8 Years Old

It was on Gregory's eighth birthday that he met Christophe.

The celebration was held in the courtyard on a bright, sunny day, decorated to its entirety with white and gold, the colors that represented his people. He'd wanted more variety to liven things up, but his father forbade it. They had an image to upkeep, be it his birthday or not. He was dressed in a white suit with aurelian trims his mother had picked out, stating there was never an off moment to impress. His golden hair was slicked back, and his perfectly aligned teeth - minus a few that were missing - were shone in a constant smile as he mingled with the adult crowd who all greeted him warmly with birthday wishes.

It wasn't until the end of the party that his mother and father pulled him aside and brought him to the main foyer, stopping in front of the door of a closet.

"You see, son - since you're getting to be a big boy now, we decided that you're ready for some responsibility." His father said with a smile.

"Responsibility?

"Indeed. You see, my knights came across a young boy about your age out in the wilderness." Gregory's eyes widened a bit.

"What of him, father?" He asked. His parents both smiled.

"Well, we've found that he's fairly decent at taking direction after some...convincing." The man cleared his throat. "We've also found he's not much of a talker, so at least he wont backsass. It's these reasons that we figured he'd be a perfect fit as your first ever servant." Gregory perked up instantaneously.

"A servant? All my own?" Gregory's smile widened suddenly. The man chuckled.

"Yes, my boy." He then looked at the queen. "My dear, will you bring him out?"

"Yes, darling." She smiled as she walked into a room that was just behind them, stepping out moments later ushering a small, clearly malnourished boy forward. Gregory's eyes widened as he gave the boy an appraising look. His expression told him he was incredibly lost and quite unsure of what was happening, and he found the way the boy dressed was rather funny. His hair was an untamed mane, his skin a light brown, and he had striking green eyes. He looked so foreign to what he was used to seeing. So unique. And that immediately caught his interest.

"Oh, I love him, father!" Gregory replied as he hugged his father's legs, and then his mother's. "I promise I'll take good care of him!"

"Now, son." His father said in a warning tone. "You have to remember that he's a servant. You can't treat him too well, lest he gets spoiled and might even think he has freedoms. You can't give servants an inch."

"Yes, father." He replied, nodding in understanding.

"Good boy." His father smiled. "Now, run along and enjoy the rest of your birthday. And make sure to keep the servant in his place."

"Yes, sir!" Gregory smiled before motioning for the boy to follow, but frowned when he didn't move. Upset with this, Gregory's father kneed the boy in the back, causing him to stumble forward and fall with a grunt. The boy showed admirable resilience when he simply stood back up, not reacting in any other way. He did, however, approach Gregory after that, causing the blonde to smile. And, when he began walking and motioned for him to follow once more, the boy did so. He grabbed a couple of his new toys from the present table and brought them with him, taking the boy up the two flights of stairs to his room. Once they reached it and Gregory opened the door for the other to enter, the other boy's eyes widened as he walked in. The room was gorgeous, complete with plush white carpet, maroon walls, and a deep red, queen-sized bed. A large dresser with a wall mirror behind it sat against one wall, and an intricate vanity sat on the other covered in various things that the boy couldn't identify. There was even a walk-in closet. He'd never seen anything like it. "Do you like it?" Gregory asked with a wide smile. The brunette didn't understand what he said, so he didn't respond, but the impression on his face told Gregory all he needed to know. He walked over to the middle of the room and sat down on the floor, motioning for the boy to take a seat in front of him, to which he complied. Gregory suddenly pushed a toy dragon into his hands. "You can be the dragon, and I'll be the knight who slays it, okay?" The boy merely inspected the toy he was given before looking up at Gregory, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Gregory gave him a disappointed look. "Hey, you have to do what I say." He whined. But the boy only continued to look at him blankly. Did he not hear him? "Do you understand?"

"Je ne sais pas ce que vous dites..." The boy finally spoke in a slightly gruff voice for the age he looked, though Gregory understood not a single word. It was his turn to look confused, though his eyes were wide with fascination.

"Whoa, what did you just say?" He asked, leaning forward. This caused the other to lean back a bit.

"Que faites-vous?"

"Wow...I've never heard anyone talk like that!" His elevation in voice seemed to make the other boy shrink back a bit. "Say something else!" He remained silent. "Come on, you have to do what I say. Just say something!"

"Je ne sais pas ce que tu veux...Où sont mes parents...?" He whimpered out. Gregory, not understanding his words, only seemed pleased as his eyes lit up.

