Chapter Text
Hillerska Kingdom
Fifthmonth of 1483
20th of Fifthmonth, Morning
Forest Ridge Town, Tyresta Woods
Chance Lawson loved many things.
He loved his mother, Amihan, and her long black wavy hair. He loved his simple house and the view from the hill it stood on. He loved the sheep he and his mother took care off and their shepherd dog, Buko. But above it all, right now, he loved the wooden sword his mother got him on his 11th birthday, an entire year ago. And right now, Chance was doing his favorite activity with said sword: Beating the crap out of his friend while they played.
Chance and Simon were both at a clearing in the woods near the city. The sun, high in the cloudless sky, shone brightly on the boys who were sparring and pretending to be knights fighting against an evil wizard or saving a princess from the tower guarded by an elder dragon. A flock of birds flew by, distracting Simon long enough for Chance to disarm and push him to the ground.
"So, another round?" Chance said, panting, as he extended his hand towards his friend.
"Well, as much as I'd love to get my ass kicked by you for the 6th time in a row, I can't, Cha-cha. Sorry." Simon answered, grabbing Chance's hand to get himself up.
Chance pouted and crossed his arms, clearly disappointed. Simon felt a little guilty after that. Sure, he never won when playing against Chance, but he enjoyed the time spent with his friend and definitely didn't want to upset him.
"Sorry, man. You know how it is, the Midsommer Festival is approaching. My mom needs help with some stuff and she'll probably kill me if I get home late."
"Aww, Simme, is my sad puppy face really that good?" Chance smirked at his friend and bumped him in the shoulder.
"Geez, you're such a jerk sometimes." Simon answered, laughing and pushing him back.
"Race to the town?" Chance asked, unbothered.
"We've been here for at least 3 hours, how do you even find the energy?" Simon deadpanned.
Chance simply shrugged and Simon rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed.
"Ugh, fine. But I need to talk to Ayub, so we should stop by his stall."
Unfortunately for Simon, Chance saw that as a challenge. " Okay then! Last one to Ayub's is a rotten egg!" Chance immediately started to run, leaving Simon behind.
"Hey— You didn't even count!"
Chance and Simon ran through the trees, such a familiar place to Chance that he could walk through the woods with his eyes closed if he so wished, and still find his way out, having spent his entire childhood among those trees, almost like a second home. In no time, they arrived at their destination; The fruit stall where their friend Ayub worked alongside his father. Ayub himself, however, was nowhere to be seen.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Zamora!" Simon said, approaching the stall.
"Well, if it isn't Simon and Chance! Long time no see! What brings you to my humble stall?"
"We're looking for Ayub! Is he here?" Chance looked at a particularly good looking apple, suddenly realizing how hungry he felt. He started rummaging through his pockets, searching for coins.
"Hey, kiddo, don't worry. Here, take it. It's on the house." Quickly noticing how Chance as staring at the apple, Mr. Zamora picked the fruit and handed it to him, blinking with one eye. "As for Ayub… Well, I fear he's at home now. You know, Midsummer is coming and his mother isn't quite satisfied with her preparations, so he's staying home for a few days, helping her. Did you need him or something?"
"No, no, it's fine. We just wanted to see him. But I guess we'll see him at the festival, then." Simon answered. "I just wanted to remind him and Rosh about, you know… that thing?"
Simon discreetly pointed to Chance, who seemed very busy devouring the apple.
"That… thing…? Oh! Yes, that thing. I doubt they forgot about it, but I'll remind them anyway.
"Thanks, Mr. Zamora. See you!"
"See you!"
The kids waved at Mr. Zamora and walked away. Once Chance finished his apple, he, of course, started to talk again.
"So, the Festival this year is on the 24th, right?"
"Yeah, I think so. Why?"
"Hm, nothing. Just, y'know. Isn't there anything important next to it as well? Let's say, on the 25th?"
"Not that I'd recall, to be honest…"
"Simme." Chance stopped in front of Simon tracks with his arms crossed, preventing him from continuing.
