Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Third Person POV:

The sun was high in the sky, shining brightly over the kingdom. King Lilia sat on his throne, listening to the messenger in front of him with a smile on his face.

“So, as per the request of the King and Queen of Bolivia, it is my honor to invite King Lilia and his sons to a royal gala.” The messenger looks up, seeing the smile on Lilia’s face before continuing. “We have invited many royal families from far and wide to this—” One of the doors connected to the side of the throne room suddenly burst open, followed by an excited voice.

“Papa! Look what I found!” Looking over, 3 young boys ran into the room. One, specifically the one shouting, was sporting a head of lavender hair. Another behind him had dark navy blue hair, while the final one, who was lagging behind a bit, had a head full of blue flames.

“Epel, Deuce, wait for me!” The flame prince pleaded as his brothers rushed ahead.

The three ran over to Lilia, and the lavender-haired boy opened his hands. “It’s a blue-winged beetle. It makes a funny sound when it flies.”

Letting go of the bug, it started flying around Lilia’s head, who simply laughed at the situation. The messenger, however, did not find it as hilarious as he attempted to swat the insect out of the sky.

“Hey, don’t hurt him!” The lavender-haired boy said, chasing after the bug as it flew away.

“Your highness, as I was saying—” Once again being interrupted, only this time by 2 different princes walking in with croquet equipment.

“Playing through! We’ll just be one second, Papa!” The prince with red hair spoke, turning to his brother, who readied his mallet. The ball was hit and went flying right at Lilia’s head, knocking his crown clean off.

“Haha! Ruggie.” Lilia smiled at his son’s power shot.

“Sorry, a bit too much wrist.” The young hyena prince laughed as the two rushed over to the ball, smacking it across the room, much gentler this time.

“Those are your sons?” The messenger questioned with concern in his voice.

“A few of them, yes. Rambunctious, aren’t they?” Lilia chuckled, knowing full well what the messenger saw in his sons.

“Papa! Look at us!” A voice boomed from behind the messenger. Turning around, he saw two identical-looking princes, walking on stilts of all things. The scene garnered another laugh from the laid-back king, but the messenger was none too pleased at the sight.

The twins continued to walk around, showing off their balancing skills… until the triplets got underfoot, causing them all to tumble to the ground laughing.

“Hmph, perhaps another ball… your highness.” The messenger spat, quickly turning around and leaving the castle. “Princes… more like wild animals.”

These words, unfortunately, didn’t go unheard by the king’s sharp ears, making his face fall to a frown.

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Lilia sat alone at the table, waiting for his sons to arrive for lunch.

“Hello, Papa.” A voice spoke from behind him. Turning to the side, he saw the eldest son, Trey, and the second eldest, Silver. Both sat down in their respective chairs after greeting him.

“Trey, Silver,” Lilia stated as he started taking roll call. Another prince walked in not too long after, his nose practically attached to the book in his hands. He bumped into Trey’s chair before looking up and walking to his own seat. “Riddle.” Lilia laughed as Riddle awkwardly smiled before sitting down.

“Hey Papa!” A prince with white hair spoke as he enthusiastically sat down.

“We’re here.” The redhead from earlier spoke.

“What’s for lunch?” The young hyena questioned. All three took their seats at the table.

“Kalim, Ace, Ruggie,” Lilia said, watching as Ruggie practically started shaking in his seat, waiting for food. That’s when the stilt walking twins walked in, chatting away.

“Man, I’m starving. Hey, Papa…” the first started.

“…What’s for lunch?” The other finished.

“Floyd, Jade. Nice of you to join us.” Lilia smirked, knowing full well the twins had probably set up a prank before coming here. The triplets arrived next, each taking their seats at the table. “Epel, Deuce, and Ortho.” Giving Ortho a slight boost onto his seat, Lilia looked down the table, noticing the one seat that remained empty. “Haha, ah, where is Malleus?”

As if on cue, Malleus showed up with a small smile. “Sorry, I’m late, Papa.” He sat down.

“My twelve princes!” Lilia exclaimed, signaling that lunch could officially start. To nobody’s surprise, Ruggie was the first to start eating, but the others weren’t far behind. The princes chatted amongst themselves, the volume quickly growing in the room. “Boys!” Lilia yelled, but he couldn’t be heard over the chatter. Clinking a spoon against his glass, he managed to get them to settle down.

“Thank you. It’s come to my attention that… well… you boys could be doing more to be more… uh… proper.” The words had a hard time flowing out of Lilia’s mouth. Lilia loved his boys so much that when it came to criticism, it wasn’t his strong suit.

“Like what, papa?” Trey asked, genuinely curious as to what Lilia was trying to infer. When Lilia tried to answer him, all that came out was a bunch of um’s and wells. That’s when the door to the dining room opened, and a butler walked inside.

“The royal cobbler has arrived.” He spoke, immediately stealing the attention away from Lilia as the boys all stood up and made their way outside.

“Boys, please! They’re just shoes.” His words might’ve been said as a threat since Kalim and Ace turned around to give him a flabbergasted look before continuing outside. “Aren’t they?”

“They’re dancing shoes, Papa,” Malleus said, giving Lilia a small cheek kiss before joining his brothers outside, leaving Lilia all alone at the table.

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Karma stood at the bottom of the staircase outside the palace, waiting for the princes to come outside. Fiddling with the key in his hand, he’s suddenly blindsided by the triplets.

“Hey, Karm!” Deuce shouted, making Karma jump. “You have our shoes, right?”

“I was supposed to bring shoes?” Karma said with a smirk, clearly messing with the triplets. That’s when Epel snatched the key from their hands and walked over to the wagon to unlock the door, revealing 12 pairs of intricately crafted ballet shoes.

“Wow. You really are amazing, Karma.” Trey complimented as Karma started handing out the shoes to their respective princes.

“Glad you guys like them, your highnesses.” They hand out every pair except one when Grim, their pet dire beast, hops onto their shoulders.

