Chapter Text
The holiday season passed far too quickly, and before they knew it they were back to normal life. Alan continued to excel in school. His favorite lessons were the ones he spent with his brothers, but Elizabeth wasn’t surprised. They were all great teachers, eager to share their hobbies with their little brother. And it was something different. Alan’s brilliant mind loved the changes in routine, and Elizabeth had to work hard to keep him engaged.
Life went on as normal. There were less events in the start of the year, the two biggest ones being Gordon and Alan’s birthdays. She and John spent time together whenever they could, but it really wasn’t much different. They still had to hide their feelings in public, and when they were alone in the sitting room, they acted mostly the same as they always had. They had already been such good friends. Now they were just two good friends who kissed each other, and held hands whenever they could.
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The week of Scott’s birthday was a busy one. The Crown Prince’s birthday was a bigger deal than any of the others she had attended. Alan was given most of the week off of school, mainly because Elizabeth was so busy. She helped set up decorations for the party, sometimes bringing Alan to help too when all of his brothers were busy. Alan had grown so much in the last few months that he had to be fitted for a new suit, which took a good chunk out of every day. Normally, Elizabeth would have picked a new dress too, but she didn’t have time to get one made, and so decided to rewear the one she had worn to Virgil’s party. It had been long enough ago that it would be fine.
The day of Scott’s birthday was hectic. Dozens of last minute preparations were being made, and a sudden explosion of flour while passing by the kitchen forced her to take a shower when she hadn’t been intending to. John took Alan to get dressed, leaving her to change. It was the first time she had seen John all week, both of them having been so busy, but she was forced to let him go with only a quick squeeze of his hand.
Slipping on her dress, she considered her options. She could dry her hair the rest of the way, and curl it, but that would be a lot of work. It would be easier, and probably look better, if she just braided it and pinned it up. Ten minutes later, the braids were finished, and she started pinning them around her head. It was a very simple style, two braids wrapped around her head like a crown, but always looked like she had put much more work into it than she did. She straightened John’s necklace, and then headed out the door to meet the boys.
John and Alan were just coming back down the hallway when she came out, both dressed in identical black suits, ties loose around their necks. “Can you tie our ties for us, please?” John asked. He had been making her do them for months now, ever since he learned that she could. It was one thing he hated doing. She tied them quickly, and secured them around their necks, adjusting first Alan’s collar and then John’s to lay flat. And if her fingers lingered extra long on John’s neck, no one was there to complain.
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They entered the party in their usual order, while Elizabeth ducked in the side and waited in the corner as usual. Alan had gotten over his fear of asking a lady to dance, and found a partner, with a little help from his brother. Elizabeth enjoyed watching him. He was so much younger than his brothers that sometimes she forgot he was one of them, but watching his confidence, even though he was only nine, she couldn’t help but remember he was not just the little boy she was teaching. He was also every inch a prince, and a Tracy prince at that. He would grow up to be great.
Of course, as soon as the dance was finished, he and John politely left their dance partners and retreated to the corner. They may be princes, but neither of them wanted to spend too much time with the rest of the nobility. Grabbing their drinks, they settled in for an evening of people-watching.
The king was just standing up to give his usual toast, Scott standing next to him, when the wall behind them exploded, both Elizabeth and John ducking to try to shield Alan from the flying rubble. Black masked figures stormed through the gap, firing shots into the crowd of people. John tried to move both Elizabeth and Alan to safety, but they were too close. Two of the intruders towered over them, gesturing with their guns. With no choice, they filed out through the gap, John doing his best to keep his body between them and the weapons of the men behind them. People were screaming in the room behind them, and too late, security came pouring into the room. By the time there were enough security to stop the attackers, though, they were already gone.
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They were dragged out into the night and roughly shoved into a plain black van that was sitting outside. The doors closed behind them, and the tires squealed as the vehicle began moving. “Did you get him?” The driver asked.
“I saw him go down.” One of the masked intruders said. “I didn’t know if we killed him, but we definitely shot him.”
The van hit a turn, tossing its three captives across the floor. “Who did you pick up?”
