The next day Westan headed to the library early for his session. He had been up all night pondering over his new tutor's private conversation about him the day before, contemplating how best to use it to his advantage, and now he had the perfect plan in place for them.
When he entered the study room Mr. Jameson seemed a little surprised by his punctual arrival. He quickly bowed and greeted him.
"Good morning your Majesty!" He said nervously.
Westan nodded. "Yes, yes."
The teacher smiled nervously and cleared his throat awkwardly.
"W-Would your Highness wish to sit out in the garden again? The weather is quite nice today as well." He said anxiously.
Westan smiled. He had been hoping for this exact opportunity.
"Indeed, I think I would. I quite enjoyed myself yesterday." He replied.
"Very good! Then shall we head there now?" Mr. Jameson asked, looking quite relieved by his approval.
Westan nodded. Then he got up and followed the teacher to the garden where another prepared table awaited them. He sat down in his chair ready to begin.
"Teacher, I have something to discuss before we start." He announced.
The man looked at him curiously. "Yes, what is it sire?"
Westan motioned to a servant nearby. The person walked away briefly, returning a moment later with Bartholomew and two additional servants following him.
"Good-day your Majesty!" The boy greeted with a deep bow.
Then both men looked at him with confusion. Westan just smiled.
"I heard from a reliable source that you two have been discussing my private sessions with your assistant, despite the fact that I dismissed him." He stated coldly.
Mr. Jameson's eyes bulged with a mixture of surprise and fear, and Bartholomew seemed too stunned to even react for a few good seconds. Then the teacher quickly moved in front of his son and bowed as he spoke up nervously.
"My deepest apologies my Lord! We meant no disrespect, but my son is my only helper and I deeply rely on his input!" He explained.
"So that is the excuse you use to justify such arrogant actions?" Westan asked with a raised eyebrow.
The man gulped nervously. "I-I apologize your Majesty..."
Westan gave a long sigh.
"Well perhaps I shall overlook it, since you are my teacher." He said.
Mr. Jameson let out a breath of relief and wiped his sweaty brow.
"However, your assistant whom I never wished to see again, perhaps he shall be made to answer for this disrespect." Westan said with another smile.
The teacher's face fell again and Bartholomew tensed up with wide eyes. Then Mr. Jameson quickly dropped to the ground with a bow.
"No sire, please! I am the one who should be made to answer for this! Leave the boy be!" He begged.
Bartholomew quickly came to his father's side.
"No your Majesty, do not punish my father! You are correct; it was all indeed my fault!" He said anxiously.
Mr. Jameson turned to his son with shock.
"Be quiet my son!" He said.
Bartholomew shook his head. "No father it is my fault and you know it! I was the one who kept insisting you talk to me!"
"ENOUGH! Silence, both of you!" Westan shouted, even more irritated by their groveling.
Both men froze and gazed up at him with fear as he stood up and came towards them slowly.
"I do not plan on punishing either of you. In fact, I have a better idea in mind." Westan said with a smirk, finally getting to the part he really wanted.
Mr. Jameson and Bartholomew glanced from one another anxiously, so he continued.
"If the two of you wish to spare yourself my wrath, all you have to do is convince my council man Zacchaeus to send you away." Westan said.
Both men gazed at him fearfully. Eventually Mr. Jameson gathered the courage to speak up.
"Your Majesty, he will never allow us to leave unless we have a good reason! Fear is not a good enough excuse." He said quietly.
Westan scoffed. "I am well aware of that! But you do not want to disobey me, so listen carefully: you men will merely tell my council man that I will never come to be taught. Then perhaps he will let you leave and I can be free from all this schooling for good!"
Both Mr. Jameson and Bartholomew looked at each other with unease, clearly not comfortable with the idea he had presented. However, Westan was not exactly giving them a choice in this matter.
"Do either of you have a problem with what the King has requested? Do as I say or else!" He snapped, using his authority as a threat like he always did.
Mr. Jameson bowed again anxiously.
