- In a Memory by the Royal Stables -
He had been eleven. Father was asleep. Mother was with Empress Hitomi, staying with her in illness as any good lady-in-waiting did. Itachi was reading in the candlelight the kinds of books he could only read when Father was asleep and Mother was off doing her duties: books about magic, about spells, about curses. Dark magic. Itachi did not believe in things like dark or light magic. He believed in magic, and he believed people gave it a name depending on if they liked it or not — if it was "good" or not. His brother let him read those books, which was strange, if you wanted Sasuke's honest opinion. Itachi didn't always share everything with Sasuke, using the excuse 'you're too young' or 'you wouldn't understand' that always irked him. But magic — dark magic — he was allowed to learn about; and when they had free time, they'd go off to the libraries and study rooms and magic labs in the palace and practice the very dark magic they learned.
That was how they met Aoda. He hatched in a cage that was too small for him. Itachi said he smelled like magic. Somehow, Sasuke could smell it, too. They broke him out before any lead researcher could start any number of disturbing experiments on the strange snake, and they took him home. Father was none too pleased, and Mother never really liked snakes, but they kept him.
That night, when he'd been eleven, Sasuke met Princess Hinata for the first time.
He'd heard of her, of course. Looked upon her from a distance. Seen portraits and listened to stories about her from Mother. But that night, in the garden, when Aoda stretched out through the rose bushes, she came upon them so suddenly and quietly that Sasuke couldn't even come up with an excuse.
But Hinata didn't want one.
"What's his name?" she had asked, one hand held out for Aoda to coil around, letting him explore.
Sasuke was cautious, wondering if this was a trick. "Aoda."
"He is big."
"He's a magic snake." Oh. He probably shouldn't have said that.
But Hinata didn't seem to mind. "He's pretty."
Aoda lifted his head. "Thank you, my lady."
"Oh!" She giggled. "He talks!"
There had been a call from the open palace doors for Princess Hinata. She bent over so that Aoda could easily reach the ground, and then she whispered a soft farewell to both of them before leaving. Sasuke had run home and told Itachi that they'd have to move; Princess Hinata would tell, and it would all be over.
Itachi had laughed, shaking his head, waving off his warning like it were a waft of something foul-smelling. Aoda, relaxed, laid out by the fire, and Sasuke huffed and sat next to his brother, reading one of the books he left out for him.
...
That was eleven years ago.
That old fireplace — the creaky table his mother always complained about — the big window in his room and the soft quilt his aunt had made him — Itachi's bookshelf and Father's throning chair by the fire — it is all gone. Now, there are horses and hanging saddles and straw mixed with gravel mixed with dirt mixed with manure.
The royal stables are, granted, royal enough.
In the very least, Sasuke decides as he looks over the silhouette of it as they approach, they made a good looking stable to replace his house. If it were dinky and falling apart, then he'd have every right to feel offended.
The brick pathway turns gravel when a man approaches, straw caught in the messy, wind-tossed throws of his hair, red mud painting both of his cheeks in such a way like he did it himself. He marches forward, mouth set in a scowl. Sasuke also notes the dog on his heels, big enough so his snout reaches the man's chest. When Sasuke sniffs the air, there's a spicy tinge of magic.
Which makes sense, of course.
Dogs don't grow that large without the help of magic.
"Hin— I mean, Empress, I urge you to reconsider!" Despite the obvious bouquet of flowers growing out of her ears, the man shouts like he expects her to hear him. "I cannot accept that beast in the stables! It will scare the horses and my men!"
So this is the stable boy Kiba. As Sasuke had expected, he's dirty and feverishly against Aoda and his staying in the stables.
Hinata, who (as everyone knows) cannot hear a word, still stands there with her chin turned to give Kiba her full attention. A few others start to peek out from the royal stables, most of them sharing the same wild hair and red mud marks across their faces. Their dark eyes turn up to gander at Aoda, then down at Sasuke. He doesn't think he's imagining it when he sees their faces turning more dark at his expense than at the giant snake.
Kō coughs to quiet Kiba. "The Empress understands how you feel, but we —"
"Gah — don't talk to me like I'm some simpleton!" A tan finger is pointed at Sasuke's face, which he doesn't appreciate at all. Kiba shakes his head violently so anyone mute or deaf or stupid can understand. "I. Refuse!"
"Remove your finger, or I'll break it."
Kiba glares at him, and Sasuke glares back. Eventually, Kiba scoffs and stuffs his hands in his trousers. The big dog scratches behind his ear before giving Aoda's direction a tentative sniff.
"I am Sasuke —"
Kiba sucks on the backs of his teeth. "I know who you are."
"Then you know I'm the one who's going to break this curse." Hinata looks between them desperately, having a hard time keeping up and reading their lips. Kō doesn't offer any assistance, either; he merely observes. "If you don't like me, then by all means refuse my stay. Just know you'll be sentencing the Empress to a life of deafness."
Kiba's hair stands on his bare arms like he's an agitated cat. Sasuke crosses his arms, unconcerned.
"You've plenty of other rooms —"
"I will stay with my companion. In the stables." And just because he's feeling smug, Sasuke smirks. "Or not."
Kiba pushes his right leg back, looking on the verge of lunging; his dog barks and snaps him out of his fury, however, and Kiba bites down on the corner of his mouth. The people in the stables turn away, falling back into work, understanding their stables will be housing a giant serpent and the infamous Snake Mage if they like it or not. With a stiff bow to the Empress, Kiba goes back with his dog.
"Mmh," Hinata hums, unhappy.
Kō shakes his head and speaks slowly. "He will get over it."
They go around, to the lifted bark that holds hay and bags of horse food and countless amounts of tools that Sasuke wouldn't even know how to use if asked. Aoda, big, must coil to fit his entire body inside, but it homes him. A few horses come over from their stables to have a curious gander. More from the pasture trot by to investigate.
Sasuke stands where his parents' dining room used to be, and he thinks this will do.
Hinata peeks in from the large, rusty doors. It is strange to see her dignified, white dress amongst hay and dirt, but she doesn't seem all too bothered as she rubs a patch of Aoda's scales. Her eyes eventually turn onto Sasuke, firm, almost in a way his mother used to get when she'd catch him sneaking out when he wasn't supposed to.
She lifts her right hand to gesture at the horses, then sweeps it towards him. Her frown is challenging, and she does the gesture again.
Sasuke, naturally, doesn't know at all what she's getting at.
Thankfully, Kō does, and he laughs behind her.
"She's telling you that you are not a horse," he says, smile intrigued, almost whimsical. "Do not let them treat you as one."
Cute, but not something she'll have to worry about. No stable boy will live the day where he thinks he can treat the Snake Mage like a horse. Sasuke brings Caduceus out, tapping one of the snake heads. I'm no horse. But this, too, earns a frown from the Empress as she shakes her head, some midnight hair falling from her perfect, intricate updo.
She taps his hand, as if to say 'Snakes do not have these', and he scoffs, amused.
"Alright," he says, "you win."
Kō lightly touches her elbow, motioning for them to make their leave. She's the Empress, after all. She probably has thousands of things to do, cursed or not. Hinata takes a few steps back, the hem of her skirt dirty, with straw stuck to the heels of her shoes. She's lined in sunlight, but her eyes are like moons overlooking the barn for a final time.
And, for whatever reason Sasuke cannot understand, she looks sad.
She looks as if she's sent an old friend to prison.
But this isn't prison, and he is far from being an old friend.