This is the story of King Grislybeard with Lavi and Kanda as the main characters. Note: There will be singing in this and when there is, they will be italicized like this. And they are not thoughts and they will be coming out of his mouth, not lyrics between chapters that they can't hear that will deepen the meaning of the story. They will be coming. From. Him. Yes, this is a KandaxLavi thing, so enjoy.
Once upon a time...
There was once a benevolent ruler, King Tiedoll. He had adopted a son long ago, Prince Kanda. He was a handsome prince, not just handsome, Prince Yu Kanda was beautiful in his own right. His appearance was so famed that it was said his beauty was unrivaled by anyone else in the world. He had long, flowing black locks of silken hair that he tied up in a less attractive, but not quite unappealing ponytail on top of his head. His skin was like porcelain and his features were chiseled and hard, but not so decidedly manly that they could not be seen as feminine in the right light.
That being said, it was no surprise that men and women alike from every station sought the hand of the fair Kanda. There was only one problem...Kanda was haughty, pretentious and unkind. He was impossibly critical and it seemed as if no one was good enough for the Prince.
He was especially so to his suitors who he treated as if they were begging to be tortured. His father feared that Kanda would never get a fiancé with the way he was going, but he could not get through to his arrogant son. By the time he had turned 19, he had turned down nearly 100 marriage proposals and his father was irritated. King Tiedoll was sure that his son was more than ready to be married and settle down.
"Yuu, why must you treat those men this way? If you married one of them, you would be well taken care of." King Tiedoll asked his son one day when he was at his wits end.
"Like I would be caught dead marrying any of those wimps!" Kanda cried, swiftly turning and walking away from the King even as Tiedoll called after him, demanding he stop and talk about the issue.
The king, angry at himself for letting his problems with his son get this far, called for all the noblemen to attend a feast and propose to his son. Princes, Princesses, Kings, Queens, Dukes, Duchesses, Lords, Ladies and all other people of noble blood worthy of the hand of a beautiful prince were invited and all who were invited, accepted. The prince's title was inviting to even the highest ranking suitors and word of his beauty could (and did) cross oceans. The king was delighted for he was certain that he would be able to find a spouse for his son.
As the feast began, the king took his seat at the head of the table and Prince Kanda took the seat nearest to him. The dinner was excruciating for the prince as it passed with him surrounded by full hearty men and clinging, proud women stuffing their faces with the food of the castle and invading his personal space in an effort to win his heart.
After all had eaten their fill, though the prince hadn't been in the mood to eat more than a few bites of his favorite soba, they all retired to the throne room. The king sat himself in his luxurious throne and the prince took the smaller, but no less amazing, throne beside him. Then the nobles came before them one after the other and spoke for all they were worth. Some believed their titles spoke for themselves while others proceeded to tell extravagant tales of their great wealth and traveling expeditions and their lives in general.
After each introduction, the king looked to the prince to see if he were impressed with them. However, Kanda was never impressed and kept on with a scowl on his face and a passive look in his eyes. As the introductions wore on, Kanda started to get bored and before long began to taunt and tease his suitors. He poked fun at the weight of one, the litheness of another and the width of one's stomach.
Nothing pleased him as one was too tall while the one after him was much too short. The short one getting so angry at having his height be made fun of by the call of "moyashi" from the prince, that he had to be carried out to keep him and the prince from each other's throats.
After this fiasco was the last suitor, King Lavi, with spiky red hair held up by a bandana. He was an exceptionally tall boy who came into his crown at a young age. He had just enough stubble to be called a beard, the color of which was the same bright red as his hair. The second he was brought forward and bowed to his hosts, before he could say anything, Kanda burst into laughter.
"Him?! He wants to marry ME?" Most of the guests were shocked to see him smile and laugh when he had been stoic all evening, but his father was only angered as his son attempted to shame another of the suitors.
"Yu..." Tiedoll growled in warning, but Kanda paid no mind. His shoulders shook with laughter.
"This...this King Redbeard? Him?" The prince finally looked up hoping to catch the look of stunned anger on the Redbeard's face. Needless to say, what he saw is not what he expected.
King Lavi was still bowing and when he straightened himself back up, he was smiling calmly and even charmingly. The world stopped a moment for Kanda just then. The pompous looking king's reaction was not like the reactions of the other nobles that came before him. He lifted up his head and gave Kanda a brilliant smile.
Oh, he's very... Kanda refused to continue his thought. Though he would never admit it, he was enchanted by this small act of defiance from that man. Being able to take one of his insults as if they were nothing, it was quite the attractive facet of a suitor.
He was quickly brought out of his thoughts as King Lavi spoke. "Insult me all you want, Yu, but one day I will win your heart and then you will be my wife."
Kanda was taken aback, just as the rest of the room's occupants were, at King Lavi's bold statement and the dauntless look on his face. The redheads demeanor irritated Kanda to the point where he was nearly in a frenzy.
King Tiedoll saw this and tried to interject. "Yu-kun..." Tiedoll was interrupted by a low laugh. It rang around the room rendering all who were still murmuring amongst themselves into silence. None of the suitors had heard the prince laugh before.
Prince Kanda slowly opened his mouth. "If you think in your demented brain that I would marry a baka usagi like you, then you have more problems than I originally thought!"
