Rim: Okay, I finally have something to write for this chapter after toasting my brain to a warm fire and setting it to cook for several hours. Thanks everyone for reviewing and I'm finally ready to give everyone something good.
Brooklyn (smiles): At least you didn't fry your brain. (Rim glares at him) Um...okay...I guess we should get started then before she kills me.
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Tyson awed in wonder at the buildings the carriage passed on its way to the Russian palace. They were quite different than the small houses and shops full of bright colors that littered the countryside of Japan. The buildings here were almost drab looking every now and then colors other than brown and gray were seen on houses, if they were really even that and other buildings. Tyson figured this had to be the poor side of the country.
All the people were dressed in worn looking coats of thick linen that might be wool or another material. Their footwear looked just as worn as they made their way to the sides of the road, to allow the carriage passage. All the people kneeled to the carriage as it passed, and only stood up once it had passed them.
Tyson turned his eyes from the scene of Russia to look over at his brother who had not bothered in pulling back the heavily lined satin curtains of the carriage to stare at the land they had arrived in not too long ago. Tyson had been very excited when he was finally able to get off the boat and touch his foot on solid land. His brother was just as eager, for the only reason that he didn't have to suffer from motion sickness any longer.
The carriage the two were now in waited for them by the harbor once they were off the boat. Tyson was more than happy to follow Commander Bukharin's advice about wearing their much heavier robes because it was indeed cold off the boat. Speaking of the commander, taking his eyes off his little brother, Tyson shifted his line of vision upon the commander riding in the carriage with them. Commander Bukharin's eyes were closed as if thinking. His arms were folded over each other and leaned back against the plush cushion of the seating.
"Commander Bukharin?" Tyson said softly. He half expected the older man to be asleep; after all, he had been making certain that everything was running smoothly on the ship.
"Is there something you need, Prince Tyson?" the man opened his eyes, staring at the blue haired teen who smiled. He was half expecting the Japanese prince to ask him again about the King Boris's two sons. Then he would have no way of escaping the inevitable. He knew he would never be able to lie to the boy, because the prince reminded him so much of his son Dmitriy, who he had not seen in months, along with his wife and two daughters.
"So far, this country is very amazing. I'm very excited about being in your homeland," Tyson smiled.
"If you stay long enough for the first snow falling, I'm certain you will find that to your liking also, little prince," Commander Bukharin smiled.
"The snow must be as beautiful here as it is back in my homeland. The way it falls so softly over the buildings and trees," Tyson said. "Maybe if we are here long enough, I can watch it cover everything."
"We should be arriving at the palace soon," Bukharin informed the older of the two Japanese princes.
"I'm excited about it. And once we're settled in, you can go see your family. I'm sure you must miss them with the long trip away and everything," Tyson said.
"Yes, I do. My son is about your age now. I left him in charge of the family while I was gone. He probably has grown in the last few weeks while I've been gone. And my two daughters must also be anxious for my return," Bukharin said. "It will be good to see them all."
"Commander Bukharin!" one of the soldiers knocked on the door to the carriage. "We're arriving at the palace."
"All right!" Commander Bukharin turned his attention back to Tyson, whose eyes were shining with excitement. "I see you're excited about seeing the palace. You can go ahead and look out the window at the palace if you want."
"Really?"
Opening the curtains that covered the windows, Tyson gaped at the wide and quite magnificent sight erected before him. Behind a wide iron wrought gate more than seven feet high, was a huge structure done in a style similar to the Arabic designs Tyson studied in his books. The walls were a light gray/silver texture, probably done with slate blocks of stone. The tops of the structure were circular, a soft lavender tone hinted in the roof of the three story high palace. Trees could be seen, probably hiding a courtyard, fountains and other surprises.
"I suppose that means you like the palace. It's nothing like your palace in Japan," Commander Bukharin laughed, seeing the reaction on the boy's face. Tyson turned his attention back on Commander Bukharin.