“Nya, you lot have me to thank for that. Without me, this human would be useless.” Karma simply rolled their eyes at Grim’s words, looking up when Malleus approached, asking about his own shoes. “Are you kidding? They stayed up all night working on these. I’d almost say—” Grim’s mouth is promptly covered by Karma, who offered an awkward smile to Malleus.

“Sorry, he’s just a cat. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.” Grim then jumped off Karma’s shoulder and walked away, allowing Karma to reach for Malleus’s shoes.

“Hey Shrimy! Can you help…” Floyd yelled, attaching himself to Karma’s left arm.

“…Tighten our shoes.” Jade finished, attaching himself to Karma’s right arm. Karma simply sighed and quickly handed Malleus his shoes before being dragged off by the twins.

“These are yours… I hope you like them, your highness.” Malleus watched as Karma was dragged away before looking down at the shoes in his hand. The design was beautiful, being black shoes with a thorn pattern going along the side.

Not too far away, Karma finishes tightening the twins' shoes, and the two brothers run away to join the others.

“Nya, you blew your chance, Romeo.” Grim once again hopped onto Karma’s shoulder, giving them a cocky smirk.

“What chance? He’s a prince.” Karma stated, gesturing to Malleus, who now had his shoes on and was twirling around gracefully. The cobbler watched with a smile, only to be pulled out of his trance when Ruggie spoke up.

“Now all we need is some music.” Hearing those words, Grim got a clever idea and reached into Karma’s jacket to pull out a flute they liked to carry around.

“Oi! Hey!” Karma snatched the flute away, and Grim jumped down when Malleus walked over.

“You play?” Karma tried to deny it, hiding the flute behind his back. “Will you play for us? Please?” Karma couldn’t say no to Malleus, especially not when he was this close.

“I… v-very well, your highness.” With that, they brought the flute to their lips and started playing a simple yet harmonious song.

All the princes began spinning and dancing along with the song. Despite performing the same moves, each had their own unique way of moving to the beat, such as Ortho trying to copy Malleus, or the twins being in perfect sync.

Lilia watched from the main entrance, enjoying the sight of his boys dancing their hearts out.

“I love them, but sometimes I barely understand them… if only you were still here.” He lamented, turning his head towards the portrait of the late king, Idia.

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Night fell, and the boys had returned to their shared room, chatting amongst themselves like always. All of them had changed into their sleepwear, all except Malleus, who was lovingly looking down at his new shoes.

Ruggie was chilling on his bed when Ace plopped all of his sports equipment at the foot of his bed.

“Why use a closet when the floor is right there, right, Ace? Shishishi.” Ace agreed, laughing alongside the hyena. That’s when the two looked over at Malleus and smirked to themselves.

“Malleus… is it the shoes you like?” Ace chuckled, knowing exactly what Malleus was smiling about.

“I thought he liked the cobbler who made them, though?” Kalim chimed in, as oblivious as ever.

“I beg your pardon?” Malleus questioned, seemingly oblivious to what they were all talking about.

“I mean, who can blame you? Karma is so cute! Not to mention their hair looks so soft!” Kalim praised before flopping onto his bed with a sigh.

“Is the problem the fact that they’re not a prince?” Trey asked. Malleus’s crush on Karma was probably one of the worst-kept secrets in the entire palace.

“I care not if he is a prince, king, or emperor. The truth of the matter is…” Malleus stated, once again looking down at the shoes in his hands.

“You’re totally head over heels for them!” Kalim shouted, kicking his feet in the air like a kid.

“Please don’t be ridiculous, Kalim. Even if I were, they don’t seem to notice me in favor of the rest of you, so…” Chuckles could be heard throughout the room at Malleus’s poor attempt to hide his crush.

While all that was going on, Epel had finally managed to catch the blue-winged beetle from earlier and placed it into a box at the end of his bed.

“Goodnight, Thomas. Richard…” Epel started saying goodnight to his friends when he lifted a lid and found something interesting. “Where’s Harry?”

Losing a bug wasn’t something Epel did often, so it sent the rest of the room into a slight panic at what could possibly be missing. Epel ignored the shouting and saw movement under his blanket, lifting it and grabbing Harry.

“Relax, it’s just a caterpillar.” The room went silent, all heads turning towards the twins, causing Floyd to burst out laughing while Jade tried his best to keep his laughter quiet. Epel rolled his eyes and put Harry away before climbing into bed.

The brothers all said their goodnights and, much like Silver had already done, drifted off to sleep.

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Tomorrow Was Not Going To Be Fun.

Chapter Text

Third Person POV:

A carriage rolled its way up toward the entrance of the castle, carrying a very important guest inside. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, the man driving said carriage hopped down to roll out a carpet before opening the door.

“M’lord.” He spoke, accidentally pulling the door out of its hinges as the rider stepped out. Looking up at the castle doors, the guest started getting impatient with the incompetence of his bodyguard.

“Vargas, my things?” A soft ‘oh’ could be heard from Vargas as he quickly wrapped around back to grab the luggage from the carriage, piling it up in a heavy stack. That’s when a dog jumped out from the carriage, startling Vargas enough that he almost dropped the luggage. Vargas simply shook his head and turned towards the stairs.

“What about the carriage, M’lord?” The figure in front of him stops for only a brief moment, letting out a soft but low chuckle.

“That? We won’t be needing it again.” With that, he continued up the stairs, forgetting about the pathetic thing he rode in.

Once inside, the guest looked around the entrance hall, spotting the memorial to the late King Idia. Walking over, the man inspected a few items on the table, picking one up to get a closer look.

“Crewel, thank you ever so much for arriving on such short notice,” Lilia spoke, walking up to Crewel with a smile plastered on his face.

“Of course, I’m happy to be here. I’m very much looking forward to my stay.” Crewel returned the smile, yet his wasn’t nearly as joyful-looking.

“Please follow me, my sons are waiting to meet you.” With that, Lilia led Crewel through the palace hallways towards the throne room. Arriving, Crewel spotted not 12, but only 11 princes standing in line from oldest to youngest.