"Chill, Cha-cha. It's your birthday, I know." Simon lightly shoulder checked Chance and laughed. "You didn't really think I'd forget, did you?"
"No, of course not. I just wanted to be sure. After all, the Midsummer Festival is the most important one in our beloved kingdom! It is of utmost importance that everyone gives their best so that the festival is as extraordinary as possible!" Chance spoke in a rather mocking tone, pretending to be one of their elders.
"Yeah, yeah, sure, Sir Ramirez. I'll keep that in mind."
Behind them, the sun began to set, painting the sky in deep purple and orange. They arrived at Simon's house and said their goodbyes, then Chance walked to his own house. Chance finally arrived at his home tired, sweaty and hungry, even after eating Mr. Zamora's delicious apple. When he opened the door, he could smell the freshly baked bread his mother usually made when they had guests over and hear voices coming from the kitchen; Amihan was talking to an unknown man.
"—twins, actually. A boy and a girl. We were surprised but, well, it is how it is." The man laughed.
"Oh, Joyce must be so happy. She always wanted a girl, right?" Amihan talked in a soft, fond way, like she was reminiscing the old times.
"Yes, she did. They're both around the same age as your kid at this point. Speaking of which…"
Chance walked slowly to the kitchen, curiosity getting the best of him. He wanted to know who this man was— could he be his father? Amihan never talked about Chance's father with him. Chance had no idea whether he was alive and abandoned them or if he died and she never had the heart to tell him. But the fondness in her voice, talking to this strange man… Chance didn't know him, but Amihan definitely did, and she clearly trusted him. When Chance approached the door, he saw both adults with their backs turned to him, standing by the stove as another batch of bread was baked. The man wore a full set of armor, adorned with something that appeared to be stained glass, but with a metal shine to it. On his shoulder, Chance saw a coat of arms with the face of a tiger bearing its fangs. It felt familiar, but he couldn't quite remember where he's saw it before.
"I came here to talk about him, Amihan. Or rather, the letter you sent to me. The king allowed it. And since Queen Helena has already passed… he will also claim him. Publicly."
"Oh, thank goodness." Amihan sounded as if an enormous burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Judging by the way her voice broke, she seemed to be holding back tears. "Thank you, Hopper. I… I don't even know how to thank you. Truly."
"You could thank me coming with us, Amihan. I know you're sick, but…"
Sick? Chance's stomach plummeted when he heard that word. He had noticed how recently his mother stayed inside most of the time and asked him favors more often, but he didn't mind. He thought she was just resting more, as she should, and giving him more responsibilities since everyday that passed he got closer to becoming a squire. Chance never thought she'd been sick.
"M-mom? You're… sick? What happened?"
The adults turned back with a jolt, surprised with Chance's presence in the room. Amihan covered her mouth with her hands and walked towards her son, while the man—Hopper, apparently, looked as pale as a ghost.
"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. I really am." Amihan knelt before Chance, cupping his face with on her left hand. Chance was stunned. His throat felt tight like a vault.
"Do you want me to talk to him, Amihan?" Hopper recovered from his initial shock and slowly walked towards them, trying not the freak out Chance even more.
"No, it's fine. It's about time I tell Chance about… everything. I think we should have this conversation in particular."
"Sure. Sure, that makes sense. Take as much time as you need. I'll be on Gerwise Inn if you need me." Hopper walked past them and hovered his hand over Chance's shoulder, testing if the kid would flinch or anything like that. When he didn't, Hopper patted him a few times on the shoulder before walking out. "I'm sorry, kiddo."
"Sit here, honey," Amihan scooted Chance, still silent, towards the table. She sat beside him, holding his hand, with damp eyes full of tears. "I swear to you i was planning to tell you this sooner, o-or in a better way, but I just…"
"Mom. It's okay. Just tell me. Please." Chance squeezed his mother's hand, rubbing small circles on the back of her hand. His eyes were just as watery as hers, but still, he smiled.
