Chapter Text
Tsukasa rechecks his appearance in the mirror nervously. Today could, quite possibly, be the most important day of his life. He’d been summoned by the chief advisor to the king. As the heir of the prestigious Suou line, personal knights of the royal family, Tsukasa expects that this is when he’ll be given the mission that will define his career following in his ancestors’ footsteps. At twenty one, he’d only just had his knighting ceremony, but he’s ready to prove himself.
The advice Izumi had given him is running through his mind like a horse at full gallop. All of his seniors had been excited to hear of his probable assignment, immediately fussing over him. Arashi had combed his hair and ensured his appearance was in top form; Ritsu had told him not to stay up too late out of nerves, as a good night’s sleep was the best medicine; Izumi had given him tips and advice, mixed in with a healthy criticism of Tsukasa’s usual habits, until his head was spinning; and Leo had, of course, spent most of his time telling Tsukasa not to be so high-strung about it, helping him relax.
Tsukasa appreciates their efforts deeply, even if he had found some of it unconventional. His seniors had been looking out for him for a long time now, nurturing him and allowing him a space to grow. Now is the time for him to pay them back in full by being the most competent knight that has ever graced these castle halls.
“Suou-sama.”
He looks up sharply to see a senior knight slipping outside the door to the hall to usher him in. The man gestures inside with a smooth tilt of his head. “Chief Advisor Tenshouin-sama will see you now.”
“Understood, sir.” Tsukasa obediently follows the senior knight inside, praying that not a red hair has stirred out of place. He wants to make the best impression possible on the Chief Advisor, someone he has highly admired since childhood.
Tenshouin is sitting at the head of a large table, hands folded serenely in front of him. The senior knight returns to his side, standing straight. Tsukasa’s full attention is focused on the man in front of him, to whom he bows, almost reverently.
“It is an honour to be brought in front of you today, Tenshouin-san. Your loyal knight, Tsukasa Suou, is at your service.”
Tenshouin smiles, raising a finger. The senior knight immediately steps forward to draw a chair a few spaces down from the advisor.
“Thank you, Yuruzu. Sit down, Tsukasa-kun. I’m certain you know why I’ve called you here today.”
Tsukasa hastens to sit in the chair, back ramrod straight. He nods politely, recalling Izumi’s advice. Tenshouin will try to play games with you. Just meet him head-on and be yourself, Kasa-kun.
“Yes. You’re going to assign me my mission.”
Tenshouin tilts his head, the smile never leaving his face. Tsukasa thinks he looks borderline angelic, though not necessarily in a friendly way. “Very good. Your knighting ceremony went smoothly, and I wish to make use of you immediately. I have a very special mission for you, Tsukasa-kun.”
Special? Tsukasa’s pulse is pounding in his ears. Perhaps this truly will be the chance to prove himself.
“As you know, the king is ailing. He’s become weaker these past few weeks. It seems unlikely that he will recover.”
Tsukasa nods solemnly. The information, while grave, isn’t new.
“Naturally, we’ll need someone to step in. I can stand in for him in the interim, yes, but His Majesty wants the throne occupied by his own blood. You see the problem, don’t you? He never produced an heir before the queen’s untimely death.”
Tsukasa resists the urge to correct the Advisor, which would certainly be an error difficult to recover from. But he has an objection. The Suou family knows, he wants to argue. They know that the rumours surrounding the matter of the king’s heirs have a granule of truth buried within.
Tenshouin, somehow, reads his expression with ease. He looks amused. “So, you disagree. Tell me, Tsukasa-kun. What is the solution?”
Now given permission, the words burst from Tsukasa’s mouth. “The king does have an heir. Two, in fact! Some way, somehow… They were expelled from the castle as children, weren’t they? They could very well be out there somewhere, still.”
Tenshouin nods with delight. “So you’ve been told. Yes, Tsukasa-kun. Allow me to finally reveal to you the full truth. The king and queen had two sons a short while before the queen succumbed to her illness. For reasons unknown to anyone but herself, Her Majesty sent them away. Memory fades with time, and so too did the princes from the minds of those of us here in the castle. Soon, it became only a rumour to be dismissed by those who find it ridiculous.”
