Chapter 3: Falling and Rising

Song: "A Different Kind of Pain"

A year passed, and by the following August, the twins' third birthday was fast approaching. True to their word, King Kresten and Queen Roselyn decided to return to Enchancia to celebrate their grandchildren's birthday. Due to his schooling, Eirik decided to stay behind, though he was curious about the Enchancians because of the positive perception many people had of them. Perhaps someday, he would travel there himself.

When Kresten and Roselyn arrived at the Enchancian castle, it was like a warm embrace as they entered the main entrance. Both greeted Baileywick fondly and followed him to the throne room, where Roland sat with his children, who were nestled in their own thrones near him. Given their age, the thrones were so much bigger than they were, which was rather comical.

"Oh, you're here!" Roland happily greeted the other two, approaching his in-laws. "I'm so glad you made it. You're just in time for the twins' birthday party."

"That will be nice after all the traveling," Roselyn mused, smiling at her son-in-law. "Roland, how have you been?"

"Much better. Time really is good for healing…"

"Daddy?" Amber toddled over from her throne, tugging at her father's pants leg. "Tell Baileywick we have a big problem. My cake is too little. Want bigger one!"

Roland rolled his eyes before lowering to his daughter's level, scooping her into his arms. "Of course, Amber. But right now, say hello to your Grandma Roselyn and Grandpa Kresten."

The blonde girl smiled shyly, waving at the other adults. She'd seen portraits of her grandparents all her life, but this was her first time meeting them in person. "Hi…"

"Quite the extravagant little lady, hmm?" King Kresten teased, ruffling the girl's hair, which made her squeal in laughter, though she promptly tugged her wavy hair back into a more suitable style. He grinned as James hurried over, not wanting to be left out. "Ah, James! I've heard much about you, young man." He picked up the boy, tapping him on the nose. "Your father has written about how much you like watching the knights during their jousting. Is that what you want to be when you grow up?"

"Yes!" he enthused, giggling. "And I want to shoot cannons. Boom!"

Roland laughed uneasily. "Don't worry. All our weaponry is safely stored…" He gestured toward the door, guiding them along. "Come on, let's go this way. They're putting the final touches on the twins' birthday party, but it should be ready soon."

The entire castle staff showed up to the royal siblings' party, and several brought gifts of all kinds: toys, books, clothing, etc. Each twin had a cake. Amber was convinced that her pink and blue cake was as tall as the ceiling, but it was actually three tiers and adorned with candied gems and jewels. James had a similarly structured cake, but his was green and gold with toy soldiers and knights along the base of the cake board.

Before they cut the cake, Roselyn offered the twins their gift, waiting with bated breath as they opened the wrapped boxes.

Amber's eyes lit up as she pulled a silver tiara with peridot gems from within, promptly placing it on her head. "Ooh, it's so pretty!"

"It was your mother's when she was your age," Kresten explained, smiling at the little girl. Something about seeing Lorelei's own 'little twin' wearing her tiara filled him with emotion, but he managed to keep it at bay so as not to ruin the party. "You, um… You look lovely, Amber."

She giggled, curtseying at her grandfather. "Thank you!"

"Ooh, wow!" James pulled out a shimmering sun-shaped pendant, which glittered gold in the natural light. "What is this?"

"It's a crest pin," Roselyn explained. "Similar to the images you see on your family crest—the Crest of Winslow." She took the pin from him and gently fastened it to his jacket, chuckling as he stared down at it in awe. "And don't you look handsome with it?"

"Hear that, Amber?" the little boy asked with a toothy grin. "I'm ham-some!"

"Well, you're not ugly," Amber reasoned, tossing her hair behind her back and adjusting her new tiara. "Because we're twins. I'm pretty, so you're pretty too!"

Roland shook his head at the children's antics. "The older they get, the more their personalities shine through. It's endearing and terrifying at the same time." He smiled as the other royals laughed. "Well, let's get some cake, shall we?"

After spending a few days in Enchancia and getting to know their grandchildren better, the king and queen decided it was time to return to their kingdom. Sure, their advisors were more than capable of running things, but it was important to them to be there for their people.

"Are you going to return next year for their fourth birthday?" Roland asked quietly as they stood at the door to the twins' room. Both of the kids were asleep, so they were whispering.

"I'm not sure," Kresten answered honestly. "The trip between our lands isn't particularly easy, Roland—physically or mentally. We're not as young as we used to be, after all…"

He nodded. "Well, I could bring them to visit you in Venburg instead, perhaps."

Roselyn sighed. "Right now, Roland, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. The kingdom itself is beautiful, but lately we've had some issues with surrounding kingdoms. There's a bit of duress, and at the present time, it's no place for the children to be. Perhaps when things have settled down, it would be better."