Amihan took a deep breath. And then, she told Chance everything. The entire truth behind her story and how they came to live in Hillerska.
Amihan was actually from a far away country, one she didn't even remember the name since she was sold as a servant when she was very young. She arrived at a strange kingdom—Bloomington. There, unlike Hillerska, magic was completely forbidden. Witches, wizards, sorcerers and anyone with magic abilities was either imprisoned and left to die at the dungeons or publicly executed as entertainment. to become a royal servant for Queen Helena Tigerhart, the wife of King Daniel Tigerhart, ruler of that land. And so, she did. For years, Amihan served the royal family as faithfully as she could.After some time, Amihan thought she had found a true friend in Helena, always accompanying her on walks in the gardens, strolls through the capital, and tea parties hosted by the highest nobles in the kingdom. She helped Helena when she birthed her eldest, William—whom they affectionately nicknamed Prince Billy—then, barely a year after, the youngest, Stephen—also known as Prince Steve. Amihan did her best to support the queen when she got sick after two consecutive pregnancies, and she was the one to go after the doctors so they would explain to King Daniel that the queen needed to rest, or there would be serious consequences to her health. Alas, that proved to be an unwise decision, for Daniel eventually grew tired of waiting for Helena to fully recover, and Amihan, fearing for her mistress' health, let herself be his new "plaything". And for a while, they got lucky, but luck is a fleeting thing. Eventually, Amihan got pregnant, and Helena found out. The queen didn't see the situation as it truly was; A friend sacrificing her own dignity to protect her safety. Helena saw it as her best friend stabbing her on the back for an affair with her own husband, and decided she couldn't take it anymore. Helena herself ordered Amihan to be expelled from the palace, to never return. Daniel, as expected, barely noticed the change when his wife resumed her "duties" once more. Amihan ran far away, to the kingdom of Hillerska, where she hoped to never hear from Bloomington's royal family again. Much to her dismay, news traveled fast on this continent. After a year, Amihan heard something that broke her heart; Queen Helena had died of hemorrhage, caused during her most recent childbirth—a girl named Maxine. Of course, there wasn't much Amihan could've done. And yet, she couldn't help but feel guilty and sad for her friend. That day, Amihan swore to never tell Chance about her past or his true lineage, to keep him safe and away from this entire mess. Fate, however, had other plans for them. A few weeks ago, Amihan had found out she was sick. Chest pain, coughing up blood, constantly feverish, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss… It was a severe case of tuberculosis, down to the last detail. She knew she didn't have much time left. As a last desperate resort, Amihan sent a letter to Tigerhart Castle addressed to Jim Hopper, her old friend from the Royal Guard, hoping he could and would assist her. Amihan's request was simple; "Please, accept Chance as your squire. Daniel doesn't even need to claim him as his son. I just need to know he'll be somewhere safe with a roof over his head. Please, I'm begging you." And fortunately, Hopper had accepted, did his best to help her and had just knocked on her door with the greatest news ever.
"I'm so, so sorry, sweetie. I mean it. I've wanted to tell this to you for so long, but I felt like I was protecting you from… this entire mess." Chance hadn't stopped rubbing the back of her hand yet. Amihan finally broke down. They hugged, crying and sobbing on each other's arms for a while, until Amihan gathered enough strength to pull back and look at Chance's eyes. "I know I'm asking a lot of you. But I won't force you to do anything you don't want to."
Chance knew he didn't want to leave his mother and his town. He knew that, if he left her here, sick and alone, he'd never forgive himself. But Chance also knew that Amihan would never forgive herself if he stayed.
"I'll go with him, mom. Don't worry." Chance said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
Amihan tried, but she couldn't hide the smile that grew on her face.
"Oh, honey! Oh, my charming, brave boy. You've got such a marvelous heart. You're going to be such a wonderful knight." Amihan said over and over, as she hugged him again.
Yes, I will. But you won't be here to see it.
