-1The Crown Prince's birth was talked about for years. His father had been killed by poison three weeks before the queen was found to be pregnant. The queen herself died on the birthing bed, the midwives unable to stop the bleeding. At the Prince's christening, and evil fairy cursed the child, saying he would die before his eighteenth birthday, pricked by his Father's crown. As the evil fairy faded away, one of the remaining good fairies used her gifts to bypass the curse, assuring that the prince would only sleep. The boy's uncle, the new regent for the kingdom, narrowed his eyes and slipped the evil fairy some money as she revisited him later that night.
As the kingdom grew restless, the Regent, King Jude publicly melted the King's crown, and sent the child away to stay with witches, saying that he would not return until the day after his eighteenth birthday to stop the curse from ever occurring. And so the crown prince faded into the background of the kingdom's politics as war, drought, and pirate attacks descended upon the land. Soon, Prince Tsule's name was but a distant whisper in the minds of the court.
"Juniper, Tsule! Surely you must be done gathering herbs!" Scarlet yelled across the field surrounding the large cottage.
"We surely are!" Came the shout from a nearby apple tree. The woman turned around to see her two charges grinning at her from amongst the leafy branches.
"Then get down here." Scarlet scolded, shaking her head. "It's almost dinner. And you better not have filled up on apples."
"We were gathering them." Tsule said as he jumped down. "So Juniper can make apple pie."
"I think we should teach Tsule here to make them." Juniper said as she climbed down and tugged on a lock of Tsule's blue hair. "Just because he's a boy doesn't mean he shouldn't know how to bake. Or cook, for that matter."
"The difference," Claret said, coming from the stream with a load of laundry, "Is that Tsule is here because he is our nephew. You are here to learn the Craft." Juniper pouted.
"And I finished that two years ago. I am nearly fifteen, and yet I still stay with my teachers." she pointed out.
"That is merely a failure to kick you out." Tsule teased, earning a sharp kick from the brown haired sorceress.
"Ow!"
"Serves you right." Scarlet said when Tsule began to whine. "You're almost seventeen, you should be able to defend yourself against a fifteen year old girl."
"But Juniper's different! She's… she's vicious!" Tsule argued.
"Oh? And how many other fifteen year old girls do you know to compare her to?" Claret asked with a snort. When Tsule mumbled something about not even seeing another girl, Claret continued. "So you don't know if she is any more vicious then the others. Now take our baskets in and see if Violet needs any help cooking. That goes for you , too Juniper." The two women handed the teens the baskets and sent them inside.
"Do you think we should take Tsule into town?" Scarlet muttered to Claret as soon as they disappeared into the house. "We don't want to overwhelm him when he turns nineteen."
"No." Claret replied, shaking her head. "We can't risk any bit of that crown floating around. Who knows who might have gotten so much of a droplet from the melted mound it became." Scarlet nodded in agreement and they entered the house.
Tsule had a problem sleeping that night. His bed was by the only window in the room that Juniper and he shared. He was currently sitting up in his bed leaning against the headboard with his knees drawn to his chest, looking outside at the full moon.
"Can't sleep?" he heard Juniper's voice ask. Tsule turned his head to see her standing there, watching him with a hint of concern.
"No, not really." Tsule said as he shook his head. Juniper smiled and sat down at the foot of his bed and turned to look out the window.
"I can't either. I don't know why; tonight feels like it's going to be different somehow." she said with a sigh before turning back to Tsule.
"I know what you mean." he replied, echoing her sigh.
"You know," Juniper suddenly said, "I've been thinking of leaving here."
"What!?" Tsule asked, quickly sitting upright. Juniper gave him a small, understanding smile.
"I have been here for two more years then necessary. I should get out into the world and do things. Scarlet, Claret, and Violet do say I'm one of the most powerful people they've ever met." Juniper explained.
"Yeah, but I'd hate to lose my honorary sister and be left here alone." Tsule said, referring to an old childhood pact. Juniper smiled at that.
"You'll get out of here and see the world, Tsule. They'll let you go eventually. Don't worry."
