It was early afternoon on a rainy day when Lukas Von Lichtenwald found himself standing in front of the imperial castle of Kasin. Its three impossibly tall towers stretched into the hazy, overcast grey sky, their peaks obscured by the weather even from nearly at their base. He pulled his cloak tighter around him, its ends heavier than normal as the wool had absorbed the rain on his walk over.

With a wave, he dismissed the guards that accompanied him. Since he’d refused a ride in the family carriage, his uncle had demanded that he at least be accompanied by a few knights on the way to the castle. And with Father scheduled to arrive the next morning, Lukas had figured now wasn’t the time to be misbehaving.

The leader of the guard, a middle aged man with a rather extravagant moustache who’s name Lukas hadn’t bothered to remember, bid him farewell and then led the others back into the streets. He was alone now, watched only by the royal guard that looked after the castle grounds. Their eyes were on him, but none of them seemed keen on approaching.

Eventually, as he stood waiting in the courtyard, a young man in the armour of a captain nervously approached him.

“W-wel.. Ahem,” he coughed, clearly uncomfortable.

Ah, must be newly promoted, then, Lukas thought. He recognized the lack of confidence well.

“Welcome to the imperial palace, Lord Lukas. We were informed of your arrival, may we have the honour of escorting you inside?”

Lukas looked him up and down with a critical eye. The young man, who seemed to still be in his mid teens, tried his best not to look nervous.

Must be the son of someone important enough to get him an undeserved promotion, but not important enough to be a proper noble. Perhaps it would be best to avoid offending him, at least until I’ve learned his family name.

Lukas let a friendly smile spread on his face, as he extended a palm in a comforting gesture.

“You may. Is Prince Cassius waiting inside already?”

The young captain gave perhaps the clumsiest bow Lukas had ever seen, not to mention being far too late in the conversation. He was supposed to bow as he welcomed him, not after.

Why can’t people just learn etiquette? It’s so much easier when they do. How do I even talk to someone, when they don’t follow the script? Am I supposed to be offended now?

He kept the friendly smile on his face, as he fought the urge to sigh. People were… tiring.

The captain carried on with a clumsy attempt at conversation, telling Lukas perhaps the most boring historical details about the castle itself that he had ever heard. Worse yet, he had heard them all before, during his tutoring back home in Selerica. He nodded along and asked meaningless questions, biting his tongue as he held back from correcting the poor captain on the details he got wrong.

At least the horrified expressions of the other guards that followed them were amusing.

“...And that’s how Prince Horace the Seventeenth founded his Circle of the Blue Knights, which lasted a full two years before being slain in the Second Battle of Orrchester, in 542. Fascinating, isn’t it, Your Honour?”

…It’s ‘Your Grace’, Lukas corrected him internally. What am I now, a judge?

Outwardly, he merely smiled and nodded again.

“Lovely story, that. They truly were a… force to be reckoned with?”

Wait, when did their discussion turn from the history of the castle to knightly circles from three centuries ago, anyway?

The young captain bobbed his head excitedly. Lukas had to give him credit… While his efficacy as a guard captain was certainly up for debate, his passion for history was not. Even if he got about a third of everything he said wrong.

Several of the guards around them looked ready to die of embarrassment, and Lukas suppressed a grin. He actually felt bad for them… they were probably terrified of being punished for their captain’s foolish behaviour. Of course, Lukas could hardly care less, at least it was more amusing than the stoic silence of his own family’s guard in Selerica.

“And what shall I call thee, noble captain?” Lukas asked, as they arrived at the set of ornate double doors that led to Cassius’ personal study tower.

“Ah! Captain Ulrich, Your Honour. It has been a pleasure to escort you.”

He bowed again, with somewhat better form this time. It was still far from a pass, but Lukas had other things on his mind.

“Ulrich… a Selerican name, no?” Lukas wondered aloud.

“Yes! My family left the Archduchy of Selerica just after I was born. I’ve lived in Kasin for as long as I can remember.”

Interesting… that certainly narrows down his possible family connections quite a bit.

It was something to look into later, though. Preferably while away from the imperial palace. His curiosity was piqued, and countless lessons in court politics had told him this was something to be wary of.

A place such as the imperial palace did not send out an incompetent, inexperienced captain to welcome the son of an Archduke. Not without intending offence… or perhaps, as a way of testing him.

And he wanted to know why.

Lukas smiled brightly, bowed properly, and bade the guards and Captain Ulrich farewell. They were at least polite enough to open the heavy double doors for him, though it was two of the guards and not the captain himself that did it. It seemed they had had enough of the embarrassment, and moved of their own accord when it became clear the captain wasn’t going to give the command.

A moment later, Lukas found himself at the bottom of the massive, open tower library, a familiar magic circle carved into the floor in the very centre.

He sighed, mentally preparing himself, before stepping onto the stone circle and feeling the magic underneath activate. Just as it had last time, gravity reversed, and his stomach sunk low in his belly as he was shot upwards at a dizzying speed.

