Chapter 7- Andrew

-Andrew- “Are you alright?” Grandma Cora asks. I shrug, sipping on the cup of hot cocoa that she made for me. “I… I don’t know.” She nods, sitting in a chair across from me. “Well, you don’t have to talk about it, but I’m here if you decide to.” “They told me I’m not allowed to be outside alone,” I sigh. “Thanks for letting me hide out here.” Grandma Cora smiles at me. “You’re always welcome here. They want you to be safe.” I’m well aware that I’m not allowed to wander the woods alone for my safety. Hiding at my old great-grandmother’s house isn’t what they meant. They should have been clearer, though. I like that Grandma Cora doesn’t talk all the time. She doesn’t constantly ask me questions. She doesn’t tell me what to do. Being around her is easier sometimes, even if she is a little crazy. “Can I ask you something?” I ask her. She nods, sticking her finger into the whipped cream of her cocoa and licking it off. “Are you crazy?” She laughs. “A bit.” “Have you always been?” She looks up at me and smiles. She doesn’t look offended by my questions, and I like that. “No, Andrew. I’ve not always been crazy. Broken bonds will do that.” “Did you take what that recipe in the box was for? Dad and Grandpa tried to hide it before I read it, but I saw enough.” She sighs. “I didn’t, but that’s what was given to my mate. We tried to fix our bond, but it wasn’t enough. The longer we stayed away, the more it affected my mind. Then he died. How crazy can you be if you know you’re crazy, though?” She has a point. “So maybe you aren’t crazy. What does it feel like?” She smiles brightly. “No one has ever asked me that before. It feels like my brain is fuzzy, but it’s different every day. Sometimes I can’t remember things. Sometimes things in my mind are there, but it’s like they’re out of reach. I cry… a lot. Not because I’m sad, but it just feels like the right thing to do.” “What about your tea pot crown?” I ask. “My mom was really worried after you called it that.” Grandma Cora laughs, and her eyes sparkle. “My mate had it made for me. Queen Judith made me drink tea from a silver teapot. She made my maid serve it, and wouldn’t even let her wear gloves. I hated the damn thing, so when Joseph killed her, he took the teapot and had it melted down and made it into a crown. The silver is covered, of course, but that’s how I got my teapot crown.” I can’t help but smile at that. She’s so happy talking about it, and her mind is definitely clear right now. She’s not confused in the least bit, and I am certain that’s something that actually happened. “Do you just sit in here alone and wear it?” “Sometimes,” she says with a mischievous smile. “Your Grandpa Joseph wasn’t a terrible guy. He just wasn’t raised by people who knew how to love. Well, that’s not exactly true, either. I think his father was the first one to want to be different. He tried, but he failed.” I sigh softly. “I don’t know how much any of them changed. They told me tonight that Grandpa Peter killed Mom’s brothers.” Her lips form a thin line before she slowly nods. “So now you know the truth. How do you feel about what you know?” “He shouldn’t have done that,” I tell her. “Obviously,” she says. “But I asked how you feel about it, not if what he did was wrong.” I pause and take a long sip of the cocoa. I don’t think I know how I feel about it. I’m so confused, so that’s what I tell her. “I’m too confused to have a feeling about it. I get why they didn’t tell us, but I think we should have known.” “How did you feel about your Grandpa Peter before they told you?” “I loved him,” I tell her, not having to think for a second about it. “I mean, I still do. But how could he do that? Why? They explained a little bit, but not enough for it to make sense.” She nods. “They like to do that. It isn’t good, though. Trust me. If you want more information, then go demand it from them.” “They won’t tell me.” “They won’t tell fifteen-year-old Andrew who can’t decide how to feel about it,” she agrees. “But, they will tell the heir to the throne who holds his head high and demands answers. You’re becoming a man, and you need to remind them of that.” I get what she’s saying, but I don’t know if I can do that. It’s not like most kids who stroll into their dad’s room and ask for something. I’m dealing with the king and the former king. One of whom apparently has no issue with killing kids. I think that’s illegal, too! I look at my grandma, who is sticking her finger into the whipped cream again. It’s so strange, and I begin to see what I heard Grandma Audrey say about her. “Mom’s worried about you. She said you’re not acting like you used to,” I tell Grandma Cora. She smirks. “Why should I? I’m not the queen now, and I hated it when I was. I finally got a taste of the good life, living out in the woods and being normal. I don’t ever want to go back to being stuffy and worrying about appearances again.” “That does sound nice,” I agree. “You’re a good young man, Andrew,” Grandma Cora smiles. “You’ll find your mate, and with any luck, you’ll never worry about appearances when you’re with her. You’ll find a balance of what you show her, and what you show the kingdom.” “Did Grandpa Joseph ever find a balance?” “No,” she says sadly. “He never really let Peter see a softer side of him, or Lucas. I know you’re upset about what Peter did, but try to give him a little break. You don’t know what it was like for him growing up here.” Grandma Cora and I talk until I finally feel brave enough to speak to Grandpa Peter. I walk back up to the palace, planning to go find him. I don’t have to, though, because he’s sitting on a bench outside. “I thought you might have more questions for me,” he says as I approach. I nod and sit beside him. I’ve had so many questions running through my mind that I don’t know where to begin. One has stood out more than any of the others, though. “Why didn’t you kill my mom?” Grandpa looks shocked to hear my words, but to my surprise, he doesn’t shy away from answering. “I didn’t know she existed. Your Pops had a mate, a mate we all thought was his true mate. They had the three boys, and I banished him. I had no clue he’d found his true mate and had a daughter with her.” Grandpa sighs, rubbing his hands on his legs uncomfortably. “Your mom asked me one time if I would have killed her had I known about her. I won’t lie to you, Andrew. I would have.” “All because you thought you’d lose the throne?” I ask. “Prophecies are dangerous. You get just a tiny sliver of information, and that’s it. There is so much more to it. I wanted to do anything to prevent Benjamin’s offspring from taking the throne, because if they were on the throne, it meant my own son wasn’t.” I nod slowly, beginning to understand. “But the prophecy was about Mom.” “It was about your mom,” he says. “And I f****d so much up over something that still happened. And I’m glad it still happened. I love your mom, and I’m so glad we have you kids. This is a life I never could have dreamed of having. But I caused a lot of pain for a lot of people, and I have to live with that.” “But you and Pops are friends,” I say. “I don’t understand how.” Grandpa looks away from me. “I’m honestly not sure how, either. We weren’t friends at first, that’s for sure. Then Jacob attacked you, and we set it aside to keep you all safe. You were more important. After that, I took your uncle Calvin around to find his mate. It became complicated, and Pops came with us. We set it aside for Calvin because he needed our help. “Then more pups came. Goddess, there have been so many of you guys! He came to visit once, and we sat down and decided we were done with it. It was his idea not to tell you.” “Why?” I ask. “Because,” Pops says, walking up behind us. “You are the heir to the throne, and as much hate as I had for Peter, I knew you’d need him. Your job will not be easy, and one of the hardest lessons for anyone with any power to learn is that all actions have consequences.”