“Whoever we could grab. These three were the closest. They seem to be dressed pretty well, so hopefully we can get some money from them. We can get a better look when we get back to base. For now, I’m just going to make sure none of them are going to be going anywhere.” He approached them with a coil of rope in his hands. He wasn’t terribly rough, but he was thorough. There would be no getting out of these bonds.
The two adults wedged Alan between them to keep him from rolling across the floor. “Are you okay?” Elizabeth whispered to the other two.
“I’m fine.” Alan replied bravely. “I’m a little scared, but I’m not hurt.”
“Good job, Al. We’ll be home before you know it.” John spoke proudly, but Elizabeth didn’t miss the look in his eyes. Their situation was much more serious than he was going to let on in front of his brother.
“John, are you hurt?”
“I’m okay, really. Just a bit sore. Don’t worry about me. You’re the one that’s bleeding.”
She couldn’t see it, but she could feel the stickiness running down the side of her face. A quick touch and her fingers came away with nothing more than some mostly dried blood. “I don’t think it’s too bad. It doesn’t really hurt.”
“Stop talking back there!” Came the shout from the front, and they resigned themselves to spending the rest of the ride in silence.
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It wasn’t too long before the van began to slow. They couldn’t have gone too far from the palace, but with no one even knowing they were gone, it was plenty far enough. As the doors opened they shuffled forward, and were tossed out of the car. John managed to land on his feet and catch Alan, but Elizabeth was tossed to the ground. Pushing herself to her feet was difficult with her hands bound, but she managed. They straightened up and began walking into the building in front of them, keeping Alan tucked close between them. Once they were inside, they were tossed in a small room. The sound of the door locking behind them echoed in the quiet.
They collapsed to the floor, deciding it was best to save their energy for later, John keeping himself between them and the door. That Tracy protective instinct was shining strongly again, but she could feel the tension in his back as she leaned against him. They were not in a good position. Elizabeth and Alan sat facing each other, and she attempted to untie the ropes around his wrists. Her fingers were raw and bloody by the time she gave up, with no progress to show.
As time wore on and their kidnappers had not reappeared, Alan drifted off to sleep in her lap. “Are you really okay, John?”
“I will be. Some of those chunks of rubble hit me pretty hard. I think it’s just some bad bruising. I’ve had worse.”
“When?”
“The last time I trained with Scott. He and Gordon used to be in the military, and they still like to practice every now and then. A couple of years ago Scott got it into his head that we all needed to learn to defend ourselves, and so he dragged us all down into his gym. Virgil was pretty good, actually. He’s got all the muscles, and was able to keep up. I, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as good. I’m pretty sure Alan even knocked me over a couple of times, and he was only six!”
He laughed ruefully. “Scott decided I wasn’t trying hard enough, and so made me come practice with him. By the time he finally realized I actually was trying, and just wasn’t good at it, I was black and blue. I could barely move that night, and couldn’t go out in public for two weeks, I had such a bad black eye. Dad was so mad at us, Scott never tried it again, thankfully.”
Elizabeth was laughing so hard she nearly woke Alan, but quickly sobered again. “We’re going to be okay, right? They’ll find us?”
“Of course they will. We’ve all had training on what to do if this happens. I know you have too. Our security is too well trained to fail at this. They’ve run this drill hundreds of times.”
“But how will they find us? No one knows where we are.”
“They’ll find us. I can’t tell you right now, but they have their ways. I promise, they know exactly where we are, and they’ll be here. I do hope they hurry though. I don’t want you and Alan here any longer than necessary.”
Thus reassured, Elizabeth drifted off to sleep, head on John’s shoulder.
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She startled awake as their kidnappers returned. The shafts of light shining through the window showed that it was the next morning. A quick glance at John confirmed her suspicions that he hadn’t slept at all, the dark circles under his eyes obvious. Alan stirred on her lap, but mercifully kept sleeping.
“Who are you?” The one who seemed to be the leader demanded, dragging John up by his collar. “I know I’ve seen your face before, but I can’t place it. You’d better be someone important. We’re hoping to get a good ransom out of you.” John tightened his lips and refused to answer, ignoring the well-aimed punches that landed on his ribcage as well.
