Work Text:
“Hello there”
The Prince looks up from his sketchbook, feeling slightly bothered at first as his drawing is interrupted. There’s a squawk and the flapping of wings, followed by the slowing footsteps of someone stopping before him.
“You scared away my bird”
“My sincere apologies” The other, male voice says
He looks up curiously to see his visitor, finding a boy with dark hair, dressed in matching royal attire and a rainbow headband.
“Who are you, anyways?” The Prince wonders. Random nobles and rulers always came to visit but he seldom knew them.
His visitor grins, as if finding something amusing, and thinks for a moment.
“You can call me…Spoke”
“Spoke?” What an odd name
“It’s what I’m good at…although the past tense of the word has a nicer ring to it, don’t you think?”
“I…suppose”
“Is that a book on birds you’re making? Can I see your drawings?”
He…wants to see my bird? Nobody’s ever interested in those.
“By all means”
The visitor….Spoke, sits down and looks at his drawings. He lightly touches the colorful, almost finished drawing of a parrot.
“The colors are pretty. It kind of looks like you, don’t you think?”
Spoke points to the Prince’s hair, feathery and layered, in colorful shades of blue, green, yellow. He doesn’t know how to respond for a moment, it was a unique choice in compliment, and not even really an official one. But for some reason, it was far more real and endearing than the many he receives at court.
“In a way…I guess…”
“Can I call you Parrot?”
“If you’d like”
Spoke doesn’t pressure him to talk, and he doesn’t mind if the Prince- Parrot, doesn’t have much to say. He’s content to fill the silence as the latter resumes drawing, understanding when only a nod or slight smile is given in return. Parrot kind of likes this…whatever this is. He’s never had a friend before or even someone to spend time with. He doesn’t even notice how much time has passed until a few hours later. Embarrassed, he turns to his guest.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been occupying your time for hours, you’re probably here on business. Here you are talking to me. You were probably waiting for me to dismiss you”
“I don’t mind at all. I’m here by choice. Besides, the council meeting doesn’t even begin until tomorrow”
The council meeting? He’s awfully young to have a seat at the council table…
“Oh…I see. So that would make you a-“
“Please, don’t call me Lord anything. That’s far too stuffy”
“Noted”
Eventually, a group of attendants in black and rainbow attire find Spoke, and their chatter fills the hall, making Parrot wince. They’re quite loud. They remind the other boy that he has an early morning, and that it’s irresponsible to be up socializing this late. He nods, his face the picture of earnestness, but Parrot can see that his fingers drum impatiently against his leg. There’s a slight glaze of impatience in his eyes.
“My most sincere apologies. It was irresponsibility on my part. I will keep a better eye on the time in the future”
Spoke looks back to Parrot and flashes a smile and salute before leaving with them. Silence descends upon the room, and everything is too quiet. He used to like silence but there’s something slightly off about it this time. He frowns slightly and shifts, turning back to his work. The jar of paint tips and he’s a little too late. Black paint spills across the page, and its reach extends to partially cover the unsuspecting bird, casting its beautiful colors into partial darkness. He places the open book on the drying rack with a breath before heading off down the hall to his room.
Insomnia often kept him awake, so he was already passing silently through the castle halls when he overhears the voices echoing from the meeting chambers. He had always wanted to hear what they were talking about, but he had always been told as not ready, thus had never been allowed in. But nobody knew he was here, so he takes advantage of his invisibility to snoop.
“I cannot support this delusion!” A harsh voice insists
“I assure you sir, I speak no lies” A smooth, higher voice replies
“You and your…strange group…can take your ideas elsewhere”
“Leave the boy alone, he has a brilliant mind and now you wish not to utilize it? Let him speak”
“Thank you ma’am. My ideas may be out of the box but I assure you, we will all prosper. With the help of the wormhole, our achievements will be unlimited”
“How do you even know this is possible?”
“It told me”
It’s hard to tell if he’s joking, since he says everything in that playful tone. The rest of the meeting passes, with pauses of uncomfortable silence. The older members of the council seem put off, as Spoke continues, his voice confident as he explains his ambitions. His plan was complicated and cryptic, but he’s so sure of himself, Parrot finds himself rooting for his new acquaintance.
“The wormhole, should we be able to access it, will give us the ability to do quite literally anything. Any world, any technology we could ever want will be ours. And I know it sounds crazy. But we will never have to worry about anything again”
But the council doesn’t reach a conclusion that time.
They never do.
He finds Spoke later in the Celestial room, observing all of the hand painted images and charted paths of the stars, left by hundreds of astronomers.
“You like this room” Parrot observes with curiosity
“It’s impressive. Of course, there’s nothing like the real thing”
“You’ve seen the stars?”
“Of course I have. You haven’t?” Spoke almost seems sad for him
Parrot shakes his head.
“You really are like a parrot, aren’t you. They keep you caged here?”
“It’s…not really a cage. I mean…there’s lots of space and I can kind of…go wherever I…” He trails off
Spoke reaches awkwardly towards him for a second before pulling back again. He puts his easy smile back on. “Tell you what. One of these days, you should sneak away for a bit. I’ll show you something cool. It’s the least I can do. I appreciate your hospitality. I…actually don’t really have any friends myself”
Parrot blinks. He hadn’t expected this invitation. But…he does like the promise of going to see “something cool”. Maybe it will be a good subject for a drawing. Maybe there will wild birds. He likes that idea. Another thought lingers in the back of his mind. Nobody ever went out of their way to pay particular attention to him…it was kind of nice to sought out.
