A month had passed and Midoriya stood at the edges of the caravan train. There seemed to be an endless number of them, filled to the brim with the finest cloth, spices, and lacquered goods that Shuei could provide. Midoriya had a single pack tossed over his shoulder, containing almost all of his summer clothes, as Enten was considerably warm for several months out of the entire year with temperatures peaking in the summer. He shuddered to think about the brutal winters he would have to endure. A common proverb went along the lines that a single kiss from an Enten breeze during the winter was enough to make a criminal pray for their life to end. In the pack were also a few strips of dried meat, half a wheel of cheese and a loaf of bread that his mother had neatly packed into a pristine white cloth and shoved into his bag for his journey.

Midoriya glanced down at his arm as he held it out. He curled his fingers inward to his palm until he was clenching a fist, he could feel the muscles in his arm clenching up and tightening. He sighed as he let his arm drop to his side. He still felt sore from the training he had to endure under All Might's instructions yesterday. He winced as he could still feel the wack of the wooden sword against his arm, the dark bruise he had gotten from it still felt tender underneath his touch.

"Midoriya."

Midoriya turned his head at the soft whisper of his name. There was a darkly cloaked figure standing near the edge of a small alleyway that stuck between two buildings. The figure waved at Midoriya to come closer to them as they slightly lifted their head to expose their face.

Midoriya looked around making sure that no one was watching him. Everyone that was going on the journey to Enten was preoccupied in checking their cargo and saying goodbye to their loved ones before their long journey began. He lightly jogged to where All Might stood, slightly hidden by the dark shadows of the alleyway.

All Might reached out and placed a single hand on Midoriya's shoulder, he squeezed it tightly as he gazed into the young man's eyes. "Be careful out there; there are plenty of enemies that hide in the shadows and some so daring that they hide within the light. Trust very few people and even those that you do hold them at arm's length."

Midoriya nodded, he slightly turned prepared to head back to the caravan when his eyes widened as he was pulled towards All Might. Strong arms wrapped around his shoulders as All Might pulled him into a warm embrace. All Might's right hand rested against the back of Midoriya's head. No words were exchanged between the two, Midoriya's hands shook as he wasn't sure on what to do, on weather to wrap his arms around All Might and reciprocate the hug or let them hang loosely at his sides.

Midoriya slowly raised his arms but was pushed away from the embrace when the sound of his name being called from amongst the caravan reached his ears.

"Good luck." All Might's gaze bore into his own, the grip on his shoulder was tight as if he wished to say more but couldn't bring himself to do it. "And be safe. I'll watch over your mother while you're gone."

Midoriya nodded again as he turned to head towards the caravan but stopped in his tracks, he whirled around and bowed deeply to All Might before running towards the caravan.

Midoriya climbed aboard the front of a wagon, sitting beside a merchant who went by the name of Tokoyami. Midoriya noted the large, black raven that sat perched in its cage between them. Its beady black eyes stared up at Midoriya before it squawked and tucked its head underneath its wing. There was a yell from the front of the caravan and the wheel of the wagon beneath Midoriya's feet began to turn.

The journey from Shuei's capital to Enten's own would take at most a week. So they began their journey early in the morning. They were a good distance from the capital when the sky began to turn a shade of bright orange, the sun hung lowly in the sky indicating to the caravan that there were a few hours of daylight left. The leader of the caravan decided that it was time to set up camp and rest for the night.

Midoriya helped Tokoyami feed the horses that were hitched up to the wagon before checking that the cargo they carried didn't have any damages to it. He soon helped Tokoyami get a fire going and sat around it, sharing some of his provisions with the merchant who shared with him the bits of salted fish and wine that he carried with him. When their bellies were full they laid down on the grass, the crackle of the fire filling the void of silence between them.

"Midoriya," Tokoyami whispered.

Midoriya hummed, turning his head slightly so that he could see the man out of the corner of his eyes.

"I know."

Those two words had Midoriya propping himself up onto his elbows and turning his head to stare at the man. The light from the campfire caused the shadows across his face to dance and flicker. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the dark haired man.

"Relax. I work within All Might's court." Tokoyami dropped his voice to a whisper as he sat up. His gaze hardened as he stared at Midoriya. "He sent me to make sure your journey went smoothly and to make sure you had him." Tokoyami jerked his chin towards the bird he carried, who was resting in his cage after having been fed bits of dried fish. "His name is Dark Shadow. A bird that I raised myself."

"A messenger bird?"

Tokoyami nodded. "One of the fastest that I have. You're to use him to send messages to All Might. I'm sure Enten will let you have the bird; a gift from your home, but they'll check him and any messages that you send out and receive as well. I'm certain that All Might taught you a way to communicate with him?"

Midoriya nodded before he had left his training with All Might included them coming up with a cipher that could be hidden in their messages. Both of them could write a normal message to one another, but they had memorized a key to which each letter of the alphabet correlated with a new letter. "I'll be careful." That answer seemed to satisfy Tokoyami who nodded and laid back down.

