Chapter Text
The gardens were bursting with life, a row of neatly-trimmed rosebushes led to a gate hung with morning glories, the bright blue blossoms standing out from the green leaves and the black metal it clung to. A pond with a fountain in it lay beyond, the spray of water landing on lily pads and frogs whose croaks harmonized with the hum of cicadas and buzz of bees. Viktor passed the pond, watching his feet so he didn’t trample a stray flower or insect as he walked through on his way to the forest.
As crown prince of the Spring Kingdom he did love the blooming of flowers and the sight of raindrops clinging to the world after a storm, but having lived in a land of perpetual sunlight and warmth for twenty-three years he was bored. As of late he’d found himself wandering to the woods that lay beyond the huge gardens to enjoy silence and think about his life where nobody could find him. Here the trees blocked out the sun and moss coated the ground in clumps, here he could drink from a rushing stream if he got thirsty or eat fresh berries if he got hungry, it was the closest thing to freedom he had.
“Your Highness!” A high-pitched voice caught his attention and he turned around to see a fairy soar towards him and hover in front of his nose, its tiny body was a light blue as was the hair tied into two braids. It wore an outfit sewn together from leaves and petals with tiny sandals crafted from woven grass, a flower crown of clovers perched on its tiny head.
He smiled at the creature, he found fairies endearing and always tried to be kind to them; he’d heard the stories of those who had stupidly destroyed fairy houses and found their beds full of slugs the next day. “Good morning Violet, how are you today?”
“I-I’m fine Your Highness, it is an honor to be remembered by someone as important as yourself.” The fairy’s tiny face flushed purple before turning to look behind them. “Huh? I was with...”
“Violet!” Another small voice called out from nearby and Viktor saw two other fairies, these ones red and green, who seemed to be carrying something between the two of them that was slowing their flight.
“Eek!” Violet started and swooped back to the other two to help carry whatever it was they wanted to show him, a flower crown made of wildflowers. The prince saw fall asters, chicory, cornflowers, Queen Anne’s lace and several others woven together so tightly he knew that it wouldn’t fall apart even after the flowers died.
The green fairy tried to hide behind one of the cornflower petals, failing to do so, as they spoke. “W-we made this for you Your Highness, to complement your eyes.”
The red one shouted unabashedly, “Please accept it! We hope you like it!” then dragged the crown, and the other two fairies towards him so they could deposit the flowers on his head.
“It’s lovely, thank you all.” He reached up a hand and touched the velvety soft petals, one coming off between his fingers as he rubbed them. The fairies blushed, Violet looked ecstatic, Sage looked like they were looking for a place to hide, and Pepper looked smug; they were so different from one another but he supposed that was why they were good friends, they balanced one another out.
The clock tower on the castle began to chime and he only just realized how late it had gotten, in the forest it was hard to tell the time and he’d been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t been keeping track. “Oh no! I have to go! Thank you so much for the gift, I’ll be back tomorrow!” He started to run, backtracking through the thick trees to the garden where his older half-brother waited for him, arms folded and a frown on his face.
The eldest prince didn't resemble his younger brother at all, where Viktor's hair was silver Yuri's was blond, green eyes stared at blue under creased brows and he scowled. People often talked about how his older brother could be attractive if he smiled more, but the youngest prince had only seen that happen enough times to count on one hand.
Yuri was slightly shorter than his brother despite being four years older than him, but his slight form was still padded with muscle barely hidden by the fine clothes his status required for him to wear. Viktor remembered watching the fencing lessons since he was young and having to contain his excitement to be just like his big brother. In the end both boys had given up the sport for different reasons, neither one wanting to bring up the topic in fear that it would anger the other.
“Viktor.” His brother took in the muddy hems on his pants and rumpled shirt, his scratched face and the leaves stuck in his hair from running too fast, finally landing on the flower crown on his head as his frown deepened.
“Hello Yuri,” He felt his face heating up under his half-brother’s gaze, knowing nothing good could come from his presence here. “What do I owe the pleasure of you coming to get me yourself?”
