Princess Darrel Crawley | A Downton Abbey Fanfiction

Chapter Forty-Five | Abdicating?

"Sebastian, de que estas hablando? ¿Quieres abdicar? ¿Has perdido la cabeza?" JF demanded.    
"Lower your voice," Sebastian pleaded. "And can we keep this discussion in English? I don't want the guards to overhear us. They might tell my parents before I have the chance to."
   JF let out a heavy sigh, crossed his arms over his chest and walked over to his cousin. Sebastian sat up in a more alert position, attempting to keep his head clear from all the alcohol in his system.
   "Have you lost your mind?" JF repeated. "You want to abdicate?"
   "Yes," Sebastian nodded.
   "Why?"
   "I love Darrel, and I want to be there for her. If I become the King of Spain, I am worried that I won't have enough time for her. You've seen my parents, they hardly speak to each other."
   "Isn't that because our grandparents forced Aunt Sofía to marry Uncle Manuel? They don't have what you have with Darrel. You have a real relationship."
   "That's besides the point."
   "No, it's not. You two love each other...it's almost sickening. You will make time for each other."
   Sebastian shrugged as he scratched his head in a distracted manner.
   "Think of all the good things you will do for Spain once you become its king," JF reminded. "You've worked so hard, especially over the past few years. It's obvious that you're passionate about improving our country. You have an incredible vision, and you might turn out to be the best king we've ever had."
   "Do you want to know why I worked so hard?" Sebastian replied. "I was trying to distract myself from Darrel. I kept busy so I wouldn't spend all my time thinking about her."
   "Well you have her now. So what's your problem?"
   "You thought I worked hard because I cared for our country, and I had a vision. I love Spain, but I couldn't care less about becoming King. As long as I have Darrel, I could be a servant."
   JF groaned as he sat down next to his cousin. He glanced around the room to see if he could spot the hidden flask, but was unsuccessful.
   "Have you spoken to Darrel about this?" JF inquired.
   "I didn't have a chance," Sebastian said. "I wanted to do it tonight, but then the guards made such a fuss. It didn't seem like a good time."
   "This revelation of yours means that she will become the Queen of England. Are you sure she'll be okay with that?"
   "I know she won't be. That's why I'm going to suggest that we elope."
   "Alright, now I know that you've lost your mind. Did you drink too much? Or did you experience a blow to the head?"
   "She doesn't care for titles, or becoming Queen. She won't mind throwing it all away."
   "She would also be throwing her family away, as would you. Where would you even go? She would need to leave England. And Uncle Manuel would never let you back into Spain without throwing you in prison for betraying the family."
   "I didn't think that far ahead..."
   "It doesn't sound like you gave these plans any thought at all."
   Sebastian let out a defeated sigh, so JF placed a supportive hand on the prince's shoulder.
   "I understand that this must be hard for you," JF nodded. "I'm not in your shoes, and even I find titles tiring. But both of you turning your backs on your countries is not the answer."
  "Then what is?" Sebastian snapped.
"One of you needs to become the next monarch. If you're determined to abdicate, which I don't approve of, you need to speak to Darrel as soon as possible. Let her know that she might need to be the next Queen of England."
   "What if she wants to leave me?"
   "Then you'll need to decide what's more important. Do you love Darrel more than you hate your title and duty?"
   Sebastian gave his cousin a sad nod and buried his head into his hands. JF wrapped an arm around him, resting his head on the future king's shoulder. The cousins got a shock from what happened next: Sebastian began to cry. At a young age, the boys learned that by showing emotions, they were also showing their weaknesses. JF held onto Sebastian even tighter, as if he never wanted to let go.
   At last, Sebastian's tears subsided and he pulled away. His older cousin gave him a firm pat on the back then got to his feet so he could face him.
   "You will figure this out," JF assured. "You always do."
   "Not this time," Sebastian sighed. "I'm in way too deep."   
   "Don't say that. You love Darrel, and you'll make it through. I don't think I've ever seen such a devoted couple."
   "The only couples you've ever seen are my parents and my many flings over the years."
   JF shrugged, knowing that he could not come up with a compelling counterargument.
   "If I told you something, do you promise to not tell anybody else?" Sebastian requested
   "My lips are sealed...is that the English saying? Sealing ones lips seems painful," JF commented.   
   Sebastian chucked as he nodded.
   "Darrel proposed to me so that she would be able to abdicate once we're married," Sebastian explained.
   "What?" JF gasped. "Why didn't you tell me this? That is a crucial detail!"
   "We didn't want anyone to know."
   "How can you even think about abdicating knowing this? She won't marry you if you're the one that abdicates."
   "We don't know that."
   "Yes, we do. She's only marrying you because you can get her out of her current position."
   "She loves me."
   "I know she does. But she wouldn't want you to turn your back on your family and Spain."
   "You can't read her mind!"
   "Then go talk to her instead of fighting with me."
   Sebastian shrugged.
   "Sebastian, listen to me," JF requested. "I don't know what's going on through your mind, but Darrel hates her duties as a princess far more than you hate yours."
   "That's why I'll suggest that we elope," Sebastian reminded.
   "Do you want to live the rest of your lives as a scandalous couple?"
   "No...I couldn't put her through that. So what do I do?"
   "Talk to her. Let Darrel know how you feel about becoming King. I don't think it will end with you abdicating...but if you're honest, then she'll be there to support you. Trusting each other is the key to a successful relationship...so I've heard."
   Sebastian gave him a nod.
   "Thank you," Sebastian smiled, "you're a good cousin."
   "I know that I am," JF smirked.
   "You're also very humble."
   "Humble?"
   "Humilde."
   "Ah..."
   "For what it's worth, you would be an excellent king."
   "I'm excellent at everything I do."
   Sebastian rolled his eyes and gave his older cousin a playful nudge, which JF returned. Although his was less playful and he accidentally shoved him off the bed.
   "Te odio," Sebastian glared, as he stood up.
   "Te quiero," JF smirked.
   Sebastian grinned.
   "I should go," JF informed. "You need to get some sleep."
   "I'm still the prince," Sebastian reminded. "You can't boss me around."
   "Watch me."
   The cousins hugged each other goodnight. JF ruffled the prince's hair then headed for the door, but stopped as they heard a yell come from down the hall.
   "What was that?" JF exclaimed.
   "Come on," Sebastian replied.

   They left the bedroom, but the guards stopped them from continuing down the hall.
   "¿Que esta pasando?" Sebastian demanded.
   "Aún no lo sabemos. Deberías quedarte aquí por ahora," one of the guards replied.
   "Tengo que saber que esta pasando."
   "The guards are right," JF informed, putting a hand on his cousin's arm to stop him. "You're the prince, and if something bad happened, you can't risk getting hurt."   
   "But..."
   "There are other guards who will figure out what happened, and will let us know."
   Sebastian tore away from JF and raced down the hall. JF swore in Spanish then went after him, followed by the guards.
   They arrived outside Darrel's bedroom, to find the rest of the family gathered around. The princess sat on the ground, blood trickling down the side of her face.
   "Darrel, are you alright?" Sebastian gasped, kneeling next to her. "What happened?"
   "Someone threw a brick through her highness' window," Allen informed.

Will Darrel be alright? Will Sebastian open up? Stay tuned to find out...
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