The Impact of Her

A kingdom was covered by dark, heavy clouds that carried a millennium's amount of rain. Along with the loudest thunders, the strongest bolts of lightning stretched across the dim sky.

All because of a king and his heir – his only son – lying in bed, currently in a deep sleep.

The time for them to regain consciousness? Nobody could say for sure.

All the members of the court could do was to bargain with the ancient gods to spare one of them.

The queen has been running the kingdom whilst worrying about the state of her family. She knew she was close to losing sanity, but she would remind herself to hold onto it a bit longer.

'The kingdom cannot afford to lose another appointed ruler,' she would often tell herself. Her husband and son were already at the brink of death. She couldn't be swept away by this diplomatic crisis.

~*~*~*~

T'was in the middle of the day – springtime, to be exact – and it has rained continuously for weeks. People lost track of time because they've been submerged in wet weather for the longest time. And though water continued to fall from the heavens, they went with their usual activities without complaints; something that the queen praised her people of.

She now sat beside her almost lifeless husband, holding his hand at his side. Depressed yet alert, she hoped that he would awaken today. It has been her wish since he and their son were trapped in an endless cycle of sleep. And she held onto this almost unrealistic wish, not because of his duties but because she missed her husband too much already.

He was her rock, her guide, the person who complimented everything about her. His protection and love allowed her to reveal her strengths and weaknesses without shame.

'Is it too much?' she thought to herself. 'Is it too much to ask that either you or our son would wake up today? To ease my worries for just a moment?' she continued as her tears fell.

Her daughter watched helplessly from the side as her mother wept silently. The princess walked towards the queen, her hands folded in front of her. She reached out to her mother's shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. An assurance that she wasn't alone.

The queen held her daughter's hand, not letting go of her husband's. She didn't remove her stare from her husband. She even tried not to blink.

After a moment of silence, the king coughed. His cough persisted as he continued to gain consciousness.

The queen's eyes widened. "Your Majesty?" she called out to him.

"Dearest," she turned to her daughter in a panic, "Fetch for the Medicine King as quickly as possible."

The princess nodded and rushed off.

"Your Majesty, are you awake?" the queen called out to him again. Her gentle grip tightened, praying that this wasn't a dream, that he was truly alive.

The king slowly opened his eyes as he adjusted himself to his environment. The light in the room was faint but it was blinding to a man who was under the curse of unending sleep. As his sight became clearer, he was pleasantly surprised to see the face of his beloved. Slowly, he reached out to touch her face.

"Thank the heavens!" she closed her eyes as she whispered. His hand cupped her cheek and she buried her face in his touch. "Thank the heavens you're awake," she sniffled as tears of joy ran down her cheeks.

He smiled, relieved that it was all over. But their brief moment of happiness was replaced with horror when something came across the king's mind: their son.

"Where's our son?" he asked his wife, eyes widened. "Where is he?"

She froze as she received his question. She stood still, eyes wide open as she feared how he would react to their son's state.

The king held onto her arms and repeated his question, not wanting to let go without an answer.

With a deep breath, the queen pointed to the bed beside the king's... and there he was: the prince of the kingdom, still trapped in his own slumber.

Not waiting for another minute, he rushed towards his son. He stumbled along the way but he didn't pay any mind to it. All he wanted was to be beside his heir.

His son was breathing as if he was plainly taking a nap. His little hands were laid on his stomach. His head was raised by a velvet pillow.

Gut-wrenched, the king held the boy's hand, doing his very best to fight the tears. He wanted to cry but as king, he didn't want to show any signs of weakness. However, he was breaking deep inside. The sight of his young child in a deep sleep was too much for him to bear. He'd prefer to be in his position, knowing that the kingdom would be better with the younger, future monarch.

"How long will he be asleep?" he asked his queen, not tearing his stare away from his child.

"The Medicine King said the day of his reawakening is unknown. The same was said for you, my love," she explained gently, her hands on his shoulders. It was her husband who needed the comfort now.

"Tell him to do everything, to try anything, just to bring back my son."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," she whispered, slowly sitting beside him.

And with that, the king finally succumbed to his tears, weeping in the arms of his queen.

When you have everything in life, what more could you ask for?

There is one thing I have in mind: FREEDOM.

