Well, here's what happens next... And what comes after.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Royals. Duh. E! does.
Let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.
Robert waited until Liam had arrived.
The prince, formerly second-in-line to the throne, appeared in his rooms, unbuttoning his jacket.
"Really, Liam?" Liam spun wildly to see his older brother on the sofa, turning to face him out of the shadows.
"Robert?"
Robert stood. "My wife?" He asked slowly. "You fell in love with my wife?"
A shocked stunned silence, broken only by the thunder outside, and the pouring rain.
"Robert," Liam began to fervently deny this.
"Yeah, I'm not the only one who's noticed, you know. Aglaia's family sees it as well. Cyrus knows. He's been going on about that, gloating."
"No! Robert it's not what it looks like," Liam insisted.
"You sure?" Robert stepped closer. The pain in his eyes… He tried to disguise that, but it was far too obvious.
"I'd have given Kathryn up a million times over, but not Aglaia. Never Aglaia. This-" He shoved his fist up showing his wedding ring. "Is worth more to me than all the Crown Jewels or that damned chair of state. "So why don't you take that instead? It's worth quite a lot? That's what you want isn't it?" He turned his back on his brother. "Admit it."
"No that's not what I want," Liam coloured, regaining his nerve. Now Robert had baited him.
"Enough." Robert spun back. "Lies. I fell in love with her. She's my wife. My queen. The mother of my children." Liam had nothing to say at this point. "The one person I truly fell in love with in my life, the only time I've ever known true love, right from the start. I wanted to marry her," he said. "Even way back then! Crown be damned! She never wanted you. You've never even bothered to go to Greece beforehand, unless you wanted to lounge around Santorini brandishing your latest conquest or harlot-"
"Don't," Liam warned. "Go there."
"You didn't care." Robert said mercilessly. "You didn't give a damn. It was always about you, you, you. You get to do what you want. You get to make a move on just about any girl you want, go wherever you like, drink and party as much as you want. I was the one who had to stay indoors, mediate between your fights, listen to Dad and Mum's constant lectures and parade myself even when you could excuse yourself from being there. I became the golden boy, Liam! Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Because someone had to do it-" his colour was rising as was the volume of his voice. "And it clearly wasn't about to be you! And then finally when you decided to shape up and be a man, and not the spoiled, overgrown brat you normally were, you played the second-rate wannabe parading a new harlot for every week-" Liam lost it. He charged.
Robert easily sidestepped him and punched him in the gut. Liam had the wind knocked out of him, but he wasn't beaten. He whirled and with a roar he slammed onto Robert, only to have him hook his leg behind Liam's ankles and slam him onto the ground.
"Still think you can beat me?" Robert breathed, eyes gleaming with an unnatural, savage light. His chest was heaving, and he looked down upon his brother. "You're nothing. Less than nothing to her. You don't deserve her."
"You're wrong." Liam spat. "It's you that doesn't deserve her. Even less than Kathryn-"
"Don't," Robert warned. "Go there. It's done. Legally done and recognised. And you wouldn't have stayed with her, anyway. Where's Willow, Liam?" Liam froze. "How about Gemma? Or Ophelia, Pryce's own daughter whom you banged the night Dad was murdered by her father?" With a shout, Liam grabbed the nearest thing next to him- a decanter and flung it at Robert who dodged it. It smashed on the opposite wall, the liquid gushing out and staining it.
"Or your many numerous girlfriends from the past?" Robert challenged. "You charge in like a comet, hard and hot, but you can't even pull the trigger to save her life. You could've pulled the trigger on Pryce in the limo. So why didn't you?"
Liam had nothing to say.
"Because you're a coward, that's what you are," Robert said with a savage satisfaction. "You wear a military uniform without even completing your training. All the medals, honours and orders Dad gave you were honorary, or given to you because you were born a member of the royal family, nothing more! It's all for show."
Liam got up and tackled Robert to the ground. This time Robert let him do it. He raised his fist about to strike, when Robert hissed. "Do it. It's worth it, believe me. For the woman we both love. The one I truly love. So just admit it, Liam. It's what you want isn't it? The crown? The limelight? The people's love? To make Dad and Britain proud? The glory of the Henstridge family? Well, you can have those Liam. You can even have Kathryn. Why did you have to try and take my wife?" He demanded.
