Act One Scene Two
Sub-Scene
Six
Friends
and Loyalty
“Horatio,
I am glad to see you well, And to you all here.” Hamlet smiled and then brushed
the tears from his eyes. He stood up to take the hands offered.
“I
am the same, my Prince. Ever your loving servant, from the King to you.”
Horatio had taken care of Hamlet when he was sent off at the age of five. He
was by the young Prince’s side on lonely nights to soothe his fears. He
whispered the words of comfort to the Prince on how much his father loved him.
“She
did not.” Hamlet sounded his anger. “She was …”
“Hush,
my Prince. Your mother is still yours. She won’t be to anyone else.” Those
words held the emotion of the Prince, and upon his freedom years, he took leave
of the nesting but he never forget his guardian’s words.
It
was then.
“My
servant? I will have that removed by the next day's break. We are friends.”
Hamlet had not had many friends and the fewer ones stood before him.
“Marcellus?”
Hamlet greeted the other. “I knew the scar tells you apart.”
“And
to you, Sir?” Hamlet greeted the one he had not met.
“Barnados,
my Prince. I served the King many years, never leaving his side.”
“Aye,
I recall your face but not the name. I was away for a long time.” Hamlet looked
at Horatio. “Too long.”
“I
returned to the castle after you left for your own. The King had wanted you to
be independent.” Horatio explained his presence there. "I missed the days
we have.”
“I
came to pay my respect to the King.” Horatio smiled. “We were not family and …”
“You
are family. It was not my doing on who can come. But you are here now. Father
will be pleased.” Hamlet stepped aside for the three aides to pay their
respect.
“We
saw you at the wedding,” Horatio spoke. “It was …”
“It’s
not mine. It was my mother’s.” Hamlet took notice of the reference. “I came
back for my father’s funeral.”
“Indeed, My Prince. It followed hard upon.”
Horatio felt the wedding was too rushed. “Madness…”
“Thrift,
thrift, Horatio. Two sweeps with one reception. The freshly baked morning meals
are cleared by the vultures. Or were they the crows? My father would have seen
to it if he was with me.”
“I
saw my father that day he died.” Hamlet sighed. “It was like he was with me.”
“Did
you see him? I mean see him?” Marcellus cut in. Horatio grabbed his twin by the
arm to pull him aside.
“Not
for a long time. I left when I was five, and he never write to me. It was the
mother but I never replied.” Hamlet reflected on his youth. Unknown to him, it
was Horation who reported to the father.
“He
was a man. A king in his land.” Hamlet felt embarrassed that he was to speak of
a man he had not seen for decades. “I wished we had met more.”
“My
Prince, I…No, we saw him..” Horatio uttered. “As late as last night.”
“My
father? The King? I am sure you met him. You were with him most time. He may
have even appeared in your dreams. He is a vain person.”
“No,
my Prince. We saw …his ghost.”
“Ghost?
I believe in no ghosts. It’s your imagination.” Hamlet laughed. “I thank all of
you to entertain me, but I am not amused. My father the King is dead.”
“If
one of us claimed to have seen him, I will deny it myself but all three of us
were there.” Horatio voiced out convincingly. “We are not the three traders
guided by the stars, but we were there to see the King. He was to speak to us
as if we were told to be there.”
“Horatio,
if it any others, I would have you buried here, but you are my trusted friend,
Tell me more of the …the King I am to say. He was …no, he is still my father.
There may a reason he appeared to you, as he did with me. He did make me come
back after so long an absence.”
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