While waiting for the two day waiting period, I ended up writing 3 chapters, so here you go! I've got a lot of down time right now, because I am sick with Mono, so if there is any errors I am sorry.


CHAPTER TWO: Birthday presents

The large double doors leading into the throne room opened up, and the younger two Royal Siblings walked in. The throne room was dark, lit only by a few flickering candles lighting the walls, and the fireplace positioned behind two large high-backed thrones at the far end. Dark pillars decorated in the same purple fabric that lined the halls of the Derse Castle stretched out from the doors and down the slender room, casting shadows all over the floor. The burgundy and purple carpet extended to the raised platform where the two thrones sat. Right between the two large thrones, rested a smaller one, and on the outside of both the taller ones were two chairs.

Sitting in one of the thrones was a large muscular man - easily three times the size of the two children walking down the carpet to see him.

King Kaiser Von Strider nodded in greeting when he saw his two youngest children. He wore only the official Derse colours, and his face was hidden beneath hair, either the thick greying beard on his chin, the equally thick greying moustache that stretched down and blended with his beard, or his long hair that draped down over his shoulders.

Dave wasn't sure exactly why his heart started pounding nervously whenever he saw his father, or why every time he entered the throne room, a feeling of fear gripped his chest. All he knew was his entire 'cool kid' act went straight out the window whenever he entered that room. And Rose seemed to have the same feeling. He could feel her tense up beside him. Her large pink eyes locked on their father as they walked briskly down the room.

The two stopped at the foot of the platform and Rose quickly picked up the sides of her dress, and curtsied, bowing her head as low as she could. Dave followed by example, and placed his hand over his stomach and bowed as well.

The King nodded again, he stood up. He looked even larger standing up, more like a mountain then a man. Dave struggled to keep himself from shaking. "My children!" He said, his voice loud and deep. He moved his arms outwards in a sweeping motion as he did, emphasizing his words.
"Good morning, Father." Rose said, her voice as steady as ever.
"Morning." Dave mumbled.

The King looked at each of their faces before sitting back down. He motioned for the two to come up onto the platform. The twins did not waste a second climbing up onto it.

"For what reason have you summoned us, Father?" Rose asked,
"Must a Father have a reason to speak with his children?" The King asked,
"No Father." Rose shook her head, "But you are a busy man, one as busy as you normally does not have time for socialization."

Dave looked over at his sister. This is why he left most of the talking to her when in front of their Dad. He knew from experience that one wrong word would be a backside to the face, and a week cleaning out the stables.

The King smiled, "Yes my Princess. Far to busy. But on today of all days, I can afford to let some duties slide." He patted his knee, "Come my daughter, sit on your father's knee. My Sorcerer has told me you've been taking your studies very seriously, and I want to hear all about it."
Rose looked sceptical for a moment, but knew better then to disobey. She walked up and let the large man lift her up and place her on his knee. "Why didn't anyone tell me you two were getting so big?"

Dave wanted to respond 'maybe if you saw us more then once a week you'd see that for yourself', but decided against it. He stood there awkwardly until the King beckoned him over as well.

Dave stood beside the throne, and the King patted him on the shoulder so hard it hurt. Dave tried not to let that show though.

"You two are looking more and more like your Mother every day." The King said sadly, "May she rest in peace." He sighed and looked at their faces, "Today you are both thirteen years old. Today you both will go through your Coming Of Age Ceremony." He paused again to study both of their faces, "Growing way to fast… well, Happy Birthday my children."
"Thank you Father." Rose nodded,
"Thanks." Dave replied in a low tone.

The King picked Rose up again, and carried her over to The Queen's old throne. He placed her down in it. She quickly adjusted herself to the soft chair. The King then turned around and beckoned Dave to sit in his own throne.

Dave looked confused for a second. "What?"
"You are an adult now, and it is your birthday, my son. You may sit in the King's Chair, just for today."
Dave looked from The King to his sister. Rose was glaring at him. With a sigh, he turned and hoisted himself into the King's Throne.

The King stepped backwards, looking at his children with pride, "Its time I gave you both your birthday presents."
"Our presents Father?" Rose asked,
"You don't expect to have your birthday without presents do you?" He asked, "Come, come! I have arranged the perfect gifts for adults like you."