“Alright then…deal”
The air is quiet for a moment, until Parrot adds quietly “I didn’t know you liked astronomy”
“I like to watch the stars. Staring at them makes me feel like if its possible for this to exist, than anything is. I’m a part of a world where anything can happen…and I can do anything, too” He admits, as the Prince watches with wide eyes.
Spoke senses when Parrot’s vocal mood fades and opts instead to take over, telling him about various things, as he listens. It’s a quiet symbiosis. Parrot takes it all in with interest, even though he doesn’t know what to say, or have much to offer. His companion, in contrast, has many ideas but not many people to listen. The Prince doesn’t even remember falling asleep until he walkups on the marble floor the next day, a blanket placed on him.
He starts his day, bright and early. There’s no time for art, or catching up with Spoke today. He’s thrust into a whirlwind of texts on strategy, politics, theories, and law. Advisors approach him across the hours, eager to discuss current events with him. His head begins to hurt from the pressure. He was expected to lead the entire Kingdom one day, with only a few years of training. Sure, he has ten years of training offered, but a decade somehow doesn’t feel long enough, with so many people looking up to him.
He sips his tea while he reads, the sun traveling high in the sky. He looks up when he hears a tapping on the window. He turns to see Spoke perched on a branch outside, his head tilted to one side, grinning. He reaches for the latch with a light sigh, although there’s no real frustration behind it. The windows swing open and he enters.
“Good Afternoon” Parrot greets
Spoke gives a quick salute, and then appraises the book. “Effective Communication and Persuasion…Volume One”
The Prince nods with a sigh. “It’s quite confusing”
“That’s the one they’re having you read? You can toss it. It’s not the best one. If you want, I can help you. There are better ones out there, I’ve read lots”
They study the topic together, until the sun hangs low in the sky. The words on the page are difficult to understand but the concepts of the chapter are much simpler when they go over it together.
“There, not too bad, right?”
“I…suppose not”
“I think we both deserve some fresh air. What do you say? There’s something I’ve been wanting to show you, anyways”
He hesitates. He wasn’t supposed to go too far. But the wind coming through the empty windows is so tempting, and he craves the fresh air blowing his hair. He really just….wants to go a walk with a friend. So he nods.
“Yes, I would love to go”
They climb out the window. The fresh air is so nice, and refreshing. The grass is soft when he lands on it, and he smiles a little as he wiggles his toes. Then he looks up as they walk, and when they get far enough from the castle lights, he can see the stars. Not just the paintings in the celestial room but the stars. He can see why Spoke loves them so much.
“They’re amazing”
“Aren’t they? But that’s not all I want to show you”
Parrot nods quietly, his eyes wide as he takes everything in. He follows his friend down a neat stone path, for a little while, until they reach a building. It’s a cathedral of, partially claimed by nature. Amethyst geodes extend into the sky, forming pillars. Vines crawl up the walls, and the steps, made of slightly cracked obsidian. There’s no dome, the sky the only ceiling, and constellations for decor.
The two enter, and looking down reveals the mural that spreads across the floor. It’s a spiraling expanse, dark and swirly. The Prince tilts his head curiously.
“What is this place”
“The palace of the wormhole”
“The wormhole?” It seems familiar, he surely mentioned it earlier
Spoke nods in response, gesturing towards the thing on the floor.
“The wormhole exists beyond this dimension. It’s the gateway that connects ours with other worlds…any that we can imagine”
Must be a legend local to Spoke’s home…
“I’ve heard it talking, you know”
“You…what?”
“It’s true…I’ve heard it calling to me. It…I can’t even describe. It’s unlike any voice I’ve ever heard…and it promises you the world. All you have to do is wake it up”
“Wake it up?” He asks nervously “How would you do that?”
“You have to give it something”
Before Parrot can ask, something knocks his feet out from under him, and he’s staring up at the starry sky.
“W-what?” He asks, voice shaking with fear and hurt
He looks frantically towards his companion , searching for concern or urgency in the other boy’s face and body language. The other’s face is obscured by the shadows. Candles all around begin to light. The sky begins to churn over the ruins, swirling. The Prince wants to scream at him, and demand to know what he thinks he’s doing.
But he’s so dizzy…and his entire back hurts from a rough landing on something hard. Somewhere nearby a voice calls out.
“A gift for you! Accept my offering”
The whirling sky stills for a minute, as if considering. Instead of running to help his struggling companion, Spoke grabs onto a pillar to keep himself grounded. Insults and obscenities burn on Parrot’s tongue, and they fight to escape. But he remembers what the other had said. If this was the great wormhole…who knows how much good it’s power could do. He notices he can see Spoke’s face now….and he’s smiling. Really truly smiling. And the rage in the Prince’s heart flickers out against his will.
He should hate Spoke, should want him dead. But he thinks of how he made him feel seen. He’d talked to the invisible Prince, and asked him about something he cared that everyone else had called useless and childish. He’d made Parrot smile. Maybe he had meant it, or maybe he hadn’t.
As he’s pulled up towards the stars, the ones that Spoke had shown him, he closes his eyes.