A gloomy cloud filled the skies of Lioncrest. Every worker and breadwinner stopped whatever they were doing for the day, taking this free time to attend their beloved King's funeral.
Almost every single one attended. Be it a child, a single mother, or even the Lioncrest merchants who were far away in the distant lands immediately came back to attend as soon as they heard the news.
The entire plaza was cleared out. No shopping stalls or stands, nor any bystanders. This will be where the King will be buried, at the center of the kingdom, where its heart lies.
While the previous Kings were buried in a special place behind the royal castle and tended by servants every day, Maximus had always wanted to be as close as he could to his people even after death.
At the center, where the fountain stands, there is a highly intricate statue of Maximus, standing proudly with a flag in one hand and a sword in the other; the flag bears the Lioncrest mark. The statue was recently carved and sculpted by the combined work of all the greatest sculptors in the Kingdom, they took 3 whole days without a wink of sleep just to finish the statue.
And in front of the statue, a hole has been dug, big enough for the King's coffin to fit.
Surrounding the fountain were the royal family, knights, close friends, high officials, and some nobles. Along with priests and the pope to commemorate the death of the King.
Outside of their circle, a few more distance were the citizens of the Kingdom, faces filled with tears and bloodshot eyes. Some whimpered silently, afraid of catching attention while the others didn't show a care and cried out loud, though no one stepped in to stop these particular people.
Henry stared as the pope spoke in the front, speaking of how God oversees everything and would continue to protect their Kingdom from any harm. The Pope also mentioned that with Maximus's deeds, he would be welcomed to Heaven by God himself and his angels with open arms.
"…And thus, God shall deliver us from the devil. Forever and ever. Amen. Let us contribute ten minutes of our time to silence, reflect, and pray for our beloved King."
When the Pope finished his words, the old man bowed his head and clasped his hands together, muttering a ten-minute-long prayer in silence. While the others held themselves from whimpering out loud, even those who had been crying loudly without a halt knew when to stop and show respect to the given silence.
Meanwhile, Henry took these ten minutes of silence to reflect on everything that had happened so far. Questioning what and where he could've gone wrong.
'I've neglected my magical studies too far. If I was strong enough…I could've changed all of this. Dad would still be here and this day wouldn't have come.'
He raised his head and stared into the sky, more particularly towards Heaven and God himself.
'Is this your punishment for me? For indulging in my desires and the sin of sloth? Did I deserve this?'
Alas, Henry received no answer but only silence. He already expected such. The church would preach how God would not answer your prayers verbally but through his actions instead.
Henry looked to his side, his mother was doing better than 3 days before. She was no longer sobbing nor staring at the air with an aimless expression, instead, she was staring at her husband's coffin, a small weary smile on her face as their happy memories together were flashing before her very eyes.
Henry was glad to see her like this. Then, he turned to his mother's side, Lily was standing there, crying and sniffling as their mother kept patting her head.
Finally, the ten minutes of silence were up. It was the Pope himself who broke the silence, raising a metallic canister with a chain attached to it. He used it to wave across the surface of Maximus's coffin, spewing bits of holy water as the coffin was slowly lowered into the hole.
The Pope didn't stop until the coffin was now lying underneath, exactly 4 feet under the ground. Henry, and his family were the first to step forward, holding different sets of flowers.
Olivia and Lily were the first ones to go. She stepped and crouched near the pit, staring into the coffin with a soft smile, "You should rest now, love. You've been working too hard the past few years. You deserve this." After that, she threw her flower inside.
The next one was Lily, her statement was short but memorable to everyone who heard it, "Goodbye, Papa…Say hi to Jesus for Lily, okay? Take care of yourself, a-and puwlease visit Lily i-in her dreams, okay?" Even though Lily tried her best to hold her tears, she still couldn't help but sob by the end.
Olivia gently pulled her back after she threw the flower in, afraid that Lily might throw herself into the hole next.
After that came Henry. As soon as he crouched, he reached down into the hole, his arm stretched long enough to touch the coffin's surface while not looking awkward at the same time.
"Hey, Dad. Look, I'm not sure how you're doing out there from beyond but you don't have to worry a thing. I'm a man now, I'll take care of everything. Leave Mom, Lily, and the Kingdom to me. Thank you for everything. Thank you for teaching me everything I need, thank you for carrying me on your arms, giving me a piggyback and teaching me how to ride a horse…"
Henry bit his lip slightly, hoping the pain would be enough to stop him from tearing up. And fortunately it did.
