Archive of Our Own ^beta

Once upon a time, a drip of moonlight fell from the heavens. From this moonlight, grew a magical, silver flower. This single flower had the power to heal the sick, both mentally and physically. This power was hogged by one man, who used it to keep himself young.

Years and years passed, and in those years a kingdom was born. This kingdom was run by a king and queen, who were loved dearly by those they ruled. Many years into their ruling, the queen became pregnant. But with the pregnancy came a fatal sickness. There was little time left, and people started looking for any hope to save the queen and her child.

Much of the kingdom’s hope was placed on what was believed to be a myth. The myth of the magical silver flower. No one knew for sure if it existed, but it was the only chance they had to save the queen.

After many, many weeks of searching, the flower was found. The man who had been keeping the flower to himself was furious, for they didn’t even understand how to use the flower. The only way to activate its powers was to drip a strange, green elixir onto it. One that the man thought only he knew how to make.

Turns out, he was wrong. His “strange green elixir” was a fairly common drink among the kingdom. Although it did take awhile to find out how to use it, the queen was eventually healed and the baby was born.

The newborn prince was born healthy, with hair almost silver. His name: Jeremy.

To celebrate the birth of the prince, his parents released a lantern into the sky. And for just a moment, everything was perfect.

That moment was over before you could blink.

In the night, the man who had hogged the flower snuck into the castle, with a comb made from hardened elixir and a knife that seemed to glow red. He snuck up to the prince’s cradle, and began to comb his hair. The hair glowed silver, making the man’s wrinkles fade and disappear. With the knife, he cut off a chunk of the baby’s hair, but instead of staying magic, both the hair and the place it was cut off turned to brown.

The baby began to cry, waking the parents. The man had to think fast, and in his rush, he took the young prince. It seemed like the only way at the time, but later on the man wished he hadn’t taken on this burden.
The entire kingdom once again went into search. They searched the highest mountains, the wildest forests, even at the bottom of the deepest lakes, just in an attempt to find their prince. But none prevailed, as for all those years, in a tower, the man had raised Prince Jeremy on his own. He would do nothing but comb and tend to Jeremy’s hair, making it obvious that he had no desire to actually care for this child.

“Father, why can’t I go outside?” Jeremy had asked. He was five at the time.

“The world is full of dangerous people Jeremy. People who want to use you. They don’t care about you. All they care about is their personal gain.”

“Oh.”

But nothing could keep Jeremy from seeing the outside world. Every year on his birthday, he would sneak to the largest window in the tower. He would see thousands of lanterns in the sky and feel as though they were beckoning him.

Truthfully, they were trying to beckon him. For they were released by the king, who desperately wanted to find his son. For after his son had been taken away from him, the queen had left, not knowing what to do with herself. Some say she killed herself, while others said she fled to another kingdom. He had no family left. The entire kingdom joined in his sorrow, and all suffered from the loss of two royal family members.

---

Many years later, Jeremy had almost reached the age of 18. His entire life, he had never once left the tower. Not to play on the grass, or to climb a tree, nothing. After years of not cutting his hair, it had grown to tremendous lengths, all that almost silver color.

In the 18 years stuck in his tower, Jeremy had barely anything to do. He had three books, a small collection of board games, a guitar, and a set of painting supplies. Originally, he had an extra room in the tower dedicated to painting in, but after awhile he just used it as a storage space for all his paintings. Now he had to paint on the walls, much to his “father’s” dismay.

Almost all of his paintings were of the moon, or at least had the moon in them. His whole life, he had a certain connection to the moon, not really knowing any reason why.

---
Switch the scenery to the castle roof. There was gathered a group of thieves. Two were the notorious Berry Sisters. They had been in numerous heists, and although they weren’t actually sisters, every law enforcement official had assumed they were. The other thief was named Michael Mell. While he had committed less crimes than the Berry’s, he still had a record under his belt.

What, you may ask, are they doing atop the castle roof? Well, the group had been planning to steal a crown. Not just any crown, but the crown that had been meant for the young prince. It was a silvery crown, decorated with pale blue gems that seemingly buzzed with electricity. Planning to hold it for ransom, all the group had to do now was take it. Problem is, it was the most guarded room in the palace.

“I could get used to this view!” Michael exclaimed, standing on the edge of the castle’s roof.

The two sisters, Chloe and Brooke, were lifting a tile off the roof. “Get your ass over here Mell before I drag your ass over here,” Chloe grunted.

“I’m used to this view now. Now we have to steal the castle, too.”

“My god Mell,” Brooke set the tile to the side, “If you were to actually help us get the crown, then you wouldn’t have to steal the castle. You could buy your own.”

Michael turned towards the sisters, whistling as he walked over. “So how are we supposed to not die while getting the crown?” He asked, gesturing to the almost 50 foot drop.

Chloe picked up a bundle of rope. “We’ll lower you down, you pick up the crown without any of the guards noticing, we escape with no trouble.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Michael cracked his knuckles as the girls wrapped the rope around his waist.

They lower Michael down into the room, where dozens of guards stand in front of the crown. Yet none of them are looking straight at it. Once he reaches crown level, one of the guards in front sneezes. “Bless you,” Michael hums, stuffing the crown into his satchel.

“Thank you,” the guard sniffed.
A beat passes.

“Wait a minute…”

The guard turns towards Michael, who just waves back at him. “Later shorty--” he shouts as he’s pulled back through the ceiling.

Whilst the short guard alerts all the other guards, The Berry’s and Michael are escaping. “The hell was that Mell! You were supposed to grab it quietly!” Chloe snapped.

“He sneezed. It was the polite thing to do,” Michael reasoned.

“You are literally stealing from them!” Brooke pointed out.

“All the more reason to do something nice in return.”

“You’re a handful.”

---

“Today is the day!” Jeremy exclaimed, talking to himself, “You are turning 18 soon, but you’re also going to ask to go outside!”

Jeremy was situated in the rafters of the tower, combing through his hair with a plain and simple comb. He had planned out how he was going to ask already. Had been planning it for the past few days… months… years… But today he would finally do it!

“Jeremy! Let down your hair!” Called a distant voice.

Jeremy nearly fell off the rafters. “Coming, Father!”

He thread his hair through a hook, letting it flow to the bottom of the tower. As he pulled the hair up, he also pulled up his father. A man with silky black hair, wrinkleless skin, and the most lively blue eyes you’d ever see. He was dressed in a black cloak, with clothing that looked as though it came from a different generation. It probably had.

“It took you long enough to pull me up, Jeremy,” his father complained. “Do we need to get you on yet another exercise plan?”

“No, Father--” Jeremy shook his head-- “we don’t. But I do have something to ask you.”

“What?” Father tsked.

“Well, as you know, my birthday is soon,” Jeremy mused.

“No, you had a birthday last year, Jeremy.”

Jeremy huffed, blowing a tuft of hair out of his face. “That’s not how birthdays work, Father.”

“Of course. Now, continue. And stop speaking so quickly. It makes you sound ridiculous.”

“Right, Father,” Jeremy looked down a bit. His father grabbed his chin, tilting his head back up again.

“And don’t look down. Be more confident in yourself.”

“Okay,” Jeremy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself back down. “So, my birthday is soon, and I’ll be turning 18 years old. And I want more than anything to go outside, if not only for a day.”

His father looked taken back. Almost disgusted. Almost scared. Putting his face in his hands, he stood. “Jeremy, go grab your comb,” he said, ignoring Jeremy’s request.

“Father--”

“Jeremy, you need to do as I say. Unless… you’re not grateful for what I’ve done for you?”

Jeremy’s shoulders slumped. His eyes seemed to dull down and his hands went to his hair. “Of course not. I’ll be right back with the comb.”

Up the stairs of the tower Jeremy climbed, towards his room. He didn’t have a door, only a thin blue curtain for privacy. His room, like almost every other room in the tower, was covered wall to wall in murals. In the corner of his room was an old box, carved with silvery flowers. Inside of it was the bright green comb, as well as a few silvery flower petals. The petals had been in there as long as Jeremy could remember, but they still looked full of life.

Pulling out the comb, Jeremy went back down the stairs towards his father. His father was seated on a stool, impatiently tapping his foot, glaring at the wall in front of him. “I got the comb, Father!” Jeremy called, waving the comb in the air.

His father rolled his eyes. “It took you long enough. Did you dawdle again?”

“Yes, Father.”

A sigh. “Sit down, Jeremy.” He sounded disappointed, something that Jeremy couldn’t stand. It made his chest ache, it made him want to cry. But, nonetheless, he sat down in front of his father.

“Ahem, the comb?”

“Oh, sorry,” Jeremy handed the comb to his father, who ripped it out of his hands.

“What have we talked about apologizing so much?” His father nagged, beginning to drag the comb through Jeremy’s hair.

“To.. to not do it?”

“Exactly.” His father began to comb Jeremy’s hair, looking more youthful with every stroke. Of course, he wasn’t being very gentle, so each time the comb went through Jeremy’s hair it made him wince in pain. “What were you asking earlier, Jeremy?” His father asked, sounding not interested in the slightest in what Jeremy had to say.

“Well, um--”

“Stop stuttering, Jeremy.”

“Okay. Well, I really really want to go outside, for just a day. I want to feel the grass, and smell the fresh air, and see the lanterns in person!” Jeremy became more and more passionate with every word he said.

“I’ve told you why you can’t go outside, yes?”

“Of course you have. I just thought, now that I’m technically an adult, I might be able to go outside?”

His father tugged exceptionally hard with the comb, causing Jeremy to yelp with pain. “Jeremy, tell me why you can’t go outside.”

“Well, you said it was just because of greedy people. People who want to use me,” he explained.

“No, Jeremy. Here, follow me.”

Jeremy was lead to the tower’s only mirror, a full length made of wood. His father stood behind him, hands placed on his shoulders. “Look at you, Jeremy. You’re fragile. Weak. So pitiful. How do you think you would survive out there? I know for sure you wouldn’t. People will take advantage of you out there, Jeremy.”

