Chapter Text
It was said the gods themselves smiled upon the Blueberry Kingdom.
The soil found in its field was rich in nutrients and, year after year, offered wonderful yields that allowed merchants to export both fresh and preserved goods. The animals had large pastures where to move around and feed, making their meat juicy and delicious and, most important, not of difficult access even to members of society that were on a lower level. The weather? Pleasant for most of the year with their direct access to sea giving especially the coastal areas a temperate climate that was perfect to bring in tourists.
The kingdom was not perfect, as nobles and rich merchants still schemed and criminals still lurked around, but it was a great place where one could spend their life.
The three princes were considered jewels themselves and not for no reason… no one knew their real names, though, only their public titles, as it was customary to hide one’s personal name to protect their soul from the fae. Even the personal names were often… weird, hard to guess, but that was for protection after all.
Who could even imagine the whole royal line of the Blueberry Kingdom was named after… milk and dairy products, after all?
First it was Whole Milk, the Fount of Knowledge. The wise elder brother had been indirectly ruling the kingdom since the King’s passing, with the ruling queen only being that by title as her health also slowly declined. He was known for his incredible patience, the insatiable thirst of knowledge and how he guided those under his care.
Second born was Goat Milk, also known as the Sage of Truth. He was not a public figure, spending most of his days between the halls of the library and his laboratory, but his specialty was analyzing the surrounding reality and figuring out how things worked. He was still a friendly social butterfly and his discoveries helped the general population very much, but he tended to live a bit in his little world.
Third but not less important, was Almond Milk, also known as Shadow Milk by the public. He had been perhaps the bravest in displaying half of his true name, yet with no one even suspecting someone would do such a thing… in a certain sense he kept his own identity safe. He was the patron of arts, the theatre fanatic and the occasional actor of the family. He had raw, beautiful talent and the rare times he jumped on stage he captured everyone’s hearts.
The three of them lived their lives relatively freely, but shared one thing: the mutual love they felt for each other.
If Fount was occasionally exhausted after a long day, the two younger brothers would sweep in with tea and pastries and have an impromptu sleepover with him to make sure he got proper rest. If Sage was stuck on his progress about something, at least one of the two siblings would offer their ear so he could talk, talk and talk even more, yapping about topics that were often too weird or complicated to understand. Shadow MIlk had a play? The siblings did their best to attend even when their parents were healthy and shunned such activities.
Their parents had always been emotionally distant, borderline neglectful when it came to showing actual feelings toward their kids, but the three of them? They had always been a compact wall, always ready to support each other. It wasn’t something they ever spoke about, but it was in their small gestures.
How Fount would reserve one of his rare smiles for his siblings whenever he saw them lose themselves in their passions, how Sage’s inventions and discoveries were often directed to help his siblings even if his studies branched all over the place, Shadow Milk indulged openly in adding little stories their siblings could see themselves into into his plays.
They were a solid, united wall. That was at least until Fount went missing.
The Sage of Truth was the first one to get notified. As far as he knew his elder brother was merely busy taking one of his annual trips across the ocean to meet his fiance, something that happened on the regular so both the blonde prince from their best commercial partner and the future king could at least bond a little, yet when messengers from the Goldberry Kingdom arrived it was not with good news.
Sage was in his laboratory when his aide rushed in bringing news of a storm hitting the boat his brother and the foreign prince were on during what was supposed to be a short pleasant cruise around the coast. His alembic fell to the ground as he rushed to hold with shaking hands the fancy papers that carried a message that left him speechless, with trembling hands and barely able to process and read those words for a moment.
Lost at Sea.
His beloved brother was lost at sea.
With shaking hands, he found himself having to find support against the wall then sliding against it until he was sitting on the floor with one hand covering his mouth and vision blurred by tears. The practical side of him, the one his parents made sure he would have for the sake of representing the country, worried immediately about the political nightmare this was about to bring to their tables. The emotional side of him? The one he reserved only for his studies and his siblings? It could only focus on the fact that one of the two people who truly mattered to him was gone.
Yes, now everything had to be decided again for the sake of the commercial route they treasured so much, they probably had to also prove their country had nothing to do with the disappearance, but…
“Oh, Whole Milk…”
He wept in his solitude, grateful . Word of this disaster was going to spread like oil, so Sage knew very well his time for mourning was going to be cut short but he was a man with feelings, emotions, and the weight of the crown couldn’t allow any member of the family to falter or show weakness.
He wanted to drop everything and go search for his sibling, but he was also perfectly aware of how slim the chances of actually finding anyone were. He… perhaps he could send search boats by, for once, abusing his title as a prince, maybe he-
Oh.
Lips pressed together in a thin line as he passed his fingers through the long dark blue locks of his hair. If he was feeling tense before, now he could feel the cold sweat and his whole body slightly sharing at the realization he was the next in line. The second prince who never wanted anything more than to hold books close and lose himself in his experiments. The sage didn’t want the crown, nor a noble title, he wanted to continue his studies and, more importantly, focus on finding Fount. He was the rightful heir, he was the one who prepared himself for ruling and for marriage, neither Sage nor Shadow Milk wanted anything to do with that stuff!
For a moment, a short and shameful moment, he wanted to go and ask his brother if he wanted to be the one stepping up, but the second the younger sibling opened the door and asked him if it was true their big brother was missing? Oh, he knew he couldn’t do that to him.
The younger one was a free spirit, more interested in art and acting than the actual political scene and… he lacked some traits that made the royal bloodline stand out. The hair, dark and blue, didn’t have the shine the rest of the family had, no silver strands giving the illusion of little stars over the blue locks everyone else had. The eyes? He was the only one in the family beside their mother, who was not of their bloodline, who didn’t have a golden right eye but had a blue one… still heterochromia, yet not the ‘right’ one for people not to question if he was really the former king’s actual son.