After several minutes of this, the thug dropped John back to the floor. As John tried to get back up, he kicked him back down and stomped heavily on his leg. John’s cry of agony woke Alan, and he clung desperately to Elizabeth.
When even this failed to bring the answer the man wanted, he frowned. “Hmmm. This one doesn’t seem to want to talk. Let’s ask the lady, there. Maybe she wants to talk to us.”
John spat blood onto the floor, struggling to push himself upright. “Leave her alone.” He rasped.
“I don’t think so. I want to talk to her.” One of their kidnappers drew a gun and placed it to the back of John’s head.
“Well, Miss. Is there anything you want to tell me?” Elizabeth pushed Alan behind her.
She shook her head firmly. The leader stepped towards her as she slowly backed into the wall, keeping Alan as far away from him as she could. As he reached her, he pulled back and slapped her hard across the face, reopening the cut on her temple. She could feel the blood running freely, her hands coming up to cradle her face.
John tried to get to her, but the man standing behind him drew his gun back and hit him in the temple. John collapsed to the floor, and this time stayed down, blood running freely down his face.
Elizabeth remained silent. She knew she couldn’t tell these men who they were, but every part of her was screaming at allowing them to continue. “Very well. He can’t be anyone important anyways, if I don’t recognize his face. Shoot him, and then we’ll see if these two want to talk.” The man holding the gun cocked it, returning it to its place at the base of John’s skull.
“No!” Elizabeth shouted. Suddenly, the door burst open. Scott and Gordon ran into the room, both carrying guns, with a full security team right behind them. Gordon knocked the gun away from his brother’s head with a vicious kick that sounded like it broke the man’s wrist. The kidnapper crumpled to the ground, and Gordon shoved him back towards the security team in order to get to John.
Scott rushed forward towards the last standing kidnapper, who grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her in front of him, pressing a knife to her neck. “Let her go.” Scott demanded, voice low and more angry than Elizabeth had ever heard.
She could feel the man’s arm tighten around her. “No. I’m going to walk out of here. She’s coming with me until I’m clear, and then, if you guys leave me alone, I’ll let her go then.” He began edging around the room, keeping her between him and Scott.
Scott didn’t move, simply watching as he slowly moved away. ’No.’ Elizabeth thought. ‘He’s not getting away with this.’ Taking one more step, she brought her foot down hard on his, and as he crumpled, spun away. Scott’s gun went off instantly, hitting him in the arm. The knife fell to the floor, and Elizabeth ran to Scott, staying behind him as the security team fastened handcuffs on him and dragged him out.
As his shouts faded away, Scott holstered his gun and scooped the knife from the ground. The sharp blade made quick work of the ropes, and he gathered both Elizabeth and Alan into a hug the second they were free. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” He pulled back, and touched gentle fingers to the cut at her temple. “It’s not too bad.” He reassured her. “You won’t even have a mark in a couple weeks.” He pulled Alan back into his arms, standing to his feet in one swift movement.
“Gordon, can John move?”
“Yes, but he’s not going to like it.”
“Get him up. Let’s get out of here.” Gordon pulled one of John’s arms over his shoulders, ignoring his protest. They couldn’t stay for long. John needed a doctor, and they had no idea if they had captured all of the gang. There could be more arriving any moment.
Elizabeth hurried to slip under his other arm, helping him keep weight off of his injured leg. They followed Scott, who was keeping Alan’s head tucked protectively into his shoulder to keep him from seeing the carnage around them. As they emerged from the building, they could see a car running in front of them. Scott climbed in first, putting Alan down and reaching back to help maneuver John into the seat. He cried out as the movement jostled his injuries.
“Sorry, John. Let’s get you home, and then you can rest in your own bed, okay?” John nodded slowly, keeping his eyes screwed shut against the light. Elizabeth climbed into the seat next to him, letting him rest against her shoulder and trying to keep him as still as possible. She ran one hand through his hair, ignoring the blood matting it. Gordon climbed in behind them, and the car took off towards the castle.
