Chapter Text
Tim was overwhelmed. Gotham Castle with the city around it had been impressive even from a distance, but to walk the streets was beyond his wildest dreams. He had never seen so many people in one place! The noise and bustle were almost too much, but he couldn't help but grin broadly.
He had been here barely ten minutes and it already felt like he had arrived home.
"Make way!" someone yelled.
Tim turned around just in time to see his certain death - in the form of a horse - rushing toward him. Reflexively, his eyes squeezed shut and ...
The impact never came; instead, he was grabbed by the wrist and pulled to the side.
"What?" he snapped his eyes open again.
He was probably looking into the most handsome male face he had ever seen. But that could also be because he was looking straight into the face of his rescuer. And yet, those bright blue eyes could only exist once in this world. The man was in his early twenties and had shoulder-length black hair.
Moreover, he was wearing classy clothes.
Tim swallowed and lowered his gaze. "Thank you for the rescue, sir."
Was that the right term for a nobleman? Oh, triple goddess, he had no idea about etiquette.
The man did not look pleased. "The knight had better watch out. I will talk to him about his behavior. I'm sorry you almost fell victim to him."
What, he was sorry? Were nobles supposed to be so nice? And had Tim's jaw dropped. To be on the safe side, he closed his mouth and, fortunately for him, found that it was already closed.
"You're a traveler?" the man asked.
Oh, the conversation apparently wasn't over yet. Tim became embarrassingly aware that people were staring at them, which unfortunately brought the blood to his cheeks and made him stammer.
"Yeah, so no. I'm not from around here. But I'll be living here from now on. And, um, work. A family friend is taking me in. So I still have to look for work, but I'll find something."
The stranger in front of him started to grin, "I have the perfect job for you. Opened up today, you don't need any previous experience and you can start tomorrow. You might even be provided a place to sleep."
"What's the catch?", Tim raised his eyebrow and cursed himself the next moment. With an offer like that, you shouldn't openly show your distrust, but rather politely decline.
But his interlocutor only laughed. "The position became available today, just as it became available last week and the week before. No one lasts more than a week ... But I have a good feeling about you."
Tim bit his lower lip. A place to sleep would be nice, then he wouldn't have to burden James (Tim didn't dare call him Jim). And he'd have work already, too. However, it seemed to be a job near the aristocracy and that was anything but good with his talents. ... It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask for more information.
"What kind of position is it?"
The man grinned as if he had won. "My little brother, the king's second ward, needs a new servant."
An hour later, Tim regretted his overzealous promise. Prince Richard, the king's first ward and current heir to the throne, had passed him on to the servants' leader and gone to scold the knight - his words, not Tim's.
While the leader was still finishing the papers, a servant girl stepped up to him.
"You're new here? But not to serve Prince Jason, right?"
Tim could only nod with an uneasy feeling.
The girl just looked at him pityingly, "I'm your predecessor and I can only advise you to run while you can."
"Was that him?", Tim almost didn't dare ask as he pointed to the eye patch.
His counterpart just laughed out, "Gosh, no. The king would never tolerate that."
Relief spread through him.
"However, the princess is not squeamish about insults, humiliation, threats of violence, and dreadful tasks. Not to mention that His Royal Highness, the King, and his brother, Prince Richard, guard him like dogs guard their young. Believe me, there's a reason I'm already throwing in the towel."
And Tim wasn't relieved at all. He looked at the door and wondered if it was already too late to turn back. Only the thought that the heir to the throne would probably be anything but thrilled about his backpedaling kept Tim from turning back on the spot.
And before he knew it, he had not only signed the contract - which included a really generous salary - but also received a lesson on the most important tasks within two hours.
Needless to say, he was quite exhausted when he finally knocked at the premises of the commander of the city guard.
"Yes, please," a man with gray hair, mustache and glasses opened the door. He was suspicious and had taken the precaution of resting his hand on the hilt of the sword.
