Finally! We get to see some DIP in this chapter!
A Change Of Heart chapter 3
The queen's hair was a wisp of dark curls pulled back and bound by a golden net encrusted with gems. A jeweled tiara gleamed atop her head, it's sparkling emeralds a perfect match for her dazzling green eyes. Queen Liane Cartman must have had suitors gathering around her like crows on a corpse when she came of age to be wed. But like the vain woman she was, she waited until a king called upon her before she allowed herself to be taken.
But even at the raw age of fourteen, Kyle could see past her beauty. Queen Liane was not as sweet and kind as she seemed. She smiled a lot and pretended to be nice to everyone but the queen never even spared Kyle a single glance. The servants weren't worth her time. She dealt with them only when they brought her her food or when they helped dress her in the morning.
The queen didn't like to associate herself with the help, it seemed below her to waste her time with them. Along with blessing her with beauty, the Gods cursed her with her vain and self-centered personality. Excluding her precious son, queen Liane loved no one more then herself. Kyle doubted she even shed a single tear when the king died.
After getting to know the queen a bit more, Kyle was almost glad that her cruel son ran the kingdom in her stead. She would sooner sink the entire land into poverty then be a responsible ruler. Better a ruthless dictator rather then a queen that cared more about her hair then her subjects.
The thick, sweet soup that had been prepared for this mornings breakfast had already been taken away when the prince entered the dining hall. Despite the awkward encounter last night, the fat lord seemed in high spirits. Kyle could see the excitement in his round face as he came in and took his place next to his mother at the head of the long dining table.
"Eric..." The queen said with a warm, motherly smile when prince Cartman entered. The others who were sitting at the table, the five elderly members of the council, rose to their feet at the prince's arrival. He allowed them to sit back down as he took his own seat. "Be seated," he had said, sounding like a true prince. "I see you have all started without me. That is fine, just get me a plate before I starve to death."
'You of all people don't have to worry about that, lord piggy.' Kyle thought to himself as another servant began to bring out the next course; A large platter of ribs, roasted with plenty of seasonings and spices, just the way the fat little lord likes it. Judging by the way prince Cartman's mouth watered at the sight of food, Kyle decided that lord piggy was the best nickname for the fat young prince.
"The talk of the castle is that we will be visited by prince Damien this after noon, my lord." One of the old men said as they resumed eating. He was Marvin Marsh, the proud father and grandfather of two of the Kings Guard, Randy Marsh and Stanley Marsh. Those two were Cartman's most trusted knights who protect him and the royal palace. Marvin Marsh was believed to be the oldest man in the whole kingdom, if not the whole world.
"He is the prince of a neighboring kingdom, if I'm not mistaken. Tell me, is this meeting about opening up trade with them?" The old man asked while chewing bits of food in his almost completely toothless mouth.
At this, prince Cartman slumped his shoulders and gave a wry smile to the old man. "Is it so wrong for two old friends to get together every now and then? Even though there are our princely duties to attend to first, I plan to make the most of this visit. For once I wanna be like a normal fifteen year old and have a little fun." He waved a chubby hand dismissively. "Though I don't know how much fun we'll have if he'll be bringing that blasted consort of his."
From his spot in the back of the dinning hall, Kyle could see that his lord seemed very excited about this visit. It was clear from that bent grin of his and the redness of his cheeks. He wondered what this other prince was like and what kind of relationship he had with Cartman. He just hoped that this prince Damien wasn't as cold and ruthless as prince Eric was.
Kyle had been serving the three of them tea in the sitting room when Cartman had 'volunteered' him to escort prince Damien's consort around the castle while the two of them disgust business matters. He had no choice but to bow his head and lead the blond consort out of the room and down the hall to begin their little tour of the palace. Kyle barely said a word to the blond, but luckily he made up for that by talking none stop.
The consort was a slim, fair-haired boy with bright blue eyes that chattered constantly as they walked.
Kyle learned everything he needed to know and more about prince Damien from the boy's gabbing. The consort, Pip, was apparently Damien's favorite servant. But Kyle could have guessed that on his own by the way the other prince held him close. This is the first time Damien had let Pip out of his sight since they got here. And the foreign prince muttered his name so lovingly it was almost too sickeningly sweet.
And judging by his talk of the prince, Pip seemed to be rather fond of him as well.
