Can We Get On? (Ineffable Husbands 2 Week 2021)

/4/ Grief Can Be As Heavy As The Crown (3,000 Words)

"Your mother has barely been laid to rest and you're already trying to replace her? Have you no shame?!" Had it been any other servant, she would've certainly had her tongue cut off. But seeing as she practically raised the two princes alongside the king and queen and was a very close friend to them, neither Gabriel nor Michael took it as a disrespectful act.

The eldest prince simply shook his head. "It isn't like that, Tracy."

"Really, Gabriel? Then tell me what it is like."

"Mother's passing is horrible, and we are saddened by it. The problem is Father is being too... fragile about it."

The short cook only seemed to get angrier as the conversation went on. She was regretting barging into the study. "So, he isn't allowed to mourn his wife?!"

"He can mourn her all he needs to, in private."

"The real issue is other kingdoms will see him as weak and try to take advantage of him. Hence why having him marry Anthony Crowley might be favorable." Added Michael.

Gabriel scoffed. "More than favorable. It's a must."

"Think of your poor father's heart!" She begged, though, they clearly weren't budging on their plan.

Michael placed a hand on Tracy's shoulder. "His heart will heal, Tracy. Right now, it's more important to ensure the kingdom's balance for the immediate future."

"You two better hope this doesn't result in the same way your grandmother went." She said, storming out of the study.

The princes remained silent immediately after the door slammed shut. Obviously, they were internalizing her final words. Not wanting any delays on their plans, Gabriel turned to his younger brother. "Write the request to King Beelzebub. We'll take the widower prince off his hands to keep the arrangement afloat." With a simple nod, Michael sat on the nearby desk and began writing.

~~~~~

Just as she had with Gabriel and Michael in the study, Tracy barged into Aziraphale's bedroom. The only reason she could do this was because the guards knew she was practically family. She started ranting about what she had heard, all while Aziraphale was trying to wrap his head around what she had dealt with.

"Tracy, dear, calm down." Said the king, reaching for her.

She obliged a bit, finally sitting at the edge of the bed, but still vibrating with anger. "How can I calm down?! I know what Frances meant to you! How can your children be so cruel to you?!"

The chubby monarch's face fell. "...They are doing as I told them."

"That's a lie, Aziraphale. I don't believe you'd ever marry anyone else again. Not after the way you loved her." She said, her voice finally lowered, seeing how he was hurting.

"Well, perhaps I didn't tell them to marry me off. But I did tell both Gabriel and Michael to do what is best for the kingdom. Especially because I knew how terribly my wife's passing would effect me. You saw how badly I reacted when my mother died..." He said, voice wavering and tears threatening to fall.

"Oh, dearie... Fran did so much for you when that happened." She said softly as she hugged him, realizing why he had told his children to take charge and why they were reacting this way.

Mourning broke his heart last time he had to endure it, but he had someone to help him through it, as well as help with his royal duties.  Now said duties fall upon the two princes, who had intentionally grown emotionally cold and distant to avoid the same heartache as their father. Their grandmother had died of a broken heart, their father might have, if it hadn't been for Frances, but now she was gone too. It was a lot for the king and he knew he couldn't do it alone. He couldn't ask that of Tracy, she had work duties and a husband after all. So he would not stop his sons and their plan, all while hoping his next spouse would be patient with him and his feelings. Perhaps even understanding.