Tobias stared at himself in the mirror above his dressor.
He fixed his sleeves and cuffs, trying to look as presentable as he could. In all honesty, he had no intention of dressing up and keeping appearance; it had been a couple of days since Beatrice retreated to her bedroom to think over the contract. He knew she had not left the castle yet, but her words made it seem like it would happen any day.
He groaned, reliving the memories of that day. And the day that preceded it. His mother's rabid attack.
Tobias fixed himself in the mirror once more, reaching for his collar. He started to arrange it when the memory of Beatrice fixing it for him filled his mind. He faltered, imagining her in front of him once more, smiling up at him.
Pained, he finished his collar and reached for the satin pillow atop his dressor. His crown. He took a deep breath and placed it on top of his head, glancing up at the mirror to see his appearance.
Tobias turned away from the mirror, not wanting to see such a dismayed young prince any longer.
Upon leaving the bedroom, the guard saluted the prince. "Your Highness, the carriage has arrived."
Tobias nodded and left, heading down to greet the carriage. This meeting was arranged through the prince solely; Tobias wanted desperately to conclude the whole ordeal of the attack once and for all. He longed to be able to leave the wretched day in the past, along with all its consequences.
The coachman opened the door to the carriage as Matthew stepped out. He looked up at the castle and smiled, delighted to be able to return. He hurriedly walked up the steps, eager to meet with the prince, but also to reconcile with someone he had left behind hours before the attack.
Someone he believed to still be waiting.
"Your Highness," Matthew beamed, bowing.
Tobias was surprised to find him in such a good mood. "I am glad you could make it, Matthew. Let us get right down to it, shall we?"
"I agree; there are things I want to do before my carriage leaves once more," he explained.
Tobias nodded slowly, unsure of what Matthew meant. "As you might have picked up from my letter, my mother is not awakening. She has been in a sleep trance since her incident."
"Your letters were a bit vague in description. I brought some of the organization's scientists and doctors to inspect the Queen," Matthew explained.
"To be honest, I do not understand the incident myself," he sighed as they turned into the hospital wing. "My mother had been visibly pale and ill since the attack, but such moods came and went. We thought it was a consequence of her drinking."
Matthew and Tobias walked into the Queen's private room. Matthew slowed his steps at the sight of her. He reached out to touch her skin, retracting it at how cold her skin felt.
He glanced and beckoned for the scientists and doctors he brought to examine as he returned back to the prince's side, urging him to continue the report.
"And then, her eyes rolled back and she declared in the third person that she needed to assassinate my father and I," Tobias finished. "She would have succeeded had her dress not impeded on her endurance. She tripped and fell face front. She has not woken up since."
Matthew crossed his arms, furrowing his brows. "We have seen this before. Once," he quickly hurried to the bed side.
Unorthodoxly, Matthew held the Queen by her shoulders and turned her on her side. Tobias widened his eyes in shock, stepping forward. He almost demanded him to unhand his mother, but Matthew was quicker.
"Aha!" Matthew laughed, pointing to the back of Evleyn's neck. "Your mother had been implanted with a chip."
"A chip?!" Tobias exclaimed, rushing over. He stared at the silver bullet-like orb in the back of his mother's neck. "I demand you to take it out!"
Matthew rolled his eyes and smiled, setting back down the Queen. The doctors he brought prepared the extraction while the scientists waited to collect the chip.
"How could this have happened?! Who did this?!" Tobias demanded, pacing around the room.
"Eric," A third voice said.
They turned and watched King Marcus enter the room, his arms crossed. He looked around and admired the sight of everyone bowing to him, sneering at his son who stayed purposefully still. He glanced at his wife and sighed, reaching out to hold her hand.
"Do you care to elaborate?" Tobias snapped.
"When those henchmen came and took us," Marcus explained. "They grabbed your mother and injected her with a something," he let go of her hand and stepped away, clearly upset. "I thought nothing of it because she had passed out so quickly afterward. I assumed the purpose was to put her to sleep."
"That is incredibly helpful, Your Majesty," Matthew commented, grabbing a notebook and jotting down information. "The subjects we are able to survey who were implanted are dead when they come into our care. We never had a concrete idea of how the chip was placed."
Marcus glared at the man who spoke, unaware of his importance in the room. He had assumed he was another servant. "What are you doing here?"
Tobias stepped forward, flashing a fake smile. "Father, I invited Matthew to observe Mother in order to better understand her condition. Matthew is a...." he cleared his throat, careful not to expose his true role. "...scientist who studies the effects of an attack on people."
Marcus squinted his eyes. "How convenient," he mumbled, turning back to his wife to hold her hand once more. "And, for once, not an idiotic decision on your part."
Tobias rolled his eyes, clenching his fist and turning away.
Carefully, the doctors extracted the chip and placed it into the care of the scientists. One of the doctors sighed in relief, removing his surgical gloves and bowing once more to the King. "The Queen should wake up shortly. We will stay to make sure she awakens safely."
Matthew looked at the prince and nodded toward the door, silencing requesting they both leave the room. They exited quickly, relaxing once they found themselves in the silence of an empty hall.
Tobias paced outside, biting his thumb as he thought over again the events of the attack. By failing to retrieve my parents in time, I allowed her to suffer in silence through this chip, he repeatedly told himself, tormented.
"Could you tell me what happened that day?" Matthew asked quietly.
The prince glanced at the man in front of him. As much as he hated reliving the day, Tobias cleared his throat and decided to talk about it. "It happened a couple hours after you had left. While they created a diversion blasting through the gates of the castle, the rest infiltrated inside instantly. There was no time."
