Main Palace

The next time I woke up, it was by a gentle touch on my shoulder.

"We are there", my mother said.

I rubbed my eyes and looked outside the carriage window. We were passing through a wide cobblestone road surrounded by decorative trees, and at the end of it was a huge gate, behind which I could see the gigantic main palace.

I sat back in my seat. Once we entered we were greeted by several servants and led to our rooms. There were servants waiting there for me in my room to. Apparently to bathe and dress me. Even though I had lived in a palace before this too, this was all too much. The servants back at our palace weren't so many in number and even though they did all the house hold chores, I never had them clean me up. That was far too embarrassing for me so I dismissed them.

I freshened up and wore the bath robe. When I walked outside there was a fancy suit hanging there. I put it on. It was a bit stuffy but still better than the one that got dirty from the ride. I had just started looking around the huge room when a knock came from the door.

"Come in."

A servant entered and said, "Prince, Your Highness wants you in the main hall."

"Now?", I asked raising an eyebrow.

The servant politely nodded.

"Okay. I have no idea where the main hall is though."

"Yes. Ofcourse I'll guide you sire."

"Lead the way then."

Once I came to the main hall I saw mother was already seated on the large banquet table that was too big for just three people. My father the king got up from the table and walked to me. A smile on his face, "Ah my son", he pulled me in a hug. I just stood there frozen awkwardly. This was the first time he did something like this. It was extremely awkward but it would have been rude to push away the king so I just stood there.

"Come sit next to me", he smiled and I noticed it didn't reach his eyes.

I just went and sat next to him. The food on the table looked extremely delicious. He dismissed all the servants. He let out a sigh once me and my mother were the only people in the room.

"Well, eat. Are you waiting for some invitation? I want you to meet someone once you are done", he said curtly.

Ah the rude tone was back, I thought to myself. Funny how a king also needed to put up a charade in front of someone like a servant.

I digged into the meal eating way more than I usually do.

"If you are done, we should be heading there", he said as he got up from his chair. "Follow me." My mother also followed behind us.

A few servants approached my father to ask if he needed something but he waved them off with the pretense of spending time with his son.

We walked a couple of stairs before reaching a room. He knocked on the door before entering inside.

The room was as big as mine was. Maybe a bit bigger I couldn't really tell. In the corner by the window there was a wheel chair. A young boy was sitting in it. He had faint purple face length hair and dark purple eyes. A beauty indeed. He was probably three four years younger than me.

He gently smiled at us.

"How have you been?", my father asked him.

"Just fine, Your highness."

"Oh that's alright. This here is your brother and this your stepmother."

Brother huh, I thought to myself. Well nothing surprising there. It might have been a big deal in my past life to have alot of wives but this guy here had several. Not that I had ever met any of my siblings or known of them before.

" Pleasure to meet you, prince", I said with a smile. Better to just mind my manners with my father around, considering how he nitpicks so much.

The boy looked a bit shaken up, "Ah yes, mine too", he smiled awkwardly.

"I will be expecting that no one here but you should know that Evan here is my son. Everyone here thinks he's my dead brother's son who I took in", my father said addressing me. My mother seemed to already know. "I'm hoping you can keep a secret?", he said raising his eyebrow.

"Yes, but why is it a secret?"

"It is no good if people find out that my son is disabled. It will only end up in him being used or in worst things. After all, I have only two sons and both of them have faults."

Faults? Some father saying that in front of that kid. I snorted accidently.

My father noticed and looked at me but he didn't make a comment on it, instead he said something surprising," or that's what people tend to think anyways", with a forlorn look on his face.

Well this was new.

"If possible", my father continued, "I want you to spend time with him before you leave for the academy. There's still a while before they open the admission exams again."

I just nodded. I wasn't keen on socializing but whatever I had time to kill.

"Well we will be leaving you two then", my father said as he left with my mother.

Oh, he meant now. I turned to the boy in front of the window.

"Well", I said as I sat on his bed. "I'm Ryan."

He nodded, "I'm Evan", he said with a smile. Okay, he was cute I admitted to myself.

