Three weeks had passed, and over that short amount of time, Christophe had grown used to being around Gregory and his daily regiment he was to follow. Now that he had been there for a bit, he was expected to do certain things lest he be punished by the blonde's parents, such as help prepare Gregory for each day, clean Gregory's room which, in itself, was not a hard task as he typically kept his room immaculate, and keep him entertained. However, his main job was to stay right by Gregory's side at all times should he ever need anything. To rarely let Gregory lift a finger to do anything for himself, though Gregory insisted he could do things on his own.
The mundane regiment of every day was disrupted, however, when Gregory walked into his room with an excited expression. Christophe looked up at him from where he sat on his makeshift bed, raising his eyebrows a bit in question.
"Oh, Christophe, you'll never believe what I've been told!" He said excitedly. "Our neighbors to the far west are visiting! I mean...they're visiting for boring stuff like...politics and such, but mother said they also have kids! Maybe they'll want to play with us! They'll be here within the hour, so we have to hurry." Christophe simply cocked his head, only having understood maybe three words of that. "Mother said I have to wear a suit, though. I haven't a clue why, they're only staying for dinner to talk things over, but as mother always says: there's never an off moment to impress!" He chirped as he moved over to his closet and walked inside. "Ah, here it is!" He said as he grabbed the clothes he was looking for, and Christophe recognized it as the suit the boy had worn on the day they met.
"Like." Christophe commented. Gregory looked to him with a smile.
"You do? I never really liked this thing, it's a bit too...boring. I'm tired of everything being white and gold. I want to wear something with actual color for once. But I'm glad you like it. I'd give it to you if servants were allowed to wear nice clothes." He sighed and walked over to his bed, laying the clothes out on it. He took off his shirt and pants and motioned to the brunette. "Christophe, help, please." He said as he slipped his dress pants on. Christophe walked over and buttoned his pants before helping him into his undershirt, and then his suit jacket. As Gregory grabbed his belt and clipped it around his waist, Christophe grabbed his tie and fastened it around his neck so it hung neatly in the middle of his chest.
"So, how do I look?" Gregory asked as he struck a sophisticated pose. Christophe took a step back and tilted his head as he gave him an appraising look.
"Pretty." He concluded.
"Aww, thanks." Gregory grinned, looking down at his clothing and brushing it off. "I just need to put on the matching shoes and comb my hair, and I'll be good to go!" He said as he walked towards the closet again to grab his shoes. "It'll be quite hard to play in a suit, especially when I'm not allowed to get it dirty, but what mother says, goes!" He chuckled with a shrug. Once he was all ready, he walked over to Christophe and offered his hand to him, knowing better than to simply grab his hand. "Come on." Christophe hesitated before placing his hand in Gregory's, and the blonde smiled at him as he led him out of the room and down the stairwell. All about, castle staff were rushing from place to place, trying to prepare. This other kingdom must be a big deal. Christophe furrowed his brows as he saw banners that said things he couldn't read and decorations that were, for once, not white and gold, but light blue and silver. How odd. As they walked, they were stopped by the sound of the queen's voice.
"Gregory!" Both turned their head to see the woman clad in a fine silk dress that was white with gold trims, of course. No wonder Gregory grew tired of the mundaneness of it all. She walked towards them and bent down slightly. "Oh, you look so dashing, my boy." She then grimaced a bit and motioned to Gregory and Christophe's connected hands. "Gregory, do try to limit your contact with your servant. Especially when the Cotswolds arrive." Gregory frowned at that, but released Christophe's hand.
"Sorry, mother."
"That's my boy." She smiled. "Now, do try to be on your best behavior. They are our guests, and we want to impress them. Show them what a charming young lad you can be, alright? And while the chefs are preparing the meal, I want you, Estella, and Thomas to entertain their children as the adults discuss matters. You are not to disturb us. Can you do that?"
"Yes, mother." He replied, straightening his posture slightly.
"Good. Today could start a change for the future of our kingdoms." She said happily and she patted her son's head before walking off. He turned his gaze to Christophe.
