The Golden Sunlight In The Summer Is The Light That Paints The Castle In Color

It was a clear summer day, and a soft breeze wafted in through the open window behind the young king's desk. The king had fallen asleep with his head on the table, and the documents he'd been poring over were pushed off to the side along with his golden crown. Smiling faintly, the knight standing next to him carefully placed his cape over the shoulders of the sleeping king.

✦ ✦ ✦

After an hour or so, the young king began to stir. His eyes fluttered open, and he blinked in the flood of sunlight streaming in through the window.

The knight walked over to the king's side. "You're awake."

The king's white-blond hair was ruffled, and he frowned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "How long was I asleep?"

"An hour."

"An hour?" the king echoed, sighing as he pulled his stack of documents toward him. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"My apologies, Your Majesty." The young knight bowed his head, and his dark hair fell over his eyes. "You looked like you needed the rest. I didn't want to wake you."

"Never mind." The king smiled softly as he scanned the contents of the document in front of him. "It's a beautiful day. Why don't you go spend some time outside in the sun, Lier? I'd hate to keep you cooped up in here with me."

Lier shook his head. "I don't mind. What about you, though? I think it would be good for you to get some fresh air."

The young king set down his quill as he turned to look over at Lier. "It's true that I've been working all morning. Would you mind if I trouble you?"

"Not at all." Lier found himself smiling faintly as he stepped over to the king's wheelchair. He wheeled the young king out of the study and out into the stone halls of the castle beyond.

"I'm sorry, Lier." The king finally spoke up after a long silence. "If my legs hadn't become paralyzed, you wouldn't be stuck here in the castle."

Lier let out a sigh as his smile faded. "What happened in the past isn't your fault, Your Majesty. Please don't blame yourself."

"I know you claim that you don't mind helping me, but I want you to be honest. Both of us know I haven't been the same since that accident. You should be out exploring the world with the other knights instead of spending your days here cooped up in the castle."

Lier blinked. "What are you talking about, Your Majesty?" Something about the king's words had caught him off guard, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond. "I've been by your side ever since the two of us could walk—we've been friends ever since the two of us could walk."

"I'm sure you don't need me to remind you that one of us can't walk anymore. Now all I am is a burden."

"Your Majesty, I—"

"You won't even call me by my name anymore, Lier." The king sighed tiredly as he cut Lier off. "Are things really the same as they used to be? People change. I've changed. You've changed as well, and I don't want to force you to stay here."

"You're the king now," Lier said quietly. "It would be inappropriate for me to address you by your name."

"You do have a point."

The two of them fell silent, and before long, they arrived at the courtyard.

The king absently gazed up at the clear summer sky. "It really is a beautiful day."

Lier looked around at the land. He looked at the green mountains, the clear lakes in the distance, and at the city spreading out at the bottom of the mountain. Even though the day was warmer than usual, Lier noticed how the king still shivered and pulled this cloak tighter around his shoulders. Lier instinctively reached to unfasten his own cape, but he paused when the king spoke up again.

"Lier." The king's voice was quiet. "I'll be turning eighteen in half a year. Do you think the winter will have me sick in bed again like last year?"

Lier let his hands fall back to his side. "This year you need to make sure to take better care of your health, Your Majesty. Even if you are sick again, I'm sure all your subjects will celebrate your birthday on their own."

"Liar." The king's tone was mild as he continued to look up at the sky. "My subjects don't think highly enough of me to do so. It's just another day anyway. What is there to celebrate?"

"They don't know how much you've been trying to help them or how much you suffered through over the years," Lier protested. "If they knew, they wouldn't speak the way they do about you."

The king smiled faintly as he glanced over at Lier. "I can't change their opinions of me that easily. Even if I did try to tell them my version of the story, would they believe it? Besides, of all the people in the castle, is there anyone else who would believe it?"

Before Lier could think of a response, the sound of running footsteps sounded, and Lier turned to watch as a young boy with white-blond hair sprinted up to the king. Lier inclined his head toward the boy. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Big brother, big brother!" The boy had a big smile on his face as he eagerly looked up at the king.

"What is it, Wolfe?"

"The knights taught me some new sword tricks," Prince Wolfe said excitedly, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "I wanted to show you, but the knights wouldn't let me take the wooden swords out of the training grounds. They told me that if I wanted to show you, I'd have to bring you over to the training grounds first. Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Lier exchanged a glance with the king before wheeling his chair in the direction of the training grounds.

"Have the knights been making sure to go easy on you?" the king asked. "A seven-year-old like yourself shouldn't be doing anything that could result in potential injury."

"I'm fine, big brother." Prince Wolfe brushed the king's worries off. "Besides, when you were seven, you were doing the exact same thing as I am!"

"Oh?" the king said mildly. "And who told you that?"

Prince Wolfe looked over his shoulder as if the answer was obvious. "The knights of course! They were reassuring me that since you were good with swords, I'd be very good as well."

"I haven't touched a sword in years." There was something wistful in the king's voice. "But I remember that Lier and I trained together during that time."

"Our second brother was too cruel," Prince Wolfe lamented as he led the way across the grassy courtyard. "He deserved what he got, and I never expected him to even be capable of—" the young prince trailed off at the look Lier gave him.

"His Majesty doesn't like talking about that day," Lier said with a frown. "As his brother, you of all people should know that."

"It's fine." The king sighed at the guilt-stricken look on Prince Wolfe's face. "Wolfe has a tendency to say whatever comes to mind."

"Look, look!" Prince Wolfe rounded the corner to enter the large stretch of grass the knights had been using for their summer training. "We're here!"

"Your Majesty." The knights all dropped into a bow as their eyes fell on the king.

The king lifted a hand in a gesture for them to rise. "I'm just here to see what my little brother wants to show me. Please don't mind me."

The knights nodded their heads. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Lier stood with his hand absently resting on the hilt of his sword as he watched as Prince Wolfe went through the routine the knights had shown him. All of the knights were around the same age as Lier and the king, if not younger. The knights occupying the training ground were all in training; the older knights were stationed in specific locations.

"Well?" Prince Wolfe asked expectantly, brushing his white-blond hair out of his eyes. "How did I do?"

The king smiled and clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! You really are just like me when I was your age."

"Really?" Prince Wolfe asked. His eyes were large and shining.

"Really."

"I'll keep on practicing," Prince Wolfe said determinedly. "I promise I'll make you proud!"

The king inclined his head in his brother's direction. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll learn. Right now, though, I think I might need to head back inside. The cold is starting to get to me."

Prince Wolfe nodded. "Take care!"

"Are you feeling alright?" Lier asked softly as he and the king entered the main castle.

"Even though it's summer," the king said with a sigh, "the cold still gets to me."

"That's not your fault," Lier reassured him. "A little cold is better than that poison taking your life."

"I guess you're right," the king mused as the two of them entered his study. "Now, where did I leave off with the documents?"

✦ ✦ ✦

When night fell, Lier made sure that the king safely returned to his chambers before heading down to join the rest of the knights in the castle barracks. Since Lier's older brother and father were both generals in the kingdom's extensive army, he shared a room with the two of them a little distance away from the main lodging. Right now, both of them were away patrolling the kingdom's borders, and the stone room was completely deprived of any human presence apart from Lier himself.

After removing his sword and armor, Lier left his shared room. He passed the other generals' rooms on his way to the lodging of the younger knights. One of the knights looked up as Lier entered the large room. "It's Lier! We were just talking about you."

"Talking about me?" Lier raised his brows as he walked over to join the knights where they sat huddled around one of the beds.

"We have a new recruit among us." The knight gestured to a boy Lier had never seen before. "He was wondering what kind of person the king was, and we told him that he should ask Lier. You're the king's personal advisor, after all. It's only natural that you know him best."

"Hey"—the new knight grabbed Lier's arm—"are the rumors true? Is it true that the king killed the second prince because he was scared of the competition for the throne?"

"No." Lier pried the knight's fingers from his arm. "The king didn't kill anyone. The second prince did that to himself."

"What? The second prince killed himself?" The knight furrowed his brow. "But that doesn't make any sense."

Lier let out a sigh. It had been five years since the second prince had attempted to kill in order to become the heir to the throne. On that fateful day, the second prince had invited the eldest prince to join him on one of the castle balconies. And when his brother was distracted, the second prince tried to push him over the railing. In the heat of the moment, the older brother had desperately tried to grab onto something—anything that could prevent him from falling to his death. That something had ended up being the second prince, and being much stronger than his brother at the time, it resulted in the two princes both tumbling off the high balcony.

