Fancy Meeting You Here (James)

[James Florian]

While Grove thought that James's mother had courage for running into the woods and going into the dwarfs' cottage, he knew that this wasn't the case After all he had heard the tale so many more times from Snow White than Grove did so he had a better understanding of what she was going through when this all happened To him the sprint away from the meadow hadn't been a courageous thing for her, it had been an action made strictly out of fear. Which is perfectly understandable given the circumstances at the time, at that point Snow was only fourteen and although she had been shown cruelty at the hands of her step-mother, no one had ever threatened her life before and on top of that she was a naïve little girl. James at certain points may be extremely naïve, but it was nowhere near the level that Snow had been when she was about his age. (The Queen had a whole level of naïve all to herself.) As for the cottage? That was just childish curiosity. She saw a tiny house, and she wanted to know why it was so small. That wasn't really brave, it was just distraction from the trauma she had just gone through and the revelations she had learned. Nothing Snow did had been brave, or at least not in James's mind, her actions were driven by a childish naivety which was the polar opposite of bravery.

James stayed silent for a moment as Grove explained his reasoning for why he wasn’t the hero. He didn’t try to dispute the fact that the dwarfs had saved the kingdom by killing the evil witch, but he tried to make the prince see that they had still failed because they couldn’t save his mom. They had thought she was dead all those years ago instead of merely being trapped in an unconscious state that seemed to be nothing more than a deep sleep to the cursed princess. That wasn’t how all the other stories he heard growing up ended. The hero always not only vanquished the villain, but they also broke the curse. James had to grudgingly admit that with that logic Grove was right, that it had been a team effort-- on the side of their fathers. Unless of course the fabled mess in the dwarfs cottage was just as bad if not worse than what Snow had described. Maybe that would be considered brave to take on such a project. However James wasn’t there so he didn’t know. So he was hesitant to call that brave, just as much as he was to call his father’s action at the time as bravery. In retrospect it was heroic, but at the time it wasn’t that brave. If anything it was kind of creepy to tell the truth, you know his father, a future king, insisting to seven little men that they open a glass coffin so he could kiss a “dead” girl who had strangely looked as if she was still alive. Yeah that part weirded James out a lot. He didn’t want to know his father’s reasoning for this. There were some things that just shouldn’t be passed down from father to son.

“Yeah, but then that would mean neither of us are the heroes according to the school’s standards.” James pointed out. He wasn’t trying to start another argument or debate, but it was just a simple statement of the facts. According to this school the heroes saved the day and the girl. Grove’s dads saved the day, but it was James’s father who got the girl. A puzzled expression crossed his face before he said, “The standards are too high for anyone to truly be a hero, aren’t they?” Not every prince or child of heroes were an exact copy of their parents and of course there were flaws to take in mind. James already knew how much pressure there was on him to be the perfect prince image, but now there would be the hero stigma too. The raven haired lad wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked sometimes during his stay here, they were going to be holding him to nearly impossible standards after all.

“And I would like to see anyone to try and change that.” James said with a small smile on his face as he leaned his head against Grove’s for a moment as the giant buried his face in the prince’s shoulder. Only a fool would believe that the two of them would just roll over and play dead if this school even dared to try to change their relationship all in the name of “keeping with the story.” If that were to happen, the two of them would put up one hell of a fight, or at least James would. He was sick and tired of people trying to tell the two of them that they couldn’t be friends because they came from two very different worlds. So what if James was a prince and Grove was a woodsman? James’s mother was essentially a scullery maid at the beginning of this story that everyone was obsessed with, how is that any different than the two of them, minus the whole falling in love thing? There was a reason after all that little baby James had clutched onto little toddler Grove’s hand when the two of them first met. Back then he didn’t know that he was a prince and that one day he would be a king. All he knew at the time was his mother’s face, his father’s voice, and how to trust people. He saw Grove’s face peer into his cradle and there was just something about the toddler that made James instantly know that he would be instantly important in the young boy’s life. Maybe it was the baby tooth grin Grove was sporting or it was the fact that he was the first little person like him that was just figuring out what this strange new world was that made him cling to the boy like James did. Regardless whatever the baby’s reasoning was, it was correct in knowing that Grove was someone he could trust. James trusted Grove with everything, and that was quite a statement knowing how insecure the boy could be.