"What do you think she means by that?" He asked. Christophe merely shrugged, though it was more from lack of understanding the question. Gregory simply sighed and looked ahead. "Well, I suppose we should head to the main foyer. They will be here any minute." Before he could start walking again, Christophe reached out to grab Gregory's hand again, but the blonde moved his hand away. "Sorry, Christophe, not around others. Mother said so." He said apologetically as he began walking away. Christophe gave a small frown before following close behind him. As they entered the foyer, they saw guards were already stationed by the doors, as were Estella and a boy Christophe had never seen before that was dressed very similarly to the loud, blonde girl. They had their heads titled up, arms tucked neatly behind their backs, and their eyes straight ahead as they remained unmoving. They both looked quite elegant and regal.
Soon, the king and queen walked up behind Gregory and Christophe as several horses could be heard approaching the castle. Gregory shifted uncomfortably in his suit. A few moments later, there was a bellow of horns, and the castle doors were opened by the guards. In stepped an elegant man and woman dressed entirely in blue and silver. The man had brown hair and dark eyes that looked surprisingly friendly. The woman next to him also had brown hair, though there were streaks of grey laced throughout it that only added to her charm. Her eyes were a deep hazel, and her expression was also kind, despite how serious they both looked. Estella and the similarly dressed boy both bowed, as did the guards. Gregory looked up to see his parents bowing respectfully, so he did as well and motioned for Christophe to do the same. The visiting king and queen bowed in return.
"My, what a lovely home you have." The woman commented as she looked around once everyone had stood up straight again.
"We do try." Gregory heard his mother comment.
"Yes, and we're quite excited to speak of your proposition." The man said with a pleasant smile before turning and looking behind them. "Mark. Rebecca. Come."
"Apologies, our children are a bit shy. Despite their age, they've never traveled before." The woman chuckled.
"Oh, no worries, we'll make them feel right at home!" His mother said with a wide smile. After a moment's hesitation, two older children walked through the doorway; a boy and a girl. Gregory's eyes widened a bit. For some reason, he'd expected them to be younger. "Our son and advisors would be happy to entertain them while we talk."
"Oh, wonderful!" The woman said as she placed a hand behind each child and gingerly nudged them forward as the guards closes the castle doors behind them.
"Come, we shall discuss in my study." His father offered, and the man and woman nodded, following his parents and leaving Gregory alone with Christophe, the two advisors, and these two strangers. He wasn't sure what to do, so he was thankful when Thomas stepped in. He never smiled, but his expression was still somehow welcoming.
"Welcome to our land. We do hope the trip wasn't too arduous."
"Oh, not at all, thank you." The girl, Rebecca, he assumed, said with a pleasant smile. Estella walked up to stand by Gregory wordlessly as Thomas took charge.
"Well, would you like me to take your coats?" He asked.
"Right, of course." The boy, Mark, said as he shouldered his coat off and handed it to Thomas before helping his sister with her coat. Thomas took both coats and brought them to a nearby closet where everyone kept their coats and hats.
"Would you like to come with us to the lounge area?" He asked as he set the coats in the closet.
"That would be lovely." Rebecca said softly.
"Right, then, come along." Thomas said as he motioned for them to follow. The two siblings followed behind him as he walked off. Gregory wondered why Estella wasn't saying anything, but didn't think too much on it as he, Christophe, and Estella followed behind the siblings. After a walk up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor, they came to a large, gorgeously decorated room, a fireplace crackling on the far wall, and furniture all around ranging from comfy chairs, couches, loveseats, and even futons that were all beautifully upholstered. The two followed Thomas in, looking about the room in awe.
"How charming." Rebecca commented. Gregory walked in with Christophe and sat down with him on the nearest loveseat so that no one would be able to sit with them. He was disappointed about these two to say the least. He'd expected them to be kids like him so that, maybe, they could play, but he bet they were going to be boring like the adults and talk about adult stuff instead.
"You may sit wherever you like." Thomas offered. Rebecca and Mark took to sitting on a nearby couch. Estella sat by Thomas across from them. The blonde girl seemed to be looking between Rebecca and Gregory with disdain for a reason the young prince couldn't fathom.
