Chapter Text
The truth of the story, of when they first met, was kept inside Riku’s heart so deep he didn’t dare share it with anyone other than himself.
It had been his mother, a maid in the palace, who forced him to go hang out there. Her days, always filled with work, didn’t allow for her to leave him in the house. So, he came along with her, promising to behave as she cleaned the castle up and down.
Most of the time, he didn’t dare wander far from where his mother told him to. He would distract himself by wandering around the room. The palace was huge, and even the rooms meant for servants and maids were big and full of secrets. Riku liked to see and explore.
Although, being just a ten-year-old kid, he also got bored.
It hadn’t been something he had thought carefully. It was just that, one day, he decided he wanted to see what was beyond the door and walked out.
The corridors were even more impressive than the room. Pillars of marble and a royal blue carpet that seemed to stretch towards infinity. At the sight, he couldn’t control himself and began walking through. He admired the portraits and paintings that kept the walls full of color, fascinated by the different types of styles there were.
And it wasn’t like he had intended to go far. He just wanted to see what was around…
At least, until he bumped into Sora.
They both fell to the ground, but the boy was the one on top of Riku. He was about to let out a grunt of complaint when a yell came through the end of the hall.
“Sora! Come back here!”
“Agh! I thought I lost him!” the boy said, quickly standing up. Then he did something that Riku would question forever.
He grabbed his hand.
“We need to get out of here!” the boy continued, sprinting away as he dragged Riku by the hand.
“Wait-!” Riku tried to stop the boy. But with the confusion around him, he wasn’t sure what to do. And, as Riku know thought back, there was little he could have done to stop Sora from dragging him around.
They hid in the bushes by the fountain in the garden. Sora had hushed him, bringing his finger to his lip.
“Shh! Leon it’s gonna hear!” he whispered. Riku brought his hands to his mouth, just as Sora did too.
“Sora! Come back here!” the calls from the outside continued.
Riku remembered being pressed against Sora, feeling the heat of skin with the humid air suffocating him. The rustling of the fountain’s water echoing as the footsteps of the stranger left. They had held their breath until they both turned blue and had to loudly gasp to get air back into their longs.
“I think we lost him…” Sora murmured softly, stepping out of the bush. He offered Riku his hand, which he took without hesitance. “Hey wanna play tag?”
Riku stared, eyes wide and incredulous at the smile of the boy. What. The boy had just dragged him to who knows were and now he wanted to play?
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to….” Sora continued, a small pout forming on his lips. Riku found his heart squeezing and heart beating. “I’ll just go play on my own-”
Riku’s lips twitched.
“Tag!” he screamed, slamming his hand on the back of the boy. A yelp soon followed, and Riku was sprinting full speed away.
“Hey! Not fair!” the boy’s voice called, but it was mixed in with laughter so Riku guessed he couldn’t be that mad.
That’s how he met Sora.
With an impromptu game of tag. Followed by a wrestling match in the mud, until they were both heaving loudly and out of breath. Their clothes were ruined by the time the sunset came, covered in dirt and sweat. Sora’s laugh had echoed in the small garden, and Riku’s soon followed.
“This is the best day ever!” he had proclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.
It didn’t last much though.
Leon found them soon after, and Riku’s mom followed.
They had scolded them so much that Sora was crying by the end of it, and Riku was barely managing not to.
“Apologize to the prince in this instant!” his mother had yelled at the top of her lungs.
Riku blinked, unsure of what the words had meant. With carelessness, he put his hands behind his head.
“What prince?”
It earned him a light smack on the head.
“The prince, you brat!” his mother said again. “Prince Sora!”
With the name finally clicking in his mind, he turned. Sora was standing there, red-faced and teary-eyed, looking back at Riku.
“Sorry I beat your ass, prince,” Riku said, sticking out his tongue.
With that, Sora had immediately forgotten the scolding from Leon. He began arguing with Riku about how he ‘had totally won that last match!’
His mother’s punishment ended up being harsher than it would have been if he had just stayed quiet and apologized properly. But Riku was glad that at least, Sora wasn’t crying by the time they had both bid each other goodbye.
That alone felt like enough.
The next day, he had thought it would go exactly as previous days had gone: His mother leaving, and him waiting in a boring room until she was done.
“Found you!” It hadn’t even taken Sora an hour to find him again. There he was, with a big grin and an extended hand. “Let’s go play!”
“Won’t you get in trouble again?” Riku asked but didn’t hesitate to take the hand. Sora promptly dragged him through the halls, again.
