Page 31 of The Heir
“Sit down, Thor. We have a lot to talk about.”
It was one of those power battles that we had been in a number of times these past years. If I sat down, I’d be surrendering to his will by following his orders. If I didn’t, he would get angry, and we’d be in a fight in no time. Despite how often we had been in this situation, I’d never found the right answer to my dilemma.
“Do you want some whiskey?”
When he turned his back on me and reached for a bottle in one of the lower cabinets behind him, I sat down in the chair. There was a slight shake of my father’s hands as he poured whiskey into two glasses.
“Did you consider how your mother felt when you left without a trace?”
“If you’re going to shame me all night, then I have better things to do.”
My father pushed one of the glasses across the table to me. “It’s not about shaming you. It’s about holding you accountable for your behavior.”
“And what aboutyourbehavior? You’re the reason I left in the first place.”
“Thor, you need to grow up and take responsibility for the hurt that your disappearance caused others. It was selfish and immature. A ruler has to put his country before himself.”
My shield was raised, and I shot back. “A ruler is still a person, or have you forgotten what that feels like?
Looking down his nose at me from behind the rim of the whiskey glass, my dad warned, “Careful, son.”
I had promised myself that I wouldn’t take any shit from him. Squaring my shoulders, I responded with the clarity I had gained from almost six months of isolation from my family and friends. “Are my words a trigger? Do you feel as lost and lonely behind that stiff façade as I did before I left? Do you sometimes want to escape this office and the pressure too?”
Setting his glass down, my dad looked me dead in the eye. “Thank you for your concern but I’m comfortable in my position.”
I shrugged. “If you say so. And how many years did it take you to get to that point? If you tell me that it happened overnight, I’ll know that you’re lying, because Mom told me you have your own struggles.”
“Every man does.”
A long moment of silence made me move in my seat and ask, “Did you change the law and make Freya your heir yet?”
“I’ve prepared the papers.”
My throat felt a little prickly, as if emotions could be thorns poking through your skin on the inside. Clearing my throat, I tried to seem unaffected. “Have you even asked Freya if she wants that role?”
His eyebrows moved close and caused a triangle to form atop the bridge of his nose. “I don’t have to. Freya will do it if I ask her to.”
I scoffed. “And that’s why she’s your favorite. You’ve never liked people who stood up to you.”
His tone hardened and a droplet of spit landed on the table as he thundered, “Freya is no puppet! She stands up to me just fine. And unlike you she has no problem putting others before herself. While you were enjoying the beach, your sister worked hard to repair our unstable relationship with France. Now that their prime minister, Moreau, is sick, we have a chance of tweaking things to our advantage.”
I wanted to tell him to fuck off, but I’d had enough time to reflect on Freya’s situation and knew that my sadness wasn’t her fault. Turning the glass in my hand, I asked, “Moreau is still sick?”
“Yes, he could be dead for all I care. Freya has managed to convince Jonah to help France protect some endangered animal species. She has even secured the involvement of Shelly Summers, which was a request from Victor. The three of them will be working together and I’m sure with three geniuses we can expect great things.”
I crossed my arms, my blood starting to boil. “Good for them. So why am I here? Clearly, you prefer Freya as the ruler over me, and why wouldn’t you when she’s such a genius? Honestly, I’m confused why you called me back here when it sounds like I solved a problem by disappearing.”
My dad’s hand slammed down on the table. “Enough with your self-pity, Thor. You’re more than my heir. You’re my son and I care about you.” His hands were visibly shaking when he continued. “These past five months have caused your mom and me great sorrow. Don’t think that we’re unaware of the pressure we place on you. We wouldn’t do it, if it wasn’t necessary.”
I bared my teeth and hissed, “Don’t drag Mom into this. She’s not the one who pushed me to be your heir. She always told me not to do it unless I felt a calling to the job. We both know that she believes in democratic elections.”
My dad’s fingers drummed on the desk in front of him. “I’m aware.”
“Maybe that’s your answer then. If Freya or I want to run for leader of the Northlands let that be up to us. The people will make their choice in a fair election.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
I’d had enough of his name-calling and was about to rise from the chair when he continued.
