Criminal Minds 1. Switched at Birth

**Disclaimer: I do not own or make a profit off of criminal minds.**

**Alrighty friends, I am trying something completely different than the usual stories that I write. I have had this idea knocking around in my head for a while now and needed to see if it was worth writing. This story is totally set in an Alternate Universe, and one that is totally made up. I am winging some of the medieval terms and incorporating my own twist on ranks and such. The majority of the characters on the show will make an appearance. I have taken liberties with their ages and lifestyles. Also, one of the things you as a reader need to buy into is that Derek's race does not create a problem for the switch. For my story purposes he is still (as Garcia says) a chocolate god.**

**I am contemplating making this a slash. If I do it will be my first and I am quite nervous to take it there. For now you will not see those undertones, I will let you know what I decide.**

**Enjoy!**

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The kingdom of Quantico was ruled by a fierce man. He had a heart of stone and his only interests were in increasing the coin in his coffers, expanding his boundries, and instilling fear in others. The king's name was William and his queen was Diana. Their marriage was an arranged one made to merge the kingdom of Quantico with Columbia.

The king was never really partial to his wife. She had an atmosphere of weakness that surrounded her and King William didn't tolerate feebleness in any form. Unfortunately, the king knew that it was his duty to create an heir to the kingdom with his wife, so he begrudgingly bedded her every night until she was with child.

One would have thought that the king would have been overjoyed to hear that he didn't have to have relations with his wife anymore, but instead he spent his time worrying over the gender of the child. He fervently hoped for a boy. For, the kingdom of Quantico did not recognize girls as possible heirs and the law demanded that a male must be born in order to inherit the rule. He couldn't let all of his hard work in making Quantico the most powerful land around go to waste on a female. So now after nine months of waiting, King William found himself pacing a path in the floor waiting to hear what his feeble wife had produced.

King William was not alone in his pacing. All the courtiers in the room could not give off a hint of relaxation without bringing down his wrath upon them. So courtiers, knights, and councilors joined King William by demonstrating their concern along with him. One knight in particular was mirroring King William's steps; it was his most trusted advisor and protector Sir Rossi.

Sir Rossi was a young man in his twenties that had grown up alongside King William. While William was being groomed to be the future ruler of the country, Rossi was taught to become a defender. Rossi easily flew through knight training, going from squire to full-fledged knight in record time. He always knew deep down that he would be someone who righted the wrongs throughout the kingdom and brought criminals to the king for justice. It was that go-getter attitude and his childhood friendship that allowed Rossi to rise so high so fast.

Out of nowhere Rossi's squire ran up to the pacing king, trembling with excitement over the news he brought. Bowing down low out of respect the young Aaron Hotchner said, "Sire, you must come quickly. Her majesty has delivered you a beautiful baby boy."

King William's eyes sparkled with success and walked past the messenger like he was a piece of lint on a tapestry, unimportant and not worth the time. He stormed down the hall and paid no heed to the bows and whispers of "Your Highness" as he made his way to his wife's chambers. Automatically the doors opened upon his approach and a guard announced his arrival to the cluster of women running around inside.

Immediately upon his entrance all the hustle and bustle in the room ceased and the ladies gave the king his due respect. Out of the back a blonde midwife made her way forward, Mother Strauss, and filled the king in on the details of the prince's birth.

"Sire, you have a beautiful baby boy waiting to meet you. Your wife is recovering quite nicely from the whole process and is currently sleeping with the babe in her arms. She was in labor for eight hours and is running a high fever. At the moment of birth she was not lucid, but with rest she will be up and about in the next few days. I know that she will be more than ready to return to your side after some time to heal," Lady Strauss explained as they made their way into the birthing chamber.

King William would have never admitted at that moment that he was excited to meet his first born child, but secretly he was. He did it! He produced an heir and secured the kingdom for the future generations. He would teach his son how to be a strong ruler. He will know to never back down from a fight and always be the challenger not the challenged. His son would be a fierce ruler who made sure his word is respected as the law and he would not spare the consequences for anyone who crosses him. Yes…his son would be a carbon copy of his father, feared throughout history for his intolerance of insolence.

The breath that King William had been holding in upon approaching his son was let out in a whoosh of disappointment. This boy was not beautiful, he was grotesque! The child was an almost corpselike shade of white and barely had any meat on his bones. The atrocity was abnormally small, like he had come out of the womb prematurely. No…this couldn't be the son of King William Reid.

"Is this a joke?" William said to the midwife. "This cannot be my son. He is small, sickly, and weak. This is not the offspring of a great monarch such as myself."

"Sire, I assure you that this is your son. Yes, he is a bit tiny, but he will grow into his body. He will make you proud one day. Give it time," Mother Strauss said trying to calm the king.

With a roar the king backhanded the woman and yelled, "What do you know? Take that monstrosity from my wife and have it brought to me discretely in my chambers. Make sure it is concealed from prying eyes, for no one is to see the child on its way. You are all confined to this chamber until you are told otherwise," the king declared as he left the room in a heated fury.

On his way back to his chambers he refused to speak to anyone. He stormed through the vultures that were waiting in his receiving room and gestured only to Sir Rossi to follow him into his private room. The doors closed with a resounding crash on the two gentlemen closing out the snooping eyes and open ears of the nosy courtiers dying for drama. Moments later via a hidden passage in the wall a meek young woman appeared. She bowed to the king and sat down the basket in front of him.

"Good. Make your way back to the queen's chambers and don't leave until you are told," The king instructed the slave.

"Rossi, I have need of your services immediately!" William said as soon as the girl left.

"What can I do for you Sire?" Rossi asked knowing the matter must be urgent.

"I need you to dispose of this child and find me a healthier one to take its place. It needs to be more worthy of being a prince. This child my wife bore me will never be an adequate monarch. I am ashamed to even call it mine!" the king professed to his most trusted friend.

"Sire, the baby can't be all that bad," Rossi said not believing what the king was asking him to do.

"Look at it Rossi!" the king cried as he ripped the blanket away from the child.

Rossi observed the young babe with much sorrow. It was true that the baby looked very weak and sick. He could see why his sovereign was so upset, but to go as far as to get rid of it? Rossi didn't think he could be a part of this.

"Your Majesty, allow the boy some time to grow and perhaps he will defy your expectations," Rossi implored the man hoping to get him to change his mind.

"And what if he doesn't? What if he dies in the next week because he isn't strong enough to survive in this world? No! I cannot go through that humiliation in front of my people. I am a strong king. It is the expectation that my child will be nothing less," the king responded having made up his mind long ago in the queen's chambers.

"What would you have me do with the boy, Sire?" Rossi asked. If he really was going to help King William make the switch he had to know what was to become of the child.

"Kill it," he simply said.

"Your Highness?" Rossi questioned incredulously.

"You heard me…dispose of it. The people can never know. If you move fast and exchange the babe for another more worthy perhaps people won't become suspicious," William plotted while staring down at the disappointing child.

"I don't know if I can do this. You are asking me to kill a baby of royal blood. The penalty for that is death."

"I'm the king and the only one who knows what you are about to do. I promise that you will not be charged with any crime. In fact, you will become more of a hero to me that you'll ever know," William stated.

Knowing that he had no choice in the matter really, Rossi nodded his head and accepted his fate. He was to kill a child and replace it with another. He was a monster. This was not the reason he had become a knight. It went against everything that he ever stood for. In that moment Rossi knew that if he went through with this he would never be able to show his face in the kingdom again. His personal shame and disgrace would haunt him ceaselessly. He also knew that if he did not do as the king asked he was as good as dead. So Rossi picked up the basket with the now covered babe and made his way to the secret passage.

"Your Highness, I need you to understand that what you are asking me to do is something that conflicts with my conscience on a deep level. I am not sure when you will hear from me again after this. But, I will make sure that this child is taken care of and a more suitable one is put in his place. Before I go though, I ask you…what will you do about all the servants and slaves that have already seen the prince? They will not be as easy as me to convince to go along with this charade. Also, think about all the courtiers you blew past on your way to this room. They know something is wrong. You'll have to come up with a convincing story to placate their curiosity," Rossi asked as he turned to walk away.

"Rossi, I understand that what I am asking of you is not easy. I will respect the time you need to come to terms with this. But know I would only ask this of you because I know I can trust you! As for those women in the Queen's chambers, they will all be disposed of too. I cannot have any loose lips revealing the truth we are trying to conceal. And I will come up with something sufficient to convince the courtiers that all is well. You know those people; they would believe that a cow patty was gold if someone painted it just right. Go now with my blessing. I know you will find me a worthy son," King William said as he turned to face the window.

* * *

Rossi took off on his mission with all the speed he could muster. At first he had convinced himself that he would do exactly what the king wanted and kill the boy. But his conscience kept nagging him with every step he took. He knew that he couldn't destroy an innocent life.

So instead of taking the baby out and snapping its neck he stopped off in the slave's quarter and visited the nicest woman that he knew, Jordan.

It is important to know that here in the kingdom of Quantico there were both slaves and servants to the King. They were two exclusive groups of people with very different lives. The servants were given the least degrading jobs, decent working hours, and payment for their services. On the other hand the slaves were expected to work from sunrise to deep into the night, they were paid nothing, and all the worst chores were theirs to do. Servants were seen working throughout the castle and slaves were stuck in the bowels. Most importantly, slaves were to have no contact with the Royal Highnesses and the courtiers. Due to these rules, if a slave stepped out of place they were severely punished or killed.

Rossi knew that he may be placing this child into a fate worse than death by giving him over to a slave but he couldn't bring himself to kill the boy.

"Jordan, I need you to take in this child. I found it out on the street discarded like trash. I couldn't leave it out there all alone; it would have been dead in hours. Can you please find a place for it in your household?" Rossi pleaded in desperation with the woman.

"Sir Rossi, how will I explain a new child? The overseers will not be happy that I have a new mouth to feed and babe to look after. And think about the life you are condemning him to," Jordan responded as she picked up the child already falling in love with it.

"I will speak to them and tell them that it is an order. They will listen to me and not give you any trouble. As for its future, it needs to be alive in order to have one. I know the child will do fine with you as its mother," Rossi explained confidently.

"Alright. I will help you out. He'll be lucky if he lasts a week anyways…he's so sickly. I will find someone to nurse him among the other mothers. We will all take care of him. Don't worry, we will raise him as one of our own," Jordan commented absentmindedly as she tended to the small child.

* * *

It took Rossi a few hours of searching the town to find a replacement prince. He knew that luck was on his side. For, he found a local midwife that had recently delivered a baby. The midwife told him that the woman that she had just tended to was severely ill and did not have long to live. Upon hearing this, Rossi immediately took off to the woman's house to see if he could strike a deal.

Calling the place the woman lived in a house was too generous, it was a hovel. The roof had multiple holes in the thatching and the boards were decayed from mold. Rossi cautiously entered the shack and quickly located the mother. She was lying on her bed, ignoring the crying baby in the basket next to her. She looked like death warmed over and Rossi knew that she did not have long in this world.

"Lady, lady…please wake up and talk to me," Rossi said gently as he shook her awake.

"Hmm?" was the only response he received.

"My lady, where is your husband?"

"Died out in the fields," she struggled to get out after a few minutes.

"I see a newborn baby here next to you. How are you going to take care of it?" Rossi asked the dying woman while he looked over the child. It was a strapping young boy of good health. His color and weight were right on target with the king's expectations.

"I can't," she moaned as tears started to flow down her eyes.

"Perhaps you would like me to take him away to have a better life? I promise he will be well taken care of and brought up like royalty," Rossi told her.

"You, you would do that?" she asked.

"Of course, that's why I'm here isn't it? Trust me. I will see that your baby leads a good life," Rossi responded to the woman that was fading fast.

She shed some tears of joy at the service this kind man was doing for her son. She was too ill to even question how he found them and why. She knew that this was the only chance that her child would have to lead a good life. She was determined that her last act in the world was ensuring her son's safety.

"Take him," she mumbled shutting her eyes for the last time.

"Thank you, my lady. What is his name?" Rossi inquired as he readied the child for travel.

"Derek."

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**BTW I know that I totally made William Reid more powerful than he looks/acts in the TV show. But I really wanted to make him come off as an arrogant bastard.**

**Are you interested in reading more?**


	2. The Prince's Playmate

**Disclaimer: I do not make a profit off of or own this fabulous show. **

**So friends, I am going away on a business trip and then vacation over next ten days. I will try to update at least once next week, but forgive me if I don't.**

**As for this story, I wanted to let you know that I am not going to be writing about each year in the boys' lives. I might pick a few important moments of their lives together over the next few chapters, but the meat of this story will be focusing on when they are seventeen almost eighteen. Also, I did get a few opinions on the slash topic and wouldn't mind hearing more. I still haven't fully made up my mind yet so its still a possibility.**

**Enjoy.**

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_**Two years later…**_

The king was immensely proud of his handsome son. The boy learned how to walk very quickly, in fact he had skipped the crawling stage altogether and went right into walking using the furniture. In addition to walking, Prince Derek was able to go up and down the castle stairs, kick a ball, and run around a bit. His prowess was also showing in by his to string words together into short sentences and follow instructions given by his tutors and caretakers.

King William was extremely pleased with the switch that Sir Rossi had made and wished that the man was still around to see the product. Unfortunately, Sir Rossi was a man of his word and after he killed the real prince and replaced him with this fine specimen he disappeared off the face of the Earth. William knew that the task he assigned the man took a major toll on his conscience, but he hoped that he would come around eventually. Alas, King William had to find a new trusted advisor named Lou Jenkins. He wasn't a knight like Sir Rossi, but he was a hard-working man that fought to get a position at court.

"Have you seen my son out in the courtyard playing ball, Lou? He is a natural at sports. He will have no problems dominating any competition he participates in when he is older," the king boasted.

"I have Sire. I wouldn't want to go against him in any type of match once he comes into his own," Lord Jenkins responded caressing the king's ego.

"I think it's time we start his lessons though. I want my son to be strong in mind as well as body. He needs to dominate in both arenas to be a good ruler," William said looking for advice.

"I would agree with you, Your Highness. The sooner you begin to groom him for the rule the better. How are you going to get a young man such as the prince to settle down long enough to learn?" Jenkins asked.

"Well, I was thinking of employing a whipping boy. I had one when I was younger, even though it didn't really work for me. I couldn't care less what happened to the lad as long as I wasn't being punished. But if we raise Derek with a friend at this young age he might form a stronger bond with the child. If he likes the other boy he may even keep in line and stay motivated to do well with his studies," William explained.

"I do agree with your assessment, Sire. The sooner you introduce the prince to his whipping boy the better. Prince Derek has definitely shown a mischievous side already at his young age, this may curb his devious behavior before it gets worse. How will you go about picking one out? Are you going to ask one of the courtiers to volunteer their son?" Lord Jenkins asked, secretly hoping his son would be selected for such an honor.

"No. I never would never use a highborn child for such a demeaning job. We have a population of people that were born for this type of thing, slaves. Go down to their quarters and find a boy around Derek's age. Don't worry about asking, just take the best one for the job and bring him up here. We'll introduce Derek to him tomorrow," the king instructed his advisor.

"Right away, Your Majesty," Lord Jenkins said as he bowed his way out of the room and off on his errand.

While Jenkins was making his way to the slave quarters he started to mutter under his breath. He was upset that such a lower class boy would be interacting with the prince, especially when there were plenty of higher born young men that were better candidates for the job. This was one of the many times he did not agree with the king's thoughts, but nevertheless he was required to do as bidden.

He had to hold his breath the second his stepped into the miserable foul smelling quarters. A hush rolled through the common room that was occupied by two women and about fifteen kids ranging from infancy to five years in age. The two slaves stood up and signaled to the children that should to do the same. They bowed as a group and he heard a "m'lord" issue from their lips.

"I have been sent by the king to select one of these children to become Prince Derek's playmate. The child will eat, sleep, play, and learn alongside the prince, essentially being his constant companion," Lord Jenkins announced to the two nannies, purposefully leaving out the part about receiving the prince's punishment for misbehavior.

"We should go get their mothers," one woman said to the other who nodded back.

"No, that's not necessary. These children are slaves. The mother of the chosen child has no say in the matter. Just tell her that her child has been selected for a better life, one that she could never provide him. Alright, please separate the boys from the girls so I may take a good look at them," he instructed the women.

Once the task was done there were eight boys standing against the wall and the remaining girls were ushered into another room with one of the nannies. Overall the boys were filthy and in desperate need of food.

Lord Jenkins surveyed the boys one at a time. He skipped the first boy that the nanny was holding because he was just a newborn. The next few boys were clearly older than the prince so they were automatically out of the running for the position. The last few boys were a better fit age wise so he began nitpicking their features.

The way Lord Jenkins saw it the best boy for the job would be the exact opposite of Prince Derek. The prince in many ways was a strong independent specimen. A companion that was weaker would help boost the prince's confidence in a positive direction. He would be able to best his opponent at any game they played and run circles around him in educational aspects. This would put Prince Derek in the mind frame that he cannot be defeated, even by his closest friend. Unconquerable is an important characteristic to instill in a future monarch. As a future ruler Prince Derek will know not to rest until he is on top, and his kingdom will flourish under his stalwart rule.

