The sun has just risen over the city of Potsdam. Frederick is calmly gazing out over the city through one of the many windows of his palace. A few minutes later he hears footsteps behind him and he turns around and notices Prince Henry. Frederick starts speaking in a calm yet serious voice.

Frederick: Henry is Fred alright? I have been feeling concerned about him as he has been growing distant from me.
Prince Henry: I am unsure if he is alright. He is still in his room.
Frederick: Tell him that I wish to speak with him after lunch.
Prince Henry: Yes Frederick.

Prince Henry calmly walks off and Frederick goes back to gazing out the window.

*Frederick in thought*
He's been quiet around me for almost three months. All because of that argument we had. That day did make me feel broken. I still never meant to snap at him. I'm not like my father.

This silence from him is concerning. I don't want to lose him forever. I want to apologize and ask for forgiveness and know what I have done wrong. Thats all I want.

I still need to tell Lawrence the truth about his father. But I still have a lot of things to do currently. I need to find a way to help the kingdom recover from this war and put it into action.

I also hope that Voltaire is alright. I still remember that day when he killed someone. He was traumatized. He never wanted to kill someone in his life. I understand why he was so terrified as he has never killed someone until now.

A couple of minutes later Voltaire walks up to Frederick and stands beside him. Frederick notices Voltaire and cheerfully smiles. Then he starts speaking in a cheerful voice.

Frederick: How are you feeling Voltaire?
Voltaire: I'm still trying to forget about what happened. What I did to that man. But I'm feeling alright right now.
Frederick: Thats understandable. But remember I'm here for you I'm always here for you my love. I'm also glad you are alright right now.
Voltaire: Are you alright Frederick?

Frederick: Yes I'm alright Voltaire. Although I do have a lot of things on my mind.
Voltaire: You are concerned about Prince Frederick aren't you?
Frederick: Yes but I am hoping to sort things out with him.
Voltaire: Thats good Frederick. I'm glad that you are going to try and sort things out with him.

Frederick quietly sighs to himself and Voltaire notices the concern in Frederick's eyes. Voltaire then gently places his hand on Frederick's shoulder. Then he starts speaking in a calm voice.

Voltaire: Frederick I can tell that you are concerned about something.
Frederick: I'm worried that Fred won't forgive me for snapping at him a couple of months ago.
Voltaire: He will forgive you, Frederick.
Frederick: I'm also worried that I might snap at him again.

Voltaire: Frederick you won't snap at him again. You aren't like your father and you know that.
Frederick: You are right Voltaire I'm not like my father. I will never be like him.
Voltaire: Indeed. I also believe that you will not be like your father. You are a kind and caring person Frederick.
Frederick: Thank you, Voltaire, my love.

Voltaire smiles at Frederick then he passionately kisses him on the lips. Frederick slowly and gently wraps his hands around Voltaire's waist. A couple of minutes later Voltaire stops kissing Frederick and Frederick let's go of Voltaire. Voltaire starts speaking in a cheerful voice.

Voltaire: My love I know that Prince Frederick will forgive you. Then both of you will be at peace.
Frederick: You are right Voltaire I'm sure that I will be at peace and Fred will be at peace too. Once we have resolved this situation.
Voltaire: Remember Frederick I am here for you if the conversation with Prince Frederick doesn't go as planned.
Frederick: Thank you, Voltaire.

Voltaire: You are welcome Frederick and I wish you good luck.
Frederick: I will see you sometime later my love.
Voltaire: Yes Frederick.

Voltaire calmly walks down the hallway and Frederick begins gazing out the window once again. Meanwhile, in Prince Frederick's room, the prince is sitting on his bed gazing down at the floor. Tears then start to stream down his face.

*Prince Frederick in thought*
I have done so many things wrong. I have upset so many people. I am meant to be the next one to rule this kingdom and I can't upset people as a ruler.

I also can't believe that His Majesty snapped at me and hurt me. I know what I said and did during the time was wrong. But I wasn't expecting him to snap like that. I have never seen him get so angry and well aggressive.

Then there is Voltaire who tried to kill me. He wanted me dead. I have never seen something like that in such an innocent person like Voltaire. I have never seen such anger in him. I have never seen such a want to kill someone in him. It was actually slightly terrifying that such an innocent person could snap and want to kill like that.

