"Are you not even the least bit interested in her?"
The old teacher's long grey beard fluttered around as he spoke, earning a stifled chuckle from the other figure standing in the room.
"Well, she is... pretty, I suppose. But no, I am not interested." The redheaded teenager sat on the lush bed, closing his eyes.
"But, my lord..."
"Why would she even be interested in me, a lord? To secure peace, shouldn't the princess be marrying a prince? Perhaps the prince of Altea."
"But-"
"He is not engaged nor married, am I correct?"
"Yes, my lord, but Hyrule and Altea have no reason for a union, and-"
The short teen sighed and got off of his bed.
"And I do not see why a union in between Pherae and Hyrule must happen with a princess and a lord."
"But you are to become king, my lord!"
"Well, I am not now, nor will I be at the date that the potential marriage is on. The discussion is over."
"Yes, my lord. Would you like me to send a maid up with some lunch?"
"Absolutely not. I can feed myself. Now if you would please leave."
"Of course, my lord."
The pudgy man vanished out of the door. The teen sighed again. He knew the grey-haired, wrinkled old man only held his best interests at heart, but he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Only fifteen and already thrown into the vicious world of politics and war; no time was spared for the teenager to do anything other than argue against his potential marriage, meet important people, spend precious gold, go to boring balls and bow to the current king. All he really wanted to do was travel further than the continents that bordered his.
The short teen made his way out of his room and down the worn stone staircase. A quick glance out of a window told him it was midday, just as the teacher had informed him. The redhead continued down the spiraling stairway and skipped the last few steps, landing on an ornate rug.
"Good day, my lord. Would you like me to fetch you some lunch?"
A bright-eyed maid smiled at him from the fireplace at the far end of the room.
"No thank you, Mathilda. I've wanted to speak with Anthony anyway."
"Of course, my lord. He is in the kitchen."
It irked him, the way that the staff treated him. "My lord" this, "my lord" that; they were always asking him if he wanted anything or telling him where to find everything. It was useless to the teen, since really, it was his fortress and he was perfectly capable of fetching his own things.
Throwing open the massive oak doors to the kitchen, the redhead smiled at the inviting scent.
"Roy, what can I help you with?"
A short, fat man hobbled over, a grin etched on his face. Anthony, the cook, was the only person on staff that did not treat him like a god, and the teen relished that.
"Just some bread."
"Nonsense, a young boy must eat! I think I have some pork for you."
Soon the pudgy man produced a plate of pork, potatoes and bread. Roy smiled in thanks and took a seat on a discarded chair near a small wooden table.
"So what political debates shall you be taking part of today?" Anthony inquired, leaning on the counter.
"Hopefully none. My new trainer arrived from somewhere yesterday, and I haven't gotten a chance to meet him."
"I don't think I've seen him. Where does he come from?"
"I'm not sure; I was told it was somewhere near Crimea."
The cook whistled.
"Crimea, that's far. Past Crimea, that's even farther! And to think he came all this way just to teach you!"
"Apparently he wasn't needed for whatever work he had, so he decided to visit other places. I wish I could just leave and explore."
The redhead pushed his plate away with an expression of longing.
"You've been to Hyrule, Altea and Onett."
"I want to explore, Anthony. See the world past our land."
"But you have everything anyone would ever need! You're a high lord here in Pherae, going to be king, and you're only fifteen!"
"I don't have a friend my age, I'm not free to do what I want, I never lift a finger for anything. Is that really a way to live, the way I do?"
With those words Roy left the kitchen, passed the main hall and out the large, intricately carved oak doors to the courtyard. The boy put a hand up to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. He scanned the yard, though his quick search proved fruitless, as he knew not what the new instructor looked like.
"Can I help you with anything?"
Another friendly smile greeted the redhead. A brunet stable-boy stood a couple meters to the lord's left, ready to help.
"For once, yes. Do you know where my new trainer is?"
"Yes. He's over by the stables, tending to his mare. Wouldn't let us touch the beauty."
"Pardon me, but I haven't noticed you before. What's your name? Did my teacher hire you?"
"It's okay. You can call me Pit. And yes, he did."
A grin formed on the redhead's face. Finally, someone his age who didn't utter the words "my lord" five times in a sentence!
"Thanks Pit."
He gave a small wave before dashing off to the stables. When Roy got there, the only light that filtered in the short building was that from the door. The scent of stale hay invaded his nostrils; the horses were quiet, occasionally whinnying.
To the boy's left leaned a figure. The trainer was not much taller than Roy, with only two inches more to boast. Dark purple-grey hair was shoulder length in front, though short and spiked up in the back; the redhead could see pointed ears protruding out of the slightly messy hair. The ears were like those of a Hylian, though not quite. They seemed more... animal than hylian, and the fact just left the lord curious as to where the man came from and who he was.
"Lord Roy, I presume."
The mysterious man's voice was like a growl, topped with an unplaceable accent.
"Please don't call me lord. But yes. And you are?"
"Wolfe O'Donnell, here to continue your training in areas such as swordsmanship and archery."
The man turned to face the teenager, revealing his face. His skin was pale grey with the occasional stripe of paler grey indicating a scar. Many scars adorned his face; an eyepatch rested on top of his right eye. His left eye was a deep violet.
"Pleased to meet you. Might I ask..."
"I come from Lylat. I am a wolf hybrid. I decided to teach you because I enjoy seeing the world and experiencing different cultures."
Roy was quiet for a moment before grinning.
"I see you also read minds."
Wolfe gave a low laugh and smiled. He brought a hand up and rested it on his new pupil's shoulder.
"No need for formal language. I have a feeling you and I are going to get along great." The grey man grinned, exposing sharp teeth, before turning back towards his horse. The redheaded lord gave a chuckle.
"I'm looking forward to it."
A/N: Short chapter is short lol.
Okay, so it's time for a lighthearted fic. It seems I always write depressing things :/
This has been sitting on my computer FOREVER. I typed it up out of boredom three months ago and got some inspiration to continue. Hooray :) Let me know what you think.
Side note: I didn't spell Wolf's name wrong. I find that, in AU stories, it feels more realistic to have his name be Wolfe as that is the spelling I have seen most for said name.
