Don't Worry
It was 1 am, the sky pitch black and devoid of stars.
The castle was silent, every room so quiet that if you dropped a thumbtack on the floor it would sound as loud as an atom bomb going off.
Every room in the vast castle was completely dark and silent......except for Marcy’s.
The ten year old was under her bedsheets, the bright screen of her Nintendo was the only light source she had as she stared intently at the screen, tapping away and pressing the buttons as she finally got to the next level of her game, a triumphant smile making its way across her face.
She was just about to get into the next level when she heard yelling upstairs. She paused the game, raising an eyebrow as she got out from under her bedsheets. She couldn’t make out who it was-one voice sounded female and one male-but she thought she could make out a few words.
Bad decision, mistake,time, Marcy.....
Marcy felt her blood go cold.
Marcy?
Were they talking about her?
Why?
What had she done?
She slowly got out of bed,going out of her room and slowly creeping down the hall, trying her best not to trip on anything as her eyes adjusted to the dark and the shadows.
She saw light emanating from a room on her left, and slowly made her way towards it, hiding behind the door. She saw King Andrias standing near a blazing fireplace, pinching his temple in frustration as Lady Olivia ranted to him, pacing around the floor.
”She's unfit in every way! She’s unbearably clumsy, completely oblivious! Her lack of social skill is almost laughable!-“
“She is a child! Children learn and develop-“
“You ALWAYS say that and yet she still has not improved!”
“Her studies have improved!”
“Good academics do not always translate to good rulership!! She may be well learned in history and customs but that is only a FRACTION of what a ruler must know if they are to keep the kingdom stable!!”
“ Marcy WILL learn the other things she needs to learn,granted you teach her properly!”
“I am! I AM TRYING your majesty really I am, but when it comes to social interactions, the ways of diplomacy,connecting with the people, heading royal meetings and discussing plans, public speaking.....she just FAILS MISERABLY! Can you imagine putting the whole of Amphibia in her hands?!? She’d destroy everything you’ve worked for! Undo everything you’ve done for our land!!”
Andrias sighed agitatedly, pinching his temple harder.
”...Can’t you find someone else? Someone more suitable?!? Go to the universities, maybe even the common people could produce a young newt or frog, maybe if anything else a toad worthy of the throne-“
“No. Marcy will be my heir. She is slowly but surely learning royal protocol and duties, she’s getting prepared for her position......if we brought in someone else it’d send everything into disarray!”
“Well not that much!”
“Yes that much! We’ve spent four years schooling that girl and we can NOT just throw it all away! All that time,effort.....and what about the girl? What would we do with her?”
“Send her back to her world,where she belongs!”
“We don’t know how to send her back!We've been unable to find the magic box she’d told us about, and as far as I know, she’s the only living human to ever come here, and unless we find a way to get her back safely......then.......she stays here.”
“What about her family? Did the girl not mention she had parents?”
Marcy felt her heart twist.
Her parents.
Shed almost forgotten about them.
She remembered her last times with them - their arguments, the sudden split, her father drinking and her mother becoming distant......she wondered if they missed her.
If they even noticed she’d gone missing.
Maybe they hadn’t.
Maybe they were happier without her.
Maybe they’d even gotten back together and were happy now without her in the way of everything.
Maybe.......maybe she was just a burden to everyone.
Everyone on her world and in this one.
She sank down, her back to the door as she heard more of King Andrias and Lady Olivia’s conversation.
``Well,I......I don’t know about them, but you’d think if they actually cared for her they’d have watched over her more carefully!”
“Oh for Frogs sake! Do you honestly think that raising a child is that black and white?!? You can’t always watch over them, they need to learn for themselves and you need to be there for them when they need it! Something YOU haven’t been doing sir!”
“...Excuse me?!?”
He raised his voice, Marcy cowering behind the door.
He seemed so scary now.....
”You hardly spend an ounce of time with the child every day! Always tending to your royal duties or out galavanting about in town or shutting yourself up in the basement to play games with some of your friends while expecting her to learn everything from me!! YOU ARE the king, and she’s your chosen successor! You should be showing her everything she needs to know! Not me!!”
Andrias looked away.
”...This conversation ends now.”
“King Andrias-“
“NOW!”
He slammed his fist down on a table,the whole thing smashing into smithereens as soon as his fist collided with it.
Marcy shrunk into herself, clapping a hand to her mouth so she wouldn’t scream.
Lady Olivia jumped back, terror flashing in her eyes, then slowly regaining her composure,her eyes cold.
”As.you.wish.”
She then left, briskly walking down the halls, not noticing Marcy.
Andrias took a few moments to breathe,calming down, then heard small, scared sounds coming from behind the door. He slowly walked over, moving the door to reveal a shivering,whimpering Marcy.
”Marcy?” He asked,surprised,wondering how long she’d been there.
Marcy jumped, her breathing speeding up along with her heartbeat.
”Uh-uh-UHUH-“
She couldn’t speak.She was terrified.
What if he got angry at her? What if he hurt her? He was big enough that all he had to do was grab her head between two fingers and twist till her neck broke like a toothpick.
”Now just how long have you been here?!” He asked,kneeling down.
Marcy immediately scooted father away, backing herself into the wall,tears in her eyes. Andrias slowly moved his hand towards her, palm open.
”Child, what ever is the matter?”
He sounded concerned, gentle.......But Marcy was still scared.
Andrias slowly reached out,Marcy yelping and hugging her knees to her chest and hiding her face in her knees.
Was he going to hurt her?!?
She felt the pad of his index finger gently brush the top of her head, slowly stroking her hair.
”Marcy?”
He didn’t sound angry, or threatening. Marcy looked up, her entire body still shaking. She slowly got up, her knees giving way as soon as she did, King Andrias catching her. Marcy grabbed hold of his hand, slowly moving into his hand and sitting down, head resting in her knees as he got up, carrying her back to her room.
”...How much of that conversation did you hear?”
Marcy shuddered.”......None of it....”
He raised an eyebrow.
”Marcy, you need to be honest.”
“.......Lady Olivia saying that I shouldn’t be your successor....”
“Hm,I see....Don’t....worry about her......I’ll deal with her......she just needs a little more faith in you is all....I have faith in you,you know.”
He smiled at her.She nodded, still quivering as he set her down on her bed, Marcy immediately going back under the covers,hoping to quell the shivers. She hugged her caterpillar close as Andrias sat down next to her bed,sighing.
”I’m sorry you had to hear all of that nonsense.....Just don’t worry about it,I’ll make sure that everything will be alright,I promise .”
He patted her head with his finger, then got up and left, leaving Marcy alone in the darkness of her room.
Marcy sighed, sniffling and holding back tears of fear and bitterness.
Another promise......another promise of a long list of promises that had yet to be fulfilled.
”Don’t make promises when you can’t keep them.....” she mumbled softly, hugging her caterpillar close and going under the sheets, welcoming the darkness and warmth as she closed her eyes and hoped for sleep to come and take her soon.