Tim smiled, "Hello, Mister Gordon. I'm Tim. We've been writing."
Gordon smiled warmly when he saw the letter Tim held up in proof.
"Please come in, my boy, and feel free to call me Jim."
Tim did as he was told, now looking forward to the stew that smelled so tempting.
"Barbara, my daughter, is unfortunately still at work. But I'm sure she'll take the time tomorrow to show you around town."
Tim pursed his mouth, "That would be really great, but I have to start work first thing in the morning. I already have a place to live, too."
Jim's eyebrows shot up, "So? You really don't miss a beat. How did that happen?"
So Tim told him his story, and could see Jim growing more and more incredulous.
"And now I am the servant of the royal ward," Tim concluded his tales.
Jim sighed, "I'm curious to see how long you'll stay that way."
That sounded reassuring.
Tim's heart quivered like crazy as he stood in front of the heavy wooden door. He didn't know what to expect. Or rather, he had a guess, based on all the information he had been given, which was anything but nice.
He took a deep breath. After all, it didn't help anything.
His knock echoed loudly in the still empty hallway. He was in the wing for the royal chambers. The guards were guarding the stairway, but not the corridor itself. It was so early in the morning that the torches served as the only source of light, making the shadows dance eerily.
Tim waited and waited. No one answered.
So he knocked again.
Again, no answer.
Sighing, he did what his usher told him not to do under any circumstances: he entered without being asked.
The prince's chambers were expensively furnished. Large bed, much too large dining table, fireplace, oak cabinets, chests and everything decorated with carvings.
At one end of the dining table sat a young man, Tim estimated him to be only three years older, looking at him suspiciously from narrowed eyes. His hair was wavy and he was still wearing his nightgown, and yet Tim had the feeling that this person was towering over him. Which was basically true, after all, there was no doubt that this was Prince Jason. His new employer.
He bowed. "My lord, I am Tim, your new servant."
"I did not invite you in," was Jason's only retort. He sounded surprised.
Tim swallowed his fear and lied: "I had assumed that your answer had been lost through the heavy door."
"Like my breakfast?" the prince raised an eyebrow challengingly.
Now Tim did start to panic slightly. His first day and he seemed to be doing everything wrong.
"I was told in the kitchen that you never eat breakfast at this hour."
The prince seemed quite unhappy with this answer.
"But I'd be happy to get you something to eat," so he hurried to say.
Jason grinned and it was razor sharp and frightening. Tim felt like he'd fallen into a trap.
"Well, it is nice of you to offer to do your job."
Spoiled brat. Tim's good fortune was that he was so skilled at hiding his true nature that he was sure no one could tell he was thinking it.
So he bowed and turned to leave.
Just as he reached for the door handle, Jason called him back.
"Wait, Tim. On second thought, make a quick detour to the court healer and tell him I need the usual again today."
Are you sick, Tim almost slipped out. Instead, he just nodded in surrender and got to work. The sooner he could put this asshole behind him, the better. Hard to believe he'd lasted just five minutes before he toyed with the idea of quitting.
Fortunately - or unfortunately - for Jason, Tim had no intention of giving up so quickly.
Half an hour later, Tim seriously considered giving up. He searched and searched, but the castle was damn big and no one was awake to show him the way to the court healer.
It was frustrating and he would rather bite off his tongue than go back to Jason to confess this to him. And the guards had looked at him like he was stupid when he had asked. Thanks for nothing!
So yeah, Tim was about to just throw in the towel because there were no signposts here. He was welcome to be judged for that, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't regret it if he turned his back on Prince Jason now.
"Hey," a knight called from a distance, "Freeze!"
Tim froze as the man rushed toward him. And he did so with armor and torch in hand.
Impressive, but also frightening.
The knight stopped in front of him and grinned at him, "Are you Tim? Jason's servant?"
Jason's? That was not a proper name for a prince. Who was this man?
He just nodded and hoped that was the end of it.
