Philip
"And if I see you stealing from the kitchen again you'll be sleeping in the pig pen for a week!" yelled the charming head cook, Sarah.
"I'll stop stealing when the rest of us stop starving," I said.
"Well Philip that is none of my concern," she said then she turned around and walked away. I've never been all the way full for as long as I can remember. My father died when I was three and when I turned 10 my mother had to have me go work in the castle as a kitchen servant to help pay off some of the debt that my family owed. It has been washing potatoes and cutting carrots day in and day out for the past 9 years. Doing this for the royal family for so long was not the most fun, but at least I knew what I had to do and I had something to do.
All I do is mindless work, so I day dream. A. Lot. And I get hit for it a lot too. My favorite daydream right now is becoming a part of the royal family. I have enough to eat and even enough to share for my friends, wearing fancy clothes and being respected. I know that could never happen though, sadly. I'd have to marry into the royal family, and seeing that there were only two sons that could never ever happen.
Come to think of it now actually, I have never even seen any of the royal family. I've worked here for 9 years and never once seen them. Not surprising though they don't really have a reason to come to the kitchen anyways. I have heard a rumor that the older prince, Prince Daniel was around 18 about the same age as me.
"I have an announcement;" yelled Sarah at the front of the kitchen, "in two days' time the princess and king of Italy will be here to discuss important things with the king and queen." Immediately there was mutterings all around the kitchen. Even though there were a lot important foreign people here often it was still very exciting news. Sarah quieted us down and continued on, "that means we need everyone to work their hardest. Also I have assigned extra servers for that night." More mutterings around the kitchen and I glanced nervously at my best friend, Emma.
"Quiet down all of you," snapped Sarah, "the new temporary servers will be Emma, Michael, Philip and Nick. You four follow me I need to start now on training you to serve properly. The rest of you back to your regular work." We followed her back into a small room right off the kitchen.
"I chose you four because you are my older, more experienced workers," said Sarah, "mess this up and you will be living on the streets with the beggars is that clear?" she glanced at me and we all nodded nervously.
"Now, I have all my regular servers situated but with you four extras I have decided to assign each of you to one person," said Sarah. This made us all even more nervous. Just one person for the whole night? What if we do something wrong and they remember us? Oh God.
"Nick you have the princess of Italy, Princess Armanda, Michael you have our lovely queen, Emma you have the King of Italy and Philip you have Prince Daniel," said Sarah.
The next two days were extremely busy. The four special servers didn't have to do any of our regular chores. Much to the younger workers dislike. We actually had to learn a lot about serving it wasn't just setting down plates in front of them and filling up their water goblets every few minutes. A few hours before we had to go and serve something hit me,
"Sarah. None of us have actually ever seen the people we are about to go serve. How do we know who to go up to?" I asked her.
"Right," she said, "thank you for reminding me. I actually took some of the portraits from the throne room to show you." She handed me a painting of a young man who had floppy dark brown hair and matching brown eyes. It was just a painting but I could tell that he wanted to be anywhere but having his portrait painted.
"This is not what I thought he would look like," I said.
"Prince Daniel is a very interesting boy," said Sarah.
"How so? Have you met him?" asked Emma.
"Oh yes of course I have met him," said Sarah, "Since he is the oldest he is the heir to the throne. But that is the last thing he wants. His is a very joking, mischievous and sarcastic boy. Everyone says that his younger brother is much better for the throne."
"Well if he doesn't want to be king what does he want?" I asked.
"Who knows," said Sarah, "but in my personal opinion he is crazy for not wanting to be king."
Right before it was time to go and go serve Sarah was repeating the rules over and over. There were so many it was kind of hard to remember. Do not look any of them in the eye; do not speak unless spoken to, only answer with short one word answers. And under any circumstances do not touch any one of them. Everyone serving had to serve on the left. So they would not get in the way of their arms while eating. Except for me, of course. Apparently Prince Daniel is left handed so I will have to serve on his right.
We put on nicer clothes than usual. Which is not saying much seeing as what I usually where can barely pass as clothes. As the royal families were being seated we lined up behind the oak double doors that led into the fancy dining room. Sarah was whispering the rules as last minute instructions, like we could ever forget them now. I could barely keep my nerves down. I think what I was most nervous about was that fact that I was going to see Prince Daniel for the first time. Ever since Sarah showed me his portrait I couldn't stop thinking about him.
"Here we go," Emma muttered behind me, "nervous?"
"Very," I murmured back, "you?"
"Completely"
Then the double doors were opened and we filed out. As soon as we stepped out my eyes fell on Prince Daniel. He was almost at the head of the table in between his mother and who I assumed to be his younger brother because he looked exactly like him only younger. Daniel looked even better in person. This is saying something because the picture was pretty good. Luckily I realized I was staring before I was caught. That could have ended badly.
The first two courses went perfect. Well other than the part where I almost spilled the water I was pouring, but I think only Emma noticed. During the third course though something unexpected happened I was filling his glass up for what seemed like the 100th time very carefully this time.
