Chapter 241: First Life, Alice. (8)
After a long walk through different wings and chambers and a plentiful flight of stairs, they arrived at the queen’s resting chambers. A room set apart from the Castle and equipped with everything a sick person could need, treatments were what the queen relied on.
"You may leave" the king spoke but Alice could not tell who he was talking to. The room was so dark, it cast shadows everywhere.
"Yes my Lord" said a middle aged man who stepped into the light long enough for Alice to recognize him as the head of physicians in the Castle. It felt good to know that her mother had the best hands looking after her for whatever good it would do the dying queen.
As soon as the door to the room was shut behind King Albert, Alice and the Queen, both of them advanced towards her with her, with the king taking the lead.
"Albert?" between coughs, the frail queen noted the presence of her husband by his own name, something no one would dare do in his presence but she was his wife, "Where is... Where is my-" The coughs only seemed to get fiercer interrupting her intended question, it forced Alice to double back from the sheer fright of seeing her mother in such a state. The heart of the young princess shivered but her father was there to be her strength, placing one arm on her shoulder.
"Save your strength Esther" Albert spoke with a tone that he has become most accustomed to, though this was gentler than what he used in court, it still carried that regal authority.
He has begun to firm his heart to the possibility of losing his wife, he didn’t want to act weak in front of his daughter for it’ll only alarm her.
"I do not care much for my strength" a soft anger replaced Esther’s coughs as she glared at the ceiling, "Where is my daughter?"
"Here mother! I am here, mother" her voice was calmer than she thought it would be as Alice stepped closer to her mother’s bedside, not daring to look into the queen’s eyes for fear that she would break down.
"My child" Esther’s voice was low as she stared at the face of her daughter, contemplating her beauty which mirrored hers in the days of her youth, she missed the days she could scold and watch Alice runaway, now she was only bedridden and can only wait for when Albert lets Alice come see her, "Embrace me" she whispered.
Alice grabbed her mother’s palm, she was a little hesitant, her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to embrace her mother and whispered all her pent up hopes to her mother but she was scared of what it could do to her emotionally. Her father had schooled her that to be a princess, one was to be tough, to be strong. But Alice was not sure she could be strong now.