"If that is what the Kings wishes, then of course! We shall talk to him right away!" He said.
Westan smiled triumphantly.
"Very good." He said, feeling victorious.
Just then he noticed Bartholomew shaking his head with disbelief.
"If you wish us to leave my Lord then we shall, and we will tell this man anything you want us to. But please your Highness, do not give up on your studies!" He said with another deep bow.
Westan scowled at the boy with shock. "Excuse me?"
Bartholomew bowed his head this time as he spoke.
"Even though you have been displeased by our actions here, I beg you not to abandon these lessons! Do not let our disrespect discourage you!" He begged.
Westan crossed his arms and glared at the boy angrily.
"You have nothing to do with this so mind your own business! Why should I keep bothering with skills I will never be able to master? I am sick and tired of wasting my time on such useless work!" He snapped.
Bartholomew looked up and examined him with warm eyes.
"My King I do not think anyone is truly unable to learn, least of all someone like yourself." He said gently.
Westan huffed loudly and rolled his eyes. Just what did this boy know anyways? He was already a smart and well taught individual! How could someone like him understand what such constant failure and embarrassment felt like?
"Perhaps that is easy for you to say, someone who has been reading and writing for many years! I on the other hand have gone through too many tutors to count, with none of them being able to some much as teach me a single thing! What makes you think this will ever change?" He said bitterly.
The boy gazed at him with eyes full of sudden understanding. Then he smiled and shook his head.
"Well you certainly seem quite clever to me. I do not doubt your ability to succeed in anything that you really wish to." He said.
Westan suddenly blushed, both surprised by the boy's boldness. But before he could decide how to respond Bartholomew spoke up again.
"Please sire, let us stay and finish our commission. Just give us some more time to prove ourselves to you!" He said earnestly.
Westan folded his arms and examined the boy with scrutiny, completely taken back by his persistence. He wondered why on earth anyone would rather stay here and teach him instead of just running away! Surely though, there was only one likely cause for such determination.
"I am no fool! It is not as if you really care whether I am taught or not, you just want to make sure you get your money from Zacchaeus and avoid any disgrace, right?" Westan said.
Bartholomew looked utterly shocked by his words and shook his head quite vigorously.
"No! Never would that be the case my Lord! Both my father and I are very passionate about teaching! We love nothing more than to help our students. I only express my heartfelt desire as my father's assistant to help you improve your abilities. Come now! What would it hurt for you to let us stay?" He said.
Westan's eyes widened with surprise at such a bold challenge. He stared into the boy's eyes for a moment, seeing that his gaze actually looked full of genuine concern.
Westan shook his head in confusion. He usually did not expected loyalty from any servants, least of all those who were hired in from elsewhere. His whole life's experience taught him that no one truly cared about him personally in any way but for what they might gain from him. Yet this boy was nearly risking his own life in order to help him! But why? If he was not motivated to stay by money or fear, what other reason could there be?
Westan stroked his chin thoughtfully. He supposed it would not hurt to let these men stay for a little while longer and see if they could indeed be of help to him. Besides, he was now more curious to find out what their deeper motives were than anything else.
"Very well then. I shall allow you one more week to convince me of your right to remain here. But if you fail I will no longer tolerate your presence at all." Westan said seriously.
Mr. Jameson dropped his jaw with surprise, but Bartholomew gave an unexpected smile.
"Thank you my Lord, we shall do our utmost to be of assistance to you!" He said with another bow.
Westan shook his head again in astonishment. Perhaps this boy was merely too naive to even understand what it was he was doing and risking at this point. His over eagerness really was quite puzzling.
"Well, you better get started then." Westan said with a sigh.
Bartholomew helped his father back to his feet, and after a moment the man finally snapped out of his shocked state.
"Thank you your Majesty for your mercy and graciousness! I hope to be of more use!" Mr. Jameson said with a bow and a trembling voice.
Westan just nodded and gestured for him to move along. The man then returned to where his books and papers were and tried to get the lesson started once more. But he still looked flustered and confused, perhaps even in a daze. After a moment it was clear that the teacher could not seem to pull himself together.