When the two of them pulled away, James shivered slightly as he forced back into the chilly autumn air that signaled the warm, humid days of summer were over. Which James was grateful for, but he still felt a twinge of sadness. He was glad the heat would be gone, because that would mean he wouldn’t be choking on the stifling heat every single day, but this normally would have been the time his father returned from his tour around the kingdom. (The king had to go to each of his estates and his vassals estates during the summer to check in on things so to speak.) James normally didn’t get to go because he always was behind in his lessons or he simply wasn’t old enough, but he remembered suddenly that he was promised that he would get to ride next to his dad once he came of age. That would be next year when he turned eighteen, for the first time he realized that he would miss that opportunity. The thought saddened him slightly after all that was supposed to be a big event for the prince since that would mean in everyone’s eyes he would be a man, but he would have to wait until he was twenty-two now. He wondered if everyone would understand that he was away at school or if they’ll whisper rumors about his absence. He hoped he didn’t, he had been looking forward to the royal tour for quite a long time.

Hearing Grove speak was effective enough to drive him out of his thoughts, and he laughed lightly at the expression on his best friend’s face. He looked so elated at the notion of getting a slice of his mother’s pie. Was the desert at this school really that bad? He hoped not, it wouldn’t be fair if the two boys constantly badgered the queen for sweets when she had other business to attend to. “Alright then, though we’ll probably have to find a way to warm it. I don’t recall seeing any fireplaces in the dorms.” James said with a puzzled expression on his face. He didn’t understand the lack of hearths in the school, how did they stay warm in the winter when the snow came? James looked over to Grove with an expression that clearly showed he wanted his friend to answer his unspoken question, but he didn’t want to ask in case if he missed something important. He honestly had no clue that technology had found a way to heat homes and buildings without fire. There were some things that were missed in orientation, only because there was just so much stuff that had to be covered that the simple things had been missed. However with the thought of his father still fresh on his mind, another question on his mind one that he was surprised he didn’t ask earlier given how much it truly meant to him, “Grove, they said that there was a stable here. Is it a good one?” He asked with an eager expression on his face, however he remembered that Grove probably didn’t understand James’s definition of a good stable so he he clarified, “I mean is it kept in good condition and are the horses any good?” He could go into all sorts of specifics, but again Grove was a woodsman and not overly fond of horses. He knew that he didn’t like to ride, but surely the burly lumberjack had at least seen where James would probably be spending all time outside of class.

[Grove]

Grove smiled at Jim. Leave it to his best friend to decide that neither of them were heroes, which put them back on a level ground that their friendship was based on. He had to chuckle a bit at that. He nodded at that. "Everything about this school is too rigid," he agreed. "Education is supposed to be about bettering yourself, but I can't see how that's supposed to happen if they've already gotten me pidgen holed as what they want me to be." He sighed. "I don't think either of our families would be too pleased with the school." Their families had both worked diligently to make Grove feel like he was something of Jim's equal instead of feeling far inferior, especially when they were children.

Grove huffed into Jim's shoulder, enjoying the closeness. He'd gone a whole year without seeing his best friend and now he was here. Jim was here and it made Grove realize just how much he had missed the other boy. How much he had missed the hugs and the closeness. He missed the smell of Jim that had always seemed to linger in the cottage, but wasn't here at school. He had missed having someone who understood his ways and his thoughts. It made him realize how lonely he'd been this past year without Jim or his family around. But Jim ws here now and everything was going to be fine. "I'd like to see them try," he mumbled in Jim's shoulder. They were best friends and had been best friends since they were children. No one could come between them now.

Jim looked deep in thought and Grove wondered where he had gone, but he was back in a moment talking about pie and it was clear that he hadn't been here long. He lacked vital knowledge of microwaves. Grove thought they were magical, but he also knew that there was some kind of science behind it. Not that Grove really understood the science, hence he chalked it up to magic. "I'll show you how to work the microwave," he told Jim with a grin, wondering how he was going to react to it. He'd probably think it was magic too, but good magic. The best kind of magic.