Jenkins looked over the three boys standing in front of him and didn't see one that would fit the necessary requirements. Wait…shouldn't there be four boys? He looked around and noticed that there was a small boy curled up in the corner trembling in fear.

"Come here child," Jenkins bellowed out in a no-nonsense voice.

The little boy looked up and revealed the tears tracks trailing down his cheeks. He shook his head and hid his face in the knees he had pulled tight against his chest.

Not used to being disobeyed, Jenkins stomped over to the boy and grabbed his tiny right arm. "You need to learn how to listen to orders boy," he growled. "Now stand up straight and let me get a good look at you."

The little boy forced his body to go stock still and steadied his gaze at the floor. He has scraggly brown hair hanging down past his ears. Calling him scrawny would be a compliment, for his bones seemed to be protruding through his paper thin skin. He had low self-confidence, clearly indicated by his refusal to even raise his chin up from the floor. The boy held his tiny arms around his midsection, making it look like he was comforting himself with a hug. This boy had potential.

"How old are you?" Jenkins asked firmly.

The little boy lifted two dirty fingers to indicate his age.

"What is your name boy?"

The reply was so quite that he had to refer to the slave for the answer.

"His name is Spencer," she called out from her position on the wall.

He nodded his head and bent down to get at eye level with the child. Then he put his hand underneath Spencer's chin and forced the child to look him in the eyes. Lord Jenkins was taken aback by what he saw when looking into those expressive brown orbs. It was like the little boy didn't need words, his eyes did all the talking for him. He could tell that the boy was pleading to be overlooked and left alone. The boy didn't like attention and this mighty Lord that stood before him had intimidated him to the extreme.

"He'll do," was all Lord Jenkins said as he grabbed the child's hand and started steering him toward the stairs.

Spencer started crying. He didn't want to go away with this scary man and he yelled at the top of his lungs making sure everyone knew it. He kept crying and howling until he felt a sharp sting on his backside, followed by five more.

"Be quiet boy!"came the sharp reprimand from Lord Jenkins as he struggled to pull the child up the stairs. "Crying is not going to help you. This is your life now. You'll get used to it."

Lord Jenkins saw no reason to comfort the child. Spencer was now the prince's chosen playmate and he needed to become accustom to his role as soon as possible. Of course, convincing a two-year-old that he had a job to do and to forget about the things that comforted him all his life wasn't going to be easy. Of course, that wasn't a job for Jenkins to do anyways. There were tutors and caretakers that would be in charge of introducing this child to his new life. All Jenkins had to do now was take Spencer to the king for final approval and go have dinner with his wife.

* * *

Upon first meeting Spencer the king wasn't sure if he was the best choice. The child had a sickly look to him that King William resented, especially since his wife's condition had deteriorated over the past couple of years. He examined the sniveling child up and down and turned his questioning gaze to Lord Jenkins.

He stood by and listened to Jenkins explain how the child was the exact opposite of his robust young Derek and how that would complement his growth. The king, finding some logic in what his advisor was saying, decided to see how this child would pan out.

"I'll give him a week. Let's see how Derek reacts to him and if they're even going to get along," the king said giving his official seal of approval.

"Excellent, Sire. I will turn him over to the royal nannies and have them clean him up and prep him to meet Prince Derek in the morning," Lord Jenkins said as he pulled the boy out of the room.

"Yes…yes…" the king uttered as they left his presence. He was lost in thought about the weird feeling the boy had given him. It felt like he had met this little boy before, but that would be impossible. He never interacts with slaves, let alone their children. Yet there was something that he couldn't put his finger on about the boy. Perhaps it would come to him later.

* * *

Spencer was extremely frightened and longing for his mother as he was shepherded throughout the halls of the castle. He hadn't stopped shaking in fear since Lord Jenkins had come into the common room. The boy knew the minute the fancy man showed his face that something bad was going to happen. He just didn't understand what the man wanted from him and why he was chosen out of all the boys in the room.

Their destination was a chamber a few floors up and down a long hallway. It was guarded by two men, one on each side of the door, and they each had a sword strapped to their waist. Once he was led into the room he couldn't help but gape at what he saw before him. The room was enormous and littered with tapestries depicting fantastical scenes. There were countless candles lining the walls and hanging from chandeliers providing a warm soft glow throughout the room. The thing that made Spencer marvel the most at the room was the food strewn about on every table. There were fresh fruits and vegetables sitting in bowls all around the room waiting to be enjoyed and sweets were prevalent on every flat surface. He had never seen so much food in his whole life! Once he got over the spell of wonderment the room casted upon him he finally noticed who was standing there waiting to meet him, King William.

The young boy had thought Lord Jenkins was scary, but he was nothing compared to the king. The man seemed to tower above the two-year-old and his high pitched nasally voice sent shivers down his spine. The king inspected him like a piece of prime meat. The little boy felt like the layers of his skin were being pealed back and exposed underneath the steely gaze of the monarch. He stood there for what seemed like hours while the two men talked about him. He wasn't sure what was being said, but it had something to do with the prince.

After the conversation had ended Lord Jenkins rushed him out of the chamber. He was steered into a room that had multiple women bustling about in it. The women were preparing a bath in an extravagant tub with clawed feet. There was steam issuing forth from the water signaling its heat and a scent of lavender hung in the air cloying Spencer's sense of smell.

Lord Jenkins stopped in the doorway and push Spencer forward into the room. While Spencer really didn't trust Lord Jenkins he was reluctant to leave his side and join these strangers. He tried to hang back by grabbing the fabric of the man's trousers, but he was quickly shaken off.

"Spencer, you are going to stay with these women tonight. They are going to get you cleaned up and looking presentable. Tomorrow you are going to meet the prince and begin your duties as his whipping boy," Lord Jenkins explained heedless of the fact that he was talking to a toddler. With that being said, the mighty man turned around and left the room closing the doors with a resounding thud behind him.

Spencer started to cry again at being left alone in this big and scary place. He couldn't help but think of his mom and her comforting arms. He wished she was there to protect him from whatever was to come but deep down he knew he was all alone now.

A noise caught his attention and he looked up into a kind woman's eyes. She took his hand and led him over to the bath. There she explained what was going to happen and why in a soothing manner. Spencer started to feel a little better and he felt his tears beginning to dry up. Utterly exhausted at this point in the day, Spencer allowed himself to be tended to by the motherly caretaker.

* * *

Little Spencer was up bright and early the next morning. The nanny assigned to him made sure that he was outfitted in royal livery. He was given a green and black tunic fashioned using the colors chosen to represent Derek's household and a pair of black breeches. Spencer was also given a new pair of shoes and a hat with a feather jutting out of the top.

Spencer was brought out of his room, which was an annex of the royal nursery, and taken to Derek's quarters by Lord Jenkins. The little boy was shown how to approach the prince and bow down out of respect. Lord Jenkins introduced Prince Derek to his new servant and observed their interaction.

At first, Derek seemed just as clueless as Spencer. For, he too was only a couple of years old and had a hard time understanding these grownup things. The prince circled the new boy and poked a finger at his arm. Spencer looked at the prince with confusion in his eyes.

"Play?" Prince Derek said to the boy.

The little boy nodded his head and followed the prince over to his stash of goodies. There the boys played together with the hobby horse, a few spinning tops, and various other pull toys. The boys amused themselves for a few hours until the nannies brought forth lunch. During that time Lord Jenkins slipped out and made his report to the king. He boasted about the relationship that was building between the two, and how they already seemed like the best of friends.


	3. Defending a Friend

**Disclaimer: I do not own the greatness that is Criminal Minds.**

**Warning: There will be a description of the paddling of a child. Don't like, don't read (what did you expect from a story called "The Whipping Boy?")**

**Please forgive any mistakes, I am my own editor. By the way, if it seems that the children are speaking maturely for their age remember that manners and proper etiquette have been instilled in them their whole lives.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

The young prince and his whipping boy were inseparable since the moment they met. They quickly became the best of friends and fell into an easy comradeship. Spencer was Derek's constant companion and confidant.

Initially the boys didn't understand the status difference between them. They couldn't figure out why Derek got to wear the most lavish clothing and Spencer had the same outfit every day. Derek would also plead with his father and mother to allow his friend to eat dinner with him at the main table, but his wish was never granted. What bothered them the most was that Spencer was allowed to play with Derek on most days, but whenever a family of great importance came to stay Spencer was locked away in a little room no bigger than a closet.

Another thing that the boys did not initially comprehend while going through their early stages of life was Spencer's purpose. Of course, the King William took the time to explain what the little slave boy was going to do for Derek, but it didn't make sense to his two-year-old brain. He really just saw Spencer as a playmate and never treated him as anything different.

For the most part while growing up Prince Derek didn't get into too much trouble. When he did earn a punishment it was for mild infraction such as spilling his milk, being late to dinner, or not paying attention during his lessons. As a consequence, the punishments that Spencer would receive on Derek's behalf were not as vicious as they would be when he got older. While the title of Spencer's job was "Whipping Boy," the tutors and nannies would only subject him to a spanking. Derek would be forced to stand near his friend and admit what he did wrong. Then Spencer would be bent over the disciplinarian's knee and given an appropriate amount of swaps. The prince would cringe in shame when he had to watch his friend in pain and crying out for help, but he never fully understood why Spencer received the reprimand that he earned.

The only time that Spencer's punishments were harsher than expected were when King William was doling out the consequences. It was rare for the king to be around his son, but whenever he was overseeing his young charge he tended to be very critical. King William was not one to tolerate silliness or carelessness even in a child as young as the prince. So if Derek even so much as forgot to bow when entering his father's presence Spencer would feel William's wrath.

King William was not one to go easy on the young slave. He felt that softness would instill a sense of weakness in his son. A weak son would grow into a weak and vulnerable king and that was not acceptable. This meant that every time he was in charge of delivering Derek's punishment he would spank Spencer with a wooden paddle. The paddle itself was quite diabolical because it had holes drilled throughout it to make the slap sting worse. Spencer would easily be bruised for up to two weeks after going against the dreaded paddle. But the worst encounter that Spencer had with King William's paddle was when he was seven.

The catalyst that spurned the vicious encounter was when some visiting foreign dignitaries dropped by unexpectedly at the castle. They were from a neighboring country and had dropped in unannounced with their daughter Emily. Their intent was to try to organize an early marriage agreement between Emily and Prince Derek. Due to the abruptness of the Prentiss family arrival nothing in the castle was in order, and the children were out playing in the courtyard.

It was just after noon and the children had a bit of a break in between lunch and their studies. Derek was trying to defeat Spencer out on the bowling green. Derek was employing a ten pound ball and putting all of his strength into every throw. Even at his young age Prince Derek was already showing his physical prowess. In contrast, Spencer chose to use a lighter ball and manipulated his release to allow for curving at the end of the ball's progress. Using such a strategy easily put Spencer ahead in the game because each throw was thought out and geometrically based.

Derek had just thrown his second to last ball and succeed in knocking down all but two pins. Unfortunately, the two left standing were in the far back of the formation and as far apart as possible. It was a nearly impossible configuration to pick up. Derek let out a frustrated snarl at the pins and hurtled his last ball down the green. He succeeded in putting down only one of the two pins and turned to see a smirking Spencer observing his temper tantrum.

"If you would have just listened to my advice on how to position your hand when you release the ball you would have had a 10% higher chance of knocking down both of those pins. Watch, I'll show you," Spencer said as he reset the balls into the same configuration and executed his calculated throw. Like clockwork he nailed the right pin and sent it crashing into the left pin. "See! Easy as pie," Spencer said.

Little did the boys know Princess Emily and her entourage had arrived and they were all observing the game from the edge of the green. Emily was smiling at the exchange between the two boys and was excited to get a chance to play with some new kids her age. She was so used to having to hang out with Lord Easter's son, Clyde, and she had grown sick of his pushy stuck-up ways. He always had to be right and he was not very kind to the other children that were always in their group. In fact, Emily was a bit put out when she found out that Clyde would be accompanying her family on their progress to Quantico.

From the sidelines it was clear to see that the young prince believed that his brawn would dominate the bowling green, but it quickly became obvious that the scrawny boy next to him had a superior skill for the game. The onlookers could see that the two boys had very different styles when it came to the game, and that the young prince was getting increasingly upset as it progressed. When Derek failed to take down the last two pins and the little boy was teaching him what he should have done, Clyde couldn't keep his tongue in check any longer.

"Your Highness," he shouted as he scurried toward Derek and gave a little bow. "I am Clyde Easter and this is Princess Emily Prentiss. We just arrived here with her family and we were told that we would find you back here. What a surprise to see that you are enjoying a game of bowling. The princess and I are rather fond of the game," Clyde said introducing Emily by gesturing for her to come forward.

"Your Highness," Emily said as she curtseyed to the prince. "You are quite skilled at this game. Would you like to take on two new challengers?" she said properly like she had been schooled in manners over her last seven years.

Derek was momentarily taken aback by the arrival of the princess and her staff. He graciously bowed back to show the princess some respect and said, "Um…sure. We can set up a new game."

"But Prince Derek, we have lessons in less than ten minutes," Spencer piped up not wanting to get a punishment for the prince being late.

Derek paused and was about to respond when Clyde spoke up and said to Derek, "Prince Derek, surely you aren't going to let an urchin like him tell you what to do!"

Derek spun around and glared at Clyde, "Who are you talking about?"

Clyde gestured at Spencer and said, "Him, Your Highness. He's a servant and shouldn't be telling you what to do."

"Spencer is my friend. And you will not call him names," the young prince said with vehemence.

"Friend? You're friends with a servant? What type of country is this? My father says that servants are only useful for doing the jobs no one else in the world wants to do. They're no better than dogs. Look at him," he continued pointing his finger at Spencer, "I would almost say he is a dog, one of those small yappy ones. His hair is scraggly. His clothing is worn. The only thing missing is his collar claiming him as yours. I bet he even likes to play in the dirt like a dog. See!" Clyde said as he kicked a mound of dirt in Spencer's direction to prove his point.

Derek enraged at someone picking on his best friend, regardless of Spencer's rank in the castle, and released all of his fury by tackling the pompous boy to the ground. He straddled Clyde and started battering him multiple times in the face and chest.

"You. Do. Not. Talk. About. Spencer. That. Way!" he said as each word was followed by a punch. Quickly enough the young prince was pulled off of the other boy by his nanny while Emily's caretakers pulled Clyde up off the ground.

Clyde was in tears and had a bit of blood running down his face from a cut he got above his right eye. He sniffled and yelled, "I'm going to tell the king on you!"

"Go ahead, he's my dad! He'll be on my side!" Derek responded quickly, but soon enough realized that his father's reaction was going to be just the opposite.

"Come on Emily. Let's go find your parents," the little boy said as he grabbed his hand and steered her away from the courtyard.

All the while Spencer just stood off to the side, flush with embarrassment at the boy's harsh statements. He knew that Derek didn't think of him in the way that Clyde described, but hearing the words hurt nonetheless. Spencer knew deep down that if he should have left the second the others announced who they were, than they could have avoided this whole mess. Once Derek was pulled off of the other boy Spencer made a beeline for his side and asked if he was okay.

"I'm fine. But you need to get to your room before father comes out here," Derek said, more worried about his friend than himself.

Spencer nodded and ran off for his small dingy quarters, praying the whole way there that the king wouldn't actually find out what happened.

Derek wasn't sure what to do with himself after the princess and her friend left. He knew that what he had just done would come back to haunt Spencer, but he couldn't just stand there and listen to that kid belittle his best friend. Deciding to face the music, the prince headed into the great hall to see if word of his skirmish got out.

Upon entering the hall Derek immediately took in the teary-eyed Clyde complaining to Princess Emily's father. He watched as her intimidating father made his way over to King William and observed as they had a heated discussion. Derek felt his heart sink the moment William's eyes made contact with his own. Not one to wait for a public scene, Derek sprinted out of the hall and up to his rooms. He slammed the door behind him blocking out his nannies and guards. He knew what was about to happen and it broke his heart. He buried his face into his lavish pillow and sobbed till his chest hurt.

There was no knock at the door to signal the arrival of his father an hour later. It was flung open and a resounding, "Where is he?" carried throughout the chambers. Derek popped up from his position on the bed and wiped his eyes. He must have cried himself to sleep he thought before he jumped off the bed to wait for his father.

The king came storming in the room and stopped the second he saw Derek's trembling form before the bed.

"How dare you raise a hand to one of our visitors? Do you know how embarrassing that is for me and your mother? We were in the middle of discussing your future with the princess and we get interrupted over this! You attacked Lord Easter's child because he said something about your slave? How could you be so stupid?" William yelled at the boy.

"Father, Spencer is my friend. That boy was saying some really mean things about him," Derek tried to explain to his dad.

"He is a slave. I don't care if the boy called him brain boiled bastard. He is nothing!" the king exclaimed. "I don't know what to do about this. Maybe we should find you another whipping boy, one that is closer in rank to you. At least then I can understand you building a friendship," he muttered as he rubbed his forehead with his hand clearly trying to stave off a headache.

"No father! You're right. He is a slave and I was wrong to defend him. Please, let him stay my whipping boy. I promise this will never happen again," the prince pleaded not wanting to lose the one person he was closest to in the world.

