Her Runaway Prince

And you need to at least appear strong for your people. And you need to focus on your country. And focus on your mother. And focus on getting yourself better. Maybe one day you’ll be able to fix things with the girl. Maybe one day you’ll end up back together. Right now however, you have a duty to your people. Now is the time for you to step up and be a leader. Are you ready for that?” Manro concluded his speech with such a simplistic yet intensely armor-piercing question.

Petro was speechless. In the nigh-thirty years that he had known Manro, he’d never witnessed this side of him. Manro hated responsibility nearly as much as Petro used to. Yet, there he stood with a grave expression. There was no humor in him now. The sudden personality shift completely stunned Petro, but hearing those words from his best friend finally made him realize that he did need to take responsibility. Finally, he came to terms with his lineage, his future and his obligation.

Petro stood up straight, took a deep breath and simply nodded on the exhale. He calmed himself and pushed back against his emotions. He forced a smile onto his face and mentally claimed that smile as his sigil of duty.

“You’re right. It’s time to grow up. My people need me. So I will be here to guide them until my mother is better,” Petro exclaimed proudly and brought his fist to his heart.

“Well there you bloody go,” Manro shouted out. His grave expression was gone. He had transformed back into the same old Manro as before. “Now don’t you ever force me to be the voice of reason again.”

“But you’re so sexy when you get all serious. When your voice got all deep and it got that austere tone to it, man, made my boy parts doubled in size,” Petro teased him and laughed. “Honestly though, thank you Manro. I needed to hear that. I especially needed to hear that from you.” Petro’s tone shifted to an earnest gratefulness. He put his one hand on Manro’s shoulder.

“So uh, is this the part where we kiss? Because I’m getting all kinds of signals here,” Manro replied with a mocking whisper.

“Oh shut up. You just had to ruin the moment,” Petro laughed and pushed Manro back.

“Excuse you, I tried to improve the moment,” Manro remarked and rolled his eyes, brushing off his shoulder.

“Oh whatever. But honestly Manny, thank you for everything. Now, let’s go. I need to see my mother,” Petro said with a trepidation to his voice.

*****

Petro didn’t recognize the woman laying on his mother’s bed. It certainly wasn’t his mother. There was no way it could be. She was way too frail. And she looked far too old. This isn’t her. This can’t be her. He mentally repeated his mantra. Yet, the tiny piece of her nose was missing. The tiny little part that had been clawed off by a stray cat Petro had brought home when he was still young and naive. His legs turned to rubber underneath him. He fell to his knees and buried his head in the mattress, his hands clutching for his mother’s. Her palms felt so cold against his fingers. He started to sob uncontrollably.

“Mama please, don’t leave me. Please mama, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll be better. I’ve changed. I promise. I’m ready to be what you want me to be now. I’ll do whatever you want me to. Just please come back,” he howled, pain and grief torturing the sound of his voice.

“I know it’s difficult Patty, but you gotta keep your head up buddy. You gotta be positive. She’ll be fine. Your mom is the toughest person I know. There ain’t no way in hell that she’ll let herself go out like this. She’ll be back before you know it. Until then, time to muscle up. You have to address your citizens soon.”

Petro started to swallow back his cries and tried his best to compose himself.

“You’re right. Momsy’s too tough for this.” He straightened his shirt and turned towards Manro. “I’m ready. Let’s go be King.”

Petro’s first appearance to the people went incredibly well, which surprised him. He managed to answer each question confidently and precisely. No time wasted on jokes or long elaborate stories. He acted like a true king during a time of crisis.

“Can you elaborate on your mother’s condition?”

“My mother is currently still in recovery. She is comatose but stable.”

“Where exactly have you been for the past few months?”

“I took some personal time to figure some things out.”

“Are you the new king?”

“Temporarily, yes. Until my mother has recovered.”

He stood firm and made an address that his mother would have been proud of. Yet he felt exhausted when it was finally over. Suppressing all his hurt for so long took its toll on him. He returned to his mother’s chambers once again and collapsed on the floor next to her bed.

The next month felt like the most difficult experience of his entire life. The constant public attention, the constant stress about his mother. The way everything always reminded him of Amanda, which only made the longing he had for her that much stronger.

He would often sit next to his mother and just talk to her. Most of the time he found himself talking only about Amanda.

“She’s this fiercely independent woman. She owns this beautiful little cottage out in the wood. Oh mom, you would absolutely love it. It has this old Italian architecture feeling to it. And when the snow covers it in winter it’s just breathtaking.”

The next month felt a little less terrible. The doctors still said that it looked like his mother wouldn’t recover. Petro still refused to give up hope. She will get better, Petro repeated to himself over and over and over again. He forced any doubt lurking in his mind away.

He thankfully didn’t have to make nearly as many public appearances that month. Petro may had excelled at it, but he absolutely hated it. He didn’t want to go outside. He only wanted to spend time with his mother. He wanted him to be the first thing she saw when she woke up. He wanted her to wake up knowing that he’d came back. That he’d changed

“Patty, I’m sorry that I’m saying this, but… You gotta start coming to terms with the possibility that she might not wake up…” Manro timidly told his friend one day whilst they were taking a stroll through the royal gardens.

“She will wake up, just you wait and see,” Petro said confidently.

“Patty, your optimism is great, and you need to keep that optimism. But you also gotta be realistic.”

“I am being realistic. “

“No Petro, you’re not. I don’t want to be a di*k or anything, but your mother is in a coma and she hasn’t shown any signs of improvement. You have to start making preparations.”

“No, because I know my mother. This may look bad now, but she’ll make it. She always finds a way.”

“Well, can’t say I didn’t try.”

Petro’s optimism had given way to stubbornness. He refused to even contemplate the idea that his mother might not wake up.