“Trey, the eldest,” Lilia said, gesturing to the first prince in line. Trey offered a formal greeting, which Crewel returned in kind. “Silver, the second eldest.” Silver followed Trey’s example, but instead of getting a hello back, Crewel noticed a little something.

“Is that… mud on your pants?” Crewel pointed out, the brown stain was quite hard to miss.

“I was out riding.” Silver explained, but Crewel couldn’t care less. Lilia then cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing down the line.

“Riddle.” The redhead in question was, as always, nose deep in a book, so it took Silver physically tapping him on the shoulder for Riddle to respond. “Ruggie and Ace.” Like their brothers before them, the two sporty princes offered a bow and a formal hello.

“Kalim.” Lilia introduced, but unlike his brothers, Kalim was a lot more excited to meet the duke than one would expect.

“Hi! It’s great to meet you, your grace. I heard you have a dog. Is he here?” Said dog then poked its head out from behind Crewel’s leg, baring its teeth a bit, but Kalim didn’t care. “Aww! Can I pet him?” Without waiting for an answer, Kalim reached his hand out to try and pet the dog, but Ace caught him before he got too close.

“Please don’t, I just had him bathed,” Crewel stated harshly, leaving Kalim feeling rejected.

Continuing down the line, Lilia had hoped Malleus would show up before they got to his spot, but it seems he was still a no-show.

“Ahem, the twins. Jade and Floyd.” Said twins offered a bow and a hello like their brothers, but Crewel could already tell they were the type to cause chaos for fun. “And finally, the triplets. Epel, Deuce, and Ortho.” The triplets bowed, and Ortho stepped forward, offering a rose he had picked for the duke; however, Crewel looked straight at Deuce.

“Is that paint? In your hair?” Deuce’s hand quickly reached for his head, trying to find the paint Crewel was talking about.

“Now we’re just missing Malleus, like usual.” Lilia sighed, wondering how long it would take for him to show up. Thankfully, it only took a matter of seconds before the doors opened and Malleus rushed in.

“Sorry, Papa.” Malleus took his spot in the line and bowed to Crewel.

“Hm, tell me… Malleus, was it? Are you often late?” Crewel’s stare was intense, to say the least. Malleus’s eyes quickly gazed downward after being called out for his tardiness.

“Uh, well… yes.” He answered meekly, feeling bad for making them all wait for him.

“Hm. Well, Lilia, I can see why you called me, and not a moment too soon. Your boys are quite dreadfully unprepared for royal life.” The brothers all shared concerned glances with each other, wondering what exactly was going on.

“Right. Boys, I’ve asked Duke Crewel to take charge of your upbringing.” Before any of them could protest, Lilia held a hand up to silence them. “Please, no protests. One of these days, you boys will be responsible for the kingdom, so you’ll need the proper training. Duke Crewel is here to do just that.”

The room quickly fell silent after that as the dread of the situation fully settled into the minds of each prince.

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Later that evening, Crewel called the boys into the hallway, having them line up before addressing them.

“Now then, things will be a bit different around here, starting with your attire.” Crewel then held up what they would be wearing from now on. Instead of a unique outfit that showed off the boys’ unique personalities, Crewel ushered them all off to change into bland, boring-looking black outfits instead.

Once they had all changed and had their hair brushed back in the exact same way, the boys all met in the dining area where tea sets had been arranged.

“Cups up.” The princes all picked up their cups, save for Ruggie, who decided to just fiddle with his. “Trey, hurry up.” Looking up, Ruggie narrowed his eyes a touch.

“I’m Ruggie.” He responded, but Crewel simply rolled his eyes and waited for Ruggie to pick up his cup.

“Now, pinkies out. Gentle sips.” Once again, the princes followed the directions, that is, except for the twins, who both simultaneously dumped their tea onto the ground with smirks on their faces. “Malleus, Deuce, you’re cleaning that up.”

“We’re Jade…”

“...And Floyd.” The two responded, their smirks never fading.

“I don’t care. Now fill your cups back up and try again. Pinkies out.” Begrudgingly, the twins listened and filled their cups back up, and took a sip. “Well, at least it’s a start.”

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Evening eventually came, and the boys took time to relax in their room, chatting away. It wasn’t for long, sadly, as Crewel and Vargas walked in and disgust quickly painted Crewel’s features.

“How… adorable.” The boys quickly quieted down, almost scared of what Crewel would do. “Vargas, remove this disaster.” With that, the princes are forced out of the room until further notice.

Once they were let back in, the room had been rearranged to be drab and depressing. Beds are now lined up next to each other like cell blocks in a prison. All the color had been replaced with basic gray, and not to mention all their personal items, like Riddle’s books and Epel’s bugs, had been moved to who knows where. Lastly, all the flowers and vases had been removed, one being replaced with an ominous alarm clock near the door.

“This is insane. He can’t be for real.” Ace complained, lying back on his now boring bed. “And bedtime at 8 pm, what are we, toddlers?”

“Hey, now, maybe it won’t be so bad. Look, Silver doesn’t mind.” Kalim said whilst pointing to a sleeping Silver, trying to cheer his brothers up; however, it wasn’t exactly working.

“Silver’ll be happy just by having a bed around.” Ruggie snorted, trying to sniff out where all of his equipment had gone. It was clear none of the princes were happy with the new arrangement, but what could they do? Lilia had handed Crewel the reins on a silver platter.

It wasn’t long before that new alarm clock started chiming, indicating that it was now 8 pm, and that Crewel was coming to check on them. Rushing to their beds, the princes crawled under the covers as quickly as they could; only Ortho, with the removal of his step stool, couldn’t pull himself onto the bed.

Seeing this, Malleus rushed over to help Ortho up before trying to reach his own bed again. Sadly for him, Crewel moves faster, opening the door and seeing Malleus standing there instead of being in bed like he was told.

“Malleus, late again I see. Pity.” Malleus offered a small apology, but he didn’t really mean it. “Tardiness is very unbecoming of a prince, wouldn’t you say? Now, I’ll see you all tomorrow, bright and early.” It felt more like a command rather than a ‘good night’, and Malleus finally sat down in his bed as Crewel closed the doors, leaving the princes alone.