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By the time the arrived home, the doctor was ready and waiting with a stretcher to get John inside. He was wheeled away as soon as they were inside, leaving the rest of them behind. Virgil met them on the way. They dragged some chairs into the hallways outside John’s room and settled in to wait. Scott spent most of his time on the phone, pacing up and down the hallway. Occasionally Virgil joined him, but he never shared what they were talking about. Gordon seemed to know, but it probably wasn’t something Alan needed to hear. Gordon took the time to tend to Elizabeth and Alan. He obviously had some training at it, and his movements were quick and efficient as he bandaged their wrists where the ropes had rubbed them raw and cleaned the blood off Elizabeth’s face. He taped the wound shut with some butterfly bandages, and then there was nothing left to do.
It was an hour before the doctor finally emerged from John’s room. Scott hung up his call immediately, and they all rushed to gather around him. “Can we see him?” Scott demanded.
“You can see him. He needs rest, but I think he will rest better once he sees you all. Be careful with him though. His leg was broken in two places. I’ve set it, but he absolutely cannot be allowed to put any weight on it. He also has three broken ribs, and some pretty severe bruising which will probably keep him in bed for a couple of weeks. Once that heals, I’ll get him some crutches, and he should be able to get around pretty well. He also had a mild concussion, but that should be healed by the time he’s even thinking about getting out of bed. He’ll probably have a headache for a while though, so just keep it quiet.”
As the doctor gathered up his stuff and left, they all tiptoed into John’s room. He was awake, laying on the bed, his leg propped up with pillows. His brothers rushed to him, gathering around the bed. He smiled at each of them. “How are you feeling?” Scott asked.
“Sore.” John replied. “The doc gave me some pretty strong meds, though, so it’s not too bad.” He looked around at all his brothers. “It’s good to see you all.” He seemed to realize someone was missing. “Where’s Elizabeth?”
“I’m right here.” She called from the back of the room.
Alan ran and grabbed her hand. “Come on.” He dragged her up to the bed, the brothers shifting to make room for her near John’s head. “Hey.” She said softly, running her fingers through his hair. His eyes fluttered shut.
“Thank you.” He whispered.
Seeing him start to rest, his brothers began to file out of the room. Elizabeth stood to go as well, but he grabbed her hand. “Stay? Please?”
She nodded, resuming her seat and continuing to run her fingers through his hair. Someone had washed the blood out of it, leaving it clean, but much messier than he normally allowed it to get. She combed it back into place, continuing until he fell asleep.
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Alan slept in Elizabeth’s room that night, curled up on the couch at first, but then moving to the bed in the middle of the night, after waking up from a nightmare. She allowed him to crawl as close as he wanted, humming gently until he fell asleep again. By that point, it was too close to morning for her to fall back asleep, so she spent the rest of the night journaling, her fingers playing absentmindedly with the necklace John had given her, which she rarely took off.
By the time the sun was peaking through the shades, Alan was awake again. “Can we go see John, please?” He begged.
Knowing it would probably help ease his mind, Elizabeth agreed. They both dressed quickly, and tiptoed down the hall until they reached John’s room, knocking quietly on the door. The muffled reply proved that John hadn’t been sleeping much either. Alan climbed up on the bed without hesitation, curling up next to his brother, although being careful not to jostle him. Elizabeth sat down at the head of the bed. “Good morning.” He forced a smile, but she could tell he wasn’t really feeling well.
“Good morning.” She took his hand in hers, no longer caring if Alan saw them. “How are you feeling?”
“Not great. I think the doctor left some meds somewhere around here, but I can’t get up to find them.”
Elizabeth got up to look, while Alan curled himself under John’s arm. “Hey, buddy. How are you doing?”
Alan ignored him in favor of crawling farther under the covers. John glanced over at Elizabeth. “Nightmares.” She mouthed. He nodded, not pushing his brother to talk and allowing him to simply take the comfort he needed.
Elizabeth finally came back with a couple of pills and a glass of water. “Here. Take these.” John swallowed the meds down obediently, washing them down with several swallows of water.
“Thanks.” He whispered. Leaving the water on the nightstand, Elizabeth leaned down and kissed him. He smiled up at her, leaning back into the pillows and making himself comfortable. “How are you doing?”
