wishing for home
and friendship

Arthur stood still, looking out at the landscape beyond the glass window. The snowstorm continued to rage on, the sky completely obscured by the clouds, not letting any light reflect on the white snow covering the ground. Usually, Arthur would have been appalled by such a landscape, much preferring when the sun was shining, as Oz would allow him to explore the area around the castle. 

 

However, tonight was different. 

 

Dark snowstorms like this reminded him of the day he’d arrived at the castle. Or rather, of the day he’d been abandoned in the mountains surrounding it. Being a child, he was aware it might have been something he couldn’t understand yet (adults said that a lot), but the pain and the freezing cold from that day had remained just as clear even now.

 

He wondered if his parents would ever come back for him someday. If one day, his mother would cradle him in his arms again and tell him how much he loved him. If one day, they’d be marveled by the magic he used, instead of being afraid of it. He should be yearning to return home, where he was born and where his real family was, but…

 

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, his train of thought interrupted. He didn’t need to turn around to know who he was – it was Master Oz. The person who had rescued him from that nightmarish night. 

 

“You should be asleep.”

 

Master Oz looked down at him, meeting his eyes. Arthur quickly cast down his head. Oz was right, but Arthur didn’t think he would be able to fall asleep feeling like this. So instead of agreeing, he decided to tackle one of many questions in his head directly. 

 

“Why did everyone leave me?”

 

No response, although Arthur was sure Oz had heard him correctly. He went for another question.

 

“Did they not like me?”

 

Still no response. He thought Oz would be upset by now, so after his last question, Arthur would take his advice and finally go to bed. He waited for a few more seconds, and then spoke up again.

 

“Will they come back?”

 

“... They won’t come back for you,” Oz finally responded, and Arthur cast his eyes even lower. 

 

“I…” he started, but Oz continued talking, saying something he wasn’t expecting.

 

“You can make yourself at home.”

 

Oz didn’t smile, nor bend down to pat his head like the people at the castle did. Still, with those words, Arthur felt his chest swelling up with warmth. He was welcome here. He might have been born in the Central castle, but just a few words from Oz had put him much more at ease than how he’d ever felt during his time there. With just a few words, the bond between them had clearly grown stronger. Arthur didn’t want this warmth in his chest to ever fade out. 

 

Feeling relaxed enough to sleep now (and finding out he was indeed very sleepy), they both walked to his bedroom. Oz made sure he had enough blankets to not feel cold through the night, like he always did. By the time he’d left, Arthur had completely forgotten the loneliness from before. Even if there were nights he wished to return to his home, there could be nothing that would feel more like home than Oz’s castle.

 

He peeked out of the window one last time, and saw that the snowstorm had completely cleared during the time he’d spent with Oz. He watched as the northern lights slowly became visible, slightly illuminating part of the room with their rainbow-colored hues. He’d never seen something like this while living in Central. Even if the North was said to be a cold and ruthless place, there was nothing that could match up to its scenery. A shooting star passed by, and Arthur’s eyes lit in the dark, quickly reciting the first wish that came to his mind. I wish to meet more people like Oz who are there for me soon.

 

After this, Arthur closed his eyes, and peacefully, he fell asleep. 

 

He was at home. 

 

​

​

​

Arthur slowly woke up, opening his eyes slightly. He tried to recall what he’d dreamt about that night, but it completely slipped out of his mind the moment he tried to remember it. Even then, he felt relaxed. It must have been a nice dream, he thought.

 

He turned around, still in bed. Sunlight was seeping through his window, indicating it was likely far past early morning. Realizing he must have overslept, he got up from bed as quickly as he could, changed clothes, and ran downstairs, hoping he would still be able to catch breakfast on time.

 

As he thought, Nero was no longer in the kitchen. Arthur sighed, slightly disappointed but not exactly surprised. It had been his own fault for oversleeping, after all. Thankfully his presence wasn’t required in the castle this morning. He was thinking of places where he could have breakfast in the city at this hour (there was one place he knew that was always open, right in the corner of an intersection of the road) when a familiar voice called out to him.

 

“Good morning, Prince Arthur!” Riquet greeted him cheerfully, clasping his hands together. “You weren’t here for breakfast this morning. Did something come up?”

 

“Ah, good morning, Riquet!” Arthur greeted back. “And no, everything is alright. I just seem to have overslept a little this morning…”

 

“You know it’s not good to overindulge in such pleasantries, Prince Arthur.”

 

“Well…” Arthur trailed off thinking of an answer that would satisfy Riquet, not wanting to disappoint the younger boy, but Riquet just sighed, and shook his head.

 

“Don’t worry. I will forgive you this time.” Riquet nodded, and grabbed one of Arthur’s hands. “You needn’t worry about breakfast, either! I saved some of the omelet Nero made me in case you wanted it.”

