Chapter 1
Saros was the kind of boy to look at the world and think, "I can do much better." It didn't matter whether he was staring at a children's storybook or an ancient castle — his thoughts would always wander to ways it could be better. Ways he could make it better. However, he was also the kind of boy who favoured theory over practicality, and so he never bothered redesigning anything to his own liking. He was all words and almost never action.
But this didn't stand true for all the things he did. When it came to fun — albeit somewhat useless — things like pranks, Saros Dean Alpine was an absolute menace. Never did he lean on the theoretical side of things when it came to these sly tricks: here he was all action and almost never words.
Most people were surprised to find that Saros wasn't always as laid-back and chillaxed as he was now. He used to be the stuffiest, stickler-for-rules, hating-on-earthlings-and-poor-people prince in Occult. Visiting royals would sometimes ask The King what changed, and in answer, he would exchange a deep, grave look with The Queen and mutter in a monotonous voice, "Mia".
Mia was the sixteen-year-old little sister of the prince. She grew up on Earth for reasons his father never disclosed. (This wasn't to say Saros had never tried to pry information from him, but upon realizing his father was as stubborn as his son, he let it go.) Mia had never even heard of a land built on clouds before The King payed her a visit. She ascended back to Occult and the Kingdom of Milestosia when she was twelve, and Saros thirteen. Suffice to say, she was quite shocked at the narrow-mindedness of her brother, and made a promise to herself that he would not continue being so bitchy after her return. And yes, she kept her promise. The Saros she knew now was not indeed a least bit 'bitchy' as Mia so perfectly put it.
Saros and Mia. Mia and Saros. To the general public, a polite and charming brother-and-sister duo who could do nothing but good. All over Milestosia people saw the illusion that they were like their father; wise, patient, and strict when necessary. In the royal castle, however; this illusion wavered, the black-and-white colour painted on them was washed away, and their true colours shone.
* - - *
"I'LL GET YOU IN YOUR SLEEP."
The threat resounded throughout the castle, echoing dramatically. castle staff looked at each other in distress, and then hastily turned to focus on the teenaged girl chasing a laughing boy down the grand staircases, dressed in a plain blue T-shirt and jeans, her dress discarded at the foot of the stairs on the third landing.
"Not a chance, Mia!" The boy shouted in reply, skipping three steps and landing on the fourth gracefully. The boy — Saros — sported a neat, daffodil-yellow jacket ornamented with the Royal Emblem and various badges, on top of a rose-gold shirt. He had just come home from an exhausting meeting with the prince of Ferosia, and was amused (though in no way surprised) to be subject to his sister's maniacal chasing. He didn't mind the slightest. Running was fun, especially if it was away from someone who wanted you dead.
Mia skipped six steps and somehow managed to land on her feet. Now she was ten steps behind him. She was gaining on him, but just then he took a sharp turn into a corridor on the first landing.
He threw his tie at her as she rounded the corner and instinctively, she stopped to catch it, losing valuable time.
Saros took another turn, ending up at another staircase. He hurried down, planning to get to the castle grounds where he could climb up a tree, hide; and when Mia came out looking for him, jump down and scare her. His ambitious plans were foiled when Mia suddenly appeared behind him, this time much closer. They still had eight-steps between them, but Saros was getting tired. He willed his feet to run faster, but they refused to respond. The gap that separated the two was closing rapidly.
𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴.
"I THINK I'VE ALREADY INFORMED YOU SAROS, IF I DON'T GET YOU NOW, I KILL YOU WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING."
𝘚𝘪𝘹 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴.
The main reason Saros was slowing down was because he couldn't breathe from laughing at his sister's dramatics.
𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴.
Mia reached her hand out to grab him, a slight smirk playing on her lips.
𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯-
Mia tripped on her own feet and fell down face-first onto her brother. They rolled down the remaining twenty steps of the staircase painfully and landed on the hard granite floor with a loud thump.
For a few seconds, the pair sat there in stunned silence. This rare serenity was broken when they caught sight of each-other's dishevelled appearances, and the momentary quietude was filled once more with Saros's mirthful laughter, only this time Mia's snickers accompanied it.
"Oh my god Mia, imagine mother seeing you drenched in so much sweat." said Saros in between laughs.
"Like you're a better sight. Now what would the citizens of Milestosia think if they saw their perfect prince in such a ruffled state, not to mention in an official royal uniform?" Mia snorted.
"Listen dear, I completely forgot to wear my uniform to the Sorcerer's convention two years ago. I don't think the citizens expect anything better of me at this point."
"Oh yeah, I remember that one. You wore your Disney pyjamas to the convention. Disney pyjamas Saros. What the actual heck."
Saros shook his head with a small grin and lay down happily. Mia joined him, and there they were. Saros Dean Alpine and Minerva 'Mia' Alpine, son and daughter of King Loailol of Milestosia. They stared at the glass ceiling for no real reason, lips pulled into content smiles that graced their faces every millisecond they were in each-other's company.
They had rolled to a stop a few feet away from the grand doors that lead to the Royal Gardens. The dark ebony doors were currently open, and warm sunlight streamed into the castle abundantly. The many gems that were inserted into the walls and stairs shimmered and glimmered beautifully as the sunlight reflected off them, creating a curious mirage of eternal peace and tranquillity that hid the dark history of blood and warfare haunting the kingdom to no end.
The pair lounged blissfully, one wondering why no member of the castle staff had materialized to bother them, the other thinking of her class on princess's etiquette that was wasted on her unruly character.
"So, Mia darling, I absolutely hate to ruin the moment, but I've got to ask. Why were you out for my blood?" Saros inquired, sitting up. "You know, not that I don't enjoy it when people are trying to kill me, but I like to take things easy on Sundays, you see."
Mia spared him an amused glance. "Dunno," she answered, playing with the emerald-encrusted ring on her finger. "I guess I was just doing it for the heck of it."
"Is everything you do 'for the heck of it'?" Saros wondered aloud.
"Pretty much, yeah."
Saros snickered and stood up, smoothing his cloak with his hands. He offered his hand to his sister, a mischievous grin on his face. "Now, how about a game of hide-and-seek?"
...