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A little worn, but not yet put out, the students of the Great Nailsage found themselves faced with the promise of an early day. The day’s lessons had been brief (it seemed the Nailsage’s wings were damp today, no time), their nail drills had run smoothly, and their chores list was miraculously empty. The teens had found themselves with freetime, and were left only to wonder what to do with it.
For the “eldest,” the answer was quite simple: a good brew and a better book, Oro saw the ample opportunity laid before him and was set to seize it and hole himself up for the day. But unfortunately, he had brothers. Brothers who did not see the reason in staying at home when there was a whole, bustling kingdom to explore. So, of course, they’d see to it that they persuaded their grumpy, antisocial triplet otherwise.
“Oro! Won’t you join us to the city?”
And he’d just set the kettle, too.
“I planned to stay at home, actually.”
“What? The day is young, and you’d rather pursue the hermit’s life?” Ah, Mato, uppity as always. Ever confident in his beliefs, his optimism blinded him to how stupid they often were. Oro’s own strongheaded mindset left the two frequently butting masks over squabbles big and small.
“Mato, that was rude! The Nailsage has taught us better than that,” Playing peacemaker as always, the middle triplet scolded the youngest before Oro got the chance to bite back. “Or has all the meditating we’ve done rolled right off your back?”
“I would never forsake the Great Nailsage’s teachings!”
“Then you won’t forsake our brother, either.”
Mato gave a roll of his mask, but remained quiet, conceding. Reaching for the box of earl grey, Oro was smug from his brother’s defense; at least one of his siblings understood him-
“But really, we rarely get a free day, and you want to stay at home?”
Nevermind. It’d seem he’d have no allies in this battle.
“Ugh, yes, I do! What do you two have planned that’s soooo exciting anyhow?”
He got his answer in the form of a thin, stone tablet abruptly shoved in his face. It depicted a seal of Hallownest, and two nails clashed against each other in combat: Come attend the exhibition of the King’s newly anointed members of the Pale Court; meet Hallownest’s five greatest knights as they display their might and glory at Sorrowswept Square, in the City of Tears. Mato just as quickly yanked the flier back before Oro could parse out anything more.
Oh, he’d heard of this. Word had spread as traders and cargo carriers passed by and made deliveries to their little town in the crossroads. It seemed some travelers had even brought advertisements, judging by the tablet his brothers had acquired.
Bugs all across Hallownest had been buzzing over the King’s new champions. Two months ago, a ceremony had been held officiating the warriors as the Five Great Knights of the Pale Court, and since then, though they’ve seldom been seen by the public, they’re all anyone has been able to talk about; from eye-witness accounts of their fighting prowess, to rumors from the grapevine, Hallownest’s citizen’s haven’t been able to get enough of them, including his brothers.
“They’re making a public appearance! And it’s a battle exhibition, no less! We’re gonna try and book it for the city and see if we can catch them! It’ll be great!” Sheo seemed quite eager, which would’ve been odd, seeing how despite his incredible strength with the nail, his passion for the art was quite weak. But Oro knew his brother better than that.
“Uhuh. I think I’ll pass. I don’t need to come just to watch you gawk at Hegemol.”
He snickered at the spluttering that followed, Sheo’s poor mask flushed dark red in pure bafflement at his brother’s blunt claim. He could imagine his thoughts now: ‘The absurdity! The audacity! How in Hallownest did he know that-’
“I-I am not going so I can gawk!” Sheo spouted finally, redder than the ripest berries from Greenpath and looking very cross, a rather rare occurrence for him. Oro’s grin widened.
“Huh? Isn’t that exactly why we’re going?” Ah, sweet baby brother. Mato, oblivious to the nuances of teenage crushes, did not realize the point he was contesting.
Sheo whirled on him. “No! We are going to observe the Five Great Knights in battle, not gawk.” Mato squinted and seemed to be trying to figure what nonsense his brother was on about, but Sheo snapped back to Oro before he could get the chance. “We’re training to be nailmasters, Oro. It’s perfectly sensible for us to watch them spar, for inspiration!” He made a solid point.
“Inspiration for your dreams, likely.” Unfortunately for him, he also sowed his own doom.
“Wh- Gh- NO!! For our training. Because they are knights!”
“Sure, Sheo. That’s why you rant about Hegemol all the time, rather than the whole court.”
He gave Oro a fierce glare at that, his embarrassment growing with each of his brother’s digs. A bit more teasing from him and his brother would be steaming before the kettle did, he thought.
“I rant about Hegemol because of his might! He’s large, powerful, unbelievably strong! But also gentle and kind. He’s just so cool, and-”
“Yeesh, I get it! It’s clear you find him very buff and attractive, Sheo.”
“That wasn’t what I-!”
“Ugh, this is exactly my point! Look, you can continue trying to convince yourself that you want to observe their ‘might,’ but you can leave me out of it. I don’t care for that stuff. Talk about it with Mato, at least he’ll actually be going for the glory.”
At his mention, Mato decided that would be his opening to interject. “I’m not sure I understand what you two are squabbling over, but it’s clear that you’re just going to be a vengefly and grumble about the whole thing, so let’s just go ourselves, Sheo. Any longer and we’ll end up missing them entirely!”
Sheo still looked a flustered mess, but his frustration seemed to fade at Mato’s argument. He was right; it’d take them a while to make the trip, even with the help of the stags, and it was already midday. If Oro wasn’t interested, then it wasn’t worth the trouble, and definitely not the embarrassment.
But… Oro was their brother. And though he was a massive vengefly, he was worth the trouble.
Sheo took a breath and sighed, his cheeks still a bit pink. “Are you sure you don’t wanna join us? We didn’t want to leave you behind, you know. In fact, this was Mato’s idea to begin with.”
At Oro’s surprised look, Mato looked away but nodded.
Oro softened a bit, his shoulders ever so slightly untensing. Maybe he’d overdone it. At times it felt like his brothers wouldn’t stop clinging to him, and he often had to fight for what alone time he could grab, but he knew that they only cared. Cared and loved, and he was pushing too far away.
He spoke gently now, “I’m sure. I’ve been worn down from all the training lately and could use some alone time. Uh, I appreciate it though, and if you want to gab about it after, I’ll endure it.”
Sheo and Mato rolled their masks, but the smile in their eyes gave away their mood. ”I’m going to hold you to that!” Mato declared, giving his older brother a quick hug before heading out.
“We’ll see you later, Oro.” Sheo smiled, then narrowed his eyes, a promise of vengeance gleaming from within. “This isn’t over.”
Oro, smiled and glared back, accepting the challenge eagerly. “Have fun gawking!”
“Go burn your tongue on that tea!”
Oro laughed, and watched his brothers leave. And right on cue too, as the kettle whistled for his return.