My Shadow

Chapter Twenty-Five ~Part Two~

Chapter Twenty-Five ~Part Two~

They found everyone in the dining hall, ready for lunch to be served.  Silence fell across the room like a blanket before Lizzy chose to speak. “I have some news. Some bad news.”

“What is it?” Louis asked.

“The-the king…”

“What about the king?”

“The king is dead.” Lizzy spoke in a rush, not wanting the words to linger in her mouth. The silence turned into a shocked silence.

“You must be joking with us, Lizzy.” Louis said.

“Why would she joke about something like that?” Eddy said.

“He had just finished writing a second letter addressed to Eddy.” Lizzy said, holding out the one addressed to Eddy. “There was another one dressed to the rest of us in the room. Eddy, you can go and read it alone if you wish. I can read out this one for the rest of us.”

“Thank you.” Eddy said and left.

Lizzy opened the letter she still held. “I am going to read out what the letter holds and we shall make of it what we will.”

“Lizzy, Louis, Anne and Thomas,

By the time you read this I will already be gone and there will be no chance for you to argue with me or talk to me. I originally wished to speak to you all personally but I feared I would not be well enough to do so. My fears are right.

I wanted you all to know that I loved you not just as friends but as family, even if you were not of any relation to me. You were like a family I never had for most of my life. I lost my wife and my son very early on. Luckily my son has returned but now I have left him for good. It was nice to hear you all talk and argue as you do and in a way I want to thank you for it.

What I really wanted to tell you about is my son, Edward. If you are reading this he will already be preparing to be King. I want you all to look after him as well as possible. I want you to make sure he is thinking of the best things for everyone. It was a mistake my wife forced me to make. I did it for her and for no one else. I want him to change how things are run and make life better for all.

Unfortunately I received news to send more troops to the war that is going on. This means that Louis, Thomas and Edward will have to go to fight. Lizzy, you are to run the country while you husband is gone and if he never comes back which will happen at the very worst, and then you shall run the country for him instead. After you it will be your child. Whether it is a girl or a boy they are to rule.

Louis and Thomas, I want you to make sure that Edward stays out of danger. I do not want him killed and I want him to return home to his family. Try to do this at all costs. If it is impossible not to get him out of danger then just know you have tried your best, but only if you have.

Anne, take care of William and maybe you can arrange a marriage between him and if Lizzy has a girl, her. If she has a boy they are to be cousins and you shall pretend you are sisters. You act like them anyway. If you have another child it is your choice who marries who.

Lizzy, I hope that your baby is a girl as I wish to see that a woman rules the country instead of a man. Sometimes, Women do not get a say and then they go bad. They try to get rid of the person who is denying them their chance. Take Catherine for example. I did not want her to run the castle so she tried to get rid of me. Tell her that she is allowed to run it now but is to let Charles have a say also.

I want to thank you all for everything. I know you have only known me a short time but to me it feels like forever. I love you all like family, like I said before, and I wish I could have been there to see my grandchildren grow up. I wish all the best for you and I will be watching over you all.

Love,

Henry.”

The room stayed silent after Lizzy stopped speaking. The words were sinking in. “He wants my son to marry your baby girl or be cousins with your baby boy?” Anne said at last.

“It looks as though that is what he wants.” Lizzy replied.

“I will not ever tell William about it.” Anne said. “Not unless I have to.”

~*~

Edward was sat in the library. He still hadn’t opened his letter. It was lying on the table staring at him, enticing him to open it. Slowly he reached out and took it in his hands. Taking a deep breath he opened it and began to read what it said.

Edward,

I know you have not known me long at all as your father but I hope you love me as much as I love you. I have some what I think good news and some bad news to tell you. I shall start with the good news.

You are to become King and you are to rule the country. You are now free to change and help as many lives as possible and it is all up to you. You may do as you wish but I warn you not to make too many mistakes. Trust your friends and your family always and ask for help if you need it. I do not want to see you suffer alone.

The bad news is that you have to go away to fight. I got the news that they needed more troops. Please remember that Louis and Thomas will be going with you as will anyone else you wish to have with you that are male. Please try and keep as safe as you can and return home to your family as quickly as possible. They will need you. Do not forget that by the time the battle is over-I know it will be a long one-your child will be alive and growing and will wish to see you and allow you to be their father.

I am sorry that I have not been here to see your family grow up and for you to rule and I only wish that I could be there now and there will be no need for you to be reading this as you are now. I want you to know that giving you to Charles and Catherine was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. The reason I did so was that I could not look after you with your mother gone and I was too proud and too stubborn to let one of the maids help so I gave you to the best friend I knew. I know that you may not have met Louis and that you may not have met your wife if you had not lived with them but I still see it as a mistake and I shall grieve that mistake for a long while.

Just know that I love you with all of my heart and that I want you to have a better life than I did. I want you to see your family grow and grow up and I hope that one day you may join me and that it will be in your own time.

I did not want to write these letters nor did I want to say goodbye. I cannot deal with goodbyes. I knew I must write these letters as I was too scared to come and say all of this to your face. I hope you can forgive me for abandoning you and only being here for you once you were home for a short while.

I shall be watching from the stars,

Your loving Father,

Henry.

Eddy re-read the letter over and over again. He didn’t want to accept the fact that his father was not here anymore. He felt the need to cry but he held it in. Men didn’t cry. Boys did. He was not a boy.

He crumpled up the letter and threw it at the wall before getting to his feet and storming out of the room. He went to his own room and threw himself onto the bed. There, he decided that he didn’t have to be a man and he let the tears fall.