"Damien is so rich that even his stable boys are paid in silver!" Pip gushed to the redhead."He has thousands of knights and soldiers, all sworn to protect him. Their loyalty to the kingdom goes without question. Damien and his family would sooner die of old age before an enemy would be able to get through their army and get to the castle!"
"And his palace is huge! Much bigger then this one, with hundreds of rooms that aren't even in use. All the gold in the world couldn't fill his castle." He went on and on about his prince and how wonderful their palace and kingdom was. The blond boy's talking was becoming more tiresome then the long walk throughout the castle. Kyle couldn't imagine a castle even bigger then prince Cartman's palace.
And there was much more talk about the prince then just his castle, like how strong and handsome he was, how he was a great rider, fierce and fearless in sword fighting he was and not to mention his amazing archery. The list went on and on, as did the boy's senseless rambling.
While the blond consort spoke, Kyle said nothing, just listened and silently agreed. Prince Damien Thorne was tall and dressed like a shadow in the night in all his dark robes and sashes that draped over his broad, heavy shoulders. He had flashing golden eyes and a sharp smile that cut through his chiseled face like a knife. Unlike Cartman, Damien looked like a true prince.
Pip, in his light robe made of white silk that was trimmed with black and gold sashes, was Damien's exact opposite. The two of them seemed to contrast in every way, it was a wonder to Kyle how two people so different could be so close.
A question suddenly popped into his head and forced it's self out of his mouth, cutting off the blond mid sentence. "Uh, hey. If you don't mind me asking, how did you and Damien get so close?" Pip blinked before his lids fell half way over his eyes and a gentle smile took over his face. The sudden change in expression worried Kyle for a moment. He feared that he had said something to upset the blond.
He was about to apologize and dismiss the question when the blond consort finally answered. "Awhile back, when I was a kid, I stole a necklace and was taken before the king to confess to my crimes and await punishment. In our kingdom, people get both their hands cut off for such a crime, no matter how young and poor you are." He explained to Kyle and the redhead stupidly checked if Pip had both his hands.
"Right before his father passed judgment on me, Damien stood up from his seat beside the king and offered me a deal that changed my life. He said that he will spare me if I come and be his own personal servant." Pip's broad smile returned to him just then and his cheeks flushed pink. "I agreed, of course, and that's where our friendship started."
He giggled then, cupping his flushed cheeks with both hands. "Then, just a few years ago when me and Damien came into our age, the beginning of our 'courtship' started." Kyle had not a clue what the blond was saying but chose to wait for him to explain and ask questions later. "The king didn't mind, he had plenty of male consorts in his time. We were free to 'play' as much as we wanted."
Kyle gaped at this. "'play?' You mean that you and prince Damien 'play' together?" He still had no idea what it meant, especially after last night, but maybe he could get the information he needs from Pip here. Kyle waited eagerly for Pip's response. He couldn't believe it but he actually wanted the blond to talk more.
Pip cast his eyes down in embarrassment. "Well yes, but please, do not look down on me for that. It is only-"
"No, no," The redhead interrupted him again, this time he did it defensively. He didn't want to offend the boy, especially since he might be able to tell him what "playing" means. "I'm not going to look down upon you, I just want to know more about this 'playing' thing. I hear so much about it that..." He was suddenly to embarrassed to say anything else. Everyone else knows what it means, he must look so foolish right now.
"I thought prince Eric 'played' with all his servants." Long blond locks of hair tumbled over his face when Pip tilted his head at Kyle curiously.
"Well," He trailed off a bit. "It seems like he 'plays' with all the female maids, but not me. B-but he told me that he would one day...when I'm ready. But the thing is I think I am ready, though a little scared. But I really, really want to know what it's like!" Pip stared at him for a long moment, his eyes darting around his face, studying his expression.
Then he smiled coyly. "You want me to teach you some ways to get prince Cartman to want to 'play' with you?"
Kyle smiled back at him then, nodding his head excitedly. Determined, he agreed to be taught some 'bedside tricks,' as Pip called them, so that he could get Cartman to change his mind about waiting until he was ready to 'play' with him. But little did he know what he was agreeing to be taught. He would soon find out how unready he really was.
A/N: After re-reading this I realize how OOC Kyle seems in this. What do you all think? Did I OOC the characers too much?