He was sitting up in a tree when he found him. Eyes closed, one foot dangling off the branch, he leaned against the thick trunk of the tree without a care in the world. The sun broke through the leaves in strings and made the rose-gold tint in his hair seem to glow.

      "Oh, Your Highness?" he called up to him. "Come down, now will you?"

      "I was hoping you wouldn't find me," he said, voice mellow, as if still somewhere in that other world of his. He opened his eyes and stretched his shoulders back. Then, with a pleasant sigh, he turned so that both feet fell off the side of the branch, tilting his head at the sight of Jeongguk's expectant eyes down below. He had that smile of his, the one that said: I'm here.

      "So you know your father wants a word with you?"

      "I do."

      Jeongguk had half a mind to climb up into the tree and slap him on the neck. He had been given a rude awakening from his daydreams half an hour ago when Scary Tommy had told him the prince was missing.

      He had spent half an hour running around the castle grounds trying to find him, after all, it was his job to know where he was at all hours (technically he was not even supposed to let him out of his sight) but the prince had a mind of his own, and Jeongguk wasn't one to intrude upon his privacy when he wished to be alone. But the least he could do was tell him where he was going to be alone, so that he didn't have to search for him.

      Not that Taehyung could hide from him. He knew all of his favourite spots.

      The prince jumped down from the tree with ease. "Oh, don't be mad. I had such a nice nap."

      "You truly are an ass."

      "A royal one. That you have to treat with respect." His eyes glinted as he said it. His whole attire was simple, a blue tunic, tied with a brown belt. And he was about to go meet with the king. "I don't think we have time to change ... you're already late."

      Taehyung looked down at his torso and ran a hand across his tunic. "Are you saying I'm not presentable?"

      "As I said, we don't have time to change."

      He wanted to ask him why he'd been hiding up in a tree. But he thought he knew the answer. Taehyung didn't say it out loud, but he wasn't very fond of meeting with his father.

      "You wound me."

      He smiled. "We should get going."

      They made their way side by side through the Royal Garden back to the castle. The sun basked the greenery in a golden glow, making the night-rain disappear, glass crystals sliding off the petals and the leaves, onto the ground. They didn't speak, not around the flowers. Flowers were to be quietly admired, for speaking to them, was speaking to a higher power. One needed to choose one's words wisely when in the vicinity of Vis herself. Although Jeongguk preferred to keep quiet when asking for Her guidance, for he felt that prayer was a personal act, not to be shared with anyone but Her.

      The garden was Jeongguk's favourite part of the castle, a gate to different worlds, plants from different corners of the region, lilies, tulips, sunflowers and roses, together in one place, harmonious with one another. It was a way for him to see the world, without having to venture outside the castle grounds. Not that he would have minded to leave the castle grounds, and see nature in Her truest form. To feel the wind on one's face out where the ocean was supposed to be endless, or to drink in the still life of the forest, with insects crawling up the trees and the abrupt sound of wings.

      The castle was beautiful too. It was a grand building, made of white stone, that pillared into the sky, with towers stopping at different heights, the tops the same blue as the azure sky, so they seemed to blend together and become one.

      It was in front of an open gate that Taehyung stopped, and so naturally, Jeongguk stopped too.

      "You don't want me to walk with you?" he asked, sensing the reason why.

      "No. I'd like to go alone. Thank you though."

      It wasn't his place but he asked anyway. "Do you know what he wants?"

      His eyes settled intently upon him, the way they always did, when he pondered a question of his. No matter how simple a remark, Taehyung always thought about his answer. "No," he said. He then shrugged. "It's probably nothing. Another briefing. Maybe he wants me to have tea with Mummy. Nothing new." He breathed in and then smiled again, in a way that it radiated from him. "I better get going. If I don't return," he said and gestured into the garden, "I would like roses at my funeral." And with that, he disappeared through the gate.

      Jeongguk turned around and observed the garden, basking in mellow strings of sun, that were nonetheless burning hot. The air was green and vibrant. He took a moment to himself, eyes closed, heart and soul aligned. Then he started walking. Although he knew it hadn't been a serious demand, Jeongguk headed to the servant's quarters for a deep tray and gardening scissors. Then, he returned to the garden to find the roses in question. Although there were about a hundred different kinds to be found within the garden, Jeongguk knew which ones he was looking for. He only stopped once on the way, to fill up his tray with water. Then, ever so carefully, to make sure it didn't spill, he navigated towards the back of the garden, where a cluster of faded pink roses stood tall in the late-morning sun. The pale pink was like a blush on white, a soft and flustered kind of colour. Maybe that was why he liked them; they had a delicacy that annulled the jagged edges of the world.

      He placed the tray on the ground and before doing anything, made a V with his fingers over the flowers, to ask permission for their taking. Then he brought his fingers to his heart, and closing his eyes, promised their well-being and safety. Then, ever so gently, he cut the flowers as he'd been taught and placed them in the watered tray.

      It wasn't a very long walk back to the castle, but Jeongguk had to walk slow. The sun was shining high in the sky when he got back to the servants quarters, giving off an electrifying heat. He was thankful to go inside, where the air was much cooler. Everything was quite hectic, the cooks were hard at work preparing lunch and people flocked around, carrying out various different tasks. Nobody stopped to talk. Nobody noticed him.

      Except, of course, for Tommy. The king's steward was either thirty or fifty years older than him, it was hard to tell, and he always stood as straight as a pencil, as if he had forgotten how to breathe. His hair had begun to whiten, and the lines on his face indicated how little he smiled. He always seemed to be everywhere, especially when Jeongguk least wanted to see him, such as now.

      He looked at him grimly. "Did you find His Highness?"

      "Yes, sir," he said.

      "I do not think I have to warn you what might happen if you lose him again."

      I didn't lose him, Jeongguk wanted to say. But he didn't. He had learned by now to keep his opinions to himself.

      "Yes, sir," he said.

      He seemed about to speak again but Jeongguk bowed his head before he did. "If you'll excuse me, I need to bring these roses to His Highness's bedroom."

      He eyed him for a moment. "Of course," he then said and stepped aside so that Jeongguk could walk past him.

      The tray of flowers in his arms, he headed up the back-stairs. Usually they were quite chilly, but not on such a hot day as this. He was careful then, as the stairs were not smooth in parts––it was easy to trip, especially given how little light flowed through the narrow windows. He exited next to the prince's bedroom and used his key to get inside. Taehyung had not returned, he had expected as much. He placed the tray on top of a dark commode, where a blue vase stood empty. He picked the roses one by one and placed them in the vase, adjusting them so that they looked the best they could. Then, he poured the water from the tray into the vase and took a step back to observe them. Content, he placed the tray under his arm and, before leaving, allowed himself breathe in the flowers. When he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine it was not the roses he could feel right up against him, but the prince himself, for he too had the scent of a rose. He allowed the moment to last. Then, he opened his eyes, shook his head to himself, and went back downstairs to kill time before Taehyung would send for him again. 

***

lol hi. not me being spontaneous and posting this in the middle of exams. 

Dedicated to hopeisnotover_.