A Sorta Fairy Tale
Chapter Three: A Tale of Two Brothers
a/n: I own nothing except the credit card bills I have due to moving. Please mind the typos.
While Dark and Riku are resting and going about the mundane parts of their journeys (narrators rarely feel like describing every time the protagonists have to stop to eat or sleep, and other aspects that just don't make for a good story), we are going to go back in time to when a young, red headed boy had a dream that changed his entire life.
Prince Daisuke of the Niwa Lands was a serene and gentle young man whose kindness was legendary across his kingdom. As the legitimate heir of the kingdom, he was trained since birth on how to rule, and more importantly, how to be good.
Prince Daisuke was born with a fragile heart, and as such, could not initially participate in rigorous activities young boys his age could do. When he was five, the king and queen worried over him, and called for the oracle. The oracle was used to making house trips, so being called to the Niwa lands was nothing spectacular. However, when she took a look at the young boy with such wide eyes, she cackled.
"Goodness, this one is going to grow strong and adored. You honestly have nothing to worry about."
Queen Emiko was not convinced since her son was so small and hardly spoke, even though he was at the age when boys began to play with wooden swords and get whisked on adventures by magical beings. Eventually, the oracle gave up her usual stand on remaining vague and ominous and told the queen up front that there was another son that would serve as his guardian if she was all that worried.
As one can imagine, the queen, did not take this news very well.
While the queen rampaged and yelled at her king (who was understandably confused since he was a faithful sort of man, if not socially awkward), the oracle spent the night talking to the boy prince, who spoke quite a bit in contrast to what his mother believed.
"Do you know who you are, boy?"
"Of course I do. I am Prince Daisuke of the Niwa Lands. And you are the oracle."
The oracle was pleased, but carried on her interrogation. "Why does the queen mother believe you don't speak well?"
"Because I do not speak to her," he answered politely. "I know that Mother will not want to know about the boy, and he is all I wish to speak about."
At this, even the oracle could not contain her glee. This prince was quite in tune with the cosmos that she dealt with on a daily basis. "Describe the boy."
If the red headed prince thought it was weird of this woman to look so excited over a dream (and he did find it quite odd), he never showed it. "He is very wild and is searching for something. He is bigger than me. And cooler. " Prince Daisuke noted. "But I think I am nicer," he added as an afterthought.
The oracle urged him to continue, much to his mild annoyance. "His hair is dark, like the new night sky. His eyes are fierce and look at the world with disregard…I do not know what else to say."
"Do you know who the boy is?"
Prince Daisuke closed his eyes in thought, somehow knowing the answer as it always appeared to him in his dreams: a man with long blonde hair holding an hourglass with a familiar light inside.
"He is a part of me, isn't he?"
The oracle only patted the small boy on the head and left without a sound. The Niwa castle was spent in a state of misdirected rage from the queen for a few weeks before the young prince, weary of his father being unable to explain himself and his mother's understandable but tiring bouts of anger, calmly but firmly told his mother than his father was not at fault and in fact, the boy was from the Queen's blood alone. This quickly pacified the young, beautiful, but energetic queen.
For a time, all was normal.
About a month later, the boy had arrived to the castle.
Prince Daisuke stared at him with awe, and how could he not? The boy had evaded the castle guards, picked every lock with ease, and cleverly beat the knights in the throne room. He looked exactly as the prince dreamed him: dark violet hair growing lopsided, now wet from the rain, deep burning purple eyes, and a cool air about him that radiated from every single pore in his body. When he stood in front of the king, queen, and the awed prince, he bowed and walked with purpose until he was close enough to give the queen a note.
"A letter from the oracle," the boy explained in a stoic voice, void of any internal emotion or conflict. For a moment, he and the prince made eye contact, but the older one broke away first.
Prince Daisuke never read the contents of the letter, but he surmised what it stated. He dreamed of the boy, after all, for many years, and pieced together the puzzle of his identity. When the queen finished reading the letter's contents, she passed it over to the king, and then crouched down to embrace the strange child.