 

“Thank you so much, Riquet. There’s no need to worry this much about me, though; I would have been able to manage.”

 

“Geez, but you should also rest when needed!” Riquet’s smile turned to a pout. “If that can keep you from going to bed late, and then oversleeping, then I’ll gladly take care of you. It’s part of my duty, after all.”

 

Riquet led Arthur to the nearest table, and took out the leftovers he’d saved. Arthur wanted to help him set up the table, but Riquet insisted on keeping him seated, saying there was no need for him to do that. Shortly after, their omelet was ready, and Riquet sat down next to Arthur, satisfied with his work.

 

“It’s delicious, like always. I’ll be sure to thank Nero for the meal later.”

 

“Arthur, Riquet, is it you two in there?”

 

Both boys turned their heads to the door, and saw Cain standing below the doorframe calling out to them. They ran up to him and quickly touched his hand (Arthur gave him a high-five, and Riquet gave him a handshake. Cain wouldn’t have needed to see them to guess who did which).

 

“Good morning. Cain! Though I guess it’s already well past noon…” Arthur said, forgetting about his early mishap.

 

“Nah, I think it’s still early enough. We just tend to get up too early, don’t we?” Cain glanced at the table next to them, and smiled. “Were you guys having breakfast?”

 

Riquet nodded. “We were, yes.”

 

“Mind if I join you?”

 

Cain rushed to the kitchen to make something for himself as quickly as possible, and returned to the table in the dining hall where Arthur and Riquet were sitting. 

 

“I usually eat a bit more than this. I hope I won’t get hungry later on in the day…” Cain sat down with them, and sighed as he glanced at his newly-made sandwich, which was most likely not going to fill up his stomach. 

 

They continued to eat in silence, which gave Arthur the time to think he hadn’t had in the morning right after waking up. Thankfully, his presence wasn’t required at the castle that day, so he could take it easy finishing up the food. Because of his status as the Prince of Central Country, it wasn’t everyday he got to have breakfast with someone else. Maybe dinner if he was lucky, even though last time that happened Oz had to magically drag him back to the Manor. 

 

He was aware of his role in the functioning of Central Country, and yet he couldn’t help but wish he hadn’t been charged with such an important title at times like this – times he could have spent having breakfast with his friends, or doing any other activity, for that matter. Arthur didn’t want to admit it, but perhaps he was slightly lonely. He quickly drove those thoughts away. Something else was scratching at his mind too, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what. He felt like it was related to what he’d dreamt about that night.

 

“You alright, Prince Arthur?” 

 

Cain’s voice snapped Arthur back to reality, who quickly shook his head. He must have noticed me feeling down, he thought. “Yes, i-it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought.”

 

“About what?” Riquet asked, curious.

 

“How should I put it… It’s a little difficult to explain…” Arthur smiled awkwardly. “I suppose I’m not quite used to having breakfast with everyone yet…”

 

“Huh? But we’ve been living here for a few years already!” Riquet answered. “But… I think I understand you. After all, I still don’t know a lot about the outside world…”

 

“Yeah… Prince Arthur didn’t get to do many things for fun before being chosen as a Sage’s wizard, either. I know that well… But that’s in the past now! Now that we’re living here at the Manor, we’ve had lots of fun times together, haven’t we?”

 

“That’s…”

 

Suddenly, Arthur was able to completely recall what his dream that night was, after all those small glimpses the conversation had made him remember – something about one of the many nights he’d spent at Oz’s castle when he was little. That familiar warmth making its way through his chest, as if remembering something important. A wish he’d made many years ago, on a shooting star. To meet more people like Oz, people who would care for him and love him. 

 

Arthur looked back fondly on that wish. In the past, he’d spent countless nights thinking why he’d been abandoned, wishing that same thing over and over and over. And now, even if he still had to take care of his duties as the Prince of Central, his wish to be surrounded with people that truly loved him unconditionally had come true at last. No matter how distanced he felt from others at times, he didn’t have to fight his isolating feelings alone anymore. For his friends would always be there to help him.

 

“... Yes, you’re right, Cain. And I’m certain I’ll become accustomed to it eventually.” Arthur continued from where he’d trailed off. “I have many wonderful friends by my side now, after all.”

 

“Now that’s a nice attitude to have!” Cain grinned, patting him in the shoulder. “Say, do you guys have anything to do later in the afternoon? It wouldn’t hurt to take a day to ourselves.”

 

“Hmm… I told Mitile I would meet up with him later to practice magic, but I should be free in the afternoon, yes. Will you join us, Prince Arthur?” Riquet asked. 

 

“With pleasure.”