"So, please, tell us about yourselves." Rebecca suggested. "If we're to be allies, it may be nice to know some of the castle's more influential inhabitants." She smiled
"Oh, splendid idea." Gregory straightened when Thomas' eyes locked onto him. "I believe the prince should go first."
"U-uh..."
"Go on, tell them about yourself." Thomas urged.
"Uh...w-well...my name is Gregory...uh...I'm 8 years old...and I like to learn new things. I also like drawing and coloring." He said nervously. Rebecca and Mark both smiled at him.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Prince Gregory." Rebecca cooed. "And who's your little friend next to you?" That's when Estella seemed to finally butt in, only to run her stupid mouth.
"Oh, don't concern yourself with him, he's just a servant." She commented.
"Nonsense." Mark began. "A servant is a resident of a castle like any other." Estella and Thomas were both a bit taken aback by that. Gregory stuck his tongue out childishly towards Estella before smiling at the two siblings.
"His name is Christophe, he's 9 years old. He's foreign, so he doesn't speak like us, which is kinda cool, if not frustrating at times. He helps me with everything. He's shy and doesn't like to be touched, but he's a great companion." He looked over at the aforementioned boy only to see him staring downwards and mindlessly fiddling with his hands and the bottom hem of his shirt, completely disinterested in what was going on.
"Oh, how precious." Rebecca said with a kind smile. Estella and Thomas both gave them a strange look, but didn't make it apparent. "And what about the two of you?"
"My name is Thomas, and this, here is Estella." Thomas said as he motioned to the girl sitting next to him. "We're both training to be the king's closest advisors."
"Yes, apologies for my rude interjection, but I'm rather curious about that position." Mark cut in. "Are there senior advisors that train you?"
"Oh, no worries." Thomas answered. "And, no, we're trained by the king and queen themselves."
"And what, exactly, does the position of advisor entail?" Rebecca asked. Gregory sighed as he looked over at Christophe again. This is what he'd been afraid of. They were talking about boring stuff that he didn't understand, nor had any interest in doing so.
"Oh, well, we are heavily educated in politics and the law. We're the right hand men...er...man and woman...of the king and queen so, should they need us for anything, we're there. We help them with battle plans, everyday planning, we're in charge of setting up for events, and should the king and queen fall ill or embark on a journey to another kingdom or land, we're to take charge for whatever time necessary."
"Oh, how exciting!" Rebecca said with a wide smile.
"Do you not have advisors in your kingdom?"
"Oh, heavens, no." Rebecca answered. "Our parents had something similar before we were born, but they weren't called an advisor, they..." She then turned to her brother. "Have you the foggiest as to what our parents called them?" Mark shook his head.
"It's not even on the tip of my tongue." He answered. Rebecca nodded and waved a hand dismissively.
"Right, well, it didn't end very well. Because we weren't born yet, there were no heirs to the throne, and what ended up happening was, because of how close they were to the king and queen, they tried usurping the throne in a coup d'état." Gregory nearly jumped when Christophe's head shot up to stare wide-eyed at Rebecca.
"What?" Gregory whispered to him, but the boy didn't respond. Gregory cocked an eyebrow, but dismissed his odd behavior by looking back towards everyone else. He wished he could just skip this whole meeting to go back to his room and play with Christophe.
"Oh, how dreadful." Thomas tsked as he shook his head.
"Indeed. Luckily, they were quickly locked up and haven't seen the light of day since." Mark replied.
"No execution?" Thomas asked. Rebecca's eyes widened.
"Oh, no, we don't promote execution in our kingdom."
"What?"
"We believe it to be immoral." She then shrugged. "But it's also because no one ever really commits crimes in our kingdom. Especially those heinous enough to be punishable by death."
"My, how interesting." Thomas said as he leaned forward a bit. Gregory rolled his eyes. Not really. With another bored sigh, he switched his gaze to Estella. His brows furrowed a bit. It was then that he realized that...she really hadn't said much of anything this entire time. And upon further observation, he noticed that her gaze was almost unmoving. It would flicker away for a few moments before immediately landing back where they initially looked. And when he followed her gaze, he saw that her eyes were solely locked on the girl that sat across from her. He cocked an eyebrow, wanting to say something, but knew better than to butt in rudely, especially when there were guests. "So, then..." Thomas continued. "...why don't you tell us a little about yourselves?"
