Chapter 7
This meeting would be happening far later than any of them would have preferred, but Frederick had refused to tell the leaders from Parliament and the Council why it would be held after supper.
He couldn’t tell them it was because the new queen wouldn't be back from work until then.
He could feel the tension radiating off Elise as they waited for the members of leadership to enter. No aides were allowed to come with them, something sure to be an irritant to at least a couple of them.
George was there, of course, as well as the magistrate who had performed the wedding ceremony several hours earlier.
"What is all of this, Fred?" The Deputy Chairman of the Council always did his best to ensure Frederick stayed "in his place" despite being the monarch.
The magistrate cleared his throat and glared at the Deputy Chairman.
The Deputy rolled his eyes. "What is all of this, Your Majesty?"
The magistrate handled the official notification. "This is a Level 1 secure meeting," he started. "Nothing spoken about in this room can be discussed with anyone outside of this room and cannot be discussed with each other except in a Level 1 secure setting."
The other officials glanced at each other.
"King Frederick and Queen Elise were married this afternoon in accordance with all legal requirements and prior to the deadline imposed by the Monarchial Marriage Act of 1827.
There will be a formal ceremony later this year.
Until such a time as the king sees fit, the identity of the new queen is to be considered a state secret.
Should any of you violate this mandate, you will be charged with treason and will be remanded to the Isle of Sorrows for the remainder of your natural life. "
For a few seconds, they all remained still and silent as they processed the information.
"The queen is not allowed to work." The Deputy Chairman was the first to speak. His tone, unsurprisingly, was filled with derision, superiority, and arrogance.
“That’s not true and you know it.” It was as close as the Chairman would ever come to reprimanding his deputy.
Frederick managed to keep his emotions under control.
"The queen has contractual obligations that supersede the tradition.
There is no legal requirement for the queen to only work as a member of the royal family.
There is a legal requirement for the royal family to keep their contractual obligations.
Once her obligations have been fulfilled, the queen will take on a more traditional role as consort. "
The Deputy's face grew red to the point Frederick worried about his blood pressure.
The magistrate spoke again. "There is nothing else to discuss. You have been informed of the king's change in status and of the requirement for your silence."
The Majority Leader of Parliament looked like he wanted to say something, but the stony look on the magistrate's face kept him from doing so.
"If there are no further concerns or constructive comments, this meeting is adjourned." The magistrate gave a nod dismissing the leadership.
No one had taken a seat for the short meeting so George motioned for them to follow him to the main door and opened it for their exit. Once only the three of them remained, the magistrate turned to Frederick and Elise.
"I wish to offer my congratulations once again.
I understand the need for secrecy for the moment as well as the need for the queen to continue upholding her obligations.
However, be aware the public will only be held at bay for so long.
They'll insist on knowing who the new queen is as soon as the announcement is made.
I would recommend having a plan to deal with those demands as well as introducing Queen Elise to them. "
Frederick nodded at him. "My team came to the same conclusion earlier today. I appreciate your assistance and continued discretion, sir."
"It is my pleasure."
After handshakes all around, only Elise remained in the office with him. He rested a hand on the small of her back and silently urged her toward the same chairs they'd been in earlier. Once seated, he took her hand in his.
"How did the rest of your day go?" Better to start there.
"It went well. I'm wondering how long it will be before the increased security is noticed.
Unless you have a better idea, we'll just say there's an unspecified threat my team has been made aware of and decided to err on the side of caution.
Unless anyone recognizes them as a part of the palace security team, that should suffice.
Even then, we could say the palace offered their assistance.
" She sat back in the chair but continued to hold onto his hand.
"We'll meet with the public relations team tomorrow, around your schedule."
She wrinkled her nose in that cute way he'd loved ever since the first season of SPACE. "My schedule is jam packed for the next two days. I'm sorry."
"You can't help it." He ran through a few things in his mind. "The security team believes it to be best that you stay here even before the announcement is made."
"Are you sure that's the best plan?" Elise questioned the decision, something very few people did.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Did she have a valid concern?
Elise hesitated for a second before continuing.
"We're telling the people that, although the marriage is legally binding, we're essentially engaged until the official ceremony in a few months.
Given that, would it be more... seemly for me to stay elsewhere?
" Her head tipped to one side as she considered it.
"That's a good point." One that would require further consideration. "Tonight, since you're already here, it would be best for you to remain." That was his thought anyway.
Her hand tightened slightly around his. "I would love to stay, and I appreciate the offer, but until the announcement is made, it's probably best that I'm seen at my hotel.
Once the people have been told, I can certainly come for dinner or to spend time with you and your family, but until then, it could only lead to speculation we don't want.
Especially if we can't have a meeting with the PR team for a couple of days. "
Reluctantly, Frederick nodded his agreement.
"You're probably right. It's best to continue as we would otherwise for the time being.
" He didn't like it. The hotel where the cast and crew were staying was one of the nicest ones in Caledania, and their security had to be top notch, but he'd still prefer having Elise - his wife, the queen - staying in the palace.
"I would imagine there will be more security taking up posts near the hotel. Undercover, of course."
"That is completely understandable. I wouldn't expect any less from your team.
They are very good at their jobs." She squeezed his hand again.
"Is there any chance we could get some dinner?
I haven't eaten much today." A slight grimace crossed her face.
