32. Christian
The sun rises in the makeshift facility, and the sky is far more beautiful than it should be at this hour. I know it’s a byproduct of the wildfires, and it reminds me that sometimes the most beautiful situations can arise from the most unexpected places.
I know it was true for me and my bride. And today, as she’s recovering physically and as my nation recovers as a whole, I’ve never been more grateful in my life, and the reason is her.
“Thought you could use this, brother.” Alex hands me a cup of coffee. “Are you ready for today?”
“Something going on?” I give him a smile and take a sip, savoring the flavor.
“Nothing huge. Just the wedding of the century.”
“With a headcount the size of Monaco…” I recognize the dark hair and intense hazel eyes immediately.
“Caesar!” He barrels forward and wraps me in a hug. “Thank God you’re here.”
A few minutes later, Ishmael and Cedrick, always each other’s shadow, come in together.
“Looks like the whole gang’s here.” Ishmael looks around. “Except for Pop.”
“Eh, he’s in his happy place.” I point out the window, where I can hear laughter through the thin panes. “Entertaining his adoring fans. He never gets enough of the glad-handing.”
“Like father, like son.” Cedrick pats me on the back with a laugh, then gives a slight punch.
“One of us had to be created in his image, God knows,” I say, thinking about the last year and how one by one my brothers removed themselves from the line of succession until the final inevitable choice emerged.
Marriage would help them learn they didn’t want the throne. I didn’t need that lesson. But Father never makes anything easy.
I look out the window and I see the man of every other hour, King Francis, our father, shaking hands and holding villagers rapt with his stories.
“Look at him. I think he might be happier than I am.”
“And why shouldn’t he be?” Caesar says. “Today, his grand plan is accomplished.”
“All of his boys, married off…” Cedrick says.
As grateful as I am that I found the love of my life, and as grateful my brothers are, that doesn’t mean we completely forgive him.
We put our hands together in a circle, one on top of the other, and raise them out at the same time, and a pact is sealed.
“Here’s to Dad,” we say in unison.
“She just left?The future Queen is gone?” King Francis looks like he’s about to choke on his ceremonial sash.
Bella pats his shoulder as the designated messenger sent to give the full report.
He pulls out the note again and shoves his spectacles back on his face, as if studying it one more time will change what it says.
My darling Christian,
I need some time to think. I may be back in hours, I may be back in years. I need to examine my soul. It was so much pressure so quickly, and the stakes for you, for the King, and for the country I love are so high if I am a less than ideal Queen.
If I had had a little more time, I would be more certain in my choice. I am sorry you had so much pressure on you. I hope that you will feel liberated from being forced to make a decision that was not your own.
Love,
Cataleya.
“I simply don’t understand. Didn’t you already, in a small ceremony…? I was there, after all…”
I sigh, thinking about Cataleya heading back to the capital and taking a flight to New York, rather than planning to go through with our grand wedding.
“We did, we did. But this isn’t about being a wife. You read the note. It’s about being a Queen and the pressure she feels to fulfill all of the expectations of making that transition so quickly.”
The King paces and shakes his head, and I take his hand.
“It will be fine, Father, I promise. It’s for the best,” I say, trying to convince myself. “Our wedding was always going to double as a ceremony to celebrate the revival of the community by having it in this amazing place, the displaced person complex.” I stretch out my arms to the building around us, which was erected in just a matter of weeks while Cataleya was on the mend.
“We can hold the ceremony, but we’ll let them know Cataleya is feeling too weak from her injuries. And then we can hold a real ceremony if…” I close my eyes. “She decides it’s the life she wants.”
“It’s not for everyone, Father. We always knew that,” Alexis says.
“Hell, we grew up in this environment, and it’s not for all of us,” Caesar echoes.
I try to avoid my brothers’ gaze, but Caesar breaks through.
“Well, everyone is in there, I suppose,” my father says with resignation. “Any further delay will send a message that something is wrong. We cannot allow that.”
We begin to walk out of the room, and at the last minute, King Francis takes me aside. “Just a moment, my son. I’m proud of you for your quick strategizing. I just want you to know. If you choose not to marry Cataleya after this betrayal, that is your choice. Perhaps I was…”
I kiss him on the cheek, and I look at him questioningly. “Perhaps you were…?”
“I only admit this to you, my son, because you’ve shown you’re an exemplary choice for King. But perhaps I was too aggressive with your betrothals.”
I shake my head, and I place my hand on his shoulder. “You couldn’t have known. Four out of five isn’t a bad track record, Dad.”
“It’s my job to know. I should have been fifty moves ahead. It’s much worse for the Kingdom to switch a monarch suddenly than to have a vacancy.”
“You’re the wisest leader I know, Father. You’re just not clairvoyant.”
“With enough wisdom, there is no difference. Perhaps I underestimated the wisdom of my children.”
“I’ve never felt underestimated by you in my life, Father. Including now.” I take his hand. “Let’s get out there and show the country how resilient we really are.”
The auditorium is filled with thousands of guests, made up of dignitaries and ordinary Solvarians from the surrounding area, and thousands more are seated outside. The villagers have already begun to dance.