"Hopefully." Tsule said with a sigh and leaned back before shooting straight up. "There's someone in the field!" Juniper was quickly at the window, balancing on her hands and knees.
"It's a man, and he's hurt." Juniper said, quickly jumping up and running for the ladder that led down into the cottage. Tsule tore off his blankets and followed her. Juniper was already putting on her coat and unlocking the door when Tsule got down the ladder, so he woke up his aunts and told them what was happening before the followed her, pulling on his own cloak to protect against the cool autumn air made colder by the night.
"Easy now." Juniper was saying as she helped the red haired man remain standing. Tsule could see blood all over the man, and howls of wolves in the distance made him understand what probably happened.
"Berle… Quint…" The man was gasping, "Is Parre okay?"
"Calm down, they're not here so they weren't attacked." Juniper assured the man before glancing at Claret, who was the first women to reach them. "He isn't here to hurt us, and his aura and some probing says he won't hurt us unless we hurt him."
"Then we should do our best, then." Scarlet said, quickly assessing the damage the man had on sight. "Bring him into the house. Claret, run and tell Violet to ready one of the beds. I'll get rid of the wolves. " Tsule and Juniper each slid under one of his arms and helped him take staggering steps inside.
"Are you allergic to anything?" Violet asked the semiconscious man as they laid him down.
"…mangos… poison ivy…poison oak…poison sumac.. That's it." the man muttered, eyelids fluttering as Violet brought him into a deep sleep.
"All right, that's good." she said soothingly before giving orders. "Tsule, go get water and add wood to the fire so we can boil it. Claret, go with him and magic some hot water fast. Juniper, get bandages and all the salves and pastes." Tsule grabbed two buckets and ran with Claret at his side, praying that the man would be okay.
The man was still asleep in the morning. Violet announced that he didn't have a fever, and that it was important to change his bandages frequently and keep his wounds clean so they didn't get infected. The man, she reported, and two stab wounds and several wolf bites. Tsule wondered if someone tried to kill him and left him for dead. If he could fight wolves and run away from them with stab wounds, then this man was tough indeed.
"Are we sure he's not a convict or something?" Tsule muttered to Juniper as they gathered wood for the fire. Juniper shook her head.
"I don't know about that. His aura did have a dark shadow. But it also said that he would hurt us unless we hurt him. He's not a threat." She explained.
Three days later, as the man still slept, Scarlet, Violet, and Claret left for town for supplies. Juniper went out into the woods to look for more plants so they could make more slaves, and left Tsule with the man and a charm Tsule could use to alert her if the man woke up. Tsule had fondly watched his aunts' backs disappear into the woods, begin their half day walk into town. Scarlet was the smart one; she was the one that actually taught Tsule and Juniper their lessons. Violet was much better and domestic chores like cooking, cleaning, and healing. Claret was much tougher; she taught Tsule how to hunt and work the garden and how to cut a tree for wood, since he could not use magic like they could.
"…Blue hair is…unusual." Tsule heard a cracked voice say from the bed behind him. Tsule spun around to see the man looking at him, eyes tired but still alert.
"I wouldn't know." Tsule replied, touching the charm before walking over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore. Where am I?" the man asked, watching him intently.
"In my aunts' cabin… I don't really know where this is, though." Tsule said after a pause.
"You don't even know the name of the woods?" the man finally asked. Tsule shook his head.
"I've never left the property." Tsule admitted, a little embarrassed. The man gave him a long look.
"What's your name?" he then asked.
"Tsule." The name's owner replied. A small smile flitted across the man's lips.
"An unusual name for an unusual head." he said before yawning. "My name is Caden. Captain Caden, actually." Tsule opened his mouth to ask him what he was the captain of when Juniper burst into the cottage.
"You're awake!" she gasped, out of breath from running with the large basked of necessary plants. "Do you need anything?"
"Something to drink would be good." Caden replied as Juniper set the basket down. Tsule looked in the water barrel.
