The Last Place You'd Look (Grove)

[James Florian]

He had always known that those stable hands were good for nothing. It was their job after all to take care of the horses and make sure that everything was running smoothly, but James had rarely ever seen them do that and he was here almost every day! It only seemed that there were one, maybe two of them who took their jobs seriously while the others only lazied around until either a student or instructor appeared and then they would do a half-assed job to make it seem like they were working. As a result the stables only seemed to be in peak condition right before lessons and Jim had finally had enough. He was tired of coming to the stables to only see a bunch of lazy imbeciles hurrying to clean up Chaos's stall or attempt to put a brush through the stallion's mane. So today before the familiar pattern even began, he blew up at the stable hands casting them out, proclaiming how he could do a better job than him and if they had worked at the stables at the castle they'd all be fired for their sheer ignorance. It was safe to say that they would never be helping James with Chaos's upkeep ever again. 

Which was perfectly fine by him, after all he wasn't lying when he said that he could do a better job than them. However he kind of wished he had the common sense to snap on a day where he was wearing something other than his riding clothes, which were not the best for laboring in the spring weather while also dealing with an annoyed Arabian that had a mind all of it's own. Unfortunately for the prince, it was more stubborn than he or Isla will ever be.

"Alright, alright! I get the message. You want me out." James huffed in annoyance as Chaos flicked his tail at the boy for the umpteenth time. Chaos was clearly a horse meant for a prince, because the stupid beast acted like he was one himself half the time. Except he wasn't like James or Eli, oh no Chaos was the biggest brat Jim had ever seen. After all this was the horse that decided that he was going to open the gate on his own and just saunter into the paddock as a monster barreled right towards the two of them. James half-wished that Midnight had run the crazy thing over, then maybe his ego wouldn't be bigger than the sky he was named after. "But unless you want a dirty stall, that's not going to happen." He said to the horse again with a small little smirk as he dodged another flick of the tail. It wasn't that uncommon to catch James talking to the horses, after all his mom talked to birds, squirrels, and deer with no problem. Jim didn't seem to inherit this ability, but that didn't mean that it was weird to the prince. He just hoped no one else found out, they would call him crazy and throw him in the loony bin!

He moved out of the horse's stall, carrying a clearly heavy bucket almost filled to the brim with oats and other little goodies that the horses were fed. He was clearly struggling to complete the task, but not because of the weight of the bucket, but because of the fact James couldn't really move his arms the way he would have liked to because of the way his clothes were made. The had been somewhat loose on his body last year --when he had asked his mother to replace his outdated outfits with something more modern so he wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb-- but now that he had gained a bit of muscle from spending some of his free time in the gym during the cold winter, so now they were rather tight. However he wasn't writing home for new ones just yet. It was a pride sort of thing, he somehow wanted to earn what it would cost to replace them... even if it just meant that he didn't spend as much in the village anymore. He wasn't a spoiled pampered prince like some of the others seemed to think. He could work for the things he wanted. This only meant that for the meantime that everyone who was in the stables now knew just how defined both his arms and thighs were whenever he moved, or if they where lucky enough to find him stretching, his abs through the bleached dress shirt and crisp khaki pants. 

However no one was around now to catch this sight that would've made any lady or princess back home swoon. It was just Jim and the horses which was just fine by him. However since Jim didn't have a watch with him, he quickly lost track of time, and as a result forgot that there were places he was supposed to be. So as he didn't notice someone unexpected slip into the barn as he dropped the bucket of oats in the supply stall and pick up the broom to go muck out Chaos's little castle. He was in his own little happy world of horses and his thoughts when he slung the thing over his shoulder and spun around on his heels to go back to the cranky beast. 

Unknowing to him, the guest was standing just behind him so when Jim had turned he ended up narrowly avoided hitting them in the face with the broom used for get rid of dirty hay. That would have been embarrassing on so many levels, because of course that guest just happened to be his best friend and current, but still oblivious to this, crush. 

"Oh shi- I'm so sorry! Did I hit you?" James asked the redhead with the concern and premature guilt etched clearly written all over his face. The broom was so filthy and awful and was just about the worst thing to be hit in the face with. However Jim saw no telltale red marks, just that fiery beard that made Jim's heart fall to his stomach, but in a good way. So that probably meant he didn't hit him with the broom. That was a good thing, a very good thing indeed.

