Chapter 6
David peeks his head into one of the kitchens later that night to find one of his favorite servants, Truman. David walks a few feet into the kitchen before speaking.
"Truman." The king states as the servant turns around holding a tray of tea. The servant looks surprised to see the king in the kitchen this late at night.
"Your majesty?" Truman asks while bowing his head. He puts the tray down on the table in front of him to give his full attention to the king.
David looks at Truman who he has trusted all of these years and takes a deep breath. "I need a favor," he says before stepping closer to the servant.
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Queen Mary Margaret steps into her bedroom in the palace which she shares with David. The lights are off in the room and she can see the outline of a person under the covers of the bed. She sighs before shutting the door. She hopes her husband is still awake, they need to talk.
"I know you're tired. And despondent over August. But, honestly, it was out of character for you to speak so carelessly about the family." She starts as she walks over to her dresser and begins to take off her jewelry. "Referendums and Parliament and disbanding the Monarchy. It's all so dramatic," she continues as she unzips her dress and slides the straps off of her shoulders. "And frankly, it's weak and less than who you are."
She turns around with her dress in her hand to find one of the servants, Truman, rising out from her bed in her husband's pajamas. She gasps and covers herself as she is standing there in only a black bra and panties.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty" Truman tells her as he stares at her in shock. He is not used to seeing the Queen in this state. "Erm… I was…" He pauses as he looks her up and down fully. "My God, it's good to be the King."
Mary Margaret does not know why a servant is in her bedroom or where her husband was this late at night. But she glares at the servant hoping, he gets the point to leave the room as quickly as his legs would take him.
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David walks through the streets of London undetected. No one expected the King of England to be walking around at this time of night, in the rain, and without security. He took advantage of that. No one stopped him or even paid him any notice. These walks allowed him to think without the craziness of the palace around him.
David reflects on the events of dinner and how his family responded to the news of disbanding the monarchy. But he knew he had to stick to his guts. The monarchy is just a show now and it is unnecessary. This lifestyle is running the people he loved. It took August away from him. It has made Emma a partier who uses and abuses drugs, alcohol, and sex. It had made Graham a party buy as well. It has turned Mary Margaret from the woman he fell in love with all those years ago to a woman he does not even recognize. It had turned his brother into a monster. It even took away Gold's wife and Ruby's mother last year. He could not make up for the deaths but he could try to change his family. That is what this referendum is about, becoming a family again.
He walks towards the Thames River and leans against the railing. He stares up at the London Bridge which is lit up in white lights at this hour. He walks a little further along the river before pausing and looking up towards Big Ben and Parliament. He knows what he has to do. He knows it won't bring Robert back but he hopes it will stop any other tragedies from happening to this family.
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Ruby steps into the elevator that leads to her family's apartment in the palace. She takes a deep breath. She was not expecting that when Graham invited her to dinner. She wonders if the King is serious about disbanding the monarchy. She thinks about her mother. She would still be here if the monarchy did not exist.
She steps out of the elevator to find her father sitting at his desk working. She looks up and walks past his desk and towards her room. After their conversation from earlier, she really was not in the mood to speak to her father.
"I understand you've had dinner with the Prince." Her father says to her causing her to pause.
She turns to face him and sighs. "He invited me. I said yes." She responds opening her arms to suggest saying to her father what did you want me to do.
He looks up at her and back down quickly. "Next time say no," he tells her.
"Did you ever think that maybe I said yes for you?" She asks him. "That saying no might make it awkward between you and the King?"
"Did you?" He asks her placing the paper he was holding on the desk, giving his daughter his full attention.
"No." She responds looking down. "I said yes because I wanted to go. Speaking of places we've gone lately, did you visit mom's grave?" She asks him while crossing her arms. She already knew the answer that question but she wanted to hear him say it.
"I've been working. The King's welfare is never-ending." He responds without any emotion.
"Yeah." She says under her breath while turning and stepping towards her room.
"If you've got something to say, say it." He says raising his voice, slamming his pen into the desk, and leaning back into his chair.
She takes a deep breath and turns back around. "You know what? Fine. I will. Two things, actually. I appreciate that you worry about me, and I get it," she tells him as she steps closer to his desk. "Being close to the Royal Family is what got Mom killed and that's where you go when I'm near them. But it's not the same thing, Dad."
"It is the same thing. And frankly, it's not fair to me." He says interrupting her.
"Because you worry about me when I'm near them." She finishes his thought.
"It's dangerous, Ruby. Even for a moment." He cries out.
She shakes her head at him. She can feel tears welling in her eyes. "Do you know how many steps it takes to get from the elevator to the chair you're sitting in?" She asks him, her voice breaking at the end. "Seven." She pauses before speaking again. "Do you know how many to your bedroom? Twenty-three." She pauses again. "I lie awake at night and wait to count those steps because at least I know you're home and you're safe. You worry about a moment. I worry about all the other moments." She turns and walks away.
He looks up to watch his daughter walking away. "Hey. You said there were two things."
She sighs and crosses her arms before turning to look at her father again. "She always put us first, you know? You didn't visit her grave. You haven't taken a single day off since she died. That's screwed up, Dad. Mom deserves better." She turns again and walks towards her room.
A/N: I know this chapter was a long time coming and I am sorry. It has been crazy at work and then I recently decided to relaunch my blog and start back up my photography habit. I hope to be posting more regularly in the future. But thank you to those readers who are still with me!
Also, Truman is not a OUAT character. He is a servant from The Royals universe.
