Devoted Nobility

Epilogue

Alexander

Sophia's funeral was three days later. A birth and a death should never be so close and one shouldn't transpire as a direct result of the other. Things just shouldn't be that way.

I had never seen such grave faces line the streets in my entire life. There was no life in anyone's eyes. Any spark of joy was washed from the crowds outside of the abbey. Sophia had touched the public just as much as she had touched those who knew her.

I chose to bring Edward, a choice which was largely disputed among his nannies. I didn't care. I had one last thing I needed to do.

Edward lay silently in my arms throughout the funeral. He didn't make a sound. It was as if he knew the tremendous thing he had just lost.

When the ceremony came to a close, I didn't move. I sat in my seat holding my son. I ignored the rest of the world around me. I waited until the last of the thousands of people left.

Then, I went up to the altar. I stood in front of her casket and held Edward towards her.

"I made you three promises. The first was that I would always protect you. Obviously, I failed at that. Secondly, I promised that you would be okay, that this illness would be overcome. Again, I did not stay true to my word. Lastly, I promised to bring our son to you in the morning. You were dead in the morning. But that is the only promise I can still keep. So here we are, saying goodbye to the only thing in our lives that matters."

Edward let out a small whimper. I held him close to my body again. "But you broke your promise too. You promised that we would be together forever. But you knew, didn't you? You knew you were going to die. Looking back, I could see it in your face."

I took a deep breath, holding back the sobs that were bubbling in my throat. "Why? Why did you give up? Why didn't you fight for us? Why did you leave us? How am I supposed to go on? How is Edward supposed to grow up without his mother?"

I began to walk away, but then stopped and turned to face the casket again. "There is one promise that I can keep. I promise to love you forever." With a final nod, I turned and walked out.

The next few weeks blended together. I didn't leave my room. I couldn't face the stark faces of the servants or the sympathetic ones of the nobles. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to move on or if I even could. Every day I woke up and told myself today was going to be different. I said that that was the day I continued with my life. And every day I didn't move on.

For days, my father requested my presence in the throne room. I ignored him. There was nothing that he needed me for and I was sure of it.

One day he became tired of me not answering him and decided to come visit me in my room himself. He was clearly uncomfortable as he fidgeted in his seat. It looked as though he was trying to come up with something to say to me.

He cleared his throat before starting. "I understand this is a great loss for you." For a second, he sounded almost sincere. However, his tone quickly shifted. "We all have losses. But we do not hide in our rooms and pretend it didn't happen. We face it. She is dead. There is nothing you can do to change it. Grow up and do your job."

"My job?" I was curious as to what he believed that it entailed.

He squinted at me. "Yes! Your job. You owe it to your people and your country. Your job is to shadow me and learn how to be king. Your job is to speak with advisors and meet with generals and make strategies. It is not to sit in your room and mourn your dead wife on a handful of months. I expect to see you back at work in your study tomorrow morning."

He didn't see me there, but he ever came back to scold me for it. I'm sure the one conversation with me was as much as he could handle.

A week later, I received another visitor. Jane was sitting on a chair in my room when I awoke one morning.