Fait Accompli

Liam sucks in a breath as he sees the size of the castle. All the pictures he saw of castles in the Middle Ages and beyond hadn't prepared him for the sight in front of him.

The stone walls are towering above him, their height the equivalent of at least twenty busses on top of each other and to his side, they go on for miles and miles. The walls are probably really thick as well. It looks like a fortress, impenetrable. No wonder the king has cooped himself up in here.

Taking a deep breath, Liam tears his eyes away from the walls and aims them at the big door only a few feet away from him. It's the entrance to the castle and Liam is supposed to knock on it. Then one of the guards will open the door and Liam will hand him his papers. After that, Liam will be let into the castle and is going to be hired as a servant for the king and queen.
It's going to be easy because this is what he's been trained for. Liam knows all the rules and the customs, so this mission will go perfectly.

Even though Liam knows this, he still feels nervous as he walks up to the door and takes the knocker in his hand. After a heartbeat, he lets go of the iron ring and it bangs against the wooden door.

Liam has to wait only a few minutes, heart beating rapidly in his chest, before the door is opened and a guard appears in the doorway. He doesn't look too friendly as he waits for Liam to start talking.

Taking in a gulp of air, Liam tries to steal his nerves. It won't do if the man in front of him knows he's nervous. He can't risk the guard thinking his nerves are getting to him because he's planning an attack on the king or something else equally dangerous.

"Good morning Sir. I am here because I want to work as a servant in the castle," Liam tells the guard. His voice sounds a lot more steady then his heart is. "I worked in a castle before but my last master can't afford to pay me anymore. He has fallen on some tough times, you see. I have a recommendation from my former master, here in my hand."

The agency has forged the documents Liam is holding. Without the papers, he wouldn’t be hired to work at the castle. They can’t let just let anybody work for the king. And Liam has to because otherwise he can’t keep an eye on Anne Boleyn, the woman the Intruder is after.

He, Louis and Zayn had gone back through the portal, after Louis had lost the Intruder in the woods. They had told their bosses that their target had escaped and that they needed to go back again to attempt to catch him a second time. When the older men had heard who the Intruder was after, all of them agreed immediately that Liam and his colleagues couldn’t just simply go after the Intruder again but that one of them had to keep watch over his target as well. In no way, could they allow any harm to become the future queen of England.

His bosses told Liam that it was a good idea that he was the one secretly protecting Anne. Zayn and Louis are two of the best trackers of the agency, it was for the best that they were going to be the one trying to find the Intruder. Liam didn’t mind too much because he knew how good his friends were. Besides, it would allow him to spend more time with Anne. Her portrait really didn’t do her justice.

"Let's see those papers, then," the guard barks at Liam. The younger lad wonders what has caused the older male's mood to go soar. Maybe a few too many nobles have complained about how he's manning the door.

Liam hands the other male the papers. The guard's eyes fly over the lines written on them for a few second before he hands it back over again. He eyes Liam a bit warily before he steps aside and tells him briskly, "Well, come in then."

"Thank you." Liam gives the guard a friendly smile before walking over the threshold and into the castle.

The walls on the inside of the castle are painted in a light blue color and the ceiling is very high. The furniture is blue as well, some a darker shade and others the same color as the walls. There is also a lot of wooden desks and chairs with turquoise cushions lining the corridor Liam is looking down. The castle may be built in the middle ages, the owner clearly was born after.

"I'm going to bring you to the head of the household," the guard tells Liam before he starts walking down the corridor, leaving his colleague standing on the other side of the door to man the door alone. Liam follows him. "He will ask you more question and determine if you're hired."

"Alright," Liam replies, not really knowing what else to say.

"As you're going to be cleaning out the chambers, you're going to be around the ladies in waiting of the queen. Your last master probably didn't mind you putting your hands under the skirts of the ladies but the ladies in this castle are off limits. The queen doesn't like men trying funny business with her ladies, you can't even look at them, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," is Liam quick to reply. He hopes the surprise isn't audible to in his voice. Liam has learned at the Agency that the moral codes about sex were lose during this era, despite appearances, but the crudeness of the guards words still shock him. He didn't know they talked so openly about it.