“Mom and dad want to see you, and since nobody could find you I guessed you’d be out in those creepy woods again. It looks like I was right to come for you, although I wish you’d been faster; they won’t be happy to see you like this but you don’t have time to clean yourself up after you’ve made them wait so long.” Yuri avoided looking at his younger brother, instead focusing his green eyes on the cluster of fruit trees next to him.
“Viktor, you can’t put this off for much longer; you’re twenty-three now and the king of the Winter Kingdom is very sick, if we want to really make allies with them the best thing to do is have you marry their princess. We both know I’m going to be the next Spring king, so marrying into the Winter Kingdom is the best option for you, stop being selfish, it’s not just about you and it never has been. Stop believing you ever can marry for love, you’re a prince, it was never an option for either of us from the beginning.”
Viktor’s throat constricted and he wished Makkachin was here but the poodle was busy getting a bath and he’d gone into the forest alone; he needed something to comfort him, to distract him from the giant guillotine hovering above his head. He struggled to keep his face straight and his breathing calm as he responded to his brother’s harsh words.
“Thank you for worrying about me, I’ll excuse myself and see our parents now.” He strode off without a second word, hanging the flower crown on a bush and trying to keep himself from crying; the happiness he’d felt only half an hour ago was gone, replaced with the sensation of drowning.
He’d heard rumors of the Winter Kingdom since he was a small boy, stories that seemed too strange to be real, and since he’d been a small child the one time he’d visited the island Kingdom he couldn’t remember it well. People talked about how cold they people there were, like they didn’t have emotions or a soul; and it was also said they could read your thoughts and use them against you. To marry into a family of people like that was unthinkable, and he wanted what most people did; was it really so selfish to want to fall in love with someone entirely and marry purely for love?
The servants gave him quizzical looks as they observed his disheveled state but didn’t say anything as the silver-haired prince made his way to the throne room where he knew his parents would be waiting. Like the rest of the castle the room was made of gray stone, the only light coming from candlesticks set every few feet since windows would be a hazard in case of an attack from outsiders. A long green rug ran from the door to the thrones, embroidered with a pattern of flowers and animals grazing, enjoying all the luxuries spring brought their kingdom. Tapestries adorned the walls, each one depicting a different region within their territory; the fishing region of Adonia, the farming region of Sereni, they all blended together in Viktor’s mind.
His parents sat just as he knew they would, his father poised regally with his black hair and beard trimmed neatly, his mother with her long silver hair and blue eyes that always seemed to twinkle when she saw him. He definitely resembled the queen as Yuri resembled the previous queen, sadly neither of the king’s sons took after him, but he’d never found a need to complain about it.
“Ah, Viktor,” The king inspected him like everyone else had but didn’t comment on his appearance. “Thank you for taking your time in seeing us.”
The queen laughed. “What were you doing darling? Did you trip and fall?”
The prince bowed before responding to either of his parents. “I was in the forest mother, I find it quite relaxing.” He didn’t mention the fairies, not many people paid attention to the fair folk nowadays so it made no sense to bring them up.
“Understandable,” the king nodded, pretending to know what his son meant. “However, you understand that your birthday is coming up and our ties with the Winter Kingdom continue to worsen. Your brother has undoubtedly told you that our only chance to strengthen our relationship with them is for a marriage alliance to happen and we cannot put it off anymore. You are almost twenty-four and waiting will do nothing but make this situation worse.”
“Father I must protest, have you asked the Winter Kingdom if they want an alliance? What if they already have someone in mind to wed the princess?”
“Is there not another reason for your objection to be wed to the princess?” His father’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and Viktor’s palms began to sweat.
“I’m not sure what you mean father.” He stammered out, wiping his hands on his pants and hoping nobody noticed.
“Oh darling,” His mother frowned at him, a crease forming between her eyebrows. “We know you’re not interested in women, and it is okay.” Whatever the prince had expected his parents to say, this was not it. He’d tried so hard to keep his sexuality a secret but apparently not hard enough, the smile his mother gave him seemed pitying and he wished the ground would open up under his feet and swallow him.
“What are you saying?” He managed to get the words out.
“We’re saying that you’re betrothed to the prince of the Winter Kingdom, you leave tomorrow.”