The freedom of speech, of expression. To be able to enjoy life as it is; to meet interesting people. Most importantly, the freedom to love. Freedom of finding someone you want to be with for the rest of your life. To be able to marry the one you desire.

Unfortunately, the hope of finding love is considered a luxury.

As the sole heir to the kingdom of the Western Wind, I have everything a person could possibly ask for. Yet, my life is my own prison and one of the things that keeps me shackled is my marriage arrangement. Somehow, I've learned to accept the standards of living the kind of life I was given. However, not a single day has passed that I wished I could marry the person I'm supposed to fall in love with.

The reason why I'm in an arranged marriage is for an alliance with the kingdom of Middle Earth. My marriage to their princess was considered the best way to show the world that our kingdom is growing; something to watch out for.

Marrying an absolute stranger isn't the worst part of it all. Although we're arranged to be wed, we have yet to meet. Our too-traditional parents agreed not to let us see each other until the official announcement of our highly-anticipated engagement. They said it's to challenge our patience and loyalty to one another.

We've been sending both friendly and formal letters to one another and through her words, she seemed sweet, kind, and a gentle soul. Despite all that, I can't stop asking and thinking: could her beautiful tone be the same as her face?

I'm not the type of person who bases another's true colors through their physical attributes, especially in one's way of writing a letter. But as a future king, marrying a hideous queen would be embarrassing, don't you think? Most especially when the realm of Immortals will be expecting an heir.

Finally, at the age of twenty thousand years, marriage hasn't crossed my mind.

My ocean of thoughts was disturbed when someone knocked on my door.

"Who is it?" I asked as I sat up on my humongous bed.

My page entered and bowed. "It's Sir Gonzalo, Your Highness."

"Let him in."

My page nodded and fetched for Gonzalo. I'm not quite sure what Gonzalo's role is in the castle. He does almost everything from entertaining guests to handling my needs. My father has instructed him to focus on me for reasons unknown.

Gonzalo finally entered my well-lit yet silent room and walked directly towards me. My room was never in a mess because I made it a rule to myself and to the servants that having an unruly room isn't pleasing to the eye of anyone. An untidy room doesn't help me think clearly as well and I need to have a clear mind all the time. He stood by the foot of my bed, bowing as he greeted, "Good morning, Your Highness."

"Good morning to you too, Gonzalo," I nodded slowly.

"Your breakfast is ready, young prince."

"I would like to have my food brought up here as we usually do," I stood up from my bed. "I have a lot of reports to go through and I need to do, somehow, half of them today."

Gonzalo replied, "Forgive me, Your Highness, but I'm not allowed to do that."

"What do you mean?" my brows furrowed.

"Her Royal Majesty has requested your presence," Gonzalo answered. "She said she would want you to join them for a family breakfast. She has forbidden us to deliver food outside the kitchen and dining hall."

"Gonzalo, you do know you can always use the dumb-waiters in the kitchen to bring food up to my room. My mother wouldn't even concern herself with them," I smirked.

"Unfortunately, His Majesty has guards placed by every dumb-waiter for Her Majesty's request," Gonzalo explained with care.

I let out a sigh as I shook my head. "They're forcing me to go downstairs, aren't they?" my mood shifted.

Please don't be mad at me, Your Highness," Gonzalo immediately bowed his head, his hands stiff by his sides. "I am only following orders."

"I'm not angry with you, Gonzalo," I reassured him as I settled myself on my lounge chair. "Please tell them that I'll be joining them in a while."

"Of course, Your Highness," he bowed.

"Thank you. You may go," I let out a nod.

He bowed once more and went on his way.

Most of the time, my parents would leave me alone since His Majesty implemented independence in the castle. However, once my mother gets involved, they expertly work my nerves. As much as possible, I don't want to see them when I'm not in good shape - both physically and emotionally - for I fear that I could lose my sense of respect for them.

I arose with a sigh and started to prepare for breakfast.

~*~*~*~

"Elizabeth, I'd like for you to go with your mother to her activities today. After all, it's her responsibility that you should be learning from," I heard His Majesty speak to my sister as I put an ear at the wooden door of the dining hall. This habit of eavesdropping is something that I often did to gauge the kind of atmosphere that I'm about to get myself into.

"I'd be more than happy to do that, Your Majesty," my sister replied with her usual cheerful, soft voice. "It would be wonderful if we could spend more time together."

