Castle on the Hill | Windsor Fam & Toby

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Lusie had done something which she had never done before: she invited a friend from school over to the castle to hang out and then for dinner. She had a few friends at school, but never had she wanted to invite anyone over to see her home. She didn’t really feel comfortable letting her friends come to the castle. She didn’t want them to think of her as a princess. But she knew Toby was different. He was a nice boy and the two of them were really getting along very well. Plus, she knew that Ed was beginning to like Toby and she wanted to push that friendship as much as possible. Ed needed friends besides the girl he was in love with, Lusie thought.

She had gone through all of the proper channel and alerted all of the castle staff at the arrival of the young man. They would escort him into the foyer and announce him when he got here. It was painfully formal, but it was a part of having a guest over for the first time, she supposed. It was probably so they had a record of who came and when for security purposes. So, she sat in the royer, waiting, wondering where Edmund was. She also wondered where the others were, or if they were here. Part of living in the castle was never knowing who all was here unless she asked a member of staff. She never knew if her oldest siblings were here.

@edmund tobias charles watkins
(post in whatever order and we'll try to keep it set from there - we'll invite @will & @susanvictoria after we establish the thread)

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It wasn't really a surprise that Lusie invited a boy to the castle. The staff were all chattering about it excitedly, hardly able to believe that the youngest daughter had actually invited a boy to the castle. Ed wasn't quite sure if she realized what kind of a stir she'd created, but he found it amusing to say the least. That's what she got for actually going through the "proper" channels when inviting someone over. Edmund did that ... maybe once before deciding it was ridiculous and just meeting Addi at the gate. Other than her, he hadn't really ever invited anyone to the castle, but that was fine. He was content spending time with his best friend and glad that it wasn't such a big deal anymore if people found out she was coming. 

However, when the day came in question, there was even more of a titter through the staff. They cleaned and whispered and the atmosphere in the castle was almost electric. It made Ed want to laugh, but he tried to hold it in, not wanting to burst anyone's bubble. He was pretty sure he knew who Lusie invited to come over, though he hadn't come out and asked her. He made his way to the foyer eventually, figuring that's where he would find his little sister as she waited for the boy to arrive. She was sitting there, waiting and Ed leaned against a pillar close to the edge of the room, smirking at her. "Hey Lus, fancy seeing you here," he teased, "You wouldn't happen to be waiting for this boy that everyone's so excited to see, would you?" Ed chuckled a little, unable to resist the urge to poke a little fun at her. 

tobias charles watkins
@lusie

[tobias charles watkins]

It was a bit of a surprise when Lusie invited him over to the castle hang out. Toby didn’t really think much into it to be honest. From the moment they became lab partners they became friends, they hit it off effortlessly. The Princess had always been very easy to talk to, he really enjoyed her sense of humor, and they shared many common interests. Toby was glad that they had a real friendship forming. Her older brother, Edmund, was also easy to get along with, despite Toby being a bit intimidated by the older Slytherin boy.

Before arriving at the castle this afternoon, Toby hadn’t considered all of the formalities he’d have to conform to coming to the castle. There was a thorough search and he had to answer quite a bit of questions. Everything was for the Royal Families safety, so he obliged. Luckily, he had no problem with being polite, or following traditional formalities, those were things he was actually really good at...usually he was painfully polite, to the point where he made things awkward. Places with rules and structure were usually where he thrived because he knew exactly what he was supposed to be doing. 

Toby followed behind a burly suited man who said that he would escort him to Princess Lusie. Suddenly, he was feeling so nervous. Being at the castle was so surreal. He never imagined that he would be at the Windsor castle to hang out with a friend. When Toby told his Mum and Dad where he was going, they were very surprised, but also equally curious. They were suspicious when he informed them that he was meeting a girl. A 'friend-girl'. That friend-girl who happened to be Lusie Windsor, Princess of England, but that was no big deal, right? Toby followed behind the suited man until he stopped in the foyer, where Lusie and Edmund were standing. Toby was still trying to digest the castle in all of its glory. "Hey Lusie! Ed!" he greeted them with an awkward smile, probably because the castle staff was just staring at them. "Thanks for having me. Nice place you guys got here...not too shabby.." Toby greeted politely while he admired the foyer, trying not to geek out at every detail of their own. This was all ~normal for them, he didn't want to appear too overwhelmed or stimulated, but it was hard to hide. This was a totally different life that they lived.


@lusie
@edmund

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One of the reasons that lusie had ever invited anyone over to the castle was because she didn’t want to have to put them through the formalities that came with coming to the castle. However, Ed did it when he first invited Addi over, so it couldn’t be that bad, and it was really only hard the first time. Ed came down before Toby got there, she could see by the look on his face that the castle staff had been talking and he knew that she was waiting for someone. He asked if she was waiting for a boy that everyone was talking about and she rolled her eyes, “It’s only Toby.” He was a boy, she guessed. She didn’t really think of him as a boy in the sense that the rest of the staff thought. He was a friend. Just friends. She just liked to spend time with him. “It’s not like I have a boyfriend coming over or anything.”

Moments later, they heard footsteps and then the doors opened. Lusie stood from her seat on the bench when Toby entered the foyer. It was a bit weird seeing him here, and even weirder seeing him accompanied by their staff. “Hey! Welcome, I’m glad you made it!” she smiled. She gave a nod to the staff and they went back to their posts. “Come on, we can go up to the living quarters… it’s a bit less crowded there.” she smirked. The staff were rarely in that part of the castle, besides the cleaners, who, she knew, came at night.