“It’s alright, Leon was gonna get mad anyway,” Sora replied. “He hates fun!”
Riku let out a chuckle, to which Sora beamed.
“Why am I not surprised?” Riku teased. “Troublemaker much?”
“Well, you’re the one hanging out with the troublemaker!” Sora replied, sticking out his tongue. Riku’s smile grew wider.
“I’m being kidnapped by the troublemaker,” Riku clarified. “Oh, sorry. I’m being kidnapped by the prince…”
“Don’t call me that!” Sora complained. They reached the garden. Riku was sure this would be the first place their guardians would search for but decided not to comment on it. “My name is Sora. So!Ra!”
His face had turned an adorable shade of red, and Riku couldn’t push back the urgent need to continue messing with the smaller boy.
“So.Ra.” he mocked.
“You’re a jerk!” Sora complained, but his hand didn’t leave Riku’s. “I’m not bringing you with me again!”
Riku’s grin didn’t disappear.
“Tag,” he simply said, patting Sora’s side.
Sora never went through with his threat.
They got scolded again. And the day after. And the day after that. By the time the week had rolled around, Riku’s mother had given up on trying to pry his kid away from the young prince. And Leon had decided that despite everything, Riku was good for the competitive spirit of the prince. He let them hang out, as long as Sora behaved during the day.
Sora didn’t always behave though, but he found the way to sneak out either way.
Their escapades became more and more frequent, to the point that Leon decided to just bring along Riku for the lessons. It was mostly etiquette, fighting, and history.
“This is so boring!” Sora whined, sprawled on the floor with a book over his head. “And so hard to remember! Why do I have to learn this…?”
“It’s your duty as the prince,” Leon answered. “Be glad that you’re the youngest. You’d be drowned in textbooks and classes if you were firstborn.”
“Firstborn?” Riku asked.
“Only the firstborn can ascend to the throne,” Leon explained. “And that duty requires far more than a lesson or two of history.”
“That’s why I’m glad Ven is going to be King,” Sora said, happily moving his face away from the book. “I don’t have to learn all that stuff he does! He never has time to play with me anymore!”
“He’s going to be the King, Sora,” Leon sighed. “Children play is no longer of his concern.”
Riku saw Sora’s face drop, from the corner of his eyes. It was obvious Leon’s words had affected him. But instead of saying it, he simply stayed quiet.
A fake, forced, smile came to his lips.
“You’re just saying that because you’re an old grump!”
Riku snorted loudly, and they both high fived each other. Leon scolded them for an entire hour after. Riku made sure to hold Sora’s hand throughout.
“Everyone likes games,” Riku said in whispers when Leon was turned. “I’m sure Ven misses playing with you too.”
The soft trace of a smile adorned Sora’s face. It was shy and small -barely there- but definitely real.
“Thanks,” was all Sora answered. “You’re the best, Riku.”
He pretended not to notice how much the words made his face heat up. Or how much his palms sweated, and his grin spread without his consent. Because the truth of the matter was that just making Sora feel better, was enough to make Riku so happy he lost control of himself.
The feeling of completion didn’t go away hours after. And even then, he slept remembering Sora’s bright and cheerful grin as they played tag in the garden of the palace.
///
Sora had a fiancé. A princess from the neighboring country named Kairi. She was known across the land for her fiery red hair that matched her kind but lively personality.
Despite that, Sora didn’t seem the least interested in courting the young lady. Sure, he brought her gifts and invited her to play, but it was normal for Sora. That was just him making friends and trying to be kind to others.
Riku knew because he had asked.
“You like Kairi?”
“Of course, I do!” he had replied. “She’s cool. The bracelets she made are very pretty-”
“I meant-,” Riku interrupted. “-like…more than a friend.”
They were in the garden. Sora was sprawled in the grass, while Riku sat on the bench by the shade of the tree. Sora’s eyes turned to him, wide and curious.
“Like a best friend?” Sora asked.
“Do you even know what ‘fiancé’ means?” Riku asked, incredulous at his friend’s words.
“I dunno,” Sora said, shrugging. “From what I’ve heard it’s like a team partner…”
“It means you’re gonna marry her,” Riku explained, letting out a huff of laughter when Sora bolted upwards. “You know, like a mom and a dad.”
“Gross!” Sora exclaimed. “I don’t wanna marry her! She’s my friend!”
“Kairi and Sora, kissing on a tree-!” Riku began singing. Sora’s face flushed immediately, just as he rose from the grass. Riku began running away. “K-i-s-s-i-n-g!”
