Left Behind - Angry Birds (Leonard x Red)

Cherry Blossoms on Silk

And that was how the next few weeks went. Leonard normally spent the day with them, except on the rare occasion that he had to take care of business. When that occurred, Ross was always on hand to make sure the triplets didn't run off too far. Red assumed the little pig was also instructed to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't get it into his head to try to escape back to Bird Island.

The evenings were rarely quiet before the hatchlings were finally put to bed, and Leonard seemed just as eager to spend a little private time with Red – no matter which room they ended up in. The pig king never spent the full night in Red's room, and Red made sure to not overstay his welcome when they shared pleasure in Leonard's chambers. The evenings were, for the most part, simply a fun way to pass the time while still technically being prisoners on Pig Island. At least the hatchlings were none the wiser. They actually seemed to believe Leonard and Red were their parents.

***

"We wanna play dress-up, too!" the hatchlings chirped loudly, excited at the sight of everyone wearing strange and colorful hats.

"Of course you do. It's 'Funny Hat Day,' after all," Leonard exclaimed cheerfully.

Red rolled his eyes, but there was a genuinely amused smile on his face, as well. Sure enough, the pig king was quick to usher them back up to the bedroom suites. Next to the king's chambers was a door that Red had noticed in the passing, but had never spent much time wondering about.

"This is my personal walk-in wardrobe!" Leonard exclaimed, opening the door with a gusto. The hatchlings bounced on their tiny taloned feet as they raced past him into the room. Red followed at a more leisurely pace, with Ross eagerly shadowing him.

It was a lot like the strange clothing room on the pig ship, the avian noted to himself. A wall-to-wall closet lined one side of the room, stuffed to the brim with fancy clothing, while hats of all shapes and sizes hung from the wall directly opposite. There were even lower shelves under the hats that were devoted entirely to what the pigs called boots. Red didn't really understand why they needed them.

As Leonard began to swipe hats off the wall in an attempt to find ones that would be a perfect fit for the hatchlings, Red caught sight of an elaborately-decorated mirror, perched on a fancy table, directly across from the doorway, and decided to take a closer look. The mirror's wooden frame was hand-carved with flowers and eggs, the avian was curious to note. There were even a few carvings of feathers... which was very mysterious. There were clearly no birds living on Pig Island, and yet Leonard had spoken of stories he had been told – stories of birds and their eggs. Was it possible that the pigs had visited Bird Island long ago?

A silver key lying on the table caught his eye. Picking it up, he marveled at the coolness of the metal.

"That key was crafted for a special kind of treasure."

Red stumbled back, but only managed to bump into Leonard, who was now standing directly behind him. The pig only chuckled in response, before leading him to the end of the closet. Inside, there was a tall cabinet hiding in plain sight. It hadn't been visible from the doorway, but now it stood out due to its matching silver lock.

"Go ahead. Open it," Leonard insisted, taking Red's wing. Together, they pressed the key into the lock and turned it slowly. There was a tiny click. The cabinet door swung open. On the shelves were strange, sparkling hats... at least, Red assumed they were designed to be put on your head. Or perhaps worn around your neck. It was hard to tell.

"These are crowns," the king commented, plucking the tallest one off the shelf. It was solid gold with a red jewel in the center. He set it on his head with a smile.