A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story! Any feedback would be wonderful!

Disclaimer: This is completely AU. I own nothing from Torchwood or Doctor Who. This is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are mine.

Ianto was awoken from his half-asleep slumber by the sound of the door to the bedroom opening. He sat up slowly, barely catching the flash of red disappearing through the door in the dim lamplight through his red eyes (he had had that good cry as soon as Miss Donna left. He felt a lot better for it.) He looked over at the other beds and wasn't surprised to see that Amy's bright red head wasn't peeking out from under the covers. Ianto knew it'd be best to stay put in his nice warm bed, ignore Amy and go back to sleep. He knew following the fiery red-head was a bad idea... But he just couldn't help it. His insatiable childish curiosity overrode his logical reasoning yet again. He quickly climbed out of bed and tip-toed to the door. He eased it open and slipped out after her.

Immediately, Ianto was reminded how bad of an idea this was. He barely remembered which way Miss Donna had led him yesterday, let alone how to get back to the kitchen; Ianto figured she was probably in the kitchen based on her snitching reputation. These hallways were like mazes. In a few seconds he was completely lost. He had no idea how he made it to the kitchen, but when he did, instead of rejoicing, he mentally groaned; finding his way back would be ten times harder.

Pushing away the reasons why this was a bad idea to the back of his mind, he started searching for Amy. He had no idea what he'd do if he found her, but he figured he'd eventually come up with some reason why he'd followed the fierce red-head. Maybe he'd tell her she should come back to bed in case Miss Donna woke up. He started opening cabinets and pantry doors, but no matter how many he searched through, I couldn't seem to find her.

After several minutes of fruitless searching, he was just about to give up and call it a night when he saw out of the corner of his eye a pantry door shudder. He wheeled around and came face to face with Amy, whose lips were covered in crumbs. Her brown eyes looked stunned, before her face twisted with annoyance.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed, fury and shame at being caught making her face flush a color that rivaled her hair. Ianto floundered for a minute. Why was he here again? Oh right! Miss Donna. Of course.

Ianto had opened his mouth to respond when they heard a sound at the door to the kitchen. Fury quickly turned to terror in her murky gaze, and without thinking, Ianto shoved her back inside the pantry and turned to face whoever was coming through the door. He froze as the young master poked his head around the door. Catching Ianto's eyes with his darker blue ones, he paused in the door of the kitchen.

Ianto felt the shiver work its way down his spine again as the Harkness boy cocked his head to the side. They were both silent as they watched each other. Then a small smile worked its way onto the other boy's lips.

"You're the new servant." It was a statement, spoken in a tone of voice that was not at all hushed. Ianto tensed and he simply chuckled as only children can.

"Don't worry, no one can hear us down here... As long as you don't knock down anything from the shelves." He paused as if waiting for Ianto to speak. When he didn't the other boy stepped closer, his hands clasped behind his back. Ianto stayed still as the young master's eight-year old face leaned close to his own. The other boy's eyes studied Ianto before they took in more of his face.

The young master blinked, before saying to Ianto, "Your eyes are weird."

Ianto tried not to feel offended by the boy's frank analysis, but he couldn't stop a hot embarrassed pink from flaring up on his cheeks and ears. He gritted his teeth slightly, but remained silent and respectful. The son watched him for a moment more, before saying, "It's past curfew for servants."

At that Ianto tensed further, before nodding and finally speaking. "S-sorry s-sir, I was... Unaware..." The other boy's eyebrows shot towards his hairline and Ianto knew the boy wasn't fooled. Despite that, however, the young master said nothing; he just nodded.

"I see... Well... I was just going to get a snack..." He trailed off, watching Ianto expectantly. He blinked at him, confused, before jumping as he remembered his new job.

"Oh! Right of course, s-sorry! I'll fetch some biscuits or something." Ianto turned back to the pantry and opened the door slowly, his back ramrod straight. He pretended to ignore Amy, who was watching him with a mix of terror and awe. What did she think? He was gonna rat her out or something? Not likely.