"Focus on what you can learn, not on the pleasures involved," his tone became firmer, immediately dismissing her tone of hope, of delight.

Mother inserted herself into the conversation, "James, let's not overwhelm them with matters of the crown. They're still young, after all. There's plenty of time for them to learn."

"Amelia, sooner or later, they'll be stepping into our shoes as ruling monarchs in their own rights," His Majesty - James - contradicted Mother's statement. "They need to learn how to handle their future obligations."

I stepped away from the door as I've heard quite enough to know what kind of mood will be welcoming me this morning. I turned to face the guard on my right. "I would like to be announced."

He nodded and began after clearing his throat, "His Royal Highness, Prince Robert Edward Dex."

The doors swiftly swung open as my name was announced. As I made my less than grand entrance into the room, the delicious aroma of food greeted me, the sun radiated through the tall windows. The heavy, red curtains were moved to the side, giving way for the natural light to enlighten the dining hall. Even if James was in this room, the dining hall was giving off a happy ambiance. The reason could be because of my mother's gentle soul. She always seemed to carry kindness and gentleness on herself.

"Good morning, Robert," Mother greeted me with her radiant smile as I dragged my feet as I approached her.

"Good morning, Mother," I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead when I reached her.

I then promptly addressed my sister who was sitting one chair apart from her. "Hello and good morning, little brother." I pecked her cheek.

"A lovely morning to you, my Elizabeth," I replied as I sat in between Mother and her.

"You're late, Robert. I wonder what the reason is," James entered our lighthearted conversation with an icy approach towards me. This is the reason why I always hated being in the same space as him. Peace becomes some sort of myth whenever we're near one another.

"Good morning to you as well, James," I retorted as I started to dig into my plate, ignoring his rhetorical question. Calling James by his name was part of the norm within our family dynamic. He instructed my sister and I never to call him by any salutation that can label him as a father figure. He explained that he will be gone someday, and he wants us to be independent at all times.

Isn't that just the best example of being a father?

"A future king shouldn't take long in preparing himself for any kind of meal or celebration," he continued with his harsh approach, his tone getting firmer. "What took you so long to look decent for a simple family breakfast?"

"James, dear. It's breakfast..." Mother intervened with caution.

"What does that have to do with everything?" he answered Mother, sarcasm in his delivery.

"Darling, why don't we have a peaceful feast together?" she responded, still being the gracious woman that she is.

"Not after I discipline your son," he answered, looking directly at me.

I threw my utensils down on the velvet-covered table. "Mother," I stood up as I wiped my face with my napkin, frustrated at how everything turned out. "I'm not finishing my food." I then settled the napkin on my plate that still contained the remaining food from my meal.

"Sit down, Robert," James ordered.

"You're not my father," I said as I looked directly into his eyes. "You were never and you never will be." I stormed away from my chair and started to make my way to the door.

"How dare you disrespect me!" he shouted with blazing fury as I heard another chair move which was probably his. "I'm the head of this family! I am your father!" he shouted to shout his claims up to the high heavens.

"When were you a father to me? To Elizabeth?" I asked, not even bothering to turn around.

"I'm a Dex and so are you. Thus, you should start acting like one," he replied, frustration could be heard from his tone.

"I'll start acting like a part of this family if you start treating us like your family," I answered. "We're not your servants that you can just give orders to and expect a specific outcome whenever you want."

Silence arrived in the dining hall and James didn't say another word. I let out a deep sigh and left the room, heading back to my room.

~*~*~*~

Ah, the slow, gentle morning breeze always has a soothing feeling when it caresses my face. This is why I love spending time here on my balcony. Its space is wide enough for me to walk around and think clearly. Beautiful vases with fragrant flowers added color to its bland, gray cement. It calms my mind and helps me forget about stressful matters... such as James.

A soft knock came upon my door. "Who is it?" I asked without turning around.

When the door creaked open, fast-paced footsteps approached me. "Your Highness," my page spoke from behind. "Princess Elizabeth is here to see you."

I faced him as I heard my sister's name. "Please send her in."

He bowed and rushed to the door. My sister has always been welcomed in my room or my study. No matter what kind of concern she has, I never closed my door on her. A few moments later, Elizabeth appeared before my sight.

"Is this a bad time to visit you, little brother?" she asked with a soothing voice as she walked towards me.

