The Clover Prince

Prologue

Word Count: 2,815

Rating: T, just to be safe

Warnings: Um... there is implied stuff and court intrigue and possible death...

Summary: The reluctant second son of the royal house is forced into the position of crown prince and heir as dark forces both within and without the kingdom threaten to destroy everything.

Author's Note: I blame the fact that I was depressed and the pictures of Kent as a prince. He's so uncomfortable in some and so romantic in others... I haven't played through the route yet because I have migraine issues and can't even think in a foreign language that uses the same alphabet as my native one, let alone one with a different one. (I basically forget all the French and Spanish I know when a migraine hits, and I know even less Japanese.) I did read summaries, and I guess they just dress up as princes... but I wanted a full AU where the prince thing was real.

And so I wrote a bit of it, and it wouldn't stop, and then I had a bad day and went back to it, adding this prologue and setting up for later things. Per my usual, I waited until I had two chapters to share when starting out, especially as the prologue is... what it is.

Prologue

Half the world ran about in a state of extreme panic, while the other half went about as though nothing at all troubled them. Waka knew that was not entirely true, since everyone had their worries about food and survival, but looking about the town now, it would seem as though the nation was not at the brink of war as the royal guards conducted a frantic search throughout the country.

Something valuable had gone missing, something irreplaceable, and if not found soon, the kingdom would be ruined.

Not, of course, that the common people knew that. Waka himself would not know if he had not been taken into the service of the king years ago. He did not know that he would ever have fit with the ignorant masses, having a predisposition towards his current role that had been noted when he was too young to remember anything else, yet it was still true that this secret was held tight, with only those of a trusted rank knowing the truth of what they must find.

Others knew only enough to assist in the search, though if they were to stumble across their goal, they might well fail to recognize it. That was in part for the best—and also extremely foolish.

He knew that the city had been searched, though it was possible that something had been overlooked, which led him toward his current location.

He watched the children milling about the front of the building. Other guards would have ordered them from the street, and it did seem some of the adults were expecting that of him, but he had no interest in driving them away. He would observe them for a bit longer yet.

Though far from the quarry he sought, his eyes lingered on a young girl. She wasn't playing, and soon enough, she slipped away from the others and started down the alleyway. He followed after her, intrigued by her furtive behavior. She kept looking around as though someone would spot her, though she seemed unaware that he was behind her.

She wove through the buildings and around to a small inner courtyard. Waka watched her as she walked up to the door and pulled on a cord, ringing a bell. After a moment, the door opened, and a woman smiled down at her.

"Here you go."

The girl looked up at the woman. "More, please."

"Oh, that's right. You're the one with the little brother." She gave the girl another piece of bread, but the girl remained where she was. "You've got one for you and your brother. Go on now."

"Please," the girl said. "There's a boy in the woods and no one is feeding him. I need to take him one, too."

"A boy in the woods?" The woman put her hands on her hips. "Go on now. No telling tales."

"I'm not. There really is a boy, and he really is starving. I'd make him come get bread on his own, but he can't leave the hut, so please. One more piece."

The woman hesitated but handed the bread over to the girl, who thanked her and ran. She didn't notice Waka as she passed by him, nor did the woman see him before returning inside with a shake of her head.

Waka turned, following after the girl. For the first time in days, he felt what others might call hope.

The girl stopped to give a much younger boy the other piece of bread. He did not look like her, but the woman at the bakery called him her brother, so it might well be true. Waka did not need to know if it was. His purpose lay elsewhere, and while he did intend to use this girl to find it if he could, he would not waste more time on her if she proved to be useless.

She left her brother with the bread to climb the side of the orphanage. Her route was simple if precarious, but she never faltered. He watched her cross over to the top of the city wall. Her brother applauded from below, but she signaled him to quiet and he did, going back to his bread. She crawled onto a branch that had grown close to the wall and disappeared into a tree.

Waka simply walked outside the gate to follow her, his uniform giving him the freedom to move wherever he wanted, unlike the child who would have been stopped and returned to the orphanage. He spotted her quickly as soon as he had crossed the gate, her hair giving her presence away with the way the sun caught on it and gave it red tones that stood out against the trees.