“Stop!” Sora yelled back.
The wooden swords that had been tossed to the ground, were picked up again. As they began playing, the teasing was forgotten. What followed was an afternoon, like any other, with them pretending they were adventurers that set out to save princesses from the dark forces.
Riku wouldn’t have traded those moments for anything in the world. Those afternoons, when they could be carefree and happy. When their biggest worry was how would they defeat the evil queen that had cursed princess Aurora.
But it had all changed when, one day, Sora didn’t appear to play. Worried, Riku had rushed to search the castle. He tried to ask Leon, who was surprised that Sora wasn’t with Riku, but he wouldn’t answer. Apparently, he was as lost at where the young prince was as Riku.
“He’ll come around eventually,” was all he said. “He has to.”
For some reason, it infuriated Riku
Sora was missing, and no one knew where he was? Didn’t all these people know him? Weren’t they all supposed to take care of him? If they weren’t then, who was?
“You’re useless!” he yelled without thinking. The shock in Leon's face that followed caught Riku off guard.
He quickly turned around and ran. If no one was going to find Sora, then he would. He searched from top to bottom the castle, the rooms, the places he knew Sora used as a hiding spot. He had searched everywhere, the entire day, until there was nowhere else to search for.
At least, inside.
He stared at the forest, with its big and intimidating trees that loomed over. His heart panged at the sight. There was no lead, no reason to believe it, but Riku had a strong feeling Sora was hiding there. He followed that feeling through the thick foliage. He walked until his feet ached, and there was no sight of the palace nearby.
That’s where he found Sora. Curled up underneath a tree, staring at the sky, more dark blue, than pink, with little to no light anymore. Riku had grabbed an oil lamp before living, which proved to be useful as he neared his friend.
He finally allowed himself to breathe, realizing how labored it was. The sprint had taken a toll on him, but it was worth it, seeing Sora was okay.
“There you are…Everyone’s looking for you,” he lied. But a little white lie wouldn’t hurt, right? “What happened?”
But Sora didn’t answer. His eyes were unfocused, as he offered an envelope in his hands. Riku could recognize the calligraphy from the “To: Sora” scribbled on the outside. It was the prince’s handwriting.
Without another word, he took it and sat next to Sora. The edges of the paper were torn and worn out, and it was crumbled all over. It had taken Riku a few minutes to read it, but he couldn’t hold back the gasp that escaped him when he did.
Dear Sora,
I’m so sorry to leave this burden to you. I know this is not what anyone had planned for us, and I’ll understand if in your heart you start calling me selfish. I can’t refute that I am. But know that, no matter what, I love you. And while this may seem an act of resentment, it’s not. I simply cannot longer deny my heart.
One day, I hope you understand what I mean, and you’ll forgive your foolish brother.
Love, Ven.
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do, Riku…” Sora said. The small traces of tears trailed down ocean eyes. “Why did he leave…? I miss him, Riku. He was my only brother…I wanted to play with him more.”
Internally, Riku was freaking out. He didn’t know how to handle this situation; he had never seen Sora so distressed, so lost. The tears were filling his eyes, and he was desperately holding his knees in an attempt to keep them from spilling. For the first time in his life, Riku felt nervous. Because this was a Sora he had never seen -had never thought he would see. So sad and alone, trying to grasp at anything to make sense of what had happened.
“It’s not fair,” Sora’s voice cracked. “Why couldn’t he stay? Didn’t he love me? Did I do something wrong?”
Sora was overthinking. This only happened when he was really upset. When he could no longer push away dark thoughts filling his mind. Whenever Leon compared him to Ven or said he was the worst prince he had ever had to teach. And usually, just a few jokes would pull him out of it but…
This time around, Riku knew, jokes wouldn’t be enough.
“You didn’t do a thing wrong, Sora,” Riku replied, hands going to squeeze Sora’s. “You did everything just fine. It’s not your fault.”
“But then why did he leave?!” he tried to argue, but the tears had managed to finally spill. The unoccupied hand tried to wipe them away, but it was a pointless effort. “Does he hate me?! Will everyone leave me too!?”
“They won’t!” Riku was quick to argue. He locked eyes with Sora, whose tears were rolling down soft cheeks. Riku’s determined gaze refused to leave Sora’s pained expression. “I won’t!”
“Not even if you hate me…?” Sora asked, his voice diminishing in sound. It was barely audible unless you wanted to hear.
I could never hate you, was what Riku wanted to say.