"I see…"

Kresten, noting the disappointment on the other king's face, just smiled. "We'll try in a few years, Roland. That'll give us some time to sort things out and prepare. And the kids will be older at that time, so maybe we can look into an alternating schedule by then. Hopefully Venburg will be in a more stable state in a few years."

"I think that would be nice." He took the time to embrace both of them, savoring the moments with them. Lorelei still felt like she was around any time he hugged her parents, so he tried to make the most of the moment whenever he had the opportunity.

"Please do write to us as often as you can," Roselyn implored, pressing a soft kiss to the younger man's forehead. "Share updates of the twins. Send us news of any kind. We'll do the same."

He nodded. "Absolutely. Have a safe journey home."

The exchange of letters, portraits, and other goods continued for a few years. While the twins were growing into their distinct personalities, Kresten was actively training his heir to follow in his footsteps. He taught Eirik everything he knew about being a good ruler. First and foremost, he always told his nephew, was to love his people.

"Without them, there is no kingdom," the king informed his protégé, smiling when he saw Eirik basically mouthing his exact words. "I know I say it a lot, but it's the truth. And it's the most important truth there is, Eirik."

"I know, Uncle Kresten." Eirik smiled as the king wrapped him in a side hug, leading him down the hallway toward the dining hall for lunch.

Around early August, before the twins were about to celebrate their sixth birthday, a surprise accident shook the castle and even the kingdom a bit. While walking down the steps to the dungeon, where excess furniture and other goods were stored instead of prisoners (because Kresten and Roselyn did not believe in housing prisoners in their home), Kresten lost his footing and tumbled down the last several steps. He was luckily accompanied by a few guards and Eirik, but not so lucky because none of the men could catch him in time.

The guards and Eirik were able to carry the king to his room while Roselyn summoned a physician, who had little good news to offer after a rather lengthy inspection.

"I'm afraid it isn't good, Your Majesty," Dr. Fairfax, the primary physician to the royals, informed his patient. "You severely injured yourself in that fall."

Roselyn frowned as she held her husband's hand, noting how sweaty his palm was. "How severely?"

The physician hesitated before continuing, his voice grave. "The impact damaged your spine, specifically the lower vertebrae. There is significant trauma, and I regret to inform you that…" He swallowed thickly, the words feeling like lead on his tongue. "You will no longer have use of your legs." The weight of his words settled in the dimly lit chamber, pressing against the silent tension.

"Surely, there must be something," Lionel urged, ever loyal to his king and hoping for a glimpse of positive news.

"I have done all I can, but there is no remedy for this-no salve or spell that can mend what has been broken." Dr. Fairfax sighed, glancing at the others gathered, noting their dismayed expressions, before meeting the king's gaze. "You may still feel pain—perhaps even sensation in the limbs—but they will not bear your weight again. You will require assistance in all matters of movement from this day forward."

Kresten rarely became angry, but the circumstances more than warranted his incense. "Get out." He said it sharply but in a somewhat subdued manner, which was even more frightening to those surrounding him. He watched as the doctor bowed respectfully and left, followed by a concerned looking Lionel. His eyes trailed to his wife, who sighed heavily. "Roselyn, I'd like a word with Eirik for a few moments, if you don't mind."

She nodded, kissing his cheek, before leaving the chambers, closing the door behind her as she silently shuffled away.

"Eirik—"

"You'll get better, Uncle," the young man insisted, grasping the king's hands. "People fall and get injured all the time. You know what else they do? They heal."

"Yes, the youthful ones do… I'm well into my sixties, son. There's no 'getting better' from this." He reached up, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If nothing else, I'll be confined to this bed for a while. It pains me to move very much. I need you to help your Aunt Roselyn look after the kingdom in my stead. Can you do that for me?"

Eirik, despite his hesitancy to take on such a hefty role so young, nodded. "Yes, sir." He had to be strong for the greatest man he'd ever known, and if that meant ruling the kingdom that he now called home on his behalf, so be it.

Needless to say, the king and queen missed the twins' sixth birthday party. For Roselyn, traveling alone or with Eirik instead of going with Kresten was out of the question, so they both opted to remain in Venburg. Penned letters to Roland explained the circumstances, the updates, the well wishes, and more. But the fact of the matter was that they still had a kingdom to run, and now a potential new leader to train to his highest potential, given the circumstances.

To make matters worse, with Kresten's disability leaving him bedridden, he was completely vulnerable to the outbreak of influenza that struck the surrounding villages and kingdom. No potions, medicines, or anything else seemed to be strong enough against the ailment, and many people grew very sick. Kresten was no different, except his injury made him more susceptible.

