A Princess For Christmas (Of The Dreams We Seek)

Forty- Seven

Dear Callahan,

Remember when I told you that your duty is towards your people first? I always told you to abide by the rules. Yes, but it was not because I didn't wish to see you happy. But I was afraid that if someday that happiness gotten ripped away from you, I might never be able to forgive myself. 

 But son truth it I should have let you make your own mistakes. Let you experience for yourself what it was like to fall in love. And even if you had suffered heartbreak, you would have known what it was like to be love. No one had the power to take that right away from you.

I had taught you wrong, very wrong. Your duty is to your heart. First, rule of governing any country is that not only your mind, but your heart and your soul must to be in it. If you do not have any one of them, you cannot understand the needs of your people. If it is the thing you grow to resent like I did, you cannot become better than I was.

 After my marriage to Grace, my heart remains bitter, for rest of my existence it never healed. I tried my best to not to show it to Grave but it slipped through cracks. She knew I never loved her, fir my heart always had belong to that girl I fall in love with when I saw her in the field of the winter lilies.

I loved your birth mother lily more than my life. But she gotten snatched away from me. She wasn't just some regular fling I had; she was the woman I thought I would be with forever. But fate never was on my side. I even made her a crown and a ring. But she never got to put them on. 

Silly me, I thought being a King of country will grant me power to make the woman I love happy. It took her away from me. Then, when she called me and said she was pregnant with you, I thought maybe I can take her here, watch you grow in front of my eyes.

But she was a proud woman most proud I have met ever. She didn't accept that, she said, I had a family now, a wife and I should be faithful to her. But my heart was only ever so faithful to her. I am not ashamed to admit that, I was in love with her till my last breath. 

Son, I never was brave, I never known bravery, If I was brave, I would have accepted Nathanial's offer and changed the law so that later no one have to suffer my fate. I wish I was brave enough to announce who you truly were, to give the respect to your mother, that she needed to have.

I never did resent you son, I was just so afraid to make mistakes with you, and to lose you. The only thing I had of her. And as you grew up I failed to became the father that you wanted to have. I am ashamed that the fear of losing the only thing I ever loved, actually made me lose it. It made me lose you. 

Son, if you someday find love, and if she is worth fighting for, you must remember your duty is to your heart, without it you cannot become a ruler. You can never let go of it. Do not make the mistake I did.

And in your heart, I hope you have place to forgive me in that heart of yours which always was filled with so much hope and so much dreams.

Love

Father

P.S. The key is for a treasure so dear to mine. When you find the one who owns your heart, I want you to open the chest and take them out.

Callahan was moved. So, his father did love his mother. He is very much amused to find how similar both their situations were. He looked up from his letter and Avni was there. "When I thought carriage, I thought you are talking about horse power not horses. But here you surprised me again my not so charming Prince." He kept the letter and key inside the box it came in originally. 

And placed it inside the carriage. "Here let me help you up Princess." He said holding his hand for her to take. "Shall I bow or say thank you to you your royal highness?" she asked. "No need my queen, you know you do not have to do any of that in front of me ever don't you?" Avni wasn't thinking about him at all.

 As the Carriage raced towards its destination his father's words graced in his mind. The letter cannot be a fake, since it had a stamp no one knew other than him that he ever used. It is a lily, he always thought it was because It was national flower but now, he knew it was because of his birth mother. It was his way of honouring her. But now he knows that he isn't the only one Philip's father was too in that, he was a part of royal family, a distant cousin. 

Philip never told him that. But now in his father's letter it was all clear to him. The church gates came in and he walked inside carrying the little case in his hand. He handed it later to Philip as Avni joined her friends. One of whom had a smug look on his face. He remembered those words Avi told him.

 He will make his move and Callahan would not be able to do anything about it. Even after last night, he knew he cannot do anything about it. He cannot be selfish and tell Avni to go through it, tell her to wait for him, for it will be extremely unfair and unjustified to her. He cannot take her happiness away. But how can he see her with someone else?

He was told to take his position on the end of the church upon the raised platform. And Philip was by his side as his best man. But he was still praying to have a miracle for himself. Still praying for a chance, he wanted something to happen, anything that would stop this wedding. Anything that can stop this from happening. 

He was not ready to part with her. But as the ministers and the other council men arrived and took their seats, his all the hopes of having her for himself had diminished. He watched as the father took his place. But he cannot find Serafina and his friends anywhere and he now cannot see Avni's friends Nandita and Shalini anywhere. 

Also, it was a hug achievement for him that he didn't confused them as he was very poor with remembering the names correctly. A trait he certainly inherited from his father. The bridal march had started and first came in the bridesmaids and then entered Avni. He didn't even notice anyone else in the entire room as she walked towards him just as he always imagined too. She brightened the entire room with her beauty alone.

 Everyone somehow forgotten that she wasn't the bride. Roxanne kept her promise she looked beautiful than the bride herself. And everyone can see that very well. Everyone can see how incredible she looked. She took her place beside the bride and Miss Atwood handed her flowers to her. Callahan was looking at Avni as the ceremony progressed. 

His hands were itching to pull her closer and marry her in this entire setup. When came the part of objecting to the marriage no one did objected. No one dare say a word. And the ceremony proceeded as planned. Margret looked at everyone until her eyes met with satisfied face of her father. She held the same expression as him. 

Finally, after all these years of waiting, their plans are finally going to work out after all. "Do you Margret Atwood take King Callahan William Henry Northwood the third to be your lawfully wedded husband." He asked Margret. "I do" she said without any hesitation in her voice. "Do you King Callahan, take Lady Margret Catiline Atwood to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Callahan looked at Avni, and the sadness in her eyes. 

Everyone was silent. Everyone was looking at him. And he saw his mother holding the same sad expression. Only two people in the crowd who knew what the situation was looked happy, one was Louie, and other was Avi. Avi's smiled seem to broaden. And Callahan's heart sunk. If none of his family was happy, if he himself wasn't happy, then how can he even go through this marriage? If he cannot have his heart with him, how can he not follow the duty to his heart? 

"King Callahan? All are waiting for your answer." He looked at Louie and then Margret whose looks says "Say I do or you know what will happen" And then he looked at Avi again who held a challenge on his face that said "Say I do and see what happens next" Callahan didn't like being forced ever for anything but right now he was and he didn't wanted that for himself. 

"I cannot" he said whispering.

"Excuse me? Can you say alittle louder Your highness? We cannot hear you." He looked at Avni who waslooking at him worriedly. "I said I cannot. I cannot marry Margret; I cannottake her as a bride when my heart loves another." Margret was livid. 

"What areyou saying Callahan? You cannot just say you will marry me; you will not haveyour throne; do you not love it?" She questioned. "Not as much as I love myPrincess. I love Avni, and there is nothing I loved more than her. And I wouldlike to marry her on this altar right here, right now. If father can do that."He said. 

Word Count: 1697 Words