He slowed, his hair floating up to stand nearly straight as the magic guided him gently to the side, setting his feet down on the edge of the wooden platform at the top floor.

From behind his desk, Cassius greeted him without looking up from the leather bound book he was reading.

“You’re twenty minutes late.”

“I’m fairly certain your guard captain got lost in the castle. I could have sworn I passed by the same painting at least twice.”

Cassius’ coal black eyes looked up from the book he held, meeting Lukas’ own.

“Was it the one of my great aunt Cornelia?”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“Miserable old cow, looks like she might enjoy eating children, perhaps out of a large cast iron pot?”

“I believe that’s the one, yes.”

Cassius nodded sincerely.

“Believe it or not, I’ve shown the new captain the route several times already. To be completely honest, I’m not sure how he manages to get lost. There are only three turns, you know?”

Lukas took a seat at the desk, sitting with perfect posture even as Cassius was leaning his chair back, with his boots up on the edge of the desk.

“I do believe you, actually. Given his accuracy with his history lessons, I’m not certain that man can remember anything correctly. Did you know he thinks the first war with Cylthia happened in 722? Honestly, it’s almost impressive how someone can be so confidently wrong.”

Cassius’ already pale skin turned an even more ghostly shade of white.

“Oh, Fate… he tried to give a history lesson to distract from him getting lost again, didn’t he?”

“Again?”

“It’s been a recurring problem,” Cassius deadpanned. A thoughtful look crossed his face. “At this point, even I feel sorry for him, on account of how many young lords and ladies he’s bored to the brink of death. The scoldings that fool must have gone through by now…”

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“You don’t strike me as the sympathetic type.”

The thoughtful look disappeared in an instant as Cassius shrugged.

“You’re right, but it’s the thought that counts, no?”

I really don’t think you were thinking much about him at all…

“I suppose so,” Lukas said dryly.

“Now, we’re here to discuss business, are we not?” Cassius said, snapping his book shut with one hand as he abruptly took his feet down from the desk and leaned forward.

“Not until you drop the truth-detection spell you’ve been holding.”

Cassius froze, holding his eye for a moment.

“Lucky guess.”

“Is it really lucky if you’ve pulled the same trick every time I’ve met with you?”

Cassius shrugged.

“Can you really blame a prince for trying?”

“Yes. And as I’ve told you, if I’m going to put faith in you in the future, you’re going to have to put some in me as well. What use is a partnership if we can’t trust each other’s words?”

Cassius looked at him with a curious expression.

“You actually mean that, too. How peculiar.”

Lukas leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms.

Cassius shook his head before raising a hand and waving, two navy blue magic circles appearing above his shoulders before dissipating into glittering, star-like dust that then faded to nothing.

“There, satisfied?”

Lukas nodded.

“Good. Now that we’re trusting each other, let’s discuss the plan once more.”

They had spent the past few weeks writing to each other, using the magic paper scroll Cassius had sent to Lukas. Many late nights under candlelight had been spent plotting, discussing details and brainstorming, but it was slow going compared to a real, face to face conversation.

“We need to investigate these Undercarries, and discover if they truly were the ones who sold the Rukh poison found on the bolt that targeted your brother. The odds are, either they sold it to a political rival of ours… or they conducted the assassination attempt themselves. In the former case, bribing the information out of them will likely be expensive. In the latter, we’re likely to become targets ourselves.”

Lukas nodded thoughtfully, a hand to his chin as his brow furrowed in concentration.

“If it’s the latter,” Lukas added. “Even exposing who we are is likely to be dangerous. We’d risk being captured for ransom… or killed outright.”

“A proper disguise will be necessary, no doubt,” Cassius said as he began twirling a quill delicately in one hand. He had taken to leaning back in his chair, his boots back on top of the desk again. “I can disguise myself with magic, but I’m afraid casting two spells at once is still entirely beyond me. Even for simple magics, it’s exponentially more difficult to dual cast, and three is nigh on impossible.”

“I hadn’t even considered a magical disguise,” Lukas admitted. “I had assumed we would use… well, disguises.”

Cassius looked at him with immense disappointment.

“What use is a… what did you call it… a partnership with a wizard, if you aren’t going to exploit magic to solve mundane problems at every opportunity?”

“Perhaps mundane problems simply require mundane solutions.”

“Mundane solutions are boring. I desire overcomplication.”

“Are you truly taking this seriously?” Lukas asked.

“When am I ever not?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re mildly infuriating?”

Cassius pouted.

“Only mildly?”

“We need a starting point,” Lukas said with a sigh. “Somewhere to begin an investigation, where we won’t arouse too much suspicion. Either from the Undercarries, or from our own houses.”

Cassius nodded, looking thoughtful. Whether he was being genuine or not, Lukas couldn’t even begin to guess.

“A gambling hall, perhaps?”

“Too many eyes, and too many guards,” Lukas responded. “We’d likely not even be let in the door.”

Cassius frowned.

“Wouldn’t that write off most other options, as well? Any tavern or whorehouse they own would likely be just as guarded.”