Elizabeth forced a smile. “I’m doing fine. I’m not hurt, thanks to you, but I don’t like seeing you hurt. I think it’s going to take some time to move on.”
John nodded. “Me too.”
A knock at the door rang out again. “Who is it?” John called.
“Me, John, and Virgil and Gordon. Can we come in? We need to talk.”
“Come in.” John pushed himself up on the pillows slightly, as his brothers filed into the room. They all looked incredibly serious.
“Oh, good. Elizabeth’s here too. You need to know this as well.” Alan peeked his head out from under the covers, and seeing his brothers, crawled off the bed and ran to Scott. Scott scooped him up in his arms.
“Hey Allie. Hey, I need to tell you something, and I need you to be brave, okay?” Alan nodded solemnly.
“The attack the other night. They weren’t aiming to kidnap you guys. They really came for something else.”
John sat up farther. “Scott?”
“Dad is dead.” Scott said solemnly. “That’s what they came for. They shot him through the heart. He died instantly.”
“Dead?” John gasped. “Wow. That’s…hard to believe. I guess that makes you King now, Scott. How does that feel?”
Scott shook his head. “It’s weird. It’s definitely going to take some getting used to.”
“When’s the coronation?”
“I don’t know yet. We have to have the funeral first, and we can’t have that until you’re able to attend. I guess we’ll have to see what the doctor says and go from there.”
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When the doctor arrived, he kicked them all out of the room while he talked to John. Alan refused to let Scott put him down, and Scott didn’t force him. “I wanted to talk to you, Elizabeth, if you have a minute?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Elizabeth dropped into an elaborate curtsey, which drew a laugh from Scott.
“Please, never do that again.” He begged, laughing for a moment, until he turned serious again. “I wanted to thank you for taking care of Alan. And to apologize. You never should have been put in that position. It should never have happened. I am making sure that something like that can never happen again. And I truly am sorry.”
“Scott.” Elizabeth said gently, laying her hand on his arm. “This is not your fault. There is nothing you could have done to prevent it, and no one blames you. In fact, you were the one who came to save us. Not only is it not your fault, but you were the one who fixed the problem.”
Scott sighed. She could tell he didn’t fully believe her, but maybe John could talk some sense into him later. “I do have a question, though. How did you find us so fast? I was expecting it to be days, at least.”
“John is the one who should tell you about that. He’s the one who designed it, after all.”
“Designed what?” She was cut off by the doctor reappearing in the hall.
“Is he doing okay, Doctor?” Scott asked anxiously.
“He’s doing fine. Make sure he keeps taking the medicine I left him whenever he needs it. His ribs should be healed enough to allow him to start getting up for short periods in a week, but he shouldn’t be up for too long. I’ll be back next week to see how he’s progressing, but I would guess two weeks and he should be able to be up and about on crutches.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Alan wiggled out of Scott’s arms and ran back into John’s room. Scott walked out with the doctor, while Elizabeth followed Alan. He was curled back under his brother’s arm. She smiled at the sight. “I think he’s going to be extra cuddly for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to sleep with you tonight.”
Alan stuck his head out of the blankets. “Can I, John? Please?”
John laughed. “Not tonight. The doctor says I need one more night to heal before I do anything like that. Tomorrow night you can sleep with me.”
“Okay.” Alan burrowed back into his spot. “Can I sleep with you tonight, Elizabeth?”
“Of course.” Elizabeth resumed her seat at the head of the bed. “What are we going to do today? I don’t think any of us are up to doing much.”
Alan burst back out of the covers. “Movie marathon!” He shouted, bouncing on the bed. John winced at the jostling, and Alan settled quickly. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, bud. I know you didn’t mean it. And I think a movie marathon is a great idea. Especially if we can have some popcorn.”
Both boys turned pleading eyes on her, and she laughed. “I’ll go make it.”
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By the time Elizabeth returned with the popcorn, the bed had been transformed into the perfect movie-watching spot, dozens of extra pillows stacked everywhere, blankets laying ready for whenever they were needed. She left the bowls on the nightstand and returned a minute later with more bowls of candy and pretzels, as well as bottled drinks. Alan cheered when he saw all the snacks.