The way he said that, had Dave worried.

The King whistled, and once again, the throne room doors opened. Two guards clad in black and white armour came in, dragging behind them two figures, their hands pulled in front of them and chained. Dave felt his face pale as he saw the two figures.

It was not hard to tell they were peasants, and poor peasants at that. The peasant's wrists were both raw from the chains, and they were dragging their feet due to the heavy chains tied around their ankles. Both of the peasants were very skinny - though the boy was nearly sickly-skinny, his tattered old rags hanging off his bony limbs.

The last time he had seen a sight like this, was on his brother's thirteenth birthday - when Jake was dragged in and given to Dirk as a slave. Dave did not have to think twice on what was happening now. These two were their presents.

The two guards stopped at the foot of the platform, tugged the chains holding the two prisoners so hard, the two fell to their knees, before bowing on one knee to the royal family themselves. Dave could not get a good look at the two of them because of the darkness of the room, but he could see that they were both dark haired, though the boy had shaggier hair then the female, and his hair hung in his face.

"As tradition states, on your thirteenth birthday, you are given a slave. This slave will serve you in whatever way you want. If that slave were to displease you in any way, you have the right to deal with that how you see fit. If that punishment is death, feel free to request a new one." The King stated, stepping aside so the two could see their gifts more clearly.

Dave wished he could see Rose's expression, but he could not look over in her direction for fear it would dishonour his father. He kept his eyes peeled forward.

"Princess Rose," The King beamed, "To you, I give you the slave girl, Kanaya Maryam, though if that name does not suit you, you can change it."
"May I ask for what reason this young girl became a slave?" Dave could tell Rose was trying to keep her voice level, but the agitation in her tone was clear.
Luckily, the King seemed to miss that and turned to the guards, "You heard her."
The Guard quickly nodded and said, "The Slave Girl Kanaya Maryam's family could not afford to pay their taxes, so as per law, they had to sell one of their children into slavery to the King to make up for what they owe."

Dave really could not wait for Dirk to take over and change some of these laws… hopefully Dirk will…

The King continued, "This boy is presented to you, my son, Prince Dave."

Dave frowned. Was the King mocking him? Why present with such a scrawny half-starved slave? He did not even want one! This boy was in nearly - if not worse - shape then Jake was when he first arrived…and Dave had seen with his own eyes how badly that seems to go. He saw how his brother got 'baby kitten syndrome' over Jake, and did everything he could to nurse Jake back to health - and saw how badly Jake wanted to make it up to Dirk for that…and how that lead to…

Dave did not even want to think about that.

"And what about this boy?" Rose asked, taking over for Dave's lack of interest.
The guard holding the boy's chain stiffened and said, "This boy's name is unknown. He hasn't spoken a word to anyone since getting here. He was captured trying to cross the Derse Border and was rumoured to be a Prospitian Spy."

Dave straightened up, "A spy?"
Rose did not look impressed, "And you let him live?"
"The original plan was to starve him to death in the dungeons, but the King came up to us yesterday and asked for him to be brought up today."
Dave looked thoroughly disgusted, "That's torture! Are you serious?"
"Dave!" Rose snapped.
"Yes." The King nodded, "I thought killing him would be too light a punishment for a Prosbitian spy, so I decided to punish him with a life of slavery."

"I…I keep telling you…" The boy suddenly spoke. Startling everyone. He did not move, still sitting on his knees, his hands chained in front of him, and his head bowed. His voice was so crackly and he sounded severely dehydrated, "I…I'm not a spy…I'm not…"
"Shut up Prospitian scum!" The guard snapped, pulling on the chain so hard that the boy fell face-first into the carpet, "And we keep asking, if your not a spy, then why the hell were you trying to sneak into Derse?"
"I was…running…away." The boy replied weakly.

Dave's expression went from disgusted to interested in a mere second. He pushed himself off the chair and walked down the stairs and past the guard.