"It's just as amazing," Tyson smiled. "I can't wait to see what the inside of the palace is like." Commander Bukharin continued to smile at the teen's zealous for the Russian palace, but his thoughts still troubled him. The closer they got, the less time he would be able to tell the driver to turn around and send the boys back to their own homeland. It wasn't right that they were walking into this blind. He wanted to protect them as if they were his own children. Once inside the palace, he had no say over what happened.
Yet, if he brought them back to Japan now...King Boris would have him executed for insubordination, leaving his wife and children to be considered outcasts in their homeland. There was no way they would be able to make it on their own outside of Russia. It was there home, their entire lives. So when the carriage was inside the gates of the palace, all Commander Bukharin could do was say a prayer for the two.
"This is so great! Kenny, you have to see this," Tyson said excitedly as he tugged on his little brother's sleeve to make him look up. Eventually, the brunette lifted his eyes to his brother, looking out the window that the curtain was drawn away from. His eyes flickered over things with little interest before lowering.
"It's okay," Kenny said quietly. It wasn't like their home at all. He just wanted to have this end as soon as possible so he could return to his normal life.
"Kenny," Tyson said, about to whine when the carriage stopped. It was only a minute before the door to the carriage open, a soldier bowing in front of them.
"Prince Tyson and Kenny, welcome to the Russian palace. We hope you enjoy your stay while you are here. Commander Bukharin, welcome back on your return from Japan." The soldier with short brown hair got to his feet, looking over the three in the carriage. Tyson noticed that the man could be no older than eighteen or nineteen.
"Prince Tyson, Prince Kenny, this is my lieutenant, Anton Petrovich. If I'm ever away you can count on Anton for anything," Commander Bukharin said.
"I'm at your service."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Tyson said, as Commander Bukharin led him and Kenny out of the carriage. Looking up, Tyson awed that it was much larger than first realized. Someone could probably get lost if they had no idea where they were going. Looking around he found a flock of maids and servants bowing to him and his brother. Yet no one there looked to be of royal descent.
"I see that the princes are absent from our guests arrival, tending to business?" Commander Bukharin responded to Tyson's unasked question.
"I'm afraid that both princes have gone missing from their rooms some time before you arrived. The maids told me that when they were going to assemble the two for their first meeting, a message from both saying they would come back at dinner was found in each of their rooms," the younger stated.
"Of all times, I suppose that this will give our guests time to unpack and settle in before their meeting." The older male turned his attention to Tyson and Kenny who seemed a little more relaxed that the first meeting was postponed. "I hope that this isn't an inconvenience for either of you."
"No, of course not," Tyson smiled. "We were both a little nervous that we would meet them, but this will give us time to figure out what we want to say to them. Maybe they were just a little nervous to meet us too."
"Perhaps so, young prince," Commander Bukharin smiled. "We'll, I'll let the maids take you to your assigned rooms. And remember if you need anything don't hesitate to send for either me or Lieutenant Petrovich."
"Thank you so much for your kindness," Tyson bowed slightly to the commander and his lieutenant before allowing the maids that had gathered around him and his brother to guide them away, several servants carrying their belongs. Once the two princes were out of earshot, the lieutenant turned to his commander with a worried stare.
"I suppose you did not mention how our two princes were to those boys, did you sir? And I doubt that King Boris explained it either."
"You know I was not allowed to speak of their many faults, nor can we disobey our king's orders," Commander Bukharin said.
"Both seem too young to have to go through such an ordeal as they are about to venture on. Do you think that they shall be fine?" The young man with short brown hair stared up at his superior officer with a frown. The older had a frown of equal worry on his face. "Maybe Tala and Kai will—"
"Do you think that they will?" Bukharin interrupted. "You know how those two are. I want to take them back, but if I do..."
"We just have to pray then," Petrovich sighed. "And hope that god watches over them."
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Tyson sat on the huge bed that could likely fit four people in, which was covered with deep blue satin sheets with fur linen blankets on top. Feather down pillows rested against the carved oak headboard which was decorated in gold and silver. With a big smile on his face, Tyson looked towards the vanity near the chiffonier and wardrobe that held all of his clothing. With a sigh, he feel back, looking up at the ceiling. Now that he was done unpacking everything, what could he do to pass the time?
