Sitting on the edge of his bed, the small package and turning it over and over in his hands, Jongin couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh in hesitation. No matter how many times he thought about it, he shouldn’t have accepted the offer to go to the festival tonight. It seemed nonsensical, unnecessary, obstreperous, and most certainly not the type of environment he was prone to be in. But while he hadn’t technically agreed to go in the first place, he couldn’t say no to Lena’s request.         

        After making sure to take a shower, relieving his body of its sweaty state, he dressed in one of his spare white button down shirts and straight black pants before sitting on the side of his bed in the room that he shared with Suho, trying to think of how he could possibly persuade Lena that it just made sense to stay home. But the excited look in her eyes confirmed that a simple “I’m sorry” would not appease her.

     Soldiers Appreciation Day was the cause for the celebration, but instead of having feelings of excitement or gratitude like many other citizens had, he really only felt bitter instead. It was a day meant to celebrate the hard work of the king’s army; to enforce the idea that even ordinary people could make a difference and could serve as the backbone for the entire kingdom. It was a reminder that in order for everyone to live together as peacefully as they do, everyone needed to do their part. Then after taking on such responsibility, you’d be rewarded in the end.            

     Jongin thought that that promise was nonsense.

     He’d lost all interest in government propaganda to make young adults like himself take up arms for the king’s service when his brother had come back from the army. The day he had left to become a soldier, Suho had stood by the front door with his nicely fitted uniform that was navy in color with subtle grey tints on the cuffs and collar. His hair was cut and a fresh smile imprinted itself on his face. Ma wasn't ready to let her oldest son go. Especially not when they had just finished mourning the loss of their father. Especially not when her husband had died serving his country  and the very army he had not honored him the way he had deserved.

    Taking one last look at her boy, she had done her best to hide the tears threatening to spill over. Her face looked quite drained of its vibrancy as the death of her husband had caused her to age almost overnight. She was scared of losing another loved one.

   But Suho was ready to make Pa proud; to be a strong provider and a solid stronghold for the family. Confidently, he clenched Ma's shoulders with both hands and pulled her into a reassuring hug that promised she could trust that he would come back. He assured her that this opportunity was worth it, him joining the army that is. His family would be taken care of and he would be able to send money home. Silver and gold coins instead of the small copper ones that they were used to. How good it would feel for Ma to rest in beautiful clothes made of silk like the aristocratic ladies and how good it would feel for her to nestle her feet in sandals made of soft fur? But Ma shook her head, kissed him and made him promise again that he would come home alright; all she  wanted was for him to stay alive.              

   In the first couple of weeks, Suho sent many letters home that gave Ma a sense of relief. She would tear the letter open quickly and would exhale a loud sigh of relief just by looking at his neat script. But by the fifth week ofnhis absence, his letters stopped coming. The sixth week passed by with no news. By the eighth week, Ma was determined to ask the local officers for word of her son, but all they relayed back to her was that the soldiers were away, traveling across the country on official business. Ma would send Jongin every day to the post office to wait for a notice from Suho or to listen for any news about the soldiers and their whereabouts. His heart clenched when he came to the realization each day that he’d have to return home empty handed and see his mother’s disappointed face.               
  

      When news finally returned of Suho’s whereabouts, it was through a small telegram that stated that there had been an accident. A fire had broken out in several houses in one village and Suho had been one of the brave few that rushed forward into one of the burning buildings to save a small child who had been forgotten. In the process,  a heavy plank of wood from the collapsing rooftop fell onto his legs, crushing them.             

     Suho returned home in his wheelchair with a sullen look on his face. And just like his father, he was not given much recognition for his service. The reason why? They were told it was because Suho had not finished his term in the army.
 
      For the first few weeks home, the family noticed the change that began to take place in Suho. The once uplifting, positive-thinking young man became downhearted and sullen; aggitaed with the idea of sitting around all day. Nothing anyone could say or do could break him out of his mood. Jongin blamed it all on the higher ups, the ones in power, the ones who could have done a better job helping his brother out.

    One day, Jongin came home from work, only to find Suho attempting to stand with a pair of crutches that he’d purchased. He didn’t want to accept that his accident had rendered him paralyzed from the waist down. He placed his hands on the handles of the crutches, nestling the cushions under his arms and tried to lift himself, only to topple over out of his chair and onto the floor. He hadn’t noticed Jongin standing in the doorway and had broken into heavy sobs as he  laid there, tangled in the mess of his crutches, not able to get up. Jongin could only to imagine the irritation his brother must have felt and all he could do was embrace him and help him up onto his bed. 

     ‘Why?’ Jongin had thought. Why did a good person like his brother deserve this type of treatment from fate?                     

       But a few years have passed since then. Jongin knew that his family had made great progress picking themselves up and nowadays Suho smiled more.              

    He opened the package in his hands and gazed at the black bowtie. He smiled and stood in front of the mirror in his room, attempting to tie it, but failing miserably. He blamed his inability to do the fact that he really had no reason to wear a bowtie before.      

    Hearing a quick knock on the door, Jongin noticed Jeong open the door and peak her head into the room smiling.               

   “Aww look at our baby!" Giggling she walked over to her brotber and took the tie from his hands. "Do you not know how to tie a bowtie?”             
 
    Jongin frowned, looking at his reflection. “Well, I haven’t had many opportunities where I needed to learn how to do it now, have I?”

    She adjusted the tie in a matter of seconds and fixed his collar. “How did you suppose you were going to fix it on my wedding day? This is a job for your girlfriend, don’t you think?”       

         Jongin scoffed. “Why  would my girlfriend need to do this when I have you to do it for me?”                
 