He rummaged through the sacks with sweet bread inside, picking out the plumpest and whitest roll out of the bag. Ianto exited the pantry and turned around before holding out the bread to the young master. His dark blue gaze was focused solely on Ianto as he took the bread. He looked at it carefully, before breaking it in half. Ianto's eyebrows shot up in shock as the son dumped the soft bread into his hands.

"Thank y-you... Sir," He stammered, staring at the bread as the young master bit into his half. The son wiped his mouth on his sleeve before smiling at Ianto confidently.

"Tomorrow, you be the one to bring my lunch at noon. I've got something to show ya." His blue eyes were suddenly alive with that same sense of adventure from the pub. Before Ianto could protest or ask where the son's room was, the young master turned on his heel and left the kitchen. Ianto wondered briefly if the Harkness son was going to report him. He immediately dismissed the idea. The boy would've yelled if he was going to alert the authorities.

Ianto had completely forgotten about Amy until he heard the door behind him squeak. She inched out and stared at him in awe, the terror fading. Ianto looked at the sweet bread in his hands, before breaking it in half and handing her part of it. Her eyes shone with new found respect and relief. She threw an arm around his shoulders as she shoved her part into her mouth.

"Y'know Ianto, I think I misjudged you, you're a good lad," she said around her food. Ianto nibbled on his bit as she led him back to their room. Perhaps he had misjudged her too.

The following day at noon Ianto approached the young master's bedroom. Amy had agreed to help him find the room because she didn't want to upset the young master and get Ianto in trouble on accident. After the previous night's impromptu rescue, the red-head warmed up a considerable amount. It also made Miss Donna happy when he volunteered to relieve the food to the young master. She, of course, made him freshen up and put on cleaner clothes before going to meet the young master. Ianto wisely didn't mention he had already met the Harkness son. Twice.

As Ianto made his way down the hallways of the castle, he reflected on the hectic past day. He still missed his family dearly, but now that Amy was warming up to him, he knew he'd be able to make a good life out of his time here. He had not been able to meet Toshiko; she was already gone by the time Ianto woke up. He figured, however, that she must be a good person if Amy and Miss Donna both liked her. He made himself a mental note to properly introduce himself later.

Despite the instructions from Amy, Ianto did get lost once (okay three times) but, once again, he got there eventually. It actually puzzled Ianto a little. It felt like the castle was leading him to where he was supposed to go. Shaking his head and lifting his chin, he knocked on the son's door. He balanced his tray on his forearm, trying to look as adult-like and passive as possible.

Ianto stood there stock-still for a few seconds, before the door swung open. The young master's eyes were dull until he laid his eyes on Ianto. They flared with glee and excitement in a way Ianto hadn't seen yet. The young master ushered him in, a big, wild grin on his face.

"You really came! Wow!" He looked at the sandwiches and fruited in Ianto's hands and smiled. "Okay, hold that right there for just a moment!" He jumped up and went to his giant closet. While he was in there, Ianto gazed around his room curiously. He noticed the turquoise gem of charm on his dresser attached to a metal chain. Next to it was the deep violet red gem for strength attached to a white gold chain. He didn't know how to pronounce their names very well. Ianto couldn't help but be childishly amazed; it must have cost a fortune for both the chains and the gems. Oh how he wished he could have that gem for strength. Even just a small piece. He shook his head. He wasn't the important one right now. His gaze quickly returned to the young master as he reappeared from the closet.

He was holding up a woven basket. At his instruction, Ianto placed all of the food into the tray neatly and then looked back at the young master. The boy smiled and threw the basket over his shoulder before heading outside. Ianto hesitated. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to follow even though he knew the son had asked him to come up here because he wanted to show Ianto something.

Ianto was saved from making a potential mistake when the son turned back and waved at Ianto to follow. That was all the encouragement he needed. Ianto scrambled after the young master as he skipped down a path that leaded into the woods. Ianto caught up to him eventually, his chest heaving from the strain of rushing after the son. Ianto felt embarrassed by how weak he was yet again. The young master gave Ianto a funny look but slowed his pace all the same.

