Chapter Text
“ Clear a path!” Wilbur yelled as he and Tubbo hauled Tommy up between their shoulders.
“ Lock down the city! Find Them!” Techno barked orders to the guardsmen, about ready to draw his sword himself.
“ Tommy!” Phil gasped, rushing after his sons.
“ No-” Kristen stayed still, just like Ranboo.
Ranboo could only stare at the metal arrow point that had skewered Tommy, the other lost inside of him. The crowd was screaming in fear, guards attempting to usher them away. A carriage pulled into the square.
Ranboo only watched, frozen along with his mother, as Tommy was thrown inside. Blood seeping from his wound.
Ranboo watched as Tubbo fought to ride with him, the nurses pushed him out and slammed the door. Wilbur caught his brother and the two were screeching at the medical staff as they pulled away. Techno was seething with anger, comforted only when Phil grabbed his arm to stop him from rushing after the assassins on the rooftops.
“ Ranboo,” Kristens voice cuts through the commotion, smooth and low, “Go with your brothers. They need you.”
“ Tommy- he. He can’t die,” Ranboo chokes out, tears spill out of his eyes. His mother guides him off the stage, an embrace of wings and sobbing is shared by the whole family. Tubbo is angry, Wilbur is angry, Techno is angry. But Ranboo? He was just shocked.
Warm arms pulled him close, huge black wings circled them.
Ranboo’s dad spoke quietly and warmly, “ It’ll be alright, we can fly. As fast as we can. He’s gonna be just fine.”
“ How did this happen!” Wilbur hissed.
“ There is so much more than this to deal with,” Kristen muttered.
“ He will live, he has to live,” Ranboo said through tears,arms squeezed tighter.
Tubbo nodded eagerly, “ He can take it, he’s a soldier.”
“ Come on, I refuse to waste time,” Techno sighed, pulling away first.
They looked at each other, then to the stage where Tommy had fallen. Blood stained the wood, and the crumpled remains of the feathers on the end of the arrows were soaked.
“ Fly safe, I’m getting a horse from our carriages,” Tubbo ran off. It was faster for someone with wings like his anyway, Ranboo knew that, but it still stung.
Ranboo spread his wings, the family took off. Wilbur shot ahead, he was the fastest afterall. He was gaining altitude, probably so he could dive even faster down to the castle. Ranboo stayed on pace with their dad, desperately clinging to his hand. Kristen stayed behind them, and Techno had hurried to try and catch up with Wilbur.
They flew in silence, every once in a while Ranboo looked down to see the dot of Tubbo on his horse rushing forward. The lights of the festival were a fine thing to fly under, the whispers of snow to come kept them awake and alert, the village lights were snuffed out. Other than the fire light of the watchtowers looking for whoever attempted to take the lives of the royal family, and on accident endangered the life of their prized guest.
Ranboo snapped back to the present when his dad pulled him down, landing on the palace steps and rushing after Wilbur who had thrown the doors open. A busboy was crying, comforted by Henry. Ranboo gave a small nod to his chauffeur, Henry’s eyes were red with tears as he nodded back.
“ Tell everyone they have the night off, well unless they are needed to care for Tommy,” Phil sighed, shaking his head and throwing off his overcoat as they walked.
“ Hannah is preparing some soup, the main cook is out at the festival. We all were, but we hurried back in early so we could be ready for your arrival,” Henry offered as the boy, Connor? If Ranboo could remember, sobbed into his chest.
“ Thank you, we’ll keep you updated,” Kristen sighed, rushing off to her room to change out of the dress she wore. Techno threw his crown at the shivering man who held out the pillows to set them on, storming off. Ranboo didn’t bother and rushed to Tommy’s quarters with his brothers. Tubbo breached the entrance a minute later and ran after them.
The door was open and Tommy sat, nurses bandaging his wounds and pouring potions onto him that made the boy hiss and cry out in pain. Two nurses were attempting to hold him still while their head physician.
