Spoiled | Falsettos AU

Chapter One

tw: prostitution

Eleven years later

Marvin

"You're late." Charlotte notes as I walk into the throne room. She catches me by the collar of my shirt as I make my way to my throne, tugging me back to where she stands in the doorway. "And your hair is a mess." She tries to smooth it down, tutting. She's my advisor, not my caregiver, but I let her anyway, since there's nobody around to see and judge.

I hear her quietly lament that everything about me is a mess, but I let the comment slide.
"It's not as if I have anything to do today." I shrug, walking over to my throne.
"Actually, you do." She says. "Three things, to be precise."

I sit as she begins to list them.
"The Queen of Necor wants you to send out another invite to the ball, as she's misplaced the original." I groan.
"Do we even need to invite them? I don't like Queen Isabelle. She always complains about the food."

Charlotte gives me a stern look.
"Ye, we need to invite them. Heather- their daughter- is Jason's age, and Kakip would make a great ally." She reminds me.
"Fine." I shrug. "I'll have another letter written out later. What's next?"

"Mendel wants to talk to you about Jason skipping lessons."
"Ugh, next."
"You can't keep avoiding him." She frowns.
"I don't plan to. I just don't want to deal with him so early in the morning." I reason. Charlotte looks unimpressed, but moves on.

"The head guard is here with a criminal." She says. "He says he doesn't want him in the prison, he's been causing trouble there."
"So?" I ask, not understanding how I can help.
"He wants him exiled."

I contemplate: my son's mentor/my wife's lover, who annoys me to no end, or the guard, who I also dislike for his cruelty, with some troublesome criminal...
"Bring the guard in, then." I decide.

Charlotte leaves, then comes back a few minutes later with the guard, a brutish man I can never remember the name of. I've actually been meaning to for him for some time, but nobody else has the expertise needed to he head guard.

He pushes a filthy man in front of him, and I cringe at the muddy footsteps he leaves in his wake. The guard bows to me, but the prisoner doesn't move, standing with his head raised high, eyes scanning the room. Based on his appearance, I suppose this is the most luxury he's ever seen.

His gaze finally lands on me, and his eyes meet mine under his overgrown fringe, then the guard pushes him onto his knees. Wincing as his knees hit the cold stone floor, he nevertheless maintains eye contact for a moment, his gaze fiery and indignant, then he bows his head in submission.

"I want this man exiled." The guard requests.
"Who is he, and what has he done?" I inquire. Exile, to me, seems stupid almost all the time. Any crimes committed that would justify banning somebody from the kingdom probably deserve a prison sentence rather than banishment.

"His name- apparently- is Whizzer Brown." The guard begins. "Two months ago, he was arrested for homosexuality and prostitution, and"
"That's not a crime." I interpreted him.
"Pardon?"
"Homosexuality isn't a crime anymore. I changed the law years ago." I changed many laws once I took my parents' place. I make a mental note to definitely fire this guy, since he seems to be arresting people for things that aren't illegal.

"Well prostitution, then." He continues, looking embarrassed. "Since his arrest, he has been causing trouble in the prison by sleeping with all of the inmates."

I almost laugh.
"And how is that such a problem?"
"One man stabbed another out of jealousy over him." I look at the prisoner and frown. He doesn't seem that attractive.
"Why don't you keep the inmates separate?" I ask.
"There aren't enough cells."
"Make a note to fix that." I tell Charlotte.

"Okay." I think for a moment. "Are there any other charges against him? Any kingdoms where he is wanted?"
"Not that we know of, though we believe he's using a fake name." The prisoner lifts his head and speaks up in denial, but is kicked in response, and falls silent again. I scowl at the guard.

"We know that he has already been charged for thievery, though." He continues. He kicks the prisoner again.
"Show him."

The prisoner doesn't move, and he is kicked again.
"Don't do that." I snap. Only then does the prisoner raise his head again, looking furious as he raises his right hand, and- oh. He doesn't have one. The stump is wrapped in material, clearly cut short. Amputation is not a punishment here anymore, but in stricter kingdoms, I know it's a punishment for stealing.

"Where are you from?" I ask him.
"Exire." His voice is clear despite the rough state he is in. Exire... well that explains the punishment. Though it's a few kingdoms away from here, so I wonder to myself how he ended up here. "Though there will be no record of my punishment." He goes on. "It wasn't court ordered."
"Why not?" I press. He shrugs.
"I was too young and naïve to know I had rights."

He stares at me as I make up my mind.
"So why prostitution?" I ask. "Don't you know I've made it easier than ever to get a job here?"
"With letters of reference, perhaps." He scoffs. "What do I have? Instead of a school report or, hell, I don't know, a birth certificate, I have a permanent sign that I'm a criminal." He raises his arm again, the lets it drop into his lap. "I have no experience working any other way, and nobody to speak up for me."

"I'm against exile." I say at last, coming to a decision. "Most exiled people just end up elsewhere, committing the same crimes. The crimes you've committed are not violent ones, and so I'm going to give you a choice: exile, or two months of work at the palace in exchange for your freedom."

The guard speaks up before anyone else can. "When he leaves, he'll just commit the same crimes!"
"No, he won't." I argue. "He'll have work experience and a letter of reference from me, and so he will be able to get a job rather than stealing and..." I stop. "Um. Anyway. We're in need of a maid after our last one left, and he's in need of reforming. It's a perfect arrangement, no?" I look at the prisoner expectantly, and he shrugs.
"Fine. It's the best option I've got."

"Your highness," Charlotte whispers beside me. She only ever uses my formal title in front of others or when she's being patronising. "I don't think this-"
"It'll be alright." I cut her off. "Take..."
Heat was his name, again? I know it was something stupid... "Whizzer... to the servant's quarters and get him cleaned up, please."

When she doesn't move, I turn to look at Charlotte. She looks at me like I'm an idiot, then gives in.
"Fine." She steps down from where the was standing beside me, helps the man to his feet, and leads him out of the room.

"And you." I say to the guard. "Next week, please bring the top three best performing guards for me to see, please."
"Yes, your highness." He looks clearly confused, but doesn't question me.

I wait until he leaves, then groan. Great, now I have to talk to Mendel.