Her hands were folded together in front of her elaborate skirt that was fashioned with frills that led from the torso, down to the hem of the dress. Elizabeth never failed to dazzle and catch the attention of various men of the court. She never shied away from the glamour of the court.

I, on the other hand, was always content on how I presented myself. On a usual day, I would allow my brown, wavy hair to be free as a contrast to the stretched and firm hair that I would wear during a ball. I preferred to wear loose shirts that Mother made over the posh and overdone suits that were needed for special festivities.

"There is no such thing as bad timing for my beloved sister," I walked towards her, giving her a kiss on the cheek as I reached her.

"Would you like to join me on the balcony?" I asked as I laid out my hand.

She nodded as she clung onto my arm and held my hand with her other.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as we reached the balcony.

I sighed as we stood beside each other. "If you don't include the disastrous breakfast scenario then yes, I am fine," I said.

"James isn't that hard to get along with, if you ask me," Elizabeth spoke with much gentleness and caution. "If you do what he wants, you two will get along quite well."

"And that is where the problem lies, Elizabeth. I can't just do what he wants," I said. "At the same time, I don't want that kind of life."

"I don't understand why you find that so hard to do. Look at me, I have been doing it for years," she encouraged.

"Well, I'm not as perfect as you, Elizabeth. I'm not exactly the child that our parents wished for, especially when it came to obedience, as well as tolerance for our culture. But, I do wonder," I said as I turned directly to her. I then asked, "How come you are able to do whatever it is that James wished you to do? How come you never showed any signs of resistance?"

She smiled to herself before she turned and looked out to the view. "I do everything for Mother," she replied before she returned to me.

"For Mother?" I asked, with my brows furrowed.

Elizabeth let out a deep sigh and continued, "Long before you were born, she almost left James. There was a time where Mother felt that James never truly loved her. They were officially betrothed to one another when she was sixteen thousand years of age. And at that time, up to where I reached the age of three thousand years, Mother went along with everything." Gently, she held my hand and continued, "The only thing that stopped her from leaving is the fact that she knew her children needed protection. Her children needed a home. Her children needed a father."

Slowly, I pulled my hand back. "We don't have a father," I said as I reverted my attention back to the view.

She then put her hand on my shoulder. "Give me a chance, little one. You'll see, he's more than what you think of him." She messed with my hair with a giggle; a usual sign of affection from her.

"Your Highness?" a voice called out into my room after a knock on my door.

Our heads turned to see Gonzalo enter the room.

"Yes, Gonzalo?" I asked as we made our way towards him.

"Her Majesty has been looking for you, Your Highnesses," Gonzalo bowed. "She said it was time for the family to go and visit the school Her Majesty is supporting."

"Is that so?" Elizabeth asked as soon as we reached him. "Where is she?" she asked another.

"She is currently waiting at the entrance with His Majesty," Gonzalo replied.

After what happened during breakfast, I couldn't believe that James still expected for me to accompany them on today's visit. I wasn't sure if he had already made his peace with that matter, or he was simply being insensitive towards my feelings.

"Kindly tell Her Majesty that we will be there in a moment," Elizabeth smiled.

"Of course, Your Grace." Gonzalo bowed. "Is there anything that I can do to make your preparations quicker?" he asked.

"Have some of the maids prepare my things for the visit. That would suffice," Elizabeth answered.

"As you wish, Your Grace." Gonzalo then turned to me and asked, "And as for you, Your Highness?"

"Have all the unfinished reports delivered here to my chambers," I instructed. I continued, "I won't be joining my family today. Kindly relay to Her Majesty that I still have something to take care of."

Gonzalo bowed once more. "I shall take my leave, then." And with that, he left Elizabeth and I to ourselves.

"Are you certain that you won't be joining us?" Elizabeth asked as soon as the door closed behind Gonzalo.

"Dearest sister," I said as we headed for the door, "James and I made such an impactful scene at breakfast. And frankly, I don't want another one, especially in front of our townspeople."

She giggled at my remark. "I understand completely." I opened the door for her, and we stepped out of my room with her, right ahead of me. She continued, "In that case, I should go and start my preparations. I'll also be the one to explain to our parents that you have reports to sort out."