"I'm Wally," the man introduced himself and held out his hand.
Tim shook it as he tried to find a way to politely ask why he should care.
"I'm the asshole who almost knocked you over yesterday. I just wanted to sincerely apologize for that. Dick already gave me a piece of his mind, and I'm going to curb my speed in the future."
He sounded sincere and not at all like an asshole. ... And this was the perfect opportunity.
Tim tried an embarrassed smile, "We'll call it even if you show me the way to the court healer."
The man's eyes widened, "Did I hurt you?"
He was so shocked that Tim didn't let him stew for long, but immediately denied it.
"No," he said firmly, "I just have something to do."
Don't get more specific. He was pretty sure secrets weren't meant to be divulged. No one needed to know that Jason had given him this task.
Wally smiled sympathetically, "Is Jason having nightmares again?"
Tim just looked at him stubbornly. No one needed to know that he had no idea himself, either.
"Don't worry, little buddy. I know exactly how big the castle can seem. I'll get you to Alfred all right."
When Tim finally made it back to the room with breakfast, Jason was already dressed and engrossed in a book.
Tim shouldn't have been, but he was relieved. He had no idea how to tie the tunic the nobleman was wearing there and didn't want to embarrass himself further.
"I apologize for my tardiness. I couldn't find my way to the court healer."
Jason looked up in surprise, "You've never been to Alfred's before?"
Tim shook his head in denial, "I just arrived in Gotham yesterday."
"How does a newbie like you get a job like that?"
"Prince Richard recommended me," Tim answered truthfully, but left Wally out of it, since he seemed like a nice guy, except for his addiction to speed.
Jason wrinkled his nose as if he could smell the half-truth.
"My brother decided that?"
Tim nodded.
"Then let's pay him a visit, my dear brother."
Jason looked grim, and if he wasn't imagining it, even his hands were shaking.
"What about breakfast?", Tim lifted the tray.
"No more time for that. It'll be striking eight soon."
That wasn't a real answer, Tim thought. You could still eat breakfast at eight in the morning. Food was food, after all. However, he didn't want to be fired so quickly after all, which is why he kept his thoughts to himself and followed along like a good puppy.
Jason led them out of the family hallway.
"I thought we were going to see his highness, Prince Richard?"
"Yes," Jason snapped, quickening his pace, "And he's been on the training field for a long time because his servant can find the damn way."
Okay, that was fair, but it could have been put more politely.
"Why aren't you on the training field, my lord?"
Jason wheeled around and seemed on the verge of punching him. "You've been my servant for less than a day and you're already asking questions about my personal life? Possibly you should think about changing your profession. Servants are not supposed to be seen or heard, they are only supposed to be there when you need them. So either you stop being nosy or I'll have you thrown in the dungeons on suspicion of espionage."
Tim swallowed. So far, the worst that could happen had always been being fired. Dungeons sounded a whole lot worse. He nodded and Jason almost ran away from him.
They reached the Inner City practice field a minute to eight. At that minute Jason sought out his brother, their eyes met, they both approached each other - Richard delighted, Jason tense - and just as the tower clock struck the hour, Jason grabbed his brother and threw them both to the ground.
An arrow whizzed over their heads and bored into a tree without doing any damage.
Tim froze like everyone else on the field. Richard was quicker on his feet than his brother and turned to the archer.
The latter was wearing red armor and had dropped his bow with wide eyes.
"Sir Roy!" roared the heir to the throne, "what is the meaning of this?"
Other knights rushed to Roy and held him, but the man offered no resistance.
"I ... I don't understand," he muttered, tears running down his cheeks, "I would never do such a thing. I took an oath of allegiance."
Prince Richard didn't seem to know whether to draw his sword or not, so Jason reached for his hand.
"Look at him, Dick," he asked, and it sounded so familiar and loving that Tim felt like an eavesdropper, "He's been enchanted."
Almost immediately Richard's sword hand relaxed and he stepped forward.
