The door to the back room creaked open, effectively waking me from my restless slumber. I was huddled in the back of my cage, my knees pulled to my chest, desperately trying to find warmth. It had been pouring outside for what felt like weeks and water was collecting on the cold stone floor. I kept my head down as people entered the room. Most likely it was another royal looking for a boy.
It was customary that upon a young noble boy’s tenth birthday they received a boy, a playmate if you will. I’ve been in this grungy room for what I’m guessing is almost a year, seeing many boys being selected and taken away. I wanted to be picked, but all the men that entered never even glanced at my unruly curls and scrawny, translucent body. The men that feed us boys always sneer at me and laugh, saying I’m too ugly for a royal. I’ve given up hope that I’ll ever be selected. I’ll just stay in this cage until I get too old to be someone’s playmate. Then I’ll be sold as a slave. I don’t know which is worse.
“Pick out which one you want Louis.” I heard a booming voice.
Very rarely were the royal boys brought back here. Usually their fathers came and picked out their playmate for them.
I heard scuffling as light steps echoed through the room. I didn’t have to look to know that all the boys in cages would be pressed as close as they could to the young boy walking down the aisle, begging silently. We weren’t allowed to speak when potential buyers were browsing, our current keepers made that very clear.
All noise stopped when and a voice spoke gently, close to my cage.
“Is this one alright?” the young voice questioned.
“Yeah, he’s just a shy one. Keeps to himself mostly. A bit of a crier.” A familiar voice informed the boy.
I lifted my head to see which boy they were talking about to see the boy standing in front of me pressed to the wire that held me here. His clear blue eyes were staring at me, watching my every movement. A smile broke on his face when he met my eyes.
“Don’t be scared.” He spoke to me and stuck his fingers through the wire, calling me to him.
I crawled over to him, excitement bubbling inside of me. What if he wanted me? No one had ever spoken to me so gently. What if I got to go home with him? I could leave here! I reached my fingers up to touch his but a yell stopped me.
“Don’t you dare touch the Crowned Prince of England!” The keeper yelled and I immediately scooted backwards, back into my corner and straight through the water puddle.
I hugged my legs into my chest and started sniffling, trying to hold the tears in. The prince’s face contorted with anger as he snapped his head to the keeper.
“Why’d you scare him?!” I flinched at the sudden noise a buried my head in my knees.
“Louis.” The booming voice from earlier now said in a warning tone.
“He scared him! Look, now he’s huddle back there, I can’t even have a good look at him.” his voice turned to a whine as he spoke to the man he’d come here with.
“Then move on. You don’t want a boy like that anyway.” The voice stated.
My head lifted instantly at that. He didn’t like me. The man didn’t like me. But the boy might. I stared at him, still standing in front of my cage. He’s the only one that’s ever showed an interest in me. He’s my only hope to get out to this place.
I didn’t dare get closer to him, but I pulled my knees away from me and attempted to wipe away the few tears that leaked from my eyes. The boy smiled at that and I smiled back. He seemed nice. I’d love to be his playmate.
“I do want him.” The moment the words were spoken my smile grew ten times bigger.
He wanted me! He chose me!
“Louis, there are other boys here that would be much more suited for you than that one. Look at him. He’s as white as a ghost; he’ll burn anytime you take him into the sun. And that hair, it’s a mess. He’s not a very attractive one, look at how tiny he is.” the booming voice said and my smile fell.
“I don’t care. I’ll take extra care of him. Please Father. He’s the one I want.” He looked away from me now, to the man still standing at the door with a few of the keepers and some other men I didn’t recognize.
“You haven’t even gotten a good look around.”
“I don’t want to. I want him!” his voice rose again as he yelled at the man.
The big man sighed and looked at the head keeper.
“What’s his story?” at this the boy smiled back at me victoriously.
“He was sold by his parents when he was just a baby. Don’t know who raised him, but we got him a year back, we guess he’s about 8. The man swore he’d never been touched.” The keeper recited.
“Get him out. Let’s have a look at him.”
The boy moved back as my keeper walked over with his set of keys to unlock my cage door. I wasn’t sure what to do so I stayed in my place until he waved for me to come closer.
“Get on out boy. They want a look at ya.” The man said angrily and I quickly scrambled up and out the door.
It had been so long since I’d actually stood, so I stumbled out of the cage and fought to regain my balance. The man with the booming voice was now holding the boy back by his shoulders. The boy’s smile wasn’t hidden though as he continued to stare at me.
The other men that came with the boy and his father approached me now and grabbed my arm, looking me over. They moved each of my fingers and then my toes, as if looking for any deformities. Finally they stepped back and nodded to the father.
“Are you sure he’s the one you want?”
The boy only nodded smiling at me.
“Alright. We’ll take him. Get the papers.”
At that the boy smiled even wider.
“Right this way your majesty.” The head keeper said, opening the door for him and his son to walk through.
One of the men near me grabbed my arm and led me through the door as well to stand in the front room. The boy watched me closely, excitement evident on his face. I couldn’t help but smile back at him. He’d freed me. I was his playmate now.
“He was never given a name.” I heard the keeper say and I looked up at him.
I’ve always been called boy.
“Well, he must have a name.” the father spoke, “Louis, what do you want to call him?”
He stared at me for a few seconds, glancing at my hair before turning back to his father.
“Harry.”
