Elisabeth was yet again locked in her room refusing to come out. She sat on her bed softly crying to herself, her fathers illness was reaching an all time high, his fever had been climbing since two a.m and had eventually fallen unconscious from it. Elisabeth's older brother, Logan had come to her room after she ran from their father's room, tears streaming down her face. Elisabeth refused to open the door, and after what felt like hours to her, Logan finally left the other side of the door.
She stood up from the bed and walked over to the high floor to ceiling windows, pulling the rich blue velvet curtains aside, recoiling slightly from the bright evening sun. Letting her eyes adjust from the darkness of her room to the outside sun, Elisabeth stared out over the castle gardens, watching as the funny dressed nobles, in their poufy pants and grand powdered wigs talked to each other, completely unaware of the rest of the world. She jumped as a knock sounded at her door, Elisabeth closed the curtains tightly and rushed back to her bed, the fluffy comforter engulfing her as she did so. Another knock on the door then a loud thump as if someone had kicked it. Elisabeth knew who it was, her brother had come back this time with fresh anger. He kept knocking, then started yelling, her name mostly. As Logan yelled Elisabeth slid off the side of her bed and walked over to the grand oak wood doors and unlocked them, as she began to open one of the doors she pictured her brother's face, astonished maybe, or angry, possibly concerned for his only sibling.
Logan was absolutely still, all Elisabeth could hear was the sound of his breathing, then as she looked up at her big brother she saw the pain in his eyes, and fresh tears. She was only ten years old but she knew exactly what was wrong, she had seen that same look on Logan's face when their mother had died. Her eyes widened and she ran, she ran to her father's room, tears stinging the back s of her eyes, but no, she would not cry not when she didn't even know for sure. The doors to her fathers room where closed, she bounded through them and saw her father, lying so still, eyes closed, mouth slightly parted and she knew, she knew, that he was gone. She began to shake, her knee's buckled and she expected to hit the floor but no, Logan was there, picking her up and holding her, comforting her, telling her everything would be all right, that he was there, that her big brother was there. Logan moved to the loveseat by the fireplace, Elisabeth still in his arms. He sat down adjusting her as he did so, he tried moving her but Elisabeth wouldn't have it, she had his shirt wrapped tightly in her little fists. He began rubbing her back, saying her name softly. The sat like that for a long time, till Elisabeth's heart wrenching cry's had softened to hushed whimpers and the occasional hiccup.
She unclenched her fists and smoothed Logan's shirt, leaning away from him ever so slightly so she could look up at him. He smiled down at her, the smile did not reach his eyes, for in his eyes was the pain that he did not dear show on the outside for fear of causing Elisabeth even more pain, he needed to stay strong. For her.
“Father, let me see him,” Elisabeth's tone was harsh and demanding, then after a short pause she added, “please brother.”
Though Logan thought it a bad idea he nodded just once to show his disapproval. The sight of her father, so still in his bed which now seemed to grow around him, brought fresh tears that fell from Elisabeth's eye's as she stared at her father. Wanting nothing more than for him to say her name and tell her to mind her brother for 'he will be king one day'. Logan was sitting on the couch, watching his baby sister and his dead father, he marvelled at how strong she was being, he though for sure she would be on the floor crying by now. The sun had set and the stars had begun to shine in the sky, and that's when Logan watched his little sister give their father a single kiss on his cheek, she whispered, “goodnight daddy, say hi to mommy for me.” The last word slipped from her mouth as she began to softly cry, fresh pain making it's self known. Logan began walking over to her, she turned and ran to her brother, the soft tears turning into the cry's of a child with no mother and no father, just a brother who knew nothing of raising one. Logan picked his sister up and carried her to her room, he placed her on her bed, was about to leave when Elisabeth said.“Brother, stay, please.” Logan smiled slightly, then turned and fell asleep with his little sister's fists wrapped tightly into his shirt.
