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“Father, I’m going out to hunt.”

Shouto stood in the doorway, his hand clutching the knob. His father, king of Endeavor, sit curled over his desk, papers piled in neat stacks. His chancellor stood beside him, a spare old man draped in expensive robes. He looked fleetingly at Shouto, but went straight back to looking over the king’s shoulder.

His father’s study was musty with the smell of thousands of books collecting dust between their pages. Maps and war trophies hung on the walls; swords and shields were pristine and wiped of all blood that may have been on them when they were ripped from the enemies his father had slain. Ebony wood made up the shelves and desk, making the room appear darker despite the sunlight streaming through the flitting curtains. Through the open window, a soft summer breeze wafted in the scent of their peach grove. It almost comforted the prince, such a sweet smell permeating the decaying of books.

His father barely looked up from his documents. His eyes scanned them meticulously, tired but still holding the same ambition that chilled the prince’s spine. They shined turquoise and cold, the eyes of a pureblood king. They flicked over to him. He peered at him like he did his documents: with quiet disdain. Shouto was a simple decision that would further the glory of his kingdom. Something to debate with the court. A pawn. Property to the state. The thought made his insides coil like he’d eaten something rotten. His father looks back at his documents with a huff. “Hunting, huh? You haven’t done that in a while. What spurred this decision?” he asked.

Shouto stiffened slightly, but his face gave nothing away. For the past couple of days, he’s felt this tug toward the Yuuei woods. Like a compass needle drawn to the north, he felt this invisible line drawing him towards its center, though he didn’t know where that was. It made him yearn for the comfort of the shade, the crackling brush underfoot, the wildlife singing.

He was sure that if he told anyone of this, they’d say faeries were trying to lure him in. But he had to know what was trying to call him.

He gazed out towards the grove. Servants picked peaches perfect and ripe, their soft blushes contrasting the green grass. Another breeze made Shouto yearn to be out there with them, stretching to reach the fruit, placing them gently in the basket while they basked in the gentle sunlight. He sighed and shifted his eyes towards the forest bordering the castle grounds. “It’s been a while since we had a day like this. Lots of animals must be out today. There might be a trophy in waiting out there.”

He heard his father huff a laugh. He probably was patting himself on the back for creating a near perfect copy of himself. The prince grit his teeth. Self-indulgent bastard.

“That’s fine,” he said, “But first, I’d like to discuss a few matters with you.”

“Oh?” Shouto asked, mentally flipping through the catalogue of every move he’s made in the past week that would warrant discussion. Was it the second helping of fruit tart he accepted? Did he notice the way he’s stared longingly out the window toward the forest? Did he talk too long to one of the servants?

“Kingdom affairs, that’s all,” his father said. The way he squinted his eyes at him made the prince believe he could see right through him.

He released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Of course, father.”

The king adjusted in his seat so he sat proud and noble, still somehow seeming to tower over Shouto. The chancellor adjusted himself as well, his robes cascading off of his form as he stood at his father’s side. He was so much smaller that his father, but his eyes held the same icy ambition that Shouto despised.

He dared himself to come closer, remove himself from the safe clutch of the doorway so he could stand before his father with the same conviction.

The king began with financial matters: the percentage of tax to be collected this season, the spending on castle renovations, and the imports from trading with Uravity. This was a test, Shouto knew. He answered each of the king’s questions with ease, careful not to stutter or misspeak. His father hummed as Shouto recited past tax percentages and the inventory of goods received. The chancellor behind him nodded like a teacher hearing a child recite their ABCs. When the prince finished speaking, his father did little to acknowledge him, simply grunting and writing something down on his documents.

“Second,” the king started. He shuffled papers and stacked some in the corner of his desk. “I’d like to discuss the matter of giving you land to oversee.”

Shouto couldn’t help but widen his eyes slightly before catching himself. “I see,” he said.

“Don’t think you’re entitled to this, boy. I have spent months considering this with the court. We have concluded that it’ll be a vital part of your military training. You’ve been doing well leading the knights in Midnight’s order and you have the potential— as your lineage foretold— to become a strong military presence. All of my other children, your brothers and sister, don’t have the same drive I passed to you.”

That made Shouto inwardly flinch.

“I will give you some of the land bordering Ground Zero.” His father said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Ground Zero?” Shouto asked. Memories resurfaced of entertaining the heir while the queen negotiated trade deals with Endeavor. Like his mother, he was boisterous and aggressive and blunt, giving both Enji and Shouto headaches for days. However, their mountains full of metals made them essential trade partners for Endeavor’s military needs. Either the king overestimated Shouto’s patience or he truly wanted to torture him. “We have good relations with Ground Zero, I don’t understand why this would be a part of my military training.”

“Yes, you are correct, we do have good relations with Ground Zero. However,” the king’s eyes shifted past Shouto to peer at the map of the five kingdoms behind him.  “I’m afraid we may lose their alliance if tensions heighten any further with All Might. If something drastic were to happen, their allegiance may determine the outcome.”

“And my owning land near the border would help relations?”

“Are you doubting me, boy?”

“No, father,” Shouto said, steady. “I’m just unsure of what my role is in this.”

“The four out of the five kingdoms have successors, correct?”

“Yes. Princess Uraraka, Prince Katsuki, Prince Iida, and myself. All Might does not have a successor.”

“To the extent of our spies’ knowledge.” His father said, “But if All Might does not have a successor, that’s where our opportunity lies.”

“You’re suggesting that I befriend Ground Zero’s prince?”

“The land I’m giving you contains our royal lodge. What I’m suggesting is that you invite him for the winter and make him feel welcome in Endeavor. Then, Queen Mitsuki and I will also have more opportunities to discuss relations between our kingdoms. If we can gain his favor, then it will certainly sweeten the pot for her.”

“And if the prince prefers Endeavor, then he can persuade the Queen to side with us over All Might,” Shouto said, “If the worst were to happen.”

“Precisely. Despite her strong front, Queen Mitsuki is malleable when it comes to the prince. So, if you’re able to influence him, the rest will be easy,” his father said. “Do you think you will be able to handle this task, Prince Shouto?”

The pit sitting in his stomach rolled, making his insides tie themselves in knots. No, he didn’t want to befriend Prince Katsuki for the sake of tearing another kingdom down, but he was a coward. The fear laced around his courage, keeping it at bay like a rampant animal tied down.

He locked eyes with him again. “Yes, father,” he said, forcing the assurance in voice.

Satisfied, the king turned to his chancellor. “Have a hunting party arranged.”

Shouto panicked. “Actually, I’d like to take a solitary trip,” the words tumbled from his mouth. Both the king and the chancellor raised their eyebrows. “If the king permits,” he added, an afterthought.

After a beat, the king replied, “Prince Shouto, you understand why we cannot do that.” He threaded his fingers and rest his chin on them. “These forests border All Might. There could be agents out to kidnap you, or worse still. The crown prince will not walk so close to enemy lines unguarded.”

Shouto nodded, face still stone.

“Yes, highness, King Enji is right. It’s much too dangerous for you to be wandering alone. I will arrange for a hunting party at once,” the chancellor added. Shouto sneered inwardly. There was nothing worse than the politicians that hung around court and kissed his father’s boot to gain favor. They boosted his ego with sweet words telling of his infinite wisdom and intelligence. He could already sense them doing the same to him by the way they insist they do everything for him like he was a child. It made him sick.

The chancellor moved to brush past Shouto, but he stopped him. “I will choose my own hunting party, thank you,” Shouto said. The thin man blinked his eyes, a small frown threatening his face. A  polite grin replace it, slightly too wide. Shouto ignored it.

“Your royal highness, at least let me make sure your party is sufficient. We need to have the crown prince as safe as possible, I’m sure you understand.”

“The same hunters have been accompanying me for years, chancellor. I’ll manage.”

“I do not doubt your choice of party.” The old man waved his hand as if brushing off Shouto’s statement. “You heard what the king said, though. Tumultuous times we live in! It would ease my heart as your chancellor to accompany you.”

Their eyes both issued a challenge. Neither of them would concede, that much was clear. They both turned their heads toward the king, whose face was buried in his documents once again. “Prince Shouto, let the chancellor accompany you,” he said inattentively.

The chancellor smiled smugly. Shouto resisted the urge to throw him out the open window. He nodded toward his father in farewell. “Thank you, father. I will bring back good game.”

His father barely waved in acknowledgment.
 
**********
 
When they arrived to the barracks, they saw each knights lined up with a sword in hand. At once, they charged forwards and hacked at wooden targets with precision, sweat beading on their foreheads. Indeed, their commander would accept nothing less than perfect.

Knight Commander Kayama, also known as Midnight, oversaw the young knights’ training. Some called her sadistic, but every swing of the knights’ swords displayed the elegance and brutality that Endeavor stood for.

