Catching the Princess (Gregory Bridgerton)

A Fathers Love

  Gregory's father died when he was 2 leaving him with only the stories he's been told. While he wishes he had more time with his father he doesn't miss him because well he doesn't remember him and how could you miss someone whom you do not know?

  Cathrine's father while still alive is mostly mad, always stuck between the heavens and the earth. Though Cathrine does still spend time with him as much as she's able he's not here much for her to actually spend time with him.

  Two young people wishing for their fathers to be there yet unable to feel the fatherly love that they so desperately crave. Two young people who constantly seek that elsewhere but are yet to find it. Two young people that will find the love that they need within each other.

  Gregory knocks before entering his brother's study. "Anthony?" "Yes, what is it Gregory?" "Will you tell me more about dad?" He's hesitant to ask, knowing that everyone gets kind of weird when Edmunds mentioned yet still he wants to know of his father. He deserves to know of him.

  Anthony gets a far off look in his eye before a small smile graces his lips. "Of course, what do you want to know?" 

  Meanwhile Cathrine knocks on the door to the king's bedchambers, entering when a noise of acknowledgment is made. "Father? Are you here?" While the question at face value is asking if he is in fact in the room, in reality Cathrine uses it to gather whether or not he is on earth rather than stuck in the heavens.

  "Why my darling Cathrine is that you?" Cathrine smiles as she realizes that today is a good day. That she may actually spend time with the father that she so enjoys the company of. "Yes it is in fact."

  She steps into the room with a wide smile to see King George sitting on his bed writing in a notebook. "May I sit?" She asks, trying to contain her excitement. "Of course sweetheart you're always welcome wherever I am."

  Cathrine sits next to her father looking at the notebook he's just sat down. "What are you writing in that little book of yours now?" "I, my dear, am telling the story of how I first met your mother, my darling Lottie." George has a far off look in his eye as though replaying a memory he wishes to never forget.

  "Tell it to me?" Cathrine asks grinning ear to ear. "Why I've already told it to you about a hundred times, besides can't you just read it when the book is finished?" George muses, a grin matching his daughters etched onto his face. "Well I could but I much prefer hearing you tell it in person."

  Cathrine lays back, flat on the king's bed as she pats the spot beside her. "Tell me again Dad, please?" Giving him a puppy dog eyed look that he always caves to she asks one more time, knowing he'll fold. He always does.

  "Anything for you my dear." He pats her head before lying with her looking up at the canopy above them. "The story starts on our wedding day, I had went outside for some fresh air my head positively in a frenzy when I saw the most magnificent girl I'd ever laid eyes upon trying to climb the garden wall-"

  Cathrine so loves her father's good days. He is the most loving person she knows and quite the story teller might I add. Unfortunately however his good days are few and far between so she doesn't get to experience that love much.

  Luckily for her that book that he so loves to write in on those good days will go to her once it's finished, it's one in which she asked him to write years ago.

  Flash back, 4 years ago, Cathrine age 11

  "Father?" Cathrine knocks on her dad's door just knowing that today was a good day. She could simply feel it in her soul. "Yes my darling Cathrine, please do come in!" Cathrine's smile widens as the young girl speeds in hopping onto the bed next to her dad.

  "What can I do for you, love?" Her father asks, wrapping an arm around her and messing up her hair. "Dad, I've just had the most wonderful idea in the world. I think you'll positively love it!" She says snuggling into his side. "And what pray tell is that my dear?"

  "Well you know how you always say you wish you had more time to teach me all of the things you know?" She starts, a grin forming from ear to ear. "Do I say that?" George brings a hand to his chin as if pondering. "Why of course I do go on my darling daughter."

  His smile widens, matching that of his daughters. "Well I was thinking, and it is just a thought but what if you wrote it all down. All of the most important things that you want me to know!" Her smile turns slightly sheepish now, as she starts to fiddle with her fingers a nasty little nervous habit.

  "Why that is a most extraordinary idea my darling. Please tell me how on ever you do come up with these ideas of yours." "Well I dunno I'm just smart I suppose." Cathrine's grin returns in full swing as she moves to give her dad a real hug. One full of excitement and energy. "That you are my dear, you get it from your mother." He kisses the top of her head holding her back just as enthusiastically.

  Cathrine's smiles and the king moves to get a large leather notebook from his side table. "Do you think this will do?" He asks his beloved youngest daughter. She nods her head excitedly. "Yes I think it will do quite nicely in fact."

  End flashback

  That's one of Cathrine's fondest memories with her father. Most certainly her favorite she has of him. Now four years after the notebook's origin and it is almost full, only a couple handfuls of pages left to write on. It would have more in it but as stated before the king's good days are few, if not a rare jewel for Cathrine to enjoy.

  Cathrine and her dad lay there together as he tells his favorite story, the one that started everything he holds most dear.

  Gregory however sits at Anthony's desk with him, a much more chaotic yet arguably just as romantic story being told.

  "Did he really almost fall off of the roof trying to pick an apple from a tree for mom?" Gregory laughs, a huge smile on his face. "Yes he did, I will admit it was quite the sight to behold." Violet says entering the room with a small grin.

  She had been lurking outside the door for quite some time, listening to her sons speak of her beloved late husband. She stood there quieting her laughs so as to not be caught. Within this time she realized that perhaps she has not shared enough story's of Edmund with her two youngest children, as she deemed them much too painful to talk about.

  But perhaps, she thought, that was not fair to them as they did not get to know him as her other children did. As she herself had the privilege of knowing him.

  "Has Anthony yet told you of the time Edmund lost you for almost an hour when you were only about a year old?" She asks Gregory to which he nods his head, a shocked look on his features as he looks between the two.

  Violet simply smiles at him before pulling up a chair and sitting down with the two boys, her oldest and youngest sons. "Well then please allow me to do the honors, now that is quite the story."

  Both Gregory and Cathrine love their fathers dearly, however their favorite things about them are their stories. You simply cannot beat a father's story's.

  While the two friends did not see eachother today, rest assured that tomorrow when they meet again they will be telling each other all about the story's they learned while apart. In doing so they will find that they have much more in common than originally thought, but in turn many more differences.

(Authors note)
Chapter four done! ✅

Alright so what'd we think of the flashback? Cause personally I ate it up. 🤭

Also if this book isn't very historically accurate just ignore it, I think I already warned ya it wouldn't be but I can't remember 🤦‍♀️ so I'm warning you again.

Last thing and I'll let yall go if you wanna be a real one I have another story yall can check out but fair warning its drastically different than this one so ion know 👀 but it's there if you wanna read it (it's not done either fyi😬).

All that being said hope yall enjoyed this chapter, and until next time toodles 💋