"Wait," said prince Daniel looking directly at me, "you're not one of the regulars. I've never seen you before. What's your name?"
"Oh Daniel, leave the servant alone and let him get back to his job," said the queen.
"No," said Daniel, "I know I would have noticed him before. Tell me what your name is."
"Philip," I said quietly.
"Do you have a last name Philip?" he asked.
"Philip Lester," I said even quieter.
"You must be new Philip, I have never seen you before," said Daniel.
"I've been working here for 9 years," I said, "but I am usually just a kitchen boy." I looked up and locked eyes with him. I felt my heart leap. Partly from fear that I would get in trouble and partly because he was staring right back at me.
"Interesting," he said.
"Dan," the king said, "leave him alone. Boy get back to work." He flicked his wrist at me. I walked back into the kitchen feeling like I was on a cloud. The prince was beautiful and he actually talked to me. Then I felt panicked, I had broken one of the most important rules. Do not make eye contact with them, and I looked the prince in the eyes. If Sarah found out I would be punished for sure. The rest of the night was uneventful. The prince tried to talk to me again and again, but each time his father scolded him.
"What are you all smiley about," Emma asked me once all the night's events were over.
"Didn't you see?" I asked her, "the prince actually talked to me. He was so… nice."
She laughed, "you're not even trying to hide it."
"Hide what?"
"You totally think he's attractive. You may even have a crush," she said, "not that I blame you though."
"Yeah me and the rest of the kingdom," I said. She nodded.
"Be careful though," she said, "I can see you getting in a lot of trouble with this."
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen. I promise," I said, "he's probably forgotten about me already." Our conversation was interrupted by Sarah scolding us to go to bed. As I lay down I couldn't help thinking about the possibility that he hasn't forgot about me.
Daniel
"So Dan what did you think of Princess Armanda?" asked my mother.
"She was alright," I said. My father let out a loud exasperated sigh.
"Daniel, you need to choose a princess to become your queen," he said, "and sit up straight. That is not the way a king sits in a chair." I was sitting sideways in a chair with my legs over the side. I rolled my eyes and sat up straight.
"I will chose a queen," I said, "I just gotta see them all of the people that I can choose from first." This earned another sigh from my father.
"You are impossible Dan. You need to be married in two months, or I will give the throne to your brother," said my father.
"Go for it," I said sitting sideways again in my chair.
"Why do you not want to be king so bad?" asked my mother.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "I just feel like I am not fit for the crown. Like there is something else out there for me."
"Well, until you figure out what that is you need to do your responsibilities," said my father, "we have another dinner in a week. Go and get your clothing for it measured."
"Will I have the same server boy for this next dinner?" I asked.
My father paused, "I have no idea. What was with you and that boy yesterday anyways?"
"I don't know. He just seemed...interesting," I said. It has only been a day since I've seen him but I could not get my mind off of Philip Lester. I stood up quickly.
"Where are you going?" asked mother.
"Oh, I'm just going to go explore," I said.
"Ok. But please try and be back quickly. They still need to measure your clothes," she said. I walked down to the servant's part of the castle. It was strange I have lived here my whole life, but never have I once been to this part of the castle. I never really had a reason. Until now.
There was a large opening that led into the kitchen. That's where I saw a tall, willowy woman that I vaguely recognized. As soon as she saw me she walked so quickly it was almost a run to me.
"Prince Daniel," she said bowing, "what is the honor of having you down here?"
"I actually came to talk to someone," I said.
"Oh ok," she said a little surprised, "who?"
'Philip Lester."
"Oh God what did he do? Whatever it was I am so sorry," she said.
"He did nothing wrong. I just want to talk to him," I said. She nodded and turned to go find him. I looked around the kitchen while I was waiting. It was so busy and chaotic but it seemed like everyone knew what they were doing. And everyone had their place. I shook my head my mother would pass out if she saw how messy it was down here. Maybe that's why I have never been down here before.
I saw the woman heading back with Philip following closely behind her. I sucked in my breath because I just realized I had no idea what I was going to say to him. I just came down here on a whim. I had no plan whatever. I guess I'll just have to wing it.
"Here he is," said the woman, "if you need me just call me back over here. My name is Sarah." I nodded as she walked away.
"Hi," I said to Philip smiling slightly at him.
"Hello your highness," he said bowing, "what can I do for you?"
"Oh no please don't do that," I said, "you can call me Dan. Well, I mean only my family calls me that. But it's better than 'your highnesses or 'Prince Daniel'."
"I would love to call you Dan," said Philip, "but that is just too casual. I am just a servant. A servant can't call a prince by a casual nickname."
"Well that's stupid," I said, "I think you should be able to call me whatever the hell you want to."
"Ok Dan," Philip smiled, "and I guess you should call me Phil because that's what everyone calls me." I laughed and we stood there awkwardly for a moment.
"So, Dan. Did you need me for anything? I really should get back to work," said Phil.
"I am sure that whoever is in charge will understand why you aren't working," I said. He nodded at that.
"Actually I wanted to talk to you some more," I said.
"Really, why?"
"Well, first I don't believe that you have been working here since I was 8 years old and I have never seen you before," I said.