     “And you’re hair? I know you aren’t going out like that?”            

     “Woah. You’re nagging skills are coming along, Yoo Jeong-ah. Perfect wife material.”            

      “Shut up.” She pulled a brush that had been sticking out of her pocket. “What would you do without me, Kim Jongin.” She made him sit down on the bed before she gently swept his hair to the side, brushing the bangs out of his face. Her hands were soft on his head and he appreciated moments like this that he could enjoy with his sister. When she finished, she looked up at his face and kissed his forehead and smiled.  

       "Go have fun today.”

                                                     *******

            Oh Sehun bit his nails in frustration, pacing back and forth restlessly in his room after arriving back from town a few hours earlier. His brother was coming home tonight after months of being away in Chuwan for official business. The kingdom of Chuwan had always had odd relations with the kingdom of Esponia. Neither kingdom was overly friendly or overly unruly with one anothwr. They merely just got along. But recently, the present king desired to finally settle their past tensions, and Sehun's brother seemed like the perfect ambassador to represent their side. A peace agreement was in order, but on what terms were agreed on, Sehun wouldn't know until his brother came back. His heart would not settle until he saw Kris safe and sound.

      They were always close, Kris bring one of  the only people he was really able to talk to in this whole palace. Despite being a place filled with luxurious adornments meant to satisfy the members of the royal family and plenty of servants who were required to cater to their every need; despite having two older siblings and parents who were still alive and well; despite having everything he could every  possibly want in life, the place felt empty. He never found himself at home here. How could he when he was considered to be a cursed child? A child born out of wedlock. Illegitimate. How could he feel welcome in a place where his father couldn’t even look at him without either a scowl or a passive expression that left his facial expression exempt from any sort of affection or love towards his son? Wait. He lied. His parents weren’t alive and well. His mother was gone. And he had killed her. At least that's what he has been told. How could his so-called-father forgive him of such sin when he couldn’t even come to forgive himself?                 

            He stared at his reflection in the large mirror that adorned a great amount of space on the wall by his dresser. He noticed a tall young man, lean with the body of a boy, but tall thanks to the help of puberty that had hit him when he was fourteen and he hadn’t stopped growing since. The royal blue pieces of clothing fit his figure well and his dark hair was neatly cut and swept to the side, which allowed him to see his face clearly. He had always looked pale although today his face seemed to glow with the excitement that his brother was returning home today. And Sehun wanted to be the first person that Kris saw when he returned.          

       Kris was the only one who didn’t seem him as the outcast of the family and refused to treat him as such. He was the second oldest, but to Sehun, he was the most responsible and the most fit to become the next king.                 

     When he had heard that Kris was being sent away as an ambassador to Chuwan, he made sure that Kris wrote to him all the time and he treasured those letters, keeping them locked in a small chest in his drawer from prying eyes.      

        But Kris hadn’t written for the past two weeks, which had set Sehun on edge for a while. Was he alright? Was he just too busy that he didn’t have time to sit and write anything back? These worries settled themselves quickly when Sehun had heard from one of the guards that Kris would be coming back today. More importantly, tomorrow was Kris’s birthday and Sehun could not be more excited than to spend the day with him. His gift would be ready in a few days and he hoped Kris would like the new sword.

       He also hoped Kris wouldn’t be too tired to answer the questions on Sehun’s mind and tell him stories of his trip. In all his nineteen years of living, Sehun had never traveled outside of Esponia. For most of his life he was hidden inside of the palace, away from the public eye. Rumors spread that the youngest son of the king was locked away in the palace because he possessed an unnatural beauty that normal human beings could not lay their eyes on. They claimed that he was Gifted and that his father hid him to hide the shame from the world.

      But that was not the case. He was not Gifted. He hated them. They were the reason for his sorrow. His pain. A Gifted doctor delivered him and had failed to save his mother.  

      And this secret never left the castle doors.

        Sehun heard a knock on the door that took him out of his thoughts and he rushed to the door to see who it was. A maid entered his room, bowing her head.

      “Your Highness. Your brother had just arrived-.”          
 
       Sehun breathed a thank you before pushing past the timid young girl, who watched him in a surprised manner as he disappeared down the hall. He ran through the halls filled with soft carpeting and portraits of the royal Oh family and their ancestry. He knew all of their faces, but nothing of their life story. Seeing these portraits made Sehun wonder if he would ever be remembered. He was barely even known now, so would he be completely forgotten in the future? Who would know of the youngest member of the Oh family that had killed his mother? Who would want to? Did that mean that he was born for nothing? Sehun didn’t even spare those portraits a glance as he ran passed them to the staircase to avoid thinking such thoughts before seeing Kris. He didn’t want to spoil his mood. Not now.                

        He turned around one final corner before reaching the stairs and bumping into his oldest brother, Yuan, who gave Sehun a mischievous smile before shoving him over to the side.                 

        “Watch where you walk, boy.”        

        He wouldn’t argue with Yuan today. Sehun clenched his fists around the railing of the stairs until he felt a burning sensation in his palms. Yuan always liked to pick fights, but Sehun liked to pick his battles and this was not one of them.       

          “I’m sorry Yu-.”   

         “No. No. Forget your measly apology. I don’t need it nor do I care for it. What I want,” Yuan stood tall, with his long black hair tied up in a low ponytail. No matter what Sehun did, not matter how hard he tried to please the other, the stare he received from Yuan was more than enough to let Sehun know that he would never be accepted. He exerted his presence over Sehun to remind him that he was the next king, a legitimate child, and that Sehun was no more than a silly child that his father no longer loved. “I just need you to dis