The True Northern King - James

Chapter 4

“The queen is dead!”

Probably the worst day of our lives… Our family had suffered a hard blow. Our mother… in order for my sister to live, she had to die. My father stayed locked in his room, letting her burial be handled by others, while I tried my best to keep my family together and stayed with my sister all those days my father was gone.

She was so small, but it was clear she was our mother’s daughter. Her emerald green eyes shone so clearly even from a very early age, and I vowed to protect her with my life. She was what we had left of our mother now, and no one would take her from us.

“James.”

Someone nudged me awake. Startled, I sat up from my position on the floor, seeing Will in front of me, watching me with concern.

“I wasn’t asleep,” I said.

“You’ve been awake these last three days. It’s okay if you were,” he assured me.

I shook my head before getting up from the floor, looking over at the crib where Laelia slept. She was such a good little sister. She barely made any noise.

“I wasn’t sleeping,” I repeated.

“James…”

“I wasn’t sleeping,” I told him, giving him a harsh look.

I would look after our sister. It was my job to stay by her side while our father grieved. It gave my siblings a chance to grieve too.

“Well, Henry and the rest are bringing some food… if you want to eat with us,” he said.

I glanced at Laelia again. She was just sleeping. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to eat something. I should take my chance before she woke up.

“Sure,” I replied.

My brothers arrived shortly after, and we walked over to a couch in the large room that was Laelia’s. We ate in silence. None of us had much to say. Samuel and Liam were still quite young, and I knew they didn’t fully understand why our mother wouldn’t be around anymore. Laelia… she never got the chance to meet her. That was something I would always regret.

“How is she?” Henry asked. “Is she crying a lot?”

I had let no one but the wet nurses see her. I didn’t want any of my brothers projecting their possible anger over our mother’s death onto her. She was just a baby. It wasn’t her fault…

“She’s mostly sleeping,” I told him.

“So, can we finally see her?” Carter inquired. “She is our sister, after all.”

I looked at all my brothers, unsure if it was the right time. I didn’t want to take any chances. Our own father hadn’t even come to see her…

“We aren’t going to hurt her,” Henry assured me.

“I don’t think you will,” I said.

“Then why keep her from us? What are you afraid of?”

What was I afraid of? Why had I locked myself in her room, forgetting to sleep and eat while I watched over her? Maybe this was my way to grieve.

“I just think we should let her sleep. The wet nurses said never to wake a sleeping baby,” I informed them.

Henry sighed and slumped back against the couch. He clearly didn’t agree, but I wouldn’t keep her away from them forever. She just needed time.

“Well, tell us when we can see her,” Carter said, getting up from the couch.

The rest soon followed, except Will. He stayed and sat quietly.

“Don’t you have training?” I inquired.

“Don’t you?” he shot back.

I smiled and shook my head. “I’m needed here,” I said.

“For how long?”

“Until Father comes back. Once he leaves his room, I’ll return to the rest of you.”

“We don’t even know when he will come out. We need you too, James,” he reminded me.

“What do you want me to do? Laelia is just a baby! She needs me more!”

Will sighed, got up from the couch, and left the room after glancing at me one last time. He was just a kid too. He didn’t understand. All he knew was that he needed his older brother, but Laelia needed me too.

I got up from the couch and walked over to Laelia’s crib. She was still just sleeping. I leaned against the wall, covering my face with my hands. My heart felt so heavy lately. I had no idea what to do. I felt lost without our mother. A huge piece of our family was missing. What would we do without her?

***

“James… James…” In the middle of the night, I was jolted awake once more. I had dozed off. Wonderful, I thought, but to my surprise, it wasn’t my brother standing before me.

“Father?” I asked, puzzled.

He offered a small smile and extended his hand. I took it, and he helped me to my feet. As I stood there, I stared at him in disbelief. Was it really him? Was he actually out of his room?

“Go back to sleep, James,” he said.

I stared at him for a moment before his words finally registered, and I shook my head.

“I’m staying with Laelia,” I replied.

He smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder. “I know. I was informed you wouldn’t leave until I arrived. Now that I’m here…”

It was true—he was here. Yet, even though I had promised not to leave until he arrived, I realized I wasn’t ready to go. I glanced at Laelia, still peacefully asleep.

“James.” I turned my attention back to my father.

“It’s all right,” he assured me. “You can get some rest now.”

“And you? Will you look after her?” I inquired.

He nodded. “I’ll stay right here with her.”

I hesitated. A part of me felt as though I might be dreaming, but I knew I was awake. Still, I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave Laelia in his care. He had been absent for three days and now seemed perfectly fine. It worried me that he appeared as he always did—did he truly need only three days to grieve, or was there something more troubling? Did he harbor any resentment toward Laelia?

“I think I’ll stay a little longer,” I told him.

“James,” he urged. “Get some rest. You can come by in the morning.”

He clearly wanted me to leave, and unless I wanted to argue with him in the middle of the night, I knew I had no choice. Slowly, I turned away and walked toward the door. My father watched me, and I glanced back at him one last time. I sincerely hoped everything would be all right by morning.

So when the sun had barely risen, I hurried down the many hallways to Laelia’s room. I burst through the doors and rushed to the crib—but she wasn’t there! Panicking, I scanned the room before almost leaving when something caught my eye. I approached the window overlooking the expansive garden and peered outside.

There was my father, cradling Laelia in his arms. He was showing her around, likely narrating the many stories we had all heard about how our family rose to power and the vast extent of our kingdom. We ruled over the entire North... We were its rulers.