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Chapter Text

When Touya was informed of his engagement to a member of the court of some small neighboring kingdom he couldn’t remember the name of, it felt like a slap to the face.

Logically, Touya knew that he would have never been allowed to marry for love. As the eldest son of the King, he was expected to marry well, so he’d always been aware that he’d be married off to whoever would bring their dynasty more influence, and would just have to hope that the emotions developed somewhere down the line. Yet being betrothed to a court member of some backwater country clearly stated where he stood with his father.

He hadn’t explicitly been removed from the line of succession, that would’ve been a shattering scandal, but the marriage definitely illustrated that he was no longer favored as his father’s first choice to inherit the crown. He would’ve been given to some court lady from an influential noble family, if that were the case, or the princess of a larger kingdom across the sea.

But no.

His situation found him ushered into his bedchambers with his new spouse beside him, the door swinging shut with a thud of finality behind them. Touya glanced at his consort.

A male harpy.

His father hadn’t even looked surprised at the short ceremony, so the situation stung even more for Touya.

His husband (the word felt bitter in Touya’s mind) glanced at him as well and caught his eye. After a moment, the harpy turned away and began loosening the silk ribbons that kept his ceremonial robes closed.

“What is your preference for this?” he asked quietly, the first Touya had heard the other speak. He had a barely noticeable accent, which caused his words to lilt ever so slightly.

He shrugged the robe off his arms, and Touya’s eyes were drawn to the soft, rippling movement of the muscles of his back as he lifted the fabric away, two slits underneath his wings that Touya hadn’t noticed earlier allowing him to remove it easily. Bright red tail feathers were revealed as it fell away, but Touya set aside the discovery to think about in the morning. As the other’s hands moved to untie the cord that held his loose silk pants up, Touya finally reached out and grabbed his wrist. The harpy froze under his grip, eyes snapping up to meet Touya’s.

Touya finally saw his spouse’s face up close, noting his slitted pupils and that the markings around his eyes were far more natural than the kohl he had initially suspected.

“I don’t even know your name, I’m not going to lay with you.” The harpy looked up at him with surprise. Touya cocked a brow. “Did you really think I would just plough you through the mattress before we’d even had so much as a conversation?”

His husband’s face flushed at his vulgar words, and he jerked his wrist out of Touya’s grip. His wings flared slightly in agitation, and Touya allowed himself a moment to admire their broad arc before they settled tight against the other’s back. “You may call me Hawks, then,” the harpy said stiffly.

Touya hummed in acknowledgment, taking a few strides to sit on the edge of his bed. “What exactly do you want from this marriage?” he asked simply. Hawks cocked his head to the side and rested a hand on his hip, red wings settling in a less tense position than before.

“What do you require of me in this marriage?” Hawks shot back in kind. “Since you seem uninterested in me simply being an exotic creature to warm your bed.”

Touya ‘tsk’d, narrowing his eyes at the bratty remark. He’d never expected much out of marriage, but an attitude like that wasn’t something he was interested in. “A son would usually be our first expectation,” he said, “but seeing as you can’t provide-”

“I can.”

Touya paused, and after the initial irritation of being cut off faded, he processed Hawks’ words. The harpy took his silence as cue to elaborate, kicking aside the discarded robe with one of his clawed, bird-like feet as he moved to sit on Touya’s bed as well, just out of arm’s reach.

“In the spring.” It was late autumn. “It’s a very limited time frame, but my body is capable of producing an heir.” Hawks spoke clinically, in a detached sort of voice as he gazed blankly at the wall on the other side of the room. He looked at Touya. “My body has an estrus cycle, around the last week of April. I would be able to conceive then.”

Touya combed his eyes along Hawks’ figure and the tense posture with which he held himself, even as he tried to project confidence. He waved a hand dismissively. “I’m no longer to receive the crown, so it’s of little concern.”

Hawks seemed to relax minutely at his words. He didn’t question what Touya meant when he brought up the matter of succession, but his eyes sharpened in understanding.

So there was a brain underneath the pretty face. Touya could work with that.

“For now,” Touya said after a few moments, “I’ll mostly keep you as an advisor and confidant.” Hawks nodded. As a foreigner in the court, Touya was his one solid connection, and with marriage, their fates were intertwined. He seemed to understand it was in his best interests to help Touya be as successful as possible.

Touya briefly rose to slip out of his own ceremonial robe, leaving the silk puddled on the floor next to Hawks’. He paused, considering changing into sleep clothes, but decided he could live with the loose pants he wore under his robe for a night, considering he had company. Touya could already feel Hawks’ eyes lingering on the agitated burns and old scars littering his torso. Best not to reveal any more.

He stepped around to sit on the other side of the bed, bending over to remove his boots when Hawks spoke with another question. “If not tonight, is there another time you’re expecting us to consummate?”

Touya paused before he finished removing his boots. He sat up and looked over his shoulder at Hawks. The harpy had rearranged himself, fully leaning against the headboard with his knees drawn close to his chest, gazing at Touya critically, as if his answer were of vital importance.

Touya had little knowledge of the other’s culture, but he supposed it was, regardless.

“No,” he answered simply after a few moments, looking away from Hawks’ golden eyes to lift the covers of his bed and slip underneath. “I have no interest in lying with you for nothing other than politics. Additionally, if our marriage goes unconsummated, it will be easier for us to separate when my father dies.” Touya glanced at Hawks again, who had tilted his head at him. “I assume you have your own aspirations that don’t involve me.”

Hawks didn’t answer, but it was easy enough for Touya to imagine the response would be yes.

It was another few moments before Hawks spoke again. “And if they ask questions?” Dabi leaned against the headboard, keeping his eyes on Hawks. “You know as well as I do that they’re listening outside that door. Your reputation could be ruined if rumors start circulating about the state of our union so soon.”

“Not concerned for your own?”

Hawks shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. “People here barely have the vaguest idea of who I am. You don’t even know who I am.” Touya scowled at the reminder, but Hawks kept talking. “They don’t have a basis for me, so if rumors start so soon, that’s what I’ll be known as. A lackluster concubine to a disavowed prince. Whether or not you’re to take the throne, this will hurt both of us.”

Touya growled in the back of his throat, earning a raised brow from the harpy. He shifted to kneel in front of Hawks, who gave him a leveled stare. Touya pushed apart Hawks’ knees in order to lean closer to him, hand reaching out to grasp his jaw. The other made no move to push Touya away, but he noted Hawks’ fists clenched in the corner of his vision. Hawks narrowed his eyes at him, almost dangerously.

After a few moments, Touya pushed Hawks’ head back and let go, hand drifting down to settle on Hawks’ shoulder. “Tilt your head back, pretty bird.”

Hawks’ wings twitched, but he obliged Touya’s demand, though it didn’t escape him how he did so in a way that he could keep Touya in his peripheral. Touya flicked his eyes up to look at Hawks for a brief moment before he leaned forward and set his mouth on the harpy’s neck, just below his jaw, and sucked a harsh mark into the skin.

Hawks’ breath hitched and Touya could feel him jerk in surprise. After a few moments, in which Hawks was impossibly tense and still beneath him, Touya switched to the other side of his neck and repeated the process twice more there.

He pulled away and looked at Hawks, who stared evenly back at him, even through the flush on his blank face. Combined with the red marks on his neck and his shaky but careful breathing, Hawks looked wrecked in the most detached way possible.

He wrinkled his nose slightly at the sight.

Touya moved fully away from Hawks and back to the other side of the bed, leaning over to the candle on his bedside table as he spoke. “That should prevent any questions.” He blew the candle out, bathing the room in darkness, and laid down on his side, finally closing his eyes to sleep.

A few minutes later, Touya heard the soft rustling of sheets and the cover pull taut over him as a second body slid underneath beside him. He jerked as he felt something press against his back, feeling blue flames flicker over his fingers reactively before he recognized the sensation as feathers. It was just Hawks.

The harpy shifted a bit, but soon settled beside him, breathing evening out as he fell asleep, and Touya followed not long after.

The next morning, Touya was up before Hawks awoke, and left his bedchambers with a word to a servant to guide Hawks to his own apartments when he awoke.

“Soooooooo…”

Touya looked up from his book and sighed. Apparently, he couldn’t find peace even in the library. Natsuo slid into the chair on the other side of the table, and wiggled his eyebrows at him. Touya leveled his little brother with a flat stare. “What do you want, Natsuo.”

“How’s married life going?” Natsuo asked, propping his head up on his hands with a too innocent smile, the smug little shit. Touya narrowed his eyes.

“Fine,” he answered rigidly, returning his gaze to his book in clear dismissal.

“Just fine?” Unfortunately, Natsuo couldn’t take a hint. Touya’s grip on his book tightened in agitation. “Seriously, you left some marks on him, the servants are all gossiping about it-”

“And the servants should mind their place,” Touya hissed, slamming the book shut as he stood up sharply. “As should nosy little brothers.” He turned on his heel and strode stiffly out of the library, but was only afforded a few moments of peace before Natsuo’s footsteps caught up to him in the hall.

“Touya, is something wrong?” Natsuo asked, keeping his voice soft, looking over at him in clear worry. Touya ground his teeth, but glanced quickly around them, and once he was sure the coast was clear, grabbed Natsuo’s shirt and dragged him into a small alcove in the hall.

“I am going to explain this once, and then I never want to hear about it again, clear?”

Natsuo appraised him for a moment but slowly nodded.

Touya sighed, shoulders slumping. “Nothing happened between Hawks and I. The state of his neck is simply to keep rumors from spreading about our marriage, which is something neither of us can afford right now. Hawks will be staying in his own apartments from now on, as neither of us are particularly enthused about this. Understand?”

“What do you mean you can’t afford rumors right now?” Natsuo asked, tilting his head in confusion. “You’re fairly well-liked, and the crown prince-”

“In name,” Touya interrupted. Natsuo shut his mouth. “I’m the crown prince in name only, now. You really think father would marry me off to a random member of the court from some small seaside kingdom if he intended for me to take the throne? Larger kingdoms to the West have been offering marriage alliances for a while.”

Natsuo’s eyes sparked in understanding. “I won’t say anything,” he said solemnly, in a low voice. Touya appreciated the discretion but sighed nonetheless. He exited the alcove and continued walking down the hall, Natsuo falling into step next to him.

“It’s most likely that father intends for Shouto to take the throne.”

Natsuo sucked in a breath. “He’s barely ten-”

“And I’m barely of age to marry, yet look at me now,” Touya drawled sarcastically. “We might be able to arrange a reagent for him if it comes to it, but I’d prefer to figure out an alternative solution before the kingdom falls on his shoulders.”

Shouto took to politics well, yet it was clear to both Touya and Natsuo, as well as Fuyumi, that he held no love for them, and didn’t seem inclined to develop any anytime soon.

“He could resign, if he didn’t want it-”

“Then Fuyumi would be stuck with the kingdom, and I don’t think she would be any more thrilled about it. Neither of us could take the throne since father would need to remove both of us from the line of succession for Shouto.”

There was a brief silence before Natsuo responded. “You don’t have to take this all on your own, Touya,” he said softly. Touya risked a glance at his brother, only to find the fourteen-year-old staring at him with those puppy eyes he never grew out of. He redirected his gaze to the hall ahead of them, eyes honing in on a spot of red at the next corner, and he felt an idea blossom in his mind.

“Not on my own, no,” he said, and Natsuo gave him a strange look as a slight smirk spread across his face. “I have a consort now, don’t I?” Natsuo tilted his head in confusion, squinting at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Touya cut over him. “Hawks,” he called, and the harpy’s head shot up, twisting over his shoulder with his wings dipping to look at them. He turned to face them fully as he realized who was approaching, tail feathers fanning slightly.

Touya noted that he looked significantly more comfortable than when he had been wearing robes the previous day, having donned a loose shirt that was tailored to fit his wings, the marks on his neck clearly visible, and fitted breeches that were held up with a red sash. He still wore no shoes.

“My prince,” he greeted, giving him a short bow. His eyes trained onto Natsuo next to him, and he gave another quick bow as he again said, “My prince.”

“This is my younger brother, Natsuo,” he said, and Natsuo blinked but inclined his head politely. “Natsuo, this is my husband, Hawks.” Hawks returned the slight nod of his head. Satisfied that introductions were complete, Touya focused his attention on Hawks. “If you’d like to go for a stroll in the gardens with me…?” he trailed off invitingly, holding his arm out for the harpy.

Touya could feel Natsuo’s confused stare on him, and even Hawks looked at him suspiciously but sighed and looped his arm through Touya’s nonetheless. “I suppose,” he said shortly.

Touya gave Natsuo a clear glare of ‘get lost,’ causing his brother to roll his eyes petulantly but depart with a pleasant 'farewell,’ nonetheless.

As Touya and Hawks walked down the hall, the only sound to be heard was the soft clicking of Hawks’ talons against the floor. The usual nobles and servants that would be bustling along the halls were most likely in court or preparing lunch, respectively. Touya appreciated the rare chance for some semblance of privacy.

“You wanted to talk to me,” Hawks said quietly. “Why?”

“Mm, I’ll get there,” Touya said nonchalantly as he led the harpy out to one of the larger gardens, one that extended to the forest at the edge of castle ground. Hawks huffed in annoyance beside him, but held his tongue. “How are you settling in?”

Hawks shot him another suspicious glance. “Well enough. The castle is large, though. I’m not sure I’ll be able to find my way back to my apartments after this.”

“They’re in the same hall as mine, I can show you back,” Touya offered amicably. “Is there anything that would make your transition more comfortable? I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that the household has more money than my father knows what to do with,” he said, gesturing behind them at the extravagant palace, with marble cladding from the south of the kingdom.

Hawks hummed neutrally. “Something to spend my time with would be appreciated. I’m not familiar with the common pastimes, here.”

“We have an extensive library, if reading catches your interest.” Hawks made an intrigued noise, so Touya made a note to show him the library on the way back to their apartments, but no further comment, so he kept speaking. “Archery range, training fields, horse stables, most anything you can think of. However, I have something a little more trying of the mind that might interest you.”

They were well into the gardens, and anybody trying to eavesdrop would be easily visible, so Touya felt safe enough to begin dropping pretenses. Hawks looked at him out of the corner of his eyes - a sharp, predatory glance. Touya suppressed a smirk. The pretty bird caught on quick.

“Oh?” Hawks said, light tone not quite matching his piercing stare. “How so?”

“What would you say the current line of succession is?” Touya asked instead of answering, choosing to instead appraise Hawks’ knowledge and intuition before further cluing him in on his thoughts.

“Prince Shouto is favored to take the throne,” Hawks said almost immediately. “Natsuo is barely talked about, your father is too traditionalist to pass it to Fuyumi, and you’ve been married to some court member of a country whose name you don’t even remember.” It wasn’t said in an accusatory tone, but Touya tensed nonetheless at the statement. “Your father is most likely just waiting a little longer to announce the change, but anybody with half a brain can see you’ve fallen out of favor.”

Touya scowled and clenched his teeth. Hawks raised an unimpressed brow at him.

“You’re too emotional about this,” he commented off-handedly.

“And you’re too detached,” Touya fired back.

Hawks gave him a strange look, but shrugged. “Perhaps. But you had a point you were getting at?”

Touya pinched his lips, but carefully schooled his expression and continued talking, the edge of the forest closer than the castle. “Shouto’s too young to inherit the throne, and all of us suspect he doesn’t want to.”

“Who’s the ‘us’ here?”

“My siblings.”

“Ah.”

“I want to ensure that the crown goes to me and not any of them. They don’t hold any desire to rule, and I don’t wish to see them miserable.”

“So do you want the crown?” Hawks asked neutrally, taloned toe flicking a pebble down the path. Touya watched it bounce and roll away, considering his answer.

“Not particularly,” Touya said after a few moments of silence, Hawks occupying the time by sweeping his eyes around the garden, sharp gaze absorbing all the details. “But I’ve spent more time preparing than the rest of them, and they don’t need any of the stress that would come with ruling the kingdom. And do you think the court would respect Fuyumi as Queen, or listen to Natsuo’s word as an adolescent, much less Shouto’s? Natsuo and Shouto can be easily manipulated at their age, and Fuyumi would have to fight to get any of them to even listen to her.”

Hawks hummed. “So you want to secure your place as crown prince.”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Touya chuckled humorlessly. “That’s the question, isn’t it?”

“And what do you want me to do about this? Why tell me to begin with?”

“Because you’re stuck with me, pretty bird,” Touya remarked smugly, twisting his hand to interlace his fingers with Hawks’, so that they were holding hands instead of Touya simply guiding the harpy around on his arm. Hawks glanced at their entwined fingers and then back up at Touya, an unamused look on his face. Touya smirked. “If something happens to me in order to secure succession for Shouto, my father would likely send you to a convent or marry you off to some lesser noble to keep any objections you have quiet. I wouldn’t put execution past him either, he’s killed for less. It’s in your best interest to make sure I take the throne.”

“You really know how to sweet talk me, don’t you,” Hawks said blandly.

“I look forward to working with you, lovebird,” Touya responded, amused even as Hawks scoffed derisively at him. The harpy’s eyes kept scanning the gardens, even glancing back over his shoulder to look further at flora they had already walked past, even as they approached the edge of the forest.

“So do you even have an inkling of an idea of how we’re going to secure the throne?” Hawks asked after a few moments, breaking his observation of the gardens for a few scant seconds to look at Touya.

“Given the short notice, the best I can think of is to curry favor with the court so that my father will have strong opposition if he tries to remove me as crown prince.”

“Has your father yielded to the court’s opposition before?” Touya pinched his lips, and Hawks sighed as he returned to staring at the scenery around them as they stepped off the cobbled pathway of the garden and headed towards the forest, which was the highest chance of privacy they would get. “It’s as good an idea as any, I suppose, until we can figure out something else. How much time do we have?”

“The court will soon adjourn for the winter months,” Touya began. “Only the nobles that live close to the Imperial Palace will be easily accessible for us, but many of them have clear and established allegiance to my father, considering their proximity.”

“So we likely only have until the spring to curry enough favor to secure your place, and most of our prospective support will need to be gathered by correspondence during the winter months,” Hawks stated flatly. He traced his fingers along a leaf of a lower hanging branch as they entered the woods, causing it to fall and join the rest of the red and orange that coated the ground.

The leaves crunched beneath their feet, and Hawks glanced down at them for a second, cocking his head. Touya was beginning to find it amusing to watch the harpy’s more bird-like mannerisms, sparing a thought to whether or not he might be able to chirp.

“My father has reigned for over twenty years,” Touya muttered softly. “He has a whole host of military achievements to his name, but little has been accomplished in the way of pushing the kingdom forward.”

“Are you going for the reform angle, then?” Hawks asked, inclining his head with vague interest.

“There is a small movement within the court-”

Suddenly, the pupils of Hawks’ eyes became thin slits and his head jerked to look over his shoulder. Before Touya could even think to ask what he saw, Hawks shoved him to the ground, where he landed roughly and barely caught sight of Hawks spinning around and grabbing something, wings flaring dangerously as a sickening crack sounded through the trees.

Touya laid there, sprawled messily on the ground and not moving out of shock, unable to see what had happened through the bright red feathers that blocked his view, though he could see Hawks’ shoulders rising and falling sharply with quick breaths.

After a few tense moments, in which the only sound was of Hawks’ ragged breaths, Touya saw a hand fall back down to the harpy’s side, clenching and unclenching repeatedly for several seconds before his wings folded and tucked close to his back again.

Hawks looked over his shoulder at Touya, who still hadn’t moved, with the same dangerous look of a predator in his slitted eyes that had appeared less than a minute prior.

“Your father seems to have come up with a different way of removing you from succession than disinheritance,” Hawks said simply, turning to face Touya as he tossed something at his feet.

It took Touya’s adrenaline-addled mind several moments to recognize it as a body. A very still, very lifeless body, with its neck twisted at an odd angle. He scrambled back as soon as it registered in his head that there was a dead body in front of him, moving away until he pressed himself against a tree. His breathing picked up as he looked between the body and Hawks, who was standing still just a few meters away from him, as he realized that Hawks had killed the man in front of him.

“Squeamish?” Hawks asked lightly, crouching down as he began rifling through the man’s clothes, pulling trinkets and papers out of his pockets. “Or have you not seen a body before?” He glanced up at Touya with something that could almost be called sympathy crossing his face as he took in Touya’s rattled state.

Touya hadn’t seen a body before. He’d grown up in the relative comfort of the Imperial Palace, and for all the harsh treatment of his father’s iron fist, he’d never before seen someone dead in front of him. It was significantly less peaceful than the paintings of his ancestors and saints in the halls of the palace had depicted.

The man was simply sprawled there like a rag doll, neck twisted at a horrific, unnatural angle. His eyes were glazed over, and his simple tunic and trousers brought no thought of the impossibly white togas of paintings. There was no angel coming to collect him for the afterlife, only Hawks rummaging through his pockets.

He opened and closed his mouth several times before he managed to get his voice to work. “You killed him,” he said shakily, words coming out far weaker than he would’ve liked.

Hawks’ hands paused for a brief moment before he continued his work. “It was you or him,” he responded matter-of-factly.

“What?” Touya was struggling to understand what had just transpired within the last two minutes, mind reeling from the sudden change of atmosphere and the fact that he’d just watched his consort murder someone.

“Your father, the king,” Hawks said, articulating his words slowly, in an almost mocking manner that would’ve had Touya bristling had he been in a less shocked state of mind. “High Emperor, Protector of the Realm, etcetera etcetera, sent someone to assassinate you. Either I let him or I kill him.”

“You didn’t have to kill him! We could’ve-”

“Kept him alive?” Hawks asked, looking at him flatly. “What, so he could go report back to your father? Try to kill you again? I doubt you have a secret dungeon somewhere so we could’ve held him safely until we secured your ascension.” He picked up an odd, three-pointed dagger from the ground. “They were trying to pin it on me, as well, most likely,” he said, examining the tool consideringly. “Make it look like I tore you apart with my talons.”

Hawks’ eyes seemed to spark as he realized something, and quickly collected the scraps of paper and trinkets into his own pockets, standing up and spreading his wings. Touya’s eyes caught on the full extension of the feathered limbs, silhouetted against the harsh light of the midday sun. He brought his wings down harshly, the sudden force of wind sending leaves flying away from the small clearing.

A few of the dried leaves caught in Touya’s lap, but he made no move to clear them, still in a state of shock.

“My prince,” Hawks said, somewhat snapping Touya out of his reverie. “I need you to burn the body.” Touya made a confused noise. Hawks sighed and stepped over, crouching down to slip Touya’s arm over his shoulders, using it as leverage to lift him into a standing position. Hawks guided him a few shaky steps to where the body laid and looked at him expectantly. Again, it took Touya longer than it should have to realize what exactly Hawks wanted from him.

“You… want me to burn the body,” he said quietly. Old memories of priests explaining the importance of a grave as a proper memorial for one’s descendants to pay homage to their soul welled up in his mind.

“The ground’s too cold to bury him by now,” Hawks responded, not meeting Touya’s eye. “And if we take this to the castle guard, your father will inevitably hear of it, and neither of us will know how he’ll react to us having knowledge of his plans against you. We need to burn the body so nobody else finds it and reports it to the castle guard.”

Touya swallowed roughly and risked a glance at Hawks, who stared down at the limp body with steady eyes. He took a shaky breath before removing his arm from Hawks’ shoulder in order to crouch down next to the body, his consort taking a few steps back in anticipation of the coming wave of heat.

Touya reached out, flexing his hand hesitantly before setting it on the dead man’s chest. He took a moment to center himself and called upon the well of magic within him.

The body burst into blue flames, starting from Touya’s hand and quickly spreading outwards to engulf the entire corpse. The scent of burning flesh filled the air, and it made Touya more nauseous than a carriage ride through the city ever had.

He held his hand out to feed the flames for a few moments, to ensure that they lived long enough to consume the body whole, before pulling it back to his side, standing up and taking a few shaky steps back. He barely even noticed the waves of pain that accompanied new burns that were surely spreading across his hand and arm.

Touya stared at his flames for a moment longer and promptly threw up.

Touya barely remembered Hawks leading him back to his apartments, occasionally nudging him for directions that he gave with a jerk of his head, unwilling to speak through his burning throat. Hawks had quickly sent a servant who was staring wide-eyed at Touya to go prepare a bath, who ran off to do so with a little nod.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, Hawks kneeling in front of him, saying something that Touya wasn’t quite registering, the events of the previous half-hour finally catching up to his confused mind.

Hawks had killed somebody, and Touya helped him cover it up. His father was trying to murder him to remove him as crown prince.

Touya was suddenly brought back to reality by a sharp pinch on the back of his hand. He flinched with an insincere “Ow,” escaping his mouth. He looked down at Hawks, who was gazing at him with a worried crease in his brow.

“Have you heard anything I’ve said?” he asked.

Touya opened his mouth to respond that of course he’d been listening, but his voice died in his throat and he closed his mouth as he realized he couldn’t remember a word Hawks said.

His husband sighed. “You’re in shock,” he muttered. “The bath is ready. The warmth will do you some good.”

Touya nodded numbly, stumbling along behind Hawks as he tugged him towards the small private bath he had in his apartments, steam rolling out of the bathroom invitingly. Touya began to undress without much prompting, Hawks disappearing as he shed the clothes that he’d just burnt a body in.

The memory replayed again in Touya’s mind as he sank into the hot water of the bath, muscles relaxing slowly as the heat chased away the cold that’d settled in his bones after having been outside for so long. He lowered his arms into the bath, only to pull his left out with a hiss, the heat against his fresh burns causing them to pulse in agitated pain all over again.

He hung the arm over the lip of the tub, leaning his head back as he closed his eyes, but immediately reopened them as the paranoia of an assailant he couldn’t see began to sneak up on him, as the moment of Hawks pushing him out of the way played over and over on loop in his mind. He stared at the doorway, watching as Hawks returned with a basket in his arms, kicking Touya’s discarded clothes into a small, consolidated pile to the side.