I'm also wondering why His Majesty is overprotective of Voltaire. During their time at the camp, His Majesty was really protective of Voltaire. He even threatened to kill a British General who was threatening to hurt Voltaire. What is going on between those two? His Majesty was never that protective of Voltaire during most of the war and before it. Like he was slightly protective as he is his only friend. But still, what is going on between them?

I'm also wondering why His Majesty wishes to speak to me after lunch. What does he want from me?

I feel like I also need to tell him something as well. I don't feel like I belong here at all right now. Because of what I have done to people here. I feel like I need to find myself and start a new path in my life. I need to leave here for now and go somewhere else. Maybe Berlin perhaps.

Prince Frederick gently wipes his tears and then gets up off his bed. Then he walks over to the door and opens it. Upon exiting the room he notices Frederick calmly gazing out the window. Prince Frederick closes the door and calmly strolls over to Frederick. Then he starts speaking in a slightly nervous and upset tone.

Prince Frederick: I have heard that you want to talk to me after lunch. I'm just wondering if I'm in trouble again.
Frederick: You are not in trouble Fred I just want to have an important talk.
Prince Frederick: I see.
Frederick: You don't have to worry Fred. You aren't in trouble.

Frederick looks at Prince Frederick and notices tears slowly streaming down his face. Frederick gently puts his hand on the prince's shoulder and the prince reluctantly accepts it. Frederick then gently hugs Prince Frederick and the prince starts crying on Frederick's shoulder. Frederick then starts gently rubbing his hand on the prince's back trying to soothe him. Then Frederick starts speaking in a soft and soothing voice.

Frederick: Fred what's wrong?
Prince Frederick: Just thinking about a lot of things. I'm just overwhelmed.
Frederick: I know what that feeling is like. As well I am ruling a big kingdom and there is a lot for me to think about right now. So I am also feeling slightly overwhelmed.
Prince Frederick: I will also have to tell you something when we have our talk.
Frederick: Alright. That's fine I understand if you need to talk as well Fred. It's sometimes good to talk about things.

Prince Frederick: Indeed it is.
Frederick: I will see you after lunch alright?
Prince Frederick: I'll be there.
Frederick: Take a walk. Relax Fred. You will be alright.
Prince Frederick: Yes.

Frederick gently let's go of Prince Frederick. Then he gently wipes the prince's tears away. Prince Frederick smiles a little bit. Then he walks off down the hallway to go clear his mind. Frederick then continues gazing out the window. A few minutes later Prince Frederick is walking through the rose gardens and he notices Voltaire sitting on a wooden bench writing something. Prince Frederick stops and awkwardly stands near Voltaire who notices him and looks up from his work. Voltaire starts speaking in a calm yet slightly concerned voice.

Voltaire: Is everything alright Your Highness?
Prince Frederick: It's fine Voltaire. I was just lost in thought.
Voltaire: I understand that. But you also seem upset about something Your Highness. I can tell you are clearly upset.
Prince Frederick: I'm just overwhelmed, Voltaire. Because of all the mistakes I have made while here.
Voltaire: Everyone makes mistakes Your Highness. I have also made many mistakes in my life. I told you about the whole dueling incident. But I have had worse than that. I have hurt people out of defense. But the biggest mistake I have made was killing someone.

Prince Frederick: I see.
Voltaire: You are not the only one who has done things that you regret Your Highness.
Prince Frederick: Voltaire I must say that I apologize for everything I have said or done to you. All those things were wrong of me. Do you forgive me for everything that I have done?
Voltaire: Yes I do forgive you, Your Highness.
Prince Frederick: Thank you, Voltaire.

Prince Frederick begins to walk through the rose garden once again. While Voltaire continues writing something. Prince Frederick finds the aroma of the roses calming and he gets to a bench and decides to sit down.

*Prince Frederick in thought*
I am glad that Voltaire has forgiven me for everything that I have done. But I still feel guilty for what I have done to him.

I still feel like I need time to forgive myself for what I have done. Voltaire has forgiven me but I need to forgive myself.

I hope that His Majesty will also forgive me for my actions. I feel like he will also be asking for my forgiveness as well. He has done some things to upset me as well. I will forgive him as I have realized that he didn't mean to snap at me. The only reason he did was because of the things I said.