“I swear to the seven…” Deuce muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

“Call down Deuce. I’m sure we just tell Papa what Crewel is doing, he’ll change his mind and send Crewel home.” Trey said, trying his best to comfort his brothers. “Malleus, you two play chess tomorrow, right? I’m sure he’ll listen to you.”

Malleus considered the notion before offering a simple nod.

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Midday was the perfect time for chess, or at least that’s what Lilia liked to say. The two sat together in the throne room, playing a calculated, but fun game of chess.

“Bishop to queen 3,” Lilia said, confidently placing down the piece on the board.

“I see. Is this revenge for my victory last time?” Lilia didn’t respond with anything but a cocky smirk etched onto his face. “Unfortunately, you will have to wait a bit longer for that. Rook takes Bishop.”

“Ah, what? Man, my eyes must be getting worse.” Lilia laughed as Malleus took his chess piece.

“Papa… I was curious…” Malleus started, only to be swiftly cut off.

“Nope! I’m not going easy on you. Knight to king 4.” Malleus let out a sigh, deciding to forgo the game for right now.

“It is about… Duke Crewel.” Hearing that made Lilia look up, his signature smirk being replaced with one of curiosity and concern. “While I do not doubt his knowledge or style, I am concerned about his ways. He’s changing everything and forcing us to do everything his way.”

“Well, I would hope so. That is what I asked of him.” The smile quickly returned to Lilia’s face, making it clear that he sees no issue with the changes, but why?

“Papa, we were perfectly fine before. Why change things?” Malleus questioned, hoping for some kind of explanation as to why any of this was happening in the first place.

“That’s not what I’ve been hearing, Malleus.” A familiar sharp tongue pierced through the air, taking control of the conversation with ease. “Though, perhaps you have a point. There’s just so much work to be done that I might not be the one for the task.” Crewel stopped next to the table, parking the cart he was pushing next to him. “How I see it, you need an entire team. Tutors for everything from etiquette to style. It’s exhausting just thinking about all that work, so perhaps you’re right, I should go.”

Lilia quickly stood up to comfort the duke, being easily swayed by the latter’s silver tongue. “Please, Crewel, you can’t. My boys need you.” Malleus watched in sadness, realizing he had failed to persuade his father to change his mind. “I couldn’t in good conscious embarrass my boys by bringing in groups of tutors… there’s far too much talk already throughout the kingdom.”

“Papa…!” Lilia quickly turned around, silencing Malleus up before he could say another word.

“Malleus, you are to listen to the Duke. He knows what's best for you and your brothers.” With his head hanging low, Malleus nodded, leaving the room. “Ugh, I hate seeing him upset.”

“Boys his age are quite emotional,” Crewel commented, pouring a cup of tea for the king, adding some additional… flavoring, to better suit the king’s palate. “I shall give them the proper guidance they need, but for now, have some tea. It’s a new blend, but it’s oh so refreshing.”

Lilia gratefully takes the cup, lifting it to his lips to take a sip. “Mmm, you are quite right. Incredibly refreshing.” Crewel simply smiles as he lifts his own cup to indulge in the sweetness himself.

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The princes have once again been left exhausted after a tedious day of lessons. Returning to their room, most immediately head for their beds to try and relax.

“Malleus, were you able to talk with Papa?” Trey asked, turning the attention towards him.

“I indeed tried, however… he didn’t seem to want to listen. He is fully convinced Crewel is helping us rather than harming.” Malleus’s head fell as he heard the disappointed sounds erupt from his brothers.

“He’s such a pain in the ass, though,” Ace commented, receiving a gentle slap from Trey.

“All things aside…” Trey mustered up a smile, turning towards the triplets. “Tomorrow will be a good day, right, you three?”

“You're gonna make us a cake, right, Trey?” With one simple sentence, the atmosphere quickly shifted from annoyed to cheerful as Epel started poking Trey in the arm. “You promised us. A big ol’ cake for our birthday.”

“Yeah, Trey, you gonna skimp out on making them their cake?” Ruggie chimed in, not fooling anyone. Everyone knew he was just after a taste of cake himself. With the mood no longer in the red zone, everyone followed Silver’s lead and headed off to bed.

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Maybe Tomorrow Won’t Be As Bad.

Chapter Text

Third Person POV:

The rose over the mountains, bathing the castle in its light. All the princes, save for the triplets, quickly rose from bed, making sure to be quiet as they set up three chairs in the middle of the room. The twins were the last to rise before they all gathered at the foot of the triplets’ beds.

“Today it is your birthday, and we sing to let you know that you will be king for the day, whatever you say goes.” Malleus sang, waking the triplets up from their slumber. The three quickly hopped out of bed, excited to start the day for once.

The twins stood off to the side, playing a flute and harp as their brothers spun around the triplets, showering them with flower petals as they all continued to sing. For the first time since Crewel showed up, they could all simply have fun, dancing together in their room as they celebrated. Sadly, as everyone says, good things aren’t meant to last, as Crewel quickly barges in, putting an instant halt to the celebrations.

“You’re late. I expected this from Malleus, but not the whole lot of you.” He spat at them.

“Apologies, your grace. We were just celebrating a special birthday.” Malleus explained, gesturing to the triplets behind him.

“That’s no excuse.” Crewel snapped, causing brows to furrow in his direction. “Celebrations are to be put on hold until you learn proper etiquette. Though knowing you lot, that might be years.”

“Please understand, your grace, we were just dancing. It was a special tradition that Father started.” Trey spoke, trying to rein the situation back under control.

“Your Father isn’t here anymore, I am. From now on, dancing is forbidden, not to mention your out-of-tune singing.” Trey could only step back in disappointment, quietly accepting the notion.

“B-but… It’s our birthday.” Ortho spoke up from behind Malleus. Out of the three of them, Ortho was the one looking forward to this day the most.