He knelt down by the tub, and without saying a word to Touya or even so much as looking him in the eye, he gently took Touya’s hand in his own and began to dab something over the fresh burns that crawled their way up his forearm. Touya recognized the familiar sting as burn ointment, and reacted with nothing but a sharp breath at the initial application.

After a few minutes, Hawks gently cleaning and applying ointment to the burns, Touya broke the silence that lingered between them. “Did he suffer?”

He saw Hawks glance up at him curiously in his peripheral vision, but he answered in an equally soft tone nonetheless. “No. I snapped his neck, it was quick.” A few more moments passed between them before he continued. “You show a lot of sympathy for a man who just tried to kill you.”

“I suppose I’m naive like that,” Touya said with a detached sort of amusement, his voice burning from the remnants of acid in his throat.

Hawks said nothing to respond to Touya, simply finished applying the medicine to his arm and let go of his hand. A moment later, a cup was being pressed to Touya’s lips, and he drank the offered water without protest. Hawks set the cup down on the wooden floor with a soft clink once Touya finished, again leaning his head back against the edge of the bath.

“What are your intentions from now on?” Hawks asked after a minute of silence. He moved to kneel behind Touya, nudging him so he sat up straight in the bath.

“Well,” Touya said, almost blandly, feeling the ripples in the water as Hawks filled the water jug he had brought with him, “we have just murdered a man, so we can only go up from here.” He squeezed his eyes shut as water was poured over his head, lifting his right hand to wipe his wet bangs out of his eyes and stop a dribble of water down his left arm before it could muddle the ointment.

“I understand that you’re shaken,” Hawks said, beginning to comb through Touya’s hair with his fingers, pulling it away from hanging limply in his face, “but our timeline has been shortened drastically. If your father doesn’t intend to remove you through the court, then we no longer have the winter to secure your place. There’s already been one attempt on your life, we don’t know when the next will be.”

Right. He’d almost been killed, an hour ago. Touya was surprised by how detached he felt from the event.

“We’re not safe here,” Touya murmured, leaning his head back against the hands massaging his scalp. “We can’t stay through winter. It’s not too late for us to travel to one of the other royal households to stay for the colder months.”

“And how do you intend to move us safely?” Hawks asked skeptically, slowly pouring a colder bowl of rosemary water into Touya’s hair, working it into his roots. “So soon after your father’s assassin goes missing, we ask to spend the winter at some other palace?”

Touya hummed in acknowledgment. “How good are you at acting, pretty bird?” he asked as Hawks set the bowl aside.

“I like to consider myself proficient.”

“Well then, it shouldn’t be too difficult, actually.” Hawks made an interested sound from behind him, and Touya took it as his cue to continue. “We propose it from a honeymoon angle. We’re both young and attractive, newly married, presumably consummated.” Touya tilted his head back to look at Hawks, who was perched on the edge of the bath. He lifted his hand out of the water, reaching towards Hawks and running his fingers across the bruise underneath his jaw. “Enthusiastically consummated, at that.”

Hawks huffed in amusement, even as a soft pink tint covered his cheeks. Touya smirked at him, letting his arm fall back into the water. “We can’t sell suddenly being in love, so we’re just going to be obscene instead?”

“I’ve already mentioned that my father’s very traditional,” Touya said. “A few lingering eyes, hands straying a little further than what would be considered proper, a blush or two, and he’ll be racing to get us out of his sight.” Hawks’ hands tangled in his hair again as he began to rub in camellia oil. Touya sighed contentedly at the feeling. At least something nice had come out of having a spouse.

“So we make him uncomfortable enough that he’ll say yes so we’re at least out of his view?”

“Enough so that he decides our desire for a more secluded place to spend the winter to an enjoyable wedding night rather than a bid for time and space.” 

Hawks hummed. “It’s as solid a plan as any, I suppose.” Touya said nothing in response, having nothing of substance to return. A few minutes of silence passed between them as Hawks finished cleaning Touya’s hair and moved to apply a second layer of ointment on his arm. “Why is your father so intent on removing you from succession?”

Touya curled his hands into fists for a brief moment as he tensed before forcibly relaxing himself. Hawks gave him a curious glance.

“He only had children in order to carry on our lineage,” Touya began after collecting his thoughts. “As do most other monarchs. Love isn’t much part of the equation, as you can tell.” He laughed bitterly, but Hawks said nothing. “While I am a son that can carry on our family line, my father is also concerned about how his heir will reflect back on him.” Touya leaned against the back of the tub, watching Hawks treat his arm with mild interest. “He married my mother for her natural abilities. Her family has powerful ice magic, and she’s certainly no exception. He hoped that a child with her would offset the heat limitations of his own magic.” Touya gestured blankly down and himself, and Hawks’ eyes looked up from his work for a brief moment to scan Touya’s body, to take in the old and new scars that he had barely a few minutes to observe the night prior.

“Your body is weaker,” Hawks surmised, setting aside the cloth he had been using to apply the ointment and reaching for the linen bandages.

Touya grunted. “Backfired. My magic’s strong, but it burns me. My father doubts I’d be of much use leading armies on the battlefield. Fuyumi and Natsuo each have weakened magic due to the match.”

“And Shouto?”

“Ever seen him?” Hawks shook his head. “Perfect split, right down the middle. Half a head of red hair and half a head of white. He can use fire magic perfectly from one side and ice equally as well from the other.” Touya tore his eyes away from Hawks as he began wrapping the bandages around his arm. “Probably should have been able to see this coming. He already locked our mother away, not long after Shouto was born, when she grew too loud in her protests of how he trained Shouto and I.” A bitter smile split his face. “The heir and the spare. Barely even that anymore.”

“You are not the spare,” Hawks hissed. Touya blinked at him in mild shock, watching the harpy glare at his arm as if it had personally offended him. He clipped the end of the bandage in place to look up properly at Touya, the same dangerous look in his eye as had been there earlier when he killed Touya’s would-be assassin. The most life he’d seen in Hawks’ eyes. “You will not be tossed aside, not if I can help it.”

Touya and Hawks stared at each other for several moments before Touya responded. “Why do you care so much?” he asked, raising a brow at the harpy. “You’ve barely known me for eighteen hours, yet you’ve already murdered a man for me. I know I said your fate is uncertain if I’m killed,” and Touya thought back on how he’d almost said it as a joke, which he no longer found amusing, “but you have those wings.” He looked at the large and bright appendages on Hawks’ back pointedly. “You could easily fly away. So why do you care?”

“I was ward of the Queen, back in Shokken,” Hawks said, and Touya perked up at finally being reminded of where his consort came from. The small kingdom had only recently settled on Doryoku’s borders, having taken control of land there from some bandit tribes a little over ten years prior. “I was betrothed to you, and I saw it as my chance to get free. I hated it in that court.” Hawks fisted the fabric of his trousers in his hands, continuing to glare angrily at the floor. “If I was invited to someone’s bed to ‘sing a pretty birdsong’ one more time, I’m certain I would’ve lost it. I wasn’t taken in out of compassion, I was taken in as a rare, exotic luxury to show off at royal parties.”

“If you wished to escape the royal court, I’m probably the worst choice you could have made,” Touya remarked. Hawks glanced up at him, a spark of amusement in his eyes, a slight smirk beginning to replace the scowl on his face.

“Clearly. But you’re crown prince, and my ride to the top. Through you, I could influence reform for sentient creatures, and if you happened to be as interested in war as your father, perhaps crush and absorb Shokken somewhere along the way.”

Touya raised his brows. “I’m not particularly fond of war, but your passion is certainly moving.”

Hawks snorted and rolled his eyes, and Touya chuckled too, amused by Hawks being the most expressive he’d been since they met. “I was able to glean your distaste, considering your reaction, earlier,” Hawks said, smiling blithely. “I’m out of that court, but if you died I would be sent straight back, if your father didn’t sell me off as some pretty concubine for a lower lord first.” Hawks gave Touya a charming smile, one that was certainly fake, yet, Touya was forced to admit to himself, incredibly attractive. “Harpies as humanoid as me fetch a very nice price on the market. People like digging their hands into our wings.” The smile fell from Hawks’ face, and he shrugged. “I’m also young, pretty, and able to bear a child, so there’s a little extra to be made off of that, as well.”

“Even if you escaped, they’d hunt you right back down,” Touya guessed. Hawks nodded.

“Essentially. You are by far my best prospect in life, and I’m not about to let it go that easily.”

“Thank you for the compliment, I guess,” Touya muttered sarcastically.

Hawks rolled his eyes. “Don’t be like that. If nothing else, know that I am irrevocably on your side. I don’t have a family or a clan to go back to, and you already know my feelings about Shokken’s court. My allegiance is with you, now.”

“Allegiance?” Touya asked, raising a brow at Hawks. He propped his unburnt arm upon the side of the tub and leaned his head against it, giving the harpy a critical, appraising look. “That’s a very heavy word to use. Are you sure you didn’t run into the language barrier, somewhere in that sentence?”

“Do I need to be clearer?” Hawks asked, tilting his head. “I don’t do things in halves.”

Hawks stood up, taking several steps back. Crossing his feet and holding his right hand over his heart and his left arm out to the side in a delicate curve, he swept himself into a flawless bow. His wings arched high above him, crowding into the corners of the bathroom ceiling, and causing the candles to briefly flicker as they cast a slight breeze.

“On my wings and my soul, I swear.” Hawks looked up, slitted golden eyes staring straight into Touya’s. The steam in the room seemed to pool around the harpy’s feet, giving the scene a mystical feel. Touya’s breath caught in his throat as the next words left Hawks’ mouth.

“I swear my undying loyalty to you, my king.”

Touya walked down the hall with Hawks on his arm, mentally preparing himself for the ordeal that would be dinner. Hawks glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before redirecting his sights forward. Touya felt some of the tension drain out of his shoulders as a wing pressed comfortingly against his back.

“I was trained to an acceptable degree in combat, back in Shokken,” Hawks had said as he carefully fitted his feet into specialty boots to cradle and conceal the avian limbs, “and my hearing and sensory ability is far above yours.”

Touya had raised his brow at Hawks, watching the harpy quickly lace the boots up to his knees with practiced, deft movements. “So you’re offering to play lookout?”

“If nothing else, I can try and offer you protection,” Hawks answered, standing up and shifting his weight and scuffing his soles against the ground before he deemed the footwear acceptable. “Your life is arguably more important in this situation. If you die, I’m either sold or shipped back to Shokken. If I die, you still have a chance to secure your place.”

“I’d prefer my consort doesn’t die before the winter is out,” Touya remarked blandly. Hawks’ wings and head tilted together curiously as he tied his red sash around his waist. “You’re ambitious. I doubt something like my demise would stop you from clawing your way to the top.”

Hawks gave him a mysterious, coy little smile. “Well, if you’re here, I only have to do half the work. I prefer to be a little lazy, if I can.”

Touya had laughed and rolled his eyes, but stood up and offered Hawks his arm. “Shall we?”

And then Hawks plastered a portrait perfect smile across his face as he softly placed his hand in the crook of Touya’s elbow. “We shall.”

As the door to the dining hall approached, Touya stopped to take a deep breath.

“It’s fine,” Hawks said quietly, so soft that he almost missed his words. “I’ll snap his neck if he tries anything.”

Touya huffed in amusement, responding in an equally low tone. “Execution for treason still counts as dying, songbird.”

“It’s only treason if a guard sees it happen.”

Before Touya could even think to respond, they were entering the small dining hall, the last to arrive. He noted Natsuo giving them an appraising glance, while Fuyumi and Shouto looked on in interest. They hadn’t met Hawks yet, so their interest in the young harpy was justified, he supposed.

His father narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly at them, and it took all of Touya’s willpower to not smirk and laugh in his face that his plan had failed, and he was still stubbornly alive.

They paused a few steps from the table, where Touya bowed his head in deference towards the head of the table. “Father,” he greeted respectfully.

At his side, Hawks offered a bow, not removing his hand from Touya’s arm. Touya felt far too pleased to note that the bow offered to his father was far shallower than the one Hawks had presented him with earlier. “Your grace,” Hawks said in a soft, pleasant voice that was almost entirely different from the tone he had taken with Touya during their earlier conversations.

Formalities out of the way, they approached the table to take their seats. Touya noticed with an internal grimace that the chairs had full backs, and he could feel Hawks’ tail feathers twitch against his thigh at the sight. Without missing a beat, Touya stepped forward and pulled the chair out for Hawks at an angle, allowing him to hang the skirt of feathers off the side. Hawks flashed him a grateful smile as he guided the avian into his seat before Touya took his own, right next to the harpy.

“Touya,” Fuyumi greeted him with her signature pleasant smile, which Touya did his best to return without allowing the events of the day to show on his face. Given that her face didn’t fade into that soft frown she always gave him when he displayed concerning behavior, he assumed he was successful.

Shouto didn’t greet him with his usual enthusiastic smile, mismatched eyes fixed in subdued awe at the bright red wings that swelled above Hawks’ head, even when folded against his back. Touya was glad that Hawks had decided to wear a shirt with a higher collar to dinner, easily hiding the marks on his neck. Neither of them needed to worry about Shouto asking questions when they already had enough to deal with.

As usual, at almost every dinner with his family since their mother had been locked away, silence laid heavy at the table as the first course was brought out and laid in front of them. They, being Touya, his siblings, and Hawks, sat patiently with their hands in their laps until their father began his meal, at which point they picked up their own utensils and began to eat. Touya was so accustomed to silence reigning supreme at mealtimes that he almost flinched when Fuyumi began talking.

“How are you settling in, Hawks?” she asked pleasantly. “I’m Touya’s sister, Fuyumi.”

Hawks blinked and tilted his head at her, but adapted easily enough and quickly swallowed the food in his mouth in order to respond. “As well as can be expected, I suppose,” he said, a sweet undertone to his voice, smiling. Touya noted that his accent became slightly thicker. While still sounding fluent, the lilt of his words became heavier, almost musical, in a sense. “Your brother showed me around the gardens this afternoon, and it was wonderful to see that the Imperial Palace is every bit as grand and beautiful as they say.”

A bright smile appeared on Fuyumi’s face. She was always the more sociable one, so Touya supposed he couldn’t blame her for immediately latching onto her new relative who didn’t seem inclined to spend every meal brooding. “Did he show you the bushes of rindou in the center of the courtyard? They’ve always been his favorite.”

Touya hadn’t taken him to see the rindous, and he quietly hoped Hawks was as good at acting as he had claimed, earlier.

“Oh, yes!” Hawks said, clapping his hands together, a bright and pleased look on his face. “They were lovely. They grow so beautifully, and the roses surrounding them give such a pleasing contrast to the eye. He was very proud of them.”

Touya had to fight to keep any confusion from showing on his face, instead giving Hawks a loving smile, carefully keeping his eye on his father’s tight face in his peripheral vision. He hadn’t shown Hawks the courtyard, yet he described it rather well. However he knew the details of the gardens he hadn’t shown him, it certainly saved face with the way Fuyumi beamed.

“They are, aren’t they?” she said, laughing. “He used to give all of us cute little bouquets of them when we were younger, until the gardeners caught on and got him to stop.”

Touya sighed, covering his face with his hand. “Can we not talk about that?”

“No, no, go on,” Hawks said with a mischievous smirk. “I’m intrigued.”

Touya clicked his tongue and tugged harshly at a feather that fell too close to his face, but other than that offered no reprimand. Hawks’ wings shuddered and puffed slightly at the agitation, and he flexed them outwards slightly to settle them. Shouto breathed out an awed little sound at their movement.

“Are they real?” he asked, innocent sparks of wonder in his eyes. Touya smiled at him, content with the show of curiosity he hadn’t seen out of his brother in years. Hawks blinked and glanced at Touya, as if asking for confirmation that he should continue talking. Touya shrugged and tilted his head, and Hawks began to talk to Shouto. Touya kept careful watch of his father’s state, for no matter how good their story was, he needed to not be in an about-erupt mood in order for him to grant permission to leave the palace.

“My wings?” Hawks asked, flaring them slightly for show. Shouto nodded eagerly, and Hawks smiled, a little bit of pride on his face as he curled a wing around to run his fingers through his feathers. “Considering they’re a part of me, they’re as real as I am.”

“Can you fly?” Shouto asked, an eager face lighting up.

“I can.” Something that could almost be called a smirk passed over Hawks’ lips before his face schooled back into that neutral charming smile. “Quite fast, actually.”

“Can you take me flying?” The pitch of Shouto’s voice rose as his excitement did the same.

A displeased look crossed the king’s face, and Touya tensed, preparing himself to intervene before his father’s mood could worsen. Without looking at him, Hawks reached over and gripped his thigh underneath the table, and Touya stopped, watching Hawks carefully as he responded.

“The winds get rather harsh and cold in winter,” Hawks said, in an almost regretful tone. “It’d be dangerous for me to take another person, especially one not built for flying in this season. Perhaps ask me again in the spring or summer, and we’ll see what the king says then.”

Their father grunted rather noncommittally, and Touya felt himself relax. Hawks had diffused the situation. Shouto sighed in disappointment, but still nodded with some level of excitement. 

“Here,” Hawks said, running his fingers through his wing once more, a rather well-groomed feather falling away into his hand. He held it up for Shouto to see before he let go and blew on it. The feather floated gently across the table, spinning and bobbing, before it landed almost perfectly on top of Shouto’s head. Touya wondered if he’d practiced such a trick in the past to get it to float over so precisely. “Keep that to remind me, later.”

Shouto reached up and grabbed the feather almost reverently, holding it in front of his face with awe. He looked up at Hawks, nodding enthusiastically enough that Touya almost cracked a joke about his head flying off. Fuyumi smiled, reaching over and plucking the feather from Shouto’s grip to tuck it behind his ear.

Touya reached down and laid his hand over Hawks’, running his thumb over his knuckles, trying to indicate he’d calmed down. Instead of simply pulling his hand away, however, he simply turned his hand over to press his palm against Touya’s, interlacing their fingers. They held hands between their chairs, the angle of their arms making it clear that they were doing so. Shouto didn’t seem to notice, running his fingers over the feather happily, but both Fuyumi and Natsuo did, raising their eyebrows.

Their father huffed, almost transparent in his frustration, and Touya again suppressed a smirk, instead settling for a little smitten smile in Hawks’ direction.

That’s right, get angry. The pretty bird you tried to tie me down with will fly me to the top.

“So you and Touya are getting along, then?” Natsuo asked. Although the question was directed at Hawks, he stared at Touya with clear confusion in his eyes. Touya stared steadily back at him.

Trust me and stay quiet.

It was a look shared often enough between the siblings growing up, so Natsuo simply redirected his gaze to Hawks as he answered, instead of trying to push any further.

“I like to think that we are,” Hawks said neutrally. “We’ve reached an understanding with one another.”

“‘Understanding,’” Touya muttered softly under his breath, just quiet enough that it wouldn’t seem purposeful when the other occupants of the table were able to hear his words. Hawks flushed lightly, and whether it was genuine or not, it certainly seemed to communicate the image they were going for well enough

Fuyumi looked torn between trying to be happy for them and being scandalized, while their father simply tightened his grip on his utensils, fingers briefly turning white at the pressure.

Touya hid a smirk behind his hand for a brief moment before he managed to school his face. It was almost fun.

When dinner ended, and his siblings departed, Touya gave Hawks his hand as he stood up, more as a formality than any real need to help standing. “Go ahead without me,” he muttered into Hawks’ ear. “I’ll see if I can secure our permission.”

“And leave you here alone?” Hawks asked, eyes sharpening.

“If you insist on staying…” he trailed off, the implication hanging between them. Hawks didn’t look any happier about the situation, but nodded curtly nonetheless.

“I’ll wait outside,” he said, compromisingly. “If anything happens I’ll come for you.”

Touya nodded and kissed the back of Hawks’ hand before he began walking away, exiting the dining hall, leaving Touya alone with his father.

Touya took a deep breath to steady himself and turned to face his father, who was looking at him with a raised brow.

“Touya,” he said cordially.

“Father.”

“What do you want?” Alright, straight to the point then.

“I was hoping to stay the winter at the Kaihin Palace with Hawks, in the southern territories,” Touya said calmly. After a moment in silence in which his father didn’t respond, Touya took his cue to elaborate his reasons. “He’s not fond of the cold and finds the expansive layout here somewhat overwhelming. I thought it’d be best if we stayed somewhere at least a little warmer, to give him some more comfort as we get to know each other better.”

“‘Get to know each other better,’” his father repeated slowly, narrowing his eyes.

Touya kept a careful smile on his face. “If I’m to have him by my side for as long as our lives will allow it, then I’d wish to know at least a little bit about him. I found his company… enjoyable, shall we say.”

Something like disgust flashed across his father’s face, and Touya knew he’d hit the jackpot.

“Very well,” the king ground out. Touya bit his tongue to keep the victorious smile off his face. “You may send a messenger ahead to prepare the palace for your arrival. You’ll leave in five days - I will select an entourage to accompany you to the palace.”

There it was. The catch. His father wouldn’t let him out of his immediate reach without contingencies, after all. Touya didn't let his thoughts show on his face.

He bowed. “Thank you for your generosity.” He took several steps back before he rose out of his bow and turned to leave the hall, his father’s eyes boring into his back.

Hawks was leaning against the wall next to the entrance of the dining hall, giving him an unimpressed look as Touya shut the door behind him. “So we just have to make it five days then?” he asked as he took Touya’s offered arm and they began walking back to their apartments.

“And the six-day travel by ship it will take to arrive,” Touya said, dread already pooling in his stomach at the thought of being seasick. “The Kaihin Palace is relatively close to the shore, and it’s significantly faster than going by horseback.”

“Still, it’s almost two weeks, then,” Hawks muttered, eyes narrowing at the halls around them, wings ruffling slightly. He pinched his lips and looked up at Touya, flicking his eyes behind them meaningfully as he kept speaking. “But we’ll be able to get away from watching eyes till then, won’t we?” Hawks spoke with a flirtatious undertone to his voice, but Touya quickly caught on to what Hawks was attempting to communicate to him.

“We’ll certainly try our best,” Touya said, replicating Hawks’ tone and smiling sweetly down at him. “After all, how could I say no to your company?” he purred, leaning down to nip the shell of Hawks’ ear. “How many?” he breathed softly before he pulled away with a lascivious smirk on his face.

Hawks flushed and curled his shoulders, running a hand through his hair with a shy little smile on his face as he used the hand tucked in the crook of Touya’s elbow to tap his arm three times. “I’m glad that you find it pleasing, my prince. I’m always happy to serve.”

Touya kept the smirk on his face as he responded. “Let’s hurry back to our apartments so we may retire for the night, shall we?” He began walking faster, and Hawks easily kept pace with his steps, pressing closer to his side and fanning his wings against Touya’s back.

Hawks was tense, and by the time they arrived back to the hall that held their rooms, he was almost dragging Touya along as he jogged the last few paces, ducking into his own apartments instead of dealing with the minute it would take to arrive at Touya’s own. He shut the door behind them almost feverishly, locking the bolt as soon as it was settled in its place. Hawks stood there for a moment longer, head cocked to the side as he seemed to listen to something, before quickly whirling around and pressing close to Touya.

“Still there,” he breathed, placing his mouth right next to Touya’s ear. “We need to convince them we’re not doing anything of note.” He pulled back and looked into Touya’s eyes, face solemn. Touya sighed, understanding the situation, and not at all pleased with it.

Touya’s first kiss with Hawks was loud, messy, wet, and not in any way enjoyable. They lowered themselves to the ground, kneeling across from each other while their lips slid together sloppily. After a minute or two of what had to be the most uncomfortable make-out session Touya could imagine, Hawks broke away to send a frustrated glare at the door, jaw clenching. Huffing, he took one of Touya’s hands and jammed it against the base of his wing.

“Pull,” he growled lowly, before he hid his face in Touya’s neck, tensing in anticipation.

Wiping off his mouth with a sleeve, Touya did as instructed, digging his fingers into the soft feathers at the base and giving them a harsh tug.

Hawks shuddered, releasing a choked, high-pitched moan from the back of his throat, wings flexing and flapping for a moment. Touya froze, feeling a dangerous flush rise up on his own cheeks at the noise. He stayed still, not quite sure how to react to the lewd sound, but Hawks managed to make that decision for him. The harpy’s chest heaved with sharp breaths, and he thumped his fist on Touya’s back. “One more time,” he muttered.

Touya swallowed roughly, but repeated the action, and the noise that came from Hawks was louder and longer than the first. His wings jerked out of Touya’s grasp, a secondary shiver ruffling the feathers.

After a tense minute in which the only sound in the room was the two of them catching their breath, staring at the door, Hawks sighed, shoulders slumping. “They’re gone,” he said in a more normal, yet still strained, tone of voice.

He pulled his face away from Touya’s neck and pushed him away. Hawks sat back and wrapped his arms around his legs, hiding his face in his knees, continuing to breathe deeply as he curled up.

“Are you alright?” Touya asked, pushing himself against the floor to rock up onto the balls on his feet and crouch in front of Hawks. He began to reach a comforting hand towards the harpy’s shoulder before he paused and thought better of it, pulling it back to rest on his knee. He didn’t know Hawks’ boundaries at the moment.

“Just- just give me a minute,” Hawks muttered, still not looking up at him.

Touya stayed still, waiting for Hawks to calm himself. After a few minutes, the harpy’s wings slumped down to the floor, and he looked up at Touya with a defeated expression. “Eleven days of this,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair, and Touya frowned sympathetically. “Fuck.”

The days leading up to their departure from the Imperial Palace were exhausting. They had taken to sleeping in each other's apartments, one staying up and keeping watch while the other rested. Nothing had happened yet, but Touya couldn’t stop the shiver of fear down his spine whenever he heard a servant go past the door, and Hawks didn’t seem to be faring much better.

They were lucky that they’d decided to play off the ‘enthusiastically consummated’ angle, as it gave a far stronger alibi for their tired state than anything else Touya could have come up with.

Their days were spent either in the gardens or near a window in some high-rise tower. Despite the chill, Hawks kept insisting on going out, feeling safer when he knew he’d be able to escape to the sky if they had to. Though seeing him bundled up in a coat and several scarves, Touya could only imagine the sight being humorous, but he kept his tongue.

