IV. The Impact of Her

~ Eight ~

We all turned to Mother, surprised.

Mother walked over to me with a triumphant smile. She continued, "I will approve of your request, dear one. I believe that you are doing what should be done."

"Amelia!" James shouted before he walked towards her. "What do you think you are doing?" he growled as he towered over her to intimidate her.

"As I recall, the very reason why my parents agreed to marry us is because of your promise to share the same amount of power with me," Mother smirked. "That only means that I have the right to make my own decisions for our children."

James turned Mother to face him directly. "I honoured that before as your parents were still alive. Ever since they were buried, that agreement has no power."

"As long as I live, my parents' agreement with you will hold its power," Mother replied. "You should know that I have the ability to summon people from the dead. Should we discuss this with them instead?" she threatened.

Mother was supposed to look at me, only to be stopped by James once again. He grabbed her by the wrist and turned her back to him "Why are you doing this? Why are you making a decision on your own?" he asked one question after the other. "Disobeying a king's order is treason and you know that."

Mother grinned smugly as she removed James' hand. "If that is a threat, then I am not afraid," she answered before she looked at me. She continued, "I shall be the one to approve of Robert's request. As a mother and as a queen, I deserve to make these kinds of decisions."

"But, Your Majesty–"

With one swift motion of her hand, Mother threw Gonzalo off of his feet. A humongous aura of wind came out of her hand, enough to throw Gonzalo to the wall.

"You have been too meddlesome today, Gonzalo," Mother gritted. "And frankly, I hate it when people do that." She turned around and looked back at James. She continued, "Make a decision, James. Either you agree with this... or we can discuss this in a different manner."

James took a good look at the three of us as he thought about his decision. He kept returning to Mother as he was still shocked by her actions. Even I was taken by surprise because Mother had always taken his side when it came to decision-making.

Once James disagreed on something, Mother could only keep her silence.

Perhaps Mother has grown tired of always fearing James' wrath. Now, she finally decided to step up.

James looked around - even to where Gonzalo was - as he was unable to decide. For once, he was outnumbered. And before we knew it, James sighed in defeat.

"Very well," James said as he raised his head, "I agree to Robert's proposal."

Elizabeth could not contain her excitement. She immediately jumped and ran to my side and whispered, "Congratulations."

I thought it was a sure victory for us until James continued, "But, only on one condition."

Elizabeth and I became baffled. Mother, on the other hand, did not flinch. She remained calm, still in her proper posture.

James walked past Mother as he came closer to me. He then continued, "If I agree to this proposal of yours, you must swear that after we rescue this mortal, you are to forget her and never see her again."

"James!" Mother protested right away as she rushed over to us.

"James, what you are asking for is not fair!" Elizabeth argued. "All Robert wants is to rescue someone that is important to him. Do you have to do this to him?!"

"As king, Robert must learn that not everything that he wants comes easily. Everything has its price," James explained. He moved closer to me and added, "I will give you my assistance if you agree to my condition as well."

James had a conniving smile on his face. He knew that at this point, I would be forced to work with any sort of available resources for me. At the same time, he was also using my emotions to his advantage.

And this was the sort of person who wanted to be a father to me? To Elizabeth? He couldn't even show a bit of compassion towards me right now. All James cared about right now was the reputation of the monarchy and that damned alliance with Middle Earth!

Once again, James has proven that duty came first before family.

Mother grabbed onto my arm, which caused me to turn to her. "You don't have to agree with his condition, Robert. I can still help you," she said.

James chuckled at Mother's opinion. "If he does not agree, I will make a royal decree that none of the royal guards can help you," James continued as he stared at me smugly. He added, "I will also have you imprisoned as a traitor."

Mother ignored James's threats and continued to persuade me. "You don't have to worry about reinforcements, son. I know a place that can help us. Just, do not agree to what James wants."

"Make your decision now, Robert," James pressed on. "I still have to return to the gathering."

"All right. I agree with your condition," I replied as I didn't want to waste more time on this argument. To bargain with him was a nightmare. He would never let me win. "All I need is your approval and assistance. She is in peril."

James nodded with a proud smile, obviously happy with himself. "Excellent. I will just need to finish one final conversation with the elders. Once we return home, we will discuss our plans to rescue your... beloved," James replied, with his last word filled with disgust. He bowed to us to excuse himself and headed for the door.

"James," I called out, which brought him into a halt. He turned around and I continued, "Know this: after this mission, once my marriage to Princess Lorain is accomplished, I will formally denounce you as my father."