One Day I'll Make You Proud (Henry)

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How had he managed to accumulate so much work?

He had barely been in the job a few days and there was already a mountain of paper work on his desk. He thought he had escaped such things when he had refused to help keep the country running when his brother departed for Tintagel, but no, here it was in abundance. Edward had actually managed to make through quite a bit of it however, after all before Snow had left he had been a genius at dealing with paper work, well…when he had other people to help him.

Moving a large pile out of the way he sighed and looked up at the door begging for a distraction. He would take anything that this point. Anything except…

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Bracing himself--he'd been putting this confrontation off for a long time--Henry knocked on the door to the office where he knew his brother was. He knew because he'd asked some of the other staff, and he'd stalked the corridor to wait until he actually saw Edward go in. Then he just had to work up the nerve to approach.

He knocked and pushed the door open immediately. Internally he argued with himself. Edward was still his brother, he was still supposed to help him, he couldn't look down on him any more than he must already, so asking him for assistance was really the best option. Surely.

There was a long pause as Henry tried to figure out what sort of greeting to give. He ended up settling on the informal "Hey." He stepped into the office and closed the door behind him, shifting his weight in an unconscious sign of nervousness.

"So. Edward. I uh, I guess you heard the portals were down, right?" He rubbed the back of his neck. How much did he want to dance around the subject? "I guess you're missing...everyone. Um. Well you know, your family." He winced. "Anyway, since we're kind of under lock-down, and with everything falling down around us, I was thinking maybe it would be best if we...maybe...started hanging out more? As brothers, helping each other out and stuff."

He sure didn't feel comfortable sitting down, so he stayed in his spot by the door. "I...well, you know I've never really been cut off from Dad or anything. And I'm not sure...I'm just kind of...do you understand?" When push came to shove, he couldn't come out and ask his brother for money. Was he so low as to only find his family when he was down?

Apparently so.

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The door which he hoped would bring him the distraction opened revealing his younger brother who immediately launched into…what exactly? It was as if nothing had changed, as if the two of them were back in the castle, that Edward was just where he usually was, right down the hall and Henry could just come barging in whenever he wanted. Like nothing had changed between them. As usually he was hitting all the wrong notes, Edward was perfectly aware that he could now no longer get back to his children and that thought worried and angered him, something Henry might have thought better about mentioning. Edward knew what his brother was like, extremely tactless and underneath it all there was probably some sympathy he just wasn’t good at wording it…knowing that didn’t make him any less annoyed.

Hang out as brothers? Help each other out?

Why did he think that was a good idea? After everything that happened back home, what was this? Did he want Edward to train him? To pass on all the knowledge he had spent years learning on how to be king? Well he could forget it, there were tutors here and back him that could teach him that, Edward didn’t want anything to do with-…ah.

Henry finally got to the point and Edward put down his pen and clasped his hands.

His younger brother was always on the edge of being ‘cut off’ he imagined, however he never thought his father would ever actually go that far. Now, apparently he had.

“Hello to you too,” said Edward after a pause, and without a trace of a smile, “no, no I’ve been fine ever since my wife left me and my father gave my future away to my younger brother who apparently cant keep his finances in order, thanks for asking.”

Picking up the pen and looking back down at the work he was marking he asked, “Henry, if you’re going to be king you’re going to have to learn to work with a budget. Are you in any debt? Or are you just broke at the moment?”

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Henry withered in front of his brother's stony glare. He'd always been a little in awe of Edward, and that hadn't changed even when the older prince had fallen out of favor. A lifetime of following Prince Perfect around was hard to change overnight. Realizing, though, that his brother wouldn't take him seriously if he acted like some wimpy kid, he forced himself to straighten up again and set his jaw.

"It's not my fault," Henry said, bracing for an attack. "I wasn't expecting to need to...it's just that with the portals closed..." But Edward was already continuing. The younger prince muttered under his breath, "Besides, it's not like I ever wanted the job."

He sighed at the direct question. "I'm not in debt. Not that I know of, anyway. I'm just...I don't have a lot left, and I'm not sure how long I'll be able to last with what I have. The only way I know to make money is gambling, and there's just not a lot of chance for that here. To play the house, that is. If I even had a pot to play from." He shrugged. "I just know you have a job, and I wasn't sure...what...you might...be feeling." Other than obvious dislike. What a way to treat family.

"And if it makes you feel better, I'm sorry about Snow. Really. I...I talked to her. But it didn't go very well. I'm sorry if I messed things up. I wish she would come back." Not because he liked Snow. He still hated that woman for destroying their family. But if it would bring back the real Prince Edward? Henry was all for that.