"Oh, yes, of course." Mark said. "My name is Mark. I'm the eldest and next in line for the throne." He then motioned to the girl next to him. "This is my dear little sister, Rebecca. Don't let her gentle disposition fool you." He chuckled "She can be a rather feisty spitfire when she wants." Rebecca let out a soft giggle.
"While true, I'm only that way to you when you annoy me, which I'm afraid to say is often."
"Whatever you say, little sister." He smirked.
"You two seem fairly close." Estella finally said, her transfixed gaze wavering. "Never has there been sibling heirs here. Do you ever...bicker...as to who gets the crown?" She asked curiously.
"Heavens, no." Rebecca answered with a pleasant smile. "The truth of the matter is that Mark is next in line as his superior age grants him. Nothing can be done when it comes to succession, and that's a fact I'd come to terms with at an early age."
"I see." Estella responded. "How mature."
"Not that you'd know." Thomas snickered.
"Oh, shut up." She hissed. Rebecca opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the lounge door opened, and Philip walked inside.
"Excuse me..." He began. "...but your meal is nearly prepared and will be done in 15 minutes."
"Thank you, Philip." Estella said as she waved him away dismissively. When Philip walked out, Rebecca looked towards the blonde.
"Is that another servant?" She asked.
"Yes, my personal one, to be exact." She said with a roll of her eyes. "He's pathetic."
"Oh, how can you say that? He's so little and adorable!" Estella's eyes widened as her statement wasn't met with gratification.
"O-Oh, um...what I meant was...that it's pathetic...how...differently he's treated due to his age! I always do my best to treat him with care and equality." She almost cringed at her own words, and Gregory rolled his eyes.
"Suck-up..." He murmured under his breath. Rebecca gave Estella a small smile.
"How thoughtful of you." She said, though it was clear she was merely being polite as she saw through the blonde's horrible facade.
"Well, I'm certainly famished." Thomas interjected as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together, trying to break the air before it thickened with tension and awkwardness. "Is everyone ready to head to the royal mess hall?"
"Oh, yes, of course." Mark replied with a small chuckle. "I suppose we should go and not let the food go cold." Everyone nodded in agreement and stood, Mark holding his hand out for Rebecca to take to courteously help her from her chair.
"Ugh, finally." Gregory sighed. That was the most boring thing he'd ever had the displeasure of witnessing. He couldn't even be part of it because he didn't know what the hell they were talking about. He wasn't much for politics, despite him being a prince. He stood and made a movement of holding his hand out for Christophe to take as he usually did when they were to walk together, but remembered his mother's words and moved his arm back to his side. "Come on, Christophe." Christophe sighed and slid off of the chair, following close behind Gregory. He tried to reach for the blonde's hand as was routine, but Gregory jerked his hand away, causing Christophe to furrow his brows in confusion and disappointment, but he didn't press. "I'm going to take Christophe to my room. I'll meet up with you in the royal mess hall when I'm done." He called as he began walking the opposite direction of the group. No one seemed to take notice or care except Rebecca and Mark, who turned their heads and waved him off with warm smiles. Gregory smiled back and continued on, and once they rounded the corner and were out of sight of anyone, Gregory instantly reached for Christophe's hand. Christophe perked up slightly and quickly grabbed the blonde's as they walked. Soon enough, they came to the boy's room, and he led Christophe inside. Gregory sighed and faced the other boy, moving his hands to his shoulders. "Okay, Christophe, servants aren't allowed in the royal mess hall, so I need you to stay, okay? Staaaay. I'll be back in a little while." And as he said that, he moved to hug Christophe tightly. The other hadn't expected the sudden gesture, so he made a poor attempt to lean away, but he quickly resigned himself to letting Gregory hug him, though he didn't return the gesture.
"Où allez-vous? Pourquoi stay?" He asked with a tilt of his head as Gregory moved away from him.