"Incredible! Do you know how to say any normal words?" He asked innocently. "Like, what's your name, for instance?" The boy merely furrowed his brows again in further confusion and shook his head slightly, not understanding a word. The blonde pointed to himself.

"Gregory. My name is Gregory. Gre-gor-y." He sounded it out for him.

"Gre...gor...y." He repeated slowly with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, Gregory!" He smiled. "And...you are?" He asked, pointing at him. The boy put a hand to his own chest where Gregory was pointing. He was silent for a moment, as if trying to piece something together, before speaking.

"Christophe." He murmured.

"Christophe? That's a really lovely name. Someone not from here, a little boy like me, has a funny way of talking, and has a great name...I probably have the coolest servant in the castle!" He smiled, seeing his words as a heartfelt compliment. Christophe said nothing and simply looked down, fumbling with the toy dragon in his hands. Gregory watched as he methodically traced his fingers over the spines. "So, is there any word you can say that's normal?" The brunette looked back up at the sound of his voice, but had that same blank expression. Gregory rolled his eyes. "I take that as a 'no.'" Then, almost instantly, he perked up, his eyes brightening. "But, perhaps...perhaps I could teach you!" Christophe's eyes widened a bit at his voice's change in elevation. "I've always wanted to teach! I'm very smart, you know. We could..." He brought a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "...we could stay in my room, and I could show you words and colors and teach them to you! Wouldn't that be fun, Christophe?" He was far too upbeat for the other's liking, but upon hearing his name, the boy simply nodded. "Splendid! We could start tomorrow!" He clapped excitedly before holding up his toy knight. "Now, let's play Dragon Slayer!"

~o~O~o~

For almost an hour, the two boys played, though it was more just Christophe half-heartedly pushing the dragon toy towards Gregory, making it move around slightly before Gregory's knight would come in and slay it. They replayed this same scenario over and over with little difference between each, but Gregory seemed to be enjoying himself. He was mostly just glad that he finally had someone around his age. Estella, Herbert, and Thomas were older, and weren't much fun. Philip, however, was younger than him, so he deemed him to be too unintelligent to play with him. Their playtime, however, was suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps and grumbling outside of the door, catching both of their attention, and girl dressed in white and gold who appeared to be in her late teens with long, blonde hair was walking by the open door, her short heels clicking against the ground. A little blonde boy, only slightly smaller than Gregory and Christophe, trailed behind her dutifully. Gregory quickly stood and went over, poking his head out of the room as they passed by. "Estella?" Hearing her name, the girl stopped and turned on him with an annoyed expression.

"What?" She snapped.

"Could you be a dear and fetch me some bedding for my new servant?"

"Oh, the brat has his own servant, now?" She placed her hands on her hips. "You're way too young for that kind of responsibility, Greg."

"I'd appreciate if you called me 'Gregory.'"

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "So, where is it?" Gregory smiled and walked over to Christophe, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward so Estella could see him. Her face scrunched up a bit in distaste.

"Isn't he stunning?" The little blonde boy that stood next to Estella locked eyes with Christophe and offered him a smile, though it was not returned.

"'Stunning' isn't exactly the word I'd use to describe him." She walked up to Christophe and grabbed his chin tightly in her hand, turning his head and examining him. "He looks frail. No wonder he was given to you as your first servant. I'd give him a month, if even. I doubt he'll make it until then. Then your daddy will get you a new one." She rolled her eyes. "Since you're the spoiled brat prince, and all. I've been stuck with this weak one..." She said, motioning to the blonde next to her. "...and I don't think he'll last that long either. But you know what your daddy will say when he dies? Tough shit. Then I'd wait forever to get a new one." She groaned before bopping the side of Gregory's head lightly. "We can't all be lucky like you."

"Hey! Christophe is going to last forever, won't you?" He asked, looking over at the boy, completely disregarding Estella's attitude towards him. Christophe simply looked at him once he heard his name and just stared.

"Can he not talk, or something? Wow, your dad really did cheap out on you with this one."

"Stop talking about him like that. He can talk, he just has a different way of speaking. And it's really cool! Watch-" He cleared his throat. "Christophe, say something." He then brought a hand up, making a talking motion with his hand like a puppet. Christophe furrowed his brows at him in confusion.

"...Qu'est-ce que tu fais...?" He asked. Gregory smiled brightly and pointed at him, looking at Estella.

"You see?!"

"Oh, I see, he's foreign."

"F...foreign? What's that?" Gregory asked, now the one to look confused. Estella rolled her eyes.

"God, don't you know anything? I thought you were supposed to be smart or something." She then sighed, her hands returning to her hips. "It means he doesn't speak our language. So, we can't understand him, and he can't understand us." Gregory's eyes widened.

