Wishing On A Coin

      “Breaking news!” The headline read, “The young prince of the Critan Empire shows signs of special abilities: considered treason in his area. The young Prince Mallory showed up to a royal meeting in flowing green robes, flowers, vines, and greenery following him everywhere. The media has already dubbed him the Princely Plant”

     “A bit cheesy if you ask me,” The prince groaned, throwing the paper into his fireplace. 

     “Your majesty! Open the door!” A guard shouted from outside the thick wooden door, pounding on it, “Prince Mallory! Open the door!”

     “It’s not locked,” The prince shouted back lazily, cringing at the sound of the stupid name his parents had given him. Mallory: it was a girl’s name, not a prince’s. He rolled his eyes at the look of shock on Sir Jax Angevin’s scarred face as he yanked open the door revealing what used to be the prince’s bedchamber. Now, the large room, once lit by the huge windows on three of the walls was dim, green vines and brightly colored flowers covered the windows and walls, engulfing the room, swallowing up the light. A majority of the light came from a candle Mallory had stolen from the kitchen years ago.

     “Your-Your Majesty,” Sir Jax stuttered, wandering into the room, a look of awe on his face as his wide eyes took in the colors, “This-this is wrong. Prince Mallory this-this is treason...of the highest form.”

     “Yes, yes Jax, I know,” The prince agreed, walking over the guard, “Are you going to take me to the dungeons or can I stay here until my sentence?” 

     Suddenly, a tall man in elegant blue robes burst in, a look of worry on his wrinkled face, “Mallory!”

     “Ah, dad,” Mallory groaned, bowing deeply, mockingly. 

     “Mallory? So the media is true?” Mallory shrugged, gesturing at the plant life around him. “That’s it. You may be my son, but you are no longer the prince. You are hereby exiled from the Critan Empire.”

     “Whoa, whoa, whoa dad,” Mallory objected, stepping closer to the king, his eyebrows knitted together, “You can’t exile me. I am the prince. Not like this dad.” 

     The king only turned his back to the boy, a disappointed look on his face, “You need to be out of this castle by nightfall.” With that, the king left, Sir Jax closing the door behind the two men. Mallory’s breathing hitched as he broke down onto his ivy covered bed, sobbing. It had only been moments since the door closed when he felt a cold breeze flowing into his room. Lifting his head from his hands, the young prince noticed one of his windows had opened, a vine sitting on the latch. He looked around the room, checking to see if there was anyone around. Wiping his tears, Mallory grabbed his winter cloak from the hook next to the door, he stepped onto the windowsill, willing a vine to him, wrapping around his waist. With that, he jumped, his weight being held by the vine lowering him to the ground. The second his feet hit the ground, he broke into a sprint, running into the surrounding forest, pulling his cloak around his shoulders. 

     “Here we go.”

     “The Princely Plant?” Riyen Morgan laughed to his younger sister, tossing the paper onto the stone tabletop in their kitchen, “I heard he’s getting exiled.”

     “Oh I wish he wouldn’t,” Brooke Morgan replied to her older brother, taking the paper, “I think he’s cute.” Riyen laughed again as his sister’s comment. 

     “Your favorite human has arrived,” Alex Sullivan shouted happily, entering the stone home, bringing her usual cold breeze with her. 

     “Jeez Al, what have we told you about the wind?”

     “Oh c’mon Riyen, you know I’m still working on it.”

     “Well work harder,” Riyen groaned. He knew his friend had the same odd mutation as he and his sister. They each had the abilities of one of the four seasons. He had summer, his sister had fall, and Alex had winter. They could change the colors of leaves, will the weather to change, along with many other abilities. They knew there was one more person out there like them with spring and he had a suspicion of who it was. “Well, I’m going out. I have some research to do,” Riyen stated, grabbing his winter cloak off the hook by the door. 

      “But it’s almost dark,” Brooke complained. Riyen gave her a sympathetic smile before ruffling her hair and rushing out the front door, the newspaper from earlier clutched in his hands.  

     Mallory pulled his cloak closer around him as he huddled at the trunk of a large oak tree, it’s leaves almost entirely gone. Suddenly, he heard footsteps crunching through the dead leaves carpeting the forest floor. He shrunk even more into the trunk as he saw the light of a lantern being swung about. As the footsteps came nearer, Mallory got a look at who they belonged to. A tall boy, taller than him with honey colored shoulder-length hair in brown robes stood, his copper eyes lit by the lantern, searching. What could he be looking for? Mallory wondered. The prince continued to watch the boy’s eyes with his own, when their eyes met. The boys gasped, and Mallory shrunk even further into the tree trunk he was still huddled at. “Who are you?” Mallory asked in a loud, regal voice, trying not to let the fear seep into his voice. 

     “M-my name is Riyen Morgan,” Riyen stuttered, bringing the lantern closer to the smaller boy and offering his hand out to help the boy up, “What about you?”

