Chapter Text
The gentle sound of music drifts through the air, delicate chords from the violin mixing elegantly with the smooth melody from the piano, both played precisely as had been practiced. Decorative flowers are placed throughout the courtyard carefully, meant to accent the white silk aisle leading from the doorway to the podium. A herd of employees bustle by, correcting small details as they go, chattering animatedly to one another in excitement.
“I really don’t see the point in all of this,” Edward Kaspbrak says from the entrance to the courtyard, though he definitely admires the beauty of it as he looks around. “There’s still nine months until my coronation. This seems... unnecessary.”
To his left, Sonia Kaspbrak hums, her dress form-fitting and beautiful. The crown on her head glints heavenly in the sunlight as she explains, “There’s nothing wrong with being well prepared, Edward. You know that.”
“I know, but...” he trails off with a sigh, shaking his head slightly. “I understand being prepared, I do. This just feels overdone.”
“Enough of that,” his mother tsk’s, her lips turned up into a condescending smile that makes him shift uncomfortably from foot to foot. She reaches over and grabs him by the elbow, giving him no choice but to be led inside the castle and up the stairs, onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Awaiting them is a man clad in a dark blue suit, hands held behind his back professionally, who flashes a friendly smile as they approach. Sonia returns the smile and releases her hold on Edward to gesture towards the man in a grand introduction. “This is Wentworth Tozier, he’s here to make sure you’re safe.”
Edward fights the urge to frown, instead shaking the man’s hand with a slight bow, gaze flickering between him and Sonia uncertainly. “Not to be rude, but safe from what, exactly?” He has a feeling that he knows the answer to that question, but the mere thought makes him nervous.
“It’s just a precaution,” Wentworth assures, tilting his head slightly. “Unfortunately, there are people who may want to sabotage your coronation rehearsal. In case of emergency, it’s my job to get you away from the danger.”
The statement makes his stomach clench, but Edward just nods sweetly and says, “Well, thank you for your service, sir.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Wentworth replies.
Sonia places her hand on Edward’s shoulder, a subtle sign that she’s used over the years to maintain control over his actions. He stiffens under her touch, but his smile doesn’t waver as she tells him, “I want you to trust Mr. Tozier, alright? If anything happens, you do as he says.”
“Yes, Mother,” he answers, clasping his hands together behind his back as he gazes down at the courtyard. Below, he sees Ben Hanscom, son to the royal designer, looking up at him with a grin. Suppressing a sigh of relief, he turns back to Sonia and Wentworth and says, “If you don’t mind, I have a few matters to attend to before the rehearsal.”
Despite the irritation in Sonia’s eyes, she merely nods in dismissal before turning to Wentworth, most likely to go through the security precautions for the millionth time. Edward can feel himself relaxing as he walks away, the tension leaving him in grateful exhales. By the time he reaches the courtyard, he’s genuinely smiling and greets Ben with an energetic, “Hi!”
“Hey,” Ben responds, a few pieces of fabric draped over his arm as he points towards the castle. “My mom wants you to start getting ready now, so that she has time to make adjustments if need be.”
“Lead the way,” Edward says with a nod.
The following hour goes by quickly, with him standing before Arlene Hanscom, turning this way and that upon request to make it easier for her to fix up small details on his suit, whilst making comfortable conversation with Ben. Growing up as the only son to Sonia and Frank, the King and Queen of the small Kaspbrak kingdom, he wasn’t given much opportunity to socialize with the other kids in the village. Occasionally he was allowed to go wandering so long as he had someone they trusted with him, but after his father’s death his mother had tightened the leash and kept him locked inside. He was sure he’d never find a friend close to his age when they hired Arlene as the new royal designer, and with Arlene came Ben, a boy who was double the size of Edward and three times as kind.
At the age of eleven, Edward and Ben got along splendidly, spending their free time running around the castle and playing whatever games they could think of. Over time, Edward grew taller whereas Ben grew slimmer. They depended on one another growing up, having no other children around to spend time with, and now, at the age of seventeen, they consider each other family.
“Almost there,” Arlene murmurs, brows furrowed in concentration as she adjusts the top button to Edward’s suit, “that... should... do it! You’re good to go!” She steps back to admire her work, hair messily pulled up into a loose bun on top of her head as she reaches forward and pats him lovingly on the arm. “You look wonderful, Edward.”
Edward beams, spinning around to examine his reflection in awe. “Miss Hanscom,” he breathes, shaking his head slightly, “you never fail to impress me.”
Laughing lightly, a sound that rings delightfully in the air and causes a warm feeling to bloom in his chest (much different than the constant discomfort he feels around his own mother, he notices), Arlene says, “Careful, Prince Kaspbrak! One of these days, I just might let you down.”
“Impossible,” he tells her, smoothing his hands down the front of his clothing with a satisfied sigh. The suit is a deep red with black accents, made of what feels to be a mixture of velvet and silk, with golden buttons that contrast wonderfully against the dark colors. His hair is longer than usual, reaching just below his ears and curling at the nape of his neck in an untamed yet complimentary fashion, his eyes sparkling as he scans his reflection once more before turning around with the clap of his hands. “Okay! How much time do we have?”
