The next morning, Keith found himself half asleep, leaning against the walls of the stables. It wasn't as though he had meant to be so sleep deprived - in fact he'd tried for the opposite- but unfortunately, he had to wait until nightfall before sneaking into the village and meeting with the rebels to retrieve the letter for his first mission. And unfortunately, Kolivan had told him he would need to wear a mask of some description to hide his identity. So by the time the poor prince had finally crawled into bed, the birds were already beginning to chirp away outside his window.

"-eith? Keith!"

Blearily, he opened his eyes. Shiro was leaning against the wall before him, a knowing smirk stretching his lips to the side.

"Ah, good. You're awake. I was worried I might have to smooch you, Sleeping Beauty," he teased, placing a soft hand upon the prince's shoulder. "We're setting off in a few minutes. Care to join me for a short run?Just to wake yourself up a bit."

Keith nodded, standing properly. After a brief stretch, the two set off for a lap around the castle, Shiro chatting away in a voice far too chipper for the early hour. The prince was more than happy to listen, glad to catch up on Shiro's news from the last few months.

For years, Keith and Shiro had been very close. Morning runs like this were a common occurrence between them, as were their sparring sessions. Shiro had been like a mentor of sorts to Keith, supporting him through his darkest times and always being there to liven his day. As time passed, he even considered him a brother.

But lately, Shiro had been busy as the Head of the Royal Guard. Keith was proud of him, but it felt bittersweet. Though he still saw Shiro around all the time, they never had much time to spare for one another anymore. He had missed their little runs and spars; he'd missed Shiro.

"-eith?"

Keith snapped from his thoughts suddenly. "Huh?"

Shiro huffed a small chuckle. "What's with you today? You keep zoning out."

"Dunno," he shrugged. "Just... got a lot on my mind, I guess."

Sighing, the Knight slowed to a stop, reaching out to halt the younger boy. "Keith," he stated, his 'brotherly Yoda' tone activated. "Look at me."

Obediently, Keith turned on the spot. As he drew in a breath, he met Shiro's kind yet stern eyes.

"Keith, buddy... I know you're scared. Hell, I'm a little nervous too. What you're doing is so brave. It takes a lot of guts to take action like this," his gaze was intense, his voice calming.

He knows, Keith realised. Holy quiznak he knows about the mission...

"A couple years ago, I never would have thought the Emo Prince would take responsibility like this. But now here you are. You've grown and matured so much."

"Shiro, I-"

"Arranging to travel across Marmora to bond with nobles and get to know your people? You've become such a promising leader."

Oh, he thought. Of course. He meant visiting the other cities.

Suddenly, the Knight pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so proud of you, Keith."

A vicious pang stabbed Keith through the heart.

"Thanks, Shiro. I... I'm proud of you too," he whispered, throat tight. The prince's eyes began to sting, but he bit back his emotion as Shiro chuckled softly and stepped away. When they began to move again, he plastered a small grin on his face.

Shiro beamed down at him. "Let's get going, shall we?

Keith had never really travelled much before. It was tradition for the Marmoran Monarchs to make short trips by horseback, but for a longer trip such as this, they were to use the the Pods.

A fairly recent invention, Pods were basically a large oblong bubble which used built-in electromagnets which repelled the similarly charged magnets built into the tracks along which they traveled to overcome the force of gravity, essentially allowing it to hover above the ground.

...or at least that's what Pidge had told him when he'd asked. Her father invented the Pods, after all.

Though the Pods were comfortable and quick, there was still a large distance to cover, so Keith sunk down into the soft cushion of the seat and fell asleep.

Judging by the sunset on the horizon, several hours had passed before the Pod came to a stop. Keith yawned and sat up, fixing his slightly crumpled formal clothes, and taking a steadying breath before slowly pushing his way out of the Pod. 

The moment his boot touched the ground, a man ran out to greet him.

"Your Highness! What a pleasure it is to see you." The man bowed low, tucking his gloved hands to his sides neatly. His voice was cheery, contrary to what Keith had expected.

"Please, the pleasure is all mine," Keith returned, the insincerity in his mind screaming. It was a relief when Shiro joined him, flanked by the rest of the guards.

The man swallowed, and briefly Keith wondered whether the guards had possibly intimidated him. But then he spoke again and gestured towards the large doors. "Please, follow me Your Highness."

This Estate was one of the most prestigious in Marmora, besides the castle. Despite his fancy princely clothes, Keith couldn't shake the chill of intimidation he felt crawling up his neck as he stepped inside.

The group were lead to an extravagant dining hall where a delicious meal was spread along a huge table. At the head sat a middle-aged woman, and though her features were clearly aged, her eyes were piercing.