Natsuo still gave them odd glances whenever he spotted them together in the hall, but seemed to trust Touya enough to not say anything about the strange situation. Touya, for his part, had found his right arm constantly sore, as he’d never had to hold it out to guide another anywhere as much in his life as he did the previous five days.

When they stood on the docks, preparing to board the ship that would take them down to Hinansho, where the Kaihin Palace was located, he felt dread.

“Is something wrong?” Hawks asked with thinly veiled concern, an ever-steady presence by his side. Touya sighed and shook his head.

“I get motion sick,” he muttered, glaring at the sea vessel with distaste.

Hawks clicked his tongue. “I’ll take the primary watch for our voyage.”

“You’ll be exhausted-”

“And you’d sooner throw up than be able to fight,” Hawks countered, narrowing his eyes at him. “You already look pale and we haven’t even boarded yet.”

Touya breathed out through his nose, tearing his gaze away from the harpy, and said nothing, knowing the other was right. “We’re halfway there, pretty bird,” he murmured under his breath, laying his hand over the smaller one tucked in his elbow. They walked up the boarding ramp, and Touya could already feel his stomach twist sharply as he heard the waves rocking the ship beneath him.

Hawks squeezed his arm. “It’s fine,” he said in a soothing voice, though he looked no more pleased about being on the ship than Touya did.

“Doesn’t feel fine,” he hissed in response. Hawks pinched his lips but quickly guided Touya down to their cabin, regardless.

“Lay down,” he said, letting go of Touya’s arm as he turned to close and lock the door behind them. “You’ll feel better.”

Touya grunted in acknowledgment and flopped onto the bed, curling inward slightly around his stomach as it gave another lurch. He heard the clunk of Hawks’ walking boots before a dip in the mattress next to him, and a hand began running through his hair, thumb sweeping over forehead comfortingly. Touya looked up at Hawks, who had a concerned pinch to his brow.

“How bad is it?” he asked.

Touya gritted his teeth. “Like I’ll throw up any minute.”

Hawks sighed. “This will be rough if you can’t keep anything down for six days.” Touya wanted to snap something back in response, but refrained as he worried that he’d vomit if he so much as opened his mouth. “Close your eyes, I have an idea that might help.”

Touya obliged, feeling as though it couldn’t make him feel worse, at the very least. After a few moments, he heard a bird chirp next to him. His eyes shot open and over to Hawks, who was determinedly not looking at him. “Didn’t think you were that much of a bird,” he joked weakly.

Hawks scoffed and shoved his head further into the pillow. “Imagine you’re in the gardens or something, I’m trying to help with ambient noise. Take it or leave it.” Touya huffed in amusement, but allowed his eyes to slip shut again. Hawks resumed running a hand through his hair, trilling in the back of his throat, offering intermittent chirps.

Touya hummed in contentment as Hawks scraped his nails against his scalp, sinking further into the mattress. Hawks let out a little warbling coo at him. Touya could almost feel the breeze of the courtyard as he drifted asleep.

Touya slept through most of the first two days on the ship, though by the third he managed to force himself to put up with the rocking motions of the ship so that Hawks could rest, looking absolutely exhausted by that point. It turned out that Hawks would occasionally trill in his sleep, however, so as long as Touya kept his eyes away from the window, he could keep the rolling of his stomach to a minimum.

On the fourth day, wherein they both had a reasonable amount of sleep, Hawks was getting restless and hauled Touya up to the deck. “Harpies aren’t meant to be caged,” he said as Touya dragged his feet behind him. “One hour, then we can go back.”

The chill of the end of autumn hit Touya like a horse as Hawks pushed the hatch to the deck open, and the harpy in front of him shivered and puffed his wings up. Hawks ducked his head further into his scarf, glaring up at the grey skies as if they had personally offended him. Regardless, he was determined, and dragged Touya up to the quarter deck and gave a polite nod to the first mate at the helm. Touya, for his part, was fighting back the bile in his throat as he looked out at the rolling waves of the sea.

“This was a bad idea,” he muttered, struggling to not curl over and hold his stomach. “This was a very, very bad idea.”

Hawks looked at him sympathetically but still made no move to head back under the deck. “Sorry,” he said. “I’ll try and make it quick.” He led Touya to sit at the bench at the very rear of the quarter deck and sat beside him just long enough to untie and toe off his boots, uncurling his feet with a relieved sigh. Standing up he gave Touya a soft smile. “I’ll be right back. I’ll keep watch on you, so don’t feel afraid to close your eyes if you have to.”

With that, Hawks easily pulled himself to stand on top of the railing and faced the tailwind that billowed in their sails. His wings and tail feathers flared slightly as they caught the wind. Touya watched, mesmerized as he crouched down and spread his wings to their full span, feathers ruffling slightly in the breeze. His toes curled around the railing to keep himself from being blown away. A moment passed, and Hawks launched himself into the sky.

He quickly gained altitude with several strong beats of his wings before they locked outward, easily catching the wind underneath to keep aloft. He was a distant figure above the ship, but Touya was able to spot the harpy waving down at him. Touya smiled, almost able to forget the turmoil of his stomach, finding the action endearing as he lifted a hand in response.

While Touya didn’t feel completely at ease, with the crash of the waves so close to his ear, he found himself strangely calmed, watching Hawks fly in circles and spins above the ship, his bright red wings a contrast against the gray of the sky.

All too soon, yet also not soon enough, Hawks was diving down, flapping his wings as his feet curled once again around the railing with his face screwed up in concentration. Without looking at Touya, he steadied himself as he folded his wings tightly against his back to prevent catching any further drafts, and hopped down to sit on the bench, reaching for his boots.

Touya watched him, the strong arc of Hawks’ wings as he easily launched himself into the sky replaying in his mind. As the harpy was slipping his feet back into his boots, Touya spoke. “Would you fly again for me, some other time?” he asked.

Hawks paused and looked up at him, face tinted pink from exertion and the cold bite of the wind. He smiled. “I’d be happy to.”

Their fifth night aboard the ship found Hawks slamming his fist against the headboard, the loud moan escaping his throat in no way matching the malicious smirk on his face. He followed up the noise by exaggerating his breathing, loud pants echoing through their loud room.

Touya sat on the other side of the bed, clutching his stomach as he cried tears of laughter, face stuffed in a pillow as he struggled to keep his hysteria quiet.

A few moments later, Hawks said, “They’re gone.”

Touya tossed the cushion aside and began snickering loudly, covering his eyes with his hand as he tried to catch his breath from his laughing fit. “That was incredible, birdie,” he wheezed. “Where’d that little prude of two weeks ago disappear to?”

Hawks snorted. “After the fourth time you have to fend them off by yourself, you get over your embarrassment,” he said, smirk staying on his face, eyes glinting in amusement. Touya had been relieved of ‘enthusiastic consummation’ duty since they’d boarded the ship, since Hawks had no interest in sleeping in a bed Touya threw up in because he pushed himself too far. “I also pity you. You can’t hear the scandalized noises they make, it’s rather funny, actually.”

The statement threw Touya into a new fit of laughter. “What, can you hear them gasping out ‘these hedonists need some time at a shrine’ before they run away, clutching their pearls?”

Hawks’ face finally cracked and he started laughing as well. “No, no, they run off muttering prayers under their breath, we’re too vulgar and obscene to even be heard without tainting their purity.”

Touya sputtered and wheezed. “Holy shit,” he choked out, completely at a loss for more eloquent words.

“Not quite the prayer I was thinking of, but that certainly works.”

Touya cackled as he fell off the bed.

When they finally arrived at Hinansho, the sigh of relief Touya let out was loud and long. “Sweet, still ground, how I missed you so.”

Hawks rolled his eyes and tugged him along. “We still have the carriage ride to Kaihin.”

Touya groaned.

As Touya led Hawks to their quarters for the duration of their stay at Kaihin, he gave the harpy the rundown of their location.

“It’s slightly warmer here, so it might make the winter more bearable for you,” he said. A cold wind immediately blew through the palace ground, and Touya could hear Hawks’ feathers ruffle behind them, and feel the unimpressed stare he was being given. “Slightly.”

Hawks sighed. “At least it’s not snowing, I suppose.” He glanced around as they walked, taking in the grand archways between different buildings and complexes on the castle grounds. “Is this a compound?”

Touya smirked. “That’s the best part of this location,” he said as they approached the building in the center. “Everything is in its own place, so we have the royal quarters to ourselves, in a building completely separate from everyone else.” He nodded to the guards on either side of the entryway who stood at attention as they passed. The grand, heavy door was shut with a deafening thud behind them. “Guards at every entrance, locks on every door.”

“How do we know the guards will prioritize us over the will of the king?” Hawks asked softly as he was guided towards the bedchambers.

“Currently, we don’t,” Touya admitted, using his shoulder to push the door to their bedroom open, holding it for Hawks. “But they’re less likely to turn on us than those at the Imperial Palace. Hinansho is relatively isolated from the politics of the court. I don’t think a member of the family has stayed here in at least a decade.”

“Safer, but not quite a haven, yet,” Hawks concluded. Touya nodded, turning the bolts to keep the door firmly locked.

“We’ll need to do a bit of investigation to judge how safe we are with the guard here, and if they’re trustworthy, we can easily issue orders to keep my father’s entourage from coming near us if we so wish.”

Hawks hummed in acknowledgment, unwinding his scarf from around his neck and undoing the buttons that kept his coat closed underneath his wings, pulling it off and tossing it haphazardly on a chair. Touya mirrored his actions as Hawks sprawled out on his stomach on the grand state bed that sat in the center of the lavish room. The harpy tucked a pillow under his head, keeping his eyes lazily trained on Touya.

“So,” he asked, spreading his wings so they curved off the side of the bed, “we’re hundreds of miles away from the Imperial Palace. What now?”

Touya smirked as he settled himself into the desk chair, propping his feet up on the wooden hinoki surface.

“Now, pretty bird,” he said, plan formulating in his mind. “Now we get to work.”

Chapter Text

The Kaihin sunrise was beautiful, Touya decided his first morning at the palace.

Now, whether the sunrise was actually different from the one he would see in Kenryoku or if it was simply a projection of his relief at his first sound night of rest in two weeks was unclear.

Regardless, the feeling of comfort from at least some level of safety felt light in his chest as he slowly awoke. Hawks was asleep beside him as Touya blearily blinked his eyes open, wings pressing against Touya’s back with each breath the harpy took. The soft beams of the early morning sunlight were slowly beginning to peek through the large window in their room.

Touya shifted slightly underneath the heavy covers, just enough to move some joints that were stiff from sleep, but settled back against the warm mattress, watching the sun through half-lidded eyes.

Touya had never traveled far outside the capitol. He’d rarely even left the Imperial Palace. The feeling of being somewhere so far from home was somewhat exhilarating, although the looming dread of precisely why he’d traveled so far dampened the experience.

There were many things Touya had always known as long as he’d been alive. He’d never have a marriage of his own choosing, every move he made would be scrutinized by everyone around him, and there would always be the constant threat of an attempt on his life. Whether such an attempt would come from dissatisfied nobles in the court or the battlefield or a foreign assassin, he’d always known.

Knowing and experiencing, however, were completely different altogether.

Touya sighed, stretching his limbs as far as the frame of the bed would allow before shuffling himself upward to sit against the headboard, sheets pooling in his lap. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he thought.

There was very, very little he could do in his situation. It wasn’t as if he could accuse his father of treason—he’d always been known for spiting his father at every opportunity, and even if that weren’t the case, it was his word versus the king’s. His father had resources, an army, a court, complete control over the kingdom and everything within it.

Touya had as many resources as he could gather before his father cut him off. He had no army and no combat training. He had powerful magic that gave him as much backlash as it did benefit. He had no court, not even his siblings—they were too young to be involved in the matter, not even Fuyumi was of age. There were no allies for Touya to lean on.

“What’s wrong?”

Touya snapped out of his reverie at the rough and groggy voice, glancing down to find Hawks looking at him sleepily over his shoulder . He offered the harpy a comforting smile.

“Nothing, pretty bird. Go back to sleep.”

Hawks sighed and grunted as he turned himself onto his stomach, wings shifting underneath the covers. He propped himself up on an elbow and reached over with his other arm to splay a hand over Touya’s chest. “Your heart is loud,” he said, looking into Touya’s eyes, the by-then familiar spark of concern appearing in his gaze.

Once Hawks pointed it out, Touya fixated on the feeling of his heart in his chest, beating harshly under his consort’s touch. He laid his own palm over Hawks’, curling his fingers around his hand and pulling it away gently.

Hawks drew his hand back, settling down to rest head on his arms, never once looking away from Touya. “I can’t help you if you don't talk to me,” he continued in a softer tone.

Touya sighed, running his hand through his hair, catching briefly on the tangles that had appeared in his sleep. “I’m… caught up on our situation.”

“How so?”

“It’s a little hopeless, isn’t it?”

Hawks kicked him under the covers and Touya hissed, feeling talons scrape against his shin. He glared at Hawks, opening his mouth to snap at him when the harpy cut him off.

“If you take that attitude I will cut you down myself.” Touya closed his mouth with a click, staring down at Hawks, who was pushing himself up to sit upright, gazing at Touya with a flinty look. He took Touya’s face in his hands, keeping steady eye contact that he couldn’t bring himself to break. “You have ambition, and I have seen that ambition. I will not follow you to see you give up. That spark and that willingness to chase what you want is why I believe you can secure the crown. I did not pledge myself to a hopeless king.”

Hawks stared at Touya for a few moments longer, in silence, before he dropped his hands and swiftly pushed himself off the bed, stalking over to the dresser with his wings flexing in agitation behind him. Silence hung heavy between them as Hawks jerkily shrugged off his sleep clothes, stubbornly not looking in Touya’s direction as he began dressing himself. It was only by the time that he was digging through the drawers for a shirt that his wings stopped twitching, and his shoulders slumped.

“You overthink,” Hawks said softly, pulling a shirt over his head and reaching back to begin buttoning it under his wings. “You’re confident and clever, but you work yourself up too much.”

Touya snorted. “Am I not supposed to be worked up about this?”

“You managed to not be worked up about it for two weeks,” Hawks said matter-of-factly, as he tucked his shirt in his breeches. “Your mind is no longer occupied by a constant threat, so you’re allowing yourself to overthink.”

Touya remained silent. Hawks glanced at him again as he grabbed his red sash from where it had been thrown over the arm of a chair, tying it securely around his waist. Touya watched the tail ends of the crimson silk flutter near the harpy’s knee as he crossed over to the window, wings blocking the sun from glaring into his eyes. Hawks didn’t speak any further, and Touya didn’t break the quiet of their room with his words. He instead stood and went about dressing himself as well.

He shuddered as the cold air hit his bare skin, quickly stepping into his trousers and making a note to have a servant light the fireplaces. The old scars on his torso ached as chill pressed into them. As he began to search for a shirt, he paused and stared at the most recent angry red burn mark on his skin, on his left arm, throbbing with dulled pain.

“I swear my undying loyalty to you, my king.”

Touya glanced over his shoulder at Hawks, who still had not moved from where he stared out the window, not looking back. Touya sighed and turned back to rifle through his clothing as he spoke. “Hawks.”

“Yes?” He could hear the heavy shift of feathers as the harpy presumably twisted his wings to look over his shoulder, and Touya could imagine the slight tilt of his head clearly in his mind.

“Why have you never addressed me by my name?”

There was a pause, and for a brief moment, Touya wondered if he had misstepped, considering the harpy’s mood. “I was unaware that you wished me to do so.”

“You may call me Touya when we’re alone,” he said, a small little smile working its way onto his lips. “You are my consort, if nothing else. You’ve already killed for me, you’ve certainly done more than enough to earn that privilege. Besides,” he continued, finally shrugged a shirt onto his shoulders, turning to face Hawks as he began to button it, “it’s far simpler than constantly referring to me as ‘my prince,’ or ‘your highness.’” The smile on Touya’s face turned into a smirk, and he watched as Hawks’ eyes narrowed at the action, watching him carefully. “Time is of the essence if we wish to undermine the king.”

Hawks’ eyes brightened, and the clever, conniving little glint that Touya had found himself growing fond of returned to his gaze. He crossed his arms and shifted his weight to the side, cocking his head as he returned Touya’s smirk.

“Alright,” the harpy said. “You better promise to do as you say and get to work, Touya.”

Hawks would be both his rock and his wings, Touya decided. He would keep Touya grounded and focused, and push him towards the throne.

Touya had one ally, and maybe that was all he needed.

“These are the old record rooms,” Touya said as he led Hawks into the new building. “Any potentially helpful information will likely be found here.”

“What kind of information are you hoping to find that will be so helpful?” Hawks asked, already moving forward to begin scanning the spines of old tomes and calligraphed titles on ancient scrolls. “I assume you must have some idea. I don’t think stories of old military conquests will be of much use in this situation.”

“No, almost certainly not,” Touya agreed, brushing past Hawks to move further into the archives. “This palace has one of the more extensive libraries out of all of the royal properties. I hope that it will have records of any previous succession disputes. Precedent will likely be our friend in this situation. While I doubt the resources here will stretch anywhere near as far back as to when Amaterasu walked the lands, there should still be something to work with.”

“Amaterasu?”

“Goddess of the sun,” Touya answered easily, running his fingers along the edges of books to brush away dust as he leaned forward to peer at the titles. “She is the ancestor of the imperial line.”

“Oh?” Hawks intoned from behind him.

“Mm,” Touya hummed tunelessly in response. “Her blood is why we rule. Our magic is her blessing.”

“Divine blood, then?” Hawks asked, sounding almost amused. “It’s a similar concept to why Shokken’s queen rules.” Touya turned his head to look at the harpy, narrowing his eyes at the whimsical little smile on Hawks’ face as he browsed the shelf next to Touya.

“It’s not a concept.”

“Of course, little godling”

Touya felt patronized by Hawks’ lackluster acceptance of his dynasty, but managed to forcibly calm himself. It had not been the first time Hawks had been amused by something Touya believed, due quite simply to their different upbringings. “You’re getting cheeky,” Touya noted monotonously, keeping his face level as he pulled a scroll with a scribbled date from around when his grandfather had taken the throne.

Hawks laughed, and Touya clicked his tongue. “Have you ever heard the saying those western continentals are so fond of? ‘Give him an inch and he’ll take an ell’?” Hawks leaned over Touya’s shoulder to read the scroll as he spoke. “I find myself quite fond of it, Touya.”

Touya huffed, unable to decide whether he liked the way Hawks said his name. “You’re lucky you’re useful.” He passed the scroll to Hawks, who perched himself upon the edge of a nearby table to begin looking it over as Touya continued to study the shelves. “If not by divine right, what gives a ruler their place?”

“I prefer competence, personally,” Hawks said. “You seem to have plenty of it, from what I can see, and you benefit me, so I follow you. It’s as simple as that.” There was a beat before he continued. “Back in my- before I was taken in by the queen, I was accustomed to leaders being chosen by success. We lived in the mountains and on the roads, so the ability to keep us all alive was greatly valued.”

Touya looked back at Hawks, but no more information was offered. The harpy was hesitant to talk about his life before Shokken’s court, Touya had discovered. He would push further, but Hawks had shown that he wasn’t afraid to fight back, which was frustrating. The light scrapes on his calf from earlier that morning twinged slightly. Best not to antagonize him.

“So as long as my position is useful to you, you will follow me?” Touya asked instead. He glanced at the harpy, spotting him shrug out of the corner of his vision.

“We’re married, now, for better or worse. I will have no choice but to follow you regardless, whether that be to the throne or the gallows. Your position is precarious, but I pledged myself to you instead of letting myself be dragged along like a common concubine because I believe you can make something of it.” Hawks tossed the scroll over his shoulder to land on the table. Touya almost winced at the mishandling of the old script. “Your grandfather took the throne with no conflict. How far back do these archives go?”

“Most likely specifics up until around a hundred seventy years ago, when this palace was constructed. General historical texts beyond that.”

“You’ve received an education befitting that of the Prince of Doryoku, I would presume. How is the crown traditionally passed down? Are there house laws to be followed?”

“Primogeniture, in almost every example I can think of. There have been almost no cases wherein succession was drawn into question, and thus my clan has never had a need for house laws.”

“If it’s by primogeniture, then there is no heir apparent,” Hawks murmured. “The crown prince is born and not chosen.”

Touya hummed. “I thought our marriage was simply a prelude to my disownment to clear the road of my father’s less favored child, but I suppose I can see how that would affect his standing with the court. So, he will assassinate me instead, and blame it on another.” Touya paused and tilted his head. “When that man tried to kill me—you surmised that he was attempting to blame it on you.”

They’d had little chance to discuss any details in depth in the Imperial Palace, with the risk of listening ears, purposeful or not, at every corner. Discussing explicit details of an attempt on his life was simply asking for trouble. Hawks clicked his tongue. “How familiar are you with the Hapi Mountain range?”

Touya paused, turning to lean against the shelf and face Hawks as he racked his mind. “The old bandit territory? Shokken recently took control, didn’t it?”

“Mm. Technically correct,” Hawks said, swinging his feet slightly. “I assume you know of the Yamamichi no Hitobito. Shokken called them the Muhomono—the bandits, as you say. I believe you colloquially referred to them as the blood waists, if I’m not mistaken,” Touya inclined his head, the term ringing a bell in the back of his mind. “The Muhomono, about ten years ago, were considered a thorn in the side of traders traveling from Shokken to Doryoku, and vice versa. Your father summarily rectified the problem, and now the Hapi Mountain range is relatively desolate.”

“An old economic problem—of what consequence is that to either of us?” Touya asked, not following the harpy’s train of thought.

Something odd twisted across Hawks’ face, barely a flash of it before it was gone, but he continued. “The Hapi Mountains are rich in natural resources. Gold, silver, precious jewels. The Setchi Valley along which the mountain road runs has incredibly fertile soil.” Hawks paused and pinched his lips. “Your father left the land to Shokken, since there was a conflict in the north he had to focus his attention on instead of administering the new territory. He’s familiar with its riches, and there are no other conflicts Doryoku is currently involved in.”

“He wants war with Shokken for the Hapi Mountains?” Touya asked, realization blooming in his mind as Hawks nodded. “Two birds with one stone, I suppose.”

“A bird and a prince with one stone.”

Touya snorted, but quickly schooled himself. “Do you not worry about the possibility of that conflict, then?”

Hawks paused for a long, long moment before answering. His feet stopped swinging and he tilted his head upwards slightly as he thought, chewing on his lip. “I care little for what happens to Shokken, but I do not wish to see what will happen to the mountains if your father gains control of them. Conflict with Shokken will likely weaken our position in court as well, considering I’m a ward of Her Majesty’s family. The association will be damaging.”

“So neither of us can die, then,” Touya said. “Tensions will surely heighten if you are killed, and if I am to die and he wishes to blame it on you, then that would lead to immediate war and your execution or bounty, depending on if you can get away.”

There were a few seconds of silence. Eventually, Touya looked over to meet Hawks’ eyes. The harpy’s face was carefully blank. “I assume even considering leaving is against your beliefs?” Touya guessed, cocking his head. The harpy played a level facade, but he had clearly stated his ambition.

Hawks laughed and rolled his eyes. “We’d need to leave these lands completely for that—head to the Continent. And have you met Continentals? I don’t think I could put up with that for the rest of my life.”

Touya cracked a smile. “We’ll stay, then.”

Hawks nodded. “The only happy ending that includes both of us alive is taking the throne, lest you wish to live the rest of our days looking over our shoulders.” Touya didn’t. “You say precedent will be our friend, yet you mentioned there is little to no record of troubled succession.”

Touya blinked at the sudden topic change, but went with it, since doing something about their situation was far better than lamenting about it. “My house has ruled since time immemorial. There has never been an outsider on the throne unless it was the Empress playing regent for the crown prince.”

“And it has always been passed to the first son?”

Touya nodded. “While further sons are still princes, and the sons of concubines are recognized as secondary princes, it has always been passed to the first son unless something happened to him.”

“Those something’s being…?”

“Disease, assassination, ill health.”

“What precedent is there for us to work with if there have been no disputes to set precedent?” Hawks cocked his head. “Every crown prince has been the firstborn, but that means little in convincing your father if you are dead.”

“Then what do you suggest I do?” Touya snapped, throwing his hands up in frustration. He stepped away from the shelves lest he accidentally set them alight. “My father rules supreme, I cannot move against him.” He began to pace back and forth, and Hawks said nothing, simply watching him go up and down the aisle of the archive, perched on the edge of his table. “And if I die then Natsuo will be next! He might not be old enough to be a threat to my father right now, but his eighteenth summer is in less than four years! Fuyumi will be devastated and my father will marry her to some foreign prince for an alliance and Shouto will be left alone, with his future paved in the blood of his brothers and the loss of his sister.”

“Who said we had to give your father enough time to do any of that?”

Touya paused. He looked at Hawks. “What do you mean by that?”

Hawks shrugged, sliding off the table, his tail feathers lowering to curtain around his calves as he stretched. “Your father can’t do any of that if he’s not on the throne.”

Touya narrowed his eyes, watching Hawks’ face carefully. “What you’re implying is high treason.”

“Murdering the crown prince would also be high treason, yet here we are.” Hawks’ wings ruffled and settled against his back, and Touya didn’t respond. “I’m not saying we have to do anything about it now, or that it’s the only option we have available. But think about it. It may end up being the only option we have in the end, and I want you to be prepared for the possibility.”

Touya chewed on his lip. “I don’t want my father’s blood on my hands as the only way we can resolve this.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Hawks said gently. “As long as he is off the throne, he no longer holds power over you or your siblings.”

Touya sighed, and averted his eyes, refusing to meet Hawks’ gaze. “Let me think about it.”

The gardens of Kaihin filled with slowly dying plants as the last days of autumn passed, and became almost unbearable to walk through as the first snow of the winter came. Hawks was consistently unimpressed with the weather, and Touya was convinced if anything would be used as evidence of Hawks turning against him, it would be the look the harpy gave him whenever he suggested walking to another building on the palace grounds.