"We don't have any. I'll get some and fill the barrel while I'm at it." he said before heading towards the stream. By the time Tsule finished, Juniper had gotten him some water and was giving him broth.
"You're doing amazingly well." Juniper said, helping him sit up and put a tray for the broth across his lap so he could eat. "It must have to do with that strong healing spell from that charm around your neck."
"So you're a sorceress, eh?" Caden asked with a laugh. "It does help, doesn't it. My brother made it for me."
"Is he a sorcerer?" Tsule asked, putting down the bucket.
"Yeah. One of the best." Caden sighed, looking down at his broth. "What's my projected recovery rate?"
"…If you're lucky, you can leave in the spring." Juniper finally replied.
"What!?" he exclaimed, jerking with alarm. "I can't wait that long!"
"It's fall, almost winter. You won't be ready to leave until winter is already here, and then you won't be able to leave period." Juniper shook her head. "Spring is the earliest possible time." Caden looked troubled.
"Could you send a letter for me then? So my family knows that I am alright." he asked. Juniper smiled and nodded. "Of course, Scarlet can send it when she goes to town to stock up right before winter."
"Scarlet?" he asked blankly.
"One of my aunts, Scarlet, Violet, and Claret." Tsule supplied "This is their cottage. I live here with them."
"Ah. I thought the other two beds were yours. Where are they?" he asked, looking around and noticing the loft.
"They went into town to get supplies. They'll be back around nightfall." Juniper said.
"So, are you two lovers? Siblings? What?" Caden asked them. Tsule stared at him, a blush sprouting across his cheeks.
"Ehn, n-no!" Tsule stuttered. Juniper laughed and shook her head.
"I'm a student of Tsule's aunts. They taught me magic." she explained. "I'm sort-of like Tsule's sister, though."
"Ah." Caden said, only responding out of politeness as he turned all of his attention to his broth. Juniper smiled across the bed at Tsule, amused as his cheeks finally returned to their normal paler color.
When the aunts returned home, Violet checked over Caden and the salves Juniper had made during the day. She also confirmed Juniper's expected projection of recovery, something Caden remained a little worried about. Because Violet had to take care of Caden, Juniper decided to stay until spring to help Tsule, Scarlet, and Claret get ready for winter. Caden was still banished to his bed, as while he healed quickly, but he lost most of his energy in the process. So whenever they brought in vegetables to preserve during winter, Caden was the one who cut it up. Tsule and Claret also worked to cut enough wood for heat, something they had been steadily building on all summer. The bit of help Caden did actually made an impact on their preparations, and by the time the first hard frost hit they were more than ready, and Caden even had enough energy to help lug some wood.
By the beginning of winter Caden could move about the house all day comfortably, so the aunts sent him up in the attic with Tsule and Juniper, where he had to share a bed with Tsule. Unfortunately, the three roommates had too much in common to do much sleeping, and they usually ended up quietly playing cards or watched each other play chess.
"Checkmate." Juniper told Caden smugly, knocking down his black queen. Caden scowled back at her.
"I haven't lost a game to a girl for a long time. Figures I'd lose to you." he huffed, before laughing and shaking his head. "You're smart for seventeen."
"You flatter me, really." Juniper replied, primping her hair. "It's cold, too cold for myself. I'm going to sleep downstairs next to the fire. Do you want my bed, Caden?" Caden shook his head.
"It's only bearable up here because we share a bed. If we split we'd lose body heat and it'd be pointless." he explained as Tsule's head popped up the ladder, melting snowflakes still on his bangs, acquired as he had gone to the shed for extra firewood.
"Scarlet says if you're going to sleep down there to go now, because they're going to bed soon." Tsule said with a yawn, heading over to the trunk so he could quickly change into dry nightclothes. Juniper nodded and grabbed her pillow and blankets and tossed them down the ladder, earning a scolding from Claret. She rolled her eyes, bid them goodnight and climbed down. Caden chuckled and turned around so he could get into the bed, smirking as he watched Tsule pull of his shirt, unaware of the lecherous gaze Caden was giving him. It should be mentioned that Caden was a good man. That didn't mean he was above exploiting a chance for a peep show like this. After all, he was a good man with needs.
