Hello again! Sorry this has taken a while for me to post! I would like to take this opportunity to thank artemisk1.2 who has been my faithful proofreading/idea buddy and has helped a lot with the development of this story! Also, thank you to my readers also! Without you guys, I would not have had the drive I do to finish this! So thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 12: Duties
"Alright, your Majesty, it is twelve, fifteen and you have only three more meetings, two more ceremonies and one taste test to be done." Baileywick said to Roland as they proceeded to the throne room.
Roland sighed in relief. "Good! I'll be glad when the Tri-Kingdom Founder's Day Festival is over. Even though I'm honored to be hosting it this year, it certainly has been a challenge to organize it all. I don't know what I'd do without you Baileywick."
The steward smiled, "Thank you your Majesty, it is my pleasure to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. So far, we are slightly ahead of schedule, would you like to take a small break?" Baileywick asked.
"I think not. I'd much rather finish early." Roland replied as he entered the throne room.
With the hustle and bustle of the castle, the day went very quickly. Roland had skipped lunch again, as he often did when the children were in school and he was much too busy with his kingly duties. Luckily, Chef Andre made these sticky bars with oats, dried fruit, and nuts that were held together with a little bit of honey, for Roland to eat in between meetings. He called them granola bars; they were about the length of Roland's palm, and about two fingers thick. Despite their small size, they were quite filling, and delicious.
Just as Roland and Baileywick were heading out again, the children arrived home from school.
"Oh, hello Daddy, where are you going?" asked Amber as she hopped off the carriage.
"Hello Amber. I'm going out to the villages of Dunwiddie and Summerset to make an appearance, and say a few words to the people about the Founder's Festival."
"Oh! Right! The festival! How could I have forgotten? I'll need to pick out a new tiara and dress for the occasion!" Amber exclaimed, clapping her hands.
Sofia followed closely behind her sister and happily hopped out of the carriage. "Oh yeah! The festival! I forgot to tell papa! I'll have to tell him when he gets here." Amber's brow furrowed and her lips thinned slightly as she glanced at Sofia. Roland puzzled briefly at the gesture, but tried not to let it show on his face. Does Amber still distrust Birk?
"This festival is going to be brilliant! I can't wait to see all the knights compete in the tournament!" exclaimed James.
"Don't forget the Villager's parade! I'm so excited to see all the floats everyone is making! I'm sure they'll all be beautiful!" Sofia said excitedly.
Roland chuckled, "As much as I'd like to stay and chat with you all about the festival, I've got a lot to do before it all comes together. I must be off; I'll see you all later. Make sure you finish all your homework and get to bed on time."
"Wait! You won't be back for dinner?" Amber gasped in offended bewilderment.
Roland kneeled to be eye level with his children. "I'm afraid not. There is a lot to do before the festival, and with only a few days left, I'm incredibly busy making sure everything is prepared. Don't worry though. Hopefully, I'll finish early, and be home in time to tuck you in." Roland hugged all his children together; placing gentle kisses Amber and Sofia's foreheads and ruffling James's hair. He then stood up and started toward the carriage.
"Oh, ok Daddy. Good luck!" Amber waved.
As Roland waved back, he could see the disappointment that clouded his children's smiles. It wasn't often that he worked so late to miss dinner, and he always felt bad when it did happen; some days, there was just too much work to be done and not enough time. Roland sighed and climbed into the carriage with Baileywick close behind. "Alright Coachman, off to the Village of Dunwiddie." Roland stated.
"Right away Sire. Hya!"
Roland watched his children fade from sight as the coach rose higher into the sky. He felt a slight twist in his stomach. It was an odd sensation, something seemed askew but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. Was it because of the way Amber reacted when Sofia talked about Birk? No, Amber would eventually come around; she was probably just having trouble getting used to the idea of him. It was a very big adjustment afterall, and it would take time for all of them to become comfortable again. Roland tried to dismiss the feeling, chalking it up to his hunger. Everything was fine, his stomach was probably just yelling at him because he skipped lunch again. Roland stared out the window, subconsciously furrowing his eyebrows tightly together and making his mouth a tight, thin line.
