"Hey, Helena?" Leonhard said quietly as he peeked his head through her door.

Helena smiled a little. "Hi, Leo." Her smiled faded when she noticed his distraught look. "What's wrong?"

Leonhard clutched his textbook close to his chest. "Father is going to strip me of my right to the throne."

Helena blinked several times, sure she had heard him wrong. "What? Start from the beginning."

"He saw my grade on the test Heine gave everyone, and he was really disappointed in me. He told me to retake the rest, and if I can't get a 60, I'm going to lose my right to the throne."

The princess knew her father could be extremely strict when it came to the royal line, but she never realized he would go this far.

"When I took another test, I only got a 15."

"15?"

"Yeah. There's no way I'll make a 60 by tomorrow."

"Not with that attitude. Leo, correct me if I'm wrong, but a 15 is the highest you've ever made on a test. You're already improving which means you're working hard. I believe you can make a 60 tomorrow, but you have to believe you can too."

"You think I can?"

"I know you can. Here, why don't I help you study?"

"Really?"

"Sure."

Leonhard handed her his textbook, and she quickly skimmed through some of the pages. She saw he was studying history, which was perfect as that was her favorite subject.

"Who was the author of the 95 Theses?"

Leonhard squinted his face in concentration. "Martin Luthor?"

"Good! And what city was the church located where he posted them?"

"Um…I'm not sure."

"It's Wittenberg. The way you can remember that is to think of Professor Heine's last name, Wittgenstein. The similarities in the two names will help you recall the city."

"Oh, yeah. Heine did something like that with me too. He helped me learn math by using torte."

"Did it work?"

"Yeah, it actually did."

"You know, Leo, no matter what happens tomorrow, know that I'm very proud of you for working so hard to pass this test."

"Thanks…" Leo nervously fidgeted with his hands. "Would you maybe…be there when I take it?"

Helena smiled warmly. "Of course."

Heine, who had been passing by the princess's room, listened outside for a brief moment. He smiled to himself, equally proud of his student and touched by the relationship he had with his sister.

The next day, Isabella wheeled Helena down to the king's study where Leonhard would be retaking his test.

She decided to get there a little early so she could speak with her father alone before the others got there.

The guard opened the door for her, and Isabella wheeled her in.

"Your Majesty," Isabella greeted as she curtseyed.

"Hello, Father," Helena said respectfully when she entered. Since she could not curtsey, she dipped her head a little in reverence. "I hope your travels have proven worthwhile."

When she looked up, she saw that her father had tears in his eyes. She smiled a little at the familiar sight. Her father was by far the most emotional man she had ever met. Not that she'd met a lot of men in her lifetime.

"Hello, Helena," he smiled at her, getting up from his desk. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm glad to see you're doing so well. How have you been?"

"Better as of late."

"That's very good to hear. What brings you to my study?"

"Leonhard asked me to be here when he retook his test. I helped him study a little last night."

"Always the good sister, aren't you?"

Helena laughed lightly. "I've missed you, Father."

"And I you, my dear. I'll try to come see you soon so we can talk."

"I would like that very much."

The doors opened and Helena's three other younger brothers walked in.

"Your Majesty," they said as they bowed to the king.

"Sister," Bruno said once he noticed Helena. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm supporting my brother, of course. Just like you."

The doors opened once more to allow Leonhard and Heine to enter.

"Good morning, Prince Leonhard," Viktor smiled. "And to you, royal tutor."

"Uh, good morning, Your Majesty," Leonhard answered nervously. He and Heine both bowed before him. "I am ready."

"Please, have a seat."

Leonhard looked towards his brothers. Bruno gave him a small nod which the blond returned. Then he looked over at Helena. She gave him a warm, comforting smile that told him she fully believed in him.

They all believed in him. Even the professor believed he could do this.

Helena's words came back to him. He had to believe he could do this too. If he took this test believing he would fail, that belief would become a reality. He was determined to make that 60.

Leonhard anxiously took a seat at the lone desk in the middle of the room specifically put there for him.

"We will commence testing now," Viktor announced. "You have one hour, Prince. If you manage to score 60 or higher, then you may maintain your claim to the throne."

Helena realized her father wasn't kidding. Leonhard had to get the points in order to keep his place in the royal line. This seemed like far too drastic of a move just for a bad score on a test.