He shrugged, "I haven't really been in the castle other than the servant's quarters and the kitchen. Last night in the dining room was the farthest into the castle that I have ever been."
"No way," I said. That was crazy. I always felt very trapped. And I had the entire castle to explore. I could not imagine being just down here for 9 years.
"I should take you on a tour of the castle! Come on let's go," I started walking towards the stairs. I turned around to see that Phil hadn't moved.
"I really can't," he said, "I'm dirty and I have work that I have to do."
"Sarah!" I called. She walked over quickly.
"Yes your highness?" she asked, "What can I do for you?"
"I need Philip for the rest of the day," I said. She looked very surprised. But she did not argue with me. She really couldn't argue with me though. She just nodded and walked away. I turned around to see Phil gaping at me.
"What?" I asked.
"I have never seen Sarah listen to anyone," he said, "you just can't that."
"Well it kind of helps if you are the future king."
He nodded, "what do you think people will say when they see you walking around with a dirty, disgusting servant in rags?"
"You aren't disgusting," I said, "and the dirt… adds character." He laughed loudly at that. His laugh was perfect and it made me laugh too.
"So where should we start," I asked him, "I want to show you as much as I can so should I start with my favorite places or the beginning of the castle?"
"Well it makes more sense to start at the beginning, doesn't it," asks Phil.
"Alright, beginning it is," I said. All around us other servants gaped at me acting so casual with a servant. My whole life I've been surrounded by servants, but I've never actually paid attention to them. Learning about Phil's life was the most interesting and strange thing. His father died when he was young, his brother was sent off to be a soldier in the war and his mother sent Phil off to work off their debt in the castle. It's hard to be sent away from my mother because she is one of my best friends.
"So you have just worked? This entire time?" I asked him trying to get my head around it.
"Well yes," he laughed.
"Well my life seems kind of dull and lame compared to yours," I said.
"Yes so boring, a life full of luxury, never starving. Fancy parties and dinners. Lessons on how to be king. So boring," he snapped. I stepped back, a little surprised.
"You're starving?" I asked quietly.
"We all are. You get used to it. But I don't think I've even been all the way full,' said Phil sadly.
"That's awful," I said grabbing his hands without any thought, "does my father know? I'm sure he wouldn't let this happen if he knew."
"Oh I'm sure he knows," Phil said looking at our hands, still intertwined, "but no one cares about a few starving servants."
"I do," I muttered.
"Well then you're the only one," Phil looked up from our hands and I realized how close we were. I leaned in and our lips collided. Phil pulled away very quickly.
"This is bad. I shouldn't be touching you at all. That is a very big rule," he said letting go of my hands, "sorry for talking about me and the boring servant life so much. Tell me about your life. I've always wondered what it was like being royal." I continued staring at him for a moment. How could he go from very close to casual in a few seconds. But I told him about my royal life. After hearing about how hard his life is it made me feel ridiculous. All of my problems like clothing fitting and banquets I had to go to sounded stupid. I also told him about how I really didn't want to be king and I thought my younger brother would be a much better king. Even though my father wanted to keep up the tradition of the oldest being king.
"That's why I have a lot of princesses over. I have to have a queen to become
king," I said.
"Why don't your parents just arrange a marriage?" Phil asked.
"They believe that I need to actually love someone, not just marry for the crown," I said
"And do you agree?"
"Definitely," I said grinning at Phil. He smiled back. I grabbed his hand. We had made it through most of the castle. We were currently outside in one of the nicer gardens with sun beginning to set behind us. I led Phil over to a bench in the middle of a flowerbed. This was my favorite place to come and chat with my mother.
"What about you?" I asked him.
"What about me what?"
"Do you believe in love?" I said.
He nodded slowly, "when I was young, before my father died I remember him and my mother loved each other very much. They would waltz with each other around the main room. I have always wanted something like that."
"Maybe you will," I shrugged.
"I definitely hope so," he said and then he stood up, "I really should go back. It's been fun Daniel. But this really isn't real. You are a prince and I'm a kitchen boy. That's it and I am going to be late for curfew if I don't hurry." I stood up too.
"Just because I'm a prince doesn't mean anything," I said grabbing his hand. I pulled him close and kissed him softly.
"I'll come and see you as soon as I possibly can," I said.
"Sure you will Dan," said Phil quietly and we then started walking our separate ways.
Philip
"I haven't seen you all day, where were you?" asked Emma as soon as I walked into the servant's quarters.
"Oh, Sarah had me take care of the livestock all day," I said.
"Bullshit. I was working the livestock. Where were you?" said Emma.
"I was just doing some jobs for Sarah all day, it's nothing really." I don't know why I didn't tell her the truth. She is my best friend and I tell her everything. Maybe it's because she might not believe me or because I wanted to keep it as my own secret. He said he would come and visit me again. I could introduce him and Emma then. It would be like my weird two worlds colliding. Deep down I knew that he probably wouldn't come and see me again. He would get too busy or he would just forget about this random servant boy.
