The First Consultation

As Rainier's cousin and the first in line to the throne, Samantha was raised as a princess. She was taught to always idolize the king. But as she watched Gwen getting paler and paler during their first clinical consultation, Samantha was afraid of what her cousin had done to this woman.

She was terrified to continue with the preliminary interview. But besides being the Duchess of Galsbourg, she was also a psychiatrist and a doctor. If the queen reached out to her for help, she had to help her.

"How often do you have suicidal thoughts in the past two weeks, Ma'am?"

".....sometimes."

Samantha took a deep breath, then continued in her most professional tone, "I see. Now, would you like to tell me your story?"

".....my story will sound entirely unbelievable to you, Doctor."

"I am trained to hear those stories, Ma'am. No matter how irrational you may feel, I will listen to you."

Gwen tried to speak. This was what she was seeking, right? She wanted to be mentally healthy. So why not open up to Samantha now? She's a professional.

"I didn't marry Rainier willingly. He forced me into it."

Naturally, Samantha was afraid to hear this point of view. She lived in a Kingdom where Rainier was the absolute ruler. He equaled God there. Even to hear someone casually saying his name was already terrifying, let alone hearing that behind the beautiful wedding pictures, there's a dark story behind it.

Gwen stood up, too agitated to merely sit down. She began pacing the room.

"This will get even more irrational from now on, Doctor. I'm not from here. I'm not even from this world. I'm from a different world. There's no Galsbourg Kingdom there, there's no king. My country's name is Kilare. It's a republic. It's led by a president. And the east and west are not unified. In my world, there's Eastern Kilare."

"I was living as a police detective there. I loved my job. I worked hard every day. I have a father. He runs a taekwondo school. And Rainier, he just--came to my world with his guards, then kidnapped me. Brought-- me here."

She began crying, and once she began, she didn't want to stop. Samantha found a tissue box nearby and placed it on the table.

"He raped me the first time. I was chained to his bed. I couldn't stop him," Gwen said, then sitting down on the one-seater and sobbing her heart out, her whole body was shaking. "He shot a guard's shoulder when I didn't want to listen to him, and threatened to hurt more people if I don't listen to him... I was locked in my bedroom. I can't communicate with anyone... I wanted to die..."

"He said there are many dimensions with parallel worlds. There are people with the same faces as us that live in those worlds. He sent my doppelganger to live with my father and do my job. So no one knows I'm missing."

"I was in so much pain... So much anger. He made me unable to do anything. When I asked to consult with you, he refused to see me for six days and I-- I offered sex as my payment -- to make him let me talk to you."

Samantha was afraid she would pass out. Gwen looked like she was literally dying from the pain.

"This is really a foreign place for me. I know no one. It's scary for me. The first two weeks, it took all my energy to not scream all the time. But--but--there's something even scarier. Something even more horrifying. Something that makes me--hate--myself--Something--that makes me--want to die even more--"

Gwen was gasping for breath, her tears streamed down her cheeks. Samantha came to her rescue before she fainted. She sat beside her on the couch.

"Breathe, Ma'am. Follow me. 1, 2, 3, inhale. Inhale with me, let's go. Yes, hold your breath, 1, 2, 3, exhale."

Gwen was dissolving in pain. She was sobbing through it all.

"Let's do this breathing exercise ten times. Come on, Ma'am. You can do this. Inhale, 1, 2, 3."

It was hard for her to be calm and just focus on her breathing, but Samantha guided her all along until she finished inhaling and exhaling ten times.

At the end of the routine, she felt a little bit calmer, although her tears kept flowing.

"What were you going to say, Ma'am? There's something that makes you hate yourself. Something that makes you want to die. Tell me what this is. Saying something that causes you pain out loud is a way of healing."

"I'm.... He has abused me. Mentally and physically, but I--I--" Gwen closed her eyes with a trembling hand, "I realized I missed him when I couldn't see him for days..."

Samantha herself had to take a deep breath.

"I am disgusted with myself. I hate him, but I also want to see him every day," she sobbed. "The old me would have tried to kill him, would've kept trying to run away. But I have stopped. I don't even want to hurt him anymore. I don't even want to hurt him at all, although he has hurt me so much. Too much!"

Gwen was shaking. "Falling for someone who kidnapped, raped, and abuse me, am I insane, Doctor? I have often asked myself. Asked God. Have I entirely lost my mind? Am I a slut? A whore? Am I dirty? Should I die?"

It was Samantha who had to calm down. Her mind raced. From a clinical point of view, Gwen was clearly mentally unwell. Very unwell.

And she's the queen. She had said a story that was so hard to believe, but there was something within the queen's emotional revelation that made Samantha wonder, whether those were all delusions, or whether there was some truth behind them.

"Your Majesty," Samantha said carefully, "What do you want by consulting me? What is it that you want to achieve?"

Gwen wiped her tears. "I want peace. I want to feel peaceful. And I want to be mentally healthy."

"Alright. I recommend that we meet twice a week. We'll meet again three days from now, Ma'am, would that be fine?"

Gwen nodded. "Yes. Yes, please."

"During the three days, Ma'am, I suggest several things. Eat healthily. Drink lots of water. Sleep enough. When you feel distraught, take care of your body. That will keep you from falling apart."

"Meditate. Just focus on your breathing. You can even read about meditation. Meditate to be calmer. Then journal. Get a notebook, and write your thoughts inside it. Then when we meet, let me read it."

".....aren't you going to prescribe me something? Something that could reduce my anxiety?"

"I will give you some mild antidepressants. But only take it when you feel everything is unbearable."

"Alright," Gwen replied, breathing a little easier.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me Ma'am?"

"Yes," Gwen said, sitting straighter on her couch. "Yes, Dr. Hansen. Rainier is your cousin. Please tell me what you know about him. Something the media or the published books about him never said."

Samantha was torn. How much should she tell her? Would it make the queen and the king's relationship better or worse?

Besides, although they were cousins, Rainier didn't share everything with her.

As Samantha considered, Gwen prayed that she'd tell her something.

She thought she wanted to ask Samantha's help to escape. Apparently, that was not what she wanted. What she needed was to know more about Rainier.