The Crown

Chapter Sixty Six

That night, Tobias couldn't bear go back into the room where his children had fallen asleep.

He stayed outside the door, between his bedroom and the nursery. Abby stayed with them that night, mostly taking care of the twins rather than Tobias.

In the middle of the night, Abby had heard the kids cry. She went inside, dealt with them, and left the nursery when they had calmed down and began to doze off. She sighed at the sight of Tobias, who was leaning against the wall and looking straight ahead.

"Are you okay?" She asked. She didn't judge, or tell him what he was doing was wrong. She just asked how he was because she was genuinely concerned.

Tobias shook his head. "I don't know how to raise a child, let alone two. My own parents didn't even raise me all that much, how am I supposed to know what to do?"

Abby sighed, sliding on the wall to sit next to him. She leaned her head against the wall. "You, me, your wife - we're all the same age. I understand what you're going through - I had Cain when I was still in high school. His name...he was my second chance. I became a midwife, like my mother and her mother, and I married Cain's father, Pete. He was older - working, already. But he married me."

Tobias turned his head and looked at her. "My parents, they were always arguing on how my future would look like. My father wanted me to marry a rich...girl, and my mother wanted...I don't even know what she wanted for me."

"You know, everyone in this town thinks I'm completely dumb and predictable. My mother had me when she was fifteen, and my grandmother fell pregnant when she was thirteen. Our whole family is considered to be just a bunch of pregnant daughters - I tried to break the cycle, but I fell in love, and I had Cain. I'm not stupid, Toby. I'm not."

"I think it takes brains to deliver two babies in one night, Abby."

She chuckled before letting out a long sigh. "I didn't want to say anything - I didn't know whether it was true or not. I thought your wife, believe it or not, had an affair with a royalty or something."

"Why would you think that?"

"The Royal Birthmark."

His eyes widened as Tobias really looked at Abby. He searched her eyes to see if she was joking or she didn't know what she was talking about, but there was nothing in her eyes but certitude. He nodded, taking a deep breath. "You are smart. I don't understand why people think otherwise."

Abby covered her mouth getting suddenly excited. "You're a king? A prince? And your wife? I didn't see a mark on her shoulder -" she gasps. "Are you the one who had the affair? She's not royalty, is she?"

"Abby," Tobias interrupted. "You sure have a lot of questions."

"But I'm right, aren't I?"

He nodded. "Yes, you are. I'm the king of a faraway kingdom, and my wife isn't born royalty. We left because our lives were in danger, especially those of our children. We had to leave."

"All due respect, your highness, but don't show anyone your Birthmark, and don't let your children show theirs."

He patted her hand and shook her head. "Please, just call me 'Toby'. Did they both have them?"

"Both of them. On their shoulder. Just like their father," she fiddled with her fingers before looking back at him. "May I ask what happened?"

He turned to her and forced a smile. "It's a long story," he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Abby gasped silently at the Royal crest imprinted on it before he opened it. Tobias slipped out two pictures and held them in his hands.