Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there resided Tallara Kingdom. It was the heart of the prosperous Ques Nation, ruled by the kind and benevolent King Tico. To him, his subjects and their will were what was most important. What would a kingdom be without its subjects, after all? Beloved by all, he was – all except for one.

This one resided over in the neighboring Ritorian Kingdom and bore an unnatural hatred for King Tico. It was plain as day to all, but Tico was incapable of seeing the darkness that lingered within the hearts of man, no matter how black it may be. He viewed Rito as one of his most trusted colleagues and that only angered the older king even more.

The general consensus among the subjects of the nation was that King Rito only took the position in order to directly oppose Tico. This caused a rift to form between the two kingdoms and with each passing day, the rift grew larger, the citizens becoming more restless and weary.

While the majority of Ritorian Kingdom was not opposed to war and violence, even they felt uneasy at the thought of a possible battle between the two kingdoms. They had been at peace for nearly three centuries and, in that time, strong bonds of friendship and love had been formed between their citizens.

This strong sense of community had always delighted Tico because he loved seeing the two kingdoms prosper and flourish. He loved offering them peace of mind and, above all else, he loved feeling a bond with the neighboring king whom he admired so deeply. This positivity, however, was completely one-sided.

This sense of community infuriated Rito. It was his kingdom, his subjects, not Tico's. They shouldn't even be thinking another king's name! Perhaps he would make it treasonous to do so.

'No no,' he scolded himself for the thought. Doing such a thing would only drive his subjects further into Tico's arms. He had to play it smart here if he wanted to outwit that foolish king.

"Father?"

Rito's head snapped up, beady eyes landing on his young son, Burrito. With a mess of curly black hair and rich brown eyes, he was the heartthrob of Ritorian Kingdom. His princely status certainly didn't hurt his case, either. 

This boy was the king's pride and joy – the only thing that Tico could never take away from him, for the young Burrito was fiercely loyal to his father ever since the death of his mother. He would do anything his father asked of him without question.

As King Rito admired his boy, he was reminded of Tico's own son, born on the very same day, at the very same moment as his own son. While Burrito had been born as a chubby mess of pale skin blotched red and not a strand of hair upon his head, Taco had been born with olive skin, clear of any imperfections, with a tuft of dirty blonde hair atop his head. He had radiated warmth, a golden light surrounding him just as his father, while little Burrito seemed to be covered in shadow.

Now, though, Burrito had grown into a fine young man, one whom all of the young women of the kingdom chased after and the young men wanted to befriend. He was popular, out-going and, most importantly, he was confident in everything he did.

Taco, on the other hand, had grown up to be a more reserved young man, keeping only a select few friends at his side. He rarely felt confident in his actions or choices and preferred to learn rather than socialize, though he was always exceedingly polite when he was forced to do so. 

Should the kingdoms ever officially unite, surely the subjects would prefer the charismatic and outspoken Burrito as their king over the reserved and soft-spoken Taco.

Rito smiled as he placed his hand on the back of the boy's head, bringing his forehead down to rest against his son's. "One day, my dear boy, you shall be king and you will rule all."

Burrito's eyes sparkled at the thought. "Yes, father." 

━━━━━━༻*༺━━━━━━

 Taco lifted his gaze at the sound of footsteps on the stone path, his cheeks tinting with a faint blush. Ayla smiled cheerfully as she approached him, violet eyes sparkling under the afternoon sun as it beamed down upon the garden.

"There you are, T!" she chirped happily, coming to a stop before him with her hands resting on her hips. "I've been looking for you for ages! You weren't in the library like you normally are."

He offered her a shy smile, fingers absentmindedly playing with the pages of the hardcover book that sat across his thighs. To calm his nerves, he angled his body to watch the water splashing into the fountain behind him. "Well, you have found me now. What can I do for you?"

The two of them had been friends since they were small children, and he hadn't changed much in all those years between them. He always had been, and probably always would be, incredibly polite to everyone, even those whom he's most close to.

When Ayla plopped down beside him on the marble bench attached to the water fountain, her shoulder brushed against his own – a fact which he tried, and failed, to ignore. He observed her closely from the corner of his eye. Despite her cheerful demeanor, he could tell that something was worrying her from the way she was twisting her fingers. The thought made him frown. 

"What troubles you, Moonflower?"

The nickname made her lips twitch upward just the slightest bit. "Your mother and I are visiting Ritorian Kingdom tomorrow and I..." Her cheeks dusted with pink and she brought her finger up to twirl a strand of her hair in circles. "I have to admit that I'm feeling quite nervous about the trip."

Taco's shoulders tensed at this information, his back straightening up so quickly that he was sure she had felt it but she didn't even spare him a look. He wet his lips and forced his body to relax, trying to keep his voice steady. "Oh? Whatever for?"

"King Rito has requested to speak to your mother about something important and she requested that I accompany her since your father is away on business."

Taco did well to bite back his comment on the matter. "What is it about this venture that has you so concerned?"

"Well~" She tugged on her hair, holding it out so she could examine the end of the long strand. In the light of the afternoon, it shone the color of honey. "Ritorian Kingdom is full of beautiful women. Their hair is dark as night, streaked with a shade of orange you can only find in Autumn. They're tall and full of muscle – even those who do naught but sit around all day!"

"Why do you worry about the appearance of others?" His brow furrowed in confusion, eyes following her as she stood up and began pacing back and forth.

"Because!" She threw her hands up in exasperation before coming to a stop, a pout on her lips. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and fragile and he briefly wondered if he were even meant to hear the words. "How am I to win his attention when he's surrounded by such beautiful women?"

Taco's heart clenched painfully within his breast, a frown tugging at his lips. He had always known deep down that Ayla had developed a crush on the handsome prince, but there had always been that small hope within him that she would lose interest in him. Now, she had all but confessed her feelings for Burrito and it cut him deep inside.

She was to be wed to him, after all, not Prince Burrito. It had been a marriage arranged shortly after their birth in order to unite his kingdom and hers. And despite the kingdom of Reggano being destroyed five years earlier, the pact between them was still very much active. King Tico took in Ayla's family and the kingdom's people, offering them safety within his walls until they could rebuild what they had lost.

This pact is very important to both kingdoms and even more so to Taco himself. Certainly she hadn't forgotten such an important thing? He was beginning to feel unsure of himself but the question died on his tongue, weighing it down and leaving a foul taste in his mouth. 

He doubted war would ever come from such a breach, but the possibility was always lingering beneath the surface of such matters. Would Ayla really risk war for a simple crush? Were her feelings for him that strong?

When he finally found his voice, it came out softly, his blue eyes focused on the pages of the thick book upon his lap. "You should not compare yourself to others, for there is only one you. That makes you beautiful in your own way."

She clicked her tongue but couldn't hide her smile. "You always know what to say when I'm feeling down, T. Thank you!"

He forced himself to return the smile, hoping she wouldn't notice the difference. "No matter what path life may set us upon, I shall always be here for you when I am needed. Never forget that, Moonflower."

"Aye," she agreed. "And the same to you. We are best friends, after all!"

Taco managed not to wince at the words, despite feeling as if they were knives cutting into his skin. "Yes... best friends."