“We can just have servants bring us the materials we need,” Hawks muttered, curled up in a chair pushed so close to the fireplace it almost looked ridiculous. “We just went outside yesterday, I refuse to walk through the snow again.”

Touya pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled heavily. While Kaihin was further south than Kenryoku and the Imperial Palace, it was still winter, and it still snowed, albeit a week or two later than it would have further north. “Servants gossip. You and I both know this - we’ve managed to avoid alerting my father’s men this long, but who knows what they might overhear from a servant or an errand boy.”

Hawks tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling for a long, long moment. For a brief second, Touya held a hope that Hawks was considering the prospect. However, it was thoroughly dashed when the harpy turned his gaze to stare pointedly out the window. Allegiance, Touya had discovered, didn’t prevent Hawks from becoming comfortable enough to give him some level of attitude about things he didn’t want to do. Traversing through cold weather, especially.

The snow outside the window was harsh, and Touya could barely make out the tree that stood no more than a few meters from the glass. Admittedly, perhaps going out in the weather wasn’t the best idea.

Touya sighed and didn’t push the matter further. Going by the way Hawks’ wings puffed up, he knew he won.

“So what do you wish to do instead, then?” Touya asked, making his way over to the blazing fireplace. Hawks shrugged, gazing at the flames.

“Relax. Avoid the cold. Not much else to do in winter.” He paused. “A complex is nice until winter hits.”

Touya huffed in amusement. “You get cold easily?”

“You know birds migrate, don’t you?” Hawks asked, giving him a bemused look. “Harpy physiology is somewhat similar, and we often do the same. As a court pet, however, my winters are spent entertaining local lords at celebrations and staying near a fireplace.”

“I have no guests and no wish for you to entertain, so I’m afraid that you’ll have to settle yourself near the fireplace for now,” Touya said, lowering himself into the armchair on the other side of the fire. Hawks clicked his tongue.

“What would you have us do in winter, then?”

“My siblings and I would often go and play in the snow, when the weather was calmer, but…” He glanced pointedly out the window. Hawks didn’t even follow his gaze, having been the one to point out the poor weather, to begin with. Instead, he simply sank further into his chair.

“Your siblings,” the harpy said after a minute. “You mention them a lot. You’re close?”

Touya blinked and looked at Hawks, who kept his gaze locked on the flickering orange flames. “We are. Why the sudden interest?”

Hawks shrugged. “I’ve bared my motivations to you. You know exactly why I’m here and why I care. You’re doing this for your siblings, and I’d like to understand why.” He glanced at Touya, raising a brow. “Quid pro quo, no?”

Touya sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“I simply want to understand what you see in them that makes you willing to go to such lengths for them,” Hawks mused. “You don’t seem to hold any regard for yourself, as you could simply relinquish your title of heir to the throne and clean your hands of this. Yet you don’t. You told me you have no wish to rule, you are only pursuing this avenue to protect them. However this turns out, my fate is bound to yours. What drives you?”

“They are my family. Is that not enough?”

Hawks donned a mocking little smile, and Touya almost growled at the insolence. He almost wished for Hawks to return to that meek little bird he had been when they had wed. “Is it not enough that your father is family?”

“He sees us less as family and more as a legacy he must curate. I might have held love for him once, but no longer. If he cannot care for us, I will not care for him.”

The harpy hummed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as he thought. “The Queen didn’t actually go insane, did she?”

“No.”

“I see.” Hawks’ eyes opened again, and he focused his stare on Touya. “So you’re protecting them, even when so many of your familial relationships have soured?”

“They are young, not even of age. They don’t deserve to suffer for a life they never chose to be born into.”

“And you do?” There was a heavy silence between them. Hawks stared into Touya’s eyes even as he averted them, not answering. “This is your twentieth winter, isn’t it?”

Touya raised a brow. “It is.”

Hawks hummed, eyes slipping shut again. Touya was reminded of a cat that the servant boy Shouto was fond of used to keep, that would curl up in front of the fireplaces every winter. Hawks didn’t have a tail that could flick back and forth lethargically, but his feathers rustled and fluffed in a seemingly random pattern. “This is my nineteenth,” he remarked, seeming almost amused. “I’ve seen your body. You know as well as I that youth is unfair, regardless of if you deserve it or not.” There was a pause, and Touya wondered if Hawks expected a response from him before he continued speaking. “I enjoy your idealism.”

“I can’t quite say the same about your cynicism.”

Hawks laughed, and one eye opened to look at him. “I suppose you’ll have to help me with that, won’t you?”

“The captain of the palace guard is to return from the southern borders today,” Touya said, watching Hawks shiver in his coat as they crossed the grounds to the grand dining hall. “I want to determine whether or not we can trust her.”

“And you plan to do this in a place as open to attack as the dining hall?” Hawks asked sourly, voice muffled as he glared at Touya from where his head was dipped into his scarf. “I’m fast, but if the entire guard decides to attack, I will be hard-pressed to keep you safe.”

“The thought is appreciated.”

Hawks scoffed as they entered the hall, wings flicking the snow off as the burst of warmth from the central fire thawed their bones. “She is expected shortly?” he asked, observing the movements of the guards and palace workers around them carefully, nodding to those they passed as they bowed.

“Very soon.”

The harpy hummed. “I’m going to stand closer to the fire for a few minutes. I’ll keep watch, but try not to die while I’m gone.” Touya sighed, but wasn’t able to respond before Hawks was walking away, shedding his coat and scarf and he neared the hearth, shivers from the winter cold already disappearing.

It took a moment for Touya to remember to lower his arm, having grown used to Hawks’ constant presence by his side over the course of the previous month. It was odd, viewing the harpy from a distance. He tore his gaze away from his consort and turned his eyes to the entrance of the dining hall. It turned out he and Hawks had arrived at a rather opportune time, as he only needed to wait a few minutes before the doors were bursting open again, a woman in plated armor and a sword at her hip sauntering through to the cheers of the guards as they spotted her.

She was well-liked, clearly. She kept a bright smile upon her face as she greeted the workers, tall, rabbit-like ears swaying with her head as she kept several conversations going at once. Touya felt Hawks’ earlier comment about meeting the captain in such an open area came back to his mind. Gaining any semblance of her allegiance would be exponentially beneficial in securing their safety for the rest of winter, instead of restless nights where they would shoot awake at the slightest disturbance.

Touya didn’t have long to think before someone had pointed him out to the captain, whose eyes flicked over to him, and a calm, steady look covered her face. Touya tensed as she walked over, and a glance to the side assured him Hawks was watching closely over his shoulder from where he stood by the fire.

“My prince,” she said, her right fist crossing over her heart and left arm arcing out to the side as she bowed, white hair spilling over her shoulder to just barely graze the floor. “It is an honor to have a member of the Imperial family stay here again.”

“At ease,” Touya said calmly, years of lessons in etiquette guiding him easily. “The workers have been nothing but cordial, and nothing untoward has happened to me,” he continued as the captain straightened. “The palace has been kept in remarkable condition.”

“Thank you, my prince,” she said, inclining her head. “I apologize for not being here when you first arrived. I had business I needed to finish at the Shokken border before I could come back to greet you properly.”

“It is of no concern. Our trip here was on rather short notice.” Something in the captain’s posture relaxed as said those words. “Might I have the pleasure of greeting the protector of this palace now?”

“Of course,” she said, bowing again. “I am the Captain of the Kaihin Palace Royal Guard, Usagiyama Rumi.”

“Are you of Inaba no Shirousagi descent? Your features are rather distinctive,” he asked, glancing pointedly at her ears. Usagiyama nodded.

“Through both my parents, yes.”

Touya hummed, but before he could continue, he saw a flash of red in his peripheral as Hawks meandered back over to his side. “Is this the captain?”

Usagiyama’s eyes focused on Hawks, flicked down to something on his torso, and her eyes widened. Touya has no time to process Hawks’ question, much less react before Usagiyama’s hand went to her hip, and the shriek of polished steel leaving its scabbard erased any thoughts of the prior conversation.

While Touya lacked the reaction time to respond, Hawks hadn’t been lying when he said he was fast. He shot forward to meet the captain and something red flew into his hand, and within three seconds of Usagiyama and Hawks laying eyes on each other, both their heads were tilted back as they glared. The pointed tip of the captain’s sword was pressed beneath Hawks’ jaw, and the end of one of Hawks’ primaries was against Usagiyama’s throat. Touya had little clue as to what started the conflict between them so quickly, nor what a feather torn from his consort’s wing would do, but it wasn’t the primary matter.

“Stop!” he shouted before they could move further. Movement in the hall had come to a standstill as soon as the blade had left Usagiyama’s sheath, servants and common workers skittering back as guards’ hands flew to their swords. Time was frozen for several moments. As small beads of blood welled underneath the sword and the feather respectively, Touya glared at the two offending parties. “Both of you step away from each other now.”

“She’s a threat,” Hawks hissed, arm held out steadily as he used the surprisingly strong, and apparently sharp, feather to nudge Usgaiyama’s head up.

“Look at his sash, he’s here to kill you,” the captain retorted, a growl in her voice. Something in Hawks’ eyes brightened in understanding, but he made no move to de-escalate the situation.

“Step away from each other or I’ll immolate both of you for treason.”

There was a long, long pause before, in unison, Usagiyama and Hawks took one step back, but both continued to hold their weapons at the ready.

“He’s a bandit,” Usagiyama muttered in disgust, voice ringing clear in the dead silence of the hall. “Look at him. He's here to finish what the Takami King started.”

A wry, amused smirk crossed Hawks’ face at Usagiyama’s words. “You believe I am of the Yamamichi.”

“Your markings and sash are distinctive.”

“Fair enough,” Hawks acquiesced, shrugging, but kept himself postured defensively. “However, I am not here to seek retribution. You are captain here, and just returned from the border, so I assume you know the southern lands well. You have heard of the Red Wings of Shokken Court?”

There was a pause as she mulled over his words. “You are he?” Hawks nodded, and Usagiyama finally tore her eyes from Hawks to look at Touya. “He’s your consort?”

“I don’t believe I imagined the ceremony, so yes, he is,” Touya said scathingly, sick of the conversation and connotations that passed right beyond him.

There was another tense moment, but Usagiamya lowered her sword and held up her hand. The guards in the room eased out of their attack-ready stances, hands falling away from the sheaths. Hawks’ arm lowered as well as his wing curled around, and the primary was seamlessly pressed back into his wing. Usagiyama’s blade returned to its scabbard.

“I apologize for my rash actions,” she said, bowing deeply as Hawks wiped away the bead of blood trickling down his throat with the back of his hand. Touya sighed, feeling the magic that had begun to simmer under his skin slowly cool and melt back into his core.

“You are forgiven,” Hawks said before Touya could even respond. He was getting well and truly sick of being cut off. The captain nodded her head curtly.

Touya grabbed Hawks’ wrist and turned to Usagiyama. “I have matters of security I wish to talk to you about. Would you be available for lunch tomorrow?”

“Of course, my prince.” Her voice was still stiff, and her eyes didn’t move far from Hawks, who kept himself carefully still, frozen like a statue beside Touya.

Touya nodded and began walking briskly out of the hall, keeping a firm grip on Hawks’ arm as he stalked back to the royal quarters. He almost expected to hear a complaint about not being allowed to don a coat before leaving, but the harpy stayed quiet beside him.

Hawks ripped his wrist from Touya’s grip as they entered their room, crossing his arms over his chest as he drifted towards the smoldering fireplace, putting distance between them.

“Did you intend to tell me you were of a bandit tribe?” Touya asked stiffly.

Hawks scoffed derisively, and the magic that had only just cooled below Touya’s skin raged back to the surface as the burning feeling of annoyance at Hawks’ actions shot through him. “And have you react like this?”

“Excuse me if I’m upset that a harpy I thought to be a noble turns out to be an outlaw.”

Hawks laughed at that, as if Touya had told the funniest joke he had ever heard. “I suppose I am a noble, just not in the narrow way you believe me to be, so let me clarify,” he said, smiling at him dangerously. Touya’s skin felt hot as he growled at the cryptic answer. “Your father completely wiped out the Yamamichi no Hitobito when I was eight. The only crime I’ve ever committed was killing a man in your defense. I’m not an outlaw.” He cocked his head. “I was a spoil of war, Touya. Shokken likes to believe they saved a feral little harpy child. Takami Keigo, the poor, beaten son of the Takami King.”

He walked closer to Touya, who watched him approach without moving away, refusing to back down from the harpy. Hawks stopped when he was just a few scant inches from pressing his body flush against Touya’s own, looking up at him with an amused little smirk. “Do you think I’m civilized, Touya? I eat with your utensils, I speak your language, I walk alongside you on your arm, I offer myself to you in every way you need. Am I civilized? Or am I still nothing more than a lawless creature?” When Touya didn’t respond, the smirk on Hawks’ face widened, though the smugness of it didn’t reach his eyes. “I saw the way you looked at me when we were married. Such a shame to be bound to a harpy, isn’t it?”

Touya narrowed his eyes. “Considering what I’ve heard-”

“‘Considering what you’ve heard,’” Hawks echoed back mockingly. Touya knew Hawks had to have felt the heat wafting off of him, as more and more of his magic pooled beneath his skin. He was all too aware of how easily the harpy could kill him. He had seen Hawks snap a man's neck with his bare hands, and had quickly become conscious of the fact that the soft feathers that had pressed into his back every morning could easily cut out his spine. “What have you heard? Did you think I was feral? Or maybe you thought I was a wanton creature who would be happy to exist for your pleasure alone?”

Hawks took the final step closer, melding his body against Touya’s. “You-”

“Is this what you want?” Hawks asked lowly, giving no sign he cared for the way Touya’s skin must have felt boiling hot with the rage that was rushing through his veins. “Do you want me to be a doll without a life and story of my own, to be shaped and viewed as you please?”

“I believe most people would want to know if their spouse had reason to murder them in their sleep,” Touya growled. Hawks chittered a little laugh.

“If I wanted to kill you, I could have by now. I’ve threatened to kill you and you still trusted me.” Hawks leaned his head forward and forced Touya to tilt his own back. The harpy’s eyes bored into his. “You already knew I had not been born into the court. I was a ward of the Queen. Did you think I came from nowhere? Or maybe you assumed she adopted me like a common pet,” Hawks spat the word out in disgust. The harpy stared at him for a moment longer before he finally stepped away. “Regardless, I am far removed from traditions of my youth, now. My tamashii no tagu, my sash, is the only part of me still connected to the Yamamichi.”

“Do you seek retribution, then?” Touya asked, voice stone cold. “For your lost culture?”

“How could I not?” Hawks responded, as if Touya had asked a rhetorical question. “I held no love for my father, but my life for the past decade has been nothing but humiliation at the hands of Shokken because of yours.”

“Is this just you playing some sort of long game for your revenge, then? Use me as long as it takes to murder my father? Is this why you’ve been so insistent on that?”

“It’s certainly part of it.”

“Then how do I know I can trust a thing you say, if you are so incredibly biased?”

“You say that as if you’re not biased yourself.” Touya narrowed his eyes at the harpy, who simply shrugged innocently and continued. “Ultimately, you can’t.” Touya’s magic sang through his body, surging to life at the threat. “But you remember when I pledged myself to you?”  That gave him pause, and he drifted slightly closer to the harpy as he stared into the embers of the fireplace. “Culturally, I don’t expect you to understand precisely what I said. But my sash, the one the captain identified as one of the Yamamichi no Hitobito, and gave my tribe the colloquial name of blood waists,” Hawks’ lips twitched as if the name were amusing. “They’re called soul tags, if I’m translating correctly. A physical representation of my being.”

Touya stepped closer, still out of Hawks’ reach, glancing at the red silk around Hawks’ waist. “A cultural dress piece, then. What of it?”

“I swore myself to you on my wings and my soul.” Hawks’ head turned and he made eye contact with Touya. “I don’t care to explain the nuances to you, but my pledge was serious. If I break it, you have the right to tie my sash around my wings and cut them off.” Hawks’ eyes raked up and down Touya’s body before a rueful smile crossed his face. “Though I suppose burning them off is just as effective in the end.”

Touya stared at Hawks for a moment before he stepped forward and grabbed the harpy’s chin, maneuvering his head so Touya could see him clearly. Hawks stared into his eyes, face level and calm. His breathing was steady as Touya felt the soft puffs of air tickle across his face.

“I will burn them off under my boot if you betray me.”

“Well then,” Hawks said, a coy little smile on his lips, “it’s a good thing I don’t plan on betraying you, isn’t it?”

Without a word, Hawks elected to stay on the couch that night.

Touya didn’t sleep.

“How long have you been the captain here?” Touya asked Usagiyama as she sat across from him in the small greeting room of the royal quarters.

“Three years,” she responded calmly. Touya could hear Hawks’ feathers rustle slightly from where he sat to his right, but didn’t look at him. “My prince,” she said, with what seemed to be faux hesitance, considering the boisterous behavior Touya had observed the day prior, “forgive me for pushing, but you said you had matters of security you wished to discuss with me? If you believe my men have been slacking in their duties, I am more than prepared to rectify the situation-”

Touya held up a hand, and Usagiyama cut herself off. He gave her a long, considering look. “If I were to tell you there was a plot to remove me from the line of succession, rather forcefully, let’s say, what would you do?”

Her eyes narrowed. “My duty is to protect the crown. Thus, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.” Touya hummed, and Usagiyama seemed to tense. “What is this hypothetical threat you’re speaking of?”

Touya ran his tongue across his teeth. He could see Hawks glance at him from his peripheral vision, but paid the harpy no mind. It was make or break. “My father wishes to have me killed to remove me from the line of succession. I have ample reason to suspect he wishes to do the same to Prince Natsuo as well, once he’s through with me.”

Usagiyama stared at him. Touya looked back at her steadily, waiting patiently as she thought over her next words. “No matter how I respond,” she said in a measured tone, “any of my actions will be considered high treason.”

Touya pinched his lips. A neutral answer was an uncertainty he couldn’t afford.

“You’re from the southern regions, correct?” Hawks asked, cutting in. “You were familiar with the fact that my sash held ties to the Yamamichi, and their existence was removed a decade ago.”

Usagiyama blinked and redirected her gaze to Hawks. Touya glared at him, but the harpy didn’t acknowledge him either. “I am.”

“If the prince is assassinated, I have strong reason to believe the king will blame it on me, and use it as a means to declare war on Shokken.” Hawks tilted his head. “I was last in Shokken’s court just over six weeks ago, I’m well aware of the rising tensions on the border. Something about the royal envoys being stubborn and obtuse?”

The captain’s eyes sharpened. “You’re implying a lot of things.”

Hawks shrugged. “I simply believe you would wish to be informed of the matter. A war with Shokken is far from ideal as of this moment. Last I heard, there was a new alliance being formed with Gunji-ryoku, just over the sea. Any war being declared in the south is bound to end with this year’s crops being watered with blood.” Usagiyama leaned back in her chair, observing Hawks with consideration. “You clearly care for your men. If war breaks out, they will die. It is in all of our best interests that Prince Touya takes the throne.”

“You sound confident of your position,” she said, though a bemused little smirk began to cross her face. “But your reasoning is sound. So long as you promise my men will not be subjected to the trials of an unnecessary war, I will back your claim.” She crossed her legs and rested her head on her palm. “What would you have me do?”

Hawks leaned forward. “Well-”

“Keeping the entourage of men my father sent with me away would be an excellent start,” Touya said, cutting off Hawks with little feeling of remorse. “I don’t trust them near my person.”

“They would be the most pressing threat,” Usagiyama said, thinking. “I can also increase the security around the perimeter of the palace, and decrease the amount of foot traffic we allow in and out.”

Hawks suddenly stood up, chair scraping backward at the sharp movement. They both looked at the harpy, who took a second before he gave them an apologetic, yet charming smile. “My apologies,” he said softly, giving a small bow. “I’m afraid the food isn’t sitting quite well with me. I intend to lie down until it settles.” He rose out of the shallow deferential gesture and quickly exited the room.

Touya watched him leave disinterestedly, only turning his gaze back to Usagiyama once the door swung shut behind him. “As I was saying,” he said monotonously, “I believe there should also be further checks on the staff. You would be familiar with the quartermaster?”

“I will speak to him on the matter,” Usagiyama said. She paused, then spoke again. “My prince, if I may have permission to speak freely?”

Touya raised a brow, appraising the captain, unsure of what she would wish to say. “You may.”

“You shouldn’t be fighting with your consort over his background,” she began, and Touya immediately felt his hackles rise defensively. “I know I am guilty of doing just that, but I recognize it was wrong of me to attack him based on my assumptions.”

“And is it wrong of me to be upset with him for lying about his background and motivations?” Touya bit back harshly.

Usagiyama watched him for a few seconds before responding. “Did he lie or did he omit information?” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke. “Because there’s a difference.”

“Either way, he attempted to deceive me.” And succeeded, he thought sourly.

“I don’t believe it was malicious,” she answered slowly. He glanced at her, which she took as a cue to continue. “Has he talked to anyone without your presence since you were married?” She folded her hands over her lap. “He’s alone. I don’t believe you would have had any reason to be aware of the stories and rumors of the Red Wings of Shokken, but from what I understand, he’s always been alone.”

“I didn’t believe he was so infamous as to have rumors going around about him.”

Usagiyama hummed. “They’ve become a bit more numerous in recent years, as Hawks has grown, but people talk. Once you parse through the lecherous and presumptuous stories about the harlot harpy that the Shokken queen would have dance for guests in thin silks, you might understand where he’s coming from a bit more.” Usagiyama tilted her head back, gazing upwards at the ceiling as she thought. “I cannot explain all I’ve heard, not knowing what hasn’t been embellished, but from what I understand, the queen was running a sort of auction for his hand in marriage.” She shrugged. “Your father won, and nobody said a word as he was sent to Kenryoku with little fanfare.”

“Is there a point to this?” Touya asked, a bored undertone to his voice.

“What I am saying is he has every reason to slit your throat and mine. Most Yamamichi I’ve met would gladly do the same in his position. He hasn’t. You’ve never been trained for combat, as far as I can tell, but when I drew my sword yesterday, he stepped in front of you. Even though my target was clearly him, he still covered you.” She tilted her head back down to look at him. “I don’t know what he sees in you that he would impulsively risk himself like that.” Touya said nothing, and Usagiyama’s face leveled into a flat, serious expression. “He has no one to serve, no one to return to. He has chosen to follow you, so I suggest you make the most of it instead of fighting over something he clearly knew you would react negatively to.”

Touya hummed, glaring meaninglessly at the wooden table. “You are familiar with the culture of the blood waists, correct?”

“A few refugees lived in my village, so I have enough knowledge to pass.”

“Hawks swore himself to me on his wings and his soul. How seriously should I take that?” There was a moment of silence, and Touya looked back up to see Usagaiyama staring at him with raised brows and slightly widened eyes. “Is there something about that I should be aware of?”

She seemed amused as she schooled her face and shook her head. “I wouldn’t worry too much about his loyalty if that’s how he swore himself to you,” she said, a small smile dancing across her lips. “There’s not really an equivalent here that I could draw a comparison to, but it isn’t just the Yamamichi no Hitobito who make promises like that. Having a harpy of any clan swear their wings to you is very serious.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder as an amused smirk came over her face. “To swear both his wings and his soul? He’s promised everything he is to you.”

“So the harpy version of a loyalty oath,” Touya surmised, cocking his head.

Usagiyama chuckled. “Not quite, but if that’s how you wish to interpret it, then it can be.”

Touya clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes, unamused with the cryptic answer. “Very well. Regardless, there is a threat to my life. We can continue this conversation later if need be, but there is a more pressing concern.”

“Of course, my prince.” Usagiyama’s face fell into the smooth mask of a professional. “I can set you up with a guard of my most trustworthy men, if that sounds of use?”

When Touya returned to the bedroom, he paused as he saw Hawks curled up on his side, wings sprawled across the bed. Red feathers flicked as the door shut behind him, and Hawks glanced over his shoulder to look at Touya before settling his head back against the pillows, not saying a word.

He stood there for a few moments, mulling over Usagiyama’s words as he debated what to do. “Hawks,” he started.

The harpy’s wings tensed for the briefest of moments before they forcibly relaxed as he pushed himself to sit up, keeping his back to Touya. “My prince,” he greeted coolly. “How may I be of service?”

“How long did you intend to keep your lineage a secret from me?”

Hawks shrugged, wings bobbing slightly with the motion. “As long as it took. Maybe once we were in a place where I knew you trusted me. A little bit less as some creature you had been stuck with for life and more as an equal. A situation where I could tell you on my own terms, ideally, but that clearly panned out well.”

Touya approached the bed, weaving around to the side where Hawks was, and sat down next to him, the mattress dipping under his weight. Hawks moved his wing so that he could sit but spared him no glance, keeping his gaze steady out the window. “Can you explain to me further why you are so invested in observing my father’s downfall?”

“Your father ruined my life,” Hawks said simply. “I met him once. Before all of this. He picked me up by the wings, my mother’s blood still under his nails, and gave me to the Queen of Shokken.” Hawks closed his eyes. “Life on the mountains might not have been glamorous, but at least I wasn’t a pet.”

Touya stayed silent, watching Hawks closely as he gathered his thoughts.

“Your father is a horrible person. I understand that you know that on a personal level, but please understand it on a political and national level as well.”

“Is that your actual motivation then?”

“I wasn’t lying when I said you are my best prospect in life. Most other avenues have me as a criminal in hiding or a concubine. Removing your father from the throne, dead or alive, is simply another reason to keep with you. Our goals happen to align.”

“And your grudge is only against my father?”

Hawks opened his eyes and looked at Touya, meeting his gaze steadily. “I will not judge you on the sins of your father, so long as you don’t judge me on the sins of mine. My problem is with him, and him alone.”

Touya kept his eyes on Hawks’ own for a long moment before he finally broke eye contact. “Very well,” he said, magic fully settling underneath his skin from the persistent, alert buzz it had kept since the afternoon prior. “I apologize for how I acted, and for making assumptions.”

