Chapter Eight—Bethilda
I opened my eyes and I was sitting under a tree, on top of a hill. It was a quiet and peaceful day. The birds were singing and the wind was blowing ever so gently. All I could see was grass that stretched as far as the eye could see, tall trees stood everywhere, and shadows of mountains from far away.
But why am I here? What am I doing here?
Then, I heard muffled voices from afar and it headed to where I was. I stood up and quickly climbed the tree, climbing higher as I possibly can. When there were no more branches to climb, I sat down and kept quiet.
“Are you enjoying yourself, son?” a deep man’s voice asked, thrilled and excited.
“Yes, father. This is the best day ever!” a child’s voice squealed out of happiness.
The laughter of children continued as the footsteps came closer to the tree. The father and son were then joined by a woman, who seemed to be his wife and a little girl, their daughter perhaps. The mother laid a plaid blanket on the hill, grass and sat in the middle.
“How about we run down this hill and back up again?” the father smiled at his children, enticing them to join.
The children looked at their mother, waiting for her approval. With a smile and a nod, the children squealed as they ran after their father.
The portrait of a perfect family.
The sounds of my surroundings became fainter and fainter until I was engulfed in darkness, reawakening back to reality. As my eyes opened, the moon’s beautiful glow pierced gently through the drapes. I looked around my room and as I did, I grew confused. That dream… felt real.
Do I know that family?
I let out a deep breath and turned to the side, closing my eyes once more as I tried to ignore it.
♔♔♔
My sleep was disrupted once more. I opened my eyes and scanned the room but all I could see was darkness. The rays of the moonlight continued to push through the curtains. Everything was quiet but then, I heard voices out in the hallway. That was odd because nobody walks in the halls during this time of the night unless it’s Gonzalo on his patrols or an emergency. I stood up and headed to the door. As I stepped out of the door, no one in front of my room but in the other hall, I heard a door close.
I rushed over the sound and saw Linda come out of the master bedroom, carrying a basin of water. “Linda?” I called out, walking towards her.
“Your Highness,” she curtsied.
“You were from the master bedroom?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“Yes, Your Highness. Her Majesty currently has a high fever, so His Majesty summoned for me and the other maids to look after her,” she explained.
“She summoned you?” I asked, baffled. “But where is Dehlia?”
“Dehlia?” she asked back.
“Linda?” a voice called her from behind. We turned to look and it was Gonzalo.
“Her Majesty needs it now,” Gonzalo reminded.
Linda nodded and turned to me, bowing before walking away and keeping her head down.
“Do you need anything, Your Highness?” Gonzalo asked as he approached me.
“No, thank you, Gonzalo,” I replied. Not wanting to cause any delays to Mother’s recovery, I returned to my room. All I could think about was Mother’s situation. Is James even in the room with her? Mother said he will be taking care of her and now, Linda is the one attending to her.
A rustling came from outside my window. I rushed to the window and as I looked out, James was pacing back and forth in the garden. He looked worried, in distress, thinking something very deeply.
“He knows about Her Majesty’s condition,” Gonzalo suddenly spoke, closing the door behind him.
“Then why is he down there? Shouldn’t he be in their bedroom, looking after her?” I replied as Gonzalo walked towards me, all of my frustrations started to come out.
“He’s been with Her Majesty for hours, Your Highness. After his work, he rushed to her and took care of her the whole night, never leaving her side,” Gonzalo explained. “When she was asleep, he summoned Linda to watch over her for a moment. He’s been acting this way ever since he left the room.”
But why would James be acting this way? Is Mother’s illness worse than what she told me? Could she be keeping something from me?
♔♔♔
Weeks have passed and Mother is still ill. James has forbidden us to visit her to prevent the disease from spreading. He said he wasn’t sure of what her illness is and it could be contagious. He has to make sure that nothing will happen to Elizabeth and especially, to me.
On a more personal note, Laura and I have yet to see each other again. I haven’t visited her yet because I don’t know if she still wants to see me after what happened. Maybe, this is for the best. Maybe, this is the sign that I have to forget her and everything that ever happened involving her.
My solemn thoughts were interrupted when the trumpets started to play a fanfare outside, the bells started ringing as well. I quickly prepared myself and rushed to the Grand Hall.