"Take him to the dungeons, but don't hurt him. Once the twenty-four hours are over from the containment protocol for magic, we'll do a detailed analysis of the situation."
The hands holding the knight softened as he nodded.
"I understand, my lord, and I ask your forgiveness. Your death would be something I have never wished for, nor will I ever wish for. I hope you can take my word for it."
"I do," the prince assured him, "and I also beg your pardon, but I must be sure that the spell was a one-time thing before I can restore your freedom."
"I understand, my prince," the archer immediately assured him, "Please do not grieve over this."
The knight was led away and Tim wondered, as the training continued, how many times something like this had happened and why no one asked Jason how he could know. Because this was clear: Jason had known exactly what would happen at eight o'clock.
They were making their way back to the castle when Dick caught up with them and blocked their path.
"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" His gaze darted over his brother's body, searching for just the tiniest sign of injury.
"I'm not made of glass," Jason just rolled his eyes.
Tim stared. Were princes allowed to roll their eyes?
Dick looked around the hallway, but no one was visible. Still, he lowered the volume of his voice.
"Wally told me you're having nightmares again. Do you want to talk about it?"
Jason looked angrily at Tim and his look seemed to say, we'll talk about that later. Tim had to swallow, because he could well imagine that this conversation was not going to end well for him.
"That Wally still can talk when he's consistently eating."
Richard's gaze darkened. "Careful, Jay. You may be my brother, but Wally is my brother in arms. You should show him respect."
"Respect has to be earned," Jason retorted bitingly.
Richard looked like he was about to throw himself into an argument, but Barbara came around the corner.
"Prince Jason. Did our lessons get delayed or why have I been waiting for you in an empty room for fifteen minutes?"
Richard sighed and stepped out of the way. "We'll talk about that later Jason."
The latter just nodded and walked toward Barbara, who was smiling at Tim.
"Jason," Richard called out again before they could turn the corner, "treat Tim decently. If you wear out another servant, I'm afraid Bruce will have a serious word with you, and this time I won't stop him, because I picked Tim out personally. He seems like a good kid."
They rounded the corner and Tim didn't understand what Jason was muttering, but it didn't sound friendly in tone.
What had he gotten himself into?
Tim was sent away to fulfill his duties while Barbara fulfilled hers. Somehow he had the feeling that he'd rather be in class right now, too. Instead, he took care of the laundry and shoes. However, he was through with that in two hours. Either the prince kept his stuff in very good condition, or his predecessors had done their job so well that no work had piled up. Since the prince would be busy for another two hours, Tim could take the opportunity to make a plan of the castle. If it was at all possible, he did not want to repeat his mistake of the morning.
Besides, it gave him time to think.
It was a fact that magic was forbidden in Gotham, and it was also a fact that Prince Jason possessed the magical gift of sight.
But where did that leave Tim? Should he tell Jason that he knew his secret? Did the prince even know that his dreams were not dreams? And even if he did, wouldn't it raise questions about why Tim was so sure?
Tim shuddered. Just thinking about what would await him should the king get wind of his talents made Tim decide that he would keep his mouth shut. The divise was not to attract attention. It was the only way he would come within the protection of Gotham's walls, which kept the demon king at bay.
"You look like you bit into a lemon," Rose's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He wheeled around to the girl, who was standing by a blond servant.
Noticing his look, Rose introduced him, "This is Jericho, my brother. Jericho, this is Tim, Jason's new servant."
The young man nodded politely and Tim returned the gesture.
"Jericho can't talk," Rose explained, as if the scar on her brother's neck wasn't noticeable enough. "But he's not stupid, as many in this castle here baselessly assume. "The girl looked at him challengingly. Tim just shrugged, "There are people like that everywhere. "Apparently satisfied, she turned to him completely. "How's your first day going so far? Given up yet?"