"You will live here, with us, as part of the royal family. Unfortunately, our laws cannot be bent, and Daisuke will remain as the heir to the throne. But we will all love you until our dying breaths. In advance, I apologize for the cruelty others outside will show you. We cannot explain your existence, and you will have to carry the title of the queen's bastard son."
The boy was stoic for awhile, but even he could not resist the warmth of a mother's embrace, especially after lacking it for the seven years of his life. When the queen did let him go, Prince Daisuke went to greet him, and smiled openly.
"I am Prince Daisuke of the Niwa lands, and your younger brother," he welcomed him. The boy did not smile, but there was a light in those purple eyes that betrayed his stony demeanor.
"I am Dark, with no land to call for my own. And I am your older brother."
He was given the name Mousy, after the Queen's father. It took very little time for Dark to grow devoted to his younger brother. With Dark around, Daisuke blossomed, laughed, and played. The older brother taught him how to properly carry a sword, what compliments can charm even the most stoic of maids, and what berries not to eat on a casual stroll in the forest. Dark, being so young and strong, was immediately trained to be a knight, and despite protests of conservative advisers, Daisuke quickly chose him as his personal knight. Each passing year, Daisuke's frail health seemed to evaporate, and for that, the Queen was thankful for the mysterious boy. No harm came to the prince, and as they both grew handsome and fair, they were known as the Gentle Prince and the Black Knight.
Despite the scowls from court nobles, the royal family treated the knight with utmost care and respect, and in a small way, Dark enjoyed the freedom that came with his "Bastard Son" title. He did not have to adhere to the same rules as his younger brother, and thus was able to act as he pleased. Daisuke's loyalty to him never wavered to him, and likewise, Dark's did not as well.
This was tested upon the arrival of a letter.
Dark happened to come upon it first. The white dove who delivered it must have gotten confused when it woke him up, perched on his bedroom windowsill with a letter attached to its leg. It nipped his fingers aggressively until Dark fed it some sweet bread, and the raven stood still in his room, waiting for the letter's reply. It was addressed in hurried but neat writing To the Niwa Prince and by all accounts, that meant he should have delivered the letter to his brother straightaway, but he curiously did not wish to. There was something in the way the letter felt, a hidden aura, a lingering feeling that drew him in. So even though the Black Knight, who while technically was a prince, but not necessarily so, opened the letter and read its contents over and over until he memorized it.
To the Niwa Prince,
You do not know me, nor do I know you. I only know that you are my only hope of being free.
A long time ago, a witch forced me to go into hiding. I will not go into details quite yet should this letter fall into the wrong hands.
I am not so weak, but I am rather lonely. Every morning, just before the sun rises, I catch myself staring longingly at the sky, wondering what it feels like to have the morning dew in between my toes, or to feel the warmth of the sun's rays on my cheeks as it slowly rises and paints the sky in hues of pink and orange. I long to be loved and wanted after so many years of solitude.
I wonder if you feel the way I do. Only a man worthy of being my soul mate can come and retrieve me from this tower, but I would like it if you understood me and my suffering. I would like to be able to know each other well, our deepest fears and insecurities, our goals and desires. I wish to be able to comfort you because I understand what it means to feel alone. I wish to be your equal. I wish to be able to love you as I hope you could come to love me.
However, in order for that to happen, please come save me. I will wait however long I must, but please save me.
Yours truly, should you wish it,
The Princess in the Tower
He understood the Princess in the Tower quite well. As much as he loved his family, as much as he adored Daisuke and the perks of being the Black Knight, for as long as he could remember, he had felt something missing. It was as though there was a hole in his heart that longed to be filled. There was a piece of him that was missing, and he knew it would not be filled until he knew what his purpose was in the world, why he was created, and whether or not someone could love and understood a lonely monster such as him.
I will come save you, princess. Just wait for me.
He penned the simple letter and returned it to the white dove, who cooed and nipped him affectionately before taking flight. Though he did not know her name, what she looked like, or even if she was honest. But at the moment, it did not matter for him. Not since the day the oracle found him and told him to break into the Niwa castle had Dark felt so excited. He started wondering more about her and looking at his windowsill before he slept to check if the dove made a return.
It never did.