"What are you doing down here Grove?" The younger boy inquired once he got the blush on his face under control. "Not that it's a bad thing, I've never seen you here before." He shot his friend a small grin when he said this. It was true, Grove had his reasons for staying away from the barn and Jim respected that. So it was a pleasant surprise to see him here, maybe he could convince Grove to maybe pet one of the pretty mares and introduce him to the idea that not all horses are crazy. He would try and introduce Grove to Chaos, but he didn't want to give that stubborn stallion another chance to earn his name. They had nearly avoided a disaster the last time Chaos tried to make friends, and James wasn't too keen on repeating the experience anytime soon. 

[Grove]

Grove wasn't one to spend his free time down by the stables. If anyone was looking for him, he could usually be found somewhere outside working on one of his carvings or whittling small figurines out of wood. But Grove wasn't looking for himself. He knew exactly where he was. No, he was looking for his best friend because he had finally finished the project he had been working on and he wanted to show Jim. But Jim couldn't be found in his usual haunts, which meant that he was probably down in that one place that Grove didn't like to go: that stables.

So the redhead approached the stables with caution. He was a big guy and used to hard work, but horses were even bigger than he was and skittish creatures at the best of times. He didn't want to push his luck by running headlong into some horse and getting hurt for his trouble.

When Jim didn't seem to be outside riding in the paddock, Grove headed into the actual stables, where he saw Jim in a tight fitting shirt, doing menial labor. All of that made Grove stop short, his breath caught at the sight. He knew what Jim looked like without a shirt, but it seemed even more obvious now how muscular he had become. It made Grove want to stride right into the barn and kiss Jim right there and he made a step forward to do so before he stopped himself. Jim had never shown much of a preference for Grove over others. More recently he had been a bit more affectionate and it caused Grove to hope, but there were no other signs that Jim might feel more than friendship for him. And if friendship was all there was, then Grove would happily settle for that.

Grove made his way closer to Jim, this time without the intent to kiss him, but he must have been so quiet that Jim turned and very nearly smacked him in the face with a broom. He stepped back quickly, ducking back out of the way just in time. "I'm fine," he reassured Jim gently with a smile. "Did you almost swear?" he teased.

"I was looking for you," he said quietly, suddenly shy because the project he'd been working on was a gift and he wanted to Jim to like it. "I have something for you. Unless you're busy now."

[James Florian]

James had no idea that moments ago, Grove was intent on kissing him. Little did he also know that if Grove were to suddenly lay one on him, he probably wouldn’t push him away at first. Why? Because the same feelings that were plaguing Grove were also haunting Jim, he just couldn’t see it yet. He had never been in love before, this would be the first he’d realize what was going on within him and also to come to terms with it as well. He was a medieval boy after all who followed the rules of the church… for the most part. Sure he had a little leeway because he was going to be the king, and frankly people didn’t care all what the king did as long as their own skins were taken care of, but the same couldn’t be said for the clergy. They frowned on any “romantic” relationship that wasn’t focused solely on baby making. “It’s a sin!” They’d cry and Jim would listen because it was all he had ever known. Plus the repercussions of angering the Vatican? Oh it would be devastating. No, even after he realized his own feelings he’d need time on his own because he was going to question everything he had ever known and as a result lay the first bricks in the path to both his own doom and subsequent salvation.

“Oh shush.” James said with a playful swat of the hand at his close friend before making the unfortunately true observation about his sailor’s mouth, “You should be proud of me. It was the one time I didn’t swear.” Jim wasn’t exactly known for his pure language, despite how much of a perfect prince he tried to be. He couldn’t help it most of the time, it just rolled off his tongue if he was angry, upset, or scared; and to be perfectly honest it helped sometimes. Cursing had a different effect on him that others because his background prevented him from having such a foul mouth before. Many times muttering a string of insults under his breath was the only way he could rebel against the strict upbringing he had to suffer through. That was before however, here he had gotten used to his freedom so it no longer had the cathartic feel that it once did, not that it still wasn’t there of course, but still it just wasn’t the same. So it was little surprise to him that he had censored himself, even though ironically it would have been warranted in the situation. He had almost hit his best friend with the shit broom, as it was so eloquently called.

It wasn’t exactly surprising that Grove had been looking for him, Jim knew that the lumberjack was wary of horses. They were the one thing they had never agreed upon after all. The younger lad loved them more than anything in the world because back home they gave him a sense the freedom that he couldn’t find while he was under his mother’s watchful eye. Grove on the other hand was scared of how flighty the creatures could be. He seemed to think that they were ticking time bombs that were just a hairsbreadth away from throwing a rider. Jim liked to respectfully disagree with this ideology, but that wasn’t the point. Instead the raven haired lad knew that the redhead would appear in a stable or paddock if he was looking for James. Any other reason was just simply unheard of since his distrust was simply that strong.