“ One of the arrows splintered inside him, we have to dig out the fragments,” the physician explained as he pulled out a shard of wood from a cut made in Tommy’s chest.
“ It missed his organs, we hope,” a nurse sighed as she finished wrapping the wound dangerously close to his heart.
“ He’s not exactly conscious, but he hasn't passed out which is good,” another murmured.
Tommy twisted in a shriek of pain as the metal head of an arrow was torn out of him, blood gushing out of his wound as nurses press fabric against it.
“ Out of the room,” someone orders, and then that was it.
Quackity came up the stairs around ten minutes later, holding an asleep Fundy. Ranboo thought it was sweet that Wilbur finally started sobbing when he saw them, his tears soaking into his lover's shoulder.
Tubbo knocked on the door every five minutes, furious that they weren’t let inside. They heard noises, screams of pain and murmuring of nurses, but they couldn’t see a damn thing.
Techno had taken to staring at the floor, Ranboo copied him for a while before giving up and leaving them for a bit. They hurried to their room, tearing off the dress they adored and pulling on clothes meant for sleeping in, rubbing the remains of makeup off their face. They brought out a rag for the others to do the same, while only Techno really needed it. The others had cleansed themselves with tears.
After Tubbo knocked nine times, the door finally opened.
“ Tommy?” Tubbo tries, crouching down when the medical staff finally pull away.
Ranboo stands wearily behind. Tommy is propped up on the post of his bed, tears of pain and exhaustion drip down his face.
“ Tired,” is all he manages to say, twinging in pain.
“ Let’s lay you down,” Techno sighs,standing to move behind him.
Tommy’s eyes lit up in fear, he attempted to move but slumped over on the bed, rasping something that didn’t come out quite right as he threw his back onto the bed.
The nurses shared a look, the doctor shook his head.
“ Tommy what’s wrong?” Ranboo steps forward, reaching a gentle hand.
“ I- can’t. You’ll-” Tommy fumbles, wincing away.
“ What happened, it's alright Tom, we know the arrows aren’t pretty,” Wilbur offers.
“ No, no no no,” Tommy coughs in his words.
If Ranboo was in control of the situation, he would’ve said stop, let him breathe.
Ranboo however, had no control over his brothers.
Techno took over, yanking Tommy upright despite everyone else's protests, then twisting him to see his back. Tommy broke into sobs as the brothers gaped.
There, on the little soldier from Esempi’s back, the peasant boy who had eaten more food in these past few weeks than he had in his entire life, were two mangled wings. Wilbur cursed under his breath, Tubbo’s face contorted with grief, Ranboo was once again frozen and silent.
They were bloody, small. Clearly hurt on purpose, chopped off by shears.
Wilbur gagged.
However, as Ranboo knew, the wings didn’t stop growing. They should be as big as Ranboo or Tubbo’s now, depending on the kind, but they were barely poking at Tommy's shoulders if stretched out. The feathers were patchy or straight up gone. If they were there they were-
Bloody.
Bloody white wings.
Ranboo gagged.
“ I just- I couldn't!” Tommy says through tears, finally turning to face them.
“ You’re,” Tubbo coughs, “Avian?”
“No! I’m not royal! Somethings wrong with me,” Tommy yelps, like a prey animal surrounded on all sides.
“ You are, there are wings on your back!” Wilbur huffs, voice hot but eyes hurt.
Tommy frowned, “ I, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Why! We’re-” Techno cut himself off, glaring.
“ I’m a traitor! A lost child! The prince of a royal family that Left Me!” He yells, and Ranboo can’t help but feel guilty when his voice breaks. He’s staring up at them, blond hair falling in front of his eyes as he breathes heavily.
“ Oh Tommy,” Ranboo sighs, kneeling down at Tommy’s bed, “We aren’t mad.”
“ You haven’t done anything wrong,” Tubbo adds.
Tommy sobs and falls into Ranboo, embracing him despite the bloody bandages, “ I’m so sorry, I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.” He repeats. And they let him, as many times as he needs to.
