The sequel/companion piece to Broken Wings.
I swear the mention of wings and other motifs here makes Wild Arms 3 look tame by comparison.
Gods, he couldn't believe Eirene had somehow managed to talk him into this. Go talk to the children in the schools. It'll bring them relief to know their prince is protecting them . How could he bring anybody comfort? Nobody in Hoshido aside from Reiko and Oboro liked him. He was too mean and angry and stood out too much. He was one of Hoshido's most brilliant minds and where had it left him?
Hated by everybody.
But he had relented and followed the headmaster as he toured the school. He didn't pay attention to anything the man said. The building was simple enough to navigate on his own. However, it wasn't difficult to tell the children were pampered, spoiled noble scions that didn't care about their education. He saw notes passed behind teacher's backs, daydreaming, and even students openly sleeping without teachers saying anything. It was truly disgusting.
"Hayashi-kun, how many times do I have to tell you—" Takumi froze and felt his blood run cold. Oh gods no. This couldn't be happening.
He slipped into the shadows, following the conversation to its source and narrowing his eyes as he listened further. "—too far ahead of your peers. How do you think they feel when you continually pull the highest scores—"
"Excuse me." Takumi slid the door open and two heads snapped up, eyes wide and round.
"P-Prince Takumi!" The teacher put his hands on the ground and bowed to him. The girl just stared at him, impassive and dead.
That was all the proof he needed.
"Sir, what's your name?" He narrowed his eyes and the man paled as he gripped his kimono.
"T-Tanji Sugimoto. What do you—"
"Did I ask for anything beyond your name?" Both teacher and student flinched, the girl's face as porcelain. Takumi closed the gap between him and the teacher, grabbing the front of the man's kimono, their faces so close the man's breath warmed his chin. The man quivered but didn't move otherwise
"Do you realise what you're doing? By discouraging your students from growing and furthering themselves, you're destroying Hoshido's future. You're committing treason of the highest degree. You're lucky I don't intend to report you to Queen Mikoto fort his. If I come back to this school and find you clipping the wings of Hoshido's children again, you will regret it. House Tanji wouldn't want its reputation besmirched by this, now would it?"
Takumi let him go and he fell to the floor, shaking violently. The prince ignored him and turned to the girl who stared at him with wide, terrified eyes, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. He smiled and extended a hand to her. "Let's get you out of here, Hayashi-san. You won't have to suffer under this any longer. Go and pack your things; we're leaving."
"B-But my tuition—"
"—will be reimbursed by the royal family. You don't have anything to worry about." The girl gave a tentative nod before rising to her feet and teetering a little before darting off. Takumi left the room and found the headmaster who hadn't even noticed his absence. Why did nobles have their head so far up their asses?
"Nishizaki-san?" The headmaster turned to face him.
"Yes, Prince Takumi?"
"I'm taking the Hayashi girl. Your school is clearly one of the most incompetent I've ever seen. From students not caring about their educations to teachers that berate their students for bettering themselves to your own complete failure to notice me missing for nigh twenty minutes. Your school is an absolute joke and an affront to Hoshidan society." He narrowed his eyes and Nishizaki's face heated, but he held his tongue. Even if Takumi had gone for the jugular, the headmaster was bound by position and respect out of his vows to serve the royal family.
"If you ever encounter students that are ever 'too' smart, send them to Castle Shirasagi. They don't belong in a place that will clip their wings; they deserve a place where they can soar free." Considering his own life was a gilded cage, he wanted to free others of that if possible. Nobody deserved to suffer like this.
"…Very well, Prince Takumi." Nishizaki adjusted his glasses and Takumi stormed down to the entrance where Hayashi waited for him. She gripped her small back with white knuckles, her skin still paper white. He heard her heart pound against her ribs, her breaths rapid and shallow. Considering his reputation and the earlier outburst, he couldn't blame her for being nervous.
So he gave her a gentle smile as he approached before resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for that outburst and scaring you even further. Are you all right?" She looked at the ground and nodded, his heart sinking. Had he scared her so much he had rendered her temporarily mute? Given her treatment, he wouldn't be surprised.
"What are you going to do with me?" He breathed a sigh of relief at her question, though he pondered for a moment himself. What was he going to do with her? He couldn't let her return to her family, because only the gods knew how they'd treat her if she did. She was an outcast in Hoshidan society due to her intelligence just like him. They had both had their wings clipped by the tradition-obsessed upper class and—
Wings.
Sky.
Freedom.
"…How would you feel about becoming a Sky Knight?" Hayashi's head snapped up with rounded eyes. "If you don't want to fight, that's fine, but I have an idea I'll need to clear with Queen Mikoto first. I have a feeling she'll say yes, though." If this worked out, then maybe…
Takumi returned to Castle Shirasagi with Hayashi in tow. He settled her into a guest room before heading to his mother's room and sat down. She signed the letter and sat her brush to the side, turning to face him with a soft smile. "What is it, Takumi?"
He knew he had no reason to be nervous, but he still took a deep breath to steady himself before letting it out. He retold what had happened at the school before proposing his thoughts.
"…I know I just joined the army at the beginning of this war season, but this gave me an idea. There are a lot of people—other kids especially—that suffer because of having to conform when they should be allowed to shine. I had the idea of forming a unit of Sky Knights that would give them a place to go, to be accepted when they have nowhere else to turn. I know not everybody will want to join in actual battles, so those that don't could just be relegated to a 'reserve' force that stays in Shirasagi under the guise of being protection from invading forces." He closed his eyes and fell silent. He was only ten, so he knew leading a unit was probably out of his ability. Plus, he wasn't a natural leader like Ryoma or Hinoka. He was just loud, angry, reactive, and—
He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Eirene pulled him into a hug, resting his head against his shoulder. "It's a wonderful idea, dear. You have the intelligence to do it even if you doubt yourself. My only stipulation is you have your sister as second in command." He didn't care for the idea of having to work so closely with Hinoka, but even he knew it would be a boon. She'd already been in the military for four years, so she knew all about command and structure whereas he was still learning the ropes. So he gave a small nod, resting flush against his mother.
"Okay."
"What do you want to call your new unit?"
Again he fell silent as his mind turned over. There were endless possibilities… Just what should he choose?
After several long minutes, he opened his eyes and looked up at her with a smile. "…The Snow Wings. Winter might be cold and harsh, but it's also the season of rejuvenation. Everything is asleep so it can renew itself to bloom forth at its peak when spring arrives."
After the Snow Wings have been mentioned several times in Reflections, I figured I'd do a side thing that would explore and explain what exactly the unit is about. Hopefully this clears things up.