Astoria

s i x t y - o n e

They wore black, all of them.

The people gathered in the courtyard on that day had donned their best clothes, the dark colors reflecting their mood.

Jonathan stood before everyone, his face set in a frown and his eyes staring blankly ahead as if he were having a hard time processing things. A black cloak fastened around his shoulders added to his morose, grief-stricken look. Next to him, Olivya stood, her shoulders slumped and her hand on Jonathan's arm. Therese and Catherine stood nearby, and Therese slipped her hand into her sister's for comfort. She occasionally brought a handkerchief up behind her veil to dab at her eyes.

Kade stood ramrod straight. He had returned just in time to hear the news. He was decked out in black pants, a black shirt and vest, and a black cloak similar to Jonathan's. He had his arm protectively around his wife's shoulders. He glanced at her and pulled her even closer, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Isabella leaned her head against Kade's shoulder. She had given up on trying to wipe away her tears with her already soaked handkerchief and they now flowed freely down her cheeks.

Behind the members of the royal family, a little boy in a chair wore his new black suit for a much more subdued occasion than he had pictured himself wearing it for when he had received it. A small, gray puppy lay in his lap, its head on its paws.

Samantha and Prissy each held one of their mother's hands and even Jade found herself struggling not to let tears escape her eyes.

Behind them, Meredith stood, completely still. She felt that she was in a state of shock. Inside, she was broken apart, the grief pulling at her mind and heart. On the outside, however, she found herself unable to cry, in that state where grief is so deep that tears seem something too trivial to express the pain. So she stared forward, her face pale and her eyes wide.

Antony was the only one who did not fit with the picture of grief that had been painted for this day. He wore the finest clothes of a king, his boots were polished, and the scarlet cloak of Astoria rested across his shoulders, fastened with a gold clasp. His hair, usually towseled, was perfectly in place and the gold band he wore gleamed even in the gray daylight.

Looking at him, one might think he were simply sleeping...

One might not think that this day, this grief, was for him.

And yet...they were unable to ignore the fact that they looked upon his casket.

And Antony was gone.

The people grieved their king.

Olivya grieved her grandson.

Therese grieved her nephew.

Catherine grieved the man who had finally forced her to see some sense and showed her the way back to her sister and her niece.

Isabella grieved her cousin, the one who had grown up with her, the one with whom she had shared good times and bad. The one who welcomed her to the palace even after her innocence had been stolen and most kings would worry for their reputation.

Kade grieved his best friend.

Jonathan grieved his brother, who had used some of his last words to forgive him.

Nash grieved the friend who had given him the opportunity to ride a horse and who had helped him see that life was not over simply because of an injury.

Samantha and Prissy grieved the king who had taken them from Dunkirk and kept them safe and protected during the time Nash was missing.

Jade grieved the baby she had held, long ago, the first time Saraya had attended a party with her new son. She grieved the blonde little boy who had hidden behind his father at every party after Saraya's death. She grieved the man who had showed up at her door one day to offer her protection and refuge in the time her son was missing. She grieved the man who she knew had given her oldest daughter so much happiness.