Robert's eyes were filled with anguish, potential heartbreak and agony. Liam stopped and stared. Was his brother holding back tears in his eyes? It was hard to tell. It was always hard to tell with Robert. And that was when Liam realised his brother had been concealing pain for a long, long time.
He slammed his fist on the floor next to Robert's head in frustration, anger at his brother and self-hatred. Releasing Robert, he instantly got up and turned around. He couldn't bear this any longer. Neither of them could bear this palace anymore.
"So what do you want, Liam?" Robert demanded. He stopped but didn't turn back. "What do you want me to give you? What more do you want from me?"
Will couldn't sleep. Or rather, he couldn't go back to sleep. He turned on his toddler bed. Finally he sat up, rubbing his eyes.
He didn't know why, but something didn't feel right. Will looked around the blue room, it's curtains shut. He got out of the bed and went to his nursery door. Where was Mummy and Daddy? They should be there with him!
Stretching on his tippy-toes, little Will reached to pull the door knob. He turned and peeked out. His blue eyes saw that the hallway was shadowed but not entirely dark.
Will couldn't sleep. He wasn't going back to bed.
He silently tip-toed down the corridors, desperate not to wake Andrew and Selena up. Andrew would be cross and kick up a fuss. Selena would be upset and he didn't want that.
He turned around a corner, peeking silently around. Before he finally spotted an open door. Delight and anticipation filled him: perhaps there was somebody there! Maybe it was Mummy or Daddy! Will slipped into the room excitedly.
But to his grave disappointment, he found nothing. The thunder and lightning had subsided but the rain was still there, pattering on the window panes of this room, the moonlight shining in and making the sheers look ghostly. But somebody was there.
Will didn't know how he missed him, but this man blended into the room with its gilt floors and richly panelled gold-leaf walls. The crystal chandelier wasn't lit up ahead, but he could see clearly.
The man was facing the window. He wore a military uniform like Uncle Liam would wear, black with gold braid and embroidery at the cuffs. Only this time, it wasn't Uncle Liam. A splash of colourful medallions decorated his chest, and a ceremonial sword hung at his hip, his gloved hand resting upon the hilt.
Will blinked. The man was gone. But where did he go? Will wanted a closer look. His shoulders slumped and the little prince looked down.
Suddenly he looked up. The man was there again, this time staring down at him.
They both stared at each other.
Finally, Will found his voice. "Hello." He said.
To his surprise, the man smiled, filled with genuine warmth. "Hello."
"I'm Will." He said.
"Hello Will. What are you doing here, so late?"
Will shrugged helplessly. "Couldn't sleep. Wanted to find Mummy or Daddy."
The man knelt. "I'm sorry to hear that.
"How old are you, Will?"
"Six!" Will said proudly, holding up his fingers to show the number six.
The man laughed quietly. He had grey hair, and very kind blue eyes. Will realised it was the same colour as his dad and uncle, but Daddy's eyes were darker, and Uncle Liam's was paler, Auntie Len had green-brown eyes, and Granny had stormy grey-blue eyes, and Mummy's was green like Selena. But Will's eyes were blue that was not as dark as daddy but not as light as Uncle Liam's.
The exact same eyes as this man.
"And you've started school?" Will nodded eagerly.
"Mummy helped me with my homework tonight," he said happily. "I learnt English, how to find vo-wuls," he stumbled across the word but made it. "And she taught us how to read the poem about a cat and clocks. Daddy helped 'Lena draw flower and read us a story at bedtime."
"Oh really? And your mummy and daddy? What're their names?"
"Daddy is," his face scrunched up adorably. "Robert. That's he wants a lot of people to call him, but they say his name is-" Deep breath. "His Ma-jes-ty, King Robert Henstridge of the U-ni-ted King-dom." He frowned. "I think I got that right."
The man was motionless. "And your mummy?"
