Summary

There was a time where Katsu smiled more, unknown to the rest of his clanmates. A long time ago, before the war, before his kingdom's Council broke into pieces and sent his kingdom crumbling right after it, there was a time where he'd sit under the two pretty cherry blossom trees outside the palace and he'd listen to his brother tell him stories. He remembered everything - the faint scent of green tea in the air, and his big brother's soft beam. Most of all, what would come to his mind the strongest were the tales he'd tell him of his travels. People from Wind who lived in makeshift homes in the sky, and their distant cousins in Water who lived miles deep below the oceans. Each story had its peculiar characters and quirks, and a noble moral from a noble man. Katsu craved these stories almost like a favourite novel, except he heard it all by ear. He wanted to discover it himself, just like his brother had, and that was a very difficult thing to do for a young prince grounded to his castle.

It didn't help that Katsu knew he was stubborn to a fault - Mother had always lectured him on that, saying that he had to be open-minded - the worst part being that it could end up in him being quite the little brat without even realizing it. The only good quality he had for journeying was being able to think through things well, and that would only take him so far. Besides, Father had been convinced about grooming him into a role fit of a prince, and perhaps, future advisor, and he would have none of that talk. His brother had been lucky enough to get through the way he did, and even then, it was by a slim chance of fate. He was slightly jealous - after all, he'd never wanted to be a prince, he wanted to be himself - whoever that was. Even after all was said and done, however, Katsu didn't realize how good life had been. Though he'd loathe to admit it, nothing could have prepared him for what happened after.

It took one word - Revolt. In an instant, his whole world fell around him, and he almost felt bare, lost in all the confusion. He remembered the fires licking at his tail as they flew over them, moving place to place to try to escape the onslaught of an angry mob. He remembered yearning for home, feeling a pang of guilt at not being able to take his favourite teaset with him, the one he'd have every time his brother would tell him stories, even though he secretly hated the taste of tea and drank it to prove to his brother he could. But then something blocked their way - another revolt, in the village they had been passing through. Somebody had recognized them, and before he could make sense of what had been going on all havoc broke loose. They darted through the alleys, away from the newly reinstated city guards. Mother looked him in the eyes and told him and his brother to run, robin blue eyes glimmering with regret. Katsu took to the skies just as she told him, his brother by his side, hurt, betrayed, almost as if he couldn't wrap his head around what was going on. Then the storm struck.

He was falling, caught in the whirlwind of rain and gray clouds, dampening his vision. Someone cried out - his brother - but he couldn't hear anything, deafened by the strike of sharp thunder. The prince saw little after that. Smooth water, safe, something which almost looked like he could rest on. Then, when he woke up, he had found himself in a new land - exhausted, confused, and with guilt seeping into his veins. He was alone.

He wandered, but it wasn't for long. A group of misfits living in this new, faraway kingdom had found him, taken him in and nurtured him back to full health. Their leader, Nephthys, was strong. She had pledged that she'd help him find the family he was looking for. The clan being composed of refugees like him, he stayed, finding solstice with those who vaguely reminded him of home. It was a new life - a different life - and god knows at first it was hard to deal with his clanmates, some of whom would easily tick at the slightest show of his stubborn nature. For the most part though, he stayed reserved, writing whatever came at the top of his mind with a cup of tea next to him on the table, something to remind him of brother. Despite this, he did find a friend - a girl named Eira, an heir to a prominent clan in the north, in a similar predicament to him. They understood each other well, though from different backgrounds, and she would teach him how to fight sometimes with a smile, one of the few endeavours which he thoroughly enjoyed. He could get on her nerves, sure, but at the end of the day she'd always be willing to talk to him again - the one friend he could rely on in a new and unfamiliar world. But even so, questions still burned in Katsu's mind.

What did it mean to discover yourself, like brother had said? Who was he really? Though he wanted to be as noble as he had been and follow his wandering path, something wasn't adding up. He was confused, and this time there was no guiding hand to show him the way, or tales to tell that would account for it.

But there was also one more thing that nagged at him, and perhaps even worse.

No matter what, Katsu desperately yearned to find his family again - or at the very least, find out just what had happened to them.