Westan frowned. Why was the teacher still so upset? Sure he had been trying to scare the two of them into leaving, but it's not like he actually would have punished them if they had not! Westan would have just kept on trying to frighten them until they agreed to his plan. Honestly, if the teacher continued on this way then there would be no point in letting them stay at all.
"E-Excuse me sire." Bartholomew said from beside him.
Westan turned with surprise to see him bowing deeply once more.
"If your Highness would allow it, I would beg you to allow me to return as my father's assistant. But I need not be counted as anything more than a servant like any other during your lessons, just please allow me to go and aid him!" He begged with worry.
"I suppose you might as well, seeing as your father is rather useless without you." Westan mumbled as he rolled his eyes.
Bartholomew looked up from his bow with a truly genuine smile.
"Thank you my Lord, you are very good." He said gratefully.
Then he went to his father's side and quickly began setting up the books and supplies for him. The teacher seemed to calm immediately at his son's presence, and both even relaxed a little as the session progressed. Obviously they were also happy to be working together once more. Bartholomew was quite lucky to be able to spend so much time with his father each day. Westan was very envious of him actually, as he had never been old enough to conduct any meaningful work with his father before. He would have liked to help him with a document or decree one day, perhaps even learn from him how to work as a King. But he supposed that even if his own father was still alive he would be of little use to him in such an uneducated state.
Westan sighed. Deep down he truly wondered if his poor reading and writing abilities stemmed from his lack of effort or intelligence. After all, how many years should it take for one to learn such simple things? Sure he did not bother with to listen to his tutors now, be that was only because he never seemed to understand his studies as a child. The words never looked right to him and the teachers always said that his writing was somehow backwards despite him having copied it exactly the way he saw it. Westan almost wanted to hope that Mr. Jameson and Bartholomew could find a way to help him, although he would not be holding his breath for such an outcome.
When the session was over Westan got up and prepared to leave for the day, so both Mr. Jameson and Bartholomew stood with a bow to await his departure. He noticed that both men were still looking quite uneasy about the events from earlier. He nearly felt bad about it all now seeing as they truly seemed to be good-hearted men. He almost wanted to do something to calm them down a little, although he was not sure what. Eventually he had an idea of sorts.
"Good-day to you both. Until tomorrow." Westan said in the least scary voice he could possibly manage.
Mr. Jameson stayed as stiff as a board and just nodded, but Bartholomew raised his head just a bit.
"Thank you sire, we bid you a good-day as well." He said with a slightly nervous smile.
Westan looked away with embarrassment at such a kind reply and quickly left their presence. He then returned to his room for the night much like any other day, although for some reason he was not feeling quite as depressed as usual.
******
Each day quickly became routine for Lila and Daphne. They got up before sunrise, started cleaning right after breakfast, and continued on late into the night until the work was done. It did not take long for them to become proficient at their jobs, and both of them even starting to feel more comfortable with their new life. Lila was actually almost accustomed to the castle layout now too and could nearly find any room in the castle with ease!
However, some of the maids were proving to be troublesome. It had not taken long for some of the girls to become jealous of Daphne, who often had guards looking at her or trying to talk to her during work. The girls actually started bullying her, saying cruel things and often threatening her too. Lila stuck close to her side, refusing to let them get away with their cruelty.
In general though all was going well, and it did not take long for the seventh day of their first week to come. After supper the head maid took them to the accounting room to receive their pay; one whole gold coin. Neither Daphne nor she could wait to send the hard earned money back home to those who were waiting. After work they both ran straight to the post man to have it delivered.
"I am so excited for my father to see this!" Lila said as she handed the messenger a package full of silver coins and a letter.
"Yes, I feel the same! My siblings will be so relieved!" Daphne replied as she too gave the messenger a package.