Will straightened proudly. "Mummy's name is Aglaia. A-guh-lay-a. Sometimes, Daddy calls her Laia to the other grownups and she calls him Robbie, like Auntie Len does. Her name's Eleanor. Granny said that Mummy was a princess of Greece, and my Pappoús is king there. But daddy loved Mummy and married her so she became his queen. And then they had me, Andrew and Selena."
The man was silent. "I see." He said after a while. "And do you love your mummy and daddy?" Will nodded eagerly.
"Do they love you?" "Yup," he said happily. "They say so e-ver-ey day."
"That's good. Do they play with you?"
"Yup. We have a cottage in a garden, and Mummy and Daddy teaches us to grow veg-tuh-buhls, and fruit, and Mummy sometimes helps us cook. Daddy looks at e-bery veg-tuh-bel we grow and if they good, he give us money- to spend, Mummy says." He grinned. "Daddy and Mummy also take us riding. And sailing- sailing with Pappoús in Athens. And Theo 'Lexios and Theo Dimitri. Mummy teaches us Scottish Gah-lic. And Welsh. So we can learn to be like them." He announced, pleased.
"That sounds wonderful," the man said softly. "Well Will, it sounds like your mummy and daddy loves you very much." Will nodded. The man straightened.
"You'll make a great king." He murmured. He kissed the boy on the forehead. "I know you will. Never forget, I'm always here, when you need me."
Will looked up but saw… Nothing. Only a portrait. It was a portrait of a man with grey hair and eyes like him, dressed in a scarlet tunic with an ermine-trimmed velvet robe across his shoulders, carrying a staff.
Will blinked and was sure it was… But it was too dark and he was getting sleepy. He decided to leave the room.
Beneath the portrait, the plaque read:
'King Simon Henstridge of the United Kingdom' the dates of his birth and death, and the years of his reign were italicised beneath.
Robert had been prepared to apologise to Aglaia, heck he'd even been prepared to forgive Liam as it was obvious there had not been an affair. But there was still something wrong.
After a night of passion with his wife, he'd expected to be spent, relaxed and deliciously sated- and he was- but something kept him up. He made sure that Aglaia was sound asleep though.
In the morning, he got up same as always on the crack of dawn (or even earlier) and looked out the window.
Outside everyone was getting ready. The children were still in bed, and soon it would be time to wake them up and take them to school.
Aglaia stirred, eyes still closed. He went over and kissed her on the side of her cheek. She smiled, and he kissed her neck.
"Morning love," he murmured.
"Morning," she murmured in reply. Wrapping the sheets about her, she got up. Concealing his hunger and longing for her, Robert turned around, knowing full well he could lose all self-control. "It's Monday. The start of a new week."
"And people normally hate Mondays," Robert smiled. "But for me, it's the start of something new and wonderful."
Aglaia smiled, blissfully unaware of what happened the night before.
Outside, Liam walked. He had been pacing, but careful not to make Robert spot him.
Every morning it was like this. Falling deeper and more madly in love with Aglaia…
He felt a squirm of guilt. He couldn't help it, he didn't mean to… But he did. He fell in love with her, but he never made a move. Could Robert blame him, then? He felt the same way.
Liam didn't know why he and Robert kept going after the same girls. Nor did he know why Robert was always the luckier one in this regard.
Maybe because there was something wrong with him? After all, he can't be that bad a match, could he? He was just…
He didn't have a good reputation. The first relationship he wanted to get serious with was Ophelia and in the end, she was sick of it. She couldn't handle it, and didn't think he wanted it. He was too rash, too hot-headed. He pushed too far. But he couldn't help it.
Any more than he could help falling deeply in love. He gazed up to their bedroom window. Creepy, stalkerish, he knew. Pathetic too.
But he couldn't help it. And besides, this was the closest he could ever get to her.
Soon enough Aglaia looked out the window, clad in her silk dressing gown or kimono. Her green eyes, so luminously clear, was piercing. Liam stared despondent and forlorn. This hurt. This hurt everyone, and he realised only now, did it strike him.
He had to stop. But he couldn't stop for as long as he was there. Liam looked away. It was a good thing too because Robert came up to Aglaia and embraced her from behind.
The kids had their breakfast, prepared by their mother. Will, Andrew and Selena were chatting happily to one another as they ate, and their mother often had to make sure they did eat and quickly too.
