The Kindness of Kings

by Chelsea Ballinger

  “So, I have a surprise for you,” he said.

  “Really? What?”

  “You’ll see,” he said, smiling to himself.

  Mina noticed they were not taking the usual route to the castle, but instead they continued North of the capitol, downtown. She realized what he had planned when they reached the front of Harp Boutique. Samson opened the door for them. “Hurry before someone sees us.” Louie said, getting out with Mina following. The double doors were opened by two female sales associates.

  “Greetings, Your Highness,” one said, and they both curtsied.

  “Hello.”

  “Louie, what are we doing here?” Mina asked as the sales associate led them to the dress section.

  “We are getting you a dress for the ball.”

  “No,” Mina grabbed Louie’s arm. “Louie, I don’t want you to buy me a dress. Especially, not a Jonathan Harp dress.”

  “You got it wrong, not just any Harp dress. Your Harp dress,” Louie said.

  “What?”

  “Your Highness!” Louie and Mina turned around to see Jonathan Harp enter the room. He was a short man with perfectly gelled hair and a blue button up with his sleeves rolled up. He wore a silver watch and a silver pinky ring. He had on fitted brown pants, with tote dress shoes.

  He bowed to Louie and took one look at Mina and gasped. “This must be the beautiful Mina you have told me so much about!” He pulled Mina in and kissed her on each cheek. “Darling, you are an Aphrodite.”

  Mina blushed, still in shock. “Um… thank you so much… I love your clothes.”

  “The Prince has told me everything, darling, and I must say…” He hooked his arm to Mina’s and guided her towards the dressing room where mirrors surrounded a circular step. “I have nothing but respect for a young beautiful woman as giving as you. I am in awe of your project, and I am generously donating.”

  “Oh my God! Thank you, Mr. Harp.”

  “Darling, please call me Jonathan. Now the Prince gave us your measurements, but I will alter it if it isn’t to your liking.”

  “You already made my dress?”

  “Yes.”

  Harp smiled and clapped his hands twice, signaling his workers to pull back a black curtain that had been hiding Mina’s gown.

  Mina’s heart dropped when she saw the long golden and white gown. On the front were sunflowers made of crystals. The white part of the dress turned into gold yellow on the bottom. She studied it and was amazed at its elegance, yet how much it was her. Sunflowers were her favorite flowers. Louie had requested it, knowing since the moment he first saw her that sunflowers were her favorite. She looked at the back of the dress and saw that it was backless. It was her dream dress. She had never asked anything of Sedgwick, but he would always give her jewelry for holidays and birthdays, but this dress did more. It resembled her. The sunflower resembled her mother.

  “My mother used to call me ‘Sunflower.’” She glanced at Louie. “That’s why I love sunflowers.”

  “I didn’t know.” Louie was worried he might have triggered a bad memory. He was assured that he didn’t when she smiled at him.

  “Thank you, Louie.”

  “It was the least I could do.”

  “Just say ‘you’re welcome,’” Jonathan snapped in a whisper at Louie. His face dropped as he realized he was talking to the Prince. “Your Highness,” he added meekly.

  Louie laughed and looked at Mina. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’m so honored that you love it, darling. Let’s try it on, shall we?”

  “I’ll leave you guys to it,” Louie said.

  Harp approached Mina and pulled out his measuring tape, babbling about how lovely she would look, but she didn’t hear any of it. She was too busy watching Louie walk away. For a moment, her heart stilled.

  Chapter 12

  Be Still

  As Louie stepped out of the boutique, he saw a woman in a hat and sunglasses running away from the paparazzi. The woman accidentally bumped into Louie. Wesley and another body guard pushed the dozens of paparazzi back as Louie opened the limo door and hopped in; the woman followed. He sat back against his seat and watched as the woman slammed the door and took off her sunglasses. She smiled at Louie. He knew that smile well. She pulled her baseball cap off and bowed her head at him.

  “Prince Louie.”

  “Nova Black.”

  “It’s been a long time.”

