Reign

35. Dance me to the end of love

Note: Here I am... I won't say much. But the delay of almost two and a half weeks, was intentional. I couldn't write. I simply couldn't realize that it will be the last time I will post this story, the last time I will write something about them... I hope you enjoy. This one is dedicated to all of you, the ones I know and the ones I don't, who laughed, cried (I know you did) and waited impatiently to read the next chapter... It's longer than any other, so... enjoy it...

                           35. Dance me to the end of love

And in the end,

We are all just humans,

Drunk

On the idea

That love,

Only love,

Could heal

Our brokenness.

 Christopher Poindexter

 

Two months later…

“Helena? I told you sweetheart, I’m on Redmond. No, I can’t come to you right now…”

“Daniel?” a voice coming from inside of the spacious parlor forced the tall man to watch carefully behind his shoulder and to keep talking faster.  

Ellinor had kept her promise and in the middle of April, she had returned to the palace, bringing company with her, her grandchild, Claire, accompanied by her parents Penny and Daniel. The older woman after the dinner and a game with cards had retired to her bedroom, leaving the younger to enjoy the evening.

The large living room, decorated in shades of beige and gold was full of laughter and voices, as the child with the golden pigtails, was playing on the floor with Roselyn and the recently acquired dog, which was named Zeus, like the God of Thunder. The fluffy creamy puppy was rascal, chasing the child and trying to chew the laces of her shoes. Roselyn was also too concentrated on the game, that she wasn’t paying attention to the King and his sister, who were enjoying their drinks on the other side of the room.

“Daniel is out there for quite a long time!” Alexander commented and glanced momentarily towards the half open balcony door. “He went there for a cigarette and it’s been half an hour.”

“Ah, leave him. He’s so busy the last few months,” Penny, the woman with the short curly hair, who didn’t look like her brother at all, grimaced. Then, she examined the King and blinked. “You know, Claire wants to see her grandfather. I will do whatever you tell me.”

Alexander exhaled and then simply shrugged. Evidently, the whole father- son relationship wasn’t restored yet. Andrew Corterel stayed as far as possible from the palace, preferring the company of a few friends in Clayton palace.

“Well, if she wants… I can give you a car, but that’s all you can get from me. We are much quieter here. Let him enjoy his life as a pension…”

His words were covered by a loud laughter, as the girl had climbed on Roselyn’s shoulders to evade the puppy, which was chasing her. Her mother scolded her for her behavior and threatened that she will put her to bed, but Alexander tried to calm her.

“She is glowing,” Penny finally added, lowering her voice. Indeed, the Queen was looking more radiant and energetic than ever, even more now that she was clad in a plain shirt and jeans. “That’s impressive. She has those cute dimples and that northern accent I really like.”