Maybe he should go for a walk around the grounds to see what he could find. He was sure nobody would mind and he would be back in time for dinner. "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea." Leaping up from the bed, Tyson walked towards the door and pulled it open. The sound of maids working and their chattered filled the air, giving the palace a warm feel. It wasn't so bad here it felt like a second home in a way.
Stepping out his room, Tyson pulled it shut then headed down the hall quietly. His ears picked up the chatter of the maids talking about him and his brother and how handsome both were. A short grin curved his lips into a smile, seeing as how this was probably the first time palace maids ever called him handsome. Since of course he grew up with most of the maids back in his homeland, they were use to him and only commented when he began looking more like his mother.
That did not mean that he was not aware of his looks. Many of the noble girls that lived within the Bakuten Empire attempted to gain his attention when he was out for a simple horse back ride or hunting. Occasionally, there was the passing noble boy that was attracted to him, but Tyson has not yet built an interest in either same sex or opposite sex attraction. His one true love was his homeland.
Retracing his steps from earlier when the maids were taking him and his brother through the palace, he found the path that interested him. Before when he had asked them what it was, a young girl of about fourteen mention that it led to a small private area overlooking a garden and pond. Tyson looked around to find if anyone was watching, but found the halls empty. Pulling the door open, Tyson's mouth gaped open.
The area that was supposedly small and private had to have extended more than an acre outwards. Walking into the area once the door was shut tight, Tyson shifted his eyes from one plant and tree to the next, everything of some exotic kind. The pebble path under his feet was cool under his slippers, so he walked to get the nip of cold off. The deeper he went, the more he found fascinating, like the flowers or the occasional bird that squawked above.
"This is amazing," Tyson said to himself. "I can't believe they call this small."
"It's small if you've seen it dozens of times," came a voice from out of nowhere.
"Who's there?" Tyson demanded, looking around but seeing no one. Around him later sounded, as whoever it was watching him, took amusement in scaring unsuspecting individuals. "Come out and show yourself!"
"If you really want to find me, look up," the voice laughed. Tyson raised his eyes to the trees, scanning over the dark green texture, until his eyes caught sight of black, blue, and blue-green. A young man with strange auburn like eyes watched him, while sitting in a tree reading a book. His hair was also strange, a slate like blue made up his front locks of hair, while peeking from the back was a darker blue.
The young man in the tree wore a long sleeved black satin shirt with blue-green pants of possibly the same material. Could this boy be one of the servants in the castle? It would seem otherwise out of place that he should be in the palace otherwise. Perhaps he was a page for the king or a stable boy. He seemed a little too careless to be one of the princes.
"Planning on staring at me forever, or are you going to say something?" the boy with auburn eyes said. Tyson felt a light blush color his cheeks as he looked away.
"Forgive my rudeness, I didn't mean to stare," Tyson apologized.
"Who are you? I haven't seen you around the palace before. Are you a new servant?" the boy raised a light brow to Tyson who could only help but laugh.
"Would a servant boy here dress in expensive fabrics like I would?" Tyson smiled.
"Maybe, depends on where you came from," the boy shrugged. "What's your name?"
"I am Prince Tyson of the Bakuten Empire of Japan. I just arrived in Russia today to visit the Russian princes here, but they don't seem to be around right now, so I decided to walk around on my own," Tyson stated. The boy in the tree stared at Tyson for a long minute then laughed. "What's so funny?"
"So you are the prince that was to arrive today. I've heard nonstop chatter about how everyone is to be on their best behavior around you. I can't see what the fuss is about though. You're younger than expected," the boy in the tree stated.
"And what's that suppose to mean?" Tyson was starting not to like this servant boy.
"The two princes of the Russian Empire are much older than you, did you know that?" The auburn eyed servant closed his book to talk with Tyson. His auburn eyes shone with amusement.
"Of course I know. King Boris told me that his sons were seventeen and eighteen. That's not much of a difference," Tyson said. "I'm a year younger than the youngest of the Russian princes."
