bakerstreet | Companion to Royalty

Companion to Royalty

Companion to Royalty Meme

There's one truth you must know of royalty: though power may lay in their hands, the crown is a cage. Whether you've always been noble, came into this position recently by complete surprise, or a simple person caught in the fray, you're realizing that leaders actually lead very little - even down to choosing who they spend their most intimate moments with. From eternal bonds of matrimonies to the distractions provided by courtesans, the people behind the throne make the rules. They cannot risk losing control of their most elevated and strategically placed pawn with a match gone wrong, which could create a domino effect and doom possibly thousands.

So, what part do you play in this game?

Lifetime Royal: This is what you've been raised to do.
Sudden Royal: You just learned of your position, which has been secret from you your entire life, or you unexpectedly inherited the job.
Spouse: You're to be married to nobility.
Concubine or Courtesan: For the royal, you're to be a sexual diversion.
Unaffiliated: You're either a lower-ranking noble or a peasant, but you're free from all the machinations of the shadowy cabal...for now.

How willing are you?

Completely Willing: Either you love the person you know you'll be matched with, or you're excited about the possibilities.
Wary: There's no choice in the matter for you, so you may as well approach this situation cautiously.
Unwilling: You didn't want to be matched up with someone. At all. Ever.

What path will you follow, once you're set upon it (there is, after all, little choice for the chosen ones)?

Prepared for This: Either you're a royal and have been one since birth, or you knew you'd marry or sexually entertain one.
Make Up for Lost Time: This life wasn't the one you lived until now, but times change. You're important or will be a companion to a very important person, like it or not.
A Sacrificial Token: Somewhere along the line, your people royally pissed off someone in a key position. So, in an attempt to smooth out relations, you've been given away as a gift to the highest power, either as a spouse for a political alliance or as a concubine or courtesan.
Pomp and Circumstance: All proper, this arrangement. You're to be married, as you've been promised to each other by your respective families. Consummation on the wedding night is key. Perhaps it's encouraged that the two of you act as if this is really a love match, to add insult to injury.
Genuine Love: Speaking of love matches, congratulations! You're one of the incredible few who gets to marry for love, so your lovemaking should be all the more enthused.
Only a Plaything: Heavy is the head who wears the crown, so you're expected to take on some side entertainment even if that's not your preference. Or you could be the courtesan...such a pretty, perfumed word for what the role really is...
Volunteered: You wanted this position, either of spouse or concubine. Your reasons are your own.
Cruel: You're powerful. You can do what you want to this person, a mere ant in comparison to you.
Forbidden: Even the most powerful can't have everything they want, such as someone who's promised to or with another; taking them for your own would create strife and destroy alliances, even to the point of tempting war.
Work Your Way Up: There's always a right tool for the job and you find no shame in using your own special tools to better your life.
Give Me an Heir: Whether you're legitimate or a concubine used as a surrogate, you must help in continuing the royal line.
Mutual Benefit: Both of you are comfortable with this arrangement because you're either compatible or it takes the pressure off of you otherwise.
Want to be More: Though you've been relegated to courtesan, you want to be there one and only spouse...no matter if that role is already filled or not.
Growing Affection: It may have started as all puppet strings and power plays, but now, you lo- care for them.
Loved Before: Before you became so important and powerful, before you became the focus of all the world, it seems, they were there with you. They were with you then, and you want them to be with you now. They ground you and they care about you for you.
Because You're Normal: They're outside of all the court's nonsense, and that's appealing to you. It's like a breath of fresh air.
WILDCARD

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Gansey was glad, when he saw Laurent's face pale, that he decided to change his question. The first one had been worse. If that was Laurent's reaction to being asked what his fears were... the earlier one would have soured the mood altogether. He was not above taking risks but in the end, kindness would always win out. Even if the second question had not been kind without the context.

He watched as the king rolled, stopping only when the crown was flat, keeping it from moving any longer. Dead.

"I did." His voice was soft. He would not ask Laurent what he was thinking about. Would not make him think about it more than necessary. If there was anything Gansey understood, it was having a panic attack from memories. Had Laurent asked him the very same question earlier, he would have been the one to lose the game.