"Dave? What are you…" Rose asked, but stopped mid-sentence,

Dave crouched down so he was more level with the boy's height. He did not try to move - he was probably too weak to move. "What is your name?"
The boy did not reply. He just buried his face in the carpet.
"That was an order." Dave snapped,

The boy finally moved. He slowly looked up and looked Dave straight in the face. Dave nearly gasped. The boy's face was badly bruised, and one eye was nearly swollen shut. The other eye was a brilliant blue colour - looking more dull and defeated by the second. Dave wasn't sure if the boy was biting his lip, or he had an overbite of three teeth, or both.

The guard reached over and grabbed the boy by the hair on the back of his head and pulled him up into a sitting position, the boy cried out in pain as the guard did so.

"You answer your master when ordered!" He yelled.
Instantly, Dave reached out and grabbed the Guard's wrist, squeezing it with enough force to make the guard release the boy's head. The boy collapsed at their feet with a whimper, and Dave glared at the guard, "That WILL NOT be necessary. I can punish my own slaves."
"Y-Yes Your Majesty." The guard instantly backed off.

Rose quickly stood up, "Well Father, thank you for the gifts. We'd better start…training them right away."
The King nodded, his eyes were glued to the back of Dave's head and he did not remove them as he answered her, "Just make sure you and your brother are ready for the Ceremony. It starts at five-o'clock sharp. That girl I gave you, her family owns a garment shop, and her mother was raising her to be a seamstress. She may be helpful in getting your gown on tonight."
"Yes Father." Rose said coldly as she walked over. The guard unchained the girl and Rose beckoned the girl to follow her, "Your name is Kanaya, am I right?"
"Yes." Though Kanaya's voice was cool and collected, it was shaking with fright.
"There is no need to be afraid." Rose promised, "Come, let me show you around the castle."
"Yes, My Lady." Kanaya followed Rose out of the throne room, constantly looking over her shoulder as she did so.

Dave barely noticed them go. He was angry. He knew this was more of his Dad's passive-aggressive parenting. He knew The King chose this boy as a test for him. It was the same thing he did with Dirk and Jake. Jake was also a P.O.W from Prospit, and he was taken from the dungeons to test Dirk. The King wanted to see how well the Princes could control an enemy. He knew from the past, that the King would be watching every single one of Dave and this boy's moves for the next year or so, and if the boy did nothing suspicious, he'd leave them alone. He knew perfectly well that the King did not believe this boy was a spy, and that's why this was happening. They only captured him and brought him here as a test for Dave.

And it was things like this that made Dave hate his Dad more and more.

Dave waited for the guards to unchain the boy, "Can you stand?"
The boy did not reply, he just laid where the guard had dropped him.

Dave looked back and saw his father studying him, waiting to see what he will do. He cursed under his breath and grabbed the boy's arm, "I can't have you serve my every beck and whim if you're just going to lay there like a fucking vegetable. Let's get you something to eat."

… … … … … …

Chapter 3: I'm Not A Spy

"Hey, dude slow down. You're going to make yourself sick." Dave snapped, pulling the bowl of whatever slop the chef's had cooked up. Dave's new servant's face dropped, as Dave pulled the bowl away. The defeated look on the boy's face was more then Dave could stand. With a sigh, Dave pushed it back, and the boy dug back into it.

Dave watched the boy eat. The Chef's had offered to make him something, but he wasn't hungry. There would be a big dinner tonight anyway. That, and seeing whatever the hell-slop his new servant was eating kind of made him loose his appetite.

Here in the light of the Dining Hall, Dave could finally get a better look at the boy. He was about the same age as Dave though his messy and outgrown hair and attire made him look way younger. He watched the boy pause eating only long enough to gulp down his glass of water.

"So, are you going to tell me your name yet?" Dave asked again,
The boy stopped eating, and it took Dave a minute to realize there was nothing left on the boys plate to eat. The boy looked down at the empty plate with a sad expression.
"Well?" Dave asked again.
"What does it matter?" The boy finally said, "You all think I'm a spy anyway…"
"No I don't." Dave replied. He beckoned the Chef to bring more food and looked back at the boy, "The very reason your not dead yet means your not."
"What?" He asked,
Dave raised an eyebrow, "If the King really thought you were a spy, he would have killed you on the spot."
"But then why…" The boy muttered, his eyes started to water.
"Why did you end up being locked in the dungeon for god knows how long and then be punished with a life of slavery?" Dave finished, "Because my Dad is a sadistic asshole who likes to see others suffer."

