My mom's dead?! Henry thinks to himself.

Despite the extremely eerie and most disturbing news he has heard today, he does not know which to concentrate onto. The fact that Freya could be lying to her about his mother or that he could read her mind like a knight. He is confused because he is born under spellcaster parents and he has already showcased those powers from an early age, so how would it be possible to gain a new set of power, especially when he literally just turned eighteen.

He then proceeds thinking again as to his surprise that he could read the headmistress's mind did I just read her mind?! he continues to remain anxious, hands fidgeting and legs bouncing at a faster pace than his heart beating and the metronome on the corner of the room. Though still in shock, he wakes himself up from the trance and shifts his attention again towards the words the headmistress had said earlier.

To his right, he sees Cecilia are you okay she mouths inaudibly still feeling the surrounding noises around him slowing down. The once beating metronome in the corner barely clicking and the voices and footsteps through the closed door just as inaudible. Henry nods as she places her hand on his back drawing a circle as her way to comfort him through this tragic news.

Whether true or not, Henry feels a burden now sitting on his shoulders as the kingdom relies on him on the next steps. He is a recently crowned prince and now he is to be the king of Gorgus, ruling thousands of people and making decisions that will ultimately affect their individual livelihoods.

"Can we be excused?" Cecilia finally breaks the silence. The room had become so numb after the moments of Henry finding out the passing of his mother that he now hears ringing inside his ears and it is driving him absolutely mental. It does not help that his anxiety has been high knowing he is going to be king in less than a year and now it is worse because it will be in immediate effect in the coming days.

The ride home is silent, but not silent like this morning, rather it is more eerie and as gray as the skies pouring rain. Henry does the same as a tear drops from his eye, now feeling numbness lost in thought, thinking about the weight of the world and his bloodline now perching on his shoulder.

Abdul greets them when they arrive in front of the palace doors. “So sorry for your loss, my lord,” he says, giving Henry a hug. It catches Cecilia by surprise. A man of not so many words who always has the same expression of disgust shows emotions. This expressive act truly shocks her and confuses her, but leaves it be and joins in by rubbing Henry’s back.

On the other hand, Henry does not notice. All he wants is some peace right now, but peace is not what he is going to receive because Abdul informs him of his meeting with the board and the communication staff to curate a speech to the country regarding the loss of their beloved queen. This enrages Henry on the inside. Not because it was not originally on the schedule, but because he feels he is not entitled to process his emotions privately for the loss of HIS mom.

She’s MY mother! Why should I give a speech to the PUBLIC?! he thinks. This is another reason why he does not want to bear the responsibility of the crown in the first place. All he wants is peace with Cecilia and maybe Theo. And although he and his mother had never seen the same perspective about traditions, he still feels entitled to process his emotions on her passing privately, so he runs to his room instead.

Cecilia follows him but does not enter, so she knocks on the door instead. “Henry, can you hear me?” she whispers through the door.

She wants to enter badly and comfort her friend because she knows he ultimately no longer has anyone left in this life, blood related wise, so she feels it is imperative he gets some emotional support after all her and Henry are basically family at this point. Cecilia and Henry have grown up so closely together as her parents were continuously working along Dorothea, so they are essentially brothers and sisters with an unbreakable bond since they both have no siblings.

Hours pass on, sun is setting and it is almost time for Henry to meet with everyone to curate a speech for the public regarding the loss of Queen Dorothea in hopes to keep morale high within the kingdom or so Abdul tells him as he assists Henry with his suit. “Can I see her body?” Henry inquires to him, but he shrugs and informs him no visitors are allowed currently as they are preparing her body for the funeral.

Why won’t they let me see MY mother at the hospital? Henry does not understand. Despite having a challenging relationship with his mother, it does not mean he loves her any less and he realizes this more than ever now that she is gone. Forever. He even regrets not allowing her into his real life earlier. Everything about him being gay.

He is escorted more so than usual to the place they call “war chambers” where Henry had always been forbidden to enter, but it is permitted only to the select few. Henry is told here is where a plethora of strategies is discussed, ranging from heavy battlefield maneuvers to simple public speeches. For this reason, the room is locked to control information from leaking to the outside world or so he has always been told by his mother.

His entourage stops him and they reveal an empty wall under the velvet curtain that they lifted. No painting, not even a light source. It is just a wall, or so Henry thinks until the rocks that make up the wall begin shifting to the side and it opens a dark corridor. Is this a tunnel? Henry asks himself as he squints his eyes looking past the shifting bricks.

