Chapter Text
„Dear mother, Dear father. I would like to get a job. “Krad stood before his parents. „A job? You can not be serious. Your job is to protect your older brother!” Celeste Mousy yelled at her son. While their father the royal army general stayed calm. “Sure.” Laurence Mousy spoke with strict voice. As his wife´s chin dropped. “Darling, you can not be serious! The town people cannot afford a doctor; our poor son can get sick from him.” Once again, the mother cared about Dark only.
Sure, Krad had his mother´s white wings and blonde hair but he always gotten the end of the stick. Since Dark was often sick and his magic was low, their mother prioritized him. “Mom, it´s ok. Krad is also an adult.” Dark was trying to help his twin brother out. He didn´t care about his wellbeing, he just liked the idea of being an only child for a while. Both Mousy sons were around the human age of 15. Not quite adults but not kids anymore.
“Dark, honey. His job is to take care of you after I die.” “Lovely.” Krad rolled his eyes and took few steps back after he noticed his parents staring at him. “Did you say something?” His father was very strict and didn´t like sarcasm. “Nothing.” Krad smiled, hoping not to get the belt treatment.
“What kind of job would you like?” Laurence Mousy continued. “I have not fully considered it yet. Maybe I can join the army.” Killing few people wouldn´t bother him, after all, he often won fights in school anyways. It was a year since he and Dark went to public school. Their mother seen it as good “teaching opportunity” to show the boys how normal people live. The only teaching opportunity Dark got from it was that poor people are dirty and stink.
“An army?! Do you want to get yourself killed?!” Celeste was panicking. After all, if something had happened to her husband, her sons would have to run the household. Dark was too “weak” and Krad wasn´t a better option. She wanted both of the boys to stay in the house or at the royal castle where she worked as the Queens lady-in-waiting. Dark and her usually stayed in the castle while Krad stayed with his father in the estate, closer to the city. The twins usually only seen each other at school or when Krad was invited to play or sing for the Queen at balls.
“You already play for the Queen. Why do not you teach violin or piano lessons? Something safe like that?” “I would like to meet more people. Learn something about our country and actually do some work.” He looked over at his older brother. “Hey, I am the leader! I am the only one who should be looking out for the peasants!” Dark yelled, only adding to Krad´s ego. “Where is the last time, you visited the city, brother?” Dark was confused. “School, last week?” Krad sat down into the chair and crossed his arms. “Apart from school then...”
“That is enough.” Mother stepped in. “Krad, go to your room!” “Yes, mother.” Dark looked at his parents. His father was surprisingly also angry. “Employment. I give him employment!” Dark was smug. “Dear father. If he wants to be employed, why do you sound like you want to slap him?” “ENOUGH! It´s enough that you´re not doing your job correctly! We don´t need to be ashamed of your brother as well!”
Krad was sitting in his room, silently, listening to what was going on downstairs. “Do not worry father, you will not be ashamed of me. You will be only ashamed of Dark and yourself.” He whispered silently to himself. Being the less favourite in the family brough some advantages. As soon as he will have his own money, he can buy himself a house, hire some people and live in peace.
He sat down onto his bed and looked at the golden decorations on his ceiling trying to come up with all the different job opportunities, especially those that can help him getting away with possible murder. Chef, butcher, doctor, apothecary maybe an executioner. Although in that case he would need to figure out how to explain to his parents that he was practicing his executionary skills on Dark of all people.
He kept thinking about the possibilities even at school but he made sure not to tell anyone. “What´s with him?” Bill was looking at Krad. He hid his black wings, while watching him. Usually, the white winged dark was seen bulling his older brother, not siting silently in his chair. “Oh, he wants a job.” The whole classroom laughed. “A rich man wants a job? Didn´t his parents provided ones for both of you.” In the medieval era it was always the children’s job to simply follow up in their parents’ footsteps. “Yes, I will be an army general like my father, once Dark marries and starts a family. I just want to find something small for the time being to kill boredom.” Krad replied coldly.
“How do you want to get a job when you don´t even speak German? How will you understand peasant’s young prince.” One of the boys laughed. “Was hast du gesagt?” The room went silent, looking at Krad as though he came from a different planet. “Ich spricht Latein, Deutch und Französisch.” Krad grinned, unlike his brother he took education very seriously.
Bill didn´t know what to say. He wasn´t disgusted by Krad. He was impressed. But not to the point he wanted to show it and eventually replied with “Maybe I can ask my parents to hire you.” The whole classroom started laughing. “What is so funny?!” Teacher walked inside the small classroom. “There are only 15 of you and your laughter is echoing trough the whole building!” He pushed her glasses towards his face. “The younger Mousy boy wants a job, Sir.” One of the boys replied. “A Mousy wants a job? Nonsense.”
“William is right, Sir. I actually would like to get a job.” The whole class laughed again, while the teacher stood in front of blackboard looking angrily at Krad. “If you want to waste your time, go for it! Did not your parents provide one for you? Are you not supposed to take care of your brother?!” “Yes, I just do not think that being a babysitter is good for an army general carrier.” To with teacher replied by taking him with a cane.
After few lessons school was finally over. Krad walked up to his schoolmate. “So Bill, is the job offer still open?” “Don´t you wanna go home?” Bill grabbed his bag and walked out of the classroom. Krad followed him. “I cannot go home; I was beaten and quite frankly I do not want to be beaten again.” Bill smiled. “Sure, come with me.”
They arrived to a rusty old cottage. “What is this?” Krad pointed at the building never seeing anything like that before. “That´s where you live.” Bill replied coldly, knowing the white winged bastard might get scared off. “In the morning you will be waken up by a rooster and then you get right to the work.” “When will I go to school?” Krad asked. “Well, congratulations, you can not go to one.” “It is alright, I will get my tutor to help me catch up on the subjects I have missed.” Krad smiled. A cat lady dressed in a long dress and an apron walked out. She had her ginger hair tied in a high ponytail. “Bill, where have you been?! School ended hours ago!” She shouted in German. “Mom, this is Krad Mousy. He wants to get a job here.” Mother looked the boy up and down. His hair blonde hair was way too long reaching almost to his ankles, dressed in a fully white outfit. She shook the boy´s hand. “Nice to meet you. I´m Elizabeth Arnold, Bill´s mother. You are a Mousy?” “Yes.” She looked at the boy’s outfit once again. “You want to work on a farm?” Krad stood his ground. “I would like to get any job possible. I want to buy a house for myself.” Elizabeth Arnold started laughing.
“I am sorry young sir, but I don´t think you can afford a house for yourself anytime soon. But I can show you your room.” Krad rolled his eyes in disbelief following the farm lady. She walked up wooden stairs to a small place in the farm house. “This is the attic. You can stay here.” The place was old, full of spiderwebs and smelled like hay. Krad cringed. “Excuse me, but where is the shower?” “You can wash by a gardening hose.” Krad frowned. “What is that?”
Mrs. Arnold continued. “In the morning you´ll be waken up by the rooster. Then you´ll get dressed and feed the chickens. After that you´ll join us for breakfast. I´ll bring you some old clothes.” Krad sat down in the attic watching the lady leave. The attic was scary but nothing was scarier than a house with no staff.