"And I think I know which to give you."

He took a sip of his wine before leaving the glass on the table, getting up and striding over to some of the bookshelves. Pulling a book out from a mess of them—it was leatherbound and quite old.

"It's a journal, actually. From the first king. The Raven King." He looked at the book with some fondness before returning to Laurent to hold it out to him. "It was the first thing I discovered in this room... like it was calling for me to find it. It describes his experiences building the castle and kingdom, describes the lands, the lores, and has several secrets." Hidden things. Things he'd spent years searching for, out in the wood, unable to find yet. Even secrets about the castle. Hidden chambers and how it was built to be a maze, explaining its odd twists and turns.

"It's quite special to me."

Laurent took it, stacking it with the other and curling both protectively against his chest. The value of it must be incredible, a sort of historical relic for the kingdom, if it had truly been written by its first king. Laurent felt honored that Gansey was willing to share it with him. "I'll take care of it," he promised, gaze flicking over Gansey's face and then dropping away. "Will you walk me to my room?"

He wanted to stay near his fiance's side, but he also desperately wanted to be alone. The day had been emotionally intense for him, and Laurent had kept pushing them both at the end of it. He was glad that the game had ended on a relatively safe note. There were other questions he would have answered which might have been worse, in their own ways.

But there was plenty of time to get to know Gansey, and they had a full list of plans for the coming days.

He smiled his genial smile, a bit softer than usual, reflecting his tone, "I would be honored to." The fire and basket he left, not because he expected the servants to clean up after them, but because he would return once he brought Laurent to his rooms. Gansey was a terrible insomniac. Night was when he spent building his paper kingdom and studying old books. Sleep was a difficult and rare thing for him, no matter how tired he was. Usually, he only slept about three hours a night.

"It's been a long day." No doubt longer for Laurent than he. It was almost surprising to think that the man had only been here for a day—it felt like he had been here forever. Perhaps far too sentimental a thought. He pushed the doors open and offered Laurent his arm again, content to guide the way in relative silence.

It was much shorter to reach Laurent's rooms from the library than the banquet hall, somehow. Just another oddity of the castle, with its angled hallways and many sets of stairs. As he had said before, the white bricks did point the way.

When they reached the doors to Laurent's quarters Gansey smiled again. He had the urge to kiss Laurent's cheek in return but felt it was too bold for him to do. Instead, he settled on clasping Laurent's free hand in his and gently raising it to his lips, lingering in a kiss that was longer than politeness dictated.

"Thank you for your company today. I wish you sweet dreams."

Laurent took his arm as they walked, gripping it a little tighter than he'd done before, leaning into Gansey's stability and warmth as they walked.

Watching Gansey with lips slightly parted, Laurent couldn't look away from the sight of Gansey's lips on his hand, kissing his hand as though it was something precious. He'd had his hand kissed before, often, but it had only ever made him want to wash. Gansey's gesture made his heart pound.

It took him a couple of seconds to respond, struck by the urge to pounce Gansey in a hug. Once, as a child, he would have done just that. He'd been a fearless, happy child, clever and affectionate.

"Good night," Laurent said, squeezing Gansey's hand briefly before he pulled away and went into his room.

His heart was pounding. In his life, he'd been the target of so many romantic gestures, but not a one of them had ever made him feel the way Gansey's attention did.

One of Laurent's Veretian attendants was waiting in an adjoining room, rising at once and coming to help his master out of the complicated laces of his wardrobe. Laurent shared Gansey's preference for doing things himself, but Veretian fashion simply didn't allow it, and that had led to Veretian habits of simply expecting his servants to always be at hand to see to his needs and whims.

Curling into bed, Laurent pulled the covers up over his head, curling up into a ball like a child and sorely missing Gansey already.

He was sad for losing Laurent's company. As the kiss did before, the squeeze to his hand remained, a faint memory that still somehow felt real. Was it normal to be so enchanted by someone upon first meeting them? Gansey didn't know. No one had ever made him feel this way before. And, as the heir to the throne, he had met many possible matches. For whatever reason, his mother had bypassed them all and selected someone Gansey had never met. In fact, she had gone and put forth the proposal.