Raised a noble alongside his father, Midnight was one of the most respected women in the court. She was his father’s sparring partner when they were young and one of the strongest knights in the order. Once she was promoted to Knight Commander, she tightened up the order— made sure only the best of the best trained under her. In a matter of a few months, Endeavor became the superpower it wished to be for years.

As a result, she was the only one trusted to train Shouto. King Enji himself used to train Shouto, but things changed after they jailed his mother. The main difference between their training styles was that Midnight pushed Shouto to his limit, never beyond. Behind his eyelids as he slept, he could feel the bruises on his wrist, see the vomit in a puddle at his father’s feet, hear the bark of his voice— smoldering and roaring like a forest fire. She knew too, what was happening to him— witnessed it happen on her own grounds. But what could she say? He was the king, and the king did what the king wanted. They never discussed it as she critiqued his form and taught him parries.

As she saw them approaching, she called for the knights to cease. They went back into formation, standing shoulder to shoulder, heads held high but not meeting Shouto’s gaze.

“Your highness!” She greeted, her armor clanking as she bowed before him. “Are you here to spar with one of our men? They’ve improved since last time, I assure you.”

“No, Commander Midnight, although the offer is tempting,” Shouto said, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“We’re here to arrange a hunting party,” the chancellor chimed in. The prince noticed a slight falter in Midnight’s features as her eyes flicked to the old man. A slight quirk of her lips. “I need your best bowmen for his royal highness, if you will. He will be in the Yuuei woods this afternoon.”

“Ah, of course,” Midnight said, her voice a few octaves too high. Shouto knew as well as anyone that the chancellor irked her to no end with his arrogance. Truly, the only thing holding this kingdom was the fear of the king’s wrath. A twinge of uneasiness settled in his gut as Shouto imagined the court after his father’s death.

“Jirou, Kirishima” the commander called. Two knights kneeled before Shouto, one man with red spiked hair and one woman with a choppy bob. Midnight knew Shouto’s preferences whether it be sparring or hunting.

Jirou and Kirishima, both Endeavean nobles, were in the group of children that played with the prince when he was young— before things went wrong. Jirou, Kirishima, Momo, and him spent every day together while the boring adults sipped tea and discussed politics inside. He could almost see the memory play before him: a group of young noble children dressed in the finest and dirtiest linens as they tussled in the courtyard and dodged through peach trees trying to tag each other. Their mothers gave them earfuls as they came back with stains on their clothes and twigs in their hair. It was one of Shouto’s fonder memories.

The chancellor sauntered around the knights, almost as if they were vases and he was checking for cracks.

“These are your best?” The chancellor asked.

“Do you doubt my men, chancellor? These knights have accompanied Prince Shouto on hunting trips since they could first shoot an arrow.” She raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t doubt their abilities at all,” the chancellor backpedaled.

“Then, I’m not sure what the problem is. If they’re sufficient enough for you, I’m sure his highness would like to depart while the sun is still in the sky,” Midnight said, her voice barely hiding the sarcastic undertone.

The chancellor shot her a dirty look, but still nodded sagely. Shouto rolled his eyes underneath his eyelids. He heard a stutter as Jirou tried to stifle a laugh. The prince’s own lips almost turned upwards. Almost.

“Yes, this should be sufficient.” The chancellor waved off the knights like servants. They glanced at each other in confusion before standing and retreating into line. Midnight caught Shouto’s gaze, each in understanding of the other. The chancellor faced him and the prince broke eye contact with her. “I’ll have the servants arrange horses for you. It should be ready no later than lunchtime.”

Shouto shook his head, allowing a twinge of annoyance to crease his brow. “That will not be necessary, Chancellor. It won’t be a large excursion.”

“Highness, I insist— “

“Don’t you have other matters to attend to, Chancellor? I’m sure his highness would like you to stop bothering him,” Midnight interrupted. She leaned her elbow on the hilt of her sword, daring him to challenge her. “Endeavor may be the kingdom of excess, but not of sloth. If Prince Shouto wishes to retrieve his horses himself, I advise you let him. Unless you like the prospect of future financial instability that is.”

The chancellor raised his eyebrows in alarm, his mouth gaped as he struggled to find words. He swiveled his head to Shouto hoping he’d defend him. The only thing he gave him was a stony look and a slight shrug of his shoulders.

He tried to save face by coughing into his hand and straightening his robes.

“Yes, well,” he started, “I must return to the king, I’m sure he’s waiting for me. Your highness.” He bowed to the prince and scampered away.

Shouto let the tension fall from his shoulders as he watched the chancellor disappear into the castle. “Thank you, Commander Midnight,” he said.

“Of course, Prince Shouto,” she replied as the tension seemingly left her as well. “A leech, that’s what he is. And don’t you repeat that to anybody, do you hear me?” She twists to face her order, who nod affirmatively, still standing in formation.

The prince couldn’t help letting out a small chuckle, hardly loud enough for anybody to hear. He waved his knights to join him. Jirou and Kirishima stepped out of line and positioned themselves beside their prince.

“I’ll be back before nightfall,” he said.

“You better be, that boy has been slacking lately and needs to be whipped back into shape!” she said with a crack of her knuckles. He heard Kirishima gulp.

“We’ll be conscious of the time, Commander Midnight,” Jirou affirmed. With a bow from the knights and a nod from Shouto, they headed toward the armory.

When they got out of earshot of the rest of the knights, Jirou and Kirishima burst into a bout of giggles. Shouto shot a dirty look at them, but it was free of any malice. His own lips betrayed him as they upturned.

“Poor Prince Shouto,” Jirou struggled through her giggles, “his chancellor treats him like a fledgling!”

“Highness, all due respect, but I don’t know how you haven’t thrown his sorry ass from the tower yet!” Kirishima hollered.

“Keep your voices down,” Shouto teased, trying to keep his knights under control. A few seconds passed, then he added, “Besides, I wouldn’t want to throw him from the tower. I’d rather wait until I’m king and see the smug grin wipe off his face as I exile him from court.”

A fresh peal of laughter ripped from their throats, booming through the fields. Shouto shushes them, careful to make sure that one of his father’s men don’t come checking on them.

Their laughs dissolved after a few moments, dying down to chortles, then hiccups. Kirishima wiped tears from his eyes as he patted his prince on the back.

“Sorry, my prince, it’s just too funny to see you annoyed like that. I thought for sure that a vein in your forehead would pop,” Jirou said.

“Are you kidding? He had that same blank expression he always has!” Kirishima rebutted.

“No, you could tell! He squints when he’s frustrated, see?” The lady knight pointed to the creases in the corners of Shouto’s eyes. He waves her hand off with a huff.

“I’m still your crown prince, you know. I could have you exiled too.”

“Yeah, but then who would keep your big princely ego in check?” Jirou needled him.

“Momo,” he said without missing a beat.

“Momo,” they both echoed affirmatively.

Kirishima stretched his arms above his arms and released a yawn. “Okay, so what are we looking for today, highness? Pheasant? Elk?”

“Don’t worry about the hunting party, I’d rather just go alone,” the prince replied. When he was met with a raised eyebrow from him, he added, “I won’t go too far. Just tell my father you were in my attendance.”

“And what are we going to tell Commander Midnight? You know she’d have our heads if we let you wander Yuuei woods alone.”

“Just take a break today, stay away from the courtyard.”

“Prince Shouto,” Jirou said.

“I understand why you’re confused, but know this is something I need to do.”

“This better not be a dangerous ‘something,’ highness,” she retorted.

“No, just— just trust me. Since when have I ever done anything reckless?”

“It’s not that.” Kirishima shook his head. “You know how tense things are with the Mighteans are right now. The forest is dark and full of things you can’t predict.”

“What, do you really believe my father when he says they’re staging an attack?”

“No, but we’d rather err on the side of caution. If you wind up dead, it’s on our shoulders.” Jirou reasoned, “Or rather, it’ll be off our shoulders, if you know what I mean.”

Kirishima dragged a finger across his neck and gagged as if to emphasize his companion’s point. Shouto rolled his eyes at the display.

“What did I do to deserve such insubordinate knights?” he asked.

“You mean such loyal knights, highness,” Kirishima corrected him. “We’re only trying to keep our future king safe.”

“Look,” the prince tried, “if you want to accompany me for the first few paces, I’ll allow it. But when I tell you to stay, you’ll stay and you won’t follow me. And that is an order, do you understand?”

Jirou sighed and relented. “Okay, okay, fine. But if you don’t return before the sun falls, we’re tracking you down.”

“Wait, so we’re just going to wait in the woods all day?” Kirishima protested. She elbowed him in the ribs and he hissed in pain.

Shouto nodded at her, thankful. “I won’t be long.”
 
**********
 
He didn’t bother bringing a horse and almost didn’t bring a bow until Jirou convinced him otherwise.

For my sanity, please, she pleaded.

What kind of hunting trip is this? Kirishima added.

