David stared hard at the clouds because he was afraid that if he looked over at Henry, his grandson would see the tears in his eyes.
Finally, Henry broke the silence again. "Grandpa, when do I get a real sword?"
David was about to return a joking answer, but he stopped and thought about it for a long moment instead. "Henry," he finally answered, "carrying a sword is about a lot more than being able to fight well."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's also about responsibility. It's about having the self-control to know when to fight and when to back down. You'll be ready for a real sword when you're responsible." Henry didn't answer, which was unusual for him, so David looked over and found a stormy look in his grandson's usually clear eyes. "Care to share your opinion?" he asked mildly.
"It's just—" Henry exploded, "It's just that I'm the one who was responsible when none of you would believe me. None of you guys wanted to be who you are. You didn't want to be a leader. My mom wasn't ready to break the curse. I was the only one. It's not fair to say I'm not responsible." The prince watched his grandson make this entire speech, and when the child had finished, he looked scared, as if he was frightened of what his grandfather's response would be.
"You're right," David answered. "You carried a lot of responsibility for us, more than a kid your age should ever have had to handle. If you hadn't brought Emma here, the curse might never have been broken. We owe you a lot." He could hear Henry's breathing relax.
"You're still a kid, though," he continued. "Responsibility is something we learn all our lives in different ways, and carrying a weapon is a special kind. I'll make a promise to you, though." Henry perked up at this.
"I'll watch carefully, and I won't make you wait a moment past when you're ready."
"Ok," said Henry, smiling in spite of himself.
"And kid?"
"Yeah?"
"You don't ever have to be afraid to tell me what you're thinking. Got it?"
"Got it."