“Ortho… It’s ok.” Deuce comforted him with a hug. Without another word, Crewel walked out of the room, very proud of himself after what he’d just done.

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“So much for a happy birthday. Papa didn’t even show up to say anything.” Epel complained, lying back on his pillow. That’s when Trey waltzed into the room, wheeling in a chocolate swirl cake as promised.

“The day isn’t over yet, I’m sure he’ll be along any minute.” He said, cutting into the cake and handing a slice to each brother, making sure to keep Ruggie from taking more than he should. As the triplets enjoyed the homemade cake, Trey nodded to Silver, who fished out a box from the closet that was kept hidden.

Opening the box revealed simple white books, each with a different flower printed on the cover. Riddle grabbed the stack and handed each brother the copy with their name on it.

“Father made these before he passed. Said it was his favorite story, so he wanted us each to have a copy.” Riddle said, handing the triplets their own copies. Opening the cover, Epel read the title.

“‘The Dancing Prince’. Hey, Riddle, why don’t you read this for all of us?” Epel asked, and with a small laugh, Riddle sat down on the bed and opened the book to read the story to his brothers.

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“So the young prince danced from stone to stone, then on the final one, he twirled three times, revealing a magic door.” Riddle read, his brothers all listening in, or half-listening in Silver’s case. “Walking through the door, he found himself in a magic land with trees made of silver and gold, and flowers made of jewels. Traveling across the sparkling lake lay a golden pavilion, where the prince could dance and dance to his heart's content, letting his flame burn brighter and brighter with each step.”

“Goldfishie, could you maybe…”

“...Speed it up a bit?” The twins complained, resulting in a glare from Riddle.

“Hush it, you two. Now, where was I?” Flipping the page, Riddle returned his attention to the story. “The prince returned the next night, and the night after that, enjoying the brief taste of freedom the land provided. However, after the third night, the land vanished before his eyes, leaving the prince heartbroken. It wasn’t until morning that the prince realized he had brought some magic back with him, and it was his to keep forever.” With that, Riddle closed the book, looking at the triplets in front of him.

“It doesn’t say what kind of magic, or even how he brought it back?” Deuce asked, a bit confused by the ending. Epel had opened his own copy at this point and was trying to search for clues as Ortho jumped off the bed to return to his own.

“Omph!” The brothers turned their heads to see Ortho face down on the floor, having tripped over his own feet. Malleus walked over to help him up, but when he went to pick up Ortho’s book, he noticed something peculiar about where the book had landed.

“The flower… It’s an exact match.” Looking down, the image on the book matched that of one of the decorative stones in the middle of their bedroom. Walking over to Deuce, he borrowed the book before setting it down next to its own matching stone.

“Hm, do each of us have a match?” Ace questioned, grabbing his own book and looking at the stones, quickly locating his own match. “Seems like we do!” With that, the rest of the brothers matched their books to a stone, wondering if there was any meaning to it.

“I have a feeling… In the story, the prince danced from stone to stone, yes?” Malleus said, taking a step before dancing between the stones, but nothing happened.

“Try oldest to youngest, see if that works!” Kalim suggested, so Malleus walked over to Trey and took a step onto his stone. Much to everyone’s surprise, the stone lit up, now producing an ethereal glow from seemingly underneath it.

“I see, it goes Trey, Silver, Riddle, Ruggie, Ace, Kalim, Me, Jade, Floyd, Epel, Deuce…” Malleus spoke, dancing between the stones as the brothers watched in awe at the magic in front of them. “And Ortho.” Nothing… no glow, no magic.

“Why didn’t mine work?” Ortho asked, dejected that he was once again being left behind.

“The prince twirled three times on the last stone, remember.” Riddle spoke up, as if pointing out the obvious. With a soft chuckle, Malleus did just that, and the stone finally lit up. There was a brief moment of silence before a beam of light shot out from the center of the circle, slowly opening the floor up to reveal a magic staircase.

“Whoa.” That was all that could be said at the moment as a golden railing materialized, practically inviting the princes into its world. Kalim, without hesitation, walked forward and started descending the staircase, soon followed by the rest of his brothers. Once they were all far enough down, the magic gateway behind them closed, but none of the brothers seemed to care, only focusing on what was ahead of them.

Reaching the bottom, Kalim eagerly ran ahead, leaning over the railing to admire the view. Off in the distance, across a sparkling lake, lay a golden pavilion, just like in the story.

“Am I dreaming?” Silver, of all people, asked, but a quick pinch from Ace quickly confirmed that he was fully awake for once. Kalim, noticing a ferry boat down below, decided to forgo the stairs right next to him and jumped over the railing.

“Guys! Let’s go check it out!” He shouted before hopping into the boat. His brothers joined soon after, and Trey looked around for a paddle or motor, only for the boat to start moving all on its own. After a short, scenic ride across the lake, the ferry stopped at the golden pavilion, allowing the boys to step off and take it all in.

“Trees of silver and gold. This really is just like the story.” Riddle commented, taking in every detail he could. Descending the stairs to the center of the pavilion, Malleus couldn’t help but simply breathe, taking in the peacefulness of the area.

“It’s just like Father’s dance pavilion in his garden.” He noted, feeling more relaxed than he had been in a while.

“Man, I wish we had some music, then this would be perfect!” Sparkles started to fall from the nearby trees following Kalim’s words, landing on the walls of the pavilion, bringing the instruments etched on them to life. Drums rang out, cymbals crashed together, and violins strung a beautiful melody, grabbing the attention of the princes. Quickly accepting what was happening, the princes easily fell into rhythm, letting the music control their bodies as they danced.

They danced and danced, letting go of the world above to simply be themselves for a bit. While all the boys were lovely dancers, that sadly didn’t save Ortho from accidentally tripping and scraping his knee a bit. Stopping his movements, Malleus walked over and helped Ortho up.

“Here, let’s go wash it off. Then we can continue dancing.” Ortho nodded and followed Malleus. The two found the nearest fountain and sat down on its ledge, allowing Malleus to take a cloth and soak it in the sparkling water. Turning back to his brother, Malleus carefully dabbed the cloth over the scape, wiping away any dirt on it. Miraculously, the scrap didn’t just get cleaned; the water had completely healed it.