With a huff and a refusal to answer, he slung it across his shoulder. As promised, he let them follow him for the first few minutes. In that time, they were able to snag game. Like the true bowman she was, Jirou speared each bird perfectly. Shouto had always been impressed— and slightly jealous— of her prowess. Though he was much more proficient fighting on horseback than her, her ability to shoot an arrow through a flying bird’s eye never ceased to amaze him.

He shot an arrow and hit a rabbit square in the chest. He watched as red bloomed across its pelt and it collapsed onto the forest floor. He grimaced; he was being too careless. The meat was still usable, but they’d have to discard the fur. He collected it anyway.

Kirishima carried the pounds upon pounds of game on his back, not breaking a sweat even when they snagged an elk. They hung from his shoulders, seemingly unbothered by the droplets of blood that smeared his armor. He allowed Jirou to take a few pheasants from him to carry.

Once they collected enough game to please his father, he turned to his knights. The thickets were getting denser and the tug Shouto felt in his chest grew stronger. “This should be far enough. Bring the rabbits and pheasants to the cook and the elk to the tanners.”

Jirou quirked an eyebrow. “No, we swore to stay here until you came back. So that’s what we’re doing,” she reminded him.

“You’ll attract bears the way you are now. I don’t want dead knights,” the prince said.

“We’ll bury the game for now. If any bears show up, I’m sure the king’ll love a new rug,” the red-haired knight grinned.

“Arrogant,” Shouto said with a click of his tongue. Jirou snorted a laugh.

“Don’t worry yourself, my prince, we know how to fend for ourselves.” She hesitated for a moment and Shouto almost told her to spit it out before she spoke. “I want to ask though,” she stared past him into the forest. “why do you need to venture in alone?”

“I… well… “ he started.

Shouto didn’t know how to answer that. How could he tell his most trusted friends that it was purely a gut feeling? That the heart of the forest enticed him in ways he couldn’t explain? Surely, they’d think he was crazy and try to drag him back to the castle.

“… Just trust I know what I’m doing. Please,” he finished.

The lady knight groaned. “Highness, please. I can’t let you go in confidence if you won’t tell me what it is you’re chasing. We will have failed our duties as knights otherwise.”

“Would you be satisfied if I promise to tell you when I get back?”

If I even find out what I’m doing, Shouto thought.

“That makes it sound like you’re going on a suicide mission, highness.” Kirishima deadpanned.

Shouto pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I’ve already compromised by letting you come with me in the first place. Understand that I am under no obligation to tell you anything at all. Either you’ll accept that I’ll tell you when I come back or I’ll tell you nothing at all.”

Silence passed between them like rolling fog. Jirou attempted to dissect his brain with her eyes while Kirishima scrunched his eyebrows, swimming in his own thoughts.

Saying nothing, Jirou exhaled, took the game from her shoulder, and plopped herself on a nearby log. She stretched her legs in front of her, reaching down to scrub a dirt stain from her tunic, ignoring the confused glances of her companions. When she looked up at them, she cocked her head almost sardonically. “Don’t you have somewhere to be, my prince? The day only lasts so long.”

Shouto’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Jirou.”

“Remember that you owe us big time. Breaking the knight’s code is no menial task, highness,” she said, gesturing Kirishima to sit down next to her. She started kicking leaves over the game, head down and trying to hide the worry lines etched in the corners of her eyes. To serve and protect to the royal family— that was their jobs. To ask them to discard the code they spent their entire lives upholding was selfish at best, he knew, but he would not reject their unwavering loyalty when they laid it bare in front of him.

“I know,” Shouto whispered almost as if he didn’t want the words to escape his throat. With one last glance, he peered back at his knights and disappeared past the brush.
 
**********
 
The anonymity covered him like a wool blanket. Out here, there was nobody but him. He knew his father was paranoid that All Might hid assassins in the woods, waiting for their opportunity to kill the crown prince of Endeavor, but Shouto had been sitting in on the meetings between their countries. He knew King Toshinori wanted nothing more than peace between their kingdoms. Nobody would hurt him. Perhaps bears, but that was another story.

The birds above Shouto chirped as if delighted by the creak of twigs underneath his boot. The wild violets peeked through the dead underbrush; their petals seemed to turn towards him in greeting. The oaks and maples swayed together as a soft breeze curled around their great, unwavering stumps. It ruffled Shouto’s hair and created waves in his tunic. It almost beckoned him in the direction it blew.

When he lifted his head, he saw the sun filtering through the shaking leaves— something he hasn’t seen in a decade.

The last time he saw sunlight percolate the woods like this, his whole family was here. His siblings danced around him as leaves kicked around them and sun lit their way and the animals chattered in encouragement. His mother rode the royal horse— perfect and poised without a single hair out of place— while his father pulled it gently with the lead. He sneers at the thought of the tenderness his father used to have. All in the name of a perfect bloodline, he made the rest of his family believe that they were whole.

A sunbeam haloed his scar, revealing it to the rest of the forest. He puts his head back down.

As he passed by the winding trees, he remembered how he and his brothers would weave between roots as they raced. He remembered his sister, who braided wildflowers into his hair. He remembered his mother, who would stroke his hair and hold him as he cried because of a scrape he got from tripping over a branch. He remembered his father, who would lead him by the arm as he pointed out the types of plants growing in the royal forest.

Look, Shouto, this is the salmonberry. He pointed at the star-shaped magenta petals nestled with jagged green leaves. He then guided his son’s gaze to a tall plant with papery white leaves. And that is the rhododendron.

Rho-do-den-dron. Shouto sounded out each syllable, his tiny hand clutched his father’s large fingers. They were warm, like the fireplace that used to always be lit in his parent’s room. They didn’t light it anymore.

His family would eat sandwiches and drink tea in a small clearing. The trees would seemingly bend to them as if eavesdropping. Time stopped as they laughed, and bugs danced around them as they inhaled the fresh smell of the clean air. The royal horse was tied to a nearby branch and his whole family fit on a quilt his grandmother made them. Shouto would pass the vegetables he didn’t like to Fuyumi while she giggled and munched on pieces of eggplant and broccoli. His brothers would fight over the last of the cobbler while his mother chided them to behave.

He tried to forget that, forget who he used to be. He trudged on, dodging the roots that tripped him and the echoes that haunted him.

But it kept coming back to him in the tiny nicks on trees and the wildflowers growing from patches of grass. All he could see was the memories floating around him, intruding in on his thoughts.

In an instant, he ran, the wind to his back. He ran and ran until he didn’t recognize the trees around him and the memories stayed behind in their own pockets of the forest. He ran until the forest smelled different and the ground underfoot felt strange.

He caught his breath on a nearby pine and immediately regretted his decision. He promised he wouldn’t go far, and yet here he was: surrounded by trees he didn’t know. He mentally slapped himself for letting his emotions overtake him. See? This is what happens when you let little daydreams get to you. That tugging was back again, stronger than ever. It threatened to tear out of his chest, but Shouto ignored it, buried in the dirt. He had more important things to worry about.

If he didn’t find something familiar soon, or Jirou would have his head before his father had the chance. He took out his hunting knife and carved an incision in the bark. If he got lost, at least there’d be some sort of marker telling him if he moved in circles.
 
**********
 
The forest had to be messing with him, he was sure. There was absolutely no way he could have passed the same tree five times all while walking in a straight line. But there it was, the same gash running through the bark. He traced it down with his finger as if to check that it wasn’t an illusion. It wasn’t. His feet in agony, he slumped against the tree, ready to take a short break.

He glanced upwards to see if he could tell where the sun was positioned. The shade of the leaves blinded the sky above him, making it impossible to tell the time of day. It’s felt like hours since he parted from his knights. His knees were drawn to his chest. Any moment, he expected them to burst through the thicket, ready to lecture him for his foolishness. He could practically hear Kirishima now:

Highness, how could you get yourself lost like this? Why would you ever go so deep into the forest? I know you’re brave and all, but this was straight-up reckless!

It shamed him, how dependent he was on them. He yearned constantly to be alone in Yuuei’s brush, but once he carved out the opportunity, it rendered him lost and helpless. He cursed the feeling in his chest, still strong and buzzing in his ribcage. As long as he’s been wandering in circles, the tugging feeling nagged him like the mosquitos buzzing in his ear. It nearly tore through his resolve, barely a strand holding it together.

He closed his eyes, letting the breeze wash over him and send the scent of pine circulating through his system.

Huh, pine?

Shouto’s eyes snapped open as he whipped his head around toward the source. There were no pine trees in his vicinity, but the smell was indisputable. Pines didn’t grow in Endeavor; his father didn’t like the smell. If there were pines around, that meant…

Todoroki’s blood froze as the distant voices of two men shattered the silence surrounding him. Without hesitation, he pressed himself against the tree and flipped his hood up so his shocking red-white hair wouldn’t be a dead giveaway of who he was. His ear strained to listen to them. They were still far enough away that he could probably slip away without alerting them— that is, if he were careful.