"Alright, I know just what to do. You there, guard. Go fetch my paddle and the whipping boy. Bring them back here. Go. Now. Hurry!" King William demanded as the guard beat a hasty retreat to do as bid. "When they get back here you are going to take part in the punishment. Do you hear me Derek?"

"What do you want me to do?" Derek trembled at the thought of having to physically hurt Spencer.

"I will do the paddling and you are going to recite how worthless he is every time I hit him."

"How many paddles is he going to get?"

"We'll see," the king said cryptically as the guard entered pulling a scared Spencer in by the collar of his livery.

The king sat in one of the chairs present in the room and pulled Spencer over his knee. He pulled down the boys breeches and grabbed the paddle from the proffered hand. "Derek, I hereby sentence your whipping boy to thirty swats with the paddle. Why am I doing this?"

"Because I beat up Clyde Easter when he made fun of Spe…the slave," Derek said.

From his position Spencer whimpered when he heard the sentence. Thirty swats were more than he had ever received before and he knew that he was going to have trouble walking over the next few days. He closed his eyes and wished for this to be over. It was when he heard his best friend, his only friend, in the world refer to him as a slave that he felt a tear fall from his face. The punishment he could take, but the debasement coming from Derek's mouth hurt more. Or so he thought before his backside received thirty whacks.

The king began and after each hit Spencer heard Derek degrading him. The prince called him worthless, filthy, dirty, meaningless, rubbish, a nothing, and things that were much worse. Spencer knew that his friend would never really think so lowly of him, but he couldn't help but let the words filter into his brain and find a home. Maybe he really was worse than a dog. Maybe that's why he deserved all of Derek's punishments.

By the end of the beating Spencer was almost out of tears and his throat was sore from crying. He had four more blows to go when the paddle broke over his backside sending jagged pieces of wood into his skin. The king, undeterred by the broken wood, beat the boy with the sharp handle of the broken paddle. With each remaining swat he made sure to pierce Spencer's milky white skin with the spiky wooden shards that were left. The slave was a bloody mess when it was all over and his backside had swollen up from all the abuse.

King William pushed Spencer off his lap and onto the floor. "Get him out of my site," he ordered.

One of Derek's nannies rushed over and cradled Spencer in her arms. She hurried him out of the room and took him to get cleaned up. From the look of his injuries, there was no way this boy was going to be walking for the next week. The motherly woman made sure to be gentle when administering to the child, and when she was done she took him back into his lonely room. She laid him softly on the bed and rubbed soothing circles in his back until he fell into a restless slumber.

The second the slave was taken away the king turned back to his son and asked, "What have you learned?"

Biting back the answer that he really wanted to say Derek said, "I learned not to worry about a slave. Slaves are worthless and do not need any special treatment."

The king nodded his head and walked out the door, closing it behind him with a resounding thud.

Once he knew he was alone Derek crawled back up onto his bed and cried himself to sleep, again.


	4. Jealousy

**Disclaimer: I do not own the universe that is Criminal Minds.**

**Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, followed, and favorited my story. I hope you are all enjoying it.**

**I have had a few questions as to whether or not this is slash. I gotta say that I have thought long and hard on the subject. I have come up with two story lines that I could do and I like the slash version better. So, yeah...I think I am going to actually go down the slash road with this version of the story. Once I finish it though, I may go back and write the nonslash version for those of you that don't swing that way. Believe me...the two story lines are vastly different. I just don't have it in me to tackle to versions at the same time in addition to finishing my other story "The Raconteur." So, sorry if I've disappointed you with this announcement. BTW the slash probably won't start for another few chapters because I don't want to tackle that until the boys are older.**

**Please forgive any mistakes!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It took Spencer's frail body a few weeks to heal completely after the harsh beating at King William's hands. The king had beaten him so hard that his bottom and thighs were swollen to twice their size and multiple splinters had to be removed to prevent infection. He was bed ridden for the first week, unable to even get up and walk to the bathroom. Nanny Ashley volunteered to take care of the boy throughout his recovery. She was the one who had cleaned him up after the beating and knew he was going to need a gentle hand to aid in his recovery.

Initially, the only actions that Spencer could manage were crying and sleeping. The Nanny Ashley tried to get him to consume some food, but the little boy refused any sustenance. After three days of declining to eat even the most simplest of broths the she decided to take a different approach.

"Spencer?" a voice called out to him in a whisper. "Spencer, it's time to wake up and eat."

The little boy was lying on his straw mattress with his head turned toward the wall and a bunch up fist shoved in his mouth to muffle his whimpers of pain. He heard the soft whisper but refused to respond. He was too consumed with pain and couldn't be bothered to eat. The thought of food resting on his stomach made him nauseous. So he laid there with straw poking into his stomach through the blanket and waited for the voice to go away.

He flinched when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. His hopes at being left alone were dashed when he felt a familiar squeeze of a comforting hand.

"Spencer. Please get up. You have to eat. Nanny Ashley said you haven't had anything since my dad…," the prince trailed off, hesitant to talk about the punishment.

Feeling tears welling up in his eyes at the memories, Spencer squeaked out a small, "No."

"Please. For me? I don't want my best friend to die," Derek begged his hurting friend.

"Friend? You said I was a worthless nothing," the small boy said in a little voice still looking at the cold gray brick that made up the wall.

"I didn't mean any of that. My father made me. I'm so sorry! You're my best friend. You'll always be my best friend! Please eat something so you can stay my best friend," Derek asked him again.

"I can't," Spencer said.

"Why?"

"It hurts too much," Spencer responded knowing that sitting up would aggravate his wounds.

"Oh," was the only thing the prince said. In the dim light of the room he hadn't gotten a good look at his friend's back. He grabbed a candle from the table by the door and brought it over to see the damage. Right away he saw that Spencer was sleeping in only a tattered old shirt. It barely covered his bottom and his legs were bare. The slave's thighs were a bright red color and clearly chapped. The cuts left by the broken wooden handle of the paddle were long and deep, but scabbed over. Derek shuddered to think what the boy's butt would look like since it was the portion of the body that got the most abuse.

Spencer, thinking that his friend was going to leave gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes. He was surprised to feel the mattress bend under the weight of another body moments later. He could tell that someone had inserted themselves between him and the wall. Opening his eyes he saw his best friend sitting cross-legged on the small sliver of mattress that was available.

Derek gave his friend a big smile and said, "Now you don't have to move. I brought the food to you."

Spencer felt the sides of his mouth twitch. The prince had a small stubborn streak that was shining through right now. The little boy made to sit up but his friend's hand held him down. Spencer looked at the prince with confusion until he saw a small spoon making its way to his mouth. The chicken broth tasted salty and watered down, but to Spencer it was a gourmet meal. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until that first taste. The nausea that he was worried about was quickly forgotten. Now he couldn't stop himself from craning his neck to the spoon to get his next portion.

The prince fed his friend until there was nothing left in the bowl. Then he produced a crust of bread from his pocket, "Do you think you could manage this too?"

Spencer just nodded his head and nibbled on the pieces that Derek placed in his mouth. When the bread was gone Spencer had to sit up a little bit to drink some water.

"Thank you," Spencer said as he felt his eyes drifting closed. Eating the meal was the most taxing thing he had done in three days and it was taking its toll on him.

"No problem," Derek replied. "I'll be back in the morning with breakfast."

Not getting a response the prince extracted his body from the small bed and made his way to the door. Standing there was Nanny Ashley wiping a small tear from her eye.

"I got him to eat," Derek told her holding up the empty bowl.

"I know…thank you," was all she said as the prince left the room.

Once Spencer started eating regularly he began to feel better. The added strength from the food helped the little boy to get on his feet sooner than anticipated. Overall, it took Spencer's wounds a few weeks to fully heal, and throughout the whole process Derek was by his side encouraging him to get better. The young prince continued to help him eat, forced him to get up and walk around, and read him stories to help him fall asleep. Spencer really appreciated his friend's attention and slowly his trust in Derek was restored. While the whole incident was an unpleasant experience for both Derek and Spencer, it did strengthen their bond.

* * *

As the boys continued to age they began to realize the differences between them. Eventually they both understood that no matter how much Derek stood up and fought for Spencer he would never been seen as more than a slave. So the boys decided that while they were alone they would disregard rank and act like equals. Derek never made Spencer grovel at his feet, do demeaning chores, or anything else a typical slave would have to do.

Once the prince reached twelve years of age the king decided it was time for him to be in charge of his own manor. He set his son up in one of his many lavish residences along the Potomac River. The young man would be in charge of a large group of servants, knights, and slaves. Also, there would be various courtiers residing in the house to mentor the prince in the running of the household. Derek was going to be expected to maintain a budget, entertain guests, and protect his property. Of course, these responsibilities would be taught and not expected immediately. The main courtier in charge of mentoring the prince was Lord Gideon.

Lord Gideon was a fair and patient man. He had quite a bit of experience with maintaining a functioning manor because he had three of his own. The king knew that Lord Gideon would also not hesitate to discipline Derek if he fell out of line or disregarded his duties. Additionally, Lord Gideon was going to take over the role of tutor for the young prince. He was familiar with the various subjects Derek needed to master and well adept to teach them.

Along with Lord Gideon, King William sent Knight Aaron Hotchner to teach Derek how to handle a sword and shield, shoot a bow and arrow, and ride a horse with skill. Of course, Derek had been learning these things throughout his preadolescent years, but not with the focus that he would soon employ. Sir Hotchner would also instruct Derek on how to fortify his property with knights to help protect his homestead.

When he first heard about the major changes that were about to happen Derek became worried that he would have to leave his best friend behind. Luckily, the king felt that the slave was still needed in order to keep the prince on the right track and Lord Gideon would be in charge of doling out any punishments needed.

Spencer's day to day life was also undergoing changes too. The king decided that since the boy was now twelve he could now handle being punished with a whip. Spencer was introduced to the new tool slowly. Lord Gideon knew that he needed to start easy on the boy, so anytime that discipline was warranted the young man would only earn one lash.

Spencer had always thought the paddle was a harsh punishment on its own, but he had never anticipated the pain that came from a single lash of a whip. The strip of leather seemed so innocent, but when it made contact with his back it left him in excruciating pain. The first time he was punished, due to Derek making a miscalculation in the food budget, Spencer thought he was going to die. The fire that flowed through his body after the strike took his breath away. The only other time he felt pain that sharp was during the vicious paddling King William gave him years ago. After the blow was delivered Spencer could feel the blood oozing down his back. He looked over to Derek, who was always forced to witness the punishment, and observed his sympathetic eyes. At that moment, Spencer couldn't help but feel a little bit of hatred toward his friend because of all the pain he caused the young boy to endure in his name. The flare of animosity didn't last long though because he knew his friend didn't go out of his way to get Spencer punished on purpose. He also knew that Derek would take his place in a heartbeat instead of letting his friend suffer. That one thought alone helped Spencer maintain his friendship with Derek after every abuse he experienced.

Another thing that changed in Spencer's life was that he was no longer allowed to eat his meals with Derek. Because the prince was now the head of the household he was expected to eat all of his meals in the great dining hall and it would not be proper for him to share food with a slave. Spencer was now reduced to scavenging for scraps in the kitchens while the courtiers and knights enjoyed their meal with the prince.

One of the only things that did stay the same was that Spencer still joined the prince during his lessons. Lord Gideon thought the competition was healthy for the prince to experience. What was more motivating than trying to outdo a peer? So Gideon allowed Spencer to join Derek for lessons in history, language, and mathematics. Additionally, Sir Hotchner allowed Spencer to join Derek during his archery lessons. In contrast, Spencer was forbidden to learn how to wield a sword because it was dangerous for a slave to be fluent in such a deadly weapon.

Finally, King William decided to permit the children of the courtiers in Derek's household to join his son during his lessons. This would enable Derek to practice his social skills with his peers and make friends with people of similar social standings. For the most part, the prince really enjoyed the addition of more kids to his life. He easily became friends with Lady Penelope and Lady Jennifer finding them warm and friendly from the get-go. He also built a relationship with Lord Lynch's son, Kevin, who seemed to have a crush on Lady Penelope. The only kid that Derek did not like at all was Lord Billy Flynn. He was a smarmy boy with greasy black hair and shifty eyes. There was always a smirk on his face mocking whoever was in his vicinity. He gave the other kids a chill anytime he engaged them in conversation. Derek did his best to avoid the boy as much as possible. Alas, he couldn't totally ignore the boy because his dad was a close friend of Derek's father. With the exception of Billy though, Derek felt that the new kids were fun to work with and provided a much needed change to his day to day routine.

Unfortunately, Spencer had a harder time adjusting to the new kids because he was worried they would pick on him due to his slave status. He knew he stuck out like a sore thumb in his green livery compared to their extravagant clothes and jewels, so he always kept himself secluded whenever they were in the same room as him. The young man also tried his hardest to keep the focus off of him during lessons, but that was difficult because he was always answering Lord Gideon's questions the fastest. He could see the jealousy in some of the adolescents' eyes when he would quietly pipe up with a correct answer. Noticing his best friend's discomfort Derek would make a point of congratulating him on his correct answers. The other students slowly got used to the young genius always being right and learned to embrace his brilliance instead of being envious of it, all except for Billy Flynn of course.

* * *

Lord Billy hated the fact that the prince's slave was so smart. He knew that if the slave wasn't around during the lessons that he would dominate the classroom and earn everyone's respect. It made him sick that everyone else seemed to worship the urchin and they treated him like an equal. Billy knew that he was the only one that treated the trash just the way he deserved. Whenever no one was looking Billy made sure the slave knew his place. It was all too easy to trip him in the hall, punch him on any exposed body part, or whisper derogatory names in his ear. The slave never responded to Billy's taunts, but the malicious boy could see the hurt in Spencer's eyes.

Billy's breaking point for tolerating everyone's acceptance of Spencer was the day that he was humiliated by the boy. It was turning out to be a fantastic afternoon on the archery field. All of the students were lined up with their bow and arrows. Each one of them would take turns aiming at targets that increased in distance every round. By the end of the lesson only two students were still hitting the bull's-eye while aiming at a target that was 70 meters away. Sir Hotchner was very pleased with everyone's progress and very excited to see that two of his students were excelling in precision. He declared that the final two, Billy and Spencer, would have a shoot off with five arrows each. The archer that made the most bull's-eyes would be declared the winner.

Billy decided that he would go first and got a bull's-eye on four out of five of his shots. He sauntered off the green and back among the others accepting their congratulations with a vast amount of pride. He knew that he had won and didn't even bother to pay attention to Spencer turn. It was when Derek shouted out a huge whoop of glee that he finally turned around and looked at the other boy's target. There in the center circle were five flawlessly placed arrows. The other kids ran up to the boy and cheered his accomplishment and left Billy standing in the shadows fuming.

"How did you do that?" Lady Penelope asked.

"It's all just a matter of physics. I calculated the angle of release and factored in the tension of the bow string. By doing that I was able to estimate the velocity needed to reach the target and the arch required to land the arrow into the center of the target. Pretty simple really," the boy responded getting caught up in his explanation.

"It was amazing! You're going to have to give me some pointers Spencer," Sir Hotchner said with pride for his pupil.

"Yeah, maybe you should take over teaching us!" Lady Jennifer exclaimed.

The prince was extremely proud of his friend's accomplishment and the fact that he bested the unctuous Lord Billy. Derek wrapped his right arm around Spencer's shoulders and started to steer him away from the field, "Let's go sneak a celebratory treat from the kitchens."

The others nodded their agreement and walked off with the two boys. Billy, still fuming at his loss stomped off the green and went back to his room. Once there he started to concoct a plan to bring down the slave that had soared to high above his station.


	5. Seeds of Doubt

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show or make a profit off of my stories.**

**Hi friends. This particular story plot is going to take at least two more chapters to get through and then I will be aging the boys to about 17. You won't see any slash until then just friendship.**

******Thanks to everyone who commented, favorited, or followed this story! You guys are awesome and I appreciate your support!**

**Please forgive any mistakes!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It took Billy a few weeks to fully formulate a plan that would ensure his revenge upon the impudent slave that dared to outshine him. His plot was flawless because it wouldn't be Billy that was doing the destroying but the slave's best friend, Prince Derek.

The evil adolescent decided to begin his strategic revenge straightaway. During class the next morning Billy made sure to sit next to the prince. The slave was in his usual seat at the end of the table to the left of Derek. The two boys already had their Latin books out and they were studying verb conjugation. Billy, who was terrible at translating any language to Latin, pulled out his math book instead to work on geometric theories.

Lord Gideon arrived shortly after the bell outside tolled 9 o'clock. He always made a point of coming in last and expected to see his students working diligently on their various studies of choice. He really enjoyed tutoring the prince and the other children because it gave him a chance to impart his knowledge on a new generation. He especially liked watching how the prince and his whipping boy competed against each other to gain knowledge the fastest. Of course, Lord Gideon could tell that the slave was quite gifted and he planned on attempting some more difficult subjects with the young man in the coming weeks. Prince Derek's aptitude was nowhere near the slave's so he would have to incorporate Spencer's specialized education gently so that the prince wouldn't get jealous.

