Arrival
It had been a long ride. Remus barely remembered how long anymore, he had dozed of foe most of it, stuck in his own head. Sent away by his own family, his own father, for not being perfect, not being what they had wanted.
Lycanthrophy ran through his veins and it had been said that King Orion knew his way around it. His court was full of mages and potion masters that would surely be capable of helping Remus out, wouldn't they?
The French royal family owed King Lyall of Rome a lot, the only reason Remus was now here. Otherwise he would be nothing more than a stray dog, trying to find a place to stay. There was barely a place for an exiled prince, although his father had not make his exile public.
As the group approached the castle, Remus couldn't help but stare. It was huge, almost it's own city compared to the Castle he had grown up in. Here he would stay?
Many people were flocking to the castle that day, in desperate search for work or help. Remus didn't know how to feel about it. One one hand, it would cause him to be hidden in the mass, on the other hand seeing others being turned away just would make him moer anxious.
Remus helped to put all the horses into the stable, his untameable hair steadily obstructing his view. He had refused to cut it, no matter how much it had annoyed his family. This was his to keep, his to be. In comparison the the people he saw her, he almost looked shabby, unfitting.
The fashion was an entirely different one, much more glorious, yet impractical. No one would guess his heritage and maybe it was better that way. He would have much more peace like that and could still feel comfortable.
The style of his court so fundamentally different from everything here. It would be hard to get used to it. As he passed the courtyard, something glistened in one of the higher windows. Remus looked up, interested, only to see a boy around his own age looking down at him.
He held his hand to his eyes to get a better look and froze. It was the crown prince. He had been staring at he bloody crown prince. He quickly bowed and hurried inside. That was embarrassing...
A few servant greeted the group, good a hundred people, guiding them towards the throne room. They were all dressed in white shirts and black pants, having about the same hairstyle. They looked eerily uniform, Remus didn't like it.
The newcomers, after having been shown around and advised in etiquette, were presented to the royal family. By the time it came to Remus, many had already been sent away. Remus was terrified, he did his best not to show it, though, he needed this.
He did not dare to even raise his eyes as he approached the front when his name was called. "Remus Lupin I of Rome, son of King Lyall III or Rome"
Remus kneeled in front of the thrones and took a deep breath, trying to still his shaking. This had to go perfectly. "My father has sent me in inquire of help for my condition" he explained "And what" the Queen remarked "Might your condition be?"
Remus almost looked at her in shock. Would she really make him say it in front of everyone? If he did end up allowed to stay, he would be ostrazised. But he needed to answer. "It...It is lycanthrophy, your majesty" His voice had barely been a whisper, but by the Queen's gasp and the murmur in the crowd, it was clearly received.
The royal highnesses started talking in their native language and now Remus was sure, he would he sent away. Sent out in a life of uncertainty as he had been exiled from his court quietly. He had nowhere to go. If not for a miracle, this meant death.
The more time passed, the more scared Remus got. His knees were killing him, too. He did not dare to move, he was barely breathing either.
The Queen addressed him after a few tense minutes. That was it, she would throw him out...
"We owe King Lyall our unrestricted gratefulness. considering your condition, you will be our sons personal servant. You are to be with him at all times."
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Regulus watched the newcomers from his balcony. They were small from up there, but he was curious. His father didn’t let him out much, and they didn't get good company often. When they did, he was often not allowed around. The world outside of the castle did not exist to him.
What truly intrugied him was a rumor he’d heard, that one of the newcomers was a werewolf, but he didn’t know if it was factual or not, so here he was, trying to figure out which one it was. His mother and father didn't tell him much about their plans, but he knew it couldn’t be a good thing if they were letting a werewolf and their family stay here with no cost.
His father must have been planning something, and Regulus was determined to figure out what is is. There were guest rooms being made for the travelers, but Regulus’s mother warned him to stay far away. Maybe because she doesn’t want him to get bit.
It seemed unnessecary to him, but who was he to talk back to his Mother? He knew better than to do that.
