A New Legacy

Chapter VIII: All Alone

Seven years into William's reign

Last year Alix, Mummy and Edward moved out, Mummy went to Uncle Willy's court and Alix and Edward moved to Arthur's court. I don't need them here, they only get in my way. The court has somewhat avoided me, but I am king. Today I hold a councillor meeting, to attempt to unite the realm.

I stand firm as maids wipe dust off of me, " Your Royal Majesty, the council is ready to meet", John says softly after bowing. I nod in agreement and step down from the stool.  A servant gets on the floor and shines my shoes. I swipe my shoe away, " That is enough", I say as I walk down the hall with John.

" Brother, are you okay?", John asks. I raise my eyebrows, " You refer to me as Your Royal Majesty, nothing else", I say firmly. John nods, " Are you okay Your Royal Majesty?". No, I'm not. I nod, " Yes I'm fine". We walk down the stairs and out the backdoor. " I'm worried for you sire", John says as we walk up the path and into the abbey.

" You shouldn't be, mind your fucking place", I whisper as we walk into court. Bjorn, Stephen, James, Abel, Sigrid, Kane and Matilda sit at the long table. They rise and swiftly bow and curtsey. A pale man stands by the window, Cormac Kelly. " Hello everyone, thank you for coming to the official council meeting", I say as everyone quickly sits down.

I take a drink of wine and shoot a glance towards Cormac, he looks away. I stare at everyone" The state of this Kingdom should always be up to my expectations, what is like, you start Stephen". " Yes, of course my liege, the clerical side of this Kingdom is well, we have had fine discussions with Pope Louis, as you know your father, His Royal Majesty, was Prince of Rome, relations cannot be better", Stephen presents.

This is good, it is important that we are seen favorably in the eyes of our Lord. " Good, James, as Royal Ambassador to Scotland, tell me of the affairs there", I say firmly. James clears his throat and grasps his hands, " All is well, cities and castles are thriving. We are incredibly happy up north". James chuckles, I raise my eyebrows, James quickly wipes his face clean of a smile. " Kane, how are things going in Morganwgg?", I ask.

" Well sire, Morganwgg has never been stronger", Kane answers. " Good, Matilda, how are things in Powys?", I ask. Kane and Matilda have always been close with me, Kane was Father's first cousin. " Good sir, I think I speak for us all, we are happy", Matilda says with a smile. I stare at Cormac, " And Ambassador Kelly, how are the Irish people and Mayors?".

" Excellent my liege. Us Irish are very happy", Cormac says with a frown. Something is wrong with Cormac, I can just tell. " Okay, thank you all for meeting with me, any questions?", I ask. " Yes, when did you become such an arse?", Cormac asks as he stares into my eyes. Silence fills the room, not one chair squeaks. " How dare you disrespect me in such a manner, I have to have a word with you", I say angrily. Cormac and I stand up and walk into the grand hall.

" Who do you think you are, showing up in such a manner, and disrespecting me?", I scream at the top of my lungs. " What happened to the William we all loved?", Cormac shoots back. I don't know. I stay silent as fear swells at the back of my throat. " What are you afraid of?", Cormac screams. Tears fill my eyes, " My Legacy", I blurt out.

Tears stream down my face, " I'll forever be known as the sodomite king, the king that couldn't fight a war, the king that everyone saw as less than", I blurt out in pain. " The king that failed to follow up Morgan the Great of Wales, Ireland and Scotland. I am a failure, to me, to my dynasty, and to everyone in that room", I continue on. A weight is lifted from my shoulder, for the first time, in a long time, I can finally breathe.

Cormac holds me tight, " You're so much more than that Will. We love you, just the way you are. You are not Morgan, and that's okay. We can't all be perfect, I'm not, Morgan was not, and neither are you", Cormac says as he stares into my eyes. I've been a fool, a jester that everyone laughs at, and takes pity on. I've driven away the only people I love, for my own ego.

" We love you Will, and I love you", Cormac says as we hold each other tightly. My heart smoulders, " I'm so sorry", I say as I cry into Cormac's shoulder. " It's okay, we all make mistakes", Cormac says soothingly, he rubs my back gently. " I've been horrible to you all", I cry. " You can still fix it Will, quit smoking and drinking", Cormac says. I don't want to be a mess, I want my family back, I want my friends back.

Cormac releases me, " I will". I reach into my pocket and present my pipe, I throw it on the ground and stomp on it. Cormac smiles and nods, I nod and wipe my tears. " Go fix it", Cormac says. I fix my hair, " Yes". I walk back into the court with Cormac by my side.

Everyone rises, they curtsey and bow. I sit down, " I'm sorry everyone, I've been such a mess. A fucking disgraceful mess", I say with my voice trembling. Be strong. John grabs my hand, " It's okay brother, we understand you and your issues. We want to help you through the process". " Thank you all. You are my best friends, and my family", I say after wiping a tear.

" I love you cousin, be strong", Kane says as he rubs my back. " You are our King brother, no one is perfect. Be you", James says softly. I smile, for the first time, in a long time.