“…hy does King Toshinori make us stand here anyway………not like Endeavor will invade us from this angle……too flashy…”

“……jinx it, man…”

His hunch was right. Amid his wandering, he accidentally crossed the border to All Might. He cursed himself up, down, and sideways. How could he be this careless? If anybody ever found out about this, he was sure to be locked in the tower for weeks— maybe even months. His father would never forgive his foolishness, there would be no end to the chancellor’s lectures, Kirishima and Jirou would certainly be punished alongside him; perhaps their knighthood would even be stripped from them. He needed to escape, and he needed to escape now.

If he was in All Might now, that meant that Endeavor was to the south. There was no way to find out what direction he was facing (he cursed the fact that he left his compass at home), and they would surely discover him if he started climbing trees to find the position of the sun. All he had was this stupid tugging feeling.

Their voices grew louder, closer to him. If he stayed here, they would inevitably find him. He didn’t want to think of the political hellfire that would rain down on Endeavor when the crown prince was found skulking around in All Might’s forests. He peeked his head out and saw the vague silhouettes of both Mightean men, their backs to him.

“…the king going to do something about this… can’t live thinking Endeavor will invade…”

“I know…hasn’t even announced an heir…”

“…can’t just sit around and wait…”

“…can’t invade them either…”

“…tired of the King not doing anything…”

“…have to trust his judgement, he’s all we have…”

Shouto willed himself to stop listening. The words of the guards would die there in the forest with him. Never would he let his father hear the doubt of the Mighteans in their king.

At once he rose to his feet, careful not to disturb the underbrush. Silently, he creeped from his place under the tree to where he felt the invisible line pulling him. His breath caught in his throat as he edged past the guards. The rustle of leaves— most likely an animal— sounded behind Shouto. It made his muscles seize as he whipped his head to find a hiding place. As he dived behind a fallen log, he heard murmurs rise from the guards.

“…was that?”

“…robably a possum…..breeding season for them, you know…”

“What if… Endeavean spy…”

“Don’t let….litics stuff get to your head……just an animal, I promise…”

Shouto had to will himself to breathe again. He could tell his hands were shaking with adrenaline as he searched desperately for a safer hiding spot. The crunch of the leaves underneath the guards’ boots came closer.

He felt it, the last strand of his resolve snap like a knife to the Achilles. It was the tugging or nothing.

He closed his eyes, allowing for the tugging to take over his senses completely. West, that’s where he needed to go. Delicately, he kept his back to the log as he sidled to the edge, then rolled to the safety of the next tree over. The guards didn’t notice him as they marched past the fallen log.

A blur of gray came into the prince’s peripheral vision as his head tilted to see past a particularly thick oak. As he craned his neck, a cave revealed itself from the trees it hid behind. It was easy to miss, small and nearly consumed by weeds, but it was unmistakable.

Instantaneously, every cell of his being pulled him towards it like it was air he needed to avoid drowning. If he could pull the compass needle out of his chest and walk around the perimeter of the cave, it would point to it no matter the direction he walked. This was it, wasn’t it? This was what the forest was leading him towards.

Without thinking, he crept towards the mouth of the cave. He prayed that his gut feeling wasn’t leading him into the jaws of the beast as he tread lightly as to not alert the guards. The cool walls of the cave greeted his back as he stopped to catch his breath once again. He stayed there for a few moments, squeezing his eyes shut as he begged every higher being for him to remain unnoticed. Seconds stretched like gum caught between a child’s teeth and their outstretched hand. His fingers threaded through his hair, unsticking it from his sweaty forehead and letting it sit at a strange angle. His heart beat still pulsed in his veins. Honestly, he didn’t know if it would stop ever again.

The rational part of his brain begged him to leave, to escape All Might and give up; he was in danger just being in another kingdom’s territory without the ruler’s knowledge— much less one he was on the brink of war with. But with the guards still in the vicinity, there was no chance he was leaving anytime soon.

Keeping his hand still on the wall, he dragged himself to his feet. The path ahead was dark and the end was nowhere in sight, but he had to move.

Slowly, feeling along the crags and jagged edges, he trudged forward. The damp collected on his palms until they were streaked with mud and grime. The deeper in he went, the more his arm was drawn to his body. The prince walked far enough that he could feel the other side of the cave brush up against his body and his head ducked as to not bump the ceiling of the rapidly shrinking tunnel. Soon enough, he was crouching. He didn’t even think about it as he kept going, determined to know what was on the other end of this tunnel. The ceiling crept closer to his head until he was on his stomach. Shouto could barely get his arms in front of him to crawl. Eventually, the rough brush of rocks scraping his skin turned to damp moss. It streaked his tunic with green, but it was a welcome change from the scratches his shoulders endured.

A spot of light in the distance revealed end of the cave. More resolute than ever, he picked up his pace. His arms were in absolute agony from pulling the rest of his weight. They pulsed in pain as the light grew larger, but he stretched them farther and farther the walls of the cave were exposed and the sun felt warm on his face.

Finally, the chamber of the cave was in sight. As Shouto crawled towards it, a sweet aromatic smell hit him. It was sweeter than the peach grove and more heavenly than a mousse cake. It beckoned him closer like a mother to her child.

With one final push, he dragged his arms in front of himself and squeezed out of the narrow hole, thoroughly exhausted. Sweat rolled into the creases of his mouth, the salty taste pricking his taste buds. His eyes squeezed shut for a moment, waiting for the spots behind his eyelids to dissipate before he opened them again. When he opened them again, he beheld a large clearing more beautiful than Shouto could ever imagine. The trees were planted so close together that it would be impossible to enter any other way. Sunlight streamed through the needles of the tall pines, bright and beautiful, dancing only for him. Wildflowers in every color swayed in the soft summer breeze, speckling the clearing like an artist’s palette. The grass underneath Shouto’s hands was cool to the touch. There was no underbrush, no dead brown needles, just soft green grass that the prince could have laid in for hours. Part of him wondered if he actually stumbled upon a faerie’s abode.

His eyes were drawn to the center of the clearing. In it, there lay a crystal encasing completely contrasting the wildlife surrounding it. Tiger Lillies and trilliums grew around the encasing, standing tall and vibrant and proud. The crystal reflected the sunlight in a way that made colors dance around the clearing, making it appear more surreal.

He scrambled to his feet, energy pulsing through his body merely at the sight of the spectacle. His legs moved toward it before he could think, entranced as he gazed upon it. The distortion of the crystal obscured the figure that lay inside, but he recognized it as a human immediately. His hands hesitated before the edge of the lid. Was this someone’s final resting place? His conscious told him that disturbing the dead for the sake of sating his curiosity was more depraved than all the other unethical acts he’s ever committed, combined. And yet, his fingers still traced the gold trim along the edge, curious. One final tug was all it took for his conscious to curl at his feet like the burnt remnants of leaves.

Whatever breath he was holding was knocked out of him the moment he opened the lid.