Midoriya stared up at the stars. Too restless to will himself to sleep. He was nervous, anyone in his position would rightly be. He was going to the capital of Enten, a country he had never set foot in.

An unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar culture that was different from his own. Surrounded by people who were weren't Shueian or who had no understanding of his culture. Midoriya's stomach twisted inside of him, he rolled onto his side and pressed his head against his pack to watch the flickering lights of the fire. Embers burst from the log as it released an audible popping sound and split into two. He was to be a servant to the crown prince, a man that he had never seen, but heard plenty of stories about.

He heard the prince wore a mask that covered his left eye. A white mask with ornate golden swirls to hide what very few knew, a few of the women traveling with the caravan had remarked that the prince was born disfigured and that King Enji so ashamed had ordered him to wear the mask, but that even with the mask, the prince was considered to be a rare flower amongst Enten. A handsome man that was desired by everyone he met. One of the women said that a young noble girl who was pining after the prince had tried to remove the mask once and had ended up harmed by his quirk, afterwards she had been ordered to be executed by the prince.

The women had shuddered and hadn't brought up the topic again.

Midoriya wondered whether the prince was like the rumors had said. If he had a heart that was as cold as the Ingeniumu's winters and a visage hidden beneath the mask he wore that was fit for a monster. Midoriya could feel his eyelids growing heavy as the waves of sleep slowly rocked over him. He closed his lids and sighed softly and dreamed a dream of monsters beneath masks and a man with a heart of ice.

Their journey to Enten went smoothly. They arrived with every single wagon and carriage intact.

Midoriya's eyes widened as the capital of Enten came into view. Everything about the city seemed to scream out the wealth the country and its citizens enjoyed. Midoriya stared in awe at the countless citizens who passed by them. The culture of Enten was already proving to be a drastic juxtaposition compared to the culture of Shuei.

Here it seemed, that even the commoners were decked out in a single item of luxury that boasted the country's luxurious wealth. Weather it was the rich material of the clothing they wore, the high quality, polished leather that made up their shoes, the jewels and rings they wore or even the accessories that the women adorned in their hair that were adorned with mother of pearl's and opulent lacquer that was sold by the merchants of his country.

Tokoyami hummed at his side as he guided the wagon forwards through the large, cobbled streets that lead throughout the city. "This city glitters and shines from the outside, but I fear it hides its true appearance beneath all the glamor and gold." Tokoyami grumbled beneath his breath.

Midoriya glanced around as he bit his lower lip. He feared Tokoyami spoke truly; while the splendor of Enten was overwhelming, it felt like someone had painted over a broken pot to hide all the cracks and chips beneath it.

The caravan soon reached the outer gates of the castle. An impressively massive building whose towers reached towards the sky above them. Midoriya craned his neck as he watched the merchants and caravan drivers hop down into the cobbled streets as knights bearing the brooch of a burning sun moved up and down the caravan as they lifted up canvases and began to open up boxes and barrels to check their contents.

Midoriya's eyes immediately honed in on a female knight, his eyes widening in surprise along with the other members of the caravan who began to mutter amongst themselves at the appearance of a woman dressed in knight's armor. She was pretty, with a face that was round and a smile that was equally as gentle, her long, black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail she had a bang that covered the right side of her face. As she marched towards the side of the caravan, she rested her hand on the pommel of the sword that was strapped to her waist. Her armor gleamed in the morning light, polished to the point that one could probably use it for a mirror. A long red cape flowed behind her back, pinned together with a golden brooch of a sun over mountains.

Midoriya knew the sigil. It was the personal heraldry of the crown prince himself. Each of the princes and the princess of the kingdom had their own separate heraldry to use within their individual houses./p
"Everyone!" The female knight shouted, "Please have your carriages and wagons checked by the knights and your items cataloged. When that is done please come with me to the throne room where you will greet the crown prince and afterwards may rest for a few hours before continuing your journey back home." Her eyes raked over the crowd of Shueians. "Which one of you is—" She paused as a knight at her side leaned towards her and whispered into her ear, she nodded. "—Midoriya?"

Midoriya took a step forward, his heart was fluttering in his throat to think that he would be meeting the crown prince so soon. The female knight's eyes raked his body up and down, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and cracked a smile. "I think you'll do. You'll be able to rest for a little while with your fellow countrymen, but after your training on how to serve our crown prince will begin shortly after."

Midoriya quickly bowed his head as he turned and helped Tokoyami undo the canvas covering the wagon so that the knights could check it. Once every single wagon and carriage was checked, the knights lead the Shueians through a side entrance of the castle—the service entrance—that lead them into a stunning hallway. The walls were painted with a soft, yellowish paint that seemed to give off the appearance that they were painted with melted gold. Thick, red drapes hung from the windows with paintings mounted up along the walls that depicted a scene in Enten's long and rich history.

