The Crown

Chapter Sixty Nine

Tobias opened his eyes first, surprisingly. He lifted his head and smiled, watching his wife and kids sleep soundly on the bed. He kissed Nathaniel's head, who was asleep next to him, and stood up from the bed. He grabbed a robe, wrapped it around himself, and walked down the stairs.

He almost forgot that Christina was here and nearly attacked the woman sleeping on the couch. He tiptoed to the kitchen and took out some eggs to make breakfast - for once. However, even when he was trying to do something nice for his wife, he made the cucumber he was cutting fall to the floor along with the knife, causing a huge noise against the floor.

Christina opened her eyes and stood up, gasping Will's name. She rubbed her eyes, recuperating where she was, and focused on the man in the kitchen.

"Good morning." Christina said groggily.

"Did you get some sleep?"

"A little. The carriage ride was bumpy and uncomfortable - I can't wait to get back."

Tobias nodded. "Did Beatrice offer our bed?"

"Yes, but no worries I'm fine. Do you need help with breakfast?"

"No, I'm trying to surprise her. She slept in, so I figured it was a good idea to make breakfast for once."

"You know how to cook?"

"Well, no, but I'm going to try."

Christina raised a brow. "You've lived here for two years - that's kind of sad."

"I'm at work every day and Beatrice cooks."

"Still sad."

Tobias chuckled. "Fine, you can sit there at the counter and tell me what not to do."

She smiled and joined him at the kitchen, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "How is this life? Honestly. I know it's a huge change for you, and not so much for Beatrice."

"It's fine. I'm still in a castle every day - I work on security detail for the king. It's great."

"I'm sure it is, and it must be so easy for you considering the stuff you did when you were younger. You know how to use a gun too, so that's good."

Tobias gulped, remembering the last time he used a gun. She didn't mean to use it against him, but the words at left her mouth faster before she could stop them. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Will is doing a really good job as Prime Minister, Tobias. I promise. You chose the right person."

"I'm glad. He showed great leadership when I met him. Also, I'm sure his new project is going to work out just fine, and benefit future generations."

Christina smiled thinking of her husband, then returned back to their conversation. "You know, these two boys came by the castle a couple of months after you left. I think their names were Uriah and Pete, or Zeke, something like that. Anyways, they came asking about you, but we had to send them away."

Tobias' chopping became slower. He put down the knife and sighed. "They're my best friends. Uriah and Zeke."

She nodded. "I know it's hard to adjust to a new life with new people. I know. I mean, people come to me when they have questions, and I don't even the answer half the time! I'm not sure how Beatrice ever did it."

"Well, she never really had the chance. You do. You and Will can make good changes to the kingdom."

"Yeah, we will."

Tobias slid the cucumber slices onto a plate before he began to crack the eggs. He suddenly got very comfortable in Christina's presence, and found himself speaking to her about things he didn't even tell his wife. "Sometimes, I want to run away. I mean, I look at Nathan, and I see myself. And when I see myself in him, I see Marcus in me."