"So, he hasn't been understanding what I'm saying this whole time?!" He asked, bewildered. "I just thought he had trouble speaking!"

"Fucking imbecile." Estella sighed, bringing two fingers up to rub at her temple. Gregory gave a thoughtful look to Christophe.

"Well...I did say I would teach him real words...and even though I think it'll be harder now, since he can't understand a single word I say...I'm still going to do it." He said with a determined smile.

"Uh, yeah, knock yourself out." Estella shook her head. Gregory furrowed his brows as he looked at her.

"Just make yourself useful for once and get him some bedding."

"Do I look like a servant? I will do no such thing." She snapped before looking at the small blonde boy next to her. "Philip, do as he says. Get some bedding for the other frail servant boy." The boy said nothing and just nodded, running off down the hall. "And get him some proper servant clothes, while you're at it!" She called after him before looking back to Gregory. "Oh, and by the way, what makes you think you can talk to me like that?" She chided.

"I'm the prince."

"Yes, and you're also a spoiled 8-year-old." She then placed a hand on her chest proudly. "I'm training to be an advisor to the king. And in a few years, when I'm 20, I'll be official. You still have a loooong way to go, brat." Gregory cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, but I can also have your training revoked should I tell my parents of the way you're treating me. And who will they believe? Their dear son...or some stupid advisor-in-training."

"Oh, you impudent little-" She silenced herself, finding it not worth the risk. With a huff of aggravation, she simply turned and walked away. "When Philip comes back, tell him to find me! I'll be in the mess hall!" She called. Once she rounded the corner, Gregory turned to Christophe with a scoff.

"That's Estella. She's a bitch." He smiled. Christophe just cocked his head at him. Right, he can't understand. "Right, well, once we get you comfortable with your own sleeping spot and the appropriate attire, you'll be all set. We just have to fix the way you talk, and you'll fit right in!" He said happily, booping the boy's nose with a finger.

"S'il vous plaît ne touchez pas mon visage." Christophe snapped, jerking his head away slightly. Gregory put his hands up defensively, actually getting the message for once. Almost immediately after, Philip came running in with the requisite supplies he'd requested. That was fast. Surprisingly, Estella trained him well. Gregory turned to him with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Philip." He said as he took the items in his own arms. "By the way, Estella said you have the rest of the day off, so long as you stay out of her field of view. Have fun." Philip seemed to brighten up as he smiled widely, nodding and running back out of the room in the exact opposite direction of the mess hall. Satisfied, Gregory walked over to his bed and placed the items down. He pulled out some brown, ragged clothing that perfectly matched what Philip had been wearing. He shoved them into Christophe's arms. "Now you change. Chaaange." He said slowly, pulling at the collar of his own shirt before pointing at the clothing in the boy's arms. Christophe's gaze flickered between Gregory and what was in his arms before giving a reluctant nod. Gregory smiled at the fact that he understood as he ushered Christophe towards his walk-in closet and closed the door behind him. He then made his way to the remaining supplies on his bed. He took the biggest thing, which was a large, thick blanket made from fine fleece. He lied it on the floor before taking the blankets and draping them on top. He even took one of the hand-crafted goose feather pillows from his bed and placed it down with the small, makeshift bed.

"There, that should do it." He smiled, taking the opportunity to change into his pajamas before clambering up onto his bed as he waited for the boy. He seemed to take an awful long time, but after a while, Christophe finally emerged wearing the traditional servant clothing, his old clothes left behind on the closet floor. Gregory kicked his legs happily as they dangled off the side of his bed. "I made a place for you to sleep." The blonde boy smiled, pointing to the one on the floor. Christophe walked over curiously and stared at the little bed before moving to sit down on it, cross-legged. Gregory smiled brightly down at him. "I have a feeling you and I are going to get along great. I'll teach you everything I know, and you'll be the smartest servant ever!" Christophe just looked up at him blankly and cocked his head to the side slightly. The blonde gave him a sheepish look. "Then, uh...then maybe you'll be able to understand me one day...heh." Feeling it futile to say anymore due to the language barrier, Gregory just decided to sum up everything he was trying to say by sliding off of the bed and wrapping his arms tightly around Christophe - a universal gesture. The hug wasn't returned, but he kind of expected that. He separated from the hug and smiled at the servant boy. "Goodnight, Christophe." He said softly before climbing back up to his bed and getting under the covers, watching Christophe do the same in his own. With a content sigh, he closed his eyes, a small smile plastered onto his face.

He had high hopes for the future.