His Love, Her Highness

“Come here, my darling.” Serena’s mother reached for her princess from her hospital bed.

“Mommy!” Serena exclaimed as she jumped onto the bed and into her mother’s arms. “When are you getting out of the hospital? I want you to play tea party with me.”

Little Serena was seven years old. Her mother, Queen Liandra, has been battling an illness for the last three years. Princess Serena does not quite understand what is happening to her mother. She only knows that she wants her mother with her.

“My dear, sweet Serena. Mommy will not be able to play tea party with you.”

Serena’s brow furrowed.

“Why not? Aren’t you feeling better? You have been in here for so long.” Queen Liandra’s eyes began to swell with tears.

“Mommy is not feeling better. Mommy is very sick, my love,” the queen told her young daughter. “I must leave you now, my dear. I am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me.” Serena stared at her mother momentarily, trying to process what she was saying.

“Mommy, I do not understand. Where are you going? Can I come with you?” The young princess began to cry.

“No, sweetheart. You cannot come with me. I am going somewhere where sick people go. But once they are there, they feel so much better,” the queen said with a broken smile and tears in her eyes.

“Can you come back after you feel better?” Serena asked, confused by her mother’s tears. The queen shook her head.

“No, my dear. I must stay there. If I leave, I will get sick again.” Serena stared down at her hands, and tears began to fall. The queen placed her frail hand under the young girl’s chin and gently lifted her head to meet her eyes.

“But know that mommy will be with you, always. I will be watching you. You keep being the shining star Mommy knows you to be. You keep being strong for me, okay? And for daddy.” Serena looked at her mother and smiled through her tears.

“I love you so much, Mommy. I am going to miss you.”

The queen let her tears fall as her only daughter wrapped her arms around her neck and squeezed tightly, crying into her mother’s shoulder.

“I love you too, my sweet, sweet girl. Mommy loves you more than anything in the whole wide world.” Serena finally let her mother go and turned to see her father in the doorway. Queen Liandra smiled at her husband as he scooped up their tiny princess and held the crying child close.

“My dear, please go with your grandmother. I am going to say goodbye to Mommy now, okay?” He wiped the tears that coated her face, then placed her on her feet. Serena ran to her grandmother, who stood near the door. She buried her face into her grandmother’s gown and began to weep.

“Come now, Serena. Let’s go get you something sweet to eat.” The duchess gave her a light pat on the head and smiled.

“My love, I know you will take great care of our sweet daughter. Please, do not let her stay sad.” Queen Liandra begged her husband. The proud king looked down at his queen. Even in her weakened state, she was still a beautiful vision to him.

She was tall, about five foot ten, with beautiful brown, honey-colored skin. She had brown eyes that always had a shine to them. Her long, curly hair met her lower back, and her frame was thin. However, now, she was even smaller because of how sick she had become. Still, the king looked at his ailing wife with adoration and love.

“You are so beautiful,” King Alexander said to his queen. She giggled.

“Not now, I do not. I am a mess.” The king shook his head, tears forming in his bright hazel eyes.

“No. You are a vision. I only wish I could have spent my entire life with you, my love.” He kissed her hand, and the queen smiled at him.

“We will meet again a very long time from now. We will be together once more. For now, I need you to take care of our little girl. Keep her happy, Alex. Do not let her lose her shine because she is missing me. Promise me.” The queen begged him once more. The king nodded and smiled.

“I swear it, my queen. I will make sure Serena stays as happy as she’s always been. I will shower her with everything I know you want her to have. She will be the happiest princess in all the world.” The queen smiled at her husband as he leaned down to kiss her lips. “We will meet again, my beautiful love,” he whispered into her lips.

“I love you so much, Alex.”

The queen closed her eyes for the last time and fell into an unawakenable sleep.

The king held his queen close as his loss hit him. He stopped holding back his tears and let them fall freely, sobbing uncontrollably. He cried out for his beloved wife. He begged and pleaded for her to return to him, but she never opened her eyes. His heart shattered into a million pieces. He would never be the same again.