Lord Gideon was under no illusion that the wards under his care were immune to the jealousy that comes with adolescence. He knew that while the prince and the slave were best of friends behind closed doors even their friendship was susceptible the hormonal fluctuations that were common with young people their age. He needed to approach this curriculum change carefully and as quietly as possible. He knew that if he didn't make a big deal out of it than the kids probably wouldn't either.

"Good morning students. I trust that you have all made progress on your assignments since we last spoke. This morning I want you ladies to continue to work on reading "Utopia" while the boys will work with me on their Latin studies," Gideon instructed Lady Penelope and Jennifer. The girls nodded their heads and made their way to the corner to quietly read and discuss their novel.

"Now gentlemen, please get out your list of verbs and we will begin to break them down into their various forms," he ordered the boys. Quickly the boys did as they were bade and started writing out the conjugations for all of the verbs that Lord Gideon had assigned them. Of course in less than five minutes Spencer's pen was at rest on his piece of paper and he was looking up at his instructor for additional instructions.

"Done already boy?" Lord Gideon asked already knowing the answer.

The slave nodded and looked at him with excited eyes.

"Well how about you…Yes, Prince Derek. How can I help you?" Gideon asked as soon as he saw the prince's hand in the air.

"I'm having trouble with changing around some of these verbs. Do you have any suggestions or tips that will help me remember the rules?" the prince asked never afraid to get help when he needed it.

"Me too!" Billy piped up upon hearing that someone else was having the same problem as him.

Unfortunately, the girls seemed to have gotten stuck on a part of the book at the same time the boys were struggling. Gideon did not hesitate to say, "Spencer, would you help these two while I go and assist the ladies?"

"Of course," Spencer responded used to having help Lord Gideon during lessons.

The man walked away confident that the boys would be in good hands and focused his attention on the two girls.

"Okay which ones are you having problems with?" Spencer asked them.

"Never mind," said Billy, "I'll figure it out myself. My dad would rather I did it myself instead of letting a slave try to teach me. Wouldn't yours feel the same way too sire?"

Derek sat there pondering Billy's comment. Of course his father would hate to find out that Derek wasn't as smart as a slave. Maybe he should try working on the verbs a bit more by himself and if he still hadn't gotten it by the time Lord Gideon got back he would ask him for help again.

"Yeah…you do have a point Billy," Derek admitted hating the fact that he agreed with the creepy kid.

Spencer's face scrunched upon hearing Derek's agreement with Billy. Derek had never refused help from him before, and often he came straight to Spencer. It hurt knowing that his best friend was refusing his help based on his social status.

"Um…okay," Spencer said.

Ten minutes later Lord Gideon strode back over to the young men and decided it was time to check their answers. "Are you all done?" he asked the boys.

They shook their heads and listened to the correct answers while checking their papers.

"How many did you get right?" he asked the prince.

"I only got 5 out of 20 correct," Derek answered.

"What? Spencer, did you get the same thing?"

"Uh…no. I got 20 out of 20 right," he answered nervously as he picked at the embroidery on his livery.

"Well you were in charge of helping the prince. Why did he get them all wrong?"

"Because we didn't think our fathers would appreciate knowing that you had a slave teaching us our lessons," Billy answered haughtily.

Gideon was taken aback by the answer and stood there a few minutes pondering the boy's statement. Before now he had never thought anything of using Spencer as a teacher's aide knowing the most of the children were fairly accepting of him and his wealth of knowledge. Billy was the exception though, he never seemed to warm up to the willowy slave. If there was anyone that was going to inform the king that Derek was gaining his knowledge from someone below his station it would be Billy. Perhaps he should put his accelerated program for Spencer into action now and then he could focus solely on the prince's education throughout class.

"Alright Billy, I see your point. Prince Derek and Lord Flynn let's go back over those verbs that are causing you so much trouble," Lord Gideon said noticing the crestfallen look that painted Spencer's face.

"What should I do?" the boy asked timidly as he was afraid that he would be excluded from the lessons from now on.

"For today I want you to join the girls and discuss the theories laid out in the book. Also, I want you to stay after class later. We need to talk," he said in a gruff voice trying not to give his motive for wanting to talk privately to the boy away.

"Yes sir," he responded and hung his head.

Gideon watched the boy slink over to the girls with his eyes trained on the ground afraid that he had done something wrong. Ignoring the sulking youth for now he turned his attention to the others and rectified his earlier mistake.

* * *

The lessons ended shortly before noon. The smell of lunch was wafting through the halls and a few stomachs in the room were grumbling for food. It smelled like some sort of stew with fresh bread was on the menu for the afternoon and the pupils were becoming distracted by the scent. Deciding that they wouldn't get any more work done this morning Lord Gideon dismissed his students after he gave them their daily assignments.

The youths quickly made their exit except for Spencer. He hung back as asked and waited for his reprimand for not helping the others earlier.

"Spencer, look at me please," Gideon demanded in his gravelly voice. The slave slowly lifted his eyes off the ground and stared at a spot on his instructor's forehead. It was instilled in the boy not to make eye contact with people of superior status. "Boy…you are not in trouble and it's impolite to have a casual conversation with someone without making eye contact."

The young man hesitantly connected his eyes to the elder and looked at him curiously. The older man went over to the boy and put his hand around his shoulders steering him into his office which was connected to the classroom. He sat down at his desk and gestured for the boy to sit in the chair across from him.

"Now, I wanted to discuss with you the possibility of advancing your studies above what the others are doing in class now. You seem to understand any material I give you lightning fast and are often bored waiting for the others to finish. I'm going to put together a specialized curriculum for you to work on by yourself. I want you to understand that this is not a punishment and I am not trying to keep you away from the others. Your mind is something special and I want to help it grow. If I keep you working at the same pace as the others we will waste your capabilities. I want your opinion on this though. Oh…and keep in mind that you will have a say in the subjects you get to explore," Gideon explained to the trembling young man who seemed to calm down over the course of his explanation.

"Um…I don't know what to say sir. It sounds amazing. I have always wanted to study some other subjects…but won't the others be mad that I'm not doing the same thing as they are?" Spencer asked.

"Well, we just won't share that you are receiving special treatment. It will be just between you and me," Gideon responded.

"Okay…one more question sir. Why would you want to help me? A slave," Spencer asked because after today it was clear that his status was still an issue in the classroom.

"I don't look at you as a slave. You are a human being with astounding intelligence. That's not to say that if you were stupid I would treat you any different. I hate the whole "slave" aspect of our country and wish we could be more like other places that have already banished it from their society. Look, I want to help you. I see a lot of potential in you and I would be honored to help you realize all of your talents," Gideon clarified to the young man.

"Well, thank you sir. I appreciate your help. I just don't like that we have to keep this a secret, especially from Prince Derek," Spencer said.

"Well, it isn't so much him that we are keeping this from but the others. I know that the prince and you are good friends and he wouldn't have a problem with this, but it might upset the other students. You can tell the prince if it would make you feel better, but why don't you take a few days to think about it before you decide. So, what would you like to start studying tomorrow?" he asked.

This question seemed to spark something in the young man and his eyes lit up at getting to help choose his own curriculum, "I've always wanted to learn more about astronomy, the weather, engineering, mathematics, and chemistry. I love the sciences! But I also want to learn a few other languages and more about philosophy."

"Excellent. I can't promise that you will work on all of those tomorrow but I will have something more complex ready for you by then," Gideon promised the boy, "Now off with you. Go get some food and don't be late to your archery lessons."

The slave jumped out of his seat and said a quick thank you. Gideon watched him scamper out of the room with a spring in his step. The man smiled at the sight and was glad that he could help bring more joy to the slave's life.

* * *

"I hope Spencer doesn't get into trouble because we refused his help," Derek said to Billy as they walked out of the classroom leaving the boy behind.

"I don't really care. Lord Gideon should have never told him to help us in the first place," Billy responded.

"Do you have something against Spencer?" Derek growled.

"Um…well. Your highness, may I speak freely?" Billy asked.

"Go ahead, but watch your words," Derek said intrigued by what the smarmy boy had to say.

"I know that you are friends with him sire, but he is a slave. Honestly, my dad always said that slaves shouldn't be educated like us nobles. They might try to rise above their station and try to interact with us like they belong. Also, your slave…um Spencer…I think that's what is happening to him. He is always trying to show us how smart and talented he is. Haven't you noticed that the only person in class that answers questions is him? He never gives any of us a chance to get a question right. He even tries to show us up out on the archery field, what with his geometric approach to shooting an arrow. You never get a chance to shine my lord. If people were to observe our class they would think that he was the prince and not you. Lord Gideon gives him special treatment and puts us on the backburner," Billy said carefully studying Derek's face for a reaction.

"That's just Spencer. He always knows the right answer. He isn't trying to outshine us. For some reason he is just super smart and talented. I doubt showing us up has ever crossed his mind," Derek said with some doubt in his voice.

"Oh…well. I just wanted to tell you how it looked from my point of view. I'll drop it now," Billy said with a little smile knowing that he had successfully planted some seeds of doubt about the slave into the prince's mind.

"Darn it!" the prince suddenly exclaimed.

"What my lord?" Billy asked with feigned concern.

"I left my ring back in the classroom. I took it off to play with it while we were waiting on Lord Gideon to get done with the girls and never put it back on," Derek explained with frustration.

"I'll go and get it for you," Billy offered.

"No…I know exactly where it is. Go get a seat at lunch. I'll see you after the meal," Derek said as he turned around headed back to the class.

Once he got to the room he quietly opened the door and crept inside hoping to get in and out without distracting Lord Gideon. He was embarrassed by his forgetfulness and didn't want to explain why he had to come back.

He heard easily found his ring within seconds of entering the room and was on his way out when he heard voices coming from the office. Curious, he crept over to the door and heard his best friend's voice. Unable to walk away without finding out what they were talking about he leaned in and spied on the conversation.

"Well, we just won't share that you are receiving special treatment. It will be just between you and me," he heard Gideon say.

"Okay…" he heard Spencer respond.

What!? Derek was floored at hearing those words. Billy was right about Lord Gideon treating Spencer like he was more special than even the prince. His father had trusted this man to make sure that Derek received a proper education. There was no way his dad would want a slave to get more attention than his son. What was even worse was that his friend was going to go along with it.

He slowly backed away from the office stewing with rage. How could Spencer allow Lord Gideon to give him special treatment over the others? He knew his own rank and never before seemed to try to go beyond his slave role. Was Billy right about Spencer only being concerned with showing everyone up? He really never did let Derek answer questions or show off his talent in front of the other kids. The only time people got to see what Derek was capable of was when Spencer wasn't around. Maybe his friend wasn't really his friend at all. When he thought about it some more he realized that Spencer's life wasn't really that of a slave but more as a courtier. He got to participate in everything Derek did except for combat training. The young man was accepted by most of the other kids that he was never excluded from anything unless the king or foreign dignitaries were around. Maybe Spencer needed relearn his station. That way he wouldn't be so hurt in the future when Derek became king and couldn't be friends with someone of Spencer's status.

Derek shook his head with frustration. He didn't like thinking like this. Spencer was his friend! He always promised that they would stay friends and that his slave status was not an issue. But was it Derek's fault if Spencer was helping to make it an issue? He needed some time to think about this further and observe his friend's behavior from this new point of view.

* * *

The rest of the day Derek avoided his best friend. He stuck close to Billy and the girls and left Spencer off on the sidelines. The young slave was disturbed by his friend's sudden behavior and confused as to what might have caused it. Knowing that there wouldn't be an opportunity to discuss this in front of the others Spencer decided to leave the group and go read in the library.

He went to his usual spot in the vast room and curled up in a large leather chair. No one bothered him in here, for they were used to him frequenting it whenever Derek was occupied elsewhere. Today Spencer decided to read for fun instead of knowledge. So he picked out a few fictional stories and dove right into reading.

Hours later he stopped when he could no longer read the words easily. The sun was in the process of setting and he knew it was time for dinner. He got up and put the books back where they belonged and grabbed a candle to illuminate the darkened hallways.

He knew that he wasn't allowed in the dining hall so he made his way down to the kitchen instead. The cook was used to seeing the boy around this time and there was already a meal of scraps sitting out for him to enjoy. Spencer quickly devoured the leftovers after he picked the mold off the bread and scraped the burnt pieces off the meat and vegetables.

After eating he made his way to the prince's rooms in order to assist and participate in whatever nightly games were going to be played in the receiving chamber. Every night it was Spencer's job to light all the candles in the room and set a rod of incense on fire. Then he had to make sure there was plenty of water and snacks for everyone to enjoy throughout their revelries. Finally he set out the chess board, a few packs of cards, and the gambling table. While he was working the fiddle player came in and started tuning his instrument in order to entertain the nobles with music and dancing if they so desired.

When he was done with his preparations Spencer went into Derek's bed chamber to wait for him to arrive. He often had to help Derek change his clothes for the evening so that he would be more comfortable while he enjoyed his companions. The youth didn't have to wait long because soon the doors were crashing open and loud laughter could be heard emanating from the foyer and receiving chamber. Spencer stood up and waited patiently for the bedroom doors to open revealing his friend.

Curiously, the door never opened so Spencer continued to stand. He waited over a half hour wondering what was going on. It was strange for Derek to not even come into the bed chamber and invite him to come out and join everyone. Maybe he just assumed that Spencer knew to come out. Tired of waiting, Spencer finally opened the doors and walked into the receiving room. He immediately spotted Derek playing chess with Billy. Penelope, Jennifer, Kevin and surprisingly Sir Hotchner were all gathered around the gambling table. Since they were all occupied with the various games they were participating in and no one took notice of the slave's arrival. Noticing that were was an open spot at Penelope and Kevin's card table he quickly went to fill the void. They greeted him happily and made sure to deal him into the next hand.

It went along as a typical night until Billy decided to join the same table and Sir Hotchner went to play chess with Derek. At first the oily kid just glared at Spencer over his cards, but he soon became vocal when he began to lose all his candy to the slave.

"You must be cheating. It's impossible for someone to win as much as you do!" Billy said at first trying to attract the prince's attention to the table.

Everyone including Derek had stopped what they were doing, even the musician and focused their attention on the two boys.

"I assure you I'm not, my lord. I only employ a mathematical strategy that allows me to figure out the optimal hand to play," Spencer said trying to explain politely.

"Whatever…I bet you're just hiding cards up your sleeve. You are a master of sleight of hand are you not? I've seen you entertain the little kids with your magic skills out in the yard. Wouldn't a talent like that be useful for cheating at cards?" Billy asked knowing that everyone was listening now.

Spencer's face paled when confronted with this new tactic Billy was employing. It was common knowledge that Spencer enjoyed doing magic tricks for the little kids but he never expected his hobby to be used against him like this. "I…I would never use my talent to cheat. That's dishonest and…" Spencer trailed off no knowing what else to say to defend himself. He sent a pleading gaze at Derek hoping that his friend would defend him against this scoundrel.

"Prove your honesty. Allow me to check your sleeves," Billy challenged looking around at the other kids in the room for support.

"Spencer, let him check," Derek said interested to see what would happen.

Spencer's face glowed red when he realized that his friend's reaction was the opposite of what he hoped. "Uh…okay."

Billy got up and approached Spencer's chair. Spencer pushed back from the table and held out his arms. Billy grabbed his right arm and pushed up his sleeve to reveal nothing but a pasty pale arm. Smirking Billy said, "I'm not surprised because if I'm not mistaken your right handed. So any cards you have hidden are probably under your left sleeve."

Everyone watched with bated breath as Billy forcefully grabbed Spencer's left arm and two aces tumbled down to the ground. The girls gasped with surprise and Derek looked at him with disbelief. Spencer could only gape at the ground where the ace of spades and hearts no occupied the floor. How did they get there?

"Spencer how could you?" Derek asked.

"I swear I don't know how they got there, sire," he appealed to his friend.

"Go to your room, I'll be in soon," Derek ordered in the most authoritative voice that he could muster.

"Yes sire," was all he said as he retreated to his simple room off of Derek's chambers.

Once he got to his room he threw himself down on his bed and sobbed. His best friend didn't believe him and that hurt more than anything else. He knew that Billy had set him up but he couldn't prove it.

He looked up as he heard the door to his room open. Derek hurried in and closed the door behind him. Spencer was going to wait for him to start speaking but decided to jump right in instead.

"I swear I didn't put those cards there Derek. You've got to believe me!" Spencer pleaded.

"I do Spencer, I do," Derek said quietly.

"You do?" Spencer questioned him.

"Of course I do. You're not that type of person. The problem is…I don't think anyone else is going to believe you," Derek said with a bit of sorrow.

"But you do and that's all that matters right?"

"Well…no. I've got to make it look like I took this seriously because if my dad finds out about this and hears that I did nothing he is going to be mad," Derek explained.

"Who would tell him?"

It took a few seconds but then they both said, "Billy" at the same time.

"I see your point. So what are you going to do?" Spencer asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"I think I'm going to have to banish you from evening activities. That way you can't be put in this situation again and it looks like I took serious action. And…," Derek started, "You'll probably have to give a public apology to Billy, Penelope and Kevin for deceiving them."

Spencer hung his head at the last part of his punishment. He really didn't want to apologize for something he didn't do, especially to Billy. "I understand. Just tell me when and where."

