Baixian scrutinized his best friend from afar, gaging his expression.

 

 

Growing up, Baixian was the baker’s son and naturally, his apprentice. He learned how to knead dough, set up the brick oven, tend the fire, master the crunchy consistency of the day’s bread so that when squeezed there was a distinct crackle, and make sweet breads so heavenly it rivaled that of Sir Do’s son (not that he cared). 

 

 

His friendship with the prince was considered odd by many. The dynamics of their relationship was odd. Here, there were two opposing personalities, two different personas, that happened to clash together. Quite literally. 

 

 

It was Sehun’s twelfth birthday and the Oh castle was up in chaos. Everyone was running in all different directions. Hunters brought in their game: pheasants, boars, swans, and fish. The cooks whipped up the best meals. The bakers worked together as a team,  planning a way to create a huge cake. And Baixian, well Baixian had a very important job. 

 

 

His father told him that the job was important so he better listen up. He gave Baixian a platter of sweet pastries. The platter was quite the sight, sweet custard tarts, fruit pies, and sweet breads were piled up neatly.

 

 

After shooing him off, Baxian dutifully walked to the Great Hall. His line of sight was slightly obscured by the tower of pastries, and he was small, and maybe slightly weak. 

 

 

Baixian struggled on, slowly. Seeing he was getting no where, he walked faster. It was logical, right? The platter would get there in time and he would still be in one piece.

 

 

Luck clearly wasn’t on his side because not even half-way to his destination, he bumped into someone. The platter fell with a loud clang and all the pastries fell. 

 

 

They fell on him and—

 

 

“Your highness?!”

 

 

Prince Oh was staring at him with so much venom in his eyes. Oh, if only looks could kill, Baixian would be lying on the floor, twitching violently. And dead. So dead. 

 

 

Wiping the cream from the pies from his regal clothing, the prince towered over him. “What is the meaning of this?” He spat out, his mouth twisting into an angry scowl. 

 

 

Baixian was scared, very scared. It’s not first time seeing the prince. But it was always from a distance. A very safe and manageable distance. Not a foot away, completely dirtied with his birthday’s sweets. Curse the saints up above. 

 

 

Still cowering in fear, he didn’t dare meet his eyes. “I—you see I was walking and you were there? Uh...I—the platter was too big for me.”

 

 

“So you think because you were incapable and inept of carrying out a simple platter of food, that you are excused from bumping into me?” 

 

 

Baixian kept silent as he had no words to respond back to that. 

 

 

“Typical servant. Well what to expect from a low-class citizen such as yourself. Useless. An absolute idiot. I don’t expect anything less from the baker’ s son. Like father, like son.” The insults rang loud inside Baixian’s ears, each word piercing his conscience. 

 

 

Sehun seeing Baixian not corresponding, was satisfied enough with his downcast eyes. “My father will hear about this. Don’t think you’ll get away so easily. Same goes for your father.”

 

 

He shoved past the crouched form of the servant and made his way to his bed chamber. Until he was a met with a splat on the back of his head. Baixian threw a cream pie at his head! Then there was another splat. And another. 

 

 

“AN UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS.”

 

 

The last thing he heard was a hysterically-crying Baixian, running in the opposite direction. 

 

 

The next day, King Oh made the prince personally apologize. Sehun grudgingly gave him a hug of armistice. Baixian knew the prince was the epitome of cockiness so for him to tone down his pride for him made him happy. Super elated. He gladly squeezed him back and took him by the hand to eat some warm, sweet bread with milk. 

 

 

From that day on they became best friends though Sehun still vehemently denies it. 

 

 

So when Baixian saw Sehun actually interested in something or someone, that’s news. Big news. Baixian watched Sehun talk to two competitors and walk away satisfied. His expression clearly displayed interest. But interest in what? Or who?

 

 

Watching him from inside the baker’s house, Baixian waited till Sehun was close enough to talk. Telling Kyungsoo he was taking a small break (and ignoring the lack of response from the latter), he skipped toward the prince. 

 

 

“Hey Huuuun. How was the competition so far?”

 

 

Sehun gingerly pried his friend’s arms from his waist and slowed down to meet his stride. Because even a prince such as himself has manners. Plus Baixian is tiny. Almost a head smaller. That’s a lot in Sehun’s eyes. 

 

 

“Terrible. Everyone is lacking horribly.” Baixian listened, nodding understandably. Sehun had high standards on everything. “There are some decent candidates.” There was a lilt to his voice. Aha.

 

 

“So, so you think that this candidate is good enough?” He pressed on, hoping to catch who the object of his interest was. 

 

 

“Guess so.” The prince shrugged. Sometimes the prince was so dense. And anyways his break was long done. Baixian better get back before Kyungsoo unleashed his wrath. 

 

 

Baixian sighed. “Am I walking too fast? What’s wrong?” Sehun could be a sweetheart sometimes. He was actually worrying for him. But he wasn’t having any of his shenanigans. “Nothing Sehun.” 

