His unsteady hand swiped the paintbrush across the thin board. Soft sage, summer pink, and daffodil yellows capture the rays of sunlight reflected in water droplets on lily pads. The trees that swayed above the pond cast perfect shadows on the scene. He set the paintbrush down on the small palette, his hand cramped and shook—a deep breath, in slowly and out slower.

  The ducklings in the pond quaked and swam around following their mother in circles as she ate. A gentle, warm gust of wind swept past him, pushing the loose-fitting piece of white linen off his shoulder. The bell sleeves of the robe were already covered in paint, so he did not pull it out of the mud as his arm dropped.

  Pierce didn’t care to move his freshly clean, wet, hair away from the mossy tree as he leaned back farther either. The breeze was perfect, vibrant petals fell from overhead, and the ducks and the birds up in the trees must have been discussing lunch together. He allowed the coils of his hair to be brushed through by bark as he sunk even lower to the ground. Simply existing for just one relaxing moment, closing his eyes the pain and stress faded into the background.

  “Your Highness, your brothers can't eat if you don’t attend the night meal” a brassy voice rang out, ruining the tranquility.

  “Alright,” Pierce signed not even opening his eyes to check who it may be. Probably just another arrogant guard who will whisper about how selfish and slobbish the youngest prince is. He sighed at the idea, reaching out to grab his walking cane before his dark eyes flicked open to find it.

  The man cleared his throat, “I will escort you back to the temple.”

  As Pierce got up he checked over his shoulder and shook his head, the guard would just be an extra annoyance on his walk, surely. Though he didn’t seem to catch Pierce's refusal, not allowing him to bend down and grab his stuff. The guard stuck his thumb onto the freshly painted board as he picked it up, simmering the edge of Pierce’s hard work.

  Pierce looked away from the awful sight and kept a stiff upper lip as he did so. He was already beginning to walk back toward the city on his own, his normally dark brown and freckled hand almost turning white from the sheer force of his irritation. This always happened. He would have one moment to himself only for it to be snatched away when he finally felt at peace, his dark abyssinian-patterned tail flicking from side to side.

  “Your Majesty!” The Guard caught up to him, now out of breath. “You could get hurt, please don't run off like that.”

  Pierce's hand loosed around his staff, a soft and defeated sigh leaving him before he could catch himself. With one hand he signed a simple “Don't worry,” careful not to trip over his cane while he did so.

  The guard stared at him “I apologize, Prince Pierce, I don't know the sign system,” his voice shook as though he was afraid of what his regent may do with the knowledge.

  Another longer sigh left Pierce's lips and he shook his head again. They reached the path leading up to the city, the large temple already in view. Water droplets from Pierce’s wet hair dropped onto the petal-covered path as they continued on in silence.

  The crumbling wall around the forest's edge was growing large dark pink flowers. He knew it was wrong, but he plucked one as they passed through the opening. He placed it loosely in his hair for the time being, not slowing his walk to braid it in.

  Passed the entrance, the city reeked of metal and fish, and the sound of artificers working and street merchants calling out prices was loud, much to Pierce's displeasure.

  The bright colors and moving crowds all blended together, it was hard to pick apart something worth focusing on. They moved through the groups of passing people on the street, full carts with items like pots, chaplets, potions, and… bottles of honey? Festivals seemed to always bring out a different type of market. The two swerved through the people as quickly as possible, it took a while.

  The crowds thinned down the smaller avenue when they finally got to the street where the temple was. It was empty other than a class of young children with baskets full of candles and ribbons filled that area with giggles.

  The guard fiddled with his cloth armor, the splotchy teal green color obviously from dying it in privet. “After dinner, I will help escort you to where The Voyage Ceremony will be taking place,” he said watching Pierce for some type of approval of his actions. Pierce did nothing to alleviate the worry he might have been feeling. “I’m certain your brothers will wish to run their speeches through you before-”

  Pierce lifted a hand as the cue for the guard to stop talking, he glanced up at the temple, it wasn’t often they traveled away from their home island, so seeing such intricate tilework was captivating.

  The tiles were a muted color speckled in blues, set in a simple wave-like pattern, and the door had a similar wave pattern carved in it to match. Paintings of rabbits and fish climbed up the indigo door frame, and freshly washed ceremony cloths hung down from the windowsill above it. He took all of it in for a moment longer, the hum of chatter that moved throughout the city only a slight annoyance. Then he opened the door.

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  The hall was in an uproar, between the clashing of swords, the yelling over one another, and the overall disorderly fashion in which chairs were strewn about, it almost looked like they were back home. Pierce bowed to the guard before closing the door in his face, not allowing the other man into the familial chaos.

  “It’s not my fault you suck at swordsmanship! Maybe if you spent-” Crash, the alter got knocked over with the swipe of Cassius’s blade.

  “You!” Yelled Monomin, seething with anger as he dodged a second swing. The yelling became louder and more incoherent. Laborers in charge of taking care of the temple were rushing about with much worry trying to get the fighting to stop and the place clean.

  Pierce didn't bat an eye, he strode forward, the pain in his jaw flaring. He walked around the mess of food and chairs on the floor, walking past Victor as well as Atlas who was close to throwing the other's journals into some water.

