Today was the perfect day. The birds were chirping, and the sun was shining over the kingdom. Yes, today would be the perfect day for anyone, but not for Viktor. No, to him it would just be another day of the same dull routine. Wake up, lessons in the morning and royal duties in the afternoon, go to sleep and then repeat.

Viktor clutched his favorite feather pillow tighter to his chest. When did he become like this? When did boredom and routine replace the fun and wonder of his life? When did he stop being 'perfect Viktor'? When did he change?

"No," Viktor murmured against his pillow, "I didn't change, they did." His words felt bitter and resentful, but they were the truth. He hadn't changed one bit; it was just that people had grown accustomed to his perfect self. Whenever he defeated a skilled opponent in battle, he no longer got cheers and applause. Instead, he got phrases like 'To be expected,' or 'Of course he'd win.' Slowly but surely, Viktor had raised the stakes so high that no one was surprised at anything he did anymore. Heck, he could probably take over the world and the people around him would ask him when would he conquer the moon.

The door opened with a bang, a notable feat since the door to Viktor's room was heavier than any other door in the castle. "Yuri~," Viktor called. He didn't need to open his eyes to see Yuri's golden mop of hair and green eyes come through the doorway. He knew that the only person daring enough to kick his door open and enter without permission would be his younger brother.

"Viktor! What the hell are you still doing in bed?" Yuri said, his voice hurting Viktor's eardrums. If Viktor hadn't changed in the last few years, his brother sure had. Yuri had gone from a sweet tiny kid to a rude brooding teenager, still tiny, though. "Get your ass out of bed right now, Yakov's looking for you." Yuri yanked the covers, leaving Viktor in the chilly morning air with only his thin pajamas.

Viktor wrapped his arms around himself and gave an exaggerated shiver, "How you wound me, Yuri! I have done nothing to deserve this treatment!" He exclaimed, rolling out of bed and into the ground with a loud 'thud.' Viktor would be the first to admit he had a flare for the dramatic. He would also admit that he enjoyed messing with Yuri a little more than he liked looking at his reflection.

"Ugh, why did I even agree to come get you." Yuri quickly turned around, but not fast enough to prevent Viktor from seeing the small smile spreading across his lips. Viktor knew nobody forced Yuri to come wake him up every morning. In fact, Viktor was aware that Yuri used any excuse he could to be by his side. But that was good, great even because Viktor enjoyed his little brother's company, even if he didn't tell him that.

"I'll be ready in a minute!" Viktor called after Yuri, and he could've sworn he heard his brother scoff, rude.

Half an hour later, Viktor was making his way down to the Great Hall. The confident strut he had perfected through the years earned him respectful bows from the men and nervous blushes from the women. The acknowledgment used to excite him, it used to be enough, but now, well, now he yearned for more.

Viktor walked into the Great Hall, maximizing his dramatic factor by pushing the doors open with a little more force than necessary. "I've arrived!" He exclaimed, earning himself a glare from the King's advisor. Viktor visibly flinched, "There's no need to glare at me like that, Yakov."

"Yuri said you'd take a minute," Yakov growled and the bulging vein in Yakov's forehead that Viktor was well acquaintance with, throbbed.

Viktor chuckled, "My dear Yakov, your mistake was actually believing him."

"I don't know why I even try anymore," Yakov grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose, a habit Viktor learned meant Yakov was trying not to smack him. Viktor wanted to respond with something funny, but he figured he shouldn't push Yakov any further, he did like father's advisor, after all.

"Not to worry, I am here now. What's the agenda for today?" Viktor asked despite knowing the answer already. He would probably have lessons and practice all morning and perhaps a hearing or two after lunch. His teachers would tell him stuff he already knew, and his instructors would pit him against opponents he would inevitably defeat.

Yakov grunted, taking out a long parchment that contained the long list that was Viktor's royal duties. "Sit down," he commanded, and Viktor sighed. If Yakov was telling him to sit down, he was going to be here for a while. "Your classes for today include-" was all Yakov got in before Viktor tuned him out.

