Chapter Text
Sunlight dripped in through the windows, an unwelcome presence to the Derse Prince. His blonde hair shielded only a portion of the obnoxious rays. With a sigh he sunk deeper into the silk sheets, wishing he could shirk his duties and sleep for only five minutes more. Despite his wishes, the urge to start the day nags at him. Silently he rose from the bed. The pads of his feet touched the floor without a sound, as if he were a ghost. Sometimes he felt like an apparition. More than anything he wished he had the same freedom.
The freedom to move, and escape from this lifestyle. He resented such thoughts; The Prince wanted for virtually nothing, and lived, well, like a prince.
Glancing around his room, he watched as the fabric swayed with the wind. Dirk’s window faced the sea, where his familiar, Hal, often flew in and out to survey and hunt. His companion never tended to stray far. Dirk had grown rather fond of him. The bird himself was absent from his perch in the prince's room, prompting the boy to assume he was on patrol or stealing snacks from the local merchants. He wished the familiar wouldn’t do that; Dirk hated public appearances, but made several to stop the fishmonger from murdering the pest that he called his close friend.
The lilac hints of his room were complimented by Dirk's own design choices of seville orange, painting the walls and ceiling like effervescent constellations. His pale purple walls that bordered on white seemed to glow at night, accentuated by the warm hues Dirk had picked. Violet stained wood formed pillars that seemed to hold the corners of the room together with their hands, intertwining fingers with the crown molding of the ceiling. The soft breeze that made the sunlight dance through the curtain carried with it the smell of crashing sea just beyond the castle walls.
Gliding across the room, Dirk came to the wall closest to his bedroom door. There, the bell chains were mounted. Each chain was hand crafted and fed itself all throughout the house, to every room of the castle. The wires then led down to the servants hall, where the respective bells would ring. Tugging the chains, he alerted the staff that he was awake and awaiting assistance. He resisted the urge to sigh once more as he moved to sit at the foot of his bed, waiting for his valet to dress him.
The help arrived soon, knocking briefly, until Dirk announced that he was allowed to enter. At the door was a kind-hearted Prospitan boy. At first,many were not willing to allow a Prospitan to be alone with the Prince, scared of an assassination attempt. However, he had proven himself trustworthy, starting work as a footman, and eventually moving his way up by Dirk’s side. Dirk trusted him. As soon as the boy came into his life, he saw that the Valet was, in some ways, like him. He was talented, smart (and more unfortunately, naive) and sought approval from those around him, even if the Valet was much more obvious about it.
"Are you ready for the day, Sire?" John said, a slight whistle to his words. He flashed a gentle buck toothed grin at his royal counterpart.
Dirk tugged the corner of his lip upward in an attempt to show a hint of a smile, wondering how Egbert did it so easily.
"Yes, Egbert."
"You know, you can call me John, Sire."
"Ridiculous. Why should I throw out formalities when you insist on calling me 'Sire' and 'Your Highness' so fervently?" Dirk scoffed.
"Because it’s out of the question for me to do otherwise, Your Highness." A twinge of a smirk played at John's lips as he gazed at the prince. He was only a few years older, yet Prince Strider looked as if he had lived for centuries. His orange eyes reflected years of loneliness and unspoken pain that John only wished he understood.
"I suppose that holds some truth," Dirk looked thoughtful. He turned to face John.
"Egbert." Dirk gazed playfully at his valet, who merely rolled his eyes in response.
"Let's get you dressed so you're no longer my responsibility and I can return to my other duties." John huffed sarcastically. They never danced outside the platonic, rigid roles of their society, but John was lucky that Dirk saw potential in him and vouched for him.
Other Prospitian citizens were not so lucky, let alone royals. Most Citizens were taken forcefully and told to come quietly, or be a slave. Riots were bound to be an issue and thus The King had originally wanted all the Prospitian Royals executed, as a sign not to disobey their new ruler. The only issue there was Prospitian royalty was a heavily guarded secret, no one outside the royal family and Court recognized the Prince or Princess. They had slipped away undetected with the tide of commoners as the Derse invasion began. The Heir and Heiress were the only known royals and willingly kept good relations with the Dersite royal family.