Not to mention, he barely took his first steps into adulthood, that still was the baby of the family!
The two older brothers never cared, they loved him dearly and were always there for him but… gods, the nobility was going to eat him alive if Sage ever decided to step down. He didn’t even think before opening his arms, inviting his brother between them. He was hardly surprised when he felt the other’s body almost slam against his own.
Sage was not one for politics, but he could play the part of the next king. At least until Fount returned home, because he was going to find his way back… right?
Weeks later, as the kingdom buried an empty casket, he found himself wishing he and Shadow Milk chose to run away instead.
- - -
“Your wedding will be held in early spring.”
“Pardon?”
“You heard me, boy.”
Of all the things he expected his mother to bring up as Sage attempted to inform her of his current progress as a future king and the projects he was working on, talks about marriage were not something he expected. Not when they just finished discussing issues with the sewage system and his plans to fix that-
“I finished negotiations with the Goldberrian King. He is also sending over his second born to fulfill our previous deal. I know well you’ve not been raised with the idea of an arranged marriage with an unknown man as a prospect for your future, but I believe you are aware of your position enough not to disappoint.”
The man could barely speak or even try to find a response. He didn’t want a partner, let alone a spouse, but even as a bedridden woman consumed by her illness? Her majesty had an imposing aura that made him feel like a helpless child unable to tell her no. Maybe, just maybe, he could find someone who could take interest in his work? The laboratory had been half abandoned for a while and he missed having free time, if he could find an assistant in his future… husband?
“Mother, if I may… What kind of person is he?”
“I do not know, nor does it matter. All I’ve been told is the name they chose to wear is Truthless Recluse.”
There was a blink there, out of pure and genuine… Surprise? Confusion? Why did a prince pick such a name for himself? What? Were they sending him over because he was a problematic one and leaving the kingdom to the younger one in the family was… the best option? It was a name as eccentric as Shadow Milk, but… titles meant something. So he was marrying someone who possibly didn’t want social interactions?
“It… is a peculiar name.” That was the most polite thing he could say about it. His interest in foreign politics and economics had always been so limited he just knew the other kingdom also had three siblings and a few things about them, but… ah, it didn’t matter. If this man was an actual recluse, perhaps things could work out! They would both carve their own spaces and pretend the other didn’t exist, right? “Mother, when will I meet my fiance?”
That word left him with a bitter taste in his mouth but while his older sibling had time to get used to the idea and had plenty of time to get closer to his partner? He was months away from finding himself bound to a complete stranger.
“We already lost your older brother to the fury of the sea, the waters in winter are too unsafe to travel so the agreement is for you two to meet when he will travel here for the wedding.”
Fantastic. Just… fantastic. Apparently messengers were expendable enough to travel despite the danger so his future could be decided by others but he was not even going to meet this Recluse person until it was time for them to marry. From the outside, the man barely stiffened slightly, on the inside he felt his own stomach turning upside down at the prospect of taking even that responsibility on his shoulders. But he had to, didn’t he? In the name of Fount’s memory and for Shadow Milk’s sake…
Unable to voice even the smallest complaint to his queen, merely muttered some words of agreement and proceeded with his reports as she requested until it was time for them to part ways.
By the time Sage returned to his room, he was already exhausted and still had a whole day awaiting him. Fortunately enough, his brother was there, the pillar of support Shadow MIlk surprisingly proved himself to be, and both just crashed on the big bed to talk about the engagement.
“I actually tried to learn about the princes once you stepped up, but you hear a lot more about the younger one, Healer, than his older brother.”
“How did I not see this coming?”
HIs brother’s fingers intertwined with his and he felt the other’s thumb caress the back of his hand. For a moment there was silence, when Shadow Milk chose to speak again though? The tone of voice was almost mocking. A bitter smile spread on his lips at that, familiarity in the middle of rapidly shifting times was more than welcome.
“Says the man who fails to understand most of the romantic subplots that are in my plays.”
“It’s not my fault if most lovey dovey things are just so stupid and childish.”
“People do enjoy stupid and childish stories, you dork. The more dramatic, the better! Art is all about romanticizing things in life and turning them into a spectacle!”
“So you’re going to write about me and my loveless marriage too?”
That hit too close to home and Shadow Milk merely rolled over on the bed until he could rest his head against his brother’s chest. Sage smiled, reaching down to ruffle the dark blue hair with affection. He… dampened the mood there, didn’t he?
“Sorry, I know you have better taste in tales. I just-”
“I think Recluse is the best brother for you between the two, at least.”
“Oh?”
“I can’t believe I have to be your intel-” The younger one let out a deep, annoyed sigh, but Sage could feel a hint of amusement in his voice. At least one of them was trying to make things sound less gloomy, huh’ “-but Healer is apparently known to be someone incredibly popular among his people? Probably the reason they’re keeping him, duh. I just believe having around someone who can outshine you wouldn’t be great since we both know once things are all said and done you won’t try really hard for your position.”
There was no judgement in that last sentence, after all both knew it was the truth. Sage worked hard to keep appearances up, even harder just to make his mother proud, but he didn’t know if he could keep up working like this, not when all his passions and interests had been pushed to the side in exchange of etiquette and political lessons.
“So you’re saying someone who lives in the shadows, if the name is anything to go by, is the better choice?”
“He won’t steal your thunder, so to speak.”
That was something, at least, no one wanted a foreign prince consort to be more relevant than the actual king, right? Ugh, he didn’t want to care about that. With a groan, he merely rolled over, almost squeezing a protesting little brother under his weight and closed his eyes.
At least he still had until spring.