Tsukasa’s gaze is fixed intently on Tenshouin, drinking in the information eagerly. The Suous had always been privy to more than the average person, being the royal family’s personal knights, but he had never received such direct confirmation on the topic.
“His Majesty has never requested that anyone locate them. We can only guess at his motivations.” Tenshouin tilts his head, a glint in his eye. “But now, on his deathbed… It seems he’s out of options. If his blood is to remain with claim to the throne, his sons will have to return. That, Tsukasa-kun…is where you come in.”
It had been dawning on Tsukasa for the past few minutes of explanation, but he now realises fully what his mission is going to be. The excitement about being correct is starting to fade, quickly replaced by dread. Tenshouin chuckles.
“Goodness. Your thoughts are written clear across your face, you know? Yes, Tsukasa-kun. I’m going to ask you to find the lost princes and bring them back to the castle. It sounds so straightforward when I put it like that, doesn’t it? But you know it’s not simple at all.” Of course, he still looks amused. Tsukasa, on the other hand, is trying to avoid burning up with a flush at being called out. “However, I wouldn’t set you out on a journey I didn’t think you could accomplish. You’ll trust me on that, won’t you?”
Tsukasa nods again, stiff. “Of course, sir.” Already, he’s mulling over how to tell his seniors he’s likely to fail spectacularly.
It must be evident by his expression, because Tenshouin still looks supremely charmed. Tsukasa is glad his misery can bring joy to at least one person in the room. “Good. I’ll give you a week to prepare yourself. Pack for a long journey. I don’t want you to come back until you have the princes in tow. The only exception is bringing back proof that they’ve died.” Tenshouin is apparently unbothered with the possibility that the only heirs to the kingdom have perished, as well as the fact he’s signing Tsukasa a death warrant. “Return to this room tomorrow morning, and I’ll provide you with all the details we have on their disappearance. Thank you for your time today, Tsukasa-kun. You are dismissed.”
Stiff-legged and prickly with anxiety, Tsukasa stands and gives the Advisor another bow. He leaves the room as normally as possible, escorted out by Yuzuru, and walks all the way down the hall before ducking into a random chamber and immediately slamming the door. He collapses against it, hugging his legs to his chest and burying his head in his knees. It’s extremely unknightly to throw a tantrum about one’s assignment, but he thinks he’s earned it, at least a little bit. Not everyone is assigned the most impossible task in the world and told not to return until it’s completed.
He spends some quality time with his knees, cursing the world and its unfairness. Perhaps shedding a few angry tears, the kind that Tori would mock him for despite being a crybaby himself. Eventually, though, he has to face reality. He’s been sheltered for so long, first by his parents, and then by his seniors. He’s not a child anymore, nor a squire coddled by those above him. He’s a full-fledged knight, and he’s been entrusted with the future of the kingdom. It’s an honour, not a punishment.
He stands, fishing his handkerchief from his pocket to expunge the signs of frustration from his face. He needs to inform his seniors.
—
“Wow, he hates you.”
Arashi smacks Izumi on the arm before turning back to Tsukasa, expression sympathetic. “He doesn’t hate you, Tsukasa-chan. This means he believes in your abilities. Just like we do~!”
Tsukasa shakes his head, his frown unmoved. “I’m inclined to believe he hates me.”
Leo laughs (entirely too jovially considering the situation, Tsukasa thinks). “Nope~. Just means you’re not a newbie anymore. Real knights go out and get the job done, Suo. Or are you gonna go crying to mommy and daddy to assign you something else?” He grins at Tsukasa, very obviously trying to get a rise out of him.
Tsukasa can feel it working, despite knowing how to deal with Leo. Being his squire had prepared him for anything. He forces down the bubbling anger. “I am not going to grovel to my parents to fix it for me. I’ve been assigned my mission. I will complete it by any means necessary. That is all that matters.”
