Arthur!”
The boy stopped trying to get up, then turned towards the source of the sound.
Elena was running towards him, worry clearly on her face.With quiet royal beauty and prestige that stems from her presence.
She has smooth white skin and an elegant oval face.
Her long, silky black hair falls down her back, while her clear blue eyes stand out with a look full of wisdom and confidence.
To complete her dignified appearance, which combined the tenderness of a mother with the prestige of a queen.
As soon as she reached him, she knelt before him and gently held his shoulders.
Are you okay?
Are you hurt?”
I’m fine, mom.”
He tried to stand up, but as soon as he straightened up, a small scratch appeared on his knee, with particles of dirt stuck to it, while a light drop of blood leaked from it.
Elena’s eyes widened.
“You hurt yourself…”
Before Arthur could respond, she quickly bent down and held him in her arms.
“A…
Mom?”
Elena carried Arthur in her arms, then hurried her steps towards the royal treatment room.
As for Arthur, he felt a little shy as he noticed the looks of the servants and guards who passed by them.
“Mom…
I’m really fine.
Nothing happened.”
But he did not receive any answer.
Elena continued walking quickly, as if she had never heard his words at all.
“Mom…”
She interrupted him this time, without looking at him.
“No, I just got hurt.
You should be treated first, then rest.”
Elena brought Arthur into the Royal Treatment Room, where the Royal Doctor was waiting for him.
She sat in front of him, then began cleaning the small wound on his knee and carefully applying the medicine to it, while Elena remained standing next to him, watching him with eyes that still carried anxiety.
After moments of silence, she spoke gently
“Why were you alone there, son?”
Arthur raised his head to her, then looked away shyly.
“Because…”
He hesitated a little before continuing.
“Because I was trying to imitate my father.”
Elena’s eyes widened slightly, while Arthur continued with a small, innocent smile
“He looked so cool wielding the sword…
So I wanted to imitate him.”
There was silence for a moment, and Elena just looked at him, while her eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and pity.
She knew that her son’s heart, despite everything he had been through, was still attached to his father.
Arthur lowered his gaze to his knee as the doctor put on the last bandage, then said in a low voice,
“If I become a knight, Mom…”
He paused for a moment, as if imagining that day, before a small smile appeared on his lips.
“My father will never treat me coldly again…”
He raised his head and looked at his mother with eyes filled with hope.
He will love me…
As my brothers like.”
The doctor stopped moving for a moment, while Elena felt a painful tingling sensation in her heart.
She had nothing to say, so she just looked at her son.
Elena slowly turned her face, then turned around and headed towards the door of the room.
Before she left, she stopped and turned to the doctor, saying calmly, “Take good care of him, and make sure he returns to his room to rest after the treatment is over.”
The doctor nodded respectfully.
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
Elena looked back at Arthur, a warm smile on her face, as if she didn’t want to worry him.
“Rest well, son.”
Arthur smiled a small smile at her and waved his hand gently.
“Okay, Mom.”
Elena quietly closed the door behind her, and as soon as she took several steps away in the corridor, the smile disappeared from her face completely.
Her head dropped slightly, and signs of sadness were evident in her eyes, while Arthur’s words kept echoing in her mind again and again.
He will love me…
As my brothers like.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, let out a heavy sigh, feeling a helplessness she had never known before.
Elena walked the palace corridors silently, Arthur’s words still weighing on her heart.
Before she reached the end of the corridor, her steps stopped.
Victoria Kang was standing there, with her usual majesty.
Wheatish-brown skin and her long red hair fell behind her, while her red eyes settled on Elena with a calm look that did not hide the sadness that the Queen’s features carried.
Victoria approached with confident steps.
“Sounds like something happened.”
Elena stopped walking, then raised her head when her eyes fell on the woman coming from the other end of the corridor.
“Victoria.”
A calm smile appeared on her lips, although sadness did not completely leave her features.
Victoria smiled slightly back, then said with her usual calmness:
Elena…
I haven’t seen you since morning.”
Elena nodded gently.
“I was checking on Arthur.”
There was a short silence, before Victoria noticed the sadness that Elena could not completely hide, so she said in a calm tone:
“It doesn’t seem to have gone as well as you had hoped.”
Elena sighed sadly, then looked to the side, as if she was unable to face that truth.
“Yes…”
There was silence for a moment, before she continued in a low voice weighed down by bitterness
“This has been happening a lot lately.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, then added,
“But…
What hurts me the most is Arthur.”
She lowered her head slightly, and her voice trembled as she continued
“Despite everything Leon does to him…
That child still dreams of one day being loved.”
Victoria remained silent for a moment, contemplating Elena’s features, which were burdened with sadness, then she said calmly:
“Come with me.”
Elena raised her head and looked at her in surprise.
Victoria continued in a sober tone
“Let’s have some tea.
I think this topic deserves longer talk than to be discussed in the palace corridors.”
Elena looked at her for a few seconds, then nodded in agreement.
“Okay.”
Victoria turned quietly, taking confident steps through the corridors of the palace, while Elena walked beside her in silence.
It was not long before they arrived at Victoria’s private suite, where the smell of warm tea wafted through the place, amid a serene calm, away from the noise of the palace.
As their conversation continued, the minutes passed in silence, interrupted only by the sound of cups of tea from time to time.
Behind the wide windows, the last threads of sunset were slowly fading, until the horizon swallowed them up, and night fell with its usual calm.
The palace’s golden lamps illuminated the corridors and gardens, while moonlight reflected on the wing’s windows, flooding the place with a calm silver light.
The sounds throughout the palace faded little by little, until all that remained were the whispers of the wind caressing the trees outside.
Night had spread its curtain over Baldur’s kingdom, while the dialogue between Elena and Victoria continued, carrying such weight that the passage of time seemed meaningless.
Meanwhile, Arthur was walking through the palace corridors back to his room, while the royal physician gently held his hand and led him herself in accordance with Queen Elena’s will.
The boy walked quietly, not saying a word, while the doctor watched him from time to time to make sure he did not feel pain after treatment.
Thank you, Abdullah Al-Tamimi