"Soooo", I didn't really know what to talk about so I just sat there awkwardly.

He seemed to notice and laughed at my uneasiness. "You don't need to try that hard, you know. You don't even need to do this", he said with the same smile on his face.

"Well I haven't got anything better to do", I said as I cozyed myself on his bed. For some reason that smile made me want to stay there. It was like it was asking me to not leave him alone. I don't know why I felt that way.

"You can just carry on with whatever you were doing", I said to Evan.

"Okay", he said as he went back to staring outside the window.

"Is it that interesting just to stare? Why don't you take a closer look instead?"

"I can't", he replied.

"I mean, sure you can. You have a wheel chair and stuff you know. Also I'm sure the servants would take you on a walk", I scoffed before adding, "They were eager to even change me into new clothes earlier."

He looked a bit troubled now, "Well that's because they know you are the king's son. Even if I ask them to take my on a walk outside, I can feel that they don't like doing it."

"It's their job though."

"Still... I don't like making people do things."

Ah. What a troublesome way to think. It's hard to live if you don't use others in some way or another. I jumped off the bed.

"Be right back", I said as I headed off outside and came back in with a servant behind me. Then I scooped my little half brother in my arms.

He seemed to be surprised, "W-what are you doing!?", he stuttered.

I grinned at him as I said "Shhh." Then I turned to the servant, "Could you carry the wheelchair and follow me?"

"Yes ofcourse", the servant said.

I carried Evan down the stairs. "Please this is embarrassing. Could you put me down? I don't think it's right to carry someone like that without permission."

Well I guess he was right, "I'm sorry. Forgive me", I said to him, "but just put up with me, okay?"

Evan sighed, "besides I'm sure I'm heavy. You don't have to do this."

I snorted, "oh please, I could carry 10 of you", I bragged. "Your big brother is quite strong", I whispered that part so that the servant wouldn't hear.

Evan seemed quite shocked by that sentence. Even I was to be honest. But something about this small boy made me want to take care of him. I didn't know what it was. Maybe it's because in a way he was like me.

We soon reached the garden outside. The servant brought the wheelchair near me and I set down Evan on it.

"Do you need me to push the wheel chair for you, prince?", he asked me.

"No that won't be necessary", I dismissed the servant.

I went behind Evan and started pushing the wheel chair. "You know, a young boy like you should be outside more."

"You don't have to..", he still seemed troubled.

"You don't like depending on others?", I asked bluntly.

He answered me after a pause, "yes."

"It's okay for a little brother to depend on his older brother though."

He didn't answer.

"Let's go to the part you were looking at", I said as I pushed the wheel chair. I hadn't been around someone like him before so I wasn't really sure of what to do. So I decided to teach him some things that came to mind.

"I get that you don't like depending on others, but you can be out here in the garden by yourself, then why not?", I asked out of curiosity.

"It's because the wheel chair is quite heavy for me", he said feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Ah so that's what it was", I replied.

The flowers nearby had caught his attention so I pushed him towards them. "Do you like them?"

"Yes", he replied. "Somehow they are kind of like me. They are rooted to a place. All they can do is look beautiful." He plucked a flower, "no way to defend themselves."

What a sad way to think for a mere 12 year old, I thought to myself as I patted his head.

"How about you be a carnivorous flower then?", I said trying to cheer him up. "You know in the forest there are deadly flowers that can easily kill a human. Just because you are a flower doesn't mean that you have to be defenseless", I smiled at him.

That had gotten his attention, "but how?"

I patted his head, "I'll teach you, but for today I'm tired so let's just enjoy the scenery, okay?"

He nodded. I really hope that that managed to cheer him up. I messed up his soft purple hair.

He chuckled, "what are you doing, sheesh? I'm not a kid."

"You are though", I replied. "Let's go check out rest of the garden. It's the first time I'm seeing it", I said to him.

He seemed to cheer up, "in that case let me guide you to all the good parts."

"Sure", I smiled and we spent the rest of the evening together.