"During breakfast tomorrow morning in the dining hall," Derek said. "I'm sorry. I know it sucks but if Billy thinks I didn't do anything he would throw a huge fit and send his dad a message about it. His dad would complain to my dad and everything would get worse."

"I know," Spencer said quietly.

"Okay, I've gotta go back out there and tell them what I decided," Derek said making his way to the door to exit.

"Wait, Derek! Why were you avoiding me today? Did I do something wrong?" Spencer had to ask knowing it was the only time tonight he would get his friend alone.

Anger flashed through Derek's eyes at the reminder that he wasn't entirely happy with his friend. "Never mind about that now. We'll talk about it later," was all he would say as he closed the door behind him.

Dejected, Spencer lay back down on his bed and turned his head toward the door in surprise as he heard the lock on the door slide into place.

* * *

Billy couldn't help but smile with glee when he heard that Derek had banished the filthy slave from further evening interactions with the nobles. His plan was beginning work. He had more work to do though and the largest part of his plot couldn't take shape until the king's annual visit for Prince Derek's birthday next week.


	6. Friends?

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show.**

**Hi All! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! You guys rock my socks (which are mismatched). I know that I said that this part of the story would be over soon, but my mind is running away with ideas and its going to be a few more chapters to resolve this whole Billy mess. I hope that Spencer can handle the pressure and maintain faith in his friend.**

**Please forgive any mistakes. I only did a quick review before I posted and I know that I use too many commas.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning Spencer was dreading the apology he was going to have to fake at breakfast. It had been weighing on his mind all night and caused the young man to get only a few hours of sleep as a consequence. One of his goals in life was to remain unnoticed and out of the spotlight. He knew that slaves that soared to far above their station were sure to come crashing down. Now he had no choice but to be in the spotlight and it scared him to death.

Trying to push thoughts of the later humiliation that he was to endure off to the side Spencer hurried up and got dressed for the day. He went to the door of his room and tried the handle. It was still locked from last night, and he needed Derek to come and let him out. He knocked on the wooden barrier and waited to see if it would open.

His wait wasn't long and moments later Derek was in front of him in his pajamas.

"Morning," was all Derek said as he rubbed his eyes and walked back toward his bed.

"Good morning," Spencer responded as he quickly went to the prince's wardrobe and proceeded to pull out an outfit for Derek to wear that day. Next, he went about his normal duties helping the prince get dressed and groomed. Once the prince was sufficiently ready to face the day the two boys started on their way down to the dining hall. For the first time ever though Spencer didn't part ways and head off to the kitchen out in the hall, but followed behind the prince into the enormous room already filled with hungry knights and courtiers.

The trumpets blared sounding the arrival of the prince and everyone rose up from their seats out of respect. Derek gestured for Spencer to stay behind by the doors. Earlier the prince had informed his friend that he would announce his presence after everyone was seated and awaiting the meal. So, Derek proceeded to walk down the middle aisle in between all the tables and left Spencer standing in the shadows by the doors. As soon as Derek was seated at the head of the royal table everyone else sat down again.

Everyone was waiting for Derek to say the blessing before the meal but when he spoke it was not to christen the food, "Last night during a game of cards Lord Flynn caught a cheater in our midst. This morning I have brought said swindler to our morning meal so that he could rightfully apologize to those he has wronged. Please step forward Spencer and issue your apology."

Spencer was happy he relieved himself earlier because if he hadn't he was sure it would be happening now. Hundreds of eyes had turned toward the back of the room where he was standing and followed him on his long journey up the center aisle. The trembling slave stopped in front of the royal table and bowed low to the ground. He knew he had to say like that until Derek said otherwise.

"Rise up and admit your wrongdoing," Derek commanded his friend.

Spencer swallowed down the nerves that were running through his body and rose out of his prone position. He turned to the right of Derek where Billy, Penelope, Jennifer, and Kevin were seated. He started to speak but he noticed that no sound was coming out.

The slave cleared his voice and focused his gaze on Lady Penelope. She was the most gentlest of the group and from the look in her eyes she was taking pity on him and his quivering form.

"I am sorry that I tried to deceive you last night during our game of cards. I assure you that I will never do anything so underhanded again. Prince Derek has graciously shown me the error of my ways and punished me rightfully so. I hope that you can forgive me for my folly," Spencer said with as much strength in his voice that he could muster. He bowed to them like he did to the prince and waited for them to respond to his forced apology.

"Of course we forgive you Spencer. We all make mistakes. Thank you for taking responsibility for your error," Lady Penelope called out to the young man who stood up from his bow. She smiled kindly and looked at the others to encourage their agreement.

Lady Jennifer and Lord Kevin were quick to nod their agreement but Lord Billy wasn't going to let Spencer get out of this so easily.

"I do not accept your apology slave. I do not want you to be within the same vicinity as me again. Once a thief always a thief, my father says," Billy announced to the whole hall.

Spencer didn't know what else to do but bow to show his acceptance of Billy's words. He knew that he had no right to speak out against what they sleazy boy had said and remained silent.

"You are dismissed Spencer," was all Derek said ending his friend's agony.

The young slave bowed down to his friend again and remained that way as he backed himself out of the hall. Once he exited the door he collapsed against the wall and buried his face into his hands. Overwhelming relief flowed through his body glad that the apology was behind him now. It was over and the people that counted were not mad at him. That's all that counted in the end. He knew that Lord Billy had it out for him and that there was nothing he could do to change that. Spencer had no other choice to just stay out of Billy's way and hope that soon the young man would shift his focus onto more important things.

* * *

When the prince and his entourage of friends entered the classroom after breakfast they found Spencer already there reviewing his work from yesterday. The moment Derek saw his friend memories of the meeting he overheard yesterday came flooding back into his mind. He knew that today he was going to be on a lookout for this special treatment that Spencer would supposedly be receiving.

The adolescents shuffled to their seats quietly and pulled out their books and parchment paper. Each student was well aware of Lord Gideon's expectations and knew that they had to get to work before he arrived.

Lord Gideon entered a few minutes later to his perfectly prepared class. The man was happy to see that each of the students were working hard and taking their education seriously. Instead of diving right into instruction like he normally would he decided to get Spencer started on his new curriculum.

"Spencer, follow me," was all he said breaking the studious silence that encased the classroom.

Wordlessly the boy shot out of his seat and followed his tutor to the window at the back of the room.

"Spencer, you are going to start on your new line of study today. I have decided to have you start with the study of meteorology. I have gathered some materials for you to peruse. Also, I have assembled some weather instruments and you are to go out and experiment with their properties throughout your studies today. We will meet again before class is over to see what you have discovered and debrief on your learning. Do you have any questions?" Lord Gideon explained to the wide-eyed youth.

"Yes sir, just one. Where do you want me to work?"

"I have already placed your materials over on the end table by that chair. You will find it most comfortable and the window will provide you with sufficient light by which to learn. Enjoy yourself Spencer. You deserve it," the tutor said as he walked back to his students.

Derek immediately noticed how Lord Gideon separated Spencer from the group and was curious as to what was going on between the two of them. He craned his head around and kept them in his eye line. He strained his ears in order to hear snippets of the conversation that was being held in the back of the room.

Billy, who was sitting next to Derek again, noticed the prince's distress when the slave was removed from their presence. He felt that this was the perfect opportunity to manipulate the prince in his favor some more and said, "I wonder what those two are doing. Look, he's having the slave sit off by himself with his own books and materials. Why can't we do that too?"

Derek didn't respond even though he was wondering the same thing. Instead he turned back to his work as Lord Gideon made a move to come back to the other students. He was wondering if this was the special treatment that the two had spoken of yesterday. He knew he needed more information and decided to watch what Spencer did during class today to see if it was anything significant.

At first it seemed to Derek that his friend was just reading through some extra books at his usual swift speed but an hour into class Spencer dismissed himself from the room holding some sort of scientific instrument. Jealousy flooded through the prince when he saw his friend engaged in something more interesting than what he was doing. He sat and fretted over it for a few minutes but then his hand shot up in the air. When Lord Gideon approached him he asked, "Sir, why isn't Spencer doing the same lessons as the rest of us?"

"Well, Spencer is working on a different educational path than the rest of you. Why do you ask?" he said hoping to not go into too much detail.

"Why is he on a different path than us? If anyone is getting special treatment shouldn't it be me?" Derek asked ignoring Gideon's question.

"Yeah!" Billy interjected. "Why does the slave get to do something different? If anyone is doing their own thing it should be Prince Derek. Isn't the prince's schooling more important than his?"

"Now students, I will not have this discussion with you during class. Prince Derek if you would like to discuss this further stay after the lessons and we will talk," Lord Gideon said shutting down the conversation with a stern tone.

Spencer walked back into the room at the tail end of Gideon's sentence and noticed a palpable tension in the air. He noticed that everyone had their eyes glued to him. The slave didn't know what was going on so he just sheepishly waved his hand and walked by the group with the data he had collected outside. He could feel their gazes follow him all the way to his seat and when he looked up some of the students were still looking at him. He noticed that his best friend was among those staring him down, and the stare that Derek directed at him was slightly scary. The young prince looked incensed and his best friend couldn't fathom why. It dawned on him that they must have been talking about him and he was sure it wasn't good. Clearing his throat and fixing his concentration on the work before him he tried to block them out. He knew that if there was a problem Lord Gideon would tell him later.

Spencer's cough seemed to snap everyone out of their stupor. Everyone turned back to their work and the rest of the class period seemed to fly by quickly. Soon the students were released and the only ones remaining in the classroom were the prince and his teacher.

"So Prince Derek, how can I help you?" Lord Gideon asked.

"I want to know why you are giving Spencer special treatment and not me," Derek said allowing some of his jealousy to shine through in his words.

Lord Gideon, never one to mince words, decided that he needed to be straight with the monarch, "My lord, Spencer is an extremely intelligent young man. I have noticed lately that he has been speeding through my lessons and they are offering him no challenge at all. The other day I decided it was time for him to start exploring more advanced subjects and that is what he was doing today. Surly you can see that this is not special treatment but an adjustment to his learning path," Gideon explained hoping the prince would be happy for his friend.

Derek started pacing back and forth across Gideon's office. He was upset with himself and his best friend. Shouldn't he be the smartest in the land? He was a prince after all and expected to have a higher intelligence than those around him. What would his subjects think if they knew a slave had a superior intellect to the prince? They would never take him seriously as a ruler and his father would be so embarrassed that he would send him away to another location. No! This whole thing with Spencer learning more than him had to stop now.

"What I think Lord Gideon is that you are more worried about the education of a slave than your own prince. Perhaps if you spent more time planning out extra challenges for me than I would be smarter than Spencer. In fact, I think that it is time for Spencer to no longer join us for lessons. Like Billy said earlier, isn't my schooling more important. Anyways what's a slave going to do with an education? It's not like he can get a better job or move away from us. He is stuck at his station and there is no hope for a change. You've just been wasting your time trying to teach him when you could have been spending it on me," Derek said with vehemence.

"Sire, I assure you that I am giving you a quality education. You, Prince Derek, are overreacting to me giving that young man something good to look forward to in his life. I am quite surprised that you are trying to take such a wonderful gift away from your friend," Gideon said trying to appeal to the young man's senses.

"Lord Gideon, I gave you an order and as your sovereign and ruler of this household I expect it to be followed. Starting tomorrow, Spencer will no longer be allowed to attend class. He will no longer be receiving an education from you or anybody else. You will now have no excuse for not devoting all your time to me and my learning," Derek ordered, disregarding Gideon's comment about his friend's happiness.

"As you wish, my prince. But, sire, I refuse to tell the boy. This is your decree. You will do your own dirty work. I will not be responsible for destroying the only thing that he had going for him besides your apparent friendship. I also think you need to reevaluate that word, friend. For, at the moment you are being anything but a friend to that young man. Now, with all due respect I have lessons that I need to prepare for tomorrow," Lord Gideon said harshly as he dismissed the prince without a second thought.

Derek, knowing that his mentor was upset quickly walked out of the room no liking the fact that he had to tell Spencer that he couldn't go to class anymore. But he knew that in the future when he ruled as the king there would be tasks much more difficult than telling a slave they couldn't receive an education anymore.

Derek continued to stew as he walked to lunch by himself. He just couldn't believe that the man his father picked to tutor him had neglected his education so blatantly. He was going to have to talk to his father next week about what happened and how he handled it. The prince was pretty sure his dad would be proud of his actions and praise him for handling the situation correctly.

The prince decided that he would inform Spencer tonight of his decision. He knew his friend would be hurt, but it was for the greater good. In the end, his education had to come first and it was better for the slave to realize his position before he started to overstep his bounds.

* * *

Spencer could tell something was up with Derek again today. The tension that was present in the classroom still hovered over him like a dark cloud ready to rain. None of the courtiers would go near him after lunch and the prince shirked him just like yesterday. So instead of heading off to the library like he did yesterday, Spencer headed back to the classroom to see if there were more books that Lord Gideon could recommend him on meteorology.

He knocked softly on the tutor's door and waited for an answer.

"Ah, Spencer. What can I do for you?" Lord Gideon asked when he answered the door.

"I just wanted to see if you could recommend some more books on meteorology. I've got nothing else to do today, so I thought I would study some more," Spencer explained.

"I wish I could help you right now but I am a bit busy preparing for tomorrow. You'll have to come back another time," the wise mentor said.

"Oh…okay. Thanks anyways," the young man said with disappointment as he turned around to go.

"Spencer," Gideon called.

"Yes," he turned and answered halfway through the classroom door.

"I meant what I said. Come back another time. I promise that if you come to me seeking knowledge I will make sure you get it," Lord Gideon said mystically and smiled at the lad.

"I will! Thanks again for everything," Spencer said as some happiness entered his voice.

"My pleasure," Gideon called to the retreating young man. As he closed to door to his office again he sighed thinking about how the young man's whole world was going to change in a few hours. He knew that what the prince was about to do would crush the boy's spirits. He needed to find a way to convince his young sovereign that what he was doing was wrong and done out of envy. Gideon had a hunch he needed to investigate Lord Billy Flynn a bit more because it seemed as if he was having a negative impact on the prince's actions.

* * *

Later that night the prince sat at his vanity table talking to Billy. The revelries were over and the rest of the courtiers had gone off to bed. Spencer had been in the prince's bedroom waiting patiently to tend to his friend. It was part of his duties to get the prince ready for bed and properly groomed. He had just given the prince his toothbrush with the powder applied already. He held a small bowl in his hands for the prince to spit into whenever he needed.

The prince took the brush without a thank you and proceeded to take care of his teeth. After he was done he continued his conversation with Billy. The two boys were talking about Kevin's obvious crush on Lady Garcia and how he might have a chance if he wooed her better.

Spencer had just emptied the contents of the bowl out the window when he heard Derek call his name.

"Spencer. Come here. I have something that I need to tell you," Derek called in a serious voice.

Spencer's heart started pounding fast. He had only heard this tone a few times out of Derek and never once had it been directed at him.

"My lord," Spencer said and bowed. He had to keep up the formalities in front of the other courtiers because they would find it disrespectful to call the prince by his given name.

Stealing himself against the emotional storm that was sure to come, Derek took a deep breath and began to explain the decision he came to earlier that day with Lord Gideon, "Spencer. It has come to my attention that Lord Gideon has been neglecting my education in favor of yours. Because of such, I have decided that you shall no longer be allowed to join us in the classroom. As a slave you really have no need for learning anyways and it's a waste of time to give you an education that you cannot possibly ever use. So starting tomorrow you will report to the stables and work with the stable hands to clean the stalls and take care of the horses. Do you understand?" Derek asked.

Spencer nodded, speechless at the revelation that his friend had just dumped on him. Tears started welling in his eyes and dropped down his face as he realized the one thing he enjoyed most out of his day had been taken away. He knew that Lord Gideon's plan to advance his learning would backfire; he just didn't expect it to so quickly.

"Good. That went much better than I thought. Now dry your eyes and get me my night clothes. Billy, it was good talking to you. I will see you at breakfast," Derek said with a yawn dismissing his new friend.

"It was my pleasure, sire. Have a good night," the boy said with a bow.

As Billy walked out the door he made sure to brush against Spencer and whispered, "See what happens when you try to show me up. Do it again and I'll make sure Derek banishes you to the dungeons."

Spencer, stunned at Billy's vicious words watched the boy walk out of the chamber. It finally dawned on him that his best friend was being influenced by that unctuous boy and there was nothing he could do about it. With his gaze glued to the floor and salty tears threatening to escape his control he rushed to finish his duties. The sooner he was done helping Derek the sooner he could go cry alone in his bedroom, again.


	7. Sabotage

**Disclaimer: I do not own or make a profit off of the characters from Criminal Minds.**

**Thanks for reading, adding, following, and favoriting this story. I also appreciate all the wonderful reviews!**

**Please forgive any grammar or spelling errors.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Spencer's days had gone from pleasant to toiling. Since he had been raised his whole life alongside Prince Derek he had never really been subjected the life of a real slave. He knew that his label was slave but he never really knew what that entailed. That had been quickly rectified over the past week though.

Spencer had never been one for outdoor activities. He only partook in them because Derek insisted that he join in the fun and games. Now he was being forced to spend the better part of his day out in the elements tending and cleaning up after horses.

