My Shadow

Chapter Twenty-Five ~Part One~

Chapter Twenty-Five ~Part One~

It was a few weeks after the wedding. Eddy and Lizzy were fencing in the garden as they had nothing else to do and Lizzy was up for a competition. Henry hurried from the palace to find them. Lizzy had just won the first match.

“I thought I would find you here. Either here or in your room.” Lizzy blushed. “Or in the library.”

“What is the matter?” Eddy asked.

“There is a war. They want us to send some troops.”

“Are we to send some?”

“We are to send two in for the moment. If we catch a message asking for more we will send more.”

“Is there anything else?” Edward asked.

“There is one more thing, yes.” Henry said. “If we send the second lot of troops, you, Eddy, will have to go.”

“But what about Lizzy? What about you? What about everything?”

“I am sorry, there is no other choice. If there was something else I could do I would do it.”

“Why do you not go yourself?”

“I have a country to run and I am not fit enough to visit people, let alone fight in a battle.”

“But, father, I cannot possibly leave.”

“Why ever not?”

“Because of my wife, I cannot leave her by herself.”

“Edward, you may not have to leave at all. It is just in case. If it makes you feel better then Louis and Thomas will also be going with you.”

~*~

A few days later Eddy watched as some of the soldiers he had been training with rode away from the palace to the battleground. Maybe he would be one of those people and he would have to leave everything behind. He would have to leave behind Lizzy and his father and everything he had just gotten used to. He would have to leave his new life and try to stay alive by killing other people. He did not want to do this but it was not about what he wanted, it was about what he had to do. His duty to his country and his father and as prince.

Lizzy found him and went to hug him. He pushed her away though. “What is wrong?” Lizzy asked him. She looked past him out of the window and saw the soldiers in the distance and knew at once what was wrong. “You may not have to go.” She said.

“But I will.”

“Not if you are not needed. You may stay here and you will not have to leave at all.”

“But what if I do.”

“Then you have two things to look forward to when you return.”

“And what two things are they?”

“Well, you shall see your father and me again; that is the first thing.”

“And what is the second thing?”

“That when you come back there may be a little bundle of surprise awaiting you.”

“What do you mean?” Eddy asked. Lizzy laughed and smiled.

“It means, Eddy, that I am going to have a baby!”

“A baby?” Eddy echoed.

“Yes, Eddy, a baby. A little boy or a little girl that you are a father of.”

“Wait, you are having a baby?”

“How many times, Eddy? Yes! Yes, I am having a baby!” Eddy copied her smiled and hugged her and kissed her.

“I cannot believe it! I am going to be a father!”

“I am glad you are so happy.”

“We should tell everyone.”

“We shall tell them at dinner. Most news is said then, anyway.”

~*~

“We have some news to tell you.” Lizzy said when they had sat down to eat.

“What is it?” Henry asked.

“Eddy and I are to be parents.” There was a silence across the room as the news sunk in. Then came the congratulations and the happiness from everyone seated at the table.

“I am so happy for you!” Anne said.

“I cannot believe that I am to be a grandfather!” Henry exclaimed, hugging Eddy and Lizzy.

“I hope your baby will bring you joy!” Matilda said. She was staying for the rest of the month as a family visit but seen as Louis had moved out of the castle she was coming here instead. She was also disgusted at her parent’s behaviour just as Louis had been.

Thomas hugged Eddy and Lizzy as well. Louis grinned at his brother. “Married and having a child at seventeen. Who would have thought it of you, brother?” he said.

“Oh, be quiet, little brother. I do not care for your words when you speak like that.”

“You hurt me sometimes, brother, the way you speak. It kills me from inside.” Louis replied jokingly.

“I guess you will have to get over it then.” Eddy replied

~*~

Two weeks passed and nothing interesting happened until Lizzy heard screaming. She hurried to the noise and found Anne, stood outside Henry’s bedroom door. He had been ill for a few days and had not moved from his bedroom. No one knew what state he was in for he allowed no one to see him during that time.

Lizzy rushed to her. “What has happened? Why are you screaming?” she asked.

“The-the king!” was all Anne could say. Lizzy looked into the room and gasped. Henry was lying across his table, a quill in his hand. He was still, and pale. You could not see him breathing at all. There was no doubt about it: the king had died.

Lizzy entered the room and went over to the table. He was definitely not breathing. “Anne, it is all right, he has died.”

“What are we to tell Eddy?”

“Leave that to me.” Lizzy replied. She looked to the desk and found two pieces of parchment lying on the desk. One was folded the other was not. Lizzy took them both in her hand and took the quill, which was dripping ink, from the king’s hand and placed it on the table.

“One of these is addressed to Eddy. The other is addressed to me, you, Thomas and Louis. I wonder what he wrote.” Lizzy said, going back to Anne. “First, though, we must move him to his bed so he is more comfortable.”

The two girls somehow managed to lift him up and carried him over to the bed. They pulled his bed covers up to his chin. “We should go announce it.” Anne said. Lizzy nodded and they closed the door behind them.