost, his face on fire again as he waited for that damn lizard’s response.
“ My, my, Leona , ” Malleus purred. Leona felt a shiver go up his spine as the fae prince’s voice deepened. He froze mid-step. “ Courting? Whatever could you be suggesting with that? ”
“Is this one of your stupid jokes? ” Leona snapped. “If it is, it ain’t funny,”
“ A tease, not a joke, ” Malleus shot back with a pout in his voice. In the background on Malleus’ end, Leona heard an unfamiliar voice speaking to the Briar Valley crown prince. Malleus responded in what sounded like an older nocturnal fae dialect, one Leona unfortunately wasn’t fluent in yet. “ Ah, Kingscholar, it seems our call must be ended immediately. I trust I will see you before orientation this upcoming school year? ”
Leona felt his heart clench. “In your dreams ,”
Malleus laughed. His voice sounded closer to the phone. “ Farewell for now. Happy birthday, Leona, ”
The call ended. Leona stared at his phone blankly, blood roaring in his ears and his heart racing at the same pace his thoughts were. He threw his phone onto his bed with a snarl and watched it bounce off and clatter to the floor, his face still burning.
Damn Malleus and his stupid good gifts.
He was going to get him back for this.