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Edward sighed and motioned to the chair in front of his desk, moving the large stacks of paper out of the way so that he still might be able to see his brother. “I know it’s not your fault,” said Edward, edging towards a slight tone of kindness, “it’s just…taking some getting used too that’s all.”

He wouldn’t apologise for his harsh words, he never had so why should he start now? However he could see that his younger brother was worried and despite the difficulties their family had been through recently they had to be together in this. Well…that was the idea, whether the two of them could actually get along for more than five minutes was still debateable.

“Gambling is not a job,” said Edward unable to keep the chastisement out of his voice, “if you’re going to support yourself then I would advise staying away from any card tables and roulette wheels. You’ve no knack for it in any case.”

Sitting back in his chair and looking at his brother he said, “I’ll give you what you need, not what you want, for now, to keep you going, on the proviso that you find work immediately. I’ll give you two weeks and if you haven’t found anything by then I’ll find a job for you, and trust me, you don’t want that.”

Looking back down at the paper in front of him he was about to start marking again when he added, “and no more about Snow…she…is not something I wish to discuss right now.”

Starting to mark the page he continued, “How is your search for a wife going?”

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Henry hesitated before sinking into the chair. He perched on the edge, not really feeling quite comfortable just yet, but unwilling to refuse any offered charity. They were supposed to be on friendly terms, after all.

"Yes I do," he insisted. "Maybe not roulette, but I can deal myself a winning hand in almost any card game, so long as I know the deck." But he wasn't ready to turn this into a big argument. He already knew that there was no way for him to make enough money through gambling, what with the lack of availability and lack of anything to bid with. Mostly he just wanted to prove that he was good at something, even if it wasn't something Princes should approve of.

"Work?" he asked, already a tone of whinging in his voice. "But I don't, I can't, I don't even know what I could do! And how am I supposed to find a job that fast?" As a matter of fact, how was Edward going to find him an awful job that fast? And how was he supposed to be able to keep up a job, when he wasn't used to spending more than two weeks with one activity? "I don't know how to get a job. Isn't there any other way to deal with this?"

Henry simply nodded in acknowledgment about Snow, forgetting that Edward's head was down and he likely couldn't see. Not that it would matter; his silence would probably be enough on the subject.

However, he couldn't keep from spluttering a bit at the next question. "What? But I--Not you, too! Geez, I get enough of it from Mom and Dad, don't you think? Did you know that a lot of people in this world don't get married until they're thirty? Just because you got married really young doesn't mean I should. Besides. I haven't met a girl I'm willing to sit down with." Sure, he liked Lottie, but how long would that last? And Astrid was great, but more in a "going to punch your face" way. Henry didn't need any serious girls in his life.

"I don't think that thing with Cinderella is going to work out, so that really doesn't leave me with anything else. Not that it matters. I'll probably screw up sooner or later anyway and then Philip will be put in..." He grumbled this last part, then a few seconds later wished he could take it back. He didn't want to sound like he was already complaining about his new job, not in front of the guy he'd just taken the crown from.

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“Yes Henry, work, an actual job,” said Edward glancing up at his brother for a moment, “what? Did you think I was just going to hand some money over to you with my blessing? No you will find a job in…some sort of trade and you will earn it all on your own. That way, should you find yourself in this situation again you will be able to provide for yourself and any others.”

Reaching to the side he grabbed the paper that was there and threw it towards Henry. “This places News sheets are always advertising for jobs and whatnot, why not consult that?” said Edward still focusing most of his attention on the work in front of him, “or better yet go into the stores, ask them if they are looking for workers.”

He couldn’t help but smile as he listened to Henry’s rants about his love life and expectations, even when he mentioned that Edward was quite young to be married. This was what he missed with his brothers, winding them up, in a good natured way of course, Henry was always the easiest and still was by the sounds of things. He was about to pass further comment on the ‘Cinderella’ thing when he mentioned the passing of the crown to Phillip.

He looked up then and said very seriously, “Don’t be ridiculous.”

He looked back down at the paper in front of him, allowing the silence to grow before adding with a slight smile, “we couldn’t possibly let someone with an obsession with narcoleptics take the throne.”

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Why would he even be in this situation again? Henry wanted to protest, but he also knew it probably wouldn't do any good. Instead he frowned and crossed his arms tightly across his chest. How was he supposed to work? He would have to walk down to the town every day and go in and do some menial task, since they probably wouldn't hire him for anything better. "And what sort of things did you have in mind, then?" he asked. "Any need for a knife-fighting tutor in town? Or hey, maybe I'll just work at the casino and do card tricks for a living. I might even get paid well."

Frowning, he took the newspaper and looked down at some of the ads. "But these are all for hard labor! You know I can't even lift a sack of potatoes." He frowned. "I don't even like any of the stores here. Why would I want to work at them?" Clothes, food, books, everything sounded immensely boring. Was this what Edward had to live with all the time? No wonder he seemed so mad all the time.