“How did it…?” Ortho questioned before a smile appeared on his face. Taking his hands, he cupped some of the water, pouring it into a small vial attached to his necklace. “I can see this coming in handy.”

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How long has it been since they first arrived? None of the brothers would be able to tell you. Silver, Kalim, and Ortho had long since fallen asleep on the stairs, but the rest continued to dance.

The song they were currently dancing to came to an end, allowing Malleus to look at the bottom of his shoes. “My, it seems I’ve completely worn them through.”

“Same here. I’d say that’s a sign to call it a night, any longer and we risk Crewel noticing our absence.” Trey suggested. Although none of the brothers wanted to leave, they agreed to call it and head back to their room, dragging the sleepyheads along with them.

Returning to their room through the magic gateway, the brothers got tucked into their respective beds, hoping to get some sleep before another hectic day. Sadly, due to how late they got back, they were only able to get about 2 hours of sleep, leaving them completely exhausted.

Meeting Crewel in the dining room, their sleepiness was quickly spotted. “I see you are all wide awake.” With that, Kalim’s sleeping form fell onto the table, confirming Crewel’s suspicions. “Honestly, now. Vargas, wake them up.”

A chair was swiftly slammed to the ground, causing Kalim, and by extension the rest of them, to bolt awake. Crewel smirked, but before he could scold the lot, a butler walked in with a message.

“A visitor for the Duke. A man by the name Azul is here for you.” Hearing the name, Crewel left the room, seemingly a bit too hurriedly, leaving the princes confused. “And the king requests his sons visit him in his quarters.” Hearing that, the boys quickly perked up, making their way to Lilia’s room.

Arriving, Malleus opened the door to see Lilia in bed. “Well, look who’s here. The wild bunch.” His voice was meek, lacking the usual cheeriness it tended to carry. Walking over, Malleus looked down with concern.

“Is everything alright, Papa? Are you sick?” Putting a hand up to Lilia’s forehead, Malleus didn’t feel any sort of fever, but something still felt off.

“No, no, I just… I guess it’s just my old age catching up to me. I’m feeling more tired than usual.” Spotting the triplets standing at the foot of his bed, a smile found its way onto his face. “Now, enough about me. I missed your birthday because I fell asleep, talk about inexcusable. Perhaps I could be forgiven if I gave you your presents?” Laughter filled the room as the triplets excitedly opened their gift boxes; however, Malleus’s eyes were glued to something else.

Outside the window, he spotted the duke speaking to a man with silver hair and glasses. What was even more suspicious was Crewel handing the man a tightly sealed pouch that looked too big to hold just coins. Malleus looked back at his family, who were all still smiling cheerfully and admiring the bracelets the triplets received as gifts. Returning his gaze to the window, both the man and Crewel had disappeared, leaving more questions than answers.

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Slowly nudging the door open, Crewel’s dog slipped into the princes’ bedroom, seemingly looking for something. Sniffing around, it didn’t take the dog long to find his target… a pair of the princes’ dancing shoes. Picking them up, the dog quickly left the room, running through the halls to find his master.

Crewel in question was in the throne room, hovering a bit too closely to the royal thrones. It wasn’t until his dog arrived that he stepped away, turning his attention to the shoes.

“Worn through. Hm.” Putting the pieces together in his head, he could only come to one conclusion. “No. Those spoiled brats have been out dancing with princesses and princes. Dancing leads to marriage, ugh, I should’ve seen this coming.” His dog whined at his feet, trying to console his master. “If one of those pampered punks gets married, my plans are completely ruined.”

His brooding was quickly cut short, though, when he heard the harmonious singing of the princes. Furrowing his brows, he decided to pay Lilia a visit of his own.

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Lilia was relaxing in bed, enjoying the singing his sons were providing him with. It wasn’t much, just a simple harmony composed of nothing but La La La’s, but Lilia found it to be the most beautiful sound in the world. The singing was cut abruptly, though, when Crewel opened the door.

“Please, come in, Crewel.” Lilia smiled, beckoning Crewel in.

“All this commotion. Are you not unwell?” Crewel asked, wheeling over a cart of tea.

Lilia let out a soft laugh. “Oh, I am, don’t get me wrong, but hearing my boys sing is better than any medicine.” He smiled, receiving a big hug from Kalim.

Walking closer to the king, Crewel offered up a smile. “You’re quite pale. Alright, that’s enough singing, boys, out. Out, please.” He shooed the princes off like common flies before pouring Lilia a cup of tea, but Malleus hung behind a little longer.

“Papa… I believe you should call for a doctor.” Lilia thought about the notion before agreeing, not noticing how Crewel had dropped a spoon out of shock.

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“Hm, eyes cloudy, skin clammy.” The doctor noted, writing down the symptoms.

“Haha, I sound like a fish.” Lilia laughed, only for it to be followed by a small cough.

“Ha, I see your sense of humor is still fully intact, though.” The doctor chuckled, digging through his medical bag. “All things aside, if you continue resting and take this elixir, your recovery is guaranteed.”

Hearing this, Crewel stepped forward. “Please, allow me, doctor. I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly.” With that, the doctor hands the bottle to Crewel, instructing him to have the king drink it twice daily till he recovers. Following the doctor out of the king’s room, Crewel waited until he rounded the corner before promptly draining the bottle into a nearby potted plant, a nasty grin painted on his face.

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Will The Boys Even Notice?

Chapter Text

Third Person POV:

The wagon strolled through the palace gates, carrying its usual passenger. Coming to a stop, Karma turns his head towards the guard. “Good afternoon.” He greeted the guard.

“Good afternoon, Karma. You’ll find the princes waiting in their father’s garden.” With a small nod, Karma flicked the reins and rode over. Parking their horse, they hopped down and grabbed the chest lying on top of the wagon before walking into the garden.