Since no one had been present during the incident except for the two princes, some people didn't believe the older prince's story and decided for themselves that he was the one who got rid of his brother. That version of the story became much more popular and spread through the kingdom like wildfire.

Even though Lier himself hadn't been present at the time, he believed the current king. As children, Lier and the current king had been inseparable. Lier wanted to accompany him to the balcony, but one of the second prince's friends distracted him. Neither of them ever thought that the events that followed would happen.

Now, five years later, even though the king continued to say otherwise, Lier held himself to blame for what happened. If he had just accompanied the king, there would have been no way the second prince could have pushed him off the balcony without Lier there to intervene.

"The king isn't somebody you should gossip about out in the open like this." Lier looked over at the new knight. "Especially not here in the castle. You're lucky that the king is kind; if news about this reaches him, he won't punish you."

The new knight's eyes widened, and he looked around the room as if the king would appear at any moment to condemn him.

Lier turned to make his way out of the shared lodging. "Lights out is at ten. I hope you all don't need me to come back here and remind you in fifteen minutes."

The knights shook their heads. "No, sir."

✦ ✦ ✦

"You look awful, Your Majesty."

"I'm going to pretend that was a compliment." A smile played on the king's face as he pulled his stack of documents toward him.

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" Lier tried again. "You've got dark circles under your eyes."

"Didn't we determine a while back that the circles are a normal occurrence?"

"We did, but these are worse than before. Are you sure you don't have a cold?"

The young king laughed lightly. "I'm fine. I just slept worse than usual. That's all."

At noon, Lier opened the window behind the king's desk to let the warm breeze waft into the room. The curtains fluttered lightly, and the blue sky outside was clear and cloudless. The king was starting to doze off again, his head resting on top of all the documents he was supposed to be looking over.

An hour passed before Lier looked up from his book at the sound of the king's voice. But the king was still sleeping. "I didn't mean to kill him." The king's voice was nothing more than a whisper, and his brow was furrowed as if in a pained sort of way. "I swear I didn't mean to kill him!"

Lier frowned, and he set his book down before stepping over to the king's desk. "Your Majesty?" Lier tentatively tapped the king on the shoulder. "You're dreaming." When the king didn't show any signs of waking, Lier's frown deepened. "Your Majesty?"

The king's voice was strained. "I didn't kill him!"

"August!" Lier raised his voice, and the king's eyes finally snapped open.

"Will you look at that," the king said mildly as he looked up at Lier. "You finally called me by my name."

"Don't tell me that this was just a ploy for me to do so."

"Of course not, of course not."

Lier sighed as he shook his head. "Are you alright?"

August gave Lier a pointed look. "I'm doing as well as I can be." The circles under his eyes were as prominent as ever. "And look, all I do is make you worry. If I ordered you to go join your brother at the border, would you do it?"

"Are you trying to send me away?"

"I don't know." The king turned to gaze out the window. "You're my best friend, Lier. I don't think there's another person in this castle I trust more than you."

"Not even His Highness Prince Wolfe?"

"Right now Wolfe is an innocent child." August continued to stare out the window, and his white-blond hair glowed golden in the sunlight. "But when he grows older, that will change. After the incident with my second brother, I remember how my father came to talk to me. My father and I were never close—he distanced himself from all of his children. You could imagine how surprised I was to see how heartbroken my father was. While we were talking, he said something that I remember very clearly even to this day. He told me that a king has no sons, only heirs—that a prince has no brothers, only competitors. A king is destined to lead a lonely life."

"That's not true." Lier shook his head quickly. "I don't think Prince Wolfe will ever try to harm you. Things are different now—you are the king."

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't the king," August said absently. "Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't the king—if my father wasn't the king before me—I wonder if we could have lived life as a normal family. If we had just been a normal family, my second brother wouldn't have tried to kill me. If we were a normal family, no one would have tried to poison me to death either. As Wolfe and I get older, I'll probably start having to keep my guard up around him. And as long as you're by my side, Lier, your life will undoubtedly be threatened at one point or another as well."

"I'm a knight." Lier frowned slightly as August turned to face him. "Protecting the royal family is my duty."

"Would the only way to get you to leave my side be if I banished you from the castle?"

"Your Majesty, please don't."

"That was a joke, that was a joke."

Lier gave the king an exasperated look.

"Lier." August's voice was quiet, and Lier turned to look at the young king. "Is it normal for that day to still haunt me so vividly? Even though my brother was the one who wanted to harm me, I was the one who ended up killing him. I lost the ability to use my legs, but my brother lost his life."

"I think it's very normal. You have a kind heart. I know you would have preferred that the one to die was yourself."

August frowned down at the paper-strewn surface of his desk. "You know me too well. I really don't want to send you away, you know. I've been thinking about it lately, though, and I've come to the conclusion that it might be for your own good."

"My own good?" Lier blinked before lifting a brow. "How do I benefit from leaving all the comforts the castle has to offer?"

"Liar." August's eyes were tired as he rested his head on his desk. "As children, both of us wanted to leave the castle. We wanted to go out and see the world, remember?"

"Of course I remember. I—"

"Look at me now." August's voice was just as tired as his eyes. "Not only am I the king, but I can't even walk across this room by myself. On the other hand, you still can travel the world. Maybe one of these days you could go out and see it for the both of us."

"Why are you so adamant to send me away?"

"Why are you so adamant to stay?"

"How do I know you won't try something when I'm away?"

"Try what?" The young king looked up at Lier. "Do you think I'm really so miserable as to try and take my life?"

"I'd certainly hope not."

August let out a laugh as some of the light returned to his tired eyes. "Now where was I?" The young king reached for the quill that lay abandoned next to his stack of papers. "I've got a lot of work today, Lier. If we end up staying here until sundown, it's all your fault for not waking me earlier."

✦ ✦ ✦

Lier sat alone in his room polishing his sword. The smooth metal glinted in the flickering lamplight. The only time he used his sword was during his morning training when he sparred with the other knights. That was a good thing, though. Lier hoped he would never need to use his sword against anyone in the castle.

It had been an hour since Lier told the young knights in the main barracks to go to sleep. Since the older knights were always patrolling the halls at this time, they had given Lier the task of watching over the younger knights.

The furnace at the back of the stone room blazed, and heat radiated off it as the wood inside crackled with flames. It was warm in the room. Very warm. But Lier made no move to walk over and lower the heat.

After a while, Lier set down his sword and extinguished the lamp on the table next to his bed. It felt like only a second had passed since his head touched the pillow when Lier was suddenly awakened by a soft tapping at his door. Lier quickly stood up and shuffled over to it. The door swung open to reveal the king. August looked up at Lier from his wheelchair, and the circles under his eyes were so deep they could even be seen through the dark.

"I found a night zombie," Lier said in amusement, but he stepped aside nonetheless for August to roll his chair into the room.

"Did I scare you?" the young king asked mildly. Lier shut the door behind him before walking over to relight his lamp. The little flame illuminated the room with a soft, fiery light.

"What are you doing here, August?" Lier asked as he helped the young king take a seat on his bed. "No one stopped you on your way down?"

"This isn't the first time I've snuck out of my room. I know the rotation of the knights just as well as you do, and it's more than enough for me to figure out how to get by them."

Lier let out an exasperated sigh as he took a seat next to his friend. "Why did you come here, anyway? If someone finds out the king isn't in his chambers, with your limited ability to move around by yourself, they're going to think someone kidnapped you."

"I'm careful." August closed his eyes as he exhaled through his nose. "Has anyone found out before?"

"No." Lier sighed again. "Now that you're here, I'll go heat some water for you."

"Thank you."

When Lier returned, August was staring blankly at the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Here." Lier handed the young king a cup. "Even though it's summer, it still gets cold at night."

"I think my insomnia has gotten worse lately," August lamented as he watched the steam spiral off the water's surface. "No matter how tired I am, I can't seem to sleep at all. It's almost like I'm paranoid that someone will show up in my room with the intent to kill me, and I won't be able to do anything about it in my current state."

"Who'd want to kill you?" Lier asked even though he already knew the answer to that question.

"There are a lot of people who want me dead, Lier." The king continued to stare at the water in his cup as if it held all the answers. "Now that I'm actually in this position, I'm trying to be the best king for my subjects that I can. But there's only so much I can do. Even though my word is absolute, the court can still try and delay my directives as long as they can." August downed the entire cup of water in one gulp.

Lier took the empty cup from the king and set it down on the table beside the lamp. "I think you've gone above and beyond people's expectations."

"I think the neighboring kingdoms must be very disappointed," August mused. "They must be very disappointed that they'll never have the chance to try and behead me on the battlefield, or even see me on the battlefield, for that matter."

