The Facts of Becoming a Princess

CHAPTER 5: Trial and Destiny

CHAPTER 5: Trial and Destiny

Annelise:

The King was still looking handsome and dashing in his early 50's. He was still having healthy physical body despite of his obvious grayish hair and wrinkled skin. His eyes were gray like those I have seen almost an hour ago in the middle of the road.

"Annelise dear... Albert's princess... welcome to the Palace! I am so glad to have finally met you. You are like a daughter to me and you don't know how happy I am that we have found you after hearing about your family's tragic death." King Erik Henriksen told me with watery eyes and shaking voice after his arms wide open gesture to me.

He looked at Mr. Moller and praised him with a job well done. He told to his secretary to wait for me outside and Mr. Moller didn't think twice..he followed the King's order. He sat on an elegant chair in front of a very beautiful coffee table and gestured me to sit on the other side facing him. I followed him nervously. An old woman wearing her palace uniform came inside and gave us a cup of coffee and disappeared instantly after that.

I was honestly having mixed emotions.. I was nervous, curious, grateful, afraid for what was I am about to discover and happy that somehow I have a father figure to the King's human being after hearing what he just told me a while ago. I missed having a father for 2 months. Vowing my head, he sipped a little coffee from his cup and stared at me silently..I just let him like that for a minute..two..three.. it was so silent between us that I was already becoming deft. I thought of maybe he just didn't know how to start the conversation because it was our first meeting and we barely knew each other.

"hmmmmm..." he started. My head still vowing.

"Annelise..dear... I am glad you are respecting me but please stop vowing your head and look at me as your second father." he said with a sincere voice.

I looked up teary-eyed. His words were overwhelming and I couldn't keep my emotions. Tears suddenly fell and I was embarrassed of myself that the King had to take out his handkerchief and wipe my tears off my face.

"T-h-aaank you Your Highness." I told him for his sincerity. He slightly laughed at how I responded. His laugh was very royalty.

"Annelise, you are amusing me." he brushed my forehead. And I was embarrassed of myself again for his gesture.

And there was silence again...he stood up and went to his table, opened a vault under it and took out some pictures. He showed them to me and I was surprised to see those pictures of him as a kid with a familiar face of a childhood friend. Different shots of them...giggling, fooling around and others were candid.

"That's me and your father when we were young." I smiled looking at the pictures..he showed me more when they were in teenage years.. A picture of them on my father's graduation day and another was on the King's graduation. I got teary-eyed once again seeing my father's memories with the King.

"Your father was a very special person to me." he sighed as he started to reveal their stories. "He was the son of my late mother's right hand and we grew up together because his mother, your grandmother, used to bring him to the palace because I was always asking her for it. He was my playmate, my best friend and my big brother." He continued telling me about their happy memories, how my father dreamed of protecting the royal family and how proudly he got in the military and achieved his dream and became the ever faithful royal guard in the palace and then the King stopped talking. Tears fell down on his cheeks.

"I-if my father was your best friend..h-how come he never told me about it? He doesn't want me and my brother to hear anything about this country even our mother never spoke a single word. Whenever I asked my father about why he had to hide his memories in this country he would just take a deep breath and give me the same answer.. that someday, I will understand everything and he was hoping I will never be ashamed of him." tears continuously fell down on my cheeks.

The King's tears continued to fell down. "It was because Denmark exiled him." His voice was shaking as he continued to speak.

"One summer night we discovered the late Queen's body lying on the floor, no longer breathing...dead... and Albert was the last man with her. My mother requested him to accompany her to a ball."

His words sunk in my mind... "My father was a kind-hearted man! He will never ever hurt anyone like that!" I cried.

"I know Annelise.. that is why the late King exiled him. We believe and I always believe he was innocent. He will never do that to my mother because the way he treated the late Queen was like his own mother. And my mother to him was also like her own son. We thought someone framed up Albert. But things went worst, as me and my father secretly protected him..people were going wild so my father had no choice but to exile him along with your grandmother and grandfather." he explained worriedly.

"What about the arranged marriage? Is it connected to that incident?" I asked curiously.

"Yes dear...yes!" he was still crying "My wife was 8 months pregnant that time and the late King thought of something that could make your father clear his name in Denmark. He asked Albert for your hand even though you were not still existing. He told him if Albert is going to have a daughter, and reached the age of 24..he will surely let the Crown Prince marry Albert's daughter. Through marriage, you will help clean your father's name because you will become Denmark's future Queen." He told me spontaneously.

"But how Your Highness? My father is now dead. It's already null and void. Right?" that was my way of saying I was refusing with the idea of marrying the Crown prince and he got me.

"Yes. Null and void..but please Annelise...please understand..I was so hurt and broken that I could not do anything for your father..I did not gave him the right protection he deserved like what he showed and gave to the royal family. He left the world still devastated with what happened almost 3 decades ago and I was crying when I heard he got in a tragic accident and received his sudden death with his wife and his son. Thankfully you are alive! And then I started to find you because I was thinking you have no one to take care of you. I found out you left United States and arrived in the country a week ago. Just marry the Crown Prince for your father..please... and then clear his name. I don't want to be like the late King...he died with guilt in his heart because He wasn't able to bring back your father here..I will be very glad to meet him in another life knowing I cleared his name in his beloved country." he sounded begging for my approval.

When I was on the road to the palace I decided to disapprove with the idea of marrying the Crown Prince. I was really determined about that. But after hearing my father's past life..how could I ever refuse? I have loved my father so much and I will always love him.. Marrying the Crown Prince would be my way of telling him how much I treasure him. I held the King's hands and smiled at him while my tears continuously falling..

I took a deep breath. "This is it..my trial and destiny" I thought.

"For my father Your Highness, for my father...and for your conscience... I am accepting it." He looked at me happily crying and then the door suddenly opened...

**********************************

Wow! I was amazed how I thought of this chapter. It's a bit longer than the first chapters.

I was writing this one while watching Pacquiao vs Rios fight..yeah! Pacman won!!!!!!!! :)

Guys, TFBP is a fiction so please do not based on Denmark's real law. Till the next chapter!

Love Lots,

Jen :)