They deserve it all.

Chapter 45

Whatever happens next— you say no! And stand by it!"

His father walks in and I watch him and his wife, the former ruler walk next to him. She smiles, he laughs as she sticks his hand out and I take it uneasily.

"Lovely to meet you again!"

"The feeling is mutual." I look at Alistair. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"Well ..." Alistair tries to begin, but his mother shuts him down with a mere stern look.

"My sons," his father begins as he looks at Alistair. "They told me something and I wish to talk about it to you."

I nod and ask them to follow me to a proper room, when we arrive, the servants who rushed to get this done in the 3 minute notice I gave them when I saw one walking on my way to the usual room for guest, quickly rushed away. I offer them to sit and we awkwardly walk to the chairs. Me behind them, Alistair next to them, his eyes swiftly looking at me, a sort of desperation in them, a sign of his miserable life, a chance he got to beg me to stand by it, to say no.

"Your sons?" I say as I offer him to take just any of the sweets on the table. They're a day old and I ate half of the plate yesterday, so I feel relief spread over as he shakes his head and makes a comment that compares to 'I have to watch it' or something while a servant pours fresh wine in his glass in front of everyone. When the servant is done and leaves, he takes a sip of the wine and makes one of the most revolting sounds known to mankind, an odd mix of a groan and a moan before telling me that he still, after years of being married and being Royal, can't get enough of the taste of Royal wine.

When he realizes he's losing track of the reason he's here, he puts the glass back down and makes a raspy sound which I guess is him clearing his throat. "My sons told me of your proposal."

I smile and look at Alistair, the only son present, his eyes are big and his shoulders broad, his smile fake and everything about him screams Royal, maybe it's the presence of his mother or maybe it's just muscle memory, but it gives me flashbacks, to the council meetings, the blessings, the gifting ...

"My proposal, yes." I stop looking at Alistair and turn to his mother and father, who look at me with a wide grin. "What about it?"

"Well, we talked, as a family, and we all were under the impression that our son was not in best condition at that time and he just didn't feel well. He needed time to think, of course, it was so sudden, you must understand."

He looks at me, waiting until I nod and agree with him. I smile but hold a finger up to stop him from continuing. "You talked as a family? Including Elliot and Elias."

"Oh, you mustn't forget little Angelina. She's quite young still, but you'll meet her someday, surely."

I look at them, hand in hand, I don't remember them being so very in love, I remember the fighting and cheating, the lying but not the loving. Yet they've got a new child and seem happier than ever. And it really itches me in the back of my mind as I only remember his mother as the woman I somehow really wanted to validate me as a being. She seemed so nice back then, and everyone loved her, everyone liked her, everyone wanted to be in her presence. But she never really liked me, she always came around, never for me, not that she had any reason to, but she'd always take time away from me and my father. She'd barge in and my father suddenly told me he had to go. I'm 99% sure they had something going on, but who am I to judge. And his father, always so smiley to everyone except to me, fucking old sack of flesh decided he didn't like me and therefore had to keep at least a room away from me. Yet look at him now, right in front of me, practically kissing my ass before everyone, no shame.

"So, you talked with everyone ... about my proposal?"

He shrugs and smile, his wrinkly saggy skin moving with it. "What can we say, we're a family!"