EIGHT – Be Wise

"King Brother, what is it that you want to discuss?" Zen asked, walking into his office as his brother held the door. The large doors quickly shut, resonating a loud sound that echoed in the fairly vacant room. Zen walked over to his desk and leaned on it, enough to be almost sitting on it. He looked over at Izana, seeing those azure eyes fill with boredom as he flicked his blonde bangs.

"I mean, there's not much to discuss, really," Izana began as he walked towards his younger brother. He left a few feet between then, wary over how his brother tends to react. "Other than staying away from Shirayuki, there's no need to discuss anything."

"I'm not staying away from her," Zen growled, angry at such an idiotic suggestion. He had heard it before they came to the office. He didn't need to hear it again, knowing he's set on not taking it. "I'm not doing that—I can't."

"You can't or you won't?" Izana began, knowing that his brother was going to be this stubborn. He wasn't even choosing sides between both girls. He was just touching at Zen's anger and how much he can tolerate such harmful words. "Because it seems like you've got the willpower to break the heart of the girl so much just to engage one that you barely care for."

"It's not like that!" Zen slammed his hand down on the table, already frustrated by the King's words. "You know the reason, but it seems like you really don't understand."

Izana smirked, looking at his disturbed sibling before him. Zen's eyes were now diverted to the ground, agitated beyond belief. His hands clenched the desk, his nails practically digging into the produced wood. The King walked over to the balcony, his boots clicking with each step as he approached it. It was covered by the silky curtains Zen had received as a gift from another state.

"Oh, I don't have to understand." Izana swiped his index finger along the curtains, feeling it's smooth texture. "All I know is that you made your decision."

"A choice I made for the good of our people!" Zen said firmly, standing straight on his choices. He didn't like the choice at all, but for his people, anything. "But that does not mean that I'll be letting go of Shirayuki anytime soon."

"You haven't yet?" Izana asked, his question with only a cent worth of ponder in it. "Not trying to ruin your plans or anything, but are you sure dragging Shirayuki along is a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" Zen glanced behind, staring at his brother with the corners of his eyes.

"I mean, you've already broken this girl's heart as is," Izana points out, having Zen grit his teeth. He knew this fact, he didn't have to be reminded. "But why are you going to lead her on when you know you can't be with her? Married while having an affair with a mistress? Shirayuki evidently is not that kind of woman and you surely would be deemed as a swine worth of a Prince."

"Why does it matter to you anyway?" Zen lashed, ignoring all his cold, yet true, words.

"This is our kingdom, I'll remind you," Izana spoke, his voice low as he tugged some of the curtain to analyze it with his eyes. "I'd rather not have a bad reputation for your selfish choices."

"Brother, please," Zen began, letting out a stressed sigh as he walked over to the curtain to his sibling. "It's just a real mess right now and I know I'm being completely reckless and conceited about it, but if you loved her the way I did, you'd know. You'd just know and keep her as close as you can."

"Be my guest if you want to create a friendship with the pharmacist," Izana said with a shrug.

"But I can't see her as just a friend anymore," Zen said, his voice hoarse with slight plead in his voice. He struggled with this, battling not only with himself, but with his own sibling. He had pointed out excellent points, and Zen wanted nothing to do with the idea of hurting Shirayuki further than she has already been hurt. "I just don't know what to do…"

"Well, you want her to be happy, don't you?" Izana said quietly, beginning his manipulative tricks as Zen looked distantly to the ground. Izana peeked through the curtain for a brief moment, seeing something that caught his eye before looking back at the snow white-haired boy.

"Of course," Zen said, his voice firm and definite about that. All he wants for Shirayuki is for her to be happy. He wants her heart to be warm and have the softest smile every single moment she lives. He never wants to see her cry or in immense pain. "Anything for Shirayuki's happiness."

"Then how about leave her be to let her find it?" Izana proposed, pulled the curtains apart to reveal the balcony. He opened the doors, the several squares of windows divided by mere pieces of wood. Walking outside, Izana beckoned Zen over, having the two brothers walk over to the rail that kept them from falling. Looking down, Zen followed where his gaze resided and felt his eyes suddenly widen.

There was Shirayuki, the sun highlighting the rarity that is her red hair. With her, and to Zen's somewhat disturbance, was Obi. The body guard was in a pretzel on the soft grass, back towards the royal siblings, watching as Shirayuki was showing Ryu how to dance. Zen noticed they had herbs and books to study them, but it seems like they were taking a pleasant break. Ryu looked stressed, his eyes wide as he looked down at the pairs of feet. Shirayuki, however, was all smiles while holding the hands of the young boy.