“We don’t need to go by any people, Father!” Jeremy exclaimed, making eye contact with his father through the mirror. “We can just go through the forest, to a lake! I’ve read so many great things about lakes, Father!”

“Do you know what is in the woods, Jeremy? Large bugs, quicksand, snakes, cannibals, sickness! You’d get eaten by a bear, or mugged by some petty thief! And look at you!” His father grabbed Jeremy’s chin forcefully, squishing his cheeks in the process. “You’re clumsy, immature, out of shape, ditzy! There is absolutely no way you could ever survive out in the wild.”

At this point, Jeremy’s hopes of ever going outside were gone. Not only that, but he could barely look at himself in the mirror without feeling self-conscious. “Now, Jeremy. Can you promise me one thing?”

Jeremy turned towards his father, tears budding in his eyes. “Y-yes?”

“Never leave this tower. Ever.”

The way he said it wasn’t gentle or even a request, it was a demand.

“Yes, Father,” Jeremy looked down as he spoke.

“Good. And remember that I know better than you. I’m simply trying to improve your life.”

“Of course, Father.”

“Now, I need to leave again. It is very important. Lower me back down.”

Lowering his father down, Jeremy actually began to cry. Just a bit, once his father could no longer see his face. He settled on his bed, letting the tears flow down his cheeks. Even though he had no hope left that he would ever leave the tower, he could still dream, couldn’t he?

---

Back to our gang of thieves. They were now running through the woods, on foot, attempting to escape from the group of guards approaching on horseback. The group included the short guard, Richard, a taller guard, Jake, and the head guard, Jenna. While being chased, the three criminals came across an array of wanted posters. One of which was for The Berry’s, and one of which was for Michael.

“Guys, this is really really bad,” Michael said, pulling his poster off of the tree on which it had been hung.

“What, the fact that we have a wanted poster? These have been out for months, Mell. How have you not seen them?” Brooke questioned.

“No no, I’ve seen them before. It’s just…”

He turned the poster towards the sisters. “They never get my glasses right!”

And it was true, the glasses he wore were simple and circular. The ones on the poster were horned glasses, the type you may see a grandmother wear. “Are you serious? Who cares!” Chloe exclaimed.

“That’s easy for you guys to say! You guys look awesome on your poster!” Michael huffed.

“Oh shush.”

As the sound of horses grew nearer, the trio dashed away from the poster tree. Unfortunately, they ran themselves into a corner. Cliffs surrounded them, too tall for anyone to climb alone. “Girls, boost me up,” Michael said, cracking his knuckles.

“Give us the satchel first,” Chloe glared at Michael, knowing she couldn’t trust him.

“What? I can’t believe, that after all the things we’ve done together, you guys don’t trust me!”

“Just do it, Mell.”

Begrudgingly, Michael handed his satchel to the two girls. The two lifted Michael up, allowing him to rest on the cliff. “Great, now help us up, pretty boy,” Brooke reached up her hand.

“I would, but my hands are full at the moment.” Michael lifted up the satchel, that he had somehow snatched from the girls whilst being lifted.

“How the hell did you--”

Before Brooke could finish her sentence, Michael was already running away, leaving the two girls to be caught by the guards. But, Jenna realized that Michael had gotten away. “Boys, you round these girls up, I’ll catch Mell!” She ordered.

Richard and Jake nodded, climbing off their horses to deal with the girls. Jenna raced towards Michael, succeeding in corning him on the edge of a cliff. “Got you now, Mell.”

Michael begins stumbling backwards, lucky enough to fall right onto a branch. Unluckily, his satchel had flown onto a smaller branch behind him. He began to climb over to it, but Jenna was right on his tail, approaching slowly, knowing that there was no way he would be able to escape.

Fortunately, at the very moment Michael grabbed the satchel, a way to escape found him.

Unfortunately, that way was for the branch to snap, bringing both Michael and Jenna down with it.

So down the two went, both screaming on the way down. Somehow, they both survived the landing, but Jenna got stuck under the branch. “Well, it’s been fun, but I’ve gotta run! Hope to not see you again!” Michael winked at Jenna before running off.

“Get… Back here!” Jenna struggled under the weight of the branch, taking a good minute or two to get it off of her. But once it was off, so was she, chasing in the direction she saw Michael go in.

Michael could hear the approaching thuds of Jenna running, and knew he had to hide, and fast. So, like the genius he is, he hid behind a rock. A big rock, but still a rock. And this somehow worked. Jenna ran right past him. But he knew, eventually, Jenna would come back looking for him. As he stopped to catch his breath, he leaned against what looked like a solid wall of vines.

It wasn’t solid, however. Michael fell right through the vines and onto his back. “Oh, the hell…”

He rubbed his head, looking at his new surroundings. He was in some sort of clearing, surrounded by tall cliffs and a waterfall, and in the very center… was a tower. “Aw sweet!” Michael picked himself up off the ground, and ran towards the tower.

The tower seemed to have no entrance, other than the large window several stories up. In order to climb the tower, Michael pulled out two arrows from his satchel, sticking them between the bricks to lift him up.

Upon reaching the top, he closed the shutters, leaving him in partial darkness. “Finally, alone at last-”

His sentence is punctuated by a swift hit to the head with some heavy metal.

---

Jeremy did not know how to handle this. There is a boy in the tower. A stranger. A handsome stranger, but still a stranger. Dressed in a red vest and torn white pants. Jeremy approached him with caution, his frying pan in hand. The stranger looked peaceful, if you ignore the huge bruise on the side of his head.

Flicking a piece of hair out of the stranger’s face, Jeremy closer inspected the man’s features. He moved one of the stranger’s eyelids to find a bright brown eye. The stranger’ other eye fluttered open. “Where the hell--”

With a yelp, Jeremy swiftly hit him again with the frying pan, knocking out the stranger again. He needed to hide the stranger quickly, so that if his Father came home, he wouldn’t see him.

Wait. If he could somehow convince his father that this boy could help them navigate the outside world, then he could actually get to go outside for his birthday! What could possibly go wrong with this plan?

First, Jeremy had to hide this boy. The only place that seemed like it could hide the boy was the closet. And so the many attempts to get the boy into the closet began. The first attempt involved the boy falling on top of Jeremy, the second, involved Jeremy’s hair getting stuck in the door, the third involved a broom, and the last involved the stranger’s fingers getting stuck in the closet door. But, somehow, Jeremy managed to lock the boy in his closet.

After locking the boy in his closet, Jeremy approached his mirror, smiling broadly. “So I wouldn’t survive in the wild, Father? Tell that to the boy I just locked in my closet, with the help of my frying pan--” whilst spinning the frying pan on his finger, Jeremy hit the side of his head.

“Ow!” While wincing, something shiny caught his eye. It was coming from the stranger’s satchel. He maneuvered towards it, lifting the flap of it with his frying pan. Inside of the bag was some sort of jewelry, shining with silvers and blues. Jeremy took it out of the bag and inspected it.

First he put it around his wrist, seeing if it was some sort of bracelet. But it was much too large to be a bracelet for anyone. Next he looked through one of the larger gemstones, but it only made the world look bluer. He turned to look in his mirror, about to give up on trying to find the use of this object, when some urge overtook him. He placed the piece on his head, and it fit almost perfectly. It looked like it was supposed to rest on his head.

“Jeremy! Let down your hair!” Called his father from outside the tower.

“Coming!” In a rush, Jeremy stuffed the jewelry back in the satchel, and stuffed the satchel into a nearby pot.

“I have a surprise, Jeremy, so hurry!” His father shouted as Jeremy tossed his hair through the hook.

“So do I, Father!” Jeremy replied.

“I’m quite sure my surprise will be bigger, Jeremy.”

“I’m sure it isn’t,” Jeremy whispered to himself.

Once his Father reached the top, he held out a basket to Jeremy. “I went to the market today, and found some pears. We’ll have a fruit salad for dinner.”

Jeremy smiled and clapped. “Well, I have something I would like to tell you, Father.”

“Jeremy, you know that you sound petty bringing up a.... Disagreement after I’ve clearly closed the discussion,” his father sighed in frustration.

“Of course, but, I was thinking about what you said earlier… about me being too weak to handle myself in the outside world--”

“Which you are,” his father turned towards Jeremy, arms crossed.

“But, if you would just--”

“Jeremy.”

“Trust me just this once--”

“Jeremy.”

“And listen to what I have to say,” Jeremy placed his hands on the closet door.

“Jeremy! Enough with this! There is not a chance in the world I will let you leave this tower!” His father lost control of his usual calm demeanor. His voice became louder than Jeremy had ever heard it. Jeremy’s hands reclined towards him in fear.

With a sigh, his Father sat down in a nearby chair. “Of course. Now I look like the bad guy.”

Jeremy looked towards his father, then back towards the closet. On the closet, Jeremy had painted many different lanterns surrounding the moon. He was seated on the moon, one hand touching a lantern. “I was only going to say… that I know what I would like for my birthday this year. Other than going outside.”

His Father looked at Jeremy, his face returning to the cool and collected version it usually was. “And what is that?”

Jeremy twiddled his thumbs together. “New paint. The paint you bought that was made from the blue berries.”

“It would take me three days to get there and back. It’s just unreasonable, Jeremy.”

“If you do it, I’ll never bother you about going outside again. Promise.”

His father considered it, before standing up and grabbing his basket. “You will be fine on your own for three days, right?”

“As long as I’m in this tower,” Jeremy began, “I’ll always be safe.”

His father nodded, before making Jeremy lower him down the tower. “I’ll be back in three days time. No more, no less. Just in time for your birthday.”

“Of course, Father.”

Once his father was out of sight, Jeremy went back over to the closet, wrapping the ends of his hair around one of the handles. After getting a safe distance away, he opened the door by tugging on his hair. This effectively made the stranger fall on his face.

In order to keep this stranger from trying to hurt him or run away, Jeremy tied him to a chair with the only thing that resembled rope in the entire tower: his hair. He settled up in the rafters once the stranger was secure, with only a frying pan and bag of acorns. The frying pan for defence, and the bag of acorns to try and wake up the stranger.