@edmund
tobias charles watkins

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Ed laughed when Lusie rolled her eyes at his teasing. He was proud of her for not being defensive. If she had been, he would have teased her even more. He shrugged when she said it was only Toby, "I figured that." Ed wasn't stupid, and he truly believed that Lusie would tell him if she was interested enough to invite a boy to the castle. Toby was more a friend, and the only one he really thought she'd want to come here. He laughed, "When you do have a boyfriend coming, I expect to know before the staff do," Ed answered, snorting softly. Lusie would tell him first ... probably. 

Toby walked in almost immediately after, and Ed smirked as his sister stood up almost immediately. Was she nervous to have him here? He smiled over at Toby and nodded, letting Lusie take charge of welcoming here. He laughed as Toby said their castle wasn't "too shabby". "Happy to have you here," Ed answered. Then Lusie suggested they go up into the living quarters and Ed had to hold in a snort. She wasn't being particularly subtle, but in his opinion that wasn't one of her stronger suits. All the servants in hearing distance would know she was going for a little more privacy. He intended on staying with them for a bit though. He still nodded, "This way Toby," he said, gesturing for the guy to join them as they left the room. He let Lucy lead the way though. This was her thing, after all. 

tobias charles watkins
@lusie

[tobias charles watkins]

Ever since Lusie had invited Toby over to the castle to hang out and have dinner, he was looking forward to it. The look on Claudia's face was especially hilarious when he dropped the news to her, although she already frequently joked and had her own suspicions about him and the princess, but he'd let her think what she wanted. Whatever made it look like he wasn't obsessed with Anastasia. Although he was still just a lovesick loser. 

Toby followed obediently when they called him along, his eyes scanning each detail of the castle while trying to hide his wide-eyed wonder from his face, and failing. Their home was amazing and they were so casual about it. Luckily there weren't anymore staff members breathing down their necks which was nice, so he could relax with his friends. Toby laughed as he walked down the corridor with the Windsors, "This is so cool." he gaped at the architecture and the historical art on the wall, trying extremely hard to hold back his excitement. There was so much to look at for a history nerd like him. The Ravenclaw forced a more relaxed expression, taking in breath, "Soo, where's personal Windsor family cinema? Bowling alley in the kitchen? Petting zoo?" Toby turned toward each of them while walking, trying to keep a nonchalant but comical tone. Those were all real rumors at Hogwarts. "I'm crossing fingers for petting zoo." Toby joked with a laugh. That would actually be really cool. 

@lusie
@edmund  

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Lusie was enjoying all of this so far, but mostly because she felt like she wasn’t the one who was lost and confused for once. She enjoyed spending time with Toby and she was glad that he and her brother were finally getting along. She had a feeling that they would, but after their first real meeting in the hospital wing, she was worried that they would always be a little bit of tension there. Ed was one of the people, if not the person, that Lusie trusted more than anyone else with every little bit of her life. He knew her the best out of all of her siblings, and she wanted him to like her friends.

As Lusie lead the way, with her brother following her and their friend following him, Toby asked where all of the secret things were. She laughed. “They’re too classified to show you today.” she teased. Of course they didn’t exist, there was no bowling alley or petting zoo, but it was fun to tease. She lead the way, finally, into the family area and into the living room, which, while still incredibly formal looking, was a lot more casual than the parts of the castle where the public got to see. “Well this is the living room, I don’t usually spend a lot of time in here, unless it’s raining and cold out, then I’m in here I guess.” she spent most of her time reading in the garden, actually. She threw herself down on a couch, tucking her legs under her.

@edmund
tobias charles watkins

[Deleted]

Ed couldn't help but laugh when Toby started asking questions about the rumors he'd heard at Hogwarts. Ed wasn't surprised in the slightest that he'd heard all those things, but a little impressed that he was brave enough to ask about it, even though it was pretty obvious that he was just joking. He was about to answer and say that the petting zoo was only for people who liked dogs when Lusie beat him to the punch, mentioning the rooms being too classified. Ed chortled, even more impressed by his sister's cool. When did she get so calm and collected around other people? Especially around a boy? He glanced over to Toby, "Guess you're gonna have to impress her even more if you want her to show you the cool places," Ed teased.

He gestured for Toby to go into the living room before he did, though Ed rolled his eyes at his sister. Of course she brought them here. If Lusie was really going for privacy, Ed didn't understand why this was her first choice. "There's a pretty good view of the grounds from over there too," Ed added when she finished talking, gesturing to a bay window not far away. When Ed had to be inside, he liked to be at the windows. Somehow he didn't feel as cooped up when outside was just on the other side of the glass.

tobias charles watkins
@lusie

[tobias charles watkins]

When Edmund told Toby that he'd have to somehow impress Lusie into showing him the 'cool places', Toby cocked his head to the side curiously. He had a feeling that Edmund was joking, but he couldn't be too sure. The castle was huge after all. There had to be some cool places to sneak around. Well, challenge accepted to 'impress' Lusie. 

Toby took a moment to admire the large windows that Edmund spoke about before he turned on his heel to gesture to the piano with a wave of the hand. "I can play you 'God Save The Queen' while balancing a tea cup on my head." he shared half-jokingly (because it was true) before adding, "Ehhh..I reckon you guys are probably tired of that song though..." Toby joked sarcastically playful, obviously still having 'cool places' or petting zoos on the mind. He'd find a way to impress the Windsors, somehow.


@lusie
@edmund

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Lusie laughed as Toby said that he could play God Save The Queen while balancing a tea cup on his head. She stood up and walked over to the coffee table where she picked up her tea cup from earlier in the day that was still sitting there since they hadn’t let the staff into clean this space yet today. Lusie didn’t really like when the staff came into this area, so she often asked to keep them out during the day. She carried the empty cup over to the Ravenclaw and then held it out for him. “Prove it then.” she giggled.

~ Fade Out ~ That's all folks ~

tobias charles watkins @edmund