Gansey stood looking at the door for a moment before returning to the library to settle down beside his paper kingdom. However, his heart was not in it, the room feeling empty without the other man's presence. Cleaning up their mess, he put the fire out and headed to his own rooms. Sleep was not something he could achieve even when he put himself to bed and stared at the dark ceiling. Tonight, at least, he had plenty to think about. And he did. Did, until he finally fell into a half-sleep that broke once light hit the horizon and touched his large bay window.

Rather than laze in bed, he rose, heading out to the stables to make sure everything was prepared for their ride today. Dressed in clothes much less elaborate than yesterday: soft brown riding breeches, an off-white loose fitting tunic, and boots. It was where he was struck with an idea; one that he hoped would please Laurent, make him feel more at home with them.

The servants were used to Gansey's oddities so they prepared breakfast for him, as they usually did, outside the hall. Simple things like toasted bread and eggs, bacon, and whatever else could fit in a basket.

When it was of a more reasonable time, one of the maids knocked on Laurent's door to inform him that the young prince was waiting for him at the stables whenever he was prepared for the day. Should Laurent decide to meet him there, he would find Gansey pitching hay with a pitchfork, doing work that was clearly beneath him yet enjoying it completely.

Laurent was surprised and disappointed to be fetched by a maid rather than his betrothed. Finishing his preparations for the morning, Laurent asked directions to the stable, not considering any other option but that he should spend the day with Gansey.

He was dressed as austerely as ever, in an almost identical dark blue tunic laced all the way up his throat. Only some minor difference in embroidery proclaimed it to be a different outfit at all.

Puzzled as to where he was directed within the stables, Laurent found his betrothed hard at work and with hay in his hair.

Brow furrowed, Laurent smirked slightly and leaned against the stable wall as he watched. "This stable has very handsome grooms," he commented, meaning Gansey. The situation was outside of Laurent's comfort zone--as comfortable as he was with his own servants and guards, Laurent had never taken it this far. In Vere, this would be an unacceptable eccentricity from a prince, and it made Laurent feel uncertain of his footing.

When he heard Laurent's voice he stopped his work, standing up straight and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He looked every bit as refined even when doing muck work.

"Oh?" He sounded quite cheerful and pleased to see Laurent. Frankly, he wasn't even sure what time it was, but from the sun he had to guess that it was now a reasonable hour. He hadn't thought Laurent would appreciate being woken at sunrise. Not many did.

"I'm just an apprentice, really," he grinned back. "Just wait until you see the actual grooms." He left the pitchfork leaning against the wall and stepped closer to his bethrothed. He was aware that it was probably an incredibly odd sight: the man next in line to be king, taking care of his own horse. More than just the brushing that a royal might do every once in a while out of affection for his beast. But it felt good to do honest work and no one really knew about it; his parents were just rising, and didn't often venture out this way.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I think I prefer this one," Laurent flirted, ignoring the question about how he'd slept. Poorly, and troubled by nightmares, as usual.

He reached out as Gansey stepped closer, taking hold of the front of Gansey's tunic and pulling him in another step so that Laurent could kiss his cheek again. He liked the way that Gansey smelled, clean skin and soap, and Laurent wanted to linger with his lips on Gansey's skin.

He didn't. Letting go, Laurent stepped back again, having met his limit for as much affection as he could offer in that moment. "What are your plans for us today?"

The kiss surprised him less than the one last night, being the second, but it still felt as amazing as the first. It made him grin in the way that brought out his dimple, hazel eyes glittering as he was kissed by sunlight that broke through one of the gaps in the wooden walls of the stables.

"A few things," he admitted, grabbing the basket that had been brought out just earlier and peeling back the blanket to reveal various breads, meats, and jams. "Some breakfast," he said, because one should never begin a day without breakfast, "and then I have a surprise for you. After that, I thought we might go riding. The lands are beautiful this time of year and I have no desire to sit in on the court today. It's not my favorite thing."

Which should have been obvious, considering how eagerly he ditched last night. His parents might be displeased by his absence considering that he should be helping his new bethrothed get accustomed to the court, but he had little interest in wasting a beautiful day making boring conversation with ladies thirty years their senior.