"Hey, I am not a stupid rabbit!" Lavi yelled back, finally annoyed at the Prince's words. Kanda stopped laughing instantly, realizing that the pompous king understood his language. He was unhappily impressed by this. "You will be my wife, Yuu." Lavi said, calmly and left out the door.
After that, things at the feast progressed much the same way. Though King Lavi was one of the last suitors they talked to, there were still a few left, but most didn't want to stay after all that Kanda had said. After all the guests had been insulted by Kanda and left, the Prince and King Tiedoll sat in their empty throne room.
"Dammit, Yu, I've had enough! You've seen exactly a hundred suitors and you have turned them all down in the most rude and disrespectful ways imaginable!"
Kanda scowled as he looked off to the side, avoiding the King's harsh gaze. "You've been counting it?" Kanda asked in a surprised tone.
"Trust me. With a son like you, one counts." Tiedoll deadpanned. Kanda scowled deeper.
"Well, anyways, maybe number 101 will be the one. Or 102. Or 502? Or..."
"Enough!" The King demanded, his booming voice ringing around the room. It was so intimidating that even Kanda shrunk back the smallest amount when he heard. "I refuse to cater to you any more! The first beggar to come to this castle will be your partner!"
"You can't be serious!" Kanda demanded, sounding both angry and panicked.
"More serious than I've ever been." Tiedoll said, staring straight at Kanda. With that, the king stood up and left the room even as his son yelled desperately at him to stop, but there would be no stopping him, he was a man on a mission. No one saw the redhead hanging around in the corner, listening to their conversation.
The castle was eerily quiet and every one of the servants, though they knew not why it was there, felt the tension. It was because of this quietness that they first heard it when it was so far off. A slight hum at first which quickly turned into musical notes and from there it turned into actual singing.
Turning towards the window, the servants in the west corridor saw him first. A dirty red haired boy came trotting up to the castle. In his hands he held an instrument. His hips swayed in time to the tune he played and his mouth was wide open as he sung his song.
Pretty daffodil girl. You're warm and you're sweet like the mid July sun. But you don't ill the attention. I guess those tall poppy fields made you doubt your perfection, but...
As the servants listened, they were mesmerized. The young peasant's voice was amazing. He sang as soft as the words of the song, but he sang with energy and a vigor known only in youth. The king too was listening out the window. He loved the music as well and demanded that the guards to bring the beggar in.
Kanda, who had been watching the singer from his bedroom window, as well, was worried. He remembered what his father threatened to do and wondered if he would go through with it. Hurrying down the hallway, Kanda spared no time getting to the throne room.
This is where the King would spend most of his time and where he would see visitors. No doubt, if the pauper were invited in, that is where he would be. Just as he rounded the corner to the throne room, he saw a servant and someone with red-brown hair enter into the room and close the door behind them.
No! No, no, no, no, no, no! Kanda mentally chanted in panic. As he finally reached the doors, he threw them open with a loud bang. There he saw the traveler kneeling before the King who stood in front of him. Both were looking pleased with themselves.
"Yu, dear! Excellent timing." King Tiedoll gave him a warm smile, but Kanda could detect a hint of malice in it. Gesturing to the traveler, Tiedoll said the words Kanda had been so afraid of hearing. "Meet your new husband."
"Huh?" The guy on the floor made a surprised sound. Apparently, this was news to him as well.
Kanda was petrified with anger and disbelief. This man? His father was going to make his marry this man? The man must be so poor. He was dressed like he hadn't a dime to his name and acted like it too.
His hair had originally seemed to him to be brown with red streaks in it, but now upon closer inspection, it seemed his hair was red. The brown of his hair was just a disgusting combination of dirt, mud and dust with the flecks of red being his natural hair color shining through. He seemed to have no qualms about prostrating himself in front of the King in a show of pure submission. Why on Earth would he marry such a spineless man?
"Um, Sir?" The man asked, lightly. "You said you would give me something valuable for singing you such a wonderful song..."
"Ah, yes, I did!" Tiedoll agreed, elatedly. "The hand of my lovely son, Yu!"
"No!" Kanda yelled, snapping back to attention. "I will not agree to this!"
"You don't have a choice, Yu~" Tiedoll said, disturbingly sweet.
"Do I get a choice?" The young man asked, standing from the floor.
"Of course. Do you want to marry my son?" Tiedoll asked, pleasantly, as if he wasn't forcing his son into marriage.
"Well, of course! He's beautiful..." The traveler said, smiling. Kanda wanted to smack that smile right off his face, but his father soon blocked the man from view while ordering the servant standing in the corner of the room to call a priest to marry Kanda and the traveler.
This can't be happening, Kanda thought bitterly.
It was late in the evening as Kanda walked through a field with his new husband. After being forcibly married, Kanda had been told by his father that, now that he was married to a lowly traveler, he could not live in the castle and must stay with his husband. The walk to where the traveler lived had been quiet enough until the man decided to speak.
"Wow! I go looking for alms and I get a beautiful wife! I must be the luckiest guy in the world!"
"Don't call me that." Kanda snapped.
"What? A wife?" The traveler asked. "Well, that's what you are even if you're not female. The priest said so when he married us."
Kanda couldn't think of a rebuttal.
"Aw...lighten up, Yu!" The man said in what one would suppose to have been a half assed attempt to comfort his brooding wife.
