Chapter 9

Goodbyes

"We tried William," Victoria stated from above her horse as she and her daughter were leaving the Sheppard's kingdom, assembly forever. "No one can say that we didn't try." She sighed and turned to her daughter. "Say goodbye Elizabeth."

"Goodbye." Elizabeth answered hardly looking at the King and his son.

"Goodbye..." Victoria prompted, causing Elizabeth to turn around.

"Goodbye- Prince John..."

"John," William prompted.

"Goodbye."

"John," William stated in a harsher voice.

"Goodbye Princess…"

And with that, without another word Elizabeth and Victoria turned and left John and William behind. John was feeling like a fool. "All these years of planning, wasted." Victoria lamented, loud enough for William and John to hear.

Half an hour later, the skies had opened and John along with his best friend Carson and his tutor and long time second-father Richard Woolsey were in one of the drawing rooms.

"What else is there?" Richard was complaining as John and Carson were playing a game of chess, only as John paced back and forth, Carson was gaining more ground than John was. "She says 'what else is there' and all you can say is 'what else is there' are you insane or something?"

"It was dumb," John agreed turning to the man who was berating him. "I know."

"You should write a manual," Richard suggested with an arrogant air. "How to offend a woman in five words or less..."

Carson laughed as he made his next move. "You're turn John."

"I didn't know what else to say," John stated as he made his move absentmindedly not noticing when Carson broke out in laughter.

"You lost your queen John!" he taunted holding out the captured piece.

John could only shake his head. "That's twice in one day."

"Think," Richard suggested as he sat down on one of the empty seats. "There must be something that you see in Elizabeth other than her beauty."

"Oh of course Richard," John agreed with a romantic sigh. "She's like...you know, how about...and then..." John sighed and shook his head turning to Richard. "Am I right?" He turned to look at Richard who just stared at him; he then turned to Carson who was equally unimpressed. "Well I don't know how to say it." John defended as he collapsed into a chair. "I'll prove it to her," he whispered a plan forming in his mind. "I'll prove my love." He smiled and took one look at the chess board and smiled some more. "Check mate."

While Prince John had figured out what he was going to do, Queen Victoria and Elizabeth had transferred to a carriage and were rumbling along a road on the outskirts of the Sheppard kingdom and little did the inhabitants know but someone was watching them. "Today's the day Vicki," Kolya muttered as he watched the carriage from the shadows of a tree. "Everything you own, everything you love- will be mine."

Meanwhile within the carriage, Queen Victoria was trying to understand her daughter's plight. "I just don't under stand Elizabeth darling, what else did you want him to say?"

Elizabeth sighed and tried to make her mother understand. "I need to know that he loves me." She explained, trying to fight back the tears. "For just being me and-" The carriage then rumbled to a halt and Victoria suddenly became very suspicious.

"Stay inside Elizabeth." She ordered as she opened to door to see what was the matter. As soon as she had done so, Queen Victoria had wished that she had listened to all her counsellors sixteen years previously.