There were few people Frey helped out of compassion without expecting something in return. Growing up, he couldn't afford to. The majority of people around him always had ulterior motives, whether it was getting close to his father or trying to manipulate him into spilling valuable information. Frey had learned how to spot it quickly and used it to his advantage with merciless retaliation, ultimately finding it difficult to trust anyone.

Perhaps that was why he'd grown a reluctant soft spot for Luna Hargreaves, because the girl was an idiot and any attempt at manipulating or scheming against pretty much anyone would fail miserably. She was the stubborn, obnoxious daughter of South Kerilia's town chief and semi-adopted relative of Damien, resulting in her, along with her brother, and Frey spending a lot of time with each other growing up, despite the decade of years between them. Unfortunately for her relatives though, she had a devastating disregard for manners, and whenever she stood out in a crowd, it was in an unbecoming way.

As an additional perk, the drama that usually ensued around the girl and her knack for trouble was highly amusing to Frey. So when she'd stormed into Damien's office that morning, long, black hair a mess, her usually pale skin blotchy from anger, and dressed in nothing but her nightgown, Frey couldn't help but get involved. At the very least, he felt obliged to do something about the disaster that was her inappropriate attire.

That, and lending her a horse to aid her on some new, reckless adventure. It was, at least according to him, an astoundingly benevolent act on his part, yet Luna had the audacity to raise a rude eyebrow at him as they stood inside the stables.

"Did you really not pay attention when you got them?" she asked, apparently judging him for not knowing exactly which horses in the stables were his.

Frey would not accept criticism when it concerned horses though, so he shrugged.

"I have so many of them, and I only use one."

It was true. He'd received many of them as gifts, and some were mainly used for breeding. He'd be able to sort them out eventually, but not at first glance.

This was not good enough according to horrible brats like Luna.

"Then why do you need—"

Frey's eyes were suddenly drawn to the stable boy passing by on his way to the tack room, having gathered up a number of bridles on his arm for cleaning.

"Oh good, the stable boy," Frey interrupted Luna's sentence. "I was afraid she'd have to saddle the horse by herself."

"Lord Clausson." The stable boy halted to stare at Frey's presence in confusion. "I didn't expect you to be here so early. Afraid Tea For Two isn't quite ready yet, but—"

"Young Lady Hargreaves here is the one in need of a horse." Frey gestured to Luna.

The stable boy seemed to only notice her then, and he blinked for a split second at her borrowed attire.

"Of... Course. One of yours, my Lord?"

"I would suppose so. Which ones are mine?"

"Oh, uh, I believe Happenstance is yours." The stable boy pointed over to a chestnut coloured horse further away. "There's also Carrots... And—"

"Wait, those are names?" Frey's eyebrows shot up as he stared at apparently-Happenstance. "Their names?"

"Well, yes—"

"That's dreadful. Who decided that?" Frey wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, we'll have to rename them before anyone finds out."

"Oh... Certainly, my Lord." The awkward smile was back. "To, uh... To what?"

"I don't know, something not dreadful perhaps?" Frey gestured to Marius. "It's your job to make sure they're presentable, isn't it? Just... Have new names for them before I come back to take Tea For Two out."

The stable boy arched his eyebrows.

"That's... Pretty soon, isn't it?"

"Well... Best not keep young Lady Hargreaves waiting then." Frey gave him a big, clearly not genuine grin before turning to Luna with a sigh. "He's new. Doesn't quite know his place yet, but Damien insists he's good."

Luna nodded slowly as she looked at the leaving man over Frey's shoulder.

"Don't think you'll ever consider a servant to know their place before they actually kneel down in front of you."

Frey shrugged again.

"He will, eventually." He then looked back at the chestnut horse. "Take that one. It goes best with your clothes, just... Don't tell anyone its current name, all right?"

Luna shook her head, and after the stable boy had finished preparing Not-Happenstance-Anymore for her, Frey could finally send her off on whatever risky business she'd gotten into.

"Is she wearing your clothes?" The stable boy asked from behind Frey as Luna had disappeared. "You've worn those before, right?"

"I hear you're still speaking of clothes despite it not being your place." Frey glanced over his shoulder. "If I were you I'd prepare Tea For Two and then get started on those names instead."

The stable boy laughed softly, to Frey's disgruntlement.

"Right away, my Lord."

***

The forest path was so peaceful. All he could hear was the sound of Tea For Two's hooves rhythmically stomping down on the hardened mud as she calmly ambled along. The leaves were a stunningly vivid blend of yellow, orange and red as autumn had rolled in over the forest trail and Frey enjoyed the cold, fresh air immensely.

While he generally wasn't an outdoors person it was different on top of a horse. He wasn't required to do much work aside from keeping his balance, and Tea For Two was a delight to handle. She knew the route they always took and her gait was flawless, it was like floating.

He found himself a little bored though, despite ruckus earlier. He supposed he could look forward to giving the stable boy a piece of his mind after he'd most definitely failed to find suitable names for the horses, but it was hardly enough to fill a day. After a year of barely working or socialising, he was running out of things to do.

The stable boy was conveniently present as Frey returned, having led Formerly-Named-Carrots outside to release her into the paddock, only stopping to brush some trampled dirt that had stuck to her hoof.

"So? How's the naming coming along?" Frey looked down at him, pleased with his current position of being above him.

