Suddenly Enthroned

by C R Riley

  Let’s start with the day after the party where I introduced her to those who I knew would give us the most grief. Luckily my staff was way ahead of my adversaries and sent the press release shortly after I introduced Larkin as my wife. We even agreed to an interview with one of the major networks that always strived to report the facts over rumors.

  That interview went something like this.

  The male broadcaster announces that he is sitting down with us and then explains how tonight is going to go. Shortly after his explanation he turns to Larkin and ask her flat out. “So, there is one question that every woman in Hermosa Islas wants to know before we get down to business. King Antonio has been called the most eligible bachelor and sort of gained a reputation.”

  Larkin’s eyes slide my way. “Is that so? What sort of reputation? I wasn’t aware he had one.”

  “Oh, all the Reyes’ brothers have this particular reputation. The problem is that the press has never been allowed in the Palace during the after-hour parties. A few social media snapshots have been posted and left up for a few hours before being removed permanently. The family has always been very protective of social events and most guests have respected that; I’m guessing mainly because they don’t want to miss out on the next one. So, tell us Queen Larkin, it is true that King Antonio can bust a move on the dance floor?”

  All the nervous energy that was building up inside of my wife fades quickly as she lets out an authentic laugh and tumbles into me. That move right there was so genuine and real, I believe that is when my people fell in love with her.

  “Most definitely. Antonio, Fernando and his brothers could give Justin Timberlake a run for his money in a dance off.”

  “Fernando Martin, the French capitalist, whose company was named one of the top five companies in Europe. I’m not sure everyone is aware of your friendship with Mr. Martin.” He interrupts her.

  I give a quick response to that before my wife continues. “Perhaps if you are lucky, I will see if I can convince my husband to allow me to post a video of the dance he performed at our reception. My mother I know recorded it upon my request, so I could watch it later; of course, we were also warned not to release it. But maybe it’s time for the rest of the world get to know this family like I have gotten to know them.

  “Sometimes I think we want to believe the life a family like this one lives is different from the one the rest of us live. It is in a way of course; privileges are granted to them that no one else is privy too. But they also are people with feeling, emotions, and wonderful senses of humor, but often feel isolated from the rest of the world.

  “Imagine living life in a glass house, where there are always those watching your every move. Wouldn’t we all aspire to try and keep a certain part of that life private and out to the public eye? Although I believe a little glimpse might do the public some good and help them understand why I fell in love with his man.”

  I have to admit I am impressed with her answer and will seriously consider what she is suggesting.

  The host then moves the questions quickly back to why we are here. “Did you always dream about one day growing up and marrying a man like King Antonio?”

  “No.” Larkin gives her one-word response.

  “How do you mean no?”

  “I mean I had other things I dreamed about. As a young girl I wanted to be an artist. As a teenager I realized I had a hard time relating to the opposite sex, so I stopped trying and focused on my art. In college I met someone who helped me see things differently. Encouraged me to branch out a bit, which is when I started imagining one day of finding a man to settle down with. I think I pictured someone less complicated.” Larkin glances my way and pauses momentarily. “I never dreamt that a man as incredible as this one would even notice me. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this man is in a league of his own, handsome beyond words. The first time I met him I literally skidded out of my chair and end up on my hands and knees before introductions could ever be made.”

  The two of them talked back and forth like that for nearly twenty minutes. I am so enthralled watching her share all of it so freely; I almost miss it when a question is thrown my way.

  “What was the first thing about Queen Larkin that attracted you to her?”

  I couldn’t very well say her ass that was protruding out of the back of a chair, so I went with the second thing I recalled. “Her eyes. There was a purity reflected in them that drew me in. Then shortly after that is was that mouth of hers.”

  “Her mouth? Are you saying you wanted to kiss her right from the beginning Your Majesty?” I can tell this man is hoping my answer is yes.

  “No. I mean … that’s not what I meant about her mouth. It was the words that so freely tumbled out of them when I offered her a hand to assist her. I may have said something about her not needing to kneel before me. Remember Larkin had no idea who I was at this time, so she didn’t get my humor about the situation. Told me as she batted my hand away, she wouldn’t kneel before me if I were King of England.”

  The entire production crew burst into laughter; at the same moment my wife blushes. As soon as things calm down, I go onto explain why I liked it so much.

  “People are always going out of their way to make an impression when they meet me. Granted they are clued in most of the time on who I am. So, the fact that this woman treated me like she would any other arrogant male was refreshing.”

  “Did she continue treating you like an arrogant male after she learned who you were?”

  “Yes.” I reach over and entangle our fingers. “Mi lunaita has always treated me like a simple man, never discriminated against me just because I held some outrageous title that I had no part in obtaining. I did nothing special to achieve my role as King, and she has treated me no differently because of it. I never wonder what she is thinking or question where we stand, because she openly shares it all with me.”

  “Tell us about how King Antonio proposed.”

  My wife’s eyes meet mine and I know the answer she is going to give them before she even says it. “I’d rather keep that between us if you don’t mind. I will however reveal that it was a very touching moment that I will forever hold dear to my heart. He is quite the romantic and pays attention to details. Knows me well and made sure to knock it out of the park and seal the deal.”

  “Knock it out of the park?” He asks and I laugh because Larkin definitely says things, I don’t get at times either.

  “Yeah. A homerun.” She starts laughing. “Baseball analogy.”

  He shakes his head and moves on quickly to the question I know everyone really wants to know. “Why did you all decide to marry so quickly?”

  “Why do others elope?” Larkin throws a question right back at him. “There are many reasons. We love each other, most importantly. Our lives are very busy and the thought of planning a wedding was overwhelming to me. I’m not one who enjoys being put on the spot.”

  “But you are now Queen, you will be in the public eye forever.”