"So many people are getting sick, Aunt Roselyn," Eirik commented one evening as they were eating alone in the dining hall. "I heard a young family in one of the local villages even died from it. What do we do? How do we help them?"

"Sadly," she began, pushing the vegetables around on her plate, "there's little we can do when nature becomes involved. People will die, Eirik, but some will survive this." She coughed a few times, her hand dropping the fork and flying to her mouth instead. She caught her breath, her cheeks flushed and eyes bleary, as she glanced up at her nephew across the table. "Excuse me. Apologies… Must be a cold."

Eirik wasn't naïve. He could see the feverish pinkness on her cheeks, and he'd noticed the exhaustion in her eyes and in the way her body slumped forward throughout the day. He knew she was also very ill, but she was too proud to admit it. "You need to get some rest, Aunt Roselyn. You don't sound too good."

"I'm fine, Eirik. Don't worry." She smiled softly at him as he frowned. "Let's finish our meal, and then we'll close out the day."

A few days passed, and both the king and queen were now bedridden with the influenza outbreak. Eirik was summoned to their bedside early one morning, and he was startled to hear the labored breathing and see the withering state of people he'd come to love as second parents. A courtier was standing next to the king, a document in his hand.

"What's going on?" Eirik asked, frowning.

"Your uncle has signed this legal document, expressing throne inheritance via primogeniture succession with no direct heirs," the courtier explained. Seeing the confusion on the young man's face, he gestured toward the document. "It means legally, once he has passed, you will inherit the throne, Master Eirik."

The blonde haired young man shook his head in disbelief. "In…a few months? Weeks?"

"Days," the courtier corrected. "Maybe not even that. Neither your aunt nor uncle is doing well, I'm afraid. Your uncle's injury and your aunt's unwillingness to eat or leave his side…" He frowned in concern as he glanced at the fitfully sleeping couple. "They don't have long left, Master Eirik… I'm so sorry."

Eirik stared at his sleeping family members for several moments before walking silently to the courtier, grabbing the document and quill from the man, and signing his name on the line near the bottom. Wordlessly, he handed both back to him, a blank expression on his face.

"Thank you, sir…" The courtier excused himself, leaving the blonde alone to ponder the situation.

Eirik watched the couple sleeping, a few tears streaking down his face as he recalled how they selflessly took him in all those years ago: fed him, clothed him, sheltered him, educated him… They treated him like their own son, even after losing their daughter not long before, not to mention the king's brother and his wife… Eirik's parents… How could he manage without them, at such a young age? He was barely brushing the line of 20, and there was still so much to learn. But now… "I'll have to learn it on my own, won't I?" he whispered solemnly, but there were no words of affirmation or comfort spoken back to him.

Two days later, the King and Queen of Venburg passed away in their sleep, holding hands all the while. The kingdom was in mourning as the advisors and leaders of the castle prepared and hosted a joint funeral for the beloved couple. A day later, Eirik was legally introduced to the kingdom as the new reigning ruler: King Eirik.

"He's so young," several whispered, in disbelief and even awe—some in disappointment. "Hopefully, he'll continue his aunt and uncle's legacy. They were so good for our kingdom."

Eirik was the first to agree with them. He wouldn't ever be able to replace his uncle, but he hoped to emulate him in his own reign. Whatever he did hereafter was in the honor of King Kresten and Queen Roselyn, and he would do as he had been instructed: protect and love the people first. The rest would follow.

The first day of his ruling as a king was long and taxing, especially since there were so many decisions to make and people to listen to—advisors, leaders of the land, commoners… So many people needed him—wanted his attention… How did his uncle and aunt do it day after day?

Eirik attempted to retire to his old chambers, but he was redirected to the royal chambers: his aunt and uncle's former bedroom. It had been cleaned and restored to its original glory, although pieces of the former rulers still lingered. The new king grimaced as his palms and fingers jolted in a familiar pain, and he instinctively rubbed at his hands with a fleeting thought: "I should get Aunt…Roselyn…" Oh… Oh, right…

The blonde man quietly stepped over to Roselyn's vanity, grabbing the tray that was still lined with the usual items she once used to help his aching hands. He sat on the bed, a faint scent of familiar perfume filling the air when he did, and started the usual regimen to soothe his sore hands as he cried. So much pent-up frustration, sadness, and loneliness was released that evening, and when he finally finished the routine, he let out a wretched sob and threw himself to the bed, quite literally crying himself to sleep as he realized that for the first time in his life…

He was truly alone.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Faint Fire