"That's right, Christophe, stay." The blonde said before walking out of the room. Christophe furrowed his brows in annoyance that he wasn't understanding him. He was doing his best to learn whatever fucked language the blonde spoke, so the least Gregory could do was learn some of his language for the time being. With a frown, he shuffled towards his little bed, eyes wandering the room. What now? Then, it was almost like a sign as he spotted a certain golden horseshoe sticking out from under his pillow. His eyebrows rose as he walked over and picked it up, flipping it over in his hands a couple times as if it wasn't the thousandth time he examined it. He tightened his hand around the item before looking up towards the door.
He knew what he was going to do.
~o~O~o~
After traversing the halls trying to remember the way and staying out of sight from any castle staff - which wasn't hard due to everyone being preoccupied with whatever event was happening - he finally found himself at the door that led outside. He pushed the door open and walked out, eyes brightening when he saw the familiar stone path. He hadn't been out here since the first time, and that was mostly because he stayed at Gregory's side, and Gregory never went out here. He also never left the room when told to stay, so even with his alone time, he never made an attempt to leave. But, here he was, three weeks later, walking down the path that led to the stables. He perked up when his eyes landed on the boy he recognized from before standing in a field, his expression always so friendly and his disposition always upbeat and happy. Clutching the horseshoe tightly, he jogged down the rest of the path and up to the fence.
"Bonjour." Christophe chirped as he gave a small wave at the ginger boy. Herbert turned his head and his features immediately brightened as he saw the little boy.
"Ah! Uh...Christophe, was it?" He smiled widely as he walked up to the fence. "Well, you're certainly more bold than the first time we met, aren't you?" He chuckled. "I couldn't get a peep out of you last time, and now you're greeting me first? I'm impressed." He walked to the gate and stepped through before closing it behind him. He moved to the nearest tree stump and sat down, motioning for Christophe to join him. "So, little man, what brings you here?" Christophe didn't know what he said, so he shrugged as he moved to sit on the stump next to him. Herbert gained a thoughtful look. "Hm...how can I communicate with you...?" He looked away for a moment before turning his gaze back on Christophe. "English?" The brunette boy perked up slightly.
"Oui." He said with a small nod before holding his hand up and placing his pointer finger and thumb close together to show how little he knew. "Couleurs. Petits mots. Eh...little..." He paused for a moment. "...l-little...words..."
"I see. Gregory has been teaching you with some success, then." He said with a smile. "Speaking of Gregory, where is he? Shouldn't you be with him?" Christophe furrowed his brows, unsure of how to communicate an answer.
"U-uh...d...d-i-n-n-e-r...?" He said slowly.
"Dinner...? I...Oh! Wait, is the big dinner today? With the Cotswolds?" He asked. The term 'Cotswolds' was familiar to Christophe because that was the word he'd heard Gregory's mother use, so he nodded.
"Cots...wolds..."
"Yes, the Cotswolds are very important people. They're the only kingdom equal in wealth and power to ours. My...I never realized it was happening so soon, they only made the plans three days ago!" He looked to the side thoughtfully. "I may ask if I should take their horses into the stables for the time being. Those horses will need care. Pulling a carriage that far over mountainous terrain is surely a taxing feat..." He continued to ramble until his eyes once again landed on Christophe, having forgotten he was even there. "Oh! But surely that can wait. And, speaking of horses..." He said with a wide smile as he pointed towards Christophe's hand. The boy looked at Herbert's finger before following where it was pointing. He slowly brought up his hand that held the golden horseshoe. "I see you kept that close. I'm glad. But you shouldn't have that out in the open like that. A servant like you could get in trouble for having something like this, and I'll get in trouble for giving it to you." He said before grabbing the horseshoe and hooking it on the waistline of Christophe's pants before draping his long shirt over it. Christophe stared at where it was concealed with confusion.
"Hide...?" He asked curiously.
"Hide." Herbert responded with a nod. Christophe gave a small nod of understanding in return. "So, then, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Why are you out here instead of in your room where you're supposed to be?" Christophe gave a shrug. Herbert sighed, trying to think of a better way to communicate what he was saying.
"Why here?" He asked simply. Christophe furrowed his brows for a moment. Those were two words he knew, and it took him a moment to register their meaning. He brightened up a bit and pointed at Herbert. "Me?" He asked. Christophe gave a firm nod. "You wanted to see me?" He asked with a smile. "Why?"