Encased in the crystal casket was a boy no older than him sleeping serenely, his green curls fanned around him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Like a fishing line, the tugging feeling snapped and his lungs flooded with air. Relief, catharsis, and euphoria flooded his bloodstream, making the tips of his fingers feel like they could force both fire and ice on command. He almost fell to his knees in front of the casket as raw emotion flooding through his veins, but he instead remained stiff-legged and in awe of the boy in front of him. His eyelashes curled over the soft-looking skin of his cheeks. His skin collected smatterings of freckles that dusted over his nose and cheeks, making Shouto’s own skin seem pale in comparison. Honey , he thought. It was like honey drizzled over his complexion and it looked sweet and glowing and pure. Before he had time to think, he thumbed over a cluster of freckles trailing along the boy’s cheekbone.Shouto recoiled when he felt warmth jump underneath the pad of his thumb. He didn’t expect him to be dead , per say, but it still surprised him when he felt… well, human . Part of him expected him to be just a statue. He looked smooth, carved from marble.His hand hesitated before resting on his skin again. The boy’s eyelashes fluttered, but he didn’t stir. He brushed his curls from his forehead. He marveled at how soft his hair was, not greasy at all. It felt cool, almost as if it still had moisture trapped in it. Just how long had he been resting?The trees, sturdy and unwavering, rustled as the breeze passed through its branches. As it weaved through tightly packed trunks, the wind brought with it the sharp smell of pine and moss. It calmed him— the pine swirling around him and the flowers brushing against his pants and boy that lay there oblivious to the rest of the world. The erratic feeling in his veins settled as his hand retreated to the rim of the casket.A small noise— barely a groan— forced itself from the boy’s throat. Shouto froze as his face scrunched up as if the soft light of morning pulled him from his sleep. Eyelids hooded over green glassy eyes looking straight at the sky above them. Even after a few blinks, they remained unfocused. In his shock, Shouto stumbled back a few steps. His breath hitched in his throat as the boy’s head turned toward his movement. The boy struggled as he lifted himself onto his forearms. His back popped as he turned on his side and met Shouto’s gaze with his own. He looked like he was fighting something from the way his body stiffened and his teeth clenched— almost like he was in pain. Shouto screamed at his legs to move, but his knees felt like they were sealed with glue.A single honeyed hand reached toward Shouto shaking and frail. Voice hoarse from a long sleep, the boy forced a single syllable, “…To— ” before collapsing again. His body slumped half out of the casket before Shouto willed himself to move. Tentatively, he shook the boy’s shoulder. Nothing. He lay there like a deer with an arrow through its heart. But he was still warm, even as Shouto kept the boy upright with his arm wrapped around his back.A single thread of thought looped itself around Shouto’s brain and double knotted it so he couldn’t let it go. The boy uttered the first syllable of his surname like he was calling to him specifically, his hand reaching and begging for help. It brought a chill down Shouto’s spine crueler than frostbite could ever provide. “Do I know you?” Shouto whispered, barely loud enough for even himself to hear. The boy wouldn’t stir, he knew, but a piece of him wanted to shake him until he woke up and answered every single question he had.He desperately searched the boy’s face for any sign of familiarity, but there was nothing. No memories, no deja vu, nothing. There was no possible way he could have known this boy.But there was something about him-- something that needed to be known. This boy was a fleeting dream, a feeling that had to be chased. Something led the prince to him and, after the way the boy reached to him, there was no way he could let him go.What could he do? Would he just stay next to the boy until he woke up again? How long could he stay before he was found? Who would come upon him first, his own knights or King Toshinori’s?What then, when the boy finally came to? Would he run from Shouto because he was Endeavean? Would he run to him? Was he somehow responsible for the boy’s slumber? Would he blame Shouto?There were too many unanswered questions. They clouded his sight, making the edges of the coffin seem fuzzy and unreal. Anxiety buzzed underneath his skin. He couldn’t leave this boy, he couldn’t.A single thought popped into his head, clear and resounding. What if you just took him with you? It consumed him like fire catching on timber.He buried the little voice begging him to think about the repercussions of his actions under a mountain of take him with you, take him with you, take him with you . He scooped the boy into his arms, one arm supporting his back, the other his legs. Carefully but urgently, he lifted him out of the casket. He cringed, waiting for the forest to melt around him, but the trees held and the flowers still held their pigment. His shoulders relaxed.He marveled at how easy it was to carry the boy. His head rested in the crook where the prince’s shoulder met his arm. He seemed small, but the muscle mass Shouto felt underneath his hands told a different story. Everything about him felt like another puzzle piece that didn’t fit, he concluded. When he woke up, then Shouto would question him all he wanted. All he needed to worry about at that moment was somehow getting the boy out of the enclosure. Surely, there had to be a way to get them both out, right? The moss stains streaked on his clothes felt more and more prominent as he thought about it.He turned to the cave, wholly expecting to drag the poor sleeping boy behind him as he crawled out of the cave. However, he was met with a neatly cut exit with plenty of space overhead. Once again, he was lost for words. He followed the edge with his hand, searching for any trace of human interference. Wouldn’t he have heard something if the cave suddenly grew ten times larger? Shouto proceeded with caution, keeping the boy pulled tight.The cave remained a consistent height, which Shouto silently thanked the gods for. He probably would never know how the cave transformed without him knowing, but chose not to dwell on it. The prince retraced his steps until he saw the pale light at the end of the tunnel greeting him. There were no voices outside, from what he could hear. He took one last look at the cave and silently thanked the forest for helping him.The damp leaves on the ground muffled the sound of his footsteps as he exited the cave. He barely took another step when a voice resounded.“Hey, what is that over there?”A shock tremored through his body.  On his left, the two guards from before strode towards him. The hood was still up, meaning that they couldn’t see who he was. It was a chance.The prince broke into a run, refusing to look back at the men who were surely chasing after him.“Stop in the name of King Toshinori!” the guard bellowed. Despite the extra weight he was lugging, the guards matched him from the armor adorning their limbs. It clinked as they ran, causing birds to fly from their perches and squirrels to scramble up trees.“He has a boy!” The other guard screamed to his partner. He cried to Shouto, more desperately, “Stop, you! Bring him back here!”He felt the impact of his feet on the ground in every part of his body. Sharp intakes of breath pierced his lungs, blessing him with sweet air and cursing him with dull pains in his chest.The men hollered threats and warnings at the prince, but he could barely hear them over the blood roaring in his ears.They might have been fast, but he was faster. He kept running.Green blurred past him, dark and unfamiliar. His path became winding and crooked as he dodged past roots and rocks. A gasp and a crash of metal indicated that the men weren’t so lucky.Shouto took the opportunity to blaze ahead, breath feeling like fire. His muscles ached, but pure adrenaline powered his body. After running a considerable distance, he slowed his pace to a jog. He checked behind him and saw no guards following behind. He exhaled. His back found a tree trunk and he slid down it onto the ground.He listened for any sound of movement, but the only response were that of the warblers. He took the moment to recollect his thoughts.Tips of mountains loomed over the trees; he must’ve ended up near Ground Zero’s border. This is good , he reassured himself, It’s better than having them think I’m from Endeavor .If he was next to Ground Zero, he had to start walking southwest. He could be back in Endeavor before sundown if he went quickly and didn’t run into any more trouble. A figure appeared out of the corner of his eye. He dodged out of the way as two metal arms swung down to try to catch him. A small “dammit!” left the guard’s mouth. Shouto scrambled to get up. The man steadied himself so that he could face the prince. Leaves poked out from the chinks in his armor and his helmet lay crooked on his head. His mouth held a furious grimace.Shouto caught the guard’s eye for a split second. Hatred morphed to confusion. “Wait, are you--”The prince didn’t wait for him to finish that sentence. He bolted off, leaving a stunned guard in his dust. ********** He broke through the brush with leaves clinging to his hair. His breathing was ragged and his cheeks must have been as red as the tapestries in the throne room.“Highness! Are you okay?” Jirou called as she and Kirishima jumped to their feet. Their eyes immediately flicked to the figure laying limp in the prince’s arms. “Who is that?”“I don’t know, a boy,” Shouto gasped.“A boy? Where did you get a boy?” Kirishima asked, a bewildered expression adorning his face.“No time, we have to leave right now,” Shouto pushed past them.“What are you saying?” The red-haired knight grasped his prince’s arm to get a look at the boy. Shouto shook him off, tilting him closer to his chest.“I told you, we have no time!”“Highness, this is mad! You can’t just disappear into the forest, bring back some boy, and expect us to just be okay with it!” Jirou implored.“Look, I’ll explain when we get back, okay? I just need to get this boy to safety and you need to help me. I think Mightean guards are looking for him.”“You went to All Might? ” Kirishima gaped.“I wasn’t thinking straight, let’s go ,” Shouto nearly begged. He started sprinting, not looking to see if they were following him. He knew they would catch up.“You told us you knew what you what you were doing! That’s why we let you go in the first place!” Jirou lectured him through puffs of breath as she ran to catch up to him.“I thought I did! I didn’t think the forest would lead me to a cave in All Might!”“Y-you went through a—“ Jirou sputtered, unable to finish her sentence.Shouto didn’t even bother answering her. He expended the breath sprinting as fast as his legs could carry them. He’s sure they lost the guards quite a bit ago— even before he crossed the border to Endeavor— but the adrenaline thrumming in his veins propelled his legs forward.Eventually, they broke past the branches of the forest and sprinted through the grounds until they hid themselves behind the servants’ quarters. The prince slid his back down the wall until he sat on the ground. He gulped down breaths like they were his last. His throat felt raw and his muscles pulsed. If his father saw him, he’d probably have a stroke. The cuffs of his shirt had spatterings of rabbit blood, his sleeves and tunic were streaked green, dirt smudged across his skin, and his hair was mussed and slicked with sweat. He briefly wondered if he could sneak a bath before dinner.His knights joined him on the ground, equally out of breath.The sun nearly sunk into the forest, casting an orange glow in the sky. When Shouto glanced down, the sun beams made the boy’s skin gleam softly. Freckles dotted his face, making a map across his face and down his arms. Even as Shouto tore through the woods jostling him in his arms, he still slept peacefully as if in a bed of flowers. He plucked a stray hair from his eyelashes, wholly absorbed in the simple being of this boy. He still didn’t know why he decided to steal him from his sepulcher, but the tug in his chest now pointed toward this boy, whoever he may be.Kirishima shattered his train of thought as he poked the boy in the arm and asked, “Highness, are you sure he’s even alive ?”Shouto gave him a dirty look. “He can’t be dead— he opened his eyes earlier and I can feel his heartbeat now.”“He opened his eyes?” Kirishima marveled. Before Shouto could answer him, Jirou spoke.“Okay, sure, he’s alive. But why did you take him from All Might? ” she emphasized, her eyes flicking between her prince and his captive.Shouto opened his mouth and closed it again, then shook his head. “I had to,” he said finally.Both of his knights groaned, Jirou especially. “Are you serious, highness?” she fumed, “I’ve never seen you act this impulsively before. What has gotten into you?”A bolt of irritation shot through his chest. “Jirou, I’m still your prince,” Shouto warned as his gaze turned sharp and cold.The lady knight flinched for a second, then remembered herself. Understanding her prince’s words, she backed down, but still had a spark in her eye like she had something to say. Shouto knew this wouldn’t be the last time they talked about this.“What do you want to even do with him, highness?” Kirishima questioned, breaking the tension between them.Shouto thought for a moment. “We can’t let my father see him,” he concluded, “I don’t know who this boy is, but I have a feeling he’s important to All Might. I don’t want to think of what he would do if he knew of him.”“Okay, so where do you suggest we hide him?” the knight prodded further.“The servant’s quarters?” Jirou chimed in.“No, no.” Shouto shook his head as he picked at the non-existent threads on the boy’s shirt. “I don’t know when he’s gonna wake up next. I want to keep him where I can see him." “What, do you want to keep him up in your quarters?” Kirishima asked.At the suggestion, Shouto looked steadfast between both of them as if that was an answer in and of itself.“Okay,” Jirou started, pinching the bridge of her nose, “and what are you going to do when your personal servants come to tend to you in the morning and see him passed out in the corner?”“He won’t be in the corner.”“Highness, focus.”The prince switched to rolling the thin fabric of the boy’s shirt between his fingers. “I have plenty of hiding places in my room,” he spoke decidedly.“So you’ll just stash him under your bed until they leave?” Kirishima ran his fingers through his hair and sighed with exasperation.“No,” he countered, “there’s several hidden areas installed in my room in case an invasion were to occur. Only I know about them, so I can hide him in there without raising suspicion.”“Okay, okay, that could be a plan,” Kirishima said optimistically. His hands, however, remained wrung in his hair, nervously tugging at it.Jirou opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her eyes flickered to her prince’s like she didn’t approve, but refrained from speaking as per his previous warning. The electricity crackling in her eyes challenged Shouto and he responded with his own icy gaze. After a beat, she was the first one to break eye contact. “We need to find a way to get to the castle without being seen,” she said. Shouto nodded, wary of the way her shoulders still held tension even as she moved to scope out the peach grove next to them. He scooted in the grass to the edge of the servant’s quarters that Jirou didn’t occupy. He peeked past the building to gaze at the castle. It was a straight shot to his tower, but guards and servants were strewn throughout the grounds, making it nearly impossible to run across without getting caught. The peach grove— directly to his right— was free of people, but cutting across there meant that he’d end up entering on his father’s side of the castle: his study, his bedroom, his personal servants. With Shouto’s tower being on the far side of the castle, all he could see was a higher chance of being caught. He struck the option.He peered back at the woods. If they managed to sneak back, they’d be allowed enough coverage from prying eyes that they wouldn’t get caught as easily. They could slip past the knights’ barrack, into the servants’ entrance, and up the stairs to his quarters. Of course, the Mightean guards might have been out there, still looking for the boy, but he’d rather take his chances with Jirou and Kirishima by his side.He let the boy’s legs fall into his lap and drape across the ground and used his free hand to tell his knights of the plan. They nodded obediently, but their eyes held a reasonable amount of doubt. Shouto didn’t blame them; there were thousands of things that could go wrong. Knights could go on evening strolls, servants could be cutting through to do laundry by the river, guards could be making rounds past Shouto’s room, but it was their best shot. Shouto switched the boy’s position so he rested on his back— cheek resting near his nape, limp arms draped from his shoulders. He hiked him up, then nodded in affirmation towards his knights.They searched for any sign of people peeping through windows or straggling in the fields. When they saw none, Kirishima took the lead and Jirou trailed behind them, acting as a lookout. Their footsteps were silent as they scurried into the brush. They shrouded themselves in the familiar shade of the trees.When the barracks came into sight, they waited and watched for any sign of movement. Kirishima left first, motioning for Shouto and Jirou to stay hidden. He strode out of the woods confidently, as if trying to ward off suspicion from anybody that may have been watching. After inspecting the area, he waved for Jirou and Shouto to join him. Jirou went first, nearly checking every corner. Shouto followed soon after, taking long strides. They reached the servants’ entrance, he took a breath and prayed that he wouldn’t bump into anybody.The hallways were thin and dusky, only a couple sconces lighting the way. The sharp smell of mildew made itself known and the cobblestone leaked with water. Little rivulets hugged the wall and puddled near the entrance. Kirishima cursed as he accidentally stepped in it.Shouto’s only ever went through the servants’ entrance once before. On a dare from his brother Natsuo when he was much younger, he was told to journey down the winding hallways.
“But be careful, Shouto, there might be monsters!” he said, wiggling his fingers. “You can’t be scared of anything if you wanna be king.”