Lila had wished to send the whole gold coin but she had forgotten about the delivery fee. Then she decided to send a letter too in order to assure her father all was going well so that was another expense. After that she kept the last small copper coin to treat herself to a little treat. After all, nineteen seven silver coins would be more than enough to send for now.
It was late into the night so both Daphne and she wandered around the village marketplace for a bit. There were so many places to look around and shop at that both of them were simply astounded. There were clothes and foods from all over the world, exotic animals and flowers, and a whole variety of people doing the buying and selling. Tantalizing aromas were everywhere, but one in particular caught Lila's attention, so she left Daphne and went inside a small bakery to find out what the smell was coming from. There were breads and cakes displayed everywhere, but she was after one very special pastry. Then Lila found the special treat and paid the man his fee, and returned to her friend outside a moment later with two fresh cinnamon buns.
"Here!" Lila said as she handed Daphne one.
"Oh Lila, I do not have the money to pay you back for this." She said with embarrassment.
Indeed, she had nothing. Daphne had sent her whole amount, minus the messenger fee, to her siblings. She had not even wanted to spend any on a letter. Her family must be very poor indeed.
Lila smiled. "This is a special treat for the two of us! We have both worked very hard and I think we have earned it. Do not worry about the money."
Daphne smiled and took the gooey bun happily. "Thank you Lila. You are so kind."
She shook her head. "Do not mention it. Now eat up, they smell divine!"
This was possibly the best thing Lila had ever tasted. It was so sweet, with just the right amount of cinnamon and frosting. She was glad to have saved a coin for it.
"Mmmm! So delicious!" Daphne said.
Lila nodded. "Every week we should come and buy something new! My treat."
"Oh my, every week? How long do you think it would take to try everything?" She said with a giggle.
Lila shrugged. "Let us find out."
When they returned to the castle both of them decided to eat supper on the staircase in the east wing of the castle. Scents from the Kings buffet wafted through all the hallways, making their mouth's water.
"Oh my, I wish we could have been assigned as cooks! I hear they get to eat from the King's table." Daphne said enviously.
"Yes, but I also heard that they have to be taste testers to check for poison before he is served." Lila stated.
Daphne's face immediately fell. "Oh...then I am grateful not to have been picked for such a job..."
"The smells from here are quite nice though. They remind me of home." Lila replied.
She felt a little homesick thinking about the stews and nut breads she used to make back on the farm. She also missed how her father would share at least one meal with her no matter how busy the day's work had been.
"Indeed. I miss the food my young brother would always prepare. Although he is but fourteen, he is very skilled in the kitchen. He even works at the local inn with the cooks." Daphne said with a smile.
"Is he the oldest sibling after you?" Lila asked curiously.
She shook her head and smiled at the opportunity to talk of her family. Daphne then went on to tell Lila that there were three boys and seven girls in all her siblings. From oldest to youngest it went her, two boys, three girls, the boy who worked at the inn as a cook, and then four more girls. The next two boys after her were twins at seventeen, and Daphne was twenty. They too had lived on a farm over in the village next to Lila's. About a year ago their mother passed away, and soon after that her father too. Daphne said it had been heartbreaking, but at least they had each other still so none of them were ever lonely. Her twin brothers actually tried to come here instead of her to work, but she would not let them. In her mind they were still too young to face such a dangerous situation, so she would be the one to leave. That way too if anything did happen to her the oldest boys could still take care of the rest of the children.
Lila was saddened by her story. She could not bear to think of losing her own father in such a way, nor could she imagine what it felt like to provide for so many family members. When she was younger Lila had always wished to have a sister, as being an only child growing up on a farm left her lonely at times. But now she had someone to work alongside each day. Lila would be sure to help Daphne's family in any way she could, and invite them over to her house when they returned home.
When the two of them were done eating they retired to their room. Daphne was still in the best mood she had ever seen her in, obviously immeasurably relieved to finally have been able to send some money back to her family. Lila felt relieved too and hoped that the money could pay for her father to visit a doctor right away. That night she went to sleep feeling quite happy and satisfied, another perfectly uneventful day completed.