Grove shrugged at the mention of the stables. He knew that there was a stables, but he'd never exactly been a fan of horses. They were so big and skittish. He'd seen people get hurt by them and he didn't want to be another person to ge hurt by them. "I haven't been down there. Sorry."

[James Florian]

"Well you don't have to listen, that would be bettering yourself wouldn't it?" James pointed out after Grove was finished, and he wholeheartedly agreed with what he said. All his life James had been told that he had to suffer through his lessons and those wretched seven spheres he was supposed to excel in because he was a prince. However there was a difference between preparing James for a job that he knew that he had no choice, but to accept and forcing Grove to be a sidekick. One was unavoidable and fated because he was the only living child. The other was utterly ridiculous and honestly there were better things Grove could do with his time. Especially since "the hero" he was supposed to assist banned him from ever calling himself James's sidekick. It was offensive and demeaning to say the least and it most certainly did not make the prince happy in the slightest bit. 

"No, no they wouldn't." James solemnly agreed as Grove pointed out that neither of their families would have sent them to this school if they had known that it's one goal was to undermine and basically destroy their friendship only because James was highborn and Grove wasn't. Both James's mother and Grove's fathers had been fighting a battle for quite a while to make sure that the two of them simply forgot about how Grove was supposed to bow when greeting James and how James wasn't even supposed to converse with Grove in the first place. That was the reason as to why James was given such a commonplace first name rather than something outlandish and pretentious like Snow White or Florian. This was just one piece in his mother's battle to ensure that in some way that her son was always humbled, and give him something in common with his future subjects. Beyond that James was told very clearly growing up that the cottage was not the castle where people would listen to him with no question, and whenever that message was forgotten some sort of steep punishment followed shortly behind. However it wasn't really needed, James was the perfect little momma's boy growing up, he always listened to what she told him to do. He only forgot when he was tired or upset, which was understandable because he was only a kid at the time. James wasn't sure what the dwarfs did to remind Grove. It must have happened either when he was really little or when he wasn't around because James didn't have any memory of it. 

Unlike Grove who was just noticing how much he had missed his best friend, James was all too aware of his best friend's absence. With Grove gone the trips to the cottage became something done more out of duty rather than something he wished would come sooner and last forever. It seemed so, dead without Grove around. There were no more wild romps through the forest like the two used to do and the heart warming smell of fresh wood shavings was strangely absent. The dwarfs began to also grow careless in keeping the cottage clean since they had only kept it clean for him on Snow's insistence. When Grove was home they barely stayed inside instead opting to explore the forest since James rarely got the chance do so; when he was gone James found himself gravitated towards either the bench seat or the stairs absent mindedly listening to the conservation around him. He would glumly retreat into his own thoughts only to resurface when he either heard his own name or Grove's mentioned. It was a rather depressing time for the young lad, but he was here now with Grove and that made him as happy as can be. He was tempted to never let his friend go again in fear that maybe someone or something would come along and try to take him away from James again. He had missed Grove, oh he had missed him terribly, but he was here. After a year he was here and the two of them had a few years here away from formalities and social structures. They had a few precious years left of them just being them. 

"Hey that's what I said." James pointed out with a cheeky little grin when he heard Grove mumble into his shoulder. However the two of them did have a point, it wasn't easy to force apart best friends, some would consider it impossible, but it seemed like this school was going to try their hardest to do just that. The two of them wouldn't play along though, regardless of what the classes put them through, what the professors told them, they would never think of each other as "the hero" or "the sidekick." Never in a million years. It didn't work before, it wouldn't work this time, and it never would. James and Grove just simply had a bond that would never be broken. "It'll never work. One foolish school can't undue seventeen years." He muttered quietly back to his friend. The school could think they could shove them into their little molds, but if it meant that Jim and Grove had to give each other up they would never willingly fit into them. It was like a square peg in a round hole, it just simply wouldn't work. 

