Helena stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard of the palace, whiskey in hand. She couldn't remember how long she had been standing there, but the sun had long sense faded into darkness. It had now been hours since Simon had caught her and Cyrus discussing their next play at stopping the referendum vote. His threat to Cyrus was meaningless to her, but the words he had spoken to her shook her to her very core.
His voice echoed in her head, "There will be no more affairs, Helena. Marriages end and so do monarchies." Of course, she had had to antagonize him further more, telling him he had lied to the people. That only ended with Simon calling her a bitch and walking out.
She knew he meant it. She had finally pushed him to hard and the world as she knew it was about to come toppling down. Forget the monarchy's image, there would be no monarchy left. The divorce of England's beloved king from his adulterous wife would be the tipping point in the vote for the referendum.
She took another sip of the whiskey, "Come on Helena, think. There's got to be a way to convince Simon to call off the divorce." But try as she might, Helena couldn't think of a solution. Her sins had finally caught up to her and there was no way out.
Helena had managed to avoid Simon since the scene earlier, but it was time to face him. She turned and walked back inside, placing her glass on the table before looking around, taking the time to appreciate the magnificence of the room itself.
"Generations of great people have passed through these doors, walked these halls," she thought with a sad smile, "and for a while I was one of them."
Walking towards the bedroom she had shared with Simon for the last thirty years of her life, Helena felt a sense of anxiety she had never experienced before. In all the times she had lied to him, snuck behind his back, she had never felt the sense of dread upon seeing him face to face as she did at this very moment.
Helena stopped dead in her tracks as she rounded the corner to where their bedroom was located as she watched two maids hurrying out with linens and what appeared to be the comforter that had been on her bed.
"What in the hell is going on?" Queen Helena demanded startling them both.
"We're sorry it's so late, ma'am. We tried to get this done sooner, but we had to wait on the mattress and furniture. Our apologies." Said the younger of the two.
"Mattress?" Helena said with a puzzled look.
"Yes ma'am. King Simon requested a new bedroom suit be brought in as well as a new mattress and linens. He said that you wouldn't care the pattern, we hope you like it ma'am."
"Uh-huh, I understand. Is that all King Simon told you?" asked the Queen.
Both ladies glanced at each other before one spoke, "No ma'am. He also said to burn the mattress that had been on the bed."
Helena tried to hide the look of surprise on her face before dismissing them in her usual style, "I see. That will be all, walk away."
Walking into the room she looked around. Every piece of furniture had been replaced, albeit it was still beautiful. Helena walked over to her closet and flipped the light switch, a sigh of relief escaped her lips. "At least he hasn't had my things packed up yet, thank god."
Glancing at the watch on her wrist, she realized it was after 9pm. Simon usually was in their room by now, occasionally working or making calls, but there nonetheless.
Helena wasn't quite sure what to do, "do I go to bed like nothing happened, wait up for him, go look for him?" For a woman that always had a plan, this was different territory for her.
"No, no, no. Damn it, I have sacrificed everything for this, I am not giving up without a fight." She said loudly. "So what, he redecorated. I'm still his wife and we are going to talk about this!"
Deciding that she wasn't going to be the one waiting on Simon to come and throw her out of their bedroom, Helena stalked out of the room a woman on a mission.
Simon glanced at his watch, he had told Liam to meet him here at 9. He should have known his son would be late.
"He has 15 minutes and then I'm going without him," Simon thought, trying to give his heir the benefit of the doubt.
He walked over to the window looking out towards the city, "what a day this has been."
His conversation with Helena playing like a recording in his ear. She had visibly flinched when he had called her a bitch, it was so uncharacteristic of him. In all the years that they had been married, rarely had he ever raised his voice at her, let alone cursed at her. He may have thought it, but saying it was something he couldn't undo.
Simon smiled to himself, "I'd have given anything to see her face when she walked into the bedroom tonight. If only I didn't plan on meeting Liam, I could have been there." He chuckled as he pictured her expression.
He heard her coming before he even saw her, the tale-tale click of her high heels giving her away. Simon braced himself for the fireworks he was quite certain was about to happen, only having her surprise him as she came to stand beside him by the window without saying a word.