"I spent my lunch break here. I was able to get a snack, but no actual meal. "
Frederick stood immediately. "Of course. I'll have dinner sent right away."
The biggest question remaining in his mind - where would they eat? His quarters would normally be his first choice, but that didn't seem like the best idea given everything else. A balcony, maybe? But they ran the risk of being seen.
With a sigh, he wondered if there was somewhere else that would be better, but realized he didn't know the nooks and crannies of the palace as well as he probably should.
In the absence of a better option, only one choice remained.
His first dinner with his wife would be in his office.
Dinner was far more awkward than Elise would have expected based on their previous interactions.
But, then again, she hadn’t been Frederick’s wife the last time they talked for any significant period of time.
She could tell Frederick was blaming himself for the awkwardness, but in reality, the responsibility belonged to both of them.
“I should probably get back to the hotel.” Elise didn’t expect to feel as much reluctance as she did. “I have an early call time tomorrow, so I need to get some rest.”
Frederick nodded and pulled out his phone. “I’ll have someone take you back.”
Seeing his phone made Elise realize something. “You know, I have no way to actually reach you. I wouldn’t expect it to be needed, but I don’t.”
He chuckled. “It does strike me as a bit odd. I don’t have my wife’s phone number.”
She grinned. “It’s probably a little unusual, but given the circumstances it’s not surprising.”
Frederick handed his phone to her, something she suspected he didn’t do with very many people. “Send yourself a text?”
After doing that, she handed the phone back. “There’s no breech of security is there?”
He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I really have no idea, but given that you’re my wife, it’s expected that you’d have it.” A notification popped up and he stood. “They’re waiting for you in the garrison.”
Together, they walked back the way she’d come in. She would have to figure out how to get from one place to another eventually, but for now, she would have to have an escort.
Before exiting back to the valet stand area, Frederick stopped and turned to her. “I’m glad we had a chance to see each other. I’ll be counting the hours until we can see each other again.”
Elise wanted to snicker a little bit at his formality but decided that it probably wasn’t the best idea. He likely wouldn’t see the humor.
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before opening the door to the valet stand. “Have a good evening. I will see you as soon as our schedules allow.”
“I look forward to it.”
The car waiting for her in the garrison wasn’t the same one that had brought her to the palace. This one seemed to be a generic state vehicle. The security team, however was the same.
Once again, they didn’t speak to her unless absolutely necessary.
It didn’t take long to return to the hotel.
As the evening marched on, the traffic became lighter.
Almost before she knew what was happening, Elise found herself back in her suite wondering how this would all play out.
She looked at the schedule and realized that with her call times, she likely wouldn’t see Frederick for several days.
It wasn’t her first choice, but it seemed to be the only one.
For the next two days, they did communicate some via text messages, but only discussed things of a mundane nature.
When she returned to her suite two days after their dinner, Elise stopped short.
“Frederick?” The question came out before she formed a conscious thought. Of course it was him.
“Good evening, Elise. I do hope we’re not interfering too much.” He kissed her cheek.
“Of course not.” She gave him a warm smile. “I’m glad you’re here. You just surprised me.”
He wasn’t the only one there, though.
Frederick rested his hand on her back. “Elise, these are members of the public relations team.”
The three men and two women all bowed or curtsied when he said their name, but she doubted she’d remember them after just one meeting.
Dinner had already been ordered. Fortunately, Elise had told her assistant what she wanted earlier in the day.
“Unfortunately, this needs to be a working dinner for you, Your Majesties.” The lead member of the PR team clicked the remote to turn the television on.
That was when Elise realized his computer was hooked up to it and none of them were eating - just her and Frederick.
“Aren’t you hungry?” she asked them.
“We’ve already eaten, ma’am.” The lead member clicked a button on a different remote and the screen changed to a new slide. “We have three more days before the deadline. The polls show that the public is getting anxious, so an announcement tomorrow morning would be our recommendation.”
“Why tomorrow morning and not late afternoon?” Frederick asked between bites of his dinner. “Wouldn’t it be better to let it sink in overnight rather than having all day to pester the press office for information they won’t be getting?”
“That would be another option.“
“Why would you prefer earlier in the day rather than close of business?” Elise took a turn to ask question.
“We wouldn’t, to be honest,” the head of PR told her. “But it’s very possible that will work against us in the court of public opinion. They’ll know why we did it, and that no one is available to ask questions will irritate the press which will color how they report on it.”
Elise nodded slowly, as though she fully understood.
“What if the announcement was made in the late afternoon, but not quite that late? Maybe have a small press conference. Make it clear you’ll only take a few questions and there are certain things you won’t discuss, like who I am, but it avoids giving the impression that we’re unwilling to answer any questions. ”
The head of PR turned that thought over in his head.
“That could work. We also need to discuss what exactly that press release will say.” He clicked the remote again, changing the slide on the television.
“We will leave your identity vague, but let them know you have contractual obligations to complete before taking your place as Queen Consort after the wedding later this year.”
“When do we need to start planning the wedding itself?” Frederick asked that question.
“Yesterday.” The reply didn’t surprise Elise, like it seemed to surprise Frederick.
“We have a list of dates we need to choose from. All of them have already been cleared by your office.” Another click brought the dates to the screen.
“The first option is the beginning of June. It will be a bit tight getting everything organized in time, but it would be the best option.”
Frederick nodded. “Then we have a date.”