"What're you trying to say, brother?" Zen asked quietly, admiring Shirayuki from above. She looked so happy, contrasting from earlier when she had finally met his fiancé. Her eyes still appeared pink though, her cheeks bloated with that broken smile. But now, seeing her away from the two brothers, she seemed to be able to breathe now.

"Be wise, alright?" Izana began. He began to return back to the office, leaving Zen hung upon staring down at the girl. "I'm rather fond of that commoner. She doesn't deserve to feel worse than she already does, don't you think?"

Zen was a bit astonished. Partly because of his brothers words regarding his choices, but also his fondness for Shirayuki. Izana had trouble giving care for anybody that wasn't blood or had valuable blood. Princess Elizabeth is the kind princess from an allied state of Clarines. They had extremely tight bonds that were unbreakable. But it was unheard of and unthought-of that Izana would care for anybody less than themselves. But then again, how was that surprising?

Shirayuki was just that kind of person.

Zen turned away from Shirayuki and tailed after his brother, feeling much more flustered than before over the exchange of words between him and his older sibling. He closed his balcony door, having caught Obi's attention. He turned around to look up, seeing nobody up at his Master's balcony.

I could've been smarter, Obi thought, realizing that he situated the 3 in front of Prince Zen's chancery. But he let Shirayuki and Ryu lead, watching as they discussed today's herbs and their standings. But then the group noticed some music being played from a distance, causing Shirayuki to rise from her work to dance with the young prodigy. It made Obi smile though, to see those two interact.

"Sh-Shirayuki!" Ryu stuttered, completely anxious as Shirayuki had guided him in dance. She giggled, slowing down before coming to a stop. She held his hands, bending down a bit in worry that he might've gotten too frightened. But after a few breaths, Ryu began to smile, letting out a bit of laughter.

"Thank you for this dance, Ryu," Shirayuki thanked him, making him blush. She shot him with her irresistible soft stare, the kind gaze with the sweetest smile. Obi felt his heart skip a beat to just see it from the side. He had only wished to see her like that all the time, having the cause be him. But he was probably being way too hopeful for a possibility that doesn't even exist.

"You're not too shabby, half pint," Obi commented, giving a smirk to the embarrassed boy as he began lying down. Shirayuki let go of his hands and walked with the boy back in front of Obi with all their work items. Those yellow eyes watch as they take their seats on the ground before Obi and begin studying the herbs once more. As they did, Shirayuki gave Obi a warm smile, having Obi hitch his breath from its strong expression.

Obi found himself thinking his way to sleep. He admitted that Shirayuki has been depriving him of a lot of sleep, but he didn't mind it too much. He always wants to be there for her, and this gives him the opportunity to prove to her how much he really cares and adores her. He wants her to know that someone will love her for her and her blood does not influence that in any way, shape, or form. Before the body guard knew it, Obi fell into a deep slumber with the grass kissing his ears with their music by the winds currency.

Time passes, allowing Obi to finally open his eyes again. Above, the sky was now hues of purple and pink, indicating the setting of the sun. He noticed the stars become more evident, the blurry dots of white playing in the sky above the clouds. Obi then noticed a bit of red flowing into his peripheral vision. Tilting his head more up, he found himself right below Shirayuki.

"M-Miss?" Obi asked quietly, subconsciously bringing his hands up to feel Shirayuki's legs under his head. He froze before placing his hands right back down to the grass. Shirayuki looked down, her emerald eyes becoming the brightest things to see as darkness began to take over the land. She gave him a soft smile and found his heart throbbing from it.

"Did you sleep well?" Shirayuki asked, watching as Obi quickly rose from her legs and sat up before her. He stared long and hard at her, seeing her eyes pink and puffy. She had been crying while he was knocked out. "You snored really harshly; it sounded like you had slept very well."

"Y-you put my head on your lap," Obi began, somewhat ignoring her question with a breathless statement. Shirayuki's cheeks flushed up more than they already were, placing her hands on her skirted lap.

"I… I thought you'd be more comfortable if I did that, so…" Shirayuki spoke awkwardly, unsure as to how to explain herself. It was such an intimate choice she made for the boy, hoping it didn't come off too weird. She looked down, fiddling with her thumbs before her body guard. Her kind, sweet body guard who did anything to keep her from harm's way.

Suddenly, she was pulled into a pair of very strong arms.

"O-Obi!" She exclaimed, her arms in the air from the sudden gesture as Obi held her. He felt his scarf touch his neck from hers, smelling the new scent of strawberry on it. Her hair felt so smooth as he slowly led his hand into those locks. He knew he shouldn't have been touching her like this—it's forbidden—but he didn't care right now. His master lost all rights over what Obi could and couldn't do. His other hand held her lower back, keeping her spine up and straight while leaning her into him.

"Why would someone want to hurt a wonderful person like you?" Obi whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder as she slowly grabbed onto the back of Obi's shirt.