“Where are we going?” he asks, but no one in his little entourage answers as if he asked rhetorically. He wishes Abdul had joined them, but even he is neither permitted in the premises of the warm chambers nor is Cecilia allowed as he also wishes she could be here.

They walk through the corridors of the tunnel that remains lifted only from the two torches by security that is being carried in the front and in the back. Time seems to go forever in here and the smell is unpleasant as Henry keeps a part of his shirt glued over his nose. At that moment, he is relieved that he had never been permitted to go to the warm chambers as he now imagined what it would have been like the many times his mother went.

He finally sees a glimpse of light at the end. Squinting his eyes, he notices a small door between two light sources perched on either side of the walls where the door stands. It feels sinister like a ghost remains hidden above the ceiling waiting to pounce on them, but they enter the war chambers finally after a long stroll from his bedroom.

Henry is introduced to the room as “His Royal Highness, Prince Henry,” and he makes his rounds by shaking everyone’s hands. Then, a man guides him towards the other end of the table opposite of the door he entered. This must be Ezra. Henry thinks as he drops to the seat.

Ezra introduces himself to the group as if it was a tradition, but perhaps another reason is to let Henry know who is all in this room with him. Chief Executive. He is the main person of the board who delegates tasks to everyone once decisions have been made and has the final say right under the king or the queen. He follows up all introductions by stating their purpose of the meeting.

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“Henry needs a public speech about his mother’s passing,” he starts glancing over at Henry once in a while. He continues on saying the importance of keeping morale high with the general public while also ensuring the public perspective towards Henry remains intact or repairable as this is going to be his first ever time speaking to the public. To think Henry had been worried about the festival speech and him telling himself that he is not ready for such responsibility now is forced into that position.

Externally, Henry looks composed. A little saddened, but composed. Internally, his mind is in a swirl like the cyclone he conjured in school earlier only now it causes havoc in the pictures and memories he is left with his mother. A tear secrete from his eye, but he quickly wipes it away with his thumb secretly making sure no one notices.

He looks around at the busy table, there is a person writing on the parchment his entire monologue for tomorrow all while the rest are debating on sentence structures and grammars. Why did you leave me so soon? he thinks as everyone remains busy.

The night goes on the same and it finally reaches the point when the sun rises. It is time for his speech. His legs are jumping and bouncing as he sits on the throne, reading the parchment over and over again. He is exhausted and he is fatigued. He could sleep for an entire year after this day

“How are you feeling about the speech?” Cecilia is now here beside him for emotional support as they hear the reporters right outside the doors preparing for the big event.

“I don’t want to be here,” a tear starts a river running down his face before flopping his head onto Cecilia’s shoulder. She wraps him in a tender hug before he drops his bottle of tears on the floor and suddenly it’s raining on her clothes, but she does not worry about it.

Cecelia is able to inspire him just enough to wipe his tears off from his face, look composed, and speak in public and so he did. As expected, the room feels empty and numb. Reporters are more quiet than usual. Then he speaks…but it trails of a little bit from what the parchment says:

——————

Ladies, Gentlemen, and Distinguished Guests,

I come to you on my first speech on this great morning in sorrow for the recent passing of my mother, the late and great Queen Dorothea Hale. I know how all of you feel. Numbness and sadness to hear of this tragic event, especially for those who have known my mother since before my year zero. While she may be gone from our physical world, she will forever remain in our hearts as the beloved ruler she had been. And I understand that some people here may feel nervous with me stepping into her shoes. But fear not, for her great legacy will continue even longer than the last twenty years. I assure all of you.

Thank you.

———————

He finishes the speech with a tear secreting from his eyes and a feeling of relief that it is now over. He waves to crowd of reporters goodbye as they all snap their pictures, somewhat blinding Henry a little bit with it being excessive, but he squints his eyes and ignores. And before anybody could ask him questions, he is pulled away by Ezra back to the throne room where he whispers to him, “go to your room,” and signals Cecilia to follow.

Walking away, he hears the staff in the background arguing amongst another because he had strayed away from the parchment. Henry does not know what part will bother them. Is it him shedding a tear or is it him acknowledging non-binary people exist? He does not really care. At this point, all he wants is some sleep.