He settled himself into his spot, gathering his bowls and drinks around him. Elizabeth helped John find a comfortable position leaning back against some pillows, and wedged a few pillows under his leg to keep it elevated. Placing a few bowls within his reach, she climbed onto the bed next to him, twining his fingers with hers. With the king dead, there was no reason to hide their relationship from Alan any longer.
Alan started the movie, and was soon engrossed in the plot. Elizabeth turned to John. “Scott said you designed whatever it is that let them find us so quickly. What was he talking about?”
“Unfortunately, this isn’t the first kidnapping this family has experienced. Scott was taken, years ago, and it took a week to find him. After that, I resolved not to let it happen again. It took me six months to design a tracker small enough to conceal, but powerful enough that it could be found over long distances and couldn’t be jammed. Once I finished it, I made one for everyone. They’re hidden in our watches. That’s why we never take them off. Alan has two. Since he’s too young to really wear a watch all the time, his leather bracelet has one in it as well.”
“Wow.” Elizabeth said. “I’m glad you did. That probably saved our lives.”
“I wanted to give you one too, but didn’t feel good about doing it without your knowledge, and I didn’t have permission to share their existence yet. There is a spot in your necklace specifically designed for it to fit, though. If you’ll let me, I can install it tonight. It would be easy to do from my bed.”
Elizabeth unfastened the chain from her neck, handing it to him. “Don’t break it, though. I love that necklace, and I don’t want to lose it.”
“I promise.” The two of them settled down to watch the movie, engrossing themselves in the story and attempting to forget the last couple of days.
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It was two days before Elizabeth got her necklace back, it having taken John longer than he had thought to secure the tracker. Even though she knew it was there, Elizabeth couldn’t find a difference.
Alan was still alternating between sleeping with her and John, but had finally managed to sleep through the night. John was feeling much better. His ribs were healing faster than had been expected, and he was starting to chafe under the enforced inactivity.
Preparations for the funeral and coronation were proceeding rapidly. Most of the damage to the castle had already been repaired. The king had been placed in a casket which was laid out in the cathedral, and people were coming from miles around to pay their last respects. The boys were still struggling with it. He may not have been a great father, but he was still their father, and except for Alan, they could all remember the time he had been a good father.
Alan and Elizabeth spent most of their time with John, Alan refusing to go anywhere by himself. He was still struggling, but with time and care, was slowly returning to the energetic boy they knew. John was allowed out of bed for the first time the day before the funeral, and he happily took advantage of his new mobility. He didn’t go far, just down the hall to the sitting room, but the exertion brought some color to his cheeks, and the change of scenery did him good.
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The funeral was an elaborate affair. Thousands of people were crowding the streets, hoping to catch one last glimpse of their dead monarch. Inside the church, everyone was dressed in black. The only scrap of color visible was the aquamarine of Elizabeth’s necklace, which she now had an excuse to never take off. They all sat soberly, Alan between her and John, as the priest prayed.
When the service was over, they all filed out of the church, Alan holding tightly to Elizabeth’s hand. They followed the casket into the royal burial grounds, where, with one last prayer, it was lowered into the ground and covered. They stood there for some time after everyone else had left, gathering together as a family to deal with their loss. Alan, tired of being grown-up, badgered Scott until he picked him up and started carrying him back towards the castle, everyone else following behind.
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Two weeks later, John was fully healed aside from his leg, and he had learned how to be quite agile on his crutches. The injuries and the forced inactivity had taken their toll, however, and he tired easily. He would need to work his way back up to full strength, but that would be hard to do until his leg had fully healed.
Alan was much better. He was no longer having as many nightmares, although he still preferred to sleep with someone rather than in his own bed. He was able to be by himself during the day, though, which was a big improvement. He wasn’t left alone much, though. All of his brothers were taking advantage of the fact that until the coronation, they didn’t have many responsibilities or events to attend, and they were spending as much time as possible with him. Gordon took him swimming every day, which Scott often joined. Virgil took him into his studio, and they would come out hours later covered in paint. John was still down for most of the day, but was able to come down and watch them swim, or join them in the evenings in the sitting room.
