I felt the heat rise to my cheeks What? I thought. What he'd do to me? What did that mean? Being the nervous little prick I was, I shrugged it off as nothing, just a joke that went around the castle, I guess.
I stripped myself of the rags that Agnus had provided me with, years ago, might I add.
I opened the large door that Dan said had lead to the washroom. As soon as I opened it, I felt like I needed sunglasses. Everything was so shiney. I admired everything from the simple clearness of the colored glass of the windows, to how clean the mirror was. I had never seen anything like this before, nor did I believe I would ever be able to see something like it. I probably wouldn't have been able to even imagine something like this. It definitely was a grand beauty.

-

I finally decided I had cleaned myself well enough and drained the bathtub of the dirty water. The towels were so soft. They felt like clouds being rubbed against my body, as weird as it sounds.
I dressed myself in the clothes that were provided for me; a nice navy blue jacket and some black slacks. And oddly, the fit perfectly. I slid on the slippers well, my toes feeling around the fuzzy and soft feeling of them. This was definitely a large change from what I was used to.
I found a comb from behind the opening - yes, opening. Magic, isn't it? - mirror and began to neatly brush the comb through my fringe and relaxed it on the side of my face. And oddly enough, Dan has a fringe as well, just on the opposite side of his head, and brown.
I heard the large creaking of my bedroom door open. It felt so weird to say my bedroom, after only living in a one room shack for the past 10 years of my life.
I opened the bathroom door to see Dan, back pressed against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, foot crossed over another, looking relaxed, waiting patiently for me.
"Ready for supper?" He cocked an eyebrow. He looked at me up and down, probably deciding if I looked nice enough. I nodded in response, giving him a small smile. He stood up properly and motioned for me to follow him. I did as told and followed him into the long corridor, filled with old paintings.
Before I knew it, we were in a large room with a long table and lots of fancy chairs. They all seemed too fancy for me. Being the poor, servant boy I was, I definitely wasn't used to this, at all.
Dan sat beside his father, King Howell, and motioned for me to sit beside him. I did, eyeing all the other people I didn't recognize and didn't feel comfortable being near quite yet, and Dan, being my age and probably my only chance at an actual friend, I chose to stay with him, obviously.
I sat down in the large chair beside Dan, and honestly, I didn't see how he could sit in this chair 3 times a day. It seemed almost unbearable. But I would get over it. I mean, it is where I would be sitting 3 times a day, 365 days a year. Of course, unless something happened that had forced me to move out. That was the very last thing I wanted to do.
I came to the sudden realization of the amount of people sitting at this table. It was more than the people that lived in my neighborhood village. It made me nervous. Some people eyeing me from the other end of the table. I wiped my clammy hands on my slacks, and Dan must've noticed how nervous I was.
"It's okay, Phil." He whispered to me, smiling cheekily. Okay, hear me out, I'm 12 and as far as I know, definitely not gay, but the way he always smiled at me made me want to pull him close, and never want to let go. The way his brown eyes just seemed to let me melt into them, and they way his dimples seemed to shine when he smiled, and when he- I'm not gay, I promise.
"Dinner is now served." King Howell smiled at everyone as the maids came out and set large plates of food in front of everyone. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I witnessed the steam being lifted into the air and float off the lamb chops. I had never tried them before, and I couldn't tell if I was excited, or distracted by how delicious it looked.

-

I slumped back into my chair, sighing heavily. Dan laughed.
"Filled up, are we?" He cocked his head the the side to examine me, I don't know for what though. I nodded and fixed my posture in my chair, Dan bringing his focus back to my face.
"You are all dismissed." The King boomed, giving off a comforting toothy smile. I nodded and leaped off the chair, making my way down the corridor to my bedroom. I felt Dan brush past my shoulder.
"Oh sorry. Goodnight Phil." He gave a small smile. I felt like my knees had melting and almost lost control of my legs. I decided that it would be his charming smile that would be the death of me.
"Goodnight Dan." I responded. He nodded and made his way down the corridor to his bedroom, which wasn't far from mine. I stumbled into my room quickly and prepared myself for bed by brushing my teeth.
I jumped onto the mammoth bed and relaxed. I felt like it had been the first time in years I'd been able to forget things and just relax, without a care in the world. But I also felt like weights had been placed on my eyelids, making it hard to keep them open. Instead of struggling, I snuggled into the bed and shut my eyes.

-

"You're worthless. You're a disgrace. You shouldn't still be alive. You should be with your parents. I regret ever adopting you." I had enough. I lashed out at her, the hot tears streaming down my face, rolling down my cheeks and down to my chin. Even if I tried to punch her, I couldn't reach her. It seemed impossible. I fell to my knees, my sobs drowning out her voice. I hated her. I despised her. But a new voice was somehow was able to speak over my sobs.
"She's right. You are worthless. I can't believe I was actually wanted to be your friend." It was Dan. He said that. He hated me. But I could never hate him. He grinned devilishly. Weights seemed to be slammed onto my body, because I could handle the pressure that was suddenly being put on me.

"Phil? Are you alright?" Dan's soft voice called quietly. My shirt was wet with sweat and my face with tears, my hair stuck to my face. I opened my eyes, Dan was sitting beside me, his warm eyes full of worry. I sat up a bit.
"Yeah. I'm alright. What are you doing here? What time is it?" I knew it definitely wasn't daytime, because my curtains were open and no light was shining through them.
"It's 2:14. And I remember Father telling me that your guardian had called you- nevermind that. She said that you were afraid of thunderstorms, and it starting storming, so I came to make sure you were okay." His cheeks became a soft shade of pink as he smiled sheepishly. I smiled.
"Well, thanks for caring Dan." He nodded and lay down beside me. We lay there, staring at the ceiling in a comfortable silence.
"The castle is being extra creepy tonight. Luckily I'm brave though!" I joked, trying to lighten the mood, but Dan had seemed to take it seriously.
"I want to be there so you don't have to be brave." He whispered. I flushed. That wasn't the answer I was expecting.
"Promise?" I choked out. He cuddled up next to me, making me feel warm.
"Promise."