Crown

01. Holy Grail

Holy Grail
Chapter One

August 11, 2018

New York. Known as the concrete jungle where dreams are made, but also the place where dreams come to die. So many people made the journey to New York City in hopes of flourishing, but it was something about New York that wasn't fond of outsiders thriving. Sirens could be heard day in and day night. The hustle and bustle of the city never stopped.

Not even for the fallen.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter took a moment to look outside of the window of her home. While she felt gloomy on the inside, it was clear that the bright sun had no care in the world. She watched as children played outside oblivious to the things around them. Adults were outside either monitoring or just doing their own thing. But, inside her residence told a different story.

It was quiet.

She had worked hard these last few years for this peace and quiet. She'd done unspeakable things for this quiet. Releasing a deep breath, Beyoncé stepped away from the window and stalked back into the bathroom. She had to finish getting dressed for today's events or she would be late. Well, in her case, later than what she had already planned to be.

"Mommy," Sutton called out from the living room.

"Yes?" Beyoncé asked the four year old as she fixed her brown curly hair in the mirror. Sutton entered the spacious bedroom donning normal play clothes.

Thankfully, Beyoncé was able to keep her at home a lot. She had a support system outside of her family that made sure that Sutton was taken care of. They had specific instructions that no one else was privy to.

"Where are you going?"

Beyoncé looked at her daughter for a moment. For a four year old, Sutton was highly intelligent. Growing up, Beyoncé didn't use all of that baby talk with her. She communicated with her child like a normal person, and because of that, Sutton had a larger vocabulary than children her age.

"Well, Mommy is going to a funeral."

"A funeral? Because your friend died, right?"

Momentarily thinking of her friend, Beyoncé gave a soft smile before nodding her head. "Yeah." Sutton took a seat at the edge of her mother's king sized bed. She asked her if she were sad about her friend's passing. It wasn't a question that Bey expected from a child. Hell, no one had even thought to ask her of her feelings.

Taking in the moment, Bey went and sat next to Sutton. "Mommy isn't sad to the point of crying. It is sad that my friend is no longer here, but I'll be okay."

Sutton smiled. "I wish I got to meet your friend."

Damn. The little moments that Sutton and her friend did have flooded her mind. She wasn't shocked that Sutton had forgotten ever meeting them. She was younger and that friend wasn't in her life anymore.

"Hey Bey, your driver is here." Serena entered the room with a smile on her face, as she always did. Serena had several roles in Beyoncé's life. She was a security guard, nanny, and friend. However, Bey always made it clear that Sutton was her number one priority. If there was ever a situation where she had to choose between Bey and Sutton, she would choose Sutton. Always.

"Thank you," Bey replied. She looked down to Sutton. "Well, kiddo, Mommy has to go. I may be home a little bit late, but if it's not too late, we can probably watch that movie you wanted?"

Sutton nodded her head, planted a kiss on her mother's cheek, and stalked off to her playroom. Left alone, Beyoncé took a final look at herself in the mirror. It had been such a long time time since she had to channel her old self, but today was necessary.