A/N: Written for the QLFC Round 8: What Comes Next?
Team: tutshill tornados
Position: Chaser 3 (Reserve)
Prompt: Write about being nervous to take an opportunity or next step.
Optional prompts:
(color) baby blue
(word) unexpected
(object) newspaper
Word count: 3018!
No Competition
"Your Highness," greeted a pair of women who stopped in their tracks just to dip into a low curtsy. I tipped my hat and returned a respectable bow without pausing, lest I draw undue attention.
I quite enjoyed the anonymity afforded to me due to my continuous and long absences from Pottersville. But even though very few royal subjects had laid eyes on me, my emerald eyes, which I shared with the King, were hard to miss. Also, my baby blue tunic was a dead giveaway. Tints and shades of azure have always been a part of my attire. It made me recognizable as an ambassador of Pottersville.
Hence, I, Prince Albus, second son of King Harry and Queen Ginevra, did get recognized by some rather sharp-eyed subjects on my way to the little pub which my older brother frequented. Of course, our parents didn't know about this, but they trusted me to find him; again. I had managed to find him every other time, although it was always too late for the oath-taking ceremony (which James was most certainly purposely avoiding) which needed to happen before sunset.
I entered the dingy pub and slipped on the barstool next to my big brother. He was reading a newspaper of all things.
"No friends today?" I asked as I called for a drink. James was usually surrounded by hordes of admirers. I almost despised them. They were an easy target to blame for our not-so-close relationship.
Regretfully, we never quite connected, even at a young age, we were too different. But how could I talk to James? James didn't care about the intricacies of finance. He was always off either training or busy trying to solve some petty issues of his village friends and their families.
By the age of twelve, I was already assisting the court scholars draft laws, calculate taxes, and everything in between. But what did Prince James do? He'd strut in with little regard to the court proceeding and complain about someone's thatch hut burning down or worse a lost sheep. I had found it irritating back then when our parents would stop important proceedings to deal with whatever new complaint my dear brother brought forth.
He was the heir to the throne, of course, what he had to say took precedence over everything else.
It took me some growing up to understand and appreciate what James brought to the table- empathy.
And now that I knew, I knew that I could and would follow my brother to the end of the world. It didn't matter that we had nothing interesting to talk about on the way there.
"You found me a lot sooner this time, Al." James smiled. "I guess you may now add hunting me down as one of your special skills on your resume.
I arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Are you going to make me apply for the position of your prime minister when the time comes?"
"You think you are going to be the Prime Minister?" James asked, he seemed genuinely curious.
"Well, who else is better suited?" I replied indignantly. "I have been in the court since I was ten, I know every law of the land, all neighboring kingdoms recognize me as the face of Pottersville."
"So, you do have a resume!" James interrupted. He was smiling, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
I sighed; something was wrong.
"You aren't going to be king anytime soon, James. I'm not going to make you promise me a job right now, things can be totally different then. Someone better might come along. I know you would do whatever is best for our people. The kingdom always comes first, isn't that, right?" I negotiated awkwardly.
"Right," James replied tightly, he seemed to be deep in thought. He took a large gulp of his beer. "We better go, how mad is Mum?"
"Very. But it's not her you have to worry about. Dad is livid." I informed him as he too finished his drink and dropped a few coins on the counter to pay for our drinks. "I have tasked Lily to calm him down, but there are limits to her capabilities too."
"Hmm..."
James didn't say anything further.
The journey back to the castle was filled with awkward silence. As we passed through the village, people young and old greeted us, everyone knew and loved James.
But James was far away. He was deep in thought, or uncharacteristically, he was paralyzed with the fear of the well-deserved parental disappointment which was sure to be served on a platter for him. I knew that he was purposely missing the oath-taking ceremony. I could guess that the responsibility that he was committing to made him nervous. But little did I know that he was battling with much bigger demons; the demons in his subconscious that told him that he wasn't even fit to be king.
I was trying to find a way to somehow reassure James. Or say something to get him to come around. But something else did that for me. Something that had never happened in Pottersville under King Harry's reign.
"Attack! We are being attacked!"
Crowds of people ran past us towards the castle. James and I shared a glance and ran against the crowd and towards the commotion. In no time, a score of men and women were at our side. Some on foot, some galloping towards us on horses.
They knew that the Prince was on the ground. They knew that they had someone to look to.
And James did not disappoint.
"Everyone stay calm and lead people indoors. My brother and I will deal with this." He commanded without hesitance.
"I will join you, Sire!"
"So will I," rung calls of agreement.