His brows furrowed at the mention of a microwave. "What's that?" He asked his best friend who was grinning at him like he knew some big secret that he wasn't sharing. James didn't know what a microwave was, and he certainly not sure what to make of it's name. He had never heard of the term micro, and the versions of wave he knew didn't make sense. He was so confused and it didn't make sense. However little did he know that by this point next year he would be the king of microwaves, understanding all those little buttons and timers. Sure he wouldn't understand the science behind it (and that's how the school would prefer it to keep him from screwing up history) and he would regard it as some sort of magical force once he understood the basic concept, you put cold food in, and warm food came out. It might scare him a little since he couldn't see the logic behind it, but in time he would come to love it. Especially the times he would need some brain food during the all-nighters that were to come with the amount of homework he was going to get. 

Jim shrugged when Grove admitted that he hadn't been near the stables. He figured as much, Grove didn't like horses all that much and he didn't know James was coming so he didn't have time to case the joint so to speak. "Oh, okay." He said as if it didn't matter even though he was a little disappointed. Horses was always the one point where the two of them had never agreed upon. James loved the creatures. He loved the feeling of freedom he had as the horse thundered down the road zooming past his guards, his mother's carriage, and his father on his magnificent steed. For a few moments he could pretend that he was riding away from all his stresses and worries, but of course once everyone saw the prince making a bolt for it, everyone thundered after him. It wasn't as if he could really get away either, since he didn't have anywhere to go. He only knew life in castles and a tiny cottage in the forest. He wouldn't be able to make it on his own out in the world, that was the major downfall about being cooped up behind four stone walls for seemingly forever. Grove on the other hand practically feared the creatures. He saw how easily they spooked and despite how James promised that his own horse would never throw him he couldn't even go near them. Which was quite a problem figuring since they were the number one transportation method back home besides walking. This just meant that James would have to go down there on his own and explore on his own. Hopefully the horses were decent and the stableboys knew at least something about the creatures. James wasn't so sure though, he had seen far too many incompetent fools try to lie. One unexpected trip to the stables would show the truth and knowing the boy it would be soon. Horse riding for James was like woodcarving for Grove. 

Now if only the school had some sort of practice jousting. If that was the case, even Grove wouldn't be able to pull James away from that stable before the moon appeared. 

[Grove]

James had always had access to the best education his parents could afford. He had started his schooling when they had both been young. Grove had never had that luxury. He had never really minded much. He’d learned a lot of useful things in his less conventional education. He knew the basics of cooking and cleaning and keeping a home as well as mining and building things made out of wood.

Grove shrugged. “Maybe, but maybe not. I can’t really afford to have the school angry at me though.” He looked up at Jim, gauging him for a reaction. He couldn’t afford to get expelled now that he was getting a rea education. “I need this education, Jim,” he said softly. There was no way his fathers could pay for him to have tutors back home. This was the only time he’d ever have access to this and the possibilities it might give him. Or even any future children he might have. He could stand his lower status at the school if it meant he could have the education.

He huffed at Jim, trying not to look amused. “Well I agree,” he mumbled back to Jim. Their friendship was perhaps the most important relationship in his life. For a boy who grew up by himself in the woods having one person his age that accepted his eccentricities and became his friend was more important than he could have ever imagined as a child. Jim was so much more than his best friend. “I think only death could separate us at this point.”

The confusion on Jim’s face about the microwave made Grove smile. “I’ll show you,” he promised, looking forward to it. Microwaves were one his personal favorite inventions at the school because there was no outside heat source needed. It would be fun to teach Jim how to use the microwave.

“Sorry,” he apologized again. Grove knew how much Jim loved horses. He knew that riding gave his friend a sense of freedom he couldn’t seem to find anywhere else. “I’ve seen a few people riding though, so the stables must be okay. I guess you’ll have to check it out.”

[James Florian]

James Florian was naive to a great many things, in fact it was one of his most defining traits. He trusted people of authority to be good and not abuse their power. He wholeheartedly believed in God and would continue to even after he met, and became enemies with, a Goddess. The boy also believed that good will triumph over evil, and despite his anger issues, he was inherently good. Heck he was also naive to the fact that he was naive! But he knew all of this. What he didn't know however was that he was naive to who had access to education in his kingdom. As a future king, he had always known that his education was more in depth than others in the kingdom, since after all he needed to know more. Plus his education was more tailored to him and what he needed. For all the years he had been learning he had just assumed everyone else in the kingdom, all the kids his age, had been learning like this. They all knew how to read, they all knew how to write. They were able to focus on their interests like he had and what they would need for their future roles. Little did he know that some of the citizens couldn't even spell their own names! 