Ranboo isn’t quite sure when Phil walked it to take in all of these discoveries, but his father gave a small fond trill. Avian: a language without words but of emotions, and a language the family spoke often in close quarters but rarely around strangers.
Tommy perked his head up just a little, staring at Phil. The brothers waited tensely, it was odd to hear the bird noises in front of Tommy, and the medical staff that quickly (awkwardly) shuffled out of the room. Tommy sucked in a breath before giving a shaky warble, scratchy from years of never using his vocal cords like that.
With that, He was engulfed by black wings, happy chirps echoed down the halls. Ranboo was smiling ear to ear, despite the tears on his face.
>>-------->
Tommy was so fucking tired.
His secret was out of the bag, that was a shock and a relief. Kristen surprisingly, came in to lecture him about his mistreatment of his wings. Any and all shears he owned were stolen from his room and wing holes cut into his shirts. It wasn’t kindness, but it was an inkling of care from the woman.
However, his dramatic reveal only happened because of an equally dramatic attempt on his life. Tommy is almost certain he knew who it was, but he refused to speak any of those thoughts. At Least until their weren’t two awful scars on either side of his torso.
Techno asked, often. It had been a week since the attack, and Techno had arrested Purpled and Punz. For the two were fleeing the city with crossbows. But if Tommy even looked at them he thought he might vomit.
Now, he stood shakily, held up by Phil, on the garden patio. Under very watchful eyes his wings had begun to grow. He still wasn’t allowed near shears or types of scissors actually made for preening, he wasn’t allowed unattended access to anything really, and Phil made him stretch with him every morning.
Ranboo and Techno had poured over familial records to try and understand where Tommy obtained his white appendages. It made him actually fall from laughter when he entered the library to see the two stringing together any discrepancy they found with twine on the top of a table Techno had staked to the wall.
Tommy had fallen flat on his face and gotten a bloody nose from the ordeal but he couldn’t stop giggling. Techno tripped on a string rushing to grab him, which only increased the hysterics. Ranboo was too busy wheezing to assist either of them.
Wilbur had dedicated his time to hiding in Tommy’s room to avoid family dinners, Quackity often joining them. The family hadn’t had a proper talk yet, and Wilbur was clearly dreading it. Whenever Tommy asked, family dinners seemed to have evaporated for the time being. Tommy had made them swear that they’d come back when he could sit with them all again.
Tubbo had taken to taking Wilburs busy work from him, often visiting Tommy to talk while he poured over paperwork. Tubbo had actually taken to speaking with the reporters about the incident, helping in all the ways
It was sweet, the subtle shift.
Phil breathed in deeply besides Tommy, “ I’m glad you’re getting better.”
“Me too,” Tommy bobbed his head along as he spoke, his blonde matched the elder beside him.
“ good,” Phil remarked as they both gazed over the gardens.
Tommy sighed, spreading his wings behind him. They were real, true wings now. They were still growing, but they went far over his shoulders when spread, and the feathers were white and full. Phil doted over them, cooing and chirping at Tommy whenever he helped preen them, as they needed constant attention to ensure they didn’t keep growing in the warped way they had been.
Tommy didn’t mind getting oddly close with Phil over the past week. The emperor turned out to be just kind of a guy. He loved his wife and adored his kids. Tommy couldn’t remember one moment when he sounded anything like Schlatt.
“ You’re going to be ok,” Phil smiled at him, eyes warm.
Tommy shook out his wings and nodded, “ Still mad that two measly arrows got me this bad.”
“One almost skewered your heart Tom, and not to mention the blood loss you went though trying to dig an arrow out of you,” Phil sighed.
“ Well I can sorta walk now, and I don’t feel ready to just pass away anymore,” he shrugged, tugging Phil to go back inside.
Phil relented and they shuffled inside. Tubbo was talking to one of Wilbur’s assistants in the halls when he spotted them.
“Tommy! How’re you? Feeling ok?” The brunette smiles widely, abandoning the person he was speaking with.