"I need every able man and woman to protect the children and the elderly. John, form everyone here into teams. We need someone to pass messages to all homes and guide everyone to take the secret passage into the castle. Those who chose to not risk it should be directed to barricade their homes to the best of their ability and turn off all the lights. Take refuge in dungeons. Help your neighbors."
"Sire, take my horse!" said the same young man who had wanted to accompany us.
We both procured a horse each and galloped through the crowd towards the market square.
The next hour was total chaos and bloodshed. This was larger than anything either James or I expected, but we were in our element. We had the training for situations like this, and we had each other.
"Al! That's Dad," James called out to me, and sure enough, the lone fighter was none other than our father. Fortunately, the attackers weren't aware that they were fighting the king.
It was unexpected for Dad to be out without his guards, where were they? They are probably dead.
I longed to make my way towards him, but I had my hands full with two attackers, James had three.
Where were the soldiers? Where was Uncle Ron?
I pushed away moot worries and slashed one of my attacker's unprotected neck and kicked the other out of the way with my foot. The unfamiliar filly was responding well to my cues and was serving me well.
Soon we were joined by a few of our soldiers much to our relief. They distributed themselves to watch each of our backs. The now-abandoned market square was now a battleground with a dozen of us battling a few scores of attackers. I knew we could take them; we had already slain more. But I was worried about the commotion that could be heard from a distance.
"Where is the general and the army?" I asked a soldier as soon as I could get close enough to him.
"They have locked all the castle doors from outside, Sire. The general is trying to storm the gates open!" The soldier replied as he dodged a poorly aimed swing of the enemy's sword, and slit his throat in one swift motion.
We were winning, the band of attackers were now outnumbered. They were now on the defensive and fighting for their lives.
"The king is down! The king is down!"
My blood ran cold hearing the soldier's desperate cry. I scanned the area and found my father bleeding, held up in the arms of the sickly soldier who was definitely panicking. I moved towards my father, but James was closer.
"It's just a scratch, you idiot. Save your hysterics for your friend over there."
Stubborn. But my father's mumbled words were music to my ears.
James took over supporting him and softly ordered the soldier to check on our fallen. There were nine of us still standing. I pointed at a random soldier and ordered him to stay back to assist James, the rest were to follow me, there was a job to do. As I retreated with my men towards the village, I looked at my father longing for the luxury to be by his side.
What if it's the last time I ever see him?
But, there was a job to be done, and I trusted James to do everything to save our father's life.
The battle in the village lasted at most an hour, the attackers were unmatched to the prowess of Uncle Ron's angry army, which had finally managed to release themselves from their barricades. The people had listened to James's instructions to the letter and deserted their homes, leaving the intruders to do nothing more than loot the homes.
Soon enough, I was being herded back to the castle. Pumped up with adrenaline, I refused at first, but then I remembered my injured father and I couldn't get there faster.
I sped my tired horse all the way to the palace and jumped off its back and raced towards the royal bedchambers. I found Lily on the balcony, she hurried over to me as soon as she saw me coming.
"Albus! You're back." She exclaimed, running towards me and pulling me in a tight hug. "What's happening outside? Did you see Uncle Ron and Mum? Who were these people?"
"The worst is over, Lily," I assured her. "I saw Uncle Ron guiding the relief efforts and Mum was tending to the children... No one is in danger. I don't know who they are. Now, please tell me how dad is… I left him injured," I confessed, with a guilty conscience.
"He's fine. James brought him unconscious, but he's awake now. And he and James have been going at each other since that moment. He is furious," said my Lily.
"Really?" I asked, bewildered. "I know James has been acting funny lately, but surely dad would let that slide with all that is going on."
"I think it's something else", she replied simply. "They kicked me out!"
"Your highnesses," greeted the siblings as he came out of the king's bedchambers. "The king would be just fine… Do try to get him to rest though. They've asked for you, Prince Albus."
"What about me?" Lily exclaimed, "I want to see him too."
"You really don't want to, Princess." The old doctor whispered with a shiver, "The king is furious. And he actually asked me to send you over to your grandparents, Lord and Lady Weasley."
Lily and I shared a look, "Dad's getting rid of me." She commented.
"I'll tell you everything, I promise."
Lily just rolled her eyes and hurried outside, a guard was already waiting for her with her horse.
Inside, James stood stiffly at the foot of the bed, my father was in bed with a baby blue quilt covering his legs, sitting up. His abdomen was covered in bandages.
"Dad, I'm glad you're alright." I started out, "What's going on. Why'd you send Lily away?"
