I don't want to hear that I never do anything for y'all. You all may thank me accordingly.
She had never looked so small. The woman in blue stood at his doorway, her green eyes full of both fear and concern as she looked to the prince. His hand was frozen in the air after he threw the crystal glass and his bare chest heaved up and down with every breath that he took. He looked wild, crazed, and Flora didn't know what to do as crystal shards rained down from the wall next to her.
Helia looked at her, a million more self-deprecating thoughts running through his head. He could have hit her. She was just a servant but he could have hit her. Helia counted his blessings that he had not thrown the glass a few feet over to his left or he would have hit Flora. He could have never forgiven himself, he would truly be the monster that he believed he was becoming.
"Your Highness?" Flora's soft voice brought him back to reality. The reality that he was in his room, glass and crystal littering the stone floor, the wall by his bed splattered with whiskey, and his hand was throbbing. He looked down at his hand and the blood had seeped through the bandages, reminding him of what happened earlier, how upset he had become at his father, and why he was upset to begin with. It was her.
His blue eyes looked up at her and glared ahead, "What are you doing here?" Helia's voice came out deep and gravely, unlike the usual smooth quality of his voice that he had inherited from his father.
"I heard yelling and commotion in here and I became worried, Your Highness. I wanted to make sure that you were okay." Flora looked around the room, doing her best not to meet the gaze of the obviously upset prince.
"No," Helia shook his head and his voice hardened, "why are you here?"
"I am afraid that I don't-"
Helia rushed up towards Flora, the glass and crystal shards crunching under his black, leather boots. Flora gasped as her back hit the cold, stone, wall. He was close to her, one arm stretched out in front of him, his bloody and bandaged hand to the side of her head. Helia stared down at the young woman and could feel the fear coming off of her body. Good, Helia thought, she should be afraid.
"Why did you come to Hademort? Why did you come with the princess? Why are you here?" Helia reiterated.
Flora was breathing heavily and her breath hit Helia's bare chest. It was cooling against his burning skin. He could sense her trembling and the strength that she gathered to try to cover it up. She still refused to meet his gaze.
"Tell me." Helia commanded, "Now!"
Flora took a deep breath and closed her parted lips. She swallowed as her eyes rose to meet Helia's gaze, her glare just as steely as his.
"I am the princess's handmaiden and a Guardian of Linphea, Your Highness. I don't understand why you are asking me this, Your Highness."
Helia bit down on the inside of his cheek as he clenched his jaw. His nostrils flared as he locked eyes with the woman caged between his arm and body.
"I thought I told you to keep your nose out of business that does not concern you! I told you that I would come to the princess when it was time and instead you ignored me and continued to use Saladin to pester me! You are insubordinate and you need to learn respect and how to follow orders!"
"I follow the orders of Princess Krystal, she is my princess. You have no authority over me."
"You are the most frustrating person that I have ever come across, and I am the son of the most ruthless king in the world so I know a thing or two about what it means to be frustrating." Helia seethed.
"And you are-"
"Watch your tongue...girl." Helia emphasized the ending, sounding eerily like his father. "You forget who you are speaking to."
"I know exactly who I am speaking to." Flora's warm voice now harboring an edge of iciness, "And you have been nothing but cold, cruel, and-"
"Silence!" Helia yelled.
Flora ignored the prince's command, "Princess Krystal is miserable because of you! She hates it here and you, as her future husband, should be trying all that you can to make her happy. Or at least spend some time with her to show her that you are interested in her!"
"I do not owe the princess anything!" Helia narrowed his eyes. "And I certainly don't owe you a damn thing!"
"You do not, but I have been there for the princess when you ignore her time and time again. It pains me to see my princess so upset, crying because you will not meet with her. You refuse to have meals with her, you refuse to talk to her, you have done nothing to make her happy and it is up to me to clean up the mess! To make excuses for you! But I am beginning to run out of things to tell Her Highness when she is upset!"
