Chapter 2

Palace guards did not have to use the wall passages, apparently. Of course, there weren't many people in the grand hallways anyway - the highborn inhabitants locked away in their regal rooms during the heat of the day, handmaids cooling them with waving fronds. Ai only noticed the occasional guard or loftier servant patrolling as he followed his escort down warm tinted routes, the soldiers observing them thoughtfully, the servants sliding by stealthily but for the sound of ruffling clothing, their eyes held low.

That said, Ai wasn't much looking at the people. They were ordinary, everyday; he'd seen thousands of humans in his life. What lay out before him, what he was walking through, however, was something different. The stone beneath his feet was smoother than ice, hazily reflecting his expression as he looked down. The rough sandstone walls were carved intricately, symbols and words he knew not how to read outlined in gold and silver leaf, precious lapis lazuli adorning the keystones of arches. The ceiling was high, smoky, as the breath of a million candles was trapped, only escaping out through the occasional window, high on the walls, which let in thin beams of sunlight that scorched like fire.

He'd only spied this much wealth before through gaps in walls and cracked open doors – a small peak into the feasting room where the food he helped make ended up; a glance from above the rafters in the main stairway. To stand in the midst of it all, to walk by the hidden door he had spied from this morning, it was overwhelming. Though he was in awe, there was a bout of fear prickling in the pit of his stomach. Ai still didn't know what was to become of him, where he was going. The chef had practically pushed him out the door with the nameless soldier, his gaze hard and commanding. Had Ai done something wrong?

The Top Floor.

Ai had never been there; he had never been anywhere but the basement, the ground floor, and a few storage rooms in the one above. He had never spoken to anyone who had been up that high; even the servitude had its castes and anyone who attended the nobles wouldn't lower themselves to talk with simple laborers. The upper chambers of the palace weren't meant for him; he wasn't ready for them. They were too different, too open, even now, as he climbed endless marble staircases, hand drifting along the gleaming copper rail, he wanted to hide, to run. The idea of transferring to a place where people might see, look, where there may not be rooms specifically for the help to go to and be quiet, scared the living hell out of him. But he couldn't turn around, and he couldn't sneak away, because upon looking about Ai realized he didn't know where he was anymore.

The stairs ended in the center of a strangely circular hall, passages branching off on either side with archways every few feet leading into sunny rooms. Directly in front of them stood a pair of double doors, glinting gold, set into a scalloped alcove. Images of fruits and flowers traced the entrance, with heavy handles and a lock somewhat alike to a silver boulder. The guard walked over to these doors, swinging out a ring of keys and fiddling through them. Unsure, and daunted by the quiet and exquisite surroundings, Ai followed him, hands ringing up near his heart.

The man glanced at him in surprise. "Oh, sorry kid." His laugh was too loud in the empty echoic hallways. "I forgot you were there. Kinda quiet." Ai just looked at him and back at the door, trying to communicate silently for fear that his voice would squeak out like it had earlier.

Following his gaze the man brushed back his carroty hair and smiled rather sheepishly. "Ah, no. This is my stop. You're over there." He pointed back the way they came, and Ai's eyes trailed his gesture, back through the middle of the circular room to the opposite side, where a gilded railing encircled the hole surrounding the stairwell. The floor snaked around the hole, approaching a door similar to the one he currently stood in front of on the other side. "That's the prince's quarters."

Ai spun back around in bewilderment but the man was already fitting a key into the enormous lock. It clicked open and he snapped the thing onto his belt, prying the door open and sending Ai a parting wave. The heavy gate shut with a dull thump, cutting off the quick glimpse Ai had taken of a spacious room within, rich magenta cushions thrown across the smooth tiled floor. Now alone, he stood for a while, tracing the designs in the door with his eyes, not daring to touch. Very slowly he picked his feet up and turned around, facing the door on the other side of the staircase.

It had no lock, or guards for that matter, and in a small part of Ai's mind that wasn't panicking he wondered how that was safe. The most important man in the kingdom rested behind those doors – surely the workforce could spare a few people to protect him? Was Ai expected to? That was rather stupid, seeing how he could barely lift a full bucket of water, much less wield a sword correctly.

These simple thoughts prompted him to take a few steps forward, curiosity overwhelming his fear. He got about halfway across the room before he stopped again, goosebumps rippling up and down his spine as a muffled screech sounded from behind him, following by frantic yelling. He glanced back at the door he had just left, eyes widening in worry. He shouldn't go see what's happening. No, that soldier is in there, everything should be fine. Ai steeled himself and kept walking, ignoring the argument that now seemed to be playing out to his back, growing ever quieter as he made his way closer to the door, closer, closer.