John had opted for as peaceful a surrender as possible, but many of the Prospitan people were stubborn. They didn’t want to relinquish their history and lives to their conquerors. John, however, didn’t mind the demotion in his life. He felt as if his role as the Heir was a bit stuffy and too much pressure. Besides, people always tried to use him to meet the Prince, which he did not care for. He respected his friends' privacy and no one could change that. Not that it mattered much now after the invasion. Here he got a place to live, nice meals, and could even still see a majority of his friends without issue. He was out of the public eye. He could even try to influence the next generation of Derse Rulers to make it a better, kinder place for his past subjects. What was there not to love? In his opinion, it was a win-win in the long run.
Except for the fact his work was impeded by his immense and growing affection for his liege that no one could know about, for fear of being removed from his post at the castle. The King was not a kind man by any standards, though no one would dare say so aloud. He wasn't known as a very tolerant one either. To calm himself from the sensation of his heart clamoring towards his throat, John recited to himself some of the data he had begun to compile throughout his “employment” at the castle.
John Egberts Journal (Mental Vers.)
Derse had a complicated relationship with its monarchy.
No one knew the King's name, that much can be said right away. He ruled strictly but in a manner that allowed him to avoid ever leaving the castle itself. Whenever he appeared before his people, he wore a mask that wrapped around his face, tracing his cheekbones and extending out into spiked edges. It covered his eyes, and only the tops of his eyebrows could be seen, though they hardly moved. Everything about his appearance seemed to scream power and a silent warning of the danger of approaching him. However this image only conjured an air of mystery to him, which led to many theories. He was rumored to have eyes that could pierce even the most guarded soul, and possessed the charisma of a siren. Some said he was scarred horribly and hid them to not appear damaged. Others were sure that he was under a contract with a demon and hid his face to disguise the signs of other worldly power.John had only seen him in person twice now and both times he was wearing his mask, so he couldn't say much about such gossip.
After him there were two Princes, Dirk and David. David, or more casually per the younger royals request, Dave, was a kind soul. Often quiet and reserved like his older brother, the two were the picture of respectable royalty. Dirk was the next in line, An ideal Heir. Strong, Intelligent, Level Headed, and in his own ways, charming. He was known throughout the kingdom of Derse as the perfect image of his older brother. (A comparison both John and Dirk heavily disliked.) While Dirk often had to make public appearances here and there, Dave was kept in the castle at all times. No one asked why, as it was a direct order from the king that the boy stay within the walls. He was barely let onto the outer grounds. Dirk would bring him gifts and trinkets from the outside.
The female counterparts of their family, had no real possibility of gaining true power on the throne. Thus they served less traditional roles, Roxy being the kingdoms chief ambassador and alchemist, and Rose the one of the kings royal Seers and the Minister of Defense. The Lalondes were another powerful aristocratic family and married into the Strider Blood line within the last 100 years or so. Roxy, despite being the older of the two, was filled with a sense of wonder and insatiable excitement similar to that of a small child. Rose was however, more reserved and enjoyed analyzing everything with the critical eye she possessed. Each were exceptional in their respective fields, reknowned for their talents. John had spoken to the two several times throughout his service for the Dersite castle and its royal. Rose expressed a friendly interest in him and liked to discuss hypotheticals with him. Roxy often speaks in a rapid fire assault of words, as she describes her latest experiments and work with him. John often felt the whiplash of these fast paced conversations, or rather, long winded monologues about things John did not understand while he attempted to somewhat follow along. Despite the one sided nature of their conversations on her hobbies, their friendship was not alike in that regard. She was a loyal and fierce friend, and was one of the first Dersites to speak to him when he arrived, and made John feel welcome in a time where everything made him uneasy.
The sound of the Dirk’s voice cut through his mental dialogue, once again reminding John where he was and his job.
“Well Egbert am I getting dressed today or not?” Dirk huffed. While a perfectly formed pout was placed on his face, Dirk could barely keep the sarcasm and tease out of his tone.
“As if you were in any rush, I saw your longing looks towards the harbor when I entered, sire.” John stated.
“Fine I'll simply dress myself then.”
“Your Majesty I sincerely doubt you would know how to. The buttons may be too complex for someone so refined.” his oversized front teeth peeking out as he grinned once more.
“Then hurry up and do your duty before I have you reported for belittling the future king's intelligence. This transgression will not be forgotten Egbert. Expect repercussions down the line if this wrong isn't righted immediately,” The sarcasm in his tone palpable.
John smiled softly again once more before moving to the prince's closet. Throwing a glance over his shoulder to look at his liege, he spoke once more.
“Of course your Majesty, You have another big day ahead of you. I won't impede you further.”