"Don't call me that either!" Kanda snapped again.
The man smirked as if to taunt him. "I'm your husband, I can call you whatever I want."
Kanda bit back a string of curses and retorts; he knew they wouldn't do him any good. "And what do I call you?" Kanda wondered aloud.
"I go by my family name. You may call me that. It's Bookman, by the way." Bookman rattled on.
"Book. Man?" Kanda poked fun at the strange combination of the two words.
"Yep. So it'll be easy for you to remember." Bookman poked back. Kanda huffed out a breath and followed his husband.
Kanda decided to take the time to look around at the meadow they were walking through. It was beautiful with lush, green grass and tufts of rare flowers all over. Being the materialistic and shallow person he was, Kanda immediately wondered what kind of person owned this lovely area. He decided to ask Bookman. "So, Bookman, do you happen to know who owns this field we're walking through?"
Bookman gave a brilliant smile, but there was a familiar hint of mischief in his eyes. "These lands belong to the good King Lavi."
"King Lavi?!" Kanda shrieked in surprise. That man I called King Redbeard?! "Are you telling me that such a young king who dresses so terribly owns this land?" A slight look of offense crossed Bookman's face before he nodded in the affirmative.
Kanda was silent for a while after that from both the shock and the shame of his mistake in assuming the young king had nothing to offer him. Not long afterward, the pair came to a small but prosperous town. Even though Kanda didn't like people, as a rule, even he was pleased to see how happy the people were there. Children played in the streets and happy families and even single people walked by as if without a care. There didn't seem to be any homeless people cluttering the streets which was one of the many complaints Kanda always had when visiting someplace. At the edge of town stood a large and magnificent castle.
"So who does this town belong to?" Kanda asked, quietly, after wondering for a moment if it would damage his pride too much to ask and deciding that it would not.
"Why," Bookman sighed, "It belongs to the ruler of these lands, King Lavi." Though Kanda couldn't tell, Bookman shifted his head slightly so he could see his reaction.
At this point, Kanda was past stunned; he was livid. His surprise and embarrassment quickly turned to frustration and anger. And to think that if he had agreed to marry that shabby and annoying (but still strangely charming) king, he would be in a palace right now being waited on and in a relationship with a powerful monarch. Instead, he was traveling a long distance on foot with a singer who was now acting as if he were his equal.
"If only I had married King Redbeard." Kanda said, using his personal nickname for the now unattainable man. The words were quickly followed by something that sounded like a groan and a growl combined. Were he paying attention to his husband, he would have seen the calculating look upon the other man's face.
After yet more time walking and several more promises from Bookman saying that they were almost there, they weaved their way through a lush and prosperous field of wheat. Hard working farmers flitted from one row to another as they gathered the precious resource into bundles.
"Before you ask, yes, someone owns this field and, yes, that person is King Lavi." Bookman turned to Kanda with a wry smile. "Or, as you call him, King Redbeard."
The former prince felt properly chastised. "I wish I had married King Lavi..." Kanda began to mourn, but was promptly silenced by a hand connecting with his cheek. Bookman had slapped him, not too hard, but enough to shock Kanda into silence. Surprised, the raven haired man held his cheek and looked, wide-eyed, at the red haired man before him.
Bookman had a severe look on his face that was so out of place with him that it chilled Kanda to the bone. "I've had enough! I don't want to hear anymore of you wishing for another man! Am I not good enough for you?"
He seemed to be awaiting an answer, but Kanda just stared at him in shock. He hadn't expected this from the man whom he had already grown to know as laid back. This was also the first time a man he had abused had called him out on it. Usually they either take his words with pursed lips or stomp off angrily, they had never been man enough to...
"So, how long until we get to where you...uh, where we live?"
Bookman silently chuckled thinking that Kanda might be coming around. "We'll be there soon. It's not much further and then I can show you around our love shack."
"What the fuck did you just call it?!"
"Our love shack where we'll sleep together and love each other and have our kids!"
"I'm a guy!" Kanda bristled, bristling more when he heard Bookman emit another of his hushed chuckles. After continuing in silence for a while, finally the two came upon a tiny, decrepit cabin.
"We're here!" Bookman proclaimed. He waved one hand at the hovel theatrically and ushered Kanda towards the door.
"What?! This hovel? This is where you live? This is where you want me to live?"
"Yessir!" Bookman replied in that annoyingly happy tone. Before Kanda could protest again, Lavi had dragged him into the house.
It really is a shack. Kanda thought. Looking around, he saw that the home was smaller than he could imagine.
One room, which they were standing in now, that seemed to act like a multipurpose room and another room connected to the larger room by a doorway in the corner. Just the doorway; no door. The building as well as the furniture inside looked homemade. The tools and furniture that he couldn't have made looked cheap.
Most of the small room was taken up by a small table and a fire pit with a cauldron over it. A few baskets here and there held simple ingredients. Fruits that weren't in good condition. Potatoes with roots coming out of them, deformed carrots and other vegetables that looked like they needed to be scrubbed to death to be moderately edible. Some loaves or hunks of bread were in another basket. Some of them, like the cheese Kanda noticed sitting on the table, had spots of mold growing on them.
