"You don't have to come if you don't want to" Shoto said as he saw Toya rummage through his old room. Tomura and Himiko were on the bed, watching the two brothers as Dabi continued to make a mess of the room. Well, this room was as big as a whole floor back at their house, probably even bigger. A walk-in closet, an attached bathroom, a study...

"Like hell I'm gonna let you go to war on your own, certainly after just becoming emperor" Toya mumbled, pulling open a drawer and searching through it.
"What are you even looking for?" Shigaraki asked, not so happy about being dragged into a war by his boyfriend. Yet he wasn't complaining all that much because the goal was to take down the bastard that cursed him in the first place. That thought made him look at his hands, at the special gloves he'd been wearing.

They were fine quality indeed... Sometimes he forgot he was wearing them and people would look at him funny whenever he lifted one of his fingers so his hand didn't touch the surface fully. Well, better safe than sorry, right?
"I know every nook and cranny of this palace like the back of my hand. There are hidden chambers everywhere" Dabi stated, closing the drawer and opening up the next one.

"I used to run and hide and explore... Sometimes I didn't return for days, stuck in the secret maze of hidden rooms and hallways... But I did found interesting things"
He smirked as he turned around, a bunch of keys at hand.
"Looks like father never searched my room for these. Good"
"Hidden rooms?" Shoto asked, his eyes widening a little.

"Secret tunnel here we come!" Toga exclaimed, excitedly jumping on the bed, earning some complaints from Tomura as he hit her with a pillow.
"Yes, let's see... Should be around here somewhere-Ah! Got it!" Toya grinned, shoving his old desk aside and tearing a small paper from the wall, revealing a key hole.
"This used to be a servant hallway, but it was cut off from the rest as the room it lead to was sealed off"

He fumbled with the keys for a moment before finding the right one and flinging his body against the wall. The wallpaper got thorn as the door opened a tiny bit.
"Damnit, it's heavier than I remember..."
Shoto frowned as he saw his older brother bang himself against the wall again, stumbling a little as the door finally opened. What was so important that it couldn't wait? And why did he have to show it to him now?

Of course he knew that Toya knew things about the palace he didn't, he was the first born after all... But this wasn't the time to be fooling around. Besides, he was the emperor, he shouldn't even be here right now!
"Are you coming Shoto?" Dabi asked, a blue flame dancing in his hand to light up the way. Toga had already rushed in and tripped, earning a yell from Shigaraki to be more careful as he helped her back up.

"I promise it'll be worth it"

Shoto frowned, taking a deep breath before following. He ignited a small flame as well so their path would be clearer. Yet he kept glancing aside at the dim blue light that came from his brother's magic. It feels like a lifetime ago since he last saw that familiar light... Back when they were children, Toya would use his magic to cheer him up, to bring light to the darkness and take away his worries and fear. It had a calming effect on him, even now.

"We're here" Dabi announced as they approached a giant decorated door.
"No kidding" Tomura mumbled.
"Now what's so damn special that you dragged us all the way here?"
"You'll see" he smirked, walking up to the door and placing his hand on the structure.
"Our family prides itself for its fire magic, which is exactly how this door is opened"

Blue flames poured out of his hand, travelling along the gold. Toya flinched, hissing as he kept up the power. That's right... His body was never meant for fire magic, it's why his flames are blue and not orange. Before anyone could intervene, a loud clicking noise was heard and Dabi took a step back. The mechanics behind the door were put to work and wheels started spinning in order to unlock the gate. Quite impressive...

"Open sesame" he muttered, making a little blue flame dance between his fingers again.
"Welcome to the old alchemy chamber boys"
"And lady" Himiko added, a hand over her chest as she pouted.
"Of course, I must apologize, lady Toga" Toya laughed, using his royal mannerisms and making his voice sound weird to make her giggle.
"Ladies first"

"Why thank you!" she smiled, happily hopping inside.
"Alchemy chamber?" Shoto asked surprised as he walking inside after his brother and friends. His eyes widened as he gazed upon the room. There were bottles on shelves, tables full of paper and formulas, writing in what seemed like code and other witchcraft items.
"Alchemy huh? Looks like you hit the jackpot here" Shigaraki hummed, picking up a dusty book, looking at the weird symbols inside.

"It's an ancient language from the old empire, every Todoroki knows it" Toya mused, taking the book.
"Witches... There were witches in the castle" Shoto spoke in a confused tone.
"But... But witches stay far away from others, don't they?"
"Dear baby brother, you do realise our mother descends from witches, right?" Toya asked, raising a brow.
"Come on Sho! Didn't you study up on family history? What an heir you are"

"Hey! I'm the one who became the emperor, not you" Shoto stated, frowning.
"Just messing with you" Dabi laughed, ruffling his dual coloured hair.
"But with this knowledge, we'll be able to turn this war around. Don't you see? All For One is powerful, his magic is strong and his people are well trained. If we can use potions and pills to enhance the magic of our soldiers, it'll be a great advantage"

"Remind me why he is emperor and not you?" Toga asked, leaning onto a table as she watched the conversation.
"Cause I disgust royals and everything about it" Dabi snorted.
"But I'm not stupid and I was trained to be emperor for a big part of my life so"
Toya shrugged as he watched his little brother space off.
"What are you thinking so hard about?"
"I want you as my royal advisor" Shoto stated, making everyone stare at him.