“I apologize for keeping information from you,” Hawks responded simply. 

They sat in silence for several minutes, staring out the window and making no attempt to move. Touya glanced over at Hawks, who was staring blankly at the skyline, seemingly deep in thought. He considered the harpy for a long moment. Hawks apologized for keeping information, but was unremorseful about the things he had said.

I saw the way you looked at me when we were married. Such a shame to be bound to a harpy, isn’t it?

Hawks blinked, snapping out of whatever thought process he had worked himself into as Touya grabbed his hand. He glanced from their entwined fingers to Touya’s eyes and back.

“If it makes anything better,” Touya said softly, not quite meeting Hawks’ eyes, “I do see you as an equal.”

There was a long moment of silence.

“It doesn’t,” Hawks responded blankly, and Touya’s eyes snapped up to meet Hawks’ gold. “There’s too much piled up to be waved away that easily. But I appreciate the effort.”

Touya squeezed Hawks’ hand. “Thank you. For everything you’ve done for me. I promise I’ll do right by you in the future, and show you your faith in me isn’t unfounded.”

Hawks looked away, but his wings flexed and his tail feathers fanned slightly against the bedspread.

A few minutes later, Hawks squeezed back.

Hawks slept in their bed that night.

Touya had relaxed when the by-then familiar sensation of feathers pressed into his back as he was drifting asleep. It was the most restful night of sleep he’d had in a while.

“It’s a rather joyous occasion, isn’t it?” Hawks asked.

Touya was barely able to make his words out over the ruckus of the music and cheers of the guards and workers as the end of the year drew closer. “New Year’s Eve is always a time for celebration,” he responded, raising his voice to be heard over the cacophony of the dining hall.

“Celebration or drinking?” Hawks responded, a bemused glint sparkling in his eyes as he watched Usagiyama down another tankard, laughing as her newest challenger coughed and sputtered, trying to keep up with her speed. “For a holiday of new beginnings, quite a few of them will be waking up with a nasty hangover tomorrow.”

“It’s less about new beginnings and more about seeing the events of the previous year off. Ending it on a good note.”

Hawks snorted, reaching for another tart. “I imagine it’s all fun and games until somebody stumbles into the central fire.”

Touya chuckled. “Then they just need to make sure they keep their feet steady, don’t they?” His consort rolled his eyes, watching the celebrations of the hall before them with rapt attention. His eyes flicked from place to place, but finally seemed to linger on those who were dancing and smiling in front of the musicians. Touya leaned over. “Do you want to dance?”

Hawks tilted his head as he observed the dancers, slowly chewing on the mouthful of tart as he thought. He swallowed before answering. “If I dance, the people won’t stumble into the fire, they’ll be shoved into the fire,” he said, ruffling his feathers for emphasis before taking another bite of his tart.

“But do you want to dance?”

Hawks paused and looked at him. “I suppose it would be nice,” he responded slowly.

Touya smiled and stood up, gesturing for Hawks to follow, and the harpy stood with a slight bit of hesitance, reluctantly following his lead as Touya led them through the hall.

The weather was calm as Touya pushed the door to the dining hall open, Hawks following along behind him hesitantly. There was still a bite to the winter air, but no harsh wind or snow to exacerbate the temperature.

“Here,” Touya said, gesturing out at the empty foyer of the hall. “Nobody to knock over, no fire to be knocked into. We can still hear the band playing.” He held his hand out for Hawks invitingly.

“It’s cold, is what it is,” Hawks huffed, but took Touya’s hand regardless. “One dance, then we’re going back in.”

“I just can’t win with you, can I?” Touya asked bemusedly.

“Nope. Nice effort, though.”

Touya laughed, and Hawks gave him a little smile as their hands interlocked and he spun around, giving a joyous little whoop. He began to move his feet with Touya’s as the music picked up the pace, his smile getting brighter as Touya put his hands on his waist, lifting him up in a brief little spin. Hawks was laughing as Touya almost dropped him back on the floor, not quite used to the amount of strength the faster-paced common dances required.

His wings fluttered in mirth, which was about all the warning Touya received before Hawks grabbed his waist and lifted him up, spinning him around briefly. Touya shrieked and flailed at the unexpected action, knocking the harpy off balance and causing himself to be dropped. They both landed on the floor, and Hawks took one look at him before his laughing fit returned in force, pointing at him as he doubled over, grasping his stomach.

“Your face,” he cried, barely getting the words out between gasping breaths. “Priceless!”

Touya snorted and rolled his eyes. “I’m not used to my feet being in the air. Forgive me if I was a little startled.” Hawks giggled and covered his mouth, averting his eyes guiltily as the music faded away. Touya glanced at the entryway, still not standing up, and pointedly ignoring the amusement on Hawks’ face. “We must have been closer to the end of the piece than I thought.”

There were a few moments wherein the only noise was the muffled chatter of the dining hall before the band began a new piece and a cheer rang out through the doors.

Hawks chuckled again, pinching his lips as he attempted to force the smile off his face. Touya rolled his eyes and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees, and looked up at the moon, the sky being clear for the first time in several days.

“Hawks,” he began after a few minutes. The harpy hummed and glanced at him, eyes still bright with amusement. He shifted closer to sit next to Touya, cocking his head attentively. “You mentioned a while back about killing my father to remove him from the throne.”

The laughter immediately faded from Hawks’ eyes, and his face smoothed out at the more serious topic. “You said you’d think about it.”

Touya hummed. “I don’t want my siblings to be risked in a power struggle. The most effective way to avoid any harm coming to them is to make sure my father can’t give any more orders and silence him. Permanently.”

There was a pause before Hawks answered. “Are you sure?”

Touya nodded resolutely. “I am.”

“Alright.”

A moment later, Hawks reached out and grabbed Touya’s hand, tangling their fingers together. He rubbed his thumb up and down the back of Touya’s palm aimlessly as they sat in silence.

“You know,” Hawks said slowly, “Hawks is the name that was given to me by the Shokken court.” Touya glanced at him. “You can call me Keigo. If you want.”

“I can do that.”

Touya squeezed Keigo’s hand. Keigo squeezed back.

They sat there for a few more minutes, having no more reason to break the silence that stretched between them. They kept quiet as bells in the distance sounded, pronouncing the beginning of the new year as the moon reached its peak in the sky.

“Touya?”

“Yes, Keigo?”

“... Let’s go back inside. It’s cold.”

“Of course.”

Chapter Text

“There you are.”

Touya’s eyes fluttered open slowly, a groan leaving him as the kink in his neck made itself known. An unfortunate side effect of falling asleep sitting up. Regardless, the water of the hot spring still steamed and his muscles felt relaxed, although he dreaded the pruning of his skin once he exited. He opened his eyes fully, still not moving his head from where it leaned back against the side of the pool, and focused on the amused face above him.

“Keigo?” he asked groggily, lifting an arm to press his wrist into his eyes and rub the sleep from them. “I thought you were sparring with Usagiyama?”

“I was. You’ve just been sitting here soaking up the water like a sponge for the past two hours.” He sounded bemused, though Touya supposed he couldn’t blame the harpy. He lifted his head, wincing at the soft cracking noise his neck made, and leaned an elbow on the side of the spring as he turned slightly to face Keigo. He raised a brow at the sweat-damp clothes that clung close to Keigo’s body.

“You walked across the compound looking like that?”

Keigo shrugged, not bothered in the least. “You had said you would return shortly, yet here you are. I came to find you.”

Touya huffed quietly in amusement. “I don’t imagine it’s comfortable. You may join me, if you wish.”

Keigo blinked and cocked his head, but smiled after a moment. “I suppose it’s better than waiting for a servant to fill the baths in our quarters,” he said bemusedly, walking a few paces away and turning his back to Touya as he unbuttoned his soiled shirt and slipped it over his head.

Touya rolled his eyes at the harpy’s ever-present practicality, but watched in fascination as the feathers of Keigo’s wings and tail gracefully departed from their owner, stacking themselves neatly underneath the shade of a tree. Harpies and many other species, as a general rule, did not possess magic. When he asked Keigo of that fact, he’d been informed that his consort’s mother had been a sorceress, her genes lending themselves to his natural abilities and more humanoid appearance.

“I doubt people would have found me anywhere near as pretty as I am if I had feathers across my cheekbones, and my markings were more pronounced than what could be passed off as kohl,” he’d told Touya jokingly, shrugging with a sad little smile on his face. “So I guess I have her to thank for being kept alive as a decoration!”

Keigo had laughed, but Touya wasn’t sure he found it anywhere near as funny.

Having discarded the rest of his sweaty clothes and kicked off his boots, Keigo made his way back over to the spring with little clicks of his talons on the smooth marble that had been placed around the pool. He gingerly lowered himself to sit on the side, dipping his legs in with a soft sigh, and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as his feet soaked. It always amazed Touya how small Keigo became when not aided by the presence of his massive wings, once they were whittled down to their bare skeletal structure.

“You can get in the spring, you know,” Touya remarked, stretching his arms above his head and rolling his neck, working out the stiffness and knots that had developed during his impromptu nap. Keigo chuckled.

“My blood still feels warm from training with the captain. This is enough heat for me right now.”

Touya hummed, leaning back to settle once more against the side, watching the harpy in his peripheral. “And how did that go?”

“Fifty-one to fifty-three. She’s catching up.”

“You only got that lead to begin with because she didn’t expect you to fight as dirty as you do.”

“A win’s a win,” Keigo sing-songed, smirking smugly as Touya snorted.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the only noise coming from the soft breeze rustling through the branches of the surrounded treeline.

“The leaves are growing back,” Keigo said softly, tilting his head as he observed the forest. “The snow is gone and the birds are returning.”

Touya sighed, sinking further into the hot water of the spring. He knew what Keigo was getting at. “So they are.”

Keigo paused and bit his lip before he continued. “The harbor is no longer frozen. Envoy ships from Kenryoku have begun arriving in port again.”

“What did he say?”

There was a pause before Keigo answered. “We’re to depart within the week. Nobles have begun returning to the court from their estates, and your siblings have been asking after you. Your father demands your return.”

“Only my return?” Touya asked, amusement running through his voice.

“My accompaniment is heavily implied.”

“I see.” He closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. “So I presume we must have had an enjoyable vacation?”

He heard the distinct splash of Keigo pushing himself into the water, and felt the accompanying ripples as he moved closer. “Touya…” the harpy muttered.

Touya opened his eyes once more, turquoise meeting concerned gold. The pupils of Keigo’s eyes flexed, dilating wide. However, they quickly thinned back into slits in the brief moment before Touya looked away.

“It’s best that we don’t leave Natsuo or Fuyumi alone much longer, considering the risks posed to them,” Touya murmured softly. “It’s fine. I can do this.”

“I know you can. I just worry about how you’ll cope.”

“It’ll be fine, pretty bird,” he said, offering his best attempt at a confident smile. Keigo didn’t look convinced but didn’t push the matter further, only pinching his lips as he fell silent. “Here, turn around. I’ll do your hair for you.”

“Now I know you’re avoiding the topic,” Keigo said, though not without a little laugh at the beginning of his sentence. Regardless, he sank lower into the bath and he turned around, tilting his head back ever so slightly for Touya’s awaiting hands. A sharp trill escaped his throat as Touya scraped his fingernails along the harpy’s scalp, his body shuddering before going lax.

“You’re such a bird,” Touya muttered, chuckling even through the moody slap against his thigh. Keigo pressed into the hands working through his hair, droplets of water slowly dampening the golden locks. “But I do mean it when I say it will be fine.”

“And if it isn’t?” Keigo asked softly. “Touya, even ignoring the risks of getting caught and executed for high treason, the sociopolitical ramifications of regicide are bound to make your early reign difficult.”

“If things are not fine, then I will fix them,” Touya hummed. “Besides, I will have you beside me to help ease the burden.” The line of Keigo’s shoulders tightened, his previous relaxation dissipating. Touya paused, hands freezing in the harpy’s hair, barely refraining from gnawing on his lip nervously at the reaction. “But if you wish for us to separate as soon as I have the power to order such a thing, so you may choose your own path, I will respect that as well.”

There was a long moment before Keigo responded in any way, be it with physical movement or verbal confirmation. He turned his head to the side, looking at Touya out of his peripheral for a silent few seconds before he faced forward again.

“I will be here as long as my king has need of me.”

The statement was quiet and carefully articulated. The skeletal structure of Keigo’s wings canted to the side oddly as he said that, and Touya found himself unable to discern the harpy’s true feelings on the matter. Touya frowned.

“Keigo,” he began softly, “if there is anything you need or want of me, you only must ask. You have given up enough for me already. If there is anything I can do in return, I want you to let me know.”

Keigo chuckled at his statement. There was no real humor behind it, though Touya was unable to detect any hint of bitterness either. “There are some things I want that I cannot reasonably demand of you. Not if I want it to feel true, anyway.”

Touya felt a confused noise escape his throat before he was able to stop it, and he cocked his head to the side as his brows furrowed in slight confusion. Keigo tilted his head back to look at him upside down, a lopsided smile on his face. He righted himself and moved to lean against the other side of the spring, facing Touya.

“I apologize,” he said softly. “I get carried away sometimes.” Before Touya could open his mouth to press the issue, Keigo continued on. “What shall we do when we arrive back in Kenryoku? Are there any ideas you might have to help us prepare?”

Touya felt another frown tug at his lips, dissatisfied with Keigo’s cryptic answer, but he knew he would not be able to get more information out of the harpy than Keigo wished him to know. “I believe our first step would be to figure out how to secure some level of safety for ourselves…”

“Have you ever been to Kenryoku?” Touya heard Keigo ask Usagiyama. He was unwilling to open his mouth and partake in the conversation himself as the slightest tilt of the deck sent his stomach lurching. The early-April breeze carried far less of a bite than there had been when they first headed to Hinansho, but it did little to settle Touya’s nausea.

“No, I can’t say I have. The furthest north I’ve ever been has to have been Tochuu.”

Keigo hummed tunelessly in response, shifting himself as he sat on the railing to better catch the wind in his hair, a few feet away from where Usagiyama leaned against the wooden rails. Touya sat on a bench next to the same section of the parapet, eyes directed towards the sky in misery. “It’s rather excessive—every corner you turn, there are plenty of riches to be found.”

“Not robbing the marble cladding from the Imperial Palace to make a pretty penny, are you?” Usagiyama asked, a smirk in her voice.

“Of course not, I’m a cultured Muhomono. I only rob caravans in the mountains. You never know what kind of gossip those kinds of diplomats and merchants have.” The captain snorted in response.

Touya did not quite understand the relationship between Keigo and Usagiyama, of how they had gone so quickly from pushing blades into each other’s throats to friendly sparring and banter. He wouldn’t question it though, lest they go back to causing dramatic scenes.

“You two seem awfully relaxed about this,” Touya finally managed to mutter.

“We’ve prepared as much as we can, Touya,” Keigo reminded. “We’re just about to dock, there is nothing that beginning to panic now would do for us.” The harpy let out an amused little chirp, wings ruffling. “Besides, I don’t think it would be best to greet your siblings in such a state.”

“My siblings?” Touya asked, finally moving his eyes from their depressed upward stare to glance at Keigo, who was leaning precariously forward on the railing as he looked further down the shore towards the harbor.

“They’ve been awaiting your return, it seems.”

Rolling stomach forgotten, Touya finally pushed himself off the bench and braced his hands on the railing to lean himself over as Usagiyama did the same, trying to spot what Keigo was pointing out. The dock was still a few minutes away, and it was difficult to make out any discernible features on any of the sailors or passengers who bustled about.

Usagiyama lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the harsh afternoon sun as she squinted.

“There,” Keigo said, pointing at a specific portion of the dock on the far end of the harbor. “I’ve better eyes than both of you, but they are certainly there. Not only that, but Shouto still has the feather I gave him.”

“You can feel it from this far away?” Touya asked, giving up his futile effort to catch sight of his siblings and turning his attention to Keigo. The harpy shrugged, glancing back long enough to give him a teasing little smirk.

“The sensation gets duller with distance, but yes, I can. When we were in Hinansho, I could barely make out a thing without deep concentration. Here, I can tell you he’s barely refraining himself from screaming. They’ve caught sight of the ship’s flag, so they know we’ve arrived.” He paused for a brief moment, before turning to give Touya a little smirk. “I can also see them.”

“Show off,” Usagiyama teased.

“Perhaps.”

Sure enough, as the ship pulled into the very dock that Keigo had pointed out, Touya waved at his siblings while Natsuo laughed at Fuyumi, who was keeping a tight hold on Shouto’s hand as he pulled and tugged to get closer to the vessel. The royal guard kept a close perimeter around his three younger siblings, but their presence didn’t bring as much a sense of comfort to Touya as it did in the past.

The second the vessel was tied to the pier and Touya finally made his way down the gangplank with Keigo and Usagiyama in tow, Fuyumi let go of Shouto’s hand and the eleven-year-old immediately jumped onto Touya, who caught him with a grunt. He might have fallen backward into the water between the pier and the vessel, had a hand on his back not steadied him. He was unsure who had caught him but had no time to ask as Shouto immediately began talking.

“Touya!” the youngest cheered, throwing his arms around his brother’s neck and doing his best attempt at a chokehold. “You’re back!”

“I am,” Touya managed to wheeze out through Shouto’s stranglehold. “Why? Is the palace really that boring without me?”

“Yumi won’t let me stay up late,” he whined, tilting his head back almost dramatically.

“You’re a growing boy, Shouto,” Fuyumi said in exasperation as she and Natsuo walked towards them at a normal pace rather than Shouto’s excited sprint. “You need to get more sleep, it’s not healthy to be running around for that long. You have lessons in the morning!”

“She won’t let me skip out on lessons, either,” Shouto whispered conspiratorially to Touya, who snorted harshly in response. Fuyumi sighed, but let the matter drop in favor of smiling at Touya.

“Welcome back, Touya,” she said, smiling gently, Natsuo echoing her with a bright grin on his face. She glanced at Keigo and Usagiyama as they walked to stand by Touya’s side, and blinked, likely in surprise at the extra tagalong. “It’s a pleasure to see you as well, Hawks,” she said, before glancing at Usagiyama. “And if I may inquire as to your identity?”

“Captain Usagiyama Rumi, your highness,” she said, taking Fuyumi’s hand and kissing her knuckles as she bowed. “Kaihin Royal Palace Guard, escort for your brother’s safe return, and acting personal guard.”

“Ah,” Fuyumi responded awkwardly, a soft pink tint dusting across her cheeks. Touya raised a brow. Interesting. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Usagiyama inclined her head politely as she straightened and stepped back into her professional position at Touya’s shoulder. Keigo slipped his hand into the crook of Touya’s elbow, wing pressing gently against his back. Shouto pulled back slightly from Touya to look over at Keigo, smiling brightly as he recognized the harpy.

“Hawks!” he cheered, putting his hands on Touya’s chest and pushing, which was taken as the cue to set him down on the ground. Shouto promptly started pulling insistently on Keigo’s hand, who watched him with a smile. “I still have the feather you gave me!” He patted his pockets, eventually pulling out a red feather, looking rather worse for the wear than it had months prior. “See!” Shouto beamed brightly at his accomplishment before his face fell slightly as he looked at the feather. “All the feather-y things started coming apart, though.”

“The barbs?” Keigo asked in amusement. “It can be fixed, though it will become more difficult to repair with age. You may have another, if you wish.” He slightly extended the wing not against Touya’s back.

Shouto shook his head. “If I keep taking your feathers, you won’t be able to fly anymore!”

Keigo looked like he was barely holding back laughter, which Touya supposed was fair, considering he was struggling with the same predicament. He almost didn’t want Shouto to find out feathers could grow back.

Touya glanced at Fuyumi and Natsuo, who both, while vaguely bemused at the situation, were giving Keigo slightly troubled looks. He suppressed a sigh. It was bound to come up eventually. “Hawks,” the name rolled off his tongue oddly, after several months of calling his consort ‘Keigo,’ “how about you teach Shouto how to fix feathers while I catch up with Fuyumi and Natsuo?” he suggested, though when Keigo glanced back at him, he seemed to understand what he was trying to convey.

“Of course,” he said pleasantly, hand slipping from Touya’s arm for Shouto’s smaller fingers to wrap around, leading him to a slightly clearer section of the pier. 

Touya glanced back at his other siblings, who watched Keigo and Shouto make their way off before their attention returned to him.

Natsuo glanced meaningfully towards Usagiyama, and Touya nodded. She was safe to speak freely around. They relaxed slightly, though their faces still looked worried.

“Touya, what’s going on?” Fuyumi asked, walking closer to take Touya’s hand in concern, skirts brushing against his leg. “You got married and then left so suddenly, we barely had time to see you off.”

“And you told me that you planned to keep your relationship with Hawks distant until your union could be dissolved,” Natsuo added, sneaking closer as well, voices lowering to be just underneath the hearing range of the royal guards. “Touya, I trust you, I really do, but you’re worrying both of us.”

Touya pinched his lips. “I can’t tell you much, I don’t want to cause you unnecessary stress,” the concerned frown on Fuyumi’s face deepened, and Natsuo looked like he was barely repressing a scowl. “There is… problematic movement within the court. It poses a risk to both Hawks and I, but further problems would be caused if we were to openly acknowledge it. We needed time to get away and recuperate, hence our ‘honeymoon.’”

“What’s so threatening that you felt the need to escape all the way to Hinansho?” Natsuo asked.

Touya gave them a sad little smile. “I don’t want you two to end up entangled or implicated in this. The less you know, the better off you will ultimately be.”

“Implicated?” Fuyumi whispered, looking aghast. “Touya, what are you doing?”

He kissed her forehead. “I’ve got it under control. Everything will be fine.”

“If everything is going to be fine, then why won’t you tell us what’s going on?” Natsuo asked, looking lost.

“Natsuo,” Touya said sharply. His little brother froze, and the puppy eyes he still hadn’t grown out of came back in full force. “Please. Drop it.”

Natuso opened and closed his mouth several times before eventually just gracing Touya with a simple nod.

Touya huffed softly in amusement and pulled both of them close to his chest in a hug. “Everything will be fine,” he said again, giving them a squeeze. “I’ll take care of it.”

He let them go, and as they pulled away, they still had that troubled gleam in their eyes. He was pleased to note, however, that it was lesser than it had been before the beginning of the conversation. He focused his eyes on his brother before allowing their exchange to peter out. “Be careful, Natsuo.”

Natsuo blinked in surprise. He observed Touya’s face, set in a dead serious stare, and nodded, not questioning him.

Touya brushed his hand over his shirt, pressing slightly on a feather just below the fabric that Keigo insisted he and Usagiyama keep on themselves at all times, for the purpose of safety and communication. A gentle cue that he could come back.

A few moments later, Shouto was once again crashing into Touya. “Touya, look!” he said, holding a much neater-looking red feather up towards Touya’s face. Keigo followed just behind him, expression bemused. “Hawks ran the feather through his teeth and it zipped back together!”

“It’s called preening, wakai hito,” Keigo corrected, a smile flickering across his lips. “It’s how I maintain my feathers.”

“Yeah! Preening!”

Touya laughed, picking Shouto up and balancing him awkwardly on his hip (he’d grown a little since they were away). “Why don’t you tell me about it while we head back, huh?”

“It’s a little odd to be back here,” Keigo mused as they wandered through the gardens, brushing his hands along growing and blossoming flora that had been shriveling in anticipation of the winter when he first arrived. “I’ve spent more time in Kaihin than I have at the actual Imperial Palace,” he chuckled.

“Really?” Touya asked, watching him. “I suppose it would feel odd for you. I’ve lived my whole life within this palace, so it feels a slight bit more like coming home to me.” Keigo hummed.

“I find it somewhat difficult to find enjoyment in being here. I think it may have more to do with the constant tension I have found myself subject to whenever I am here, rather than any actual fault of the estate itself.” Keigo cocked his head as they walked further into the gardens.

“Yes.” Touya frowned. “I’m sorry that your time since coming to Doryoku has been so stressful.”

Keigo shrugged half-heartedly. “You could not help it. I’m accustomed to court life being unpleasant, regardless.” Touya found no words to respond with. The harpy crouched down to inspect a particular bustle of flowers. “Are these the rindous your sister was telling me about? Last year, my first dinner with your family? They’re far more lovely in person.”

Touya blinked in surprise, glancing down at the small blue bud Keigo cradled in fingers, the stem still soft with new growth. He crouched down next to him. “Yes,” he said, tilting his head as a nostalgic smile crossed his face. “My mother had these planted when she became Queen. The gardeners have continued to care for them in her absence.”

“I see.” Keigo drew his hand back to rest on his knee, the yet-to-bloom flower falling back into place amongst the specks of blue. “Your mother,” he asked after a moment. “If it’s not too insensitive a thing to inquire about, may I ask what happened to her?”

Touya pinched his lips, mulling over his words for a few seconds before he answered. “She… had a hysterical episode, about five years back. I believe it to be caused by the pressures my father wouldn’t stop putting upon her, and she couldn’t take it anymore.” He looked up from the flowers, pointing up at the tallest tower of the palace. “See that tower?” Keigo’s eyes followed towards where he was gesturing. “She’s kept on the top one. A physical barrier, an exhaustive amount of stairs that made it difficult to visit her, back when we were allowed to see her. The guards don’t allow me or my siblings up anymore, on my father’s orders.”

“How often did you see her, then?” Keigo asked, cocking his head. Touya averted his eyes slightly, and Keigo draped a wing over his back in a comforting gesture. Touya felt cold.

“I’m not quite as close with my mother as my siblings are. I was born quite early into my father’s rule, so neither of my parents really had time for me. My development was mostly left to my governess, unless my father wanted to try and expand on my magical capabilities.” Touya sighed, leaning back slightly into the blanket of red feathers. “When my father initially began casting me off in favor of my siblings, I lashed out quite a bit. Shouto is too young to remember it, but my mother and Fuyumi were on the receiving end more than I would like to admit. I rarely visited my mother, when she was eventually locked away, and it was always stiff and formal when I did.”

