Ive officially had my oh shit moment for the day when I realized I didn't put a disclaimer on the first chapter, so, I don't own any of these characters and if I did I'd probably be a greedy bastard. (kidding) so don't sue me because I don't have any money anyway.

Secondly, when the prince has a flashback it can be assumed that we are "seeing" what he is telling the priest, even though he doesn't have any first person dialogue.

Also, the little ..oOo. design will from now on signify the "flashback" parts of the story and/or the beginning.

..oOo.

The priest noticed that the sun had broken through the clouds and had begun to wane. The aging monarch sitting in front of him now had a warmer expression on his face.

"I don't know why I was so dour as a child. Do you know that I stood out side that door and listened to everything he played that day? It was exquisite… I came to feel badly about my actions … not until years later of course. Later that day, after I had indulged myself in sweets I found that he had brought me a gift. Not even then did I feel guilt for being rude. Tsk, no not even then."

..oOo.

Prince Adam walked down the hall wiping the remnants of the chocolate cake he had just eaten on the sides of his pants. A flustered servant followed after him.

"Master! Save your clothing, here! Here's a napkin." The prince paid no attention to her but instead quickened his pace, hoping to leave her behind. Upon entering his lavishly furnished room he threw his satin over coat on the stone floor and kicked off his shoes, happily walking towards a large section of his room that held nothing but toys and games. Everything was just as he had left it, except… the prince noticed a square-ish wooden object sitting against the wall. Upon first glance it looked like a chest of some kind so he decided to investigate. He walked around the other side of it, his eyes falling on a row of ivory keys. The prince looked around the room half expecting some one to be watching his reaction. When he didn't find any one he pressed one of the keys. The distinctive biting sound of a harpsichord reverberated inside the ornately carved body of the instrument. He pressed another key, and another. He kept pressing random keys until he heard some one behind him.

"Tomorrows a big day, Master. Here, your bed clothes are ready." The same servant who had been chasing him in the hall was now toting a small stack of cotton pajamas.

"Im not tired."

"But mast-"

"Wheres that man? The one that came today." The servant was quiet. The prince rolled his eyes as he walked out the door to go look for him himself.

Meanwhile, servants were still bringing in chests and furniture and decorations for Alexander's room. He had opted to take a tour of the grounds the next day and was now reclining on a long velvet lounge, sipping brandy and looking out over the castle grounds, or at least what he could see of them. The sun had gone down about a half hour before, leaving a soft bluish grey haze over everything as far as the eye could see. Small blips of torch light from servants walking around out side floated around the base of the castle like fireflies. Alexander sipped the brandy again feeling the inside of his mouth warm from the alcohol. He cast a sideways glance at the beautiful piano he had received only a few hours earlier. It now sat in the corner of the spacious room. It looked small in comparison with the high ceilings and ornate walls that reached up at least two stories. Actually, everything looked small in his new home. The large bed, the spacious roll top desk, the pool table, and the various oil paintings amongst other items were dwarfed by the large space. It was a nice kind of small feeling though. He sighed contentedly thinking how he had so much more room now, room for what ever he wanted. Even his flat in London (which had been quite large itself) couldn't have held every thing he was now looking at with such spacious elegance. He got up and walked along the window directing his gaze back out side. Servants continued to bring in chests and other items in. he could start to feel himself become sleepy, party due to the brandy and partly due to the large amount of traveling he had just done. His contented brandy induced haze was jarred suddenly when a servant dropped a large mahogany chest making an echoing boom reverberate throughout the room.

"You better hope that wasn't my ink bottles." The servant looked up meeting the Alexander's lofty gaze.

"No your excellency, I believe theres coats in here." Alexander turned back to the window seeming to have ignored the servants comment. He slipped out of his jacket tossing it over the back of the lounge, and then turned back to where the servants were moving furniture and things into place.

"I think I should like to go to sleep now." The same servant who dropped the chest looked up.

"But theres still more to be brought up, sir." Alexander was now standing with his shirt halfway unbuttoned looking sleepy.

"Whats left?"

"Some clothes, I believe, and your parchment and a few paintings." Alexander waved his hand dismissively.

"Leave it until morning." He said as he walked towards his bed. The group of servants started to leave the room until one turned around.

"Em… sir, do you want your bed clothes?"

