In Your Eyes

The king’s eyes widened and he stood abruptly, striding for the door but Marie caught his arm.

“They’re young and in love, Johnathan,” she said, smiling at him. “Leave them be. Don’t you remember our first night together?”

Johnathan clenched his jaw. “Fine,” he said grudgingly and sat back down. “Does Dorothy know?”

Marie nodded. “I told her before I came to you.”

“So, what, I’m supposed to pretend like I don’t know?”

“No,” Marie said simply. “Just live like normal. We have the anniversary coming up.”

“That makes me feel better,” he said sarcastically and she sighed, sitting beside him.

She held his hand, lacing their fingers together. “Did you think this day would never come?”

“He said he wouldn’t hurt her,” he argued. “He lied.”

“Young people say stupid things when they’re upset. But she forgave him and that should be enough for us.”

“He took advantage of her.”

“How do you know he was the one who initiated it?”

The king shuddered. “Let’s talk about something else,” he said and Marie giggled.

--

Mathias helped Arella get dressed. She couldn’t walk very well, something she was embarrassed yet oddly pleased by. They waited a while before going downstairs. Arella was positive her mother had passed along the news. When they entered the dining hall, her thoughts were confirmed. Each adult was smirking at them.

Arella sat with as much dignity as she could muster.

“We need to start making arrangements for the anniversary,” her mother said, breaking the awkward silence. “The village wants to do a special tribute to Paul.”

Arella nodded. “Did they saw what they wanted to do?”

“Sort of,” her father answered, taking a large bite of duck. “They said the village as a whole had been working on it but they also wanted it to be a bit of a surprise.”

“Where’s Dr. Pole?” Mathias asked and Arella just then realized he was missing from the table.

“He had to leave early in the morning,” Dorothy said.

-

Arella spent a lot of time in the library, looking through a book of poetry, trying to find a poem to read at her brother’s tribute. The door opened and her father walked in, looking extremely awkward.

“I’d like to talk to you now that it’s just the two of us,” he said, tugging at the collar of his shirt and she gulped. “Your mother told me about what you and Mathias…. Well, what happened last night.” Arella looked down, blushing. “I’m happy for you.” She had expected him to yell. “Your mother and I were your age when we got married and….”

“You don’t have to tell me everything,” she said quickly and he laughed.

“I won’t go into details,” he promised, still chuckling. “Just remember that every couple has an awkward first encounter.”

“It was more painful than awkward,” she said before she could stop herself.

He made a face. “You can save that for your mother.” They laughed a little. “Are you going to marry him?”

She bit her lower lip. “I don’t know,” she said slowly. “I love him and I think he loves me. But he hasn’t talked about marriage at all. Not since the day he asked me for permission to court me.”

The king nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I just wanted to come in and make sure you were okay,” he said, standing and rubbing his hands together. “The villagers are holding the tribute tomorrow at sunset.”

She smiled a little and went back to her book of poetry, deciding that she’d just give a small speech instead of the normal poem. She set the book aside and stared out the window, remembering the night before.

Arella had fully expected her parents to be upset but they were very open to it and she was glad for that. But what her father had asked made her wonder where her relationship with Mathias would go from there. Did he want to marry her? Did she want to marry him?

She got up and went to seek out Mathias and found him in the second library. He was writing something down and smiled when he saw her walk in and close the door. He stood and embraced her tightly.

“I just had the most awkward conversation with your father,” he said and she giggled.

“I did, too.”

“I could avoid conversations like that forever,” he groaned and she looked at his paper.

“What is this?”

“Notes from what Dr. Pole told me,” he answered. “I want to remember everything he said. That way, if I feel something I can look back and see if it’s normal.”

“Are you feeling better about it all?”

“Not really,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m still having trouble accepting the answer but at least I finally have an answer.”

“Dr. Pole was worried about you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “He’s worried that your life is going to be hard.”

He hugged her back, resting his head on hers. “I don’t doubt that it will be,” he said, “but at least I have you.”

-

The next day, they headed down into the village, all five dressed in black. Every shop and house had a black banner hanging from their rooftop in honor of Paul’s death and Arella blinked back tears. When they got to the marketplace, every citizen had lined up on either side, forming an aisle that they followed through the village.

Every other house had something else hanging from their roofs.

One had a large painting of Paul on a sheet. Another had a painting of Paul and Arella. The next one had a painting of the whole family. The further down the street they went, the more frequent the paintings were and Arella had tears falling down her face.

At the end of the road, the church stood with its doors open. The minister bowed to them and they stepped over the threshold. A small sob escaped her throat.

There were candles lit all over the walls and the altar. Someone had created a coffin. Inside, they had lined it with purple velvet and every townsperson had put in a special token. Some were letters written to Paul, some were flowers, and there was even a bottle of his favorite wine which made the king laugh through his tears.

A group of children came forward.

“This is for Paul,” a little girl said, holding up a teddy bear. “He keeps me feeling warm at night and I don’t feel lonely.” She put it in the coffin and bowed to the family.

“This is for Paul,” a little boy said. It was a toy car. “I don’t want him to get bored.”

And so it continued, with each child giving something special and putting it in the coffin. Arella was sobbing into her handkerchief and Mathias had his arm around her. All the townsfolk had gathered in the church hall and the minister stood at the podium.

“We’re gathering to remember the life of a wonderful young man,” he said solemnly. “Just as we do every year. We miss him dearly. He was a fine prince and a good friend to all of us. Princess Arella, would you like to deliver your poem?”

She walked up. “I- I didn’t want to do a poem this year,” she said after clearing her throat. “In the last 10 months, I’ve learned a lot about who I am and what Paul truly meant to me.” She paused to collect herself. “He wasn’t just my brother. He was my best friend. He was the only person in the world I felt I could talk to. But now I know that I have other people I can turn to. I know that he would want me to. In honor of my brother, I’d like to donate to the hospital run by Dr. Dorothy Juniper,” she said, “in the hopes that she can save the lives of all who come to her. I know this is what Paul would want. And, on behalf of my family, thank you all for your beautiful tribute. And to the children,” she added, turning to them and smiling kindly, “I know that Paul appreciates your gifts.”

She stepped off the podium and sat back beside her parents, crying into Mathias’s shoulder as people began to file out.