"So, this is our kitchen." Bookman said, gesturing to the area Kanda had been staring at. "Over there is the sitting room," Bookman pointed to the opposite side of the room where nothing was. Kanda thought it could be a sitting room just like it could be any other room because there were no identifying features for it! "but the only chairs we have are for the dining table so you can either drag one over or sit on the floor, if you like."
"How can he be so upbeat living in this poverty?" Kanda wondered to himself before he was jarred from his musings by an answer.
"Well, it's easy 'cause it's all I've ever known. And it helps that I've got a great sense of humor!"
Crap! Kanda snapped. He hadn't realized that he'd said his thought out loud.
Bookman turned to Kanda and surprised him with a sympathetic look. "And you'll learn to like me and this house too. I know you will."
Kanda's breath stuck in his throat. For the slightest of moments, he was captivated by his husband. He almost felt comforted.
Bookman's personality then went back to normal and, offering to show Kanda the bedroom, ushered the raven haired man through the doorway in the corner. Trying not to display his surprise and anger at how Bookman just went back to how he was talking before and acting like he'd never said anything strange, Kanda pasted a look of irritation onto his face.
The room was so small, that the two could barely stand in it with the bed. The pathetic excuse for a bed, by the way, was a small cot on the floor with a single blanket and pillow. There was a chest in the corner and Bookman waved to it explaining that it held his clothes.
He has so few clothes that they can all fit in that tiny chest? Kanda thought with derision.
"But that's enough of that." Bookman said, turning to look Kanda in the eye.
Kanda held his breath in surprise. Compared to his earlier cheerfulness and overall look of idiocy, Bookman now had a quite serious look on his face. This was new for Kanda and, he had to admit, rather unsettling. He hadn't time to think about if his insecurity showed on his face before Bookman's next words came and left Kanda even more surprised.
"It's been a long day and I think it's time you made dinner." Bookman gave an easy smile, but his eyes still seemed commanding and decisive.
"Wha-what?!" Kanda spat. He didn't know how to cook dammit! That was servant's work! Sure, there was no way a man as clearly poor as this one was would have servants, but then he should do the cooking. Kanda thought himself much too regal to be stooping to his (shudder) husband's level, but Bookman seemed to have other plans.
"You are my wife now. Your job is to work, cook and clean. It's as simple as that." Bookman stated as if it were obvious.
"I will not!" Kanda huffed, insulted at the very idea of this man expecting him to work.
"Fine." Bookman relented easily. Too easily, in Kanda's opinion, and he was proven right not a second later. "But if you want food, you'll have to make it yourself. You don't cook, you don't eat, but that's your choice."
Kanda was left with his mouth gaping open like a fish at this. He was definitely stubborn and would have likely still denied the idea of cooking even at the expense of dinner, but his stomach decided to pick that moment to growl. Kanda knew he was hungry and he also knew that no matter what he said, he wouldn't win the argument, not if it was with that man.
"You say that." Kanda ground out, frustrated and more embarrassed than he had ever been in his entire life. "But I don't know how to cook; I've never had to!"
Bookman had a look of disbelief on his features before resignation took it's place. "Alright, then. I'll teach you, but just this once so pay attention.
Bookman reached into the fireplace and moved the wood inside around so that the mostly burned wood would be underneath the more untouched wood. He t lit the fire and, after a moment, placed a cauldron of water over it and brought the water to a boil. He put vegetables and some meat in the cauldron and sat back.
"There." Bookman said. "Now all you have to do is wait for the food to finish cooking and we'll have some soup."
"A lousy soup." Kanda grumped, but quickly quieted when he saw the look his new husband shot at him. Then Bookman proceeded to build the fire and place a pot on a hook so that it would heat over the fire. Afterwards, Bookman put chopped vegetables and a small amount of meat in the pot and stirred it slightly.
Bookman turned back to Kanda. "Alright, I prepared dinner for you. I hope you were paying attention because you're doing it yourself tomorrow. Now, you mind the pot while I go buy some pottery for reselling at the market."
"Selling pottery?! But that's commoners work!" Kanda cried, indignantly. "No husband of mind will be doing that!"
"That's good because you'll be doing it."
"What?!" Kanda cried, indignantly.
"You. Will. Be. Doing. It." Bookman enunciated slowly as if he was mocking Kanda even as his face lacked the proper emotion. "Since you cannot seem to do hard labor, you will have to sell at the market."
"Don't be stupid. I will do no such thing!" Kanda protested.
"Well, it's either work or you starve." Bookman said simply. Kanda was at a loss for words at this statement and his eyes practically bugged out of his head. The light that lit up in Bookman's eyes proved that he thought Kanda's face a rather comical sight. "I can't work and sell at the market at the same time. If we don't sell anything, we won't have money to eat. We barely have for that as it is."
Bookman was speaking quite rationally and Kanda was starting to panic. "But I haven't worked before."
"So you'll learn."
"What if someone there recognizes me? I'll be a laughingstock! I know of many people who would find my unluckiness quite amusing."
A steely look came into Bookman's eyes as his abundant patience was beginning to dwindle. "I don't suppose you'd find starvation preferable?"
Kanda made his hands into fists and stared angrily at the floor. After a moment of silence, Kanda replied. "Fine. I'll go." Kanda was surprised when he was rewarded with a quick kiss on the cheek. When Bookman moved away, Kanda placed a hand over the spot on his cheek, blushing slightly.
