Lost Royalty

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

When James rode up to the castle he was more in awe than he had been the first time. Last time he had been rushing to tell them about Elle being the princess. But this time, he knew that Elle was safe.

"Ah, James, you made it," Oscar greeted when he had reached the entrance. His horse had been taken away by a servant. Oscar shook his hand and gestured for him to follow his path through the castle.

"So, what's this about? A meeting with the king?" James asked. It had been bothering him since the servant had delivered the message telling him that he had been summoned.

"Don't worry, I hardly think you are in trouble!" Oscar laughed, as they walked along the hallways.

"How's Elle?"

"Eliza is doing great." Oscar put great emphasis on her name.

"It's Eliza now?" James asked, "I don't think I will ever get used to that!"

They came up to a door and stopped outside of it.

"James Parsons is here," Oscar told the guard outside. The guard nodded and knocked on the door. Once he had announced them to the king, James and Oscar walked in.

James bowed deeply to the king and rose again when the king spoke.

"Mr Parsons, please, take a seat," he nodded at a chair opposite him.

They were in a sitting room of sorts, and the meeting seemed too casual to be with a king.

"I hope that you are well?" the king asked.

"Yes, your majesty." He replied.

"You can relax, James," Oscar said, laughing slightly at James' tense body and actions.

"Oscar is right. I called you here because I would like to personally thank you for all that you have done." The king began.

"It was nothing, sir."

"You saved my daughter, and for that, I am extremely grateful. You have helped reunite a family."

"I just wish that I had noticed before that it was her," James admitted. "I could have saved her from an awful amount of pain."

"But that is all in the past. You have done a great service for your kingdom." King Jonathan smiled at him.

"Now, is there anything that we can do for you in return? We would really like to show you how thankful we are. We had given up all hope, and when you came and told us that you knew who she was, we didn't quite believe you." the king asked.

"I don't think so, your majesty."

"There must be something? Perhaps some land or money?"

"There really is no need." James persisted.

"Then I would like to offer you a job. I have needed an associate in the village of Grea for a while now. I am planning a lot more communication with that village. Of course, there would be other parts of your job. A lot of time would need to be spent at the castle, so I understand that you may not want to take it. But you would be well paid."

"I-I don't know what to say!" James said. The only thing that he was thinking about was the fact that if he worked at the castle he would surely see Elle more often.

"Well, it would be a similar job to Oscars, but slightly less time would be spent at the castle. There would be lots of travelling involved too."

"I would be honoured," James said, grinning widely.

"Well then, the job is yours. Will you be able to start straight away? I have some urgent jobs that need doing. Of course, you will need a uniform sorted out, but that is no issue."

"Of course, I can start right now," James said.

"Wonderful. Oscar, could you show James what is needed of him? He can work with you for the next few weeks, so he gets used to it all." The king asked.

"Of course, sir," Oscar said and gestured for James to follow him as he left.

"Oh, James, I almost forgot. I'd like to invite you to a ball that we are holding for Elizabeth. It only seems fair that you come since you did find her."

James and Oscar both came back into the room.

"Of course, I would love to." He replied, smiling brightly. It seemed fitting that Elle would have her own ball, especially since she missed the last one.

"Is there anyone else whom you think we should invite? Anyone who she is familiar with or who helped find her?"

"My sister perhaps. They knew each other. And perhaps Rose from Vriles. She risked her life to help."

"Definitely," Oscar said, "I think Rose should be given a job at the castle too. She was forced to marry and then she helped s find Eliza. I'm still not sure if she is safe. I think it's the least that she deserves."

"Okay, I'll send a messenger to collect her. I also said that I would send a gift to the family you spoke about." The king said.

"Do you think that Delilah should be invited?" Oscar asked James. "I know that she wasn't particularly nice to the princess, but she really did help in the end."

"You should ask Elle that herself," James replied.

"It sounds odd having someone call her Elle." The king said, thoughtfully.

"It sounds weird having people call her Elizabeth," James smiled, "If you would like me to stop calling her Elle, I can. I'm sure I would get used to it after a while."

"There is no need, James. Unless she asks you herself." The kings smiled at him.

"Very well, we better start teaching you about your new job," Oscar said, as they walked away.

As they walked through the castle, James couldn't stop thinking about how happy Elle would be here. She had a large, beautiful home, siblings to talk to, and parents who really cared about her. It was everything that she didn't have when he was in Grea.

James looked out of a window as they passed. Elle was out there, walking through the garden with another girl and boy, whom James assumed were her siblings.

They stopped for a moment, and James watched with curiosity.

"Who is she with?" he asked Oscar.

"That's her twin, Danny, and the girl is Sophia. I've never seen three people who look so similar." Oscar laughed slightly.

They turned away and continued walking.

"You don't have to worry, you know. Elle really is happy now." Oscar said, sincerity clear in his voice.

"I know," James whispered. He just wished that he was still a part of her life. Maybe with this new job, he would see her more, and become more of a part in her life. He could dream.

A/N- So James is back! I'm sorry that Elle isn't in this chapter. :)

Please let me know what you think, your comments have been great! I'm not too sure if this chapter makes a load of sense, so sorry if it doesn't.   :) Xx