A silence fell between them as Keigo mulled over his words.

“You sound regretful.”

“I was angry, at first. When I eventually realized how my actions impacted my family, I felt too guilty to try and fix my bridge with my mother. Now, when I feel like I might know the words to say, I can no longer see her.” Touya smiled bitterly, and Keigo offered him a comforting croon.

A soft breeze swept through the gardens as silence fell between them. Keigo reached over and gently grabbed Touya’s hand, twisting his wrist to tangle their fingers together. Touya felt something warm bloom in his chest, though he couldn’t quite place a label on what exactly the feeling was. His skin tingled where it met Keigo’s, and his stomach twisted in a way far less nauseating than the way it would upon a rocking ship.

He offered the harpy a weak smile, which was gently returned.

Eventually, however, Keigo looked away from Touya, back up towards the tower. “Would you like to see her?” he asked.

“What? How would I even do that?” The wing draped across his back shifted slightly as Keigo snorted, and Touya felt a little stupid for asking. “Nevermind. Why do you offer?”

The harpy shrugged. “I didn’t have a particularly great relationship with my parents either. My father might have been called the Takami King by your people, but we were still, fundamentally, scavengers and raiders. He hadn’t wanted a child, and he made sure I knew that. I was an extra mouth to feed. When he was slaughtered and my mother took me and ran into hiding, she didn’t treat me much better. Your father tracked us down, and you know the rest.” Keigo rested the hand that wasn’t gripping Touya’s on the ground, using it to settle himself into a more comfortable sitting position as he talked, and Touya followed shortly. “I’m not sure I would have forgiven them, and I don’t think I’ll ever know if I would have, or if I can without them having the chance to explain themselves. But I would have liked the opportunity to confront them about it.”

“You have already made up your mind about your father, which is understandable. There is quite a difference between getting kicked in the back and attempted murder.” Keigo squeezed Touya’s hand. “But you seem uncertain about your mother. If there is anything I can do to help you with this, I would be happy to offer it.”

Touya exhaled, a tired smile dancing upon his lips. He traced his thumb across Keigo’s knuckles, staring down at their linked hands.

“I appreciate the offer,” he said quietly, “but I don’t want to go to her with worries of succession weighing me down. I’ve already worried Natsuo and Fuyumi, and Shouto may be young, but he’s bright. He’ll start catching on before long as well. I don’t want to burden her with anything. She doesn’t deserve that, not after what I’ve already done.”

The wing over his back curled tighter around him.

“Okay.”

Touya had almost forgotten about the paranoia that had constantly lingered during the five days between his marriage to Keigo and their departure for Kaihin, but as March became April, his lack of sleep exemplified what he had only had a preview of before.

The alternating sleep schedule with Keigo wasn’t particularly enjoyable, but it gave both of them some peace of mind, even if they were both exhausted by the time morning came. Even if that exhaustion never really went away.

Fuyumi fussed and worried over them, while Natsuo always looked like he wanted to say something, but refrained from speaking each time.

It wasn’t particularly pleasant, either, when each and every night they had to gather around the dining table and suffer through a meal under their father’s watchful gaze. It wasn’t helpful to any of their plans with the court gossip that surrounded their return from their sudden vacation. There were too many eyes everywhere for them to be able to move freely.

“How long do rumors like these usually last in your court?” Keigo asked with vague interest, as they were settling into their bed for the night. Touya shrugged.

“Not too long, with any luck. We might be able to move without too much scrutiny before the month is out.” Keigo didn’t respond, and Touya glanced up from his book towards the harpy, who was picking at a loose thread in the sheets, not meeting his gaze. “Is something wrong?”

Keigo pinched his lips, silent for a minute before he looked up and met Touya’s eyes. “Our first night together—do you happen to remember what I said about the end of April?”

It took Touya a few seconds to rake through his memories, but he did. “Your estrus cycle.”

Keigo nodded stiffly. “When…” he swallowed roughly, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. “When we initially discussed it, you dismissed it since you believed your disinheritance from the throne relinquished you from the need for an heir.” His hand came to settle over his lower abdomen as he tore his eyes from Touya’s gaze. “If you are to take the throne soon and wish to secure your reign with an announcement of your child…” Keigo trailed off, face flushing into a furious red as he struggled to complete his statement.

Touya frowned slightly at his consort’s discomfort, glancing away and out the window as he carefully selected his response. “Considering how I will come into power,” he began softly, “my early rule will likely be unstable and hectic. I could not, in good conscience, bring a child into that. I myself was born early into my father’s rule, and I do not wish to repeat his mistakes or his example.” Touya sighed, slumping back against the headboard, directing his gaze upwards towards the ceiling. “I have no wish to breed you, either. Not how my mother was.”

It was a long moment before Keigo responded.

“As you wish,” he said softly. It was another minute before he spoke up again, breaking the silence between them. “Regardless, I will be rather indisposed for that week. I will be of no use to you.”

“How so?”

Keigo shrugged. “Going by my past experiences, I will be feverish during the week of, and somewhat delirious during its height. I will be in no state to be doing much of anything.”

Touya exhaled. “Alright. I will employ Usagiyama to help keep watch for the week so you may rest. I’ll take care of it.”

Keigo nodded, almost shyly as he sank back into the bedsheets. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Of course.”

Touya found he had somewhat underestimated what Keigo meant when he had vaguely explained his symptoms.

The first day, his temperature had shot upwards to such a degree that Touya would have considered summoning a priest to administer last rites, had Keigo not forewarned him of the onset of fever. He laid in their bed, face flushed and sweating, curled around his stomach as his wings twitched weakly with each sting of pain. He was coherent, but asleep for most of the day.

By the third day, however, Keigo had slipped completely into delusion, as his fever inched even higher. Touya ordered servants to fill the bath with cool water as he coaxed Keigo into shedding his feathers, an almost futile endeavor when Keigo had stopped speaking the same language entirely.

It had taken some frankly humiliating attempts at miming what he wanted the harpy to do, along with a few sharp pulls on his wings, but eventually, there was a haphazard pile of feathers in the corner of their bedroom as the servants finished drawing the bath.

Carrying Keigo to the washroom and stripping him down was less of an ordeal, though the harpy had chirped at him confusedly as he was lowered into cold water, shivering as the chill registered against his hot skin. When Touya tried to exit, Keigo screeched, reaching out for him desperately as he babbled something Touya didn’t quite understand.

“It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere,” he said soothingly, quickly returning to kneel next to the tub.

“Watashi o hannatte oite wa ikenai,” Keigo whispered pleadingly, clumsily grabbing at Touya’s hand with watery eyes. “Onegaishimasu.” Touya acquiesced easily to what the harpy wanted, entangling their fingers. Keigo relaxed slightly. “Hanarenaide kudasai.”

“I’m right here, pretty bird,” Touya murmured.

“Arigatou aishi no hito,” Keigo said, eyes falling closed. “Anata o hontouni aishiteimasu.”

Touya silently cursed himself for never asking Keigo more of his native language, much less making any attempt to understand it.

So he did the next best thing he could do, and called in Usagiyama.

She looked on in concern, taking in Keigo’s feverish demeanor and incoherent mutterings.

“Are you sure he’s alright?” she asked, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead.

“He assured me that a fever is normal for him during this time,” Touya said, though a small scowl pulled at his lips, no more pleased with the heat Keigo radiated than Usagiyama was. “The concern I called you for is different, however. You mentioned that a few refugees of the blood waists resided in your village. I can’t make sense of a word he’s saying, so I hoped that you might know enough of his language to help a bit.”

Usagiyama sighed. “I know some, although I can’t say precisely how much I can truly tell you. Even with what I can make out, he’s not making much sense.”

Touya pinched his lips before responding, glancing at Usagiyama with uncertainty, debating whether or not he should mention Keigo’s distressed nature as the harpy lazily played with his fingers. “Whenever I try to leave, there’s this… series of phrases he says. He sounds scared whenever he says them.” Touya paused for a second, debating his next actions. “Here,” he said softly, pulling his hands away from Keigo, who whined at the loss. “Watch.” He raised himself from his knees and slowly backed away, towards the door of the washroom, and Keigo’s relaxed, drowsy demeanor immediately drained away, replaced by a frantic look the second he registered exactly what Touya was doing.

“IIE!” Keigo screeched, lurching forward, causing water to splash out of the tub. “Iya, iya, iya, watashi o oite ikanaide!” The harpy choked out a sob, reaching for Touya. “Modotte kite kudasai…”

Touya hurried back to Keigo’s side, letting the harpy entrap his fingers in an almost bruising vice grip, leaving him with no chance of escaping again any time soon. Keigo pressed the back of Touya’s hand to his forehead, whispering something he couldn’t understand, almost reverently.

“Touya, hanarenai de, watashi no ai. Matte kudasai.”

Touya sighed, looking up at Usagiyama with tired eyes as Keigo continued his ramblings. “He gets like this every time I pull away, even if it’s just to grab a towel and not even leave the room. He’s… possessive, for lack of a better word. I struggle to understand what’s going through his mind.”

Usagiyama gave him a bemused little smile. “It’s not exactly my place to tell you what he’s saying, not precisely. But it’s exactly as you think, he’s distressed by your attempts to leave. With this kind of fever, he won’t be in his right mind. He sounds like he thinks you’re trying to leave him forever.”

Touya sighed, and settled down into a more comfortable position on the floor, running the hand not captured by Keigo through the harpy’s hair. The frenzied whispers were quickly replaced with a soft trilling noise, Keigo pressing his head against Touya’s hand. Touya smiled fondly, scraping his nails along the harpy’s scalp, which earned him a particularly pleased coo, before he redirected his attention to Usagiyama, who still looked a little amused.

“Would you mind grabbing the books stacked on the bedside table?” he asked, tilting his head towards Keigo meaningfully. “I’m slightly tied down at the moment.”

The captain snorted, but quickly schooled her face and gave a professional, curt nod. “Of course.”

The next visitor Touya received while he diligently sat by Keigo was on the fifth day, Natsuo knocking on the washroom door and entering hesitantly.

“I heard Hawks has taken ill,” he said, taking in Keigo’s disheveled and feverish demeanor with a worried crease in his brow. “You haven’t left your chambers in days.”

Touya gave him a reassuring smile, though it didn’t do much to mitigate Keigo’s obviously poor state, as Natsuo quietly walked further in and kneeled by Touya’s side. “He’s not exactly in a state to be left alone.” The harpy was playing with Touya’s fingers again, muttering to himself in a sleepy voice.

“Anata wa kanpekidesu, Touya,” he murmured softly. “Anata wa watashinosubetedesu.”

“Are you sure he’s well?” Natsuo asked, glancing at Touya with concern in his eyes.

“I expect the fever to lower and his delirium to break soon. He’s reassured me this is a normal occurrence, so I am simply doing my best to accommodate him.”

Natsuo didn’t look very reassured, but dropped his line of questioning. However, he did reach forward and press his hand against Keigo’s forehead, manifesting a layer of frost across the harpy’s skin. Keigo’s muttered words were broken by a pleased sigh at the small change in temperature.

Touya smiled, making an amused sound. Natsuo punched him in the shoulder. “Shut up,” he grumbled.

Touya hummed, still smiling at Natsuo, who gave him a flat look. “Thank you,” he said eventually. “I’m sure your concern will be appreciated when he’s actually coherent enough to register it.”

“He felt like he was burning up,” Natsuo commented, glancing down at the hand that had just been laid across Keigo’s forehead, where the frost had already melted away into beads of water that mingled with the sheen of sweat across his face. “Are you sure you shouldn’t have summoned a doctor, or taken him to the sick rooms at the shrine?”

“It’s best he stays here,” Touya said softly. “He’s defenseless like this. I can’t leave him alone.”

“Defenseless?”

Touya offered his younger brother a grim look. “I don’t wish for Fuyumi to know of this, you know how much she worries already, but the ‘problematic movement’ within the court that I mentioned upon my return?” Natsuo nodded, signaling he did indeed remember what Touya was talking about. “I can’t tell you who is behind it, but this movement seeks to put Shouto in line as crown prince.” He held Natsuo’s eyes, a meaningful, serious look on his face. “Forcefully. And it would seem there is room for neither of us in that equation.”

Natsuo’s face was blank as he slowly processed Touya’s words, before understanding slowly dawned upon him and a shocked, fearful look took hold of his face. “Assassins?” he asked lowly, eyes wide. Touya nodded solemnly, and Natsuo looked sick.

“Natsuo, if there is one thing I will beg of you, do not wander the castle alone. Lock your door when you sleep. I don’t wish to see you hurt.”

Natsuo nodded absently, hands fisting the fabric of his trousers in an almost fidgety motion.

Touya wished he could do anything to wipe the fear from his little brother’s eyes.

Touya awoke on the sixth day to a low groan beside him.

He blearily peeled his eyes open at the sound, lethargically propping himself up on his elbow to look over at Keigo, who was struggling to keep his eyes open as he attempted to lift himself from the mattress.

“Easy, pretty bird,” Touya soothed, pressing the harpy back down. “You’re still feverish, you shouldn’t be exerting yourself too much.”

“Touya?” Keigo asked, voice weak. “What day is it?”

“Oh—you’re coherent again,” Touya said in surprise, trying to not sound overly relieved. “You’ve been speaking your native tongue for the past three days, but this is the sixth since your fever set in.”

“Ah,” Keigo acknowledged sluggishly. “It… should break by tomorrow, in that case. I’m through the worst of it.” He sighed, clumsily flipping his pillow to the cooler side that wasn’t damp with sweat in a futile attempt to make himself more comfortable before fully laying back down. “I didn’t say anything too odd, did I?” he asked, sounding almost nervous. For what, Touya wasn’t quite sure.

“Not that I could make out. Usagiyama could tell you more of what you were saying, but she said it wasn’t her place to tell me.”

“I see,” he murmured, eyes slowly shutting again. “Touya?”

“Yes?”

“... Thank you. For taking care of me.”

“It’s the least I could do, pretty bird. Rest, now. I’ll watch over you.”

When Keigo’s fever finally broke and he recovered from the punishment of his body, as April faded into May, the first thing he asked to do was to go flying in the gardens. 

Fuyumi. Natsuo, and Shouto, freed from his lessons for the morning (Fuyumi hadn’t seemed particularly impressed with Touya for that), tagged along, looking relieved to see him upright and well again.

Well, Fuyumi and Natsuo were relieved, although Natsuo still had the worried crease to brow. Touya felt lead settle in his stomach, wishing he didn’t have to inform him of the risk posed against his life.

Shouto was bouncing up and down, running circles around Keigo, excitedly asking questions about flying; the harpy responding with an amused smile. When they finally did arrive, far enough out in the gardens for Keigo to safely take off, Shouto practically exploded, begging Keigo to take him flying.

“Please?” he asked, looking up at Keigo with wide eyes, the harpy hiding a smile behind his hand as Shouto tugged on his sash like he would with Fuyumi’s skirts. “Just a minute, just a quick circle, please take me up!”

“What would your father say?” he asked, a bemused quirk to his brow. The elder siblings were standing off to the side, watching the proceedings with varying levels of amusement.

“He doesn’t have to know! Just once, we don’t have to tell him!”

Keigo huffed, shaking his head fondly. “You make a convincing case, I suppose,” he said, crouching down to be on level with Shouto. “Can you wait a few minutes, however? I would like to go up myself first to gather my bearings and test the winds.”

Shouto narrowed his eyes at the harpy, and Touya barely repressed a snort at the petulant look upon his face. Fuyumi slapped his arm lightly in reprimand, though her pinched lips betrayed her struggle to hide her own mirth at the situation. “Okay. Come right back down to get me, though!”

Keigo chuckled, but nodded solemnly. “Of course. In the meantime, however, if you would join your siblings so I may take off?”

Shouto scampered back to Fuyumi’s side, seeming to realize the sooner Keigo took off, the sooner he would be back down, and held onto his sister’s hand tightly.

Keigo spared one last grin, but quickly redirected his attention upwards. He observed the movement of the clouds for a moment before slowly spreading his wings outward, their great length surreal against the small size of the harpy’s body, and fanned his tail feathers. After another few seconds, Keigo shifted his weight and arched his wings upwards, before harshly bringing them down, quickly repeating the motion, again and again, slowly lifting himself off the ground.

Touya had to raise an arm over his eyes, the sudden wind Keigo generated stinging at his eyes, but was able to lower it as great red wings caught the higher winds, propelling him further upwards towards the heavens.

“Wow,” Natsuo commented blankly, watching Keigo soar further upwards. “That's… different than I thought it would be, somehow.”

Touya hummed absently, watching his consort twirl through the clouds. “It’s one thing to watch a bird take flight, but scaling that effect up so far is certainly incredible to observe.”

He saw Natsuo and Fuyumi nod in agreement in his peripheral vision, but kept his eyes focused on Keigo as he twisted with the current of the wind, flying through the air with the ease of a fish swimming in the ocean. It seemed as though no time had passed before the harpy was swooping back in the gardens. Broad strokes of his wings scattered leaves as he gently landed back on his feet, feathers rustling before his wings settled against his back once more.

He barely had time to straighten his knees from his landing position before Shouto went barrelling into him, even more frenzied in his excitement than before.

“C’mon, let’s go! That was so cool, you gotta take me up there!” he cried, jumping up and down, trying to get Keigo to pick him up.

Keigo laughed, but acquiesced easily, and brought Shouto up to his chest, the eleven-year-old clinging to him immediately like he was a limpet. “Don’t squirm, alright?” he said, glancing slightly towards Touya and Fuyumi to check one last time that what he was about to do was acceptable. Touya made a small ‘go on’ gesture, while Fuyumi simply sighed in exasperation, but nodded in approval nonetheless. “I can catch you if I drop you, but it certainly will not be a pleasant experience for anyone involved. If you feel sick or scared, tell me and we will return to the ground immediately. Understand?”

Shouto nodded excitedly. “Mm-hm! Got it! Let’s go!”

Keigo chuckled at his enthusiasm, but extended his wings nonetheless.

Shouto let out a joyful shriek as they lifted off the ground, shouting back to Touya, Fuyumi, and Natsuo, “This is so cool!” as they climbed higher and higher.

“See?” Touya said, grinning as he looked to Fuyumi. “He’s having fun.”

Fuyumi sighed, giving him a tired look. “I still don’t think you should have pulled him away from his tutor, but I suppose the break is useful.”

“He’s having a good time,” Natsuo said, wearing a similar mischievous grin to Touya. “It was worth pulling him out for this, wasn’t it?”

“It would be, if you two didn’t consider pulling him out to go look at an ‘awesome spider’ you found on the fourth floor a worthy event as well.”

“It was really big, though,” Touya responded easily. “The size of my fist, easily.”

“He’s never going to finish his education at this rate!”

“Fine, fine,” Touya said exasperatedly, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ll stop pulling him out so much.”

“Thank you.”

A few minutes passed as they watched Keigo and Shouto spin through the sky above the palace, their youngest sibling’s excited shrieks of joy serving as a backdrop to the experience.

“How long do you think he’s going to be up there?” Natsuo asked eventually. Touya shrugged.

“Shouto’s been waiting on this for months, and he’s persistent. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he could convince Keigo to stay up there until the top of the hour.”

Natsuo snorted, rolling his eyes. “Well, since I doubt I’ll be able to get my turn with the harpy ferry ride—”

“He’s still recovering, no—”

“Relax,” Natsuo said, holding his hands up in surrender. “It was more of a joke than anything. I’m barely okay with the idea of swimming, being that far up with nothing below my feet sounds like a nightmare.” Touya ‘hmph’d, but let Natsuo continue. “I’m just going to head in for lunch a bit early. You all have fun, and tell Shouto he won’t be able to talk tomorrow if he keeps screaming like that.”

Touya snorted and Fuyumi smiled. “I’ll be sure to fly up and let him know,” Touya said bemusedly. Natsuo rolled his eyes again, but waved back at them as he left regardless.

“I think I’ll call Shouto back down soon as well,” Fuyumi commented as Natsuo departed. “I want him to get through at least some of his lessons today, and it’s probably for the best we don’t let him talk Hawks into overexerting himself.”

“Mm,” Touya hummed, hearing the soft sound of Keigo laughing, just underneath another excited shout from Shouto as they spun into a tight twirl. “Let them be for a few minutes longer.”

Touya could feel the paranoia weighing on his mind with every breath he took, every echo of his own steps in the stone halls igniting some primal fear in the back of his mind.

“How soon do you intend to make a move?” Keigo asked softly, wings flared slightly to keep watch for any potential listeners as he and Touya walked the castle halls.

“Soon. Once any additional attention being paid to us by our return or your recent sickness has faded, there would be our best opportunity to strike. I would expect sometime within the month, when the court gossip—”

“Shh,” Keigo suddenly hushed him, wings ruffling and head cocking to the side. A crease appeared in his brow as he seemed to be listening for something, and Touya felt the paranoia that constantly lingered at the back of his mind return in full force. Suddenly, a worried look broke across Keigo’s face, and he broke out into a sprint, dragging along a startled Touya behind him.

“Keigo—what are you—”

“Natsuo,” the harpy said breathlessly as they approached an intersection in the hall, boots skidding on the floor as he sharply turned. “Natsuo’s hurt.”

Touya felt his breath catch in his throat as his legs finally got into action, easily keeping pace with Keigo as adrenaline immediately started rushing through his system. It could’ve been a few seconds or a minute of running later, but Touya heard what Keigo had detected from so far away, the labored, pained breathing interspersed with soft little whines.

He turned the final corner.

He spotted a lanky, white-haired figure slumped against the wall, something silver and red glinting in his abdomen, and his world froze.

“NATSUO!” he cried, racing to his little brother, knees crashing painfully into the stone floor as he fell to Natsuo’s side. “Natsuo, Natsuo, look at me,” he pleaded, reaching forward to cradle Natsuo’s head in his hands as Keigo fell to the other side, hands already carefully probing around the dagger buried in his stomach.

Natsuo’s glazed eyes struggled to focus on Touya as Keigo ripped the sleeve from his shirt, carefully bundling it around the blade.

“Touya,” Keigo said seriously. Touya looked away from Natsuo long enough to give the harpy an acknowledging glance, but his eyes quickly snapped back to his brother. “I’ve already got Usagiyama summoning a doctor, but I’m about to apply pressure so he doesn’t bleed out. I need you to keep him talking and conscious.”

Touya nodded numbly.

When he saw Keigo shift slightly forward as he applied pressure, and his stomach twisted in sympathetic pain as Natsuo let out a stifled sob. His eyes became clearer and more aware as the agony jolted his mind into sharper focus, though Touya wasn’t sure if he found that a good thing, with the pain and tears shining in his little brother’s eyes.

“Touya…” he wheezed weakly.

“Shh, it’s okay, I’m here,” Touya said softly, brushing Natsuo’s hair away from his forehead. “Big brother’s here, everything is gonna be fine.”

“It hurts…” he whimpered, tears finally spilling down his face. Touya felt his own eyes burn as he tried to wipe them away.

“Shh, I know, I know. Everything will be fine.”

“Touya,” he sobbed, voice choking as he squeezed his eyes shut from the pain. “I don’t wanna die, it hurts so much. Please, it hurts—”

Touya kissed his forehead. “I’ve got you,” Touya said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice, desperately trying to ignore the rapidly growing red stain on his shirt and the floor. “I’ve got you.” Fingers wrapped around his wrist weakly, grasping desperately for comfort. “I’ve got you.”

“It hurts, it hurts, please make it stop!”

He sounded terrified.

As a doctor dragged along by a red feather pushed him aside, Touya felt something inside himself break.

Touya felt numb as he sat by Natsuo’s bedside, holding his brother’s clammy hand as he kept his eyes averted from the clinical white bandaging that encompassed Natsuo’s abdomen. Keigo was a quiet presence by his side, and Fuyumi was attempting to console a crying Shouto on the other side of the bed. Usagiyama stood still by the door that led to the rest of the shrine, keeping guard.

Touya only tore his eyes away from Natsuo’s still face when another presence joined them by the foot of the bed.

“Priest Yagi,” he greeted blankly. The small apprentice of the High Priest, the green-haired child Shouto was so fond of, peeked out from behind Yagi’s robes. He emerged after a moment to sneak over and hold Shouto’s hand, looking at a loss for what to say. “I don’t recall summoning you here for a last rite.”

“Of course not,” Yagi agreed softly, in that rough voice of his. “I do not wish to administer rites for Young Natsuo any time soon. I heard of his injury and wished to see his state of being for myself, that is all.”

Touya hummed in acknowledgment, looking away from Yagi’s face back to Natsuo’s, his head feeling light. Nothing was quite processing properly in his mind, as if he were simply going through the actions of being alive. He felt like he was floating, like nothing was quite real.

“Young Touya,” Yagi started, eyes that were shadowed with age gazing at him with worry. “Are you alright?”

“I’m not the one who was stabbed, now was I?” Touya snapped back, although he lacked any heat behind his words. Fuyumi gave him a slightly affronted look for addressing the High Priest in such a way, but ultimately let it slide.

Keigo laid a hand on Touya’s arm, a soft warble escaping the harpy’s throat. “Touya,” he whispered, as if trying to not speak too loud. “Please, calm down.”

Touya ground his teeth together. He was calm. He had just found Natsuo bleeding out in the hall, and he was calm as he could possibly be. His baby brother had begged him to make the pain stop, sobbed out his fear of dying, and Touya was calm. He was calm. His father had tried to have Natsuo murdered, and Touya thought he was taking it well, all things considered, despite the fact that scum deserved to be turned into nothing more than a scorch mark beneath his heel—

Keigo snapped his hand away from Touya with a pained hiss, and it was only then Touya realized that he had allowed his magic to begin pooling, boiling beneath his skin, sending a grounding electric tingle up his spine.

Touya grit his teeth and sharply stood up, not caring for the way his sharp movement sent his chair rocking backward, the old wood clattering to the floor. He clenched his fists and strode for the door to the room, slamming it open with little regard for Usagiyama’s startled look as he brushed past, nor the shocked cries of his name that followed after him.