"Because I needed to talk to just the two of you. Your mother should've been here, but I trust she is with our people."
"Yes, Dad, I saw her on my way here. What did you want to talk about?"
"Recent unfortunate events have led to James making a decision. I believe it is for the best." Dad said vaguely and looked towards James for him to continue.
James cleared his throat, "Albus, we've grown up with the knowledge that one day, I, as the eldest, would be king. But upon reflection, I have realized that Potterville would be better served if the order of succession is ignored in favour of choosing the best person for the job. I have decided to withdraw myself as the heir apparent to the throne. I would be honoured to serve you in whatever capacity you deem fit —"
"What in the world —" I start to say, bewildered at the odd turn of events.
"It's rude to interrupt, little brother." He said, with a neutral smile.
I shook my head vigorously, the sounds of the battle seemed to still be ringing in my head, I glared at dad, I needed some explanation for this bizarre turn of events.
Dad started to say something but was lost for words.
"It is something everyone already knew," James continued softly. "You have been working for the kingdom since you were ten. You have amended laws which I didn't even try to understand. Everyone knows you are smarter, Al. You know you would make a better king."
I couldn't take it any longer, I shouted in indignation. "I refuse to be a part of this! No one thinks I'd make a better king. The people don't even know me!"
"I don't care who is smarter, or better read, or the best warrior." Dad said finally, "All I need is that you understand the one thing we've been telling you all your lives, the people come first! And if choosing to save countless lives against playing nursemaid is such a hard decision, I don't believe you are ready to handle the responsibility of ruling a kingdom."
" James saved your life!" I shouted.
"Enough," Dad croaked, "Albus, I am under the impression that you have a more mature understanding of the responsibilities of our family. If you think I am mistaken, we can bring in Lily."
"Dad, we are springing this on him. Give him some time." James said.
I shook my head. This is not happening!
"James, your brother and I have a few things to discuss while I am still conscious." Dad started to say drowsily. James gave a sharp nod and an uncharacteristic bow before marching out.
"Albus, now… a few things are going to change for you. There are things that you need to know as the future ruler."
"Dad, you should rest, we'll talk later, okay?" I said softly as I helped him into a sleeping position. I looked for James as soon as I stepped outside, but he was nowhere to be seen. Soon enough, I heard him galloping away. I didn't even have to wonder where he went, I had no doubt he was on his way back to the village eager to help any way he could.
Was dad seriously blind to how good James is for Pottersville?
I commanded the guards to keep me updated on Dad's condition and surveyed the castle. Scared and shivering villagers were being brought in and accommodated in the great hall. I could already smell soup. Everything seemed to be taken care of on that front. It seemed right to say some words of assurance, but that seemed like a very James thing to do. I talked to a scullery maid hurrying along. James had ordered every piece of warm cloth that could be found to be provided to the refugees. The kitchen was busy preparing galleons of stew and every able man and woman were on their way to the barricades to help out with the injured.
I followed over to the barricades. I was an able man after all.
And sure enough, I found James there talking to a couple of soldiers who bowed and marched away before I could reach them. I went and stood next to my brother.
"What can I do?" I asked.
"Albus, yes. Good, you are here." He said, "Find Uncle Ron, Mum, and the Prime minister and call an emergency court meeting right now. The situation is under enough control. We need to debrief and regroup. I want you to be in charge of finding out how this happened. This is an inside job, I am sure of it. Find out who did this, no one is getting away. Also, have the Keeper of the Keys open the eighth floor, we'll need to accommodate our people. Got it?"
"Yes Sire," I said half sarcastically. I turned around and jumped on my horse.
"Hey!" James yelled, "Why the attitude?"
"Not now, Prince James. I have work to do."
James jogged over behind my horse. "Look, I – I am sorry, okay, this is a stressful situation."
"I know," I said as I got my horse to stop moving. "I hope the silver lining is that you have finally realized that you are meant to lead."
"I have been training for this all my life. You'll learn it too if you give it time." He offered sheepishly.
"So, you are admitting that you are better at this King thing."
James just shuddered.
"I have a preposition." I said, "Dad and us are the only ones who know about all this craziness. I'll help you convince dad that this never happened and that he dreamt it all up. In return, you'll take the bloody oath the next time the ceremony is set up, deal?"
"Deal," James said with a smile.
"Okay then," I said with a mock salute and kicked my horse.
"Your application for the job of Prime Minister has been accepted!" I could hear James shout as I galloped away. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to wait till James is king. I was already working towards being appointed by Dad within the next five years.