The Kindness of Kings

by Chelsea Ballinger

  “Watch me.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “If you don’t stay here and be my wife, I will make sure that you never see my brother again… He still threatened a member of the royal family. Meaning he could serve time… so could Bartleby… Jezebel, Christina.”

  “Leave them out of this. They didn’t do anything to you.”

  “They sided with a traitor to this country… and I can make the Republic change their decision from exile to prison like that.” He snapped his fingers. “You will stay… you will be my wife… and everything will go back to the way it was.”

  Mina gasped at Sedgwick as his eyes were wide and staring at the floor. He was trembling and Mina saw how weak he was. Behind the darkness he took in, he was just a scared little boy.

  +

  After the sentencing, Louie was escorted to a hotel suite where he would remain until his documents were ready for entering another country, which was Magna.

  “Magna? Your Dad is sending you to Magna?!” Bartleby threw a fit as he stood in his friend’s hotel room.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Louie said as he sat on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands gripping each other. His upper body rocked back and forth as he clenched his jaw, thinking about how much he wanted to destroy his brother and father.

  “Louie, you don’t have a choice,” Christina said, sitting on the couch next to him.

  He glanced at her. “You still can’t reach her?”

  “No. Her phone is off. The guards must have taken it from her.”

  “Dude, this is insane. Sedgwick has literally lost his freaking mind. He is psycho!” Bartleby shouted.

  A knock on the double-wide doors caused the three to look up. The doors slowly opened and it was Wesley. Louie stood.

  “Wes, what are you doing here? Dad switched you to Sedgwick’s guard, right?”

  “I serve and protect the person I have served and protected since he was a child,” Wesley grinned. “Black sheep.”

  Louie smiled; it meant the world to him that Wesley still stood by his side.

  “Besides, I was appointed to escort someone here.” Wesley stepped to the side and the Bishop walked in along with Jezebel.

  “Bishop? Jez? What are you doing here?” Louie asked as he walked up to Jezebel and hugged her.

  “We’re here to help,” Jezebel told him.

  She and the Bishop settled in and Louie waited for their plan.

  “We can’t stay long. The King and Sedgwick have a strict watch on me,” Jezebel said.

  “What about Mina? How is she?” Louie asked.

  “She is fine. Sedgwick has guards everywhere. I hate to say it, but he has become confused.”

  “Confused? More like fucking insane,” Louie said and Christina slapped him on the shoulder.

  He glanced at the Bishop. “Sorry, Sir.”

  The Bishop smirked and shook his head. “I have seen many downfalls to kingdoms, Louie… and this is one. Sedgwick is not well in his mind, you are correct. He is a fragile soul, therefore your father’s guidance would only weaken him more than he already is.”

  “Well, I tried to help him, but the fact that I slept with his ex-girlfriend qualified my opinion as void. Now I’m just worried about Mina.”

  “What about Michael Tabbith? What about the rumors of war against Magna?” the Bishop asked him and Louie paused for a moment.

  “Okay… I care about those things too, but what can I do? I can’t negotiate with my brother or father.”

  “What if there was a way you could?” Jezebel asked. Louie faced her as she spoke. “The Bishop reminded me of something. Louie, there are laws for everything.”

  “There is always a gray strand in a head full of hair, Louie,” the Bishop said to him.

  Louie stared off in thought; after a short pause, his eyes widened. “There’s a law.”

  “Okay, can someone tell us about this law?” Christina pushed.

  “There are laws for everything! My prick of a father always said that,” Louie laughed to himself. “The first Kings had to think of everything. They had to predict every roadblock that could happen! Imagine in history there have been royal families with more than one son, but none of them were close to the same age.”

  “So?” Bartleby shrugged.

  “So, there was a law stating something about if you did have two sons close to the same age and what could happen, I don’t remember but there was.”

