Season 3 Young Royals (Version 1)

20. Rickard

The drive would last about an hour and fifteen minutes. August wasn't accustomed to having to make conversation with his stepfather, Rickard, but he felt that perhaps he owed him some courtesy for a change since he had agreed to accompany August to this treatment center without telling his mother.

In a way, he was one of the only two people in the world August could count on and who didn't seem to hate August. Besides that, he hadn't started asking awkward questions when August asked him for this favour or even when they'd gone to speak to the socialist about the treatment center. He'd been surprisingly quiet in fact. He seemed almost grateful to be asked to help.

"Thanks for coming with me, Rickard." August forced the words out with difficulty, cringing to himself and closing his eyes momentarily next to his stepfather as he drove them through the countryside.

"Well, think nothing of it. I'm surprised you've been asking for my help lately. Honestly this little issue might come in handy in your defense if that other situation ever came out. Let's hope it doesn't of course." He chuckled and looked to August, expecting a chuckle apparently. August looked at him in disbelief and didn't even crack a smile.

Rickard always seemed to say the wrong thing, August thought. He slowly returned to looking out the passenger's side window without a word. Shortly after, a question occurred to August, one he'd never want to ask his mother. She tended to get upset when he brought up his father. She seemed extremely uncomfortable with the subject even if August were expressing pride in his father and how important he was.

"The Queen told me that my father was a drug addict. Do you know if that's true?"

"Well, he did have some dependency issues, yes. We can put it that way. I thought you knew that."

There was a momentary pause, then true to form Rickard continued without being asked.

"Well you were young, and your mom wanted to protect you from the truth so she didn't tell you everything that was going on I guess, but your dad had been suffering for a long time. He felt a lot of pressure to be the best, to be perfect, because of his family, and it wasn't easy. It wouldn't be for anyone. I guess you can relate to that..."

August looked over at his stepfather, surprised at how unusually sensitive and astute he was being for a change, knowing of course that it was only temporary. At least he could count on honesty from Rickard. "Mmm," he gave in way of a response to his stepfather's last comment. "Do you know why my mom didn't help him?"

"Didn't help him?? Who told you that?"

"No one, it just seemed that way to me."

"Ah well, you were young... She really did try, but you may not have seen it. You have to keep in mind that the Royal Family was very involved as well, at least at first they were, but then later when it got worse, they tried to disassociate themselves from your father to protect their image, and they left your mother on her own to try to help your father, with almost no resources left. It was extremely hard for your mom and since then she's sort of kept her distance from them. I think because she doesn't trust them and she's still hurt that they abandoned her and your dad like that, especially when your dad and the Queen were always so close."

Rickard had an almost imperceptible shift in his expression as he watched the road, but August didn't know what it meant and he had no idea what to think of this. Even the idea that the Royal Family basically let his father "descend into addiction" and die to protect their image rather than using all of their resources to save him, when he had a young son too... And the Queen had referred to his father as "disappearing from them", but that was very different from abandoning him.

"Why didn't the Queen insist they help if she was so close to my dad?"

"I think the Royal Court had always seen their closeness as a problem so they used his addiction as sort of an excuse to put space between them. That's my personal opinion."

"How would it have been a problem?"

"Ehh, well, I wasn't around at the time so I prefer not to speculate."

"So what does my mom say about it?"

Rickard suddenly became very hesitant to say anything more. "Uhh... Let's just change the subject, shall we? I-...I don't think your mom would appreciate us talking about this."

August wasn't exactly sure what they were even talking about anymore. He didn't know how to feel anymore and turned back to watch the countryside go by through the passenger's side window.