Days turned into weeks from the day that we spent together. Sometimes I thought it was all a dream, but I knew it wasn't. It couldn't be. We kissed each other twice.
"Phil, why have you been acting so weird the past couple of weeks? What happened?" asked Emma one day. We were in the servant's quarters I was laying on the floor next to her cot. There weren't enough cots for everyone, so I let Emma sleep on mine. I sat up and decided that it was time to tell her about my amazing day with Prince Daniel. I wasn't going to tell her but I was so upset that he might have forgotten about me it just sort of spilled out. She sat quietly until I was all the way finished with my story.
"And he promised we would see each other again, but he hasn't come to see me," I finished.
"Oh Phil," she said softly, "he's a prince he is probably so extremely busy."
"That's what I thought too, but still. I would forget about me too," I said sadly.
"Shut the hell up. No one could forget about you. Why didn't you tell me about this before," she said.
"I thought that you wouldn't believe me."
"Phil, you are the worst liar ever. I knew you were telling the truth. You could have never come up with a story with that much detail."
"Thanks Em," I smiled, "you're right. I am acting ridiculous. And it's not like anything could happen between me and a prince anyway."
"You never know," she said rolling over in her cot, "now go to sleep. I'm tired and I have to feed the livestock in the morning."
The next few days I felt so much better. Why hadn't I told her before? She always knew the right things to make me feel better. One night 3 days after my conversation with Emma it felt like I had only been asleep for a few minutes when I heard someone whispering my name,
"Phil, pssst, Philly, Phil, Philip, wake up." I sat up quickly and looked around. I saw someone crouching next to me with a clock covering his face.
"Good morning sleeping beauty," he said.
"Dan?" I asked. I heard him chuckle a bit.
"Who else would it be? You don't have someone waking you up in the middle of the night very often do you?"
"What are you doing here?" I whispered.
"I came to see you. I did promise didn't I?"
"Yeah." I said, "like 3 weeks ago."
"About that," he said, and then he looked around, "let's get out of here so we don't have to whisper." He stood up and offered me a hand to help me up. As soon as I took it it felt like lightning shot through my hand. I felt ridiculous until I saw his face and I knew that he felt it too. We tip toed around the sleeping people on the floor and slipped silently through the door.
"Is there a way outside from the kitchen?" asked Dan.
"Yeah follow me," I said, "you know it is way past curfew and I could get in major trouble."
"I'll cover for you," he said, "I really wanted to see you and we can't see each other in the castle."
"Why?"
"I'll explain later, let's just get some distance between us and the castle." We walked to a shed full of gardening supplies on the edge of the castle grounds. The door squeaked loudly when we opened it and we looked around nervously even though we were the only people outside. I shut the door and sat on the dirt floor of the shed very close to Dan.
"So, why a cold, dirty shed instead of a nice warm castle?" I teased Dan. He fidgeted a bit and played with a bit of rope from the floor. He didn't speak for so long I didn't think he was going to answer me.
"My dad wasn't happy," he finally said and my stomach tightened.
"Why?"
"He didn't think it was appropriate for me to be friends with a servant."
"Oh," I said.
"Yeah I think his exact words were, 'you will be king in a few months and you are friends with a servant? Ridiculous.'"
"Oh," I said again, that's all I could say what was I even supposed to say?
"But Phil," he said then he stopped.
"What?"
"I don't want you to think I'm ridiculous or stupid."
"Just say it Dan," I said and he took a deep breath.
"When I saw you that night of the dinner, I felt like I… knew you already," said Dan quietly.
"Really? Me too. My friend Emma thought I was ridiculous when I told her. But I felt the same way," I said and Dan grinned.
"Maybe that means we're soulmates," Dan said. He bumped my shoulder and I chuckled a bit.
"Actually, my mother used to say if you and your soulmate look at each other at the same time you know instantly. She used to say that about her and my dad," I said.
"Do you miss them?" Dan asked.
"My parents? Of course. Everyday I miss them. I mean I haven't seen my mom in years," I said.
"I'm sorry," Dan muttered. Then he pulled me into a tight hug. It was a total shock but we stayed there for what felt like years. When we finally broke apart he leaned up against the wall of the shed and I lay against his chest with his arms around me. We sat silently and peacefully for a few minutes.
"Don't get a princess," I said, facing him.
"I'm trying not to, Phil. Trust me I know I want you now," he said.
"But how Dan? You have to be married to become king," I said.
"I already told you," said Dan, "I don't want to be king. I'll give the crown to my brother. He wants it anyway. I'm not fit for the crown. I know it and everyone else knows it too."
"Sorry. I guess I wouldn't understand," I said.
"It's ok. I would never understand your life either," he said grabbing my hands. I looked at him in the eyes.
"You know I was not allowed to look you in the eyes when I was serving you," I said.
"Well you definitely broke that rule," said Dan, "because your eyes are the first thing that I noticed about you." He leaned in and kissed me. Soft and sweet.
"Sorry but I really don't know how to kiss," I said. He kissed me again harder this time.
