"If this was a real battle you would be dead in less than two minutes!" Sir John Watson admonished his best friend after he lost his sword for him for the third time in their regular practice.
"I'm not concentrating today." Prince Sherlock grumbled and moved to the couch, he fell on it with tiredness and exhaustion.
"Not just today! You were acting weird and impatient for days." Sir John poured two glasses of water and went to sit next to him.
"I'm always weird and impatient." He smirked taking the glass from him and drank it at once.
"Well god help us all as I see you're developing a new level." there was no sign of joke in John tone, but concern was loudly heard in every word he said.
"What's on your mind?" John tried to make his friend open his heart.
The smirk on Sherlock's face vanished as he deduced his friend wouldn't let him in peace with his agony.
"You won't understand, no one can." Prince Sherlock huffed and got up.
"As your best friend I demand to know what is bothering you!" John yelled making Sherlock stop at the door before getting out, he turned and looked to John, a determined look on his face.
Sherlock sighed heavily and muttered something unheard.
"What?" John frowned.
"I said it's Molly!" Sherlock said exasperated.
" ?! I just saw her today and she looked well!" John didn't understand how this dilemma could be related to her.
"I think … I think I've deep feelings for her." Sherlock breathed every word.
There was a heavy silence for a moment, Sherlock was waiting his friend's answer with anxious.
"You've just realized that?" John stared at him as an absurd creature.
"You knew?!" Sherlock's surprise was indescribable with words.
John went and sit again on the couch, allowing himself to sigh in relieve "As concerning it's that you just discovered you have feelings for Ms. Hooper, I can't see how this could be a problem?"
"You knew!" Sherlock didn't move from where he stood, surprise was still shown on his face.
"Dear lord! Of course I knew!" John rolled his eyes in exasperation, "you spend most of your time in her father's lab with her, the way I always see you staring at her when she's not looking, you act as a man possessed with the devil and need an exorcism session when she's out of the town with her family, for the love of god I've never seen you acting once but nice around her!"
Sherlock narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth then closed it couple of times. He looked to the side to find something to say but decided against it and went to sit next to his friend.
"You still didn't tell me why this is a problem? Did you tell her yet?"
Sherlock frowned "And then what?! Let's say I did tell her and she shared me the same feelings, do you think my parents would approve on me having a relation with the daughter of the court physician? I'm from the royal family with royal blood!"
"Try again." They both stood up suddenly at the existence of the queen's voice.
"Mother." Sherlock muttered with wide eyes.
"Queen Helena." John knelt in front of her.
"Sir Watson, would you please leave me with my son? I need to put some sense in his little head." she said without getting her eyes of her son's.
John didn't lose a second and walked out of the room in hurry, smiling to himself at the situation his friend put himself into, but then he was glad, if anyone could make Sherlock listen, it would be his mother.
The queen sat in front of her son looking to him as he sweated and blinked.
"Could you remind me my dear boy when exactly were you seeking for our approval about anything through the eighteen years I raised you?" she said moving her head to the side.
"Uhmm, my father would never …" his lips trembled.
"You can leave your father for me and you already know that, try again." She raised her eyebrow.
"The inheritance of the crown requires …"
"Sherlock, Stop exhausting me, we both know you never cared for this matter, and god bless your brother and his children, this is the last lie you are allowed to speak of." She said daring him.
He sighed heavily "What if she didn't have the same feelings I developed for her, what if she only considered me as a dear friend and nothing more? What if she got scared and thought she had no other choice?" He burst suddenly fast.
The queen didn't show any kind of affection for what he said, her eyes stayed cold.
"And I thought I raised a brave man." she said shaking her head.
"I beg your pardon!" he said shocked.
"All I can see here is a scared man who's hiding himself in what ifs and unproved assumptions." She stated simply.
"I am not coward, mother!" Sherlock defended himself strongly.
"Then stop acting like one and pull yourself out of your prison of excuses." His mother admonished him.
"I knew Ms. Hooper since you were children, do you really believe any force on this earth can make her do anything she doesn't want?! And I can swear she has feelings for you too!" she said sincerely.
"Do you really believe that?" he said in awe.
She got up from her seat and walked to him. She raised her soft hand and touched his cheek.
"You will never know for sure unless you try my dear, go to her and ask her, if she shares you the same feelings you have for her, you will win her and your heart, if she doesn't, you will win your sanity and peace." She smiled kindly at the end, and moved to leave the room.
"Mother" He called for her, she returned and looked to him.
"Would you help me?" He asked hesitantly, she only smiled.
Molly entered her father's lab to find an envelope and a red box on the table waiting for her. She opened the envelope in hurry as she recognized Sherlock's hand writing on the back of it written Ms. Hooper. He never used this formality in their meetings.
She read the letter ten times in row, and looked to the box every time she finished, there was a decision must be taken tonight, and she knew precisely what she should do.
Sherlock stared anxiously to the door of the ballroom. He heard nothing of the noises and music played around him.
The moment Molly entered from the door he only focused on her left shoulder, he stopped breathing when he found the brooch he asked her in his letter to wear tonight if she felt the same for him, or they would stay friends and forget everything was written in it, her eyes were searching around the place till she found him, she smiled kindly and her smile turned to a small grin when she saw the unbelieving look on his face while he eyed the brooch, with soft steps she narrowed the distance between them till she stood in front of him, before she could say a word a new piece of music began announcing the start of a new dance, he smiled and raised his hand to her that she simply put hers on without a question.
While he leaded her to the dancing area, the queen watched the two lovebirds with joy and happiness, deciding what is the nearest best date for a royal wedding.