The two of them fell silent.

"You should try to get some sleep." Lier broke the silence after a while. "Now that you're here, I don't think I can wheel you all the way back up to your chambers without anyone noticing. I know all those ramps were built around the castle to make it easier for you to come down, but I don't think anyone considered how difficult it is to get you back up."

August laughed at that. "It looks like I'm stuck here for the night, then. I'll admit, once I left my room, I was already halfway to the barracks when I decided I wanted to backtrack. But I couldn't, of course, and was forced to continue the rest of the way unless I wanted to remain stranded on the staircase."

"Liar." Lier stood up from the bed. "I know you came straight here."

August just gave Lier a knowing look. "Oh." He blinked as if he suddenly realized something. "This is your bed. Should I move to one of the others?"

Lier shook his head. "You're already here. It would be troublesome to move you now. Don't worry about it. I'll sleep in my brother's bed tonight."

"Goodnight then, Lier."

Lier helped the young king lie down before extinguishing the lamp for the second time that night. "Goodnight, August."

✦ ✦ ✦

"August." Lier gently tapped the young king's arm, and his armor clanked softly with the movement. "August, wake up."

"Is it morning already?"

Lier helped the king into a sitting position. "It's an hour before the castle wakes up. We should get you back to your room . . ."

"What is it?" August asked, frowning slightly at the way Lier had trailed off.

"The circles under your eyes are gone."

August reached up to touch the skin under his eyes in bewilderment. "It seems like I actually slept through the night."

After Lier helped the king back into his wheelchair, he pushed the young king out of the barracks and back toward the upper stories of the castle. Since the knights patrolling the area were switching out again, the halls were silent and empty.

When they arrived at their destination, Lier helped August into the room before turning again to leave. "I'll see you again in an hour's time, Your Majesty."

True to his word, an hour later, Lier returned to accompany the king to his study. August sat behind his desk like usual. There was a slight frown on his face as he read over the new documents, and he jotted down a note every now and then with his quill.

"Look at this one." August held out one of the scrolls of parchment for Lier to see. "Here someone's complaining that I'm incompetent because they're paying less in taxes this year."

Lier took the scroll from the king, and his own expression melted into a frown as he skimmed the contents. "Are you sure this was actually written by a farmer? I've got my doubts after reading this."

August reached for another scroll. "Whoever the writer is certainly claims so. But they're a liar. This scroll was written by one of the members of my own court. I can recognize the man's handwriting. They're going to have to try a lot harder if they think they can fool me."

Lier squinted at the scrawl of inked letters. "You can recognize his handwriting? I'd never know just by looking at this. Your Majesty is very observant."

"I've got to be very observant." The king's frown had changed into the faintest smile. "And come on, Lier. I know you are too. The two of us were tutored together with the same material. If you didn't know as much or even more than the king about how to run a country, why would my father have appointed you to be my advisor?"

Lier opened his mouth to respond, but he paused as he watched's August's face.

"They think that just because I'm young, I must be stupid." August's brown eyes skimmed over another scroll, and his expression turned serious. "But that's not the part that bothers me. You know very well how the court operates, Lier. They don't believe in the general good of the people."

"You really can't just replace them?"

"No, I can't do that." August sighed as he set down his quill. He pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ward off a headache. "I don't know what these people are up to, and it's better to keep my enemies where I can see them."

"You still think someone in the court is responsible for your father's death?"

"I can't say for sure. But I have my suspicions."

The late king's death had indeed been suspicious. One day, the king had been perfectly healthy, and the next, he was dead—poisoned by someone within the castle walls. The ministers of the court made the official statement that the king was in so much grief from the late queen's passing that he had decided to accompany her in the afterlife. But it wasn't nearly as simple as that. Lier had been around the former king and queen long enough to know that the two of them had never been close.

"Let's just set that one aside." August brushed the minister's scroll to the side. "I can use it against the court at a later time if I need to."

As the hours passed, the sun began to set outside the window, and Lier walked over to close it. "I think today's the first day you haven't fallen asleep halfway through your work," Lier observed.

"I think you're right." August blinked as if he too had just realized it. "And look, I'm almost done. The two of us can both return to our rooms earlier tonight."

Gradually, the sunset faded into an inky night. The stars glittered outside the open window, and the curtains swayed faintly in the warm breeze. Suddenly, Lier frowned. He had just closed the window a few minutes ago . . .

"Your Majesty!" Lier's hand flew to the hilt of his sword as he drew his blade. "Watch out!"

Lier barely had enough time to leap in front of the young king before a figure clothed entirely in black darted forward. Their silver daggers gleamed from the moonlight streaming into the study.

Lier's sword collided with the twin blades of the cloaked assassin, and he gritted his teeth at the assassin's inhuman strength. With a sweep of his sword Lier forced the assassin backward, and the cloaked figure leaped away with the grace of a cat.

"What are you?" Lier demanded as he stood with his sword at the ready. "You're not human."

"I'm surprised you figured out my secret that quickly." The assassin's feminine voice was tinged with amusement. "We only crossed blades once."

Lier narrowed his eyes. "How did you get in here? Are you here to assassinate the king?"

"I came in through the window, of course." The assassin shrugged lightly. "And you could say that I'm here as an assassin."

"You're an assassin," the king said slowly as he looked around Lier at the cloaked figure. "But does this assassination have to be successful?"

"No." The assassin angled her head to the side. "Are you trying to negotiate with me, Your Majesty?"

"You're not really here to kill me," the king said simply. "If you truly wanted to kill me, you could have done so already. You could have continued to use your concealment magic instead of giving yourself away to Lier. Why are you really here, faerie?"

"You're a clever one." The assassin lifted her gloved hands to her head and slowly lowered her hood.

Lier inhaled sharply as the faerie's face emerged from the shadows of her cloak. Her long white hair was twisted elegantly around her head. It wove behind her delicately pointed ears, and her brown skin was freckled with crystals. And her eyes . . . there was something otherworldly about them; the faerie's irises were a shade of pale green-yellow, flecked with pink, silver, and gold—the epitome of light through shattered glass.

"Don't worry." The faerie sheathed her blades before raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not going to hurt either of you."

The king wheeled his wheelchair over to face the faerie. "You can stand down, Lier. Something tells me that she's speaking the truth. You've come all this way to the castle." August's tone was mild as he looked up at the faerie. "What are you doing so far away from the forests you fae folk call home?"

"Someone came into the forest the other day," the faerie explained. "A man. He wanted an assassin who would be able to single-handedly break into the castle and kill the king right under the nose of his personal guard. I said I was capable."

"Are you going to kill me?" the king asked.

The faerie took a seat on the floor and looked up at the young king. "I came here to first see for myself what kind of person you were. I actually arrived this morning."

"You were watching me the entire day?"

The faerie nodded. "More or less. But I think it was more than enough time for me to come to the conclusion that I don't want to kill you."

"You were in the study since this morning?" Lier stared at the faerie. He hadn't sensed her presence at all. "Also, if you really didn't want to kill His Majesty in the first place, why did you try and attack him?"

"I didn't attack the king," the faerie said simply. "I attacked you, did I not? It was a test, knight. And don't worry, you passed."

Lier frowned at the faerie.

"Do you have a name?" August asked the faerie, trying to direct the subject of the conversation away from his friend.

"Doe," the faerie answered. "My name is Doe."

"I've never met a faerie before," the king mused. "What other kinds of magic do you know?"

"Are you looking for someone to heal your legs, Your Majesty?" Doe angled her head to the side, and the crystal-like freckles across her nose glittered in the soft lamplight. "If you are, I'll tell you right now that I can't do it before you get your hopes up."

August sighed. "It wasn't my intention to ask. But now that you've told me, I certainly won't now."

Doe's eyes glimmered through the dying light. "You don't seem like the kind of person who would kill his brother to get the throne. You don't give me that sort of impression at least. Or maybe you really are the kind of king who's capable of such a crime, and you just know how to hide it."

"How dare you speak to the king that way." Lier's tone was cold. "His Majesty—"

August placed a hand on Lier's arm. "It's fine, Lier."

Doe twirled a strand of her silky hair around a finger. "People talk, and sometimes the rumors even reach as far as the forest. It's rumored that the king killed his brother to prevent him from being a potential competitor to the throne. They say now that he is the king, he lacks intelligence and the ability to run a country. They say that if it wasn't for the court, this country would have fallen to pieces the moment the king ascended to the throne."

"I knew they always thought very highly of me outside the castle walls," the young king said mildly.

Doe looked up to hold the king's gaze. "I might not be able to heal your legs, but I do know someone who might be able to."

