Okay Without Me

The gears in Kanaru's mind suddenly came to a stop. He only stared at Rodnir and those enticing red eyes. If he thought about it, he had just washed Rodnir's clothes earlier. Right now, he was even bathing the man. With just a piece of cloth wrapped around Rodnir's waist, what could he not see? Or touch? Rodnir's fair chest was even the next thing he would have to scrub.

Then again, he quickly remembered what he was supposed to do. No, he would be part of the king's harem court. If he got caught fooling around with another unicorn, wouldn't he be killed on sight? Moreover, this man was the person grading the candidates…

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't learn from you. I'll just beg the king for mercy if he wants to bed me…" Kanaru didn't want to say those words in such a huffing tone, but he had to stay strong. 

He was not allowed to mingle with females from a very young age as his fate was already sealed. Kanaru was brought up to be weakened by men instead, but he still had his pride as a prince. So, what if this unicorn was the most gorgeous he had ever seen? What if he felt like they knew each other for so long just because they traveled together for a day?

Rodnir was not King Fenris. Sadly, he was not the man Kanaru must worship to save his people.

"I have to say… I didn't think I would be denied…" Rodnir slowly released Kanaru, letting the third prince pull back to a proper posture. He stroked his chin. "Hmm, I must be reading you incorrectly. No matter, you'll be in the harem court. I can see you every day."

"Hmm? What does that mean?" Kanaru was going to stop looking at Rodnir after that exchange, but his words were too intriguing. "Do you… live with the harem court? Wouldn't that be…?"

"Yes, I live in the palace with them. All the concubines also had the same mindset you have, so it's not much of a problem. I never caught a princess hoping to attract my attention. After all, I'm just the king's ward." Rodnir hummed again as if he was not speaking about something worth Kanaru's frown. "Moreover, they all preferred King Fenris's looks, compared to mine…"

Kanaru, for some reason, began to flare in his spot. When Rodnir looked at him again, Kanaru's gaze was getting sharper. Moreover, it was as if a beak was forming in his mouth. It wasn't even small not to punch a hole in him in one strike. Rodnir stared longer before even asking, "Kanaru…? What are you…?"

Slap! Rodnir took the washcloth straight to his face. He then also heard Kanaru getting up from where he sat. The ward pulled the cloth down and saw how Kanaru was slipping the modified dress back on. When Kanaru noticed him staring, the third prince only murmured, "I just remembered something I have to do. I'll attend to you again later."

"…all right." Rodnir watched the third prince walk to the mouth of the cave and fly away. He then laughed as he started cleaning himself instead. "Things will start to get interesting. Hmm, maybe I should get Rodnir to ask Vulcan to prepare for his kind of storm."

…

"Player. He's a player…!" Kanaru spat as he flew off toward the remains of his communications tower. Instead of getting upset about it again, he just perched on the highest ledge that could support his weight. He sat down and huffed, sulking on his own. Then again, his overall mood grew dark.

"…how funny. I declined his advances because he wasn't the king… but I got angry after realizing he was actively getting women to fall for him. I should apologize to him later…"

Kanaru then held his face before slapping it with both palms. "Kanaru! You're already headed to the harem court! It's not the time to suddenly admire someone else. Open your eyes…"

He then looked up and stared at the leftover damage the attack brought to Burdett. "Your country is going to fall apart if you don't get resources to fortify the castle. You don't have time to be selfish. Let's apologize to Rodnir when we find him. We can't have someone retract their favor. He might retract his decision to let you come to the harem court…"

The third prince would get up from the ledge, but he saw how Covey was flying around as if looking for him again. When he caught Covey's gaze, Kanaru smiled and flew off to meet him in the air. The brothers descended to a bald tree and sat on its thick branch. 

"How are you holding up, Kanaru? I figured you'd be staying around here." Covey looked up at the broken tower…or what was left of it. "I'm sorry we can't do anything about it. The dish didn't seem to be unscathed, either. Don't worry, maybe we can find another one of these. Your dreams are not yet over."

"I know. I might see one on my way to Middlemist." Kanaru pulled his legs up and hugged them. "Will you be okay here without me? Because I don't know how I'll handle myself without you, Covey. What if I run into trouble and can't solve it on my own?"

Covey reached out to comb Kanaru's hair with his hand. "You're going to be fine. You have spoken to me a lot. I'm sure you will find the answers in your head before it gets too late. Also, you might find other people to consult with while in the harem court."

He then slid his hand down, only for him to lightly embrace his little brother. "I'm really sorry, Kanaru. I don't want to leave you to fend for yourself in foreign lands like this. If I could have done it, I would have promised you a better future. The harem court is going to be a scary place. Don't hesitate to go home. I will be waiting for you."

"Covey…" Kanaru stayed in the hug until Covey pulled back on his own. The third prince then smiled at his big brother. "Don't say things like that, Covey. Father is already old. You need to stay here to succeed him as the king of Burdett. Gannett will also handle the military in the future. We all have our duties to the crown. Don't get too greedy over responsibilities. Hee-hee…"

"Cheeky." Covey laughed and pinched Kanaru's cheek. He then leaned on his arms and looked up at the glaring sun in the distance. It even looked like it was scoffing at Covey's poor resolve. "The preparations for making burrows will start as soon as you leave for Middlemist, Kanaru. By the time you receive a letter from me, the burrows should have been fully functional. I'll let you know."

"I can't wait to see them in your drawings!" Kanaru giggled before looking at the same yellow terror in the distance. He then closed his eyes as the hot winds blew on their bodies. "Let's stay here for a while longer. This will be the last time in a long while."