CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER  11

 

 

The time had come: Coronation Day.

James had been too heart broken to come, but after a Little persuasion by his brothers,  he did agree.  And so they were, on the top of the Church, looking through a window, waiting for it to start.

 

*  *  *

 

Heara was at the front, in her grand coronation outfit.  So were her cousins.  Then organ music started filling the air and the princes came forward.  That was it.  The moment of truth.

Half an hour later, it was time for the vows.  After them, the Crown would be set on her head.  She couldn’t help it.  Heara thought about kissing the prince.  Eww… Then she thought about kissing James.  That made her look a bit too dreamy.  Caro noticed that and looked menacingly at her.  But Heara just closed her eyes.   She thought about the time she’d spent with James, about how he understood her, how he liked, maybe even loved her, for who she really was.  No Crown, no money, no title in between.  Just the two of them.  

“Do you, Heara, take this man to be your husband?”

And even if James wasn’t the man for her, she couldn’t let others choose for her. She just couldn’t. 

“No.”

“What?” the Priest asked, shocked.

“No” she said more firmly.  “I can’t take this man.”

Then she stormed out of the room.

 

*  *  *

 

Heara was in the garden, sitting on a little bridge and looking into the stream below.  Ever since Coronation Day, everyone looked badly at her.  Was it really that bad that she hadn’t accepted to be Queen?  Sure, she had been told what she would become, since she was a little girl, but technically it was a choice she had to make.  Wasn’t it?

A tear swell up in her eyes.   Then somebody sat next to her.  She didn’t bother looking up.  It was probably one of the servants, trying to comfort her.  But he just took her by the hand.  Heara looked up.  It was James.

“I saw everything”.

She couldn’t control herself.  Heara fell in James’ arms and started sobbing loudly.  She stood firmly and patted her comfortingly on the back. 

“I can’t believe that people are being so mean to me” she said between sobs.  “I never really wanted to be queen.”

“Well”, James said calmly, “what do you feel like doing?”

“Running”, Heara said, cleaning her face with her hand.  “I want to keep running forever.”

“Now, you can’t do that” James said firmly. “Your legs would get tired.”

Heara gave a sad, yer hearty, laugh.

“No, seriously. I will run away tonight.”

“Well, since I see you’re so determined, my brothers and I will be happy to help.”

“Thanks. See you tonight”, she added after a pause.

“Yeah”  James said getting up.

He walked towards the bushes.  Heara looked in the water.  When she looked up again, he was gone.  Heara smiled to herself.  How he had gotten over the wall this time, she would probably never know.