And so Jeremy began to throw acorns at the stranger.

The first dozen acorns went nowhere near the stranger. Then the next few hit his shoulders, torso, and hands. In an act of frustration, Jeremy threw the entire bag of acorns, bag included, at the stranger. It was pure luck that the bag hit the stranger square in the face, causing him to wake up.

---

Michael had little to no memory of where he was. All he knew was that he was in some large circular room, with a pile of acorns in his lap. Oh, and he was tied to a chair. So he had no idea what was going on. He vaguely remembered climbing a tower, reaching the top, and… and… “Is this hair?” he questioned, tugging at his restraints.

“Struggling will get you nowhere!” Called a voice, sounding less confident than you would expect a captor to be.

“What?”

“Why are you here? Who told you I was here? Who else knows where I am? Who are you?” The voice seemed to be traveling down from the rafters, followed by a thump on the floor. Emerging from the shadows was a boy…

Holy shit he was cute.

He was wearing a pale blue shirt, covered with a navy vest and pants to match. His feet were bare, covered in dirt. He also had oddly long hair.

Michael whistled, taking the boy in. “Well, I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you. But, may I say…”

The boy tilted his head in a way that made his blue eyes sparkle. Alright, Michael, don’t make a fool of yourself.

“How ya doin’? Names Michael. How’s your day goin?”

So that failed.

The boy scoffed at him, and threateningly gestured at Michael with… a frying pan? Okay, so this has been a strange day for Michael. “I’ll ask you again, Michael, who else knows where I am?”
“Okay, sweetheart--”

“My name is Jeremy.”

“Uh-huh. Anyways, I was, how do I put this, gallivanting through the forest. Having a banging time. Then, I happened to stumble across your tower. I climb it, pass out, and then I get here,” Michael explained. Then something occurred to him. “Wait wait wait, where the hell is my satchel?”

The boy, Jeremy apparently, smiled smugly. “I have hidden it where you will never ever find it.”

Michael looked around for just a minute, before seeing a strap hanging out of a pot. “It’s in that pot, isn’t it.”

He was then reintroduced to the frying pan.

---

Michael woke up to a faceful of acorn. “Could you stop it with the acorns!” He exclaimed after getting hit in the eye with one.

Jeremy stood in front of Michael proudly swinging his frying pan around his finger. “Now I have hidden it, where you will never ever find it.”

He began circling Michael, keeping the frying pan pointed at Michael at all times. “So, what do you want with my hair? Do you want to cut it?”

Michael looked at Jeremy with confusion. “What?”

“To sell it?”

“No! I just want to get out of your hair! Quite literally!” Michael pulled at his restraints.

Jeremy once again tilted his head, expression going soft. “You… you don’t want my hair?”

“Why would I want your hair? I was being chased, and then I saw this tower, and decided it would be a good hiding spot.”
Lowering his frying pan, Jeremy stepped closer to Michael. “You’re… you’re sure that is the only reason you climbed my tower?”

“Of course! I’d never even heard of this--” Michael gestured wildly with his hands-- “place before I got here!”

Jeremy seemed to untense when Michael said this. His shoulders lowered and he held the frying pan loosely with one hand. Jeremy took a deep breath. “I am prepared to offer you a deal, Michael.”

“What kind of deal?” Michael eyed the other boy suspiciously.

“I want you to take me to see the lanterns.”

Okay, odd deal. “The lanterns? You want to see the lantern thing they do for the prince?”

“Yes. They’ll be releasing the lanterns tomorrow night, my birthday, and it has always been my dream to see them up close. So, I want you to be my guide and take me to see them.”

“What do I get out of this deal?” Michael asked.

“If you do this successfully, then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you.”

Michael sighed and looked up at Jeremy. “I can’t really do that. I’m not in real good with the kingdom right now, so going in there is a big no no.”

Jeremy glared at Michael. “Well, something brought you here, Michael. Whatever it was, fate, destiny--”

“A crown.”

Jeremy looked down a bit. “So that’s what it was.” He shook his head. “Anyways. Because of whatever brought you here, I am deciding to trust you.”

Michael snickered. “Wow, great decision.” Michael rolled his eyes as he spoke.

“But!” Jeremy tugged on his hair, making Michael’s chair fall forward. Jeremy caught it with one hand, making him and Michael face to face. “No matter how hard you look. No matter how hard you try, your precious satchel will not be found. I and only I can find it.”

Michael blew a stray strand of hair out of his face. “Okay. So if I take you to see these lanterns, then bring you back to the tower, I will get my satchel back?”

Jeremy nodded. “I promise. And when I make a promise, I will never break that promise. Ever.”

Michael sighed, and looked at Jeremy. This was apparently the only way, but Michael had one last chance to not have to do this. “All right, listen. I really didn’t want to do this, but I must. Here comes… the ‘smoulder.’”

Michael took one deep breath, before pouting his lips a bit and looking up at Jeremy through his eyelashes. While Jeremy did end up blushing a bit, all it succeeded in doing was making Jeremy look more stern. “This usually works,” Michael whispered. “Fine! Fine. I’ll take you to see the lanterns.”

Jeremy lit up at the statement, lifting his arms in excitement. “You will?!”

While lifting his arms, Jeremy successfully dropped Michael’s chair, making Michael land on his face. “Oops! Sorry!” Jeremy exclaimed, lifting Michael’s chair back up.

“You broke my smoulder.”

---

After untying Michael, Jeremy had to prepare for his trip outside. The problem was: he has no idea what he needs to be outside. Father would always just bring a basket with some food and money in it. He also would wear shoes. Jeremy didn’t own a single pair of shoes that would fit him. The biggest pair of shoes he had last fit him when he was 8. So… Jeremy had half of the things he needed! A basket and food!

All the food he had was leftover fruit salad and uncooked fish, and his basket had holes in the bottom, but it was better than nothing. So now he was all packed and ready to go. A few extra pairs of clothing, as well as his comb and the only knife that his father seemed to own, a red one that seemed to glow. It was for self defense, seeing as the frying pan didn’t do much more than possibly give Michael a concussion.

Once Michael was lowered to the bottom of the tower, Jeremy began doubting himself. Why was he leaving again? To see the lanterns? He could see those from his window! Who cares if he saw them up close! He knew that was only the anxiety talking, but he felt himself stepping away from the window.

“You coming, sweetheart?” Michael beckoned.

Jeremy looked down at Michael. He looked so comfortable in his environment. It felt almost unfair how natural he looked down there. So, Jeremy decided that he would just have to make himself look as natural as Michael through experience.

And so he went.

The second his feet touched the grass, Jeremy felt… odd. It was almost exactly how he imagined grass feeling, even though all he had ever seen was from his window and little strands that got caught on Father’s cloak. It smelled exactly how he thought it would. It all felt surreal.

A breeze blew past him, not in a cold harsh way, but as though it were cradling him. A bird flew just feet away from his face, and a butterfly landed on his toes. He didn’t know how to feel. It was all a mixture of confusion and joy and fear… it felt wonderful.

“I can’t believe I did this!” Jeremy exclaimed, running across the meadow, with an exhausted Michael trailing behind him. Then Jeremy paused suddenly, just as he exited the cave. “I can’t believe I did this,” he repeated, voice much less excited.

Shaking his head, he smiled again. “I can’t believe I did this! Oh god, Father would be so furious with me. Whatever, what he doesn’t know won’t kill him! Oh no this would totally kill him. I’m a terrible son. I have to go back.”

Jeremy turned back towards the cave, only to look up and see the wide open sky. “How could I go back! It’s so beautiful out here!”

Instead of going back into the cave, Jeremy wrapped his hair around a tree branch, and began swinging on his own hair. “This! Is! The! Best! Day! Ever!” Jeremy said, each word a different lap around the tree.

Next thing you knew, Jeremy was seated on a rock, hair in a pile behind him. His face was in his hands, and you could hear him sniffling and crying. “I am a despicable human being.”

Michael approached the crying Jeremy, looking almost sympathetic. He cleared his throat. “You at war with yourself, sweetheart?” he asked, seating himself next to Jeremy.

The long-haired boy looked up, eyes puffy and cheeks fresh with tears. His nose seemed to be twitching a little. “Mhm,” he nodded whilst wiping his nose with his sleeve.

“Well, it’s normal to be doing rebellious stuff like this, my pal,” Michael pat Jeremy on the back.

“Really?”

“Of course! It’s good for you to let out your wild side!” Michael accented his words with little punches to the air. “I mean, will it break your father’s heart? Sure it will! Will it crush his soul into tiny pieces? Absolutely.”

Jeremy began tugging on a strand of his hair. “Break his heart?”

“In half,” Michael said plainly, picking up a berry from the ground.

“Crush his soul?”

Michael squished the berry. “Just like that.”

“Oh god, this would ruin him! You’re right!” Jeremy exclaimed, throwing his face back into his hands.

Michael pulled on the collar of his vest. “I am, aren’t I? Well, I simply cannot let this stand. I’m going to be generous, and let you out of the deal.”

Jeremy looked up suddenly, posture stiffening. “What?!”

“I know, how kind of me. But now you can go back home, find your knife--” Michael picked up the glowing red knife-- “and your self-confidence. I get back my satchel, and you get back a loving father-son relationship based on mutual trust. After that, we part ways and never have to see each other again!”
Michael stuffed the knife in the basket, and shoved it onto Jeremy. “So! Let’s start heading back--” Michael was interrupted by hair being lassoed around his waist.

“No! I am going to see those lanterns!”

“Aw, come on!” Michael turned towards Jeremy in a huff. “I just want my satchel back!”

Jeremy pulled the knife out of the basket and gestured it towards Michael. “I will use this if necessary.”

Michael raised his hands and let out a low whistle. “Geez sweetheart, didn’t know you had the guts!”

Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes. With a yelp, Jeremy jumped onto Michael’s back, almost making the thief lose his balance. “Is it a snake?! A cannibal?! A bear?!”

Out of the bushes came a stray cat, who promptly meowed and licked its paw.

“Be careful. It can probably smell fear,” Michael looked back at Jeremy, who was pointing the knife at the cat.

