Chapter Two

*How heartless does someone have to be to think that way? To sum up a human being—a sentient, living thing—**as a threat***.

The thought sent chills down Jay’s spine. It felt inhumane, unempathetic. Did the others not care about the lives of their people? Did they see the lower classes as less than everyone else? At least Ellipsis seemed to be less extreme than Autumn and Winter.

They had thought it would be civil, diplomatic. They’d thought it would’ve been easier to pull the others to their side of things. Obviously, that hadn't been the case—if it had gone as Jay had imagined, they wouldn’t have ended up pacing the width of their room.

*Is this how everyone in Autumn and Winter thinks? No… it can’t be. They wouldn’t be having issues with rebels if that were the case. But is that how the Kings and Queens of the kingdoms think? Is that how they raised their heirs?*

Another chill raced down, raising goosebumps on the Summer heir’s arms.

There was no way a ruler would raise their successor to be so careless with their people’s lives, let alone a parent raising their child so as not to care about the wellbeing of others. No one was that cruel or apathetic. They couldn’t be.

All the late-night studying and talks with their parents could never have prepared Jay for what had transpired today. They fiddled with their corset, trying to pull themself out of the pit of anxiety and doubt.

*Dakota would’ve been better off handling this.*

The thought brought them out of their foul mood.

*Dakota.*

Jay came to a halt, taking a glance around their room. They were meant to be sharing these chambers with their brother, the Summer kingdom’s youngest son.

Where was he? He’d said he would be waiting in their room for Jay’s return. Had he gotten bored and decided to explore? No, that was unlike him. He would’ve waited for them if that were the case.

*He’s probably fine,* they reassured themself. *Probably got hungry and decided to go on his own.*

That calmed their nerves a bit, but Jay still needed to find him. The Spring palace was neither a familiar nor safe place for someone with his reputation.

*Crazy kid,* they smiled, shaking their head as they headed out the door. Servants were bustling down the halls, most likely rushing to prepare for the already delayed dinner. No one seemed to mind. The Spring royalty seemed to treat their servants more like family than people below them—a nice sight.

“Excuse me,” they put a hand on a nearby handmaiden’s shoulder, attempting to compose themself into the calm posture of an heir. “Sorry. Hello.”

She curtsied before they could say anything. Although the servants were treated like family, they were still made to treat the royals as they were—royals.

Jay smiled lightly. “No need for that,” they replied belatedly. “I just needed to ask if you’ve seen my brother, the Summer-born boy? He’s blond, about”—they raised their hand to just below their shoulders—“yea high.”

She righted herself. “No, I haven’t, my lord.” “That’s alright, thank you.”

Jay dismissed her, glancing at the hallway as if their brother was playing hide-and-seek with them and if they looked closely enough, they’d see him hiding around the corner, naughty eyes sparkling at Jay from behind the wall. But their brother was nowhere to be seen. This was not a game.

Jay furrowed their brow, taking in a few deep breaths and trying to think. If the servants hadn’t seen him leave or even just seen him around in the castle, then he must’ve been gone for quite some time. But where?

Jay started down the halls, opening each door they found and calling for Dakota. The boy couldn’t have gone far, but with every empty room they encountered, their fear grew.

Eventually Jay lost count of the rooms they’d checked, hands trembling as they opened another to be met with silence and stillness. They stepped back, glancing out with wide eyes at the winding hall.

The hall felt like it looked different now than when they’d entered it, although it was exactly the same. Jay fleetingly wondered if they had missed a room.

No, they had not, they definitely had not. They had searched the entire floor and Dakota was nowhere to be found. Not one person had seen him, or anyone else, leave their room.

*Oh Gods… he’s gone, isn’t he? I lost him. I’ve lost him, haven’t I?*

Jay gulped in another breath, their brain spiralling as they dashed down the stairs.

*What if he’s hurt? What if someone took him? What if the rebels have him?* They halted, catching himself on a corner. They wouldn’t harm Dakota. They knew they wouldn’t dare.

*But what if? What extents would they go to end the royals?* Jay bolted through the first floors corridors, now calling for their brother. They barged into every open door, scanning the room with panicked eyes before moving on. If he wasn’t in the palace, someone had to have taken him.

*He has to be here. There’s no way he’s not.*

They were shaking now—whether it was from fear or anger, they couldn’t be sure. They had combed half of this floor and there was still no sign of their brother.

There was no way he was gone. Jay wouldn’t accept it, even if it were true.

“Your Highness.” Someone tentatively tapped their shoulder and Jay whirled around to find the servant who had accompanied the Spring heir to the meeting earlier.

Jay took a step back. “Can you leave whatever you need for later?” they asked, irritation seeping into their words. They couldn’t get distracted. They needed to find him.