"Do you really think I care?" he asked, "I'm sitting on a dirt floor of a tool shed to be with you. Do you really think I care about how good of a kisser you are?" We sat back together like we were before, and I don't remember it happening but we both fell asleep.
Daniel
I woke up a bit panicked. I had no idea where I was, I was freezing cold and my back hurt. I was panicked until I realized Phil was still curled up in my arms and I remembered everything from the night before. Phil started to stir.
"Goodmorning sleeping beauty," I said and this made him laugh.
"Hey you woke me up when I was already asleep," he said "of course I'm tired." I kissed him on the cheek. Then Phil sat up straight.
"Oh God what time is it?" he asked.
"No idea, but I think its later, I never get up before 10," I said. He sprung up.
"Last night was great," he said, "but it's not my life. I have to go and work." He ran out the door of the tool shed towards the castle. I stood up and sprinting after him then I stopped. What if my dad found out that I stood up for him? He could punish him even more. I didn't want him to get in even more trouble. So I turned away from the door to the kitchen and walked towards the main part of the castle. I slipped through a side door that was closest to my room, unnoticed and made it to my bedroom. I just barely got in my room and closed the door when there was a knock on my door.
"Come in," I called. My personal servant, Peter walked in.
"Goodmorning prince Daniel," he said, "how was your long night?"
"What are you talking about?" I asked him in an innocent voice.
"You aren't fooling anyone Daniel," he said, "the whole servant's quarters is buzzing. Philip was missing this morning and so were you. And everyone knows that you two have something going on." Crap. The servants always seemed to know everything, but that didn't mean that my father knew.
"Is Phil ok? Did he get in a lot of trouble?" I asked.
"I'm not exactly sure. I'm a castle servant and he is a kitchen, but everyone knows that Sarah can be a nasty punisher," said Peter. My heart dropped. I did this to him and it was all my fault.
"Does my father know about this?" I asked him.
"I don't think so," he said, "your father left this morning for Spain." I sighed in relief and allowed Peter to help dress me in silence for a few minutes until he said, "this may be a personal question. But do you and Philip really have something going on or is it just another servant's quarter's rumor?"
"I think I love him Peter," I said.
"Are you sure? I mean what would your father think of that," he said.
"I don't care I have never, ever felt this way about anyone I have ever met in my life," I said.
"But two men loving each other? That's crazy. No one would approve and one of these men being a prince and one being a servant? What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea," I said.
"No seriously Daniel, I've heard stories about men that love other men being killed. Just because people think that they are 'unnatural.'"
"Well no one would know unless you tell them," I said, "will you tell them?"
He shook his head, "even though I am one of your servants I consider you a close friend. I Just want you to be happy."
"Thank you Peter," I said.
"No problem. Wow now you really can't be king now," he joked.
"Good."
"We actually have to go now. I think your mother wanted to see you in the library," he said. We left my room and headed down the hallway to the library. My mother was sitting behind one of the desks.
"Goodmorning Daniel," she said, "how are you today?"
"Fine mother thank you," I said.
"Good," she said, "I needed to talk to you about something. You're father and I have been talking for a long time, and we have decided that the tradition should keep up and the oldest son should be king. So your father left early this morning to pick up Princess Armanda of Italy. She will be your future queen. I know that we usually don't believe in arranged marriage but I honestly think this is what is best for you and the country." I just stood there. I couldn't move. I felt sick. I already found the person that I love I couldn't just marry some girl that I barely knew. I turned around and left the library without saying goodbye. A huge sign of disrespect. I would definitely hear about this later.
I ran. Out of the library all the way down to the kitchen and servant's quarters. I saw the middle aged woman, Sarah, that I remembered from last time.
"I need to see Philip right away," I said. She looked me up and down and then smirked.
"Philip is not here right now your highness," she said in a disgustingly sweet voice.
"Well where is he?" I asked
"He is being punished. He was extremely late this morning. But I'm sure you know all about that," she said in her sweet she turned her back on me and walked away. I stood there in shock, partly because of the disrespect and partly because of the fact that Phil was being punished for something that I did.
"Psst…. pst… your highness...come here," a small mousy girl with stringy brown hair and a dirty dress called. She was partially hidden in the shadows so I didn't even notice her before.
"I'm Emma," she said, "I'm Phil's friend."
"Oh yes he's told me about you," I said.
"Really?" she said, "well anyway. I can show you where Phil is, but if anyone sees you with him he could get in even more trouble. And if you get him in more trouble I will beat you I don't care if you're a prince or not." I nodded and instead of telling me where to go she started walking away. I followed her out of the kitchen down a dark hallway to a door with a key ring on it.
"What's this?" I asked her.
"It's just a closet," she said, "but a few years Sarah started locking us in here for punishment when she found out some of us were scared of it because it's the only closet with no windows for light."
"That's terrible," I said.
She shrugged, "that's life. I better get back to work before they realize I'm gone and lock me in here too." When she was gone I took the key ring off the door and unlocked it. When light flooded in I saw Phil sitting on the floor with his knees up to his chest and his head on his knees.
