Sam Tsui - Shadow

 

 

[Word count: 498]

 

Shadow

  When Prince Yifan was sent by the King and Queen to study in a neighboring kingdom, Yixing watched him pack. Robes lined with gold and jewels, his favorite books about faraway adventures and myths, and other sentimental items disappeared from the drawers and shelves into Yifan’s suitcase.    It was not his place to ask to go along, Yixing knew. If Yifan had asked him to come, he would have agreed in a heartbeat. Yixing’s mother had been one of the cooks in the Wu’s palace, and his father had worked as a butler. Because Yixing was born only two years after the Prince, they had been inseparable since age five. It would, of course, have been inappropriate for the Prince spend so much time with a lowly servant, so Yifan called Yixing his private butler, using the title as an excuse to keep the younger around.     In reality, Yixing was no butler and never has been. He was Yifan’s favorite friend to play with as child, and the two would spend countless hours exploring the Palace, its grounds, and the vast gardens. He was Yifan’s solace after the death of his mother, the Queen. He was Yifan’s companion during his boring lessons on grammar and politics, and Yifan’s lover as he learned about lo