Henry looked at Edward, a frown on his face. Don't be ridiculous? What did he do this ti--oh. Ha. Philip. It was a joke. Henry smiled, though it was a little weak. "And you don't think we should send it on to William, either? I guess no one wants a nose-picker for king. Looks like we're all messed up some way. You're just too tan for the job now, and I, well, I'm too interesting." He shrugged playfully. "Face it. This is the end of the Charming line." He inwardly winced. That joke wasn't as funny as it was meant to be.

"Had a chance to do a lot of fencing or riding recently?" Henry found himself asking, staring down at his feet. He wanted to continue some of the brotherly feelings they'd had...maybe they could try again, now that they were older and Edward hopefully didn't mind his little brother tagging along everywhere.

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Putting down the pen he looked at his brother and said, “It is not a matter of what you want to do Henry, it is what you need to do. You need money and thus you must put aside the things you want to gain that. You have to be able to support yourself and in that there has to be some sacrifices made. Even if that sacrifice is taking up a hard labour job.”

He was glad that his brother got the joke in the end, and was happy when he smiled. There hadn’t been much time for smiling and joking recently, they had never been exceptionally close but…he had to admit…in a way, in a really annoying exasperating way…it was good to see his brother. He rolled his eyes as Henry once more put his foot in it with the ‘end of the charming’ line. “Not quite,” he said a little stiffly, but smiled a little to soften the blow of it.

“Not a lot,” he replied, “in the country I…well…my children keep my horse fit and my son is not yet old enough to be taking on his father in any fencing matches yet. I have spent most of my time…” …sitting in a chair drinking myself into stupor every night wishing the woman I loved would come home.. “in solitude and reflection…have you?”

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Henry frowned again at the paper, trying to discern which task was the least odious. Crate stacker at a grocery store? Server at a restaurant? With a sudden shock he realized that some of the people he knew here might see him working. Word could get around, he could lose a lot of status...suddenly he was wondering which location people here would be least likely to visit. "Do people here drink a lot of coffee? Never mind, stupid question. Um, maybe they don't like organic goods?" He scanned the list and looked up at his brother with worried eyes. "Any suggestions about how to not look like a complete idiot here?"

Thankfully Edward didn't seem too upset about Henry's gaffe. He smiled a bit in response, though he ran his fingers through his hair as he stood there nervously. "I'm still working on my jokes. My clean ones, anyway. I know plenty of dirty ones, but I guess that's not exactly 'Prince Charming' material." Henry could never imagine Edward telling a dirty joke. Probably another reason the little brother always failed in the eyes of Prince Perfect.

"Solitude and reflection?" Henry asked. "Nah, not my strong point." He was trying to lighten the mood but unsure if it was actually working. "As for the rest, well, you know me. I'm getting my butt kicked in sword training, and even worse with the horses. Specifically because those metal shoes on the horse hurt worse." He touched his backside and winced, though he didn't have any actual bruises. Then he tried another smile. "But I'm told I'm making progress. I think that's what they tell to their biggest failures to make them feel better." And really, he tried not to sound bitter about being so awful at everything.

"Just a few years and little William will be able to fence with you. Then you'll have someone you can really train, right? He's a great kid. I bet he'll be great." He could just imagine Edward with his son, training up the next generation of Charmings. He'd make a great dad, if he'd just sit down with them. Not give up if they made mistakes...no, they'd probably never mess up. "They're all good kids."

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“I believe looking like a fool isn’t something that can be cured,” said Edward, the smile coming back to his face again, “and it is something you do so well brother. Perhaps you could go in to jestering? With your bad jokes and talent of looking stupid surely you were made for the role.”

He was teasing and joking however Edward, like Henry, could never really tell when he was going too far. It probably didn’t help that as the older brother it had been his job to wind up his brothers since they were born and he had had much more practice at it. Pointing to one job on the sheet he said, “there, what about the bakery. Surely making bread isn’t beyond you? If a kitchen maid can do it surely a the future king can.”

The words stuck in his throat a little but he pushed it down, he didn’t want to lose this brotherly atmosphere they were gaining. It was difficult though, very difficult. “All these skills will come in time so long as you work at them,” said Edward waving his hand dismissively as if this would clear away what his tutors had been saying of Henry, “it is the effort and dedication that will make you better.”

Thinking of his children Edward actually stopped in his marking. “They are…wonderful children,” he said and meant it, “a man could not ask for a better son or better daughters.”