"Begin."

The royal siblings watched apprehensively as the prince began his retest. Leonhard's face squinted hard in concentration and his pen hardly ever stopped moving.

Helena released a nervous breath of air. She hoped and prayed that her brother could make a 60. She didn't know what any of them would do if Leonhard ended up losing his claim to the throne. He didn't show it, but she knew it was important to him. More than that, he wanted to show their father that he could improve his scores if he tried. What Leonhard hated more than anything was their father being disappointed in him.

The clock chimed 11.

"Time's up, Prince," Viktor told his son.

Leonhard set down his pen with a sigh.

"Royal tutor, will you do us the honor?"

Heine gave a small bow. "Yes."

The tension in the room rose as everyone waited for Heine to finish grading Leonhard's test.

Once the task was complete, Heine handed the test to Viktor.

Viktor looked at it carefully, his face giving away nothing. "This is interesting." He flipped the test over for Leonhard to see. "You scored a 59."

Helena's heart sank. While she was thrilled to know that her brother had gotten such a high score on his test for the first time in his life, it was not a 60. Perhaps her father would be merciful and let the one point go. If not, she would discuss it with him later and attempt to get him to change his mind. Their father was strict, but he couldn't be so strict that one point would cause Leonhard to lose his title.

Leonhard gasped and turned to the others, throwing his arms up in triumph. "All right! I just got a 59!"

"Way to go, Leonhard!" Licht praised.

"You answered more than half of the questions correctly!" Bruno added.

Kai threw his hands up as well. "V is for victory!"

"Highness," Heine put in, interrupting their happy moment, "that is still below the requisite 60."

The joyful air in the room quickly depleted.

"Majesty…" the tutor started.

"Father," Helena said at the same time.

"If he cannot show results, I'm afraid I cannot allow Leonhard to keep his place in the royal line of succession," Viktor explained sternly.

"Father, please," Licht begged.

A tense silence stretched throughout the room. Helena didn't realize their father could be so strict about one silly little point. Leonhard clearly improved vastly, and he was extremely close. Shouldn't that be enough?

"However…" Viktor stated, drawing them all out of their private thoughts. "Royal tutor, it appears this test is graded incorrectly." He pointed to the red score at the top. "Based on what I've learned about your grading methods thus far, is not the test-taker awarded one point for spelling his name correctly?"

Helena smiled. She knew her father wasn't the kind of man to let something like this happen. He was stern but generous, and it was what made him a great king.

Viktor corrected the grade at the top and handed it to his son. "60 points, Leonhard. Congratulations, my boy."

"You just passed the test!" Kai said happily.

Bruno let out a large breath. "Oh, I am so relieved."

"We're all very proud of you, Leo," Helena told him.

Viktor smiled at his son. "You're sad. You should be happy, son."

"But, Father, in truth, I only scored a 59," Leonhard insisted. "Are you sure you're willing to accept it?"

"I'm only following the grading standards set forth by Professor Heine. After all, you are under his method of teaching now. What, do you not want to study under Heine, Leonhard?"

"The thing is, I really do hate teachers. So much. But not Heine. I don't hate him at all. Honestly, Father, I don't think I could've scored a 59 without him."

"Then continue to pay attention to his lessons and study hard. Do that and I have no doubt you will be fit for the throne." The king put his hands on Leonhard's shoulders. "Do you promise me you will do as I say, my son?"

"Yes!" Leonhard answered firmly.

Viktor turned him around so he faced Heine. "I'd like you to promise that to your professor as well." He gave him a gentle push in Heine's direction.

Leonhard walked up to Heine and nervously fidgeted with his hair. "So, I, uh…I…I'm going to keep trying. So, please, keep teaching…" Leonhard held his hand out. "As long as you never give up on me, I'll try. If you will."

Helena never thought she would see the day Leonhard did not hate a tutor with all of his being and accepted his help to study.

Heine bowed his head. "Yes, of course. And I look forward to our lessons, Prince Leonhard. Now, one last thing."

Heine gripped the tip of Leonhard's hand with his thumb and index finger. Helena tilted her head a little at the strange gesture.

"Heine, what's this?" Leonhard asked dryly.

"I am returning your gift, Prince. Besides, if I gave you a firm handshake, I fear you might start crying."