"Grove..." He started to say with a look of bewilderment upon his face, "What do you mean by that?" He didn't know what his best friend had meant by not being able to afford an education like this again. It wasn't dawning on him that Grove literally could not afford this education. He thought that maybe... maybe.... well he wasn't sure what to think. The question of to whether or not someone could learn shouldn't have to depend on money. Sure those numbers got the best tutors. and James had always had the best because that's what he needed. He needed to be the best and know the most. so he thought his cost more only because they needed to know more and dedicate more time to all the prince's neverending questions. He had always assumed that all other tutors in the country were cheaper and easier for anyone to afford since that's what would have made sense. The more he thought about, it slowly came upon him that Grove was speaking literally. He could not afford an education. Still disbelieving that his best friend, the man who the prince regarded almost as a brother, never had tutors not by his parents choice since they were the best at knowing exactly what a boy needed for a life in the woods, he cautiously said, trying to keep his angry disbelief reigned in, "Are you trying to tell me that you literally can not afford this education as twisted as it seems to be?" If it was not true, James didn't know how he would respond. Yeah he would be pissed that this was kept from him for so long, but honestly he didn't want to freak out about it. Instead he wanted to change it. Little did he know that this conversation would lead to the downfall on his family's hold of the crown. 

"No, it's okay Grove." James reassured his friend when he apologized once more for not knowing what the stables were like and honestly James would have been surprised if Grove did know the answer. Horses had always been where they could never agree or compromise for as long as they could remember. James loved riding, he adored horses, and if he wasn't a prince he'd probably dedicate his life to the creatures. It was just so freeing to be able to fly across the country side with the wind running it's fingers through his hair and giving him a heart pounding rush of freedom. Sure his legs would be sore if he stayed on too long, but to him it was far better to have trouble walking normally than spending a night and a day tucked away in some sweltering carriage with his mother and her ladies in waiting who would more often than not fawn over him as if he was some sort of baby. Blergh the prince was done with carriages. However Grove on the other hand found this sense of freedom elsewhere. He would in the woods, he found it in his carvings. To him, horses were just large skittish beasts who threw their riders off every chance they got. Which was most certainly not true. However no amount of reassurances have ever gotten through to the redhead. He knew he couldn't stop James from riding, but there was no way in hell he was going to have anything to do with it either. 

James perked up a bit though when Grove mentioned that he had seen others riding too. That was definitely a good sign since it meant that maybe he wasn't the only one here that had a shared passion for the beasts, and wasn't that how new friendships began? Don't get him wrong, he absolutely loved Grove to death and they would be best friends till the day they were put into their graves, but also James kind of craved the companionship of people like him. Princes, Princesses, he wanted friends that were trapped in the same boat as him and understood the struggle they had of balancing their life and the crown. It would be nice to know that he wasn't alone, because even though Grove could try and understand, he never would. Grove could sympathize, but never empathize. "Do you at least know where on the grounds the stables are?" He asked the lumberjack hopefully, "I didn't think the school would be this big. The map confuses me." 

[Grove]

Grove sighed. For the crown prince Jim had a lot to learn about his country and the people who lived in it. And it was probably up to Grove to tell him. Grove was lucky that he could read and write. His fathers hadn't ever felt the need for their son to need those things. After all, none of them had needed to read or write to be miners. Grove had been extraordinarily lucky that Snow had pulled him aside to teach him.

"Your mom taught me how to read and I'm lucky. Most pleasant children don't get formal education like I had." He sighed. It was hard to know that there were so many people who didn't even know how to spell their own names. Grove was the exception to the rule. He was an oddity among his peers back home. "This might be the only time I have access to education, Jim," he said softly. "We can't afford it back home." Be had tutors the way that Jim had. No tutor would ever have educated a pleasant boy. Not even one in favor with the royal family.

The stables were an easier item to talk about. He wasn't admitting any secrets about them, only his less than adequate knowledge of the place. "You never did pay attention to your cartography lessons," he murmured quietly. Though to be fair even Grove had found those lessons dull on the rare occasion he was allowed to sit with Jim at his lessons. Of course he had to be very well behaved then. And listen as well as he could because he would never get those lessons again in his lifetime.