He sleeps through the day after that speech. He did not even bother eating any meals. “I’m not hungry,” he says to Abdul as he continuously falls back to sleep. Luckily, he no longer has obligations and he is excused from school indefinitely. And Cecilia is at school unfortunately, so to him there is no point getting out of bed right.

Next day comes and it is already soon. Henry still remains under his sheets with his curtains closed, not wanting to be bothered by anyone, but Ezra and Abdul come in his room and brighten it up with the sun and remove the sheets over him.

It is the day of the festival and he has to be in front of a crowd again and speak. Only difference this time is there are not only cameras, but also the citizens of the kingdom will be physically watching him. Usually, his mother does the speech, but now he is obligated to speak and announce the celebration of independence day.

Is it really independence? he thinks, still wondering what the tolerance level is with a plethora of things, such as a king who is a homosexual not to mention he can read minds now. Then he remembers, I can READ minds now?! he somehow forgot about his little incident the other day with Headmistress Freya and Cecilia when he suddenly could read their mind.

He still does not know how it is all feasible, but he looks towards it as another obstacle as a king. If he is indeed a child of mixed clans, it would cause a riot. It is one thing for common folk to mix, but they can keep it hidden. Unfortunately, Henry has no way of hiding that secret, so YAY ME… Henry thinks sarcastically.

Abdul finishes getting him ready for the festival and Ezra gives him the parchment containing the speech for the festival and tells him to try and read verbatim this time. "Your chariot will arrive in five minutes, my lord," Abdul informs him before walking out.

Cecilia walks in the room all dressed as well and right behind her are her parents, Selene and Oleander, offering their condolences and finishing it with a hug. Selene asks if she could get some alone time with Henry for a quick conversation, so Cecilia and Oleander shuts the door and waits outside.

She tells him no matter what happens that Henry must trust no one except for Cecilia. His eyebrows curl as he is now confused by a sudden shift in mood. The room might be bright, but he feels something wicked comes. She does not say much else afterwards and lets him know that he will find him after the festival, but for now he must remain his composure and give the best speech has given in a few hours.

Henry arrives at the festival with Cecilia by his side. Holding hands, the two stroll through what seems to be like a walkway for celebrities as he sees the red carpet rolled to the entrance and adoring fans cheering for him on the parallel sides.

OW! he thinks as he covers his face with his free hand, still surprised by the flashing lights from a camera man on the sidelines. Looking at the face, he is the same man asking about his father, but only this time the man asks how he is faring to be the new king of the kingdom and at such a young age.

Age aside, Henry does not know why it should matter. His mother has ruled the entire kingdom successfully with a wide approval rating since her eighteenth year. If anything, they should know he is more than capable of making impactful decisions on their everyday lives and he reassured them during his other speech, so he chooses to ignore before the reporter could possibly spin the story another way.

Ezra welcomes Henry as he and Cecilia enter through the festival banner. He guides him to the stage while doing small preparations to make sure Henry had read over the speech before arriving. Henry skimmed. “Yea yea,” he says to Ezra.

Henry just wants to get this over with so he can enjoy the festival with his friends as he had planned. Only difference now is Theo will be around with him and Cecilia. While he knows now that Theo likes him, he is in a dilemma because it is too dangerous to let anyone else know about his secret. He is gay. He is so gay for Theo.

By the time he finishes the speech, he is swimming in tomatoes that the crowd painted him in chanting "BOO!" every second they are permitted. His entourage quickly escorts him off the stage while Ezra attempts damage control. His entourage walks him over to where Cecilia and Theo stands, but right before they could reach them as it was interrupted by a reporter asking, "how do you feel about your mother's body missing?"

MISSING?! Henry's eyes blur, his cheeks go numb, and his chest ever so crushing like a sledgehammer is roughly hitting it.

His entourage continues escorting him despite losing his spacial awareness at this point. Suddenly, his legs and hands also go numb and the sledgehammer that was hitting his chest has now turned into a brick, stuck inside of him. He is hyperventilating.

He finally collapses before reaching his friends and the chanting commotion turns into gasps as they look over to Henry. Cecilia runs away to call for medical assistance while Theo asks the security if he could offer any assistance and all they say is keep holding him while the entourage secures the surroundings and wait for Cecilia to return.

The last perspective Henry sees before his eyes close is Ezra pacing back and forth with his thumb on his lip, biting the nail off. Oh, and Theo is holding him, but nothing too suspicious.

Henry's lips stretch to his ears and…he's gone.