The words looped around Chance's head. His skins was burning, his head hurt and he felt like he would literally explode at any second. Chance was literally seeing blood red. But he wasn't mad at his mother, he was mad at the world, and more importantly, at his father. He had never met the man, but even so, Chance was already aware he would never hate anyone as much as he hated King Daniel Tigerhart in this moment.
Chance could've cried and screamed until his throat felt raw and his lungs gave up. He definitely had the energy for that. Instead, he hugged Amihan even tighter. Chance inhaled her hair, trying to memorize that smell he loved so much; sweet honey, serene lavender and warm grass. Something unique and entirely "her". Then he slightly pushed back.
"Mom? You forgot the bread."
"Huh? What, honey?"
"The bread. It's still on the oven. I'm pretty sure it's about to burn."
"Oh, you're right, darling. Let's take it out, shall we? We're going to have dinner and get ready for bed soon. We've got quite a full day tomorrow, right?"
"Hey, mom?"
"Hm?"
"I know I've agreed to go already but… Can we at least wait until after my- uh, the Festival?"
"…Of course, my dear. Of course we can."
24th of Fifthmonth, Afternoon
Forest Ridge Town, Town Square
In the past couple days, Chance had acted as if nothing changed. He got up from his bed, said good morning to his mom and helped her make breakfast. He fed Buko and tended the sheep. He played with Simon, Rosh and Ayub whenever they could. Today, however, was a special day; the 24th had arrived, and with it, the Midsummer Festival and Chance's 12th birthday. Chance kept his morning routine as usual, and then he helped Amihan with the flower crowns and all of the preparations they needed for the Festival. The entire day, even though it was his birthday, Chance felt as if he was preparing himself for a funeral, though he couldn't quite understand if it was his or his mother's. Even so, he kept smiling and acting like the dutiful knight he always had been, especially now when Amihan needed it more than never.
The Midsummer Festival was even better than Chance remembered. The sun was still shining on the sky despite the fact that it was way past noon, and the air smelled like strawberries, potatoes and cheese. A tall maypole stood in the middle of the town square, near a huge table overflowing with all sorts of wonderful food: Fresh herring with gräddfil, gravlax, knäckebröd, cakes, and lots of strawberries. The entire town was reunited at the Festival, and Chance enjoyed every second of it with his mom and his friends. Simon, Sara, Ayub, Rosh and their families were all there dancing, eating and playing games through the day. Eventually, Hopper showed up and even the royal family appeared, and to Chance's surprise, their youngest, Prince Wilhelm, joined them. Chance wanted to pretend like he didn't notice how Simon's eyes lighted up once he saw Wilhelm arriving or the way his face turned just a bit pinker once the prince hugged him, but Chance just had to tease Simon a bit. When Wilhelm finally left Simon's side for a bit, Chance approached Simon.
"So, Simon~ Since when are you friends with Prince Wilhelm?" Chance poked Simon repeatedly on the belly, much to Simon's dismay.
"Ow- Stop that!" Despite Simon's protests, he started laughing and poked Chance back. "We're barely friends, okay? The queen commissioned a tapestry from my mom and decided to pick it up herself, so I spent some time with Wille. I just… showed him my pet fish and a few songs I wrote. That's all."
"Ooh, so you're already calling him Wille~" Chance wiggled his eyebrows towards Simon.
"Gods, you're insufferable. Shut up." Simon said, but the way his face kept getting redder and the smirk on the corner of his mouth told Chance that he didn't really mean it.
"I'm just messing with you, man. Hey, unrelated question, but… can we talk over there? There's… something I need to tell you." Chance knew this conversation was inevitable. He was no stranger to the fact that he had feelings for Simon, but above everything , they were best friends. Chance couldn't hide anything from Simon even if he tried. Now, amidst the festival, in a place where they could enjoy themselves for hours on end and drown their sorrows under tons of strawberries if needed, after seeing that Simon wouldn't be alone when he left, Chance felt like it was the right moment. Simon raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious—He hadn't forgotten about that one prank Chance had pulled that time—but still, he nodded and followed Chance. There, Chance explained as best as he could what had happened four days ago. He omitted Amihan's past, of course, but tried his best to tell everything else to Simon. How she was sick and had called an old acquaintance so Chance would be taken as a squire in another kingdom and have a better shot at a good life.