He chuckled at Grove’s statement, “I figured it would be something like that.” He said as he took the broom off his shoulder and stood it up, bristles down of course, and leaned on it to listen to what Grove had to say. Jim was so carefree and relaxed at the moment since he was in his element here. This was his stables, and his home in a way. (Sure he didn’t own them, but could anyone name a student who spent more time here?) It was like how Grove was in the gardens or the forest. These were the places they belonged and where nothing else mattered, which was everything because the two of them came from a place where who they were and where they came from mattered more than anything -- to everyone else. It was only natural that he’d be more visibly relaxed here than in other places.

“Really?” Jim exclaimed with a childish sense of excitement rising within him with that familiar heat in his cheeks. Grove made something for him? Sure Grove made him gifts every now and then, but they were never really out of the blue like this before so this was kind of exciting. Plus it was Grove… giving him a gift. The thought made his heart jump. A gift for me? The thought made Jim just want to jump on Grove and give him the biggest bear hug he could possibly give, which was a little more than strange to him to be perfectly honest. Sure he was affectionate, but really? Why on earth would he think about that? What in the name of heaven and hell was going on to him that made him want to do that?

“Uh… well, I guess I need a few minutes.” Jim said with a small laugh as he motioned to the broom. “I kinda yelled at the stable hands earlier, and now I’m in charge of clearing Chaos’s stall.” He explained rather briefly as his eyes flittered in between the stall with the half open door and Grove’s icey blue eyes. Jim couldn’t help, but feel that every minute that the door was open was a chance for the horse to get out and prove his name to be true which worried him. “However I don’t have much left to do. I just have to change the bedding quickly and maybe attempt to get a comb through his mane.” He said with a shrug, the first was simple since Chaos was probably being distracted at the moment by the oats, the second not so much, but the horse was just going to have to deal with it. Chaos was stubborn, but Jim could be even more so when it came down to it, and he wasn’t going to let his horse rule the roost.

“I can get it done a lot quicker though if you can run up to the loft and bring down some hay for me.” He suggested as he pointed to the ladder that led to the loft in the back of the barn. “I would do it myself, but this blasted shirt is too damn tight.” He said as he tugged at the collar of it as his expression turned somewhat dark at the reminder of just how uncomfortable the outfit currently was. It was manageable, but still he was afraid to lift his arms above his head or he could end up with a sleeveless shirt. Suddenly he realized that he had somewhat forgotten his manners so he looked up to his friend and added at the end, “Please Grove?” Little things like that slipped his mind sometimes, but what could be done. Hopefully Grove wouldn’t take offense.

[Grove]

Grove chuckled lightly. Having known the prince for such a long time he knew that Jim was prone to swearing, but only when he wouldn't get in trouble for it. "More concerned with making sure my face was alright?" he teased, knowing that Jim had been concerned about his face. Luckily Grove was fine and would most likely continue to be. As long as the horses stayed where they were supposed to.

"Yes, really," Grove said, amused at that response. He might joke with Jim about things, but he would never say he was giving Jim a gift and then not. It was also amusing to see how excited Jim got about a small gift.

Grove squinted up at the ladder to the loft. He'd probably be fine up there by himself, sending hay down to Jim. It would be better than actually working with the horse itself. "Okay," he said climbing the ladder and grabbing the pitchfork that was in the loft, and scooping up the hay. "Where do you want me to throw it?" he asked, looking down at Jim from the edge of the loft.

[James Florian]

“Well, yeah. This is the mucking broom Grove.” Jim deadpanned, as if it explained it all, as his best friend teased him for swearing. Of course Jim was concerned about Grove’s face, a fact that was a little embarrassing to say the least after what Grove had just said. He then ducked his head when he felt his cheeks begin to burn, trying to hide just how true the statement was. Jim couldn’t even think of how mortifying it would have been if he had actually hit Grove with the same broom used to brush away dirty bedding for horses. It’s safe to say that maybe Grove wouldn’t want to come back down to the stables with Jim any time soon after that.