"Good boy." Lavi said with a gentle smile; a warmth that reached all the way up to pool in his eyes.
Kanda stuttered indignantly, but found he couldn't entirely hate the feeling. Bookman stared at him another second or two before he crossed the room, picked up a bag and left the house, presumably to go on his errand. Kanda remained standing there in the same position before the loud bubbling of the pot brought him out of it. Focus! Kanda snapped to himself.
So, Kanda tried his best to watch the pot and then he began trying to work out how to weave a basket. He had seen poor people on the roadside weaving basket, on occasion, but he'd never paid much attention to what they were doing. He grabbed the fronds roughly and bent them forcefully backwards. They wouldn't bend completely, though, and he had to exert a lot of force to keep them from snapping back. This caused them to dig harshly into his fingers and cutting them.
Though he tried and tried, Kanda was hardly able to get any of the basket made (whatever he successfully made was not made well) before he gave up in a fit of rage. Throwing the unfinished and poorly made basket on the ground, Kanda gave a start as he remembered the pot full of soup. Turning to it quickly, he saw that the fire had gone out.
Sticking his finger in the water, Kanda found that the fire had been out for quite some time and the broth was cold. Tears of frustration silently fell from his eyes as he bunched his hands into fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms and the muscles in his hands started hurting. Bookman chose to come home at that very moment. He came in carrying a heavy bag of pottery.
His initially cheery expression immediately changed to one of disbelief and annoyance. "What are you doing? Why is the fire out?" He demanded, going over to the pot. Kanda noticed, vaguely, that even when angry, Bookman's steps were light and soundless.
Bookman stirred the pot, looking inside. "And the food is only half cooked." His eyes drifted to the floor. "You haven't even weaved a single basket! You're an adult, but you're more helpless than most children! You can't be this useless!"
Kanda didn't say anything back. When Bookman saw that Kanda even refused to look at him, he craned his neck to get a look at Kanda's face. He noticed the slight quivering of Kanda's frame and the tears making lines down his wife's cheeks. The anger he had felt building all vanished in a second, guilt taking it's place.
"I'm sorry." Bookman said, quietly. He placed his hand under his wife's chin and, with a little bit of force, brought Kanda's head up so his eyes could meet. Kanda's eyes widened and, despite his upset, felt himself fall into those eyes that were his husband's. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I didn't mean it."
Bookman took both of Kanda's hands in his own, meeting with no resistance, and rubbed them with his thumbs. They felt strange to him and he peered down at them and saw the scratched he got from the reeds. "You tried really hard, didn't you?" Kanda nodded deeply while biting his lip.
"Come along." Bookman said, gently. "I've gone and got the pottery now so I can help you cook." Saying that, the two sat down together and resumed cooking the meal. Together, they finished cooking without incident.
"This is bland." Kanda monotoned after he spooned a bit into his mouth. "Don't you have any spices? What about salt?"
"Salt? Spices?" Bookman scoffed, spooning soup ravenously into his mouth. "We haven't any money for luxuries like that!"
"Oh, right..." Kanda said, dejectedly. "I'd forgotten."
"Don't worry, Yu. You'll get used to it soon enough." Bookman said, comfortingly.
Once they finished dinner, Bookman led Kanda to the back room to go to sleep. Bookman slipped into the bed laid out on the floor and Kanda slid in with him with very little hesitation as he was too tired to fight or complain. Bookman fell asleep instantly and the sound of his snoring filled the small, empty room. Kanda was kept awake in the uncomfortable atmosphere.
Kanda was used to having a large room to himself. He was used to sleeping in a big, soft bed with many pillows and sheets. He was used to luxury. Even though he was more tired this night than he had ever been, sleep seemed impossible. He slept on the hard floor with barely anything under him and sharing it, no less, with a man that snores. Fresh tears began to pool in his eyes as he wondered about his fate. Finally, sleep took him and his problems melted away with his consciousness.
The next morning, Booman gave Kanda the pottery, a blanket to lay them out on and told him to set up near the other sellers.
"Is that all?" Kanda hesitantly asked. He wasn't sure about this.
"That's all." Bookman said with authority.
Bookman gave Kanda a bit of bread for lunch, met with many complaints about the patheticness of it, and sent him off to the market. Upon reaching the market, Kanda saw more people than he expected, spread out along the ground, selling their wares.
They're all poor, of course. Kanda thought to himself before deflating upon the realization that he was now poor as well. Kanda cringed looking at them. They were all filthy; both them and their clothes were covered thickly in dirt. As he came nearer to the center of the market, some of them called out to him.
"Here, come sit by us. This is a fine spot." An elderly man said, pointing to a spot near himself.
Kanda was appalled at being called out to by such a shabby person. "You surely are not talking to me." It was a statement, not a question.
"But of course." The old man replied, surprised at Kanda's tone. "You're new, I think, so I'm sure you could use the help. Why, you're a very handsome young man, aren't you?"
Paying no mind to the complement, Kanda huffed indignantly and stomped off. There was no way he was going to stomach speaking to, much less sitting with, those riff raff. Sitting at the very edge of the market, near the street, Kanda checked to make sure he was a proper distance away from the filthy people before sighing in relief and setting up his wares.
