Chapter 7
"Oh you must be the boys we've heard so much about." the Queen said to the twins. Eugene and Flynn were so shocked neither could speak. Once they recovered from their surprise, they looked to the Captain for an explanation.
"What? How?" they said simultaneously.
"Well, I was talking to one of the other guards about your upcoming party and Her Majesty overheard some of it and decided to provide you with her own present." With a sweeping bow to the Queen, the Captain stepped back and presented the boys. "As I'm sure you've guessed by now, this one is Flynn," the Captain said with his hand on Flynn's shoulder. "And the quiet one over here is his brother Eugene."
"It's a pleasure meeting the both of you," the King finally spoke up with a smile. "As you may know, I am King Geoffrey of Corona and this beautiful woman is my wife Queen Adelaide of Corona."
Feeling nervous Eugene stammered, "I-it's n-nice to m-meet you." Then he turned to his brother for assistance.
Quickly picking up on it Flynn added, "We've never met royalty before."
Queen Adelaide was quick to assure both of them, "That's quite all right, boys. We're just normal people who happen to be King and Queen."
Eugene looked up, "R-really? W-what kind of things do you like to do?"
"I like horses, Eugene. And from what Henry here tells me, you do too," Queen Adelaide told him.
"Well, I—" he started to say as he turned red, embarrassed at the attention.
King Geoffrey spoke up. "And Flynn, I hear you two lost your mother not long ago. I too lost my mother when I was quite young."
"What happened, King Geoffrey?" Eugene asked timidly.
"Well, she died when I was seven years old."
"She died?" Flynn gasped.
"Yes, she got smallpox when an epidemic swept through our village."
"That's so sad." Eugene replied.
Queen Adelaide was the one to respond this time. "Yes, it is. Unfortunately, I was young when my parents passed away as well. Although I was older than all of you. I was eleven when both of my parents died in a carriage accident."
"Wow. We're sorry that happened." the boys chorused.
Eugene looked at Flynn for reassurance. But our mom is just lost, right, Flynn? She isn't dead, is she?
Of course not, Eugene. She just got lost because of the fire. I bet she is looking for us, too. Flynn was quick to reassure Eugene, even though he had his own reservations about whether or not they would ever find their mom.
Are you sure, Flynn? I miss her a lot. I hope we find her soon. You look worried.
Yes, I'm sure we will find her. Once again, he reassured Eugene. Flynn had his own worries though. He knew he had to keep Eugene believing that they would find her, but he was beginning to think that they might never find her.
What will happen if we don't find her, Flynn? I'm scared.
You know you don't have to be scared. I will always be here to protect you. Flynn had a strange feeling he was going to have to take care of him for a long time, but knew he couldn't tell Eugene that because he would lose all hope of finding their mother. He knew that one of them had to face the reality that they might never find her, but he wanted Eugene to at least be able to hang on to a slim hope that they might find her sometime in the future.
You promise, Flynn? You won't ever leave me to face things by myself? Eugene timidly asked.
You know I would never leave you. You're my brother, my twin. We will always be together. Us two against the world.
The entire exchange had only taken moments, and not a single word had been spoken, but volumes had been said. As the boys looked back to the King and Queen, Eugene said, "As far as we know our mother's only lost not dead."
"Be that as it may, we still know how you feel right now. For now, that's enough sad stories. I bet the two of you are hungry, aren't you?" the Queen asked trying to distract the boys from the ongoing issue of their missing mother.
"They just ate before we came, Your Highness. They even had cake," the Captain answered.
"That may be, Henry, but these are growing boys. They get hungry fast. You should know that. You were young once," King Geoffrey admonished. "So are you two hungry?"
"Yeah," chorused Eugene and Flynn.
"I think we should do something about that. Don't you, Geoffrey?" Queen Adelaide responded.
"Oh, yes, my dear. What a splendid idea. Why don't the two of you join us for dinner? Does that sound good, boys?" King Geoffrey asked.
"Oh, boy!" Eugene hollered.
"Food!" Flynn said excitedly.
The captain chuckled, "I guess we will be staying for dinner then, Your Majesties. Thank you for the invitation."
"YAY!" the boys chorused again.
The Queen signaled a servant and soon they were all seated at the table, enjoying the first course. The boys enjoyed soup, then a nice roast. Once they had finished eating they looked back at the King and Queen.
"Thank you for inviting us to dinner, Your Majesty," Eugene said politely. "It was delicious." He looked back at the Captain. "Is it time to go home now?"
The Captain could tell that neither boy really wanted to leave, but were trying not to be rude. Before he could say a word, however, the Queen stepped in. "Of course it's not time to leave. There is more to see. Would you like to see what kind of things we eat for dessert?"
Eugene and Flynn looked at each other for a split second before responding, "YES!"
Once again, the Queen signaled a servant and food was delivered. This time, the boys could hardly believe what they saw. A huge chocolate cake was brought out, followed by several pastries. "I hear you two had a birthday a short time ago, so I thought we could have a nice cake to celebrate with you. Does that sound like a good idea, boys?"
