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Once upon a time, in a magical kingdom across the sea, there lived a handsome young prince by the name of Akashi. But although the young prince was fair as any maiden and had a mind as sharp as a pin, and with the gift of magic like few others, he was neither well-regarded nor liked, for he was also selfish and cruel. And so his people called him Kakashi to make jest of him, of his fairness and of how they claimed he frightened even the birds.
The young prince Kakashi — for even Kakashi called himself that, with a spiteful pride — could not even keep servants, for they would all leave the palace in a fortnight claiming illness, or family matters, or any number of things. And so the young prince grew isolated, and in his isolation, grew colder and crueller, for he did not understand the hearts of his people.
But even the coldest and cruellest child will have companions, for the mamas cared not for his cruelty and sent their daughters to him; but his father turned them away. And the nobility cared not for his coldness and sent their sons to him; but the young Kakashi turned them away.
The only adult in his life other than Emperor Sakumo was his tutor, the Duke Minato. But Duke Minato held a duchy and often had to take leave to lead his own peoples, leaving the young prince to his devices.
And the young prince was an adventurous boy and always getting himself into trouble, so his father sent to him three other children, whom he was not allowed to turn away: his squire, the young Marquess Obito; his mage and medic, the young Viscountess Rin; and the only servant who insisted on remaining, the young Baron Gai. The young Kakashi did his best to deter his three companions, but not a one of them would leave his side. And thus, the young prince had some people to whom he was personally beholden, though he liked it not one bit.
One day, when the young prince was but a spare five years old, his father's kingdom was invaded by the strange people of the East. And so his father took to his horse and led their people to war.
Emperor Sakumo won many skirmishes, but even his magic, and the magic of the land, could not protect all his people. And although they won the war because of the magic of the land, Sakumo's hold on the magic of the land had waned and would soon be lost forever.
To preserve the connection between his blood and the land, Emperor Sakumo made the ultimate sacrifice. And by spilling his own lifeblood into the soil, the blood bond was re-forged and strengthened anew, giving the young prince Kakashi power unlike that seen before.
But he was still so young that Duke Minato became King Regent, and because of it, he was finally able to tutor the young prince and his fellows in their studies.
For many years, there was peace.
But the imperial prince was still but a young boy, and cold, and cruel, and so it remained that he had only his tutor and his three companions in his presence.
The palace, which had once been full of life, grew still and sad. The hallways grew dusty, the candelabras tarnished, the fires smoky, for the prince had no one to dust the rooms or tend the fireplaces or polish the dinnerware. Only the boy and his companions' families remained in the palace, too few to care for such a large and expansive space.
One day, when the young prince was but a spare twelve years old, he and his squire and his mage went riding on horseback. They went into the woods and rode further than they had ever ridden before, following the path Duke Minato would sometimes take to his duchy. But they became lost, for it was a magical wood, and night fell upon them.
They wandered through the misty forest for many days. But as they wandered, Kakashi and his squire Obito suddenly realized that their third, the mage Rin, had vanished from sight.
"You must leave this place," said a tree spirit, emerging from an ancient tree. "Follow the path yonder and do not stray, and you will be at the place where you began."
"We must go find our friend!" declared Obito, for he was nothing if not loyal, the young marquess.
"We shall only get more lost if we try," said Kakashi dismissively, "and we have been told to leave."
"You must leave this place," said the tree spirit again. "The trees demand it."
"Do you see?" asked prince Kakashi of the marquess. "If you will not obey an order from the trees, then I, imperial prince of this land, bid you obey me: we must leave this land."
"I care not," cried Obito; "I will find her even if you shall not. For those who break the faes' rules forfeit their lives, but those who abandon their fellows forfeit their eternal spirits!"
"Stop!" shouted Kakashi, but the young marquess had already ridden with haste into the fae wood, his horse's hooves beating into the fairies' gardens.
Prince Kakashi turned his horse away, towards the path yonder, upon which he could ride out of the woods unscathed. But at the last moment, he swore an oath beneath his breath, wheeled his horse around, and raced after two of his sole companions.
The wood was an eerie place, full of magic. But the prince carried the magic of the land in his blood, and the spirits of the trees and the meadows and the rivers dared not do more than brush his coat and whisper warnings in his ear. The prince gave no regard to the touches nor to the warnings, for he had set his mind and would not falter until he had his companions under his protection once more.
But there in the mystic woods was darkness, shades and wraiths that cared not for the prince's blood ties to the land. And one of these demons had whisked away the young mage to eat her soul and corrupt her magic until it would turn against her.
The Marquess Obito witnessed the shade bending low to consume Rin's spirit, and he raged, and his magical eyes awakened then, for the marquess's family were known for their eyes which made them like the fae. And he drove forward to beat the wraith away from Rin.
The wraith turned on Obito, then, to eat his eyes. But the young prince Kakashi, for all his spite and his condescension, came flying from between the trees to strike the wraith down, only to lose an eye to the hungering wraith as the wraith fell.
But where one wraith lived, there lived others. And soon, one, two, and three wraiths descended upon the children, pulling down trees and stones over their heads until one fell upon the young marquess, crushing him beneath the stone.
The young prince Kakashi in his fury called upon the strength of the land and sent the wraiths away, wailing frightfully for their fellows.
"Kakashi," said Obito, for the stone had crushed but half of him and he yet had half a breath of life, "come to me."
"I am here," Kakashi said, falling to his knees beside his companion. "I am here, Marquess. I am here, Obito. I shall call on the power of the land and free you, and I shall call on my allies of the fae to heal you—"
"I have gone against their bidding," Obito reminded the young prince, "and the land knows you yet young. I am bound to die here. But promise me this. Promise me that you shall protect Rin with your very life, for she broke no oath nor had she power to do the spirits' bidding."
"I promise you," wept the prince. "I promise I shall protect her with my very last breath."
And Obito smiled.
"Then take my eye, my Prince" said he, "to replace the one torn out by that wraith. Take it, that you might see the future for me. Mage Rin, can you give it him?"
"I can," said Rin in a voice small. "I can give it him."
"Then do," said Obito. "For I see that Prince Kakashi will become an Emperor who shall never betray his people."
And she did, and Prince Kakashi vowed to be as good a man as Obito thought him to be.
And that is why Prince Kakashi will never abandon his people, whether to wraiths or to invasions of men.