"Lady Heinford," Keith greeted, reminding himself of why he was here. Or at least what everyone thought he was here for.

The woman nodded, giving him an almost-warm smile. "Prince Keaton," she spoke with a voice like venomous honey. "How lovely it is to see you again. I do believe the last time we met you were rather small."

Keith returned her insincerity, perturbed by her use of his full name. "Yes, indeed I was. However, you don't seem to have aged a day."

Lady Heinford chuckled. "I admire your attempts, but flattery will not win any favours with me, Your Highness. But please, you must all be exhausted. Sit. Let us eat before it gets cold."

Seems fairly cold already if you ask me, Keith thought bitterly. But nonetheless, he begrudgingly took his seat along with his guards.

By the time Keith had managed to slip away, he was dangerously close to losing it. One more moment and he would have just stormed out.

Lady Heinford was a retired war veteran, but boy did she know how to get on his nerves. Keith didn't know what he had expected, but considering who the King and Queen were, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that their nobility were such snakes.

He had to remind himself to refrain from simply sprinting down the hall as the servant showed him to his room. The anticipation of what he was about to do was eating him up inside. Nervous? Excited? He wasn't exactly sure how he was feeling, but whatever it was, it made him restless.

The prince had had Shiro do a little reconnaissance; find out what the Heinford Estate's Guard shifts were, and where the nearest and safest exits were for the main parts of the house, especially his bedroom. The Knight had done as he'd asked without batting an eye, more than likely just glad that Keith was taking some responsibility for his safety.

After he had studied the information to find the optimum chance to sneak out, Keith geared up. He had procured a black long-sleeved unitard for the occasion, and though he was short of a mask that wouldn't draw too much attention, he had found a dark red scarf that he could use to cover his mouth and nose.

As it approached the optimum time, when the Heinford Guards would rotate their shifts, Keith stepped in front of the mirror. He wasn't easily recognisable, but he would still have to be cautious. On second thought, he decided that perhaps he should let his hair loose. After all, his usual braided style didn't exactly help his anonymity.

Suddenly, he heard a soft shuffling of feet outside his door; The guards were rotating. It was time.

The air was cool as Keith moved swiftly along the shadows. He held his breath as he manoeuvred around the estate, but eventually he made it out into the city.  

It was rather different here than to the village around the castle. For one thing, the city was far larger, and for another it was far more technologically advanced. There were Pods - or smaller versions - on every street, the buildings were far less traditional, and the few people who still wandered the streets were dressed rather differently.

Though Keith supposed all these differences were intentional. A deliberate divide between the royals and the common folk. His parents preferred order, and honoured the tradition of their ancestors, but their subjects were constantly growing, changing, moving. Plus, with the surrounding cities so advanced, it provided excellent protection from surrounding kingdoms.

In all its foreignness, Keith felt far more alone in the city than he ever had. But in a way, he loved it. No longer being stared at or cowered from was a relief, and the feeling of infinity he garnered from the vastness of it all filled him with a certain determination and elation he had never experienced in the castle.

Still, he reminded himself of his mission, and set about following his Director, a small watch-like device with an arrow which pointed him towards his destination that the Rebels had given him in order to find the other bases.

The Director led him down many streets and alleyways, turning this way and that, and for a while Keith was certain it was leading him in circles. Eventually, he was lead towards a tall cement wall. It was covered in ivy and moss, as Keith found that towards the edge of the city, the buildings tended to look overgrown and more wild. Confused, Keith tapped the Director, but the little arrow pointed stubbornly forwards. The prince glanced around, but the wall was a dead end.

Tired and frustrated, he was just about to turn around when he had a sudden stroke of genius. Perhaps the Director wanted him to move up, not forwards? Could he use the ivy to scale the wall?

As it turned out, he could. His muscled ached as he resolutely kept his eyes away from the ground, but eventually, with many gasps and groans, he made it to the top. Relief swept over him as he pulled himself to his feet atop the wall.

Although, from the top, Keith realised it was not just a lone wall, but part of a series of buildings. The Directioner was still pointing resolutely forwards. Looking around, he saw a small trap-door and moved towards it. As a test, he walked past it, and found the needle swung back around as soon as he crossed.

Grinning to himself, Keith audaciously threw the trapdoor wide open and slipped inside. He hit the ground hard, and in the darkness which so contrasted the bright city lights, it took a moment for Keith's eyes to adjust.

And when they did, he sort of wished they hadn't...

