Butler Robert

"Service, which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served.  But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy." 

Mahatma Gandhi

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**Robert's POV**

It is a servant's greatest happiness when he watches his master grow up into a wonderful lad, full of hopes and dreams.  I have watched my young Prince grow from just a tot to a strapping lad.  He is brave, honest, forgiving and full of warmth. Although he doesn't always show these traits, his core is still pure.

I know a lot about the palace; all the death, the hatred, the anger.  It isn't a place of happiness for its residents.  Us servants are happy enough if our young masters and mistress are still alive by the next King's crowning.

Eighth Prince Sandor is my charge, and he will be the last Prince I serve.  Before Prince Sandor, my ward was the King himself.  Being the King's butler, I was given the right to choose who I served next.  Every time a Prince was born, the King called for me and asked if I wanted to be the child's butler.  I refused seven times until I saw Eighth Prince Sandor.  I fell in love with the tot the moment I lay eyes on him.  He stared at me so curiously, so full of life.  I knew he was the one I wanted to follow for the remainder of my life.

Of course, I watched the other Princes as well, and when the little Princess came, I watched over her too. I loved to think of myself as all of their guardians, but there were some things I just could not condone. 

Sixth Prince's behaviour is one of them.

Prince Brutus is a cruel child.  He used to be so innocent until his 7th birthday.  That was when his mother did something that changed him.  I don't know what it was.  No one knew, but after that, Prince Brutus grew sadistic and cruel. I wish he would return to the loving, gentle and sweet little boy he once was.  He used to follow me, calling me Grandpa Robert, just like the other Princes and Princess.  I will forever miss that sweet boy.

I grew up in a small village.  My mother was a maid at the palace, and my father was a guard.  Because I was too young, I was left for my grandparents to raise. It was like having two mothers and two fathers.  They taught me everything I needed to know, from writing to numbers.  I grew to become a very bright child and eventually became a companion to Prince Sandor's grandfather.

King Liam was my best friend.  His bright blonde hair and midnight blue eyes really made the sunny disposition he had and the loyalty he showed.  We became the best of friends the moment I set foot in the palace to visit my parents. As soon as we met, we went everywhere together, playing and learning.  We taught each other things the other didn't know and learned to trust one another. Liam was lucky, having had no siblings. He didn't have to kill his siblings to gain the throne, and I was glad that my best friend wouldn't lose the good qualities he had.

When Liam met his beloved wife, Sarah, I was overjoyed.  She was a gorgeous woman, long jet black hair and soft sea-green eyes.  She was a commoner just like me, which made the other officials furious.  They didn't want a commoner to become Queen.  They wanted a noble girl from the most excellent noble families or a Princess from another country.  They tried to pressure Liam into taking one of their daughters in as Queen, but he refused. He only wanted Sarah, and Sarah was what he had until the very end.

Everyone was happy when Hori was born.  He was such an adventurous lad, full of ambition and compassion.  Everything changed, however, when his younger brothers Mateo and Isaiah were born.  Somehow, Hori found out that he needed to kill his brothers to gain the throne, that they were a threat to him, despite being 1.  The twins were gregarious, even at their young age, and you could tell they had a special twin connection, one that was reinforced with magic.  They knew exactly what the other was thinking or doing, which was scary yet fascinating at the same time.

Hori killed his two baby brothers just before they turned 2; he was 8.  Sarah was devastated.  She couldn't understand why Hori would do such a thing.  Why would he kill his baby brothers?  Liam eventually explained to Sarah the tradition for the throne.  It was a law set in stone until Liam changed it. They talked and talked until the following day.  They just couldn't understand how Hori knew about the old laws and how he could have the determination to kill the very brothers he loved so dearly.

When we spoke to him, all Hori said was that they were in the way of him taking the throne, and all obstacles must be eliminated.  Heartbroken, Sarah died a year later due to her failing health.  She barely ate or left her room, dying slowly.  My best friend joined her a year later, leaving a 10-year-old Hori in my care.  I tried to raise Hori to the best of my ability. Still, when Hori became King, he had already been influenced by the old nobles.  They filled his head with the old ways, and so the laws were reverted back to what they originally were before Liam changed them.

I sigh, shaking my head. Remembering the past is too painful for me.  I still love Hori, but I will also be disappointed in him until I die.  He cursed his children to lead a cruel and unhappy life.

As I was leaving the room, I overheard that the Princes wished to make little Adira Queen.  I, personally, thought it was a pleasant surprise. 

She would make a kind Queen.  I just hoped she wouldn't be too naive. 

Wanting to get back in time, I quickly make my way to the kitchen.  I place the tea and biscuits on a trolley and get ready to wheel it all out when I nearly crash into Prince Brutus.

"Where are you going, old man?" Prince Brutus asks in a lofty manner.  "You seem to be in a rush."  Ever since young Brutus changed, he began to harass me.  It seems he knows that I was allowed to choose who I wanted to raise, and so feels angry I didn't choose him.

"I was just getting some tea for Eighth Prince," I reply calmly.

"For my younger brother, huh?  Why are there so many cups and cakes then?  Don't tell me Sandor's become a glutton?"

I shake my head. "Of course not, Sixth Prince. Eighth Prince has guests, so I must bring some refreshments for them as well."  Brutus laughs.

"Guests?  Who would visit Sandor?"  He sounds so condescending.

"Seventh Prince, Ninth Prince, Third Prince and the First Princess," I reply.  Brutus frowns.

"What are they doing there?  They're not up to anything funny, are they?  Father did say us Princes weren't allowed to create factions; otherwise, brothers from the same mother would already be banding together."

"No, Sixth Prince, they're not."  Brutus nods, looking pleased.

"Good. Guards!  Take him!"  I grit my teeth in annoyance.  I was so sure my lie wouldn't be noticed.  Each person has a magical ability, a unique talent that's only for them. Prince Brutus' magical ability is being able to tell when someone lies.

Guards grab both my arms before a secret guard covers my mouth and nose with a chloroform-soaked cloth. I glare at the young Prince before falling unconscious.  I never thought that I would be kidnapped by a Prince.  Not even the current King would capture me.

I wake up to a bucket of cold water.  I look up, my eyes bleary from a mixture of the induced sleep and water running down my face.  Blinking a few times, I notice a water mage by the Third Prince's side.  "Third Prince, what is the meaning of this?" I ask.  My voice is raspy, and my throat is dry.

His grin looks evil as he says, "I just want to extract some information from you."

"Not even the current King would kidnap me, Prince Brutus, so what makes you think you have the right to?"  My tone was more snappish and informal.  I nearly lost control over myself, and I had excellent self-control.

"I don't have the right, but no one's going to notice if you're gone for a few hours."

"They will notice," I growl.

"If you say so," he smirks.