“I’m not scared of monsters!” Shouto opposed.

“Oh, yeah? Prove it,” Natsuo responded, cracking the door open and gesturing for him to enter. “Get to the end of the hallway, then come back. Only then will you be brave enough.”
With a huff, he stomped past his brother, determined to convince him he deserving of his title.  
The door shut behind him and he was enveloped in darkness, the sconces only flickering faintly. Shouto wandered down the hall, jumping at any sound he heard. He didn’t cry until a particularly big shadow danced across the wall and fear clambered up his body leaving goosebumps in its wake. Big fat tears rolled down his cheeks and his cries echoed. A woman rounded the corner with a wicker laundry basket resting on her hip. The servant shushed him, stroking his back as he clutched her dress.

“Prince Shouto, what are you doing here?” she asked gently, but firmly.

Between hiccups, Shouto said, “Na-Natsuo told me tha-that I wouldn’t be a good ki-king unless I was brave.” He paused to sniffle. “So I have to go down the hallway, but th-then there were monsters and they’re gonna get me!” He burst into a fresh bout of tears. The servant sighed.

“Take my hand, highness. I’ll bring you back to your brother.”

“N-no, then I won’t be a good king!” he whined as he wiped his nose with his sleeve.

“I’m sure he realizes how brave you are by now,” she reassured, “Come on, he’s waiting for you.”

With a meek nod, he rubbed his eyes. He took her hand and let her lead him back to the door where Natsuo left him.
The door opened and he saw his father, back to him, with a fistful of Natsuo’s hair.   “Do you know what you just did?” his father asked far too quietly. “He’s the future of Endeavor and you send him to a place fit only for servants ? What if he got hurt?”
The tone of his father’s voice filled Shouto with a dread far greater than any shadow monster could. He clutched to the servant’s dress trying to hide. She comforted him with a hand on his shoulder, beckoning him close to her.

“I’m sorry, father. It won’t happen again, I promise,” Natsuo said through gritted teeth. He was shaking and trying to keep tears falling from his eyes. He grasped desperately at his father’s forearm. His blunt fingernails failed to leave a mark as he tried to pry the hand from his white locks.

Shouto has never seen his father act like this. When he touched Natsuo, it was a clap on the shoulder or both hands fixing his robes before an event. Never a hand in his hair, gripping it until it hurt. His eyes locked with Shouto’s; they screamed for help.

His father followed his gaze until it rested on the servant and Shouto. With a huff, he released Natsuo’s hair from his grasp. His brother dropped with a gasp. The king knelt down and reached toward his youngest son— probably to fix his hair or his clothing. But Shouto shied away from him, burying his face in the woman’s skirt.

“Shouto, are you hurt?” his father asked. His eyes were devoid of the kindness that kept them from turning cold.

The prince shook his head rapidly. There was a moment where his father just stared at him. For the first time in his life, the left side of his body felt foreign and heavy.

His father rose to his feet and turned his back to both of his sons. “Escort the princes to their rooms,” he said gruffly to the servant.

