One Day I'll Make You Proud (Henry)

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"No, it's not any of that," Henry mumbled. "She's actually a duchess or something like that, I think...at least that's what some of the stories say. And she's pretty enough. I don't really care what she looks like...well, I mean, it's not like I need the fairest in the land or anything." And sure that was a jab. But Henry was feeling a little sore. "I know I'm not the best-looking prince; it's not that. I just don't...I don't want to be forced by some story..."

Edward reminded him, though, of what he had been doing his best to ignore. It didn't matter whether he loved Cinderella or not. It was her or one of the beastly countesses out there, some political alliance. He wouldn't have a say in the marriage anyway, much as he wanted to have some extra time to look around and maybe pick someone who wasn't at all part of the Charming nobility.

He looked up with a wounded expression at his older brother. "You really don't think I'll get any other choice in this, do you?" He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess I just hope Father will reconsider. At least not make me marry for a few years. I'd like to at least get to know the girl before I have to live with her forever." He folded his two hands together and clenched them hard enough that the whites of his knuckles showed. "So much for marrying for love, I guess."

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Marrying for love?

“Father will give you no choice, nor will he give you any more time,” said Edward firmly, trying to quench the anger, “he will pick you a wife and you will marry her. If this Cinderella is tolerable enough for you then I would marry her as soon as you can. That way you may still have some choice in the matter.”

Closing the folder he was looking at shut with a snap he threw onto one of the piles behind him. He missed and it cascaded down the pile causing a small paper avalanche. Edward closed his eyes and sighed. Running a hand through his hair he then opened his eyes and said, “Even if you did marry for love Henry, there is no guarantee that it would remain that way. It is possible that people can fall out of love.”

And it hurt. It hurt so much.

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Henry gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to be told what he was going to do, not by his brother, not by some story...not even by his father, much as he was terrified to stand up to the king. He stared down at his clenched fists, listening to the talk, refusing to hear it.

Finally, though, he looked up at his brother and watched the papers falling off the desk. "It's not like I was going to fall in love with a girl in a day and marry her," he said. "I was just hoping for someone who...I don't know. Someone who didn't faint every time she saw a bug. Have you seen the girls here? They can actually stand up for themselves, take care of themselves, do things. If I have to marry a sappy girl who just caves to anyone, I'll...I'll...I'll go crazy!"

He growled at the floor. "I don't need to marry for love, really. I basically gave up on that a while ago." He cast a meaningful glance at his brother. "But I at least don't want to marry someone who I'm going to end up hating and have to live with them forever. Besides. Father can't make me do anything now. He can't even reach me with the portals closed. I have some time. And he's not going to make me marry someone I don't like. I don't have to marry anyone!" he shouted.

And sure, part of him knew he was speaking nonsense, but part of him had been affected by this new world he had come to, and he was starting to wonder if he really could go home and be his own person, not controlled by the needs of anyone else. He didn't have to be trapped like the rest of his family, right?

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“GET OUT!” yelled Edward before he could stop himself, pointing at the door and glaring at his brother.

Every single word his brother spoke had been like another knife in the chest. He knew his life had not turned out for the best, he knew that marrying for love, falling in love for a day had not worked out. Everything that Henry said was true but it did not mean that he wanted to hear it. He also knew that Henry was probably not even thinking, didn’t even realise what he was saying, but Edward just couldn’t care, he was tired of having to keep a lid on everything, being the honourable brother that stepped down.

Running a hand over his face he said, “Sorry, sorry I…look…this isn’t a good time Henry, I know you’re going through…some problems but they’ll be solved ok? Things will get better? Just…look for a job, ok? And I’ll give you enough money until you do.”

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Henry, who had been tipping slightly in his chair and rocking back and forth while he blabbed, fell backwards in the chair and whacked his head on the floor. He sat staring up at the ceiling for a moment before rolling away and setting everything up again.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he reassured his brother. "You just...I wasn't expecting you to shout like that." He ran his hand through his hair as Edward wiped his face, then quickly yanked it down so it wouldn't look like he was copying.

"Well hopefully I won't need anything," he said, feeling the conversation draw to a close. He stood again. "Thanks for the advice. Sorry for...stuff. I didn't mean, I mean, I know that you're having problems, too. I didn't mean that you're not important or anything. I just...I guess I just figured that you always have all the answers. You always did before."

He walked to the door and put his hand on the knob. "You know," he said, almost too quietly for anyone else to hear, "All I ever wanted was to make you proud of me, the way everyone was proud of you. Sure it's easy to be jealous of your older, perfect brother. But it would be pretty impossible not to admire him, too." And with that last thought he opened the door to go.

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When Henry fell to the floor Edward had launched himself out of his chair, leaning over the desk to make sure his brother was alright. Seeing that he was fine he sat back down again, definitely not sighing in relief. No. not at all. He listened to what Henry had to say and…couldn’t look him in the eye.

Edward didn’t have all the answers, he never did. He had passed on what he thought was the right thing, but now he was beginning to re-evaluate everything. He had been so wrong, so wrong about a lot of things and he didn’t want his brother making the same mistake that he had. How could he say that thought? How could he admit to his brother that he was wrong? Did he even need too? Didn’t he see?

Proud?

No one was proud of Edward, not now, not now that he had been deserted by his wife, failed as a father, couldn’t even bring the woman he loved him. No one was proud of him because he couldn’t be proud of himself. What had he achieved? Now, in this moment, what had he achieved with Henry? Nothing. He failed as a husband, as a father, as a prince and now, as a brother.

Standing up and crossing to the door he opened it and called out to Henry as he walked down the corridor, “Tomorrow you will meet me in the workshop…I need an assistant, a teaching assistant in my class…you‘ll start at 9am and you‘ll take whatever pay I can give you…understand?”

How he was going to explain this to the headmaster he didn't know.

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Henry was out the door, shuffling down the hall with his hands in his pockets and internally kicking himself for the dumb idea of coming to talk to his brother anyway, when he heard the door open behind him. He turned around as Edward began calling out, frozen in shock.

"I...I..." he began. What was he supposed to say? "All right...but you don't have to do this just because...whatever. I'm not a charity case you have to take care of." He didn't want to still be seen as poor little Henry who can't do anything on his own. "You don't have to do this," he said again.

Even as he half-denied the position, part of him was swelling with pride at the thought that his brother actually wanted to work with him. He'd automatically turned around and was stepping toward Edward again, hand outstretched.

"...so..." he tried again, not wanting to sound so ungrateful, "tomorrow, then?" He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous half-grin. "I guess I'll see you. And I'll even try not to screw everything up."