"You do?" Lier asked quickly. August's grip tightened on Lier's arm as the young king too was anticipating the answer.

Doe glanced over at Lier. "That's right. My grandmother is a very excellent healer. If anyone could do it, it would be her."

Lier excitedly turned to the king. "This is great news! Maybe the faeries can do what the doctors couldn't."

"It sounds too good to be true." August was smiling softly as he dropped his hand from Lier's arm. "And anything that seems too good to be true is just that—too good to be true."

"We'll never know unless we go and see this faerie's grandmother!" Lier objected. "Think about it, Aug—Your Majesty! You could walk again!"

"I'm fine like this, Lier. I'm assuming if we wanted to meet Doe's grandmother, we'd have to leave the castle. I'm the king. I can't just come and go as I please without everyone knowing."

"Think about it, Your Majesty." Doe stood up from the floor and brushed invisible specks of dust from her cloak. "You could look at it as an apology for me breaking into your study and attacking Sir Knight here. But as it is now, even I don't know if my grandmother will be able to heal you. We'll only know if you show up so that she can assess your condition. I'll be back in a week's time. You can tell me your answer then." And with that said, the faerie hopped up onto the windowsill. She flashed a smile over her shoulder before vanishing into the night in a flurry of fabric.

"August," Lier said quietly after he shut the window, still slightly shaken from the encounter with the faerie. "Are you sure you don't want to see what that faerie can do?"

August shook his head as he dropped his gaze. "I really want to trust her, Lier. But I just can't. Besides, I stick to what I said before: I'm fine like this. I'm lucky not to have broken my neck from that fall off the balcony. Just being alive is more than enough."

"This might be our only chance to get you out of that wheelchair," Lier tried again. "I want you to be able to walk again."

"I want to walk again too. But if this really is a trap, it's not worth risking our lives for the unachievable."

"I'll go," Lier said determinedly. "I'll go see if that faerie even has such a grandmother."

"No," the king said firmly.

"I don't understand, Your Majesty. Didn't you want to send me away a few days ago? Now you want me to stay?"

"This is different, Lier." August's eyes were serious as they snapped up to meet Lier's gaze. "If you were to get into a fight, fighting against humans is one thing. Fighting against faeries is another. I'm confident in your abilities to hold your own against a human, but faeries aren't going to fight with blades. They fight with magic, Lier. Magic."

"But what about your—"

"What about me?" August looked up at Lier almost angrily. "What about you? You can't just put yourself in danger like that. I'm not worth it."

"You have a week to think about it, August," Lier said softly. "Please give it some thought."

"Fine," August said shortly.

It had been a long time since the young king had lost his cool. Lier dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" August echoed in surprise. "I'm not mad at you Lier, I'm . . ." the king trailed off as something sorrowful flickered behind his eyes. "I—I don't know. I think I'm mad at myself." A silence fell in the room before August finally rolled his wheelchair toward the door. "I think I should go. I can make it back to my room by myself." Then the young king turned to look over his shoulder at Lier. "You should probably get to bed early if you can."

Lier watched as the king left the study. Something seemed off about August. Even though Lier himself didn't trust the faerie—after all, she had just tried to attack the king—this might be August's only chance to heal his old injury.

After extinguishing the lamps around the room, Lier made his way down to the barracks. He doubted August would come here again tonight. The young king normally came to his room about once every couple of weeks when there was something on his mind.

When Lier returned to his room, after removing his armor, he paced the length of his room. Maybe August had been right. Maybe it was for the best if the king remained in the castle. If they left for the forest, there were too many variables to account for.

But even if August couldn't leave the castle, Lier had to at least go see if the faerie had been speaking the truth and if there really was a way to heal his friend. No. Lier stopped pacing as he stared at the fiery glow radiating from the furnace. August wouldn't want him to go.

Lier wasn't sure how long he had been debating what to do when his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. He walked over to open it, blinking in surprise as August looked up at him from his wheelchair.

"What are you doing here?" Lier asked under his breath as he quickly motioned for the young king to enter. He glanced over August's head at the empty corridor beyond before shutting the door behind him.

"I'll have you know that I spent an hour debating whether I should come down here or not," August said mildly. "And when I did leave my room, I suddenly regretted my decisions, but it was too late to turn back."

"You're a horrible liar, you know that?"

"Really? And here I was thinking that I've gotten better."

"You're still awake?" Lier changed the topic as he walked over to pour a cup of hot water for the king.

August sighed tiredly. "Of course I'm still awake. A faerie assassin just broke into my study a few hours ago and tried to attack you with a knife."

"Did you think carefully about what the faerie said?" Lier asked as he handed the young king the cup.

August watched the steam as it swirled off the top of the water. "I did. But there are too many variables to account for."

"Are you sure you—"

"Is this because I'm burdening you as I am now?" August finally looked over at Lier. "You want to find a way for me to get better so you don't have to wheel me around the castle anymore?"

"It's not like that, August." Lier shook his head as he took a seat next to the young king. "I just want to help find a way for you to get better. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair?" August returned to watching the steam rise from his cup. "As long as you were by my side, I wouldn't mind."

"August—" Lier blinked. I'll always be by your side, he wanted to tell the young king. But the words seemed to get stuck in his throat.

August sighed again. "You're my best friend, Lier. When I'm around you, I don't have to be the king. You let me just be myself."

Lier held the young king's gaze. "I don't mind staying by your side. It was always my intention to do so, and you know that."

"Are you only saying that because I'm the king?" There was something sad behind August's eyes. "Lier, I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do."

"It's not like that," Lier said for a second time. "I'm serious, August. Ever since we were young, we promised that we would always do everything together, remember? We'd always have each other's backs."

"Of course I remember. I just don't want my status to influence your decisions."

Lier offered the king a soft smile. "Is that what you've been worried about this entire time?"

"You could say so." August downed his cup of water in a single gulp.

There was a pause before Lier spoke again. "You need to look after your health. Try to get some sleep."

✦ ✦ ✦

When morning came, Lier and August returned to the study. Around noon, someone started knocking rapidly on the door.

"Big brother, big brother!" Prince Wolfe's voice called from the other side of the wood. "Come down to the training grounds with me and see how I've improved!"

Lier exchanged a glance with the young king. Should I send him away?

August shook his head. This is a good excuse to take a break.

Nodding, Lier walked over to the door and pushed it open for the young prince to enter.

"It's Lier!" Prince Wolfe exclaimed by way of greeting as he hurried inside the room. "Can I push my brother's chair down the stairs? Oh, come on"—the prince frowned at the look Lier gave him—"you know I didn't mean it that way."

When they reached the training ground, all of the other knights were waiting, and they dropped into a bow the moment the king rounded the corner. "Your Majesty," they said in unison before turning to address Prince Wolfe. "Your Highness."

The young prince jumped up and down excitedly. "Let's go show my brother what you just taught me!"

"Since we came down here," Lier said quietly to August, "I'm going to check the barracks. The young knights should be on their lunch break now, and it's been a while since I've checked on them at this time of day."

"Go ahead," the king said mildly. "There's plenty of knights around. If an assassin were to suddenly appear, I don't think they'd be able to get very close."

Lier nodded, bowed once, and then turned to make his way back toward the main castle. He arrived at the barracks to find a large group of knights sitting on the stone floors of the hallway with their lunches.

"Hey, it's Lier," one of the knights said as he looked up.

"Lier, Lier!" Another knight waved him over. "How did you manage to get away from the king? Did His Majesty finally get tired of you and decide to send you back to us?"

Lier raised his brows as the knights scooted over to make room for him to join them. "I'm just here to make sure all of you aren't secretly plotting against the king during your lunch breaks. Looks like I don't have anything to worry about, though."

"Of course not." The knight elbowed Lier. "Oh, come on, why are you always so serious?"

Lier brushed the knight off. "I'm not being serious—I'm just being responsible."

The knights look around at each other. "Isn't that the same thing?"

Lier found himself smiling wryly. "And the lot of you wonder why you haven't been promoted yet."

"Anyway," the knight said quickly, "we feel a little bad for you, Lier. When all of us get to go to the town, you're still stuck here in the castle."

"What do you mean?" Lier arched a brow, waiting for the knight to go on.

"Alex over there met someone." The knight cocked his head in the direction of one of the young knights sitting on the opposite side of the hallway. "Well, every time we all go down to the town, he's been going to see one of the village girls. And just yesterday, they finally confessed their love to each other!"

When he noticed he was being talked about, the knight on the opposite side of the hallway, Alex, scooted over to join Lier and the other knights. "You have no idea what you're missing by being stuck in the castle all these years," Alex told Lier. "Unless . . . do you have anyone you like?"