“Sire, I believe that you will want to attend to this immediately.” Her voice was strangely stern.

They sighed, continuing to check nearby rooms. The servant followed after them. “What is it?”

“I saw Dakota with another servant,” she replied. It was a bit too sudden to sound natural, but Jay was too flushed with imminent panic to notice.

“You couldn’t have *started* with that?” they chided. “Where?”

“That way.” She gestured toward the other side of the level, following where she had pointed. Jay huffed and strode after her, matching her pace.

The two walked for what felt like ages, but eventually Jay found themself standing in front of the door to a room in the back of the palace. The servant opened the door for them and Jay entered, immediately glancing around.

The room was dimly lit by the open window, a dying sunset throwing fiery red clouds into the sky and spilling its weakening rays onto the immaculate floor. A woman stood surveying the view, her features silhouetted by the setting sun. Meticulously painted acrylic flowers framed the arch above her head, making the figure’s disheveled clothing even more out of place.

The Spring heir, Ellipsis, was seated at a table placed neatly in between Jay and the mysterious woman. This didn’t seem to be a surprise for her. Dakota sat facing the royal, his back to Jay and the servant.

*What is this? Did she trick me?* Jay glanced at the servant who had led them here, eyes widening when they found she was leaning coolly against the closed doors. Their panic for Dakota quickly turned into panic for both of them. What had they gotten themself into?

More importantly, what had Dakota got himself into?

“Dakota.” Voice tense, they looked to their brother. “What is this?”

The boy turned in his chair, a small smile on his face. He was *smiling.* He seemed at ease—as if those assembled were people he’d known for years. Jay’s expression softened slightly. Clearly, Dakota didn’t see them as a threat.

Their brother turned to the woman in the window. “Should I explain, or do you want to?”

The figure turned her head to the side and nodded at him. As Jay watched, they felt their skin prickle. She seemed like she was watching them out the corner of her eye.

Dakota looked back to Jay, still smiling. “The creepy lady is Navier,” he spoke with a cheerful air. “She’s been leading the rebellion.”

The *rebellion.* Not the same rebellion they had just been talking about earlier, was it… but they knew there was only one rebellion Dakota could be talking about.

They opened their mouth to speak but they were cut off by a bark of laughter from the woman. “Well, that was blunter than I expected,” Navier chuckled. “It’s Navy.” She stepped away from the window. Her features were still hard to make out, but she seemed to be around their height with partially buzzed hair. “And the rebels lead themselves,” she corrected. “I simply congregate them.”

Jay realized their mouth was still gaping from their failed attempt at speaking and quickly shut it, watching Dakota with an unreadable look.

*So… my missing brother left to meet with the enemy. That makes sense. Complete and utter sense.*

They cleared their throat, refocusing on Navy. “What does that have to do with my brother?” They asked. Their eyes wandered around the gathering until it fell on Ellipsis. “And what are *you* doing here? I thought you were against the rebels.”

The Spring princess remained unmoving, her voice eerily level. “Dakota is here… mostly of his own free will. I believe you know exactly how the rebellion affects him.” Ellipsis paused. “I never stated my opinions on the rebels.”

“*Mostly?* So what you’re saying is that you *kidnapped* my brother to indoctrinate him into your little group?” Any panic left in their bones quickly turned to anger. They clenched one of their fists, putting the other on Dakota’s shoulder. “Get up, we’re leaving.”

Dakota’s reply surprised them.

“Jay—come on, listen to them,” the boy began to beg. “The rebels aren’t who we thought they were. They want to *help.* They’re here to *help.*”

Their grip on his shoulder loosened slightly as they hesitated. Dakota pulled the chair next to him out, gazing at them imploringly. Jay surveyed the other two in the room, their eyes narrowing in suspicion for a moment. Following a few seconds of tense silence was a rustling as Jay sat down in the seat their brother had offered. Navy followed, seating herself by the Spring girl.

The rebel didn't waste time in awkward silence. “Dakota is telling the truth. We want to help, not hurt.” Her voice was firm with authority but still contained a cordial tone. She leaned forward on her forearms as she continued. “The monarchies have been mistreating its people for far too long and we’re done with it.” Her expression hardened. “People like me, who weren’t born into your precious higher class? Our existence is ignored. Our children starve, our elders die of curable diseases. The only way we get noticed is if we’re gifted with ‘useful’ abilities.”

This wasn’t new information. Pretty much everyone knew this—it was the way the monarchs had run their kingdoms for ages. Jay had never agreed with it, but there hadn't been much they could do about it.

Until now, supposedly. Why else would three royals be in the same room as a rebel?

“What are you proposing?” They asked after a long moment, struggling to keep the words steady.

Navy locked eyes with them, the corner of her mouth quirking slightly.

“We want to take the royals down. And we need your help to do it.”