IV. The Impact of Her

~ Eighteen ~

'My brain has muffled my tutor's voice. It felt like I was stuck in my study for a few hours.

'This scene was familiar.

'I was in my younger days. A little boy, so carefree. Expectations were not made known yet. I could only wonder which memory this was.

'Our lesson was disturbed by a knock on the door.

'My tutor turned to the door and answered, "Enter."

'The door opened and the king's guards entered, along with His Majesty's page.

'The page bowed. "I bring a message from His Majesty, King James," he announced.

'My tutor and I quickly knelt as the page opened a scroll.

'The page then read, "I, His Royal Majesty, King James of Western Wind have written this message as a birthday greeting for my son, Prince Robert."

'Ah, now I finally realised which memory this was.

'As with every other birthday that I had, James never showed up. His greetings were always delivered in the form of a formal message. And as the page continued with the message, my young heart could only break in silence.

'Was it that difficult to greet your child in person?

'My attention was called when the page said, "As a consolidation for my absence, I have sent a chest. It is filled with toys, clothes and other treasures that the prince may find to his liking. Your father, king."

'My brows furrowed as I watched the scene unfold.

'This wasn't how I remembered my birthdays.

'I couldn't recall a birthday where James presented a gift.

'Could this be some sort of forgotten memory? Or was my mind simply playing tricks on me?

'Two more guards carried a small wooden chest as they entered. My tutor and I stood as we were bewildered at how heavy the chest looked.

'The younger me approached the chest and the page said, "His Majesty also required that the prince open the chest as soon as it is presented to him."

'A guard knelt beside me and removed the lock.

'I lifted the top and the younger me couldn't believe what was in front of me. A variation of toys, clothes, and a bit of gold. And I seemed to be pleased with his gift.

'But, it was evident in my eyes that I wished for something else. And I could only guess that it was James.

'The page stood beside me eagerly and asked, "Do you like your gifts, young prince?"

'My younger self nodded and explained, "Father has always been gracious. As much as I appreciate everything that Father has put inside it, it doesn't have the one thing that I truly want."

'I froze. I called James "Father" in this scenario?? I don't remember that ever happening.

'The page asked, "Is that so?"

'One of the guards asked, "What is it that you truly want for your birthday, Your Highness?"

'Nervous, my younger self played with his fingers. "I would like to see Father," he replied after a deep breath.

'The page then knelt beside the child. "Why don't you tell him yourself?" he grinned as he pointed at the guard who removed the lock.

'The guard removed his helmet and a fake beard. It was James!

'My tiny self rushed to him. James immediately carried me and twirled me up in the air.

'I was more confused than before. This was not how I remembered everything. James never showed himself during my birthdays.

'With a smile, James carried my younger self and asked, "Did you really think that I will forget your special day?"

'My younger self nodded.

'After a light tap on my nose, James said, "I will never do that to you. Now, how about a birthday feast for my son?"

'Everybody cheered. James, with my younger self in his arms, led the way to the dining hall.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

I slowly awakened to a light knock on my door.

I looked around my surroundings, confused. The sun was still asleep. This was an odd hour for someone to be awake.

I grabbed the dagger hidden under my pillow. "Who is it?" I answered.

"It is me, Your Highness," my page replied.

I sighed out of relief. "You may enter," I said as I put away the dagger.

My page slowly opened the door and entered. With a small lantern in his hand, he sprinted towards me. He was still in his nightgown and there was dried drool on the corner of his mouth.

"My apologies, Your Highness. But Their Majesties sent me here to wake you," my page struggled to speak.

My brows furrowed. "Why? Is there a problem?" I asked.

"Queen Marta is here."

I jumped out of my bed and grabbed my pants. Why was Queen Marta here? Couldn't she arrive for daylight?

~*~*~*~

When I entered the acceptance hall, the three monarchs were already speaking to one another.

"Good morning to you, young prince," Queen Marta greeted me as they stood.

'Morning?! The moon was still awake! That was how early it was right now?!' I thought to myself.

"Good morning, Your Majesties," I bowed to them.

"Please forgive us if we woke you this early, son," Mother said as I got closer to them," But there is something that you must know," she continued as she accepted my kiss on her cheek.

"There is no need to apologise, Mother," I smiled. I turned to James and offered my hand for a shake, "Good morning, Your Majesty."

Glady, James took it and we shook hands. "Have a seat, Robert," he said as he pointed to the chair beside him.

I nodded and proceeded to sit down.

"I will not dilly-dally anymore," Queen Marta started as we all sat down. James and I sat across from her and Mother. She continued, "What I carry is such devastating news. However, unexpected situations happen and this is the only solution that I can make."

My brows were knitted together once again. Queen Marta seemed to be extremely troubled as she spoke. It looked as if she hadn't slept in a while.

"What seems to be the problem, Your Majesty?" I asked as I leaned forward.

Queen Marta sighed and paused for a moment. "The royal wedding is to be postponed until further notice."