Fates Entwined (A TodoBaku ff) ✔

LXXXV

Breakfast with his loved ones did help Shoto feel better, the ache in his chest lightening just a little with each laugh or smile from across the table. Once they had all eaten their fill they left Shoto to gather himself and get dressed, as apparently they had a day planned for him to relax and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. It seemed that even mother nature was in on the plan, for when he left the castle it was to be greeted with sun-dappled flower beds and clear sky.

"You sure took your time." was how Natsuo greeted him, passing Shoto the reins to Kita as he mounted his own horse. 

"Oh, I didn't realise. Sorry." He apologised, looking around for any offended faces only to have warm smiles looking back at him.

"I was only teasing." Natsuo explained, Shoto making a small sound and cooling the blush on his cheeks. Each time he thought he had gotten used to teasing, especially from his siblings, he was still reminded of how much he had to learn. A scene of the same situation occurring with one of his people, or an important guest, sprung to mind, and he felt dread at causing an uncomfortable situation.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Natsuo assured him as they left the castle grounds and to the city beyond. Shoto nodded, and pulled up to the back of the group with Momo since he didn't know where they were planning on travelling to. 

The group moved slowly, enjoying the scenic route and making the most of the peaceful morning. Eventually they came up to a border town, just on the edge of the city, and as the clapping of hooves on mossy cobbled paths echoed under stone arches adorned with hanging flowers, green ivy and wisteria, Shoto felt the unease that he had woken up with settle a little more. Colourful banners hung from merchant stalls, fresh fruits and vegetables and pastries creating an enticing view in front of them. People walked in twos or threes, thatched baskets hanging in the crooks of their elbows, and waved with polite greetings as they passed. The moment was serene, only filled with the sound of kind conversations and shops opening for the day. 

Shoto thought that this was their destination, enjoying a peaceful morning in the town, but he was proven wrong when Fuyumi took another turn that led them back out of the town and through a meadow path, spring flowers and a bubbling creek accompanying them. Shoto loved seeing the beauty of his kingdom, their home, and seeing how happy his people were, how they looked forward to him becoming king, only encouraged him to appreciate all that he was surrounded with even more, the opportunities available to him regardless of the path he walked to get them. 

They made small conversation here and there, mostly to point out a nice view or a stall they wished to visit, but otherwise enjoyed each other's quiet company on their journey. They had been travelling for several hours, finally arriving at their destination when the sun was nearing her peak in the sky.

"It's quite modest," Fuyumi confessed as they approached, "but I thought it was a lovely place for some quiet and privacy." 

Their destination was a small cabin at the edge of a lake, the wooden dock slowly descending into the crystal clear waters beyond. Surrounding the lake on one side, where the path trailed up to the cabin, was a rainbow of flowers and tall grasses, adding to the privacy of the place, and on the other, grand silhouettes of the distant mountains beyond, their peaks covered in snow melt as the weather warmed further each day. He knew, somewhere beyond those mountains, was Katsuki's kingdom, and beyond that those of his friends who he hoped were on their way soon. The lake cast the mountains reflection and that of the sun's rays, leaving the cabin to bask in an amber glow despite the evening being far off. 

"It's beautiful." He complimented, admiring the view as they dismounted their horses and tied them to the grazing posts near the cabin's entrance. Enjoying the fresh air, their boots clacked in a chorus as they made their way into the cabin, the lack of creaking from the wooden door suggesting this place was recently inhabited.