I should try and relax for now. I need to calm down and collect my emotions.

A few hours later Frederick is in his room sitting at his desk writing something completely lost in thought. A few minutes later he hears a gentle knock on the door which snaps him out of his thoughts. Frederick starts speaking in a calm voice.

Frederick: Who is there?
Prince Frederick: It's me, Your Majesty. I'm here for our talk.
Frederick: Come in Fred.
Prince Frederick: Yes Your Majesty.

Prince Frederick opens the door to Frederick's room. Upon entering the room the prince closes the door behind him. Then he notices Frederick has stopped doing his work and is now staring at him. Frederick starts speaking in a calm yet serious tone.

Frederick: Fred I have just noticed that you have been growing distant towards me. I just want to know what I have possibly done to upset you so that I can apologize to you and have your forgiveness.
Prince Frederick: I just feel like that you haven't been caring about me as much as my father did.
Frederick: Fred I have been busy. I understand that we haven't had a lot of time to spend with each other. But I promise you that once I sort out something to help the kingdom to recover from the war we will spend more time together. Just remember that I still care about you even though we haven't had a lot of time together.
Prince Frederick: Do you truly promise that you will spend time with me? Do you promise that you still care about me?

Frederick: Yes Fred. I promise that we will spend time together once I am free and have found a way for the kingdom to recover. I also promise that I still care about you I will always care about you. I'm sorry that we haven't had time together. I'm sorry that you didn't feel cared about. Do you forgive me, Fred?
Prince Frederick: Yes. I also really feel like I should have gone first.
Frederick: Why is that Fred? What do you have to say?
Prince Frederick: I just have been thinking about a lot of things lately.
Frederick: You can tell me, Fred.

Prince Frederick takes a deep breath and begins holding back a lot of tears. He then starts speaking in a tone full of sadness and regret.

Prince Frederick: I feel like I don't belong here anymore. I have made a lot of mistakes.
Frederick: What do you mean Fred? You do belong here.
Prince Frederick: It's just that I have hurt a lot of people here. I have hurt Voltaire and I have hurt you. Voltaire has forgiven me but I still feel guilty about everything that I have done.
Frederick: I see.

Prince Frederick: Do you forgive me for what I have done?
Frederick: Of course, I do forgive you, Fred.
Prince Frederick: Thank you.
Frederick: I can tell that you possibly have something else to tell me, Fred.

Tears start streaming down Prince Frederick's face. Frederick gets up from his desk and walks over to the prince. Then he gently places his hand on the prince's shoulder. Frederick starts speaking in a soft and soothing voice.

Frederick: Fred you can tell me anything I am here to support you. I care about you.
Prince Frederick: I feel like I need to find myself. I feel like I need to have a fresh start as I have been going down the wrong path.
Frederick: I understand that. But I'm sure that you can make a fresh start here.
Prince Frederick: I don't think that I can. Especially because of what I have done.

Frederick: Fred have some faith in yourself.
Prince Frederick: I'm going to go to Berlin and try and find myself there.
Frederick: Fred. You don't have to move away.
Prince Frederick: I need to find myself and try and get over my guilt. But I need to do it away from here. I promise you that I will return in a year. I'll go pack my things.

Prince Frederick walks over to the door and opens it. Then he exits the room closing the door behind him. Frederick stands there in confusion and shock. A couple of minutes later he sits down on his bed and puts his head in his hands. Tears start streaming down Frederick's face and he starts quietly sobbing to himself. A few minutes later there is a gentle knock on the door. But Frederick ignores it and continues sobbing. Prince Henry then opens the door and notices Frederick crying. Then he closes the door and walks over to Frederick. Prince Henry then starts speaking in a slightly concerned tone.

Prince Henry: What happened Frederick?
Frederick: Fred is leaving for a while and I feel like it's my fault.
Prince Henry: Why is he leaving?
Frederick: He wants to spend time alone to find himself along with getting over his guilt.
Prince Henry: How is this your fault, Frederick?

Frederick: The reason why this situation is happening is that Fred thought I didn't care about him. But he understands that I care about him now.
Prince Henry: I see. But it is good that Fred is trying to find himself and possibly start a new path in life.
Frederick: Your right. But I still feel like it's my fault.
Prince Henry: I'll leave you to calm down.
Frederick: Thank you, Henry.

