78. A heart to heart with the King.

[Luke]
"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked him when I noticed his pale face, it was like blood drained out of his face and his body turned cold.
"You said what?" He asked in shock.
"I said, she's pregnant, she's carrying my child."
"Are you sure about this?" His hand shook as he poured himself another drink and the liquid spilled on the table.
"Yes, I'm one hundred percent sure." I smiled.
"You don't know about that." He deadpanned and I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know anything, if you care about that woman and that child then you'll do nothing, you'll leave her alone to raise the child and you'll be blind to his existence." He said.
"What do you mean, the child is mine, I cannot be blind to the child's existence." My frown deepened.
"You're so naive." He shook his head and gulped his alcohol.
"Slow down, why are you drinking so much?" I asked and grabbed the bottle from his hands as he was about to refill his cup.
"If I were you, I would drink." He sighed sadly.
"Sir Thomas, why are you like this? I tell you the happiest news I have ever received and you're acting like I told you somebody died."
"It's because you just told me about someone's death." He said.
"I don't understand you, what do you mean?"
"Open your fucking eyes." He bellowed.
"Hey, don't yell and swear at me."
"Luke, I'm sorry but it's the only way, that woman and her child will be in grave danger if the King finds out about the pregnancy." He said.
"No, I'm sure the King will change his mind, it's my child we're talking about, the future heir to the throne, the King's grandchild." I said.
"That's precisely why it's dangerous." He said. "She's not supposed to have your child because she's a foreigner and she's never going to be allowed to marry you, her son will be a bastard child and the palace will not be able to recover from the scandal." He said.
"I don't give a shit about all of that right now, I'm even willing to renounce the throne." I threatened.
"You'll only put them in more danger by speaking like that, they will never let that child be born, he or she will contend with your future children for the throne and that's something that the palace doesn't allow, you should know this by now."
"I don't believe all that." I frowned. "I thought you'd be happy for me but now I know better, I'm leaving."
"Wait." He tried to stop me but I didn't listen. "I'm not the enemy, they are." He said and I heard the crashing sound of glass on the floor as I left his office.
I felt bad after my conversation with Sir Thomas, he was the one person I was most excited to share my happy news with and he'd acted like I'd just invited him to a funeral.
I knew that it wouldn't be easy but a child was involved now and I was willing to take the risk for that child.
Sooner or later I knew that I was going to have to face the King so I decided to just rip the band-aid off and speak to him immediately.
After I left Sir Thomas's office, I made my way to the King's chambers.
"Announce me." I ordered the servants when I got to the door.
"Your highness, the Prince is here to see you." I heard them announce before they came back to show me in.
"Luke, how very nice to come and see me." The King was studying a huge map on the table.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Nothing." He shrugged and put the map away. "Why have you come to see me, you look troubled, what is going on?"
"Father." I started and he walked to my side. "I want to speak to my father and not the king." I said as my eyes watered.
"Oh, my son, I'm right here, your father is right here." He said and pulled me into his arms.
"What would you do for your son?" I asked him as we pulled apart and sat down on the couch beside each other.
"Anything, my child, I'll do anything for my son." He replied immediately.
"You haven't been a very good father." I started and the most shocking thing happened.
The King broke down in tears, he hid his face behind his palms as his shoulders shuddered and he sobbed like a child.
I was completely disoriented.
I had never seen my father cry before, I doubted anyone had seen him cry before and I was just too stunned to act, I was also confused, I didn't know if I should comfort him or just leave him be.
I chose the latter and I just kept staring at him in surprise.
He sobbed for a while longer and then he looked up and wiped his face.
"I know, I know that I've not been a good father, it's hard to be a father and a King that was why I was so happy when your mother was still alive, I knew that she would be there for you when I couldn't." He said.
"I needed my father too, you know?" I murmured but he heard me.
"I'm so sorry Luke, I promised your mother that I would look after you but I've just done a lousy job of that." He said.
"I resented you for years and sometimes I still do." I said truthfully, it was time to get everything off of my chest.
"I know and that's why I gave you space and time." He replied.
"I never needed those two." I frowned and tried not to raise my voice at him. "I needed you to be my father, especially after mom's death, you didn't even call me to ask me why I couldn't attend the funeral."
"I understood that your mother's death hit you hard and if I'm being honest, it also hit me hard too and I'm just barely keeping it together, she was the absolute love of my life and when she died—" His voice broke as he was overwhelmed with emotion. "It was like—"
"The light went off and everywhere was plunged into darkness."
"Yes." He frowned. "More like emptiness but yes, it's the same feeling."
I frowned and thought for a while, I didn't feel that way when my mother died, I felt that way when Claire left me, it was like the candle shining brightly in my life had just been put out and I was left standing in the darkness.
"Why did you send me away?" I swallowed as stray tears escaped and poured down my face. "I resented you for that, my mother was sick, she had a few more months, maybe tears to live and instead of letting me spend the time she had left with her, you sent me away."
"I… I had to, it was for your own good, your mother was… she didn't want you to remember her like that and she made me send you away, you were too young." He sighed and glued his eyes to the ground.
"She made you do that?" I asked.
For years, I'd thought he had sent me away, I couldn't believe that it had actually been my mother's idea.
"Yes, she really loved you and she didn't want you to suffer more than you already were." He said.
"I don't know what to say." I frowned and wiped my tears away. "She really was the best." I said and started laughing.
"Yes." He nodded and began to laugh too.
We laughed and cried for a while then we exchanged stories about my mother and I'd never felt so close to her like I did today.
"Father, I had something very important to tell you." I sniffed and wiped my tears.
"Yes son, I'm listening."
"That woman—"
"From the scandal?"
"Yes." I gulped.
"What about her?" He frowned.
"I love her." I told him and he sighed.
"There are rules, Luke and though I would have been the happiest to learn that you had fallen in love, I'm afraid I can't support you." He said and stood up from the couch.
"Father."
"That's enough, Luke." He snapped. "We would speak no more of that woman."
"It's more complicated than that." I frowned and stood up as well.
"She's pregnant with my child." I told him and he had the same reaction as Sir Thomas.
He gripped the side of the table and he held his chest as he began to hyperventilate.
"What is wrong, father!" I yelled as he began to make a slow descent to the ground.
"My chest." He squeaked out as he lay twisted on the floor with his mouth opened in a weird fashion and that was when I realized what was happening.
My father was having a heart attack.
"Dad, Dad." I screamed as his eyes closed.
"Someone please help me!"