With a bow, she obliged. She gently helped Natuo to his feet and took both of their hands.
“Rho-do-den-dron,” Shouto whispered to himself as he trudged up the stairs.  They neared the exit. The light haloing the closed door beckoned them closer. Kirishima’s hand reached for the doorknob, but it turned slowly on its own. With widened eyes, his outlined figure gestured wildly for Shouto to go back. Nodding, Shouto hiked the boy up and paced back down the hallway and turned the corner. A servant let out a little “Oh!” in surprise as they met with the knights directly on the other side of the door.“Excuse me, sorry,” the servant said as she most likely tried to nudge past the knights. The servant’s footsteps grew louder and Shouto saw her shadow flutter on the wall from the faint light of the sconces.“Oh, hey, you probably shouldn’t be going down there!” Jirou blurted. Shouto shrunk back and crouched lower, willing himself to blend in with the darkness.“What, why not?” Her shadow turned to the knights as she asked.“Um, eh…” the lady knight faltered.“…Because there was an accident!” Kirishima finished, “Yeah, someone took a nasty spill. I assure you, the aftermath wasn’t pretty. I think somebody might still be cleaning blood off the walls. If Shouto wasn’t carrying the boy, he would have put his face in his hands. “Oh my heavens!” The servant exclaimed. “Yes! Blood on the walls! Horrendous sight, really. We’re thinking of bringing up the lighting situation to King Enji when we have the chance. Such a shame,” Jirou said. He could imagine her shaking her head in mock sadness.“Yes, let me show you the safer route. I’ll take that laundry basket from you as well if it’s heavy,” Kirishima said.“Oh no, really, it’s okay!” she waved him off, “It’s not heavy at all. I can find another way around.”“Miss, I think it would be best if you let my colleague escort you. Safety procedures,” Jirou insisted.“Aren’t you nobles? Isn’t it a bit above your position to be helping me?” she hesitated.“Nonsense, we’re knights! The code of chivalry mandates that we help a person in need. Wouldn’t want you to slip as well, right?” Kirishima said.“Um, I guess so?” she said, dazed, as Kirishima most likely took the basket from her hands.“Good to hear. Follow me!”Shouto heard the door shutter closed as the knight presumably took her. Uneven pattering of boots bounced off the walls as the servant tried to keep up with Kirishima’s long strides.Shouto held his breath until the noise faded. As he exhaled, Jirou whispered, “Highness, are you still there?”“Yes, I’m still here,” he whispered back.“I think it’s all clear now.”Shouto straightened himself. The fatigue was starting to settle in his muscles. There was an ache in his legs from crouching and the boy was starting to feel heavier on his back.“I don’t think Kirishima even knows where another servants’ entrance is,” she grumbled.“I’m sure the servant doesn’t mind. He’s entertaining enough,” the prince said. A crick in his back started to form. He groaned. “We’re gonna have to go quickly. I’m not sure how much longer I can carry him.”“We’ll get there,” she reassured. She cracked the door open, checked both ways for any passerby, and swung it out for the prince. She motioned ‘after you’ and followed close behind him. The door paralleled the staircase up to his room, gray stone bricks wrapping around the stairs. He blinked as the sudden intake of light made his eyes sting. The windows beckoned in the setting sun, complementing the rich warm colors of the banners bearing the family crest. The phoenix cawed to a being unknown. Its razor-sharp talons curled as if preparing to catch prey. Fire seemed to radiate off of its outstretched wings, commanding space and demanding attention. His father always said that it was a symbol of power, but Shouto only ever saw loneliness in its solitary cry.“Okay, how are we going to get the boy into your room without the guards seeing?” Jirou asked.“I’ll handle it,” he replied. He slipped the boy off of his back and deposited him into Jirou’s arms. She buckled for a second before getting a grip on him. “Gods, he’s heavier than he looks,” Jirou wheezed.“Hide. I’ll be right back,” he said. He straightened his tunic and his posture, then strode up the spiral staircase. He made his footsteps known; they echoed through the castle like a herald announcing his presence. When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw the guards standing straight. Their hands clutched their weapons with iron grips. They looked straight ahead, eyes piercing the mortar.“Knights,” he greeted.“Your majesty,” one of the guards said, still looking straight ahead. He blurted it out like he wasn’t expecting the prince to speak to him. He was a younger knight, perhaps even younger than Shouto. What struck him as odd, however, was that he didn’t seem to recognize him at all. If he was in his order, Shouto would have at least seen him out of the corner of his eye as he sparred with the other knights.“I need you both to do something for me,” he said, keeping a steady eye on him. That caused them to peer at him curiously. They grazed over his mussed hair and dirty shirt, but said nothing out of respect. “What is it?” the other guard inquired. He was not much older than his companion, but he held steel in his eyes that only experienced knights possessed. Like the younger guard, he did not hold an ounce of familiarity to Shouto. The prince squinted.“I need you to deliver a message,” he said. What the message was, he had no clue. He didn’t think that far ahead. “But, highness,” the younger guard objected, “we have to guard you, no matter what. I’m sure you can ask a servant.”A flare of annoyance pulsed beneath his skin. “Excuse me?” he questioned. He didn’t raise his voice; his authority alone was enough to stiffen the spines of the knight.“Wha— ”“I asked you to do something, I expect you to do it.”The younger knight glanced at the other. The older knight stood his ground, unflinching. “I apologize, highness, but we cannot move.” “And why is that?” Shouto challenged, maintaining his monotone, “I am your prince, knights. It would serve you well to learn your place.” The older knight gulped, but remained steady. “Please understand, the king asked us to make sure you were well-guarded in these hard times.”Ah, so that was it— these men were not from his order. If he tilted his head, he could almost see the strings that connected the knights’ joints to his father’s control bar. The worst part was how sincerity laced the knight’s tone. It put a bitter taste in Shouto’s mouth. He felt it drip from his lips as he said, “ Understand? Understand that the knights of Endeavor cannot provide me what I desire? You were taught the code of chivalry, but I can see that it has fallen on deaf ears. To serve and protect the royal family — that is your maxim, right? To serve . I, as the royal family, am now asking you to serve. Would your commander like to hear that the very morals that hold up Endeavor’s military have been tossed away by two boys who think they know better than their crown prince?”“No, highness— ” the older knight started. Shouto raised a hand to stop him.“And as for to protect, I assure you, I underwent the same training that you did. If, for whatever reason, All Might decided to attack at this very moment, I can hold my own as well— if not better— than both of you combined. Do you understand?”He looked at the knights for their approval. They nodded. Shouto peered down to fix his cuffs and continued, “Now, I’d like you to send a message to the chancellor that only knights from my order will guard my chambers. There is no need for my father to expend his men when mine are perfectly capable— and you know how much we hate to waste perfectly capable men, right?”The older knight opened his mouth, then closed it. “Yes, highness,” he said quietly.“Then, I advise you get to it, then,” he said coolly.“Of course, highness,” the younger knight said. He grabbed the arm of the older knight, who seemed reluctant to move. He guided the other down the stairs, who turned his head to look at his prince once more before resigning himself to his departure.The look in the knight’s eyes pierced Shouto like an arrow. It was one of sadness, of fear. Guilt churned in his gut, but he kept his head held high and his eyes cold as to not lose an ounce of his pride. Just like your father, his conscious told him. He told it to shut up.He descended the staircase to find the servants’ door gently ajar and a pair of eyes peering through the crack. The door swung open and Jirou emerged with the boy. “Good?” she asked. He wasn’t sure if she was asking about the knights or about himself. He nodded regardless.“Let’s get the boy upstairs,” he said, “quickly.”The prince took the boy from her arms, the weight welcome and distracting. Jirou lead, keeping an eye out as she slunk up the stairs. A shaky breath left him as they reached the door to his room. Finally, they made it. The smell of familiarity greeted him as he kicked the door open. The stone walls looked warmer than they’ve ever looked, reflecting the glow of sunset and the rich golds of his furniture. The chandelier was unlit, but once he came down for dinner, he would come back to it filling up the room with gentle light. The ornate rug (a gift from Uravity) spread across the floor boasted its beautiful design. The windows were all shut (he wished the servants kept them open) and books were strewn on the window seat, all open and waiting for him. Shouto had never been so grateful to see his room in his life.“You can breathe now, highness. He’s safe,” Jirou said.As per her suggestion, Shouto breathed. He gently lowered the boy from his back and maneuvered him so he was holding him in his arms again. The sticky air swirled around him as he strode to the other side of his room.Softly, he laid him down on the bed. The boy’s head lolled to the side, buried in the overstuffed pillow. Shouto’s breath hitched when he saw how beautifully his hair splayed across the silk pillowcases. Maroon suited him so perfectly: powerful and regal. Somehow, he looked so much less delicate than he did when he found him. There was strength in the way his face seemed free of any worry lines and his jaw was unclenched as he slept. Surrounded by red, his vulnerability was a challenge. I am secure in the world around me, he seemed to say, are you?  His scarred tissue answered better than he ever could.