“ Good, hurts like a bitch still but I’m getting through it,” Tommy smiled right back, brushing Tubbo lightly with his wings.
Tubbo nodded happily, “ Oh we know. Techno has been downed many times, but he refuses to stay down and heal properly. Half his scars wouldn’t exist if he just sat down .”
“ I am getting very tired of sitting. How are the bookworms, still hunting in the library?” Tommy began to walk along the hall with Tubbo and Phil, headed for his room.
“You know it, Ranboo thinks your wings are going through an accelerated growth due to flocking instincts, “ Tubbo shrugs.
Phil fills in the gap in Tommy’s knowledge, “ That means you’ve become comfortable around other avians. Messes with the bird brain, makes your wings grow faster along with other things.”
“ Neat,” Tommy shrugs.
“ And Techno is about ready to march down to Esempi and demand their records as well, your ancestry is still a mystery.”
“ Wait so, Royals are Avian. How did Kristen get her wings?”
“She was a duchess ,” Phil smiles fondly, “ From inside the empire.”
“ Maybe I’m from there, one of those smaller families,” Tommy tilts his head, curious.
“Maybe but who has white? You couldn’t be a dove or stork, they live on another continent,” Tubbo sighs, then arrives at Tommy’s door.
“ I’m going to nap,” Tommy declares, kicking his door open and throwing himself inside, “We can figure it out some other time.”
“See you later Tom,” Phil sighs, making a small trilling sound that both Tubbo and Tommy chirp at.
“ Mk’ bye dad,” Tommy yawns, melting into his bed.
Phil freezes, and Tommy doesn’t quite register the words that came out of his own mouth as Tubbo giggles and Phil tries to shake the fluff out of his wings, ushering his youngest son out of the room to let his newest son sleep.
C==[]====>
Techno currently sat with a cup of tea in the courtyard, haphazardly supervising as the youngest two sparred. Ranboo was tinkering with something besides him and his dad was smiling at them all. Wilbur was standing in the gardens with Fundy, explaining everything to the best of his abilities with a child who’s new favorite word is ‘Why?’
The boy's wings were getting bigger now that they weren’t being mangled, they mimicked the shape of Phil’s funnily enough. And while his full ancestry remained unknown, he fit in just fine among them.
A sword was cast aside and Tubbo laughed triumphantly.
“ I beat a trained swordsman!”
“This ‘swordsman’ was taught for like 2 weeks before being shipped off to war. So, be nice,” Tommy sighs, shaking his head
A guard interrupted their moment of tranquility soon enough.
“Your highnesses, the prisoners Purpled and Punz request an audience with Prince Techno and Tommy.”
Techno glares hard at the man covered in iron for daring to invade this serene place with such bitter news before turning to Tommy, “Do you want to?”
“We have to deal with them eventually,” the blonde sighs and Techno regretfully agrees with him.
“Be careful boys,” Phil hums.
“Will do dad,” they both echo before disappearing off towards the dungeons.
It was a dark place, festering with the scent of mold and dried blood. In it sat two blonde men in shackles behind bars of iron. Techno knew the area well, prisoners of war and all, Tommy was decently unnerved but both of them had an understanding of the things that happened here.
“Hey Toms-” Purpled starts.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Don’t speak to my brother that way! It’s not our fault we were hired!” Punz snaps, Techno taking a defensive step in front of Tommy.
“Don’t speak to My brother that way. Who hired you?”
“Crown Prince Dream of the Esempi,” Purpled says without any further needling required.
“Why would he do that- you won the war fair and square Techno,” Tommy ponders alloud.
“Because he’s angry, and he rambled a lot that I didn’t care to listen to about you being ‘thieves, cheaters, and what stands in my way’” Punz mocked.
“I didn’t want to hurt you Tommy, really I didn’t. The arrows weren’t even meant to hit you-” Purpled tries, Techno can’t stand how sorry for himself it sounds. “I really like you! You’re funny, this wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Alright… but it did. And you have to pay for what you’ve done.”
