Chapter 1: The Beginning

1912

There was once a kingdom that flourished and it was all due to the Shirogane royal family. The trade was ever blooming, and the citizens were all content. The kingdom was the pride and joy of the people, and it wasn't hard to know why. The city was splendid, the economy was well-taken care of, and the Emperor and Empress were very kind and strong people.

Among them, were the two sons that that the Emperor and Empress had. Crown Prince Takashi and Prince Keith. The two were merely five years apart, but despite that, they got along very well. They always explored the castle together, played and got in trouble together. There was no doubt that they were both fond of each other, as was the kingdom.

However, the duo was to expand thanks to Keith.

It was no surprise that between the two, Takashi was always the more cautious one while Keith was more impulsive. The stereotypical difference between brothers, if you will.

That's what lead Keith to falling down the stairs during a game of hide and seek. (Leave it to Keith to find a way to make this game dangerous.) Now, that wasn't the scary part, but rather the fact that before he crash landed on the ground, he tackled a girl on his way down.

Katherine, that was her name. Katie for short.

Takashi made his way down, his feet tripping over each other until he picked up both Keith and the girl. The girl was fiddling with her glasses, eyes glued to the floor.

"I'm sorry about that, your name is-"

"Katie. Daughter of Samuel Holt and Collen, they are your family's architects… sir." She went quiet, Keith only stared at her. Katie was looking at her shoes, her hands politely tucked to her sides as she did her best not to curl her fingers into fists in an attempt to hide the oil and ink that she knew would be staining her pale skin. She nearly squeaked in horror when she noticed the younger prince edging closer toward her, never mind that the elder prince had touched her!

"How old are you?" Keith asked, inspecting the girl, both getting to know the new kid and seeing if she had sustained any injuries he might have accidentally caused. Katie only stiffened. She was going to get in trouble for interacting with royalty, oh, she was definitely going to get grounded for more than a week! And what if the prince, either of them, decide they don't like her and exile her and-

"I'm six."

"You are older than me," Keith stated like that's the most obvious thing. Which it was, but Katie wondered when exactly either of them was going to mention their status.

"Are you okay?" The older prince asked. Katie looked up at him and swallowed.

"I'm great!" She smiled tightly. "I apologize for the incident, it was my fault!"

"Not at all, Keith just doesn't know how to walk down the stairs apparently."

"Hey!"

Katie exchanged a glance between both princes and smiled… they seemed nice. Not strict or greedy or rude like the other royalty she had seen strutting around this very castle as if they themselves owned it. But still, that didn't excuse her presence. How was she going to explain this to her parents…. Oh gosh and Matt! Matt would get really jealous and side with her parents!

"Want to join our game?" Keith asked.

Katie's gaze dropped to the floor as she hunched her shoulders, instinctively making herself appear smaller. "I'm not supposed to even talk to royalty."

Keith scoffed,"stupid rule. We break them all the time, right Takashi!?" At that the prince chuckled nervously before clearing his throat.

"You should play with us, if you want," Takashi said, affirming his brother's earlier offer.

Katie was going to refuse. She didn't want to get grounded….

Yet she found herself nodding and befriending just about the two most important people in the kingdom.

There were a couple things that came with this friendship, Katie noted.

First of all, Keith.

Keith was great, and Katie loved the guy. He was fun, smart, but what she loved the most was that he was also into myths and lore. It was quite often when the two would be found reading a new book that the prince got-usually from Takashi and it was mostly his way of trying to keep the pair out of too much trouble when he wasn't able to keep an eye on them, or testing one of Katie's machine to catch something. They both shared a love for the unknown.

Second of all, it was Takashi.

Katie never knew how exactly to label their relationship, it definitely wasn't like the one she had with Keith. Takashi, usually loved going with her to whatever new adventures she had planned. He had the same wanderlust as she and Keith did; the same craving to go out into the wide unknown to just learn and discover. As they grew up though, the time spent with him began to lessen because Takashi is a prince… and with that came the responsibilities of being a ruler and the boring diplomatic stuff he hard to learn. Katie didn't like that. She did however, like the way the crown seem to fit so well on him.

