Taka sits patiently on the windowsill.

Watching the birds fly by, chirping to each other.

The sun shines high in the sky.

His yellow mist swirls inside the jar.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, a golden-haired man is desperately trying—and failing—to escape his duties for the day.

“Come on Rowan, I took care of the paperwork for it yesterday…” Killian runs his fingers through his hair.

Rowan sets a large stack of papers onto Killian's desk with a thump.

“There's more today.” He chuckles. 

Killian stares at the stack of paper before setting his head on the desk with a sigh. “Being King sucks…” he mutters. 

“I'm happy I don't have that problem.” Rowan smirks. 

Killian looks up from the desk. “We can trade.”

“Absolutely not.” Rowan says immediately. 

Killian plops his head back on the desk, staring at the mountain before him. 

He groans and lifts his head up, pulling off the top report. 

He reads it carefully. 

“The bridge in Juliet is falling apart.”

“That's not far from here.” Rowan folds his arms.

…

Killian gets an idea. 

A beautifully evil idea. 

…

“What if we went and investigated it personally.” He smiles. 

Rowan scratches the back of his head while looking at the pile. “I don't know Killian…”

…

“We can bring Taka.”

Rowan freezes.

Killian's smile grows.

…

Rowan lets out a long breath.

"...Alright.”

Killian stands up. 

“But!” Rowan pauses. “You have to finish this when we get back.”

“Deal!” Killian says.

…

It doesn't take long for Rowan to make his way back to his office.

…

“Are we really going outside?” Taka's eyes sparkle. 

Rowan can't help but smile. “Yes. Killian will be joining us.” 

Taka hardly cares about who is coming.

He's already moved on to the more important questions.

“Are there any horses on the way?” He asks.

“Horses will be pulling the carriage.”

“Horses pull carriages?” He asks excitedly before pausing again. “What's a carriage?”

Rowan chuckles. “You will see one for yourself soon.”

Taka can barely contain his excitement as they walk down the halls.