Ianto didn't dare ask where they were going. He felt like that might annoy the young master since it seemed what the son wanted to show him was secret and supposed to be a surprise. Ianto was unsure why the son had chosen him in the first place. It seems like this is something important, and Ianto was just a common, poor servant. A weak poor servant. Ianto was startled when the son began to talk to him.

"Y'know, I was almost afraid you weren't going to come." He wrinkled his nose up. "That would've been disappointing; you're the only other boy my age here in the castle." The young master paused. "Well, besides Owen, but he isn't all that fun; he gets all sulky when he loses. You won't, will you?" The young master was suddenly looking at Ianto and all he could do was shake his head quickly. That seemed to satisfy him and he continued on his way.

"Father sends other rich kids to come play with me from the other Realms, but they're all so..." He wrinkled his nose again. "Whiney. John Hart especially." By that point, Ianto had caught on to the reason why the son had invited him along; he was the only boy the son had yet to try and play with. It bothered little Ianto. He understood why the son had asked, but he wished it was because he thought Ianto was 'cool' or 'mature' like the other boy's their age.

Despite his feelings, however, Ianto nodded and followed quietly as the young master lead the way. He was only the servant after all. The young master continued to talk for a bit about how boring the castle was, before he stopped suddenly and faced Ianto.

"I'm Jack. Did I mention that before?" Ianto shook his head, but smiled weakly to show he didn't really mind. Ianto waited for Jack to continue walking, but Jack just stood his ground, crossing his little eight-year-old arms stubbornly for some reason. Ianto was bewildered by his rapidly changing attitude

"Well?" Jack demanded, and Ianto took a step back.

"Erm... Sir?" Ianto stuttered out, and Jack let out a puff of air.

"Your name! Usually when one person tells another their name, the other person responds with their name," Jack said with a very 'put upon' sort of attitude. Ianto was affront by the other boy's tone, but remained respectful.

"Jones. Ianto Jones," Ianto mumbled quickly, now steadily avoiding Jack's prying blue gaze. Jack, however didn't seem to notice or care. He was back in his childish state of excitement.

"Yes well, now that we know each other's names, we can properly get on. Come on then, not much farther," and with that, Jack was turning away and bounding down the path again. Ianto, by now extremely annoyed with both Jack's consistently changing attitude, took his time. He refused to get himself all worn out following some spoiled brat who probably didn't know how to ask for something properly.

It took Jack a full minute before he notice the lack of a certain welsh boy. He turned around and headed back the way he came. He found Ianto a good distance back and he furrowed his brows.

"What's taking you so long? Why can't you keep up?" Jack asked, his childish temper quickly getting the best of him. Ianto, who usually was a very peaceful soul, had had about enough of Jack's pushy, spontaneous behavior, and his face turned a brilliant shade of pink. He snapped back at Jack.

"I'm weak, alright! I can't move very far very fast because I'll get winded. I don't like to get winded. Leave me to catch up or send me back, but stop pushing me!" Ianto stomped his little foot for emphasis, putting his little hands on his little hips. Jack stared.

The two young boys faced each other in their defensive positions. Ianto began to get nervous when Jack didn't answer for a very long time. He began to fear that his 'job' was already at risk because he had talked back to the young master. His family would be so ashamed.

That tore Ianto out of his indignant tantrum very quickly. He straightened his arms out and tilted his head down, focusing his gaze at his feet.

"Sorry sir, I just-"

"Don't say you're sorry."

Ianto looked up, confused. Now Jack was looking away towards the ground, almost as if he was ashamed. Ianto felt a tad bit bad. Before he could continue with his apology, Jack spoke up again.

"If you need me to slow down, you tell me, or I won't know, 'kay? I don't have a problem doing that, I just need to know," Jack said gruffly. He slowly turned his eyes up to look at Ianto. "Truce, okay? I still want to show you something." Jack gave a small unsure smile.