Seasons changed and the days moved on, and so despite his excitement, the Black Knight buried any thoughts of this princess and carried on with his duties of protecting the Prince, flirting with the women of the kingdom, and wear the title of the Bastard Son with pride. When he came back to the castle on a rainy night, Daisuke was waiting in his room with a pleasant smile and the white dove perched on his shoulder.
Dark froze.
"Brother! I wanted to show you something interesting; I think I finally am called to an adventure. I think it is the most exciting adventure of all. I think I will fall in love."
Daisuke was just a boy of sixteen, at the cusp of manhood, and even though Dark recognized the hurried but neat writing, he kept silent on the matter. He put on the most encouraging smile that tended to work on barmaids when they would initially refuse to serve him any more pints of alcohol.
"And who are you planning on falling in love with, little brother?"
"The Hamada Princess in the Tower."
The correspondence went on for a year. Daisuke wrote to the princess every week, and the white dove would waste no time in delivering a response. After the one year, it was Daisuke decided that it was time to free the princess from the tower by defeating the dragon and protecting her from the witch that threatened her safety. The castle was filled with chaos from the worried Queen and the advisers to the Gentle Prince. For weeks, as Daisuke cheerfully made preparations, the Queen begged him not to go with no success. Finally, the day before her son was to make his journey, she went to the loyal knight for help.
For his part, Dark played the role of the good big brother well during this time. He was supportive of his younger brother and burned the first letter he received from the princess, and tried his best to put her out of his mind. After all, if Daisuke was in love, then he deserved her. Besides, a princess would prefer to marry a prince and not the bastard son who had no claim to the throne.
When the Queen came to see him, she bowed graciously, and in that moment, Dark felt the affection he had first tasted when she opened up her arms and embraced him with a mother's warmth. It did not take long for her to make her case, and Dark promised to always protect his younger brother.
That night, he went to see him, and Daisuke allowed him in as he always did. Whether or not he expected Dark to stop his journey remained a mystery.
"You are staying here, little brother. I will go in your place." Dark said this so firmly that Daisuke allowed a chuckle to escape.
"Now, I can't have that," he responded with all the pleasant grace he was known for. "I'm the one who was writing to her. I am her fiance and promised to wed her. So I should be the one to save her."
Dark knelt at the prince, showing nothing but respect for the younger boy. However, he could not bear to break his adoptive mother's heart. "If you wish to go and save the woman you love, then I will not stop you. I only ask that I accompany you as your knight."
Daisuke's flat reaction was not one Dark expected. Once Dark glanced at him skeptically, Daisuke laughed nervously with his eyes closed and his hand scratching the back of his head, a habit, Dark noted, he only did when he was trying to hide something.
"Daisuke…"Dark started, but his younger sibling only laughed more.
"Daiiiiiisssssssuuuukeeeeeeee," Dark growled seriously, which mildly calmed the other boy. Mildly.
"Yes?"
"Daisuke, Gentle Prince of the Niwa Lands who is set to go on a terrible and dangerous journey tomorrow morning, do you love the Harada princess?"
"Weeeeeeell, I don't dislike her…"
"Daisuke!" Dark could not believe it. If it was not so undignified to face fault on the ground, he would have done so.
"Look, I don't love her. I don't really know her. However, she does seem like a kind and gentle girl, and I am sure I will like her well enough."
"You are not risking your life for someone you only like well enough!" Dark bellowed. "You are going to stay here, be the Gentle Prince, and I will save your princess!"
"Dark, dear brother, I can't let you do that. I wish to go myself." Daisuke tried to argue, but Dark was in no mood.
"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride! You are staying and that's final. I will bring this up tomorrow morning in front of the advisers, so just let me do this for you!"
Daisuke only laughed again, but promised that if the advisers and the queen would approve of him going in his place, he would not fight the decision. Only, of course, if they approved. Dark knew what that meant; it meant that the advisers had to acknowledge him, something they had trouble doing in all the years he had lived as the Bastard Son.
Sure enough, the following morning, the advisers cried out that "He cannot make that journey!" Daisuke feebly reasoned, "But she's to be my fiancée, so I should be the one to rescue her."