  “I do!” Bartleby said, shocked that he remembered something from the history class he mostly slept through. “I remember in Mrs. Washington’s class we learned that in 1914 or 15, King Andrew had two sons One was born first and a real dumbass apparently, my bad Bishop. So when the King was dying from whatever illness, he developed a new law and had it passed stating that if by the time the first-born son is set to become King, if there is a second son who is the age of 21 or over before his brother becomes King, he has the right to challenge his brother for the throne by having a duel! So the King had his second son challenge the first born when they were in the middle of the crowning ceremony because no one could object because once the crown is taken away from the King, it’s all fair game. The second son won and became…”

  “King Michael,” Jezebel smiled, staring at Louie.

  “Yeah but, Louie could you kill Sedgwick?” Christina said.

  Louie paused.

  “No! The duel was about who won, the first-born lost, but he didn’t die. The King couldn’t have his son killed so if you lost, you would be sentenced to exile,” Bartleby added. “The real question is, dude…do you even want to be King?”

  “Maybe I won’t have to be… there are laws stating you could compromise or negotiate, right?” Louie asked.

  “Yes,” Jezebel confirmed.

  “Well, knowing my father would rather have Sedgwick lose Mina than the crown, all I have to do is negotiate. I can not only negotiate for Mina to be free, but for Michael Tabbith too.”

  “Yeah, but the law is so old, Louie, you have to go find it in the record books at the Hall of Justice to even state your case,” Christina said. “You know how many books are in there stating laws from each freaking year?! And we would have to have access to that and you are supposed to be out of here by tomorrow morning. No one is going to grant us access now.”

  Louie smiled widely at Christina. “No… but a certain judge would grant his youngest and favorite daughter access to help out a friend.”

  “My dad is not going to go for it, Louie. He doesn’t want to piss off the King.”

  Louie continued grinning. “Well, what would happen if someone stole his security badge to the building?”

  Christina’s mouth dropped as everyone in the room looked at her smiling.

  “Shit.”

  Chapter 26

  Challenged Hope

  “You look beautiful,” Sedgwick said to Mina as they rode in the limo on the way to the downtown headquarters where Sedgwick would be crowned.

  Mina, unresponsive, continued staring out the window.

  Sedgwick looked away and shook his head. “Mina, you’re going to have to talk to me at some point.”

  “Have you noticed that it’s really cloudy right now? They say it might be a big storm… maybe God is trying to tell us that we’re all doomed if you’re crowned.”

  Sedgwick grabbed Mina’s arm, gripping it tight. “Hey! Hey! Look at me.”

  Mina slowly turned her head towards him, glaring.

  “When we get there, you will flash a smile, look pretty and enjoy the ceremony,” he ordered her.

  “Or what, Sedgwick? You’re going to hit me again?” Mina kept her strength as she looked Sedgwick in the eye.

  His face faltered and he quickly loosened his grip. “Mina… I’m sorry. I never meant to─"

  “Never meant to what? Hurt me? You always never mean to, Sedgwick. You never meant to kiss me by surprise when we were kids. You never meant to let Louie drop my doll
in the toilet. You never meant to let your father humiliate my aunt, the help, and your little brother. You never meant to get me pregnant… and you never meant to leave me alone while I was going through the worst time of my life. You’re always sorry, Sedgwick… you and Louie have that in common… except I believe Louie when he says it, and I know when he doesn’t mean it, but he still says it and that’s one of the many reasons why I love him. I will love Louie no matter what you say or do, I will love him. You broke my heart, but time repaired it… and I gave it to your brother.”

  Sedgwick twitched and it took everything in him not to break down. He quickly gathered himself and forced a smile.

  “Don’t embarrass me.” The limo door opened and flashes from hundreds of cameras blinded him as he stepped out. He reached for Mina and she reluctantly grabbed his hand and stepped out. They smiled for the cameras and the reporters ambushed them with questions about Mina and their relationship. Surrounded by their guards, they entered the sliding doors of the headquarters. Lightning struck as they entered and rain poured ferociously as Mina watched, still holding Sedgwick’s hand. She bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. She wanted Louie. She needed to see him. Sedgwick was truly crazy if he thought she would stay his prisoner. She had to find a way to get away from him without putting Louie or her friends in danger.

