"Are you sure you want to send this?" Shine sighed while holding a folded letter.
Mike eagerly nodded while admiring his brother's determination to keep him happy.
"Is this how you intend to fight our father?" "And mother." Mike added to Tair's question.
The twins turned their heads to each other before facing back to the letter. Shine finally gave in and attached the letter to a bird before sending it flying.
"I heard that Prince Cassiel plans to visit you personally." Shine scoffed while crossing his arms. "Why was he blindfolded in your room anyway!!"
"I did it! So he wouldn't see my room!" Mike explained immediately.
"SO HE HAD TO BE ON TOP OF YOU FEELING YOU UP!?" The unicorn lashed out, his horn glowing immediately.
"NO!" Mike quickly waved his arms around to calm him down. "I just wanted to know what pheromones smell like."
Tair chuckled to himself while Shine shook his head in disbelief.
"I heard that Prince Zikan is coming today too." Tair stretched his wings for a second before using them as a cloak once more.
His twin almost exploded at the revelation while prince Kioshi moved to hide behind Tair.
"Why did you only tell us now?" Mike asked from behind the man's back.
"Because he wasn't here earlier, he arrived a few minutes ago. Father is looking for you."
Mike shook his head and Shine dropped his head in frustration, his horn dimming.
"I'll try hiding." Mike smiled.
"Hurtful." A low grumble came from the garden's entrance.
Great, the third person who I can't look in the eyes!
All three men turned their heads towards the source of comment. Their eyes landed on the demon Prince Zikan.
"As much as I wish to excuse myself, I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer." He approached down the stairs while the twins reluctantly took a step aside once seeing their father follow close by with a glare.
"Prince Zikan! My condolences!" Mike smiled.
"Oh?" The demonic man tilted his head.
"I should've whispered my comment." Mike added before covering his lips with his hand.
"What lured you here!" He asked with a chuckle, unable to contain it.
"Since I knew Prince Cassiel was making his way to you personally I got curious as to why.. I got tempted by the same honey he did." The Prince immediately confessed with a knowing smirk.
I don't buy it! It's because I saw you at that camp isn't it.
"Yes it is." Prince Zikan answered, taking Mike aback.
"Not a mind reader, simply understanding of your expression."
Prince Kioshi's expression suddenly distorted in a clearly displeased demeanor. The brothers beside him opened their mouths slightly in surprise, their brother never truly seemed upset.
"No." Mike raised his hand and turned away. "I dislike men who read me like that, I'm tired of it!"
Truth be told, he hated it when it was anyone but them. His head felt dizzy when trying to remember who they were, yet whenever he got read those two never pushed it. Compared to others who always assumed how he felt, they instead used it to give him the space he needed.
"If you could give me a chance, I could retry." The man earnestly asked but Mike suddenly felt his eyebrow twitch.
That's what they all said… Am I that readable…
His hand unconsciously rose to his face, his gaze unfocused when shine suddenly shot a daring blast sending the demon a step back.
He neither dodged nor fell back, he simply let the blast push him away.
Tair's face paled as he quickly swished to his brother and tackled him down.
"SHINE! COME UP HERE!" His father yelled from above his face red in anger.
The man's bare chest barely had a bruise if any mark at all. Shine bit his lower lip and pushed Tair aside but Prince Kioshi raised his head as if recalling something.
"Stay." He demanded while staring his father down. "He's uninjured."
"Such reckless behaviour may leave this man unbothered, BUT THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID ABOUT PRINCE CASSIEL!!" The centaur roared while Prince Zikan merely narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
Of course the news of Shine destroying the water prince's portable body would reach their parents. There were only so many times they could avoid punishment.
"Leave it… He's right.." Shine submitted as he approached the staircase but Tair quickly flew to grab onto him. "Brother!!"
"TAIR!!!"
His father wasn't gonna stand idly by, he made his way down but Mike suddenly created a weak line of flame between the four men and their father.
"What are you.."
"this is the line." Prince Kioshi pointed.
"If either of you cross it, then that will inform me of both of your current positions."
Did it make sense? Kinda, but…
—
"Let go of me!" Mike yelled while pushing off a few men. "I'm just here for friends!"
"Maybe next time don't interfere with other people's business!" A delinquent laughed when suddenly he got kicked off by an unmatchable force.
"Yo." A smaller boy waved while a much taller one was leg raised towering over Mike.
"WHO DO-.." One was about to lash out but another man shushed him and pulled him back.
"Is there a problem?" The smaller one asked while taking a sip out of his blurry cup.