"What?" Lier blinked, taken aback by the sudden question.

Alex let out a sigh. "It's alright, Lier. Of course you wouldn't have met anyone being cooped up in the castle the way you are. But one day you'll meet that one person who you'll want to spend the rest of your life with. And no, Lier"—the young knight's expression went from dreamy to exasperated again in a matter of seconds—"I'm not talking about the king. You know that we don't have any other choice than to obey him. But someday you'll find someone who just being around them makes you happy. I'm sure when that day does come, the king will be able to find it in his heart to let you go."

Lier stared at the knight for a long moment.

The young knight grinned. "You look surprised. Don't tell me that you do actually have a person like that after all!"

"I should probably head back now." Lier hastily stood up, and his armor clanked with the movement. "I'll make sure to tell the king that all of you have been making good use of your free time."

"Thanks, Lier!" the knights called as Lier made his way out of the barracks. "You're the best!"

Lier returned to the training grounds to find Prince Wolfe finishing up his sword demonstration.

"Well done." August was smiling at the young prince. "You're getting better by the day."

"Really?" Prince Wolfe said excitedly. "Just you wait, I'll be able to be as good as the other knights in no time!"

The young king laughed. "Take your time. And don't forget to take breaks."

Prince Wolfe nodded his head determinedly.

"Shall we head back, Your Majesty?" Lier asked when he stopped at the king's side.

August nodded as he looked over at Lier. "Were the young knights still goofing off?"

Lier sighed as the two of them started back toward the main castle. "They were just talking."

✦ ✦ ✦

The next few days passed uneventfully, and soon a week had gone by since the faerie appeared in August's study. It was another warm summer day, and the king had fallen asleep at his desk again. The breeze from the open window ruffled his white-blond hair.

Lier smiled faintly as he looked over at the king. But then suddenly, there was a flash of movement outside the window, and Lier's smile faded. He quietly set down his book and made his way over to the window.

"Hello, Sir Knight," the faerie called up to him from the balcony a story below. The crystals flecking her dark skin glittered in the sunlight.

"You really did come back." Lier leaned out the window, keeping his voice quiet so as to not wake the sleeping king. "Do you genuinely want to help His Majesty?"

"Of course." Doe folded her arms over her chest, and her long hair rippled in the wind. "In all of his time ruling, the current king has only helped the people. He's done nothing to harm them, and because of how he lowered taxes, people have stopped storming into our forest to find and sell our plants. We have to express our gratitude to the king in some way, don't we?"

"People have been storming into the faeries' forest to steal their magical plants? Wouldn't that practically be a death sentence for them? Why didn't any of you file a complaint?"

Doe rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know that the faeries in the woods are healers. We won't kill those poor starving people. As for your second question"—the faerie looked up at Lier—"we were thinking about it, but we ultimately didn't in case the former kings decided to punish those people."

"Former kings? Just how long exactly has this been going on?"

"It's been going on like this for the past hundred or so years. Now that it finally stopped, we want to show our gratitude to the king. And we'd like to be on good terms with him," the faerie added as an afterthought.

"So that's what this is about," Lier mused. "By treating the king, this is the perfect opportunity to get in his good graces."

Doe let out a sigh. "If I said that we really just want to do something out of the kindness of our hearts, you wouldn't believe it. But it's the truth. Has the king made up his mind?"

Lier shook his head. "I've been trying to convince him to go. But he's been stubborn and won't agree to leave the castle."

"He's just being smart, then. It's only natural to be suspicious of faeries. We rarely show ourselves to humans, after all."

"How about this." Lier lowered his voice. "The king just wants to ensure you're telling the truth and that the forest is safe. I'll accompany you to the forest and report back to the king on the situation once I return."

The faerie angled her head to the side. "And what if you don't come back?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Alright." Doe smiled. "We leave in two days. I'll meet you at the entrance to the town." Lier's confirmation nod was all the faerie needed before she dropped from the balcony and out of sight.

Lier stared out the window at the place she had vanished before turning back around to look at August. The young king was still sleeping.

Lier paced the length of the room, deep in thought. How would he tell August that he'd be going to the forest in a couple of days? Would the king even let him go? Could the faerie even be trusted?

"Lier." August's voice had Lier turning toward the young king in surprise. "You seem like you have something on your mind."

Lier averted his gaze. "I'm going to go to the forest."

"You're going to go to the forest?" August blinked in bewilderment as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What forest are you talking about?"

"The faerie came back while you were sleeping," Lier explained. "I told her that I'd go to the forest to scout things out. If it seems safe, you could go later on."

"Are you sure you want to go?" August asked quietly. "Think about your own safety, Lier. What if the faeries attack you? What if you don't come back? It's not worth it."

"I want to do this," Lier said determinedly. "If I miss this chance, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

August blinked again. "Am I really that important to you?"

"Of course."

"If you want to go to the forest, I won't stop you. But please be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you either."

"I'll be on my guard the entire time," Lier reassured him. "I'll appoint one of the other knights as a substitute bodyguard while I'm away."

"Alright." The young king nodded tiredly. "I'll try not to get my hopes up too much, but after all this trouble you're putting yourself through, you better be successful."

"Of course, of course." Lier laughed, and to his relief, August smiled.

✦ Nine Years Ago ✦

"Run, run, run!" August threw his head back laughing as he barreled through the grassy courtyard.

Lier sprinted after the young prince. "You're the one who made us late to class!"

The sky was a clear blue, and the warmth of the sun beat down over the land. Lier had gone upstairs to collect the young prince for their lessons, but August insisted there was enough time to do a round of sparring. And now both of them were running behind schedule.

August slowed down to let Lier fall into pace with him. "I'll race you to the archway over there," he said with a grin.

Lier grinned back. "You're on!"

The two boys took off at a sprint. While Lier kept pace with his friend for the majority of the dash, he found himself slowing down the closer they got to the finish line. August dashed ahead and skidded onto the path beyond the archway. "I win!" August's eyes were bright as he cheered, and even though Lier had lost, he found himself smiling faintly. Whenever August was happy, Lier was content too.

"Your Highness," a voice said. August's smile faltered. A knight had just rounded the corner. His silver armor was polished to a gleam as it reflected the sunlight. The knight sported a black mustache, and his expression was serious.

"Sir An." August quickly adjusted his posture.

Lier dropped his gaze as he bowed his head. "Father."

Lier's father let out a sigh. "It looks like I have to escort the two of you again. Your Highness, I recommended Lier to be your study companion because I thought he would be a good influence."

"This was my idea"—August took a protective step in front of Lier—"this has nothing to do with Lier!"

Lier's father let out another sigh. "I know, Your Highness. I'm far too familiar with both of your temperaments."

August grinned sheepishly as Lier's father motioned for them to follow him. When they arrived at the royal library, there were already three people inside. The middle-aged man with graying hair was scowling in annoyance, and Lier looked past him to the two other figures seated at the long table. A boy with white-blond hair was frowning as his gaze immediately went to August. A second boy sat next to the blond one. Lier dipped his head to Prince Finnian and his study companion, but the two of them ignored him.

In all his years, Lier had never seen the second prince smile. Even though Prince Finnian was seven—only a year younger than Lier and August—it was like he was living in a completely different world. While August was always brimming with energy, Prince Finnian had a reserved and snarky demeanor. Lier had never found the second prince very pleasant to be around, and his study companion was a bird of the same feather.

"Your Highness," the tutor said in exasperation as he motioned for August and Lier to take their seats, "you're the crown prince! The least you can do is be on time for your lessons! Why can't you be more like your brother in this aspect?"

August sighed as he took his seat. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Honestly now," the tutor continued sourly, "if you don't watch out, Prince Finnian will take over the crown prince's position. Try to make an effort to be on time, will you? Now, let's begin our lesson."

✦ ✦ ✦

When class was over, August and Lier made their way back to the courtyard. "Would you really let the second prince take your title?" Lier asked quietly.

August's gaze was downcast as he shook his head. "I can't let him. You know I don't want to be king, Lier. But I can't let Finnian become king either—the people will suffer under his rule." Then August furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "My mother is about to have a baby boy. Maybe he can be the king."

Lier leveled his friend a look. "It's obvious that His Majesty favors you. Even though he would prefer you to play less and work more, it's clear that His Highness Prince Finnian won't pass you up any time soon."

"Would you like to go for a run, Lier?" August asked tiredly. "I want to pretend I'm not a prince for a while."

Lier smiled faintly as he nodded.