So Katie did what she had to do to get Takashi back… for her and Keith. Definitely for her, she missed spending time with her friend. This meant sneaking him out of boring lessons and taking him out to the village, sometimes to her little workspace, or even to the gardens. Takashi never protested, but rather followed her with glee. Unbeknownst to the young pair, they became a rather amusing and admittedly cute sight to whatever adults managed to spy them-usually palace workers out on the grounds. They were such a contrast; tiny and determined Katie Holt whom was often covered in charcoal dust and oil due to the work she did to help her parents and the projects she herself created, dragging around a laughing Prince Takashi dressed in his finery and often found with a serious expression on his young face that usually showed the weight he often felt on his shoulders due to being the Crown Prince of such a beloved and prosperous land.

Third of all, she got royal treatment sometimes.

This meant that whenever there was a ball that twelve year old Takashi had to go, Katie was invited. Keith would entertain her, which in turn would entertain him as well as helped him avoid the stuffy children of other royals and nobility. Not all of the children appreciated having a servant's child near them, much to Keith's annoyance. Meanwhile, Takashi would take her dancing. It was nice. Katie liked dancing. She liked dancing with Takashi, especially when he would twirl her. It made her feel almost like a princess as her skirt would fly up around her as she spun. The prince noticed her joy and during whatever free time the three of them had that wasn't spent on adventuring, he would take her dancing in an empty ballroom. Keith kept guard, in case anyone decided to intrude. The younger prince never really minded this role as it gave him the chance to play as a warrior stoically keeping an eye out for potential trouble or danger. It was a fitting balance between the three.

She would also be allowed in his room; well, it was more like she broke in, but it was just because Takashi frequently had nightmares and she had a nice soothing voice and could sing. So whenever she was able to slip near his room, she would have a ready made distraction sending the guards to another wing of the castle which enabled her easier access to the elder prince's room...she did have to pick the lock in order to actually getinside...a soft song would be tumbling from her lips as she closed the door and went over to the troubled sleeper. Takashi liked their secret routine and Katie didn't complain when most of the time they ended up cuddling until moments before dawn.

Keith, Shiro and Katie kept this friendship hidden.

Or at least they tried.

Keith suspected his cousin Allura knew about it, but she never actually said it and Keith wasn't going to confess.

Status quo was a thing, and it was known as the reason why Katie couldn't be seen in public with the princes; and they couldn't be seen with a commoner. It did not matter to Keith or Takashi.

It did however, matter to Lord Zarkon.

Zarkon was… not nice. None of the kids liked him, but for some reason he was in the castle. Takashi had heard he was friends with Allura's father, which only made him question his Uncle Alfor's judgement.

Katie, specifically, had a hatred for him. Well justified, she might add.

She was a commoner, and Zarkon knew this. She was a commoner that seemed to be too close to the princes… Zarkon knew this.

Takashi stumbled upon the fact that Katie did not always eat. He became painfully aware of this fact when he and Keith snuck down into the kitchens after the younger had awoken the elder due to his being hungry and not wanting to venture through the darkened castle alone. He'd found Katie hiding in a corner near a large fireplace, cautiously gnawing on a leftover roll, her amber eyes wide with wariness when she caught sight of her friends.

Takashi knelt down in front of her and gently commented that he'd noticed she was a bit thinner than usual and asked why this was. Katie shakily told him that Lord Zarkon often punished her whenever her parents and brother were out of the palace on an engineering expedition that would eventually benefit the kingdom.

The oft angered noble did not appreciate Katie mingling with the princes on such a casual level and sought to ensure that the little girl knew her place-usually by starving her. She never told anyone for fear of making her situation and potentially that of her family's, worse.