Tim shook his head, "If I keep acting stupid, I won't even get kicked out for no reason. "At Jericho's questioning look, he replied, "I didn't bring breakfast and then I didn't even find the court healer. Not to mention, when Roy tried to kill him, I just stood by the sidelines and didn’t do a thing."
Rose laughed out, "Just listen to you. None of this was your fault. The little princess just wants you to think that. He's playing his games with you and you're playing into his hands when you actually find fault withhin yourself. He knows full well that you don't know your stuff. He doesn't want breakfast in the morning. And attempted murders should probably be prevented more by the knights."
It sounded logical, Tim couldn't argue with that, but if Tim had learned one thing, it was that he himself was just too incompetent when he wasn't allowed to use his talents. He relied on them too much. He was a lousy person.
Jericho smiled at him as if he could read minds.
The clock struck noon and Tim cursed. Rose grinned, "Good thing you're late now, I'll gladly take the blame. If you put the blame on me, the prince will believe you without hesitation."
Tim nodded and ran off, but already knew that he would bear responsibility for his own mistakes.
However, that wasn't necessary at all, because when he arrived, they were both still engrossed in their lessons. At least until Tim interrupted them by knocking.
Jason looked at him, stunned.
Barbara smiled.
"How do you two know each other?" the prince wanted to know.
"Not at all," Barbara said, "But his parents were acquaintances of my father. Actually, the plan was for him to stay with us first, but Tim is quite the overachiever. Barely an hour in Gotham and he's already been given the job as your personal servent. Impressive, don't you think?"
Jason's gaze darkened, "The only thing I find impressive is that Dick hasn't married you yet, when he seems to be granting your wish to hire your friends at the castle."
"That was n...," Tim was about to deny everything, but Barbara interrupted him by squeaking back her chair.
"You lasted a whole four hours without being an asshole. Congratulations, Your Highness, that must have been a new record."
She headed toward the door, but paused briefly by Tim, "Don't take any shit from him. He may bark, but he doesn't bite."
Tim had his doubts about that. When the door slammed shut behind the woman, he felt as if he had been left alone with a predator.
Better not add fuel to the fire.
"I didn't tell Sir Wallace anything," his tone sounded accusatory, not good, "I just asked for directions to the court healer and he drew his own conclusions."
The prince looked for a moment as if he was going to say something biting in reply, but instead he just sighed.
"You're off duty until dinner. Use the time and put on something that doesn't have stains. There's a family dinner tonight, and I don't want to be held responsible for your mistakes."
Tim nodded and froze, "Family dinner? ... As in, the king will be in attendance?"
Jason laughed at the sight of his startled face.
"Don't worry, he won't eat you yet. He'll be way too busy talking about today's assassination attempt to even notice you."
Tim nodded, but the fear remained. In a few hours he would be stuck in a room with the most powerful people in this country, and he wasn't even allowed to make any mistakes.
This promised to be fun.
It was more frightening than Tim had imagined.
Was he the only one here who noticed how uncomfortable the silence was, or why wasn't anyone doing anything?
It almost drove him crazy watching the royal family eat while he kept giving Jason refills every now and then.
Jason himself seemed to find the piece of meat on his plate so interesting that he hadn't looked up once. Dick, on the other hand, kept looking out the window, watching the sun set and time pass.
And the king ... the king seemed surprisingly normal. He wore expensive clothes, but no crown. He ate elegantly and had a friendly aura.
"Why is Roy still in the dungeon?" Dick finally broke the silence, just as the plates were being replaced with desserts.
"You know the rules," His Highness replied, "We don't talk business over dinner."
Jason laughed out, "That rule is why we don't talk at all at dinner. Face it Bruce, this kingdom is our business and our life. You can't separate the two."
Dick sighed, "We've had this discussion many times, but I like to say it again, I see it the same way Jay does."
Bruce set aside his fork.
"We've had this discussion before. And like the last few times, I want to have at least one hour a day where my sons don't second-guess my decisions as king."