♔♔♔
When I arrived at the stairs, I saw a lady wearing a big gown with a humongous fancy hat. Her face was absolutely covered with some kind of white paint. Red color circles on her two cheeks. She was talking to James, holding her large fan with her. She looked like a monarch, but I couldn’t tell what her title was with all the lavish things on her. I fixed myself one last time before walking towards them.
Gonzalo caught sight of me from the hallway and announced, “His Royal Highness, Prince Robert, son of Their Royal Majesties, King Robert and Queen Amelia.”
James, Elizabeth, and the visitor quickly turned their heads in my direction as I walked down the carpeted steps.
“Oh, jolly, jolly, jolly!” she repeated, which has become annoying. “He looks exactly like you, James,” she continued as I stood beside my sister.
“Well, he has Mother’s eyes,” Elizabeth added, smiling.
“Of course,” she replied, uninterested in Elizabeth’s opinion. “But he looks just like your father,” she said as she walked towards me. “Come, deary, give me a kiss!” she continued as she came closer, kissing me deeply on my cheek. “Such soft cheeks!” she pinched my cheek, a little too excited and utterly painful.
“I respect that you’re very thrilled and happy about me having so much resemblance to my father. However, I have to admit that I don’t know you and for you to physically touch me without my permission is offensive,” I answered, stroking my cheeks to relieve some of the pain. I continued, formal and firm. “It can also be called trespassing and harassment.”
All of them were silenced with my remark. I could feel James and Elizabeth grew a bit nervous because of my answer, fearing that it can cause some kind of conflict.
“Oh, ho ho!” She suddenly threw her head back as she burst out laughing, scaring the three of us. “Oh, James, he even speaks like you,” she turned to James, still giggling. “Darling, I am your aunt, Duchess Bethilda,” she bowed. “I’m here to visit your mother.”
“Ah, you’re the person she visited yesterday,” I crossed my arms.
“That is correct,” she winked.
“Are you aware that when she arrived from visiting you, she got ill?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Robert,” James called me out, giving me a look of warning.
“It’s all right, James,” the duchess turned to James. “I find it amusing because he reminds me a lot like you when you were his age. Now, where’s my darling Amelia?” she asked.
♔♔♔
“Bethilda, it’s so kind of you to come and visit us,” Mother smiled as she held hands with Bethilda while lying on her bed. James stood on Mother’s left side while Bethilda sat on the other side. Elizabeth and I stayed behind James.
“It’s my pleasure to visit my beloved sister and your family, my favorite and the best family in the world,” she replied. “When I heard about your terrible condition, I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to visit you right away.”
“Well, you’re always welcome here in our home. Make yourself as comfortable as you possibly can,” Mother answered. “And do spend some time with Robert and Elizabeth. It’s been a long time since they last saw you.”
A knock came on the door and Gonzalo entered. He bowed, “Her Majesty, Queen Marta of Middle Earth is here to see Her Majesty and Prince Robert.”
We all turned to Mother, confused.
“Why is Queen Marta here, sweetheart?” James enquired. “Were you expecting her?”
“Yes, we’re supposed to have a meeting about Robert’s marriage to Princess Lorain. Kindly accompany Robert to the meeting,” Mother held onto James’ sleeve.
“There’s no need for that, Mother,” I stepped forward. “I’ll take care of this myself. It is about my marriage.” I took a bow and left to attend another visitor.
♔♔♔
“Is it a custom in your kingdom to make your guests wait for an incredibly long time?” a disappointed voice was heard in the main hall as I rushed down to meet Queen Marta.
“Your Majesty,” I called out as I walked down the stairs, my hands behind my back.
“Ugh! Finally!” she sighed, closing her fan as she walked towards me whilst giving the guards a death glare. “I supposed that time runs rather slower here than the usual,” she snarked.
“I do apologize for the delay, Your Majesty. We’re currently in the middle of an emergency—”
“Emergency or not, you and your people should value the worth of time! You and your mother should’ve greeted me by the door in the same manner that I did for you when you went to our kingdom,” she complained. “I didn’t expect a grandiose entry, the least you could do is give me a warm, friendly welcome. But what happened? I endured a long journey here just to be greeted by no one,” she continued with her rant, not giving me a chance to speak. “This meeting must be dealt with as soon as possible in order for it to be a success.”
“But does a simple meeting mean more than taking care of their mother who’s ill and currently bed-ridden?” a voice suddenly spoke from the top of the stairs. I turned around to see James approaching us.