“I am going to be sharing Words with the crown prince. If he admits to having hired you, we can rework your sentencing, if he doesn’t. Then you are to be executed for treason.”
“You can’t kill them Techno!” Tommy gawks, making the warlord pause.
“Uhm- I can? I kill people all the time, it’s like. My whole thing. I handle a lot of prisoner sentencing when it happens in the dungeon actually. It’s my place, and treason is punishable by death.”
“Purpled is my friend, even if he nearly shot an arrow through my heart, he is my friend. And he was hired by a corrupt man of a corrupt kingdom. So you will not kill him.” Tommy declares, some firey spirit in those wartorn blue eyes.
“That’s not how it works-”
“So change how it works! You’re almost heir to the throne, you have the power to change the rules.”
“Rules aren’t meant to be changed.”
“Then break them.”
Techno sighs, staring for a long moment.
“Gonna agree with the blonde,” Punz adds unhelpfully.
Techno did not like doing things the improper way. He followed the steps to everything. But there were no steps for a rogue avian in the palace, nor were there steps for peacekeeping between empires and kingdoms and everything in between.
“Fine then. You’re both sentenced to 25 years unless Dream helps you out,” he relents, earning him a very kind smile from Tommy.
“Thank you, Sir Techno Blade. Your mercy will not be forgotten,” Punz bows deeply, Punz slow to follow him.
“Thank you Tech, they’re really not bad guys. They’re like us.” Tommy hums.
“Like us how?”
“They’re brothers trying to keep eachother safe.
If Techno’s steely expression cracked into a smile at that, that was for him to know only as he pulled Tommy into a side hug, “Hush it you big sap.”
“Ow ow ow- still hurt man!” He laughs, and the dungeon isn’t quite as gloomy anymore.
One thing tackled, now they all had to do the hard part. The talking to each other part. The worst part.
Dinner tonight, Techno bristled at the thought. His mother had hidden away, like Wilbur had too. While the others had fallen into different realms of work. But Tommy squeezed him back into the present, and that would all have to wait as they made their ways out of the dungeon.
/\_/\_/\
Wilbur may or may not have been avoiding his family. He had steered clear of the library (Techno) , the garden (Phil) and the studies (Kristen) very well these past many days, but that could totally just be a coincidence. They had also seemingly disbanded dinner together until tonight.
Nonetheless, Wilbur had Fundy tucked into bed early and was sitting in front of his mirror, Quackity leaning on his shoulder.
“ There’s gonna be a lot of talking tonight Wil,” Quackity sighed.
“ I am aware,” he groans.
“ Your mother has, lets just say if looks could kill my country would be without a leader,” Quackity dusts off his shoulders and stands up straight.
“ I’d be distraught, luckily she may glare all she wants,” Wilbur sighs, standing up, “ Time to meet the family, for real this time.”
- - -
This was admittedly harder than Wilbur thought it would be, everyone sat in silence when Tommy hobbled into the room, staring at their soup as if the liquid held the answers to their problems (spoiler alert, soup is terrible at assisting you in times of crisis, unless your sick, than grab some chicken noodle).
“ Alright, let’s talk,” Ranboo sighs, sitting up, “I want to know why Tubbo has been isolating from us, nothing even happened to you.”
Tubbo gawks, “ Isolating? Wilbur has danced around us all week!”
“ He has a reason to! You’re just sulking,” Ranboo frowns.
“ I’m sorry I’m sick of being in my brother's shadows! No one knew who I was, I’ve been working hard to fix that,” Tubbo snarls, “ I want to know why Wilbur didn’t tell anyone he had the hots for fucking Quackity!” Kristen nods her silent agreement to that one.
Wilbur frowns, setting down his spoon, “ My relationship with Quackity was kept secret for my own reasons.”
“ It’s practically Treason, are you leaving us for the desert?” Techno frowns at him.
“ I’m not leaving anyone! I was always going to be with some form of diplomat,” Wilbur groans.
“ You were abusing the occasion of the festival to hang out with your lover,” Kristen sneers.