 

 

And with that, he walked back to the baker’s house.  He would have to wait for Sehun to spill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zitao expected the result. He had passed the first round with flying colors. 

 

 

But he had also lost three teammates. Now it was him and the other. Who cared about him anyway?

 

 

Not that he was particularly sad about the whole ordeal. Turns out the group was conniving behind his back, trying to get him out as fast as possible. 

 

 

They assumed that since he was young and not from their land, that Tao would ultimately lose, leaving them with one less member. One less person to deal with.

 

 

The joke’s on them since not only they did lose more than half their team, the remaining member gained a monster of  a rival. 

 

 

Tao didn’t bother to look at remaining member. His insides were burning. He felt completely stupid and not to mention, used. Did he honestly expect people to like him? He tried to be nice, accepting, and helpful. But time proved again, that nobody wanted him. He was destined to be alone. 

 

 

There was never a time where Zitao could fully stay somewhere where he could feel safe. No where. Was he that despicable that everybody chose to ignore him? Maybe Yifan was right. Nobody was going to love him.

 

 

Was it right to step back and be used as mat where others wiped their dirty shoes on? Of course not. Tao refused to live like this. He was not some rag to be used and then thrown away. He will not allow anyone to step on him again. 

 

 

Packing up his bow and arrows, Tao let for the temporary camp set up by the King near a forest. Only the  remaining members who passed were allowed. It was military style. No roofs over their heads. No stone walls to keep them warm. They were on their own. 

 

 

Food was provided but they had to cook it for themselves. Tao didn’t mind. All his life he had to scrape by. The camp was nothing compared to what he had to live through.

 

 

His tent was his for the night. Tomorrow was sword sparring according to murmurs of his fellow tent mates. Laying back, Tao crossed his arms under his head, pondering. He thought himself pathetic for not eating. It was pathetic because he the reason he didn’t eat was because he was  sad. Sad because he had no one. 

 

 

The following morning, he woke up to complete silence. There was the occasional snore from the nearby tents, indicating it was still early morning. Tao liked the silence. It calmed the ongoing storm in his head. 

 

 

Unlike the Wu Kingdom, the Oh kingdom had lesser bodies of water. Mainly lakes and rivers. Tao picked up his bow and arrows and strapped it to his back. He missed his leather pouch. It would have helped him to save things he deemed interesting in the forest. He left his only leather pouch with his sword for safekeeping at the the tavern. Henry swore to protect his prized belonging. 

 

 

The sky was a pretty pink with a sprinkle of lavender. The sun was yet to rise. Perfect conditions for the troubled Zitao. Walking alone into the forest was nostalgic. Back home, it would have led to his paradise. This time around, it led to an unknown territory. 

 

 

Walking deeper into the forest, he saw tall trees everywhere, pine trees he recalled, towering as far as the eye can see. Nothing of much interest. He was hoping for a lake or stream to bathe. Or to feel the coldness of the water against his skin. 

 

 

He retraced his steps back and listlessly returned. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wu Yifan was officially king. 

 

 

His coronation was lavish and ostentatious. Just like his mother promised, the whole kingdom was invited. The church overflowed with the townspeople trying to get a glimpse of their new king. Royal guards lined the entrance of the church, their postures straight and long spears by their sides. A carpet was rolled out from the entrance for the royals to enter. 

 

 

People watched from the side and awaited eagerly for the king-to-be and their Queen. A procession of chariots stopped in front of the church.

 

 

Coming out, the queen took her son’s hand and walked him down. It was awing sight. The queen’s dress was a delight to see. Her cape flowed behind her, made out of rich purple silk. Her  purple dress was crusted with shiny jewels. And her crown was made out of finely cut diamonds. 

 

 

Yifan had no crown. His blond hair gleamed even with the wintery conditions. His suit was a dark blue, the caps of his shoulders gilded gold. The buttons running down his suit were gold as well. Every inch of him radiated, king. 

 

 

Hand in hand, they walked to the front, where a beautiful crown lied. Shining from the altar, the crown lay there, ready to placed on his majesty’s head.

 

 

Letting go of Yifan’s hand, Queen Victoria took the crown from the altar. Yifan kneeled one knee down and bowed his head. 

 

 

The church was dead quiet. They were paying rapt attention. They had questions of course. The other prince was not in sight. Was he dead? Where was he?

 

 

“Fellow citizens. Thank you all for coming. I know God is watching us from his throne above. Your presences mean so much to us.  As I have promised, I brought all you here to see the coronation of my son, his royal highness Wu Yifan. From this day on, he will be your ruler, your king. He will rule this land with great respect and do what he deems best is for our kingdom. My husband, who is up in the heavens, is looking down at us this very moment. I can feel his presence right here with me. He was a great king. And his successor will be even greater. From the very beginning, he saw Yifan as his worthy heir. The perfect heir whom he knew would lead this kingdom to its great heights. This kingdom will reign to its golden age. Right now, we are going through a tough time. We were attacked. We were humiliated. But we will get back up. We shall not despair. We shall not give up. This is what distinguishes us from the rest. The Wu Kingdom are not cowards. That Zitao was a coward. He left with the my dear husband’s crown and fled with his most prized possession, his ruby sword. A coward runs, flees to never be remembered. He is a traitor, a judas amongst us. He is no longer part of us. Remember who truly stood by you in your time of need. My son and I were here. As your queen, I will not shirk my duties. And my son, your ever loyal prince, will now become your loyal King.”

