A Royal Pain

CHAPTER TWO

In the end, Dan did end up serving Phil breakfast. He'd woken up of his own accord for once, not having to be roused again and again by servants. The sun had still been low in the sky when he'd tumbled out of bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

It was then that he'd remembered Phil's insistence that he serve him breakfast, which Dan had rolled his eyes at in the privacy of his own room. Still, he was a great friend, and great friends sometimes did what their friends requested of them. And so he had slipped out of his rooms, his hair still a mess and clad in pajamas.

"Prince," one of the guards greeted with surprise. It was the second shift of guards, seeing as no two people could be awake to guard him for the entire day. It wasn't strange for the guard to be surprised, Dan couldn't even remember the last time he'd woken up this early, the sun still chasing the night from the sky.

Dan nodded at the guards, not quite remembering their names and barely recognizing their faces. He moved to step around them and the second guard cleared her throat. "Would you like us to accompany you, Prince?"

Dan looked at her in surprise. "Oh—no, uh. I'm good. Just going to get some breakfast."

"Do you want us to call you a tray?" the second guard asked. He seemed concerned, which made sense, anyway. Dan wasn't one to wake up early, much less fix his own breakfast. But he wanted to do this for himself.

"No, I'll be fine," he assured, before shoving his hands into his pajama pockets and walking away from his rooms. He walked silently through the castle, surprised at how active it was so early in the day. Servants were running to and fro, carrying mops and brooms and tubs of hot water, trays and linens balanced on their shoulders. They gave Dan concerned looks when they saw him, all bowing their heads respectively before hurrying on their way.

"I did," someone further down the hall was insisting. "But every time I try they always come out burnt."

Someone turned the corner exactly as Dan was passing by, smacking harshly into his side. Irritation bubbled in his gut as he spun to face the offender, only to see a little girl stumbling backwards, colliding into another girl. They looked to be about eleven, both of them with their hair pulled up in the familiar fashion of the servants. They were wearing maid's clothes, both of them gaping at Dan.

"I hit the prince," the blonde one whispered—still staring at Dan—something akin to horror in her eyes. Her hand found the hand of her friend, both of them clutching the other tightly. The annoyance melted out of Dan.

"We're terribly sorry sir! Prince! Your Highness!" the girl's friend shouted, bending at the waist to bow before Dan.

"Oh!" Dan said, stepping backward in surprise. "No, you're fine. I wasn't paying attention either."

Both girls stared at Dan, something like reverence and confusion mixed in their gazes. Finally, they nodded and turned around, sprinting back the way he came.

"I thought I was going to get kicked out!" the blonde one whispered, her voice carrying down the stone hallway.

"I thought you were going to get executed!" They turned the far corner with a series of giggles, and Dan shook his head and continued on his way, a bit perplexed. He'd never really realized that there were younger people working in the castle before, though he guessed it made sense. And it wasn't as if he was normally looking either, nor was he usually out and about at this time.

He continued down the stairwell and through another long, echo-y hallway, torches burning brightly on either wall, though the sun was now filtering quite nicely through the windows. He slowed down as he approached the kitchens, suddenly feeling anxious about going in. When was the last time he'd been in the kitchens anyway? He could remember sneaking in with Phil when they were younger, usually in the middle of the night, only to be confronted by the night staff. He vaguely remembered the head of the kitchen staff at the time, short and stout, her graying hair curly and close to her head. He and Phil had often dug through the cabinets in search of any kind of snack, only to be intercepted on multiple occasions by her.