The True Northern King - James

Chapter 3

“Happy birthday, Lady Serina.”

She just lifted her chin high into the air, as I walked over and bowed to her. Even though a year had passed, and she was turning twelve, she still had that awful arrogant look on her face. She enjoyed that I had come wishing her a happy birthday and hoped she could act like I had. It made me smile, and I saw her mother do what my father did and pushed her gently.

“Serina, what do we say when someone is polite to you?” her mother asked.

She was a gentle person, her mother. Maybe a little too quiet under her husband’s sharp eyes, but I had not heard of any mistreatment of her.

“Serina?” her mother pushed.

She really refused to give in. Why did that amuse me so much? Most would not act like this towards me, but Serina did. I did not hate it because it only gave me a reason to pay her back in the same way. I walked away with the rest of my family. That had only grown in the last year. Samuel had arrived. Now my parents had told me no more, but they already had six sons. What should stop them from having another? Everyone was overjoyed by all the kids my parents had. It secured the line of succession after all. So, I did not believe for a second, Samuel would be the last one.

Besides the annoying little lady Serina, the party was actually very nice. People were laughing, talking and having a great time. Of course, I had to join my father instead of the other kids. My siblings, on the other hand, were all running around having fun, while I listened to the boring conversations that the older men had. I tried to listen. I was turning fifteen soon after all. I was practically a man already, but I still found myself wanting to do other things. All the politics and the talk were boring.

I enjoyed horse riding. The hunts. The training with swords, those things I did not have to feign an interest in, but this … this I had to smile and nod through.

“Why don’t you go check on your siblings?” my mother suddenly asked me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I knew she could see I wanted to be anywhere else but here. I saw my father wanting to say something, but she silenced him with one look, and he easily gave in. He could never not give into her. I smiled gratefully at her and walked away, but I did not join the fun with the rest of the children. I knew I could not be seen like that, and instead just walked out on the balcony watching the rest run around on the big grass area behind the mansion.

My brothers, maybe except Will, were running around with the other kids and laughing as they played a game of tag. I smiled at the sight of it and leaned a little on the railing. My eyes soon caught the sight of the little annoying lady. I couldn’t help but watch her. She was very fast. No one could get her. This one had fire, I noticed, and it made me smile. Even my brothers couldn’t catch her, and she laughed as Henry tripped over his own feet. I laughed a little too, but the fun was soon cut short, as her father came outside, calling for her.

Apparently, she wasn’t done with her duties, and she was pulled inside by him. I knew all too well about duties. Serina was an only child, and I knew that while her father desperately wanted a son, that had simply not happened, which meant a lot of pressure was put on the little lady. The man she married once she got old enough, had to be of a very high status to bring her family honor and for someone to continue to lead, since she couldn’t do that on her own.

I felt almost sad for her, as I watched her being pulled inside. Her smile was gone, and she wasn’t laughing anymore. I knew all too well what a life, full responsibility brought you. I was not unhappy with what I had. Not at all. I had a big family to take away some of the pressure, but Serina … she had no one. No, she would have to become great in many things, so as to make herself more attractive. If I had heard correctly, she was already great at playing the piano, embroidery, skilled at horse riding and she could even sing. She still had a lot more to learn just to even stand a chance, but at least she was, at the age of twelve, already doing quite well for herself. Hopefully, that would do her good later on.

I turned around from my spot when I heard her enter and then saw her father place her at the end of the room, where he drew everyone’s attention to her. I walked a little closer, watching from where I stood. I was quite tall for my age, and it seemed I wouldn’t stop growing soon. I would probably be as tall as my father at some point, maybe even taller.

I could see the little lady looking very uncomfortable as she stood there with everyone’s eyes on her. While she clearly had fun playing with the other kids, she did not like being the center of attention, and that was exactly what she was now. She looked almost ready to cry.

“Serina, would like to say a few words, would you not, Serina?” her father said.

She just nodded as her eyes sought the ground. Being put on the spot like that, I knew wasn’t easy. While my father had never pulled me onto a stage and then made everyone look at me. I had often had many eyes on me, watching me, studying me, and I had made speeches as well, when I didn’t want to.

I watched Serina take a deep breath, and then look up from the ground while finding a fake smile, so as to trick everyone into thinking she really wanted to be there, but I saw right through her.

“Thank you all so much for coming,” she said.

Like all of us kids born either, lady, lord, duchess, duke, princess or prince, we learned to speak like adults from an early age, and I knew she was finding those polished words inside of herself so as to make herself presentable and respected.

“I am filled with joy about seeing you all here and I thank you all for the wonderful presents and birthday wishes. I hope you all have a great day and I thank you for finding the time to be here.”

Everyone started to clap, but I saw the way she breathed out relieved, when her father made a small wave with his hand telling her she could leave, while he left to continue his own little speech. I watched Serina walk towards the exit of the room and decided to follow her.

As I came outside, I did not see her, but as I walked a little further away, and the voices from the party were drowned out, I heard her … I heard her crying. I turned a corner and saw her on the floor with her legs pulled close and her arms wrapped around them, as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

She quickly noticed me and turned her head, but I was probably the last one she wanted to see. So, she looked away.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, irritated.

“I saw you walk away,” I told her.

“And was that an invitation to follow me?”

I shook my head, as she turned angrily to look at me, but then I walked slowly over to her and leaned my back against the wall, as I glided down to the floor and sat beside her.

“You did not like giving that speech, did you?” I asked.

She shook her head as more tears streamed.

“I don’t like people looking at me,” she cried.

I felt sad for her. Her tiny voice that I usually hated and just used to make fun of her, the few times I had seen her over the last year, just made my heart break for her.

“I don’t either,” I admitted, and she looked at me with big and teary eyes. “All those people, looking at me. I feel … well, I don’t feel good.”

“But you are the prince,” she said. “The next king.”

“I know,” I said. “But I never asked to be.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to be?”

I shook my head.

“No, I don’t mind being the next king. I would rather be, so my siblings don’t have to be. They get to play then.”

“You don’t like to play?” she asked.

I smiled and slowly nodded.

“I do, but a king doesn’t play.”

There was silence for a little while, as I looked at the wall in front of me and leaned my head back.

“A lady doesn’t either,” she finally said.

I turned my head a little and looked at her. She still had those big eyes as she looked into mine.

“At least that is what my father says.”

“You should play,” I said. “You like doing it.”

“My father says that is wrong. I am supposed to smile and be polite and not get my dress dirty or my hands.”

I looked down at her small hands she had put in her lap as she let her legs fall and stretched them out over the ground. I took one of them and looked at it from both sides. She watched me confused, but then I let it fall and smiled.

“I don’t see any dirt,” I said.

She slowly started to smile and then laughed a little. Her laughter affected me, and I couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“No, not now,” she said. “I wiped them on my dress before I got here.”

That made us both laugh, and I found it almost strange how easy it was to talk to her. I mean, she was just a child, and she was an annoying little future lady, and still, she made me laugh.

“Well, then, I guess you have to go change your dress before your father notices,” I said.

She sighed and nodded.

“I probably should.”

But she didn’t get up.

“Or … we can just sit here, at least for a little while,” I said. “I won’t tell anyone about the dirt on your dress.”

“Would that be okay? Just sitting here?” she asked.

I nodded.

“I am good at keeping secrets,” I told her, and she just smiled a big smile as she leaned her head back against the wall.

I did the same thing while watching her out of the corner of my eye.