The stable boy // Phan

3

Dans POV

I woke up to a loud banging on my bedroom door and it being flung open with gusto. I should have guessed who it was.

Frank, my overly enthusiastic page 'man'. He was around the same age as me but had decided to grow his stubble and now insists on me calling him my page 'man', not 'boy'.

I pulled a pillow over my head as he stormed in and started jabbering at top speed about what was happening today.

"Frank! It's way too early for you to tell me what shit I have to do today! I want to sleep!" I groaned.

He walked over to the side of my bed, quill and paper in his hands, scribbling down something unimportant."Yes, but Daniel today you and your mother will be traveling to meet some of the princesses in the near kingdoms!"

I groaned louder, but the sound was muffled by my head being stuffed under my pillow.

"Can't you tell her that today I wanted to take Magic for a ride?"

"I'm afraid she won't budge. She seemed very excited about you and her going on a 'mother/son trip' to find the woman you would spend the rest of your life with!" He folded the paper and took out an envelope.

I sharply pulled my head out from under my pillow and sat up, staring at Frank. "No fucking way! I am not going to go on a DAY trip with my mother to find a WIFE when I have told my parents I DON'T want to marry, I just want to live with my horse! Plus, being around my mother when she's in one of those moods is tiring!" I flopped onto my side and hugged my pillow to my chest.

Frank sighed. "Dan I know this is difficult, giving up Magic, but really you'll be better off without him! And-"

"You're just saying that because you hate horses. Now I need to get dressed! So could you please leave, you've told me what you need to, goodbye!"

I rolled out of bed and pushed my page 'man' out the door and bolted it behind him.
"Wait dan! Here's a list of all the Castles you'll be visiting today." Frank slid the letter he'd been scribbling under my door. "You can get food from the kitchen before you go, they've packed extra food for you."

I sighed. "Thanks Frank..." I stooped down, picking it up then throwing it onto my bed.

"See ya later Lover boy!" Frank's breaking voice faded as he walked away down the passage.

As I got dressed into my outrageously layered outfit, I only thought about Magic and how I'd promised him I'd take him on a long ride today. I hadn't done that in a while and I think we both needed it.

When I was decent enough for my mother's scrutiny to find no more flaws, I walked down to the stables to say hi to the horses and give Magic my apology and a carrot.

Then Mother called for me and I reluctantly met up with her. We got into our fanciest carriage with our two smartest horses, Belle and Gloria, and set off to the first kingdom.

The ride was uncomfortable. Mother kept trying to make conversation but I didn't want to talk, so we ended up staring out opposite windows, counting sheep and trees.

The first castle was magnificent; much grander than ours.

The princess that I met was beautiful, but she could have done way better than me, so i declined when my mother hopefully asked about her.
While we were there, she showed me their stables and we made polite conversation. Eventually she got bored of me and went off with a girl wearing the servants outfit I saw the other maids wearing. I assumed she was her page girl or something so I didn't follow. Luckily though, because later i walked by a rose bush and unintentionally noticed them acting a little more affectionate than expected.

Mother later said that she found the king and queen of that castle boring and was happy I didn't like their daughter.

The next trip was longer and mother fell asleep. I kept my head up and played a game where if I spotted a horse I could eat a biscuit from mothers basket. Eventually all the biscuits were gone because I gave up on the game and ate all of them so I wouldn't die of starvation.

The next kingdom was smaller than ours and the princess was incoherently boring.

She showed me her collection of rocks. I said I was fascinated, but I wasn't really. We lost interest in each other quickly, but sat through a delicious lunch and made small talk for the sake of our parents.

Later, mother told me she didn't like the way her parents treated their staff and didn't want to be affiliated with people as inhuman as them.

We visited three more wonderful princess, but they all had something I didn't like or mother disapproved of.

The last princess we visited was very upfront and took me to see her cottage in the garden. It was quaint and secluded; i felt nervous going alone, but she said everything would be alright. But as soon as we got inside, she tried to kiss me and take off my clothes. I panicked and ran back into the castle. I turned down endless corridors while trying to find mother, eventually getting lost.

I sat for a while by a window, unsure of where to go. Not long after, the princess's older brother wandered down and offered to help me find my way back out. He graced this offer with a shy smile, taking my breath away. I gladly agreed and he took me back to my mother and his parents.

This family also ended up being a no from mother; I was glad of her decision.

It was mid afternoon as we started our journey back home. All I could think about was Magic and how I was going to give him a good grooming and feed him then sit and read with him till nighttime.

My mother and I both drifted off and when I woke up we were pulling into the courtyard.

The first thing i did was make my way to the stables.

When I arrived something felt off. Magic was groomed and he had fresh food and water. This morning I had told the stable boys not to feed Magic because I wanted to when I got home.

Magic nickered at me as I walked into his stall. I stroked his nose and did a double take. He was soft, his coat glistened in the afternoon light. Some idiot stable boy had gone against my word and washed him!

Behind me, a clatter sounded and I whipped around to confront a startled black haired boy. He was holding a bucket of brushes and looked extremely shocked that I was stroking Magic.