The guard doesn't talk after that, just leads Liam down one corridor after another. The castle is a real maze and Liam suspects it's going to be weeks before he'll be able to find his way around without getting lost.

After having walked for what feels like hours, the guard stops in front of a wooden door and knocks on it. A gruff voice tells him from behind the door to come in. The guard opens the door and Liam follows him inside.

The room is small. There's a wooden desk standing in the middle of the room and a man sits on a chair behind it. Behind the man, there’s a wooden chest that's a dark brown color. There are no windows because the room is situated in the middle of the castle.

"Hey, Richard. What are you doing here?" the man behind the desk ask. He had been writing something on a bit of parchment when the guard, apparently called Richard, and Liam had walked in. The man who's hair is a sandy color doesn't seem surprised that the guard walked into his room with a stranger in tow.

"This young lad, going by the name if Liam, wants to work as a servant in the castle," Richard tells the other man. He's standing in front of the desk and Liam is standing to his right, hands behind his back and looking down as a sign of respect.

The man behind the desk set down the quil in his hand and sits back in his chair. He runs his eyes over Liam, as if to size him up before his gaze returns to the guard Richard. "Were are his papers?"

"Here they are Sir." Liam removes his hands from behind his back and holds out his hand in which he's holding the paper.

"Don't speak if I don't ask you a question," the man behind the desk responds, his voice sharp with disdain. "Didn't your last master learn you manners."

Liam's shoulder slump in shame and embarrassment. He wants to kick himself for forgetting the protocol. "Sorry Sir."

"I hope your recommendations are good because I wouldn’t hire you on the basis of your manners. The king doesn't want any rude servants."

"It won't happen again," Liam promises the head of the household.

It better not," the older male warns Liam. "Now boy, give me your papers."

Liam lifts his eyes for a few seconds and walks up to the desk. His eyes are on his hands as he hands over the papers. He then takes a step back and waits with bated breath as the older man inspects the bits of parchments.

"So, you worked for a duke last time and apparently, he speaks very highly of you." Liam thought the head of the household would read his papers in silence, but apparently he isn't going to. "He says very hardworking and clean very quickly. I guess that's a point in your favor. Can you do something else apart from cleaning chambers and put coals on a fire."

"I can cook and I know how to put on armor," Liam tells the other male, his voice timid and silent even to his own ears. The man behind the desk can hear him however.

"So, you can do a lot of things," he concludes. He doesn't look up but he does nod his head, which Liam counts as a positive sign.

Cooking and knowing how an armor works were things Liam learned at the Agency as well. You never know what you need to pretend to be when you go undercover, maybe a cook in Georgian times or a navigator on the ship of Columbus. You must be prepared for anything.
"You won't have to cook or put the king into his armor. We have other people who do that," the head of the household tells Liam dismissively. "But I guess it can come in handy when one of them is sick."

"I'm going to have to leave you two alone," the guard, who is still standing next to Liam, announces. Liam raises his eyes for a few seconds to look at the man behind the desk, who is now looking at Richard. There is no emotion visible on his face. "I need to go back to my post."

"Right, of course," the man behind the desk replies and he gives the guard nod. "I'll see you around then."

"Yes, see you around." The guard gives a nod in return before he turns to Liam. "Good luck, lad." He leans in a little and tells Liam in a soft voice so the man behind the desk won't hear. "Thomas is going to hire you, I can see it in his eyes."

"Alright. Thank you," is the only reply Liam can come up with.

Richard leans back again and walks towards the door. Liam turns his eyes on his feet again as the guard walks out of the door.

"Alright, then. Your papers seem to be in order," Thomas tells Liam. The younger lad can hear the parchment ruffle which he suspects is caused by Thomas folding it. "Apparently you’re a hard worker all be it a bad mannered one. If you can promise me you'll learn some manners, I see no problem with me hiring you."