"I love you, Dad." He gave one last pat on the coffin before retracting his hands. He threw his flower inside, a White Poppy, symbolizing eternal peace, rest, and ending all manner of conflict and problems for Maximus.
They say ghosts haunt because of their attachment to certain things or the lack of peace over their death. So Henry was hoping that this White Poppy flower would ensure that Maximus wouldn't bear any sort of those things that would attach him to the mortal world and turn him into a ghost, or worse, a vengeful one, especially considering how he died.
Once Henry was done and retreated back to his family, the next were the close friends of Maximus, including Master Elias, officials, and nobles. Each threw their flowers while keeping their words as short as possible.
Then came Elsa, Rapunzel, and Ariel for the last. They stayed with Henry throughout these dark times, helping wherever they could, and he's thankful to them for that.
After this problem passed, Henry would make sure to repay their kindness someday.
Once they were done, it was finally time to close the hole shut. The hole wasn't technically a dirt hole that was dug on the ground, it was both dug and, at the same time, cemented into a black polished marble. So the hole was instead, closed with a heavy black marble lid.
The moment it did, the silence was broken by loud sniffing and crying. The attendees finally couldn't hold their tears back. Even Olivia, who seemed to be calm from the start, covered her mouth to sob quietly.
As for Henry, he just stood there. Head bowed down, eyes hazy for a moment before turning into a determined one.
'I swear on my name. I'll make them regret this, whoever did this.'
———
"The Kingdom needs a new King, your highness. We need to officiate your rule." The moment Henry got back inside the castle, he was instantly surrounded by the Kingdom's officials, concerns regarding the state of the Kingdom were plastered across their faces.
Henry couldn't blame them. If the Kingdom stayed a few more days without a King, especially now that the entire world is aware of it, not only would their enemies make a move but there's also the possibility of unrest, especially among the nobles that once supported the other royal Princes and princesses.
Facing their urging, Henry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Alright fine. Handle the preparations and the ceremony."
Sighs of relief passed across the officials like a wave. They assured Henry that everything would be settled.
In the meantime, the two familiar advisors guided him towards his study, which was previously his father's study but now it was his.
"3 days of a King's absence has accumulated a certain amount of paperwork." William, one of the advisors, pulled the chair and assisted him to take a seat. While the other grabbed a pen for Henry.
"If you have any questions please don't hesitate to find us, Your Highness."
"We'll be taking our leave now."
After they left, Henry stayed rooted on the soft cushion of his chair. Dazedly staring at the tall stack of papers in front of him.
'Does Dad do this every day?' Henry gulped hard. He picked up the pen and took one paper from the stack.
He took his time to read it, it was only when a few minutes had passed that he realized he should've just skimmed through it.
The paper was just looking for a signed approval to repair a chipped sidewalk.
'Seriously. There should be assistants for things like this…' He frowned. No wonder his father always holes himself up inside his study for days.
Mundane things like this became part of his problem.
"I need to create separate heads and departments regarding things like this…"
Taking note of that in the back of his mind, he signed the paper and grabbed another. This time, he skimmed through it, finishing it in mere seconds before signing—it was just about a brawl that occurred yesterday in one of the taverns, one of the knights was punched in the face and requested to extend the sentence to prison for the drunkard who smashed his nose.
Only when Henry was signing his thirteenth piece of paperwork came the sound of a knock on his door, and he was more than happy to finally have someone to talk to in the middle of the paperwork.
"Come in." He answered without looking up from the paper in his hand.
There was a soft click from the direction of the door before Elsa's familiar voice greeted him, "Henry."
Raising his head, he looked up at her and saw the worried look on her face, "What's the matter?"
Instead of answering him, Elsa stepped forward, approaching him until she was behind the chair. During that time, she snaked her hand around his left shoulder, caressing them with a certain touch.
Henry felt like she was hinting at something in that touch.
"How are you feeling?" Finally, she spoke.
"…A little good. Still recovering from dad's death. Why'd you ask? Do you need something?"
Henry's sharp ears blatantly heard the loud gulp on her throat, her hand stayed on his left shoulder while resting the other on his right shoulder.
"We've been away for months and you're already this dense?" Henry heard her sigh in defeat as she continued, "Well, at least this reassures me you stayed true to your words, and didn't make any intimate contact with those two."
Henry rubbed his forehead; he was finally realizing where Elsa was getting at, "Elsa, I'm not sure if I—"
Elsa interrupted him by placing both of her hands on his mouth, "Ssshhh. Your shoulders are tense. I…I want to help you relieve some of that stress."
Henry opened his mouth and his answer was…