Warning: Remus

"Um, excuse me?"

Janus looked up, squinting against bright sunlight. There was a boy, scuffing the toe of his shoe along the gravel awkwardly. From what Janus could see, he had unusually neat golden curls and black eyes that sparkled with stars. It unnerved Janus slightly. "Can I help you?" Janus asked, standing up and wiping his hands on his trousers.

"Yeah, actually. Do you know where the servant's quarters are?"

"Are you the new kitchen hand?" The boy nodded. Janus smiled slightly, getting an uneasy feeling. "I'm Janus."

"Daniel." He smiled. It made the knot of unease in Janus' stomach grow tighter.

"There's a dirt path leading off from the fountain. Follow that and you'll get to the servant's entrance eventually."

"Thanks." Daniel grinned again and walked away. Janus sighed and tried to shake the emotional cloud that was hanging around him. Something about Daniel made Janus worry. There was something but he couldn't figure out what.

"Hello."

Janus looked up again and panicked. "Oh shi- um, your Highness." Janus quickly bowed to the grinning prince.

"D'you know what was up with the cutie who just came by? He looked like a deer that had been caught when he saw me."

Janus fiddled with the buttons on his ratty brown coat. Why was he suddenly so nervous? It must just be because a prince was talking to him. "Not sure, your Highness."

"Why're you so nervous? You don't have to be so nervous around me. I'm not my brother." The prince grinned. Janus smiled slightly but ducked his head, looking at the hem of his coat.

"You not a talker?" The prince grinned. "Bet you're a moaner, though."

Janus felt his cheeks flame up as he glared at the prince. Then, he checked himself and looked down again. The prince laughed.

"Remus." He held out his hand. Janus looked down at his own hand, which was covered with soil, before wiping it on his trousers and shook the prince's hand.

"Janus."

"Pretty name for a pretty boy." Janus felt his cheeks heat up again and looked down at the flower bed he'd been digging.

"If you don't have anything to say to me, your Highness, I'd like to get back to work."

Remus groaned. "Fine." He looked at Janus, tilting his head to the side. "No one's ever talked to you, have they?"

"What?"

"No one's ever talked to you, ever asked you how you are have they?" Janus looked up at Remus and then back at his work. How could this prince tell exactly what was on Janus' mind?

"Why should you care? You're a prince, you shouldn't even be talking to me."

"Who says?"

"Etiquette, I guess. Rules, station."

"Funny, you were singing a different song when the boy from the other kingdom was talking to you." Remus' voice was light but it also had a bitter edge to it, like he regretted something.

"Have you been spying on me or something?"

Remus grinned and put his hands up in mock-defeat. "Guilty as charged." He laughed. "I can't help it, though. When I see something I want, I look at it, check it out and then I take it."

Janus felt a little bubble of anger start to grow in his chest. "I am not an object and I would like to get on with my work so please, could you leave me alone. Your Highness." He added as a bitter after-thought. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I'll go and see if the new guy's up for any games."

Janus clenched his teeth in anger. He hated this prince who had talked about him as if he were an object yet the idea of someone else talking to Remus made his blood boil. Janus sighed. Why couldn't he help himself like he had helped Virgil?

"Are you lost?"

Daniel whipped around, ready to retort that he wasn't one bit lost. However, he stopped. The person who had asked him the question was a girl. A pretty girl with a thin crown. A princess. And what a princess. Burning red curls, sparkling black eyes, clear skin and a pretty face. Daniel rubbed the back of his neck, putting on his best charming smile.

"Uh, yeah actually."

"Well, I assume that you're looking for either the kitchen or the servant's staircase." Daniel nodded, smiling shyly. Rose didn't seem impressed. "The servant's staircase is around there," she said, pointing down the corridor, "and the kitchen's are downstairs somewhere."

Daniel looked around, fake confusion crossing his face. "I'm still a little confused. Would you mind helping me get there?"

"I would love to," Rose's voice dripped with sarcasm, "but I don't own this castle. If you want to find your way, ask one of the princes."

Daniel sighed slightly. "What do they look like?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Like princes. They wear crowns, you can't miss them." Then, she turned on her heel and walked off.

Daniel sighed and felt like kicking something. Did he actually care about the princess? Of course not. But, she was royalty. Royalty had money. Money led to respect, respect led to power and power led to influence. Influence meant Daniel would finally be important. And the only way to get power was to marry into a rich family and then slowly bump off everyone who could threaten his chance at getting noticed.

Daniel grinned, his eyes sparkling darkly. He would just have to keep trying. And the first thing to do was to find out why Rose was here and who she had to marry.