For once, both Eugene AND Flynn were speechless. They nodded vigorously. It was a few minutes before either of them could speak. Flynn recovered first, "Thank you. We never expected to celebrate since we can't find our mom."
"Boys your age should always have a celebration for their birthday. I'm sure your mother would agree if she were here. I am grateful to be given the opportunity to help you celebrate this year. You two are wonderful boys." King Geoffrey was a bit formal in his response.
This time the captain spoke up before he could be stopped. "It is getting late, boys. We should be heading back. You should be in bed soon." The boys trudged off to gather their coats and hats before leaving and the captain looked back at the King and Queen. "Your Majesties, I thank you for the time and attention you showed my charges. I'm afraid we haven't been able to find even a trace of their mother. My son causes constant friction with the boys and unfortunately, I think it will be in their best interests to put them in the orphanage. I don't think I can keep them in my home much longer without causing serious problems."
"I think you have done more than could have been asked of you, Captain. We will make sure that the orphanage has beds for those two, and we will make sure that they are paid enough to cover the expenses of two growing boys. They shouldn't lack for anything there." The queen spoke softly but was adamant that they would be happy even if they had to live in the orphanage.
"Thank you again. I don't know what I would have done if they had no room. I am afraid they would come to harm if I kept them with me, and I was so hoping that James would get along with them. They are extremely courageous boys." The captain sighed. It was time to let go. "I will head home. When do you want me to deliver them to the orphanage, Sire?"
"I believe that going sooner might be easier on them. Not only will they have more time to adjust before the holidays, but they will not have any more time to grow more attached to you and your wife." Queen Adelaide responded.
"As always, Your Majesty, your advice is impeccable. I believe I will take them tomorrow if possible. That way they can settle in well before Christmas."
Unbeknownst to the occupants of the room, the boys had come back, ready to leave. When they heard the captain speaking in low tones with the King and Queen, they hesitated to enter. That hesitation allowed them to overhear the majority of the conversation.
Flynn, they're gonna abandon us. What do we do?
Don't worry, Eugene. We'll be ok. He said he was gonna take us to a place called an orphanage. Whatever that is.
Maybe it's a place where they drop off and abandon motherless boys. I'm scared, Flynn.
We'll be ok. At least we're together. As long as we're together, everything will work out. Flynn wasn't about to tell Eugene just how worried he was about being left in a strange place where he didn't know anyone at all. He had just barely begun to be comfortable staying in the Captain's house. Leave it to James to mess up everything.
Just when we were starting to be happy, too. Eugene responded.
Flynn shot an angry glance at the door leading to the dining hall. I guess we know why the Captain went to so much trouble for our birthday now. He just wanted to try to do something nice before leaving us for good.
No, I think he really cares, Flynn. But James causes a lot of trouble. He doesn't like us, remember? Maybe it would be different if he did like us. Maybe then the captain wouldn't want to get rid of us.
Before the boys could say anything else, the Captain stepped out of the dining hall. "There you are. Are you all set to go? We should leave before it gets dark. I know Ellen is probably starting to worry. We best hurry." Without a murmur of things to come, the captain led the way and the trio trooped home.
The next morning, the Captain called the boys downstairs. "We have searched everywhere for your mother. I am sorry but we have not been able to locate her. Because James is so unhappy with you here, we are unable to have you stay. We have set it up for you to go to an orphanage. After breakfast, we will gather your things and head there."
"But what's an orphanage?" Eugene asked.
"An orphanage is where boys and girls who have no parents go. When you lose your parents, even if they are still living, but just lost. We have arranged for you to stay there until your mother can be located. There are many other children there. You will be happy, I am sure."
"Will we ever see you again?" Flynn asked.
"Yes, Ellen and I will stop by the orphanage occasionally to see you. Would you like that?"
Eugene and Flynn nodded. "Yes, we want to see you again."
Breakfast was a somber affair. No one was in a talkative mood. The boys were still thinking about everything they had heard the night before and what they had been told this morning. Neither of them wanted to even think about living somewhere else. Both of them missed their mother as well. Once finished eating, they cleaned their plates one last time, and headed to get their bags, each containing the small amount of clothing and toys they had been given since arriving at the house.
Just think of this as an adventure, Flynn told Eugene with a look. We'll be ok.
I know. It's just…
I know, it's hard to keep moving on, without having Mom around, but don't lose hope. I know we will find her.
I know, because we won't give up until we do. Thanks for helping me feel better, Flynn.
That's what I'm here for. You would do it for me.
With that, the boys waved goodbye to Ellen and James. They followed the Captain out of the house and down the street. It was a short walk to their destination and soon they were standing before the orphanage. The Captain gathered both boys close for a quick hug. Then they entered the orphanage. The orphanage was run by an efficient woman, by the name of Anne.
The woman wasn't mean, but she wasn't particularly kind either. She made sure that the children were fed and clothed, but she wasn't concerned with whether or not their emotional health was seen to. After a short introduction, the captain told them goodbye, and the boys turned to the door of the main part of the orphanage.
Here goes nothing. Flynn thought to himself. The two boys left the room, entering the orphanage, hoping they were ready for whatever the orphanage had in store for them.