The boy fell silent, tears finally spilling from his eyes. Dave sighed, "How long were you locked in that dungeon anyway?"
With that, the boy fell apart. Dave saw his shoulders begin to shake uncontrollably and he collapsed on the table with a loud sob. He wrapped his arms around his head and cried loudly into them, "T-three weeks!"
"Three weeks? What the fuck? Are you serious?" Dave replied. Three weeks was a long to starve. They had to have fed or given him water sometime, even though he was so sickly skinny. The boy just nodded into his arms, still crying.

Dave did not know what to do. He just sat there awkwardly, playing with the end of his sleeve, "Hey… its ok now man. I won't let you go back there."
The boy's sobs subsided a bit, "I just want to go home!"
Dave awkwardly reached over and patted the boy on the shoulder. There was nothing cool or ironic about this situation. He really had no idea how to react, "Why the fuck did you come to Derse anyway?"
The boy leaned up slightly, looking over at Dave, his face was red from crying, "I was looking for someone…"

Dave raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. A servant came over with two plates, and Dave looked down at it in disgust. He never ordered anything… at least it wasn't the same slop as last time.

"I was looking for my brother." The boy finally said.
"Your brother?" Dave asked,
"Well… he's not really my brother…I'm not sure we're really even related. But we were both taken in by the same person." He continued, he sniffled and was looking at the food put on the table.
"Dude, you know you can eat it." Dave said, "And go on."
"I can?" The boy said, a smile finally cracking on his face,
"Yeah dude, no need to ask."

The boy dug in, talking to Dave in between bites, "Yeah! Nanna was really great. She and her son took me and my Brother after we had no where to go…but then the Queen ordered conscription for all the adult males, and Dad and my brother had to go to war…"
"Let me guess…they did not come back?"
The boy nodded, "We got a letter saying that Dad was killed in action, and my brother was missing."
"And you decided to go after him?" Dave asked,
"Not right away…" The boy replied, "We were both devastated, and it really did a number on Nanna's health. I wasn't old enough to go to war, so the Queen let us be…but a few months ago… Nanna died."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Dave said.
"Yeah…" The boy sniffled, "I had nowhere to go…the Queen was going to make me go to war anyway…so I decided to try and find my brother."
"When did he disappear?" Dave asked,
"Years ago… maybe eight or nine?" He stated,
"That's not helpful."
"I'm sorry."

The two fell silent again, and Dave's new servant went back to eating his food. Dave wondered what the fuck he was going to do with him. He never really thought about owning his own servant before. What was he supposed to do? Order the kid to clean his room?

"Maybe we'll start with your wardrobe." Dave said out loud,
"W-what?" The boy stuttered, finishing off his second plate,
Dave blushed, he hadn't realized he said that out loud, "I mean, I can't have my servant looking like a god damn hobo. This is a castle, not a freaken hostel."

The boy looked down at his outfit and blushed. At least he had stopped crying - that was a huge bonus.

"And then maybe…we'll look into finding you something for that damn party tonight, because if I fucking have to go, I might as well have someone there to talk to." Dave ordered. His tone softened, "And then… maybe we'll look into finding what happened to this brother of yours?"
The boy's face brightened up, "Really!"

Dave rolled his eyes and turned to a maid walking by, "I want a bath run in my room within the next ten minutes."
"Yes Your Majesty." She said, and hurried off with her orders.

Dave sighed and stood up, "Well. Let's get going. You need a bath and a trip to the doctor, and I need to sit down and collect my thoughts."
"Thank you, Your ma-"
"Dave."
"Thank you, Dave!"

Dave rolled his eyes, "Let's go…uh…"
"John." The boy said with a dorky smile. Dave turned around and looked at him, and the boy smile widened, "My name is John… John Egbert!"

… … … … … …

"Its not that bad." Rose said softly, lightly touching the bruised skin around John's eye,
"But not exactly all that presentable." Kanaya stated.