"Cha-cha… Are you sure about this? I mean, I understand where you're coming from, but… are you sure you're going to be—" Simon started to talk, but was cut short by Chance hugging him tight.
"I'm scared, Simon. I'm so, so scared. I've never been so scared in my entire life. But… I just can't… I can't do this to my mom. If I lose this opportunity and stay back in town to take care of her or anything like that… I fear she'd never forgive herself. I can't bear the thought of my mom living her last days sad and miserable, knowing I could've done something to avoid it." Chance did his best to keep his voice stable, and could only hope the tears forming on his eyes didn't fall. "Please, don't make this even harder for me."
"I… Sorry. Yeah, you're right." Simon held Chance even tighter. "Do you want me to tell them? Rosh and Ayub?"
Chance nodded and released Simon from their embrace, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "Yes, please. Just don't them about her disease, okay?"
Simon gently smiled at Chance and nodded. They joined hands and walked back towards their friend group, receiving some curious looks from Sara, Ayub and Rosh. Wilhelm, on the other hand, even though he tried playing it cool, looked like he was about to pop a vessel on his forehead. After talking through everything with them, even Wilhelm looked a bit upset, but eventually everyone accepted Chance was departing from Forest Ridge. After a while, Chance drifted back to his mom, who was currently sitting on a small table with Hopper.
"Hey, kiddo. Have you made up your mind yet?" Hopper greeted Chance with a short nod.
"Yes, Sir Hopper. I've decided to go with you. When are you planning on returning?"
Hopper grunted. "Well, whenever you say you're ready, I guess. As long as you don't take too long, I can still stay here for a few more days."
Chance looked at Amihan, searching for any sliver of doubt or worry. A crumpled napkin with a few drops of blood lay in her hand, but apart from that, she seemed satisfied. Maybe happy, even.
"Then, could we go tomorrow?"
"Is that okay with you?" Hopper scratched his beard and looked at Amihan, who nodded. "I guess it's settled, then."
25th of Fifthmonth, Morning
Forest Ridge Town, Lawson household
The following morning, Chance woke up early and got ready as fast as he could, packing up everything he needed. Of course, he expected Hopper to arrive early, but when he showed up at the Lawson household with his friends tailing behind—Simon, Sara, Ayub and Rosh—Chance was surprised. Hugs and gifts were given, tears were shed (especially by Simon and Amihan) and promises of letters being exchanged were made. Once his friends left, Chance, Hopper and Amihan walked towards Hopper's wagon, ready for the final goodbye, when another surprise dropped by: A very, very fancy carriage passed through them and stopped a few meters behind, and Wilhelm rushed out as if it were on fire.
"Wait! Chance, hold on!" Wilhelm screamed as he ran after them. He managed to catch up, panting. "Sorry… I'm late, convincing my family… to let me come here was… so much harder than I imagined. My brother had to … sneak me out… of the castle."
"Oh, it's… it's okay." What Chance really wanted to say was "I didn't even expect you to show up since we literally met yesterday and you looked like you were about to blow my head off every time I approached my best friend!" but he realized it would probably be impolite to tell that to a member of the royal family, even if he was, technically, a prince as well. "Thanks for coming anyway, Prince Wilhelm."
"Just… Wille is fine. I, uh, wanted to apologize. You know, for yesterday."
Chance's eyebrows shot up. He didn't know what he expected when he saw Wilhelm rushing out of the royal carriage, but an apology from the prince? Well, that was indeed surprising.
"It's fine, Prin— uh, Wille, don't worry."
"No, it isn't fine, sorry. I was kind of acting like a jerk. Like a major jerk, actually." Wilhelm scratched the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. "Also, I brought you a gift. It's your birthday,right? You can consider it a gift or maybe part of the apology if you wish to? Anyway, here, take it."
