The Royal Heir - Dancing with my eyes closed

Ashes

*Two months later*

First, I hear her soft breathing, in sync with my own, but unmistakably hers. Then, I feel her breath on my neck, awakening my senses like nobody else could. Her arms wrap around me and her feet brush against my ankles. I relax into the comfortable bed I'm lying in with her, feeling the familiar rush of euphoria as she whispers in my ear.

"I'm always with you, babe."

I make sure to keep my eyes tightly shut, but I embrace her just as ardently, pulling her in tightly against my naked body as we begin our dance between the sheets. She's in charge this morning it seems, her hands are on my shoulders, pinning me down; as if I'm going anywhere right now.

She soon lowers herself onto me, emitting a little gasp as we connect. Then I sit up to meet her, to find her lips to silence her moans and my own. We move like that, sharing a heavenly, almost other worldly connection. It feels warm, it feels good, it feels familiar.

Oh god, it feels too good. I'm gonna...

And as I do just that, there's a loud knock on the bedroom door.

I jolt into reality, my eyes opening. Great. Just great. I'm covered in my own spunk, lying alone in a bed which is surrounded by corgis, and all four of them are staring at me in disappointment. Awkward.

And that incessant knocking on the door continues. "Your Grace, are you awake?"

I get a horrible sinking feeling as I remember what's happening this morning.

"Give me five, Chris," I groan.

"Very well, Your Grace."

I hear him go away, and I sigh. What a pathetic, miserable existence I lead at the moment.

My head lolls to the right, and I see her, sitting all pretty in her urn. I chose a bright orange one, it reminded me of her phoenix dress. Seemed fitting.

"Well, little blossom," I sigh. "Today's the day that you blow into the breeze. I can't keep you here by my bedside forever. You've got better places to be."

Fighting back tears, I take a few deep breaths, then I get up and stumble to the bathroom to clean myself up. The corgis follow me, and are all rewarded for their efforts with an oooch once I'm decent and feeling slightly more human. They haven't been the same since their momma's been gone either. It's like they know. They stay close to me most of the time and look at me with big hangdog eyes.

I stick my robe on, and prepare for Chris's return. Sure enough, exactly five minutes later, he knocks again.

"Yup. Come in."

Christopher bustles into the room, and all the corgis rush past him, knowing they might get breakfast if they do. "Good morning, Your Grace."

It isn't a good morning, but life goes on, I guess. "Yeah. Morning."

"Can I get you anything?"

Uh, how about a time machine? To go back in time two months, to when Jen was still here? A year, to when we were just married, and just happy? Two years, even? That way I'd be totally ignorant that she ever existed, which might be slightly preferable to the daily agony of remembering how amazing she was and that I'm never going to see her again.

"No, that's okay, Chris," I eventually answer. "Thanks."

"Very well. It's my duty to remind you that today is the day you have arranged for the scattering of Her Grace's ashes."

I look at Jen in the urn again. I still don't feel quite ready to let her go yet, but I know I've got to.

"As such, your guests will be arriving in one hour."