Chapter Text
Robert enjoyed watching Aaron work.
There was something about Aaron pottering about in his bed chamber: tidying up, organising his clothes for the day, bringing him his breakfast, polishing his armour. The whole time he was busy, he’d be muttering under his breath about how Robert could have an army of servants but they’d still never get all of his tasks completed. And Robert loved sitting back in his chair or lying in his bed just watching. Not because he was cruel or wanted Aaron to run around after him (although sometimes he did enjoy that part), but because he just liked having Aaron’s presence nearby.
Robert might have been the Crown Prince of Camelot but Aaron was so much more than his servant. Aaron had saved his life from a sorceress several years ago and suddenly found himself in the coveted position of manservant to the Prince thanks to his father’s interesting ideas about ‘rewards’.
After a rather bumpy start to their relationship, where neither of the young men could actually stand the other, they’d actually found themselves becoming close. They were friends now. But secretly Robert had started to hope for more. He was sure he was falling in love with Aaron more and more each day and he was convinced that he saw the same feelings reflected back at him when he looked into Aaron’s striking blue eyes. Neither of them had acted on it. How could they? The massive barrier of their wildly different statuses was the first problem, but not the only one.
Robert knew how his father would react to any inkling of a relationship between his son and his manservant, and the consequences would be dire. At best, his father would be angry and tell him to end his ridiculous dalliance with his ‘bed-warming’ servant, as though that was all Aaron was (and they hadn’t even shared a bed, but his father would just assume): at worst, Aaron would be banished from the kingdom or even executed if his father was feeling particularly cruel that day. It would be worse that Aaron was male; his father would never allow such things to continue.
“I’ve laid out your ceremonial robes for this evening’s ball,” Aaron told him, interrupting his thoughts.
Robert rolled his eyes. He really didn’t want to make nice with visiting dignitaries and their entourages as they thrashed out land boundaries and cemented loyalties to the Kingdom of Camelot, but he knew what was expected of him.
‘You’re the Crown Prince, Robert. You must live up to the title.’ His father had reminded him enough times of his responsibilities. And it wasn’t that he didn’t understand all of that, but he didn’t always agree with his father’s methods and laws, so tension was often lingering between them.
He allowed his head to fall forward and smack against his desk. “I’m sick. I’m not going,” he mumbled against the wood.
Aaron chuckled. “Of course you’re going. I’ve washed and pressed your clothes now.” Like that was the deciding factor.
“It’ll be boring,” Robert continued to complain. “And if I have to make nice with Lord White for another minute of my life, I think I might die.”
“So dramatic,” Aaron said. “Isn’t it his daughter you need to watch out for?” He dropped a pile of folded clothes onto the desk near Robert’s head.
Robert groaned loudly. “I’m definitely sick.”
Aaron laughed brightly. “She can’t be that bad. I heard she’s quite beautiful.”
Robert lifted his head at that and looked up into Aaron’s eyes. They gazed at one another for a long moment: Aaron’s smile fading into something softer.
“I don’t care if she is,” Robert told him. “I’ve heard she’s quite the viper.”
“Well, you know your father will be looking for someone to match you up with. ‘A king needs a wife, Robert’,” he added in his best impression of the king.
“A king needs someone by his side that he loves and trusts, that can help him rule a kingdom,” Robert said simply.
Aaron tore his eyes away, focusing on the piles of clothes on the table top. He cleared his throat slightly. “I’m sure your father will have lots of people lined up for you to meet. You’ll have fun at the ball.”
“I’d rather stay up here with you for the evening.”
Aaron paused in turning away from the table. “You know you can’t. You have duties to the kingdom, sire.” He didn’t wait for a response from Robert, quickly picking up his empty breakfast tray and heading for the door.
Sighing, Robert watched him go. It had taken him months to get Aaron to use the correct formalities and titles when addressing himself or other members of the royal court when he had first taken his role as manservant (it seemed that he found it particularly hard to remember what to call Robert in those first few months, and Robert had been sure he’d heard some rather offensive names muttered under Aaron’s breath as replacements).
But as the years had gone by, Aaron had become a natural. In public or the presence of any of the more stuffy members of court, Aaron was always a model servant. Privately, when it was just the two of them, or they were with friendlier company such as his sister or Robert’s knights, Aaron usually just called Robert by his name, or occasionally something that was completely inappropriate to call a prince such as ‘idiot’, and Robert, surprising even himself, quite liked that. It said a lot about how far they’d come. But then, occasionally, something would happen and Aaron felt the need to solidify the fact that they were master and servant, and without even knowing what had happened, Robert would be back to ‘sire’ or ‘my lord’ and he hated it.
Robert didn’t think that Aaron was oblivious to the growing desire between them. He couldn’t possibly have mistaken the way that Robert looked at him sometimes. But it seemed that Aaron was the one who refused to let it go any further. He was always the one to halt Robert in his tracks if his words became too close to a declaration of any sorts.
Robert supposed Aaron had more to lose than him if things went badly between them or his father found out. Robert sleeping with his servant would be put down to a mere indiscretion, a young prince enjoying his freedom and getting his pleasure wherever he liked. For Aaron, the discovery of something going on between him and the Prince could mean the loss of his livelihood, exile or even death. Robert sighed again. Maybe when he was king, things would be different.
Robert had no idea that Aaron was terrified of getting any closer to him for an entirely different reason: fear that he would discover his most closely guarded secret. Aaron had magic.