Rilon had always loved watching the sunrise.

Ten stories up, holding himself precariously over the balcony railing, both feet off of the ground. It brought some dauntless euphoria that made him feel unstoppable.

Breathe in, breathe out slowly. Release the tension, bring in the calm. Don’t pay attention to the city hundreds of feet below, pay attention to the mountain range miles away. Just the perfect view to clear his mind, perfect view to take his mind off of the possibly hectic day ahead, perfect view for -

A knock at the door came from back inside. Rilon slid back down onto the steady ground and bade the sunrise goodbye. Maybe another day.

The knock came again, harder. Rilon growled under his breath, heading inside.

As he shut the balcony door, the knock came a third time.

Impatience..? Oh, it’s Asiah alright.

He switched the lights on. The unnatural brightness that came with it nearly gave Rilon a headache. It wasn’t the same as the sunrise.

“Ri, if you don’t get your ass up, I’ll break down this door.” A fourth knock accompanied the threat.

“I’m coming. Don’t get your hair in a knot.” Sighing, Rilon ran a hand through his hair, tangled into a near-eternal bedhead from a restless sleep. He growled when his hand caught upon a particular snarl, and flinched when he attempted to get it free.

Christ, why does my hair have to be so… long?

He shook his head, waving his hand dismissively.

I ought to get myself a mirror. That would help my… He yanked at the tangles in his hair. Pathetic excuse for hair.

“I beg to differ.”

“Shut up, Asiah.”

There was a grumble from behind the door. Rilon rolled his eyes, plodding across the room to the door.

Of course, it was Asiah that he first saw when he opened the door. Who else could have father’s jet-black hair, amber eyes, plus, who else did he have to take care of him when his father did not?

“What do you want?” He groaned, rubbing his eyes, forcing them into focus. “What warrants my attention at such an early hour?”

Asiah shot him a look and frowned. “Get dressed. Father needs you in the Main Room by sunrise. Oh, but look, you’re late already.’

“You can shut up. Just, please.” Rilon shut the door abruptly, right in his brother’s face.

“Your bedhead makes you look like a creep!” Persistent, Asiah pounded on the door. It wasn’t going to get him anywhere, plus it would just make him look like an idiot to any passerby in the halls. So, Rilon did what he usually did; he ignored him, ruffling his hands through his hair, grumbling multiple foreign curses under his breath.

Eventually, the pounding stopped — Asiah had grown tired. Or he broke a finger… again… Rilon listened for footsteps dragging themselves away from the door, but there were none. He narrowed his eyes. Asiah was planning something.

“You better not.”

“You bet I am,” Asiah replied. There was a hint of mischief in his tone. “I’ll get you back for that… with a rather rude greeting.”

I’ll show you a rude greeting once I’m done.

“I heard that,” Asiah growled back.

“Sure…” Rilon went back to the balcony door but hesitated as he gripped the handle. He listened for the faint sound of footsteps leaving once again. There weren’t any.

He stood in silence for several moments. Rilon noticed — and subsequently felt — his hands begin to shake. Anticipation, fear maybe?

He heard Asiah shuffle to get onto his feet. Instantly, his hand gripped the handle tighter.

“Frei!”

Startled, Rilon yanked the door open but miscalculated himself. It instantly hit him right in the face, hard.

So thus, Asiah was greeted with a scowl. “Tell father to fuck off and leave me alone for once. Does he know that I have a life other than just being his heir?”

Asiah was trembling, knotting his fingers together and tried to hold them in front of his face. “Th-those exact words..?”

“Yes.” Rilon slammed the door. He looked at his shaking hands and saw a small blot of crimson on his palm. He wiped his nose, and more red came off onto his hands.

Stupid door. Stupid brother.

“Did I mention that your nose was bleeding?”

“Noted.” Rilon snarled at the door. “Now please go.”

As the footsteps retreated away into the corridor, Rilon went to clean himself up.

To his dismay, his hands still trembled when he reached the Main Room, three floors down. Not only that, but they also seemed to have gotten worse. He ran them through his hair to help rid himself of his anxiety, but when he looked at them, they were still trembling. A loud sigh escaped from his mouth.

I hope I’ll get out of something… At least he could smile at that. With a loud sigh to himself, he pushed the door open.

To be expected his father — President Lear to be more exact — was there, sitting on some sort of throne.

Lear was not a small man, nor was he tall. He may have been the former in his youth, or so nearly a decade ago, but the stress of raising two sons on his own put a toll on him. His silver-black hair in addition to his stature was proof of that.

A shiver ran through Rilon. His father may not have much time left in him. The anxiety that he would soon sit on that throne in place of his father was enough to make his heart race.

Nevertheless, he calmed down and closed the door behind him before he could forget. “Did my brother say anything?”

Lear hesitated for a moment. “Some very… colorful language, and then he left.” He sat up straighter. “Is there a reason?”

Rilon shook his head and rolled his eyes. Of course, he’d say something like that. He took in a loud breath to steady himself again, crossed his arms, and strode further into the room.

His father sat up from the chair, walking over to the large window, which basically covered an entire wall and overlooked the city as well.

“Come here.” Lear appeared listless, staring out onto the city, fiddling with his hands, which were clasped behind his back. “I need to speak with you, Rilon.”

Expecting a long lecture, Rilon reluctantly walked over to stand next to him. He followed his father’s gaze out onto the city.

It was calming to look down at the movement in the city, especially this early in the morning. People were heading to work for the day, children were heading to school, groups were gathering on the streets for a quick chat or lengthy debate. Rilon smiled at that thought.

All of this happened while Rilon kept himself hidden within the walls of the Capitol Building. He was always afraid to admit that the last time he left the building — of course, with that one exception of University — was a little after his tenth birthday, seven years ago.

He just couldn’t bring himself to go outside, to the place where it happened. The place where he kept denying to himself, over and over, that it never happened, that someone else may have witnessed it and not him alone.

It brought a strange comfort, reassurance, nearly instantly. Rilon took his hands and stared at them. Reassurance didn’t seem to help his nerves any, though. His hands still trembled with anxiety.

It was several minutes before anyone spoke. Not surprisingly, it was Lear who broke the silence.

“You’ve got to get outside; enjoy the air.” Rilon wasn’t paying attention, but he was sure his father was staring straight at him, amber eyes burning into his skull. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his frock coat.

“It would help those nerves of yours.”

Rilon sniffed. “What nerves?” He laughed humorlessly and shrugged. “And what’s the use of going outside? There’s plenty to do in here.”

Yet, as he stared outside, he felt a strange mix of feelings. Euphoria, dysphoria… discomfort. Rilon turned sharply away with an audible gasp.

“There’s a reason I don’t go outside, Lear.” He snarled but didn’t speak further.

True, standing outside on the balcony was tolerable. It was at least a hundred feet up, and no people would come to bother him. In the city, something could happen to him… something terrible, like what happened with -

He flinched away from the thought. I can’t go outside. Somehow, if he only took one step outside, he’d get sick, or panic. He’d learned that the hard way nearly two years ago.

“ I could close the windows for you.” Lear, clearly seeing Rilon’s distress, placed a hand on his shoulder. Rilon kept himself from flinching, shaking his head. “Nein, er, no… No. I’m fine. Just thinking.” The reassurance was hardly audible.

Lear moved away, leaving Rilon to stare outside again.

Leaving him with some longing to be outside once again.