"Well, here's Andrew's lunch," Robert said. "And Selena- the one without mayonnaise." Aglaia told him. Selena hated that. He helped pack their bags. "Can you get the fruits, please?" He fetched some apple slices from the fridge and she distributed them in boxes whilst Robbie filled their water bottles.
It was a happy domestic scene. "Have you all got your homework?" They nodded. "Check again," she advised once they'd finished eating.
Once they'd finished eating, Robert had to be off, but she was the one who took them to school. The windows were tinted black and she didn't want to disrupt anyone by stepping out, even if school hadn't started yet. Instead the kids kissed her and they happily skipped out of the car.
"They grow so fast," she murmured. Her driver smiled. "Kids always do," he said wistfully. "I remember when mine first started school."
"How is she?" Aglaia asked. "She's getting married soon."
"Well, isn't that amazing," she remarked, smiling.
As soon as they got back, her day was the same. But then amidst all the craziness of her schedule, she found a moment.
Aglaia was having a break, walking through the gardens, when she spotted Liam. "Liam," she called out excitedly.
Liam forced a smile. He waved back, trying to ignore the way his heart leapt when she waved at and called out his name.
He went over to her. "What're you up to today?" She asked.
"Not much, but…" He paused. "I've decided to go back to leave." She stared.
"Leave?" She sounded aghast. "Where?"
"Travel. Len's found her true love, her calling, her purpose in life. Now I need to find mine."
"But where will you go?"
Liam shrugged. "I'll have to start somewhere. Probably Germany. I heard it's a nice place." He sighed. "I think a change of scenery works for me. Maybe I'll go back to university, or military academy. But I'm not going on vacation. I have to leave and find something to do with my life."
And get away from all this, including Robert and her, he thought.
"But Liam," she said quietly. "Are you sure?"
Liam nodded. "Positive." He needed an outlet, and if military was it… There were only so much underground fight clubs. "You want to become a soldier?"
"Or an athlete. Or a university student. Or a professor. Anything. But I can't stay here. It's like you've said, this is a new era, for a new monarchy. I need to fulfil my part in this family. I can't hang around here anymore. Especially not now, when there's Robert on the throne and Will's going to take over someday. And there's Andrew and Selena besides, and Len whose always busy now, starting her new fashion label, and Jasper. I'll come back to visit from time to time, like Christmases, and the children's birthdays. But I can't stay here forever."
"You'll come back?: She asked, tentatively. Liam nodded. "Alright then. So long as you visit and look after yourself... And call us often..."
He nodded again. She suddenly embraced him, her arms around him. "Just take care. Promise me, Liam."
Liam promised.
He needed to go. He knew that. He couldn't stand it there. He failed the first time as a cadet, but now… Now he was a different man. He had to be.
"Please take look after yourself," Aglaia whispered. Liam hugged her tightly. "Promise me, Liam."
Promise me, Liam. Those words were something he would cling to. He needed to look for a purpose in life. And move away from all this... Mess.
It wasn't just an escape. He needed something in his life.
The Valentine's Day dinner was spectacular. Aglaia couldn't help smiling. Her heart ached for poor Liam and her prayers went with him, hoping he would be safe wherever he went and find whatever he was looking for. It was high time Liam had some real happiness in his life. Same with Eleanor.
The food was certainly excellent: little sugared cedar flowers, and tiny mandarin orange slices boiled in honey. Abd then spit-roasted chicken basted in oil and plum wine sauce, garnished with candied pine nuts, cinnamon. And the oysters sautéed in olive oil and butter, squeezed with a bit of orange and thyme. And the finely grilled perch fillets with a simmered sauce of rose wine, salmon roe and truffle shavings and oil…
Aglaia remembered to thank a certain chef who lived in Athens but was half-Cretan, half-Italian and taught her how to cook. That way, she could prepare all this for her husband. Queen Helena and Spencer, her Lord Chamberlain were having a private meal, same with Eleanor and Jasper. So, she and Robert were by themselves as well.
"I've missed you," she said smiling. Robert flashed a dazzling smile at her. "And I've missed you." He leaned forwards to kiss her.
