Florence woke with a start as a loud voice pierced his thoughts, “RISE AND SHINE! IT’S MENTOR TIME!” He noticed that all the critters were getting out of bed and so, so did he. He followed an ant that he had met that last night when he had woke from his punch induced sleep.

A nice fellow and one he would like to befriend, the only thing that he didn’t like was that he was a noble. He wasn’t part of the Royal Family though so that didn’t matter as much.

They started to line up when the Rabbit shouted at a critter that refused to wake up. “GET UP!” The critter-mouse, Florence saw rolled over and ignored the words that were shouted at him.

The Rabbit muttered something and then pointed, “you, you, you, and you! Get onto the other side of that bed please!” The critters in question quickly moved to the assigned spots and waited for further instruction.

“Flip the bed.” The Rabbit said with a grin.

And flip the bed they did, and out came a very disgruntled looking mouse. Who proceeded to roll over and over and stop right at Florencecs feet.

Florence grinned as he saw who it was. It seemed that the princeling once again had decided to pay him a visit. The princeling jumped up, and seeing himself in the middle of a circle of critters made his thoughts known.

“What makes you think that you can flip my bed!? That you can wake me from my peaceful slumber?!”

Florence would have laughed had the words not been spoken with such seriousness. After that, it was mostly just the rabbit speaking with the prince spouting nonsense in reply.

The only thing that Florence got out of it was that the prince had a serious superiority complex. After that, the Rabbit took the prince away and the critters were left on their own.

Florence spoke first, “What was that?”

His almost friend the ant, answered, “That, was the prince. The most spoilt, stuck up, arrogant, little brat that ever lived. Why he is cursing us with his presence? I have no idea.”

Florence was starting to think that he would like being here. The other critters looked at them sceptically but that whole fiasco proved that the ant was right, at least, partially so.

The Rabbit came back in and looked at them, then sighed. “Come one.” She turned and walked out the door. The critters followed.

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They weaved through a bunch of hallways before stopping in an atrium looking room. Facing them were another group of critters, the Rabbit held up her had and motioned for them all to stop. “We're going to wait for the mouse to get back before we start.”

Sure enough after a few minutes of waiting the princeling arrived. “ALRIGHT!” The Rabbit looked at Fir. “NOW THAT WE HAVE ALL OF OUR FIRST YEARS WE WILL COMMENCE MENTOR TIME.”

Florence’s attention was jerked back onto the Rabbit. “These are the second years. Each of you will be paired with one, and they will teach you the ins and outs of the castle. Where to go and where not to go.” She said. Florence wondered why it was that they were called first years from what he could tell they were only going to be here for around a year. No more, no less.

A question for another time. The Rabbit had started to speak.

“Adern, from Oxgin, who will mentor him?” A second-year stepped up and volunteered. Florence looked on with interest. He had heard a little bit about training but the stories told were mostly about the Overseers time fighting.

A couple more names were listed off, none of interest except for a tortoise and his prospective friend the ant. Who as he was told yesterday, was noble.

Then it was his turn, “Florence, from Leftown, who will mentor him?” He was nervous for second that no one would choose him, but his worries were unfounded and a second-year quickly came through for him.

“I’ll mentor him,” a grinning Cavy stepped up. Then taking him around the shoulders led him to the back of the group. “My mother knew your Overseer, your father and your mother. They were in the same squad. It’s my pleasure and my duty to mentor you.”

With those words they went to the back of the group, waiting for everyone to be paired off. It was also here that he noticed that the princeling was about to be mentored off. “Firiniel Florinica Agustinius Tragen, from the Capital, who will mentor him?” The Rabbit announced.

His mentor leaned in close, “No one wants to mentor a prince. Too much responsibility, too many things that could wrong. I fell kinda bad for him actually, it’s never nice having to wait to be chosen.”

And wait they did. The second years remained silent. None of them willing to mentor the prince. It went on like this for several long minutes.

Florence took some perverse satisfaction in the way that Fir looked so hurt. That was just a little bit of the hurt that the royal family had caused him. The princeling deserved all he got.

The Rabbit glanced at the second years, silently begging one of them to step up and take responsibility for the prince.

The second years once again shift uncomfortably.

Finally, a mouse steps up and volunteers to mentor the prince. Florence's’ mentor shook her head, “Fig, always the one to volunteer for the jobs no one else wants. Hopefully, the prince doesn’t break him.” The Cavy shakes her head.

As the prince left the room, head down, he bumped into Florence. Florence seeing a chance leaned in close and said,

“No one likes you princeling, no one will ever like you.” He muttered it in a whisper so that no one but the prince would hear.

Fig led the princeling out of the room, and into the cafeteria. That was what Florence assumed at least. He ignored the twinge of pity that he felt, he also ignored the twinge of shame and guilt.

After all, the royal family had done much worse.