Switched

Twenty-one years prior.

He had been pacing outside the door, that led into the queen’s chambers, for hours. Listening as her screams carried through the palace and battling with his heart that had been overflowing with fear.

“Please, God, let it be a girl.” He begged on his knees, pressing the jeweled cross that hung around his neck to his lips, “I beg of you, do not let it be a boy.”

King Alwyn already had a son, that was the age of two, from the previous queen. Of course, two sons would have been ideal in case the first were to die, but he knew nothing good would come from having two sons with different mothers.

He already had a little girl, who was quite the blessing as she was the last gift his previous, and first, wife had given him. Corinna was only one year old and already had captured his heart, so he could not see the harm in having another.

The heart-wrenching screams had suddenly come to a stop and sent a wave of dread over him as he slowly got to his feet. The sound of the infantile cries which bled underneath the door, that stood between him and his laboring wife, made him pray even harder than he had before.

Not long after, the door slowly creaked open to reveal a very small maid who had a large smile on her face.

“Your Majesty, you’ll be happy to know that both the queen and baby are healthy.” Her voice shook with age as she maintained her down-turned gaze, not daring to look him in the eye.

“Wonderful.” He smiled at the news, though something did not sit right with him.

After a moment’s pause, she added, “Her Majesty would like you to come meet the new prince as soon as possible.”

The ill news nearly killed him where he stood, as his worst fears had come true. He tried so hard to conceal his disappointment behind a fake smile.

“Of course.” He replied as he hesitantly started towards the door. “I would love to meet him.”

"Perhaps I am deserving of my prayers going unheard,” he thought to himself. After all, he condemned the old Gods that he had worshiped all his life. Leaving them behind without any hesitation after agreeing to worship that of his new wife’s instead.

Inside, were several maids, as well as the royal physician, who had done everything in their power to deliver the baby as safely as possible. No one wanted to be responsible for another queen’s death, not when the previous one had been lost nearly a year prior. Nor did they want to lose another baby, especially a son.

All their bodies were relaxed until King Alwyn stepped into view. But once they noticed him, they all went rigid like they always did.

He looked at them with a forced approving smile. “Thank you all for your hard, diligent work. I am grateful that you safely delivered my new son into this world and helped the queen make it through the birth without any complications.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” They bowed while they called out in unison. Relief washed across all of their faces, easing the tension that had built in the room.

“Leave us.” The exhausted queen snapped. “All of you, get out.”

“But, Your Majesty, we cannot leave you. You have just freshly given birth, we need to-”

“I said get out!” She did her best to yell but she was too weak, and her throat was far too sore for it to come out as anything more than a dry moan.

“Do as she commands.” King Alwyn sighed, “You may come back once I leave.”

Everyone exited the room promptly, leaving the newly born son in the arms of his mother and allowing the king and queen some time alone.

“My sweet little Thomas.” She softly cooed at the bloody infant as she gently played with the thin blonde hair on his head.

“So, you have decided on a name without me.” He interrupted, though she ignored him. He reached out his hands, “May I see little Thomas?”

She looked up at him slowly with disdain filled eyes, and in that moment, he realized that the kind, loving woman he had married was long gone. Though this came as no surprise. He had suspected as much after they had wed, for it did not take long for her real personality to slip through the cracks. He expected her to fully emerge once she’d borne him a son. As his birth solidified her place as his queen.

In truth, he missed his first wife Prudence. She had been the light of his life and, a long time ago, he thought she would have been the only woman he would have married. Never once did he think she would have died before him, let alone at all. Yet she had left him in an instant, with a two-year-old little boy and a newly born little girl.

In the depths of his despair, and the constant cries of his littles ones, who had been far too young to even understand the passing of their mother, he was alone in his grief.

Each passing day felt longer and harder than the last. With her, went his joy, yet not is reason to live. He had his children and his duty to his people that drug him through the emptiness. Until one day he met her. Lady Idra, daughter of the infamous fallen Count Umfrey unexpectedly stepped into his life.

Her father had made several horrid business deals, accrued a large number of debts, and took to drinking away what gold he did manage to scrape up. Yet, despite her circumstances, she pressed on. During a banquet held for a recent war victory with the north, he watched on as this woman, who many in attendance scorned and gossiped about loud enough for her to hear, and that’s when he saw it. That look in her blue eyes, a look he knew all too well.

Sorrow.

Yet the dazzling smile on her beautiful face never once gave way. And then he found himself entranced, watching her golden hair sway as she turned about the room, until he could take it no more and approached her himself.

"Gregory.” she said curtly, which ripped him from his reverie.