“Not even if you want me to!” Riku promised again. “I’ll make sure no one hurts you, so we can play all day! A-and when Ventus co-comes back, I’ll beat his ass for making you cry-!”
Riku stopped mid-sentence because, in his hurry to make Sora happy, he had missed the way Sora’s eyes were staring at him.
They were sparkling like the fireworks that Leon had gotten them. So bright, and full of colors, as if Riku were some kind of magical being. It took his breath away. His face got so hot, he couldn’t continue looking at Sora, from fear that it might combust.
“You’d stay with me?” Sora asked, and it was like the curse from a witch had been lifted from him. He was back to his cheerful and lovable self. “You really would?”
“Of course,” Riku replied, suddenly all too aware of how close they were sitting. “You’re my friend, after all-…”
“Nu-uh,” Sora interrupted. His head went to rest on Riku’s shoulder, near making his heart burst out of the chest. “We’re best friends, Riku…”
Still holding Sora’s hand, brown hair tickled his cheeks. The words felt like a treasure, precious jewels he would keep forever in his heart. Without him noticing, a smile formed on his lips.
“I won’t ever leave you, Sora,” he promised, as the boy cuddled by his side. “I promise you.”
Sora fell asleep after a few minutes. He was likely tired after hiding and crying all day. Riku wished he could have fallen asleep beside him, but his chest was beating too loudly, and whenever he caught a glimpse of Sora’s parted lips, something inside ached so much he couldn’t breathe.
After a while, Riku decided it was time to head home, and he carried a sleeping Sora back to the castle. The only person out, waiting for them was Leon. Riku ignored him, in favor of taking Sora to his room.
“Thank you,” Leon said, as he passed by. “For bringing him home.”
Riku didn’t answer. Instead, he shot Leon a glare.
“The cavalry was sent out to find the oldest prince,” he tried to explain. “We couldn’t divide the resource-”
“So?” Riku replied, his eyes turning dark from the anger bubbling under his skin. “He was scared.”
“The firstborn takes priority-”
“The firstborn left,” Riku spat. He found inside of him, that he was also angry at Ventus. “And Sora is here. Maybe that’s why your beloved prince left. You treat everyone like a thing.”
Riku knew it was just his bitter heart speaking. Trying to find blame in someone for Sora’s tears stained face and making them pay. But it was clear that it had struck a nerve with Leon since he didn’t answer after. Riku continued walking, making sure he didn’t stop until he reached Sora’s room.
“Riku…” Sora called, half-sleep as he was set down on the bed. His hand wandered upwards, reaching for Riku’s cheek.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking the hand in his hands. Sora had a little bit of drool running down his lips. It was really cute.
“Stay,” he mumbled, eyes still half-lidded.
“I promised I would,” Riku offered with a light chuckle. His thumb traced circles on Sora’s hand, trying to reassure the boy that everything would be okay.
With the softest of smiles, Sora murmured a ‘thank you’ before falling asleep again. Riku didn't dare leave until well into the night when he was absolutely sure that Sora wouldn’t be waking up. And even then, it left a bad taste in his mouth to separate from him.
The following day, much like the day before, was spent with the guards searching everywhere for Ventus. Even Leon had taken a break from teaching Sora in exchange for the search party.
Sora was visibly upset by this.
“We should sneak into the kitchen,” Riku said. “I’m sure we can steal cookies before they come back.”
It was little efforts like that, which kept Sora from thinking too much about his brother’s absence. It followed for an entire week before Leon had finally caught them on the rooftop, eating biscuits. Riku had figured that they had found Ventus, but he was far from right.
“We need to continue your lessons,” Leon said.
“Ah, sure…Riku, let’s go…” Sora tried to say, unsure of what to do when Leon wasn’t scolding them for stealing the biscuits.
“I’m afraid…Riku can’t come with you.”
“What!?” Both Riku and Sora asked, perplexed.
“It’s private studies on the political affairs of the kingdom,” Leon explained. “I’m afraid it’s not something we can teach commoners.”
Riku frowned, unsure of how to feel about being labeled ‘commoner’.
“But Riku was always allowed in our lessons! And don’t call him that!” Sora’s voice raised.
“This is more important than prince duties, Sora,” Leon said, his tone growing stricter with the moment. Riku’s frown deepened. Something was off.
“What do you mean, Leon?” Riku asked, sending him a glare.
Leon hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh and replying.
“In light of recent events,” he said. “Sora is now the firstborn. He will ascend to the throne, once his parents pass away.”
They were both frozen in place.