Halfway through Yakov's yammering, Viktor wished he'd had the foresight to get himself something from the kitchens, an early breakfast if you will. His mind started to wander to more relevant topics, how to escape the hearings in the afternoon, for example. He could sneak out the back while no one was looking or maybe he could bribe Yuri into helping him escape. Once he was free from the castle, he could go for a ride with Makkachin, or maybe he could go to the lake his father used to take him to.

"And you have to greet the new apprentice-"

"Where's my father?" Viktor asked, interrupting Yakov and bringing Yuri back from the teenager's own dazed state.

Yuri leaned towards Yakov with interest, "Yeah, where's the old man? He said he'd be back this week."

Yakov cleared his throat, "The Queen wished to visit the Rose Kingdom, so their trip has been prolonged." Viktor didn't catch the apologetic tone of Yakov's words because he was too busy pursing his lips at the mention of the Queen.

The people called her Queen, his father called her wife, and Yuri called her mother. Viktor didn't call her by any of those names; he preferred not to call her anything at all. As long as Viktor was concerned, she was the woman who had stolen his father away and dumped all the royal duties onto him.

"Mother's always liked to travel," Yuri said with a smile, "there was this time when she-"

"I'm hungry," Viktor said abruptly, "I'll go have breakfast now." He got up and left. He could hear Yakov yelling after him, something about not being finished yet, but he ignored him. Viktor didn't need to listen to the rest of his schedule, nor did he need to hear the one time Yuri's mother did anything.

Morning lessons were a bore. His professor managed to capture his attention for a whole 10 seconds before Viktor was daydreaming again. It wasn't like he didn't want to learn, no, Viktor loved learning new things. The thing was that his professor had nothing new to teach him. Every word that came out of his teacher's mouth, he had already heard from his father.

Before his father had remarried, he used to spend every waking moment with Viktor. The King taught him history through tales of his experiences, horse-riding through long trips across the fields, and swordsmanship through intense duels. His father filled his days with endless fun and never failed to praise Viktor when he did everything right.

"Will you stop moping around?" Yuri hissed from across the table at lunch time. "You're bringing everyone down."

Viktor shot him an innocent look, "Am I? I don't think that's true." Yuri glared at him, but Viktor merely looked at the nearest housemaid and winked. The woman turned a dark shade of red, excused herself and left the room. "I don't think I'm bringing anyone down, quite the contrary, really."

"Whatever," Yuri spat, kicking his chair back, "have fun hearing the villagers out." He said, his voice dripping with so much sarcasm that Viktor wondered what he had done to anger Yuri.

"Yuri! Wait!" Viktor launched himself across the table, knocking several plates and goblets to the floor. "I need your help!"

Yuri tugged his arm to free himself from Viktor's grasp, "And why would I help you?" He said, still trying to break himself free to no avail.

"Yura, please!" Viktor exclaimed. Yuri stopped trying to break free, and Viktor immediately knew he had won. It was a bit unfair, really. For reasons Viktor couldn't comprehend, every time he called Yuri 'Yura,' an affectionate nickname, he could get away with anything he wanted.

Yuri turned to hide his face, but Viktor still caught the faint blush spreading from across his cheeks all the way to his ears. "What do you need," he murmured so quietly that Viktor would've missed it if he weren't listening carefully for Yuri's reaction.

The lake was as beautiful as ever with its crystal clear water and fantastic view. Plus, when the water was undisturbed, he could see his reflection on the water, and that made it even better in his books.

Viktor walked around the lake and settled under the shade of his favorite heart-shaped tree. What could he say? He was a romantic. His father had told him that the tree was named after a famous princess, but Viktor couldn't recall the name.

Someday, Viktor thought, I want a tree to be named after me. He relaxed under the tree, glad to be free from the shackles royalty put on him. Perhaps his only regret was not bringing food with him, but other than that, he could do anything he wanted. They were halfway through Fall, but it wasn't cold enough yet to prevent him from going for a swim. Or maybe he could try his hand at skipping stones; he had always liked that. He yawned, the breeze lazily caressing his face. Perhaps he could go ahead and forage for sweet berries like when he was a kid, a yawn, or he could go fishing, another yawn, or, or maybe…! He could fall asleep, that worked too.