"Thank you, dear sister," I smiled as I planted a light peck on her cheek. "I pray that you retain your sanity all throughout the visit, as well as a safe trip, back and forth."

From the very moment I was born, Elizabeth has always looked out for me. And no words could ever be enough to express my gratitude at how much she protected me from all sides. To have a strong bond with my sibling was something that the other kingdoms marvelled at. At the same time, we never shied away from expressing our love for one another as brother and sister.

Without my older sister, life as a prince - life as an Immortal - imprisoned in this castle and shackled to my duty, wouldn't be as bearable as of now.

"I shall see you once we return, young one," she said as she gently kissed my forehead.

I nodded in response.

She then walked to the direction of her hallway. And after I watched her until she disappeared from sight, I returned to my room and waited for the reports to be delivered.

~*~*~*~

A long while has passed and in the middle of my reports, the trumpets' fanfare played outside. I briefly glanced out my bedroom window, and watched as the royal carriage left the castle grounds, followed closely by the royal guards.

A knock then came upon my door, which caused me to turn in its direction. The door opened and Gonzalo entered. "Your Highness," he bowed, "The royal family has officially left the premises. Her Majesty wanted me to inform you of their departure."

I nodded briefly. "On the contrary, she didn't have to," I replied as I returned to my desk. "The fanfare was easily heard from here so I was well-acquainted when they left. But, thank you for letting me know," I continued as I sat down and resumed reading the report that I was reading before I got distracted.

From the corner of my eye, Gonzalo nodded. "Is there anything that you would like to do after a bit of work, young master?" he asked as he stood beside me. "After all, you can have so much spare time today, with the absence of your family," he added.

Gonzalo's question indeed caught my attention, it made me put the report that was currently in my hand, down. I knew all too well that I had so much work to do. But, truth be told, I didn't want to be stuck in my room, with nothing but documents and requests before me the entire day. And seeing that James wasn't here to meddle with my affairs, I had the freedom to do whatever it was that I wanted.

I stood from my chair. "I would love to have a quick stroll beyond the castle grounds." I said as I walked back to the window. Looking out of my window pane, I added, "Perhaps, a quick visit in the Mortal Realm could help me refresh my mind."

"How many guards would you like to accompany you, Your Highness?" Gonzalo asked.

My brows furrowed as I turned to look at him. "I didn't say I wanted any guards to accompany me, Gonzalo," I remarked.

"But, Your Highness," he walked towards me. "A being from our realm should never venture to the Mortal Realm alone, especially a prince such as yourself," he explained, a bit frantic. He added, "You are, after all, the heir to our kingdom."

"Gonzalo, ever since I was born, I was never given the chance to do anything on my own," I said as I sorted out the reports. As I separated the finished reports from the unfinished ones, they piled up as I did so. "Guards would always surround me, reminding me endlessly that His Majesty would be furious if I went against his orders," I continued.

"Your Highness, you must understand that it is all for your safety," he protested once more.

Once I had finished sorting out the reports, I took a deep breath and turned to Gonzalo. "Gonzalo, I don't want the guards to accompany me, simply because the mere presence of them can cause a commotion. And that is something I am desperately trying to avoid," I explained as I approached him. As I reached him, I added, "I just want to go on a simple stroll my Lady. It is for the best that the mortals don't see me as nothing but a normal traveller."

"But, Your Highness–" he attempted on insisting what the rules wanted. But, I stood my ground and proceeded to stare at him, expressing heavily that I didn't want anyone to be with me on my planned stroll.

"Gonzalo, is it entirely necessary for us to argue about this?" I asked.

His eyes roamed around my room in a panic, trying to find another reason to go against what I wanted to do. But, when he saw that there was no other way to persuade me, he bowed his head in defeat. "No, Your Highness," he replied in a low voice. He raised his head and asked, "What would you like for me to do, Your Highness?"

"Kindly have a few servants prepare Lady for our stroll. Tell them that I will be the one to put the saddle on her," I instructed.

Gonzalo took a bow and left me alone without another word.

After I took one final glance around my chambers, I returned to my desk and called out for my page.

Without a second to lose, my page immediately entered my room. "You called for me, Your Highness?" he asked with his head down.

"Draw me a bath while I choose something to wear," I said.

"Right away, Your Highness." The page then hurried out of my room.

Left to my own thoughts, I could only hope that my family wouldn't return soon.