“I’ve brought new shoes, as requested, your highnesses.” Setting the chest down and unlocking it, they started handing out the newly crafted dancing shoes. “Were the previous ones not to your liking?”

Trey shook his head, offering an apologetic smile. “Oh, no, nothing like that. We just wore them out, is all.” Karma nodded as Trey took his new shoes.

Malleus then strode over, a smile plastered on his face. “We’ve been out dancing.” With that minimal explanation, Malleus turned back around, dancing between the stones laid out in the center of the garden pavilion, counting his steps from one to twelve, twirling around on the final step.

Karma could only watch in awe as Malleus danced, not wanting to interrupt such a beautiful sight. “Can you fix them by any chance, Karma?” Trey’s voice spoke, quickly pulling Karma out of his trance. Taking the shoes and inspecting them, Karma noticed something glittery on the front of the shoes.

“Is that… gold dust?” A laugh escaped their lips, not fully believing that it was actual gold.

“It is… a secret,” Malleus answered, causing Karma to quickly drop the notion and apologize.

“Oh, right. My apologies, I didn’t mean to pry.” Grim looked at Karma with a disappointed look, jumping down to leave the two ‘love birds’ alone.

“No, no, I didn’t see it as prying, it's just…” Malleus started, trying his best to keep his composure while also coming up with a convincing story. However, Malleus is no Ruggie, so his mind remained blank. “... Never mind.” Looking up, Malleus spotted an imposing figure watching them from above: Vargas. “Karma, may I ask a favor of you?”

Karma nodded, and the two stepped further into the garden, Malleus’s voice falling to a light whisper. “Earlier this morning, I spotted Duke Crewel hand something to a man. I believe his name was Azul. Silver hair, glasses, very gentlemanly looking.” Malleus explained, hoping someone like Karma would recognize the man.

“Hm. I’m afraid I don’t recognize the name or description.” Malleus’s face fell a little, but he carried on anyway.

“Would you be willing to investigate who this man is?” He asked, putting all his trust into the cobbler. “And please, don’t let the Duke know. I do not trust him.” Before Karma could give his answer, a sharp meow was heard, followed by the sound of a chest closing.

Looking back, Karma trudged over to the shoe chest and opened it back up, letting Grim, who had fallen inside, jump out. “Grim!” Karma scolded, quickly picking up the empty chest as Grim jumped onto his shoulder. “Sorry, your highness.” Offering a quick bow as an apology, Karma turned around and started walking back to their wagon. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Nya, don’t blame me. Blame gravity.” Grim defended, wearing his usual cocky smirk.

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“1, 2,... 7, 8,... 11, 12.” Crewel counted the princes as they all lay in bed for the night. “All accounted for, wonderful. I’ll see you all in the morning.” Without even offering a good night, the duke stepped out of the room. Once the doors closed behind him, he addressed his bodyguard in a hushed tone. “I want to know where they go, to whom they speak, and when they so much as sneeze.” He ordered, with Vargas offering a quick bow.

“Of course, M’lord. My only reward is your happiness.” He wasn’t graced with a response as Crewel walked away, leaving Vargas to guard the door to the room all night.

Inside the room, the boys got up from their beds, listening out. “Are they gone? I thought I heard someone talking.” Kalim asked, but sure enough, nothing could be heard from outside the room.

“I do believe we are safe. Shall we go?” Malleus asked, with all of the princes getting out of bed swiftly as Malleus opened the magic gateway once more.

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Stepping off the ferry, the princes looked around with the same level of amazement as the first time they saw this place. “A whole night to forget about slimy Crewel and his ridiculous rule set,” Ruggie stated, breathing in the fresh, magical air the world provided.

Kalim jumped happily down the steps, twirling around a bit before looking up at the flowers. “I wish we were dressed like ballerinas!” With no protests, the flowers granted the wish, showering the princes in golden dust as their sleepwear transformed into something a little more suited for dancing. The outfits closely resembled what they used to wear before Crewel, so the princes were ecstatic to have a semblance of uniqueness back.

“We wish we had…”

“...Ballet music!” The twins chirped, allowing the flowers to bring the instruments to life once more.

Classical music quickly filled the air, and the boys reveled in it. They twirled and leaped through the air, dancing anywhere they could fit. Time seemed to stop around them as they engulfed themselves in their dancing.

At one point, Ace took a slight pause, pulling out a fan he happened to have on him. “Who am I?” He asked, mocking Crewel’s voice. Ruggie came over and pulled out his own fan as well.

“The Duke of Doom. Shishishi.” He and his brothers laughed as the two mocked the horrible duke.

“You mean, the Duke of Don’t?” Ace correct, still mocking Crewel’s voice. “Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Don’t. Don’t! DON’T!” The brothers laughed at the scene before returning to their dancing.

It was perfect. Nobody but them existed here, nobody to tell them off for minor mishaps. Their movements synced together, feet landing at the same time as the music commanded them. Nothing could be better than this.

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It was dark and hard to see, but that didn’t stop Karma from spotting a certain figure further down the road. “Long way to travel just for one visit.” Turning his horse, Karma started following the man. Despite their efforts to be inconspicuous, the mystery man wasn’t an idiot, kicking his horse into a gallop to try and get away.

Chasing after the man, it was clear that the added weight of the wagon was slowing them down too much. Hopping onto the horse, Karma freed the wagon, letting it fall behind them. Without the extra weight, Karma had no issue catching up to the man, pulling in front of him, leaving him no choice but to come to a halt. “Mister Azul, was it?”

Azul backed his horse up a bit, catching his breath. “It seems I’m at a disadvantage here. You know my name, yet I haven’t caught yours.” Much like Malleus had said, Azul was very gentlemanly, possessing a silver tongue that could be dangerous.

“I’ve been asked to inquire about your dealings with the Duke,” Karma demanded, trying their best to seem as intimidating as possible for a guy with a head that looked like a goddamn cloud.

Azul simply smiled, backing away ever so slightly more. “My my, you are quite demanding, aren’t you? My dealings, as you put it, are simply between me and my clients.”