Once all the pottery was laid out on the blanket Bookman gave him, he sat down next to it. Kanda let his hair down from his ever present ponytail, using it to shield his face from view, and bent his head down to further hide himself. He was tired from his walk into town, but he couldn't rest. Even though he wasn't in his father's kingdom, Kanda could not completely write off the risk of someone recognizing him.
Kanda didn't think he could stand the disgrace nor the humiliation if members of the higher class were to see him like that. Kanda was beginning to wonder how he was going to sell his wares. What am I going to do? I don't know anything about selling! Just as Kanda began to mourn, one of the people walking by stopped to look at the pottery.
Kanda wanted to see what kind of expression his first customer had, which was only mildly interested, and looked up inadvertently allowing the man a view of his face. The man's face practically lit up when he caught sight of Kanda's handsome face. Kanda inwardly smirked when he saw that the man was clearly impressed, this being the first time in a while he was feeling the praise he was used to.
"You're a very handsome boy, aren't you?" The man exclaimed as it didn't sound like a question. "How much is this vase?" He meant the piece of Bookman's pottery that he was now holding in his hands.
"Uh..um..uh..." Kanda mumbled. Crap! I don't know how much these things cost!
"Will this do?" The man pulled a few ducats out of his purse and presented them to a very surprised Kanda. In his shock, Kanda put out his hand and let the man drop the coins in. The man was offering him money, unprompted, because he was pleased with Kanda's looks. Kanda couldn't have been more pleased; he thought it would be harder than this. "Well, I guess a little more wouldn't hurt." The man amended amended and then proceeded to drop a few more coins into Kanda's still open hand.
"T-Thank you." Kanda said, quietly, before becoming shocked at what had just come out of his mouth. He'd rarely ever said thank you to anyone in his entire life, much less to a commoner. He wasn't as disgusted as he thought he would be. That didn't mean, however, that he had any intention of ever repeating the experience.
As if the man's words caused the people around suddenly took notice of Kanda's extraordinary looks, Kanda was now the center of attention. The villagers gathered around and took turns buying pieces of pottery and paying whatever they could stand to. Everyone wanted to help the beautiful boy and Kanda was feeling very prideful.
In that moment, a soldier in a horsedrawn cart came speeding down the street. Because Kanda had set up the pottery right on the side of the road, the prince found his wares right in the path of the cart.
"No!" Kanda cried, knowing what was going to happen.
As the cart roared closer, one of the bystanders reached out to Kanda and pulled him back. They got him to a safe distance just as the cart shot by, running over the pottery and sending clay shards flying everywhere. Kanda quickly put his hands up to keep the flying chunks of dried clay from cutting his face. The sound of that horrific cart fleeing into the distance caused Kanda to remove his hands from his eyes.
"Are you okay?" The man who had saved Kanda asked, worriedly.
Growling angrily, Kanda wrenched himself out of the man's grip and ran back to the blanket. The blanket of pottery was now ripped and torn, dusted with clay dust and smothered in broken clay fragments. What am I going to do now? That damn man won't be pleased..
Bookman was indeed not pleased. When Kanda went back that day and presented the broken remains of the unsold pottery, telling him of what happened, Bookman was livid.
"Do you know how much time and money went into those?!" Bookman cried, angrily.
"It wasn't my fault! It was that damn soldier who ran over them! He should have looked where he was going, he was coming down the road dangerously fast!" Kanda defended, indignantly.
"And why were you so close to the road?" Bookman didn't miss a beat. "Why didn't you set up near the other sellers?"
"I-I..." Kanda stammered, lowering his head in shame. Somehow, his reasoning sounded so much more senseless out loud. "They were so dirty, I didn't want to associate with them."
That is what seemed to have made Bookman snap. Bookman grabbed Kanda's shoulder with a very firm (almost painful) grip and drew him sharply closer so that their faces were nearly touching. In this position, Kanda had no choice but to look Bookman in the eye and Bookman was able to increase the air of authority he gave off.
"Are you really that useless?!"
"You can hardly expect me to deal with those people!" Kanda yelled back.
"That is a very foolish attitude!" Bookman said, sternly.
Kanda opened his mouth to retort back, but found he had nothing to say. He knew Bookman was right (even though he wouldn't admit it) and it upset him. They stayed like that for a while, in close proximity, staring in each other's eyes. For that one point in time, Kanda felt that they could see into each other.
Kanda was very remorseful of what he had done, of what his pride had made him do. "Sorry." Kanda mumbled, looking downwards. Kanda found himself afraid his husband would make him go out selling again.
"I forgive you." Bookman said, gently. And then, in his usual fashion that almost made Kanda think he could read minds, said, "You don't have to worry. I knew you didn't want to go out today so I went to the castle after you left and asked if you could have a job working in the kitchen.
Working in the castle kitchen? Kanda was embarrassed about how happy he was to have a job that he had not long ago thought of as the lowliest job imaginable. Kanda was a little apprehensive about being anywhere near where King Lavi is, but he wasn't worried that the King would see him there. After all, what reason would he ever have to visit a kitchen? Working there would at least be less public than selling at the market, so Kanda allowed himself to be happy about it.
Kanda looked up at Bookman and contemplated thanking him. He wanted to, but wasn't sure if he could overcome his pride to do it. Thankfully, Bookman seemed to again know exactly what he was thinking.