"Phil?" I said quietly. He lifted up his head and I gasped loudly. The whole left side of his face was swollen and bruised. He eye was almost swollen shut. His lip was split open and it had dried blood on it.
"Oh my god, Phil? What did they do to you?"
"Oh this?" he smiled, then winced in pain, "just punishment. Trust me I've had worse."
"Phil, I am so sorry," I said sitting next to him, moving his dark hair gently away from his face.
"Don't worry about it," he said, "so what did I do to get the pleasure of the prince being in my lovely room."
"I'm getting married," I said
"Whoa, I mean that would be great but don't you think we should wait first?" Phil joked.
"No Phil quit messing around," I snapped, "sorry, it's just… my parents are arranging a marriage for me."
"What?" asked Phil all the joking leaving his voice, "I thought they don't believe in that."
"They don't," I said, "I can't just marry a random girl. I love you, Phil."
"I love you too, Dan," he said and my heart fluttered.
"So what are we gonna do?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, just give me a few days to come up with something," I said.
"When is your wedding?"
"I don't know, but soon." I said.
"Hey Dan?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I be your best man?" That earned him a soft punch on the shoulder.
"Shut up," I said and I kissed him softly on his bruised cheek.
Philip
The day flew by in a blur sitting on another dirty floor with Dan, talking about the universe, our future and everything in between. Dan stayed with me in the closet until we heard Sarah walking down the hall to let me out. She gave me a cold wet rag to put on my injured cheek. It was pretty bad, but I wasn't lying to Dan when I told him that I've had a lot worse. The only reason I think that I was released the same day was because Sarah didn't want to do my evening chores. I did them so poorly I was threatened to be put back in the closet, though.
I couldn't help it though. I don't think I am ever happier in my life than the times that I am with Dan. And I know that I should be worried about his arranged marriage, but I'm not. Knowing him he probably already has a plan.
"So I met your love today," said Emma that night.
"You did?" I asked.
"How else do you think he found the closet you turnip?"
"Oh yeah, thanks for that," I said.
"What's he like," she said, "I mean I could never imagine him as a real person I only imagine him as a prince."
"He's so sweet and caring, he's cute and really very funny. He's creative and also very awkward," I said.
"You're going to make me sick," said Emma.
"You can definitely tell that he is a prince though. Sometimes I wonder if he has been anywhere other than the gardens or other castles. He is just so sheltered," I said.
"You should go to town with him sometime," said Emma, "maybe when it's your turn to buy the food." All of us older kitchen staff takes turns to go out and buy the food every other week.
"Good idea next time I see him I'll tell him," I said. I then told her about the arranged marriage problem.
"Are you worried?" she asked.
"Honestly, not really."
"Good I don't think you should be either seeing that you have so much faith in him," she said, "just don't let it get to you ok?" I went to bed with a smile on my face that night. It took 2 days for Dan to come back and visit me again. He woke me up in the middle of the night and we raced to our tool shed.
"So, I see your face is getting better," said Dan. The swelling was all the way gone and the bruise was a dark green, light purple mix.
"Yeah better for you to look at, huh?" I asked jokingly.
"Definitely," he said leaning in to give me a soft kiss.
"Did you come up with a plan," I asked after we broke apart.
"Yes, Phil we need to leave," he said.
"What?"
"We need to run. I can take more than enough money for us to live. We can get a nice cottage in the woods, or we can move to a foreign country. We can live happily ever after Phil," said Dan.
¨Have you ever been to the real world?'' I asked him.
¨No.¨
¨Well let me take you into town before we make a decision, you don't know what it's like out there,¨" I said.
¨Yeah about that,¨ he said, ¨my wedding is when the princess gets here. Which will be in about a week maybe more maybe less.¨ I sat there in silence for a while.
¨Well, ok we need to think about this some more. I can ask Em for advice,¨ I said.
¨No, don't tell anyone,'' said Dan.
¨Why we can trust Emma,¨ I said
¨I know we can,¨ said Daniel, ¨It's just they could get information from her if we leave.¨
¨Do you think they would do that?¨ I asked
He shrugged, ¨They might. You never know. Just don't do it ok?¨ I nodded. It did make sense the more that I thought about it.
¨Just think about it Phil. You and me living together in a little cottage. It'll be perfect,¨ said Dan. I shook my head. I had a vague memory of my father saying something similar to that to my mother before everything went downhill.
¨I better go. My face is just starting to heal, and I want to look good for your wedding,¨ I said standing up. Dan rolled his eyes so hard I could see it in the dark.
¨Aw come on, come sit down for a bit longer,¨ he said patting the dirt next to him.
¨No, I really should go. Do you want the other side of my face to look like this?¨ I asked him pointing to my bruise.
¨No," Dan laughed, ¨you still look cute even with your bruise.¨
¨Thanks,¨ I said offering him a hand to help him up from the floor. He took it and I pulled him up when he stood he was so close I could see his pupils in his dark eyes. I leaned in and kiss him.
¨I love you, Dan.¨
¨I love you too, Phil.¨ We walked slowly back up to the castle hand in hand. When we got up to the kitchen door we said goodbye for a long time.
