22nd of March 1998 - York House, London
Waking up in the middle of the night, Adeline swallowed at the sound of thunder and she peered towards her window as she listened to the pounding rain outside; she clutched at her duvet as she tried to shake the nightmare from her mind.
The images lingering even as she closed her eyes and she doubted that they would leave her, she sniffled trying to keep the tears back as the storm raged outside.
Looking around her bedroom, Adeline sniffled before she threw back the covers and climbed out of her bed; the cold floor made her jump slightly before she scurried for the door.
Opening it, Adeline peeked outside as she listened for any movement around the house; she hesitated for a moment until another roar of thunder had her running for her father's room down the hall.
The dark hallways made the sounds of the storm sound so much worse and Adeline was relieved when she finally reached the room that her father called his; a glance over her shoulder confirming that no one was behind her.
Sniffling as she pushed open the door and peered inside, she hesitated by the door for a moment as she tried to listen for any sounds from her father.
The sound of his snores told her that he was inside and Adeline felt relief fill her as she tried to see him; the darkness of the room made it difficult for her to see him, his sleeping form offering her little comfort.
Stepping into the room, Adeline slowly made her way towards her father; she hesitated at the foot of bed before a roar of thunder made her jump, she squeaked not expecting it.
"What? Adeline? Is that you?" Charles croaked half asleep, the sound that she had made having woken him up; he sat up in bed and reached for the bedside light to see what was going on.
The moment that Charles laid eyes on his daughter, she burst into tears and he quickly pushed back the covers so that he could comfort her; he could not remember the last time that she had come to him like this.
Wrapping his arms around Adeline, he hugged her close and tried to sooth her wishing that he knew what had upset her so much; the sounds of the storm doing little to help the situation that he was sure.
"Now tell me what is the matter?" Charles said handing her his hankie so that she could wipe her runny nose, he sat on the edge of his bed as he stared at her trying to think what might have upset her.
Adeline looked down at her feet, she felt rather silly and she knew that she should not have woken him up; she was sure that he would have a busy day ahead of him and she did not want to keep him up.
"I had a bad dream," Adeline mumbled feeling like a little girl again, she snuffled trying to unblock her nose and she did not want to say anymore; she did not wish to admit what had bothered her so much that she had woken him up.
Charles frowned at that, he could only imagine what she had dreamt that had brought her to his room; he knew that she was more likely to turn to her brothers for things like this now.
"What was it about?" Charles asked wanting to get to the bottom of this, he wanted his children to know that no matter how old they were that they could always come to talk with him.
Adeline was silent for a moment, her blue eyes filling with tears before she started to cry again and it left Charles with no doubts about what she had been dreaming about and why she had come here.
He should have expected that Diana's death would haunt them and he hated that he had not seen this coming; he had hoped that his children would be spared such dreams and thoughts.
"I dreamt you died like mummy did," Adeline whispered softly, her words so quiet that Charles almost wished them and he wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug.
This was the last thing that he had wanted and he knew that it would be awhile before things like this did not haunt his children; he truly wished that they could be protected from all of this.
The rumours surrounding her death were something that would likely haunt them as well, they ranged from the fact that the Royal Family had her murdered because of her relationship with Dodi Fayed to the driver being arranged to kill her.
It was ludicrous and Charles hated that these rumours were in places that his children could easily stumble across them; he never wanted them to think that anyone in their family had taken their mother from them.
What had happened to Diana had been a tragic accident and Charles wished each day that she was here to see her children; she knew how to speak with them so much better than he did.
Charles doubted that her mark would ever fade and he worried just what effect that might have on his daughter as she grow up; there would be many that would seek to compare his daughter to her mother in everything that she did.
"Now listen to me. I promise that nothing of the sort is going to happen," Charles said taking her by the shoulders, he looked Adeline straight in the eye and prayed that nothing ever took him away from his children.
He genuinely wanted to see them grow up and he did not want to leave his children orphans, not if he had anything to say about it in the slightest; the idea of leaving them without both of their parents scared him.
There was already a heavy weight on William's shoulders, he would be King one day and Charles knew he would be a good one; he had high hopes for his eldest son and he worried if such pressure might prove too much for him.
He had no idea what Harry was going to do with his life, his younger son did not like school and being the spare meant that he was unlikely to be King like his older brother was; already he seemed lost in a world where he was not needed as of yet.
Then there was Adeline, she would never have the same responsibilities as her brothers; Charles was interested in seeing what she would do with her life and he prayed that she would find peace.
"I intend to live a very long and happy life," Charles continued with a smile, he was content with his life and while there were a few things that he would like to change; he would have to take his time.
Right now, he was focused on improving his relationship with each of his children, he knew they had all struggled with the loss of their mother and he hoped that it would get easier with time.
Adeline sniffled and nodded her head, accepting her father's words knowing he would not lie to her; she looked down at her feet as she thought for a moment, there was something that she had wanted to ask him since she had arrived.
"Now I believe it's time we got you back to bed," Charles said getting to his feet, it was late and he was sure that she would be extremely tired when she got up the next morning; he didn't doubt that this would be the last time that such dreams would haunt her.
It warmed his heart that she had come to him, seeking comfort and he would do anything to make sure that they did not have anything to worry about in the future.
The two of them started to head back to Adeline's room, the place was still quiet and Charles could only imagine what people would say if they could see him now.
"Dad?" Adeline asked once they reached her room, she was not sure what he would say but she did not see the harm in asking especially since she knew that her brothers had probably already done so.
Charles hummed as he pulled back the covers of her bed and signalled for her to climb in; he doubted that he would get to do so much longer.
It was hard to believe that Adeline was eleven, he did not want her to grow up and he could only imagine what his future would hold; he already knew that he would have to deal with the dread boyfriend issue at some point.
"When can I meet her?" Adeline questioned peering up at him as she climbed into bed, she leant back on her pillows as she watched his face to see how he would react; she did not want to upset him but she was curious about Camilla.
Charles was rather taken back by her question and he stared at Adeline not sure how to reply; he had not thought that she would want to meet Camilla after what had happened.
Thinking for a moment, Charles was not sure what to tell her knowing that he would have to sort things out with Camilla before he committed to anything; he was not going to rush her nor make her feel like she had to do it.
"Not just yet," Charles said knowing that he had to be careful, he was not sure what Adeline might do upon meeting Camilla but he hoped it was better than how Harry had reacted.
He had already decided that he would wait at least another year before he made the move to introduce his daughter to Camilla; especially if she was having nightmares about how her mother had died.
Adeline nodded with a frown before sinking into her bed, she wondered when he would think it was the right time for her to do so.