DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters from Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. I'm not making money from this story.
Julian stayed sitting on the garden bench for a few minutes after the queen was whisked away. While his talk with the queen had calmed a few of his nerves, he still felt overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by adjusting to royal life and expecting a baby and Anneliese's coma-like state and Preminger's escape. Which brings him to the final installment in the story: Preminger threatening their unborn child. Anneliese has to know. Or does she? How will she be able to handle it? He stayed sitting, thinking, worrying.
Frustrated with the lack of answers, Julian stood up to leave the garden. However, before he left, he picked a pink rose. He went inside the castle with the rose in his hand. Even though his appetite was barely existent, he sat at the large dining room. Defeated, he sighed and put the rose next to him on the table. He wanted to discuss the plan for locating Preminger and securing the royal premises with Queen Genevieve, but when Julian asked one of the workers, she said that the council meeting was still in session. He ate a few bites, but couldn't finish the roasted chicken he had been served. After thanking the chefs, he walked to Anneliese's room with the rose.
When he opened the door, she was still in her peaceful slumber. Julian walked over to his beautiful wife's side with the rose behind his back, as if she could have seen it.
"Hello my sweet Anneliese, please wake up. We all need you. I need you," he said with tears beginning to form in his eyes. Her absence was beginning to take a toll on him, the queen, and the staff. He pushed a stray ringlet of her golden hair behind her ear and left the rose next to her on the bed. Even though she was pale, her cheeks matched the color of the rose. He gave her another glance before standing up. Right before he turned around, movement caught his eye. Julian quickly turned around and knelt by Anneliese's side. He grabbed her hand, waiting hopefully for another movement. Suddenly, she opened her deep blue eyes and stared at Julian. Her face was very groggy and stoic. He continued to look at her expectantly. Expectant of what? He wasn't quite sure. Anything would be progress at this point.
"Jul... Julian?" she whispered as if in a confused daze. A wave of relief crashed onto Julian.
"Yes, I'm right here, Anneliese," replied Julian. He kissed her cold hands. "I'm so glad you're awake! Eliza, can you fetch the doctor please?" The maid quickly left the room to find the doctor. He would have notified the queen also, but she was still in one of those monotonous council meetings.
Julian felt sorry for the queen. She cared for her daughter so much, but she always responded when duty calls. Anneliese is a lot like her mother: kind, generous, and fair. He could see how much it hurt her to not spend more time with her daughter.
The doctor eventually entered the room, delighted to see his royal patient sitting up and talking with her husband. After a thorough inspection, the doctor declared that there was no concern to her or the child's health, but he quickly added that she will be very tired and shouldn't push herself. "Rest is the best medicine, your highness," he concluded, "Get good sleep tonight, and I will see you tomorrow." He left the room, leaving the couple alone; however, they were quickly interrupted. Julian sighed. "Never time to be alone," He muttered after someone knocked. "Come in."
A palace guard opened the door and walked briskly to the royals. "Good afternoon, your highnesses," he said with a bow. "I'm glad that you are awake princess. The queen has requested to speak to Julian." Julian started walking to go with the guard. When he turned around to look at Anneliese, she gave him a small nod. It was her way of saying 'It's okay, I'll be fine.' Then, he turned around and followed the guard into the throne room.
The queen was sitting on her throne deep in thought before she saw the two men. She stood up and acknowledged the guards bow. "Thank you, Gregory. Hello Julian, how is she?" she asked hesitantly, scared of the answer.
"She actually woke up about an hour ago. I didn't want to interrupt your meeting. I know how much you love listening to those privileged men yelling at each other," Julian joked. The queen giggled.
"It would have been a shame," the queen said facetiously. "But I called for you to continue our discussion about Preminger and his plan. I was thinking of creating an investigative team of officials to gather information about Preminger and his plot. Then, the guards can arrest him based on the findings. Would you be interested in acting as the head officer of this investigation? I completely understand if you do not want to participate. I know it is very personal." She watched Julian's face as he pondered his response. But he didn't need to think too hard.
"While it may be very personal, I want to be in charge of the investigation. It may be hard emotionally, but I want to be have a role in organizing developments. Thank you," he told Queen Genevieve.
"I hoped you would accept the position. I know that with you on the team, Preminger has nowhere to hide," she said with a smile, trying to be confident. She had a very deep respect for her son-in-law and was proud of his adjustment to royal duties. They continued to discuss different approaches to locate the escapee as they walked back to Anneliese's room.
Anneliese was catching up on all the gossip with Charlotte. She was surprised how many rumors were circulating within two days of the interrupted ball.
"I've heard all kinds of stories in the village, milady," Charlotte began. "Some believe that someone became so ill that everyone decided to leave, others say that there were too many unwanted guests, so the royals dismissed all the guests. And the craziest involve things like dragons and witches."