Wilhelm then pulled a ring from his pocket, and put it into Chance's palm. The ring was made of pure gold, with small blue gemstones and intricate designs showing lions and swords along its length. At the top, a larger, slightly translucent orange gemstone protected the symbol of the Hillerska royal family carved onto the ring: a shield with three crowns and a lion's head in the center.
If Chance was surprised by Wilhelm's apology, then his gift left Chance speechless. It was probably more expensive than Chance's house with every single thing he ever owed inside it, including Chance himself and his mother.
"It's a royal signet from my family. Since you're leaving to Bloomington, maybe it could be useful somehow, since Hillerska and Bloomington are allies. Like a recommendation letter. Or a recommendation ring, I guess."
"Wille, this is… gods, this is insane, I can't accept this."
"Don't worry, really. My parents got dozens of these, they won't even realize one of these went 'missing'. Please, take it."
Chance evaluated the ring on his palm, still a little shocked by the gift he had just received. Then he reached inside his pocket and pulled another ring. This one was much simpler; a common silver ring with some gold star designs around it and a small purple gemstone on top.
"You know, it's a bit funny… Simon gave me a ring too. He said he planned to give me during a surprise party, actually, but… well." Chance trailed off , waning his hand around. Then, he hugged Wilhelm. "I know we barely know each other, but please, take care of Simon for me, okay?"
"I will. I swear I will."
"Thank you so much, Wille, truly. Both for the gift and for, you know."
"WILLE!" Prince Erik, Wilhelm's older brother and heir to the throne, stood right outside the royal carriage's door, screaming his name. "We need to return to the castle! Mom and dad will notice our absence if we stay much longer!"
"Shit, I need to go." Wilhelm and Chance broke the hug, and Wilhelm started to run to the royal carriage, waving. "Safe travels, Chance! Until next time!"
Chance waved back and smiled. Who'd have guessed that he would actually make a friend on his last day in his hometown? And from the royal family, no less. The royal carriage quickly went back to the castle and Chance kept walking to Hopper's wagon, fiddling with the rings in his pocket. Amihan stood by the wagon's back while Hopper sat inside and another man (Chance had forgotten his name, maybe it was Lowell? or Powell?) sat on the front to guide the horses.
"Soo~, a last minute visit from the royal family, huh??" Amihan ruffled Chance's hair, and helped him get on the wagon.
"He just wanted to say goodbye, mom."
"Even so! Good to see the entire kingdom recognizing how important my little knight is."
Chance rummaged a bit through his bags, and pulled his wooden sword. "Hey, mom? I want you to have this."
"Your sword? But…"
"Just think that you're keeping it for me until I get back. Because I will. Right?"
"…Okay, honey. But you got to let me give you something to keep as well, then." Amihan removed one of her silver necklaces and folded it into Chance's hand. "Here. Until you return home."
Chance didn't quite trust himself not to cry right now, so he just nodded. They both knew that would never happen. Thanks to the tuberculosis, Amihan would have a few weeks, maybe a couple of months left, if she happened to be lucky. This was their final goodbye. Chance and Amihan hugged each other again, and Chance felt that familiar smell—honey, lavender and grass—for the last time.
"Goodbye, my brave knight."
"Goodbye, mom."
Amihan backed off, smiled at her son and said goodbye to Hopper as well, who simply nodded at her. Then, Amihan clutched Chance's sword on her chest and walked away to her house without looking back. Once she closed the door, Hopper finally spoke to Chance.
"You're okay, kiddo?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Chance didn't quite know if he was saying that to Hopper or to himself. "Let's go."
Hopper grunted in a way that must've been approval or understanding.
"Hey, Powell. You heard the kid. Let's go."
Chance Lawson loved many things.
But, from that day forward, Chance Lawson would forever stay on Forest Ridge, inside a simple house at the top of a hill.
Since, from now on, his name would be Prince Chance Tigerhart. And Chance Tigerhart didn't love that many things.
But he definitely had a mission to fulfill.