He was sure that if Toya had been drinking something that he would've spit it out.
"No" Tomura hissed, glaring at the dual magic user.
"No, no, no, no! This is a one time thing! I'm not being dragged in this high life of yours!"
"Shiggy-" Dabi sighed, trying to calm him down.
"No! No, we're not doing that! I thought you hated this life as much I do?!"

"I do" the red head hissed, glaring at his boyfriend.
"But people know I'm alive, you've been recognized as a Shimura... Tenko, we can't keep running from who we are... We can try and live life in seclusion, but there will always be people after us. Maybe... Maybe we can compromise? Figure things out together?"
There was a silence as Tenko frowned and glanced between the two Todoroki's.

"You really fucking love your family huh?" the blue haired man scoffed, slowly shaking his head.
"If you two are going all fancy royal and noble, I can be a princess too, right?" Himiko asked as she put a book on her head.
"Look! Look! My balance is flawless!"
The book fell off her head after another second though... Tomura rolled his eyes while Dabi chuckled at the failed performance.

"All I'm saying is that we can at least try? I mean, I'm sure it pays good money and we can move to a lovely home outside the city where it's peaceful and quiet. Things don't have to be how they were anymore" Toya sighed, placing his hand on Shigaraki's cheek and slowly letting his thumb rub his skin. Tenko leaned into it, letting out a long sigh.
"...Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want, I guess"

"Does that mean you'll do it?" Shoto asked, hopeful.
"Yeah, sure, what could go wrong?" Toya smiled, laughing as he was hugged by his little brother.
"Thank you" the halfa whispered. Shoto was grateful to have found his brother in such a time of need. Maybe it was fate? Maybe their story had been destined to be written this way? Or was it all coincidence? They'll probably never know. But right here, right now, in this moment, he was happy... And that's all that mattered.

Meanwhile in the Elven Kingdom

To say Mei was surprised when the Fae army suddenly stood at her doorstep was an understatement. Of course she was aware of the call to war from the Animal Kingdom, but she didn't expect Fae to react, let alone the fact that Momo was leading them.
"Did you get a new crown?" was the first thing she asked as the wingless fairy arrived at the castle. Iida had given her a scolding look. One should not speak to another royal that way, yet he knew he was never going to change her behaviour on that. He wouldn't want to either, but it was still inappropriate.

"Ah, yes, do you like it?" Momo asked with a small smile, a guard now at her side. Hatsume thought it was rather strange, seeing as she mostly travelled alone to prove to her folks she could be independent and wasn't helpless without her wings. Well, not entirely alone, but with enough distance between her and her knight at least.
"Oh, how rude of me. Let me introduce lady Nejire Hado, my new personal knight and head of the royal guard"

"It's an honour to meet you, princess Mei" she smiled. She had a kind face, like most fairies, and her long blue hair reached beyond her waist. Wouldn't that be impractical in battle, Hatsume wondered. Her rounded up wings seemed different from most fairies as well... Oh! She must be a fairy-pixie hybrid! That would explain the weird shape and lack of much colour! Hm, you don't see a lot of those around... Her eyes travelled back to Yaoyorozu, more specifically, her crown.

"It's bigger, isn't it?" she asked, tilting her head, totally ignoring the knight.
"Taller? Looks fancy"
"Ah, thank you" Momo smiled.
"Only the most precious gemstones are used in the jewelry of our monarchs" lady Nejire stated, making Mei's eyes widen a little.
"Monarch? But-"
"I've been crowned queen recently" Momo interrupted her, a shy smile on her face.

"I must excuse myself for not inviting you to the ceremony, it all happened in quite a rush, you see... There was really no time to involve the royals of neighbouring countries, not even most nobles of the Fae Kingdom were there to witness it"
"I see... I didn't expect your parents to step down so soon, especially not in a time like this. It certainly comes as a surprise" Hatsume said, still not getting the hint.

For someone so incredibly smart, she couldn't read the room if her life depended on it. Iida did catch the unspoken truth. There had been a revolution in Fae and the previous rulers were no more. Whether they ran or were executed was really none of his concern.
"If I may ask, what is your king's name?" Iida asked. A king's name will always be a king's name, no matter the gender of the ruler. It had become a gender neutral term, even if the word king was represented in it.

"Creati" Momo answered him.
"I see, may you have a long and prosperous rule" Iida stated, bowing as a sign of respect.
"Creati... That means the creator of things, right?" Hatsume asked, not caring much about being polite or the tradition of recognizing one's name in order to pay respect. Momo chuckled, nodding. She was used to these antics, even though her knight didn't seem all too pleased with the way Mei talked to her queen.