"You've been so busy," Aglaia chuckled. Her dazzling emerald eyes were filled with love- and something mischievous, like a secret they both shared. "I've had to prepare this Valentine's dinner quite alone."
"Sorry," Robert apologised. "The last two weeks have been agonising."
And they were. Separated from each other, Aglaia stayed up in Windsor Castle, while Robert had been undergoing important Climate Change matters in Brazil. Aglaia knew the babies- she should really stop calling them that now, but couldn't- needed her home with them. So, they'd gone up to Scotland for a change, staying in Holyrood House. Aglaia liked playing with the children, teaching them to swim in a loch, how to paint with a brush or their fingers. They'd moved into an abandoned cottage in the grounds, swept the floors, opened the windows to let some air in, cleaning the fireplace, getting rid of the spiders and the webs, and the dust. She taught them how to cook, the way she'd been taught, to make chocolate caramels, treacle tarts, fudge brownies, and various things.
She liked being ordinary. But she wasn't. So, she settled for a reprieve. If only her husband could remain.
Robert had opened the champagne bottle. The pink, sparkling liquid filled their flutes.
"I thought you'd have gone to visit your brother first." Aglaia said conversationally. Really, she was testing the waters for danger. Or any sign of anything… Unusual.
While Liam was due to explore the world, and find himself during the process, to do so suddenly… Especially after both she and her husband had had a fight over whether Liam was in love with her… She didn't want to believe it, but she knew that something was up.
She wasn't as naïve as people thought.
Robert stiffened involuntarily. "He seemed happy and eager enough to get away."
What's that supposed to mean? Right after celebrating their family Christmas at Windsor, Liam had packed his bags and left.
She loved Robert, but she would be a fool to not believe that he had had something to do with that. Maybe not directly, knowing him and his brother, but… Definitely, he had been involved.
I wonder if this is a sign for my family and Helena to insist on kicking Cyrus out…
"Besides, he's gone to Nepal." Robert continued. "He's decided to try his hand at mountain-climbing."
Aglaia nodded. Yes, he'd told them. "Well, you never know," she said. "I just hope there aren't any storms when he climbs Mount Everest- and puts the Union Flag on top. Or would it be the royal standard?" She mused.
Liam the first prince ever to climb that mountain. She'd suggested Olympus but her brothers had done that instead.
Robert looked strained, and his eyes… Dark. Upset. His hand clenched into a fist on the table top.
Aglaia wisely decided to change the subject. "I've been trying to teach your mother how to cook," she said, conspiratorially. "She surprised me with that request," she noted when Robert looked baffled. "We tried… Well, I'm not going to mention what happened on her first try. But she did well, for someone who's never cooked in her life."
Robert blinked. "I can't believe she even tried. You know, the first Christmas without Dad…" He shook his head.
"You keep talking about that," Aglaia laughed. "Honestly, how bad could it have been?"
He made a mock-grimace. His dark mood forgotten. "It was worse. Don't even get me started on how long it took to find the cutlery and place-settings for the table."
"Now that explains why I had to ask the staff to rearrange and bring everything to where they could be easily accessed, even by me." Aglaia muttered. "And the tablecloths too. Seriously? They looked ancient and not in a good way."
Robert couldn't disagree. "Well, we're more thankful than you could imagine." He said giving her a look. "Dad always used to give the staff a day off at Christmas. But we'd needed weeks or months of preparation beforehand."
"Wow." Aglaia breathed out a sigh. "We've always made Christmas dinner by ourselves." She smiled fondly as happy memories took over the forefront of her mind. "At one point, my father and brothers built a tree house and I insisted on having Christmas dinner there!"
Robert smiled, but watched her sadly. She immediately felt bad. She knew that Robbie did not have the same childhood and happy memories as she did.
But why? King Simon was a much-loved figure, as a king, a friend and a father. She didn't understand why his family were so spectacularly unhappy, why their lives were so turbulent.
"What was he like?" She asked softly.
"Who?"
"Your father."
Robert paused in silence for a moment. "He was… Unique. Fair. Very kind and understanding. Compassionate. When Leni had one of her bad days, he may be upset, but he always forgave her and welcomed her with open arms. Always encouraged her to believe in herself, always tried to be there for us." He fell silent again. "He did that all our lives."