Its designs were different up close. Animals and people danced across the metal, etchings that looked like woven gold bordering the scenes. A sea raged in one panel, something Ai had never seen in person. The waves crashed relentlessly against a boat, tossing it towards a land covered in mountains.

His hand gripped the handle against all the noise in his head and the shaking in his legs. It's not like he could exactly turn around and leave. Even if he managed to get back downstairs without getting lost or questioned by the watches, he would have disobeyed an order, one that may have originated from the prince himself.

The door was heavier than he thought it would have been and he had to heave his shoulder into it to crack it open. A beam of light stung into his eyes, followed by a gust of sweltering air. Squeezing himself through the small gap he had managed to make, Ai stumbled into a courtyard of sorts, surrounded on all sides by an overhang supported by columns. Doors and archways led into rooms beyond the poles, each one filled with just as much daylight as the court itself, but Ai wasted no time peering into those. He was focused on the water. The rectangular stretch of water that pushed out in front of him, crystal clear, set into the stone of the flooring. It was easily four feet deep, and took up all of the space but for a walking path near the columns.

The memory of the oasis was dim in his mind, but Ai was sure it had not been like this. It was bigger, yes, but rough, and sandy, and filled with thirsty people. This place, this pool, was still, silent, with perfect clean edges, in full warming sunlight. And there was only one person in the water.

He had his back to Ai, his broad shoulders pulled up beside his ears as he stretched. The water drained off of him in rivulets, falling back into the pool with small splashes. With one hand he pushed back soaked red locks as he turned to face the sound of stumbling feet, cerise eyes focusing on the small boy. Ai steadied himself, stiffening as the stranger looked him up and down, concentrating on keeping himself upright and his mouth shut. Red eyes eventually met his cerulean ones, staring unblinkingly as Ai forced himself to look back, not knowing what else to do.

The man eventually sighed and cracked his neck, eyes closing lazily. "Towel." Ai jumped at the word, taking too long to register that he was being spoken too, understand the word, and look around till he saw a woven basket filled with linens. He grabbed one, rushing to hand it over, and averted his eyes quickly, realizing just in time that the man was completely undressed.

Ai stared off at the water as below him the redhead wiped his face and neck, ringing out his amaranthine hair. The pool rippled gently with his movements, sending minute waves out to lap against the sides. Up above the sky was perfectly clear, the usual, sunburnt, sapphire blue. There wasn't a single cloud to hide the situation, not one image made of mist to take Ai's mind off things.

"You're the one then?" The deep voice sounded again, causing Ai to carefully look down and meet the man's gaze. "Come to serve?"

"You are the Prince?" Ai's throat was dry, the words scratchy. It was barely a question.

His eyes narrowed, a hint of something flickering by for a moment in their ruby depths. His mouth opened slightly, the corners turned down, before he looked out over the water like Ai had been doing a moment ago. When he answered his tone was flat, neither confirming nor disproving. Just something else. Something Ai couldn't place.

"I'm Rin."

Miles away, in a kingdom on the arid side of the mountains, a young man ran through the streets of a busy market, arms spread wide, a bucket in each hand. Behind him another man sprinted, older, taller, and very much unamused at his partner's antics. The younger called to the elder and the elder shouted back, the two of them finally coming to a halt at a somewhat uninhabited square.

"Nagisa, I have no idea why you're still on every one's good side." The taller man huffed, pushing up now dusty glasses with one finger. "You just overturned an entire cart of cabbages back there." The other boy smiled widely and danced over to the center of the square, leaning against the cool stones of the well. It was a rather hot day and the run here had left him overheated. The shade the overhang provided was a welcome relief from the biting dessert sun.

"Aw, Rei, are you worried about me?" He cooed, twirling a strand of blonde hair around his finger. He narrowed his rosy eyes accusingly, and giggled at his companion's discomfort. "It's okay. You always manage to clean up the messes I make, so I won't get in trouble!"

"T-that doesn't give you any more reason to make trouble in the first place!" Nagisa tutted at his tone, hitching one bucket onto the rope and lowering it down into the darkness. He spun back around and slid to the man's side, looping his arm through his and pulling them together.

"Hey Rei, why don't we go see if Old Man Sasabe has some watermelon after this, huh? It's a good day for watermelon. Nice and hot…"

"Don't change the subject!"

Nagisa laughed again, releasing his arm and pulling the bucket back up by the rope, armful, by armful. He hummed cheerfully as he did so, his hips swaying side to side with the tune. "Ah, but I really do want some watermelon. Nice, juicy, cold, sweet…" he trailed off, going still, and stared into the well confusedly.

Rei started forward. "Nagisa, what's…" He looked down as well, his eyebrows furrowing, and eyes rising to the mountains in the north – mountains that were usually peaked with snow but now were a simple stark grey.

"Rei," The younger boy inquired, sounding slightly annoyed. "Why isn't there any water?"