The stable boy straightened his back after clearing Formerly-Carrots' other hoof and met Frey's gaze with his constant, cheerful smile. He actually looked rather handsome when he smiled, and Frey narrowed his eyes.

Such a waste on a servant.

"Well I have some suggestions if you'd like to hear them, my Lord."

"I'd be delighted." Frey's voice was dry.

"Right then. For Carrots here—"

"Not Carrots."

"For Not-Carrots here, I was thinking Amber."

Frey curled his lip in response. The stable boy noticed and continued.

"Perhaps Cinder?"

Better, but far from good enough. With Tea For Two's name in mind, the other horses should have at least two words in their names.

Frey raised his chin and swung his leg over Tea For Two's back to step down from her. He wouldn't be able to make a powerful exit after berating the man if he was on a horse.

"Well, I suppose—"

His sentence was interrupted and he reluctantly let out a yelp as the heel of his boot stuck to the stirrup, causing him to rather clumsily flail around in order to maintain his balance with his right foot.

The stable boy hurried to his rescue, grabbing his shoulders to keep him from falling over and Frey's body stiffened as the hands closed around him.

Absolutely not.

Before the stable boy could proceed with freeing his boot from the stirrup, Frey decisively pushed him away, causing him to lose his balance once again and tumble to the floor with a loud thud. Tea For Two looked down at him, and Frey knew she was judging his disgraceful landing. He just hoped the stable boy would have the decency to not acknowledge the embarrassing display.

"Lord Clausson, are you all right?" The stable boy reached a hand out, but Frey promptly ignored it. He struggled to stand up from the ground without letting his hands touch the filth beneath him and flinched as his back stung. At least his foot had managed without any notable damage, and he resisted the urge to wipe his clothes free from dirt.

"That wasn't too bright, was it? You shouldn't have pushed me away like that," the stable boy continued, and Frey's eyes flashed with annoyance.

He shouldn't have? What about the servant who'd touched him in the first place? He was the one who shouldn't have.

"Excuse me?"

"You wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't pushed me—"

Enough.

"Let me be clear with you," Frey interrupted, voice cold enough to make any villain proud. "You are a servant. You do not get to question my intelligence, or my choice of clothing, and you do not have permission to touch me unless I tell you otherwise!" He resisted the temptation to complete his scolding with a poke to the stable boy's chest, albeit a rather impressive kind of chest, and instead only pointed his finger at him.

The stable boy did not react the way he'd wanted though, and if Frey wasn't mistaken he even looked amused.

"Apologies, my Lord," he said, however. "I'll, uh, stop bothering you then and tend to Tea For Two immediately."

"Good." Frey turned around and once again felt the pain in his lower back. He stopped and grimaced.

"I hope your ass doesn't hurt too much, my Lord," the stable boy said before Frey could leave, and he froze on the spot. Then he turned around, mouth agape.

"My—?"

The servant arched his eyebrows.

"Your ass. The soft part of your backside. I think even someone of your social class has one?"

"I know what it is." Frey scowled, his gaze once again drawn to the stable boy's smile. "And what's so funny?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, it's just... The frown you make when you're angry, it... Kind of suits you."

Frey's eyes widened, but he refused to be speechless.

"What's that supposed to mean? You're trying to make me angry on purpose?"

"No! No, not at all." The stable boy's smile finally faded. "Apologies, it was... It was just my way of saying... That you look pretty when you're angry. Not that you don't always..." He trailed off, and Frey's mouth opened and closed as he tried to figure out how to respond.

"Well... Keep this kind of behaviour up and you'll see a lot of pretty then."

It was a terrible comeback if he could even consider it one at all, and he was usually so good at them. The stable boy snorted and opened his mouth to say something but closed it just as quickly as he spotted something behind Frey.

"What's going on here?" The stable master looked down at Frey as the latter spun around. "Is he bothering you, Lord Clausson?"

Before Frey could say something the stable boy spoke up instead.

"I was speaking out of line and regrettably insulted him, but I've made sure to apologise."

The stable master said nothing but stepped past Frey and slapped the stable boy across the face.

Frey winced, but said nothing.

"I apologise for his behaviour." The stable master bowed his head and grabbed the stable boy by the neck, forcing him to do the same.

Frey only nodded, still processing the slap. That was just how it was, he reminded himself. Servants weren't allowed to misbehave without consequences like he was. No one would ever slap him for something so minor as insulting another person. It still bothered him though, and he left the stables without another word.

"He was speaking out of line," he mumbled as he walked, trying not to feel the blooming, negative emotion he'd never associated with a servant. He shouldn't have to feel guilty about the slap. It wasn't as though he'd been the one to do it, and he hadn't even said anything to the stable master.

It had forced the stable boy's persistent smile to finally disappear though, and it irked Frey. He had thought he'd hated it. That it was disrespectful, but as soon as it was gone it felt wrong, and whether he liked it or not, Frey had played a part in it.

He then spotted Damien, who was sitting on a bench in the garden with a book in hand.

Damien looked up as Frey approached and tilted his head to the side with a puzzled frown.

"Did something happen? You look shaken... And red."

Frey finally acknowledged the burning of his ears. His entire face felt warm and he scrunched up his nose.

"Nothing, really." He sat down next to Damien and glanced towards the stables.

At least he was pretty sure it was nothing.