Arranged - Tom Holland AU

1 - The First Time He Saw Her

The day that Tom first laid eyes on Esebelle Leighton goes back to the time when the two were children.

Esebelle always saw Tom. Since he was in the royal family, she saw him during every event, all the parties and during the day in his royal quarters. Esebelle is one of the servants that are assigned to the royal family. Her mother was given to the queen as a gift by the king when she was coronate as the queen. Since Esebelle was the daughter of a servant to the royal family, when she was old enough to start working she followed in the footsteps of her mother.

Esebelle worked mostly with Queen Nicola and rarely with King Dominic; only serving him when she was given the task of giving the king his meals. She was never to serve the princes, Tom, Harry and Sam. The king and queen did not want their precious sons to come in the vicinity of female servants in fear that they would mingle.

The princes had their own set of servants that helped take care of them, a set of older men. The king and queen did not want their sons to come in contact with young servants because as young boys do, they thought that they would become friends with the filth that are peasants. Tom grew up not knowing a single girl besides his mother, spending all of his time with his brothers, his parents and his best friend Harrison Osterfield, the son of the king's chancellor.

The boys would play in the courtyard away from all the craziness that found itself within the kingdom. The boys lived a sheltered life even though they were some of the biggest people that lived in the area. They may have been royalty, but from all the public appearances that they made, they felt like normal boys. They never knew the weight that was on their shoulders until they grew up and had to start seriously living like the the people that they are.

The day that the Prince first laid eyes on the girl that he would hold onto until his last breath was a gloomy one. The clouds in the sky yielding a dark gray colour, rain threatening to fall. The blue hues in the sky were gone, leaving everything bland. The kingdom was dull just like the climate around it, the frigid air making the people of the kingdom want to stay inside and huddle under blankets for warmth. Nevertheless, the people continued to work to pay their dues to the king and the queen.

The royal family was safe inside, enjoying the warmth around them, their supper being prepared in the kitchen. Ten year old Tom was running around with this younger brothers as they prepared for supper. The servant that was helping them prepare their clothes trying aimlessly to calm them down.

Esebelle was with the Queen Nicola, helping her get ready. Nicola was sat in a chair, looking out onto her balcony that overlooked the whole the kingdom that she ruled.

"Esebelle, stop fixing my clothes and come here." Nicola demanded the nine year old to halt the task she was given.

"Yes, my queen." Esebelle spoke softly, rushing to the queen's side.

"I need you to get started on my hair. I want it up, out of my face with some plaits. I know you know how to do it, I see you servant girls messing around with each other's hair when you should be working. I am placing all my trust in you, make it look nice." The queen's tone as cold as ice as she gave Esebelle a new task to perform.

She did not want the nine year old girl that was under her every command to think that there was any form of kindness towards her. Esebelle is her servant and nothing more in the mind of the young servant.

In reality, Nicola had no daughters, which was good for the family but not for her emotional connection to her kids. She loved her sons but, the queen longed for a baby girl. In the queen's mind, Esebelle was the closest thing to a daughter that she had.

When Esebelle's mother gave birth to her, the queen knew that she was going to fill that hole in her heart, so she made it be that the little one would grow up under her watch. The connection that Gracia Leighton and Nicola Holland had was one that was not usual of that with a queen and her servant. They were close, and beyond all measure Nicola made sure that Gracia was protected at all times. The two were friends, and that was not typical. Gracia played the role of the sister that Nicola longed to have, even though the two were polar opposites.