      “Erm, Soul, Soul Knight,” Mallory, now Soul, lied. To be honest, he liked the name more. It was better than the name his backstabbing parents had given him. He identified more with the name. 

     “Nice to meet you Soul,” Riyen smirked, helping him up. He knew the boy was lying: he had seen his face, and name, all over the news but decided to go with it. “Well, my house isn’t far from here,” Riyen suggested, “It’s almost supper time anyways.” Soul nodded, following as Riyen began the journey back to the house. 

     “So Soul, what are you doing out here all alone?” Riyen asked after a few moments of silent walking. 

     “I um..I-I was out for a walk and got lost,” Soul stuttered, quickly thinking of a lie. 

     “You seem pretty unprepared for a walk in these kinds of woods,” Riyen said, enjoying making the smaller boy flustered. “Your majesty,” He added. Soul’s eyes widened.

     “How did you-what do you-I mean...I-”

     “Don’t worry,” Riyen chuckled, “I’m not going to turn you in or anything. Just tell me why you’re really out here in this weather.” It was cold and clear but dark clouds blotted out the moon, threatening snow. 

     “I-I was exiled,” Soul murmured, “For my powers.”

     “Yeah I read about that,” Riyen informed, “The Princely Plant eh?” Soul smiled at the cheesy name he had been given, laughing. 

     “Yup.”

     “So you got kicked out of the castle?”

     “More or less. I had to get out by sunset and I just kinda jumped out my window.”

     “Aye,” Riyen nodded, “Well, here we are.” The two boys had reached the stone home.

     “Riyen’s home!” Brooke shouted, still in the kitchen, now reading the paper, seeing the light from the boy’s swinging lantern as he entered the fenced in yard, “And he has someone with him?”

     “So much for research,” Alex laughed, opening the door to welcome Riyen and the other boy home. 

     “Who’s this?” Brooke asked, gesturing to Soul. 

     “Right, this is Soul,” Riyen laughed. He had expected his sister to realize it was the prince. “Soul this is my little sister, Brooke and my friend Alex.” Soul waved awkwardly, slightly hiding behind Riyen. Alex studied the new boy’s face, looking for some indication of his story. He had deep-set emerald eyes that shone brightly compared to his ivory skin. His sharp features reminded her of someone. 

     “The prince!” Alex shouted, finally realising who this boy was. Soul’s eyes widened as he moved closer to the door, prepared for escape. 

     “Wait!” Riyen blurted, grabbing Soul’s hand, keeping him in place, “Don’t go, we need you.” Soul looked at him with a questioning look on his face. “Your powers, they’re like spring. You can make flowers and vines pop up like they do in the spring. We all have those powers but for the other seasons. We just didn’t have spring.”

     “You...you guys need me?” Soul stuttered shyly. 

     “Yes!” Brooke shouted. 

     “Look, we won’t call you the prince or Mallory or anything,” Riyen promised, “From now on, you are Soul.” Soul smiled warmly at this. 

     “So you’ll stay?” Alex asked, feeling guilty. 

     Soul barely nodded before Riyen hugged him happily, “You can stay in my room until we set you up in one of the storage rooms.” 

     “Okay,” Soul replied quietly. With that, Riyen pulled the smaller boy to his room to begin setting up his cot. 

     Later that night, the snow began to fall from the dark clouds. It sparkled like fairy dust in the full moonlight as it settled on the ground. A purple tint filled the air, clouds blotting out the stars so the only light came from the moon and the candle in the kitchen. Soul watched with wide eyes as the snow fell to the ground. Every now and then pressing his face against the glass to watch a single snowflake melt on the windowsill. He had a sheet balled in his hand as he watched like a little kid seeing snow for the first time. He had always loved snow. 

     “You have seen snow before?” Riyen laughed from his bed, “Right?”

     “Of course I have, I’ve just never seen it this close to the ground,” Soul replied, “I was never allowed to go play in it or anything.”

     “No way!” Riyen scoffed.

     “No really,” Soul said sincerely, “I’ve never even touched snow before.”

     “Well, we are going to change that right now,” Riyen laughed grabbing Soul’s hand and pulling him into the kitchen. “Here,” He said, handing Soul a thick cloak with fur lining. Soul nodded in thanks. “Now get your boots on, just be quiet.” The second Riyen had his boots on, he grabbed a purple velvet back from under the counter and produced two silver coins. 

     “What are those for?” Soul asked, finishing the laces on his boots. 

     “You’ll see,” Riyen replied, shoving the coins into his pocket, “Now c’mon.” They pushed the large wooden door open quietly, slipping out into the fresh snow. 

     “Wow,” Soul breathed, his eyes wide with awe as he took in the snow. It was cold and wet and melted the second it touched his skin. 