Midoriya eyed a painting that depicted King Enji in the throes of youth. His steel covered boot was pressed down onto the back of a large Eikthyrnir stag. Its fur was as white as snow and its antlers branched outwards like the cracks that appeared along a frozen lake. The stag was easily bigger than several men put together. In the painting, a volley of arrows littered the massive beasts side. Midoriya and his fellow countrymen were finally led to the throne room. They gasped as the heavy, oaken doors were pushed apart to reveal a large, arched room that had the same yellow paint coating the walls and rich, red curtains that hung from the large floor-to-ceiling windows. A large red rug was placed on the floor of the throne room, a golden circle embroidered into the middle of it, a golden phoenix flying across the sun in mid flight. The phoenix was the symbol of the Enten kingdom. A rare bird that was born from the ashes of its own fire and was said to appear in times of great conflict for the kingdom.

According to the scholars back in Shuei, the last time anyone had had a sighting of the phoenix was during the first days of The Great War. A war that had taken place centuries ago and had every country, kinsmen and banner house pointing swords at each others necks. The war had greatly devastated each kingdom and had taken several years just to recover from.

The Shueians filtered into the room as the knights followed them in after. There was a marble pedestal in the room, that was raised a few inches off of the ground. A large throne that Midoriya assumed to be the king's was the largest throne among the six upon the pedestal. It was a large oaken throne, with gold trim and a red cushion for the seat. The throne to the left of the king's was smaller, its trim was wrought gold with a white cushion that had red thread laced around the edges. The thrones to the left and right were also made of the same wrought gold and had red and white cushions.

The oaken doors flew open as a young man taller than Midoriya with red hair and a streak of white running through it marched into the room. He was dressed head to toe in finery befitting his rank in life. A white dress shirt with a dark black tunic overneath it, with golden buttons up to the collar; golden thread had been used to embroider a golden sun over his left breast pocket. A pair of dark trousers graced his legs, held in place by an even darker belt that was wrapped around his waist.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Midoriya could see the female knight's face twist with confusion. She parted her lips as if she wished to say something but stopped as the prince lifted his right hand to silence her. Midoriya watched with bated breath as the man turned towards the pedestal and walked up the six marble steps before sitting in the throne that was to the right of the king—the crown prince's throne./p
Midoriya studied the prince's face. He wasn't like anything he had heard about the crown prince. A warm smile stretched across his handsome face. He had sharp features and high cheekbones with nary a scar or wound to be seen on his face.

He looked friendly and warm and Midoriya couldn't understand the rumors that seemed to swirl around the crown prince.

He took a step forward and bowed deeply, twisting his arm across his chest in the manner that he knew was prevalent in Enten's courts. "It is a pleasure to be serving in your house, your royal highness."

Midoriya could feel a prickle on the back of his arms as the hair along them raised. "Midoriya," Tokoyami harshly whispered behind him.

A chill ran through his veins as he kept his gaze fixed to the floor. He wondered if he had done something wrong. He didn't think that he did, he spent the last week being lectured on the proper ways to greet Enten nobility by All Might so what was it that he was doing wrong?

The door to the throne room swung open once more. Midoriya turned his head to see a man standing there who appeared to be around his age, his hair was short and evenly split down the middle with his left half the same vibrant red that King Enji possessed and his other half a white that reminded Midoriya of freshly fallen snow. He wore the same finery as the prince currently sitting on the throne which Midoriya assumed meant that he was a prince as well. A white dress shirt underneath a blue vest that had golden buttons and bore the heraldry of a golden sun over golden snow capped mountains over its left breast pocket.

Midoriya's eyes widened as the prince's gray and blue eyes bore into him. A white mask with gold embellishments covered his left eye.

"Bow before his royal highness! Crown Prince Shoto!" The female knight's voice boomed around the throne room as she sunk to her knees in a deep bow. The Shueians followed suit, leaving Midoriya the only one standing.

Midoriya's eyes widened as he let his arm drop to his side and stared at the prince whose eyes narrowed, as a chill ran up Midoriya's spine.

Prince Shoto….The Crown Prince Shoto.

A droplet of sweat traveled down from the side of his temple to his chin as he stared into the prince's eyes. A combination of the grey clouds that appeared in the skies before the inevitable storm and the blue coloration of a frozen sea.

Midoriya had screwed up.

He had really screwed this up.

A/N: I'm so sorry for uploading these chapters past the established update schedules. I'm currently in Japan, so my sense of EST time is wonky, but I will definitely from now on try to set reminders for when these chapters should be published. Also let me know how you guys feel about the chapters being broken apart like this? Since I was concerned about having an entire chapter be too large and clunky for whereas on Ao3 it's fine due to a different layout.

Also R.I.P. Midoriya, he tried so hard, but in the end it doesn't matter...he dead because Todoroki probably kills him after this.

Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter, leave a like or a comment or even your first born child (I will also accept cookies as your undevoted love for this story as well). Look forward to the new chapter on Friday!