"You're sixteen? You could be mistaken for thirteen around here with how short you are," the boy laughed.
"Short! I'm not short!" Tyson shouted.
The boy in the tree said nothing as he slid from the branch he was on, to another one below it. The dual haired teen continued his descent until he was standing in front of Tyson. The grin remained intake to the Russian servant boy's face while Tyson's face turned slightly red, as he had to look up to the teen who had to be about 5'9" or 5'10". Tyson stood well at 5'5", on the verge of 5'6"; his brother stood at 5'3".
"Now what were you saying about not being short?" inquired the servant boy.
"Well I still have room to grow!" Tyson shot back.
"Well, you better start growing sometime in the next year, or you're everyone's going to keep thinking you're still a child," the boy smirked. "Now if you would excuse me, I have things to do."
"Fine, like I care anyway." The dual haired teen gave Tyson another smirk before walking towards the door that the path started at. Once the other teen was gone, Tyson growled at the boy's cocky egotism. He really hoped all the male servants in the palace were not like that boy. Tyson hoped if it was possible, this would be their last meeting in a long time. There was just something about him that...Tyson couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about that boy.
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Kenny looked up from his journal entry to find his brother coming into his bedroom. The sun had already set for the evening, now they were waiting on dinner to be served. The brunette put down his pen, a short smile on his face. Most of the afternoon, he had been walking around his temporary quarters trying to take his mind off the fact he was millions of miles away. Everything from Trigonometry to Calculus was sought in hopes that his homesickness would fade, but nothing settled the uneasiness he felt.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Tyson inquired walking up to his little brother and leaning over his shoulder to read what was there. Immediately Kenny covered the journal, a light blush coloring his cheeks.
"Don't look...please," Kenny begged.
"Oh, you must be writing something important that you don't want your brother to see. Must be something about a secret love, ne?" Tyson grinned wide.
"It's nothing like that," Kenny flushed more, closing the book.
"Then why are you blushing, little brother?" Tyson said.
"It's...it's just that I didn't want you to read and worry about me," Kenny said softly. Tyson's smile faded away, seeing the look in his little brother's eyes. Taking a seat on the bed, he stared at Kenny for a long minute. Once the minute was up, he let out a short sigh.
"It hasn't escaped my notice how much you want to go home. But, we have to do this for father. Our kingdom is fragile without its king to reassure it that everything will be all right. Not even I can persuade the people to listen, but with King Boris's forces on our side, the people can be assured that nothing will happen," Tyson stated. "I will admit that I'm excited about being here, but I do worry about our homeland much. But I know worrying is not going to do anything."
"But...you're different than me," Kenny whispered. "I'm not as outgoing as you, or brave. Without you, I don't know what I would do. I can't make decisions for myself and..."
"Kenny," Tyson interrupted.
"Nani?" Kenny blinked away his tears as he watched his brother hold out his hand. A short smile came to his face as he got up and walked over to his brother. Tyson pulled the younger into his lap and rocked him back and forth while stroking his hair. This familiar routine to the two happened wherever Kenny was upset, doubtful, or lonely. "Big brother..."
"I will be here for you always," Tyson whispered, continuing to stroke Kenny's hair in a motherly fashion. "I love you for the entire world, and I love our kingdom."
"I love our kingdom too," Kenny sighed contently as the stress lifted from his shoulders.
"So you'll cheer up and not mope around anymore?" Tyson's questioned.
"I'll cheer up and stop moping," Kenny repeated, a smile crossing his lips. No matter what, his brother could always talk him into anything. Well, that was only because he loved his brother more than life itself, he would do anything Tyson asked of him. "You know that I can't say no to you."
"You keep indulging me, and I will never let you go," Tyson teased. Kenny looked up at his brother, his hair falling from out of his sparkling blue eyes to meet his brother's gaze.
"I don't want you to let go. You can keep me locked away as long as you want," Kenny stated. Tyson made a face as he shook his head.
"Don't tease your big brother like that," Tyson scolded playfully.