The crowd slowly got thinner, until Regulus' eyes fell on a boy that left the stable. Their eyes met for the briefest second when the boy who had looked at Regulus walked quickly inside after spotting him. He frowned. Was he that frightening to look at? Regulus was just admiring the boys horse. It was a beautiful horse, he wanted to braid its mane.
Regulus shook his head and makes his way to his room, the movement making his crown slip. Oh, that had been why the boy looked so scared. He was wearing his crown. So stupid, he forgot to take it off after his mother left his bedroom.
His bedroom was more like a prison since he was rarely allowed to leave it. It was to protect his image, his parents said, but to him it just felt like they were ashamed of him since his brother had ran away. He does miss Sirius quite dearly, and hates him for leaving him here even though it was for the best.
After his older brother had left, Regulus had gotten the role of crown prince, although he assumes his parents would keep the throne for as long as they can, because he was certainly not their favorite child. Sometimes he could convince himself he wasn’t even born royalty with how little they refer to him.
You’d think it would be the opposite since he’s the crown prince, no? He sighs and gets ready for his personal guards to drag him to his next lesson, like they always did. Free will? What was that?
But instead of his guards opening the door as anticipated, it was his mother. He was reading one of his favorite books when she came storming in to tell him the news.
“Regulus Arcturus Black.” she said, as if she was out of breath. Did she run all the way here? Regulus didn’t know she knew how to run. He stood up and bows, however stiffly,
“Yes, mother?”
“The embarrassment of a prince that arrived today has confirmed to be a werewolf, so I will have your servants provide you with plenty of silver in case that half-breed tries to get near you,” she paused. So was is a werewolf. Was it the boy that had bowed to him and ran inside?
She continued, “You will be working with some of our best mages to heal his… disease as a show of diplomacy but nothing more. You are to treat him like the scum he is. Understood.”
Internally, he rolled his eyes, “Yes mother.”
She didn't bother to grace him with a response as she left.
This was going to be interesting.
He did not get much of a rest before there is another knock at his door.
Regulus opened the door to see Dulcet, a young girl that had just recently stepped into the service for the court. Regulus liked her, she was cheerful and kind. He hoped that the hostile environment would not ruin her.
Behind her, he could see a boy with golden brown hair that was definitely overgrown. What striked him as most surprising was the amount of scars on his face. It made him quite beautiful. This had to be the prince that was cursed with lycanthropy, otherwise the meaning behind those scars would be even more concerning.
Ignoring that his mother had told him to treat him like scum, he decided to test the waters, “Can I help you?” He asked with only the slightest bit of attitude, intrigued to see how the boy will react.
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The other servants were amazingy friendly, all acknowledging the conditions they had to work in. Support seemed immmensly valuable here. The girl that was showing Remus what he had to do, Dulcet, spoke like a waterfall and Remus didn't mind. It was a beautiful distraction.
She was young, not a year older than Remus himself, maybe younger, around eighteen, possibly. She told him of his duties and what she had to do, where he could find everything.
And finally, after even more hours of explanation and when he had been giving proper clothes - which were still huge on his thin, frail body - she took him to the prince. Remus could notice how he was shivering in a mix of fear and anticipation. This had the potential to be hell.
When they stopped in front of the room, she knocked without hesitation and the door opened almost as quickly. The boy in the doorframe looked between the two of them, his eyes lingering on Remus. He felt his cheeks flush.
"My Lord, your mother has ordered for him to be assigned to you personally. Iade sure he would find the way safely" Dulcet explained.
She stepped aside so reveal Remus, who flinched and bowed, averting his eyes. The prince seemed nice, but then again many people did at first. Remus was not naive enough to believe first impressions, especially amongst royalty.
He was tall, albeit not as tall as Remus, slim but not fragile. His raven hair was well kept, curly. The slightest hint of a smile rested on his face. His skin was pale, he most likely got the smallest amount of sunlight. He was genuinely handsome.
"Oh, thank you Dulcet.” the prince said, “You may go, I have him from here.” Then he turned to Remus to address him fully, more than just the glimpse he got from behind Dulcet. “Hello. My name is Regulus Arcturus Black, crown prince of France."