Chapter Text
“I’m Asta, from Hage Village!” the small boy said, the large halls of the Silva castle feeling indescribably intimidating. He was in a ragged, annoyingly tight suit that his caretakers managed to make on short notice. Both of them were behind him and with heartbroken looks on their face, accepted a sum of money from one of the other servants. “I’m looking forward to working for you!”
An outsider might ask why a ten year old was being sold, let alone by people who seemed reluctant to give him up. The answer is of the child’s own volition. The boy had heard rumors of commoners being paid for extended servitude, and after another orphan had been left at their doorstep. Money was incredibly tight for the poor orphanage.
It took weeks of convincing his guardians to sell him, even if it was only for three years. A new mouth to feed as well as a bad harvest meant they had to consider any option, even one that would make them look like monsters. When Asta had been accepted into this bargain, even his brother Yuno had a rare cry, and couldn’t see him off. He had given everyone a big hug before they spent a day flying to the capital, and hugged both his guardians before they were ushered out of the castle.
The man who had met them was giving him a dirty look. The large braid that was hanging in front of his eyes making him look like an eagle eyeing up its prey. undeterred , he puffed out his chest and gave what he thought would be an appropriate response. He stuck his tiny hand up for a handshake.
“...What are you doing?” Nozel sighed, his expectation of this child not knowing proper etiquette being confirmed. Asta looked almost surprised that his greeting was the wrong one, and took back his hand before looking at the ground.
“Sorry…” he said quietly, Nozel catching that his hands were shaking.
“You will learn with time, come.” The man said, turning and walking down a pathway, Asta following as quickly as he could. “Your duties will consist of cleaning rooms you are assigned too, as well as following one of us as a personal assistant.”
“Yes sir!” Asta said, his voice echoing through the quiet halls and getting Nozel to stop.
“You will also learn to be quiet. And only speak when spoken too.” he said with a glare. The young boy tensing up in response. Nozel resumed walking and moved into a small side room, at least what Asta thought was a room.
It was closer to a broom closet, Asta looking at everything before Nozel took out his grimoire. Liquid metal jumping out of the book and sealing the door behind them.
“You will also have one special task, that you must not tell anyone about.” he said, Asta looking confused but remembering to stay quiet. “You will be the personal assistant to our youngest princess. Princess Noelle.” the boy nodded, his eyes filled with excitement.
“That will be the most important part of your term here.” he continued, Asta’s eyes widening with every word. “I will tell you more information should you succeed at assisting her with her training.”
“Traini-” Asta started to say before covering his mouth with his hands. Nozel sighing and kneeling down to match his eye level.
“You will report her progress to me, and only me.” he said, looking more awkward than Asta thought humanly possible. “For lack of a better term, become her friend. Your caretakers and I arranged the contract to only be nullified by me. When you’re with her, you may speak as you see fit. Understood?” Asta nodded enthusiastically. “...you can speak, you know?”
“Yes sir!” Asta said, his voice practically forcing the oldest Silva to smile. “I’ll be a good friend to her!”
“Good, now remember, speak of this agreement to no one.” He said, his magic retracting from the door. “I will explain more if you prove effective after one month.”
“Okay!” Asta said, Nozel sighing and giving him the universal quiet sign before opening the door and continuing on their way.
Noelle in the meantime was upset. Solid, in his eternal tormenting of her, had destroyed one of her favourite plush animals. She didn’t have anywhere close to the control she needed of her magic to stand up for herself, so all she could do is watch and cry.
She tried to hide that when the door to her lonely room opened up. Nozel standing looking as cold as ever. Most likely to scold her for something Nebra had lied about. What she didn’t expect was the bright eyed ashen blond child next to him.
The suit was tacky, and he looked incredibly out of place in it.
“Noelle, from today onwards you shall have a personal servant.” he said, his voice as cold as the liquid metal he commanded. He almost didn’t seem to notice her red eyes from crying. “Use him as you see fit.”
And with that, the door closed leaving both children alone. Asta, momentarily forgetting his place practically oohed and awed at the size of the room. Noelle tried to wipe away her tears, but that just caught Asta’s attention.
“Are you okay?” he said innocently, like he had forgotten where he was all of a sudden. Noelle doubled her efforts to regain composure as he walked towards her massive bed.
“Be quiet, insect!” she said, trying to fill her words with enough authority to make Asta stop. He didn’t stop, Noelle instead catching his face being full of concern.
“I’m not an insect!” he laughed, Nozel had warned him she might be a bit… abrasive. “I’m Asta, from Hage Village!” He gave his biggest smile, hoping it’d help her relax. “I’m gonna be your friend!”
She looked confused, Asta mentally chewing himself out for blowing part of what Nozel had told him so early.
“Whatever,” she said, pulling a blanket over herself. “Go get me water, insect.”
“Okay!” Asta said happily, opening the door to the hall and doing his best to remember where Nozel had told him food and water for the royals were kept.
It took him roughly ten minutes to get a cart with a water jug on it. But he also took time to get a sandwich for Noelle. Something was bugging her and maybe eating would help. He was good at this.
