Queen for a Day

Ch.13: Long Live the Queen

I ran to the castle as fast as I could, with Slick following close behind me. I don't think I'd ever ran so fast in my entire life.

I slammed the front door open and bolted up the stairs, making a beeline for my father's bedroom. I wasn't ready for this day; I was far from ready.

When I finally made it to his room, I froze. My hand was hovering over the doorknob. A part of me didn't want to go in. I didn't want to be in the same room when he died...I didn't have a choice when it came to mom, but this time...

"Do...you need some company?"

I turned to see Slick walking towards me. I glared daggers at him. The choice was to either stay out in the hallway with him, or go in and confront my dying father. Both choices seemed equally terrible, but in that moment...

I'd rather be anywhere else than near Slick...

"No. You stay out here," I stated. "That's an order."

He nodded, then sat down and leaned his back up against the wall.

I gently placed my shaking hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly. Then, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and pushed the door open.

"Katie?..."

I opened my eyes, and immediately had to cover my mouth with my hands in order to stop myself from letting out a horrified shriek. Upon first glance, I could hardly recognize the troll who was sitting in that bed.

Dad looked terrible. He was hooked up to more machines than mom was when she was dying. His hair had started to fall out, and purple clumps of it were scattered all around his bed and on top of his covers. There were bald spots in places his hair used to be.

His skin didn't look any better. He looked like he had aged thirty years in less than a month. His skin was sagging and his eyes were drooping and bloodshot. I found it hard to even look at him, but still, I put on a small smile, and closed the door behind me.

"Hi dad!..." I whispered to him. He gave me a weak smile back.

I slowly walked over to his bed and knelt beside him. I could hear the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor that was beside his bed, making me aware that he was still alive.

Dad lifted his hand up to my head and stroked my hair. "My little...rockstar..." he croaked. He sounded like he hadn't spoken in a very long time.

"I'm here, father..." I said. I reached up and took his icy cold hand in mine. "Slick said that...you needed to see me?..."

He stared at me with a puzzled look on his face. "Oh...yes! That's right...I did..."

"Did you forget, dad?" I asked. He scratched his head.

"I guess...I'm sorry, rockstar...your father's memory...isn't quite as good as it used to be..."

I remember fighting back tears as I swallowed the lump that had begun to form in my throat. But, I somehow managed to keep the smile on my face.

"So...did you need to tell me something?" I asked. "Can you remember?"

He stared off into space for a moment, before he turned his head to look at me again. His eyes had a hint of sadness in them.

"I...I needed to tell you something...about your...sister..."

I felt my ears perk up. "My...sister?" I asked. Just the sheer mentioning of Roxy was enough to get my heart racing, even though I had to pretend like I had forgotten all about her. "But I thought you said-"

"I KNOW WHAT I-"

Suddenly, he started coughing, which in turn caused his heart monitor to start beeping rapidly. I actually had no idea what to do, so like an idiot, I let go of his hand and crawled into a corner of the room, pressing my shoulder blades up against the two walls as hard as I could.