Pity the Gentlemen Too (open)

[Nathan Brown]

What was he to do? How could he tell his parents that he was in love with Kaitlin? How would they understand without overeacting? How would he make them not immediatley make wedding plans? He loved her. And they had to know.

No more secrets.

It was all so sudden. Everything was so sudden. And he was talking it out to a small white pony in the back of the stables. She had looked lonely and cold, so he had gone to her straight away. Nathan always spent his spare time here. Usually flirting with the Ladies who were out to ride for the afternoon with the King and the other company. Or just coming in from a ride or a hunt himself. Either way he loved it here. It relaxed him.

So Nathan stood next the little thing, petting her nose and rubbing her back. Telling her of Kaitlin. How he looked to her, what he wanted to do so badly with her but knew that he could not, and how he knew it was wrong but he thought all the time of her and what would happen if they ever came to a wedding night. He told her about how half of him wanted to marry her, because it would be easier, but half of him just wanted to wait for a while and see. He was frustrated that it was not his decision. And he talked and talked.

[James Kessel]

How monotonous his life was, though he droned on about that constantly. Every day the same, endless work without any interest but far too much purpose to be left undone. How depressing and sad for something so miserable to be so necessary. But his life was what it was - better a servant and free than a royal and bound! This was what he had been considering the night before, as he fell asleep in the hay loft, too lazy to walk back to the servant quarters. He thought about how he had something royalty would never have: privacy, freedom to an extent, the ability to be casual and relaxed with himself. And so much more.

He slept late into the morning, having finish the majority of the weekends work the day before. It was long after sunrise when he awoke to the sound of someone talking. He got up and brushed off what he could of the hay and straw sticking to his clothes. That was another thing! He scrambled around comfortably up here in a nice and boring quarter-length button-up beige-colored shirt and a pair of brown canvas trousers, while the royals sweated away in their heavy linen, weighed down by jewels. He, being the fifteen year old male he was, wondered how they would climb a tree.

He scurried across the loft, and leaned over the edge. James would not hide himself, for he was allowed here. He worked here after all. Curious to see what this, as he saw now, man from the King's court, was doing talking to what he realized now was a small white colt. James felt uncomfortable after a while, and was thankful he wasn't tangled up in a stupid love relationship like this. How stressful it must be. And how whiney it made the men! Talk about men, there wasn't much man left in the men after all of this, he thought to himself, trying not to laugh.

James layed on his stomach for a few more minutes, listening to the rest of the man's story, and then, when the man seemed to have run out of things to ramble on about, he got up into a kneeling position, banging his feet and hands around unnecessarily, trying to make noise to make himself noticed. He scrambled across the loft floor and began going down the ladder. Then he put his good manners to use. "Excuse me sir, can I be of any service?"

When he said this his grinned in a very friendly manner, hopping down the last seven or twelve ladder steps and landing on the ground with a loud banging sound. Twas true. James couldn't help not to make a scene once and a while. It, for arguments sake, was quite healthy in the long run. But, not wanting to be rude, he added still in a friendly, but now much more apologetic, manner. "Please forgive my intruding, I was sleeping and heard someone amidst!"

[Nathan Brown]

Nathan jumped a foot in the air when he heard a voice, and resisted a yelp when the owner of the voice landed in front of him. He took a step back, put on his manly, courtier's grimace on his face, the one that said, "I am of a higher status than you and therefore I can look down to you and have you hanged. And you can't do ANYTHING about it."

"No." He said shortly, the annoyance ringing in his voice. He straightened his coat and held his head high. "What do you think you're doing in here? Jumping down from the rafters like an animal. I hereby give you leave to depart." Also known as, leave now or suffer my wrath. And Nathan continued back to the mare, taking a brush and beginning to groom her. He had not done this since he was a young boy. Usually a servant groomed his horses, but he did not want to pet her and look soft. He had to use his hands in order to feel comfortable. He glanced at the.... boy? Man? Servant, would do. He glanced at the servant. "What do you want? You can go."

The hard look on his face remained as Nathan continued with his work, grooming the already spotless and perfect mane of the horse, not looking at his new company anymore. He was embarrassed that he had been surprised like that, but did not harp on about it. He might as well go.

[James Kessel]

James didn't like the reaction he got. But he was rather used to it - what was it with the greater than thou attitude of the knights? Snobs.... But he was used to dealing with it. Everyone of any status at all in the castle was completely obnoxious about it, and though it was exhausting, he couldn't change it. So he stoically put up with it and used it to his advantage. Thankfully, he could play the I am undereducated and just doing my job so I can show you this adorable innocent young face and you can't beat me up too badly. That usually worked, he should try it out.

Hearing the man's bitter reply, he retorted as politely and respectfully as he could manage under the circumstances. "I'm sorry for disturbing you sir, it is a mere habit, please excuse my behavior." James continued to smile at the man kindly, twas his nature, this unending cheerfulness and enthusiasm But dispite his chipper attitude of the morning, he could tell the man was annoyed.

"Forgive me sir, I can not leave. I am ordered to work here, and cannot disobey." Well it was true. He took a couple steps back from the man and, giving him one last glance with his ginormous eyes, he turned and climbed stealthily back into the rafters of the barn as easily as if he were a monkey. He began to throw down hay to feed the horses from the loft and blatantly pretended that Nathan was not standing there.

[Nathan Brown]

FINE THEN. *marches out of thread with no muse*