The standard disclaimer: I do not own Riff Raff. I do not own Frank. I do not own Magenta. Shocking revelation, I know. As for an author's note…this is my first attempt at writing a story based on Riff Raff's thoughts, opinions and memories. He's not my favorite character, nor is he the character I'm the most comfortable writing, so I'm not sure how well it worked. There are many others posting here who are undoubtedly much better equipped than I to paint a word picture of Riff. It was, however, fun to give it a shot! Incidentally, I borrowed a plot point from an earlier story of mine, "A Rocky Road". However, this story is in no way related to ARR.
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I hate him!
Riff Raff stopped dead, more than a bit frightened at the vehemence of his thought. He looked down at the board he was hammering, and saw his actions had mirrored his mood…he'd swung the hammer so hard it actually made a hole in the board. He wiped his hand across his sweaty forehead and sighed. He'd better take a break before he completely demolished the new table he was supposed to be building.
He couldn't help but shake his head. If the average citizen of Transylvania ever discovered his opinion of Frank N. Furter – renowned scientist and Crown Prince – Riff's life would be a living hell. The Transylvanian people worshipped Frank, treating him like those on Earth did their rock stars and movie idols. And why not? If all Riff Raff knew of Frank was what the public saw, he'd undoubtedly feel the same way. Frank was beautiful, charismatic and incredibly charming. When he did personal appearances, he managed to make each person he met feel like the most important being in the universe. Everyone who met him invariably came away raving about how, despite his position, he was so friendly and approachable. It was just wonderful how much he cared for his people.
Oh, if they only knew what an actor he really was. If there was one thing Frank loathed, it was being forced to go out and interact with the "common folk." He knew it was necessary, but considered it an enormous waste of his valuable time – time that could be much better spent in his laboratory, or in his luxurious bedroom having sex with a suitably gorgeous young man or woman from his exalted social circle. All those ordinary teenage Transylvanians with what Earthlings might call "Cinderella fantasies" of capturing their Prince's heart – and the body that went with it - had no idea how completely unimportant he considered them to be.
Riff Raff settled down on a nearby bench, lost in thought. Incredibly enough, Frank hadn't always been that way. Riff thought back to their childhoods. Appearances to the contrary, Riff Raff was only three years older than Frank; Magenta was Frank's age. Riff Raff and Magenta's parents were servants to the Royal Family, as their families had been for generations before. Therefore, they grew up in the Palace – well separated from the members of the Royal Family, certainly, but still within the same walls.
Although the King and Queen were hardly known for their benevolence, they did provide for the education of the children of their servants. Of course, that was more for the benefit of the Royal Family than the children themselves; many of those children would, like their parents, grow up to serve the Royals. If there was one thing the members of the Royal Family did not want, it was a bunch of uneducated louts serving them.
When Frank was a small child, too young to truly understand his position, he would periodically escape his army of nannies and tutors to go in search of other children to play with. He quickly learned the best place to go was the huge room that served as a school for the servants' children. They, of course, would love it when he appeared – both because it would mean studies would stop for an hour or two while they entertained him, and because he was a genuinely enjoyable playmate. Intelligent, funny and endlessly inventive, he managed to create flights of fancy that drew them all in to the worlds he conjured.
For some reason, Frank was particularly fascinated with Riff Raff, apparently seeing him as a surrogate big brother. Sometimes, when everyone else was playing, Frank would pull Riff Raff aside to talk. Frank, an only child, lived in a world of adults. He would speak of his loneliness; of his desire for a brother or sister with whom to share his gilded existence. Riff Raff, thinking of his beloved sister, would actually feel sorry for the young Prince. The adult Riff Raff laughed ruefully, and more than a bit bitterly, at that memory. He had actually felt sorry for Frank? How…presumptuous of him.
The distance that developed between Frank and his erstwhile playmates was, of course, inevitable. By the time he was eleven years old, his visits to the classroom ceased. However, despite appearances, his interactions with the servants' children did not stop completely…