"Amical." He then paused briefly. "Nice."
"Aw..." Herbert swore his heart was melting. "Well..." He began as he gently poked a finger at Christophe's chest. "...I think you are very...eh...amical...as well." He said with a chuckle. Christophe seemed to perk up tremendously and it almost looked like he was smiling as he stared wide-eyed at Herbert. That was...the first time anyone had ever made a personal attempt to speak his language to him. He let out a small whine before suddenly lurching forward and wrapping his arms tightly around Herbert's neck. "Whoa!" Herbert laughed, nearly falling backwards as he hugged him back. "What happened to disliking being touched?" Christophe said nothing, but when he separated from the embrace, he looked at Herbert with a wide-eyed gaze of wonder.
"My...words..." He said softly.
"Your words? Your language?" He smiled and tilted his head. He never thought playfully saying a single word from the boy's native language would make such a difference. "You like that? Well..." He gazed at the boy thoughtfully. "...well, since everyone's trying to make you speak English, maybe I'll learn some of...whatever language it is that you speak." He chuckled. Christophe tilted his head. Herbert pointed at him. "You..." He then pointed to his own head. "...teach..." His point then moved to his chest. "...me." Christophe stared at him for a few moments with an analytical look as he tried to piece together what he said. He then brightened.
"My...my words...?" He said almost hopefully. Herbert gave a small nod.
"You'd like that?" He asked. Christophe suddenly gave an enthusiastic nod. "Excellent!" The ginger boy said excitedly. "You know, I've always wanted to learn a foreign language, but we never get foreigners out here. The only time they ever even enter this kingdom is if they're prisoners and, as a humble stable boy, I'm not allowed in the dungeon." He said with an almost sad chuckle. "It's almost as if you're heaven-sent, my boy." He brought a hand up and ruffled Christophe's hair lightly. The boy only seemed minorly bothered by the sudden, unexpected contact. "So, then, since you're here, is there anything you'd like to do in the short time before you have to head back?"
~o~O~o~
Christophe wasn't sure how long he was out there with Herbert, but he enjoyed every second of it. He helped him feed the horses their dinners, and afterwards, he was shown where Herbert lived which, surprisingly, wasn't even in the castle. He lived in what appeared to be a fancy shed behind the stables. Inside were, simply, a table, a chair, a bed, and...a rabbit hutch. Christophe was allowed to hold them and pet them. The only time he'd ever seen these animals were when his people hunted them. He'd never known you could keep them as pets, and it was then he grew a new appreciation for these animals. After that, Herbert allowed him to sit on the back of a horse, though he wasn't allowed to ride it; it's not like he knew how to anyway. And, finally, their time together ended with Christophe teaching him colors in his language, which was easy because, with Gregory having taught him the words in English, he could properly help Herbert get them right.
Herbert sighed as he looked up at the sky.
"Well...I believe it's about the time you should be heading back." He looked back at the boy. "Wouldn't want you getting in trouble for being out here. I had...a lot of fun." He said with a grin. Christophe nodded despite understanding maybe two words of that. "Come on." He stood and held out a hand for Christophe. The boy took it and stood as well, his expression almost disheartened. He didn't want to go back, but he knew he had to. Hand-in-hand, the two walked together, towards and up the stone path that led to the back door of the castle. When they reached the entrance, Herbert looked down at him. "Do you know the rest of the way?" He asked. "You can find your room?" Christophe gave a curt nod. "Right, then." Herbert said as he crouched down. "Hopefully, I'll see you soon." He smiled. Christophe said nothing and simply moved forward to hug him again. He didn't know when his next opportunity to come out here would arise, so he wanted to make the most of it. Herbert hugged him back, and when they separated, he smiled at the little French boy and tapped his waist where the horseshoe hung. "Stay lucky." He said before standing and walking off. Christophe looked down at his waist and felt the outline of the item through his clothes.
"Lucky..." He muttered, testing the word on his tongue. He didn't know what it meant, but he liked how it sounded. He exhaled deeply and turned towards the long corridor.
Time to head back.