“I’m going to be king…?” Sora asked. His voice was a mix of excitement and despair. It quickly turned sour. “What about Ven…?”
“We doubt he’s coming back,” Leon replied.
“Oh,” was all Sora managed to say. He forced out a smile and waved at Riku. “Alright! See you later, Riku!”
Riku waved back, trying to suppress the heavy feeling in his heart from being separated from his friend.
Despite his new classes, Riku could still spend time with Sora. Although it was less than what it used to be, they still had fun. Sometimes they raced to the beach and collected seashells along the sand. Kairi had taught them to make necklaces and charms out of them. Sometimes they would sneak out and go explore in the forest, or simply sword fight in the garden. It didn’t really matter.
As long as they were together, every day was filled with laughter and mischief.
Maybe a little too much mischief.
They were wandering in the forest when it had happened. Following the traces of an imaginary monster to save the princess, they had wandered a bit too far deep. Riku had made sure no one from the palace was following. After so many lessons, he could tell Sora was tired of having to deal with Leon and the rest of the adults inside.
He shouldn’t have done that.
A thief had sneaked into the royal forest and had taken Sora to knifepoint.
Riku was paralyzed in his place, as Sora whimpered in distress. They were both scared, terrified.
“Run, Riku…” Sora had pleaded, voice strained from the pressure the thief had on his throat.
But Riku couldn’t. His eyes were fixated on the man, who was holding Sora captive. A single thought crossed his mind. Sora disappearing like Ventus had. Unable to see him again, alone in a palace, while Sora cried.
It wasn’t a feeling that he could live with.
Riku charged towards the man. He heard Sora scream, and Riku panicked. Without bothering to look back at the thief, Riku took Sora’s hand and began dragging him back to the palace. His blood was ice cold, as frozen beads of sweat ran down his spine. The thief’s footsteps coming closer, and Sora’s sniffles in his ear.
It was a miracle that they managed to reach the castle. A girl was passing by, and Riku sighed in relief.
“Help!” he cried, startling the girl. “Help! A thief!”
Everything that happened later was a blur. Sora was taken from him, and the girl dashed towards the forest. Riku followed the man who had taken Sora to the infirmary, and he waited outside as they did the check-up.
Riku couldn’t stop shaking, as the images repeated themselves in the back of his mind. Sora had been in danger…and he hadn’t been able to help. All he did was scream for help, and hope someone else could do it.
What if there hadn’t been anyone? What would have happened there?
Sora could have disappeared.
“He’s gonna be alright, little boy,” the calm voice of a girl called. “He’s a tough one!”
“I should have saved him,” Riku said, feeling his mind reel. “I should have been strong enough to protect him and I-!”
“You did everything you could,” the woman reassured him.
“I should have done more,” Riku replied. Tears of pure fear rolled down his cheeks.
Her silent grew longer.
“I want to protect Sora,” Riku clarified. “Can’t I do anything to make sure he’s never hurt again?”
“Worrying about protecting others is our job,” she said with a light-hearted touch.
“Adults?” Riku asked, tint of mock hidden in his voice.
“Knights,” she said instead. Riku blinked and turned towards the girl. Her blue hair shone with the light of the sun. “My name is Aqua. I’m head of the knights. Our job is to protect the royal bloodline.” She stole a quick glance towards the doctor’s office. “Including Sora. So, don’t worry about him. We’ll make sure he’s okay.”
She was about to stand up and leave when Riku reached out for her.
“Wait!” he called. His eyes were glued to Aqua’s, as she turned back to him. “If I become a knight…would I be able to protect Sora?”
“Being a knight is not a game,” Aqua said. “It takes years of training, and it’s not as easy as it sounds-”
“Could I protect Sora-” Riku asked again, this time his voice was louder. “-if I become a knight?”
Aqua held his gaze for a long time, trying to decipher Riku’s intentions. But the more she searched for hesitance or waver of will, the more she realized the boy was serious. A bit of herself was found in the gaze of the boy. A need to protect and serve, wrapped in kindness to help.
“You really want to protect the young prince, huh?” she asked.
“I wanna protect Sora,” Riku said.
Aqua sighed. The boy’s will was fierce, but she still felt like he was far too young and driven by an impulse to join the knights. However…
Her eyes drifted to where the young prince was resting, and a familiar face went through her mind.
She couldn’t afford to lose the young one too. They needed all the help they could, to protect Sora.
The future King.
“How about we make a practice drill once the prince is better?” she asked with a smile. “If you succeed, I’ll arrange it so that you’ll enter to be a squire.”