He stormed out of the shrine into the palace proper, digging his nails into his palms hard enough to draw blood, the stinging sensation being the only thing keeping his magic from bursting forth from his skin uncontrollably.

“Touya!” he heard Keigo call after him, the echoing sound of his boots ringing through his ears. A hand grasped his upper arm. “Touya, wait—”

Touya ripped his arm out of Keigo’s grasp, set on his path.

“Touya, please, you need to stop!”

“No, he needs to die,” he hissed, not even sparing the harpy a glance. “I will make him beg for his life as Natsuo did for his own.”

“You’ll be caught! Touya, don’t risk yourself like this!”

“He’s already tried to kill Natsuo!” he growled, glaring at Keigo. “I was fine with waiting when I was the only one at risk, but if he’s going after my little siblings, he needs to be put down.”

“Touya, you’re not the only one impacted by this, please slow down and just think!”

“I don’t have time for that!”

“Goddamnit, just listen to me!” Keigo cried, grabbing the collar of his shirt and throwing him through a door held open by a red feather before Touya could react. He stumbled into the room and Keigo slammed the door shut behind him, standing resolutely in front of it as Touya straightened up with a snarl.

“Keigo,” Touya said lowly. “Get out of my way.”

“No.”

Touya growled and began stalking forward, fully planning on moving Keigo away from the entrance to the dusty room, when a sudden flurry of red feathers shot towards him, hooking into his clothes and yanking him backward until he was pinned against the opposite wall, Keigo walking towards him determinedly. Touya sneered and allowed his magic to flare through his skin for the briefest of moments, easily turning the quills to ash, and Keigo winced, face twisting in pain, but he kept moving towards him.

“Keigo, if you try to stop me—”

“I’m not trying to stop you!” Keigo snapped, looking every bit as frustrated as Touya felt.

“Then get out of my way!”

“No!”

Touya snarled, and his magic twisted and turned within him, bright blue flames slowly crawling up his body as his anger began to reach its peak—

SLAP!

Touya’s head snapped to the side as Keigo struck him across the face.

Touya was frozen for a long moment, flames extinguishing as shock dominated his system. Slowly, ever so slowly, his head turned back forward, giving Keigo a level stare.

“Did you just hit me?” he asked, feeling the anger slowly begin to well up once more.

“Yes,” Keigo responded coldly. “And if I need to do so again, I’ll punch you.”

Touya growled, opening his mouth to retort, but was swiftly cut off as Keigo pressed him back against the wall and braced a forearm against his throat with enough pressure that Touya felt himself begin to wheeze slightly. Keigo gazed at him with flinty eyes, and Touya felt the memory of the harpy snapping a neck well up in the back of his mind once more.

“No,” Keigo said, cutting him off. “I am going to speak, and you are going to listen to me. If you do this, you will be caught and executed for treason. Natsuo or Shouto will then need to take the throne, and you will be giving your father exactly what he wants.” Keigo’s face remained stiff as he spoke. “How will Fuyumi react to you killing your father, to your public execution for high treason? Shouto? Natsuo will awake from his healing sleep to his father and brother dead, is that what you want?”

“I—”

“Quiet.” Keigo pressed against his throat with slightly more pressure, and Touya released a strangled noise, the threat Keigo suddenly posed slowly drowning out his anger. “If you do this, you will never be able to apologize to your mother as you wished to do. You will die, and she will live believing you hated her until the very end. Do you think your siblings are mature enough to rule should you die? By primogeniture, Natsuo will inherit the throne, and he is only fourteen, and currently recovering from a stab wound. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Touya nodded frantically, as best he could with his thin supply of air and the arm pressing into his neck. Keigo observed him for a moment before stepping back, removing the block on Touya’s airway.

Touya fell to the ground, hunching over and rubbing his abused neck as he coughed and wheezed, filling his lungs. Keigo kneeled in front of him, cupping his chin gently, tilting his head upwards to look into his eyes, which were far warmer than they had been a moment prior.

“You can’t keep trying to sacrifice yourself,” Keigo whispered, eyes glistening. “I don’t wish to see you burn your own wings, not like this. You do not need to do everything by yourself, you do not need to go confront your father and go out in a blaze of glory, leaving the rest of us here to mourn and light your lantern come summer.”

“Then what do you suggest I do?” Touya asked, voice rasping.

“I can slip a feather in and out unseen,” Keigo said softly. “The timing isn’t ideal, but we won’t be explicitly implicated.”

“This is personal, I must do it myself—”

“It’s personal for me as well, Touya.” Keigo let his hands drop from Touya’s face to rest in his lap. “Not only that, but I have sworn myself to you.”

“Your loyalty oath does little to change a familial feud.”

Keigo chuckled bitterly. “You wouldn’t have quite understood what I was saying, would you?” He closed his eyes, a whimsical smile playing across his lips for a moment before he opened his eyes once more to look steadily at Touya. “I am yours,” he said flatly, fingers drifting to fiddle with the knot of his sash, loosening it. “Everything I am. My flesh, my mind, my soul, and my wings—they are yours.” He removed the red silk from his waist and leaned forward, reaching around Touya as drew the sash around his waist instead. “I am an extension of your will. My wings beat to be the wind beneath yours, my heart will run until you say ‘stop,’ every drop of knowledge in my mind serves to give you counsel, and my soul is yours to control.”

He tied the knot around Touya’s waist, hands drifting upwards to fist his shirt almost desperately as the harpy hunched over. “I am your sword, I am your shield. Whatever I strike down you may as well have yourself. I am yours, Touya. Use me.” Keigo let out a shuddering breath, tilting forward to lean his head against Touya’s chest. “I can’t bear to see you consumed by your anger, not when I know it will lead you to ruin. I am yours, don’t—” Keigo hiccuped, his composure finally beginning to break as Touya felt something damp grow across the front of his shirt. “Watashi o oite ikanaide kudasai,” he whispered. “Watshitoisshoni ite kudasai.”

Touya felt the last dredges of his rage drain out of his body as Keigo trembled against him. He slowly lifted a hand and tangled it in the harpy’s unwieldy golden hair, his other arm wrapping around his shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re saying, pretty bird,” he murmured into Keigo’s hair.

“I’m saying don’t leave me,” Keigo said shakily. “Please stay with me, I don’t want to be alone again, I don’t want to see your head on the executioner's block as well—” a sob ripped its way out of his chest, and Touya felt his mind fully return, no longer floating through the haze of emotion.

“Okay,” Touya whispered, holding Keigo close against his chest. “Okay.”

Keigo leaned tiredly against Touya’s arm as they sat in silence by Natsuo’s bedside. His eyes were closed, and his fingers were twined together with Touya’s, thumb rubbing across his knuckles absently as he focused on the feather he had sent off.

Fuyumi kept giving Touya worried glances, while Shouto and his friend (Touya was reasonably sure the shrine boy’s name was Midoriya) were curled against Natsuo’s side, having fallen into fitful sleep sometime while Touya and Keigo had been gone. Touya had barely processed most of the time that had passed that day, numbly noting the rising moon in the sky.

Priest Yagi had settled himself in a chair by the foot of Natsuo’s bed, head bowed in prayer.

Eventually, Keigo stopped running his thumb across the back of Touya’s hand, going completely still, and Touya became hyper-aware of the harpy’s movements. A moment later, he tensed, gripping Touya’s hand tightly. He heaved a sigh and pinched his lips, but relaxed within a few seconds. He slowly peeled his eyes open, looking up and meeting Touya’s gaze, and offered a tiny nod.

Touya felt something lift from his shoulders, and he sagged back into his chair, a tension he hadn’t realized had wound his body so tight finally coming loose.

It didn’t feel quite real.

He stared at Natsuo. He’d failed to keep him safe once. He wouldn’t let such a mistake happen again.

He didn’t have to wait long before a courtier burst through the doors, looking disheveled, as if he had sprinted the whole way there. Touya supposed he would be unsurprised if he had. “My prince,” the courtier said breathlessly. “You must come quick, to your father’s chambers!”

“What’s going on?” Fuyumi asked, looking worried and shaken.

“The King is dead.”

Touya could have heard a feather land on the floor in the silence that befell the room. Yagi’s head had snapped up in shock and Fuyumi held a hand to her mouth, eyes wide. Shouto and Midoriya shifted slightly at the commotion, but eventually settled back down. Keigo straightened in his seat, squeezing Touya’s hand.

“I see,” he responded blankly. “I will be there momentarily. You may leave.”

The courtier bowed and left the way he had come, though the doors remained open.

Touya felt as though he were in a surreal dream as he stood, Keigo slipping his hand into the crook of his elbow, as he always did—a constant and steady presence by his side.

Fuyumi stared at him, taking in his calm demeanor, and something dawned across her face.

“Touya,” she whispered. “What did you do?” Yagi’s eyes snapped to him at her words.

“What I needed to do to keep you safe,” he answered. He leaned across the bed and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, Fuyumi.” He nodded to the High Priest, who could only offer a numb inclination of his head in return. He strode out of the room, Keigo easily keeping pace by his side. “Usagiyama,” he said as he brushed past the captain. “With me.”

“Yes sir.”

Everything that had felt surreal before felt crushingly tangible as he entered his father’s quarters and the metallic smell of iron hit his nose. The courtiers and guards in the room looked up and bowed as he entered. His feet stuttered to a stop in the middle of the room as he took in his father’s prone figure splayed across the floor, laid in a puddle of red that still crept outward at a snail’s pace. The golden crown that Touya had always seen settled on his father’s head had been knocked into the pool of blood, crimson smears across its sides displaying its unsteady fall.

“My prince,” one of his father’s closer courtiers said after a minute of silence, keeping her head bowed as she addressed him. “I understand this must be startling, but you are now regent until your coronation.”

His coronation.

Touya nodded blankly. “Of course.”

A beat passed before she continued. “We shall give you a few minutes alone,” she said softly, walking quietly out the door, the rest of the courtiers following her, and the guards after a moment more, taking in Usagiyama before vacating the room as well.

Soon the room was empty, except for Touya, Keigo, and Usagiyama, who stood by the door, vigilant as ever.

Touya stared blankly at his father’s corpse.

It was different than looking at the body of his would-be assassin in the forest all those months ago.

Touya felt odd, and he wasn’t sure how to describe it.

Keigo slipped from his side and took a few steps forward, crouching near the edge of the puddle. He hesitated for a few moments, but slowly reached out and, with two hands, plucked the crown from where it sat in the blood. Drops of the scarlet liquid dripped from its circumference as Keigo stood, turning back to Touya with an indecipherable look across his face.

Keigo stepped forward and slowly placed the crown on Touya’s head, before pulling his hands back with a reverent whisper.

The gold was heavier than he thought it would be.

Touya was frozen, unable to move as blood soaked into his hair, warm and tacky against his scalp.

“Long live the King.”

Touya and Keigo returned to their chambers, and Touya spent most of the walk there in a numb haze. It still felt like a dream, though the weight of the crown on his head served as a grounding reminder that it was very much real.

They passed servants, courtiers, and nobles in the hall, all of whom took one look at Touya’s bloodied hair and red-stained crown before horrified realization dawned across their faces.

He brushed past them without a second glance.

As the door to their apartments swung shut, Keigo slipped his hand from Touya’s elbow to his palm, gripping it tightly. “Touya?” the harpy began hesitantly.

“We killed the king,” Touya responded blankly.

“We did.”

Touya let out a sigh, shifting to stand in front of Keigo, closing his eyes as he leaned his forehead against his consort’s. “Thank you. For everything.” He squeezed Keigo’s hand slightly before pulling back, catching Keigo’s gaze with as serious and steady a look as he could muster. “I will keep my word as I said from our wedding night.” His chest felt hollow. “Come morning, I can have our union dissolved, and I will place you under the protection of the crown so you will be free to do as you wish.”

“Touya…” Keigo murmured. “I…” he tore his eyes from Touya’s and looked to the side, a flush rising to his cheeks, feathers rustling.

Touya frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Keigo swallowed thickly before glancing back at Touya, though his eyes seemed unsteady. “I don’t wish to leave you.”

Everything seemed to slow as Touya processed Keigo’s words, mind stuttering to a halt. “What?” he asked smartly.

Keigo flushed further, but instead of saying a word, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Touya’s.

Oh.

It was different from every other time they had kissed, when they had put on displays of affection or lewdity for show.

Touya felt warm.

As Keigo pulled back, cheeks still a furious red color, Touya realized why his skin tingled every time he touched his consort.

Before Keigo could say a word, Touya kissed him again.

Keigo inhaled sharply at the action, but adapted quickly, pressing back and stepping forward, hands drifting upwards to cup Touya’s face, while Touya looped his arms around the harpy’s waist, just below his wings.

Touya bit Keigo’s lip, earning him a soft whine, and Touya realized he never wanted Keigo to leave his side.

Keigo’s hands drifted further up and tangled in Touya’s hair, dislodging the crown upon his head and sending it crashing to the floor for the second time that night, neither noticing as they became more and more lost in each other.

Keigo stepped forward, pushing Touya back, again and again until the back of his knees hit the edge of their bed, and he fell back onto it with a grunt. Touya’s breath hitched as Keigo straddled his waist, the soft moonlight shining through the wind painting an ethereal picture as it highlighted and shadowed Keigo’s figure.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked the harpy quietly. About me?

Keigo gave him a soft smile. “I’ve already told you,” he said, leaning down to peck Touya on the lips. “I am yours. Until the day when the stars fall from the sky, and can no longer shine and guide our flight, I am yours.” He kissed Touya again, pressing deeper and making him feel lightheaded before the harpy pulled back just briefly enough to mutter “I love you,” before pressing back against him.

I love you too.

His heart had never felt so full.

When Touya looked back on that night, at a much later time, he might have been able to vaguely recall the distant ringing of the bells announcing the death of the King, but not all that clearly.

He had been distracted by something far more important.

Touya awoke the next morning, feeling more rested and content than he had in months. He drifted back into consciousness, remaining still and relaxed, focusing in on the weight on his chest that rose and fell with every breath he took. He opened his eyes slowly, smiling as he spotted the tangled head of golden hair that was splayed across his torso, scarlet wings sprawled across the bedspread.

He huffed fondly, the soft movement being enough to drag the harpy from the dredges of sleep. Golden eyes blearily blinked open, Keigo yawning as he pushed himself up slightly, the cheek that had been pressed against Touya’s chest a bright red.

“Good morning,” Touya said softly.

Keigo blinked sleepily at him before a gentle smile crossed his face. He leaned upwards and kissed Touya, ever so sweetly, before pulling back and responding with his own quiet “Good morning.”

Keigo slotted their mouths together again, which Touya found himself having very little complaint about, lips moving against each other lazily as Keigo shifted to better support himself, running his hand through Touya’s hair.

Something caught and pulled as Keigo did so, however, and Touya flinched away with a quiet hiss.

Keigo pulled back and glanced at Touya’s hair, pulling his hand away. A moment passed before understanding sparked across his face and he snorted, wings puffing in amusement. “We’ll need to wash the blood out of your hair before we can do anything today,” he remarked, a lopsided smile appearing on his face.

It took Touya a long moment before he realized what the harpy meant, lifting his own hand to feel at his hair, startling as he registered the dried and crusty blood that matted his white hair down in a circle.

Touya chuckled, an almost hysterical note to his voice as he tilted his head back staring straight up at the ceiling. “I cannot believe I consummated my marriage with my father’s blood in my hair.”

“It certainly makes you stand out,” Keigo remarked with a smile.

Touya snorted as the harpy settled back down, kissing his cheek before tucking his head in Touya’s shoulder.

“Everything will be fine, now,” Keigo muttered, breathing already beginning to slow once more. “Don’t think too hard. The kingdom can wait a while longer.”

“She comes on the recommendation of Shouto’s tutor, Lord Aizawa,” Touya told Keigo as they entered the reception hall, with the throne and its framing curtains at the far end, a noblewoman bustling about, setting up an easel and a canvas. “She works primarily under the pseudonym of ‘Midnight,’ I believe—you might have heard of some of her work in Shokken?”

“In passing, yes. However, I can’t say I’ve ever seen one of her works.”

“She’s talented, with a more contemporary composition style,” Touya responded as they neared her.

Kayama looked over from where she was laying out her materials, hurriedly rising to her feet as she noticed their approach. She curtsied elegantly. “Your highnesses,” she said deferentially. “My name is Kayama Nemuri. It is an honor to be painting your coronation portrait.”

“Lord Aizawa is not an easy man to impress,” Touya commented, an easy smile on his face as the woman straightened out of her curtsey. “I have no doubt you’ll do an excellent job.”

“Thank you, my lord,” she said, inclining her head politely. “I will work to live up to your expectations.”

“We are in your care.”

Kayama nodded, and ushered them towards the throne, giving them a run-down of the process, confident as she fell into her element. “We will begin with a few concept sketches, so you may have a vague idea of how a final product will look, and select which you wish me to proceed with from there. Then I will have you stand for your portrait as I transfer it to the canvas.”

“You referred to multiple concepts,” Keigo noted as Kayama directed Touya to sit on the throne, tilting the crown on his head ever so slightly to the side. “You have more than one pose in mind? It’s rather unusual.”

Kayama offered the harpy a smile, encouraging Touya to take a looser, confident posture as he sat. “I like to experiment with my style. Staying stagnant with what I do sounds boring, so I like to switch it up. Please stay there,” she said to Touya, turning to Keigo. “I have an idea, but first I must ask, how long would you be able to keep your wings fully extended?”

Touya felt his brow raise, trying to visualize whatever Kayama must be thinking of. Contemporary indeed, with such unorthodox methods already.

Keigo cocked his head, looking vaguely confused, but answered regardless. “I am able to lock my wings in their fully extended position, though I cannot give a clear answer on how long I would be able to maintain that, as I usually only do so when in the air.”

“Can you give me your best estimate?”

“Half an hour, if we’re being safe.”

Kayama nodded determinedly and gestured to one of their servants, who came forward with a large, sturdy wooden box, which was propped up directly behind the throne. Touya felt his amusement grow. “What I want you to do is kneel on this,” she said, taking Keigo with her behind the throne, out of Touya’s view, “just high enough so that only your shoulders will be visible.”

Touya was tempted to turn and try to observe what was happening, but refrained. Soon enough, after a few grumblings from Keigo as he presumably clambered up upon the box and Kayama returned to stand in front of them, skirts sweeping along the floor with her clipped pace. She looked up at Keigo, calling directions to him.

“Lay your arm across the top of the throne and rest your head upon it.” A pause. “Good, yes, now with your other arm, reach down and cup Prince Touya’s head.”

Despite having heard the instructions as they were relayed to his consort, Touya still startled as he felt Keigo’s palm press against his cheek, cool fingers brushing against his jaw. He glanced upwards for a brief moment to catch Keigo looking down at him; the harpy offered a gentle smile before Kayama regained their attention.

“Final thing—if you could extend your wings, I will do my best to complete the sketch within half an hour.”

Touya heard the familiar rustle of feathers as Keigo stretched his wings outwards, and Kayama gained a look of almost religious ecstasy on her face as she took in the scene. Her hands shot to her sketchbook, and began working, the ink spreading across the page, barely stopping to dip her quill in the inkpot.

Touya had sat for many portraits throughout his life, and he’d never been particularly fond of the process. But he kept himself perfectly still as the scratching sound of a quill against parchment filled the hall for the better part of the allotted half hour. Kayama looked particularly pleased with herself as she set the quill down, nodding to herself before she approached them.

Keigo settled his wings against his back with a quiet sigh of relief, but said nothing as Kayama presented the sketch to them.

Lord Aizawa’s recommendation was certainly one Touya was glad he had listened to.

Their features were rough, but identifiable in the hurried strokes of ink. Touya sat with an arm propped against the armrest and a leg extended, a cocky, challenging smirk on his face. Keigo rested serenely upon the top of the throne, smiling softly down at Touya, the hand against his face almost reverent. His grand wings gave him an ethereal look, frozen in time, a thin circle drawn around his head with thin lines of light extending from it, almost as if he had a halo.

Touya would sit for the rest of Kayama’s concepts, he was a patient man, but he felt as though he already knew which was his favorite.

May faded into June, June faded into July.

The moon was high in the sky on the last day of the Bon Festival, and Touya knelt on the river edge, Keigo by his side, with hundreds of observers behind him. The paper lantern in his hands weighed almost as heavy as the gold that was soon to lie on his head.

He stared long and hard at the white surface, calligraphy brush in his hand, searching for the words to say—what could he say?

A red wing draped across his back, providing a comforting weight and some semblance of privacy from the onlookers behind him. Touya gave Keigo a weak smile, and the harpy softly kissed his cheek. He could feel the heavy stares of his siblings and mother behind them.

Touya sighed, and dipped the brush into the pot of ink. After a brief moment of hesitation, he wrote his last word upon the paper, with smooth and decisive strokes. He set to brush to the side, and Keigo cocked his head, but said nothing as he read Touya’s kanji.

A quick snap of magic through his fingers lit the candle of the square lantern, and Touya leaned forward, setting it upon the water and let go, watching the calm current of the river slowly return his father’s soul to the water from whence it came.

With the King’s light sent off, one by one, the other mourners slowly drifted to the river bed with lanterns for their own lost ones.

Touya stood up, Keigo beside him, their hands closely entwined.

さらば。

Keigo wrapped the red sash around Touya’s waist, humming absently as his fingers tied the fabric into the proper knot in a series of quick movements Touya had yet to learn to do properly.

“You’ll be fine,” the harpy said soothingly as he caught sight of Touya’s blank face. A red feather drifted lazily from his wing and wiggled its way underneath Touya’s regalia, settling above his heart. “I will be with you the entire time.”

Touya huffed, smiling fondly as he kissed Keigo’s forehead. “You and your declarations,” he mused.

Keigo smirked playfully, stepping away to straighten his own attire in the mirror. “I simply say what is on my mind, nothing more.” Touya shook his head, watching the harpy fluff and preen his feathers with amusement. Keigo caught his eye in the mirror and raised a brow. “Do you have something to say?”

“Less to say than to give.” Keigo paused, turning around to give Touya a befuddled look as Touya pulled a small box out of a drawer, presenting it to him. “I find myself at a loss for the words to express myself that you speak so easily,” Touya said, lifting the lid from the box and upturning it over his open hand, “but I hope that a gesture might communicate what I fail to.”

Keigo’s eyes widened as he watched the red silk with delicate blue embroidery pool in Touya’s hand. “Touya…”

“You have sworn yourself to me from the very beginning,” Touya said softly, approaching Keigo, the harpy frozen still as he stared. “You have stayed by me despite everything that myself and others have put you through.” He reached around Keigo, wrapping his waist with the new sash to replace the one that was curled around Touya instead. “I promised you that we would be equals. So, I promise myself to you in every way you have promised yourself to me.” He attempted to recreate the knot Keigo had done a minute prior with little trouble, his final product looking somewhat sloppy, but it held.

He looked up to catch Keigo’s gaze, the harpy’s golden eyes having gained a suspicious wet sheen. “You are mine, I am yours,” he said softly, pressing his lips against Keigo’s for a brief moment. “I may not have the same sweet words as you, but I hope that my love is enough.”

The doors to the central shrine of Kenryoku, the Chuo Shudoin, swung open before Touya. The choir’s voices echoing off the vaulted ceilings as he entered, each step slow and measured. Hundreds of eyes watched him enter, thousands of eyes in the street caught their last glimpse of the crown prince before he emerged king.

He kept his eyes straight and forward, refusing to let his racing heart or hectic mind show on his face. Instead he focused on High Priest Yagi as he stood at the central altar with his small apprentice by his side, the young child reverently holding Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi. It took so long, yet was far too soon that Touya took the final step upon the raised section of the floor. The Imperial Treasures laid within their boxes, hidden from mortal eyes upon the altar, and they seemed to be judging him. Yagi gave him a firm, small nod, and turned to the northern section of the Shudoin.

“I here present unto you King Touya, your undoubted king: wherefore all you who come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?”

As one, the nobles and lords of the court in the north of the shrine responded, “Amaterasu save King Touya!”

Touya bowed to them in answer.

Yagi turned to the east to repeat the process, then to the west, then the south. At each and every “Amaterasu save King Touya!” Touya bowed, as was his ceremonial response.

Yagi finally turned to Touya himself, and in a solemn, deep voice that carried and reverberated off the dead silent walls, asked him “Sire, is your Majesty willing to take the Oath?”

Touya swallowed roughly, but answered in a smooth and steady voice, projecting a confidence he did not quite feel. He knelt before the High Priest. “I am willing.”

“Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the People of Doryoku according to our ancient laws and customs, upheld since time immemorial?”

“I solemnly promise to do so.”

“Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?”

“I will.”

“Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of the Gods and follow Amaterasu’s word? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain and preserve inviolably the Goddess’ word, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by tradition established since time immemorial?”

“All this I promise to do.”

Touya smoothly rose back to his feet as he finished the Oath, and walked the last few paces towards the central altar. Midoriya bowed his head and presented Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi to him. Touya gently took the sword from the boy, the Treasure laying heavy within his hands, sheath hiding the blade from unworthy eyes. Touya raised the sword and pressed a kiss against its scabbard before laying it upon the altar with the other two treasures, placing his hands gently on their concealing box as he lowered his head.

“The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. By the blood of the Goddess that runs in my veins, so it shall be.”

He let his words linger for a long moment before stepping away and turning his back to the altar to kneel once more, Yagi slowly kneeling before him as best he could while balancing a small bowl of water in one hand. Dipping his fingers into the bowl, the old priest drew a line of water across his forehead, beneath his eyes and down his cheeks. The water was cold where it laid in a thin layer upon Touya’s skin, an avenue through which Amaterasu might enter and judge his soul.

Yagi closed his eyes, whispering a prayer.

“O Goddess… Grant unto this thy servant Touya, our King, the spirit of wisdom and government, that being devoted unto thee with his whole heart, he may so wisely govern, that in his time thy shrine may be in safety, and devotion to you may continue in peace.”