Quackity saved Wilbur from responding to that comment, “Oh I’m sorry. We’re abusing the occasion? Ranboo was out mingling with peasants to make them admire him, very festive indeed huh?”
“ That’s not true! I wasn’t trying to get them to do anything!” Ranboo snarls, their feathers puffed up like everyone else's.
“ Well what else were you doing?” Phil butts in with a frown.
“ I was talking to people? What’s so wrong with that,” Ranboo hisses.
Techno scowls, “ You abandoned all the people who searched for you at those events.”
Ranboo throws down their hands on the table, “ They can suck it! I was being listened to about something other than gossip for once in my gods damned life.”
“ You are all hypocrites!” Tommy shrieks and the room stills.
Wilbur’s stomach tightens, “ Toms-”
“ Wilburs gay, Tubbos a person, Ranboo doesn’t like the court ladies, Techno is a control freak, Phil’s too scared to say shit and Kristen has some unfiltered resentment that's leaching into her relationships with her kids,” the blonde spits. No one moves a muscle.
“ You’re one to talk,” Kristens voice is icey as it cuts through the silence.
Wilbur is reminded that he should have known about Tommy’s wings. About the clippers. It was so obvious if you looked back at it.
“ You kept your blood from us Tommy, you didn’t tell us you were avian,” Phil nods.
Tommy shrugs, “ I had my reasons.”
“ Please do share,” Tubbo snarls.
“ I’m not royal! I’m some missing bastard child that no one looked for, my ‘mom’ wasn’t even my mother, she left me on a doorstep. I am a mistake, and if anyone found me out I would have been taken in to see Esempi royals. I couldn’t risk that, and I didn’t know how it would fair for me here either,” Tommy spits.
Techno looks hurt, but sympathy dances in every brothers’ eyes, “You don’t trust us?”
“ No! I do I just- I was scared. That you’d throw me out if you learned I’d been lying.” Tommy curls his growing wings around himself as far as they reach, it makes Wilburs heart ache that they can’t cover him properly.
“ It’s ok Toms,” Wilbur sighs, glaring over at his mother, “You. Explain yourself.”
“ I have nothing to explain,” Kristen huffs.
“ You hate him for some reason, I hear you in your office. I know you want him gone, “ Ranboo accuses.
“ I-” Kristen, cornered, stands up, “ I don’t owe you anything, I am your mother, you will respect me.”
“ Respect is earned,” Tubbo glares, Phil is silent as his sons attack his wife. If Wilbur were less concerned with his current business, we would call him out for it.
“ I simply do not want outsiders in this palace,” Kristen says with an overly level tone, one Wilbur knew well from his many political ventures.
“ What aren’t you telling us?” Techno pleads.
“Nothing!” Kristen huffs.
“Kristen, where were you on that 8 month trip you took 15 years ago?” Phil finally spits out, everything stills.
Wilbur should’ve known, should’ve seen. Pieces fell into place so fast as the twins locked eyes. They watched their mother leave.
“That’s not possible- I’m fifteen.” Tubbo says, eyes wide.”
“You were born the first month of the year, they had the Ball of the Kingdoms a bit more than a month later. A month after that, Mama left for eight months,” Techno explains all too quietly.
“That’s enough time to- '' Ranboo starts, everyone's eyes land on Kristen.
“I- listen..” Kristen begins, “It was not my fault! I was drunk that night, your father had been busy the last month and I just- well. Got ahead of myself. It didn’t mean anything! Tommy was a mistake, one I covered up very well!”
“No-” Tommy gapes, “My mother was a good woman- she left me because she was too poor to care for a child.”
“I handed you off to a servant to get rid of you.” Kristen admits, the air in the room is still.
Wilbur rises from his seat, circling over to Tommy and pulling him close and covering his ears gently, “You left him?”
“You left Our brother?” Tubbo snarls.
“You cheated on dad!” Ranboo gawks.
Phil stands, wiping tears from his eyes, “Kristen, get out of my palace.”