“Oh!” Jeremy said, clearly flustered, “Guess I’m just a little jumpy. That’s all!”

“Would be best if we could avoid real danger though,” Michael tapped his chin, “Y’know, like ruffians. Thugs.”

Jeremy nodded, climbing down from Michael’s back. “Yeah. It would.”

A beat passed. “Hey, are you hungry? ‘Cause I sure am,” Michael grinned down at Jeremy.

“Yeah! I have some salad if you want some--”

“Nonsense!” Michael put a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder-- “I know a great place to eat, not too far from here!”

“Oh, where?” Jeremy looked at Michael with genuine curiosity.

Michael moved his hand to Jeremy’s back in order to guide him along. “Don’t worry about it, you’ll know it when you smell it.”

---

In the woods, Jenna was still searching for Michael. Her hand was always on the hilt of her sword, ready to kill or maim anything that tried to get in her way. While following his trail, Jenna came across a poster of Michael. In this poster, his glasses were square, with little gems on the corners. She ripped it off the tree, and shred it into pieces out of anger.

Then, she heard the sound of footsteps just a bit away from her. It was the first time in a day that she had any clues as to where her target was, so of course she began sneaking towards it. She hid behind a tree, and right as the footsteps were walking past her, she jumped out, sword at full length.

But in front of her was not Michael. It was a man in a dark cloak, eyes wide with shock. “Ugh. You are not Michael,” Jenna complained, putting her sword back in its sheath.

“And you’re…” The man looked down, before looking up with fear. “Oh no.” He ran off in a hurry, not stopping no matter how much Jenna protested.

---

Of course, this man was Jeremy’s “father.” Upon seeing the palace guard, he panicked, thinking that one palace guard meant many, many who could be finding Jeremy. He instantly rushed back to the tower, almost tripping many times in the effort to get there. “Jeremy!” he hollered at the base of the tower, “Let down your hair!”

After several seconds of no response, he dashed to the side of the tower, tearing at bricks and plants to reveal a passageway, the one that had been used to get in and out of the tower before Jeremy’s hair was long enough to climb. Up the stairs he flew, into a dull and lifeless tower. Jeremy’s bed was empty, the closet was empty, and there was no sign anyone had ever lived there.

Jeremy’s father ran his fingers through his hair, and when he pulled back, a gray strand appeared in his hand. He was about to lose all hope, when a glimmer caught his eye. He moved towards it quickly, tearing up the floorboard which it was under. There he was met with a satchel, with… the royal crown.
He threw the crown to the ground, not out of anger, but out of pure fear for the thing. What if Jeremy had seen it? He tore through the bag a bit more, to find a wanted poster. A poster for Michael Mell.

The man figured that if anyone had Jeremy, it would be that thief. He shoved everything back in the satchel, including one extra thing: a dagger that was hidden in his bedside drawer.

---

Back with our unlikely duo, Michael was leading Jeremy down a path less traveled. Due to this path being uncared for and messy, Jeremy had to keep backtracking to pull sticks, leaves, and bugs out of his hair. “So, where are we going?” Jeremy asked, pulling a fairly large stick out of his hair.

“The Snuggly Duckling! Don’t worry your little head off, sweetheart--” Michael booped Jeremy’s nose-- “It’s a nice little joint, not the kind of joint that would scare you enough to make you rethink your life's decisions and give up on our little journey!”

Jeremy looked hesitant, but managed a smile. “Well… I really do like ducklings.”

Michael clapped. “Hooray! Now, let’s take our seats, shall we?”

Michael swung the door open quickly, Jeremy right beside him, smiling softly. “Your finest table, please!”

Jeremy’s smile faded into horror quickly.

In front of him was a terrifying array of people, some with hooks for hands, others shirtless and covered in what Jeremy hoped was ketchup, others that were wielding daggers. “Ah, don’t you love that smell of sweat and other foul body odors? It smells like the color brown, don’t ya think?” Michael mused to Jeremy.

Jeremy was wielding his red knife in one hand, when a slight tug from behind distracted him. He turned towards a man, no taller than four feet, holding his hair in his dirt caked hands. “That is a lot of hair.”

Jeremy grabbed a section of his hair and dashed in the other direction, eyes wide with fear. “Hey, sweetheart! Look at this guy!” Michael shouted from the other side of the pub-- “The blood in his mustache is the same color as my vest! What a coincidence!”

Backing himself into a corner, Jeremy’s hands began to shake in fear. He wasn’t supposed to be here. This was supposed to be a restaurant with ducklings, not dangerous men who had fresh blood in their mustache.

“You don’t look so comfy, sweetheart,” Michael came over to Jeremy and wrapped an arm around his shoulders-- “Suppose that we should get you back to your tower and call it a day. If you can’t handle this place, I don’t know if you could handle the rest of the world--” A tall man with a cloak that looked like it was made out of an actual bear stepped in front of Michael, holding a wanted sign with his face on it.

“This you? You Michael Mell?” The man wildly waved the poster at him. The poster had Michael wearing ridiculous diamond shaped glasses.

“Now they’re just being mean,” Michael huffed.

“That’s him alright! Seymour, go get the guards!” A thug from behind hollered.

“A reward for him would be enough to buy me a new hook!” A man nabbed Michael by the arm, dragging him towards him.

“Hey!” Another man shouted, grabbing Michael’s other arm-- “I could use the money, too!”

Yet another man grabbed Michael around his waist. “I’m broke! I need the money more than any of you!”

And so almost every criminal in the entire pub began pulling on Michael, shouting reasons why they deserve the reward more. “Guys! Guys! I’m sure we can make a compromise!” Michael shouted desperately, while Jeremy shouted protests from behind.

No matter how many protests Jeremy shouted, or how many ruffians he kicked, nobody would stop fighting over his guide. In an act of desperation, Jeremy threw his hair onto the antler of some animal head, pulling on it until it sprung away and hit a thug on the head.
All fighting ceased at once. Each and every person in the pub turned towards Jeremy. “For heavens sakes! Please put him down!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“Why should we?” Questioned a gruff voice from the back of the pub.

“Because I need him to take me to see the lanterns! I don’t know where I am or where I’m going, but I need him to guide me! I’ve been dreaming about seeing those lanterns for years! Haven’t any of you ever had a dream?”

In response, one of the bigger, buffer, thugs waltzed towards Jeremy, death in his eyes and an axe on his back. As he was inches away from Jeremy’s face, his features suddenly softened and he looked into the distance. “I had a dream once.”

“I may look malicious, mean, scary if you will,” the thug began, “Some say that one look from me could make a cow only give out curdled milk for months. But, even though I may look like a killer… all I want in life… is to be a concert pianist.”

Silence floated throughout the pub, only interrupted by Michael. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

A lankier, uglier thug emerged from the crowd, holding his helmet in his hands. “Look, I know I’ve got my fair share of bumps and bruises, plus an extra toe or two, and have gotten into many fights. But in all honesty, I’m a lover. Not a fighter. I just want to meet that special someone and live a happy, domestic life with them.”

Each of the thugs ended up shouting out their dream, in an array of self-confidence and bonding.

“I’d love to be a florist!”

“I’ve always had a passion for interior design!”

“Baking is the only thing I’m truly good at!”

“I collect ceramic unicorns!”

Michael was the only person in the entire pub, other than the mime, who hadn’t said anything about a dream. “Hey pretty boy,” one of the thugs grunted, “What’s your dream?”
Michael chuckled nervously. “I don’t do well with this ‘sharing my emotions’ jazz.”

Then Michael had a sword on his throat.

“Okay okay! I have dreams too! Just a lot less… happy-go-lucky then yours! I’d love to just have an island, all to myself, where I can relax with all my money.”

This dream, of course, was a lie on Michael’s behalf, but none of the criminals seemed to notice.

“Hey, long hair!” Called a completely uncreative ruffian, “Tell us your dream again!”

Jeremy climbed atop a table, smiling widely at all the good he had created. “I just want to see the floating lanterns glowing right in front of my face! Be able to feel the warmth of the flame keeping them up, and their reflection of them in the water! Just the thought of going makes me so glad I left my tower!”

None of the pubs attendants understood what Jeremy meant by his tower, but they didn’t care. Yet just outside the pub, looking in through a broken window, was Jeremy’s father. He stood there in shock at what was going on inside. There was Jeremy, successfully communicating and socializing with a bunch of… bottom feeding wannabe thieves. He was going to go inside to get Jeremy, when a thug followed by three palace guards burst into the pub.

“I found the guards!” The thug shouted, proudly gesturing to the guards.

As Michael was pulling Jeremy under the bar, in stepped Jenna, Richard, and Jake. Following the guards were the Berry Sisters in handcuffs. Jenna had leaves and sticks in her hair, scratches on her face, and dirt all over. Richard and Jake however looked as though they had bathed in the past few days. “Where is he? Where is Mell?” Jenna hollered, her voice booming throughout the pub, “Turn this goddamn joint upside down if you have to! Just find him!”

One of the thugs, the pianist, crawled down to Michael and Jeremy. He pulls a lever on the bar, revealing a secret passage in the floor. “Go on. Live your dream.”

“I will,” Michael smiled at the thug.

“Your dream stinks,” the pianist sneered, “I was talking to him.”

“Thank you!” Jeremy smiled and kissed the pianist on the cheek.

Jeremy and Michael dashed off through the tunnels, not worrying about anyone behind them.

Yet back at the pub, Jenna had found the secret entrance while pounding on the bar. As soon as she saw it, she basically shoved the other guards down the hole and after the duo. In their rush to catch Michael, the guards completely forgot about the Berrys. The two girls stole one of the thug’s swords, cutting their chains with it. “Now, let’s go get that crown,” Chloe beamed.

---

In front of the pub, Jeremy’s father stood, fully aware that Jeremy had just run off through a tunnel with a thief. He was contemplating what to do, when a ditzy man walked out of the pub, mumbling something about dreams. “Well, would you look at you--” the man said, voice slurred-- “Somebody better get me a glass, cause you are one tall drink of water.”