  +

  It wasn’t hard for Christina to steal her father’s access badge to the Hall of Justice, but she knew she would be in deep shit when he found out. They were committing a felony, but it was worth it if it meant helping her best friend.

  Once she, Louie, who wore his coat with a hooded black sweater on it to disguise himself, and Bartleby entered the Records room, the record keeper informed them that if they were looking for ancient laws, they would not be able to access them electronically.

  “You have to go to the basement. It’s where we keep all records ranging from the date when Serenity was founded to the 1700s when the War of Allies took place.”

  The trio did what she said and took the elevator down to the basement floor where a security guard was watching a live stream of the crowning ceremony on his cell phone.

  “We have a badge,” Christina said and the security guard didn’t even glance up, waving his hand while concentrating on the broadcast. “Just don’t damage anything.”

  They looked at each other and shrugged, noticing the screen on his phone and Mina and Sedgwick smiling for cameras. Louie bit his lip, angry at the sight of them.

  “We have an hour and a half to find this damn thing. Come on,” he said and headed towards the back of the large concrete basement that was the size of a the lower ward of the castle.

  “How the hell are we going to find one rule in the midst of all this dust and…?” Bartleby jumped and hugged Christina. “Holy shit! I think I just saw a rat!”

  “Bartleby, get the hell off of me,” Christina pushed him away.

  “Guys, each file cabinet is labeled by year,” Louie said.

  “And the law record books are labeled back here,” Christina said, pointing toward the sign that hung over the file cabinets in the back.

  “Louie, are you going to be able to read all this?” Bartleby asked him while Christina stared, confused. Mina had never told anyone about Louie’s dyslexia still being a major problem for him.

  “I’ll be fine,” Louie said.

  They separated and tackled every area of the room. Each record, telling stories of the past, caused their brains to race, because they had not found the one they were there for. Christina looked at her cell phone and saw the time.

  “It’s 10:10! The crowing starts at 10:30!” she shouted.

  Louie, who was struggling to understand the words to one law, began crumbling it, frustrated by his lack of reading skill and knowing that it was not the one he was looking for. It wasn’t a law created by King Michael, there were barely any laws created by him. Louie, realizing his failure and defeat, swiped every record book, file and document off the long wooden table, screaming at the top of his lungs, slamming the desk with his fists.

  “Louie, stop!” Christina said to him.

  Louie finally calmed down and rested his palms on his desk. “I’ve failed. They won.”

  Christina glanced at her cell phone again and saw that it was 10:15. Fifteen minutes until it started. And everything was lost as the Republic and the royal court surrounded the long red carpet in the throne room that led to the Bishop who was standing in front of the King’s large gold- and red-cushioned throne that stood tall, waiting for Sedgwick. He stood behind his father who waited for the sound of the horns to signal him to walk towards his future former throne. As 10:30, the horns sounded, and Bartleby made a discovery.

  “I got it!” Bartleby screamed through the stacks, racing down the hall to his friends. “I got it!!”

  He slammed the rolled up document on the table in front of Louie and Christina. They quickly grabbed it and Louie took his time to silently pronounce some of the words as Christina read it out loud.

  “Bartleby, I freaking love you man!” Louie gushed, hugging his friend. “Come on!”

  “Me too!” Christina said Stopping and kissing Bartleby hard on the mouth.

  Bartleby, dazed and confused, stared into space. Louie laughed to himself and ran towards the exit with his friends in tow. The ceremony was taking place and the Serenity Hall of Justice was seven blocks from the King’s headquarters. Traffic surrounded the streets due to the military that blocked everyone a mile from headquarters. Rain poured down hard on the streets of the capitol and Louie stuck the document inside his coat to protect it.

  “I have to go,” Louie said.

  “How are you going to get past the military?” Christina asked him.