It wasn’t the gift itself that made Jim excited; after all he was the crown prince, every foreign dignitary and their cousin brought his family gifts from far off lands and places in hopes of impressing them. They were always elaborate and incredibly expensive; a sword with precious gems attached in the golden hilt, a newly bound manuscript highlighting the history of the visitors homeland, or even a prized horse if they had heard of the father-son duo’s favorite past time. However in a way they were meaningless. They weren’t given because they cared about the next ruler. They didn’t care for his interests or wants. All they cared about was their own kings and how they can strike the best trading deal if they brought the fanciest gifts. That’s why Jim loved Grove’s gifts. They were made with his best friend in mind. They were personal and they meant something to the both of them. Jim knew that Grove put forth effort, love, and dedication into everything he made. It came from Grove’s heart, not some other man’s greedy intentions. He was always left in awe of the art his friend made, as sometimes it was so detailed and intricate that it seemed like only an artisan who was apprenticed half of his life could build it. That’s why Jim was always excited to receive gifts from Grove. He only wished that sometimes he was talented enough in some sort of craft to return the favor.

“Here Grove,” Jim responded as he moved the stable’s wheel barrow to just below where Grove stood in the loft. He strained a little bit due to the tight clothes, and cursed under his breath when he felt a seam pop somewhere on his shirt, but it wasn’t a challenge. Once it was in place, he looked up to his friend before calling out; “We’ll only need enough to fill the barrow.” He then looked between the barrow and Grove to make sure it was in the right spot, the slight uncertainty he felt was showing through as he bit his lip. Although Jim was confident in what they were doing here, he was unsure about what he was going to do with Chaos as he cleaned away the old hay. Normally he had seen the stable boys tie the horses right outside their stalls, but with Grove around Jim knew that it probably wasn’t the best idea. The redhead was almost a skittish horse himself around the animals, wary, distrustful, and ready to run at the first sign of danger, despite their mostly gentle nature. Jim didn’t blame him though. He knew Grove had heard stories about riders thrown from the saddle or trampled beneath their powerful hooves and it scared him. He was scared that he was going to get hurt, even though Jim had reassured him a thousand times that it would never happen. The fear was still there, and Jim knew that Grove wasn’t going to want to wait outside the stall with Chaos for Jim.

However there wasn’t much of an alternative either. Jim didn’t trust Chaos farther than he could throw him due to the equine’s sheer stubbornness. If something were to happen, probably through the horse’s doing if you asked him, James wouldn’t be able to rein Chaos in immediately and keep him from accidentally hurting someone. He needed to keep him in his sight and reach at all times, but at the same time he needed to think about Grove and how he’d feel about being so close to a horse whose name sounded dangerous. Jim didn’t know what he was going to do. This needed to be done, but he wasn’t going to let his friend be uncomfortable in the process.

If only Grove was more comfortable around the horses, the prince silently thought to himself. In all senses Grove’s fears were irrational. Most horses were gentle and kind, rarely ever being spooked to the point of hurting someone. Besides Jim was with Chaos everyday, during lessons or after classes were done, and not once had been hurt in these stables. (Okay fine, there was that he one time he fell, but that was his fault. He had accidentally given Chaos the signal to gallop before he was ready.) Even before he came here, he never had a single significant injury from riding. Plus Jim’s mother trusted the horses enough to not hurt her child. If Snow trusted them, you know they had to be safe. Though maybe it was because Grove didn’t grow up around them like Jim had. After all he only ever saw on occasion the majestic beauties that were strong enough to pull the Queen’s carriage, and the powerful beasts that Jim and his Father tamed for a sport. Those horses were meant to be intimidating. They were symbols of the crown’s power, and James dared to say they did their job a little too well. The horses here in these stables weren’t the same though. Sure there were the ones like Chaos, set aside specifically for the Heroes and Heroines based on their strength and beauty, but they were still gentler and less intimidating because these horses were being handled by kids as young as twelve. He wished that Grove could see that, If only he could see how safe these horses were.

That’s when an idea suddenly struck him as to how he could convince Grove to stand outside the stall with Chaos for the five, ten minutes it would take for Jim to change the bedding in the stall, and a smile crossed his face because it could potentially kill two birds with one stone. “Hey Grove!” Jim said, calling up to the loft, “Thank you for doing this for me, it really means a lot. Just come down when you’re done though. I’ll be in Chaos’s stall.” With that, Jim ducked into the storage room to grab the things he would need for his new found plan --which probably wouldn’t work because just like always he didn’t think it through-- including Chaos’s halter and lead and a handful of carrots to tempt the horse to behave.

His idea was that Grove might be willing to stand near Chaos at least if he could actually see how at ease they both were and if all goes well, maybe Grove might start on the path to visit Jim more often in the stables to see the horses. However this was another one of Jim’s plans and everyone knew how those always turned out in the end. What would make this one any different?