Ianto was stunned, but nodded all the same and gave Jack a tiny smile in return. Jack's smile widened, knowing that all was well and he hook his tiny arm with Ianto's.

"Good! Ya know, I think that's the most I've heard you talk yet, Jones, Ianto Jones," Jack started, and quickly fell back into his steady stream of childish chatter as the two walked. Ianto remained as silent as he always was, and nodded and hummed in all the right places. He was actually very intrigued by Jack's stories. He spun tales that were so big and fantastic that Ianto could help but be hooked on his every word. Ianto had no idea how hard he had been listening to Jack until he was actually a little startled by Jack's abrupt silence. Ianto looked over at the young master, a little concerned. All he saw on Jack's face, however, was excitement as he gazed in front of them.

Ianto looked back in front of them and cocked his head to the side. He was unsure what was so great. It was just a tangle of dried branches and leaves blocking their way. Ianto opened his mouth to ask what the point of this adventure was when Jack stepped forwards.

"This is my place."

He pulled the tangled creepers apart and held them open for Ianto. Once again surprised by Jack's behavior, Ianto slipped in, and immediately, he was stunned into silence. He didn't even register Jack entering from behind him.

Behind the twisting thick creepers was a river. It ran right through the clearing, throwing water up onto the bank every now and then. Beside the river on both sides were huge rocks that were perfect for climbing around on. The trees stretched up so far that it seemed as if they were scraping the sky with their leaves. The trees cast a shadow over the entire clearing, so that the only light there was the light flitting through their leaves every time the wind blew.

Jack was thoroughly enjoying seeing Ianto's face so full of awe. When Jack had noticed Ianto's interests in the carriage and horses, he knew that Ianto would see the same beauty Jack saw in this special clearing. Jack so loved being right.

"It's pretty, isn't it? I found it a few days after we were relocated here," Jack informed a still gaping Ianto. His voice seemed to bring Ianto back to the present, for the largest grin Jack had seen on him yet spread over his face. Jack made a promise then and there he'd do whatever it took to get Ianto to smile like that more often.

"It's wonderful," Ianto breathed, walking towards one of the rocks. Jack flopped down on a rather large one and patted the space next to him.

"Come on up. I won't bite. Not hard at least," he grinned and Ianto rolled his eyes, but climbed up onto the rock all the same.

"I found this hide-out when the castle was relocated. It's pretty awesome," Jack said happily, looking at Ianto out of the corner of his eye. "You can write your name in the mud. I'd like to see how you spell your name. It's weird, Yan-Toe."

Ianto winced at the pronunciation, before squirming a little. "I... I don't know how to read or write, sir," Ianto admitted, swinging his feet and staring at the water to avoid having to look at Jack. Jack's brows furrowed.

"You don't know how to read or write?" Jack was a little stunned; he thought everyone knew how to read and write. He suddenly grew determined.

"Well then I'll just have to teach you! I can't believe you've never read a book!" Jack hopped off the rock. "I'll be back in a mo!" He called over his shoulder as he stepped through the curtain of creepers. The boy disappeared before he could protest. Ianto was embarrassed. He knew it was improper for the young master to try and teach him how to read and write, but he also couldn't help but be excited.

Jack didn't keep Ianto waiting long. He was back in record time, face red and chest heaving. Ianto had to bite back a giggle when Jack grinned at him, all teeth, and held up the books.

"Just you wait, Yan! You'll be reading and writing before you know it!" Jack exclaimed, climbing back up on the rock. Ianto couldn't find it in him to be annoyed at Jack for shortening his name; Jack's excitement was rubbing off on him. Ianto smiled back, and Jack flipped the beginner's book open.

"Okay, let's see here..."

The sun was starting to set by the time Jack let Ianto go back to his quarters; Jack wouldn't let him leave any sooner. No matter how much he insisted he'd get in trouble, Jack continuously stated, "You'll be fine, you're with me!" Ianto had no choice to believe him. Besides, he didn't really want to go. He had a lot of fun learning his alphabets and basic words. Jack was, surprisingly, a very patient teacher.

