Page 22 of Learning to Rule

“You don’t look it.” Freddie raises his head a little bit and looks at me from under his long blond hair, which has fallen over his face. “You’re here walking around confidently. I can’t even say one word to the prince, because I’m an idiot.”

“You aren’t.” I look over to wear Dalton appears to have been accosted by Elizabeth who is talking animatedly to him. “You know how I do it? Breathing exercises. People call them stupid, but they really work.”

“Breathing?” Freddie questions, finally holding his head upright so I can see his face properly. He’s a handsome young man, but there is a haunted look in his eyes.

“Yes.” I look around the room we’re in for an open space. I find one in a quiet corner. “Follow me.”

I lead Freddie to the space and take a seat on the carpeted floor. Taking off the pumps I’m wearing, I pull my legs into a half lotus position. I’m not fully warmed up so I don’t want to risk the full lotus as it may lead to me pulling a muscle.

“Would you like to copy me?” I ask, giving Freddie an encouraging smile when he looks at me like I’m a little bit crazy. “Prince Dalton does this as well. It’s called yoga, and I teach it in Florida. I have a class there, and one of my students had a lot of anxiety like you when he first started. He loves doing my classes now.” A pang of sadness washes over me as I think of my students back home. It’s strange how much they’ve become a part of my life. I miss them.

Freddie looks over to Dalton, who gives him an encouraging smile before he’s pulled away to see another area of the youth center by Elizabeth. Freddie sits down on the floor and removes his shoes, which he places next to himself. I can’t help but notice the socks he’s wearing are threadbare with several holes. They’d be useless if it rained and his shoes were soaked.

Are things really so bad in this country, where Dalton lives in such luxury?

“Can you cross your legs? Just cross them normally, you don’t have to do it exactly like me,” I encourage Freddie, wanting to focus on helping him with his anxiety. It’s the one thing I can help fix at the moment.

“Yes.”

He does as I request and is surprisingly flexible as he brings his legs into the same position as mine. He’s sitting directly in front of me so we’re facing each other. It’s a strange place for him to choose to sit, considering he couldn’t look at me even a few moments ago. It shows he’s beginning to trust me, and that’s an important step for the breathing exercise we’re about to do.

“That doesn’t hurt?” I question, the yoga teacher in me wanting to make sure he’s not overexerting himself.

“No.” He shakes his head.

“Good. What I want you to do now is place your hands on your knees. You don’t have to put them in any special position. You just need to have the connection between the top and bottom half of your body.” He copies my actions as I speak. “What we’re going to do is a three step breath. I find it the best way to relax. I’ll show you what I mean, and then you can try.”

I breathe in at the lowest part of my lungs, pause a moment, breathe in at the center of my chest, pause, and then breathe in at the top of my lungs so I fill them with air. I hold the breath for a count of three and then repeat the process in reverse. I expel the air from the top of my lungs first, pause, then the center, pause, and then finally from the bottom so they are completely empty.

“Do you see what I did?” I ask Freddie.

He nods.

“Good, try it with me. Clear your mind. Ignore everything going on around us. Just concentrate on your breathing.”

I start my breath again and listen to Freddie’s breath as he copies. He falters the first time, forgetting to pause, but on the second attempt, he has it almost perfect. He’s a natural at yoga.

We both zone out to everything around us as we cycle through the breathing exercise a few more times. It’s only the flash of a camera that causes me to falter and fall out of my meditation. It brings me back to where I am, but I already feel a little more relaxed from having managed a few moments of controlled breathing.

“She’s good at making you feel calm, isn’t she?” Dalton’s voice appears at my side, and when I open my eyes and look up at him, I see a beaming smile on his face. He reaches out for me to take his hand and helps me to my feet.

Freddie gets to his feet as well. He’s like a new person compared to the one who was so anxious a few minutes ago. “She’s amazing,” he says. “I never knew something as simple as breathing could make me feel so relaxed.”

I slip my feet back into my shoes and stand close to Dalton.

“And you don’t need to sit on the floor to do it. You can just stand and do the breathing exercise. It will relax you. I’ll send a couple of other exercises to Miss Harris for you to work on as well,” I offer Freddie excitedly, pleased that I’ve been able to help him.

“I’d like that a lot,” he responds, smiling for the first time since I’ve met him.

“Your Highness.” Mr. Hinchbottom appears at our side. “It’s time for us to move on to the next room.”

“Of course. Lovely to meet you, Freddie.” Dalton holds his hand out to the boy who’s now a complete contrast to the one we met earlier.

Freddie shakes Dalton’s hand. “Thank you for coming, Your Highness, and you as well, Miss Nash.” He lowers his head and bows to both of us.

Dalton takes my hand in his and squeezes it as we walk off together.

“You did amazingly. I’m so proud of you.”

---