Owl Lake [Haikyuu Bokuaka Swan Lake AU]

Chapter 1

Akaashi was tired. His eyelids drooped as he stared out of the carriage window, and he wanted nothing more than to sink into a soft mattress and sleep until the world disappeared. Yet, there was a single problem with the want: he was a prince and had certain duties to attend to. One of those duties being the reason he had been cooped up in this carriage for days on end, traveling to the kingdom where he was to meet some other spoiled brat and secure trade deals. Of course at this time in all the kingdoms, the princesses and princes had or were coming of age like he already had. So, like tradition had long ago stated, they were to start preparing to receive their parent's kingdoms, get married, have children in the three year time aloud, and start the cycle all over again. This had been started to prevent child brides and such, now set in law by a nationwide treaty.

Even though he was born in the second year of the royal-birth-period, he felt like he was years older than those born in the first and especially those born in the third. All the pompose royal children were immature, stupid, and sheltered. His mother had made sure that this fate wouldn't befall him, educating him in all the things and more that he needed to be a proper king. Meanwhile it felt as if the other dozen kingdoms had done the bare minimum to educate and raise their children. This made Akaashi's interactions with all the other young royals miserable to say the least. He doubted his trip to the kingdom of Fukurodani would be any different. Though his father had arranged for them to stay in the kingdom for the rest of the spring until the end of summer, which was the longest stay he'd ever had in another kingdom.

His mother stared at him intently from across the carriage, sitting next to his father. They both blinked, and he realized that she had asked him a question. Clearing his throat, the young prince asked, "Pardon?"

"I asked, Keiji, if you were excited to see the extent of Fukurodani's library?" She smiled warmly at him, already knowing the answer. That had been the single thing he'd been even slightly happy about for this trip, was to see Fukurodani's famed library. Akaashi gave her a weak smile and nodded.

His father chuckled deeply, "You're more of a bookworm than your mother." The king looked down at his queen lovingly and Akaashi struggled not to gag. His parents were sickenly in love, but he knew it was better than having them resent each other, like he knew many couples inevitably did.

He sunk into the cushioned bench, spreading out and glad that he didn't have to share it with another person like his parents did. His mother looked at him with her warm brown eyes, a stark contrast to his father's cold blue eyes he'd inherited. He tilted his head in question of her look.

"Nothing, I just... Keiji I want you to know that me and your father love you very much. And we will always keep your best interest at heart, even when you don't think it's best." She said, then sighed. Akaashi's eyes drifted to the motion of his father squeezing her hand.

"That's a little foreboding. What's going on?" He asked, eyes looking between his parents to study their reactions. Neither of them said anything, just looked out the opposite windows. Akaashi gulped, nervousness creeping up his throat, "Momma? Pop? What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Your mother is just... we... nothing." His father said. His tone told Keiji to drop it, so he did, but her words lingered in the back of his mind. 'Even when you don't think it's best', was what stuck out to him the most. Something she knew he wasn't going to like was coming, and Akaashi was too tired to face it. If his mother thought he was going to be upset by it, even when she knew how composed he always was, whatever was coming wasn't good.

His mother smiled out the window then looked at Akaashi, "What a lovely view, don't you think, dear?"

Keiji looked out the window and just past the trees sat a castle with the sun an hour or two from setting right behind it. The castle was made of white stone, glittering in the distance The white, yellow, and black banners he knew were flying couldn't be seen from this distance but he knew they were there. They were almost to Fukurodani's castle, where he would finally get a good night of sleep.