Her trail was not difficult to find, either, so even if he hadn't been able to keep her in sight, he'd have found her soon enough.

She made her way through the woods with the same determination that had marked her trip through the city. When she stopped, it was outside the ruins of a noble's slave quarters. He didn't know how this girl had known of its existence, or why she would even bother exploring in this area.

She pushed the door open. "Oh. You look worse than yesterday."

The weather overnight would have worsened anyone's condition, as cold as the rain had gotten as it continued to pour for hours. Waka heard a cough from inside as she went inside. He noted a gap in the boards and moved toward it. Touching the decaying board next to it created a larger hole, and Waka could see inside the room with relative ease.

The boy on the ground continued to cough, not even lifting his head when she held out the bread to him.

"Oh, please. You need to eat." She nudged it close to his lips again, but he did not take a bite. "I'm sorry. If it was a rope, I could cut it, but I can't do anything about the chains. I tried telling the matron, but she said I was making up stories and even the baker's wife didn't believe me when I said I needed more bread. I couldn't get help."

"...Fine... understand... dead... anyway..."

She shook her head. "Don't say that. Somehow I'll get you out of here, and you just... you eat and stay strong so I can. I promised, didn't I?"

"...you... did? Don't... remember..." The boy's voice came out weak, too weak. Waka was trained and had rather a gifted ear when it came to hearing enemies approach, but this child spoke so softly his condition showed through. He would not live long.

"Just eat this," she said, urging her weak companion on. She fed him what little bread there was and touched his cheek, but he had already closed his eyes and did not look like he would stir again. "I'll get help. I promise."

She wiped at a tear as she rose, hurrying from the shack. Waka gave him another glance and went after her. It would mean nothing if he did not know who was behind this act. She ran, forcing Waka to pursue her.

She heard him chasing her and stopped, surprising him. "Please let him go."

Waka frowned. "You believe I am responsible for his condition?"

"Aren't you? Someone chained him up there, and he's so sick... Why would anyone do that? They hurt him and left him... no one can help him when he's chained..."

"You have. You brought him food."

"Are you going to hurt me for that?"

Waka shook his head. "I need to know if you saw anyone else around him. I need to know who did this. How did you find him?"

"I... I was climbing the tree like my friend showed me before they took him from the orphanage. I... missed him, so I went looking for him... I heard a cry, and I thought it was a poor animal that got hurt, but when I got closer, it was a boy. I think he's older than me, but he's so sick... he could move more when I first found him but now... Please, just let him go."

"I have no intention of harming him. I simply needed to know if you had seen the man who did."

She shook her head. "I've only seen you. And... you really didn't hurt him? You..."

Waka reached for her, covering her mouth just before she screamed. "Quiet. Someone's coming."

He hid them both behind a tree and watched as a rider on a fine horse rode past them without a glance. The saddle was of known design, and the horse itself seemed familiar. Waka had not gotten more than a glimpse of it, but he felt certain he knew who he was dealing with now.

He kept his hand on the girl's mouth until the rider was well out of range. Kneeling in front of her, he looked into her eyes. She trembled.

"I will not harm you, but you must return without speaking of these things."

She nodded, and he let go of her. "Will you help him?"

Waka would not promise the girl anything, not when the boy would likely die no matter what he did, but he did not intend to do nothing, either. "I will do what I can. Now go."

She ran, though he saw her turn to look back at him as he moved in the opposite direction. He ignored her. Even if she returned, she would pose little threat, and he had to be focused on what he was about to do.

The boy was alive enough to cry out as Waka neared the hut.

He closed his eyes and withdrew a dagger, approaching with greater care than before. His target would be on the alert now, waiting in case the outcry had been heard, or he should if he had any sense, though now Waka doubted that. What was the plan here? Had he only ever intended to harm this boy, not thinking beyond that?

And yet... why this child over any of the others if that was all he desired?

Waka crouched low, his eyes on the man's exposed back. He had not even bothered to shut the door. Did he think this place was that remote? True, no one had noticed it before despite the search, but that did not mean that he'd gone unheard before, not when the girl had found this place.

In one step, Waka closed the distance between them, grabbing the other man and placing his dagger up against his neck. "For what you have done, I should kill you here and now."