  “Yes, it has.” Nova was one of Louie’s many lovers, but also a friend.

  “Last time we spoke, you told me that when you turned twenty-one, you would leave Serenity and travel the world, making a pit stop at my home in Italy during your travels.”

  Louie chuckled. “Yeah… a lot has changed since then.”

  “Indeed it has. Harp told me about your Serenity Foundation project. Well done. I’m donating, of course.”

  “Will you be at the ball?”

  “No, I have a movie I’m shooting in Russia the next day.”

  “Really? You’re acting now?”

  “I always had a passion for the dramatic arts.”

  Louie laughed as she smiled and looked out the window at the paparazzi waiting for her to come back out. “These fucking vultures. A girl can’t come in for a fitting without them following.”

  “I better have a car pick up Mina from the back,” Louie said, trying to see past the cameramen.

  Nova whipped her head at him and gave him a look. “Mina? You mean Sedgwick’s not-so-secretive girlfriend?”

  “Not anymore.”

  “So, you finally nabbed something of your brother’s, huh?”

  “No, they broke up due to… irreconcilable differences… Mina and I are just friends.”

  “I remember a certain fashion show after party. You brought your brother and his commoner girlfriend, and a goofy friend, and I immediately had my eye on you. I had my eye on you so much that I noticed you watching your brother’s girlfriend, making sure her delicate virtue was safe from the big bad rich people while Sedgwick chatted with politicians.”

  Louie rolled his eyes at her.

  “Well, if you’re not busy, I’m here for two days. Why don’t you come see me tonight?”

  Louie bit his lip and stared Nova up and down. She was one of the most beautiful women in the fashion industry and a great lover, Louie remembered. She was up for anything, including inviting other women to the bedroom.

  “I’ll have to decline. I’m sorry, Nova.”

  Nova still smiled. “Wow, you really do got it bad, don’t you?” She shrugged and put her glasses back on. “Well, you still have my number. Call me if you change your mind.”

  She stepped out of the limo as paparazzi snapped pictures calling out her name and asking if she and the Prince were an item. Louie hunched back in his seat, trying to figure out if he was really this in love or just stupid.

  After thirty minutes, Mina texted Louie that she was ready. He had Samson pull up to the back of the boutique. Once inside, Mina wasted no time asking him the question that had been on her mind since Nova Black walked into the boutique with yelling paparazzi behind her asking about Louie.

  “So, you and Nova Black, huh?”

  “No.”

  “You sure, because I remember a few years ago you two hooked up after that party.” Mina smiled, but in reality she was somewhat bothered by the thought of Nova and Louie.

  “That was the past. Nova and I are friends, that’s it.”

  “Okay,” Mina said nonchalantly and sat back in her seat.

  Louie eyed her suspiciously. “Would it be bad if we were?”

  Mina looked at him, shocked he would ask that. “What? No,” she laughed. “You should get out there Louie. I haven’t seen you with a girl in a while.” She could feel Louie watching her, so she kept a straight face. “Why would you even ask? Mina snapped at herself mentally for being worried about Louie’s love life. She was more furious at even suggesting Louie date. But she didn’t understand why she
was angry at the thought of him with another woman.

  +

  Louie had Samson drop off Mina at the cottage before returning to home. His father was away as usual, but of course he would be back by the ball. To see his son fail, Louie thought.

  He felt his phone ringing in his back pocket and pulled it out. His eyes winced at the sight of the name. Sedgwick. He hadn’t spoken to him in weeks; it lessened his guilt and anger about the loyalty he had for his brother.

  “Hey,” Louie spoke.

  “Hey, little brother,” Sedgwick was smiling through the phone at the sound of his brother’s voice. He had missed it, as he missed him.

  “How are you doing?”

  “I’m good. Yeah, real good.” Louie could always tell when Sedgwick was lying.

  “Sedgwick,” he said, sitting on his bed. “How is everything going, really?”

  Sedgwick sighed. “It’s… hard. Responsibility is hard.”