     “Just you wait.” Riyen led Soul to a path in the woods he had found him. They had no lantern but the moonlight was just enough to light the tunnel of snow-covered, leafless trees. It was magical. The older boy led Soul into the tunnel, hands intertwined, the smaller boy’s eyes still wide with wonder. Riyen ruffled Soul’s hair, laughing at the younger boy’s awe. The sound of water trickling over rocks whispered from beyond the wall of trees. “Follow me,” Riyen whispered, pulling Soul into the trees, pulling the two coins from his pocket. The two boys stopped at the edge of a creek, the source of the water trickling. “Here.” Riyen handed one of the coins to Soul. 

     “What do I do with this?”

     “You make a wish,” Riyen laughed, “Don’t tell me you’ve never wished on a coin before.” Soul looked away awkwardly. “You’ve never wished on a coin before?” Soul shook his head slowly, a confused look on his face. “Well, you take a coin and you think of a wish,” Riyen explained, “And then you throw it into the water and maybe it will come true. But, if you tell someone your wish, it won’t come true.” Soul nodded, understanding, a smile spreading across his face. The two sat in a comfortable silence as they thought of their wishes. They looked up in unison, meeting each other’s eyes as they had thought of their wishes. 

     “So we just...throw it?” Soul asked unsurely. Riyen nodded, smiling. Soul rubbed his finger across the silver surface of the coin before pulling back his hand and tossing it into the trickling creek. A small splash appeared as the coin sunk to the rocky bottom, the silver still shining through the murky water. Soul smiled, still thinking about his wish. 

     “So what’d you wish for?” Riyen smirked at Soul. 

     “What happened to not telling your wish?” Soul shouted. Riyen only laughed. After a few moments of standing in the cold Soul broke the silence. “My hands are cold,” he whined. 

     “Here,” Riyen said, holding the smaller boy’s hands with his own, using his powers to warm them. Soul’s eyes widened at the sudden heat. 

     “Wow.” Riyen laughed at the smaller boy’s awe. “Wait, the rest of me is cold too,” Soul tried. 

     “What? No,” Riyen joked, “I’m not a human heater. I gave you my cloak for a reason.”

     “But you’re so warm,” Soul whined, moving closer to Riyen, shying away from the cold wind blowing by. Riyen sighed loudly before opening his cloak, allowing the smaller boy to hug him, wrapping the cloak around the both of them. “Better.”

     It was a long while before Riyen realised how late it had gotten. “Soul, c’mon we have to go back home. There is no way I am sleeping in the snowy woods,” He said, looking around them at the still falling snow. Soul mumbled something unintelligible before snuggling closer to Riyen’s chest. “Soul, no, we need to move,” Riyen argued, looking down at the boy, realising his eyes were closed. 

     “How did you manage to fall asleep like that?” Riyen asked, knowing he would not receive an answer as he carried Soul, bridal style, back to the house. Soul simply snuggled closer, his arms around the taller boy’s neck. Riyen laughed and continued trudging through the deep snow. When they arrived at the house, Riyen took off their boots and cloaks, leaving the wet clothes by the door and carried Soul to their shared room. He then attempted to put the smaller boy onto his cot but Soul refused to let go of Riyen’s neck, gripping tighter as Riyen tried to set him down. “Soul,” Riyen groaned, “I’m not sleeping with you. You have your bed and I have mine, now let go.” He tried with all his might to pry the little fingers from around his neck but failed. After a few moments of struggling, Riyen gave in and fell onto the bed next to Soul, the smaller boy still in his arms. 

     “Riyen! Soul! Wake up!” Brooke shouted from the kitchen, holding the newspaper of the day. Soul groaned loudly from he and Riyen’s room. 

     “Trust me, you guys are going to want to see this!” Alex replied. Slowly, the two boys arose from the bed, groggy. They made their way to the kitchen, Soul trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. 

     “Here,” Brooke said, thrusting the newspaper into Riyen’s hands. With tired eyes, the boy ready the headline. 

     “Breaking news: the royal family of the Critan Empire regret their decision of exiling their only heir,” Riyen read to Soul with excitement, “Soul, do you know what this means?”

     “I can go home,” Soul said, fully awake now, his eyes with awe.

     “This is amazing Soul!” Riyen celebrated, hugging the smaller boy tightly. 

     “It worked,” Soul whispered into his shoulder.

     “What worked?”

     “The coin,” Soul replied, squeezing Riyen tighter, “My wish came true. Has yours?”

     “Depends.”

     “On what?”

     “How do you feel about me?” Riyen asked bluntly, pulling back from the hug. By now, the boys were only paying attention to each other. Everything else in the world had disappeared. 

     “I-I...I love you Riyen,” Soul stuttered, refusing to meet the older boy’s eyes. 

     “In that case, yes,” Riyen smiled, pulling Soul closer. The two boys lips met, fitting together like puzzle pieces. They were finally happy. All because they wished on a coin.