InsaneJournal

The Secret Prince and the Seven Dwarves

                As Severus stared at the new site in the royal graveyard, he knew times were changing. If he thought of the ways the king, his very father, had been growing less and less rational, his brother Igor's "accidental" death wasn't overly surprising. He knew he had to keep a low profile around the house, an even lower one than usual. Igor had been trading family secrets to get him such a death sentence. All Severus would have to do is breathe in the wrong fashion.

                Severus was one of seven—well, six now—boys. The sons of King Gellert were all well-known, except for Severus.

                There was Tom; he was the heir and the oldest. He was a bit thin, but he never had to do any work anyway. He had dark hair and piercing eyes and was shrewd and quick with his tongue, though for the most part was silent.

The second was Lucius, blonde and kind-hearted, though manipulative to a fault. His scheming was harmless, Lucius, because he was essentially just the selfish son of a king. He loved lavish clothing and bathed frequently.

                The third son was Bartemius. Bartemius would kiss the very ground their father walked on, were it necessary. He was the worst sort of sycophant, Bartemius, and obsessed over small matters to the point of near-lunacy. There were certain things he would not tolerate. He could not bear the sight of cattle or rubies or dates, or the smell of cinnamon, among other things, without absolutely throwing a fit.

The next son was Walden, who went out hunting all the time, lining walls of certain rooms with spectacular trophy kills. He was a bit dangerous, though, for all his strength and knowledge of weaponry. He threatened his brothers, except Tom, rather a lot.

                Igor fell into place as the fifth son, though not anymore, really, as he sat rotting in the grave. He had been one of the two nicest to Severus, if only because he pitied him. Even still, Severus hadn't known him that well, save that he was the other one who spent all free time reading avidly.

                The next son was Peter, who kept information to himself until it could be used. He was actually a brilliant military strategist for his young age, and their father kept him close for this very reason.

                Lastly was Severus himself. His birth marked the death of the queen. He was ugly. Though he was smart, King Gellert could not stand the sight of him. He pretended Severus did not exist at all, for the most part. In fact, the general population believed Severus—not without prompting from the king himself—to be naught but a simple, dirty servant. In fact, there was a grave for him already, though it was empty. The seventh son of King Gellert was supposed to have been stillborn. Sometimes, Severus truly wished Fate had been that kind.

                Lucius was about to be married, so Severus was fussing about trying to get the castle even more clean than usual. Tom's own suitors had all mysteriously died. "Mysteriously". Severus knew Tom had to have been killing them off. Tom was not inclined to fall in love with anyone, or even show compassion to his own brother-turned-servant. He was cruel to Severus, in order to make Severus "see his place". Severus's place was actually as a part of the royal family, but he'd stopped mentioning that. It only got Tom angry.

                But since it was Lucius's wedding and not Tom's he was preparing for, he was twice as enthusiastic about it. Lucius was his very nicest brother. In fact, they were like friends. Lucius would sometimes do his chores for him as he took a nap or sat and read. Lucius would sometimes let him wear his nice clothing or bathe properly. Lucius took care of him. There was a lump in Severus's throat and a sting in his eye as he pictured Lucius getting married. Lucius deserved it, yes, and it was lovely he would have a wife, but Severus feared for the worst. Lucius had been his defender against their father. Though selfish, Lucius truly was the picture of kind-hearted innocence in the castle, and Severus had been under his protection since day one.

                "Are you excited?" Severus asked softly, down on the floorboards, scrubbing.

                Lucius entered the room with a flourish and scooped Severus, dirty as he was, up into an embrace. "Yes, brother, I am. The castle is looking quite grand, I'll have you know."

                Severus smiled shyly. Only Lucius and Igor had ever been able to make him smile. "Thanks, Lucius."

                "Let me have a go."

                "You know I'm not supposed to," said Severus, looking around in his odd, suspicious way.

                "You're so paranoid. Go to my room, Severus, and have a nice, hot bath. No one has to know." He took up the brush and knelt carefully on the stone floor. "Aren't you supposed to cater to our whims?" He smirked softly, "Well, this is my whim, isn't it? Off with you. I don't want to see you until you're as sparkling as the castle itself."

                Severus nodded and made to leave, hearing Lucius say, "I love you, brother," as he did. This time, as it sometimes did, the statement brought a tear to his eye. And to think; Lucius would be lavishing attention on his new bride, Narcissa, and not on him. It would be a sorely missed respite from these games of their brothers, but he supposed Lucius had to grow up sometime.

                When King Gellert came into Lucius's room to see that thing, that servant, bathing in the heated water reserved for Lucius's use, he was not amused. Bartemius, who was with him, went into a full-blown rant, explaining his own outrage.

                "Perhaps," said King Gellert as he watched Severus get dressed again and led him outside to roll in the mud to become even dirtier than usual, "Lucius will find a sense of duty when he is married to that princess of his. Go back inside. Track mud in, and clean it up post-haste."

                Severus did cry this time. And the sight of himself in the mirror made him nearly ill as he went to bed that night, not allowed to even have a dip in the lake to clean off. When he'd asked, the king had laughed at him, patted him on his muddy head, and then held out the hand to make Severus lick the mud off. He was officially humiliated.

                "That eyesore does not seem to know his place, Lucius. You do understand the importance of order, don't you?" he'd overheard while scrubbing the very floor of the room they were in, ignored as usual.

                "Yes, father," said Lucius quietly. "I just grew tired of the smell." He glanced at Severus, who stiffened, but caught his eye as well before hastily looking down. There was a sort of hidden agenda there, or at least he hoped. He would never want to offend Lucius with his odor. He seemed to shrink a little and worked twice as hard at the mud he'd been forced to track in as it attempted to cling to the rug like a stubborn, spoiled prince.

                "Well, my boy," said Gellert with a soft chuckle, "your compassion is refreshing, if a terrible weakness. Can you not see that this is a test to show whether you have what it takes to go out and lead?"

                "What if, in leading, I choose to be compassionate?"

                "You cannot please everyone, my foolish son," he said affectionately, playing with Lucius's soft, blonde hair for a moment.

                "But I can love everyone, can't I?"

                The king just laughed and left to see to his next task as ruler.

                "I think you'd be ten times the ruler Tom would ever be," Severus whispered.

                "Thank you, Severus," said Lucius. He moved to help him scrub, and then hesitated.

                "Better not. Lucius?"

                "Yes?"

                "It's enough you care for me to have rest at all."

                Lucius nodded, sadly. "Good luck getting these stains out, Severus. Stay safe from father's wrath. You know, you're the only brother I feel a personal connection with, really, at least one this deep. Don't die. Run off, if you have to. Stay safe." And with that, Lucius left the room.