After running laps around the castle gardens, August and Lier retired to the library. The library seemed empty, and the two of them found a table next to one of the large glass windows. As Lier laid out their books and homework, August gazed out the window at the mountains in the distance. Lier paused for a moment to watch how the light from the slowly setting sun caused August's white-blond hair to glow.

When August caught Lier looking, he smiled. Lier hastily dropped his gaze. "We're missing a copy of that geography book again," Lier said as he stood up from his seat. "I'll go find it."

Lier hurried through the rows of towering bookcases. When he reached the shelf where he had found the geography book the previous day, he frowned. All five copies of the book had vanished. Lier shook his head as he continued on his way through the library. He had a suspicion about who had taken the books.

"Your Highness." Lier came to a stop in front of where Prince Finnian and his study companion were sitting at a table on the other side of the library. "Would you be able to lend us one of your geography books?"

Prince Finnian's eyes flickered as he glanced over at Lier. "No. Now leave us."

Lier didn't move. "His Highness Prince August has homework to complete too. You don't need all five geography books, do you?"

"I'm not going to give them to you," Prince Finnian said unpleasantly. "What are you going to do about it? Fight us?"

Lier's frown deepened. "If that's what it takes."

Prince Finnian raised a brow. "Two against one hardly seems fair."

The prince's study companion sneered at Lier before pulling his eyes back with his fingers in a slanted gesture.

"It's two against two," August's voice said from behind Lier. "You've never beaten us in a fight before, Finnian. Just give us one of the books, and you won't get hurt."

"Your Highness"—Lier turned to August—"you'll get in trouble if you take them on here. I can take them on my own."

"Here." Prince Finnian held out a copy of the book to August.

"Thank you—" August started as he reached for the book, but just as he was about to grab it, Prince Finnian tossed the book to the side and threw a punch at August. Before Lier could hurry forward, the prince's study companion was running at him.

The sound of commotion echoed through the library, and less than a few punches later, heavy footsteps sounded. All of them immediately stopped. While Prince Finnian and his study companion were considerably more battered, August and Lier had received a few punches themselves.

"Boys . . ." a disapproving voice said. All of them instantly dropped to their knees.

"Your Majesty," Lier greeted the king.

"August," the king said coldly. "Come with me. We need to talk."

August rose to his feet and silently shuffled after the king. Once the two of them vanished from the library, Lier turned to Prince Finnian and his study companion. Without a second glance at them, Lier snatched a copy of the geography book off their table before marching away.

Lier had only been studying for a couple of minutes before August joined him back at the table. "What did His Majesty want?" Lier asked softly.

August let out a sigh. "He wanted to see whether I had been seriously injured or not. When he deemed I was fine, he let me go. I think my father's going to ground my brother, though."

By the time the two of them finished their assignments, the sun had set, and the glass window transformed into a mirror.

"August," Lier said as he looked at his friend in concern, "your face."

August blinked as he lifted a hand to his face, and he winced as he touched the bruises. August gave Lier a pained sort of smile. "It looks like I was too caught up in my studies to notice them."

Lier let out a sigh as he shook his head. "My brother has a healing ointment in our room. We should treat them sooner than later."

After the two of them packed away their books and papers, Lier led the way to the barracks. "I'm sorry, Lier," August said quietly as they walked. "I didn't know my brother was going to play dirty like that."

"This wasn't the first time, and something tells me it won't be the last."

"I know . . . it's just . . . I don't know. He's my brother. I really want to get along with him." August stopped walking, and Lier stopped as well. "I envy you, Lier. You get along with your brother, and even though your father is strict, he loves you. My father has never loved me."

"That's not true," Lier started, but August just cut him off with a sigh.

"My father doesn't love anyone. Not even my mother. My mother is just a tool to be used by him as well."

"August—"

August just smiled sadly. "I'm glad I have you, Lier."

When the two of them reached the room Lier shared with his brother and father, Lier only needed to knock once before the door opened. "Well, if it isn't my two favorite knights." A young man with jet-black hair was smiling down at the two of them as he stepped aside to beckon them inside.

"Brother." Lier dipped his head in acknowledgment.

Lier's brother let out an exaggerated sigh. "Come on, Lier. Why so formal?"

"Hi, Rei," August greeted Lier's brother with a cheerful smile.

Lier's brother grinned. "See? That's more like it. His Highness and I are on the same page."

Lier just shook his head as he shut the door behind him. "Do you know where the ointment for bruises is? His Highness got in a fight with the second prince."

"A fight?" Rei arched a brow. "The ointment is on the shelf in the back like usual."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Rei!" a voice called from the other side. "Are you in there? The young knights are getting into trouble again!"

"Coming!" Rei called as he hurried toward the door. He glanced back over his shoulder to address Lier. "You'll have to tell me about the fight later." And with that, he vanished into the hall beyond.

Now alone in the room with August, Lier retrieved the ointment before taking a seat on his bed. "Let me help you."

August nodded as he silently sat down next to Lier. Lier unscrewed the top of the jar before gently applying the paste to August's bruises.

"Why did you do that?" Lier asked softly. "Normally you're quite good at deescalating the situation with your words."

August turned to hold Lier's gaze. "I can't just let them make fun of you like that."

Lier averted his eyes. "It's just the second prince. He and his study companion are unpleasant to everyone. I've always had small eyes anyway. It doesn't bother me."

"Lier!" August suddenly exclaimed. Lier blinked as August reached out to touch Lier's forehead. Lier winced. He had completely forgotten that Prince Finnian's study companion managed to sock him in the face. August held out his hand expectantly. Lier just stared at it for a long moment.

"I can do it myself," Lier said quickly when he realized August was asking for the jar of ointment. "You're a prince—I can't trouble you with something like this."

August shook his head as he gently pried the jar from Lier's hands. "So what if I'm a prince and you're my study companion? You're first and foremost my friend."

Lier nodded silently. This wasn't the first time August had gone out of his way to do things for Lier: after mealtimes, August would occasionally sneak pastries for Lier. Since Lier ate with the other knights, they rarely had anything sweet. August remembered which ones were Lier's favorites and always brought them whenever he could.

As August carefully brushed Lier's hair away from his forehead and applied the ointment, Lier found himself smiling faintly. When Lier caught himself, he raised his eyes to meet August's. And to his relief, August grinned back.

The two of them chatted quietly in Lier's shared room for half an hour before they determined it was time for August to return to his own room. Lier walked August through the castle and up the stairs to his room. As August stepped inside, he hesitated in the doorway for a moment as he glanced back at Lier.

Lier just smiled. It was a rule that no one could enter the crown prince's room, and Lier could only see his friend this far. Once the door swung shut behind August, Lier turned and made his way back to the barracks alone. When he arrived at his room, his brother still had yet to return, but his father was there.

"Father," Lier acknowledged him quietly.

"Lier."

After Lier changed into his night clothes, he climbed into bed. His father extinguished the lamp by Lier's bedside, and for a while, the only sound came from the sword Lier's father was sharpening. Lier lay awake for a while.

"Lier," Lier's father said. "I can tell there's something on your mind."

"I think I might like Prince August," Lier whispered through the dark.

His father stopped sharpening his sword, and Lier began to panic that he had said the wrong thing. "Are you sure?"

"I—I don't know."

Lier's father let out a sigh. "You're still young. When you get older, you might find yourself reexamining these feelings. I'd advise you not to tell His Highness. Your feelings for him might be true, but His Highness is the crown prince. He's going to be king. I'm afraid your feelings will never be able to be reciprocated."

Lier stared up at the ceiling. "I don't mind. As long as I can continue to be there for him and stay by his side, that's enough."

For a while, Lier's father was quiet, and Lier thought he had ended the conversation before he finally spoke up again. "If that's the case, your loyalty to His Highness won't waver. You're the perfect candidate to be His Highness's personal guard."

✦ Present ✦

"Remember to take care of your big brother." Lier knelt down to look Prince Wolfe in the eyes. "Keep him company as much as you can, but don't go out of your way to annoy him either. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"I will!" The young prince nodded determinedly. The two of them were standing just outside the castle gates, and the prince had been sent by his brother to see Lier off.

Lier gave the prince a pat on the shoulder. "Good."

"Safe travels!" Prince Wolfe waved as Lier set off down the road.

Lier reached the entrance of the town at the bottom of the mountain within an hour. The blue sky above was clear, and the only clouds were the ones in the distance that surrounded the mountains.

"Sir Knight," a voice said. Lier turned to find Doe standing in front of him, her face hidden in the shadows of her hooded cloak. "Are you ready?"

Lier silently nodded, and the faerie turned on her heel, leading the way through the streets of the town.