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Henry was about to agree with Edward--in a good-natured way, of course, he likely would always be a bit foolish--but felt his smile freeze on his face. He didn't look stupid. He was clumsy and said things that didn't make sense and maybe he didn't know how to use a sword, but Henry knew he wasn't stupid. However, Edward seemed to think it was funny, and who was he to argue? "Haha, yeah," he said, a little stiffly. "You know me. Just throw a donkey's head on my neck and I'll be perfect." (After the run-in with Helena and Hermia he'd done some basic research.)

Henry grimaced. "I don't think so," he said. "I don't think food is really my thing." He'd given it a go. It had turned into a stop. "Apparently I lack the right taste...something or other fancy. Is there anything at a fighting club or anything like that?" But apparently most things he was qualified for seemed to be in the food district or involved lifting boxes. "If I work at a store I'll at least get a little stronger," he said in an attempt to look at the bright side of things.

He completely missed Edward's reference to Henry as the future king--he was too focused on his own problems for the time being. He growled at the page in front of him. "I guess you're right. Someday I'll want to know how to dodge a sword really well. We did some reading in a history class, and there was this one guy who had a servant to stand there and tell him 'you are only a man.' I guess it's good that I'm never going to forget." He scratched his ear, then processed his brother's last remark and looked up sharply. "Are you implying that I don't finish things? Because I will have you know that I have...I...finished...a lot. Okay? I've done stuff." Things that didn't need to be mentioned, you just mind your own business thank you very much sir.

Even Henry liked his little nieces and nephew. He gave a vague smile. "Yeah, they're pretty cool. A little remarkable considering what a weird family they come from--I mean, they are looking up to Philip after all--and they still came out pretty great." He grinned. "And at least there weren't any dire crib-side prophecies. Haven't you ever thought about just banning all fairies from court when you're--" Too late he realized his mistake and tried to cover. "You're...more powerful?" Absolutely terrible. He should've just shut up when he had the chance. Well, no way to back down now.

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This was more difficult than trying to solve any of the economic crises he had back when he was given such tasks, being the once future king. It seemed that Henry didn’t have any skills other than gambling or fighting, and even then he probably could do more but just lacked the motivation. As was apparent when he was unable to give an example of the last time he had successfully finished something. “There is a Casino somewhere in this town,” said Edward sitting back in his chair, “Perhaps you could become a croupier or a bouncer or…something.”
 
As usual Henry managed to barrel through any kind of progress they had made in just one sentence. Glancing up at him he grumbled, “Nice save.”
 
Sighing he continued, “Luckily yes, there were no crib-side prophecies, however are we both not living examples of how that does not matter…they could still be involved with something yet…”
 
He looked back down at his work for a second before something nagged at him and he said, “Who is Cinderella?”

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"Yeah maybe," Henry mused, "But I think they might have an age limit thing. I don't know. I can at least ask, I guess." He'd look around. Might as well--it seemed to be the only way for him to continue to support his vaguely flamboyant lifestyle here. At least if he ever wanted to take a girl out again it would be prudential to put some cash in the bank/under his mattress.

Despite Henry's blunder, the conversation moved forward. He was glad that they weren't getting hung up on everything. Hey, maybe everyone was finally getting over some of the stuff in their past! Though, in hindsight, Henry still wasn't sure he could ever forgive that time Edward's horse had crapped on his three-year-old head as he tried to follow his older brother during his riding lesson. Or Edward for laughing about it. Only time could tell.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Henry frowned. "It seems like our family can't get away from the big stories." There were too many examples in their past for Henry to believe that everyone would be exempt from it in the future.

Henry rolled his eyes and groaned at the name of his supposed beloved. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that one, actually," he started. "Well, since you asked, she is the ever-so-perfect young lady from humble backgrounds whose beauty makes a certain charming prince fall in love with her at a ball and they marry and live happily ever after, or so the stories go." He shrugged. "Though we all know that life isn't exactly like that, so really I don't think I should be pushed into anything."

Looking up at his brother, he raised an eyebrow. "You uh, you have heard of all the different fairy tales they have here, right? Read any of the variations on your story? I've done some research myself. I keep looking for loopholes, but all the stories where Cinderella doesn't marry the prince involve him being a huge jerk. And don't even say it, I already know what people think of me around here."

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Edward had heard of the fairytales and he didn’t much care for them. His life had worked out to be anything but a fairytale, he didn’t want to be reminded that somewhere, out there, there was an Edward Charming that was living a better life, a happier life. For the moment he had been able to ignore most of them, however it seemed that his younger brother was having a much harder time of it.

“Oh come now, is she really that bad?” said Edward, trying to manage a smile, “is it her humble origins that are bothering you? Or is she just not beautiful enough for the great Henry Charming?”

Leaning back in the chair he continued, “not everyone gets to marry for love Henry…may as well settle for this one until father makes you marry some beast for the sake of a political alliance.”