Aglaia was silent too. Yes, he was a loving father. That much couldn't be disputed. Even so, she could easily guess that things hadn't been right in their youths. Robert, Liam and Eleanor had been cooped up in gilded Blenheim Palace all their lives (even though there were a few other royal residences). Their education revolved around the royal lifestyles. They were stuffed into fancy clothes at a young age, and sternly told to greet everyone nicely and politely. They were ordered to sit or stand straight, to look impeccable. To do this, to be that. And while Robert was immediately trained and geared up to be the next monarch, groomed to sit upon the throne by both his parents, his siblings had been neglected. She suspected that the only attention Helena ever gave to them, was in telling them off for sneaking out and partying or drinking. Hardly any approval or warmth from their mother. She'd seen it in children who'd been shipped off to boarding schools, and resorted to partying, drinking, truancy and even petty theft and brawls, anything to get their parents' attention, even a negative one. Teenage rebellions blown out of proportion.
They'd never had the proper guidance and praise to build up their self-esteem and self-confidence. Never had a strong family to go back to whenever they landed in trouble. Their parents expected the best from them, but the only praise Robert received was when he acted like an adult in his tender years, when he acted the way his father and mother needed him- as a future king- to be. And Aglaia was struck by the realisation of how terrible it must've been for them. Their personalities, unlike hers which was encouraged, were suppressed. They were told to be this and that. To say this not that. To behave accordingly. To be like their father and mother. Robert had no room and no time for rebellion. Liam and Eleanor were neglected in their grooming and education (which was why Liam was so hugely unprepared after Robert's 'death'). They found escape and took out their frustrations and hurts the only way their peers knew: drinking, partying and sex. Why not?
"I only met him once when I was a young girl," Aglaia said softly. She smiled. "He was wonderful." Robert blinked. "No way, was I with him?"
She laughed. "You supposedly were, but I didn't see you." He cursed, shaking his head. Her laughter increased. "Some old… Ministers and diplomats had taken a hold of you, and your mother… Was trading barbs with my mother. Even then, my mother and yours…" She winced. "Well, they didn't get along. Apparently, it was something to do with a previous meeting in Denmark."
Helena and Anastasia had met during their younger years. Back when her mother was still a princess of Denmark, the old king of Denmark's niece (an accident killed that uncle and with no children, the throne passed to Aglaia's maternal grandfather). But Anastasia was a beauty but she was shy and unassuming. She felt awkward, even having grown up in a royal palace. Helena had shone, and poked fun at Anastasia behind her back, not understanding and mocking her awkwardness. The 'friends' of her mother, who were actually happy to cozen up to the princess because of her status, all turned their attention towards Helena, and laughed when she made fun of Anastasia in that shallow, uncaring, thoughtless way, rich, teenage queen bees did.
Her uncle Valdemar had told her all about it: Anastasia had had her revenge- by hanging a bucket that splashed luridly-coloured dye onto an unsuspecting Helena. She'd screamed, thrown a tantrum and the pictures went viral. Helena had done her best to bully Anastasia, then named Ingrid (she was renamed Anastasia when she converted to Greek Orthodoxy), and her mother took barbs whenever she could. When Helena had married, she mocked Anastasia for marrying a prince who was simply the king's nephew, whereas she was a future queen. Big surprise. Guess whose marriage was worth it in the end, crown or no crown? It turns out, Aglaia's mother had the last laugh in the end.
Aglaia tried to turn her thoughts away from the subject. "Anyway, why you were all held up, I think I must've sneaked off. Gone swimming, no doubt. Or riding. I came back, and there was your dad. I was mortified, well horrified would be a better word. Terrified that someone would hear about this and your dad would take offence. But-" she laughed. "He'd told my father: 'She's growing into a beauty, this one. Better look out.' And my father said: 'Not for a long, long time, I hope.'" She then smiled. "Your father then said something I still can't quite believe."
"What? What did he say?"
"He said: 'Well, I'll think she'll be a great woman and someday a very great man will be worthy of her heart.'" She smiled. "It was prophetic," she teased him.