Helia backed away from Flora and spun around, running his unbandaged hand through his hair, and began pacing the room. Flora's body relaxed slightly as she lifted her back from the stone wall.
"I don't want you to make excuses for me!" Helia shouted from across the room. "Don't you see? I don't know why you cannot accept that I am the monster that the gossiping princesses say that I am!"
Helia glanced down at his bandaged hand and raised it up so that Flora could see it. The blood-stained cloth in front of his face. Flora looked at him, her green eyes still holding a deep fire within.
"I don't believe the rum-"
"I might have killed a man today with my bare hands during training this afternoon! My mind went blank and all I saw was red! I couldn't stop myself and it was like there was something inside of me that finally shut off. It was as if I was shut off from my own body and I was just so...angry. So I punched him over and over and over and over and over...My father was so proud of me and I have never felt so...so...so happy. My father was finally proud of me but..."
Helia's voice lingered as he slowly put his hand down. He looked at Flora, her eyebrows downturned and her lips were once again parted as she listened to him rant and rave.
"I am a monster and it is time that both you and Princess Krystal get that through your heads. Princess Krystal should be praising whatever spirit or god she has that she doesn't know me! And you should stop making excuses for me!"
Flora took a breath and her face softened but the fire in her eyes still remained, "Shall I tell Her Highness that you will be joining her tomorrow for tea in the guest's study?"
Just like a month ago, she did not let his outbursts and threats get to her. Changing the subject back to a matter of business and devotion towards her princess. Helia simply scoffed and gently tossed his head back, "Did you not just hear me?"
"Yes or no, Your Highness?"
"Get out." Helia clenched his jaw. "Now."
"The princess requires an answer, Your Highness. She would like to know-"
"I told you to get out!"
"I am not leaving without an answer, Your Highness. Will you meet with the princess tomorrow for-"
Helia yelled, "No! I will not be joining her! Not now, not ever!"
"She is to be your wife!" Flora gave Helia a shout of her own, the anger in her voice rising. Her mother would have scolded her for talking to royalty the way that she did but her mother wasn't here.
"You act as if my marriage to the princess is anything but political!"
"Political or not, the princess deserves to have a husband that at least enjoys her presence! Do you think that she had any say in whether she came here?! That wants to be with her! Princess Krystal has done nothing to warrant your cruelty and disrespect! And you have the gall to talk to me about disrespect when you do not give it to anyone!"
Helia's expression hardened and the glare returned to his eyes. He straightened up and looked at the tan woman in light blue.
"I have given you your answer." Helia's voice rumbled in his chest, "Now leave. Tell your princess that I will not see her tomorrow and that she should never ask me again. I will come when I am ready to come."
Flora inhaled and gave the prince a small bow. She turned around and placed her hand on the handle of the large wooden door. Pressing down on the handle, Flora paused and looked back at Helia.
"You know, you don't have to be the monster that people say that you are. Your father's approval does not have to be your only source of happiness nor define who you are. Good night, Your Highness. Sleep well."
Flora opened the large wooden door and left the room and the troubled prince behind her. Once the door shut, her back met the large wooden door and she braced herself against it, her body threatening to collapse. She wanted to sob, yell, sink into the ground, punch something. She wanted to be anywhere but in Hademort, anywhere but in this cold palace with a cold prince, a cruel king, and a ruthless captain who seemed to have it in for her in a way that was unbecoming.
"Stay positive, stay positive, stay positive," Flora repeated the mantra that she had begun to say to herself ever since she arrived at the palace with Krystal. With each passing day and interaction that she had with the prince, Flora was finding it harder and harder to believe. How could she think positively? How could she stay strong for a princess whose future husband wanted nothing to do with her? Flora was so close to giving up, but that is not who she was. The prince would come to see reason. He would grow to love and care for the princess and everything would be better for Krystal. Flora could deal with the king and Duncan but seeing Krystal so upset broke her heart. She was the Guardian of Linphea and that meant protecting the country which meant protecting the princess. Flora would do anything to make sure that Krystal was happy.