"King Roland, are you alright?" Baileywick asked, concerned.
Roland jerked his head up, being stirred from his deep thought. "Yes. I think my stomach is just upset at me for skipping lunch again." He forced a smile, but it was an obvious ploy to the steward. Roland knew Baileywick could see right through him, but thankfully, the steward said nothing, and instead began rustling around in his knapsack.
After a few moments, Baileywick retrieved a tightly wrapped bar in white cloth and presented it to the king. "Would you care for a granola bar?" he asked.
Roland put a hand up, politely declining the offer. "No thank you, Baileywick. I just had one, and they need to last me well into the night."
"Right. Of course sire." Baileywick stowed the neatly wrapped bar and turned his attention out of his own window.
"Baileywick, I think I'm going to take a small nap before we get to Dunwiddie. Would you please wake me up when we arrive?"
"Of course sire."
"Thank you." Roland rested his head on the window of the carriage and let his mind wander as he closed his eyes. Images came to mind about the past few weeks and slowly morphed themselves into nonsensical daydreams, as the feeling of floating lulled him into a peaceful slumber.
Hazy gray-purple clouds flowed around him like a slow moving stream. A small red dot appeared just beyond the purple haze. Roland floated closer to it trying to identify the mysterious object. As he did, he realized the dot was a small red bird flying towards him. The bird flitted all around Roland, circling his head, then down around his abdomen and back up towards his head, until it finally hovered behind him. The bird began flapping its wings at the haze. Given the size of the bird, it didn't do much except swirl the haze around more. Roland just watched, unable to do anything else, seemingly paralyzed in his weightless state. The bird flapped harder, making the clouds swirl around until it looked like there was a small patch of clear air in front of them. Roland was pleasantly surprised at the determination of the bird, as it looked like it was winning its little battle. Roland, inspired by the bird, wanted to help, but could not move. Although he was weightless, he felt like his limbs were heavy, as if he were carrying a cinderblock in each hand. The bird fought harder, obviously straining its tiny wings as the haze in front of it still began to clear. Roland felt like something was watching him, so he turned his head just enough to look behind him. The haze the bird had cleared from in front of them was instead manifesting itself in thicker clouds. Roland felt an overwhelming surge of fear the mist swirled faster in its denser form, as if preparing for an attack when…
"Sire! Sire! King Roland!" The steward's voice jostled him awake leaving the king in a sleepy stupor, the feelings from the dream already fading into his distant memory. "We have arrived sir."
Roland blinked a few times and shook himself out of the trance. "Right. Thank you Baileywick. Let's get going."
Roland was exhausted by the time he was finished with all of his Kingly duties for the day. The speeches he made in the villages went swiftly and smoothly enough, but the meeting with the Duke of Ramblingham went much longer than expected, as Lord Gilbert tended to be longwinded and easily sidetracked from the topic at hand. By the time he got home, the moon was high in the sky and his children were no doubt sleeping soundly in their beds.
He walked quietly to James's room, and found the boy sprawled out on top of his covers with A Brief Guide for the Knight's Apprentice resting open on his chest. Roland laughed gently at the sight, treading over to James's bed and gently moved the book to the nightstand. He then lifted up his son to put him under the covers. "Goodnight, son." He said placing a small kiss on his forehead, and then blew out the bedside lamp.
Roland then made his way quietly to Sofia's room. She, too, was sleeping soundly, nuzzled into her covers. Roland sat down on her bedside and stroked her hair silently for a moment. Her breaths were quiet and restful. A soft smile spread across her lips as he continued stroking her hair. Roland smiled. He considered himself lucky to have a daughter like Sofia, so graceful, and smart, and forgiving. He moved her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Sofia." Her smile grew as let out a contented sigh and she pulled her covers closer to her chin.