"What?! I most certainly would not!"

"The time for handshakes is long past."

"What?!"

"As a devoted educator, I ponder and fret over my students' futures day in and day out. And if I may say so, Your Highness, I've done quite a great deal of fretting over you."

Leonhard angrily grabbed Heine's coat as his face reddened in anger. "How dare you be so cold to me, Professor! I just poured my heart out!"

Licht quickly grabbed his brother away from the tutor. "Calm down, Leo! He's not mean, he's just being shy!"

"How is that shy?!"

"It's wonderful, Leonhard," Bruno smiled. "You've protected your claim to the throne, and you've come to accept Master's brilliance. All of those who are lost on the shores of knowledge will be enveloped by the ocean known as Master."

"Was that a metaphor? I can't quite tell." He angrily pointed to Heine. "Well, I don't think you're brilliant! Not one bit, you nasty teacher, you!"

"I might not be brilliant, but I am nothing if not honest," Heine retorted.

"Oh, wow!" Licht laughed. "Now that's what I call brutal!"

Viktor and Helena laughed at the princes' interaction with their new tutor. It was the first time they had all fully accepted a tutor into the palace.

Leonhard's angry demeanor vanished and he turned to Helena excitedly. "Look, Helena! One of the questions was the city Martin Luthor posted the 95 Theses! I did what you said and I thought of Heine's last name and I remembered Wittenberg!"

Helena smiled broadly. "That's wonderful! I am so proud of you! You worked so hard and it paid off, didn't it?"

"Yeah. Thanks for your help."

"Oh, Professor Heine's the one who helped you to get that 60."

"I know. But you helped me too."

"It was my pleasure, Leo."

Late that night, Viktor came into Helena's room just as she was about to finish reading and go to sleep.

"Hello, my dear," he smiled.

"Hello, Father."

Viktor sat down on her bed next to her and hugged her tightly. The king was blessed to have had Helena for 24 years, but the hard truth was that he never knew if each day was going to be her last. It was already a miracle she had survived her childhood, much less this much of adulthood. Every moment he was away from the palace, he worried that he would receive unfortunate news about his eldest child while he could not get to her. Whenever he returned, he made sure to spend as much time as possible with her.

Helena hugged him back, remembering how much she enjoyed being in her father's arms. She wished she got to see him more than she did, but she understood he had a duty to the kingdom above all else.

Viktor ran his hand down to her cheek. "You look wonderful."

"Thank you."

"Are you getting along with the new tutor as well? Has he earned your difficult-to-attain seal of approval?"

"Oh, yes. Heine is a wonderful tutor for the boys. You saw how they all are with him. I didn't think we would ever find a tutor that could handle all of them, especially Leonhard."

"Yes, I'm very impressed with him as well."

"Where did you find him anyway? I mean, he has no formal training of his own, so how did you come to hear about him?"

"You'd be surprised what information I'm privy to as king."

"He and I talk sometimes about what I am currently studying on my own. He has a very unique way of getting me to look at things with another point of view. It's the first time a tutor has ever given me the time of day."

"I'm glad you get along with him."

"Father, I must ask something."

"What is it?"

"Were you really going to strip Leonhard of his right to the throne?"

Viktor sighed heavily. "The method I used was a tool devised by me and Heine as an incentive to get Leonhard to work hard at his studies. If he had not passed his test, I probably would have worked something out in the end. But he had to understand how important these lessons are to his chance at becoming king."

"It was rather cruel."

"But it worked, didn't it?"

"I suppose, but he was so worried. I think he was more concerned that you were upset with him."

"Well, that I was. To get a score of 1 on a test simply for writing your name is not appropriate for a prince."

"I know. But in Leonhard's mind, you being upset with him means that you're going to abandon him."

"Helena, I know that my ways of teaching the boys can seem rather cold and unfair, but I promise, there's a reason for all of them. As princes, I have to hold them to a very high standard without crushing their spirits completely. I only want what's best for them, and I know you do too. Trust my judgment, okay?"

Helena smiled a little. "I do trust you."

"Good. And I'll be sure to convey to Leonhard more often that no matter what happens as far as the royal line is concerned, I will always be his father. Now that that's settled…tell me about the latest story you've been reading."