"But I'm not teasing you. I mean it!" Kenny argued.
"You may mean it now, but somewhere in the future, you are going to find someone that you want to spend your entire life with. Then you will break your big brother's heart because you'll have to escape my clutches to be with that person. Therefore, don't tease your big brother like that," Tyson declared. "Understand me."
"I understand big brother." Kenny placed his head against the nook of his brother's neck, allowing the hair to fall back in place.
"Good." The two continued to enjoy each other's silence when there was a knock on the door. A young woman with short green hair walked into the room, but squeaked when she saw the scene. Of course she took it the wrong way, since of course she has never seen two brothers be so close with each other.
"I'm so sorry I should have knocked before entering. I...I..." The girl turned around with a dark blush on her face, covering her face with her hands. Kenny looked up at his brother puzzled, while Tyson just shrugged. Back in their homeland when they did this, nobody freaked out and turned bright red.
"Um...miss?" Tyson said.
"My name is Clara I'm so sorry Prince Tyson. I had no idea that you two..."
"That we what?" Tyson blinked. "We're this close?" The girl nodded rapidly, wondering how in the world they could be so open and comfortable with their secret.
"I promise that I won't say a word to anyone about your relationship," Clara squeaked.
"Relationship, what are you talking about? Everyone here already knows that he's my younger brother. Why would you tell the obvious?" Eventually it hit Tyson what she was implying. "Clara..."
"Yes, sire?"
"Do you think that I'm involved with my younger brother?" The girl said nothing, a short laugh spilling from Tyson's lips. Kenny stared up at his brother curiously. "Clara, don't take this the wrong way. But that is the most absurd thing a person could ever think from this. I care much for my younger brother that is true, but not to the point of incest."
"Sire, I'm so sorry!" Clara turned around and bowed rapidly, enough that Tyson swore her head was going to snap away from her body. "I didn't mean to offend you or..."
"That's okay. I suppose that you don't see your princes do this here. I doubt that many princes are as close as me and my little brother. But that is only because we lost our mother while we were still small and he's always relied on me for things. I'm both his mother and his older brother," Tyson explained.
"I'm terribly sorry I did not mean to imply such a thing of you. Please accept my deepest apologies, Prince Kenny and Tyson," Clara begged.
"It's all right, no harm is done. So, did you have something to tell us, Clara?" Tyson raised a humored brow.
"Yes, I did. I came to tell you that Prince Kai is waiting for you and Prince Kenny in the dining room for dinner. He says he's anxious to meet with you two," Clara said. "He told me to escort you down at once."
"So, this is it huh?" Tyson looked down at Kenny, a little worry in his face. "Kenny, don't worry, remember what you promised?"
"To stop moping and be myself," Kenny spoke, moving from out of his brother's lap, so Tyson could stand up.
"Good, I expect that you remember that. Now come on," Tyson smiled.
The two Japanese princes followed Clara out the room and down the long corridor that would lead to the stairs. Tyson wondered what the younger of the two Russian brothers would be like. Maybe a quiet teen who acted a lot like Kenny despite the two year difference between them, or he could be outgoing like Tyson and the older is more like Kenny. That would seem weird, but one could never tell when it came to people.
Tyson pondered the answer the whole way to the dining room where a figure waited by a large glass window overlooking city which was a few miles away. The person by the window wore a pair of pants of soft deep blue matching a black silk shirt. The style reminded Tyson of the arrogant servant he met earlier. Clara bowed down before she spoke to the figure watching the scenery.
"Prince Kai, here is Prince Tyson, and his younger brother Prince Kenny."
"It's an honor to meet you, Prince—" Tyson's speech dropped to silence when the figure turned around to reveal the teen from earlier. Before he knew it, Tyson had his finger pointing at the dual haired teen while gaping in shock.
"Yes, I know it's me," the prince said in Japanese, his Russian accent clinging to each word. "Nice to see you again so soon Prince Tyson of the Bakuten Empire, I presume that is your younger brother Prince Kenny. Welcome to the Russian Empire."
