A/N: Woo, it's been quite a while! I've had this sitting around for months now, mulling around on what to do with it… So I decided to make it a little series on how Jakob and Asuka meet and grow closer!
Every chapter will take place at different times in their lives, this one starting around the age of nine. As it progresses, they will get older in each chapter, and the events will always be different.
This little piece is definitely a labor of love! Without further ado, let's go!
In the beginning, it was innocent.
The young boy was, for lack of a better term, unfit. He broke every dish he touched, scratched every glass he polished, burned everything he cooked, and couldn't even sweep the floor properly.
But how was this his fault? How was he to know that his mother and father would heartlessly sell him off to Castle Krakenburg? How was he to blame for his lack of knowledge on buttling, when he'd been born with a silver spoon in his mouth?
He was sure that there was no place for him. He was sure that he would grow up unloved, unhappy, and alone.
Until he was visited by that girl.
No, she wasn't just some commoner that wandered about the castle. With long, fire-tipped ebony hair, unusually tapered ears, and a commandingly sharp scarlet gaze, this girl was one he'd never seen before.
She'd happened upon him in the hallway of the Northern Fortress trying to polish the serving platters with castor oil, and he had suddenly sat down in the middle of the staircase in frustration.
"Your name is Joker, right?" she'd asked politely.
"What of it?" he growled, pulling at his silvery hair in frustration.
If she was put off by his rudeness, she didn't show it. "I hear the other servants haven't been treating you well. Would you like to talk about it? Maybe I can help somehow."
Joker scoffed. "Like you could help. What are you going to do, cry for them to stop?"
Before she could respond, two older servants came bounding down the hallway. They stopped when they found Joker, their eyes promising pain for his blunder with the serving platters. "You! You're coming with us. We won't be putting up with your incompetence for a moment longer!"
Even though he glared back, he still shook. He rose slowly to his feet in defeat, but was cut off from the two by the mysterious girl.
"Incompetence? I think the only incompetent ones I see are you two."
They both paled. "M-Milady!?"
Her scarlet eyes flashed in anger. "What kind of coworkers threaten a new recruit so? Especially one that's so young! He's not much older than me!" She narrowed her gaze at the two men, continuing with deadly precision, "Would you think of treating me, the second princess of Nohr, as badly as you've treated this boy?"
"P-Princess?" Joker was stunned.
"N-never!"
"W-we wouldn't dream of it, Lady Asuka!"
"Alright then. From this day forward, I don't want to hear anything about you bullying my friend. Understood?"
Both butlers bowed deeply. "Understood, milady…"
The young girl crossed her arms. "Good. You're dismissed."
And off they went, their tails between their legs and their plan thwarted. Asuka turned around to face the older boy behind her, who was gaping openly. She looked at him curiously. "Is something the matter?"
"Th-that was amazing! You just…commanded them to leave! And they were afraid of you!" the boy stared at her in wonder.
"Well, of course," she replied, glancing at the ruined platters on the floor. "I wasn't going to let them pick on you. That's not right." Looking back at him, she smiled, flashing her pearly white teeth at him. "And honestly, I was hoping we could be friends. I don't have anyone else to talk to besides Camilla and Leon."
Joker couldn't believe this was happening. "You want to be friends? With me?"
"Is that so strange?"
"I can't do anything besides make messes! I'll be lucky to still be in the castle tomorrow!"
Asuka furrowed her brow in thought before coming up with an idea. "Oh! Then why don't I make you my retainer? Then you'll have to stay."
"P-Princess," he stumbled, "d-do you know what you're saying!? There's no way I can—"
She silenced him with that commanding look boring into his own violet eyes. "Yes you can," she said firmly. "If you promise me you'll stay, I'll do the rest." Asuka grabbed his hand. "And then we'll always be together, okay? Promise?"
He didn't know what had his head spinning more; her burning stare, her grip on his hand, or the fact that she so desperately wanted him as her retainer. As her friend.
But his reply was nearly immediate.
"As you wish, milady."
Later that night, Joker was staring at the ceiling from his cot in thought. Everything had happened so quickly! He woke up miserable, but in a few hours, he had already pledged himself to be the second princess's retainer.
He remembered the day's events, as well as the princess in question. She was no-nonsense, commanding, even at her age, and yet… welcoming. She welcomed him into her life.
And as he'd laid there, he hardened his resolve.
Even as his coworkers had viciously thrown his ignorance in his face for the umpteenth time, even as he had failed the embarrassingly easy tasks assigned to him, and even how he cried himself to sleep many nights from the physical and emotional abuse the other maids and butlers would inflict upon him, he swore he would become a butler, a defender, a friend, worthy of her.
He recalled the feeling he had in his chest when she gripped his hand. It was warm…full of hope. It felt right.
"I'm not going to lose her."
A/N: If you liked how this started, how about I toss out a request? Review me a suggestion on what the next event should be! I'll count up how many votes each idea gets, and I'll write about it! The next age range will be around 12 years old, so come up with something accordingly! Bye for now!