Ritsu slithers over to lay his head overtop Tsukasa’s. “Mm, Suuchan… You’re gonna be gone a long time, huh? We’re gonna miss you.”
Tsukasa pushes him off, though not with any heat. “Yes. I anticipate this will take months, if not years. But time is of the essence, with His Majesty’s condition. I don’t plan to fail.”
Izumi rolls his eyes. “Nobody plans to fail. It happens when you get overconfident and don’t manage your time or resources properly. He said you have a few days ‘til you leave, right? We’re gonna beat you into shape, so forget about using your preparation time to slack off.”
Tsukasa bristles. “I would not have slacked off anyway! I am taking my mission seriously!” He hesitates. “...But I am grateful for your support. I am aware I cannot push through this task with tenacity alone. I will need all the assistance you can provide.”
“Mhm, that’s more like it.” Arashi clasps her hands together. “We’ll do everything we can to help. I believe you can find them, even if it seems impossible now. That’s the kind of person Tsukasa-chan is!” Even Izumi joins in when they all nod, agreeing with her words. Tsukasa can see the trust in their gazes, a bond built through years of living, learning, and working together.
The confidence they have in him stirs within him, lighting a fire in his soul. For the first time, Tsukasa feels like this might not be an unfeasible task after all. “Very well,” he says, a new determination in his voice as he faces his fellow knights. “Let the preparations commence.”
—
A week later, Tsukasa swings himself into the saddle of Stellar Sonata, his faithful steed. For the past week, the other knights had drilled every piece of available information about the lost princes into his head. He had brushed up on his combat skills, tips for surviving on a long journey, long-distance horse care, and everything else he’d need. Finally, his bags had been packed with care, good for at least two weeks on his own before he’d need to stop in a village for supplies. Overall, Tsukasa is as prepared as he possibly can be.
It still feels daunting, leaving the castle.
Tenshouin had made it very clear. He’s not to return unless he has the princes in tow. Despite all the preparation, this could very well be the last time he ever sees his home.
He’d said goodbye to his parents already, as well as his friends. Even Tori, who had been gloating all week over the fact Tsukasa would be absent for the foreseeable future, had seemed oddly withdrawn today.
The only people left to say goodbye to were his seniors, who had come to see him off. Arashi gives him a warm smile, walking over to give his hand a squeeze. “You’ll do great, Tsukasa-chan. For all we know, you’ll be back within the next few weeks.”
Tsukasa returns her smile, though his stomach is churning with nervousness. “Thank you.”
Ritsu, who had come to see him off despite the sun shining down, lays a hand on Tsukasa’s thigh, a comforting warmth. “Mhmm. You’ll find them in no time, with your skills. It’s not so much a goodbye as a ‘see you soon’~.”
“You’re our pride and joy.” Izumi’s voice is gruff, poorly covering the fondness that bleeds through. “We raised you from a little brat to a capable knight. Someone with role models like us is bound to succeed, got it?” Tsukasa can’t help the chuckle that bubbles from within at Izumi’s words.
“Stop moping, Suo! We put all our love into you, so don’t discount that, alright?” Leo’s voice is lilting as always, but Tsukasa hears the serious tone underneath. “It’s just another mission. We’ve all done ‘em! We’ve all succeeded! If you do the math, that means Suo will succeed four times as much!”
Tsukasa makes a face. “That’s not how it works.”
“Sure it is! Anyway, get going! You have princes to find!”
The other knights step back, and Tsukasa looks down at them, determination evident in his features.
“My seniors… I will not let you down. Your hopes and dreams live in me, shining brightly as I carry out our duties and serve our purpose. You’re right – this is not goodbye. I’ll come back with the princes. The royal line shall not end here. This, I swear to you.” He smiles, laying a hand on his chest. “Thank you for everything you have done to support me thus far. Your Tsukasa Suou will not disappoint you.”
With that, he spurs Stella on, and she sets off, every thump of her hoofs against the path echoing the loud heartbeats in Tsukasa’s ears as the castle shrinks behind him.