Naïvely, he thought that his treatment out in the stables wouldn't be any different from what he had experienced in the manor. Unfortunately, he was wrong. The head worker in charge immediately put Spencer to work and the tasks were in no way gentle. Some of his jobs entailed mucking out multiple stalls, picking out the horses' hooves, feeding the horses, brushing the horses, and polishing the tack. It would take Spencer most of the day to complete all of his chores to the task masters standards. He would get to the barn right after breakfast and he wouldn't leave until the bell tolled signaling dinner. The boy was exhausted by the end of the day and the cook would find herself having to wake the young man up before he fell asleep and drowned in his nightly porridge. To make matters worse, Derek still expected Spencer be in his chambers every morning and night to assist in his daily rituals.

A cold and impersonal atmosphere had been hovering around the boys over the past seven days. Derek had taken to ignoring Spencer and focusing all of his attention on Billy and the other courtiers. Billy seemed to have settled well into the role of prince's best friend and he was immensely enjoying the fact that he had usurped Spencer's old position. The slimy courtier would go out of his way to order the slave around while Derek was present almost daring Spencer to go against his wishes. Ever the intelligent young man, Spencer always did what Billy asked. He knew if he didn't Billy would manipulate Derek into punishing his former friend.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Billy had other ways to make Spencer's life miserable.

* * *

It happened on Tuesday, while Derek and Billy were attending class. Lord Gideon assigned the two boys to work on a translation together. They were sitting off in the corner while the rest of the students were studying with Gideon. The two boys had initially worked on their assignment but after about a half hour boredom took its toll. Billy decided to liven up their studies by throwing bunched up paper at the other students when their tutor wasn't looking. Derek, getting a good laugh out of Billy's actions decided to join in on the mischief. It didn't take long for the other students to notice the wads that were flying at their bodies, but seeing as how the prince was taking part in targeting them they remained silent. The friends didn't get caught until Gideon turned around from his board and got beaned in the face by two paper balls simultaneously.

Gideon, furious that his students were not taking their education seriously, yelled at the other children never suspecting Derek and Billy. He turned around again and a wad hit the board right next to where his hand was writing in chalk. This time when Lord Gideon turned back to his students he demanded to know who was responsible. The girls and Kevin were too scared to rat out the prince, but it turned out that they didn't have to. Derek and Billy had erupted in giggles that were so loud that Lord Gideon immediately knew who the culprits were. The two fell silent the moment they saw Gideon stomping over to them with an angry face.

"Boys, this behavior is unacceptable. You are here to learn and grow. I expect you to focus on your studies and maintain self-control. Otherwise there will be consequences to face," Gideon said sternly giving each boy a serious glare.

"Yes sir," they both said.

Gideon nodded and turned around to get back to his other pupils. He was halfway back to his destination when a large wet paper wad smacked the back of his head. He spun around as he grasped the paper out of his hair.

"I warned you that there would be consequences boys! Billy, you are to go to your room and write 100 times 'I will not misbehave during my studies.' Derek, since I cannot punish you directly, Spencer will be receiving 5 lashes for your bad choices. Your punishment will commence after dinner tonight in your bed chambers. I expect you to be there on time and you will inform Spencer of the punishment and explain to him why he must suffer a consequence on your behalf," Gideon ordered before he split the boys up for the rest of class.

* * *

Derek never sought out Spencer that day to tell him of the fate that awaited him after dinner. He had become so jaded due to Billy's influence that the fact that his former best friend had to suffer a punishment didn't faze him. After class was over he had forgotten all about the incurred chastisement and went about enjoying the rest of his day.

So it wasn't until after dinner when Spencer was tidying up Derek's receiving chamber for the night's revels that he found out about his sentence. Lord Gideon had arrived to the room early to prepare to dole out the punishment when he asked Spencer if Derek had spoken to him. The confusion on the slave's face was confirmation enough for Gideon that the prince had neglected to do what he was told earlier. Heaving a big sigh of frustration Lord Gideon went back to the receiving chambers and sat down on a cushioned chair in order to wait comfortably for the prince to arrive.

It didn't take long for the royal party to make their entrance intent on starting their night of fun. Derek was at the head of the group and opened the door with a bright smile of mirth on his face. His mouth turned down the moment his eyes made contact with those of the elder tutor sitting in the cushioned chair.

"Guys…I'm going to go talk to Lord Gideon for a few minutes. Please make yourselves comfortable while I'm gone. Don't start the card games without me though," Derek told his fellow friends as he started walking past Gideon toward his bed chambers.

The tutor silently removed himself from his seated position and followed the prince into the bedroom. He shut the large wooden doors gently as not to arouse suspicion from the others and turned toward the prince.

"I see that you have not done what I told you to do," Gideon started off gently.

"I think you must be mistaken Lord Gideon. You do not tell me to do anything. I am the crowned prince of this realm and the only person I take directions from is the king," Derek declared loving the feeling of power that was coursing through him.

Off in the shadowed corner Spencer stood watching the exchange. He knew his former friend had done something to anger Gideon and he wondered what it was.

"My lord, with all due respect I was put in charge of your discipline by your father. He has given me the power to correct you in any way I see fit. So in this instance you are to follow my orders or suffer the consequences. I am adding an additional two lashes to Spencer's punishment for your insolence," Lord Gideon countered in a way any cool headed adult would handle a petulant child.

A squeak issued from the corner where Spencer was hiding. He was to be punished? What had Derek done? How many lashes was he to endure because of the prince's new careless attitude?

"Come out here Spencer. The prince has something he needs to say to you," Gideon said gesturing to Spencer to come out of hiding.

Spencer bowed to Derek when he came out into the open and went to stand next to Gideon.

Derek, realizing that his tutor was going to win this battle turned his gaze toward the waifish boy. His old friend looked frightened and nervous as he waited to hear what the prince was going to say, "Spencer, today in class Billy and I had some fun. Lord Gideon did not approve of our humor and as a consequence decided you needed to be punished."

"No Derek. You must accept responsibility for your actions. Explain it to Spencer again," Lord Gideon said not liking the way the young man was trying to shift the blame to his elder.

Derek cleared his throat and tried again, "During class today Billy and I decided to throw around some paper wads. Lord Gideon told us to stop but we didn't. Now you are receiving the punishment that I earned because I didn't listen to his instructions."

Spencer nodded his head in acceptance and turned to Gideon.

"Spencer, go over to the wall and remove your shirt. Brace yourself by placing your palms flat against the brick. Derek, we are going to do this a bit differently than usual. You are going to administer all seven lashes to Spencer. Here, take the whip," Lord Gideon instructed holding out the leather coil.

Both young men looked at Gideon with surprised eyes. Derek had never had to dole out the punishment before.

"What?" Derek asked incredulously.

"You earned the punishment. I think it's only fitting that you start taking part in the consequence," Gideon explained. Of course, this was all part of Gideon's plan to reunite the two youths. He knew that watching a whipping was one thing, but actually being the person responsible for the pain was another. He hoped that Derek would feel immense guilt after inflicting seven lashes and begin to reconcile with Spencer.

Derek hesitantly took the whip and said, "Turn back around Spencer."

The young man did as instructed and braced himself for the pain that was soon to come.

Derek, unfamiliar with how to use a whip shook out the coil and flicked his wrist a few times trying to get a feel for the weapon. He brought up his hand and tried to move his arm in a way similar to Gideon's when he delivers the lashes.

Due to his lack of knowledge with the whip the prince succeed in hitting himself with the tip of the leather before it raced toward Spencer's back and left a welt that didn't break the skin. Derek reached his hand to his forehead and felt some sticky blood oozing from the small wound he exacted on himself.

"Lord Gideon, I cannot do this. I'm going to find myself more injured than the slave before this punishment is through," Derek complained as the nick on his head burned with pain.

"Consider it part of the lesson I am trying to teach you," Gideon said smugly as he nodded for Derek to continue.

The prince grunted in frustration and continued with the whipping. As Gideon predicted, Derek began to feel horrible for having to put Spencer through this ordeal. His guilt deepened with each lash. Spencer tried to be strong but he would let out little sobs of pain and betrayal each time the leather bit into his back. The sounds resonated in the prince's brain and his heart ached for his former friend. By the end both boys had multiple cuts and welts. The emotionally draining activity had taken its toll on the two for they were each trying to resist releasing the built up tears in their eyes. Derek, ashamed that this punishment cut so deeply into his soul turned away from the others and went over to his vanity. He leaned against it with both hands and bowed his head down in an effort to prevent his emotions from bursting forth.

Spencer, used to the pain quickly put his shirt back on and made his way to his bedroom door. He preferred to lick his wounds in private and he wanted to lament over what he felt was a lost friendship.

"Wait a minute, Spencer. Derek has something to say to you before you retire," Lord Gideon ordered.

Derek knew exactly what Lord Gideon wanted him to do and decided to get it over with. He turned toward Spencer and looked him in the eyes, "I'm sorry for putting you through this. It will never happen again."

Spencer nodded, not wanting to speak. He bowed again to Derek and retreated to his chambers.

Lord Gideon, who was satisfied with the outcome of the punishment looked at Derek and said, "I hope you've learned something from all of this."

"I have," Derek responded in a tiny voice.

Gideon bowed low to show his respect and let himself out of the room, leaving a remorseful prince in his absence.

Derek was no longer in the mood to play cards and dance to music all night. He quickly made his way back to his friends and dismissed them without a word of explanation. Billy tried to appeal to him to change his mind, but the prince refused to hear out his cause. Quickly, Derek made his way back into his bedroom and for the first time in his life got himself ready for bed. He lay there that night on the fluffy mattress and contemplated the feelings coursing through his body.

* * *

The next morning Derek had come to the decision that he had fallen victim to Lord Gideon's manipulation. The old man was trying to make him feel bad for having fun and enjoying himself. Throughout the night his mind decided to shove away his feelings of guilt. For what type of prince would feel guilty for punishing a slave? Only a weak ruler would feel bad for following through on a punishment, and he was not weak.

So, with a new attitude developing toward his mentor Derek summoned his slave and started to get ready for his new day. He didn't say a word to Spencer about what happened the previous night and treated him just as coldly as he had been over the past week.

There was a knock at the door which summoned Spencer away from his duties of dressing Derek. Upon answering he found Billy standing there with a large package in his hands. Spencer bowed out of Billy's way and allowed him into the room.

"Good morning friend," Derek called to the boy.

"Good morning your highness," Billy answered. "I have a package here that a page was trying to deliver to your room. I hope you don't find it impudent that I wanted to bring it to you myself. I wanted to make sure it got here safe and sound."

"Not at all, rather I find it a sign of a good friend. Well bring it over here and let's see what it is," Derek said with excitement.

Spencer backed into his favorite corner and stood there observing the exchange between the new best friends. He felt a twinge of jealousy when Derek made the comment about Billy being a good friend. How could the prince not see that he was being manipulated by that conniving boy? He hoped his friend would wake up soon and punish Billy for his sneaky ways.

Derek ripped off the ribbon holding the white cloth in place. Underneath the wrapping he found a blue velvet box with a hinge. He slowly cracked it opened and gasped in surprise. The gift was a jewel studded collar that Derek could wear on top of his lavish doublet. The emeralds that sparkled with a deep green hue would perfectly match the split sleeves of the doublet and bring out the colors of his jerkin. Upon closer inspection he noticed the intricate knotting in the gold that made up the collar and the tiny rubies and sapphires that were studded around each of the walnut sized emeralds.

"Look your highness. There's a note in the box," Billy pointed out as he admired the present that only a prince could receive.

"It's from my father. He said that this was his first collar. He received it on his thirteenth birthday from his father. He's passing it down to me and he wants me to wear it on my birthday this Saturday. He is coming in from Quantico for the celebration and he wants me to look my best. This is the best gift ever. I bet its worth more than all of my accessories put together. I wish I could wear it today," Derek said wistfully as he stroked the gift in his hands.

"It is the most beautiful piece of jewelry I have ever seen, your highness. Your father is truly a generous man," Billy said with a glint of envy in his eyes.

Derek nodded his agreement and continued to marvel at the extravagant present. "Spencer come here and help me put this on. I want to see how it looks while it's resting on my shoulders," he ordered.

Spencer scrambled over as fast as he could and took the heavy collar from Derek's hands. "It is an amazing piece of art, your highness," Spencer said as he lowered the jewels onto his prince's shoulders.

"That it is," Derek murmured as he admired how regal he looked with the emeralds flashing in the morning light.

"Um…Your highness. Where are you going to keep it? Something that valuable must be kept safe from greedy hands," Billy said as his eyes flicked over Spencer who was standing behind the prince studying the flashy embellishment.

Derek's turned toward his friend and followed his gaze which was focused on the slave. "I am going to lock it up in my coffers. I am the only one who has the key and it is always around my neck. I'm sure it will be safe in there."

Derek got up out of his seat and moved over to the locked box. He removed the collar carefully and placed it inside before he locked it. He looked back at his friend and said, "Let's go to breakfast. I'm famished."

Billy nodded and allowed the prince to walk out of the room in front of him. Before he left he glanced at the coffer and eyed the lock. It didn't look as secure as the prince thought. As he lifted his gaze away from their focused location his eyes caught Spencer's. He gave the slave a disturbing smile and walked out the door leaving the slave standing alone in the empty chamber.

* * *

Saturday came quickly and Derek was extremely excited about the celebration that had been planned for that night. His father was set to arrive around noon and the party would start shortly after. The prince was currently in his bedroom with Spencer getting ready for the day ahead. All of his best clothes were laid out and ready to be donned. At the moment, Derek was focusing on his face where the scar from Tuesday's whipping was standing out against his smooth complexion. He had Spencer trying to apply some sort of powder to cover up the ghastly wound when Billy knocked signaling his entrance to the chamber.

"Happy birthday Prince Derek!" Billy said as he entered.

"Thank you! I can't believe it's finally here," Derek said as he huffed at the fact that the powder wasn't really masking the mark.

"Can I help you with anything?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, here's my key. Would you get the collar out of the coffer? We're almost ready to put it on," Derek said taking the necklace with the key off and giving it to his friend.

Billy made his way over to the locked box and opened it slowly. He let out a loud gasp of surprise and yelled out distraughtly, "It's gone!"

"What do you mean?" Derek roared.

"I mean that there the collar isn't in here your highness! Someone must have stolen it. Look, there are scratches around the lock, like someone was trying to pick it," Billy gestured to the steel key hole.

Derek sprung off of the vanity bench and raced over to see the scratches. "Who…who could have done this?"

"Well, who knew that you were keeping such a valuable piece of jewelry in there?" Billy asked.

"You, Spencer and I were the only ones that knew of its existence. I haven't told anyone else about it. I wanted to surprise everyone with it when I walked in to greet my father at dinner," Derek explained in a rush.

Spencer, standing in the corner as always started to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew where this was going and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Well, I didn't take it. I've never been in your room without you in it too. So…," Billy trailed off and looked toward the scrawny boy in torn livery.

"Spencer, did you take the collar?" Derek asked outright.

"No…no…I would never do that to you, your highness," Spencer said with fear coursing through his voice.

"Prove it. Let us search your chambers," Billy said.

A sense of déjà vu coursed through Spencer upon hearing Billy's familiar words. This was turning out exactly like the night Billy accused Spencer of cheating. But knowing he didn't have a choice in the matter Spencer dropped his head in acquiescence.

Derek shoved past Spencer and thrust open the door to the slave's chambers. They found a neat and sparsely furnished room with a bed, nightstand, and trunk. Derek and Spencer stood at the door as Billy started to rifle through the trunk of tattered clothes. He threw them all out on the floor and found the chest to be empty of any pilfered goods. He stood up and looked at Derek as if to say "Now what?"

Derek looked Spencer up and down and said, "Check the mattress."

Billy nodded and pulled back the threadbare cloth that served as Spencer's blanket. There was nothing underneath it.

"Lift up the mattress," Derek ordered.

Billy lifted the straw mattress and yelled in surprise, "I found it."

Derek spun on his heel and smacked Spencer across the face. "I can't believe that you thought you could steal from me. After all I've done for you, this is how your repay me? I'm glad my father is on his way. He'll know how to deal with you," Derek shouted at his former companion.

Spencer felt his heart break at the sting of Derek's words. "Derek, I would never steal from you. You're my best friend. Look deep in your heart and you'll know this is wrong. I have no use for something so extravagant. What would I do with it?"

"Do not address me so casually, slave. We are not equals and you have no right to use my given name. You are to stay in here under guard until we come for you later. This deception will not go unpunished," Derek said as he spun on his heels and walked out the door with Billy close behind him.

Fearing for his life, Spencer sat on the edge of the bed and awaited his fate.

* * *

**Have no fear, I will get Spencer out of this situation and Billy will get his comeuppance. I will totally resolve this situation in the next chapter, and then we will experience a time jump to when the boys are 17.**


	8. The Punishment

**Disclaimer: I don't make a profit off of the characters of Criminal minds.**

**Hi all! Thanks for reading, favoriting, commenting and adding my story. I love reading your comments and I can't wait to see what you thing of this chapter. This is the last chapter of our boys at the age of twelve/thirteen. Starting in the next chapter our boys will be seventeen and starting to feel the tugs of love.**

**Please forgive my grammar errors!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Momentarily the trumpets would sound and the guards on either side of the door would open the ornate wooden entrance signaling Derek's arrival into the hall. His father was already inside seated on the throne and the rest of the courtiers were lined up on either side of the aisle to greet him. But Derek's mind was off in space as he waited outside of the great hall for his formal entrance.

