𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐋.𝐒)

Stuck In A Moment

For as long as Louis had lived, he had never thought of—nor dared to stand up to his family. Not at all even his grandfather, King Edward, who he said was stricter than his father.

He was frightened of doing so, believing that no good would come out of it. He said to me,
'What good would come out of standing up to my own family? Let alone, my grandfather?" No good, was the answer.

He felt as though he was confident enough to do so, but wrong, he was.

Louis could feel the tension in the air as he made his way towards the palace, his palms sweating, knowing he was for sure in great trouble.

"Sir, your family has been worried about you. Are you alright?" One of the guards asked as they stopped him in his tracks.

"Yes, sir, I'm fine." He lied, his eyes twitching only a small bit, but subtly.

The two guards glanced at each for a second, almost as if they didn't believe him, and then moved aside to let him in.

The atmosphere in the room as soon as he walked into the palace was chilling, his palms continuing to sweat. He handed the maid the umbrella, which wasn't the same one the man used when he met him, and slowly made his way into the drawing room, stopping midway once he saw 7 pairs of eyes on him.

He gulped nervously, fidgeting on his feet.

Katherine, his wife, jumped off the sofa and rushed towards him, almost tackling him in a hug as she embraced him.

"Oh, Lou! You're alright!" She cried, hugging him tightly. He hesitantly hugged her back, feeling the awkwardness she likely wasn't feeling.

"Where the bloody hell have you been, boy!? Especially in this rain! We were all worried sick about you!" His father shouted, standing up from the sofa and walking towards him.

"I thought you had got hurt!" His younger sister, Arabella, exclaimed angrily, her face red.

"And where did you get those clothes?" His older brother, Ezra, questioned, eying the clothes that the man at the farm gave to him to change into, having forgotten he was wearing them.

"I was just uhm, going for a walk and then got lost." He lied again, pulling away from Katherine, but she still held her arm tightly around his waist, pulling him closer.

"And the clothes— I uhh, put them on before leaving. I ran home to make sure I didn't get too wet." He continued to lie, his chest tightening as he feared they would not believe him.

"Without telling us or the staff? Or the guards for that matter?" His father rambled, throwing his hands in the air.

"I didn't think I had to. I mean, father, you go out without saying a word as well." He reminded him.

"Son, I have a schedule listed for my daily routines. All who work in this Palace know where I am going, and when I will be back. You have those schedules as well, but you went out in the middle of the night before those schedules were to be attended to!" He shouted, throwing his hands in the air again.

His father had a habit of throwing his hands in the air when angry or upset. It was often a way that Louis would kindly end an argument that would've become. Knowing his father well, he wouldn't have heard the end of it.

"I— I'm sorry....I won't do it again, I swear." He promised, but didn't believe his words. He would surely do it again, as when he was praying, he felt as though he finally had a voice. He only wished he had the courage to do more than pray to a god.

"I hope not, son. Now, if you please, brush your teeth and get ready for your visit to Greece. It's a long ride, so you best get dressed quickly." He declared, patting him on the back before heading out.