"What have you told the curious people at the castle?" Doe asked after a while. "I bet it's been a long time since the king's advisor left his side."

"We've told them that I've gone out to investigate something personally for the king," Lier replied. "His Majesty thought that since I was leaving the castle, we could use the opportunity to root out some of the people who might potentially try to harm him in the future."

The faerie blinked. "How so?"

"There are some people in the castle the king can't remove from their positions without solid evidence," Lier explained shortly. "We figured that if these people think we're investigating them, they'll start to get hasty with their actions."

"I see now." The faerie nodded along. "This king of yours is quite clever. Look." She pointed to the trees in the distance. "We're almost at the entrance to the forest."

Soon, the two of them passed through the trees and entered the forest beyond. The bustling sounds of the town seemed to fade the farther they went, and the noises were replaced with the soft chirping of birds and the whispering of the wind through the deep green leaves.

As they walked, Lier kept a hand casually resting on the hilt of his sword. He had told August that he would be careful and would stick by his word.

"Here we are." Doe stopped before a thicket of trees. Lier looked on in astonishment as the faerie lifted a hand. Suddenly, a glowing doorway was hanging between two large trees. "This is the door to the city of the fae folk."

"Is it a portal?" Lier asked with a frown as he looked around the dense trees, trying to see what lay behind the glowing light.

Doe lower her hood. "It's a doorway. The city is here; you just can't see it until you step through the door. It's illusion magic that hides it from the eyes of outsiders."

Before Lier could open his mouth to ask another question, the faerie stepped through the door and vanished in a flash of light. Lier stared at the spot where she had disappeared. Then after taking a deep breath, Lier took a step forward. There was a flash as Lier passed through the light, and his eyes widened as he took in the city beyond.

Houses of wood and vines stretched for miles, and crystal-like flowers dotted the grassy floor and snaked up the trees. So this was the city of the fae folk.

Doe laughed at Lier's awed expression. "You really did follow me. That was your last chance to turn back, you know. This way. I'll go take you to see my grandmother."

All Lier could do was nod as he followed the faerie up a staircase built into one of the trees. They climbed higher and higher until they arrived at a house sitting on top of the branches.

"Grandmother." Doe hurried over to the elderly faerie sitting on the far side of the room. "I've brought the knight." The faerie's skin was wrinkled from age, but there was an energy radiating from her that Lier could only describe as life.

Lier bowed to the elderly faerie. "Greetings. I'm Lier from the castle, and I come on behalf of the king."

The elderly faerie stood from her seat. "Welcome to my humble residence."

Humble was an understatement. The house in the tree was unlike anything Lier had ever seen before. The large windows were crafted from artistically placed branches, with vines snaking around all the supporting beams.

The elderly faerie walked over to the table in the middle of the room before gesturing for Lier and Doe to join her. "Tell me about the king's condition."

Lier took a seat across from the elderly faerie and her granddaughter. "When he was younger, his brother pushed him off one of the castle balconies. The two of them both ended up falling. The king broke nearly all the bones in his body. His brother, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate to get away alive. The royal doctors did their best, and even though the king spent over a year completely bedridden, he hasn't been the same since."

"So that's how it happened." The elderly faerie let out a sigh. "If that's the case, I'll definitely be able to heal him."

Lier's head snapped up. "You know you can heal him just like that?"

The elderly faerie smiled. "As long as there's no dark magic involved, I can easily heal such an injury."

Lier jumped to his feet. "I'll go tell the king that immediately!"

"Right now?" Doe blinked. "The sun is going down. You might as well stay here until morning."

Lier nodded reluctantly. "I'll return to the castle tomorrow, then."

✦ ✦ ✦

"Well?" August asked when Lier entered his study.

"She can do it," Lier said breathlessly.

"Really?" The young king's eyes seemed to light up. Then he frowned. "How am I supposed to get there, though?"

"We'll think of something," Lier reassured him. "I'll think of something."

"What are the two of you talking about?" a voice asked, and Lier blinked as Prince Wolfe hopped out from behind August's wheelchair.

"We'll tell you later." August exchanged a glance with Lier. "We wouldn't want you to get your hopes up just for it not to work."

"Fine." The young prince let out a sigh. "Don't tell me, that's fine. It's not like I'm curious why Lier left the castle for the first time in years." Lier and August stared after Prince Wolfe as he marched out of the study.

"What's up with him?" Lier raised a brow.

"My brother insisted that he stick close to me for the past couple of days, but I don't think he can spend much time inside though without going crazy."

"What happened to the knight I appointed to watch you?" Lier frowned slightly. "I don't see anyone else here."

"The prince sent him away," August said lightly. "Wolfe claimed that he would be my guard."

Lier sighed as he shook his head. He'd have to have a talk with the young prince later.

✦ ✦ ✦

When night fell, Lier didn't have to wait long before there was a knock at his door. Lier stepped aside for August to enter the room. "If you keep coming down to the barracks, one day you're going to get caught."

The young king flashed Lier a grin. "I'll just tell people that I'm sleepwalking."

"And who's going to believe that?" Lier let out a laugh before walking over to pour the king a cup of water from the kettle sitting on the furnace.

August's smile faded as he took the cup from Lier. "On a more serious note, I've been doing some thinking lately. I have something to tell you."

Lier took a seat next to the young king. "What is it?"

August stared at the steam wafting off the top of the water in his cup. "Lier, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That's something I've been keeping to myself for years now. The time we spend together like this . . . it just makes me so happy. I didn't want to tell you at first—I didn't want to ruin our friendship. I knew that I'd have to let you go eventually. I know that I'll have to let you go eventually, but I don't want to."

"You don't have to let me go, August. It was always my intention to stay by your side."

"Really?" The young king turned to Lier with wide eyes. Then he frowned. "You're not just saying that because I'm the king, are you?"

"No." Lier shook his head as he held August's gaze. "I'm serious. I've felt the same way. I was just scared to admit it for the same reason you were; I didn't want to ruin our friendship. But ever since we were children, I knew you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

August's expression relaxed into a smile, and Lier found himself smiling back. The two of them sat shoulder to shoulder for a while before August spoke again. "On a different note, I think I should inform you that the ministers have made their move."

"They have?" Lier asked quickly. "Already?"

"I received a letter yesterday demanding that I leave the running of the country to the court. I recognized their handwriting, even though they tried to remain anonymous. The letter ended with a warning to watch out for more assassins."

"They'd really go that far?" Lier stared at August, thunderstruck by the news.

"Letters like these are their downfall, though," August said simply. "I'm sure I'm not the only king they threatened to get rid of either. All I need to do is have the evidence against them compiled by the ministers who side with me. They've been working for a while to get those corrupt ministers out of the court. And once they're out of the court, we'll be able to do more for the common people, and I can run a proper investigation on my father's death." Suddenly, August shivered as he pulled the cloak he was wearing over his night clothes tighter around his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Lier asked in concern. "Here, let me get you another cup of water. Yours must be cold by now." Lier quickly stood up and hurried over to the kettle hanging over the furnace. When he returned to his seat, he handed the cup back to the king. "Your hands," Lier said as August's fingers brushed his, "they're freezing."

"They never feel that cold until there's something there to warm them up." August smiled faintly as Lier pressed his own hands over the king's. "Your hands are warm, Lier."

"Normally, I have the furnace running in here at all times. But since I was away, I didn't start the fire until I returned to my room tonight."

"Doesn't it get uncomfortable having the furnace running like that in the summer?"

"I've gotten used to it. Besides, what am I supposed to do if the king visits me? Do I just let you freeze?"

August laughed. "I appreciate it, Lier. You're always thinking about me. Thank you."

"The faeries in the forest said they could heal your legs. I didn't tell them about your poison, but I think they might be able to fix that too."

"Let's go see the faeries tomorrow," August said determinedly. "I can dress up as a knight, and the two of us can sneak out of the castle."

"How will you keep people from discovering that you've left?"

"Let's just say I'm sick and don't want anyone to visit me."

"And who's going to abide by that?"

"I think I know someone who can help keep people away."

Lier looked at the young king in exasperation. "Don't tell me it's your brother."

August's eyes danced with laughter. "I won't tell you, then."

✦ ✦ ✦

That night, August remained in Lier's room instead of returning to his chambers. When morning came, they were awake early enough that the sun had yet to rise, and they had a couple of hours before the rest of the castle would wake. Lier found the young king a spare set of armor and left him to change into it the best he could as Lier himself went to look for Prince Wolfe.

Fortunately, there was never anyone guarding the young prince's door, and Lier was able to easily slip inside.

"Your Highness," Lier said quietly, and the young prince's eyes fluttered open.