"Ehhh… no thank you." His voice was now a dark lazy drawl. The servant bowed and left shutting the door softly behind him. Alexander lay on his back looking at the ceiling through eyes that were only half way open. It had been a very long day. Traveling for an extended period of time was absolutely exhausting. The corners of his mouth turned down slightly as he remembered their fiasco down in the town that lay about a mile and a half away from the castle.

"Oh god… French people…" he thought to himself. As they were passing through the town earlier that day he had decided to go on horse back for a while, being that riding in a carriage can become very dull. A couple of small children were playing in the street with some toys on wheels. One of the toys had rolled out in front of his horse and he hadn't noticed the small boy in front of him until his horse had stepped on the toy, breaking it into little pieces. The boy cursed at him in French and slapped the side of the horse's leg making the stallion whinny nervously. Soon the boy's mother came out wiping her hands on her apron, yelling at him in indistinguishable French. Though he spoke French almost fluently he couldn't understand the barrage of words flying out of the plump woman. The only thing he understood was a small snippet of English, which he deciphered as "English pig." At least his arrival at the castle had been met with warmer welcome.

He shut his eyes, getting ready for the calming veil of sleep to over come him when he heard voices out side of his door. He opened his eyes looking at the ceiling again. The voices continued. He could feel himself becoming quickly annoyed. He shut his eyes again hoping that they would stop or move down the hall. Instead the door opened.

"I told you, leave the coats until tomorrow." He heard footsteps on the stone floor. Alexander propped himself up on one elbow running a hand over his face.

"Christ almighty, you're a belligerent bunch aren't you, let me go to sl-" He sat up quickly when he saw that instead of a servant the prince stood about ten feet away from his bed and broke in almost immediately with a question.

"Whats that little piano thing doing in my room?" Alexander stood up, straightening his shirt and doing up the buttons as he spoke.

"Um, it's a miniature harpsichord. Its from one of the finest makers in London." He cleared his throat in between sentences.

"I… thought you'd like it." The prince thoughtfully cocked his head to one side, fiddling with the hem of his jacket.

"I would like it better if you played it for me." Alexander smiled, happy to know that the prince didn't completely dislike his gift.

"Of course. Perhaps after breakfast tomorrow we can-"

"I mean now. Play it now." Alexander stood quiet for a moment. All he wanted to do was lay down and fall asleep but instead he was being ordered around by an eight year old.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Im not tired." Prince Adam took on an impatient stance as if to say "your going to come with me now, I am the prince, so you will do as I say." Alexander exhaled through his nose, realizing he was in to position to argue, so he started looking for his shoes.

"Just a moment, majesty."

Within a few minutes the prince and Alexander were walking side by side down the hall followed by a couple of servants, on of which was carrying a candelabra. Only the sound of clicking heels could be heard echoing off the walls. Prince Adam spoke first.

"Are English people always this quiet?" A servant spoke from behind them.

"Master, be polite, he's very kind to do this." The prince ignored her.

"No your majesty, I just couldn't think of anything to say, but um… Im glad you like your gift. You'll be able to play it soon enough though, I promise you I am a good teacher."

"I want you to prove it. That's why I asked you to come with me." Alexander felt a prick of anger in the pit of his stomach. This prince had an odd forcefulness about him that made what he had just said sound insulting, like he didn't trust his abilities.

Soon they arrived at the prince's room in all its blue and gold-leafed glory. A servant placed the candelabra on the top of the harpsichord. Alexander knelt in front of the small keyboard thinking of what to play. Soon crisp scales and harmonies resounded in the room. He had chosen to play short concerto by Bach. He had considered playing something that he had written but thought it better to stay to something the prince might have already heard. Half way through the song he noticed the prince standing off to the side looking inquisitive. When he finished the servants clapped. He looked over at the prince hoping to be dismissed.

"Play another." So he did, and but when the piece was over one of the servants stepped up.

"Majesty, really, he will be here tomorrow theres no rush to hear everything in one night. Let him rest now."

The prince was visibly put off as he tromped over to his bed. Alexander stood, waiting for another insult disguised as a request to be placed upon him. The prince was looking down at the floor obviously fuming from having his fun cut short. After a short period of silence Alexander spoke.

"Goodnight majesty." He said bowing slightly. Just as he opened the door he heard the prince speak again.

"I want to do this again tomorrow."

"Very well… goodnight."

..oOo.

The prince offered the priest some tea that a servant had just brought.

"Of course that was my own little scheme to test him. I wanted to see the extent of his patience… It was mean of me, I realize that. Luckily by the next day he had enough trouble to keep his mind away from what had happened the night before.