Desire (On Hold)

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The woeful music was the thing I noticed before anything else. My heart felt heavy in my chest as I realised this must be Arthur’s funeral.

Different varieties of flowers were coating everywhere: the floor, the seats and the coffin. Everything was lavish in honour of the man who would have become England’s king if he hadn’t have died.

I bent closer to some people chatting in a pew close to me, wondering what the public and even Arthur’s family apart from Henry and Asteria were told about the young man’s death. How did they all think he died?

“Isn’t it strange,” exclaimed a young lady, raising her manicured eyebrows, “that nobody knows how the you prince died? Don’t you think there is something odd about all that?”

Her friend puckered her lips, thinking for a moment before shaking her head delicately. “No,” she answered. I could see her eyes tearing up with sadness, but her voice didn’t portray it. “I am sure the royal family would not want people nosing into their lives. None of us knew the prince personally, so what would give us the right to know every detail about his life?”

“Wise woman, Cecile was,” the older Asteria said to me, nodding at the lady who had just talked. “She was my mother’s good friend. Arthur told me lots about her and how she treated him and Henry like her sons. Arthur was always very fond of her.” Asteria sniffed and raised a handkerchief to her face, dabbing her eyes. I awkwardly patted her shoulder, not knowing how to comfort her.

“Where are you?” I asked, suddenly realising the young Asteria was nowhere in sight. I craned my head in all different directions to try and catch a glimpse of red hair.

Asteria scowled, but I could tell her anger wasn’t directed at me, but something in her memory. She pointed over to a carriage. “I was forced to stay in there for the funeral. My mother and father forbade me to come out. As usual, I wasn’t permitted to be a part of anything that included socialising with the public. For the first time, I wanted to disobey my parents, I really did. But I didn’t. I regret that now.”

My heart went out to Asteria. I could only imagine how horrible that would be; to have to be restrained from being at the last place you could farewell a loved one. The more I got to know of Asteria’s past, the more I realised why she was such a bitter woman.

“Seeing my parents and Henry was the worst thing,” Asteria said. She looked over at the front where I saw a couple standing with Henry beside them.

The queen was sobbing uncontrollably into her lacy handkerchief and leaning into the king for support. His eyes were rimmed with red and his surely stance gave away just how heartbroken he was, he just didn’t want to show it, which I thought was terribly sad in itself. Imagine being so sad you could only cry, but having to stay strong for the sake of not only your family, but the whole country.

I slid my vision over to where Henry was standing, beside his mother. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest as he casually leaned on a statue. His face looked sad, but it was obvious he was feigning it from the joyful glint in his eyes.

Rage roared within me at a man I never had actually met, but knew enough of to hate with all my being.

The music began to play again and I cast my eyes away from Henry for it was only making me furious, and onto the coffin at the front. My eyes began to tear, and like with Henry but for the opposite reason, I couldn’t believe I was feeling such a strong emotion over a man I had never met.