Daniel
I slept later than usual seeing that I stayed up for most of the night with Phil. Spending last night with him took away any doubt what I had about running away. There was just the wondering of when and how we will go. I was thinking about what we could do when there was a knock on my door.
¨Enter,¨ I said assuming it was Peter. I sat up straight in bed when my mother walked into the room.
¨Where were you last night Daniel,¨ she asked sounding angry.
¨Oh I slept outside it was nice last night,¨ I said.
¨I had all the servants check all your normal places and they didn't find,¨ said my mother, ¨stop lying Daniel. You are not fooling anyone."
"I was not doing anything wrong, mother," I said.
"You can't hang around servants Daniel, especially not male servants. How do you think that looks on our family?" said mother. She motioned to the door and two guards walked in with Phil chained up between them.
"What are you doing," I asked, "let him go!" I leaped out of bed and ran toward him. The guards pushed me to the floor right before I got to him.
"Careful he is the next king remember," said my mother. That is when I saw Phil's face and I gasped loudly. The side of his face that was almost healed was swollen and purple. His other cheek had a large gash with blood slowly oozing out and dried blood all around it. He also had a large bruise on his neck and smaller cuts and bruises down his arms.
"What did you do to him? This is cruel punishment!" I screamed at one of the guards tears running down my face.
The guard shrugged, "he needed to know his place. We taught him his place."
"He knows his place its with me!" I screamed charging at the guard the other one grabbed me by my collar to stop me. I looked at Phil. He had tears running down his face too.
"Dan," my mother said softly, "you know that the feelings you have for him aren't real. He is a dirty person and you will be king in 3 days when your father returns."
"No," I said my tears still streaming down my face, "I don't want to be king. You can't make me." My mother turned to the guards and motioned for them to leave my room. They left but they Phil up standing in the center of my room. As soon as the door closed my mother turned to me.
"You know, if your father was here that servant would be killed on the spot," she said, motioning to Phil who was still silently crying.
"Why," I asked, "he has done nothing wrong."
"He doesn't know his place, and he has deliberately disobeyed all of the servant's rules."
"That doesn't mean he deserves to be killed."
"That's why I'm giving you the choice," she said, "have the guards punish him until I see fit, or have him go back and live with his mother." I tried to get Phil to look at me but he wouldn't look me in the eyes.
"Well, I think I will have him sent back to his mother then," I said as the guards reenter the room. This made me wonder if they were listening to our conversation the whole time.
"Take him to the outside gates," mother said to the guards, "and make sure there is no way for him to sneak back in."
"Can I at least say goodbye?" I asked her.
"Of course not," she said and she left my room. I looked at Phil one more time and this time he locked his bright blue eyes with mine. I remembered this was the first thing that I noticed about him. i didn't know this was the last thing I would see of him for the next 5 years.
Philip
5 Years Later
I still have dreams about my prince sometimes. He is now the king. He is a very kind and gracious king. I have had a hard life since I was kicked out of the castle. My dear, sweet mother passed away only a year after I returned. Since then I have been living in my childhood home alone doing odd jobs. My only friend Emma still comes to visit me whenever she needs to go to town for the castle.
The months after I left the castle were a blur. The shock on my mother's face when she opened the door to see me and all my injuries is a memory I will never forget. I have a scar on my cheek from where one of the guards hit me with his hand with a ring on it. Three days after I left princess Armanda arrived and was married to Prince Daniel the same day. Two weeks after that prince Daniel had his coronation and prince Daniel became King Daniel. The first thing he did was create shelters for the homeless and provide food for the starving.
I told no one about my relationship with the king, not even my mother. She always wanted to know why I was thrown out of the castle and why I showed up at the house with so many injuries, but I never told her. I just told her that I messed up too much. She finally accepted it and moved on.
One day I was at home dozing off when there was a knock at my door. I opened it to see that it was the only person who ever came to visit, Emma.
"Hey Em."
"Phil you need to get out of the house," she said, "I'm worried about you."
"Don't worry about me I'm fine," I said.
"We both know you're not." She was right I was not ok. I was much sadder. I was kicked out of the only place I really knew as home and I was thrown away from the only person that I've ever loved.
"Please," said Emma, "there is going to be a parade downtown in a few hours. Please come with me."
"No, too many people," I said. These last few years the neighborhood kids say that my house is haunted. The adults all know who I am though and that I'm not a ghost, but they still tell their kids to stay away from my house.
"The king is going to be in the parade to celebrate his 5th anniversary," she said looking me in the eyes. I froze. If I went that means I could see him again. The first time after 5 years. That would be worth all the strange stares in the world. I wonder if he had the same floppy hair. Maybe, maybe not though because it's not a very royal haircut. I wonder if his eyes still sparkle like they used to, and I couldn't wait to see the one dimple that he had. I didn't even care if he saw me. I just had to see him.
"Fine, I'll go."
"I knew the king would get you to go," said Emma.
"Do you ever see him?" I asked her.
"Yes, he actually asks me about you everytime I see him," she said.
"Really?"