"Your welcome." He smiled, brightly, and placed his hand on Kanda's head. Normally, Kanda would duck away from someone's hand if they touched his hair, but he didn't actually mind it so much when his husband did it.
The next day, Bookman walked Kanda to the castle and gave him a goodbye kiss on the cheek. The guards at the castle, after asking Kanda what his business was, led him to the servant's entrance to the kitchen. Kanda kept his head down until he was inside the kitchen.
Kanda stood still in the doorway, taking everything in. He had never really been in the kitchen of his own castle nor the ones of any kings he and his father had visited. Like many things, Kanda was beginning to notice, he simply took it for granted that he would never have to.
The place was small and cramped, not that that meant there weren't many servants in there. Quite the opposite, actually. There were a great many people packed into the place. A lot of them were servers or running errands. These people rushed in and out of the doors, picking things up or putting things down and then leaving as fast as they came.
The few that stayed in the kitchen looked to be the chef and a few others who were fussing with the food and other things. A young man was taking a bucket of water, pouring it into a cauldron over a fire and then going outside to draw some more from the well. An old woman stood beside the cauldron, adding meat and vegetables into it. The chef stood over a countertop, chopping food and mixing things like bread dough in bowls.
Kanda closed his eyes, tilted his head back and sniffed the air. It smelled so good in the kitchen. After having spent the last few days in a dusty decrepit shack, he had barely eaten enough to get by, much less engage in the scrumptious culinary cuisine that he used to. He missed it and even just the smell of the king's feast cooking was a very pleasant and welcomed notion.
Eventually, one of the staff noticed him standing in the doorway. "You the new worker coming in today?" The man who must have been the chef asked. Kanda merely had the presence of mind to give a shy nod of his head in answer to the man's question.
"Well," The man perked up. "It's good you're here, we could use your help."
Kanda was surprised at the suggestion that they needed his help, but walked over, nonetheless. The man handed Kanda a bag of potatoes and a small paring knife (not that Kanda knew that there were different "kinds" of knives, much less what kind of knife it was) and ordered him to peel all of them.
At first, Kanda had no idea how to do any peeling. He explained this to the cook, but the man simply said not to be absurd, that he would just have to figure it out and that he had a job to do and he could not afford to spend time "babysitting'. Kanda was left not knowing what to do, but he was used to learning on the job thanks to Bookman, who pushed him to do many new things. Because of this, he was able to (almost) calmly begin teaching himself to peel potatoes.
For a while, Kanda's peeling was a little choppy and he ended up removing a lot of the potato along with the skins. After a while, though, Kanda was starting to get better, removing less and less of the actual potato. By the time he was done, Kanda was doing much better than when he started out. He was rather pleased with himself. But there's no rest for the weary and the chef had no shortage of tasks for Kanda to do. Preparing food and running it to other members of the staff, bringing firewood and keeping the fire and even mopping the floors on occasion.
After a few hours, Kanda began to feel lightheaded. Kanda hadn't been eating much at home. While Bookman always hungrily shoveled food into his mouth, Kanda would pick at his slop and barely eat enough. He was far too used to eating the best of all his favorite dishes to be enticed by whatever his husband could scrounge up on a daily basis. Especially the first few days, he was too prideful and spiteful at his forced spouse to eat the food.
This was all beginning to take it's tole on Kanda who had to carry heavy items from one place to another without having eaten sufficient food. Some of the other kitchen staff began to notice Kanda's struggle to stay on his feet.
"I know it's hard work and you're tired, but we all have to do it too." One of the servants said, but Kanda didn't get to say anything back because he passed out immediately after that. It was only for a brief moment, but his vision blacked out and Kanda's legs gave way, he wasn't awake enough to feel himself hit the floor.
"He fainted!" The cook said, startled. Rushing forward with everyone else in the kitchen, the cook knelt by Kanda's side. "Give him some room." The cook ordered, forcing the rest of the kitchen to step back a few paces. The cook then proceeded to take Kanda's face in his hands and lightly slap his cheeks to wake him up.
Groaning, Kanda's eyelids fluttered before opening. He was surprised to see a group of everyone that had been working with him in the kitchen now crowded around him. He made note of the concerned looks on their faces while gazing down at his form.
"He's awake…" The old woman sighed in relief.
"Someone go get him some water." The cook ordered.
"I'll get it!" The young man cried and ran to get some from the well. Coming back, he handed the cup to the cook who brought it to Kanda's lips and helped him drink. Kanda didn't know what to say to all of this kindness.
"Are you alright?" The cook asked. He smiled brightly upon receiving a nod from Kanda. "Good. Now you just rest for a while and we'll take care of your chores."
"No! I can't let you do that..." Kanda cried. "You're doing too much for me."
"Not at all." The cook waved the statement off. "We do things for each other around here. We always say we're like a family."
Like a family? Kanda thought that that sounded nice. Then Kanda realized something he had forgotten. "I'm Kanda. May I ask what your names are?" He tried not to sound as embarrassed as he felt for not having asked sooner.
The man didn't seem to notice. "I'm Jerry."
"My name's Johnny!" The young man cried. "And she's miranda." He said, pointing to the old woman who smiled shyly and his and waved.