Matthew shivered at his words, guilt washing over him at the constant reminder that he abandoned his soldiers the day they were in need of his guidance.
"Why did you leave?" Tobias asked. "Did you know the attack would be that day?"
"No," Matthew answered truthfully, pain in his voice. "It was all a coincidence. I had orders to return back to base. I can't refuse a direct order," he sighed and leaned against the wall. "I fear other soldiers think like you do; that my abandonment was tied to the attack being the same day."
"Surely your Commander knew," Tobias commented.
"Surely," Matthew repeated in agreement. "I had no idea at the time," he glanced up at the prince. "Do you ever speak with any of the soldiers still? Any of them at all?"
Tobias faltered, thinking of Beatrice.
"No," he decided to say, looking away.
Matthew sighed disapointedly. "I was hoping you would have news of Tori of some kind. Is she still in the castle?" he smiled briefly at the thought of her. "She was actually the person I was hoping to visit today. To explain."
Tobias glanced at Matthew. He does not know her fate, he realized, faltering. He stared at how happy Matthew seemed to be at the thought of Tori. Tobias looked away, his hands shaking. I have to be the one to tell him the truth?
With a deep breath, Tobias turned back around. "I gave your letter to Tori immediately after you had given it to me. She was appreciative and smiled at your words," seeing Matthew smile at the comment only made the following words ever more harder. "The attack became chaotic very fast. After being injured, Tori saved a servant and a soldier by firing at an enemy soldier. She knew her shot would not be deadly, but would distract and give enough time for the servant to react. She was a hero."
Matthew furrowed his brows, his smile disappearing at Tobias' final words. He chuckled, shaking his head at the thought that passed his mind, deeming it far too ridiculous to consider. He stared back at the prince, who carried a somber look, which only confirmed it all.
Which only confirmed the horrible thought that had passed through his mind.
"No," He said slowly, stepping back. He shook his head. His emotions ranged from disbelief to anger in seconds, then faltered into a deep sadness. "No!" he cried, pressing his hand to his mouth as he fell to his knees.
Tobias looked away, wincing at the cries.
"Tori..." Matthew cried out, holding onto his chest.
Seeing the devastating despair Matthew fell into at the news of Tori's death caused Tobias' head to spin. Tobias stepped away and thought over his own love, reminding himself of the sight of her unconscious body in the glass that day. He clutched his chest, remembering how his heart felt to have torn in millions pieces.
He remembered every moment that she was not awake was torture to continue waking without her.
"I am sorry," Tobias finally said. "I can take you to her burial. It can give you peace."
Matthew leaned against the wall, burrying his head into his knees as he cried into them.
The hospital wing doors opened as a doctor walked out. He eyed the prince instantly, ushering him inside. Tobias reluctantly left Matthew alone, hoping he might need time alone before they went to the burial.
Tobias rushed back inside toward his mother's room, delighted to see her awake. Evelyn glanced at her son and smiled, opening her arms to welcome him. He gasped at the sight, realizing in that moment how long it had been since he had hugged her.
"My son," She beckoned.
He smiled and went to her, falling into her warm embrace. Evelyn sighed and kissed his temple, cupping his face as she looked at him.
She laughed, patting his cheek. "Thank you, my dear son," she glanced at her husband and cleared her throat. "My dear, I would like a moment alone with Tobias."
Marcus sneered briefly at his son before leaving the room.
"I have had a lot of time to think while asleep," Evelyn said quickly, taking her son's hand. "Tobias, I am tired of you being so torn between your duty as prince and your happiness."
Tobias' breath hitched as he stayed quiet.
"I can see your love for the servant is important," she sighed. "While I really do not approve of such an unusual coupling, I will attempt to see what it is you see in her."
"Mother?" Tobias finally asked. "Are you certain?"
"Yes," she assured. "I want you to be happy, my son. We shall put the engagement with Princess Lauren off for now. Let us move forward."
Tobias reached for his mother's face and planted a kiss to her cheek, smiling gleefully. He turned and rushed out of the hospital wing, happy as could be.
When he turned to address Matthew once more, Tobias found himself alone in the hall. Matthew had left, no where to be seen.
Tobias planned to look for him when he stopped in his tracks, noticing Beatrice staring at him on the other side of the lobby.
Beatrice took a deep breath and approached him slowly. He noticed her twiddling her fingers, visibly nervous. He decided to contain his excitement and news until she had said what she wanted.
"Tobias," She whispered, smiling at him as they entered one another's presences. "I came to see you. I heard your mother had awoken."
"She has," He smiled. "It is riveting seeing you again."
She smiled back, pushing her hair behind her ears. She inhaled shakily. "I wanted to tell you I don't plan on leaving, Tobias. I want to make this work. We deserve to be happy."
Tobias sighed in relief, reaching to cup her face. He faltered at the feel of her soft hair through his fingers, pulling her close and rejoining their lips as one.
Beatrice wrapped her arm around his neck, leaning into him further.
He pulled away slowly, leaning their foreheads together. So close to everything he wanted, yet he knew he had to ask her about one aspect of her decision. "What about the contract?"
She faltered. "I know. It eats at me, but I want to see where our relationship goes first," she looked up and laughed in embarrassment. "I want to be selfish, for once."
Tobias smiled and kissed her once more. "I will not make you regret this decision, Beatrice. I swear to you."
Beatrice smiled in return and reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers. "Together?"
He kissed her hand. "Together."