"Are you expecting me to beg?"

Waka shook his head. "I grant you no mercy. You will face a judge far crueler than me."

"Never figured you for a coward. You really that unwilling to kill me? I'd already have slit your throat if it were me."

Waka was aware of that, and anyone who could behave like this towards a child had no honor in him, no morality at all. "I am not afraid. I simply know that you deserve more than the quick death I'm capable of giving you. Your death should be slower and more painful than the child's has been."

The boy's anguished eyes met Waka's for a moment before closing with a labored breath.

"Where is the key?"

The captain laughed, an insane chortle that echoed against the thin walls and made the child shudder. "There isn't one."

Waka knew he was being provoked, but he attacked anyway, knocking the other man in the face, hard enough to break something yet not enough to kill him outright. He dropped him, waiting for a sign that he would fight back, but it would seem he had lost consciousness as well. Very well.

He went to the horse and took the bundle of rope off the saddle. Tying one end to the saddlehorn, he unraveled the rest on his way in to the hut. He tied his prisoner's hands together, making sure the rope wouldn't slip when the horse moved.

A groan drew his attention back to the boy, whose eyes were on him, full of pain, confusion, and fear. Waka supposed the uniform was of no comfort, and the child was likely aware of how poor his condition was. Waka eyed the wood binding the chains in place. Though it was sturdy enough to block the boy from removing it—he would not have been strong enough even uninjured—Waka did not think it would withstand him.

He placed his hands on the metal and yanked on it, splintering the wood and pulling the chains free. The boy watched him as he walked back, but did not resist when Waka gathered him into his arms. He was light. Too light, despite the chains.

Waka carried him over to the horse. His eyes had closed again, and even getting him onto the animal did not wake him. If he was only unconscious, it was for the best, as he would not suffer during the ride, but he might well already be gone.

Waka urged the horse forward.

The new uniform didn't fit him, and Waka disliked it.

He knew he could have it tailored, but that was not the true reason it bothered him. He had his rank above others who had served for longer and with greater distinction, ones whose age alone made them feel more entitled to the honor.

Having to defend against that on a near constant basis would be annoying enough but tolerable. He would expect nothing less until his command was certain, and while some knew what he was capable of, many did not.

More knew now, after the idiotic challenges he kept getting, and once those were firmly in their place, some had quieted their protests, though Waka did not doubt that it would take much more than a few words or sparring matches to hold the same sort of command his predecessor had.

Still, that was manageable. The difficulty lay in knowing that he'd been promoted to ensure his cooperation and silence. He should walk away from it here and now, he knew that, and yet something kept him bound where he was.

"The truth of this must never be known," the king said, his eyes on Waka as he spoke. "You understand why, don't you?"

Waka nodded. He knew then and he knew now, but that did not mean that he liked knowing that they thought this rank was necessary to hold that secret. He was not so greedy, nor was it necessary. The populace remained ignorant of what had gone missing, and the king did not want them informed. Waka did not know that he disagreed with keeping them in the dark, but allowing the truth to be buried along with the traitor was not enough.

That child was unavenged, and no one would even know that he had suffered. The only thing the world knew was that a former guard had betrayed the crown and been executed for it. The boy's role in things remained something known to a select few, and while his former captor might be dead, that was of no use or comfort to the child.

"It's you," a voice said, and Waka looked down to see a familiar girl standing by his feet. "I went back to the hut, but he wasn't there. Did... did you help him? You said you'd help him."

"I said I'd do what I could," Waka corrected. "I did, and it is done."

She frowned. "What? What does that mean?"

Waka studied her long enough to make her start fidgeting. "What do you think it means?"

She shook her head. "No. You... he... he can't be dead. He was... I promised... You were supposed to help him. He can't be dead."

Waka knew she'd hit him and start screaming in a moment. "I suggest you forget all about him. Remembering this will only cause you pain."

"I hate you. You were supposed to help him. And I won't forget."

"That is your choice, foolish as it might be."

She lunged for him, but he caught her before she could hit him. "You don't even care. You... You're a monster. You're just as bad as the man who hurt him."

Waka said nothing as she ran away from him in tears. He found he could not disagree with her.