"Now, who's going to take the first shift doing Kanda's work?" Jerry asked the room.
"I'll go first." Johnny said, picking up a broom.
"Then I'll go next." Miranda stated.
As everyone realized they were running late because of the disturbance, they all leaped back to their stations, Johnny going to continue sweeping where Kanda left off.
Watching them do this, it was like something heavy lifted away in Kanda. His pride wouldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth. "Thank you." Kanda breathed, more to himself. "Thank you all so much. I'm very grateful."
That night, Kanda helped Bookman prepare dinner using the things he'd learned working in the kitchen. When the food was done, Kanda ate plenty. Kanda ate until he felt his stomach starting to hurt.
"I'm glad you have a healthy appetite today. What brought this on?" Booman asked.
"If I don't eat, working becomes a lot harder than I would have imagined."
"Yes." Bookman readily agreed, smiling. "It is hard work, indeed. And you'll have plenty of work to do tomorrow."
"Why? What's happening tomorrow?" Kanda asked, looking up from his bowl in interest.
"Tomorrow King Lavi is getting married. The whole kitchen will be busy preparing the wedding feast."
"King Redbeard is getting married?" Kanda asked, his voice filled with nostalgia. He felt some of that familiar feeling of sadness that he had been so self-obsessed that he hadn't married the young king, but he was pleased to note that it was no longer regret.
Yes, while he didn't like the station he was in and missed his life of leisure, he knew that he dug his own grave. And, besides, over the days that he had spent living with Bookman, Kanda developed feelings for his husband that he hadn't thought possible. He was truly beginning to love his husband and he couldn't be happier. Kanda was sure now that he could be happy with this man even if he was not a noble with servants.
The next day, just as Bookman has said, the kitchen was bustling with servants running this way and that all trying, hurriedly, to complete their many tasks as quickly as possible. Kanda, himself, was running around clearing leftover food into the trash and generally cleaning everywhere. The chef was very nice and knew about how Kanda and Bookman didn't have much food or money so he gave Kanda a bag of leftover food and told him he could take it home.
"Hey, Kanda!" Johnny called from upstairs. "We need you to mop a little upstairs."
"I'll be right there!" Kanda called back, grabbing a mop and bucket and running upstairs. After mopping for a while, Kanda found himself outside of the door to the dining hall. The sound of clanking dishes, music and just fun reached Kanda. Kanda decided that he could take a small break and opened the door a crack to look in and watch. He looked in watching everyone eat and dance. It looked like a lot of fun and Kanda wondered how he could have taken it all for granted so much.
Suddenly, the door was opened wider. Stepping back in surprise and looking up, Kanda came face to face with King Lavi. Seeing the beautiful creature, King Lavi dragged an unwilling Kanda into the room, intending to dance with him. In shock, Kanda dropped his bag and all of the leftover food inside of it spilled out onto the floor. The surrounding nobles saw this and thought it funny. They all began laughing at Kanda's apparent scrounging for food.
Embarrassed, tears began to collect in his eyes and Kanda turned to run from the room is disgrace. He found, belatedly, that he could not run because King Lavi still had a firm grip on his arm. Kanda turned to the man to tell him to let go of his arm, but stopped short when he saw the look of regret on the King's face. Like he hadn't meant to embarrass Kanda. He just about fell into to King Lavi's eyes and he recognized something in them.
The man pulled Kanda into a hug, burying Kanda's face in his chest. "Sorry." He whispered in a way that would not have been audible if Kanda had not been pressed up against him.
"Why are you being nice to me?" Kanda asked before he stopped himself.
"Because I love you." King Lavi said. Kanda was about to retort that he had a husband, but King Lavi stopped him. "Do you not recognize me? I am the King, yes, but I am also the soldier with the cart that smashed your pottery." These words made Kanda angry and embarrassed which caused him to glare down at the ground, but King Lavi took Kanda's chin gently in his hand and forced Kanda's head back up and meet his eyes. "I am also your husband, Bookman."
Kanda's eyes grew wide at this development. He instantly recognized what he had seen in the King's eyes. It was the same captivating look he had always seen in the eyes of his husband.
"So was this all just a game to you?" Kanda demanded.
"No!" King Lavi cried, genuinely distressed. "I did this all only to teach you a lesson on how to treat people and to free you of your foolish pride."
Kanda moved his head back down trying to hide the feelings of shame and guilt that ended up showing on his face. The tears welling up in his eyes spilled over his cheeks. "How well you succeeded." He spoke, his voice choking up.
"Come now." King Lavi spoke gently. "Let there be no more crying. I am still your husband and you are still my wife. Now we can enjoy our wedding celebration. Everyone is here to celebrate with us." Upon hearing this, Kanda looked throughout the crowd and saw his father waving to him. His father had been notified the previous day about his son's change of heart and the man he had actually married. Tiedoll decided that all should be forgiven and attended the feast to give his blessing to the happy couple.
The couple's eyes met and they slowly moved towards each other, their lips meeting in a kiss. They had kissed many times, but this one was the first in which their lips touched. Moving slightly away from each other, the two knew that they could never be parted.
More servants came and brought beautiful gold colored silk robes for Kanda so that he again looked the part of the prince. Everyone ate and was merry and the party lasted well into the night. And I only wish that you and I could have attended the celebration as well.