  “Well we knew that when we got access to our trust funds,” Louie joked, making Sedgwick laugh a little too.

  “Yeah, but this is entirely different. Since birth I have felt this pressure that is both mentally and physically impairing to my soul, I believe.”

  Louie’s brow scrunched as he listened to his brother. “What do you mean?”

  Sedgwick froze for a moment then changed the topic. “Nothing. Never mind.”

  “Sedgwick.”

  “I’m serious. It’s no big deal. Besides, I didn’t call you to whine, I called you to tell you how proud I am of you.”

  “Thank you. I figured it was time for me to do something.”

  “Yeah, Harris gives me updates. I wanted to call you about it, but Father has me booked with all these meetings planning the reinvention of Serenity.”

  “I bet… will you come to the foundation ball?”

  “I hoped I would but… I have a meeting with the King of Gibbeth.”

  “What? Doesn’t King Rolan want to start a war against Magna? He is asking other countries to join him. Father isn’t considering it, is he? Magna is our ally.”

  “It’s a private matter. Do not worry. Besides, there are other reasons why I cannot come.”

  “Mina.”

  “I’m proud of her too. I knew she would become some type of savior for the common people.”

  “She’s becoming the savior of all people,” Louie said, not wanting Mina’s work belittled along with the Serenians they were helping.

  Sedgwick noticed a certain genuine feeling in Louie’s tone, but he dismissed it as he continued. “I… I still love her, Louie. I miss her every day. The pain almost becomes too much to bear sometimes. I’ve… tried going the Louie route. Dating other women, but it doesn’t work. Is Mina seeing anyone?”

  “No, she isn’t. You haven’t slept with anyone, have you Sedgwick?”

  “One of my secretaries is very tempting, but no. I know you don’t understand, but when you are in love with someone, Louie, it causes you to completely become backwards. Missing Mina and politics is really messing with my head.”

  If only Louie could see his brother, he would see the 5 o’clock shadow on his face, the stress in his eyes that were dry from lack of sleep, and the way his hands shook with nerves. Sedgwick was starting to feel what his father had felt when he was to become King. That feeling was emptiness, an emptiness that you alone felt.. You were alone when it came to power.

  “Sedgwick, you should come home. Or maybe I will come there for a few days.”

  “No. You got your ball and you got your birthday. You thought I forgot? It’s the day after the ball. Don’t worry about me, I’ll see you soon.”

  Louie wanted to argue with him, but he decided to let it go. “Alright, see you soon.”

  “And Louie?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Tell Mina congratulations for me.”

  “I will.”

  Sedgwick ended the call and Louie sat in his room with a million questions circling in his mind. He knew Sedgwick was not at ease. H was plagued with guilt for even considering Mina. He again let his loyalty get in the way of his happiness. Realizing he needed to release his stress, he decided to call the only person who could help him with that for a moment in time.

  “Nova,” he spoke into the phone after she answered. “How about I come see you tonight?”

  ”

  Chapter 13

  A Splendid Combination

  Mina buzzed the buzzard on Christina’s family home’s front gate. Once the security camera focused on her, she was buzzed in and she drove across the long driveway.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Farren,” Christina’s family butler, Ronald, greeted her at the door.

  “Good afternoon, Ronald,” Mina smiled, making her way towards Christina’s bedroom.

  “Hey,” Mina said, reaching the doorframe.

  “What’s up?” Christina greeted as she stared at her television.

  “Where is the family?” Mina asked as she fell on her bed.

  “Dad’s playing golf. Grandma is at the casino, stepmom is at a spa or something and the little brats, who knows?”

  Mina laughed and glanced at the television, noticing something familiar.

  “That’s a cute car,” Christina said, referring to the classic car on her screen for a car commercial that was informing people about their history in the car making business.

  Mina smiled to herself. “That’s a 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster.”

  Christina side eyed her. “How do you know that?”

  Mina’s smile broadened as she remembered how she came to meet that beautiful automobile.

  "Hey." Louie heard Mina behind him outside of the lower ward entrance and turned around.

