Meet Me in the Garden (DSAF royal AU)

Chapter One - Anagallis Arvensis

Along the western coastline, there was a kingdom known as Bakersfield.

Bakersfield had been a fairly well known kingdom well before the current king had come into power. The hospitality of the denizens, the harbor that housed all manner of large ships, the consistently pleasant weather; it was an ideal spot for any travelers to rest at.

There had only ever been one big issue, and that was the owner of the old toy shop near the main square; Matthew, a young man with a seemingly permanent grin on his face that hid secrets the human race couldn't fathom. However, the old king, Charles Miller, had him executed out of fear for his people, and the town hadn't had large scale issues since then.
That is, until King Charles fell deathly ill, and his son had taken the crown for himself.

Prince Henry Miller.

The town was cautious around him even before his coronation; something in his eyes and smile had always made people feel like he was off in a way.

The town's suspicions concerning the young prince only grew after his father's death. Although it was widely accepted that the king had just suffered a heart attack in his sleep, there was a minority who firmly believed Henry had poisoned or strangled the old man, just for the crown. While there was no explicit proof to back this up, it was fueled by the fact that not a single tear was shed by the cerise colored prince at the funeral.

Soon enough, the townsfolk began talking about what Henry would do once he took his father's position as king, the tone of these conversations more often than not being fearful and cautious.

On the day Henry was crowned king, not even a slimmer of sunlight had shone through the dark, gray clouds of the sky.

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Dave stared out the window absentmindedly, his thumb the only thing keeping the book in his hands from shutting and losing his place.

The day had been a slow, boring one, and Dave was looking for some form of entertainment to keep him from simply pacing around his room. However, this particular book was rather boring, and Dave struggled to not just put it down and give up on finding anything stimulating.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his father, Henry, standing in the garden, talking with a man Dave had never seen before. Perhaps a commoner?

The man stood a few inches taller than Henry, and his wavy, unkempt, honey colored hair matched his freckled skin, or at least the skin that the man's white, ruffled blouse didn't cover.

Dave couldn't help but stare out the window, eyes locked on the man standing next to the rose bushes. It was embarrassing, but he found himself captivated by the strange man. Perhaps, if he got the chance, Dave could speak with him? Henry had been looking for a new gardener, and maybe this was the man he would end up hiring.

Dave snapped out of it once he noticed that the man was staring back at him. His face flushed a deep purple, and he whipped his head the other direction. Quickly, he got up from his desk seat, book forgotten, and headed out of his room to go down to the library. Perhaps he'd missed something during his search for entertainment.

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"Your Majesty, I believe your son was staring at me strange." Jack stated, gesturing towards the window he'd spotted the prince sitting at.

Henry glanced in the direction of the window and waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, pay him no mind. He's been quite spaced ever since his brother David passed. I doubt he'll be any trouble to you, and if he is, I won't hesitate to reprimand him."

Jack simply nodded in response, a little put off by the change of tone Henry had when he spoke the last sentence.

"Anyhow," Henry began, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder and taking a step towards him. "I assume you know why I summoned you today?"

The other man put a finger to his chin and contemplated. "You wanted to discuss our meeting from a few days ago?" Jack asked, watching Henry nod in affirmation.

"Precisely. You see, you were the only one to actually try for the job. So, as you may have guessed, you may begin working here in the garden."

Jack beamed, showing off the gap in his two front teeth. "I... Thank you, your majesty!" He exclaimed, barely able to contain his excitement. "When does my work start?"

Henry let out a chuckle at the man's enthusiasm. "Whenever you see fit. Now, you may have a walk around the court, try to understand the layout. It is rather big, after all, and I wouldn't want you to end up lost."

Jack shook his head yes, too lost in his excitement to notice the shift in tone and emphasis on the word 'lost'. "Then, I'll begin my work just after dawn tomorrow! By any chance, is there a place for me to sleep on castle grounds?"

"Of course," The king answered, clasping his hands together in front of his midsection. "Now, I must get going, sir Kennedy. As you can imagine, I have things to attend to."

"Oh, of course, your majesty. I will speak with you tomorrow!" Jack replied, before walking out of the garden to explore the rest of the grounds.

Just as Jack was out of earshot, Henry smirked. "This one... This one will be interesting."