"I could take you to the stables if you'd like," be offered. It was easier to see the lay of the land by for than by map. Plus it would mean more time spent together and Grove would welcome the company.

[James Florian]

“It was hardly a formal education if I was four feet away playing with tin soldiers on the floor!” James scoffed when Grove called the lessons his mother gave him as a boy as anything that was remotely labeled as what could be found in a school because simply it wasn’t. James grew up in a classroom, Grove was raised in a forest. With that it was clear from the start that their educations would differ since the two of them needed different amounts of it for what they were expected to be in life. However the Prince had never stopped to consider, even once, that one of them wasn't getting any kind of education whatsoever! He had been so foolish while in those four stone walls to believe such a blatant lie. However at the same time he could see why he believed his friend was learning like he was. After all Grove was the first child that was around for Snow to fawn over before James was born. She viewed the red head as a second son, so wouldn’t it make sense that she would want to provide for him just like she provided for her own flesh and blood? James could remember the endless parade of hopefuls that the queen interviewed herself after Daae was jailed. Old ones, young ones. Some of them were skinnier than a twig while others required a litter to conquer the courtyard stairs. For the most part they were all men, but James did have one or two female tutors throughout his schooling career. It was bedlam, and why wouldn’t it be? Teaching a future king was a coveted position that would reap rewards far into the future and everyone wanted their own share. There were certainly more than enough to teach every child in every village and yet the Queen never stopped to consider that even one of them would be suited to teach her other adoptive child out in the woods who would only hear the excited descriptions of the people and the things they brought from her son who had no idea that his best friend would never have people vying to teach him like that.

However as an empty silence as wore on as Grove’s words cemented in the prince’s mind, a scary thought began to emerge. It was something that undertoned the entire conversation, but wasn’t spoken yet because it’s answer could very easily shatter the prince’s world. It was a question he didn’t want to ask, and an answer he didn’t want to hear, but like with Grove being the true hero it was time to stop the lies. It was time to show that Snow was not the perfect socal warrior she was portrayed to be.

“Grove,” The prince cautiously started, unsure of what to say and for an unsteady moment he seemed to grasp for the words he needed, but couldn’t find. He must have looked like a fish out of water, starting and stopping for a solid minute until what he needed came to him suddenly and just poured out of him; “Didn’t my mother ever offer to get you at least a real tutor or something?” If Grove’s answer was no, he wouldn’t be sure what to think of his mother, the woman who took orphans into the castle to give them a second chance, the one who promised the world that she would help other children in her kingdom as a thank you to God for blessing her with the safe birth of one child. James knew of the promises his mother had made, he was there to see the way the children’s faces lit up when the kind queen and her charming son made a visit to the village since they knew toys and treats would be in the big burlap sacks to be handed out to those less fortunate than them. Was that all she ever did? Did she never arrange for them to read too, especially after she saw the joy it brought her own child? Or what about the children that didn’t have a bed at the orphanage for them or the urchins who had no shelter to go to when it rained? Was it all fake? Was it all real? Was the woman James knew and loved more than any other woman or girl in the entire world lying to everyone? Even to her own son?

“It’s not just that. The text looks funny… and it’s not Latin.” James muttered in his defense with cheeks glowing a bright crimson as the subject turned to maps. It was true he didn’t pay attention whenever he was put in front of one and had to parrot back where certain places were in regards to other certain places, but that was because it was just so dull! Sure this may sound brattish, especially after what had just been established, but it must also be kept in mind that at the time James was a school aged boy; a school aged boy who did not want to be cooped up inside all day and instead would much rather prefer to spend the day outside in the sun doing anything other than stare at boring maps all day. The class became rather repetitive once he clearly demonstrated he knew how to work a compass. However it just wasn’t the lack of interest in maps that was the problem like James pointed out, it was also the map itself. James was used to fancy handwritten calligraphy in his books not this generic small text that didn’t have any of the curls and loops he was used to, and James never really had too much experience reading texts in the vernacular languages simply because very few books like that existed. All the books were made by monks and nuns and since Latin was the language of the church, it only made sense it was the language the book was written in too. Especially once James grew older and began to tackle more difficult pieces of literature. James wasn’t sure if Grove knew how to read in latin or if his mother had only taught him the languages that they spoke. He highly doubted that Grove knew latin though, it took him a long time to understand the language. He didn’t think his mother dedicated that much time to teach her adoptive son.