“Prince Shouto,” Jirou said, pulling him from his thoughts. “Do you want to change your garments? I don’t imagine getting grime all over your sheets would make the servants very happy.”Shouto peered down at his ruined white shirt, slick with green and yellowing sweat. “Yes, I suppose that would be appropriate.”He rose from the bed and padded over to his drawers. When he returned, it was with a fresh shirt, though it barely matched his sweat-slicked hair.Jirou shifted herself completely by the time he got back. Pieces of her armor were neatly stacked by his nightstand and her sword leaned against the wall. She crouched by the boy, eyes barely peeking over the mattress. Shouto was about to speak when her arm reached over and lightly patted the boy twice on each cheek. He watched bemusedly as she whispered, “Hello, mysterious boy? Are you gonna wake up?” Another soft pat on the cheek elicited a breathy moan from the boy. He lolled his head to the other side, toward Jirou. She yelped and scrambled backwards, away from the bed. Shouto on the other hand, raced toward it, toward him. He took Jirou’s place, but instead he hovered over him with arms on either side of him. His heart beat faster and faster with each passing second, eyes plastered to the sleeping boy’s face, waiting for signs of movement. With an exhale, the boy settled into marble once again. Shouto’s shoulders fell. He flopped next to him, running his hands through his hair in frustration.“Who do you think he is?” Jirou asked. She now stood by his bedpost tentatively, keeping Shouto between her and the boy. Her fingers absent-mindedly traced the indents in the mahogany. “If I were to guess, I would say he’s some sort of page. His clothing exudes that sort of appearance,” Shouto answered truthfully. He rolled the fabric of the boy’s shirt between his fingers, grimacing at how coarse it felt.“Not the heir of All Might, you think?” she joked.“No, definitely not,” he replied, the joke lost on him, “He doesn’t even look like King Toshinori.”From the corner of his eye, he noticed Jirou visibly slump. “Highness, please lighten up,” she said, exasperated. “If we can’t joke about stealing away a potentially crucial figure to All Might, then I don’t know how I’m gonna get through this day.”“Oh, sorry,” Shouto said, not sure how to respond.She blinked, staring at her prince for a few moments. Then, groaning dramatically, she swung herself around the bedpost, let it go, and landed face-first onto the space next to Shouto. The mattress creaked as it supported her sudden and forceful weight, causing Shouto and the boy to lift off slightly.She walked a fine line between feudalism and friendship, often teetering over on either side. Some days she would poke and prod him until he snapped and she laughed at the redness of his face. But then the next day she would scrutinize his every move to “prepare him for when he was king” and leave a good five feet between them at all times. It was like a tug of war battle between the little girl that had played games with him in the rolling fields and the sworn devotion that had been ingrained in her since her training began. In her eyes, he was either her friend or her prince, never both. Most times, it was hard to say what she saw him as. In that moment, however, she pressed against him like she and Momo used to do when they were kids. On either side of him, they used to giggle and throw their legs over his lap and whisper secrets to each other until they got distracted. It occurred to him that this was her own way of comforting him.“I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” he admitted, slowly reclining back to join her. She shifted to accommodate him.“Then why did you take him?” she asked quietly. Not accusing, just curious.There was that determined crackle of lightning in her eye again, but the way she casted her eyes downward suggested an element of restraint. It was almost like she knew she wasn’t going to get a straight answer. The words bubbled up in his throat— the desire to tell her everything, that it was nothing but a desire that fueled him— but he couldn’t get them past his sealed lips. He settled on saying, “I’ll tell you when Kirishima gets back.”She sighed. “If he doesn’t get back here in the next five minutes, I’m gonna kick his ass.”“Language,” he chastised. They both stared at each other as a challenge, then dissolved into soft laughter. A comfortable silence enveloped them, each listening to the sound of the other breathing.After a moment, Jirou spoke again. “Do you think it’ll be worth it to hide him like this? You just seem so adamant about it. What about when he wakes up?” The unspoken if he wakes up hung around them.“I don’t know if it’ll be worth it, but I know everything will reveal itself in due time,” he said.“What is ‘everything’?” Shouto wracked his brain trying to find an answer. “Who he is and why he was where he was, mainly,” he determined.“In that cave?” she tutted disapprovingly.“The cave led to a clearing,” he rebutted, “But yes. If he stays here, then everything will become clear. Hopefully.” He was answered with a noncommittal hum. They lay there in silence, not tired enough to fall asleep, but not wired enough to keep speaking. It was comfortable: his friend snuggling into his side, the boy within arm’s reach, the freshly-washed sheets under his fingers, the smell of familiarity permeating the room. If only he had the energy to open the window, then it would have been perfect. The only thing he wanted to hear was the chirps of the warblers and cicadas.A few minutes (hours? They weren’t really counting) later, a door slamming against the stone wall had Shouto and Jirou both up on their feet in an instant, the lady knight reaching for her sword. Panic etched itself into both of their features. The arm holding Jirou’s sword shook in fear as they faced whatever force was here to take the boy away. “Man, turns out finding another servants’ entrance was harder than I thought,” Kirishima bemoaned, stretching his arms above his head and yawning loudly.“Kirishima!” Jirou hissed.“Hey, Jirou!” He waved obliviously. He closed the door with much more care than how he opened it. “We thought you were an intruder,” Shouto said.“Nope, just me!” the knight said, sinking into an armchair. “Hey, I think I deserve some thanks for leading that girl away from you. I was wandering around for hours trying to find another servants’ entrance.”Jirou’s eyes met Shouto’s as if to say told you . She lowered her sword with a sigh. “Thank you, but next time, perhaps you should know where you’re going before you offer to help someone else,” she said. Kirishima pouted. “Not my fault that they’re all spread out and inconvenient! I would have gone through one of the regular entrances, but the court would’ve had a fit if one of them saw a servant use it. So, we had to go all the way up to the old wing and cut through the courtyard to get to the river. I’m still trying to blow dust out of my nose.” Shouto crinkled his nose in disgust. “Regardless, you’re here now and the boy is safe.”“Oh, yes! How is he? Did he wake up yet?” Kirishima asked excitedly. His hands gripped the arms of the armchair as he sat up.“For a second, then he fell back asleep,” Shouto said. The disappointed look on Kirishima’s face matched how he felt inside.“So, now that Kirishima’s back, are you gonna tell us about what happened today?” The lady knight insisted.Shouto groaned. “I guess.” Kirishima scrambled on the bed next to Jirou. They propped themselves up like they were children waiting for their parent to tell them a bedtime story. “So,” he started. Their eager eyes lit up and their ears practically twitched waiting for him to speak. He created half moons in his palms. His voice refused to waver as he said, “do you ever have an itch on your back that you can’t reach, but you know that you need to scratch it so bad that it becomes your top priority?”“Yes, but what does this have to do with the forest?” Kirishima inquired. “The forest has been calling me for days. It was like the itch.”“That was the reason why you had to go hunting today, but it doesn’t explain why you left Kirishima and me behind and why you came back with him ,” Jirou gestured to the boy.The prince struggled to find the right words. “Something called me and it led me to him,” he finally said.“What, did he call you?” Kirishima blurted out.He considered his question for a minute. Was it the boy that called to him? “Uh, I don’t know,” Shouto answered truthfully, then shook his head. “But that’s beside the point. I felt this calling and I knew I had to answer it. So, I went.”“Wait, so you didn’t have any master plan?” Kirishima queried, shocked.“No,” Shouto said, “if I told you initially that I was solely listening to my intuition, you would have dragged me back to the castle and I never would have scratched the itch. Both of them stared like he grew a second head. He could practically see them trying to rationalize the new information. Their mouths were agape, but neither of them said anything for a long time.“Prince Shouto, that is incredibly selfish,” Jirou said finally. “I know,” he said.“You know you could have jeopardized the relations between the two countries just by being in All Might.” “Yes.”“And you potentially made it worse by essentially kidnapping this boy you found hidden in the Mightean woods?” “…Yes.” “Okay, just checking to make sure you know exactly the repercussions of your actions,” the lady knight said, collapsing her elbows and falling back on the bed. “You’re not gonna yell at me for acting like an idiot?” Shouto hesitated.“Prince Shouto, I’m done yelling at you for today. I’m tired. Kirishima and I live to serve you, but you have to figure out for yourself how to use that power wisely. We can only lecture you so much,” Jirou said, the tiredness evident in her tone. Kirishima nodded in agreement.A knock resounded on the door. All three of them jumped. “Highness, I heard of your return. It is time for dinner,” one of his servants called— Ojiro. He had been tending to Shouto since he was old enough to hold a tray in his hand without dropping it. Shouto was always fond of him, hardworking and dignified. With the way he held himself, anybody could have mistaken him as an important figure instead of the lowly servant he was. He wondered if they would have been friends if he was born into nobility.“Yes, I’m back. I’ll be out shortly,” he responded.Jirou stood up and picked imaginary fluff off her tunic, then gathered up her armor. Kirishima stretched, his armor clanking.“We will support you through whatever you decide to do, highness, but please use more than your intuition next time. That’s coming from me ,” Kirishima said, patting his prince on the shoulder. His eyes flicked to the boy. “And please keep us in the loop with the boy. Your order is loyal to you, but I think Jirou and I are the only ones who will fully be on your side if anybody finds out about him.”“Please be careful,” Jirou added, a sisterly fondness glazing over her eyes.“Okay,” Shouto said simply, and he meant it.**********When his father asked over dinner about the animals he snagged, Shouto nearly choked on his broccoli. They forgot the game .**********