  “I’ll get past,” Louie said and started sprinting as Bartleby and Christina wished him good luck.

  Louie jumped on top of cars as drivers screaming at him, calling him an idiot, as he hopped from one car to the other. He then took the path of the sidewalks as people scattered to seek shelter from the rain. Every sprint he made was equal to every step Sedgwick made after the Bishop denounced Caius as King, by removing his crown from his head. When Sedgwick reached them, he got down on his knees and bowed his head. The Bishop placed his fingertips in the gold bowl of holy water and placed his thumb on Sedgwick’s forehead, tracing a cross, symbolizing the blessing from God to name him leader of Serenity.

  “Do you, Sedgwick Constantine Perry, accept your Lord and savior?” the Bishop asked him.

  “I do,” he answered.

  “And do you accept your destiny as this country’s leader… protector… and King?”

  Sedgwick looked at the Bishop and spoke with conviction. “I do.”

  Louie reached the building and pushed through the crowd of thousands that stood outside in the rain, waiting for Sedgwick’s speech. Getting through to the steps where the military stood, he was stopped by a soldier with a gun.

  “Don’t cross the red line!” he ordered him.

  Louie rose his fist at the soldier, showing him his ring and glaring at him. The soldier quickly stepped aside and Louie ran up the steps.

  “You idiot! He’s been exiled for threatening the Crown Prince!” another soldier snapped and raised his rifle at Louie, who was already through the sliding doors. He entered the lobby where only one guard was, Wesley, who had volunteered to stand guard in the lobby, knowing Louie would come.

  “Come on! You have to hurry!” Wesley said as he held the elevator.

  Louie flew in and thanked Wesley as the doors slid shut, just as the Bishop finished his prayer and reluctantly picked up the King’s crown that was sitting on a red cushion. Everyone gazed at the famous crown made of the purest gold. It was not as flashy as most, but equally gratifying. On the bottom, red and green jewels circled it, and on top, flower-shaped posts represented the hierarchy, and in the center of each was a white pearl. Sedgwick was taught to worship this crown, being inches from it caused his heart to
light up for the first time in a long time. The Bishop glanced at the red double-wide doors and lowered his head, doubting Louie would make it. He lifted the crown and got ready to place it on Sedgwick’s head.

  “May God lead you to peace… and prosperity.”

  Mina, who was standing next to a gleaming Caius, looked away, not able to see Sedgwick get his dream while he had her captive. Everyone stared in anticipation as the Bishop lowered the crown, but it was still inches away from his head when Louie burst through the doors.

  “STOP!”

  Chapter 27

  Abandoned Crown

  It was as if the Bishop was on Louie’s auto pilot as he stopped in mid crowning and, along with everyone else, turned to see Louie, standing at the end of the red carpet, trying to catch his breath.

  “What the hell are you doing?!” Caius boomed.

  Louie ignored him and as he walked slowly toward them, he made his announcement.

  “On the authority of Law 75, Article 3, I, Prince Louie Alexander Perry, challenge Crown Prince Sedgwick Constantine Perry to a duel… for the crown!”

  The throne room echoed with gasps at Louie’s challenge. Caius and Sedgwick’s faces dropped and Mina’s heart soared at the sight of the true love she was scared she might never see again.

  “Out! Everybody out!” the King screamed, and the royal court and the Republic members scurried out of the throne room, leaving only Caius, his sons, Bryan, the Bishop, Mina, and the High Regent Henry Oliver.

  “I swear if I would have known about this, I would have had your mother abort you!” Caius said to Louie’s face.

  “What is this?!” laughed. “I never heard of this law.”

  “The law very well exists,” the Bishop said calmly. “High Regent?”

  “Yes,” Henry said, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “I have heard of it. It is what led to King Michael’s reign. He was a second son and because he was of his age and not seven years younger than his brother, he had the right to challenge the eldest.”

  “Here’s your proof,” Louie tossed the rolled up document at his brother.