"Are you alright, my dear?"
Flora turned her head to see Saladin approaching her in the large, cold hallway. His black eyes filled with concern as he looked up at her weak position against the large, wooden door of Helia's room.
"I...I'm fine."
"I know that we have not known each other for long, but I can tell when a person is not being completely honest with me or worse, with themselves." Saladin sighed as he placed a gentle hand on Flora's arm.
She looked down at his pale hand against her tan skin, the first touch that she had received from someone in Hademort that felt warm, a touch that she was glad to receive.
"I just don't understand how he can be so cold to the princess." Flora replied as she looked back at the door, "We have tried and tried and he still refuses to meet with her. Does he not understand that Princess Krystal is miserable? That she would love to be with her family? That like Prince Helia, she did not ask for this marriage. It pains me to see the princess try so hard and His Highness just throw it back in her face. It isn't fair to Princess Krystal and it isn't fair to you, I know that you have been trying hard as well."
Saladin gave Flora's hand a light pat, his thin lips formed a line across his face and Flora could swear that the old man and the prince shared an eerie resemblance, one that she had not noticed before. Saladin usually smiled and it was rare to see any other expression on Helia's face other than a scowl. However, she did suppose that most of the people in Hademort somewhat looked alike.
"You have had a long day, dear. Why don't you head off to bed and I will talk to the prince."
"He seems quite angry." Flora grumbled, "Made a mess of his room."
"Let me handle the prince," Saladin repeated a little more firmly, "and don't worry about him. I have known him his entire life and I might be able to knock some sense into that boy. I wouldn't want you to be here for that when I do."
Saladin chuckled and saw Flora's body release some tension as she let out a small, breathless giggle.
"Very well," Flora moved away from the door and stood up straight, "I will see you tomorrow morning. And thank you for asking if I was alright."
"You don't have to thank me, Flora. I see that you are doing your best with the princess and the prince and I think that you deserve some grace. You deserve to feel happy and comfortable." Saladin placed a hand on top of Flora's, "I will see you tomorrow. I hope that you find pleasant sleep this evening. Good night, my dear."
Flora gave Saladin a soft smile, "Good night."
Saladin watched as Flora made her way down the large corridor of the palace. Once she turned the sharp corner and left from his sight, Saladin's smile fell and he turned his attention to the large wooden door. He raised his hand and knocked.
"What!?"
Saladin braced himself for the obviously angry prince on the other side of the door. He didn't ask to come in before opening the door to the prince's room to see metal, glass, and crystal scattered throughout the room.
"Your Highness!" Saladin exclaimed as he took in the state of the room, mad for the person who would have to clean all of it up come the morning. He knew that this had to have happened before Flora had gotten to the prince or he would have heard it coming down the hall. He could hear faint shouting and a door shut as he made his way towards Helia's room, but no shattering and clanging.
"Tell me what you need to tell me and then get out!" Helia yelled from the opposite end of his room.
Saladin calmed himself, stilling his face and not letting his anger get the better of him. He might have prided himself on his ability to keep a level head, especially in the hostile environment of the palace. But even he had his moments; he was still just a man after all.
"I have come to tell you that Perran will live."
"Who?" Helia asked, his eyes narrowing as he squinted at the old man in confusion.
"The man who you-"
It hit Helia before Saladin could finish. Helia cut him off before he could, not wanting to remember that moment where his anger had gotten the better of him.
"Yes, good."
"Good?" Saladin seethed, "Good? Is that all you can say, Your Highness? Thanks to you, Perran is now blinded in his left eye and nearly every bone in his face is broken. The man is disfigured."
"Then maybe it would have been better if I had killed him!"
"How could you say such a thing so cavalierly, Your Highness?" Saladin stepped back in shock at the prince's words.
Helia snapped his head around to glare at the old man, taking a threatening step forward, much like he did with Flora just moments ago.