"Yes. He still loves you Phil. It's so obvious. Everyone in the castle knows that he doesn't really love the queen like that. Everyone knows there is someone else. But only a few people know who."
We left my home and walked down to the side of the street where people were already lining up for the parade. The little girls were very excited to see the beautiful queen, and the little boys were excited to see the strong, handsome king. I couldn't say that I blamed them. The parade started 30 minutes later and most of it was quite boring honestly.
Finally the cheer at the end of the street ment the carriage holding the king and queen was coming. It was very slow. Slower than the rest of the parade maybe so the people could see the royals. Then I saw him. He looked exactly the same it didn't even looked like he aged at all. He even still had his floppy hair. His smile looked forced though. I knew his real smile. He was waving and smiling at the people standing next to me. Then he saw me. His smile fell instantly and his hand stopped waving.I smiled slightly and did a small awkward wave that was totally embarrassing. His carriage rolled past me and the whole time he stared at me. He even turned around when his carriage was past to keep staring at me.
The people around me started whispering about the man the king was so interested in. Everyone else was staring at me now, not just king Daniel. So I started to leave. Even though the parade hadn't ended yet. I saw what I needed to see. I heard Emma running to catch up with me.
"Phil wait," she called, "did you see that? The king saw you. It was almost like he was hypnotized by you."
"Of course," was all I said on our walk home. When I got back home I went straight to bed. Too much was going through my mind. It took me a long time to fall asleep. The next day I felt happier than I had in years. Someone hired me to tend their garden for the past few months and usually I despised the work and the other people who worked there. Today I enjoyed it though and I actually talked with one of the people I worked with, Jack.
"Did you see that the king turned around to look at someone yesterday," he asked. I smiled and nodded.
"It kind of looked like he saw a ghost," he said. He had no idea how close he was at that guess. The rest of the day the gardeners discussed the reasons for the king's strange behaviors. I even added in the idea of him seeing an older lover. This idea was immediately shot down because they all knew that he had always loved queen Armanda.
The sun was going down and it was getting very cloudy by the time I got home that night. I fell asleep to the calming sound of rain. What felt like seconds later I woke up to what I thought was thunder. When the sound happened again I realized it was someone knocking on the door. I opened the door to see someone soaking wet from the rain and a heavy cloak hiding their face.
"Can I help you?" I asked them. They removed their hood and I almost fainted. I never thought that I would see this face this close to me again in my life.
"Dan?" I whispered.
"Can I come in?" he asked me, "it's pretty cold out here." I nodded slowly with my mouth open slightly. I moved out of the way for him to walk in. He took off his cloak and stepped inside.
"How are you Phil," he asked. I didn't answer. I just stared. I couldn't believe he was standing there in my home.
"It's been five years," I said, "and all you have to say is how are you?"
"I know," Dan said so quietly I could barely hear him, "I'm so, so sorry."
"You could have brought me back when you were king," I said. I was trying my hardest to hold back tears.
"It's not that simple Phil," he said, "people were waiting to see if I would. If I brought you back they would hurt you. Maybe even kill you. I was just trying to protect you Phil." I looked down trying to realize what he just said. This whole time I thought he just forgot about me. I never even thought that he might be trying to protect me.
"Then why did it take you so long to see me?" I asked.
"Believe it or not being king is hard. I wanted to. I always think about you. I ask your friend Emma about you whenever I see her. It is just so hard to sneak out. But when I saw you at the parade I knew I needed to come see you. I just couldn't wait any longer. So I found Emma asked her where you lived and slipped out as soon as I could." He stepped forward, grabbed my hands and looked me in the eyes.
"I love you Phil. I have never stopped loving you."
"I love you too, but there is kind of a problem… you're married," I said.
"Armanda? She is more like a roommate or a good friend, she knows I love someone else," he said. He touched the scar on my cheek.
"Is this from that night?" He asked. I nodded. He kissed it then kissed me softly.
"I'm so sorry," he said and I laughed.
"It's ok it happened a long time ago," I said.
"Do you remember the plan we had to run away together?" he asked.
"Yeah back when we were young and dumb."
"What if we did?" he asked. This made me burst out laughing.
"Dan, you are KING, you can't just ditch your country like that."
"I can if I died," he said, "I never ever wanted to be the king. You know that. I hate it so much."
"What are you talking about? You're a great king. Please don't do anything stupid."
"I'm not going to do anything stupid. But I am dead."
"What are you talking about," I said.
"Armanda, Emma and I staged my death. Right now people in the castle are finding out and the news is spreading around. This is why we need to run. Now," he said.
"What? Why? How?" I said "you keep shocking me tonight, Daniel."
"We made it look like I jumped off a cliff into the ocean. No body found. The guards are searching for the body right now. I wrote a fake suicide note explaining everything and leaving Armanda to rule the country. If you want to run with me we have to go now while it's still dark. We don't need people seeing the king run around the town the night he was supposed to be dead. There is a boat waiting for us. It is going to take us to a small town on the coast of Italy." I laughed loudly and grabbed his hand.
"You and your crazy plans," I said. Then while holding hands we ran to board the boat together.