He couldn't keep his thoughts off of the incident that happened earlier this morning. How could Spencer betray him like that? Never in a million years would Derek have suspected that his best friend was capable of such thievery. Unfortunately, the proof was right under his old friend's bed, and all trust between the two boys had been lost.

The prince reflected on how his friend had reacted to the discovery of the collar, and he wondered if he was making a mistake. Spencer had been so upset when Billy pulled the jewelry out from under the mattress. Derek could hear his friend begging him to look into his heart and reconsider the whole thing. But how could Derek argue with the irrefutable proof that was right before him. The collar had been taken out of the lock box and found in Spencer's room. Who else would have done it? No one else besides Billy knew that the king had even sent the jewels to the prince. Spencer had to be guilty. Or else…

Derek was brought out of his musings when the trumpets sounded their loud tune. The royal march was being played and Derek took his first steps forward into the hall. His breath was taken away when he saw the decorations that adorned the walls and ceiling. There were garlands of flowers twisted from pillar to pillar and strewn across the beams in the roof. The flowers were picked specifically because they matched the colors chosen the represent him. Colored glass and mirrors were strategically placed throughout the hall to catch and reflect the candle light and sunbeams, giving the room a dreamy feeling. At the forefront of the room stood a five tiered cake decorated with fleur de lis and his coat of arms. Finally, all of the subjects were decked out in a combination of black and green, showing Derek their support. A grin broke out on Derek's face as he approached his father. He knew that his birthday party would be something special, but this was beyond his hopes.

Once he reached the throne he bowed deeply to his father. While no smile broke the king's face, Derek knew that the man was proud by the glint in his eye.

"Rise and be received," King William called to his son.

Derek rose from his bent position and sat next to his father on the smaller throne.

William stood up and addressed the people, "My loyal subjects, today we come together to celebrate a milestone in the life of our prince. For today is Prince Derek Reid's thirteenth birthday. This birthday is significant because it signals the beginning of a transition for our young prince. Today, my son is starting his journey into manhood. Over the next four years we will begin our search for his wife. That way, the next time we come together like this to celebrate his eighteenth birthday a wedding will not be too far behind. So join me in supporting our prince on his new path and congratulating him on this milestone. Happy birthday, my son."

A cheer went up throughout the hall as the people let the king know how much they adored their prince. Derek beamed a smile brighter than the sun feeling the crowds happiness course through him based on the energy in their cheers.

"And now, I invite you all to enjoy the festivities and celebrations," the king announced as he sat back down and watched as the revelries began.

Derek sat down moments later and watched as the courtiers started dancing to the music. As tempting as it was to join in the merriment, he knew that he needed to talk to his father about the unpleasant business from this morning.

Leaning over to his father Derek said, "Your highness, might I trouble you for some advice?"

"Of course."

"Can we go somewhere more private?" Derek asked.

"Yes, but won't you miss out on your celebration," the king asked confused as to what would draw his son away from his own party.

"It won't take long, and then I'll enjoy the festivities," Derek answered wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

"I'll meet you your receiving chamber in ten minutes then," the king said as he got up off the throne. The music stopped and all the courtiers ceased their celebrations to bow to the King William as he left the great hall.

Derek gestured to Billy who was chatting up a pretty girl near the dessert table. The young man quickly left the beautiful girl standing at the table and made his way over to the prince.

"I would like you to accompany me to discuss Spencer's punishment with my father," Derek requested his friend.

"As you wish, your highness," Billy said as he leered with pleasure at what was about to happen.

* * *

The meeting with his father started precisely ten minutes later. Besides the prince and his friend Billy, the room also contained the king, Lord Gideon, Lord Jenkins and Sir Hotchner.

"Alright son, what did you want to discuss?" the king asked from his seat by the fire.

"Your highness, I have recently discovered a thief in my household. He is a young man that I have known forever and whom I used to consider a friend. He tried to steal the jeweled collar that you sent me as a birthday gift. I am unsure as to how to handle his punishment seeing as he is twelve years old," Derek explained.

"What? Someone had the audacity to try to steal a royal family heirloom? Who was this?" the king cried out in anger.

Derek hesitated to announce Spencer's identity, but didn't have to because Billy piped up for him, "It was his whipping boy, your highness."

"A slave? You're worried about how to punish a slave? Son, I know that you want to be a fair judge, but we do not worry about such things. So I ask you, what should the punishment be for anyone bold enough to steal from royalty?" the king asked.

Again Derek was slow to answer the question and Billy took advantage of his silence, "The appropriate punishment for any thief is to cut off their dominant hand."

The king whipped his head around to face the young man and smiled at his answer, "Derek, your friend is wise. Yes, the proper punishment for stealing is the removal of the offending appendage. Sir Hotchner, go fetch the young man and bring him here so he can hear his sentence from my son."

Lord Gideon spoke up suddenly as the knight went to fetch the young slave, "Surely the boy is too young to undergo such a harsh punishment, your highness. Perhaps we could have him spend a week in the stocks instead."

"My, my, my Lord Gideon. You must have gone soft over these past few years here with my son. Derek, explain to Lord Gideon why we must follow through with the punishment," the king demanded.

In a weak voice, regretting his decision to ask for his father's advice Derek said, "If we do not follow through with the punishment than others will begin to think that they too can get away with such atrocities without having to suffer the consequences."

Gideon, knowing that Derek was just regurgitating what had been instilled in him over the years simply nodded his head and accepted defeat.

The door creaked open seconds later as Sir Hotchner ushered Spencer into the room. The boy was quaking with fear upon seeing the group of people gathered in the receiving room. Still, he walked into the center of the room and bowed to the king and prince. He stayed in his bent position waiting for the king to allow him to rise.

"Stand up boy and face your prince," the king ordered sternly.

Spencer stood on his shaky legs and squared his body toward the prince. His eyes were cast downward not making contact with his former friend and his arms hung down at his sides limply.

Derek immediately felt remorse flow through his consciousness. He knew this was wrong but he could do nothing to stop it now. He never meant for his friend to receive a punishment this severe. He had only asked for his father's advice because he wanted an idea of how to handle this situation gently. But because Billy had spoken up, the whole situation took a turn for the worst.

The king nodded at Derek to start speaking and so he did in a shaky voice, "Spencer, it has been decided by myself and my council that you will suffer the proper punishment for a thief. Tomorrow at noon we will gather in the courtyard and you will have your right hand removed."

Spencer practically fell down upon hearing the sentence. He was glad that his face was focused on the ground because at that moment it had crumpled up and utter agony was etched in his features. The urge to cry and sob was so strong that he ended up biting through his lip. Every fiber of his being urged him to talk out against his horrible punishment but he knew as a slave he had no right to argue.

"Do you understand your punishment?" Derek asked trying to keep his composure as he watched his former friend cope with the news.

Spencer, unable to talk without losing control, simply nodded his head once.

"Good! Sir Hotchner, escort the slave back to his quarters and lock him inside," the king ordered.

"Your highness, may I say something?" Billy spoke up quickly before the slave could be taken away.

"You may."

"Your majesty, this particular slave has a particular set of skills that may allow him to escape during the night. I know for a fact that he is skilled in picking locks. For how else did he get the collar out of the lockbox? You may need to do more than lock him in his room overnight," Billy suggested with his trademark smile shining bright.

"Derek, did you know about this?" the king asked upset that his son hadn't thought of this earlier.

"Well…yes. But I do not think Spe- um the slave would use his magic tricks to try to help him escape," Derek said growing more and more upset with Billy. What was the boy trying to do? He was going to get Spencer killed if he kept opening his big mouth.

"You should have mentioned it anyways. We can never trust a slave. I thought I had taught you as much over these last few years. Nevertheless, Sir Hotcher you will lock the slave in irons and post a guard outside of his room," the king instructed his most loyal knight.

"Yes, your highness," Sir Hotchner said as he gently pushed the young man out the door and back to his room.

"And that Derek is how you deal with a rogue slave," the king said as he got up and unceremoniously left the room with Lord Jenkins following close behind him.

Derek, stood staring at the door his friend had gone through quietly asked, "Lord Gideon? Billy? Will you please leave me alone for a while?"

"Of course, sire. I will see you back in the great hall for your birthday celebration," the boy said as he bowed out the door.

Gideon just nodded and bowed out the door. He knew he would come back and talk to Derek later. There was no way he was going to let Spencer face such a harsh punishment without a fight.

* * *

Gideon waited over an hour to go back and check on the prince. He knew from the look that developed on Derek's face after the king sent Spencer away that the young man was upset with how everything turned out. The tutor guessed that he had let the prince stew over his thoughts long enough and now was the perfect time to go offer his counsel.

He knocked on the formidable doors that protected the private chambers of the prince from the rest of the world and called out, "Prince Derek? It's me Lord Gideon. I wanted to talk to you about what happened today with Spencer."

Lord Gideon was nervous that Derek wouldn't answer his call but moments later the doors creaked open a sliver. Derek looked through the crack and saw that no one was there before he opened the entrance all the way.

"I don't feel like talking," Derek muttered and turned around.

"Wait your highness," Gideon called, "Humor me. Let's go for a walk. I think you need someone to talk to about what happened."

"Talking isn't going to change anything. So why bother? I just sentenced my best friend to a horrible punishment and all because I asked my dad for advice," Derek ranted playing into Gideon's hands.

"So you only ordered the punishment you because your dad was present?" Gideon asked as he ushered the young man out of his room.

"I guess…that and I couldn't let my dad think Billy would be a better ruler than me," Derek said as they walked down the dank corridor.

"Well, what would you have done to Spencer instead? That is…if you really believe he stole your collar in the first place," Gideon asked hoping that Derek was already suspecting that something wasn't quite right with the whole situation.

"What? You don't think he did it? I was there when Billy pulled the collar out from under his mattress. Who else could have done it?" Derek asked Gideon.

"I think you know the answer to that," Gideon answered cryptically.

Silence fell between the two as they continued to walk throughout the corridors. After a few minutes Lord Gideon heard the prince let out a few sniffles. He discreetly looked over at the young man and saw a tear trickled down the tip of his nose and fall off onto the dusty floor.

"How do I prove it?" Derek asked in a quiet whisper. "I mean…I think that it was Billy but I have no proof. I was going to ask my dad into my bedroom so we could discuss the matter in private, but I didn't get the chance. The next thing I knew father was getting on me for worrying about a slave and Billy was piping up that we should cut off Spencer's hand. I couldn't let my father think I was weak so I just went along with everything."

"Perhaps it's not about proving it but trying to curb the harsh punishment. You probably won't ever find any proof against Lord Flynn so exercise your power as a monarch and tell your father you don't agree with the punishment. Tell him that this is your manner and that you will choose a different punishment. He will respect you for trying to assert yourself," Gideon counseled.

"I…I don't know. I don't think it's going to be that easy," Derek said as they stopped outside of one of the guest rooms.

Gideon went to respond when they heard a voice coming from the room.

"Father is going to be so proud! I did it! I finally got back at the know-it-all slave. I picked the princes coffer and planted the collar in the slave's bed. It was the perfect plan and it worked! After his punishment he'll be tossed out on the street because he'll no longer be useful with only one hand. Now I can become the prince's one and only best friend. And when he becomes king I'll be his right hand man. Yes, you'll be proud of me, father. I finally secured our family's name into the highest section of society," Billy's shrill voice echoed out the door as he talked to himself with glee.

Derek's eyes went wide and he started to push the door open when Gideon's hand stopped him. He threw an evil glare at the old tutor for impeding his action.

"Use your head young prince. Come, let's go back to your chambers and discuss this new information," Gideon said with a twinkle in his eye.

* * *

Noon came quickly for the poor boy sitting in his tiny chambers awaiting a punishment he didn't earn. He was grateful that they didn't throw him down in the dungeon, but sitting all night under guard with irons locking his hands behind his back wasn't much more comfortable. He hadn't slept at all last night. Spencer was too worried about the pain he was about to go through and how he was going to get through the rest of his life without his hand.

Besides worrying about his life without a limb, he was also upset over how far his best friend had fallen. Spencer was upset that sometime over the past month his best friend had turned on him and started falling under the spell of Lord Billy Flynn. Was it because the prince finally realized that his friendship with a slave was improper? Did Derek now see Spencer like most people saw him, as a waste of space? Deplorable? Lower than dirt? Was Derek embarrassed by their friendship now and this whole thing was a way to get rid of him? Spencer knew the answer to all of those questions had to be yes. It was the only explanation for the quick downward spiral that was their friendship.

Spencer looked up when the sound of the door lock clicked. Sir Hotchner walked in and gave the boy a pitying look, "It's time."

Spencer nodded and felt the tears start to develop in his eyes. He really didn't want to do this. He wished he was stronger so that he could overpower Sir Hotchner and escape into the wilderness that surrounded the mannor. But alas, Spencer had no power and there was no way to escape.

The walk out to the courtyard was humiliating and scary. He wasn't expecting to see a large crowd of people gathered around a makeshift stage. It was almost like the prince was trying to prove a point with Spencer's punishment. There were courtiers, servants, and townspeople all standing around waiting to see the gruesome punishment of a twelve-year-old.

He looked around at the faces in the crowd and saw his former friends in the front row of the crowd. It upset him that they had come out to see him hurt in such a manner. Unsurprisingly, Lord Flynn was among them too with the largest smile ever etched on his visage. In contrast, Lady Penelope and Lady Jennifer both had red puffy eyes and handkerchiefs out blowing their noses due to the congestion brought on by the tears.

Spencer's knees went weak when Sir Hotchner gently nudged him up the wooden stairs that led to the stage. His knees went weak when he spotted a large hulking man with an axe standing next to a chopping block. The slave started to dig in his heels in an effort not to get any closer to his doom, but the knight behind him kept pushing him along.

He was told to stop and turn to face the crowd. He stood there looking out trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone. Someone threw a tomato that smacked the young boy right in the face and the crowd roared with laughter. Then they started yelling taunts and insults at him that were vicious and inappropriate for someone his age. The tears that were forming back in his chambers started to fall as he processed the horrible things that were being shouted.

Suddenly a hush fell over the crowd and the trumpets sounded signaling the entrance of the king and prince. Everyone bowed, including Spencer, and honored the royalty as they climbed up to the top of the stage.

Derek and his father were both decked out in their finest clothes and jewels. They stood in front of Spencer and signaled for the people to rise out of their bows. Prince Derek stepped forward and began his speech, "We gather here today to punish a thief for audacity to steal from me, your crowned prince. As we all know the punishment for stealing is the removal of the offending limb. Unfortunately, I do not agree with such a punishment and since this is my manor I will have final say in the consequence the thief will face. Slave, step forward."

Spencer listened to the command and step forth into the view of the prince.

"This slave stands here before you today accused of stealing a gift my father sent me, a jeweled collar. He was sentenced to lose his hand at noon today, but that is not going to happen," Derek announced.

A groan of disappointed flowed through the bloodthirsty crowd. Billy's bright smile fell faster than sword thrown through the air.

"That is not going to happen because he did not steal my collar. He was framed by one of you! Sir Hotchner go forth and arrest him," Derek said as he pointed to Billy, "Lord Flynn broke into my coffer and planted the collar under the slave's bed. I overheard him last night bragging to his father about his dastardly deed. Lord Gideon was with me and can testify to this, even though my word as a prince should be enough. Now, bring him up here!"

Spencer let out a loud breath and looked at Derek with disbelieving eyes. Could this be true? Was the prince coming around? His friend didn't meet his stare but kept his face forward, almost as if he was trying to avoid the slave.

Lord Flynn tried to turn and run through the crowd but Lady Penelope grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground, "Don't even think about it," she yelled.

Sir Hotchner was able to quickly apprehend the boy and drag him up to the stage. Billy tried to squirm out of the knight's steel grip but was soon forced down on his knees in front of the prince and the king.

"My lord. I think you are mistaken. I would never do something like that to you. It wasn't me!" he cried.

The prince ignored the boy's protests and started talking to the crowd again, "Lord Flynn, you are up here because of your dishonesty and deception. I have decided upon your punishment and you will suffer the consequences today in front of all these people."

The smarmy boy started quivering and shaking uncontrollably as Prince Derek started to speak his sentence, "From this day forth your family shall be stripped of all titles and monies. You will spend the next week in the stocks that will be erected up here on this stage. You will only be allowed out at night in order to replenish your body with food and water. Finally, as I stated earlier I do not agree with the removal of a limb from someone so young. So it has been decided that the word "Liar" will be branded into your forehead so that for the rest of your life everyone will know not to trust your word."