At least he thought so, Nozel was nearby and saw him pushing a cart with a sandwich the size of a person's head and carefully put a hand on his forehead.
‘Calm down Nozel,’ he thought, Asta humming as he maneuvered the door to Noelle’s rom open and pulled the cart inside. ‘This will work out, this will definitely work out. There will be no downsides.’
Noelle in the meantime was looking at the mess of what seemed to be everything a kitchen would have that was edible between two loaves of bread. Ast abeaming as he poured her a cup of water.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat so I brought everything I could reach!” he said with a huge smile. The princess looked in disgust at the Everything Sandwich. Meat, vegetables, what appeared to be a whole pear and a mess of condiments should’ve made her appetite run for cover.
But no, her stomach growled right as Asta handed her the water, still giving a huge smile as her cheeks flushed. She reached for one of the few things that wasn't covered in ketchup and mustard, a stem of grapes. Asta however, trying to do his absolute best, grabbed them first and put them on the plate he brought.
“Thank you, insect,” she said, giving him an unamused glare. He seemingly took the insult in stride and gave a huge smile. It was almost infectious as Noelle’s lips started to curl into a smile at Asta’s pout.
“My name’s not Insect, my name’s Asta!” he said, a little more forcefully.
“Dumbsta,” Noelle responded in between bites of her food.
“Asta,”
“Dorksta,”
“ASSSS-TAAAAAA,” he enunciated, both of them now laughing a bit at the childish teasing. Noelle shifted on her bed as she picked out the edible parts of the meal. Asta watched, Nozel had told him not to eat unless it was his meal time.
So while the princess focused on his awesome spread of food, he looked around the room from where he stood. This one bedroom was almost as big as the church he grew up in, but it was surprisingly empty. He tried to think of the toys back home, and somehow he had more than her. The boy decided not to ask, he could at least see a few toys on her bed.
“You may take this away now, Dorksta,” Noelle said, anything not covered in mustard now being eaten. He snapped to attention and took the cart back towards the door.
“I’ll be right back, Noelle!” he said happily, the princess felt her cheeks flush a bit. She pretended nothing happened before shifting on her bed again. The destroyed rabbit plush sitting sadly next to one of her pillows.
“Why today…” she muttered, the energy to try and maintain a royal’s professional attitude was failing. First Solid attacks her for eating at the same time as her, destroys one of her last toys, and now Nozel shows up with a peasant child who was more than likely there to appease her in some way. The princess rummaged in a drawer close to her bed, pulling out a light blue thread and needle. If the servants weren’t going to try and help her, she would have to take matters into her own hands.
Even if it did mean she got pricked once or twice, or fourteen if the small marks on her fingers were any indication. She quickly stopped as the sound of footsteps approached her door, shoving the thread and doll under a pillow. It was probably Asta, she did lose track of time when she was alone.
The door opened, and a sickening grin stuck its ugly way into her doorway. One of her siblings, Solid, which meant he was here entirely to make her life hell for his own amusement.
“Well now, you’re looking happy,” he said with a sickening level of fake happiness. “Did you manage to make a bit of your magic listen to you yet?”
“Solid…” Noelle said, almost reflexively trying to back up as her abuser walked in, leaving the door open, and grinning.
“Why don’t we see if you can?” he continued, giving a terrifying grin to the youngest sibling. “Maybe see if you can save a pillow or tw-”
He would’ve continued, had a ball of ashen blond hair not headbutted the teen right in the lower back and sent him jaw first onto the floor.
“GET AWAY FROM NOELLE YOU CREEP!” Asta shouted, his tiny fists raining down on the older siblings back. A blast of water throwing him backwards across the room as Solid stood up, and realized his nose was bleeding.
“You worthless little SHIT!” he screeched. Firing another blast of water at Asta who, unfortunately, was not fast enough to dodge it. Instead being thrown into the wall with a mighty crash.
“Brother. Stop!” Noelle screamed, Asta shakily getting back to his feet as a bit of blood started to trickle down the side of his head.
“You’re next you little fuck!” Solid hissed at Noelle, water forming in his hands as he launched another attack at the peasant. This time the boy was ready, he hadn’t spent five years getting in shape for someone to take him out easily. He managed to slip past Solid’s attack and did what any sane ten year old would do.
Slam his head right into Solid’s face, enough that there was a sickening crunch as the prince stumbled backwards. Without missing a beat Asta stood up and got between Noelle and her brother, a large group of people coming as the commotion carried quite a ways.
“I won’t let you hurt Noelle!” Asta said as loudly as possible. Not noticing a variety of servants, a woman who he would later learn was Noelle’s older sister, and Nozel, who would sorely need a drink before going to bed this evening. “If you try anything I’ll kick your ass again!”
“Try it you little-” solid started to retort, before liquid metal wrapped itself around both of them and carried them outside.
“Asta!” Noelle said, the boy realizing he had screwed up as Nozel whispered something to a few of the older servants and closed the door. Leaving Noelle alone with a few servants left to clean up the mess.