Yagi stood and disappeared from his line of sight. Touya stayed kneeling, not moving his head an inch as he felt the rich red robe upon his shoulders be lifted away, leaving him in his dark and undecorated uniform, the only color coming from the silk tied around his middle.

Touya breathed deeply as Yagi returned to his field of vision, golden crown with all its jewels and no longer stained with royal blood in his hands as he approached him.

Touya exhaled and prepared for the deafening roar of the crowd.

“AMATERASU SAVE THE KING!”

He closed his eyes.

“AMATERASU SAVE THE KING!”

A heavy weight was laid upon his head.

“AMATERASU SAVE THE KING!”

Touya opened his eyes, and everything changed.

Yagi gave him a small little smile and bowed. “I swear my allegiance to you, King Touya.”

Touya felt his breath catch, even as he rose to his feet under the expecting eyes of the court, all lining up to swear themselves to him.

One by one, they all passed, with an oath of allegiance that Touya acknowledged with no more than a firm nod. He felt lightheaded, overwhelmed.

Slowly, as he passed through the lower ranks of nobles and approached more familiar faces, Touya felt himself be grounded. As one lord stepped to the side, Touya allowed his eyes to wander for the briefest of moments along the dwindling line, catching sight of bright red wings at the very end.

His mother was the first of his family to approach, and Touya felt a spark of something warm as their eyes met and she curtsied with perfect grace, the results of many years in court. "I swear my allegiance to you, King Touya," she said quietly, offering him the smallest quirk of her lips before she stood to the side.

Fuyumi came up next, offering him a curtsey and a small smile. “I swear my allegiance to you, King Touya.” Her voice was soft, but no longer held the hesitance it had briefly gained in the time following their father’s death.

Shouto followed behind Fuyumi, steps a little too stiff. He puffed up his chest as he spoke. “I swear my allegiance to you, King Touya.” The words left his mouth, overly articulated and awkwardly paced, as if he’d rehearsed it. Touya wouldn’t have been surprised if he had.

Touya fought to not let a smile cross his face as Natsuo approached, a slightly odd lean to his step, still recovering from the attempt on his life a few weeks prior, but alive, so Touya didn’t really care if his bow wasn’t perfect. “I swear my allegiance to you, King Touya,” he said, bowing with a less subtle grin than the soft quirk of lips that Fuyumi had offered.

Final in the line was Keigo.

He approached with confident steps, his new sash still secured around his waist with the awkward little knot Touya had tied earlier that morning. The harpy gazed at him for a long moment, before sweeping himself into a bow, wings arching outwards, red highlighted in the multicolored light of the stained glass windows of the Chuo Shudoin. Touya felt the feather beneath his clothing flutter and press against his skin.

He spoke words Touya felt no need to hear, already calm and at ease with the one ally he knew would never leave his side.

“I swear my allegiance to you, King Touya.”

As he rose out of his bow, the final one to swear his oath, the crowd broke out in the final chant.

“AMATERASU SAVE KING TOUYA! LONG LIVE KING TOUYA! MAY THE KING LIVE FOREVER!”

Chapter Text

“Touya!” he heard Keigo call after him, the echoing sound of his boots ringing through his ears. A hand grasped his upper arm. “Touya, wait—”

Touya ripped his arm out of Keigo’s grasp, set on his path.

“Touya, please, you need to stop!”

“No, he needs to die,” he hissed, not even sparing the harpy a glance. “I will make him beg for his life as Natsuo did for his own.”

“You’ll be caught! Touya, don’t risk yourself like this!”

“He’s already tried to kill Natsuo!” he growled, glaring at Keigo. “I was fine with waiting when I was the only one at risk, but if he’s going after my little siblings, he needs to be put down.”

“Touya, you’re not the only one impacted by this, please slow down and just think!”

“I don’t have time for that!”

“Goddamnit, just listen to me!” Keigo cried. Touya spun around as Keigo reached for him, anger boiling over and setting his body alight. Keigo snapped his hand back with a shout, stumbling back a few steps, the raw heat of Touya’s flames already causing his hand to break out in red blisters.

Touya sneered at him. “If you will take his side in this matter, then so be it. I will not allow you to stop me,” he said lowly, flames curling back into his body. His magic continued to float just beneath his skin, snarling in anger. The familiar sting of fresh burns raced up his spine, though it did little to distract Touya.

Keigo looked at him steadily, a determined glint to his eyes, cradling his burnt hand to his chest. Without warning, dozens of feathers shot forth from his wings towards Touya. With a reaction speed he hadn’t known himself capable of, he threw out his arm and let his magic free, blue flames bursting out, bright as the sun.

Keigo screamed.

Touya’s flare of power lasted for no more than a second, but it was enough to turn the feathers completely to ash. As the light of his flames faded, Touya took note of the fact that he had underestimated his range as Keigo fell to the floor with ragged breaths, one hand cradled to his chest as the other covered half his face. Touya looked down at Keigo with a level, cold stare as the harpy gazed back at him with tears beginning to run down his cheeks.

“Touya, please,” he croaked, looking a truly pathetic picture with his charred hair and wings. “Please stop.”

Touya stared at him a moment longer before he turned on his heel and strode away.

“Goodbye, Hawks.”

“Touya!” the harpy’s voice called out after him, desperately. Touya kept walking forward, not allowing his pace to falter, even as something within his chest twisted. “Touya! Please, you’ll get yourself killed! We need you alive! Touya!”

Touya straightened his back and continued on his path, refusing to acknowledge the harpy crumpled in the hall behind him, whose voice was fading as he got further and further away.

“Touya! Touya, yamero!” There was a broken sobbing noise, and Touya lowered his head to stare at the floor in front of his feet as he walked. “Anata ga shite iru koto o kangaete kudasai! Touya, aishiteruyo! Watashi no ai o oshietekudasai, anata wa taizai shimasen ka?”

He clenched his fists, shoulders shaking as he strode onward, grinding his teeth.

“Touya, okizari ni shinaide! Watashi o hanatte oite wa ikemasen! Douka!”

Touya kept walking.

“TOUYA!”

Touya’s skin was generating a shimmering haze of heat about his body as he finally strode into the throne room. He hissed, steam escaping his mouth, as he noticed his father at the far end, sitting upon the dais as if he had done no wrong.

“Touya,” the king greeted him lamely, looking far from impressed with his display of anger. “Why are you here?”

“Why are you here?” Touya shot back, a low growl in his voice as he stalked towards the throne. “Your second youngest child has been stabbed, almost murdered, yet you hardly look disturbed!”

“Natsuo is fine,” his father said dismissively. “He lives, and thus there is no reason to be concerned.”

“No reason to be concerned?” Touya asked, voice rising in pitch. “An assassin tried to kill him, and yet you tell me there is no reason to be concerned?!” He neared the dais, and felt a crazed, hysterical smile grow across his face. “You ordered Natsuo dead after you failed to kill me, and there is no reason to be concerned?!”

Touya was close enough by that point to see something spark in his father’s eye before he straightened in his chair. “Guards-”

Touya sprinted the last few paces to the throne and reveled in the look of horror upon the king’s face as grabbed the front of his robes and yanked him forward with all the force he could, the snap of movement sending the crown tumbling to the floor. He grinned even wider, staring the man in the eye as he summoned every last dredge of magic his body contained.

“I’m taking you to hell with me, Todoroki Enji.”

And the world lit up blue.

The roar of his flames, the feeling of his magic singing through his veins, the pure euphoria he felt overwhelmed him, drowning out the burning pain of his skin sizzling and charring. The horror of the dark, almost black burns crawling up his arms was overshadowed by the image of his father turning into ashes before his very eyes.

He panted as the flames faded away, body feeling as though it had been struck by lightning. The dark, dry burns of his skin were already cracking and blood was trickling down his hands, dripping onto the floor.

His burns must have been all across his face as well, because he felt the splitting of his skin as he laughed hysterically, even as he was tackled and pinned to the ground by the King’s Guard. 

He laughed.

He laughed and laughed and laughed, even as he was dragged to the dungeons, right up until he passed out on the damp stone floor, he laughed, distracting himself from the scarlet dripping from his eyes.

Touya laid on the stiff bed, not moving unless necessary to avoid irritating the new sutures that held his charred and gnarled skin to what little healthy and pale surface remained. A doctor had been summoned, but only healed him enough that he would not die from blood loss or infection. He would have the dark purple scars that littered his body for the rest of his life, what little of it remained.

The heavy cuffs that absorbed and dissipated his beleaguered magical core weighed heavy on his wrists. Touya had not ever noticed how much his magic moved and flowed within him until he could not feel it.

“Touya?”

He blinked and glanced towards the bars of his cell as best he could without moving his head. Fuyumi. He made a weak groaning sound as he pushed himself upright, sliding off the bed while moving his limbs as little as possible, unused to the way the sutures pulled as he moved.

“Yumi,” he greeted as he slowly approached the bars, voice raspy and damaged in a way it hadn’t been a week prior.

“Touya,” she whispered, face aghast as she took in his new appearance. She reached through the bars to cup his head, though it took until she ran her thumbs along his cheekbones for him to fully notice, all feeling in the lower half of his face well and truly gone. “How…?”

“I overextended myself,” he said, pressing his head against her hand just to feel the slightest pressure. “Severely. This is the best they were willing to do for a traitor.”

Her expression was troubled, though Touya could understand. A lot had changed.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, closing her eyes and leaning her forehead against the cold metal bars. Touya quirked a brow.

“What for?”

Fuyumi let out a shaky breath.

“With father dead, you imprisoned, Natsuo indisposed, and Shouto young, I have taken over as regent,” she admitted hesitantly. “I tried to vouch for you in court, but they weren’t willing to listen to me.” She sighed and opened her eyes, catching his gaze. “It has been decided that you are formally disowned from the Royal Household and stripped of your names and titles. You are to be publicly executed within three days.”

Executed.

Touya had come to terms with his possible disownment from the house, it having been a looming threat he was familiar with since his teens as a way of clearing the path of succession before his father decided upon more forceful methods, but execution was… not something he had come to terms with.

“Touya! Please, you’ll get yourself killed! We need you alive!”

Touya felt something inside his chest twist.

“Hawks,” he asked quietly, gaining Fuyumi’s attention. “How is he taking the news?”

She bit her lip and averted her eyes, and Touya already knew he wasn’t going to like the answer. “We haven’t told him yet. He’s seen as a potential co-conspirator-”

“Co-conspirator?” he asked incredulously. “He was trying to stop me!”

“He is still your consort, regardless, even if you have been disavowed,” Fuyumi said. “He is not to be informed until the day of.”

Touya frowned. “What of his fate after my death?”

“Shokken has sent an envoy demanding his return once your body has been disposed of.”

“I’m out of that court, but if you died I would be sent straight back, if your father didn’t sell me off as some pretty concubine for a lower lord first.”

“Even if you escaped, they’d hunt you right back down.”

Touya sighed and leaned his head against the bars, ignoring the slight pull of the sutures on his back. He hadn’t burned off Keigo’s wings for betrayal, but he might as well have.

Touya clenched his fists, the slight flex of his forearms digging into the already too-tight rope that bound him to the wooden chair.

“HERE SITS THE KINGSLAYER!” the herald cried to the audience, citizens of Kenryoku gathered in the city’s main square for his execution. Fuyumi was the only one of his family in attendance, watching on in her role as regent. She didn’t look at him.

A slight stinging pain in his hand made him aware of the fact that his fidgeting had caused one of his sutures to tear. He sighed, and gazed out blankly at the horizon. It mattered little.

“HE OF DIVINE BLOOD WHO TURNED HIS BACK ON AMATERASU’S CHOSEN RULER, HE IS NOW STRIPPED OF NAME AND TITLE, FROM FLESH, BLOOD, AND HOUSE! HE, WHO HAS CREMATED AND BURNED HIS KING, HE, WHO HAS SLAIN HIS FATHER IN COLD BLOOD, IS STRIPPED OF ALL DIGNITY OF HIS FORMER LIFE, AND IS NOW ONLY KNOWN BY THE CHOUTEKI NAME OF DABI.”

Dabi.

Cremation.

Touya, though he supposed that was no longer his name, no longer his right, huffed amusedly. It was fitting, he supposed. He burned everything to ash, in the end.

“DABI, THE CHOUTEKI WHO HAS SLAIN OUR BELOVED KING, LEFT NAUGHT BUT ASH TO RETURN TO AMATERASU’S LOVING ARMS, WILL BE STRUCK THROUGH THE HEART AND LEFT TO BLEED BEFORE GRIEVING SUBJECTS.”

Touya tried to ignore the way his pulse sped up as the executioner, thick, ceremonial armor completely obscuring their figure, stepped forward and leveled a sword upon him. They pressed the point into his thin, ratty shirt, directly above his heart. He clenched his fists again and tilted his head back further, to gaze upon the sky.

He’d heard as a child that not being able to see something, not being able to tense in anticipation, made wounds hurt less.

His body felt tight regardless.

Touya flinched and muffled a wince as the point of the blade scraped against and slightly tugged one of his sutures. He unclenched his fists, desperately trying to relax himself as the herald continued speaking.

“Touya!”

Touya’s head snapped towards the noise, and he found himself unable to determine whether the feeling that bloomed within him was dread or relief as he saw red wings shoving their way through the crowd. As Keigo quickly came closer, Touya made note of the fact that he was only dressed in a thin shirt and breeches, talons scraping along the cobbled ground. He’d come so quick he hadn’t even bothered with shoes.

“Guards!” the official in charge of Touya’s execution cried upon seeing the commotion. “Restrain the harpy, lest he upset the peace further or cause a riot.”

“Sir!”

Keigo kept his forward pace despite the calls of the royal guard to halt, the only interruption occurring when a pair of guards attempted to pull him back by his wings. Without missing a beat, the feathers of his wings sharpened and he snapped them in such a way that he was moving again within moments, giving no regard to the men bleeding out behind him as he ran towards the raised platform, the crowd parting easily for him.

“GUARDS!” the official cried again, louder that time, as the threat Keigo posed became clear, and the security surrounding the event bore down on the harpy.

Keigo let out a raw screeching noise, baring his teeth and snarling as the guards attempted to pin him, the cobblestone of the square preemptively stained by thrashing wings of blades.

“Avoid the harpy’s wings, it'll slit your throat!”

“We need to get on with the execution before it interferes!”

“Keep it down, it’s gone feral!”

Keigo’s wings and talons ripped through flesh and armor like soft butter, yet even he was eventually overwhelmed, a foot squarely between his wings pinning him to the ground. Keigo tore his eyes from the guards and looked towards Touya desperately, still bound in his chair upon the platform. Touya smiled down at him sadly, even as the harpy reached and lurched forward, as if it would change anything.

“TOUYA!”

Touya closed his eyes as the tears down Keigo’s face became numerous enough that he could spy them even from the distance at which he sat.

It took him a moment to fully process that sudden burning pain in his chest. Each weak attempt by his heart to beat sent more agony through his body, each breath and rise of his chest lighting up every nerve with acid. He opened his eyes and looked down at the decorative hilt nestled close to his chest, his dirty shirt turning a bright crimson color.

A violent scream tore through his ears, though he was surprised to realize it wasn’t his own.

He was dizzy, and his head felt light. Through the pain, his lungs forced him to hack up a cough, his mouth filling with a metallic taste. He blinked blearily as slick, warm hands cupped his face and a frantic voice grounded his floating mind as he found it more and more difficult to focus.

“Touya!” Keigo’s wet voice called.

“Keigo,” Touya slurred in response, eyes slowly focusing on the harpy, who was so close he practically sat upon his lap. He blinked again. “You’ve got a lot of blood on you.”

Keigo laughed, a broken little noise. He reached his hands up to try and wipe the tears from his face, though it did little more than smear scarlet across his skin as the tears continued to fall, turning pink as they ran through. Touya felt a swift pang of guilt race through him as he took note of the pink and rough skin that spread across half the harpy’s face. “You’re not one to talk,” Keigo said with a wavering voice, offering Touya a wobbly smile.

They both ignored the cries in the background, the flashes of red as Keigo’s feathers swarmed around them, keeping a barrier between them and the world as Touya faded away.

Touya chuckled, though it only led to him coughing and hacking again, more bloody drool dripping down his chin. “I’m sorry,” he croaked, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against Keigo’s. “I should have listened to you. I’ve doomed us both.”

“No, no, no,” Keigo whispered. “Don’t waste your time on apologies, my love, not when we have so little time already.”

“Love?” Touya asked, eyes reopening to look into Keigo’s.

A soft kiss that tasted like blood was pressed against his mismatched lips, lingering for a long, sweet moment before Keigo pulled away. “Of course. Who else?”

Touya smiled bitterly. “Someone other than the fool bleeding out before you. Why not fly away, pretty bird?”

“Where to?” Keigo asked wistfully. “All chances I had in life laid with you. I swore myself to you. I wish not to spread my legs for another, nor to live my life hiding my wings in fear of being found. I will only ever be yours, so by your side I shall stay.”

Touya leaned forward, as best he could with his chest pinned to the chair by a blade and his arms bound, and kissed Keigo, savoring the chaste press of their lips for all it was worth. “Thank you,” he said, leaning his head back as it seemed to fill with clouds and his vision glazed over, ears fuzzy with white noise. “Thank you, my love.”

“TOUYA!”

“You’re lucky they’re allowing you this before you leave for Shokken,” Usagiyama commented softly as she walked alongside Keigo towards the gardens. “You’re lucky you were not imprisoned for what you pulled at all.”

“What would you have had me do?” Keigo asked her blankly, only squinting slightly as the sun glared down into his eyes as they exited the palace. “He was my Sworn.”

“If you are sure,” she sighed. 

“Even if I am not, there is little else for me to do.” Keigo gave her a bittersweet smile. “Thank you for coming. It’s nice to have at least one friendly face seeing me off.”

Usagiyama smiled. “Of course.”

“Hawks!”

Keigo tensed slightly at the cry, wings drawing tight to his body as he turned. Shouto ran towards him, huffing from exertion as he skidded to a stop before them.

“Yumi said you were going flying today!” he said, a hopeful little smile spreading across his face.

Keigo sighed, kneeling before the young boy. He hated to deprive Shouto of something that might give him joy, as he’s been despondent since Touya’s death, but he didn’t need more grief in life than what he already had.

“Sorry, not this time,” Keigo said with a sad little smile. He extended a wing and curled it around Shouto, creating a soft barrier between them and prying eyes. “Here.” He plucked a soft feather from his wing, from just behind his primaries, and handed it to the young prince. “Someday, we’ll fly again.”

Shouto accepted the feather, though with little of the enthusiasm he had the previous time Keigo had offered him one. He sniffled, and threw his arms around the harpy’s neck, tucking his head into Keigo’s shoulder. “Promise?” he asked softly. “Promise you’ll take me flying again.”

Keigo exhaled heavily and wrapped his arms around Shouto in reciprocation, hugging the young boy close to his chest. “Yes,” he whispered. “We’ll fly together again. Somewhere high above the clouds, kotori.” He drew out of the hug and gave Shouto a gentle smile. “Run along now,” he said, standing up. “We don’t want Fuyumi hunting you down for your lessons, now do we?”

Shouto looked down at the feather for a long moment before looking back up at Keigo. He nodded quietly and scampered off in the other direction.

“That was a rather brusque way of shooing him off,” Usagiyama said as they turned back around and resumed their trek towards the small entourage in the middle of the garden.

“He’s young,” Keigo responded quietly. “He doesn’t need to see this.”

Usagiyama didn’t grace him with a reply.

“Ah, Hawks,” the envoy from Shokken greeted him, breaking from the conversation he had been holding with Fuyumi in the meantime.

“Mera,” Keigo greeted in turn with a gentle smile. Mera was one of the few in Shokken’s court with whom he held no qualms or quarrels, which he supposed was why he’d been granted his wish for a last flight before his transfer back to Shokken. “I hope your journey here found you well?”

“It was rough, but I made it here in one piece, I suppose.”

Keigo nodded politely before ruffling and settling his wings pointedly. “If I may…?”

“Of course,” Fuyumi said, giving him a pleasant smile, though it felt empty.

Keigo bowed differentially before walking away a few paces, fingers fiddling with his sash and loosening the knot, drawing the silk through his fingers. He bowed his head as he spread his wings outward, the muscles and bones still tight from the strain of regrowing his feathers and the stretch of weeks without flight.

He clenched the fabric within his fist as he crouched, and with one mighty leap, threw himself upwards and into the sky.

Keigo had always loved the burn in his back and chest when he beat his wings, pushing himself further and further into the air. He had always loved the feeling of soaring through low hanging clouds, of gliding along on currents of the air. Of the breeze between his feathers and through his hair.

He smiled to himself as he flew high enough for those below him on the ground to turn into little more than specks on the earth, the imperial palace looking the size of a child’s playset. He smiled, twisting his arms just right to loosely loop his sash around his beating wings, holding the tail ends close to his chest. He smiled as he felt tears dripping down his face.

He beat his wings, again and again, soaring higher and higher, until the air became thin enough that even he began to notice. And then he stopped the movement of his wings, allowing his momentum to pull him upwards for a few moments longer.

In those few seconds where he floated, before the pull of the earth regained its grasp upon him, Keigo shed all his feathers, leaving his wings bare and tail gone. He pulled his sash tight, pinning the skeletal structures of his wings together, and tied the red silk around his chest as he began to fall.

He twisted in the air, tear tracks down his face feeling cold as the harsh wind hit them.

He smiled as the wind raced through his hair, and closed his eyes.

I will only ever be yours, so by your side I shall stay.

He’d never felt so free.

Rei had scarcely been out of the tower a few days when the Bon Festival drew to a close.

“Touya killed father and was executed,” her only daughter had confessed to her in a hushed voice, in the scant moments between the festivities that they’d had time to talk.

Rei was unsure of how she felt about either or their deaths.

Enji had been her husband for so long. Their marriage had started out well, but by the time she was a widow they hadn’t seen each other in over five years. Touya was her eldest, and she loved him dearly, yet she had left him to fend for himself so often she doubted that she deserved to grieve his death.

On the final evening of the Bon Festival, when it was time for the Tourou Nagashi, she found herself on a secluded little pier with her three remaining children.

“Touya was branded a traitor,” Natsuo had explained as he led her to the pier, crown slipping to the side on his too-small head. “We cannot grieve him publicly, not with the scrutiny and outcry such a thing might create.”

He’d grown so much from the chubby-cheeked nine-year-old she’d been forced to leave behind. Rei wondered, when she observed her child glancing down at the lantern in his hand with an indecipherable look on his face, if the ill-fitting crown was because he was too small or the regalia too large.

“Would you like to write a message?”

Rei blinked as she was knocked out of her reverie, eyes shifting to look at Fuyumi as she offered the lantern and brush to her. She reached out and gently took the items from her daughter, looking down at the one free side of the lantern left. The brush weighed awkwardly in her hand as she searched for what she might say to her son, what words she wished she could have said before he departed.

“I apologize,” she softly, setting the brush back down next to the pot and handing the lantern back to Fuyumi. “I find myself at a loss for words.”

“That’s okay,” Fuyumi responded with an easy little smile, taking Rei’s hand and helping her to her feet. “Let’s go see Touya off, then.”

“Wait!” Both women turned at Shouto’s cry, the young boy coming up to them with another lantern in his hands, a raggedy red feather tied to its frame. “We need to see Hawks off too!”

“Hawks?” Rei asked, the name unfamiliar.

“Oh,” Fuyumi said, looking sheepish as she seemed to realize something. “Touya was… he was married, about half a year before his execution. A harpy from the court of Shokken, to the south. He… chose to follow Touya, not long after his funeral.”

Rei paused, racking her mind. “Hawks… did he happen to have red wings?”

“Mm-hm!” Shouto hummed, nodding fervently as he pointed at the feather tied to the lantern. “Big red wings, and he had a tail, too!”

“Ah,” Rei intoned softly, a nostalgic look crossing her face. “Yes, I met him once. When he was very young, before he went by Hawks.” She thought back to the despondent young harpy she had met, just before she had fallen pregnant with her last child. When she had gone with Enji on a trip to Shokken’s court. He had left for a day and returned with a small boy with talons and red wings and an almost indecipherable accent.

She hummed to herself and looked up at the moon.

“Hello,” she had greeted the small boy. “I am Queen Rei, of Doryoku. If I may inquire as to your name?”

The harpy child had stared at her for a few moments, pausing as he processed and translated the words in his head. She remembered thinking what an opposite the little blond boy was to Touya, to her young spitfire of a son with all the passion in the world. The little boy who had responded to her in such a blank tone it had almost taken her aback.

That was the only interaction Rei had been allowed, before he was given to the Queen of Shokken as a gift, Enji having decided to keep them separate. “Your feminine sensibilities make you too prone to sympathy for such a savage creature, when it wears the visage of a human child.”

Rei remembered thinking if her sensibilities were so great, why had she not done more for Touya? But she said nothing at the time.

“Is Hawks not his name?” Rei glanced at Fuyumi, who had a small, troubled crease to her brow.

“It is not the one he gave me. Hawks is a far more Shokkese name in origin.” At Fuyumi’s inquiring look, she continued. “Takami Keigo was the name he gave me.”

Fuyumi nodded and reached for the brush Rei had set down and dipped it into the inkpot, carefully rewriting the name on the paper of the lantern. Shouto stuck close, gripping Fuyumi’s skirts tightly as he watched her elegant strokes form the kanji of the harpy’s name.

“There,” she said, placing the brush down and handing the lantern back to Shouto. He took it with reverent hands, staring at it for a moment before he raced to join Natsuo by the pier. She picked up Touya’s lantern and led Rei down to join her two sons.

Fuyumi handed Touya’s lantern off to Natsuo, who thanked her with a weak smile before he knelt down by the water’s edge next to Shouto.

Rei and Fuyumi stood back, watching silently as the two boys let go of their lanterns, allowing the gentle current of the river to carry them off down the stream, bumping against each other as they floated away.

Rei allowed a smile to cross her face.

At least Touya had found someone willing to stand by him in the end.