"Has anyone guessed correctly?" Anneliese asked timidly. She knew that it would spark a fear epidemic across the kingdom if people discovered Preminger escaped. They were just as scared as she was.
"Well, only very few theorized that a prisoner escaped. They did not name anyone specific," Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know if they are unsure which prisoner or they just don't want to face the possibility. But many people think that it is very far off."
"I guess it's better that they don't know," Anneliese sighed. "Do you know where Erika and Dominick are staying in the castle?"
"They went back to Dulcinea to prepare defenses and search parties. They wanted to bid you goodbye, but you were still asleep."
"I completely understand. Can you bring my stationery and pens? I'm going to start drafting a letter to them."
But before she could start writing, there was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal Julian and the queen. Before Anneliese could say anything, Queen Genevieve rushed to her and asked her how she was feeling. She was clearly relieved that her daughter was awake.
The princess laughed. "I'm feeling much better, mother," she replied.
"I'm so sorry I have not been able to see you sooner, darling. I've been very, uh, busy."
"You haven't missed much. I've been catching up on rest. Any new developments about Preminger?"
The queen and Julian quickly glanced at each other, which Anneliese saw as odd. "I'm afraid not," she lied. "But I have ordered more guards around the castle premises and around the village."
"Excuse me, Your Highnesses. Can I get you all anything?" Charlotte asked.
"A water with lemon would be lovely," Anneliese said.
"And a cup of tea, please," the queen stated.
"I'm fine," Julian responded. With that, Charlotte left with a bow.
"I just don't understand how he escaped," Anneliese stated in disbelief.
"I've been thinking about it," Julian responded. "He must have inside contacts and spies."
"I've also given it a lot of thought, and it is very unsettling to know that someone we trust is betraying us," the queen stated.
"I say we avoid this subject for now," Anneliese suggested. "Why don't we just have a nice conversation that doesn't involve him?"
"That sounds like a great idea," the queen replied.
Charlotte entered a few minutes later with water and tea for the royals. They were discussing the princess's pregnancy. The queen had the princess laughing at all the pregnancy stories. Charlotte smiled to herself as she passed out the drinks because the queen and the princess were bonding. Both were always so busy with their duties that it was rare for them to just talk. It was refreshing to see, yet she had to admit it was getting late. She hated to mention the time, but the queen has a very busy day tomorrow. She was adamant about getting getting plenty of rest.
"Excuse me, You Majesty," Charlotte interrupted, "It is getting very late, and I know you wanted plenty of rest for your day tomorrow."
Charlotte felt terrible as the queen's smile faded and eyes dimmed. With a sigh, she stood up. "Charlotte is right, I have to make official statements and other matters to attend to. I will see you in the morning, darling. I love you," she said before leaving with Charlotte to her bed chamber.
Anneliese was very understanding of the situation. She knew her rest was coming soon also, for her day tomorrow was a big one, too. She wanted to appear at her mother's side for the statements.
"I love you, too, mother," she replied, thankful for the strong relationship with her mother. There were some good things that occurred from Preminger's fiasco last year. She met two very dear friends, married her best friend, and healed a strained relationship with her mother. She was never the same after the king's death when Anneliese was young. The queen occupied herself in her duties to cope with the loss. Unfortunately, this meant sacrificing time with a growing Anneliese. However, they are now taking the time to mend the gaps from years of grief.
Julian got ready for bed, and laid next to his wife. They chatted for a few minutes, but both were rather exhausted. Julian was about to mention the note but stopped himself when Anneliese's eyes lit up suddenly.
"Julian, we need baby names! This is one of the funnest parts of the pregnancy. It has to be a good one. He or she is the heir, and names make a big impression."
"I think you mean 'most fun'. A princess should always use proper grammar and refrain from creating words," he replied with a wink.
The princess rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Once a tutor, always a tutor."
Many names circulated, and they were able to narrow it down to a name for each gender. For a prince, Nicolas James; For a princess, Adeline Genevieve. The child will be named after their royal grandparents: King Nicolas and Queen Genevieve.
"Good night, Anneliese," Julian said as he turned to his wife and kissed her nose. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Julian," she responded sleepily. "The baby will have the best father."
"And the most beautiful and intelligent and caring mother," he responded and kissed her growing stomach then her lips. They slept well that night.
When Anneliese woke up the next day, the sun was already up to greet her, but Julian was not on the other side of the bed. She immediately looked at the clock. It read 10:00. She had slept in today. Before panicking, she saw a note left behind on Julian's pillow. It read, "Sleep is the best medicine. See you later." What was she going to do? Stay in bed? Just sit around? Anneliese didn't think so. She felt fine. In fact, she felt completely rested, which was a first. She slowly got out of bed and dressed herself. By notifying the maids, she would be sending up a flare of unwanted attention. She stood for a moment, not knowing what to do. How would she know what free time is? Normally, by this time of day, she has mountains of paperwork and speeches in need of her attention. After eating a scrumptious breakfast of eggs and sausage in the dining hall, she began to wander around the castle.
