"Reunited..." - Chapter Seventy-Five

Reunited...

Chapter Seventy-Five

By Douglas E. Gogerty

Prince James once again awoke. The sun was just peaking over the horizon. He had tossed and turned all night. It was not a fitful rest at all. Things swirled around in his brain, and he just could not stay asleep.

In fact, he had not had a full night of sleep for days. He had only been king of Calmondak for a week, and it was already tearing him apart. He presided over his father's funeral, and that seemed to be the easiest part of his week. He wished they could have waited for Princess Angelina, but they did not know when she would be back. Thus, they proceeded without her. Prince James hated doing that.

The Prince got out of bed and walked to his window. He stared at the rising sun. He briefly admired its beauty, but was soon returned to reality when he heard a light rapping on his door.

"Sire," whispered a voice.

Prince James was not sure he wanted to answer. After a long pause, he replied, "What is it?"

"Did I wake you?" the voice asked.

"I asked what do you want," snapped the Prince. "It does not matter if you awoke me or not."

"Sorry sire," replied the servant with a bow. "There is a breakfast gathering that requires your attendance."

"What is it?"

"Your advisers have been in the process of selecting a -- well -- a -- suitable queen."

The Prince sighed. "And...?"

"They would like you to meet some contenders at breakfast."

"Why?"

"Sire," the servant bowed. "I am just the messenger. I am not savvy to all that goes on at the castle."

"Are you telling me that you do not know why?"

"No! Well -- yes."

"Why did not not just say that?"

"I -- uh -- I -- um -- I -- do not know sire."

"Okay Mr. Messenger. Let us get a few things straight. If you are going to last at your job, you answer my questions directly and honestly. If I ask you what is it? That is to be quickly followed by an answer to that question. Do you understand?"

"I..."

"Do you understand?"

"Yes sire," replied the messenger.

"Secondly, if you do not know the answer to something, you are to reply, I do not know. Do you understand that?"

"Yes sire."

"Only I do not know."

"Yes sire."

"How long do I have to get ready?"

"An hour sire."

"Very good. Now go away and allow me to get ready."

"Yes sire."

The Prince let out another sigh. He looked out the window for a little bit, but had to get ready. His life was filled with had to's. He did not feel he had enough time for all of the want to's. His life had become one obligation after another.

He drug himself away from the window and began the task of getting ready for breakfast. He had to prepare himself for the presentation of the women. It was one of the most tiresome tasks.

When his father was alive, he dated a great deal. It was fun. There were no obligations that went along with the outing. All he had to do was have fun. If he had fun with the person who accompanied him, he would would ask her for another date. Nonetheless, none of the dating led to anything long term. That was fine with the Prince. His father was in good health; therefore, there was no pressure. In this way, the Prince enjoyed the process. Now each meeting with a woman or group of women was loaded with obligation.

Further, each person he met now had royalty on the brain. They all wanted to be queen. Most of the time, it put the women in a bad light. This fact also made the Prince suspicious. In any event, he had to choose someone suitable to rule. He could not just pick someone fun. He could not just pick someone he liked. It was an impossible task.

All of this was compounded by the vetting process. The advisers of the former King put it upon themselves to pick the suitors. These men considered the woman's status, family, and other factors that were important for such a position. Not once did they consider the desires of the Prince. Thus, there was a string of nobles whose only qualifications were the circumstances of their birth.

The Prince dreaded the breakfast, so he took his time getting ready. However, the team of advisers entered his room 15 minutes before the scheduled time. One of them had a clipboard. On it was a list of all the meetings he had. This attendant informed the Prince that the breakfast was possibly the only meal he would have on that day. His schedule was that packed.

The Prince gave a heavy sigh. He wanted to lie on the floor and curl up into a ball. He almost did just that, but the advisers grabbed him by the arm to push him along. However, before he reached the banquet hall, the Prince made a break for it. He broke free from the group and ran. He just ran. At first he did not know where he was going to go. He just ran. The entire complex was connected by a series of tunnels. Thus, he just ran in them.

A few advisers attempted to run after him, but they were in no shape to catch him. They communicated the information to the other staff, and they kept an eye out for the Prince. However, since he was just running, no one knew where he was or where he was going. Hence, they congregated around the common exits. When the Prince finally decided to exit, he left from one of the lesser used doors. It was just close by. Thus, he got away clean.

He remembered his sister running away to the forbidden zone. Thus, he grabbed one of the suncars, and headed there. If his sister could make it, so could he. He had to get away. He had no interest in having every hour of every day planned for him. He decided that he was not ready to be king. Thus, he ran away.