#if Stitch tells you to beware one of the King's appearances don't listen to them

[atherix]

Hi guys have a little ficlet? I decided it didn’t fit into the main story so it’s going onto tumblr exclusive status hehe Also I’m lowkey sick right now and I can’t think to write today thanks

CW? I guess? Because some of this comes across as pretty Religious Talk so

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“Grandfather?”

The King doesn’t look down at the child standing next to him, instead gazing out across the realm, all the way to the sea and what lies beyond. Scar looks up up up at him- distant and so far away, untouchable and cold.

“Yes, my Grandson?” the King speaks, voice soft and flat. 

Scar fidgets with his hands, turning back to look through the balcony railings. “What am I?” he asks after a moment of hesitation, the question echoing oddly around.

There is a moment of silence from the King, and Scar’s heart races.

“You are a Prince,” the King says simply.

“One of the healers you bring here says I should not be,” Scar says carefully, hesitantly. “They say I am not even Fae.”

The King finally looks at him, though Scar doesn’t dare look up. “Yet I, the Fae King, am saying you are a Prince, and you are Fae. Would you take the word of a healer over the word of your Grandfather and King?”

“No!” Scar says quickly, looking up at him. “No, but- is being Human really so bad? That- that some Fae won’t even see me as Fae?”

Despite the suns resting across from one another in the sky, lighting up the world around them, Scar can’t make out the expression on his grandfather’s face. It’s like a shadow is being cast, obscuring him from sight even as he pulls away from the rail, kneeling down in front of Scar. Even nearly on his knees, he’s taller than Scar can ever imagine being.

He reaches out and brushes the loose, wispy strands of Scar’s hair away from his face, almost gentle as he traces the braids. They’re tight, and the ribbons and vines woven through them, tied to a veil in the back, hide just how short his hair is right now. Scar can’t help but lean into his grandfather’s touch despite how cool his skin is.

“You,” the King says, “are you. You are Fae and you are Human. You are both of these at the same time. You are the proof that our world is changing.” The King moves his hand away, setting it on Scar’s shoulder now. Scar watches him quietly. “The Pantheons have a plan for you.”

“How can they have a plan for me?” Scar asks, tilting his head. “How can they have a plan for me when I probably won’t even grow up?”

“Everyone has a role to play,” the King says. “The gods give us these roles. Nothing happens when nothing is done- we cannot stand idly by and wait for it to change. We must act to make the change and fulfill the plan.” He pauses, studying Scar from behind the shadows in his face, and Scar can’t bring himself to ask about his own role. “There are no mistakes in this world. Everything that happens has always been planned. Your birth, your existence is neither accident nor mistake. You have a role to play in this world. It is the role of your family to see you grow, safe and strong, to take on your role. One day, everything will be made clear.”

The King turns away, towards the horizon again. Scar glances over, seeing the suns lowering towards the sea. They cast the world in orange and gold, glimmering and burning.

“Regardless what any person might say to you,” the King says softly, “you are Fae. You are a Prince. You are Human. You are all of these things, and one day you shall be even more.” He looks back at Scar, and for one brief moment Scar sees fire. “All you have to do is wait.”

“Wait?” Scar frowns. “But didn’t you just say...”

The King tilts his head. His smile is cool and distant, but it settles something in Scar’s chest- like comfort, like love, like everything will be just fine.

“One day your waiting will come to an end,” he says. “One day will come the time to stop waiting. Just watch for the signs. You’ll find your place when the time is right. Until then...”

He moves his hand from Scar’s shoulder and stands, gaze back on the horizon and the everything beyond. “Be patient and learn. The answers will present themselves, but you must look for them. Watch and wait until you know your next step, and then...”

“... Act.”