Tim looked hopefully at the other servants. None of these seemed even remotely concerned. Apparently this was normal behavior for the nobles. But why did Tim have to witness this? Tim really questioned his life choices.
"So if I let that happen," Bruce continued, "I'd also have to ask what Jason was doing on the training field in the first place."
The aforementioned man shoved a large piece of cake into his mouth to stifle any backtalk. At least, that's what Tim suspected.
Dick didn't. His eyes sparkled belligerently. "It was a good thing he was there. Otherwise you'd have one son less now."
The king sighed. Tim had to grin. The man suddenly no longer seemed like the most powerful man in the entire kingdom, but only like an exhausted father.
"Of course, I'm glad nothing happened to you. But something could have happened to Jason. He has no training to be on the training field."
"So he's not even allowed to visit me?", Dick wanted to know in horror, "Then we wouldn't see each other at all. Are you separating us on purpose?"
Bruce motioned for his servant to carry away the untouched cake.
"You know exactly why he doesn't want to see me in the field," Jason interjected into the conversation, "And I wish you would just accept it. After all, we see each other often enough. You don't have to act like you're just coaching or instructing all day."
Tim frowned. The prince sounded resigned. This was probably a discussion that had been had before, too. "If you two will excuse me," Jason stood up, "I didn't sleep well and I'm going to bed early." Bruce smiled gently, "Sweet dreams, son."
"I'll wish you a good night later," Dick announced, pulling up the piece of cake his brother had left.
The day had been long and Tim was exhausted. Accordingly, he was grateful when Jason allowed him to work without complaining. No sooner was the fire lit and the prince changed in bed than there was a knock at the door.
"If it's Dick, I'm already asleep."
Tim gulped at the thought of having to lie to the crown prince.
He opened the door and Prince Richard held out a potion to him.
"From Alfred," he explained.
"The prince is already asleep." Tim was surprised at how convincing he sounded.
Dick nodded. "Then put it on his bedside table. But, if for some reason he is still awake, why don't you tell my brother that he can't escape this conversation forever?"
Tim certainly wouldn't do that, then Dick had been talking so loudly it bordered on screaming. There was no way Jason could have overheard.
He nodded anyway and took the potion.
"A good night, your highness," he said politely.
Dick smiled, "A good night, Tim. You've done very well today."
Jason didn't think so, but it was nice to be praised. Tim was only used to the opposite.
The boy closed the door and held out the vial to his master.
"From the court healer," he explained.
Jason nodded. "Put it on the nightstand and that's it for the day. Tomorrow I don't expect breakfast, but we're going for a ride at lunchtime. I expect you to pass this on to the stable master in good time."
"As you wish." Tim was suddenly in a hurry to get out of the room. There was a bed waiting for him, screaming his name, and suddenly he was glad Gordon had postponed further meetings until Tim could settle in.
"Sleep well," he was still saying as he left the room. There was no reply.
Tim thought he was dreaming. At least that's how it seemed to him.
He was in his small room, enveloped in blackness and had certainly slept only a few hours. Everything was normal. Except for the voice in his head, which took over his entire consciousness.
"When a servant turns against his master
And a prince against the crown,
Then the time will come
when war begins and peace breaks down."
A feeling remained in Tim, as if the words were incomplete, but all that was displaced by a scream.
He jumped up, because he had recognized the voice and he also knew who was screaming. His bare feet hit the cold stone and he didn't care as he ran past sleeping guards.
Tim couldn't breathe again until he stood next to Jason's bed and began to shake the boy awake.
He no longer looked threatening or regal at all. Suddenly he was just a frightened boy caught up in his own unknown power. Engulfed by forces he couldn't possibly understand.
"Wake up!" shouted Tim, shaking his shoulder as hard as he could.
Blue eyes gazed up at him. Fear was in them.
"You!" came it angrily, hoarsely, accusingly from the prince before he lost consciousness completely.
Tim stood trembling in the glow of the embers, wishing it was just a nightmare.