“Yes, Idra my love?” He braced himself, for he knew what was to come.

“You must do it. No, you will do it.” Her tone was demanding, and she almost sounded desperate as tears welled up in her eyes. “I will not allow my little Thomas to have what is rightfully his kept from him.” His stomach twisted in on itself, while his body filled with more terror than he had ever felt in any of the many wars he had previously fought in. “You must bastardize your other son and give Thomas the title of Crown Prince immediately.”

“Why?” He cried internally. “Why must you do this to me?” Of all the things in the world he did not want to hear come out of her mouth, that was one of them.

Little Henry was the first born, he deserved that title. Yet, despite that, the queen would never rest until her son held it. If her need was caused because she thought Thomas wouldn’t be treated equally, he saw no need for such a drastic change. As Gregory would have loved both sons the same no matter who the heir was. And truthfully, would have chosen the heir based off of their merit, rather than the order of their birth.

Yet her request to strip Henry of his legitimacy confused him, as it was not possible. And in that moment, he began to understand that his wife might not have been in her right mind.

“Why so suddenly?” He finally asked, his frustration with the whole situation getting the better of him, “Why would you strip a title from one son and give it to the other?” He knew he had said the wrong thing immediately after the words had left his lips, but it was far too late to take them back as he had already gone and said them.

“Thomas is our son.” Her voice started to raise, “I love Henry, truly, but he is the son of the late queen and Thomas is the son of the standing one. It would make sense to give our son the title, would it not?” She eyed him carefully for a moment before she suddenly started to weep, though it was hard to discern what she had actually been crying about. “I am not saying strip Henry of everything, he will still have a title of his own and an inheritance upon your death. Do you think me a cruel mother? Do you think I hate my other two children just because they came from another woman?”

“No, my love, that was not what I had meant. I was just-”

“You were just assuming I wanted to get rid of Henry. Of sweet Corinna.” Tears streamed down her face as she started to sob uncontrollably, hugging Thomas tightly as if she were being threatened. “Leave us. Leave us since you would keep from Thomas what is rightfully his!” Her voice fought to stay steady as she screamed, though from her recent labors, it was already nearly gone. “How long, Gregory? How long until Henry realizes my son is a threat to him? Must I watch as my child strangles to death on poison? Or wake to the news of his slaughter in the night by assassins?”

Gregory stood there looking at the woman in front of him. And he saw a flicker of that girl he met that night at that banquet which now had felt oh so long ago, an ember that was almost nearly snuffed out.

The royal physician had warned him before both of his previous wife’s deliveries of something, as he did this time as well. An illness of the mind he called it, hysteria brought on by the stress of the labors. He said though it uncommon, it can happen regardless of status or health. An enigma of a sickness that usually lasts no longer than a few months depending on the woman yet had no cure other than time. He warned him of stressing the new mother, and explained that placating her anxieties and reassuring her would help prevent the worsening of symptoms, if the illness were ever to rear its ugly head.

“Could that be it?” He wondered. And at that moment he wanted to believe that this illness, this hysteria, was the cause behind the sudden flip in her kind demeanor. All he need do was lie. Lie and once she recovered all would be well.

“I will do it.” He sighed. “I will name Thomas the heir.”

Her face perked up and her tears had stopped instantly at his agreeance. “You will?”

“Yes, my love. But I will not make it public until it is time for Thomas’ coming of age ceremony.” He paused, watching to see her reaction. And, as if right on cue, she began to yell at him, but he threw up his hand and continued. “I would rather not get the church involved as of yet. They would suspect our reasons for such a sudden change since both boys are but babes. You are not yet stable, nor do you have the energy to go through an investigation at this time. To change the heir means to answer endless questions about Thomas and deal with the insinuation of him possibly being illegitimate by the nobles who oppose this change.” Her body stilled at that remark, “However, I shall have the papers drawn up this instant and promise to keep them safe until it is time.”

She studied him for a moment, as if considering his preposition. He knew she could not decline such an offer, for he could have just refused her outright entirely. Even had her and the child killed if he so much as wanted.

However, he was not that kind of king. His heart was large, despite his stern countenance, his family meant everything to him, and now she was included in that. Even if he would never be able to love her as much as the one he had lost.

A few months, perhaps a year. All he need was wait, and her hysteria would fade and he would have his wife back. At least, that was what he told himself. Though, something deep, deep down churned, as if to say otherwise.

“Okay.” She smiled and looked back down at Thomas, “Did you hear that, Thomas? You are the Crown Prince of Myrce, and one day you’ll be king.”