Cutting Ties

While everyone had returned to enjoying the night, Maria was still in a somber mood.

She kept feeling herself have the urge to look up at Arthur, but she tried to avoid doing so at all costs because she wasn't ready to face him.

It was selfish, she knew, but Maria had never had a way with words, and she was afraid of doing more damage than she already had done.

Still, she ached for him, and realizing she had completely fallen for him too made the magnetic pull she felt towards him even stronger somehow, so much so that she thought her heart might burst if she couldn't be near him.

Even though she knew she needed to, she did not know how she would be able to say goodbye to Arthur.

And then there was Julien.

Maria had been surprised when Julien said that he wanted to stay because she had thought for sure that he only wanted to be with her if they ran away together, and she had made it perfectly clear that she was staying and becoming the next Queen.

He had not gotten the chance to answer her question of whether or not he could handle a life ruling by her side because they had been interrupted by her parents, so maybe tonight by him saying that he would like to stay, he was giving her an answer.

'Too little, too late,' she thought to herself, but there was no use in sending Julien home just days before she would be sending Arthur home too.

It would be better for both of them if they could make their long journey back home to France together.

Finally, there was Henri, the man who always had a smile on his face that could bring joy into any room.

Maria knew in her heart that Henri was the right choice to have as the next King-- the people would love him and he would love them back, probably almost as much as he would love Maria.

She knew that she had been starting to fall for Henri long before she realized she loved Arthur, so she knew that with time, the ache that Arthur would leave behind in her heart would be dulled by Henri's love.

Maria never doubted his love for her; he showed her everyday just how much he cared.

They would have a happy marriage and a happy life together, and after all, that is exactly what she had been hoping for coming into this process.

Now, she just had to get her father to agree to let her marry Henri.

She did not think it would be a difficult task as Henri was set to become the next King of Denmark, so it would be a great alliance for Greece to be a part of; also, Jason and Henri had become fast friends, so Maria knew that her brother would back her up and help her convince their parents that he was the right choice.

Just as everyone had been finishing up their dinner, George walked in and whispered in Henri's ear before he handed him a parchment that had been rolled tight and tied with a string.

"What have you got there, George?" the King asked the guard.

Before George could answer, Henri did by saying, "Excuse me, George informed me that I received an urgent letter from my family, so I'll take my leave for the night. Dinner was lovely, thank you as always".

Before anyone could respond, Henri moved from his chair and made his way out of the dining room.

He didn't even look up at Maria as he left, so she knew that he must have been worried about the contents of the letter.

Henri's exit left behind an awkwardness as now the Olympios family was dining with just the two brothers from France; everyone continued on in silence.

The need to check in on Arthur was still very much present in Maria, so she sneaked a glance at him while he was cutting the food on his plate.

He looked tired.

He still had a blank expression on his face, but Maria could sense that it was a mask hiding his true emotions, and not just him being bored with dinner.

Seeing him across from her like that made her chest tighten and she had to fight the urge to run over to him and embrace him.

Maria wanted to comfort him like he had comforted her so many times; she wanted to hold him and tell him that it was for the best.

Of course she knew she could not do that because it would only make it more difficult to say goodbye.

She got so lost in her worries for Arthur that she didn't even respond when he looked right back up at her.

Turning away would have been the right thing to do, but she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him.

They stared at each other and even though they did not utter a word to each other, she knew by his body language and soft eyes that he still wanted her, just as part of her still wanted him.

She hoped her eyes didn't give her away as his had.

"Thank you for dinner. This has been quite the eventful night, but I'm grateful that I'm still here. I hope you all have a lovely night," Julien said, causing Arthur and Maria to break from their bubble and re-enter reality.

With that, Julien got up and excused himself from the table, and Arthur said a quick thank you as he bowed his head towards the King and Queen before he hurried up and followed his brother.

After the brothers left, Jason started to stand to also take his leave for the night, as Maria could tell that he had been wanting to do for some time now, but she stopped him before he was fully standing. "Wait, I have more to say that I couldn't say in front of the suitors".

Jason looked over at his sister and sighed as he sat back down and rubbed his eyes; he was exhausted and he hadn't even been the one to speak his mind tonight.

"My child, what is it?" King Nicos asked with a concerned expression on his face.

Maria hesitated because she knew it wasn't her place to implore her father on which suitor to pick, but she also knew that she had to make sure that she ended up with Henri.

She took in a quick breath before she found the little courage she had to look up at her father and say, "I think I should marry Henri," she started before rambling on, "He's going to be the King of Denmark so we would rule over two kingdoms, he's kind-hearted so he will be a well-loved leader, and he has three sisters so depending on who they marry, we can have strong alliances with other kingdoms as well. He is the best option for Greece".

Maria's heart felt like it was going to leap out of her throat, she was so nervous that she had forgotten to take another breath the entire time she spoke.

Realizing that, she let go of her breath and tried to regulate her breathing again as her father stared at her with curious eyes.

"But is he the best option for you?" the King asked, catching Maria off guard.

"He would be the most fit to rule Greece by my side," she replied with a furrowed brow.

The King continued to watch his daughter to see if she would realize what he was asking.

The thing about King Nicos was that he was a very observant man-- he had seen the way Maria and Arthur looked at each other from across the table, and it wasn't the first time he had watched either of them try to catch quick glances of the other.

He knew his daughter well enough to know how she was feeling before she even felt it, and he knew by the way that Arthur looked at her, that the prince was already in love with her.

It's not that he didn't notice how she was with Henri, also, but there was something different about the way Maria was with the eldest French prince.

Not only that, but the King was a true romantic at heart, and though he never had admitted it to anyone, he had suggested the dates with the suitors in hope that his only daughter would find a love that he had found with his wife. He did not want her to settle for an arranged marriage, even if that was how things were traditionally done.

With that in mind, he asked Maria again, "I'm not asking about Greece, I'm asking about you".

Maria swallowed hard, confused, and gave her honest answer, "I have strong feelings for Henri. I want to be with him".

She looked away from her father as she blushed, and waited for his response.

"It hasn't been long, my child, I think you should take more time to get to know these boys. There is no rush to make a decision right away."

"I don't need more time. Henri will be a great and fair ruler, and we have feelings for each other," Maria said as she felt her father's gaze on her.

She was starting to wonder if he could tell that she did have feelings for more than one of them and that she was just trying to push the other away to save herself from doing something she might regret later.

Like tell Arthur how she really felt about him.

She pushed the thought down before she had time to think of what the implications of that would be for everyone.

She couldn't make this more difficult for him, so she had to let him go...at least that is what she kept telling herself.

Before the King could respond, Jason jumped in to say, "I think Henri is the best option. I've spent time with all of the men and he is the most genuine. He will treat our country and Maria well".

Maria smiled at her brother and looked back to her father with pleading eyes.

King Nicos took the time to look over at his wife, and they looked like they had an entire conversation between the two of them that Jason and Maria weren't invited to participate in, before he turned back towards his daughter and nodded, "If that is what you want to do, we will welcome Henri with open arms".

She ran over to the King and gave him a tight hug as she said, "Thank you, father".

He did not have the chance to hug her back because Maria had quickly let go and ran out of the room before he had time to change his mind.

Maria thought she would feel relief-- she had gotten what she wanted, but she still felt the aching in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm doing the right thing," she quietly chanted to herself until she was down the hall and had reached her destination.

She brought her hand up to knock on Henri's door to tell him the news and to check on him since he had quickly left dinner earlier, but he did not answer.

She knocked again and again, but he did not open his door.

Maria, thinking Henri must be either asleep or in the bath, decided to retire to her room and go to him first thing in the morning.