Roland quietly walked out of the room gently closing Sofia's bedroom door and began heading for Amber's room. When he was about to open the door, he heard a soft whimper. Parental instincts kicked in and he opened the door quickly, but quietly. Amber lay in her bed, her head twitching from side to side as she uttered small cries. "Mnnn…Sfia…nnnnn...Buhhh." She began shaking her head harder as her cries increased in volume. Roland walked quickly to her bedside and flicked on the bedside lamp. "Mmmmm…nnnnnn…Sff…Nuuuuhhhh!"
"Amber, wake up." Roland gently shook her.
"Aaahh… Daaad!"
"Yes, Amber, I'm here, I'm right here!" He shook her a little harder.
"Hlp! HELP!" Suddenly, Amber's eyed shot open as she jolted awake.
"Amber, are you alright?" Roland asked leaning closer to her.
Amber breathed hard, quietly gasping for air. She gazed at her father with wide eyes. "Daddy?"
"Yes, I'm here." He sat on her bed and stroked her hair. "It's alright, sweetheart. It's alright."
Amber's breaths began slowing, "I… I had a nightmare."
"What was it about?"
Amber looked away from her father. "Well…umm…It… I-I think…"
"Amber, it's alright. You can tell me." Roland said, gently moving her hair out of her face.
Amber turned her face away from him looking somewhat embarrassed. "I… I don't really remember anymore…I—I'm just glad you are here now, Daddy." Amber sat up and buried her face in her father's neck.
Roland held her tight and rubbed his daughter's back in small circles. "Of course, Amber."
They stayed huddled together for a few minutes, Roland gently comforting his daughter while she clung to him. Soon enough, Roland felt Amber's grip on him slowly slacken as she drifted off into a, hopefully, sweeter sleep. Roland carefully placed her back in her bed, and pulled her covers over her. He caressed her head one more time before placing a gentle kiss on it. Amber stirred, lazily blinking her eyes. "Goodnight, Daddy. Thank you."
Roland smiled and petted her hair again. "Of course, sweetheart. I'm always here for you." He kissed her one more time and extinguished the bedside lamp before walking out of the room. He slowly shut the door until he heard a gentle click. As he started down the hall, Roland thought fondly of his children and of how being a father filled him with such joy, even in his busiest and most stressful times. His children reminded him what was truly important. When Amber and James's mother died, he, much like the castle, was left as a hollow shell. Empty. Devoid of any laughter, light, or love. He hardly could speak to his children without the feeling the loss of their mother all over again. But ever since he met Miranda, and then she and Sofia moved in, the palace was lighter, everything shone more brightly than it had before; and the best part about it was that Roland's heart had also grown brighter. The castle was a home now, and Roland was grateful every time he came back to his own little slice of paradise.
As he walked down the hall, he noticed his bedroom door was slightly ajar and a light was peeking through. He slowly opened the door and saw his wife, in her nightgown pacing the room.
"Miranda? Is everything all right?" He asked, gently closing the door behind him.
She stopped and turned to face him. "Birk spoke to me today."
"Oh?" Roland made his way to the bed and sat down, taking off his shoes. He looked up at her and waited, but she remained silent. Roland furrowed his brows, now sensing her unease. "Miranda. What happened?"
Her jaw clenched, her fists tightened as she bore her gaze into the floor. She then shook her head and sucked in a sharp breath in through her teeth. Roland waited expectantly. Although the silence was killing him and he longed to ask again, he knew it wouldn't make the answer come any sooner. Anytime Miranda felt extremely upset, she'd always consider her words carefully before speaking. This was obviously one of those times, and he'd just have to wait a few more seconds for her to open up. Unfortunately those seconds felt much more like hours seeing as his wife in such a troubled state. Roland breathed deeply but silently, not wanting to risk breaking her concentration. Just wait. She's going to tell you. Give her time.
