We continue on our journey up to where her funeral is being held, people start to notice Preston as you hear a series of gasp and whispering. It's better to get all the gasps out out the way today and not next week, Erik and I didn't go through months of paperwork and hearing horrible stories for him to get away with it, as people are shocked to see him alive. Gray's face doesn't change as we continue on our journey and arrive at hill but with steps to get to the top, when we reach the top is where I see the white coffin stood and have to gulp the feeling of crying down.
Preston didn't gulp his feelings down and ended up breaking down beside me, I turn to look at him where he was just kneeling on the floor crying. I then turn to Gray who just looks at him with a face of disgust, I guess he isn't going to help move him to his seat. I look at some guards in suits, they seem to get what I was trying to say and two of them pick him up under the arms so we can continue. Gray leads us over to the front row of the all the chairs where I spot Kyle, he was stood beside Emma with an empty chair beside him. I take my seat next to him where he gives my hand a little squeeze, that's his code for I hope you're okay. Once everyone was seated the funeral began.
Throughout the whole service, Preston just sat in his seat straight up crying. I'm glad I persuaded Gray into letting him come, he isn't going to have an easy life after the trial so giving him this moment to say goodbye to Lizzy was great.
"Perhaps if he treated her in an acceptable way when she was alive, this would not be happening" Gray mind-links me as we sat there, I take a look over at him where his eyes were just staring straight ahead.
"Now the King would like to say a few words" the man who was running the service says, I didn't know he was doing this.
Gray places a soft kiss on my cheek before rising to his feet, now he wasn't blocking my view of Preston I saw he was hunched over. His arms were wrapped around him like he was hugging himself, he looks over at me for a second where I send him a sad smile. Gray clearing his throat is what makes us both turn our attention to the front, he stood with his hands behind his back looking over the crowd.
"I was not going to speak today but as my mate and I were getting ready, she spoke about what my mother would have wanted and I think she would have liked me to say a few words" he starts his speech his eyes now turning to me "my mother was such an incredible person, she was always putting others in front of herself and was the best role model me and my older sister could have asked for, what happened to her was such a grave tragedy and we all have been robbed of the immense ball of light that I just know would have shone and changed all of our lives" he continues with his speech, I take a look at the ground for a second trying my hardest not to cry, to the public I never met her so I can't just cry.
"I am happy that after over ten years we are able to put her to rest, beside her daughter Matilda, who was also taken from the world too soon" Gray continues as Preston just starts to rock and cry louder, he cries Matilda over and over again.
Maybe he's now feeling bad for what he did to her, it took him long enough! I do start to feel bad and lean forward to where a box of tissues stood, I take one and pass it over to Preston.
"If you are somehow listening mother I just want to say, I promise I will live a life full of love and happiness just as you did, I will project the same love that you projected when you had the chance, I am blessed to have found my mate who radiates such happiness and love just as you did" he smiles over at me, I send him a smile as Kyle says yep under his breath, I nudge him a little where he just sends me a smirk.
"Until we meet again mother" Gray says bowing his head towards her coffin before thanking everyone, a little applause starts as he makes his way back over to his seat.
I send him a smile as he sat back down, the person leading the funeral went to speak but Preston jumps up. I see all the guards jerk ready to pounce on him if he runs, but he didn't he just stood there.
"I wanna say something!" He shouts and without warning walks over to where Gray stood, I feel Gray tense beside me and start to get up but I take his arm.
"To many of you I was the perfect King, living the perfect life with the perfect mate and family, only one of those statements were actually perfect and that was my mate and family" he starts to say through tears "as King I did some horrible things that I know will come out soon, at the time I thought I was living the perfect life but due to my decisions I was living the opposite, I treated my mate so badly but yet she stood by me and the children we had, she was so strong and I tried to break that and I did once, when I killed our daughter" he says which makes everyone gasp from shock, even my eyes go wide, he just confessed!
I look to Erik who was on the sidelines, he sends me a huge smile knowing we could use that in court. Gray on the other hand wasn't happy and actually rises to his feet, I try to stop him but he was already making his way over to his father. Once he arrives Preston takes hold of Gray's arms looking over at him, I now get up out of my seat not knowing what Gray was gonna do.
"I wronged you son in so many ways, I took your sister away from you because I didn't get what I wanted, I need you to forgive me" he begs while Gray's face just remained emotionless.
"Forgive you? You do not deserve my forgiveness and you will not be receiving it" Gray says point blank, I'm very happy the surrounding public can't hear what's being said.
I decide to make my way over to them where Preston now turns his attention to me, he now releases Gray's arms and takes hold of mine. But he held onto the part with my bandages, he wasn't holding them tightly but it started to make a tingling sensation take over my arms.
"I remember you" he tells me looking me in the eyes as like he did when we were at Rupert's, Gray starts to growl telling him to let go of me "I held you when you were younger, I went over rules and what I needed you to do when you became Queen like I knew you would, but Clara, don't listen to any of those rules they came from a wicked man who was only thinking about himself" he tells me his grip slowly getting tighter around my arms, even Kyle gets out of his seat and walks over to us.
"I will not tell you again father, let her go" Gray growls out making Preston turn his attention back to Gray, but doesn't let go of my arms while he does.
"Don't make the same mistakes that I made son, you were correct in saying Clara is like your mother, you need to protect her and treat her with the upmost respect" he says as Kyle starts to tell Preston to let go, once again he doesn't listen "don't just watch the time go by, don't give anything a second thought just do it!" He shouts as the guards walk over and begin to pull at Preston, I'm not gonna lie it was really hurting my arms now.
"Fuck this!" Gray shouts and takes hold of Preston, he wails in pain and I'm released from his grip.
Luckily, Kyle was behind me so as I fell back he caught me, he asks me if I'm okay wrapping me in a hug as the guards begin to drag Preston away.
"I love you Lizzy! I love you!" He cries while being dragged away, Gray orders the rest of the guards to clear the area of the public.
"I need to handle this situation, Kyle I can trust that you will protect Clara while I am gone" Gray says while walking backwards, Kyle nods holding me tighter in the hug.
Gray fully leaves following where Preston was carted off too, followed by Josh behind him. I'm also led away by Erik with Kyle and Emma.
That's not the send-off I thought we were giving Lizzy.