Robert couldn't help but blink. "He said that?" He sounded astonished.
She shrugged. "Ask my father if you don't believe me."
"Oh, I believe you," Robert shook his head. "It's just that… Dad doesn't give out compliments so easily." His eyes were far away. "Certainly not to me. He would've loved you."
That wasn't the first time she had heard that.
Aglaia sighed as she cleared the dishes. Or rather, her husband insisted on doing it for her. They'd cleaned up, set everything back to the way it was, and headed off to bed. Maintaining her marriage whilst simultaneously raising three small children and being a queen and a princess was harder than it looked.
She was exhausted. But Robbie would no doubt keep her awake for some time.
Aglaia wanted to check on the triplets. They'd done their homework, had their dinner early, had some free time, bathed, brushed their teeth and were now sound asleep in bed after Robbie read them a story and tucked them in. Not a single peep, she thought. Only the glow of nightlights to give them comfort.
Just as she was heading back to their room, something made her stop and freeze.
A door was open. Moonlight streamed in. She blinked. Who left it open? Who was in there?
Aglaia cautiously made her way forwards. Something inside her froze. Years of going without seeing those sugar-roses or those blue flowers tied to a bracelet, which had been gifts from… Him when he had been alive…
No, she thought fearfully. Surely not.
Not again. Especially since they had found nothing.
She gently pushed the door open, ice flooding her heart and hands shaking.
Inside was a man dressed in a ceremonial military uniform. He had a splash of medallions, honours and orders arrayed upon his jacket, gold braid and epaulets. A ceremonial sword hung at his hip. His hair was grey.
Aglaia drew in a breath. He looked at her straight in the eye, his eyes were blue. He smiled, a warm, happy, caring smile as she had ever seen, with utter gladness and welcome. Then she blinked and he vanished.
"Almost there," the training instructor called.
The man- a New Zealander or a Kiwi, as they referred to themselves (after their native bird, not the fruit), grinned with the thumbs up as Liam slowly and carefully climbed up the ladder, training for the ultimate climb to Mount Everest.
The guy, named Mike, was an easy-going, friendly, genial guy who was very helpful and patient. He encouraged Liam as he climbed up the ladder in those monstrous-looking boots. They had spikes at the soles and seriously, he hoped he never stepped on anyone's toes. He could tell the other, less-experienced members of the team were edgy about hovering near anyone in case they bumped and tread on people's feet.
He was trying not to look down. Below was a long-drop. Literally. Between two menacing-looking icy cliffs laden with heavy snow, was a drop so big, so deep and so dark, there was no possible way to see the bottom. There was no way he would survive if he fell, but he had ropes tied about him.
Suddenly Liam's hand slipped. The ladder rung was covered with a thin layer of ice. He gasped, and people squawked in shock from both sides. "It's okay!" He heard Mike yelling ahead of him. "Just… Take a moment. Have a deep breath."
He wondered what the tabloids would say about these guys if he ever died on Everest. He hoped no one would be hard on them.
It's okay, he imagined Aglaia's voice saying gently to him. Coaxing him forwards. Just calm down and take a deep breath. That's it. Come on now, go slowly, there's no need to rush. Just… Follow my voice.
Was she really far away, in England? She seemed so close.
Liam could picture her emerald eyes, that pure, innocent smile, that serene expression on her face. Her delicate hand, held out towards him, the warmth of her touch… Just gently pulling him forwards.
Liam climbed the rungs. He was at the other side before he knew it.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and some whooped. But Liam knew that although he had meant to distance himself as much as he could, from his brother's wife, instead…
He had brought himself closer.
The children were laughing. They kicked and splashed in the shallows of the loch. It wasn't the open sea, but goodness, it was nearly as wonderful. They shrieked and giggled excitedly.
Aglaia sat on the rock, her husband holding her close. They kept a close eye on the triplets in case they wandered too far, or hurt themselves. They had taught them to build sandcastles back in Crete, and the whole family came together to sail…
Aglaia's eyes misted. Robbie pressed a kiss on the top of her head. This was undoubtedly the moment when she realised just how blessed she was. Her small children playing in the shallows of the water, her husband holding her close… How luckier could she get?
