The King

A DAGGER TO MY HEART

"You're distracted" Says Erika 

They're sitting outside. The table is dirty and the chairs are rusty considering nurses never have time to sit outside but today work was low so the head, surprisingly, gave some of them time off. Erika, Bell and other girls Bell doesn't know or haven't paid much attention to before are sitting around the small table, some with tea and others with coffee.  

"Am I?" she asks, looking down at her cup of tea. 

"Yea..." says Erika "everything okay?" 

She almost wants to talk. To tell her about Richard but she doesn't. 

"just thinking..." she says 

"You think they're gonna do anything for his anniversary this year?" a woman asks

"they never do" 

"yea but now he's here"

Bell puts down her cup "what are you talking about?" 

"I think next week would mark..." says Erika, looking at the other girls for help "what? The 12th? 13th?-"

"15" 

"right!" says Erika "15th year since Arthur was crowned. The 15th year ruling" 

Her mouth hangs opened slightly "15 years?" she asks, shock in her voice "woah" 

Honestly, it's shocking how little she actually knows about Arthur. Shocking. 

Something else comes into her mind. She can't believe she never asked or wondered about this before. 

"How old is he?" she asks slowly "His highness" 

"he's turning 29" says Erika "the anniversary and his birthday are on the same day" 

Bell blinks at her for a second as her brain makes the calculations. Her eyes widen. 

before she says anything someone says "yea he ruled young" 

"14" someone says and Bell leans back, blown away. 

"That's very young...why?" she asks, looking around at them "his father isn't dead... Is he?" 

She knows he isn't dead but she doesn't know what they know. She's treading carefully, worried she might say something Arthur wouldn't want her to say. 

You care about him. Admit it. You can't leave him. 

She almost groans in frustration and looks up at them again only to freeze. They're all glancing around uneasily, nervousness pulsating between them. She looks at Erika, suddenly nervous herself. 

"what?" she asks slowly 

"uh..." someone says "his dad wasn't eligible to rule..."

She frowns "but he ruled for a very long time before Arthur didn't he? At least that's what I know...Arthur ruled when I was 6 I think... I just never knew how old he was when he did" 

Bell glances at Erika and she feels her heart beat racing. There's definitely something wrong. 

"Woah you're very young...I was 20 when he ruled..." Someone says but Bell isn't listening, she's watching Erika. 

"What are you not telling me?" she asks her softly...glancing around them uneasily then back at her. 

Erika sighs and shakes her head "Bell listen-"

"just tell her...everybody knows anyway"

Bell looks at the girl "tell me what?" she asks then looks at Erika "what?" 

"The previous king went crazy because of grief on his first born. Arthur's brother" a girl says impatiently, annoyed by the whole situation. Bell's mouth hangs opened 

"Arthur had a brother?" she whispers 

"Girls!" the head shouts from somewhere "Enough messing around, back to work!"

but Bell doesn't move, she's reeling from the shock. The women start to stand up 

"How did he die?" Bell asks quickly, before they leave and she doesn't get the chance to ask .

The girl sighs and says as she walks away "he didn't die. He was murdered. Arthur killed him for the throne" 

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Um...sorry?