Forever & Always ~ Niall Horan AU~

Chapter 18

Kristy's POV

A bright light blinded me, I tried to adjust my eyes to the light looking around at my surroundings. I was surrounded by a field of white clouds. I sat up and looked around. I saw a man sitting at a table a few feet away. 

"Hello?" I called out. I began to slowly walk towards the table. 

"Excuse me?" I asked the man. I didn't receive a response. I reached the table but I couldn't see the man's face. 

"I'm surprised you don't remember me." The man finally spoke. He kept his focus on the chess board in front of him. 

"I'm sorry my memory isn't how it used to be." The man looked up and me and I gasped. 

"Grandpa." I said shocked.  

"Where am I? Am I dead?" I asked him. 

"No." He simply replied. My grandfather was a man of few words. Always to the point and nothing less. 

"Wait, I don't understand. If I'm not dead then why am I here?"

"Kris........ you're in a coma." He told me. 

"What?" I asked shocked. 

"You've been in a coma for the past few days Kris." No words came out of my mouth. 

"What's the last thing you remember?" My grandfather asked me. 

"I was in the garden with the king and he kissed me." I said my cheeks heating up. 

"Then these images raced through my head and I blacked out." I told him. My grandfather nodded his head focusing his attention back to his chess game. I slumped down in my chair. 

"Do you remember what I used to tell you when you were a little girl?" My grandfather asked me. I looked at him confused. 

"When you look at the chessboard what do you see?" 

~Flashback~

"Kristy, tell me, do you believe in magic?" My grandfather asked me as he moved his queen. 

"Mum says magic isn't real." I told him as I moved my knight to eat his queen.

"And why would she say that?" My grandfather asked as he stared at the board in front of him.

"I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders. 

"Some times......" He started as he finally made his move.

"the most unbelievable things are right in front of our eyes."  

"Checkmate." 

I felt myself being pulled back from my flashback. 

"Sometimes, the simplest things are the hardest to remember."

Chris's POV

"Christopher, are you out here?" I heard someone call for me. 

"I'm by the roses." I called out. 

"Christopher, what are you doing out here?" My great grandmother asked me. 

"Just thinking." I told her. 

"You know your mother always used to come out her to clear her mind." 

"Guess it's a good spot." 

"Christopher, what's wrong?" 

"Nothing." I told her. My great grandmother gave me a scolding look. 

"Christopher your mother and father are in a coma. Your mother doesn't remember who she is. And you've been left to take care of your sister. So.....what's wrong?" 

"I'm just....... scared." I told her. 

"Scared of what?" She asked me. 

"What happens if they........don't make it."

"Ah.......If your parents don't make it....then the next heir will need to take the throne." 

"I'm sorry what?" I asked her confused. 

"The heir of the current reigning king and queen will take over." 

"But what if i'm not ready?" 

"Well the throne will first be offered back to your uncle. If he choose not to take the throne then it will go to the next in line." 

"Which is me." 

"Yes." 

"And what if I choose not to take the throne?" 

"Then it goes to the next in line. Which would be Violet but since Violet is not of age yet it means you will not be able to give up the throne." 

"Meaning I have to take the throne." 

"Yes." 

"Christopher, your parents are still alive. Remember that. Don't stress over something that you can't predict."

Kristy's POV

"I don't get it. What am I missing?" 

"Kristy don't put too much pressure  on yourself. Just relax." My grandfather told me. I sighed to myself and closed my eyes. 

"Why don't we take a break for a minute. Tell me about your life." My grandfather told me. 

"Well I don't remember much, but I have a beautiful daughter, I don't know who her father is or what happened in the last 11 years and I am just trying to figure it all out." 

"Did you find your answers?" He asked me. 

"Not exactly." My grandfather raised an eyebrow at me. 

"There was this odd feeling in the pit of my stomach when I first arrived at the palace. It was.........it felt........." 

"Like home." He answered for me. 

"Yeah. Like home." I said staring off into the clouds. 

"Kris, just because you don't remember your past doesn't mean it has to define you. We make new memories every day and getting caught up in our past will only make us miss out on the present." My grandfather told me. 

"Are you saying that I should just live my life and forget about trying to find my past?" I asked him confused. 

"Only you can bring back your memories. It's your choice whether you want them back or not." 

"But I've been trying and I can't get them back." I tried to explain to him. 

"Maybe that's just it. You're trying to hard. You can't force the memories back. You just have to let them come back to you naturally." 

"And if they don't?"  I asked him softly. 

"Don't let your memory loss define you. Embrace it." My grandfather got up from his chair and slowly walk away into clouds. 

"That still doesn't help." I told him. My grandfather raised his arm and gave me a thumbs up. I mentally groaned to myself. I sat back down facing the chess board. 

"And back to square one." 

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I am so sorry for my lack of updating I have had major writers block. I rewrote this chapter about 8 times. But it's finally here an update. YEAH!!!!!!! Hope you guys like the update. Don't forget to comment and vote. 

~Manawiligirl