Lukas flushed red at the thought of barging into a whorehouse of all places, though Cassius seemed not to notice as he stared off at the ceiling pensively.

“If we’re writing off any large operations, then we’ll need to look for something smaller. Something quaint, perhaps not a gambling hall or brothel but a… small den of murderers or thieves, hm?”

Without reserve, Lukas sighed.

“You’re trying to get us killed, aren’t you?”

“What? Of course not. I quite enjoy being alive, in fact.”

“Fine. You’re going to get me killed.”

“I’m admittedly less upset about that prospect.”

There wasn’t so much as a twitch to Cassius’ mouth to belay humour, but the slight narrowing of his eyes told Lukas that the prince was joking. At least, he hoped that’s what it meant.

“Don’t look so down, Lukas. Where’s your sense of adventure? Your wonder at the unknown? Don’t you look at all the walls around you and desire something more?”

Lukas straightened in his seat, taken aback at the sudden change in Cassius tone. It was subtle, still hidden under layers of frivolity and a carefree smirk, but Lukas just barely caught the whisper of something else underneath. He was certain that, just then, he’d seen through to something deeper in the young prince, something Cassius hadn’t meant for him to see.

Still, Lukas felt himself starting to go red. Not with embarrassment, but with anger. A wave of frustration and fury came over him at the prince’s frivolity, and Lukas slowly clenched a fist.

Cassius’ grin faltered, before he huffed and leaned back further in his chair.

“I suppose not, then,” the black haired prince said quietly.

“Before we leave,” Lukas said. “You must know something. I am not here for an adventure, or to play games with you. I’m not looking for the unknown out of some foolish sense of wanderlust, or to see beyond some walls which I am perfectly fine with.”

With each passing sentence, Lukas leaned further in his chair, until his hands rested on the desk between them and he rose to his feet.

“I am here because I love my brother, and I will not rest until I can be certain he is safe. If that means I am to risk my own life in the process, so be it.”

Lukas hadn’t even realised that he had started to raise his voice, and as he finished, Cassius looked at him with a wide-eyed expression, frozen in his chair as Lukas primly fixed the collar of his shirt.

Gently sitting back down in the now silent library tower, Lukas coughed politely to clear his throat.

“My apologies. I believe I understand how seriously you’re taking this now.”

“Apology accepted.”

“Not that I’ll be changing my attitude in the slightest… but I suppose I can take things more seriously, at least in the ways that matter. I hope you shall find that to be enough.”

Lukas nodded once. It was something, at least, and he felt the wave of redness slowly leaving him.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

“Cassius,” Lukas said, bringing a hand to his chin as he stared down at the floor, eyes unseeing as he became lost in thought. “Did you say a small den of thieves, by chance?”

“Or murderers.”

Lukas ignored him, memories playing in his mind.

“How prominent are the Undercarries within the criminal underground of Kasin?”

Cassius chuckled.

“They’ve run every other criminal organisation out of the city by this point. There isn’t a bandit, smuggler or lowlife east of Selerica that isn’t snuggled into their nest, in one way or another.”

“How about petty thieves from the Arklands?”

For once, Cassius actually looked surprised.

“Some of the refugees in the tent camp, you mean? They’ve only arrived recently, and from the far west, at that. It would be less likely for them to have a connection, but perhaps not impossible.”

“Not some of the refugees. Just one. And young, at that. Perhaps a year younger than either of us.”

Cassius raised an eyebrow, pushing the front legs of his chair off the ground as he leaned back in thought.

“This isn’t widely known outside of Kasin,” Cassius said. “But the Undercarries have a bit of a reputation for the… recruitment of young children. Ever since their new leader rose to prominence, at least.”

“Recruitment? Of what sorts? And who is this new leader?”

Cassius splayed his hands out in a placative gesture.

“They call him the Songbird, but I know little more than that. And it seems he makes it a habit to either recruit or kill just about anyone he comes across in the Kasin underground, including the young and the elderly. It’s only been a few months since he claimed the helm, but with him leading the Undercarries, it isn’t unlikely that a single, young thief might be connected to them.”

Lukas’ eyes narrowed, and he pinched his chin a little tighter. This was getting more complicated by the second.

“Cassius, do you perhaps have a magical solution for a mundane problem of mine?”

The prince raised an eyebrow.

“Depends on the mundane problem.”

“See, my pockets were picked, not too long ago. I’m hoping you might have a way to trace down the culprit.”

“Was it just some coin? Or did you lose something more personal?” Cassius responded, looking excited. There was a twinkle in his glossy black eyes that hadn’t been present before.

“Personal. A coin purse, gifted to me by my mother last year, along with its contents.”

Cassius looked thoughtful for a moment, before hopping up from his chair. He walked smoothly along the base of the tower’s circular wall, tracing a finger along the spines of book after book as he went. Eventually, he settled on one with a plain brown leather cover, and delicate gold trim. Lukas watched as he went.

As Cassius pulled the book from the shelf, he flipped it open and began flicking through the pages. In a few moments he landed on one, a devilish grin on his face.

“I think I have just the spell.”