The silence dragged on, and Roland brought his gaze down to his hands, folding them in his lap. Still anxiously awaiting his wife's reply, he periodically glanced up at her, trying to judge if she was any closer to her tipping point. She stood there, her body completely still, the only trace of movement happening when she blinked. Roland took one more silent breath, his insides burning with the desire to ask. He gazed at her with pleading eyes, ready to lose the battle against his will, and speak again. Luckily, just before he did, Miranda sighed deeply.
"Birk…asked if he could take Sofia to Ledstranna for a couple of days."
Roland's jaw slackened. He was both relieved and shocked. Had he heard correctly? Take Sofia… All the way to Ledstrana? He blinked in surprise, but couldn't manage to make words form. "Oh." was all he managed to get out.
"Oh? Oh! OH! My alcoholic ex-husband says he wants to take our daughter to a foreign country and all you have to say is oh?!"
"Miranda, please! I just don't know what else to say! That's a lot to take in!"
She squeezed the bridge of her nose and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry. I just…"
"I know. It's ok." Roland got up and took his wife's hand. "Miranda, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry too. I just didn't know what else to say."
"That makes two of us." Miranda breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down. She released Roland's hand and slowly wrapped her arms around her own chest closing her eyes. "When Birk asked me, it took all I had not to kick him out of the castle myself. I told him that I had to talk to you before I gave him an answer."
Roland thought a moment before speaking. "Well, do you want Sofia to go with him?"
She looked at him, wide-eyed. "Is this seriously a question, Roland? Of course not! I barely even want her to be with him at all! It's hard enough just having him here every day! I can hardly consider sending Sofia away with him!"
Roland took Miranda by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. "Then that makes two of us."
Miranda looked up at him, her anger flashed away, replaced by tears of relief that welled up. She smiled painfully, and tried to speak, but couldn't manage to get any words out. Slowly, one tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Roland cupped her face with his large hand and gently wiped the tear away from her hot skin.
"Oh, Rollie." Miranda sniffed. "I'm so relieved to hear you say that."
Roland smiled, albeit somewhat confused. "What did you think I was going to say?"
Miranda chuckled through her sobs, "I don't know why, but I was so scared you were going to say that you thought it would be a good idea, since he's her birth father."
Roland was taken aback, and a bit wounded, not by her but more by how he had made her feel. He stared at her for a moment, then at the ground in deep thought. He had pushed Miranda into letting Birk spend time with their daughter. Even though she tried to assure him many times that she was fine and it would just take time for her to get used to the new Birk, he knew it was eating away at her every day, he just refused to see it until now. He felt like he had failed as a husband. He made her feel as if she fighting a losing battle all alone. How could he once again, step on his wife's wishes after seeing how much it truly hurt her?
Roland gathered her into his arms quickly, realizing his fault and seeking to ease Miranda's deeply seeded pain. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I made you feel that you were alone in this. I promise that I am with you, and from now on, we will do whatever you feel the most comfortable with in regards to Birk seeing Sofia. It was wrong of me to convince you otherwise. Please forgive me."
Miranda wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close. "Oh, Rollie. As much as it comforts me to hear you say that, it was not wrong of you to convince me to let Birk spend time with Sofia. As much as I hate to admit it, she has been so happy seeing him every day. I just can't fight this feeling that something awful is going to happen." The couple separated just enough to look each other in the eyes.
Even though Miranda's eyes shone with worry and pain, hope and love still lingered in her tears gleaming in the pale candlelight. Roland gazed back at her with the fierce determination of a protector and father. "So long as we're together Miranda, Sofia will stay safe."
Miranda closed her eyes, blinking away another tear that she let Roland wipe away once again. She tried to muster something to say, but the words just kept getting caught in her throat. So she just nodded and buried her face in her husband's chest. Roland rested his chin on her head and breathed in the scent of her perfume. From now on, he would do everything in his power to support his wife, and make sure she was taken care of above all else.