 

 

The queen paused for breath and slowly walked to the kneeling prince. “My son, his royal majesty Wu Yifan, is now officially by decree, your honorable king.”

 

 

As soon as the final words left her lips, she placed the golden crown on his awaiting head. The church exploded with cheers. They had a new king! A King!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the back of his mind, he vaguely realized that today’s date was November 7th. Yesterday would have been his brother’s birthday. He wondered how they were doing. Tao wished them no harm even if he was bitter with their actions. He would never understand what possessed the Queen to hate him so much. 

 

 

Tao smelled the distinct smell of burnt wood. The competitors should have woken up by now given the smoke fumes. He had to hurry or else he would be left behind. 

 

 

Coming to a clearing, he saw men walk about, some crouched tending the fire, some warming up their hands and pressing them to their face. 

 

 

A wagon was already stationed in middle of the camp. Men were unloading crates of vegetables and fruits. The king said they were most welcomed to hunt small game in the forest. His underlying tone said otherwise. There was no game in the forest where the camp was stationed. 

 

 

Tao snagged an apple from a fruit crate on the ground and went to sit at the opening of his tent. He sat down, crossing his legs, and ate his apple, feeling tranquil from his early morning walk. 

 

 

He observed his surroundings from where he sat. The wind was cold but not freezing. Climate was bearable. The food however wasn't. Most competitors had on expressions of distaste. King Oh’s choice of food wasn’t their cup of tea. 

 

 

Munching on his apple, Tao caught some snippets from a group of boys not standing far from where he was. Snippets such as like “miss home” and “King Oh is a bastard” and “Speaking of kings, the Wu Kingdom has a new one.”

 

 

Tao promptly choked on his apple and the men broke off their conversation and rushed over. One of them, a short male with dirty blond hair, slapped him on the back. 

 

 

“Can you breathe? Oi!” 

 

 

“Quiet, Yiyun. He’s breathing.”

 

 

“Im not sure, Barom. He looks shocked.”

 

 

All three boys peered at him worriedly, but also curiously. 

 

 

“Say, you are the kid that shot killer arrows!” The brown-hair male’s face lit up, his finger pointing at his face.

 

 

“Aron, I don’t think this is the proper time to be discussing that. Looks like he spit out the apple pieces. Never seen someone choke before. These apple pieces are very small and slimy. Fascinating.”

 

 

‘Boram’ looked at ‘Yiyun’ carefully and decided to ignore his unecessary commentary. 

 

 

“Please excuse their ramblings. Do you feel better now?”

 

 

Tao blinked. His brain hadn't registered their voices yet. He was still in shock. Yifan was king? But why? He felt a rush of mixed emotions. He had said he thought Yifan deserved it. But it was out of guilt. Their father had specifically said it was supposed to be him. Tao. Not Yifan. 

 

 

He felt like a hypocrite. And even more guilty. Yifan did deserve it. Zitao was the bad child. The kingdom only looked at perfect Yifan and not him. He wasn’t fit to be king. Yifan was. 

 

 

Swallowing, he found his voice. “Is it true? Yifan is king?”

 

 

The trio nodded slowly. “Yesterday in fact.” Barom informed. 

 

 

“Not that we care. But supposedly it was a huge deal in the Wu Kingdom. Heard it was top-notch.” Yiyun chipped in. 

 

 

Aron guffawed. “Like the royals would ever bat an eye to us. The Wu’s never did anything for their people and now they invite them? Sounds like something is amiss. Isn’t it odd no one knows about them till yesterday? They are so secretive, it’s a miracle if we hear news about them.”

 

 

Barom shook his head. “Some of my folks live over yonder. In all their lives , they saw the royals twice. Once, when the Wu Kingdom was attacked and yesterday.”

 

 

Tao was engrossed by what he heard. His family was a mystery to many. He didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved. 

 

 

“What’s your name?” Yiyun asked, garnering the attention of the other two. 

 

 

“Tao.”

 

 

“Heard about the royals too, eh? The new king must be something for all the girls to be squealing about him.” Yiyun’s mouth turned down in disgust. 

 

 

Tao formulated his words carefully. “I was surprised that’s all.” How fake those words sounded. He was more than surprised. Tao was shocked. Hurt. He subconsciously squeezed the half-eaten apple in his hand. He lost his appetite anyways. “I’ll go wash my hands. Thank you for helping me.” 

 

 

He stood up quickly to avoid any more questions they had. They were nice. But he wasn’t ready to trust people yet. Everyone had secrets. Everyone had something to hide.