"I will. Thank you, thank you." Liam tries his best to let his voice sound as submissive as possible. Men in this era love it when the men working beneath them talk to them like they kiss the ground they walk on.

"You will start immediately. When we're done in here, you and I will go to one of the rooms that's now being cleaned and I will hand you over to the person that has been scheduled to clean that room today. You will follow him the whole day and he will show you how we clean here in the castle as well as what other things are expected of you. Tomorrow, you’re expected to work on your own. The servants quarters are down this corridor. The women and men each sleep in a different room and going into the room of the opposite sex is strictly prohibited. If you want a roll in the hay, you can do that in the stables. Just make sure none of the people of the court see you, especially not the queen."

Which means Liam is not going to get laid while he watches Anne because there’s no way Liam is going to have sex in a stable, right next to the horses. That’s just too awkward.
"Noted," Liam tells Thomas.

"Good. Well, that concludes our conversation," Thomas tells Liam, letting out a sigh. He hands Liam the piece of parchment he came to the castle with and the younger male takes it from his wrinkled hand. “I will now take you upstairs to the king’s rooms.”

Thomas rises from his chair and Liam does the same as the older male walks out from behind the desk. He proceeds to walk to the door and Liam follows him.

The king’s chambers are almost at the other side of the castle and when they reach them, Thomas has a bit difficulty breathing. It the price he's paying for living for so long.

Thomas opens one of the doors and walks into the room. Liam follows him and as soon as he's over the threshold, he's taken aback with the musky smell of the room. He's surprised that one of the rooms of the king smells so much of mold. He knew hygiene was almost non-existent in this era but Liam had expected the room to be filled with the smell of perfume, what they used to mask the stink. It appears the servant who's cleaning the room hasn't had to opportunity to spray it yet.

The servant is currently kneeling beside the bed and has his head stuck beneath it. The sight is quite comical and Liam has to stop himself from laughing. The servant looks really ridicules.

"Harry, can you come over here for a moment," Thomas calls out to the person laying on the ground.

Thomas's voice takes the servant by surprise. A muted thump sounds as his head hits the underside of the bed. The curses coming from Harry are muted as well, but Thomas can probably hear all the same.

Harry’s face is as read is an tomato as he crawls out from under the bed and scrambles to his feet. His brown curls are in disarray as he turns towards his boss and smiles at him. It’s clearly visible on his face that he’s embarrassed about his own clumsiness.

Harry has a lean build, but the muscles in his legs suggest he’s toned as well. He has a long torso, long legs and big feet. His eyes are a dark green and his lips are red and full. Even Liam can see he’s good looking.

"What is it, Sir?" Harry asks as he walks towards Liam and Thomas. He almost trips over his own feet but he catches himself before he has the change to fall flat on his face.

"Liam over here is new. I just hired him an hour ago," Thomas tells Harry. "I want you to show him around and teach him how things work at the palace. It will only be for today,. tomorrow he's going to work on his own."

"Okay, sir." Harry gives Thomas a nod before turning his head and fixing Liam with his eyes.
"It's nice to meet you, Liam," Harry greets the other male, his smile easing into a friendly one.

"Harry, Liam. I expect you to be done with this room in ten minutes. I'm sure the two of you will be able to pull it off together."

Both Harry and Liam turn towards Thomas and nod their heads. Liam isn’t too sure about being able to follow the order then Harry appears to be, but Liam is not going to tell Thomas that. He knows it's not his place to question orders, all he's allowed to do is carry them out even when they sound ridicules.

After that, Thomas walks out of the room and leaves them to their own devices.

Harry turns out to be a very friendly guy. He has worked at the palace for the past three years together with his sister. His parents were servants as well, but only to a duke. His aunt worked for the king's father and had invited his sister Gemma and him to work there as well. His sister now dresses the queen and of Harry's to be believed, queen Katarina and Gemma are friends.

They end up finishing the room in time.

Notes