Jeremy’s father played along, placing a smile on his lips. “Well, aren’t you sweet. Can I ask you a favor?” The cloaked man leaned forward, lifting the ditzy man’s chin.

“And what is that?” The ditzy man hummed.

Then there was a dagger on his throat. “Where does that tunnel lead?”

“That’s a dagger.”

---

The tunnels were dark, only lit by a single lantern the Michael had found near the entrance. For one, Michael was the only person who was scared. That was probably due to all the skeletons and bones just lounging around inside the caves. Jeremy, however, was still high off of adrenaline, not taking time to worry about his surroundings.

“That was uh… quite a scheme you pulled back there. Didn’t know that you had it in ya, sweetheart.”

“I know! Wasn’t it awesome! Everyone seemed so… happy!” Jeremy was swinging his basket back and forth wildly, things almost falling out in the process.

Jeremy took a deep breath, calming himself down just a bit. “So, Michael, where are you from?” Jeremy tried making small talk, trying to break the maddening silence of the caves.

“It’s a long story, Jere-bear. Can’t just tell you after hours of knowing you. And like I said, I don’t do great with sharing my feelings. However--” Michael placed a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder-- “I am becoming interested in yours more and more as we go along. Now, I know I can’t ask about the hair-”

“Nope.”

“Or the father.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Or that strange red knife you carry everywhere.”

“I wouldn’t be able to answer any questions about it anyways.”

“But, here is my question. If you really wanted to see those lanterns so badly, why didn’t you just… go before?”

Jeremy stopped walking and started staring at the cave floor below him. “Well, uh, you see--”

He was interrupted by the echoes of running coming from behind him. Jeremy looked behind him, only to see three very angry and very determined guards running towards him.

“Michael?!”

“Run. Run!” Michael grabbed Jeremy’s arm, pulling him further down the tunnels and away from the guards.

Just outside the tunnel was a dam, being held up by a few weak boards. There was no way to get from one side of the dam to the other without either traveling through an array of wooden beams, or going across the bottom of the chasm, which was about a 20-foot drop. Michael and Jeremy escaped successfully from the caves, but, from an entrance down in the chasm, emerged the Berry Sisters. “Who are they?” Jeremy asked, pointing to the two girls.

“Let’s just say they don’t like me!” Michael explained.

Then the two guards Richard and Jake emerged from the tunnels. “Who are they?”

“They don’t like me either!”

Then Jenna came bursting through the tunnels. “Who’s that?”

Michael grabbed Jeremy by the shoulders. “Let’s just assume that everyone here doesn’t like me!”

Jeremy looked around him, before putting his knife into the palm of Michael’s hand. “Hold this--” Jeremy then threw his hair around a rafter, somehow getting it to tie around it. He then swung to a cliffside across the way, leaving Michael all on his own on the other side.

Jenna snickered, pulling her sword out of its sheath. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do this, Mell.”

Michael looked down at the red knife, which couldn’t have been much bigger than a butter knife, then decided it was his only hope for survival. And so, he began to sword fight the guards with his almost butterknife. “You should know--” Michael said while fighting Richard-- “That this is the strangest thing I’ve ever done!”

But, the knife ended up being quite helpful. Whenever it touched the skin of the guards, the guard would holler in pain, drop to their knees, and pass out. And while it was a lot of work trying to touch their skin without injuring himself, Michael somehow defeated all three guards.

“Hey, sweetheart! How am I supposed to get across?” Michael hollered over to Jeremy.

“Like this!” Jeremy threw his hair across, having it tie around Michael’s waist. Then, he pulled. While it worked just fine, the problem was he now had to swing right past the Berry Sisters. The Berry Sisters who were armed with swords.
“Michael!” Jeremy shouted, pulling up on his hair at the last minute, to get Michael just out of harm’s way.

“Ha! You two should see your faces right now! Because you look--” Michael’s stomach was then introduced to a wooden plank-- “Ridiculous,” he said breathlessly.

Right then and there, the guards began to wake up, rubbing their heads. “You can’t get away that easily, Mell!” Jenna began slashing at a wooden plank, the last support the dam had.

Then it snapped.

Water came rushing down, filling up the entire canyon with water. “Sweetheart!” Michael called from a lower rafter. “You need to jump! I’ll catch you!”

Jeremy gathered the loose ends of his hair in his arms, looking at his option. He could either jump down to Michael and there being a possibility of death, or stay at the top of the cliff, and have an equal probability of getting killed by the guards.

Well, one was with Michael.

So Jeremy leaped, just escaping from Jenna grabbing at a loose tuft of hair. He ended up landing right in Michael’s arms, almost causing Michael to lose his balance. But luckily, he stayed upright. Instead of putting Jeremy down so he could run himself, Michael decided it would be a great idea to surf down some halfpipes, all while carrying Jeremy and a knife.

As far as the two were concerned, everyone else who was in the area was swept away by the water. They could be dead or alive, and the duo wouldn’t know. What they did know, was that in their attempt to escape, they ran into another cave, that was then blocked by a rock, and was now flooding with water. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now they were stuck.

They run towards the highest ground in the cave, trying to delay their death as much as possible. But the water just kept flooding in. Michael dived down int0 the water several times, trying to find some sort of exit. “It’s no use! It’s too dark to see anything.”

Michael tries moving some rocks from the roof, to see if any would lead out, but only ended up deeply scratching his hand.
“I have to do something!” Jeremy tried diving under the water, only to be restrained by Michael.

“You won’t be able to see anything! It’s pitch black!” Michael reasoned.

“But this is my fault we’re stuck in here! I’m… I’m so sorry, Michael.”

“It’s not your fault. Well, at least if we’re dead you don’t have to worry about lugging all your hair around,” Michael attempted to lighten the mood.

“My hair… Michael! My hair glows when I use my comb! The green one in my basket!” Jeremy pointed to the basket, which was a few feet away, abandoned in the chase.

Even though Michael didn’t believe Jeremy’s hair glowed, it was his only hope of survival. So he dived towards the basket, grabbing only the comb. He swam back to Jeremy, who was struggling to get air from the top of the cave. Michael began quickly running the comb through Jeremy’s hair, and to his surprise, it began to glow silvery-blue. It lit up the water, revealing a loose rock near the bottom of the cave. Jeremy and Michael desperately swam towards it, picking it up and swimming through the entrance it created.

They were let out of the tunnel at a river, and they quickly swam to shore. “We did it!” Jeremy exclaimed, picking himself up out of the water.

“His hair glows.”

“We’re alive, Michael! We’re survived!”

“How was I supposed to prepare myself for glowing hair.”

“Michael.”

“I feel like I’m in some fairytale.”

“Michael.”

“Hair isn’t supposed to glow.”

“Michael!”
“What?!”

Jeremy was in the process of pulling his hair out of the water. “It doesn’t just glow.”

“Oh god, what else does it do.”

---

Deep in the woods, there rested a trap door, painted with a yellow duckling on it. This is where Jeremy’s father had been told to go, so there he waited. The second he heard it opening, he pulled out his dagger from his belt.

But instead of the thief and his son, out came two girls, hair soaked and clothes torn up at the sleeves. “I’m going to kill that Mell,” the brunette muttered.

The blonde girl rested her hand on the other’s shoulder. “Chloe, we’ll just cut him off at the kingdom and take back the crown. C’mon!”

“Ladies!”

The two girls turned towards the man, eyes wide. Both girls pulled out a sword, pointing them at him. “If you girls would like to stop acting like kitties and puppies playing with string, maybe you could just think for a moment.”

Jeremy’s father threw a satchel at the two girls, both of whom scrambled to it. Inside the bag they found the crown. “If that’s all you want, I’ll be on my way. I was going to offer you something beyond the riches of the crown, hell, maybe even worth a hundred crowns, but, oh well. Enjoy your day.”

“Wait!” The blonde girl cried, “What’s the offer?”

The man smirked and held up a wanted poster. “Revenge on Michael Mell.”

---

Jeremy somehow knew how to make a fire, and set up a half decent camp. Michael assumed that Jeremy had read about it somewhere, but it still felt strange that he could remember how. Currently, Michael was having his injured hand wrapped in curly hair. “You know, most people would think having their hand wrapped in hair is weird. But with the day I’m having, this doesn’t phase me in the slightest.”

“I’m glad.” Jeremy then pulled the hair tighter around Michaels wound, causing him to wince in pain. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s fine, sweetheart,” Michael huffed.

Jeremy looked at Michael. “Just… please don’t freak out.”

Jeremy began running his green comb through the hair leading up to Michael’s hand. He hummed as he worked, looking at his hair as though it had a mind of its own. Gently. Then, the hair began to glow. Michael still looked at the hair with wonder, as he felt the pain in his hand seep away.

“Reminder, do not freak out--” Jeremy said as he unwrapped Michael’s hand.

Once the hair was removed, Michael inspected his hand. There was only a scar where he had cut his hand, and even that was fading. Michaels eyes widened, and he started sputtering.

“Please don’t freak out!” Jeremy looked genuinely worried for Michael.

Michael’s shoulders stiffened and he put on a wide smile. “What? Imnotfreakingoutyou’refreakingout! I’mjustveryinterestedinyourhairanditsmagicalpropertieshowlonghasitbeendoingthat?”

Jeremy chuckled a bit, tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear. “Well, for as long as I can remember.”

Jeremy sighed, looking down at his lap. “Father said that when I was just a baby, someone tried to cut my hair. Take the magic for themselves. But, when you cut my hair--” Jeremy pulled back his hair to reveal a short, brown chunk of hair-- “it loses its power. Father said that’s why he’s so protective. And why I never…” he sighed.

“You never left that tower,” Michael looked at Jeremy sympathetically. “Are you still gonna go back there?”

“No. Yes? I… I don’t know yet.”
Silence overcame the duo. It held tension, as though they both wanted the other to say something.

“So… you never told me where you came from, Michael,” Jeremy leaned forwards on his hands.

“Well, I’ll spare you the sob story of orphan Michael Mell. It’s not the kind of happy ending story you’d want it to be,” Michael looked towards the ground, attempting to avoid eye contact with Jeremy.