"It's not the sea, but it's wonderful," Robert admitted. "I can't believe I spent my entire life, cooped up in that palace down south, and never really seeing any of it- the beauty of it all… Until you arrived."
He had remembered joking with his dad and telling Liam that they only kept Scotland in the kingdom because of their Scotch. How foolish he was, he reflected. How was it that he only ever started appreciating things when his wife arrived? Not luxuries but… This. So much more.
The sun was close to setting, and the children showed no indication of wanting to go back.
"I wish we could stay here," he admitted. "Just us. No politics, no glamourous parties… Nothing."
Aglaia smiled wistfully. "If only. The joys of being ordinary as compared to the pressures of being extraordinary…" They chuckled.
Selena shrieked and giggled as Andrew chased her around with a knot of lake weed. Will splashed his brother, soaking him even more than before, and the latter retaliated by tackling him in the shallows. Huge sprays of water went flying everywhere.
"I didn't swim in a loch until my military training required we practice diving," Robert confessed. "It was always a pool- or the sea in Monaco."
Aglaia sighed. "Perhaps it should be a while before we take the children to somewhere expensive," she suggested.
The children had already learnt to make their own beds. They were taught to be thrifty. The money they'd been given by their parents whenever they served tea and pastries to guests or on inspections when their home-grown fruits and vegetables were good enough, were all they received. If they weren't able to serve anything to any guests, or grow their own fruits and vegetables because they were absent, they would rely on basic pocket money, the amount depending on how well they've done their chores around their quarters. If they wanted or needed something extra, they had to buy it, and save if necessary. She only indulged them on birthdays and Christmases. They were taught to be respectful to grown-ups, polite to make their own minds about things (not something that was encouraged in the previous generation), but to keep their opinions to themselves. Still, it was a long way to go to learning and practising royal protocol, and their mother worried about exposure to the wealth and decadence of the upper classes, like billionaires, successful models and singers and aristocrats, would do to them. Would it turn them like Eleanor and Liam?
Influence them? Encourage them to think bad behaviour was okay? She didn't know. But she preferred not to have them influenced by wealth. Not like Liam's horrid ex-girlfriend Gemma whom she'd encountered whilst on an outing with Len. The girl had instantly reappeared in Liam's life right after the news of Robbie's supposed death, hung around flaunting herself and her status as a diamond heiress, acting snobbish and slutty in short, short skirts, diamonds and stilettoes. Then she'd vanished right after Cyrus dropped the bombshell beginning the paternity fiasco. She'd been friends with the twins for quite some time before all that drama, Len told her. She didn't want her children hanging around with people like those, Aglaia decided. Len agreed.
"I worry about them, just as I worry about you, every single day. But there's only so much you can do," she murmured. "My brother and his twins... You should see them. And Dimitri..." She paused.
Aglaia had long-since wondered if Dimitri intended to take it a step further with Willow. She couldn't blame him. She was a genuinely sweet and loving person.
Another topic that grated her but with what she somehow sensed would be a bad idea to bring up, especially now, was Liam. He was climbing Mount Everest, or at least training to do so. But why all of a suddden, he wanted to go?
Something was up. Aglaia knew these past few years had been too quiet. The children grew from babies to toddlers and had now started school. All these years, Liam had played the cheerful, loving uncle (as far from Cyrus had been to him, she had no doubt). He played with them, they ran, happy to see him when he walked into the room. He was never too tired to play games with them or read them stories or answer any questions they gave him. He quieted their fears, listened to their insecurities, just as she did. And she found that amazing.
Liam deserved happiness, she decided. It was high time. She didn't care what he did in the past, his wild youth. Liam deserved some happiness and a purpose in life. Everyone does.
Another thing which astonished her- the ghost. It had been years since she saw his ghost. She'd almost forgotten. But King Simon's? If it was him, she did not expect to see him at all. He deserved peace.
What was going on? She wondered. What was in the House of Henstridge that could not be fixed?
If only she knew.
Update: 2/11/2017: Posted an update. I felt like the development and the time gap was too fast this time. It was necessary, but too fast. The triplets are still young at this stage.