One Day Too Late

The Day We Met

Disclaimer: I apologize for any grammar mistakes I may make here and in the future. 

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In the herbal garden. 10 years ago.

"Sammy? Are you here?"

"You have to find me, Claude. That's how Hide and Seek works," Samuel says as he giggles.

"But it's dark out here. I have to return to my quarters before my mom checks on me," Claude replies with a pout.

"Okay, okay."

Just as Samuel was about to step out of the bush he was hiding in, the queen was heard calling Claude's name. Their secret playtime had been cut shorter than they expected.

"I have to go, Sammy. Let's meet up again soon."

"Bye, Claude," Samuel says with a  sad expression. As he's walking back to the servants' building, he finds a green scarf along with a note. He examines the scarf and lifts it up in the direction of the forest. Claude had left Samuel a scarf that blends with the evergreen leaves. The note read, 

"Dear Best Friend Sammy, 

Thank you for hanging out with me, and here's a present for you. It can be hard to keep warm in the winter, so I'm giving you this scarf I bought when I snuck out of the castle last week.

Your Best Friend, Claude"

A bit of backstory:

Claude was the crown prince as his parents were the king and queen of  the Kingdom of Astorewen. Samuel was an orphan who had lost his father due to the recent war as well as his mother to an illness. Samuel became a servant at the castle like his mother.

Present time. Prince Claude's bedroom.

Claude's P.O.V.

My head hurts. I can hear the servants running around the castle. Are my parents busying them with chores again? Ugh, I need to get out of bed and get dressed.

Just when I stand up, the servants bust in and start dressing me as if I'm ten years old. I'm twenty-three for crying out loud.

Samuel shows up beside me and drapes my shoulders with my purple cape. He was appointed as my personal servant two weeks ago.

It seems like yesterday when we had to sneak out in order to meet in the garden. Looking back now, I was an ignorant child who knew nothing of games and fun. It was Samuel who had taught me all about it. We've been friends for thirteen years now, and it seems that the whole castle has known about our friendship for a few years now. I wonder if Mother and Father know. Would they accept it?

When should I tell them?

How should I tell them...

That I love Sam.....

"Prince Claude? Are you feeling unwell?", asks a servant.

"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking of our military situation. Leave me in my room."

All the servants leave, but Samuel remains in my room. I sit down by my desk and look up at him. How can he stand there and look so captivating? His dirty blond hair, his hazel brown eyes, his small stature. They all suit him so well.

"Claude, is something wrong? You look like you're about to cry," Samuel says with worry.

"I'm fine, seriously. I'm just... thinking about some things," I reply. If only you knew, Sammy.

Samuel's P.O.V.

A few minutes later. In the hallway to the kitchen.

There's definitely something off about Claude this morning. What could he be possibly thinking about? What is he thinking about that could make him look so stressed and sad?

Is he really thinking about the military? But his parents are handling that.

Is he thinking about marriage? Princes usually get engaged around his age, so its not unusual for him to be worrying about that.

"Do you want to tell me about it?", I ask with concern.

Claude hesitated and stood back up, "I'll tell you one day." The door closes as Claude exits the room, leaving me standing alone.

Sigh. It's been hard getting Claude to open up ever since the king and queen started to give him the responsibilities of a crown prince. What ever Claude may be thinking, I hope it doesn't affect him too much.

I walk out of Claude's bedroom and resume my chores.

I've been washing the prince's clothing, making his bed, dressing him, and a bunch of other things that come with being the royals' personal servant. Just as Claude was given more responsibilities, so was I.

"Samuel. Can you go grab me some herbs for the king's daily medicine," the head maid asks me.

I reply, "Of course. How much do you want me to pick?"

"At least five leaves will be fine. Thank you Samuel."

I head out to the herbal garden, and nostalgia hits me. The tree where Claude and I sat under remained the same, as if it were frozen in time. The small bridge where Claude would always hide under during Hide and Seek looks so tiny now.

What was I here for? Oh, right. The herbs.

I pick the herbs as I continue to reminisce about the past. Looking back now, my whole childhood consisted of showing Claude how a commoner like me lived.

I also remember how we first met. I was eight at the time, and he was ten. My mother was working as a cook in the castle and I wanted to see what she was like at work. My father had let me stay home as he went to the market. However, I left home without either of my parent's knowing. I have always wanted to know what the castle looked like from inside the large walls. Later, I found a small opening in the fence surrounding the herbal garden, small enough for a child to fit through. I stood outside the castle fence and stood there for a while, admiring the sunshine hitting the castle walls.

"Ah," a sound had come from underneath the fence.

What was that?

I looked down and saw a child near my age covered in dirt. I was surprised that I almost let out a scream, but the child covered my mouth before I could make a sound.

"Please don't scream," the child said.

I nodded in response, and he removed his hands from my mouth.

"Who are you? And why are you sneaking out?" I asked. I was confused on why a child would sneak out of the castle grounds instead of sneaking in. The castle was filled with everything you would have wanted.

He stuck out his hand for a handshake, "I'm the prince, Prince Claude. But you can call me Claude. What's your name?"

"...I'm Samuel."

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I wrote this in the middle of school, so I apologize if this chapter seemed short to you. This is my first time writing an original story after a while.

I want to make a schedule of my updates, but since I have school, that may be hard to do.

I'll try my best to update once a week or once every other week, but it really depends on my workload from school and stuff.

Thank you for reading :) - Mangies