After Tsule finished changing he joined Caden in the bed that Claret and Juniper had magically stretched. He climbed over to the spot next to the window that Caden always let him have. He buried himself under the covers and waited for their bodies to heat the space so he could fall asleep like he always did.
"So, did you ever know your parents?" Caden asked. Tsule rolled over to face him, resting his head on the pillow.
"No. I've never really even asked the aunts about them much; but they did tell me that my father died while my mother was pregnant and that she died in childbirth. They say I'm very lucky to have survive." Tsule replied, biting back a yawn.
"I didn't know my parents either." Caden said, giving up a small smile. "I grew up in an orphanage with my three siblings."
"What are their names?" Tsule asked. Caden hadn't really talked about his life, so he was inter tested.
"Well there's Parre; he's my older brother. He ended up becoming a merchant, because he was adopted into that family. Then there's Quint, who's younger than me. He's the sorcerer I talk about. And the youngest is Berle, she's the girl of the family. We're quite protective older brothers." Caden chuckled, his eyes distant as he saw memories that Tsule suddenly wished he could share. "She's a very good cook; I'd to see her and Violet unleashed on a kitchen."
"Juniper's the closest thing I have a sister, and she didn't show up until I was ten." Tsule said, but he was smiling.
"She's an interesting girl." Caden admitted just as Tsule emitted a giant yawn. He chuckled and ruffled Tsule's hair. "Get some sleep. We can share our reminiscing in the morning." Tsule nodded and said good night before rolling onto his side. Soon he was sleeping peacefully. That is to say, he was sleeping peacefully.
"Tsule" A voice called. "Tsule"
Tsule fidgeted a little. The voice was velvety smooth and somewhat familiar. His name was called again and this time Tsule shivered, hearing raw sensuality in the voice.
"Tsule, won't you open your eyes" The voice purred before Tsule felt fingers running down his sides as lips attacked his neck and throat. Tsule felt unable to, the little kisses drawing him in. The lips must have sensed this, for they lightly bit down on the flesh were Tsule's neck met his shoulders. Tsule's eyes flew open, and he saw dark red hair.
Dark…red…hair?
"Awake?" Caden whispered, his breath ghosting across Tsule's bare chest. Wait…bare!?
Tsule moved to sit up but Caden merely brought his hands to push him back down before turning his attention to one of Tsule's nipples. His mouth descended on it, licking and kissing it before biting it.
"C..Caden!" Tsule managed to say.
"What?" Caden replied innocently as he turned his attention to the other twin peak.
"St…stop!" Tsule gasped as his nerves delivered a wave of pleasure and sent blood rushing …lower.
"Do you really want me to?" Caden asked with a dark chuckle as his hand went the way of the blood, slipping his hand down Tsule's body.
"Caden!" Tsule gasped again, but he wasn't sure if it was in protest or in pleasure.
"Tsule…Tsule…
"Tsule? Wake up, you're having a bad dream." Caden's voice cut through the fog of Tsule's dream, bringing him back to harsh reality. His blue head shot straight up, narrowly missing Caden's as he scooted out of the way.
"Are you okay?" Caden asked. Tsule shot his gaze downward, noticing a small lump in the blanket.
"Fine!" Tsule replied too quickly.
"You were muttering and tossing in your sleep. Are you sure you're okay?" Caden asked, and Tsule could see his eyes glittering in the moonlight that shone through the window.
"Yeah… I… dreamed I was drowning!" Tsule blurted, thinking of a quick lie. "I think it's cause I have to go to the bathroom. Excuse me." And with that he darted down the ladder for the little makeshift room they had downstairs that the aunts had designed for such an occasion, leaving Caden behind with his head tilted to the side.
Wow. That is Compeletly different from the original. And it is only part one --. Truth is, I really like the characters of Juniper (who will show up A LOT) and Tsule and Caden. So in this version of the story, you really get more of them. Wh00tness.