The four of them were sitting in Dave's room, though when John had entered it, he swore he just walked into someone's house other then room. The room was huge, and sectioned off into different rooms. It had a living room right on the other side of the doors leading into it, carpeted with a dark red, soft material, and decorated with black-painted furniture. There was also a sleeping room, a bathroom, a small kitchen, and den. Dave had laughed when John stated it was bigger then any house he had ever seen.

"Ow!" John flinched away from Rose's touch,
"Oh shut up." Rose snapped, "A simple healing spell, that's all it will take to heal some of the bruises and cuts."

John was sitting on the wooden 'couch' placed in the 'living room'. The couch was layered with fluffy pillows and blankets, making it soft to sit on, all of them were either hues or red or white. Rose was kneeling in front of him, checking his injuries over - her new slave, Kanaya, was standing behind her awkwardly, not sure what to do. Her brother, Dave, was leaning against the far wall, his arms folded and an indifferent expression on his face.

"What were they doing? Beating you down there?" Rose questioned, sliding a wand out of a hidden pocket on her dress.

John looked over at Dave, wondering what to respond, but Dave remained as stoic-faced as ever. The blonde-haired Prince seemed detached from everyone there, and it was starting to make John worry…

A knock came from the door. Dave made no motion to answer it, so Rose sighed and turned towards it, "Come in."

The door opened up a crack, and a woman with long black hair, and pink eyes stepped in, "Your Maj-Esti-Es. The C-Er-Emony will b-Egin shortly, if you would not mind, w-E ar-E r-Eady to dr-Ess you."
"Thank you." Rose stated. The girl cheered and left.
"Why must she carry on her 'e's' and pronounce them so loudly?" Kanaya asked,
"I do not know." Rose said, turning back to John, "Hold still."

She incanted a few words in a language John had never heard before, and a strange glow spread from the wand and covered his entire body. He gasped as he felt the pain disappear.

"There." Rose promised, "As good as new. Now We must go back to my chambers to dress. Kanaya is going as my Lady in Waiting. I assume you are bringing John along with you?"
"No, I was planning on going to this motherfucking boring shit all by myself like a badass."
"Oh… that's ok… I could use the rest." John said quietly,
"I was being sarcastic." Dave retorted, "Your coming, Egbert."
John nodded, "Oh, ok!"

Rose sighed and stood up, "Dave, John has been through a lot. For the next few days, try being nice to him and try not to be, well Dave." She walked over to the door, ignoring Dave's sarcastic response, and opened the door, "Come Kanaya."
"Yes Milady." She replied, following Kanaya out.

Dave and John looked at each other. What now? Dave thought. Another knock came at the door. Dave sighed and turned towards it, "Forget something?"
"Yeah. I forgot to strife your sarcastic ass lil' man!"
Dave's face paled for a second, but he quickly regained his focus and called, "Fuck off!"
The door opened and Dirk and Jake walked in with a smile on his face, "Hey Birthday boy!"
"Sup Bro?" Dave asked.
"Nothin' but the beat!" Dirk replied, walking over to Dave. The two fist-bumped and laughed.

John looked over at the two awkwardly. He had never seen this other person before, but he looked a lot like Dave, only, older. He then looked over at Jake, eyeing the other boy suspiciously.

"Is that what your wearing to the Ceremony?" Dave asked.

Dirk looked down at his outfit. He was still wearing the thin cotton shirt and worn-out leather pants. "What? Not ironic enough for you?"
"No, I think it would be rad if you showed up like that. Dad on the other hand, might disown you." Dave shrugged,
"Ah crap. Right. I guess I'd better go dress up then…" Dirk complained,
"No shit." Dave replied.

For the third time that day, a knock sounded at the door again.

"For fuck's sakes!" Dave complained, "What now!"

One of the castle's many tailors walked in, "Oh good! Your all in here. I am here to make sure all your royal garments fit appropriately?"

Dave and Dirk both frowned. Dirk slid his hands into his pockets, "Just no fucking poofy-asshole pants."


Please review and tell me what you think! I'm really knew to this whole Fanfiction thing. I'll upload the next chapter soon.