Ben checks his watch. “Just under ten minutes. Shall we?” He steps back and holds open the door, bowing slightly in a teasing manner.
Edward chuckles and rolls his eyes, swatting lazily at Ben’s arm as he walks by. “Don’t do that,” he scolds. “You know I hate that.”
Straightening with a laugh, Ben holds his hands up in surrender and defends, “Sorry, sorry! Just trying to get used to treating you like a King.”
“Don’t,” Edward tells him seriously, giving him a genuine look as he says, “I never want you to treat me like royalty, okay? I want you to treat me like a friend.”
Ben grins, swinging an arm over Edward’s shoulders to give him a side hug as they walk, promising, “I’ll always treat you like a friend.” The words make Edward grin from ear to ear, leaning into the touch happily as they make their way into the courtyard to see that everyone else is already there.
Sonia’s eyes narrow down into a glare at the two as she snaps, “Edward, come here!” He complies, giving Ben an apologetic look before ducking away to scurry to her side. She crosses her arms over her chest with an unimpressed glint in her eyes, staring him down as she asks, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I was getting my suit adjusted,” Edward responds, holding out his arms to present his wardrobe proudly, but she doesn’t bother looking. Confused, he takes a small step back and questions, “Why? What’s wrong?”
Features softening, Sonia sighs and leads him to the side of the courtyard to make sure no one can hear her as she murmurs, “I’m just... concerned, alright? You know I have no problem with you being gay, but there’s a reason I hired Mr. Tozier to come today. You know some of the other kingdoms on the island aren’t okay with it, and I’m afraid they’ll do something.” She exhales shakily, and his heart aches in his chest — this is the mother he knew as a child, before his father died. This is the mother he only sees in short moments before she returns to the overprotective and controlling woman she became. He misses this version of her every single day.
“I understand,” he tells her softly, grabbing onto her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “I’ll be okay, Mom. I promise.”
She smiles and returns the gesture. “I know you will be.” Releasing his hand, she smoothens out the front of her dress with a deep breath, nodding once before stating, “Alright, let’s get ready!”
Coronation is eerily similar to a wedding, Edward notices upon listening to the directions he’s given. There will be music, there will be a crowd of people watching, and he will walk down the aisle to receive what is realistically an overpriced accessory. His actual coronation is, like he said earlier, nine months down the road, a few short weeks after his eighteenth birthday, but the Kaspbrak kingdom prides itself in being prepared for everything, hence having a rehearsal so far in advance.
For the rehearsal, he will not be putting the crown on, as it is tradition to first wear the crown on the day of your coronation. The violin and the piano are placed in the corner of the courtyard, the musicians instructed to play soft and elegant as he makes his way down the aisle. His mother shows him the odd walking pattern expected of him, which only adds on to how similar this feels to a wedding. It makes sense, though — he’s marrying the responsibilities that come with being a King. A heavy burden, that is.
Finally, after talking through each step and proving that he knows the proper way to walk, the rehearsal begins. It’s a bit awkward, seeing as everyone is watching him intently for any errors or mistakes that need to be ironed out, but it doesn’t last too long. Soon enough, he’s kneeled by the podium at the end of the aisle, listening as the director of the event murmurs, “And this is where the Queen’s speech will be given,” as if mapping out each moment in his head. Sonia steps forward, as she would if she were giving said speech, but instead of talking she looks to the director and awaits instruction. He waves his hand once to signal she step back, which she does, looking a bit annoyed. “Then,” the director goes on, “I will ask if there are any objections to Prince Edward becoming King— “
“That’s where I come in,” a voice interrupts, harsh and cold. A shiver runs down Edward’s spine as he looks over his shoulder, features morphing into a look of fear as Robert Gray takes slow, deliberate steps down the aisle, his smile wide and chilling. “The Prince is not fit to be a king.”
Sonia comes forward, placing a protective hand on Edward’s shoulder as she grits out, “Leave.”
Robert juts out his lower lip into a playful pout, coming to a stop halfway down the aisle and raising his hands in faux surrender. “That’s not a nice way to welcome a guest,” he practically purrs, meeting Edward’s gaze with a smirk.
A hand comes down on Edward’s other shoulder, and when he looks up he sees the hardened features of Wentworth looming over him. “Come with me,” he says lowly.
Edward turns to face his mother, who only nods and tells him, “Go.”
“Okay,” he breathes, scrambling up from his knees and allowing Wentworth to guide him hastily from the courtyard. He doesn’t dare look back at the commotion behind him, though he can hear voices rising in volume and the sound of what he assumes to be a fight. Fear strikes his heart in icy blasts, making his breathing go shallow as he follows Wentworth into the castle, down multiple flights of stairs, and out into the garden.
To his surprise, there’s a helicopter awaiting them. He staggers to a stop in shock, only to be tugged along by Wentworth until they reach it. Limbs shaky and uncooperative, it takes a minute for him to get into the back, but as soon as he’s in Wentworth follows and the door is pulled shut.
Gasping for air, Edward hunches his shoulders and leans his head against the window, the cool glass contrasting greatly against his overheating skin. Tears burn in the corners of his eyes as the helicopter lifts off the ground, and within minutes the castle he grew up in is merely a dot in the distance.