It was one of those evenings when Alan saw them kiss for the first time, and after the appropriate amount of gagging, he sat down and let them talk about it. “Does that mean Elizabeth is going to be my sister?” He asked excitedly.
“Maybe someday.” She answered. “There’s a few things that would need to happen first, but know that whatever happens, I’ll always love you.” He curled up on her lap, pushing John away.
John laughed at his antics, giving the boy space to get the comfort he needed. “We’ll both love you, kiddo.” He promised, reaching out and ruffling his hair.
Alan pulled away and made a face, then jumped down from the couch to go play with his cars. John slid back into his stolen spot. Elizabeth took the chance to grab his hand, twisting their fingers together. “I love you, John Tracy.” She whispered in his ear.
His smile grew impossibly wider. “I love you too, Elizabeth Kelley.”
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The coronation was a much more celebratory affair than their last event. Scott and Gordon were in their dress uniforms, and every one else was in their very best suits. Elizabeth wrangled Alan and John into their suits. John was still on crutches, but was able to go a decent distance before needing a break, so they had decided to go ahead with the ceremony. Elizabeth had helped with as many of the preparations as possible, trying to take some of the load off of Scott.
The chapel was decorated again, this time with colorful flowers and ribbons. Everyone was in their best dresses, and the crowd was filled with color. As Scott walked slowly down the aisle, everyone stood and watched, complete silence filling the church. He knelt when he reached the front, and the rest of the room either sat or knelt as well as the priest began to pray a blessing on his new reign.
The oaths were said, the crown was raised, and Scott was officially King of Keddwin. He turned to face the assembled crowd, and the cheering began, ringing from the rafters of the church. The bells began tolling, and throughout the city, each church began to ring their own bells, as the shouting spread into the streets. Scott walked down the aisle again, and the cathedral doors opened to allow the people to see their new king. The cheering was nearly overwhelming.
Scott left the church in an open carriage, and took the long way back to the castle, giving the people a chance to see their new king. Everyone else began walking back, Alan running on ahead with Gordon and Virgil. As they arrived back at the castle, John went around the building instead of inside, ending up in the gardens. Elizabeth followed him, content to spend the time they had together.
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They wandered through the gardens for a while, the irregular rhythm of John’s crutches keeping time with her steps. It was a gorgeous day. They sky was clear and blue, the temperature perfect for being outside.
They reached a bench eventually, and John took a seat, setting his crutches down by his side. He leaned back, closing his eyes and allowing the sunlight to fall on his face. Once Elizabeth sat next to him, he tipped sideways and dropped his head into her lap. She instinctively began to run her fingers through his hair, and he let out a quiet sigh.
“I haven’t been sleeping well.” He admitted, eyes still firmly closed. “Every night, I dream of you or Alan injured or dead, because I wasn’t fast enough, wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t good enough. I wake up, and I can’t go back to sleep. Every time I close my eyes at night, I see it. But here, with you, I can relax.”
She continued to card her flingers through his hair. “I’ve been getting them too. It’s better when Alan sleeps with me, but most nights I dream. The only thing that helps is my necklace. It reminds me I’m safe, reminds me of you. I feel safer when I’m with you, though.”
“We’ll get better. In time, it will be better.” John said confidently. “But for now…”
He sat up, then dropped off the bench onto one knee, his injured leg held carefully behind him.
“Elizabeth Katherine Kelley, I love you and I can’t think of anyone I would rather spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?”
Elizabeth dropped to her knees beside him, wrapping him in her arms. “Yes. Of course. Yes.”
As she helped him back to his feet and passed him his crutches, he pulled a ring out of his pocket. It was simple, a gold band set with diamonds in an infinity pattern, with a larger diamond in the middle. She held out her hand and allowed him to slip it on. As he did, his brothers emerged from the trees behind him, clapping as they ran to hug them both. “Congratulations.” Scott said, echoed by Virgil and Gordon.
Alan grabbed her hand in his and pulled it down to look at the ring. “Now you will be my sister.” He announced matter-of-factly. “That’s good. I like that.”
They all laughed, hugging each other tightly, excited to be together as a family. All of them together.
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Later that day, the staff received news of the next event they had to prepare for: this time, a wedding.