"It's Lier!" Prince Wolfe exclaimed excitedly, and Lier quickly gestured for the prince to keep his volume down.

Lier lowered his voice. "Your brother has a favor to ask of you."

"My brother has a favor to ask?" the young prince repeated in an excited whisper. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

✦ ✦ ✦

"Are you ready to go?" Lier asked when he returned to his room. August had been able to put on all of the armor without any help, and his white-blonde hair was hidden behind his helmet.

The young king nodded. "I'm ready. Have you told Wolfe everything he needs to know?"

"Don't worry," Lier reassured August as he wheeled the king out of the room. "The prince knows."

When the two of them reached the stables, Prince Wolfe was already waiting for them.

"Good luck," the young prince said determinedly as Lier helped the king onto one of the horses.

"Thank you, Wolfe." August lifted a hand in his brother's direction. "I knew I could count on you."

The young prince waved before he turned to push the king's wheelchair back into the castle. "I'll be waiting for you to come back!"

"Ready?" Lier asked as he mounted his own horse. "I'll do the talking when we reach the gates."

"Ready." The king nodded. And with that, the two of them took off toward the castle gates and the forest in the distance.

The sky slowly brightened the farther they got from the castle. The sun was rising above the mountains in the distance, and it brought the pinks and oranges and golds of the dawn with it.

"It's been forever since I've been out of the castle grounds," August called over the wind. "It's been forever since I've ridden a horse like this. Hey, look at the sunrise! Isn't it magnificent?"

✦ ✦ ✦

By the time August and Lier reached the forest, the sun had fully risen. When they stopped where the glowing portal to the faerie city had been, Doe appeared in front of them.

"You came." The faerie grinned, and the crystals flecking her skin glittered in the light. "Follow me." Instead of the black outfit Lier had previously seen her in, this time, Doe was wearing a dress woven from leaves and flowers.

The two of them followed Doe through the glowing doorway that had magically appeared between the trees. When they emerged on the other side, Lier helped August off his horse, and Lier and Doe half carried, half dragged the young king up the stairs to Doe's grandmother's house.

"Welcome." The elderly faerie smiled as they entered the house. "Your Majesty." She dropped into a bow.

"There's no need for that." August sighed as he motioned for her to rise.

"I always knew the king was young," the elderly faerie remarked as August removed his helmet, "but it's difficult to believe he's this young. Now that you're here, shall we begin?"

August blinked. "Right now?"

"It won't take more than an hour for me to pinpoint the problem and fix it," the elderly faerie reassured the king. "Let's go to the patient's room."

After Lier and Doe helped carry the young king into the room, they returned to the living room of the house to let the elderly faerie do her work.

"Why do you look so anxious?" Doe asked as Lier paced back and forth. "My grandmother is the best healer among the fae folk. Now that it's just the two of us, I have something you might want to know. Do you remember how there was a man who sent me to assassinate the king? He was a middle-aged man with curly red hair and a mustache."

"Did he have a mole on his face?" Lier asked quickly as his head snapped over to look at the faerie. "A mole right under his left eye?"

Doe nodded. "He did. Do you know him?"

"He's one of the court ministers," Lier said darkly. "I didn't want to believe they'd actually send assassins after the king, but it seems they'd do anything to get His Majesty out of the way. Did he leave anything behind? Anything we could use to prove he came to talk to you?"

"He left this." Doe handed Lier a neat square of fabric. "Or rather, I cut it from his tunic when he wasn't looking."

Lier stared at the faerie.

"I needed something from him in case he decided to pin the blame on me." Doe shrugged as she flipped her hair over a shoulder.

Lier pocketed the square of fabric. "I'll make sure to show this to the king later. He always seems to know what to do with these kinds of things."

Before long, the elderly faerie emerged from the back room. Lier quickly hurried over to her. "How's the king?"

"His injuries have been healed," the elderly faerie informed him. "Right now he has no strength in his legs, but once he builds that back up, he'll be able to walk." Then she frowned slightly. "You didn't tell me anything about the poison, though. I was able to remove it, but it will still take a little while for the lingering effects to vanish completely."

Lier let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. "Thank you. How can we ever repay you?"

The elderly faerie smiled softly. "There's no need to repay me. All the good the king has been doing for the kingdom is enough. It's not often that we see a king with a kind heart."

✦ ✦ ✦

"This is as far as I'll see you." Doe stopped at the edge of the forest. "I wish you luck."

"Thank you." Lier thanked the faerie for what was probably the tenth time. "Thank you for everything."

"Thank you." August thanked the faerie as well. "I promise I'll continue to do my best."

"Good." Doe smiled. "Come visit sometime."

"Of course."

After another round of goodbyes and thanks, Lier and August took off back toward the castle. By the time they arrived, it was nightfall.

August returned to Lier's room in the barracks, and the two of them waited for the castle to call it a night. After Lier assisted August in changing out of the armor and back into the night clothes he had worn the previous day, Lier helped him take a seat in the wheelchair Prince Wolfe had left in the room.

"Do your legs feel any different than before?" Lier asked again.

"They no longer feel numb anymore." August shook his head as if he couldn't quite believe it himself. "I can actually feel my legs. I don't have any strength in them, though," he added. "We should probably go see if Wolfe is suffering any hardships."

"I bet he's fine. And I think he'll be excited to hear the good news."

When the two of them arrived at the door to August's room, Lier knocked on the wood.

"Who's there?" Prince Wolfe's voice called from the other side of the door. "The king is ill and doesn't want to see anyone! And that better not be you again, Mr. Guard! I sent you away twice already."

August's shoulders shook with laughter. "It's me."

"Big brother!" The door flew open in an instant to reveal the young prince. "You're back!"

August gave his brother a pat on the head as he rolled into the room. "I'm back."

"Don't worry!" Prince Wolfe puffed out his chest. "I didn't let anyone in, and they all still think you're inside!"

"Good boy." Lier gave the young prince an approving nod. "Now that we're back, you're free to go."

"Goodnight, big brother." Prince Wolfe yawned as he made his way toward the door. "Goodnight, Lier. I better go to bed. You must tell me everything tomorrow. Thanks for letting me stay up past my bedtime!"

The two of them watched the door swing shut behind him before Lier turned to August. "Back while you were being healed by Doe's grandmother, Doe gave me this and explained that the man who wanted her to assassinate you was one of the ministers from your court." Lier held out the scrap of fabric to the king.

August took the fabric from Lier. He held it up to the dying lamplight to examine the intricate embroidery. "This is perfect."

"You should get some sleep, August." Lier sighed as he helped the young king over to his bed. "I think you've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

August nodded. "I think so too."

"Would you mind if I kept you company?" Lier asked softly.

"You want to stay here? Wouldn't people realize that you've gone missing from the barracks?"

"I'll only be here for a short time. I'll head back down to the barracks before sunrise."

"Alright." August nodded as he motioned for Lier to lie down next to him. "I like this. It reminds me of how we were when we were kids."

Lier smiled faintly as he joined the young king. And together, they watched the light from the lamp cast dancing shadows on the ceiling before finally flickering out.

✦ ✦ ✦

In the morning, Lier was up before sunrise and back in his own room. The furnace was still on full blast, and Lier would keep it that way until August's poison vanished entirely.

Instead of going to August's study today, Lier and the young king ended up spending the majority of the day in the courtroom with the ministers. The evidence found by the ministers loyal to the king, along with the piece of fabric, ultimately led to the banishment of those who had attempted to assassinate the king, along with a hefty fine.

"That went smoother than I thought it would," August mused when the two of them returned to his study sometime in the late afternoon. "I didn't want to underestimate the opposing side, but I never imagined I would end up overestimating them."

Lier grinned. "It's a good thing most of the ministers supporting you were also big followers of you father. They've also been wanting to have his death investigated more thoroughly."

August nodded along. "They did their best to help me, both for my sake and for the sake of my late father."

A warm summer breeze wafted in through the open window, and the blue sky beyond was streaked with wispy clouds.

"I think I can finally feel the warmth of summer." August smiled as he turned to look out the window. "I can finally feel the warmth of the sun."

Lier walked over to the king's side, a smile on his face. "Things will only get better from here."

August nodded. "You're right. With those ministers gone, I can finally enact all the changes I have in store for the kingdom. These new policies will benefit the people even more than the previous ones I managed to go through."

"Whatever happens"—Lier turned to the young king—"I'll always be here at your side."

"Thank you, Lier." August reached out a hand, and Lier took it.

And in that last month of summer, the sunlight streaming through the window had never been warmer, the land beyond brighter, nor the person at Lier's side more special.

✦ End ✦