Disclaimer: I do not make a profit off of or own this fabulous show.
So friends, I am going away on a business trip and then vacation over next ten days. I will try to update at least once next week, but forgive me if I don't.
As for this story, I wanted to let you know that I am not going to be writing about each year in the boys' lives. I might pick a few important moments of their lives together over the next few chapters, but the meat of this story will be focusing on when they are seventeen almost eighteen. Also, I did get a few opinions on the slash topic and wouldn't mind hearing more. I still haven't fully made up my mind yet so its still a possibility.
Enjoy.
Two years later…
The king was immensely proud of his handsome son. The boy learned how to walk very quickly, in fact he had skipped the crawling stage altogether and went right into walking using the furniture. In addition to walking, Prince Derek was able to go up and down the castle stairs, kick a ball, and run around a bit. His prowess was also showing in by his to string words together into short sentences and follow instructions given by his tutors and caretakers.
King William was extremely pleased with the switch that Sir Rossi had made and wished that the man was still around to see the product. Unfortunately, Sir Rossi was a man of his word and after he killed the real prince and replaced him with this fine specimen he disappeared off the face of the Earth. William knew that the task he assigned the man took a major toll on his conscience, but he hoped that he would come around eventually. Alas, King William had to find a new trusted advisor named Lou Jenkins. He wasn't a knight like Sir Rossi, but he was a hard-working man that fought to get a position at court.
"Have you seen my son out in the courtyard playing ball, Lou? He is a natural at sports. He will have no problems dominating any competition he participates in when he is older," the king boasted.
"I have Sire. I wouldn't want to go against him in any type of match once he comes into his own," Lord Jenkins responded caressing the king's ego.
"I think it's time we start his lessons though. I want my son to be strong in mind as well as body. He needs to dominate in both arenas to be a good ruler," William said looking for advice.
"I would agree with you, Your Highness. The sooner you begin to groom him for the rule the better. How are you going to get a young man such as the prince to settle down long enough to learn?" Jenkins asked.
"Well, I was thinking of employing a whipping boy. I had one when I was younger, even though it didn't really work for me. I couldn't care less what happened to the lad as long as I wasn't being punished. But if we raise Derek with a friend at this young age he might form a stronger bond with the child. If he likes the other boy he may even keep in line and stay motivated to do well with his studies," William explained.
"I do agree with your assessment, Sire. The sooner you introduce the prince to his whipping boy the better. Prince Derek has definitely shown a mischievous side already at his young age, this may curb his devious behavior before it gets worse. How will you go about picking one out? Are you going to ask one of the courtiers to volunteer their son?" Lord Jenkins asked, secretly hoping his son would be selected for such an honor.
"No. I never would never use a highborn child for such a demeaning job. We have a population of people that were born for this type of thing, slaves. Go down to their quarters and find a boy around Derek's age. Don't worry about asking, just take the best one for the job and bring him up here. We'll introduce Derek to him tomorrow," the king instructed his advisor.
"Right away, Your Majesty," Lord Jenkins said as he bowed his way out of the room and off on his errand.
While Jenkins was making his way to the slave quarters he started to mutter under his breath. He was upset that such a lower class boy would be interacting with the prince, especially when there were plenty of higher born young men that were better candidates for the job. This was one of the many times he did not agree with the king's thoughts, but nevertheless he was required to do as bidden.
He had to hold his breath the second his stepped into the miserable foul smelling quarters. A hush rolled through the common room that was occupied by two women and about fifteen kids ranging from infancy to five years in age. The two slaves stood up and signaled to the children that should to do the same. They bowed as a group and he heard a "m'lord" issue from their lips.
"I have been sent by the king to select one of these children to become Prince Derek's playmate. The child will eat, sleep, play, and learn alongside the prince, essentially being his constant companion," Lord Jenkins announced to the two nannies, purposefully leaving out the part about receiving the prince's punishment for misbehavior.
"We should go get their mothers," one woman said to the other who nodded back.
"No, that's not necessary. These children are slaves. The mother of the chosen child has no say in the matter. Just tell her that her child has been selected for a better life, one that she could never provide him. Alright, please separate the boys from the girls so I may take a good look at them," he instructed the women.