“ Wh- what. Darling please-”
“ I said, Get out of My palace!” his wings flare as he yells, bitter tears spilling, “I gave you everything! We’ve raised four beautiful children! I loved you! And you repay me like this? Get out!” Kristen stands now, quickly making her way out of the room.
“Dad I am so sorry,” Techno sighs, going to the blonde man’s side and hugging him close. The blonde Wilbur held was also crying now as he uncovered Tommy’s ears, and he can faintly make out mumblings of How’s and Why’s that he had no answer for.
“I will draft a message to Mama’s family,” Ranboo decides quickly.
“I will ensure she leaves by sunrise,” Tubbo glowers.
Quackity stands now, moving to Wilburs side, “It’s going to be ok.”
“We are an undying family,” Phil finally says, everyone's attention snapping to him, “And be it not by blood but by bond, Tommy is one of us. Like the winter that has befallen us, we are strong and we are part of a grand design. It will take more than a few tragedies to stop us.”
If his voice shakes, no one is brave enough to point it out. There is a silence that rings too loud to be purposeful before Techno speaks. “Tommy is my brother because we have the brotherhood of soldiers on a battlefield. And he has broken through walls I hadn’t even realized I put up.
“Tommy is my brother because he showed me freedom, because he lets no cage hold him and we spread out wings together,” Ranboo nods.
“He is my brother because he empowers me. He is in my corner and smiling no matter my own state,” Tubbo smiles.
“Tommy is my brother because he warmed my heart,” Wilbur says, the blue eyed boy staring up at him, “and I love him like one.”
“And he is my son because he acts like you idiots now,” Phil laughs through tears.
That’s how they all find themselves in one mushy pile of hugs, little white winds peaking through it all, yellow wings pulled into the side, black engulfing them all. And they are sobbing and laughing and cursing all at once.
There is a woman upstairs collecting her things while a cook, busboy, and chauffeur watch her angrily. There are two brothers in a dungeon below them, promising each other they’ll make it out alive. There is a girl with dirty blonde hair picking daisies while a man who’s favorite color is blue watches in the far off fields of another kingdom. There is a royal man far off who is fighting to find His son. There is a blizzard on the horizon.
But none of that matters right now.
Because there is a prince in love with a king that gets to hold him close. There is a royal famed for beauty relishing in the mess of life. There is a boy, the last born child of an emperor being recognized on his own. There is a warlord finally letting go of the reins of life and letting himself breathe. There is a blonde boy from Esempi in the palace of the Arctic empire, and he is the happiest he has ever been.
And the silence is perfect.
(EPILOGUE)
Sharp nails dug into the wood of his desk, glaring eyes in the mirror.
“Kristen was kicked out of the palace, they Know.” the black haired man says.
Kristen, of course Kristen had slipped. Was it so hard to keep a secret! Did he have to handle Everything on his own?
“They love the boy, you can not take him back now,” a brunette adds unhelpfully.
Hah! No, not happening. He would get what was rightfully his back. With an heir, his father would let him take over. With an heir, he could show that stupid empire what for.
“No. I will get him back, he is my son. They cannot keep him from me. He will learn what he comes from, and he will stand by my side as I kill an undying empire.”
Green eyes narrowed in the mirror, his friends behind him bristled.
“Don’t pick fights you can’t win,” black hair sighs.
Him? Lose? What a ridiculous thought.
“Tommy doesn’t even know you exist, he won’t want you.”
“He will want me, and if he doesn’t? I will make him.”
“He’s not a street kid you can sweep up cuz it’s convenient anymore. He’s a Prince.”
“From rags to riches doesn’t matter, I’ll get him, one way or another.”
With that, the trio leave his room. The heat of the Esempi jungle sticks to their skin as they walk to the pavilion. He would get what he wanted, he just needed to play his cards right. Those pesky crows had somehow found his backup plan. But that's fine! Everything is going to work out, good things come to those who wait.
And the Crown Prince of Esempi was a man who could wait.