No, King Aren likely wasn’t in his pajamas, as much as prince Aaron had been. The days of Theo sleeping in would be over soon enough as well. What a nightmare.
Hedwig fidgeted around, the phone still shaky in her hand. Maybe he shouldn’t be piling on directions. “Visit a children’s hospital and the press will back off for at least six months. Or, ah. Do you have any interests like that? Something you would like to support and raise awareness for? It should be genuine, of course.”
A young princess suddenly under scrutiny, pushed to lead in a way she had not expected. Keeping up appearances. Much of it sounded familiar. “I do not think you are trashy and I doubt anyone else does either.” Rose colored her cheeks, her neck. Hedwig was so soft, so sweet. So unaware– and Theo felt a worry in his chest for her.
Hedwig could so easily be taken advantage of. Especially with the way the world had turned after the island. His thoughts showed in his expression. “You have not disrupted anything.” He needed to wake up, drink some water. Down a cocktail of ibuprofen and black coffee. “Our countries are allies, Hedwig. More importantly, I consider you a friend. You can always call me.”
And Theo’s hangover was begging him not to get too personal. However, he felt as though he should. “I will one day be leading Denmark. It was unexpected, I was not groomed my entire life to do so as my brother Kennet had been. It is… it is confusing. Frightening. At times I lose sleep over it. What has helped me is to surround myself with knowledgable staff who I trust. My father has… had a lot to deal with and unable to give me much guidance. And so I decided to educate myself. I am not the best at asking for help, but in a situation like this it is very important not to let pride get in the way of doing so. Do not be hard on yourself. Running a country does not happen over night.”
Or over a life time, from what he had witnessed. His head ached and felt stuffed with cotton. Theo wasn’t sure if he was making sense. “There will be an economic summit in Copenhagen in a few months. Many leaders and government agencies are sending representatives. Some monarchs are intending to come as well. I would like for you to be my guest, if you are able to. I think it would be helpful and provide an opportunity to learn quite a bit.”
A quick smile. A hand raked through his hair as he caught the image of himself in the corner of his phone. “Reporters will not be allowed in. In case you would like to dance again.” In Theo’s state it took a few seconds to realize how the comment could be construed. “Although dancing is not mandatory. To be completely honest, it would be nice to have dinner with someone besides myself. If you would like. Perhaps there will more questions I can answer in person.”
Hedwig’s expression softened into a small frown as Theo opened up about his own situation. The expectations had to be suffocating on top of the great loss to his family. Pirates had really taken so much from them. In a way, even after the island, Theo’s freedom was permanently stolen.
Friend. More than the awkward mentions of unflattering headlines did the word friend bring a rush of color to her whole face. The lack of friends in her life had always been painfully obvious. She considered her cousin and her mother to be the only reliable support. Fellow musicians in the symphony had reached out to her, invited her to get togethers, but she often felt like a wallflower. Always an outsider to the tight knit groups that formed around certain sections. She played harp, by herself, and sat next to percussionists, who recently were a bit too... wild for her tastes. Or at least that’s what she told herself when the invitations to hang out stopped.
She only knew royals through headlines, sometimes Aaron and Ollie, but rarely at official events. Her life outside of all of that never felt empty until now when she had to properly “network”, the thought of which made her feel a little sick. Sincerity was hard to exude when she learned everyone’s names and faces on flashcards with biographical facts attached. All of that after meeting so many for the first time on the island, of all places.
“I also consider you a friend. Please know that you can always talk to me. I may not have the best advice when it comes to ruling a country, but I can lend an ear if you ever need to talk. I know how lonely it can be... When you’re so busy, I mean. And we do not have to be on FaceTime,” she added with a grin.
Hedwig knew her whole face and her ears were red, but there was nothing she could do to hide it in the mostly white background of her bathroom. “Yes! I would love that, Theo,” she replied with more enthusiasm than she intended. Had she shouted? Yes. The past few seconds felt like a blur, had she even heard him correctly? He mentioned dancing. Her smile was so wide it prevented her from speaking right away. “We should dance because I barely remember the last dance, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at the photos for more than a second. This time it will be proper. I will not be drunk.”
And dinner. As friends. “Oh, thank you, Theo. You have already helped me out so much. I appreciate your help. I won’t pick your brain every time we have to talk. That should be Aaron’s job. Maybe we can talk about other things, too.” She sighed. “If we have time for other things.” Theo probably knew what she was talking about, or at least she hoped so.
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