Page 41 of Learning to Rule

He sinks to the floor and places his head in my lap.

“No, I can’t. I have to right the wrongs of my father, but I don’t even know where to begin. There’s so much that is wrong. It’s going to take an eternity to put it all right. I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” Dalton lifts his head, and I wrap my hand around his strong jawline. “I’m scared, Elodie. I have to open Parliament tomorrow, and I’ve no idea what I’m going to say. I haven’t even started on my speech.”

I lean forward and kiss the top of his head.

“I’m scared as well, having read all this and knowing what’s happened before. But there’s one big difference between us and your father, and it’s the love in our hearts. I’ve never had anything, so if I ended up living in a modest house, I’d be happy as long as you were at my side. That is what will give us the strength to get through this. To rule the country as it should be. We only need each other. We start the speech by being honest, by telling everyone what has happened in the past and promising them it won’t happen again. We’ll be different—we’ll be the king and queen of the people. We’ll do this together. Equality is coming to Janastria, and you’ll be at the forefront, achieving it with me beside you. That’s how we’ll rule, and that’s what we’ll write in the speech for tomorrow.”

Dalton pulls himself up so his head is level with mine, and he cups my cheek in his hand.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I think it must have been exceptional. I want you at my side tomorrow. I don’t give a fuck that we aren’t man and wife yet. As you said, we’ll do this together. Always.”

“I refuse to be anywhere else.”

Twenty-Two

Dalton

“Iwant to thank you all for all being here today for the opening of Parliament. This is the first time I’ve done it, and as you can see, things are going to be a little different from now on. I’m not dressed in the robes of my office. I’m not wearing the country’s crown on my head, and I didn’t arrive in the state coach with pomp and ceremony. I won’t do those things again until Janastria is restored to its former prosperity.”

I’m standing center stage with the faces of the government around me. Elodie is at my side wearing a long dress, which accentuates her toned body. We both stand with our heads held high. There were a few people, still dominated by the old ways, who tried to stop me opening Parliament when I arrived without my official robes and with Elodie at my side, but I reminded them who they were speaking to and where their duty now lies.

“I’ve spent the last few days working through mountains of paperwork and evidence, identifying everything that’s failing in this country due to the wrongs of my father. His greed was beyond compare, and he was assisted in his avarice by the previous corrupt government. I’m here to declare that an investigation will be launched into their dealings, and all those who’ve prospered as a result of the crimes committed against this great country will be prosecuted and their ill-gotten gains stripped from them. Never again will the rich be allowed to act in a way that benefits themselves alone. If any of you you don’t like what I’m saying, then I suggest you re-think your career here in Parliament. I will not tolerate what has been happening to Janastria over the last few years. I’m disgusted,” I shout, and the sea of faces in front of me are filled with terror—all except those who have nothing to hide, which are very few. The corruption runs far deeper than we suspected. I make note of every single person whose face pales, and looking over at Clement, I can see he’s doing the same as me.

“My first decree as King of Janastria is that the crown will be returning all the money it has taken from the state. I don’t know the final amount yet as I’m still figuring out what I am permitted to give back. However, I will ensure I give all I can. The royal family does not need so much wealth. The number of people receiving grants from the state will be streamlined. Effective immediately, my uncle Prince Henry, my cousins Prince Gregory and Princess Alexandra, and Miss Nash and I will be classified as the only working royals. I think that’s sufficient for the duties we need to carry out.”

I had wanted to exclude my uncle Henry and Gregory and just have Alexandra. With Marianne joining us, we’d have made a fantastic four, so to speak, but Elodie had suggested it was a little too progressive for the country. Alexandra and Marianne are going to be big news when it’s announced they’re to marry. Especially when I give them both titles of Duchess as is fitting for their status. It’s going to give a few of the older generation a heart attack. I chuckle to myself as I continue my speech.

“All other royals and nobles will need to support their endeavors themselves. They’ve benefitted a great deal under my father’s rule, but I no longer deem that in the best interests of Janastria. Miss Nash and I have agreed we will pay for our wedding. However, it will still be a public event, which will hopefully allow us to celebrate the changing fortunes of the country. The wedding will be jointly held with our crowning as king and queen. It will be a big event, but we want to take as little as possible from the government purse.”

This is something Elodie and I discussed last night. We both know that it will delay us getting married, but sorting out Janastria is the top priority for us at the moment.

“I have the assurance of Prime Minster Woodrow that all monies the crown returns to the state will be invested in education, welfare, and health care primarily. These are three areas that have suffered a great deal under the previous government’s rule as dictated by my father. Effective immediately, a program of regeneration will be put in place for the most severely disadvantaged areas in Janastria. Prime Minster Woodrow and his team have already ascertained the location of those areas, and a list will be released later today. This does not have to be the full list. If you have issues where you live, please write to me. Iwillread all letters I receive and act accordingly.”

I’m determined not to be like my father—I won’t ever throw a letter from someone in the fire. I will read them all and follow them up.

“Apart from the corruption, the one thing that has appalled me the most is the suffering of our young people. There are children out there who’ve not eaten today because their parents can’t afford food. There are those who’ve been abused and even forced to sell their bodies just to survive. I will not allow this to continue. I will be appointing a special minister and governing body to ensure the children of Janastria are nurtured. Many leave school with no hope of work. That can not and will not happen any longer. They are our future, and they must be supported to become the very best they can be.”

I pause again in my speech. The whole of Parliament is silent. You could hear a pin drop as I place the speech I hold in my hand down on the chair behind me—I know this next part by heart.

“I once benefited from the corruption of my father’s making. I bedded women, and I was often drunk. I was complicit, albeit unknowingly, in his crimes. Thankfully, I was banished to Florida where I met someone who changed the way I see things. Her values and attitude to life gave me hope that I can be the king you need. That woman stands at my side today, a place she will always occupy. I can’t promise you that we’ll always get everything right as we learn to rule, but I can promise we will try. That is who we both are as people. Our hearts are filled with love and a need to heal the country that I’ve been destined to serve since birth. A country, I’m speaking for Elodie here, that has left a mark on her since the moment she saw it when she stepped off the plane that brought her here. It is for that reason I will be pardoning the man who killed my father. I will be giving him, personally, the support he needs to get his life back on track. He shouldn’t be imprisoned for what he did. His actions have allowed these changes to come, and they will continue to happen for Janastria and its people. We will all change and grow, not apart but together. Thank you.”

Twenty-Three

Elodie

A year later

“Do you, Miss Elodie Nash, take this man, His Majesty, King Dalton Frederick William Albert of Janastria, to be your loving husband. Do you promise to love, honor, and obey him as long as you both shall live?”

I stare up at Dalton in front of me, a beaming smile on my face. He’s dressed in his military colors. A beautiful dark black suit with a gold trim edging, a sword at his side, and various medals of office and valor pinned to his chest. Over his shoulders is the cloak of the king, a long, velvet, fur trimmed garment, which I suspect is older than the country of my birth, but very well looked after. He’s not wearing the crown of his status as king. No, that comes next in the proceedings.

I have to summon up all my courage to speak loud enough for everyone to hear inside the great cathedral of Janastria.

“I do.”

Dalton’s expression mirrors the smile on my face, and I couldn’t be happier.

“Your Majesty, King Dalton Frederick William Albert of Janastria, do you take this woman, Miss Elodie Nash, to be your loving wife. Do you promise to love, honor, and obey her as long as you both shall live?”

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