"Where the hell is he?" Helena asked loudly. She had checked his study, the chapel, she had even checked the kitchen to no avail. "It's like he's bloody well disappeared."
She was on her way back through palace when she caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. He was standing at the far end of the hall, staring out the window. His shoulders were slightly sagged as if they held the weight of the world.
Helena began walking towards him, all the while deciding what to say. Yet as she got closer, every bit of fight that she had in her seemed to dissipate. "Look at him, I've helped do this," she thought as she quietly approached.
Simon was expecting yelling and screaming, instead Helena stared straight ahead before quietly asking, "Why now?
Simon turned to look at her, surprised she wasn't trying to pick a fight. "I'm tired Helena. I can't do this anymore. I can't keep putting this monarchy before our kids. We've already lost one, I can't lose another one and I'm so scared Eleanor is one hit away from OD'ing or Liam just one party from something bad happening. They're a fucking mess, Helena, and we've let them be."
Helena glanced up at him, "They're my kids too, Simon. You don't think I see what they're really doing? But they're being typical kids their age."
"My god Helena, there is nothing typical about them. We gave them everything money could buy and look at them. I have failed them as a father, and you have failed them as a mother. That's why this all has to end. We're nothing more than zoo animals."
Studying him, Helena said quietly, "And you think disbanding the monarchy will fix it? Simon, this is the only world they've ever known. If you take it away what happens to them then?"
"What happens to you, you mean my love?" He said sarcastically. "If this goes away Helena, we be their parents. We help them, push them in the right direction. Something we have both failed miserably at. And we try our hardest to make up for that."
Helena nodded her head, "Maybe you're right, maybe I am scared about what happens to me if this all goes away. My life before all this, you, the twins, seems so long ago, I don't know what happens if I'm not Queen."
"You know, Helena, instead of siding with Cyrus, you could have just come to me. You could have told me that very thing instead of sneaking around, firing good people just because. The monarchy has changed us all, and none of it for the better." Simon told her.
"I'm sorry I had Prudence fired." Helena responded. "Maybe there was some truth in what you said this morning. We used to lie about the little things, now everything is one big lie."
Eying her Simon leaned in, "I meant what I said this morning, Helena. I'm done with the affairs. You told me I used to bring you flowers, I tried last night only to see a certain young bodyguard leaving our room. You brought another man into our bed, I won't stand for it anymore. You will be faithful, or I will follow through and divorce you so fast you will wonder what happened."
Helena was silent, not sure of what to say. Simon knowing about Jasper was the last thing she had expected. She cleared her throat, "You know, I came to find you tonight because I had a maid inform me of the changes to the bedroom, and I was surprised to say the least. Especially since it seems you had the mattress burned. Which means, that'll be all over the palace by breakfast."
Simon rolled his eyes, "Helena."
"Let me finish please," she said as she cut him off. "It makes sense as to why now. The real truth is, you're right. I have failed as a mother and as your wife. I've changed and I don't even know when it happened. I'm sorry, Simon, truly sorry, for the affairs and for the lies. Our kids hate me. I can't even remember the last time that I had a real conversation with either one of them, or you for that matter. How did we get here? How did I get here?" Her voice caught as she asked the last part.
Simon glanced at his watch, realizing it was well past the time Liam was supposed to meet him to go for their walk. He had so much he had wanted to explain to him, show him. Instead, it seemed tonight he was going to make a decision about his wife. He had threatened to divorce her just hours before, but now, seeing her standing in front of him, the thought of living without was more frightening.
"Helena, will you take a walk with me?" Simon asked her.
"Are you crazy, it's cold and dark out and we need to finish talking." Helena told him.
"Helena, please, for the love of god go and change. Put on something warm, and rather discrete. I want to show you something." Simon instructed her.
Helena hesitated before Simon finally said, "We're going to talk, Helena, probably more than you'd like to. It's going to take more than tonight; there's going to be yelling, maybe some crying but for now we're going for a walk."
"Okay then," was all she said, as headed off to change.