Once Derek had finished explaining the punishment two other knights came up behind Billy and grabbed his arms. They held him in place as Sir Hotchner stepped forth with a heated brand. The prince went forth and moved Billy's hair off of his forehead to expose a clear spot. Billy whimpered suddenly and the smell of urine filled the air. Disgusted the prince curled up his lip and nodded at the knight. Quickly Sir Hotcner placed the brand against the boy's forehead and held it there for ten seconds. A scream of agony went through the air and the people cheered at getting to see the punishment.

Derek backed away from the simpering boy and addressed the crowd once more, "Let that be a warning to anyone else that thinks it's a good idea to deceive your prince."

Again the crowd roared with approval and shouted out their support for the prince. Derek turned to Sir Hotchner and said, "See to Billy Flynn and make sure he and his family are out of the manor before dinner is served. Also, please bring the slave to my quarters tonight at eight. I have something in store for him too."

Spencer, startled at Derek's words, started to worry. What was going on tonight? Was Derek officially going to disband their friendship?

* * *

Spencer was fetched from his quarters by Sir Hotchner at 7:50 on the dot. Wordlessly he led the slave to the doors of the prince's receiving room.

Spencer looked at the large knight and asked, "What does the prince want with me? Do you think he is going to send me away?"

The knight showed no emotion in his response, "I can't say. You'll just have to wait and see. Now open the doors."

Spencer stepped forth and pushed hesitantly on the large doors.

"Surprise!" was shouted out the moment the slave entered the receiving chamber.

"What?" was all Spencer could utter in response. Looking around he saw all of his friends dressed up in their fancy clothes, a large cake on the table, and decorations donning the walls.

Lady Penelope ran up and said, "It's your birthday! We're throwing you a party!"

"But I don't know when my birthday is. I've never celebrated it. Why?"

Derek stepped forth out of the crowd and said, "Well, I know that I've been treating you very poorly lately and I wanted to make it up to you. Lady Penelope suggested that we throw you a birthday party especially since you've never had one. You deserve a celebration of your own Spencer. Especially since you never gave up on me being your friend even after how horrible I've been lately. Can you forgive me for letting Billy Flynn get into my head?"

Spencer didn't know what to say. The prince was apologizing to him in front of everyone and wanted his forgiveness, "Of course Der…my prince."

"Call me Derek. Now here's your gift," Derek said as he handed Spencer a package.

"A gift? I thought slaves couldn't own anything?" Spencer asked in disbelief.

"I'm changing that rule too. Now open it," Derek encouraged.

Spencer tore into the package and revealed a large thick tome. The slave marveled as he turned the book in his hands admiring the leather bindings. Etched in the cover was the title, "The World of Weather." He looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "Thank you!"

"I asked Lord Gideon what you were studying before you were kicked out of lessons and he said you were focusing on weather phenomenon. I thought you would like a book of your own to help you in your studies," Derek explained.

"I love it. It's the first thing I've ever owned. I will treasure it forever," Spencer said with compassion.

"Oh, and one more thing. Starting Monday you will be joining us in class again," Derek revealed with a smile.

Spencer threw himself and Derek and gave his friend the biggest hug ever. Their friends clapped at the display of affection, happy to see the two boys were friends again.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I've missed you," Spencer cried as he hugged his friend tightly.

Derek, overcome with emotion choked out, "Can you really forgive me for how poorly I've treated you?"

"Of course I can. Prince Derek, I couldn't imagine my life without you. You're the only person in this world that makes me feel like a real person," Spencer sobbed.

"Well than its settled, we'll be best friends forever and we won't let anything come between us again!" Derek said as he clung tightly to the one person in the world that knew him the best.


	9. The Letter

**Disclaimer: I don't make a profit off of this story and I'm just borrowing the characters.  
**

**Hi all! I took a day off today and I was able to write this chapter for you! I hope you like it! Our boys are finally older, seventeen to be exact. You are going to see their romance start to bud now. So if you didn't realize before I will say it again, this story is going to be SLASH. Again, it is my first time ever writing slash so I hope I do it justice. Let me know what you think!**

**BTW some of you asked how old the boys were in the last chapter. They were twelve going on thirteen. So there were alot of hormones affecting their decisions.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited the story. I appreciate all of your support.**

**Please forgive any grammar or spelling errors.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The years passed by quickly and before long the boys were only a week away from their eighteenth birthday. Of course this occasion was going to be way more important for the prince than his servant because he would finally be recognized as a man. Derek had been looking forward to this official declaration for a few years now. Soon he would no longer need tutors and mentors to guide him in his choices. He would be able to run his household as he chose and his father would start grooming him to take over the kingdom. In fact, Derek and his household staff would soon be moving back to the palace to live with the king and queen. No longer would he be sequestered to the manor but celebrated among all of high society as he ruled by his father's side. He was excited to finally get to learn the inner workings of being a king.

Derek was musing over his thoughts about his eventual relocation as he was enjoying an evening horse ride with his best friend. It was a couple of hours before sunset and the two had decided to ride out along their favorite route. One of the things that Derek was going to miss the most was his quite time spent with Spencer. He knew that once they were living at the palace there was no way he could avoid doing anything without a large entourage of courtiers following his every movement.

At the moment Derek was a few yards ahead of Spencer and he pulled the horse's reins to signal it stop once he reached the glassy edge of Lake Lunga. He let out a content sigh as he took in the beauty of the fall evening that surrounded him. The leaves of the trees had already turned colors into a gorgeous burnt orange, deep burgundy red and bright yellow. They were splashes of green intermittent between the fall colors from the coniferous inhabitants of the forest. The lake itself was reflecting the beauty around it off of its shiny surface that had random leaves floating on top of it. The air felt crisp and cool as it entered the prince's lungs, reminding him of the bitter winter that was around the corner.

Derek jumped off of his chestnut mare and pulled it over to the nearest tree. He tied off the reins to keep the horse in place and went to sit by the waterside. He could hear Spencer's horse crunch through the dead leaves littering the ground as the servant went to fasten his horse next to the prince's. Soon the young man joined his best friend at the lake and sat down silently next to him.

No words were spoken between the two as they sat lost in their own thoughts. Spencer, though he hadn't shared it with Derek yet, was worried about the big move. He was petrified of being separated from his friend once they got to the enormous castle. Since Derek was soon to be recognized as a man he would no longer require a whipping boy. Spencer's job would be null and void, leaving a big gaping question as to what the young man would be assigned to next. Worry lines etched the scrawny teen's face as he contemplated the possibility of being banished to the bowels of the castle, never to see light again.

Derek, on the other hand was more concerned about the note he received from his father earlier week:

_Son,_

_I am writing to inform you that your presence is required at Quantico Castle exactly one week after your birthday. It is time for you to come home and start applying your lessons with Lord Gideon. I look forward to teaching you how to run a castle and kingdom. We will take what you learned from managing your own manor and apply it to our realm._

_Your rooms have already been prepared, and you have been assigned the entire west wing to meet your needs. I have already supplied you with an entirely new staff, one that is better suited to serving a future king. You are permitted to bring along four or five of your most faithful and trustworthy retainers. I have already prepared their quarters in your part of the palace. As for your whipping boy, since you no longer have need of him we will reassign him to a more appropriate position in the castle._

_I am also going to have you start to train with the knights on a daily basis. It is imperative for a prince to learn military strategy, and there is no better way to do that than to immerse oneself into their ranks. Now I know that you have been training with Sir Hotchner over the past few years, and he will still continue to oversee your education. I want to you to further develop your skills at hand to hand combat, but you are also going to focus on tactics. There will come a time during your rule that you will need to deploy and command an army. We must start preparing you for that now._

_Also, it is also time for you to start your search for an acceptable mate. There are many young ladies here at court awaiting your perusal. It is my wish that you be married within the next year to a lady of suitable rank and with a reasonable dowry. That being said, your main duties upon arrival will be to find a suitable companion and start to breed heirs. We need to secure our family line, and only the addition of males will help us accomplish that goal. I am sure with my help we will find you a ripe young woman who will produce multiple princes into our bloodline._

_Finally, I will be coming for a brief visit. I wouldn't want to miss your monumental birthday celebration._

_Your father,_

_King William Reid_

There was just way too much to process in that letter. Before today he had been eagerly anticipating his official entrance into manhood, but now he felt like it was something to dread. He was about to leave everything that he knew behind, including his best friend. To make matters worse his father wanted him to be married within the next twelve months!

He was not ready for marriage, not even close. First of all, he had yet to meet a woman that he found attractive. Sure, there were plenty of pretty girls around, but no one he thought was drop dead gorgeous. Second, he watched a few of his friends explore relationships with women over the years and they always turn out poorly. He just wasn't ready to go through that torture. Hell, he'd rather be married to Spencer because at least he would be with someone who knows him inside and out.

Spencer.

He looked over at his friend who was staring off into the distance deep in thought. They had been together since they were two years old. How could he be expected to just give up the friendship and move on? How was he going to break it to his friend? Maybe he could just tell his father that he still wanted Spencer to serve as his personal servant. His father would respect his wishes. Right?

Derek shook his head. Who was he kidding? His father would never allow Spencer to stay in his service. That position was always given to a courtier of high standing. No, he would have to figure out something else. In the meantime, the prince was determined not to bring up their separation until absolutely necessary.

Deciding that it was time to break the silence Derek pulled some clumps of grass out of the ground and threw them in Spencer's direction. The other boy gasped in surprise at the sudden shower and a smile broke out on his face.

"You want a war?" Spencer asked with a hint of mischief in his voice, "I'll give you a war."

Derek laughed and was taken off guard when soil and dead leaves were shoved down his brocade doublet. He cried out in surprise when he felt Spencer's dirty hand smear some dirt across his face.

"You're going to regret that," he yelled out with a laugh as Spencer got up and sprinted over to their horses.

He chased after his best friend and caught up to him at the tree. Spencer was struggling with getting the reins undone and shrieked when Derek's muscular hands wrapped around his waist and turned him around.

Upon feeling the strong arms encompassing him the bony boy started to struggle and cried out to be let go. Derek just laughed because over the years the young monarch's body had filled out and grown impressively strong. He had developed muscles to be rivaled by any knight and the strength of a farmer. Meanwhile, Spencer's body seemed to have stretched out as he grew in age. Upon meeting him one might assume he had been elongated on the rack due to his abnormal height. Unfortunately, his body only seemed concerned with him growing tall and not gaining any mass. So needless to say, Spencer's strength was no match for the brawny prince.

The strong prince started to steer his friend over the icy cold lake and taunted the squirming boy in his arms, "I told you that you would regret it."

"No Derek! Please! Let me go!"

"Nope, you gotta learn your lesson," Derek laughed as they got closer to the water.

Suddenly Spencer's arms found their way to Derek's sides and started to tickle him relentlessly. Weakened from the onslaught Derek's grip deteriorated and the servant was able to find freedom. Spencer started to dash away yelling, "And you've got to learn to protect your weak spot!"

Derek growled with delight and caught up to the boy quickly. He scooped the boy up bridal style and said, "You really need to work out more. Lord Gideon would be able to beat you in a foot race."

"Derek! No!" his prey shouted again as he redirected them back to the lake.

Spencer kicked his feet to and fro trying to dislodge his best friend's grip. Derek walked out over a few stones that were sticking out above the surface of the water and held Spencer out as if to release him. When he went to drop his hands the captive boy grabbed onto the front of the prince's doublet and held on for dear life as they both plummeted into the shallow water.

Derek was shocked at how cold the water was when he hit the sandy bottom. He quickly planted his feet and stood up out of the icy liquid. He was in such a state of astonishment that Spencer had been able to bring him down too, that it took him a minute to realize that his best friend was already over to the horses struggling with the ropes once again.

"I'll get you for that," he shouted with glee. He scrambled out of the water only to be greeted by the snuff of a large maple brown horse in his face.

"You've got to catch me first," the young man teased as he kicked his heels into the horse's haunches and rode off in a gallop.

Unable to hold back the smile that burst on his face Derek raced to his horse and untied it in two seconds flat. He felt a shiver of delight race through his body at the thought of catching Spencer in his arms once again. He launched himself up onto the saddle and dug in his heels in intent upon catching his best friend.

Spencer felt the wind rushing around his body as he stood up on the stirrups and glanced behind him. He saw the prince off in the distance steadily gaining on him. It wasn't a surprise that Derek was a better rider, especially if you added the fact that his horse was a prize winning stallion. But Spencer didn't mind, because if he was truthful with himself he kind of wanted Derek to catch him.

Derek had really shortened the distance between the two by the time Spencer raced into the barn. He quickly jumped off his borrowed horse and threw the reins at the stable boy that was waiting close by. His grin was wiped off his face when the prince pounded into the stall moments later.

Due to protocol everyone in the stable, including Spencer, had to bow at his presence and wait for acknowledgement to rise. Derek, knowing this was the case took his time getting down. He loved the fact that he had his friend cornered and took in the sight of the lithe young man bent over in honor of him.

"Leave us," he said commanded the servants that were giving him and the servant strange looks due to their soaking wet appearance.

The stable hands quickly exited the massive stall leaving the two young boys standing staring at one another. Derek slowly approached his friend and relished the look of panic in his eyes.

"You thought you were going to win," Derek said as he stopped with inches between the two.

"I still will," Spencer said as he skirted around the prince and pushed him into the nearby hay stack.

Derek, prepared for the ruse, grabbed Spencer's breeches and brought him down next to him. He rolled over and straddled his friend's waist. He placed his hands on both sides of Spencer's face to support himself and said, "I win. I always win."

Wriggling beneath his strong monarch Spencer's breath caught as Derek's face got closer and closer to his own. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"What is going on in here?" a voice roared out to shatter the moment.

The prince jumped up and quickly brushed himself off and turned to face the foreboding voice. It was the king.

"I…father…I didn't expect you to be here so early this week," he stuttered in fear as he bowed down to his father.

"I wanted to surprise you. Now don't ignore my question. What is going on?" the king bellowed displeased at the sight before him. His son and the whipping boy were soaking wet. He could see bits of hay and leaves clinging to both of their clothes. He knew that he had interrupted the two just in time to prevent something abhorrent from happening.

"I…Sp…the slave tripped over the pitchfork and pulled me down with him," Derek quickly lied.

Spencer, who was wishing he could shrink into the wooden floor and disappear quickly got up and bowed down low.

"Slave, apologize to your prince," William roared as he knew that his son was lying to him.

Spencer fell to his knees and bowed his head all the way to the floor, "Your Majesty. Please forgive my clumsiness. I am sorry for soiling your clothes."

"You're forgiven," Derek muttered wishing he didn't have to put Spencer through this.

"Now slave, as punishment for your ineptness you will sleep in the stable for the rest of the prince's time at the manor," the king ordered.

"Oh, and you will forgo supper tonight and only eat whatever the horses are fed. I hope you like oats," he said with a sneer, "Come along now my son. You need to get cleaned up, and I wish for you to fill me in on your progress in getting this household in order for your birthday celebration."

Derek, not one to ignore an order from his father jogged over to him and started to exit the stable. He briefly looked back and saw the disappointed look on his best friend's face. He gave Spencer a half smile that was meant to say, "I'm sorry."

Spencer just nodded back and watched the back of his dear companion leave him alone in the darkening stable.

* * *

"I'm so excited to be moving to the castle. I can't believe that Prince Derek chose up to accompany him. He even told me that we would all have our own rooms in his wing of the palace," Lady Penelope gushed to Lady Jennifer and Lord Kevin.

"I know! My parents were so excited to hear that I was considered one of his most trusted friends," Jennifer responded with gusto.

"I wonder how soon we'll be moving," Penelope mused.

"I hope it's soon. I can't wait to be a part of all the lavish parties and courtly intrigues," the blonde girl admitted.

"Now ladies, I'm sure it's not as dramatic as everyone says it is," Kevin said putting a damper on their conversation.

"Oh shush," Penelope admonished the boy. She knew that Kevin was just worried that she would find someone knew at the vast court and leave him behind.

"I can't believe the prince is going to be eighteen. You know what that means, right?" Jennifer asked.

"It's time for him to pick a wife," Penelope squealed, "I wonder what type of girl our handsome prince is going to look for…"

"Ha, you're not wondering. You're wishing. Wishing that he'll pick you," Jennifer teased.

"I am not! I have all I need right here with Kevin. Besides, our families have already had us sign a pre-contract. We are getting officially hitched when I finally turn of age," Penelope said as she planted a small kiss on Kevin's cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"We were trying to keep it a secret until after we moved to the palace. I didn't want to rob our darling prince of all the glory of turning eighteen," Lady Penelope said.

"Speaking of the prince, don't you think we should plan something spectacular for his birthday?" the young girl asked.

"Like what?" Kevin interjected.

"I know! Let's plan a masquerade! It would be amazing. We can all dress up, build a set, put on a dance, and even have the prince participate in a play. I've heard about how they do them at the palace. Wouldn't it be fitting if we put one on before he left the manor," Penelope shrieked in excitement.

"I love it! We can get all of the Prince Derek's friends to take part, even Spencer. Oh my, there is so much to do. We have got to start planning now!" Jennifer exclaimed.

"You're right. Okay, let's meet tonight after dinner and start to plot out how we want this to go. I'll go get permission from Lord Gideon to add it into the festivities too. Oh my goodness, this is going to be amazing!" the colorful girl declared as they group walked into the dining hall barely containing their excitement at the celebration to come.


End file.