  "Hey," he said to her.

  It had been a nice day and a couple of months since Louie and Mina officially became friends.

  "What are you doing?" she asked him

  "It’s nice out, so I thought I’d take one of my summer cars out," he said, putting his sunglasses on.

  She followed him to the garage that was size of a stadium. Many of the limos sat on the far right while the royal family cars sat in their own sections. Louie's sat in the middle. He walked over to a large object that was covered with a white sheet. He pulled it off and revealed one of his most prized possessions.

  "Wow. It’s... hot," Mina said, smiling.

  "You like cars?"

  "I like to look at them. I can admire the beauty of the vintage," she grinned and Louie grinned back at her.

  "This is a 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster."

  "I like the dark red." Mina walked around it, admiring the custom paint job Louie had done.

  “Yeah, she’s beautiful isn’t she? I found her when we visited the royal family in Lorell. She was beat up, but I had her fixed up.”

  “So, you collect cars?”

  “Yeah… it relaxes me. Finding old cars that have been forgotten and bringing them back to life.”

  Mina noticed the sincerity in Louie’s voice as he talked about his passion. She admired the smile on his face and the proud feeling he had for his collection.

  “Want to come?” he asked her.

  “Really? Hell yes.” Mina hopped in the car with Louie and he wasted no time starting up the engine and speeding out of the garage.

  Most people would be afraid with Louie’s heavy foot on the accelerator and loud music blasting through his stereo system, but Mina wasn’t. She welcomed it. She felt free and the combination of danger and excitement surprisingly relaxed her. Her head for that moment had been clear of Sedgwick. All she knew was that her hair was blowing in the wind, her arms were up in the air like she was flying, and she was. She even knew that Louie was sitting next to her switching gears, pressing harder on the accelerator and laughing. She liked his laugh.

  They finally settled in the middle of nowhere on a grassy field. They both sat on top of their seats and laid their backs on the trunk of the car, talking about anything.

  “So you don’t
you believe in God?” she asked him.

  “I didn’t say that, I just said the idea of him seems a little far-fetched to me, that’s all.”

  “Next thing you know you’re going to say you don’t believe in love.”

  “I believe in love, Mina. I just don’t think it’s going to happen for me.” Mina quickly sat up and Louie followed.

  “Louie… how could you think that? Well, maybe if you leave the fast girls alone you can be ready when it comes, because I have faith that you will find it.”

  “It’s not that. I can easily stop having sex with other women. Being faithful is not a problem.”

  Mina jerked her head back and arched a brow. “Really?”

  “Yes, when you love someone it shouldn’t be hard to not cheat, if you keep that love alive.”

  Mina’s smile disappeared as she realized how intriguing Louie’s theory was.

  “Love is about passion, desire, friendship, and… feeling alive. The divorce rate is up because when people get married and have kids they get lazy and I understand being a parent is a nonstop job, but that’s where people mess up. They use it as an excuse. Little things count, like bringing your wife flowers at random times just to show her, ‘hey I appreciate you.’ Moments when the wife turns on a football game and cooks a great meal for him, I don’t know,” he laughed. “Little moments where you just look them in the eye and say, ‘you are the world to me.’ People shouldn’t forget that fire. Keep it going through sex, arguments, laughter, and adventures.”

  Louie looked at Mina who was gazing at him, astounded by his words of love and her admiration for him grew. She realized how wise Louie really was about people and life. He knew more than she could ever imagine he had known.

  “Well,” she smiled. “You should believe that you will find it, Louie… because any woman who has your heart is lucky.”

  Louie laughed bitterly. Mina had no idea that Louie had given his heart away a long time ago.

  “I’m surprised you still believe in love, Mina. You know because−"

  “Because my heart’s broken?” She stared off into the field. “My heart may be broken, but… it’s still there. I have hope, Louie. I believe that no matter how painful it is, somehow I’ll survive. Why not have hope? Just like I say, why not believe there is a God… and that someday he will bring something new to inspire me?”