Jack sent him on his way with his tray and dishes (now barren) and a few math booklets. He told Ianto to give them to his friend Toshiko. Ianto acquiesced, knowing this would give him another excuse to finally meet his other 'roommate.'

"Come back tomorrow! I promise I won't keep you as long," Jack had told him, making him pinkie-promise before being satisfied with Ianto's answer. Ianto wanted to come back. He'd work out a schedule with Miss Donna as soon as possible so he could come back as often as he wanted.

Ianto had made only one mistake.

He didn't ask Jack for directions back to the castle kitchens.

He was lost within five minutes of leaving Jack's room and had been stuck that way for thirty minutes. He wandered aimlessly, praying the castle would work its magic again and lead him back to the kitchens. He was late enough as it was. Perhaps that could be his excuse; he had been lost. For five hours. Yes, they might believe that.

Ianto was about to give up and sit down and take another break when he heard something. A voice.

Hero...

The hair on the back of his neck rose and a shiver worked his way down his spine.

"Hello?" He called nervously, his voice sounding too loud for his liking in the hallway. He whipped around and was startled to see a door that wasn't there before.

Ianto Jones...

Ianto grew stiff. Something in his gut was tugging him towards the door. The fear was gone now, and all he wanted to do was answer the whisper, to find whom it belonged to. Ianto dropped the tray with a clatter. He took a few steps towards the door, his little feet shuffling forward on their own accord.

Hero... Ianto... Ianto Jones...

His little hand reached out for the brass door handle. A tingling spread through his body the closer he got to the oak door. The whispering got more heated.

Ianto... Ianto... Ianto... Ianto... Hero... Ianto Jones...

"Oi! What are you doing?"

Ianto whirled around, heart pounding. It jumped up to his throat when he noticed who had called him.

King John Smith made his way down the corridor. He was surprised to see it was the Jones child. They stared at each other for a moment. John looked past the boy and let his eyes rest bare wall behind him. John looked back down at him before he repeated the question.

"What are you doing down here?" John eyed the fallen dishes and platter with mildly concerned yes. Was the boy already hearing the token?

Ianto tugged at his tiny shirt collar, swallowing hard. "Well sir, t-there was this door-" at that point, Ianto had turned to face the said door, and froze. The door was gone. He turned back to face the king, his jaw slack.

"I... Sir there... there was a door... It whispered my name," Ianto whispered, his eyes wide. It was John's turn to swallow hard. It was just as he feared.

This was dangerous. The king knew nowhere was really safe. Saxon could already have allies that were searching for Ianto. He kneeled down and put his hands on the young boy's shoulders.

"I believe you, Ianto, I do, but no one else can know what happened, or else very bad things will occur." The king said firmly, his eyes shining with fear. Ianto took in the expression on the king's face and nodded quickly, a shiver of fear wracking his body. John put his hands on either side of his face. "Promise me, Ianto, no one." Ianto nodded again and John sighed in relief. He'd have to take the child's word for it.

He stood, dusting his pants off. "Good! Right then, Mr. Jones, you should be on your way now! I'm sure Donna will be looking for you! Take a right at the end of the hallway and enter the door two down from the left. Should lead you to the servant's quarters. And remember," the king's gaze intensified. "No one." His face cleared and he bounced on the balls of his feet. "Good day, or should I say night, Mr. Jones." And with that, the king turned on his heel and disappeared in a door to the left.

It took Ianto a few moments to come back to himself. He quickly picked up the fallen cutlery and scurried down the hallway, following the king's directions. He replayed what happened over and over again. There was a door. He knows there was!

When he made it back, he didn't mention what happened to Amy or Donna, who both were firing questions at him. He didn't mention anything to Toshiko Sato, whom he finally met. He liked her; she was soft spoken and sweet, and was very excited when he gave her the math booklets. He knew they'd get along quite well.

And the next day at noon, when Jack asked what was distracting him so much after asking Ianto to pay attention for the third time, Ianto mentioned nothing.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I would really love to have some feedback! More coming soon!