6 MONTHS LATER

“Serena! Serena, come here! It is time to get ready for your party, my love. So many people are here to see you and wish you a happy birthday!”

The king walked into Serena’s room but could not find her. He crossed his arms and huffed, frustrated at the rebellious little princess.

“Serena, come now, dear. You mustn’t be late. There are a hundred people here to see you. Don’t you want to see your gifts?” said King Alex as he searched the large room for his unruly daughter.

“Gifts?” she said as she poked her head out from under the bed. King Alex chuckled.

“Yes, my dear. Many people have come to wish you a happy birthday and shower you with gifts. It is your special day, after all.” He picked up the small child and carried her to the window. “See? All these people are showing up just for you.” He pointed to all the cars pulling in through the sizeable golden gate in the distance.

“I don’t like big parties, Daddy. I never know anyone there.” She wiggled out of his grip and looked at her father with a scowl.

King Alexander is a large, intimidating man. He stands at six feet four inches with broad shoulders and is quite muscular. The king has deep brown skin and light hazel eyes. He always keeps his long hair in a single braid pulled away from his face.

Serena is a beauty who resembles her late mother. Her curly, raven-black hair accentuates her chocolate-brown eyes. She has her mother’s understanding and softness but her father’s stubbornness, which made them always bump heads.

“It will be fun. There will be plenty of children your age to play with. Now please, put on your new dress. I will send for your grandmother and Linda to help you get ready, alright?”

Linda was Serena’s nanny. She had been helping to raise her since Serena was an infant. Serena loves Linda like a member of the family.

“Okay, fine, Daddy.” Serena crossed her arms and huffed. King Alexander looked at his tenacious daughter with a furrowed brow before leaving the room.

Shortly after the king left, the king’s mother, Duchess Rose, and Linda came in to help the little princess dress for her eighth birthday party. Fully clothed and her hair done, Serena checked herself in the mirror.

“How do I look, Grandma?” Serena twirled in her white ballgown dress, which was adorned with crystals and lace flowers.

“You look beautiful as always, my dear.” Grandmother Rose kissed Serena on the cheek and smiled.

“Now, let’s finish this look with your favorite tiara,” Linda said as she walked over to Serena with a box and placed it in the Duchess’ hands. Serena opened the box, gently picked up her tiara, and handed it to Linda.

“Will you do it for me?” the princess asked.

“It would be an honor, your highness,” Linda cooed. She bowed to the princess before placing the tiara onto Serena’s head, careful not to mess up her hair’s high bun. “There. You’re perfect now, Your Highness,” Linda said as the little princess did a little twirl once again.

“Okay, I think I’m ready now. I hope this party doesn’t take a long time like the last one. It felt like it went on forever!” The two ladies chuckled at the girl, then stepped out the door to summon the king. As he walked back into the room, his eyes lit up.

“Well! Serena, you look so beautiful!”

Serena was in awe of her father. He stepped into her room wearing a suit that matched her gown. It was truly fit for a king. His coat and shoes had golden accents. The staff had his beard perfectly trimmed, and he wore a single red rose on his jacket in memory of his wife, the queen.

Classic red roses were her favorite flowers. She kept a beautiful rose garden that drowned the castle grounds in its scent. Even though she had a team of gardeners to tend to it, the humble queen always insisted on getting her hands dirty in the garden- planting, weeding, and picking a fresh bouquet daily. Every year, as winter approached, she would have them all harvested and given away to the subjects of Armaus to prevent the roses from dying needlessly. After Queen Liandra’s death, King Alexander kept the rose garden strong and healthy, just as his beloved had. It was always a beautiful reminder of his love’s modest and caring nature, one of her many traits that King Alex adored.

“Alright, my love. Let us go greet your guests,” King Alex said with a big smile as he took his tiny princess’ hand and guided her out of the room.