"Just a little… Inconvenience." The taller one smirked past the blur while Mike quickly got up to stand beside him.
"You see the crosswalk line?" The taller one pointed out.
Mike quickly took note of that little insignificant line of white, more focused on what either of them had to say.
"If they cross it, then let your hands cross their face." He explained while another on the opposite side glared. "You think I'm scared!"
"I hope you aren't." The larger man laughed when suddenly one man ran past the line only to get a massive kick across the face that threw out a tooth.
"This is a line I set, you better keep it. I don't like being crossed."
Mike's eyes were glowing at the amazing man before him.
I wanna be just as strong as him, if not stronger.
—
This is where I draw the line, is that how it works?
He wasn't sure, the memory was still a daze but he felt the need to live up to it anyway.
To be as amazing as them. To be as smart as them.
No time had passed but his father stood in his tracks anyway. His wife warned him not to push Prince Kioshi too much but to have himself be humiliated like that in front of a guest!!
"Shine.." The centaur was about to speak but Mike cut off. "Pick your side, Shine."
—
"Pick your side, Mike."
—
Shine took a step back not letting himself past that weak line of flame. Tair sighed in relief and made sure to spread his wings to cover Shine up.
Their father took a deep breath and took a step back, he had to obey his wife. To not lose face.
"You saw me, did you tell anyone?" Zikan whispered down Mike's ear while everyone was distracted.
"I forgot to." Mike whispered back.
"Can this humble demon convince you not to?"
"I can see myself swaying." Mike nodded depending on the offer. Their whispering did not go unnoticed and Prince Zikan quickly leaned back up and moved to the old Centaurs side.
The fire easily extinguished beneath his boots. "I hope I did not cross any line?"
"You were never on either side anyway." Mike reassured and Zikan suddenly let out a toothy grin, revealing sharp rows of teeth.
"I wish to see you later, I hope you'll be more excited for my company by then." He suggested with a tooth lick before bowing to the old man.
"Let us depart then, don't mind the feral bunch, they have always been a problem." The centaur apologised with a bow before escorting the man back.
Tair flinched at the word problem while Shine's horn was ready to fire another shot.
Prince Kioshi gently placed his hands onto his brother's shoulders with a reassuring smile.
"A problem is often connected to a root is it not?" He smiles sweetly.
"And they are the root of all problems.." The twins chanted in unison with a dangerous tune.
"We'll destroy the root." Mike smiled with a wave while he made his way up the stairs.
"Are you following them?" Tair flew after him while Shine had to climb the stairs.
"I wanna clean my room, I made a promise."
Tair squeaked for a second and flew back down to his twin to walk on the steps with him.
Mike took one final look back before he focused on making his way to his room. In front of his door were a few things set up, a few boxes and a pouch.
I'm gonna sort them, then clean them.
Approving of his own plan he made his way inside and began picking up the broken shards and filling them into the pouch one by one.
Since there was no one there to question his odd behaviour his mind drifted off as he quietly put papers into one box, shards into another, clothes into a basket. And anything unknown simply in one box or more.
The shards in his pouch were an entirely different plan.
A knock snapped him out of his daydream.
"Yes?" He turned around and a familiar elf opened the door back up. "I believe this may be something of interest to you."
"What is it?" He put everything down while the knight approached with a paper.
"A wanted poster, since he was found near our area I wish for you to be extra careful."
Mike took the poster curiously when suddenly his breathing turned erratic.
The man on the poster was drawn like an art work, but that meant nothing to the prince, no, to the man. His eyes, his posture.
The look in his eyes, it.. It was the same as 'his'. The way he leaned on his palm head resting. Although his eyes were staring off into the distance Mike could feel them bore into his soul nonetheless.
A thief. A thief. A thief.
Mikel?
Mike stumbled back ass first into the mess behind him, his breathing suffocating in his throat as if attempting to make him forget.
A name he couldn't call out yet kept repeating in his head mercilessly.
"YOUR MAJESTY!" The elf reached to grab him. "Please calm down!!!" He held the prince for as long as he could, struggling to help him breathe.
The prince's eyes were lost in his own world once more. An expression he's recently started wearing more and more.
"I can take back the poster-"
"DON'T TAKE HIM!!" Mike tackled the knight crinkling the poster between his fists impossible to pry out.
Uneven breaths, a dishevelled look, and eyes filled with a fear the man's never seen before.
"I won't take him! Please, breathe!" He held onto the young prince's chest, his heart was pounding like crazy.
Seeing the prince not calm down by himself the knight grabbed him and yelled for a servant to carry him to a more suitable person for such an outburst.