The prince bristled with barely concealed rage. This would not stand. He straightened from his kneeling position and went about the kitchen, filling a plate with meat and vegetables; Keith helped out by dropping a couple of pastries on the plate and filling a cup with water. (Keith also snuck in a couple of cookies, after all what was a meal without dessert?) The brothers then sat with Katie ensuring that she felt safe enough to eat until she was full.

This sadly became a new routine whenever Zarkon would punish the girl. Takashi knew it happened more often than the girl liked to admit, Katie had pride. The prince sometimes felt helpless as he was unsure how to approach his parents on this subject, Katie was a commoner, but she didn't deserve to be treated in such a way. Zarkon needed to be stopped, that much was obvious. Takashi just didn't see a way of doing so that wouldn't endanger his friend.

Keith was the one who noticed a bruise near her jaw a couple of months later. Katie snapped at him and then ran away. Both Takashi and Keith looked very worried, and it didn't took a genius to figure out what exactly had happened and who had done it.

Both boys went to search her, but they only found her trying to cover it up with some paint (or maybe oil from her machines), and revealing even more small bruises. They had to put a stop to it. Keith felt anger rise at him like he never felt before, how dare Lord Zarkon even come near his friend! Takashi felt infuriated, no one should lay a hand on Katie. No one.

It didn't take long before Takashi and Keith caught Zarkon seconds away from slapping the girl days following their discover.

"Zarkon, if I was you I would drop that hand."

Takashi was smart enough to bring the Grand Vizier, his Uncle Alfor too.

Zarkon dropped his hand and then glared at the children. He looked shocked, and for a moment, fear flashed across his eyes as he backed away. Alfor was enraged, immediately going to Katie's side and making sure she wasn't hurt. The man seemed to be towering above her.

Alfor took a couple of deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down for the child's sake. In the gentlest voice he could muster, he asked, "has he hurt you before?"

Katie remained quiet, she only shot a glance to Takashi before biting her lip, eyes refocusing on the floor.

"He has," Takashi answered for her, taking a step forward. Keith nodded, crossing his arms. Alfor only cleared his throat before approaching Zarkon.

"Zarkon, you had best pack your belongings and leave. Immediately. You are henceforth banished from this kingdom."

"Alfor, you can't do that! I'm a lord!" He became desperate, a reaction that was never seen from the man before. "What of my son? He has no skills beyond the political world. And my wife! She's been ill for weeks or have you forgotten that? You think it wise to move her from her sickbed?"

The Grand Vizier sighed gustily. "Of course I haven't forgotten that Honerva is ill, Zarkon. She's one of my closest colleagues and friends. She will be provided for, I will not let a sick woman worsen merely because her husband thinks himself so important, he has to torment a child in order to show so!" His voice grew in rage and Takashi had half a mind to shield Katie from what was not even directed at her.

"I'm stripping you of your titles and estates. Now go . Return here and it shall be on the pain of your death," Zarkon let out a snarl before turning away, his loud heavy footsteps echoing. Katie looked on as the man walked away, her fingers trembling. Takashi took her hand in his own, squeezing it comfortingly, and Keith hugged her side.

"I will have my vengeance…" the now ex-lord bellowed. "On all of you!" With that, he stormed away, leaving the three kids frozen in place, with Alfor standing in front of them, acting as their shield.

(Shields work… but over time, they also crumble.)

Hello, everyone!

Lingering is being worked on as we speak, but for right now, I'd like to introduce you to part of the reason why my updates are pretty spaced out. This is a collaboration with a dear friend of mine over on AO3 known as WordNerd404. She's written an adorable Shidge story known as Of Flowers and Coffee. She's also on Tumblr as another-space-pidge and is a fantastic artist. I highly suggest following her!

Now, we're handling this story with every odd numbered chapter written by her and every even chapter written by me which is why this first chapter won't probably sound like my style of narration. Not largely, anyway. There are bits of me here and there will be bits of her in chapter two as we do edit each other's work.

We hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as we've enjoyed writing it and chapter two will come very shortly! Hopefully chapter 4 of Lingering will be up within the first two weeks of next month!