"I assume your parents have gathered the elven armies in order to march to the Animal Kingdom?" Momo asked as they started walking though the hall, their guards following closely behind.
"Yes, we're almost done with the preparations!" Hatsume stated.
"In a few hours, we'll march there together"
"Good"

During that time in the Midoriya Kingdom

After much hitting and beating and cutting, Hisashi decided to hurt the green head in a more creative way. Izuku was dropped in a hunting pen. A human hunting pen. Those who were caught, were branded to show they're property of the king and if the one who captured them wanted to, they could torture them in the dungeons. Mostly with death as a result... Servants were sometimes put in here as punishment but it was mostly supplied with humans that were taken from raiding parties in the small towns that weren't able to pay their taxes.

They weren't treated like humans... They were treated like objects, like possessions. People were raped, tortured, used as slaves... All that on a daily basis. Izuku sighed, rubbing his wrist, which were littered in cuts from the cuffs he was wearing earlier. He glanced around but it was dark, the sun had already gone down. He had no idea how late it was, or early depending on how you looked at things.

With a grunt, he heaved himself up from the grass and leaned against a tree. Luckily they dropped him in a foresty hunting ground... The fields were much harsher on its inhabitants... Yet it was a struggle to survive everywhere. Food was limited and people often fought amongst themselves to survive. The green head stumbled ahead, hissing in pain as he held his side. Damn, All For One really did a number on him... Maybe he shouldn't move too much for now...

His head shot up as he heard rustling from some bushes and he saw things move in the shadows.
"H-hello..?" Izuku called out, hating how fragile his voice sounded after the way he screamed not even an hour before. More sounds. He wobbled on his legs, suddenly falling down against the tree he was holding onto. Fuck! This wasn't the time to show weakness!
"I-it's...you" a small whisper came from the dark and a small figure approached him.

Izuku's eyes widened. It was the small servant boy he saw earlier in the dungeons!
"Y-you... You spilled t-the...the food..." the runaway prince breathed.
"This must be your fifth strike then huh? To be locked up in the pen..."
"You know the system... A-are you-"
"No" Izuku sighed, shaking his head.
"I-I... I never worked here"

There was a small silence as the boy inspected the young man. He knew that Izuku had to be from the Dark Lands, nobody outside knew about the specifics of the cruel methods used here within the castle walls... But to know about it, he should've been here before...
"Fallen noble?" he asked flatly. People don't take kindly to nobles in these parts, which is understandable since they often hunt with the king.

"No, I-I... I'm not of nobility" Izuku sighed, groaning as he pushed himself up again.
"So why are you in here?" the boy asked confused, watching the green head struggle to stay up.
"Treason" Izuku breathed, holding onto his side.
"K-kinda rallied up t-the other kingdoms to come a-and kill All For One"

There was rustling around them again and Izuku froze up as a taller figure suddenly approached them.
"Kota! How many times do I have to tell you not to run off like that!" a woman hissed, quickly snatching the boy away from Izuku. She inspected the green haired boy with a suspicious glance but there wasn't much to be seen in this little moon light.
"And don't talk to the newcomers... You don't know who they are and what they did" she continued to lecture.

"I-I wasn't going to h-hurt him" Izuku spoke, leaning onto the tree behind him for support.
"Are...A-are you his mother?"
"Aunt" she spat out, glaring at him.
"Hmph, how typical of newcomers... You don't understand the rules, do you?"
"Ah, so it's as I thought..." Izuku sighed.
"Kota, right? You were born here, weren't you? B-but reproduction is strictly forbidden... Anyone who does so, faces punishment..."

"So you do know the system" the woman said slowly, squinting her eyes.
"Who are you?"
Before he could answer her, a horn was blown. Kota and his aunt looked at each other for a moment before quickly making their way out of there. Izuku was confused, he didn't know what the sound meant, he'd never heard it before. But he soon started hearing more people and more movement. Something was definitely happening...

Good or bad, he has yet to find out, but knowing this place it'll probably be bad... He noticed lights in the distance. Torches... Were it hunters? Or guards? Well, that doesn't really matter, both wouldn't hesitate to hurt him if they were to find him. There was a scream, followed by laughter, making his blood run cold. This whole thing was bringing up memories he didn't want to relive. Things his father forced him to do... Forcing him with him on people hunts, to hurt them and make them suffer...

He never wanted to do anything like that to his people... To those less fortunate than himself, those who were unlucky enough to get caught and not immediately killed. These hunting ranges were just an extension of death. Slowly torturing them into leaving this world... Izuku froze up once more as a hand suddenly clamped itself over his mouth, pulling him in the bushes as the horses passed.

The hand was warm, but the body behind him was cold, covered in metal. They were wearing armour... But didn't that mean they were with them?! It was only now he realised his heavy breathing, the tears shimmering in his eyes, ready to spill. The memories had been too much for him... His nightmares were all coming back now... The people he hurt... The things he was forced to do to satisfy that monster of a king... Their hand slowly left him and he turned around, coming face to face with a person he never thought he'd see again...

"M-Mirio senpai?"