The decorations, music, and procession plans are all in place for the grand occasion. Everyone is in the positions we’ve practiced for weeks, ever since Cataleya recovered from her injuries.
The entire ceremony has her touches on it, and I miss her. But this day is about the Kingdom, not just about her. It always was.
After my brothers and sisters-in-law descend the aisle together, my father and I walk down after them, hand-in-hand, and we stand together on a stage.
“My honored fellow Solvarians,” my father begins. “Thank you all for coming to share this splendid, glorious day, and this solemn ceremony. However, Princess Cataleya is still recovering from her injuries…”
Gasps and murmurs rise from the crowd, and I exchange serious expressions with my brothers and my sisters-in-law. My father made them all swear vows as to the real reason
I feel all of the eyes in the hall turn to me, and I lift my head with confident stoicism. The whispers are replaced by an all-encompassing hush. I nod at him in agreement. We’ve only had time to rehearse once.
“But the celebration today transcends wedding vows. This is larger than two individuals. Today seals the bond of an entire nation. Today, I make a promise to our homeland. I vow to defend her not only through my lifetime but beyond, as I name my hair.”
The noise in the hall turns cacophonous, with some guests rising to their feet, others weeping. Some are clapping, others stomping their feet in celebration. An old man lifts up his wife and spins her in an impromptu dance in the aisle.
My father embraces my other brothers one by one, then stops in front of me.
“After what I know has been a long time coming, I announce my successor. Prince Christian Vanecourt, my eldest son.”
The crowd breaks out in cheers, and I bow deeply before them. My father takes my hands in his.
“My dearest son, do you swear before God and the countrymen of your Kingdom to serve as Crown Prince of the great nation of Solvaria?”
He lets my hands go, and I give him a deep bow.
“I swear on my life to protect the people and lands of Solvaria as long as I shall live. I vow to fulfill my duties as King following the noble example of my father, King Francis Vanecourt.”
Then I kneel before him, and he lays his ceremonial lance on each shoulder. Once he places it back in his sash, he places his hands on my head, then follows with a kiss.
As the room erupts into applause, I stand and bow deeply, facing the crowd. And, as I knelt before my father, I kneel at the edge of the altar and face the crowd directly.
“My people of Solvaria. I kneel before you today not as your leader, but as your subject. I promise to honor our great nation and the soul of our people. I promise to carry you in every action I do, and that every step will be in furtherance of the cause of our great realm.”
I stay kneeling down, and when I open my eyes, the entire crowd is standing. I look behind me and see tears streaming down my father’s cheeks as well.
Father leans down and pats me on the shoulder, then helps me up. I clear my throat, trying to remain the strong monarch amid all of the emotion.
“I’m proud of you, son. You’re doing this on your own. You, alone, are the King the nation needs.”
I nod, and I’m barely able to hold it in. I think of Cataleya, and I see an image of her face. I kiss my father on the cheek, and I stand next to him.
I give one last look. Only my brothers and I know what’s coming next.
“Today is not only about taking the mantle of leadership. It’s about passing on the spirit of the realm to the heart of the people.”
I look over to my father, who, for maybe the first time in his life, has no idea what to do. For my first action as Crown Prince, I am taking my own power independent of my father. I am making my own choice, and I am beginning my own life.
My father looks even more confused as my brothers and sisters-in-law exit the stage and approach a woman in the back with luminous dark skin dressed in a robe of white, the traditional Solvarian holy garments.
“I am consecrating this center for the benefit of the people, with the help of my brothers to solemnify the occasion, by giving the key to Solvaria to a noble to give to the village. Father, will you help me do the honors in saying the prayer?”
He steps up to me confidently, as if that was his plan all along and he’s fully versed. “Of course, my son.”
Alexis pulls the key to the Kingdom out of his vest, the size of his forearm, and hands it to the Solvarian citizen in snowy, almost-blinding white.
I smile through the heavy hood of the robe, and I see those eyes shining out.
“Caesar, as the chief of the diplomatic corps and one of the highest heads of state, I’d like you to officiate.”
Father again pretends to know everything, but I’m smiling visibly at his confusion.
“Cedrick, please lift the hood of the robes.”
My father puts his hand to his mouth in shock, and the tears flow even more freely now, a rushing dam breaking down his face.
He opens his mouth, trying to speak, but he chokes on his words. He shakes his head, but I can see the enormous joy and pride in his eyes.
“My son, you are your own man,” he whispers. “And my daughter-in-law, and future Queen, you look beautiful. Thank you, Christian. Thank you.”
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Crown Prince Christian Vanecourt and his bride, Cataleya Fitzrelzon…” Caesar begins.
I hold the hand of my bride, and she looks at me with her huge hazel eyes, dressed in traditional Solvarian garb rather than a wedding gown.
It’s simple, elegant, and traditional, like her, but also completely unique, like her. Caesar begins the vows for us to repeat, and each of my brothers recites a vow for me and Cataleya to echo.
And we make vows to each other, in impromptu words that communicate the love we have for each other and our people.
We say ‘I do,’ and I kiss her long and hard, to the ringing cheers of our people.