Then again, he wasn’t sure what to think of his mother anymore.

James needed to get his mind off of what had been discussed here, so when the offer for Grove to bring James to the stables came up, the boy nodded in response. Seeing the actual place and the path he needed to know to get there was a good idea. “Yeah, Grove. Can we do it now while we both still have a free moment?” He asked, still making no move to get up at that very second. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to move. As tumultuous as this conversation had been, the gardens still brought a bit of comfort to the somewhat homesick boy. After all he had grown up in both a courtyard and a forest, he was just at home in this tamed bit of nature, like how Grove was at home deep in a forest with no other people in sight. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go, but if it was time; then it was time.

[Grove]

"It was the only education I got Jim," Grove argued. He didn't understand the severity if the situation. Jim may have been playing not far away from where he was being taught but that was the only education he would receive until he was sent away to school where he was able to have all much more access to books and other reading material. "Most village children don't even know how to write their own names. Most of them wouldn't recognize their own names if you wrote it for them. Learning to read and write is a privilege for the rich. Even then a lot of them couldn't do any better then I could."

Grove want she how to answer the question. He shifted uncomfortably. Jim didn't know how poor his family was in comparison. Jim didn't realize how much the other talked about the less than orthodox friendship between the crown prince and the son of dwarves. Grove was less than a pleasant. He was a social outcast. He left the silence awesome between them for an uncomfortable moment. "That would have raised more than a few eyebrows, Jim. Why would she get me a tutor anyway? I'm a pleasant. I won't need to learn cartography And Latin of Greek to work in the family mine. I'm not supposed to be a diplomat like you. I'm supposed to work and get married and have children." He sighed. "It was kinder to me that she didn't."

Grove didn't want to be the one to have to tell Jim all of this. They were friends. They had been best friends practically since Grove had peered into Jim's crib and had fallen in love with the little baby that had smiled up at him. If was hard to know that Jim didn't know or understand how different that lives were. Jim couldn't see how large the divide was between them in terms of status and expectations.

"I liked your cartography lessons," Grove commented softly, choosing to ignore Jim's embarrassment. He had always liked to look at maps and maybe the school map wasn't as detailed as the maps they were used to but it wasn't completely inaccurate.

Grove nodded. "Yeah we can go now if you want," he agreed. He didn't mind walking down that way with Jim. Maybe it would alieve the tension between them.

[James Florian]

"Because she views you as her son." James responded with an almost, dare I say, bitter tone in his voice after Grove tried to convince him that it was a kind thing that Snow didn't even extend the offer of an education to the dwarfs's son, which was complete and utter bull. Not with his mother, the matriarch of caring for those less fortunate than her. There just had to be another reason, another explanation as to why she never once thought to give her adopted son, the child of her saviors and her biological child's best friend, a more formal education than what she gave Grove. However it was like grasping straws in James's mind. He had always known that Grove's family was poor, but he had naive to believe that somehow he was still somehow he was on par with him when it came to learning. But in retrospect it wasn't that unfathomable if one was to look through his eyes. He had spent most of his life inside the castle, except for when he went to the cottage and the rare trip to some other land. He didn't really know what life outside the walls was really like, he only had his narrow limited view which tricked him into believing that everyone also sat in a classroom at some point, after all that's how he had grown up. It was only natural for him to assume that it was the same for others. 