  Cassius lowered his sword as he called out to Monomin once again, Pierce didn't care, his ring-clad hand connecting with the back of Cassius’s head. His older brother stumbled forward from the unexpected blow, turning his blade towards Pierce.

  Pierce lifted his cane to block the attack in a moment of instinct, his balance faltered and he crashed down into the mess. He was hoisted back to his feet in seconds by the loose collar of his robe, a snarling, angry, Cassius yelled in his face “You should know better than to get into a fight you're not a part of.”

  “Woah Woah! Careful,” Monomin jumped forward to pull Cassius away from Pierce, who seemed to go limp in Cassius's hands. “You know what will happen if-”

  “They aren’t here to stop me this time, this is karma, I’m sick of you always getting away with this crap!” said Cassius through gritted teeth, shaking Pierce, Monomin grabbed at Cassius’s shirt anyway.

  Pierce finally regained control of his body, a surprisingly loud hiss followed by him hitting at Cassius’s arms to try and get his brother off him. He let out a sharp hiss, and a crash from the other side of the room along with a shriek of terror. The gong, it laid flat across the floor, broken from the chain that held it.

  Cassius dropped Pierce rather harshly as he stared at the mess, Pierce reached out for his cane “Just what do you boys think you are doing?” Pierce's head whipped around at the sound, pausing his movements, it wasn’t the mess Cassius had been staring at, it was their auntie. She stood in the door frame, an anger-like hatred burned through everything she looked at. She wore a soft blue nightgown and a pressed upper lip. Pierce looked away.

  He scrambled for his cane and hexed himself for getting paint on his sleeves earlier. She clicked her tongue and began to walk through the mess “If you were my children I’d have each and every last one of you thrown into the tower,” Her voice wasn’t any less shrill this time unfortunately, “Go on then, get to cleaning.” She shook her head in disappointment.

  What was she doing here anyway? Certainly the boy's father did not send her to spy on their work. Perhaps it was that she missed pestering them and sticking her nose in everyone's business, yes that must have been it.

  He pulled himself off the ground, no way was he going to clean a mess he didn’t even make. His brothers had already begun picking stuff off the floor, whispered bickering getting louder by the second. Apparently, she did not enjoy the sound hushing them three times before the room went silent.

  Pierce made his way to their auntie, bowing before he so carefully signed “Thank you, Auntie Arunea,” ready to make a break for it towards the door. She was fanning herself while slumped down into the only upright chair.

  Arunea’s eyes softened at Pierce, their father's sister was many things, and persuaded by simple kindness just so happened to be one of them. She placed her hand on his arm “You are such a kind and thoughtful scholar these days, you are excused,” she looked him over twice “Do change your clothes before bed.” she tsked at the stains left on the robe.

  He bowed once more, not bothering with a response “Why does he just get to leave? This is all his fault in the first place!” Atlas yelled.

  “The poor thing has enough pain and stress without you seven-” Pierce very carefully closed the door behind him, she always seemed to say things like that. It was demeaning, however, if it got him out of cleaning he would take it any day. Cassius was certain to rip him to pieces come time for them to rest, but for now the sunset was more important.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Pierce could see his paints sitting on a stone along with the brushes. He checked them, and around the stone a couple of times, the painting, seemed to have vanished. It couldn't have grown legs, but that pesky guard from earlier did seem to have two.

  Unfortunately, questioning him would be tantamount to declaring the other a thief. Oh well, it got smudged anyway, what use is keeping it in that condition?

  The alleyway was all but empty, the children gone and in their place lavender ribbon hung down from the trees, it smelled faintly of blackberries. Pierce walked down the avenue rather leisurely, someone must have swept away the fallen leaves, maybe someone picked them all up, or the wind had blown them away, either way, they were gone now. The noise of the merchant street was less intense now that the day was coming to a close.

  People were gathered around a statue of a woman in a long flowing dress, new candles being placed in her wax-covered hands, flowers, and crystals replaced in her hair as well. Pierce watched on for a moment as her attendance lit the new candles and those surrounding her placed red copper coins at her feet, taking green copper coins from the basket in return.

  It was a simple tradition, but Pierce couldn’t help but wonder what she meant to them, he hadn’t been in Kiero long, and still had not visited a priest or a lorekeeper yet.

  He continued on his way, he needed to get an evening meal, but it was rare he did so on his own these days. If he could find a merchant so accommodating as to ask for nothing in return for some fruit then he would be okay.

  A line of people stood outside of one building. He peered into the open arch as he passed, it seemed to be a bathhouse. It had been a while since Pierce had been to one as he preferred bathing alone, though having someone to do his hair didn’t sound too bad. He swayed a bit, and the city seemed to do the same, Pierce's grip on his cane tightened.

  He slowly looked around for a place to rest careful not to make it worse. The fountain had a good spot it seemed, he lowered himself onto the stone bricks, and closed his eyes. Only then did he hear it, music not that far off in the distance. A flute of some sort and a drum, probably practicing for tomorrow's ceremony, curses he hadn’t even begun to prepare for the ceremony