"Does that sound acceptable?"

"Yes," Laurent agreed, utterly charmed by Gansey's grin and his plans for the day. He was glad for the provision of breakfast, having worried that he might be expected to go without. "I'd like that very much."

Gansey's reaction made Laurent want to kiss him more, and often. It was becoming harder to have an interest in anything other than kissing his charming fiance. It was certainly a relief to be spared the tedium and drama of the court for another day, and Laurent thought that perhaps if they went riding somewhere suitably private, there might be an opportunity for a proper kiss between them. "Although I would prefer not to breakfast in the stables."

He laughed, shaking his head as he hefted the basket into his right hand, "Oh, no. I wouldn't make you do that. I'm not that odd." There were limits, even for one as eccentric as Gansey. He brushed the hay out of his hair with the other, hoping he didn't smell too much like horse.

There was a well right outside the stables, anyway. Settling the basket down, he helped himself to some water and rinsed himself off so that he might not take the stables with him to breakfast. Smoothing his hair back with wet hands, he shook them off and pat them on his shirt so that they might dry.

"I wasn't sure what you liked so I asked them for a little bit of everything," he admitted, taking the blanket that had been on the top of the basket and laying it out on the grass. He thought breakfast outside, sharked on a thick blanket, might be more pleasant than staying inside. Besides—he was a bit of a romantic at heart, and even if Laurent had no feelings for him outside of friendship, he would do his best to show that he cared for Laurent. Arranged marriage or no.

"Breakfast foods are some of my favorite, actually. I love fresh bread and jam."

Laurent lounged on the grass beside him, reaching for an insulated canteen and opening it to find tea. He sprawled, elegant and lazy, as he picked through the basket and nibbled at the morsels that he wanted. Out here in the sunlight, Laurent was aware that they would likely be watched by curious servants and courtiers, but hoped that the courtiers would have the sense to leave the two princes to their privacy.

"This is perfect, thank you," Laurent said. He smiled, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of safety and relaxation. He toyed idly with a piece of cheese before popping it in his mouth. "I've never in my life felt quite so comfortable with someone before. If this were Vere, we would have been swarmed by sharped-tongued courtiers--and their pets, who are generally even more spoilt and critical."

Laurent wrinkled his nose, looking away with a wave of unhappiness. "I suppose I never did tell you what they call me. Even my servants and guards, who are actually fond of me, are in the habit of calling me a cast-iron bitch."

Gansey's eyebrows lifted when he heard that nickname. How crude. He would never call Laurent such a thing—even if he felt the man deserved it, which he did not. But Gansey never used crude language if he could help it. He did not curse, even when he was stressed out or upset. He was more of the type to remain silent than to fall into rough language.

He had been lazing on his back but rolled onto his side to look at the other prince.

"I don't see it," he said, simply. Maybe he was simply being too good or naive again, but outside of how he had first met Laurent, he had not seemed like—that at all. Coldness in a new place was understandable.

"I think... I would like to think of a better nickname for you," he decided while picking at some buttered toast, chewing thoughtfully as he studied Laurent for a moment before returning his gaze to the sky.

"I don't like that one."

"I don't much like it, either," Laurent said, toying with a piece of grass. Gansey said he couldn't see it, and Laurent was torn between wanting Gansey to think well of him and wanting Gansey to know the truth. Sweet, gentle Gansey who had no idea what the Veretian court could be like, and couldn't think of Laurent as a cast-iron bitch even though half of Vere had a hard time thinking of him as anything else. "It's true, though. And you should know what sort of creature you're marrying."

Laurent sighed, laying back and watching the sky. "The term gained a lot of ground after I threatened to castrate Duke Reinfeld for touching me. I only regret not having the opportunity to carry it out."

That was true, although Laurent had neglected to mention some context about what he knew of Reinfeld's crimes and corruption, beyond just his inappropriately straying hands.

"He shouldn't have touched you without your permission," was Gansey's prompt retort to that. What sort of man touched someone that clearly wasn't interested? Not that he knew the circumstances or history. That much he could nod his head toward. Still. It didn't seem a good reason to be so ... uncivil. Calling someone such a name.