"Why didn't you tell me before who you were?" Tyson shouted.
"Because you didn't ask me," Prince Kai grinned amusingly. "Shall we get dinner started?"
"Prince Kai?" Clara said, shifting her gaze from Tyson to Kai, wondering what the two were talking about seeing as how she spoke no Japanese. The auburn eyed teen spared her a glance of annoyance.
"We're starting dinner," he said in Russian.
"But your brother isn't here yet, do you really want to start dinner without him, sire?" Clara questioned.
"Isn't that the point of why I said it?" Prince Kai stated.
"Yes sire." Bowing to the prince, she rushed to the kitchen to tell the servants to bring the trays of food. With much reluctance, since of course he was still in shock, Tyson sat down at the long dining table, Kenny seating himself beside Tyson. He too was curious as to what went on between the two, but if his brother wanted him to know, he would tell. Kenny studied the younger of the Russian princes. So this was Prince Kai, he seemed a lot different than he expected.
"Hey," Tyson said. Kai turned his eyes on Tyson.
"That's certainly a way to get someone's attention," Prince Kai smirked.
"Well, I find no reason to be formal with you when you called me short earlier!" Tyson said crossing his arms. "And you could have told me you were prince, and don't say that I didn't ask you. And do you really want to start dinner without your older brother?"
"He would start without me if he was here," Prince Kai remarked. "Anyway, he will probably be a while. He tends to get distracted from things very easily."
"Is he anything like you?" Tyson stated.
"Of course not," Prince Kai smirked. Just as he finished his sentence, a short scream could be heard somewhere on the upper level of the castle. Both Tyson and Kenny jumped hearing the noise, but Kai seemed unfazed by it. As if this was a normal occurrence within the palace...for all they knew it was.
"I don't think I want to know," Tyson said.
"And that's the reason I said we start dinner," Prince Kai spoke.
"You mean that..." Tyson trailed off. What the heck was Kai's older brother up to that caused him to scream like he was crazy? Maybe he was crazy.
"I suppose he's going to come to dinner now?" Kenny surprisingly spoke. Kai turned his eyes on the younger prince with momentarily interest. The boy was cute, in a meek sort of way, not his type at all, but...
"You're probably right," Kai smiled.
"How come he gets a smile and I get a smirk?" Tyson stated.
"Because he's not like you," Kai shrugged. Tyson glared at the slightly obnoxious prince then decided to let to go. He and Kenny came to Russia to make friends with the two. It would not be good to kill one of them.
"Prince Kai, here's the food," Clara said, coming back in the dining room followed by ten servants carrying trays. Each one set a tray on the table, then uncovered the food. Tyson's mouth immediately watered, one of his favorite pastimes when not hunting, exploring, or sleeping was eating.
"You are excused then," Kai shooed her away with a wave of his hand.
"Yes sire," she bowed and left, leaving the servants to put food on each boy's plate and filling their cups with ale. Tyson looked over the selection of food on the table and on his plate and decided that this was one thing he could get use to. He would have to find some way to get along with Prince Kai, and he didn't know what to expect from the older of the Russian princes, Tala.
"The meal looks delicious, you didn't have to prepare so much for us," Kenny quietly said since of course his big brother was too busy drooling over what they were about to have. Kai lowered his lashes over his eyes so he could focus on only the younger of the two.
"You don't have to sound so modest about your importance at the palace. This feast is to honor my father's wish for our kingdom," Kai said.
"And you were going to start without me," came a voice as a figure walked into the dining room while zipping belting his pants that were undone. Tyson and Kenny turned around to find a young man with red hair done in the style of wings walking into the room. His azure eyes shifted over the two princes.
"Prince Tyson, Prince Kenny, this is my older brother, Tala," Kai said. "Tala, these are our guests."
"I see."
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Rim (shaking Brooklyn): I'm finally done! Thank Inari! Look Brooklyn, after all these distractions, I finally got it done!!
Brooklyn: Rim...stop shaking me. (she pays no attention) Rim...(sighs)...it's going to be a long night. Until next time everyone.