As Harper awoke a tingling sensation ran down his spine. He kept his eyes
shut and didn't dare to move. Every time he'd gotten that feeling someone
unfamiliar had been watching him, and he'd bet anything someone was
watching him now. He waited for a minute and the eerie feeling didn't pass
so the young engineer took a deep breath, as if he was sighing and balled
his right hand into a fist. Then, pretending to stretch, he pushed the
sheets off with his left hand and swung. He connected...hard and the person
he hit fell to the ground with thud. Only then did Harper open his eyes.
His mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide when he saw who he'd hit.
"Sir, I am so sorry!" He yelled as he bolted out of bed and helped the king up from the ground.
"Oh," John replied nasally, "that's alright. I shouldn't have scared you like that." Harper sat back down on the bed and John positioned himself next to his newly found son. John was extremely happy but he could also see the sadness reflected in Harper's eyes, and the clouded over expression the engineer wore.
"Look," the king started, "you have a few choices here. Number one, you can stay here and become a symbol, like I soon will, when this Commonwealth thing takes affect. Number two, you can accept your new role and title but leave with your friends. Or...number three, you can deny your birthright and leave so Ali and I will never see you again. Either way, I want you to know that you'll always be royalty by blood and most importantly, you'll always be my son."
Harper flinched and said coldly, as he tried to ignore the blood trickling from John's nose, "I don't even know you."
How dare you call yourself my father? Was on the tip of his tongue but he didn't want to say, since John seemed like sincere person and it would break his heart. The man in front of him was full of love and Harper could see the want of approval on his face and expression. The hope was staring him in the face, and it made his resolve weaken. "I couldn't live here," Harper stated as he looked his father straight in the eyes, "but I could visit. I could never be a king but I could wear the title. And I guess I could get used to this whole sister thing..."
Jonathon Harper smiled and his face creased with happiness and relief. He was sure his son was going to turn away from him and run in the other direction, but he hadn't. Instead, the blonde boy was staring at him hopefully and a bit apprehensively. "That," John said slowly, "would be great."
Harper grinned, "Just on more thing..."
"Anything."
"Don't call me Luke. That may be who I was, but that's not who I am."
"Okay...Seamus," John said as he rolled the mane around on his tongue.
"It's just Harper."
"Okay. Harper it is. I never liked your middle name much anyway. It was your mother's idea."
Harper frowned for a second as he remembered the mother he recalled. She'd loved his name even though his father, the father he had thought was his own, had teased him for it. "Actually," Harper continued, "call me Shay."
John's eyes widened at the gap they had just breached and the openness his son was showing.
"Thank-you Shay," John smiled again from ear to ear and hopped up off the bed. "I'm going to go make the announcement."
Harper looked quizzically at John as the king ran out of his room like a love-drunken schoolboy.
Why did I just do that? Harper thought to himself as he lay back down to go to sleep. It was, after all, only eight in the morning.
"People of Salckon..." John broadcasted the message over holovid on all the main news stations. "My son has returned..."
"Sir, I am so sorry!" He yelled as he bolted out of bed and helped the king up from the ground.
"Oh," John replied nasally, "that's alright. I shouldn't have scared you like that." Harper sat back down on the bed and John positioned himself next to his newly found son. John was extremely happy but he could also see the sadness reflected in Harper's eyes, and the clouded over expression the engineer wore.
"Look," the king started, "you have a few choices here. Number one, you can stay here and become a symbol, like I soon will, when this Commonwealth thing takes affect. Number two, you can accept your new role and title but leave with your friends. Or...number three, you can deny your birthright and leave so Ali and I will never see you again. Either way, I want you to know that you'll always be royalty by blood and most importantly, you'll always be my son."
Harper flinched and said coldly, as he tried to ignore the blood trickling from John's nose, "I don't even know you."
How dare you call yourself my father? Was on the tip of his tongue but he didn't want to say, since John seemed like sincere person and it would break his heart. The man in front of him was full of love and Harper could see the want of approval on his face and expression. The hope was staring him in the face, and it made his resolve weaken. "I couldn't live here," Harper stated as he looked his father straight in the eyes, "but I could visit. I could never be a king but I could wear the title. And I guess I could get used to this whole sister thing..."
Jonathon Harper smiled and his face creased with happiness and relief. He was sure his son was going to turn away from him and run in the other direction, but he hadn't. Instead, the blonde boy was staring at him hopefully and a bit apprehensively. "That," John said slowly, "would be great."
Harper grinned, "Just on more thing..."
"Anything."
"Don't call me Luke. That may be who I was, but that's not who I am."
"Okay...Seamus," John said as he rolled the mane around on his tongue.
"It's just Harper."
"Okay. Harper it is. I never liked your middle name much anyway. It was your mother's idea."
Harper frowned for a second as he remembered the mother he recalled. She'd loved his name even though his father, the father he had thought was his own, had teased him for it. "Actually," Harper continued, "call me Shay."
John's eyes widened at the gap they had just breached and the openness his son was showing.
"Thank-you Shay," John smiled again from ear to ear and hopped up off the bed. "I'm going to go make the announcement."
Harper looked quizzically at John as the king ran out of his room like a love-drunken schoolboy.
Why did I just do that? Harper thought to himself as he lay back down to go to sleep. It was, after all, only eight in the morning.
"People of Salckon..." John broadcasted the message over holovid on all the main news stations. "My son has returned..."