"I did not abdicate to your father to watch you-"
"You think that I don't know that!?" Helia looked at Saladin with pain in his eyes, "You don't think that, grandfather!? But you gave the throne to my father who turned out to be a monster and I am beginning to think that I am the same as him. I wish that I had killed him because then he would be free of my father and free of me! I wish that I could just turn it all off! So that I don't have to hear the voices in my head, the memories of the sound of crunching cartilage and bones under my fist! I wish that I was free of my father's taunts, free of the sound of her soft voice! I wish I didn't have to marry that silly, vapid, and naive little princess! I wish I could just be my own person but no, I can't! I wish...I wish..."
Helia gripped the sides of his head and spun away from Saladin before tugging at his hair as he threw his arms down. Helia turned back to Saladin, who was standing near where Flora had been standing, and pointed to the stone wall, scratched from the shards of crystal that collided with it minutes ago.
"I almost hit her! I threw the glass and I almost..." Helia looked at Saladin, his blues eyes pleading, "I almost killed Perran because that ass of a captain touched her! And hearing my father, your son, tell me how proud he was of me...it was everything I wanted but it still wasn't enough. Not for me and not for him. It's as if...as if...I just..."
Saladin looked at Helia as he paced the room, his body aching for the pain he saw in his grandson. He had always been a conflicted boy. Pained by the death of his mother, tormented by his father's constant rebuke, and now Saladin could clearly see how Helia had been entranced by the beautiful Linphean handmaiden. Helia might have been in denial but Saladin knew. He wanted to reach out and go to the man who was still very much like the boy who Saladin had seen grow up in the palace. He wanted to pull him into his arms, just as Viviana had done when Helia was little and upset. But that wouldn't help as the prince wrestled with the thoughts inside of his head.
Taking a deep and calming breath, Saladin straightened his posture and relaxed his face, the tension and pain in the air dissipating around them
"My boy, I gave up the throne to your father when he came of age because he was ready. He had a beautiful wife and a baby on the way, you. I never wanted the throne."
"And you chose to be a servant?" Helia scoffed.
"No," Saladin shook his head, "I wanted to leave and travel the world. Return to Espero to live out my days, that is where your grandmother is from, you know? The most patient and loving woman that I had ever met, your mother being a close second, and Flora...Well, let's just say that after your mother died, I could sense your father slowly becoming the man that he is today. It was too late for me to take back my throne while your father took time for himself, not if I wanted to start a civil war in Hademort. So I decided to stay. Stay here in the palace and stay to watch over you."
"Why are you telling me all of this? I know that you stayed so that my father wouldn't completely fall off the deep end." Helia rolled his eyes, his rage brought down under the calming atmosphere that Saladin had created in the destroyed bedroom. "Too bad that I am probably going to be the one to go off the deep end."
"No, Your Highness." Saladin shook his head, "I am telling you this because like me, you have to figure out what it is you want. Giving up the throne of Hademort was not easy at all and seeing what your father has become has been very painful. You are not your father, Helia. But you need to decide for yourself who you are going to be. Sometimes I feel guilty because I never gave your father that opportunity and I find myself lying awake at night, blaming myself for who your father has become. I nor your grandmother raised him to be this cruel and vindictive, but I realize that I never allowed him to choose who he wanted to be. I never gave him a choice. But you have that choice, Helia, I don't want to see you become your father."
"I don't know what I want." Helia sighed.
Saladin took a step towards Helia, "I think that you know what you want. I think that you want to be happy, loved, and accepted. But I think that you don't know in what way. But I think that what you want stepped off the boat from Linphea a month ago. Get to know her, she is a sweet, kind, and beautiful girl, both inside and out. You will be spending the rest of your life, or her life, in agony if you continue to keep up this wall between the two of you because you are struggling to be who you want to be."
Helia groaned, "Princess Krystal-"
"Again, I wasn't talking about Princess Krystal."