
(12) Respect
King Henry
I walk into Victoria's recovery room. I find her sleeping peacefully. Clarke rests his head on the bed, holding both of her hands in his, rubbing them with his thumbs.
"How did you know she was here?" I ask.
"Sir Luke came to find me. He knows how I care for Victoria." He does not lift his gaze from Victoria.
"How long have you been here?" I continue.
"When I got here, they had just wheeled her out. I'm not sure how long ago that was. I haven't had time to check if the sun has set."
"It has been almost a day since then. Have you really not left once? Not even to use the bathrooms?" I find his testimony confusing.
"Are you really going to stand there and interrogate me? We both want the same thing." He touches Victoria's cheek. "If if it really such an issue for me to be here, I will leave just as soon as I am sure she is okay."
I nod. "You are worried for her?"
He sighs. "I have never been concerned about someone in this world who isn't me." He admits. "She is special. What if she does not wake up from this?"
I pull up a chair beside him and sit down. "Victoria is the strongest girl I have ever met. She will wake up. I am sure she just needs some more time. She has been a strong girl ever since the beginning." I sigh, thinking about all the troubles she has overcome in her life so far. "Has she ever told you about Charlotte?"
Clarke shakes his head.
"Charlotte was my younger sister, Victoria's twin. She was murdered by our grandmother." I fill him in one some of our past.
"Your own grandmother?" He gasps. "Despicable."
"It broke our parents. They kept it a secret from Victoria. She still does not know the truth to this day." I sigh. "Five months later, our father was dead. It was completely unrelated to the murder but those last five months with him just really weren't the same. He was a different man. I'm sure Victoria doesn't remember any of it because she was a baby," I pause. "Which is probably why it is so easy for her to be strong despite having the most tragic childhood of us all."
Clarke shakes his head. He is no doubt at a loss for words. This is the most emotion I have ever seen come from him.
"But our mom," I laugh sadly and wipe my face. "I am positive she remembers that. It was ages ago but it still feels like it was yesterday."
"She hasn't talked much about her mom." He wipes his mouth.
"She hasn't talked much about any of it. She's aware our mother is gone and our father is dead. She is even aware that she once had a twin sister. But she has grown so used to pretending like everything is fine, that I think she forgets she is allowed to take a pause and reflect on things."
Clarke straightens his back. "She's waking up." He says, excited. I lean forward and wait. Slumping back down in my seat when I realize he was wrong, I groan. "I must have imagined it. I really thought I saw her move."
"You know, had you shown this much dedication to my sister when we met, I would have had a different decision that day. Instead you were cold and showed no respect for the crown."
"I have no respect for the crown."
"Then why ask to court my sister? If you have no respect for her."
"I never said I do not respect her. I have all the respect in the world for Victoria. I do not see the crown when I look at her."
"That is still a problem for me."
"Why? Wouldn't you rather learn that I could care less for the crown than to learn I only want her so I can have it myself?"
"Of course this is the better of the options but I would much rather you respect the crown as she could be someone who holds it someday. As the Princess Royal, she is the first in line for my throne if I die. I do not have kids and therefore no heirs. You tell me you do not respect the very thing she may become. You may not see the crown when you look at her but the crown has made her who she is and will continue to do so. Learn to respect it or expect to be escorted out."
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