Once the task was done there were eight boys standing against the wall and the remaining girls were ushered into another room with one of the nannies. Overall the boys were filthy and in desperate need of food.
Lord Jenkins surveyed the boys one at a time. He skipped the first boy that the nanny was holding because he was just a newborn. The next few boys were clearly older than the prince so they were automatically out of the running for the position. The last few boys were a better fit age wise so he began nitpicking their features.
The way Lord Jenkins saw it the best boy for the job would be the exact opposite of Prince Derek. The prince in many ways was a strong independent specimen. A companion that was weaker would help boost the prince's confidence in a positive direction. He would be able to best his opponent at any game they played and run circles around him in educational aspects. This would put Prince Derek in the mind frame that he cannot be defeated, even by his closest friend. Unconquerable is an important characteristic to instill in a future monarch. As a future ruler Prince Derek will know not to rest until he is on top, and his kingdom will flourish under his stalwart rule.
Jenkins looked over the three boys standing in front of him and didn't see one that would fit the necessary requirements. Wait…shouldn't there be four boys? He looked around and noticed that there was a small boy curled up in the corner trembling in fear.
"Come here child," Jenkins bellowed out in a no-nonsense voice.
The little boy looked up and revealed the tears tracks trailing down his cheeks. He shook his head and hid his face in the knees he had pulled tight against his chest.
Not used to being disobeyed, Jenkins stomped over to the boy and grabbed his tiny right arm. "You need to learn how to listen to orders boy," he growled. "Now stand up straight and let me get a good look at you."
The little boy forced his body to go stock still and steadied his gaze at the floor. He has scraggly brown hair hanging down past his ears. Calling him scrawny would be a compliment, for his bones seemed to be protruding through his paper thin skin. He had low self-confidence, clearly indicated by his refusal to even raise his chin up from the floor. The boy held his tiny arms around his midsection, making it look like he was comforting himself with a hug. This boy had potential.
"How old are you?" Jenkins asked firmly.
The little boy lifted two dirty fingers to indicate his age.
"What is your name boy?"
The reply was so quite that he had to refer to the slave for the answer.
"His name is Spencer," she called out from her position on the wall.
He nodded his head and bent down to get at eye level with the child. Then he put his hand underneath Spencer's chin and forced the child to look him in the eyes. Lord Jenkins was taken aback by what he saw when looking into those expressive brown orbs. It was like the little boy didn't need words, his eyes did all the talking for him. He could tell that the boy was pleading to be overlooked and left alone. The boy didn't like attention and this mighty Lord that stood before him had intimidated him to the extreme.
"He'll do," was all Lord Jenkins said as he grabbed the child's hand and started steering him toward the stairs.
Spencer started crying. He didn't want to go away with this scary man and he yelled at the top of his lungs making sure everyone knew it. He kept crying and howling until he felt a sharp sting on his backside, followed by five more.
"Be quiet boy!"came the sharp reprimand from Lord Jenkins as he struggled to pull the child up the stairs. "Crying is not going to help you. This is your life now. You'll get used to it."
Lord Jenkins saw no reason to comfort the child. Spencer was now the prince's chosen playmate and he needed to become accustom to his role as soon as possible. Of course, convincing a two-year-old that he had a job to do and to forget about the things that comforted him all his life wasn't going to be easy. Of course, that wasn't a job for Jenkins to do anyways. There were tutors and caretakers that would be in charge of introducing this child to his new life. All Jenkins had to do now was take Spencer to the king for final approval and go have dinner with his wife.
Upon first meeting Spencer the king wasn't sure if he was the best choice. The child had a sickly look to him that King William resented, especially since his wife's condition had deteriorated over the past couple of years. He examined the sniveling child up and down and turned his questioning gaze to Lord Jenkins.
He stood by and listened to Jenkins explain how the child was the exact opposite of his robust young Derek and how that would complement his growth. The king, finding some logic in what his advisor was saying, decided to see how this child would pan out.
"I'll give him a week. Let's see how Derek reacts to him and if they're even going to get along," the king said giving his official seal of approval.
"Excellent, Sire. I will turn him over to the royal nannies and have them clean him up and prep him to meet Prince Derek in the morning," Lord Jenkins said as he pulled the boy out of the room.