But hearing such things made Gansey painfully aware of how charmed his life was. Sure, he'd had to bat off some unwanted admirers. Usually he was able to manipulate and distract enough that they often forgot that they were trying to fondle him. But he did not doubt that, if he were to call someone out on poor behavior, that the court would be on his side. It made him quiet to think that it was a privilege. Not many were afforded the same sense of safety.

It made him want to strive to make Laurent feel safe, too. Give him a taste of not having to mistrust everyone.

He turned his head again so that he might study Laurent, instead. Eyes flicking between the way he fiddled with the grass and his lovely face.

"I think you're a marvelous creature."

He would not deny that there was a harshness to Laurent. But he didn't sense that it came out of cruelty—no. He didn't think so. No one could look so forlorn and truly be a cast-iron bitch.

Laurent startled when Gansey called him marvelous. Cheeks flushing, he stared for a moment, still not used to this kind of honest flattery. "I don't understand how you can. I don't want to disabuse you of the notion, and yet I can't stand the thought of you being deceived."

Sitting up, Laurent ruffled his own hair to try and get any stray grass stems out of it. "But I will believe that you mean it, and I'll do my best to..." Laurent grimaced, not sure what he could offer, since he certainly didn't believe himself capable of unselfish goodness. "To be worthy of a place at your side." It felt inadequate, but Laurent wasn't about to let anyone else take that place from him.

He started packing up the basket again, eyes on it rather than on Gansey. "Shall we go?"

He was tempted to tell Laurent that he already was. Gansey wasn't so perfect, so high and good. He was full of faults that Laurent had simply yet to see. Like how he was impossibly stubborn and often told he was too controlling. He often said things without thinking, which was why he always was trying to police himself, lest he offend without realizing it.

But there were better things to do. He nodded, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head, "Let's. I'm excited about this next part." This was the surprise—he hoped it would cheer Laurent up.

Standing, he folded the blanket and tucked it back inside the blanket before nodding toward the stables. "It's in the back. Follow me."

He offered his arm to Laurent again with a gentlemanly bow, exaggerated, to seem the pinnacle of a prince.

He lead the way to the back of the stables where there was a cherry mare. She was snug in hay and surrounded by water and food; this one was in no state to ride, clearly, from the swell of her belly.

"This is Butternut," he explained, taking an apple from the basket to the side to offer it to her. Pleased, she huffed happily and stole it from his palm. "She's due to foal any day, now. I was hoping to give the foal to you. You could raise it, and eventually ride it, as your own. If you wanted." He wasn't sure how Laurent felt about it, but it was something he wanted to offer. And Butternut was a sweet, beautiful mare.

Laurent's smiles returned as Gansey offered his arm, taking it gladly and starting to really enjoy his position at Gansey's side.

"She's lovely," Laurent said, kneeling carefully by Butternut's side and offering his hand so that she could get his scent. He loved horses, quite a bit more than he liked people, and he was happy to sit by the horse, murmuring softly to her as he ran his hand over her back. "What a beautiful horse. Is she yours?"

He was charmed by Gansey's sweet offer, and how earnestly Gansey seemed to want to please him. So far, he was doing an admirable job, and Laurent was hopelessly infatuated. "I'd be honored."

"She is," he said with a nod, watching Laurent pet her with fondness, "though she's a little old for heavy riding now. These days she enjoys her days wandering around and eating. That's the life, no?"

The horse huffed again in agreement, nudging her nose against Laurent's arm. She seemed to like him. Maybe because he called her beautiful—even horses loved to be flattered. It was a sweet image. How could someone who pet a horse so tenderly be a cast-iron bitch? Laurent said he did not want to deceive him. Gansey was not convinced he was being deceived.

"This was actually a surprise. I guess she still likes to get a little randy with the stallion." He gave Butternut another pat and she gave him a look. Like, excuse you, she was still young enough to have some girlish fun.

Laurent laughed at the jesting and the evident fondness between the two of them. "She seems pleased with herself." He combed his fingers gently through Butternut's mane, soothed by being around animals, and finding himself losing track of time as he doted on the horse.