"But you're not going to the mine Grove." He said turning to his friend when he made the off handed comment of how he would just be going to the family mine anyway so there was no point. "You don't belong down there in the darkness when you're supposed to be in the sun. You said so yourself, you'd rather be a woodcarver than a miner. Besides you know I'm going to make you a baron or maybe even a lord, you won't ever have to step foot near that death trap once that happens." His expression had turned soft, as he almost pleaded with his best friend trying to convince him that for Grove there were bigger, safer, things in store for his best friend. Even if he rejected the title James would do his best to keep his friend out of the mine. Truth be told, he feared the dark shaft since he knew that since the entire business was just the dwarfs and Grove, if there was a collapse or a disaster and god forbid the family became trapped. Nobody would be able to rescue them until James and his mother came for another visit, and even then who knew that would be. It was so dangerous and it was bad enough the dwarfs went down there, but Grove too? No, it was too terrifying of a thought for him. Shaking this thought from his head he finished with a quiet and solemn muttering that may have been too low for even Grove to hear, "My mother should have realized that I was going to do that anyway. She should have prepared you for that at least."

Things turned cheerful again when the conversation turned to Grove's supposed expectations in life and James burst out laughing in response. "Grove, do you even realize that you just described what's expected of me as well?" He managed to choke out between the laughs. He didn't know why he was laughing, maybe because it was how serious Grove was about the matter and he treated it as if that it was an expectation set only on his shoulders. James was all too aware that he would be married off to some blushing bride who would be just another pawn in their parents' games. Then they would be expected to create a dynasty of little versions of him to rule or marry off as well depending where they were in the line of succession. If anything it was essentially the only thing James himself had to do and he knew just how bad it looked if it couldn't be done or if there wasn't enough children running around. His family was constantly criticized for only having one child survive infancy, but luckily that same child was almost a man. Almost, but not quite. Jim still had a little ways to go despite what the boy believed. 

Suddenly sensing Grove's embarrassment and reluctance to be the one to tell Jim these things, the prince was tempted to just drop the subject and move on permanently, but he had radical ideas in how a government was supposed to function. (Or at least radical for the time period they came from.) For the longest time James had believed that not only was it his family's duty as kings and queens to help better the lives of the people under them, but it seems to be that his parents fell short. Now it was the boy's turn to step up to the plate and plan what they were going to do to fix this problem so once Jim became King they could hit the ground running to clean up the mess made by his ancestors. As grand of an ambition that plan was, there was one major flaw in that plan, Jim had no real grasp on what was truly wrong with society. He needed his best friend who knew all too well what the problems were to help guide him in the right direction. "Grove, look at me." He said with a hint of the princely tone piercing through, but not so much as it was before when he was angry, it was just enough to be sure he caught Grove's attention and that his friend knew what he was about say was serious and not the silly ramblings of a greenling prince. "My mother may have failed you, but I promise you on both my crown and my life that when we are older, I will do everything in my power to make sure that if you were to pick any child from a village at random they will know how to read just as well as any lord's boy." He added the last part remembering what Grove had said earlier, how most peasants couldn't even write their own names and it had shocked him so badly he didn't know what to say in response. He then took Grove's hand and gave it a little squeeze as a reassurance of what he said was true. James won't ignorantly stand by any longer, he would take action when the time was right. "But I'll need you by my side to help me. I clearly have no idea how large of a problem this is, without you saying anything I may have gone my whole life without knowing. There's no way I'll be able to tackle this problem without your input, so as I swear to you, can you swear to me that you'll assist me when the time comes so that I am not left to flounder on my own?" It was true, without Grove's input he was not going to have any idea how to even approach the problem. He was going to need help and he was going to need a lot of it. 

And with that the conversation was over, or at least it is here. James thought silently as he stood and stretched his stiff muscles from sitting for so long. No doubt it would come back up time and time again in the future and until it was solved it would never disappear, but for now it was time for them to go explore the grounds a bit and let Grove show off the place he had called home for a year or so. "Yeah, do you mind? It would be great to walk about again." He said to his best friend before adding with a small grin on his face, "It'll be just like the old times in the forest, but only with horses." James couldn't wait to see the stables, and he couldn't stop the daydreams of what it'll be like to be able to have his escape so close. That was of course if it was any good, but figuring since it catered to royalty it had to be. 

"Are you coming or will I have to find it myself?"  He said with a light and airy laugh as he waited for Grove to get up from the bench as well. He wasn't being serious, when it came to these light teases he never was. Then the two of them were off down the path away from the gardens, and right before they left, anyone listening may have been able to hear the prince say in his cheery voice, "You know once I get there, I'm never going to leave right?"