Yet Jeremy persisted. He placed a hand on Michael’s chin, gently guiding Michael to look at him. “Trust me, I want to hear it.”

Michael ran a hand through his hair. “My parents, when they were alive, had more money than they knew how to deal with. Richest people in the kingdom, second only to the royal family. So, you’d expect that when they die, I’d be left the money so I can life a comfortable life.

“It didn’t happen that way. All I got was to go to the ‘fanciest’ orphanage in the kingdom. I had my own room, a personal nanny, but nobody actually cared. The only plus of being shoved into that orphanage was that it had a huge library. Seriously, it was ginormous! And my favorite book was ‘The Tales of Michael Aventuras.’ Not just because the main character and I shared a name, but because he was free, could do what he wanted whenever he wanted.”

“Was he a thief, too?” Jeremy asked out of pure curiosity.

“No, he didn’t need to be. He had all the money in the world, there was no need to steal. I was jealous of that. He had what I thought I’d get. I was living vicariously through him.”

Michael leaned towards Jeremy, hand covering the side of his mouth. “You can’t tell anyone about this. It would destroy my reputation.”

“We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Jeremy giggled.

“A fake reputation is all I have.”

The two laughed together, before coming to a silence. They both just stared at each other, not wanting to say anything. But then Michael seemed to realize something. He might actually like this boy. Not in a friendship way. That scared him. “Well, I better go get some more firewood before we hit the hay. Don’t wanna freeze to death!”

“Hey--” Jeremy caught Michael’s arm as he stood up-- “I personally like the real you compared to the fake you.”

“You’d be the first,” Michael said with a chuckle.

As Michael disappeared into the woods, Jeremy smiled off in his direction. “I thought that thief would never leave.”

Jeremy turned around quickly, to see his father standing there. “Father?”

His father looked sick. His hair was lighter than its usual raven black, and wrinkles were appearing on his skin. “Hello, Jeremy.”

“How did you find me?”

“You make it sound as though you didn’t want to be found.”

“I didn’t! I wanted to go outside!”

“That’s enough, Jeremy. You need to do as I instruct. Now, we’re going home.” Jeremy’s father grabbed his wrist, dragging Jeremy away from the campsite.

“No! I don’t want to go back! I’ve learned so much!” Jeremy mused, “And… I met someone!” Jeremy pulled his wrist from his father’s hands.

“The wanted criminal? Are you serious?” His father rolled his eyes.

“I think… I think he likes me, Father.”

“We’ve discussed this, Jeremy. He is using you. You’re too weak. Naive. You’re being an idiot, Jeremy. Come with me and I’ll consider forgiving you.”

“No, Father!”

“I see how it is,” his father grimaced, pulling a satchel, the satchel, out from under his cloak.

“How did you find that?” Jeremy asked, leaning forward to grab it.

“This is why he’s here!” His father shook the bag in front of his face, “Did you actually think he’d want to spend time with you? Test it! Give this to him and see if he sticks around!” The father threw the bag onto Jeremy’s chest.

“I-I will!” Jeremy held the bag close to his chest.

“But if he’s lying, don’t expect me to be waiting with open arms,” his father sneered, and with a flick of his cloak, he was gone.

Jeremy was then alone in the woods, holding a satchel in his arms and tears budding in his eyes. “Hey, Jeremy?”

Upon hearing Michael’s voice, Jeremy shoved the satchel in a log. “Yes, Michael?” He called, voice shaky.

“Am I gonna get superhuman strength in my hand now that you’ve used your magic hair on it?”

Michael came into the clearing, carrying a large stack of wood. He could see the discomfort on Jeremy’s face. “Hey, you alright?”

“Yeah, just lost in thought.”

Michael shrugged, and began loading the wood into the fire. “Because superhuman good looks? Always had ‘em. But strength? Can you imagine the possibilities of that?”

---

What Michael thought the first thing he would see in the morning: Sunlight drifting through the leaves as the world shines with morning dew.

What Michael actually saw the first thing in the morning: Jenna looking down at him, dripping with sweat.

At first, Michael couldn’t process this, so he just laid his head back down on his pillow rock. “Well, I hope you’re here to apologize.”

Then he was being dragged off by his feet. “You’re coming with me, Mell,” Jenna grunted.

“Jeremy! A little help here!” Michael shouted, clawing at the grass in a feeble attempt to get away from Jenna.

Fortunately, Michael’s shouting woke Jeremy up. Immediately, Jeremy saw Michael being dragged away, and began sprinting towards him. “Let! Him! Go!” Jeremy called, grabbing Michael’s hands. This resulted in Jenna and Jeremy engaging in a tug of war featuring Michael’s body.

“He is a wanted criminal! This is my job!”

“And he is my guide! It’s his job!”

Jenna ended up tugging off Michael’s boots, releasing Michael from her grip. Michael flew right over Jeremy’s head, causing all three to lose their balance. Looking at the boots in her hand, Jenna let out a frustrated breath, charging towards Michael, wielding the boots as a weapon.

Jeremy stood in front of Michael, holding his arms out in order to protect him. “I will not let you hurt him.”

“Get- out- of- my- way!” Jenna tried maneuvering around Jeremy, but every move she made he mirrored.

“No! Please calm down!” Jeremy put his arms down, looking at Jenna sympathetically. “I bet you’re tired from chasing this criminal over here.”

“Excuse me?” Michael called.

“Yeah, I really am. It’s such a hassle chasing criminals all day and all night.” Jenna wiped her forehead of sweat, letting her arms fall lax at her side.

“I bet nobody appreciates all the work you do for the kingdom. I read somewhere that guards are one of the most underpaid professions.”
That fact was from a book written a century earlier, but he did still read it. “Tell me about it! I can barely afford breakfast in the morning, so I end up just eating leftovers from dinner,” Jenna complained.

“How awful! Now, can I ask you something?” Jeremy smiled sweetly at Jenna.

“What’s that?”

“Can I please have those boots back?”

Jenna groaned, hesitating. “Please?”

Huffing, Jenna gave Jeremy the boots. “Fine. But I’m not happy about it.”

“Thank you…”

“Jenna. My name is Jenna.”

“I can’t believe you are making friends with my worst enemy,” Michael piped up from the back.

Jeremy looked back to glare at Michael. “Look, Jenna? Today is a really big day for me. I need you to not arrest Michael for 24 hours. Then you can chase each other around to your heart’s content. Can you do that for me?”

“I don’t know if that is entirely legal--”

“It’s also my birthday. Just one birthday wish? Please?” Jeremy pouted his lips a bit, trying to look as innocent as possible.

“Okay. Just because it’s your birthday.”

Jeremy pulls Michael back up to his feet, and makes Jenna and Michael shake on it. While shaking, Jenna grips Michael’s hand as tight as she can, making him look at her in pure fear. “Guys! Do you hear those bells? We must be close!”

---

And close they were. The kingdom was more beautiful then Jeremy could’ve ever imagined. There were towers reaching into the sky, plants all around, and everything shone silver in the daylight. “It’s beautiful!” Jeremy looked at it with wonder, his body bouncing with excitement.

Jeremy ran out in front of his two companions, not considering what was going to happen in the crowded kingdom. The second he stepped inside the gates, a problem erupted.

His hair was just too long. Everywhere he stepped, people and animals were tripping over his hair. Michael gathered up some of Jeremy's hair, in an attempt to keep Jeremy's hair from being ripped out by passing feet. He glanced around the town square, trying to find anything to keep Jeremy's hair out of trouble. Then appeared a girl. She had short black hair, held back by a red bandanna. She sat braiding a little girl’s hair, interweaved with flowers.

“Excuse me!” Michael called, waving at the girl, “Would you have time to braid my friend’s hair?”

The girl looked up, and her eyes grew wide upon seeing Jeremy's hair. She quickly finished braiding the smaller girl’s hair before rushing over. “Holy moly, that is a lot of hair! How did you get it so long?”

“I haven't cut it for 18 years,” Jeremy nervously chuckled.

“Why would you do that?”

“It's a long story.”

“Well, then you can tell me while I'm braiding it! I'm Christine,” the girl stuck her hand out for Jeremy to shake.

“Jeremy.”

“So, Jeremy, what type of flowers do you want in your hair? I can do anything at the market.”

“I really don't mind what type.”

“Okay, so one of every flower in the entire market!” Christine clapped, and began skipping towards the town square.

“W-what?!”

---

It was surprising how much shorter Jeremy's hair was in a braid. The braid only went down to his heels, and while that was still long, it was a drastic change compared to its usual length. His braid was weaved with an assortment of bright colored flowers, differing in size and pattern. It looked beautiful and was worth the hour it took.

“This looks amazing, Christine!” Jeremy exclaimed, spinning around admiring the braid, “Thank you so much!”

“Aw, it was nothing. Thank you for letting me braid your hair!” Christine admired her work from afar. “So, why'd you come to the kingdom? You're clearly not from around here.”

“What gave it away?” Jeremy questioned.

“Well, I think I would have noticed a boy with such long hair roaming the streets.”

“Oh. True. We came to see the lanterns tonight!” Jeremy grew excited as he explained his plans.

“Really? I've never seen anyone come for the lanterns in a decade. People far outside the kingdom stopped caring a long time ago.”

“Why did they stop caring?” Jeremy's held tilted a bit.

“It was for the lost prince. He's been missing for years. So every year, in memory of him, the king releases thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hopes he comes home. Oh! Speaking of which--”

Christine plucked a spare flower from Jeremy's hair. She marched over to a mural on the side of a temple. It was of who Jeremy assumed was the king and queen, holding a small child. The prince.

The prince was only a baby in the mural. His eyes were soft, and his hair flowed around his head like a cloud. Jeremy looked into the baby's mosaic eyes for a good minute, trying to decipher why he felt so connected to this mural. Christine set the flower in front of the mural. “It's a tradition of mine to put a flower here, in honor of the prince. Hopefully he'll return soon. I don't know how much longer the king will last.”

“What do you mean?” Jeremy broke eye contact with the mural, turning towards Christine.