Glancing up, he found Gansey watching him, and blushed with embarrassment to have become distracted. "Shall we go?"

Patting the horse one last time, Laurent brushed the straw from his tunic and strode out of the stall, composed once again, though not with his former iciness. Gansey was so skilled at stripping away Laurent's defenses, and Laurent wasn't entirely sure what he was without them.

Gansey was happy to let Laurent dote on the horse for as long as he wanted to. It was something he could easily watch all day. He would have, had Laurent not realized himself before the entire day could pass.

"Certainly." He gave Butternut one last affectionate rub before heading up the stable stalls, checking out which horses were there for riding. They could take any of the horses out. Most of them would adore a nice ride; the rest of the royal family only rode for show or when they were feeling particularly ambitious. Gansey cycled through the horses so they might all have some fun.

He settled on a pretty white filly and her brother, a handsome white and brown colt. They were both energetic and clearly excited at the prospect of a ride.

"Star and Sky," he introduced, letting Laurent examine the horses for himself.

"Which would you like to ride?"

Laurent was still five horses down by the time Gansey made his decision, having to stop and say hello to every horse they passed along the way. He finally caught up, not meeting Gansey's eyes about his blatant weak spot for horses, and greeted both of the young horses happily. "I'll take Star," he said, delighted by the beauty of the horses. "Which are their saddles?"

He needed no help saddling his horse, at least. Laurent had served time among the military of Vere, even though there had been no active wars since he was a child. He had been trained to fight and to command, and he'd made it his business to know how to care for all his own gear, which included his horse.

After the time he'd almost been thrown from his horse because someone put a tack under the saddle, Laurent took care that he was the only one to saddle his horse, always checking the gear for tampering before he put it on his horse. The habits remained, even though he had no reason to fear the same threats in the Raven Kingdom.

Mounting up, he patted gently at his horse's neck, waiting for Gansey to lead the way out of the stables.

No doubt the horses appreciated such attention. Gansey merely smiled, not inclined toward teasing him for such sweetness, pointing out where the saddles were.

He was pleased to see that Laurent knew how to saddle up his own horse. Gansey felt that if you rode, you should at least know how how to put on the gear, whether or not you always did it or usually let the servants take care of it. While he had never had such a bad experience, he didn't like not knowing how to do such things. Between the two of them, the horses were prancing and ready to go, clearly quite thrilled at the prospect of a nice, long ride.

Gansey let, opening the gate and then mounting Sky, giving the horse a firm pat on the neck. "There's a main trail," he explained, pointing along the flat lands where there was a worn, beaten path from many rides, "that the rest of the family often goes on when they decide to ride. It has some lovely scenery. Farm houses and such. Usually I go toward the woods," he gestured toward the thickets, where there was a much fainter path.

"Would you like to ride both?"

As they left the stables, it became obvious that Laurent was happiest on horseback. He sat beautifully, holding the reins in a light hand, smile wider than it had been since his arrival in the Raven Kingdom. His energy encouraged his young, high-spirited horse, but he kept her easily in hand, enjoying the interplay of enthusiasm and communication between himself and his horse.

"Very much so," Laurent said, shooting Gansey a challenging grin. "Will you race me to the woods?"

His eyes sparkled with playfulness, and he didn't wait for a response, touching his heels to his horse and giving her her head.

Star sprang off at once, eager to be allowed to run, and Laurent only needed the lightest touch to control her. Glowing with delight, he glanced back over his shoulder to make certain Gansey was following.

Gansey didn't even need to usher his horse along after the other man. When Sky saw Star springing off down the trail he followed instantly like a bullet out of a gun, a reckless youth, and it made Gansey bark with laughter as he leaned forward into the ride. He could only reflect that happiness; what better feeling was there? No court, no one to entertain, just being free and riding to one's heart content? Or the horse's content.

Right behind Laurent, he veered off slightly so that he might come up beside him and hopefully pass.

"And what do I get when I win?" he called back, teasing, over the sound of the horses thumping against the ground. Sky snorted and pushed, trying to get ahead of his sister, clearly unafraid of the cluster of trees and winding paths of the forest.

"Something good, I hope."

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