He estimated there were around fifty blades aimed at his throat, all attached to strong hands which he followed with his eyes to scowling faces. A bolt of adrenaline shot through his veins. He swallowed deeply, and breathed several times in quick succession, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Who and you? And how did you find this place?" An unplaceable voice spoke from somewhere in the room.

"I- I am a rebel," Keith sort-of-lied. Technichally, he wasn't actually a rebel. Not yet. But he supposed Pidge wasn't here so technicality didn't matter. "I was sent here on a mission... from Kolivan."

As he spoke the name of the Rebel Leader, tens of murmurs filled the previous dangerous silence of the room.

"Kolivan, you say?" a different voice asked.

"What mission?" A third, more stern, voice demanded.

Keith felt a bead of sweat drip down his temple. "I have a letter. From Kolivan," he reached towards his pocket where it was safely stowed away. "It's just h-"

A sudden pair of hands snatched it away, and the room fell silent. Keith heard footsteps moving around the room, then a rustling of paper. Several more pairs of footsteps moved over as well, and Keith was relieved to note that a few of the blades had disappeared from his sight.

Then a gasp of shock rang out through the stillness. Followed by a rushed whisper that sounded suspiciously like his name.

The prince nearly flinched as he felt the tip of a blade poke carefully into his spine.

After a further few seconds that stretched into eternity, the first voice called "Lower your weapons. This guy's tellin' the truth."

Keith didn't think he'd ever felt so relieved. He let loose a breath, allowing his body to relax as the surrounding rebels stepped away. As he dusted himself off, a young man appeared before him, extending a hand.

"I'm Arcturus, but call me Archie. Welcome to the Rebel Alliance," The man grinned. And with a certain level of smugness and a wink added, "Your Highness."

Keith gripped his hand with a matching grin. He had a good feeling about this.

As it turned out, Archie was the leader of this base of rebels. With what appeared to be his usual grin, he explained the situation to the others. Some were pleasantly surprised, but others... not so much. On the bright side, only four had actually tried to kill him. Three of which he had managed to evade, but another rebel had stepped in to save his ass the remaining time.

In hindsight, perhaps it would have been smart to bring a weapon. Archie made a point of telling him so, and handed him a small knife. "Tuck it into your boot or somethin'," he told the prince. "I'm sure you're highly capable of handlin' yourself if it comes to it, but it can't hurt to be prepared."

Keith thanked him, tucking the knife away as instructed.

"Besides, can't have anyone killin' ya before I can, Your Majesty." Archie teased, causing Keith to chuckle.

"Actually, it's 'Your Highness' for me. 'Majesty' is for the King and Queen." He corrected.

"Yeah, well. I don't care," Archie smirked. "Damn them fancy-pants royals. I make the rules around this side of town."

By the time Keith finally made it back to the Heinford Estate, he was on cloud nine. He'd seemed to have made friends with Archie, and most of the others had warmed up to him a little as well. As he made the journey back through the sleeping city, he suddenly felt far less alone.

The whole encounter had replaced the anxiousness and dread he had previously felt at the thought of betraying his crown, instead leaving him with a bright spark in his tummy, like a burning lantern that light him up inside.

Perhaps it was this lantern, this lovely emotion which was to blame. Or perhaps it was his smugness at completing his mission. But either way, Keith let his guard down. Pun intended.  

It was as he was clambering back over the garden wall, lazily dodging the eyes of the patrolling Heinford Guards. They were nearing the end of their shift, all far too tired to really be paying attention anyways. So Keith didn't bother waiting for them to change. Instead, he challenged himself to sneak past them and into the castle.

He did so almost effortlessly, walking the halls of the sleeping house without caution. As he climbed the stairs which lead to his bedroom, he wondered vaguely if there shouldn't be more guards in sight.

But it wasn't until he rounded the corner and came into view of his bedroom door that he realised...

There, in front of his door, was a Royal Guard.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?"

***

Heyo! Lucidame here!

First off, I'm sorry that this chapter was published a little late. I have exams coming up in a couple days so I'm busy studying and whatnot (plus I'm just super fricken forgetful as well). But this one is slightly longer than usual (2716 words) so please forgive me..

Second, I'm probably going to make most, if not all the chapter titles movie/book/fandom references, just because I'm a nerd. The last two chapters were originally supposed to be just be one chapter, but I am incapable of keeping my writing short, so we decided to split them (that's why it's called Mission Impossible II).

And third, I'm sorry to leave this on a cliffhanger... Wait no I'm not 😉

I sincerely hope y'all are enjoying this story, and thank you for reading it! Comments and votes are welcome and appreciated!

Until next time!
-underappreciatedtree ❤ 🌲