Prince Henry opens the door and exits the room. Upon exiting the room he closes the door behind him. Frederick begins trying to calm himself down by taking deep breaths. A couple of minutes later Frederick gets up off his bed and walks over to his desk. Then he sits down and begins looking down at a blank sheet of paper. He continues to stare at the sheet of paper still feeling slightly upset because of what happened. A couple of hours later Frederick is now outside the palace and he notices Prince Frederick is putting his things in the carriage. Frederick quickly walks down the stairs and over to Prince Frederick. Then he gently places his hand on Prince Frederick's shoulder. He starts speaking in a calm voice while holding back a lot of his sadness and regret.

Frederick: Fred promise me that you will at least visit during your time away.
Prince Frederick: I will.
Frederick: Remember if you still need to talk about something just send me a letter.
Prince Frederick: I will.
Frederick: Goodbye Fred.
Prince Frederick: Goodbye Your Majesty.

Prince Frederick gets in the carriage and closes the door. The carriage then rides off and Frederick stands there watching it ride away. A few minutes later he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder. Frederick turns around and notices Voltaire. Voltaire starts speaking in a calm and slightly concerned voice.

Voltaire: What happened, Frederick, you seem upset about something.
Frederick: Fred has left and he won't be back for a while. I accept his choice. But I still feel upset that this whole situation happened because I didn't care enough about Fred.
Voltaire: Frederick don't blame yourself.
Frederick: Voltaire I just don't know what to do now. I am just overwhelmed with what is happening.
Voltaire: Frederick take some time to relax.
Frederick: Your right Voltaire I need to just take some time to relax.

Frederick begins walking up the steps to the palace and Voltaire begins making his way to the nearby fountain. A few minutes later Voltaire sits down on a bench near the fountain and gazes at the fountain.

*Voltaire in thought*
Frederick is overwhelming himself I don't like seeing him upset like that.

He needs to stop blaming himself for everything. I want him to realize that not everything is his fault.

I also can't believe that the prince left. I just hope that it was on good terms as Frederick seemed quite upset after the prince left.

I don't want their relationship to be broken. I just hope that they can mend it instead of making it worse.

I should just continue with my work.

Voltaire gets up and begins walking back to the palace. A few hours later the sun has set. Voltaire and Frederick are both lying in bed together in Frederick's room. Voltaire is peacefully sleeping while Frederick is still awake. Frederick's eyes slowly begin to close and he enters his fantasies. Upon opening his eyes he notices that he is in a familiar grand palace. He also notices King Frederick I sitting on his throne. Frederick feels tears slowly streaming down his face and he awkwardly looks down at the floor. King Frederick I starts speaking in a calm voice.

King Frederick I: You are upset again. What's going on?
Frederick: Fred has left. He wants to find himself and start on a new path in his life.
King Frederick I: Why are you upset though? What happened?
Frederick: I blame myself for this whole situation. I feel like I haven't been taking care of Fred enough. I apologized for not being able to take care of him enough.

King Frederick I: Being King and having to take care of the one who is your heir is difficult. But there is a balance between the two.
Frederick: I feel like I haven't balanced it at all. I feel like I have been trying to run my kingdom and not spending much time with my family.
King Frederick I: You will find that balance eventually.
Frederick: Really?
King Frederick I: Yes.

Frederick slowly raises his head and stares at King Frederick I. He then wipes his tears away and smiles a little bit. King Frederick I continues speaking in a calm voice.

King Frederick I: You are a great King and you have made your people proud.
Frederick: Thank you.
King Frederick I: I know that you will find the balance between ruling your kingdom and spending time with your family. I have a lot of faith in you.
Frederick: Thank you.

King Frederick I: Remember don't blame yourself for everything. Not everything that happens is your fault.
Frederick: I will try to remember that.
King Frederick I: Good. But now I think that it's time for you to go and take care of your kingdom.
Frederick: Yes I should go and do that.

Frederick slowly opens his eyes and notices that the sun is just rising. He also notices that Voltaire is still peacefully sleeping. Then he quietly gets out of bed to not disturb Voltaire. Calmly and quietly walking over to his desk he then sits down and begins reading some important documents.

To be Continued...