(A/N: Another chapter done. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, and, as always, enjoy this next chapter.)
Eric ran happily back up to the deck of the ship, with Edward close behind him. Captain Seyers hat still rested upon his head as he ran back to the ships wheel and took a hold of two of the handles. Edward laughed good-naturedly at the four year old.
"Are you sure you don't want to get off for a bit" he asked? Eric thought about it for a moment before letting go of the great wheel and taking a couple of steps towards Edward.
"Maybe for a little bit," he said, lifting the hat off with both hands and holding it in front of him. "What should I do with this?"
"I'll take that for you" said Edward, holding out his hand and taking the hat from the young Prince. "Now be careful when you get off the ship," he added, "there are a lot of people wandering about." Eric nodded, slightly amused at how much like Grimsby Edward was beginning to sound, and made his way over to the gangplank. It was steep and the ropes hung just above Eric's head, so Edward was surprised, and impressed, that the four year old managed to disembark so easily. In fact, since he had met Eric almost two weeks ago, Edward had found himself constantly surprised by his behaviour. The young Prince was incredibly considerate for a boy of his age, and seemed to care an awful lot about the people around him. He seemed interested in anything and everything, and was enthusiastic towards any new activity; perhaps because he'd spent so much of his life so far confined to one place, forced into a daily routine and never allowed to try anything new. Even watching him now, Edward could tell that he was keen to learn, to know what people were doing, and to get to know the sailors and fishermen that roamed the docks. If somebody said hello to him he'd say it right back, beaming as if a simple greeting was the most wonderful thing in the world.
Funny just how quickly a mood can change.
In an instant Eric froze, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. He wanted to run, to scream, to get back on the ship and pretend he hadn't seen anything. But he couldn't. His feet were glued to the floor and already he could feel himself trembling. His throat suddenly felt tight and his eyes began to sting from keeping them open for so long. Eric blinked hard, hoping, praying, that the image would disappear. But it didn't, and a single tear slipped down the four year olds cheek, before landing with a silent splash on the wooden dock. It was over. After only two weeks, it was over.
Edward noticed that Eric had been stood still for a while now and so, after handing the hat back to Captain Seyers, he walked over and knelt down in front of the young Prince.
"Are you alright Eric" he asked, placing a hand on the boys shoulder? But Eric wasn't listening; his eyes were fixed on the towering frame of his father, casting a shadow over a rather nervous looking Grimsby. Noticing Eric's far off look, Edward moved across slightly, blocking Eric's view of his father and seeming to snap him out of his trance. The Duke was about to speak again when he noticed that Eric's entire body was shaking, and his eyes shone with fresh tears.
"What's wrong" he asked?
"I don't want to go back" replied Eric, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Back where," began Edward? "Eric wh-" But the rest of his sentence was cut off when he was grabbed from behind and pulled to his feet. Shrugging away from the firm grip on his shoulder, Edward turned around, coming face to face with King David in the process. There was an audible whimper from Eric and he lowered his gaze to his feet. Noticing the young Prince's sudden change in posture, Edward realised that Eric was genuinely frightened of his father.
"Your Majesty, I wasn't expecting to see you here," said Edward, straightening up. "Edward Larsen, unless I'm mistaken I don't believe we've met." He extended a hand and held the King's stare with confidence; after all, he had no reason to fear this man.
With reluctance, David grasped Edward's hand firmly, but said nothing, keeping his eyes fixed on his son. There was an uncomfortable silence once the two released their grip on each other and Edward turned his gaze to Grimsby, who stood alongside Captain Seyers.
"David, good to see you old friend!" All four men and Eric turned around to see Tony striding towards them, the volume of his voice acting as a clear indication as to how much he'd had to drink.
"It seems years since I last saw you," he boomed, clapping King David on the shoulder, "how's things?" But the King ignored his drunken friend and turned once again to face the young Duke.
"What do you think gives you the right to entertain my son in such a way" he spat? "I set rules for good reason; and not to have them violated the moment I turn my back!"
"And what rules would they be" asked Edward boldly? David could feel his temper rising with each passing second, and was quickly coming to dislike the young man stood before him.
"The rules set for my son to follow; he's knows them even if you don't," he said icily. "He knows that he is not to set foot on a ship unless I specifically say otherwise." Slowly the King turned his gaze to Eric, who remained cowering behind Edward.
"What explanation could you possibly have for disobeying me?" It took Eric a while to realise that his father was actually talking to him. And when he did he panicked and struggled to find an answer.