“Nya! I wouldn’t want to make my hench-human angry, not unless you want to end up like the last guy.” Grim threatened, even though it was all a lie. Azul didn’t seem to care for the threat, but he did seem to be interested in the talking cat. “Last time they were refused, poor fool wasn’t heard from again!”

“Well, now, that’s not true,” Karma smirked, going along with the ruse. “I mean, they did eventually find his shoe, so that’s gotta count for something, right?”

Azul, finding the situation amusing, hopped off his horse with a smile. “Now now, I’m just a simple businessman. I sell books, herbs, remedies, and even jewelry if you can afford it.” Walking around to the other side of his horse, he opened a satchel.

“And what did you sell the Duke?” Karma asked yet again, still trying to get an answer.

“Well, I almost didn’t sell him anything.” Azul finally admitted, making Karma smirk a bit. “We all know the Duke isn’t one for settling his debts… except this time it would appear.” Reaching into the satchel, Azul pulled out a small goblet made entirely from silver. “Not too big, but pure silver like this can sell for a high price.”

Looking closer at the goblet, Karma noticed a familiar name etched into the rim. “King Idia…” Sharing a concerned look with Grim, Karma really only had one option. “So, how much?”

“Nya! That’s ridiculous. What do we have that’s worth a whole silver goblet?” Grim laughed, that is, until Azul looked directly at him with a smirk on his face. “Nya?! Karma… you wouldn’t. Right?”

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Karma looked on as Azul walked away, towing both horses behind him. Grim sat perched on Karma’s shoulder like always. “What’s wrong, Grim? Cat got your tongue?” Grim only pouted, offering a small, pathetic thank you as he hopped onto the wagon. Karma, now horseless, picked up the wooden connectors and started dragging the damn thing all the way back to the castle so they could show Malleus the goblet.

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“Nobody came in or out, M’lord. I was here all night,” Vargas explained as Crewel approached the bedroom door. Opening it, Crewel indeed saw 12 sleeping princes.

“Rise and shine, boys, we have a busy day ahead of us.” A few yawns could be heard from the beds; clearly, the princes didn’t get much sleep once again. Taking matters into his own paws, Crewel’s dog barked at full volume, easily waking the boys up. With the tired princes now up and rubbing their eyes, the dog sniffed around, scrambling under Deuce’s bed and pulling out the dance shoes, which had once again been completely worn through.

Bringing them back to his master, Crewel’s face immediately turned sour. “Weren’t these new yesterday? Line up!” He shouted, causing the princes to flinch before lining up in two rows. “Where exactly were you dancing last night? Answer me, Kalim.” Crewel demanded, stopping in front of Trey.

“My name is Trey, your grace.” Crewel simply glared daggers at the boy, waiting for his answer. “We… danced at a pavilion,” Trey stated, knowing lying wasn’t going to get him anywhere.

Accepting the answer, Crewel turned to Ruggie next. “How did you get there? Epel.”

“I’m Ruggie.” He answered sternly, but Crewel just rolled his eyes in response. “Whatever. The magic boat took us.”

“Please. You got out of here somehow without Vargas seeing you. How?” Crewel spat, addressing all of them this time.

“The magic gateway,” Kalim said, pointing towards the circle in the middle of their room.

An irritated sigh left Crewel’s lips. “Magic this, magic that, stop lying to me!” He quickly turned around, his eyes landing on Ortho. “You. You’re the runt of this family, so tell me the truth, or you’ll all pay.”

“How could you talk to him that way?!” Malleus questioned, stepping out of line to confront the man.

“How dare you talk back to me. You lot are no better than common maids.” Crewel then took a small breath, a cocky smirk finding its way onto his lips. “Perhaps if I treat you like maids, you’ll change your minds about lying to me. The front garden, I want it spotless, not a leaf in sight.”

A soft growl could be heard from Ruggie, who quickly stepped forward to back Malleus up. “You can’t! We were supposed to–” A hand quickly came in contact with Ruggie’s face, stunning him and his brothers in place.

“Talking back? Now you’ll scrub the steps as well.” Crewel spoke, making it clear he didn’t give a damn how the princes felt in the slightest.

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The brothers dragged their rakes along the grass, scooping up mass amounts of leaves, tossing them into empty baskets. It took roughly 3 hours to get everything raked up. “Ugh, we can’t even sing to pass the time. What a nightmare.”  Silver complained, tossing the last of the leaves into a nearby basket. “Not to mention the fact that Papa won’t listen to us.”

Each of the triplets picked up a basket, walking to place them with the others. “I mean, let’s look on the bright side, the garden’s done. All that’s left are the steps.” Kalim smiled, trying to put a bit of pep back into his brother’s step. It wasn’t until they heard the sound of a basket falling that the brothers realized Ortho had once again tripped on his feet, allowing leaves to once again fall all over the place.

“I… I’m sorry… I-I didn’t…” Poor boy couldn’t even finish his sentence before running off with tears in his eyes. Malleus quickly dropped his rake, following after his brother.

Finding Ortho wasn’t difficult, as there was really only one place the brothers went to when they felt down. Walking into the garden’s pavilion, Malleus approached Ortho, sitting next to him on the bench. “I, too, like to come here when I’m upset,” Malleus spoke softly, trying to ease the situation.

“Why can’t I be good at anything?” Ortho started, tears still pricking at the edges of his eyes. “Ruggie and Ace are good at sports. Riddle’s read every book ever written. Silver’s really good at riding horses. And you’re the most beautiful dancer I’ve ever seen.”

Smiling at the compliment, Malleus laughed a bit. “For a moment, I thought you were going to call attention to my tardiness.” Ortho laughed along with the joke, slowly cheering back up. “I am aware you still blame yourself for what happened to Father, but you must remember what he would always tell us. ‘Big or small, there’s a difference only you can make’, and I believe the difference you will bring to the world will be extraordinary.”

Ortho quickly hugged Malleus, letting the last of his tears fall before looking up with a smile.

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Maybe That Difference Will Show Itself Soon.