“The King hasn't had any family for years. When the prince went missing, his wife left in a hurry. She apparently couldn't handle the stress of the lost child. She didn't stop to think about how her husband would handle it.”

The two stood in silence, staring at the mural. Then, Jeremy felt a tap on his shoulder. “Hey, sweetheart. They're playing some kinda music over there, and I was wondering--”

Michael was cut off by Jeremy grabbing his hand, dragging him towards the sound of guitars and other instruments. The band was playing just outside the town square, making it a perfect place to dance.

Once Michael and Jeremy began dancing, other people slowly poured into the square. Children, adults, and elders alike. Everyone looked overjoyed, as though it was the first time any of them had been happy in years.

Jeremy could barely focus on any of the people joining in. All he could focus on was the boy in front of him. In the entire two days they'd known each other, Jeremy hadn't once seen Michael actually laugh. There had been chuckles and mean laughter, but this laughter. It made his face light up, eyes wrinkled shut as they danced.

This laughter made Jeremy's stomach do flips, feel like his chest was full of butterflies. He had no idea what this feeling was, but he couldn't get enough of it.

Soon the song ended, and the whole square erupted into cheers. Michael and Jeremy just looked at each other, faces flushed and smiling.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. There were libraries, museums, Jenna hiding the two from other guards, and more cupcakes than healthy. As the sun began to set, Jeremy heard a familiar voice calling his name. “Christine?”

Christine was running towards the group, waving a navy handkerchief in her hands. “I don't know if I'll ever see you guys again, so I wanted to give you this, so you'll remember me.”

She handed Jeremy the cloth. It was decorated with a moon, the symbol of the kingdom. “Thank you, Christine. We could never forget you.”

Christine quickly hugged everyone, before running out into the crowd. Just then, someone from the crowd yelled. “Everyone! To the boats!”

---

Michael had somehow managed to steal a canoe. It hadn't been hard, it had just been sitting on a rack. He also had actually bought lanterns. Figured it wouldn't be very aesthetic of him to steal them.

When Jeremy saw the canoe, he audibly gasped. He didn't dare ask where Michael got it, not wanting to risk ruining the mood. Jenna probably would've come on too, had it not been such a small boat. To make up for it, Michael handed Jenna a container of cupcakes.

“Don't worry! I bought them!” Michael chuckled.

Jenna nodded, picking out a purple frosted one, beginning to eat it. “Well, I bought most of them.” Jenna spit the cupcake into the lake.

Beginning to paddle out, Jeremy tilted his head at Michael. “Where are we going?”

“This is supposed to be the best day of your life,” Michael shrugged, “Might as well give you the best seat.”

Jeremy looked out onto the water, eyes distant and shoulders slumped. “What's on your mind, sweetheart?” Michael asked, reaching out to touch Jeremy's shoulder.

“It's just… I've been dreaming about this for 18 years. Dreaming about the lights in the sky and being able to reach out and touch them. What if… what if it's not everything I dreamed of?”

“It will be, Jeremy.”

Jeremy looked over to Michael. Had he ever heard him say his name? His actual name? “And what if it is? What then?”

“I guess that's the beauty of it. You get to find a new dream.”

Jeremy turned to look at Michael, a soft smile across his face. Michael smiled back, before looking up towards the sky, eyes full of wonder.

Turning to look at the sky, Jeremy saw the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. A sky of lanterns as far as he could see. As they came closer, they surrounded the canoe, as though it were attracted to it. It all looked so real and bright, as though someone had just lifted the wool off of Jeremy’s eyes. Everything looked new and different. Jeremy loved every second of it.

Michael cleared his throat from behind Jeremy. In his hands he held his two lanterns. Seeing this reminded Jeremy of something. “I have something to give you.”

Jeremy pulled Michael’s satchel out from under a canoe seat. “I know I should’ve given it to you before. But I was just so scared that if I did… Well. What I’m trying to say is, I’m not scared anymore. You know what I mean?”

Michael chuckled, pushing the satchel back towards Jeremy. “I think I’m starting to.”

Smiling, Jeremy takes one of the lanterns from Michael. They launch them at the same time, the two lanterns dancing around each other as they floated into the sky. Jeremy watched them float up, but all Michael could look at was Jeremy.

His entire life, Michael felt as though he had been chasing after nothing. The path was blurry, never really knowing where he was going. But even after just two days of knowing Jeremy, he felt as though someone were shoving him where he needed to go. Jeremy seemed to be the light at the end of the tunnel, the way out. So Michael grabbed his hand.

Jeremy’s hand tensed up a bit as he felt Michael hold it. But once he looked at Michael, who was all kind smiles and loving eyes, he held Michael’s hand back. For a while, the two just looked at each other, not knowing what to do next. Then Michael’s hand drifted towards Jeremy’s cheek, framing it. Before they knew it they were leaning in and… and…

They never did connect the gap. For right as they were about to, a shine of green light caught his eye. Michael looked across the lake, to see none other than The Berry Sisters, watching Jeremy and him from afar. Upon being spotted, the two girls retreated behind a boulder.

Jeremy could feel Michael’s discomfort. “Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?” He asks, worry in his voice.

“What? Oh yes, yes yes yes. Everything is fine. There’s just… something I need to do,” Michael responded.

“Oh. Okay.”

Michael began rowing to shore, where he had last seen the Berrys. Sighing, he picked up the satchel. “I’ll be right back,” he said, trying to reassure Jeremy.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

As Michael walked off into the distance, Jeremy tried to comfort himself. “It’s okay Jeremy. He’ll be right back. He promised.”

---

Michael found Brooke, sitting on a rock while carving away at a stick. The only thing Michael had on him was the satchel and the red knife. He’d have to give the knife back when he went back to Jeremy. “Hey! Brooke! Long time no see! Is your hair longer? It looks longer. Exciting!”

Brooke just glared at Michael, continuing to sharpen the wood. “Anyways, I wanted to give this to you,” Michael threw the satchel at Brooke, crown and all. “I really shouldn’t have abandoned you, so in apology, the crown is all yours soooo--” Michael began to walk away, but Chloe had appeared, blocking his path.

“Trying to hold out on us again, pretty boy?” Chloe asked.

“What are you talking about?” Michael took a step back.

“Heard you’d found something much more valuable than any crown,” Brooke came up behind Michael.

“What are you--”

“We don’t want the crown anymore. We want the boy.”

---

Jeremy still sat on the edge of the canoe, becoming more worried by the second. What if Michael didn’t come back? What if father was right? But Jeremy was relieved of his worry when he saw a shadow approaching him. “Michael! I was starting to think you’d ran off with the crown and left me--” the shadow suddenly split into two.

As the two shadows approached, Jeremy quickly came to realize that they were both women. “He did,” the brunette girl spoke.

“No. No he wouldn’t do that,” Jeremy tried to convince himself.

“See for yourself,” the blonde one stated, gesturing towards the lake.

And from Jeremy’s eyes, it looked true. There Michael was, sailing away from the shore. “Michael… Michael!” Jeremy felt tears prick at his eyes. Then, there was a sudden tug on his braid.

“It seemed a pretty fair trade. A crown for a boy with magic hair.”

“Hey Chloe, how much do you think someone would pay to stay young forever?”

Jeremy tugged his braid out of the girl’s hands, just in time to see the blonde pulling out a large bag.

“No! Please no!” Jeremy began to run off, trying to create as much distance between him and the girls as possible. But his attempts were foiled as his braid became snagged on a log. He desperately tried to pull it out, when he heard two heavy thumping sounds.

“Jeremy!” Called a familiar voice.

“Father?” Jeremy began walking back the way he came, braid coming loose as he did. There his father stood, holding a large tree branch with the two girls at his feet. “Father!”

“Jeremy. Are you hurt?” His father asked, voice having a twinge of sympathy.

“How did you find me?” Jeremy asked.

“I followed you. I knew something like this would happen. When I saw them attack you, I rushed in. Now, let’s go before they wake up.”

Jeremy hesitated, looking back on the lake. Michael was still sailing away. He showed no sign of turning around. The tears that were pricking at Jeremy’s eyes now came down at full force. He ran to his father, embracing him tightly. “You were right, Father!” Jeremy said through sobs. “You were right about the world!”

“I know, Jeremy. I know.”

---

Michael had no idea what was happening. He woke up, tied to a boat, crown in his hand. “Jeremy…?”

Next thing he knew, the boat was overrun with guards, unraveling the ropes and replacing them with cuffs. “Wait- no wait! Wait, you don’t understand! Jeremy!”

From a distance, Jenna had seen Michael get apprehended. Upon seeing the capture, she did what she knew best, run.

---

Jeremy and his father sat on Jeremy’s bed, unraveling his braid. There was a basket of flowers on the side, all of which had started to wilt. At last, the final flower was pulled. “Now we can forget about this entire thing,” the father said, picking up the basket.

No response. The man turned to Jeremy, who was looking into his lap, eyes dull. “I tried to warn you, Jeremy. But you didn’t listen. Hopefully you learned your lesson.”

The father exited the room. Jeremy sighed, opening his folded hands to reveal the handkerchief Christine had given him. It was the only thing he had left from his excursion, and he was determined to keep it. Laying back on the bed, he held the cloth up towards his ceiling. This time however… the moon decorating… looked familiar. Squinting at it, he realized why it had.

He set down the cloth, looking at the murals on his ceiling. His eyes widened as he realized why it had looked so familiar. All across his mural were little hidden moons, some more obvious than others. Then he realized something else. The mural in the kingdom. The prince with the blue eyes and almost silver hair.

It was overwhelming. Jeremy attempted to stand, but fell backwards onto a stool as soon as he stood.

---

The jail cell was too small to pace around in. Michael wasn’t even given a cell mate. There was nobody to talk to, nobody to express his worries to. The one time in his life he wanted to share his emotions and he couldn’t. “Come on, Mell. Let’s get this over with.”

Michael turned towards the voice. It was the short guard, the one who had sneezed during the crown theft. “Where are we going?”

It took only a second to realize. “Oh.” Michael’s hand drifted towards his neck.