"I'm sorry father" he said tearfully, not being able to meet the King's cold stare, and knowing that the answer he'd given wouldn't suffice.
"You're sorry?! Is that all you have to say for yourself" yelled David, taking the first of what would have been many steps towards his son had Edward not stepped in front of him.
"Your Majesty, I think Eric's the last person you should be blaming," he said. "And besides, he's a remarkable boy, and ought to be given a chance to flourish in a variety of activities. You shouldn't be so harsh on him." There was a gasp from Grimsby and Eric let out a choked sob as Edward finished speaking. Nobody, not even the Queen, had ever spoken to David in such a bold manner before.
In a single second, just as he had with Eric, King David snapped. His fist connected with Edward's lower jaw faster than anyone could react, sending the young man staggering backwards.
"You dare tell me what I ought and oughtn't do," he shouted! "He's my son and I'll treat him in such a way I deem appropriate!"
"You call the way you treat him appropriate" replied Edward, raising his voice? If King David wanted a fight then he'd get one; there was no way he was giving up just yet, even though he was sure the bone of his jaw was cracked. As David stepped up to attack Edward a second time, the Earl positioned himself between the two, and shoved David hard in the chest which, considering his drunken state, was barely enough to move the King a few inches.
"That's my son-in-law" he said, his voice echoing around the docks, and attracting the attention of the few people who weren't already watching the conflict. With a roar that sounded almost inhuman, David shoved back. Now it would normally take several men to throw the Earl's portly frame, but with the state that both men were in he ended up reeling back several feet before falling, his head connecting with the brick wall that ran down one side of the dock with a sickening crack. Several people screamed as the surrounding wood quickly became coated in thick scarlet blood, and the Earl remained motionless. In fact, David was the only one whose attention wasn't fixed on the incident. No; his attention had quickly been drawn to his son once he was sure Tony was no longer going to intervene. Without words he strode towards the four year old, his fists balled in anger. Eric didn't even notice, until his father was only a yard away from. The young Prince cried out in fear and instinctively backed away until…
Edward attention was caught by a splash from behind him. He and several others turned to see David stood facing the ship that they had arrived on; and it didn't take long to realise who was now missing from the scene. In an instant Edward, Grimsby and Captain Seyers had all rushed over to the side of the dock, pushing David out of the way. The three men knelt down, staring into the murky water and straining to catch even the smallest glimpse of the young Prince.
"Can he swim" asked Edward, standing up and removing his jacket?
"He's never been given the chance to learn" replied Grimsby! But before he could even finish his sentence, Edward had jumped into the water between the ship and the dock.
Eric gasped as his body hit the frigid water, but in doing so, inhaled a large amount of sea water. He began to cough violently, sending surges of bubbles towards the ever rising surface. The four year old struggled in futile, kicking a flailing his limbs in a desperate attempt to reach the surface and regain oxygen. But nothing was working and only moments later his entire body began shaking, resulting only in the loss of more oxygen. Black spots invaded his already blurred vision and his movements slowed as darkness began to close in.
Edward was surprised at how deep the water was, but it didn't take his long to spot Eric and with only two powerful kicks he had reached the young prince. Immediately he could see that there wasn't much time left, so he clamped one hand over Eric's nose and mouth in an attempt to preserve whatever small amount of oxygen he had left, and looped his other arm around the four year olds chest before kicking his way to the surface. The trembling of Eric's body against his own acted as his indication that Eric was still conscious; but his weak struggling told him that he wouldn't be for much longer. With one final kick, Edward broke the surface and pushed Eric into the waiting arms of the Captain, who pulled him up onto the docks.
It took the young Prince a few moments to realise that he was out of the water, but even now he couldn't breathe. His lungs burned with the need for oxygen, but he couldn't get any whilst the sea water he'd inhaled was being expelled from his body. Unaware if his surroundings, Eric coughed over and over again, whilst Captain Seyers held him steady. He could hear Grimsby's voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. When finally he managed to rid his lungs of sea water, the four year old inhaled, taking in the much needed oxygen as he collapsed, falling forward against Grimsby.
"Breathe Eric," said the advisor, "just breathe." Eric did as he was told, breathing deeply, although the pain in his chest was becoming agonising. He hardly noticed as a blanket was wrapped around his shoulders, but could just about make out the image of his father, held within the clutches of King Vernon's guards. Nothing up to this point had been audible over the muffled voices of the people around him, but King Vernon's next words rang out loud and clear.
"King David, I hereby sentence you to death."