Dark smiled at his brother, knowing that he had won their argument. To the public, Prince Daisuke was too gentle and not one to debate his mother or the advisers, but Dark knew him to be firm and commanding when he needed to be.
"You're the next prince! You cannot be in danger!"
"But I'm her letter correspondent!"
Dark stepped forward, ready for his journey. "I can go."
He could see it on their faces; relief splashed on to them like a tidal wave, and he was receiving all the support and praise that they denied him the moment when he initially came to the castle. If it was to save their heir, their beloved prince, then they would admit that Dark was the best knight in the kingdom and capable of doing great things. Surprisingly, Dark did not grow angry with them, but gave a respectful bow to his brother, the king, and to the Queen who looked at him with gratitude.
Dark rode out with great speed and vigor; if he stopped, he felt as though the bubble inside him would burst. This was his moment, the day he desperately wished for, though he did not know it. All he knew what that this journey and that princess would change everything.
After the Black Knight set out on his journey, Daisuke returned to his room to find the oracle resting on his bed. When she spotted him, she stood and bowed.
"It has been a long time," he greeted her.
"You've grown up strong." She replied knowingly. "I am only here to ask after a few things: why did you allow your knight to rescue your princess?"
"She is not my princess," Daisuke explained politely.
The oracle grinned with glee. She was rather fond of this polite, strong, but mysterious prince. "How do mean that?"
"Some time ago," he shrugged at her. "I had a dream and in it, my brother looked so happy with the princess, and somehow, I knew she was not the one for me."
"I am not wrong in my matter. The Princess in the Tower, is meant to be rescued by the Niwa Prince. I am afraid this is where you are wrong."
"I think you are mistaken." Daisuke was a pleasant prince, but knew when there was a time to be strong and firm, and this was such a time. "And if there is a chance I can grant my brother happiness, I will."
"At the cost of your own?"
"My brother's happiness will be my own."
The oracle was quite fond of the prince, but at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to rip her hair out and make him see reason. Nearly twenty years of planning would go down the drain if Dark was the one the Princess who could control life loved.
"There is a way to settle this, you know." The oracle smirked, knowing that if she couldn't convince the prince, she could at least set him on the right path. "The Princess has a sister. She is feisty and spirited, though she does not carry the same powers as the other princess, she is good. Go to her, and maybe you will that your brother was meant for that child."
At this news, Daisuke's eyes widened. Perhaps he made the mistake after all. "Do you mean that there was always someone for my brother?"
The oracle smirked and beckoned the prince to come closer. When he was just mere centimeters away, she really had to marvel at how well he grew. Maybe he was no jaw dropping knight like Dark Mousy, but this boy growing up to be a fine man was certainly easy on the eyes. He noticed her appraisal and smiled warmly, bending down slightly to get closer to her height. It was different from the moment they first met when he was just a child. Now, he towered over her, and if she were a young, human woman, her heart might have skipped a beat.
"You know, after all these years, I never asked for your name," he commented. In his mind, he noted that she had the prettiest silver hair, like starlight or the thread of a spider's web.
"No one ever does," she replied briskly.
"Well, I am asking now. Oracle, what is your actual name?"
She was quick, and maybe if he suspected it, he would have reacted sooner. But the kiss tasted like past lives, fleeting dreams, and strangely enough, chocolate. An image of an eastern village flooded his mind.
"I was given the name Towa. Head east, your majesty. And do well to save the princess."
The following morning, the queen woke up and promptly wrecked havoc in the castle when she found her son missing from his quarters.
Good morning mother and everyone else,
I am off on a journey. Do not worry; I will not be heading to the Princess's Tower. Perhaps, however, I will meet up with my brother. I have utmost faith that Father and her highness, you, my dear Queen mother, will handle things quite fine. Please make sure to care for my bonsai tree.
Yours truly,
Prince Daisuke of the Niwa Lands
As the Gentle Prince rode off into the horizon, off an adventure on his own with bits of his wild red hair flowing with the wind, a stable boy named Satoshi fell ill. However, that story is for another day.
Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah: A couple things…
I am editing random parts to most of my fics. Just to make it easier to read without all the missing words and spelling mistakes. Chances are, I will still somehow forget to correct a word or something. Sigh...patience...
xoxo