As a child, this was one of her favorite things to do. When her parents were busy and before she had a tutor, she would occupy herself by attempting to navigate the maze that was the castle. There was so much to explore, and her curiosity was too strong to contain the princess in her own wing. Before long, she was in a vaguely familiar hall. She was racking her mind of what was in this hall when she saw the door.
It was a tall oak door, like the rest down the hall, except it had purple designs around the borders. A discolored somewhat-squared shape was all that remained of a name plaque. Her mouth dropped open and she took a step back. This was Preminger's chamber. Next to her mother's study for easy access. Even without seeing his name on the door, this place still gave her the chills.
Her thoughts were interrupted by low, indistinguishable voices. As quietly as possible, Anneliese crept closer to the source of the sounds: her mother's study.
As she got closer to the cracked door, she identified the voices as her mother and Julian. It was obvious that the conversation was classified. Their voices were barely audible. 'What could they possibly be talking about?' she thought as she moved in closer. Finally, when she was within inches of the slightly ajar door, she listened closely to the conversation.
"I just don't know if we should tell her at all," Julian said, "What if she can't handle it?"
"We can't just not tell her that she and the baby are in danger," her mother replied, worry clear in her voice. She could picture the room. Her mother pacing, and her husband sitting in a chair with his head in his hands.
"But she is already discussing baby names, she would be absolutely devastated. We need to wait longer. She's still recovering, and I can't break her heart when she is in this condition."
"Julian, Anneliese needs to know about Preminger's plot," Queen Genevieve said in a stern tone, "And if you don't tell her, I will. It's... it's for the best."
Anneliese gasped louder than she had wanted. It broke the silence of the hallway. She froze, hoping the sound did not travel into the study.
Preminger? What can't she handle? Why are they waiting to tell her? All the questions made her head spin. She reached out, feeling for something steady. If to make things worse, Julian and the queen ran into the hallway, proving her worst fear. "Oh my, Anneliese what are you doing out of bed without assistance? You know you are still weak," Julian said when he saw his wife in the hallway. He couldn't believe she was out of bed. He prayed that she didn't hear very much of the conversation.
"Oh darling, you know what the doctor said: rest is the best medicine," her mother added. When Anneliese clearly wasn't buying it, they lead her out of the hallway into the study.
Anneliese sat in a padded leather chair in front of her mother's desk, ready for answers. Instead, she was the one that broke the awkward silence.
"What plot do I need to know about?" she asked, wanting a straightforward answer to her straightforward question. Julian and Queen Genevieve exchanged glances, then looked back at Anneliese. Her face showed a twisted mix of anger, sadness, and betrayal. Julian closed the door, while the queen sat at her desk.
'What are they hiding?' Anneliese thought to herself.
"I want to know the truth," Anneliese added after looking at both her mother and husband. Queen Genevieve nodded to Julian. It was Julian who spoke first.
"How much did you hear?" he asked wearily. He didn't want to frighten her by saying too much. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to tell her the whole plot. Hopefully, she would be spared.
She sat down and said she only heard them discuss when to tell her about Preminger's plot. "What is he planning now?" she asked anxiously. "Why did I ever think he would just run away quietly?"
Queen Genevieve put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "We were all foolish. I should have exiled him, instead of throwing him in our own dungeons, waiting for him to rot. I guess I just wanted to keep an eye on him," the queen ranted. "And look where that's got us..." She sighed, then continued, "We found a note left in his cell when you were unconscious. It is with the investigative team right now."
She hesitated and didn't want to go on. Queen Genevieve looked at Julian expectantly.
He continued, "It basically said that he is coming back. And he mentions that he will be taking someone with him. The youngest royal, to be exact."
The color drained from Anneliese's face. She muttered "no" repeatedly with her head in her hands. That monster! She tried to hold the tears at first, then she couldn't stop them anymore.
"Anneliese, I am so, so sorry," her mother tried to comfort her. She put her hand in her shoulder to let the princess know that she was always there for her. How do you comfort someone in this situation? The queen began to tear up as well.
"Look at me," Julian said as he put his fingers under her chin and moved her face towards his. "We have increased the castle, village, and royal protection. We are still sending search parties, and whatever they find goes straight to the investigative team, of which I am the head. Anneliese, we are going to seize him before he ever gets close to you and the baby. I will never let it happen." Anneliese nodded but looked back at the ground. Julian got her attention again.
"Hey, we are going to be okay," he said with a smile. If only he believed it himself.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took a while! I hope it was worth the wait! Feedback is always welcome! Thank you for reading and stay tuned ;)