---

“Jeremy? What’s going on up there?” Jeremy’s father began going up the stairs after hearing a loud thump.

Jeremy came out of his room, clutching the curtains that acted as his door. “I’m the lost prince,” Jeremy asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Quit mumbling Jeremy. I thought I told you to work on that.”

“I’m the lost prince! Aren’t I!”

The man looked at Jeremy in shock. “I’m sorry, did I mumble, Father? Or am I even able to call you that.”
“Jeremy. Don’t ask ridiculous questions. Why would you even--”

“It was you! Everything! It was all you!”

“I did this all to improve your life, Jeremy.”

The man reached out to touch Jeremy’s shoulder, but his hand was quickly hit away. “All this time, stuck in this tower, thinking it was to protect me from people who wanted to use me. But it was you who I should’ve been hiding from!”

Jeremy began to move towards the window. “And where do you think you’ll go? It’s not as though that petty thief will be there to help you.”

Jeremy looked back. “What did you do to him?”

“I did nothing. He did this to himself. He will be hung for the actions he did.”

Stumbling back, Jeremy’s eyes went wide. “No.”

“It’s all for the best, Jeremy. Now things can go back to the way they should be.”

“No! You were wrong about the world! You were wrong about the people! You are wrong about Michael! I will never ever let you use my hair again!” Jeremy retreated from his former father, again heading towards the window.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

---

Michael was being led towards his doom. Literally. The two guards on either side of him each had a tight grip on his arm. At least it wouldn’t be a public execution.

While walking, Michael saw The Berry Sisters, both in the same cell. He needed to talk to them, needed to find out where Jeremy was. So in order to do so, he knocked out the guards on his sides, and grabbed Chloe through the bars. “How did you know about Jeremy?! Tell me!”

“It wasn’t us, Mell! It was all an old guy! He told us everything!”

“Old guy…” Sudden realization struck Michael. But before he could act on it, guards were laying down on him, tearing him away from the girls. “No! You don’t understand! He’s in trouble!”

The guards kept leading Michael down death lane. It took minutes of struggling, but eventually he had given up hope. That is, until he saw a small wooden duckling, sitting on a windowsill. The door that led to the execution room was suddenly slammed shut. “Hey!” A bearded guard called. “Open this door! Immediately!”

A slit in the door opened up, revealing a very familiar pair of eyes. “Password, please!” It was Christine.

“What?”

“Nope!”

“Open up, right now!”

“You’ve gotta try harder than that!”

The guard to the left of Michael was pulled into a separate room by a silvery hook. To his right, the guard was whisked away by two very burly hands.

“You have three seconds to open this door! One, two--”

The bearded guard turned towards Michael, who shrugged at him, smile across his face. The door behind him was opened suddenly, and Christine hit the guard over the head with a frying pan. “What’s the deal with frying pans being used as weapons?” Michael asked, all the while Christine cut his binds.

“You need to get out, follow William--” Christine gestured to a balding man through the doorway-- “He’ll lead you out. Listen to everything he says!”

“Got it! Hopefully see you again, Christine!”

Christine nodded while Michael ran off with William. The entire way down the hall, guards were facing off with patrons of The Snuggly Duckling. There was the pianist, the hopeless romantic, the florist, even the guy who collected ceramic unicorns. Each and every one of them.
Once they were outside the prison, Michael was instructed to stand on one end of a wooden plank.

“Head down,” William instructed.

“Head down.”

“Arms in.”

“Arms in.”

“Knees apart.”

“Knees apart-- wait what?”

The next thing he knew, Michael was being launched into the air, over the prison walls, and onto the back of the horse. It hurt terribly, landing on a horse from a story up. Standing next to the horse however, was Jenna. “Jenna?”

“Saddle up, loverboy. You’ve got a boy to save.”

“You brought them all here?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t know- thank you. You know, I always felt as though we just misunderstood one another, and that maybe, we’re really just--”

Jenna glared at Michael. “Yeah you’re right I should go.”

Jenna sent the horse and Michael on their way, waving from the distance. The horse was smart, dodging arrows launched at them by guards, shoving them out of the way if it had to. But then it came to a stop, the edge of a rooftop. Guards were coming in from behind and the sides. The horse decided that there was only one decision.

Launch themselves and Michael off of it, towards another rooftop. “Whoa-- whoa whoa whoa!”

They landed safely, then leaping right into the town’s square, heading towards Jeremy’s tower. “Okay horsey, let’s see how fast you can run.”

---

It was sundown by the time they reached the tower. Michael was fully prepared to fight Jeremy’s father if necessary, as he still had the red knife in his belt. For some reason, the guards hadn’t apprehended it. Maybe that was thanks to Jenna. He’d have to ask her. “Jeremy! Jeremy, let down your hair!”

There was no reply. Michael began grabbing onto the bricks of the tower, fully prepared to climb it, when locks of almost silver hair came down from the tower. A sigh of relief escaped Michael’s lips as he began to climb it.

When he reached the top, the entire tower was dim. “Jeremy! Jeremy?”

Jeremy was chained and mouth covered by a rag. His eyes were pleading, as though they were warning him of something.

Turns out that something was a dagger to the gut. Michael collapsed into himself on the floor, clutching his wound. Above him stood Jeremy’s father, dagger in hand. “There. Our secret dies with him.”

The man stepped over to Jeremy, pulling his chains towards the entrance in the floor. “As for us, we will go where no one will ever find us.” Every word was accented with a pull of the chains, as Jeremy kept struggling against them.

Then Jeremy’s gag came loose. “No! I won’t go! No matter where we go, I will never stop trying to get away from you! But--” Jeremy sighed and looked towards Michael. “If you would just let me heal him… I’ll stay with you. Everything will go back to the way it was.”

The father considered. He gave in, unchaining Jeremy and replacing the chains onto Michael. “Just in case you get any ideas.”

Jeremy scrambled over to Michael, tears of both joy and sorrow flowing down his face. “You can’t do this, Jeremy,” Michael grunted, grabbing onto Jeremy’s hand.

“I have to. I can’t let you die.”

A sad smile graced Michael’s face. He reached up to frame Jeremy’s face. Jeremy thought that Michael wanted one last moment, so he leaned down to Michael. But what happened was Michael pulled the bright red knife out of his belt, slicing Jeremy’s hair off.

“What? Michael!” Jeremy exclaimed, grabbing at his newly cut hair.

“What have you done?!” Jeremy’s father grabbed at the puddles of hair around the tower, trying to save any of the silvery hair from going brown. But it was all for naught. With the death of the magic came the death of the man’s youth. Wrinkles overtook his skin, and his usually raven black hair became white. “What have you done?! What have you done?!”

While the man was trying to save his hair, he had began drifting towards the window. He ended up tripping over a pile of hair, falling right out the window, turning to dust before he hit the ground.

Meanwhile, Jeremy was attempting to heal Michael, even without his magic hair. “Michael, why would you do that!”

In a trembling hand, Jeremy held the green comb. “Jeremy,” Michael muttered.

“Michael? Michael please--”

“You were my new dream, Jeremy.”

Michaels eyes drifted closed, and his hand grew cold. “Michael? Michael no! You can’t do this! Please!”

Tears fell from Jeremy’s eyes and choked sobs became the only sound in the tower. Jeremy wrapped his arms around Michael, pressing his head to Michael’s chest. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. Jeremy put no effort into wiping his tears away. They fell onto Michael’s chest freely. A burst of silver light came into Jeremy’s eyes. He looked up, only to see the silver lights dancing out of Michael’s wound.

Once the blinding lights had stopped, all signs of Michael’s wound were gone. “--Jeremy?”

“Michael!” Jeremy’s tears changed from ones of grief to those of overwhelming joy. He again embraced Michael, only more tight than he had ever held someone. “Jeremy? Did I ever tell you I had a thing for brunettes?” Michael asked, running a hand through Jeremy’s short, brown, curly hair.

“Michael!”

Even though Jeremy tried to sound offended, it failed miserably. Especially since right after he said it, he pressed his lips to Michael’s.

He had never actually kissed someone, since his father had never been one for physical affection. Jeremy had only ever read about it, once, while in the kingdom library. With Michael. In the book it had been described like a fire. Passionate and bright. But kissing Michael felt less like a fire and more like fireworks. Quick and beautiful. He wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

---

The king sat alone in his study. His head was in his hands, unable to focus on any papers he was supposed to sign. His son was supposed to be 18. For all he knew, he was dead. His son, the only family he had left, could be gone forever. Maybe it wasn’t worth going on, maybe it wasn’t--

“Your Highness!”

He looked up from his hands, to see Jenna standing in the doorway. “What is it Jenna, I’m busy--”

“It’s the prince.”

Immediately, the king stood up. He ran in the direction Jenna had pointed him, clutching his robes in his hands. He approached the balcony, shoving open the doors. There on the balcony stood two boys. One of whom was wearing a red vest, with tan skin and dark hair. The other… looked exactly like his mother.

Tears struck the king’s eyes as he ran up to his son, embracing him. His son embraced right back, as the two fell to the floor. “I’ve missed you… so much,” the king chuckled.

“I missed you, too.”
Michael looked at the two awkwardly, twiddling his thumbs. Then he was pulled into the hug by Jeremy, and was openly embraced by the royal family.

---

Things from then on were better than they had ever been before. The return of the lost prince had sparked a week long party, full of music, dancing, and art. All of the ruffians had achieved their dreams. In fact, they had done all the planning for the party. Jenna had supplied all the security, Christine had done all the work for the children.

As for Jeremy, he finally had a real home. A home both with his real father, and in Michael. The kingdom accepted him with open arms, and he accepted them with open arms. He led the kingdom with all the wisdom and grace that his father had.

And as for Michael, he stopped his thievery. He completely turned around his lifestyle… more or less. He still would steal a cupcake or two, Jeremy right behind him to pay for it. But the question everyone must be asking is… did they ever get married? Truth be told, after years and years of asking, which Michael would furiously deny, Jeremy finally said yes.

And then they, more or less, lived happily ever after.