"Yes…yes…" the king uttered as they left his presence. He was lost in thought about the weird feeling the boy had given him. It felt like he had met this little boy before, but that would be impossible. He never interacts with slaves, let alone their children. Yet there was something that he couldn't put his finger on about the boy. Perhaps it would come to him later.
Spencer was extremely frightened and longing for his mother as he was shepherded throughout the halls of the castle. He hadn't stopped shaking in fear since Lord Jenkins had come into the common room. The boy knew the minute the fancy man showed his face that something bad was going to happen. He just didn't understand what the man wanted from him and why he was chosen out of all the boys in the room.
Their destination was a chamber a few floors up and down a long hallway. It was guarded by two men, one on each side of the door, and they each had a sword strapped to their waist. Once he was led into the room he couldn't help but gape at what he saw before him. The room was enormous and littered with tapestries depicting fantastical scenes. There were countless candles lining the walls and hanging from chandeliers providing a warm soft glow throughout the room. The thing that made Spencer marvel the most at the room was the food strewn about on every table. There were fresh fruits and vegetables sitting in bowls all around the room waiting to be enjoyed and sweets were prevalent on every flat surface. He had never seen so much food in his whole life! Once he got over the spell of wonderment the room casted upon him he finally noticed who was standing there waiting to meet him, King William.
The young boy had thought Lord Jenkins was scary, but he was nothing compared to the king. The man seemed to tower above the two-year-old and his high pitched nasally voice sent shivers down his spine. The king inspected him like a piece of prime meat. The little boy felt like the layers of his skin were being pealed back and exposed underneath the steely gaze of the monarch. He stood there for what seemed like hours while the two men talked about him. He wasn't sure what was being said, but it had something to do with the prince.
After the conversation had ended Lord Jenkins rushed him out of the chamber. He was steered into a room that had multiple women bustling about in it. The women were preparing a bath in an extravagant tub with clawed feet. There was steam issuing forth from the water signaling its heat and a scent of lavender hung in the air cloying Spencer's sense of smell.
Lord Jenkins stopped in the doorway and push Spencer forward into the room. While Spencer really didn't trust Lord Jenkins he was reluctant to leave his side and join these strangers. He tried to hang back by grabbing the fabric of the man's trousers, but he was quickly shaken off.
"Spencer, you are going to stay with these women tonight. They are going to get you cleaned up and looking presentable. Tomorrow you are going to meet the prince and begin your duties as his whipping boy," Lord Jenkins explained heedless of the fact that he was talking to a toddler. With that being said, the mighty man turned around and left the room closing the doors with a resounding thud behind him.
Spencer started to cry again at being left alone in this big and scary place. He couldn't help but think of his mom and her comforting arms. He wished she was there to protect him from whatever was to come but deep down he knew he was all alone now.
A noise caught his attention and he looked up into a kind woman's eyes. She took his hand and led him over to the bath. There she explained what was going to happen and why in a soothing manner. Spencer started to feel a little better and he felt his tears beginning to dry up. Utterly exhausted at this point in the day, Spencer allowed himself to be tended to by the motherly caretaker.
Little Spencer was up bright and early the next morning. The nanny assigned to him made sure that he was outfitted in royal livery. He was given a green and black tunic fashioned using the colors chosen to represent Derek's household and a pair of black breeches. Spencer was also given a new pair of shoes and a hat with a feather jutting out of the top.
Spencer was brought out of his room, which was an annex of the royal nursery, and taken to Derek's quarters by Lord Jenkins. The little boy was shown how to approach the prince and bow down out of respect. Lord Jenkins introduced Prince Derek to his new servant and observed their interaction.
At first, Derek seemed just as clueless as Spencer. For, he too was only a couple of years old and had a hard time understanding these grownup things. The prince circled the new boy and poked a finger at his arm. Spencer looked at the prince with confusion in his eyes.
"Play?" Prince Derek said to the boy.
The little boy nodded his head and followed the prince over to his stash of goodies. There the boys played together with the hobby horse, a few spinning tops, and various other pull toys. The boys amused themselves for a few hours until the nannies brought forth lunch. During that time Lord Jenkins slipped out and made his report to the king. He boasted about the relationship that was building between the two, and how they already seemed like the best of friends.