To Wear The Crown

17

"Leaving already?" Mrs Henderson comments as she spots Charlie walk past the kitchen.

"Ah, yes. I'll be back tomorrow morning though." Charlie sees Mrs Henderson kneed a ball of dough, which he presumes she's preparing the bread for tomorrow so it can rest overnight.

Mrs Henderson pats her hands on her apron to remove excess flour. "Are you coming for breakfast?" She asks more like a statement that Charlie will be having breakfast at their house whether he wants to, or not.

"As long as it's you and not your husband making it, I think I will come and join you." Charlie jokes.

The last and only time Mr Henderson was allowed to cook was when someone dropped off a book about baking bread and cakes at his store, and since Mrs Henderson's birthday was coming up, he thought he'd have a go. It was all going fine until a burning log fell out of the oven and almost set the terrace of houses up in flames. Luckily, he had some leftover water from the well and managed to use it to put out the fire.

Mrs Henderson clicks her tongue at Charlie's remark. "Don't worry, honey. I'll be the one making breakfast for you. Anyway, come here I want a goodbye hug. I barely see you nowadays with how busy you are in the castle."

After a quick hug with Mrs Henderson, Charlie makes his way back out into the dingy streets.

On his way home, Charlie thinks about how Oliver must be sleeping already and how happy he will be when he wakes up to find Charlie there. Oliver will most likely jump onto Charlie and cling to his side until Charlie needs to leave. Charlie does go home fairly regularly, it's just that by being the prince's servant he has to stay by the prince more often. Even if his sister, Tori, doesn't admit it, Charlie knows she misses him too. If the queen had a daughter instead of a son, Tori would be working in the castle as the princess's servant. Charlie wasn't the first option to be the prince's servant because at the time he wasn't born yet. It wasn't until later that when Charlie was born that the king asked Jane if she was okay with her son becoming a servant for the prince. The king was comfortable with Charlie because he had seen how Jane was with the queen, and knew he could trust the Spring Family. Tori is in her final year of education, having decided to stay because she is unsure of what she wants to do and isn't too keen on starting a job she doesn't enjoy.

Charlie is calmly walking home— a slight skip in his step— until he hears another pair of footsteps on the stone path behind him. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and the air around him cools. Leaving in such a hurry and being distracted by Ben left Charlie without a coat. Trying to act unsuspicious to the unknown individual, Charlie vaguely picks up the pace— his home isn't that far away but he would like to make it there alive and unharmed. Focusing on the road behind his ears listen to the tapping of the others' heels. It's obvious that their soles are not soft leather, but rather hard leather which signifies the person is someone of wealth. Knowing it's someone of wealth and being in the Orange district should calm Charlie's nerves, but a voice in the back of his head is telling him to be cautious.

Turning the corner, Charlie hopes that the individual goes in a different direction and he's just being paranoid. Nope, big nope. The individual isn't only following Charlie, but also starts to walk faster. Hearing the individual close in on him, Charlie holds his arms across his chest and sets off on a sight jog— two more streets, and he's home, safe and sound. Charlie can feel his heart beating against his rib cage, adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream as his brain imagines multiple scenarios where Charlie is attacked, if not killed. With Charlie almost running away, the other increases their pace until they're practically right behind Charlie. Filled with fear, Charlie finally turns around and runs to see the face of his attacker. At the same time, his foot catches on one of the stones. Falling to the ground Charlie's life flashes before his eyes as he anticipates the feeling of landing on the rough, cold, cobblestone paths. Though it never comes. There is no pain shooting up his spine through his nervous system. Instead, a pair of arms around Charlie's torso and hold him steady above the ground. "I'm not complaining, but I think you need to fix your habit of falling for me." The thought-to-be 'dangerous attacker' speaks with a cheeky grin plastered on his face.