  Larkin blinks slowly and takes a controlled breath. “I know. A reality that became clear to me moments after the I dos were exchanged. Anxiety is something I struggle with, therefore a private ceremony with the ones most important to us, allowed me to not fret as much about what was going on around me.

  “Let’s face it; there are those who don’t agree with this marriage at all, claim I am not worthy. Believe that a woman who was raised to take on such a role is more suited for this job and would have voiced those opinions over and over again, hoping to dissuade me from spending my life with the man I love.

  “Sometimes love is enough to get you to do the unthinkable and take a leap of faith, in this case it was. I know Antonio will have my back in all matters, help me understand this new role I am now expected to portray. Not fault me when I say or do something that may seem uncouth of a Queen.

  “I guess what I’m saying is, why should we expect these elite few to settle for less. Shouldn’t every man or w
oman out there be given the right to choose the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with? Why do you suppose men and women in these positions, where we have limited their choices, have affairs or divorce? The pressure of this life is great enough as it is, so if you don’t love the person that you are married to, the person you are expected to have children with, what kind of sad lonely life would that really be. So, we figured it was about time to break a cycle and mix things up a bit, follow our hearts first and let the rest eventually work itself out.”

  The host turns to me as the biggest sincere smile takes over his face. “A rare jewel this one is Your Majesty. I can see why she captivated you. Just sitting here, I can assure our audience that the love you two share is real and very powerful. Would you like to add anything? Explain maybe why you elected to have her undergo a tradition many would consider an invasion of privacy.”

  “The Maiden Exam is what you are referring too?” He nods so I continue. “I wanted to douse any rumors that would surely follow after a rushed marriage. Larkin has no reason to be ashamed of why I wanted it done. Nor did I have a reason to doubt her. Plus, I would not have I put her through it if I wasn’t already certain what the results would prove. I did it to keep those who wish to discredit us at bay. No other reason. I requested Dr. Devon Wilson to perform it because she is highly respected in our circle, and no one would ever accuse her of fudging the results.

  “Now understand this as well. I myself would have subjected my body to the same type of exam if one were possible for a man. Proven that I had practice abstinence as well. But there is no such exam, so I guess you will all have to take me at my word as King.”

  He ends the interview discussing our decision to rule as one. Asks what it means exactly, wondering if that is constitutional. I assure him that it is and that while most King’s and Queen’s don’t come out and proclaim a united reign, they often go to the other person for advice. We are just being open about the fact that I plan on allowing my wife to be my biggest adviser.

  The feedback we received was about what I expected. Those who have always supported me continued to. Those who enjoy being a thorn in my side let it be known when this all goes south, that I had no one to blame but myself. And the people who I reigned over were all over the board about how they felt. Some found it refreshing and thought it would do some good getting fresh blood in the King’s office. Others were waiting to see how it was all going to play out, not wanting to really give an opinion, but made it clear that they liked my wife and wished her luck. And then there were those who thought I should have followed the advice of those who had always lent an ear to the King. Followed traditional ways and abandoned love, pointed out how badly that had seemed to work for Princess Diana and Princess Fergie.

  So that all basically happened within the first week. After that it was just a matter of letting things settle as we got on with our lives.

  Larkin went back to Homero the following Tuesday. My wife was a workingwoman who took her responsibilities that surrounded her job serious. She was on a time schedule and if she slacked, she had no doubt that those who were working for her would slack as well. They were already behind and that probably bothered her more than anything else. She prided the fact that when she gave a deadline, she met that deadline; this was one she just wasn’t certain she could make.

  I went to visit her the next weekend, alone. My brothers stepped up and took Isabel for me. Knowing that my wife and I would most definitely need to spend time alone, where we could connect as husband and wife. We both hated that our weeks were going to be spent apart, only giving us the weekends to have that physical contact.

  Then of course I had a three-week European tour, where I was meeting with other government officials to discuss issues leaders discussed. Something that had to be done, but most certainly was not my favorite types of trips to take. Perhaps if my wife could have traveled with me it would have been tolerable. I always felt like my time could be better utilized during those types of trips. While I understand foreign policy is important, and maintaining positive relationships is beneficial, there are times it just feels like I am going through the motions.

  During that time Larkin and I were restricted to phone calls, texting and FaceTime. If you’ve ever tried to do the long-distance thing, you understand how complicated it can be. There is nothing like it and the reason why so many don’t work out. A person must really love the other person—trust the other person—enough to get them through the extended time apart. And since this woman is the air I breathe, we have managed to make it through these last three weeks and even figured out ways to draw us closer.

  The first week I was gone was probably the easiest. We’d send private little text throughout the day to let the other person know we were thinking of them. Made a point to FaceTime each evening, around seven, her time, so that we could eat together and discuss our day. Seeing her face helped, but it also made me miss her that much more. I also made the point to call her each morning before she left for the day, because I wanted to be the first person she talked to.

  The second week got a little harder. My schedule seemed to be packed full of dinners or early morning meetings. Esteban had also joined me during that portion of my trip. Part of his duty was to make his face just as well-known as mine to these leaders, and honestly it made things a little less mundane. However, it also made it difficult for me to clear as much time for Larkin, forcing most of our contact to be strictly through texting or short late-night calls that often got interrupted.

  Week three hadn’t been much better, except it wasn’t my schedule that was interfering this time. Larkin had finally gotten her team close to finishing phase one. So, she was putting in longer hours to get everything ready for phase two, while making sure nothing got overlooked. The one time I was privileged to FaceTime her, was a few nights ago, and I noticed how tired she looked. It reminded me of the time she fell asleep on me in the elevator, and I didn’t like knowing she was doing more physical work this time around, instead of the deskwork she had been performing then. Even though Larkin ensured me she was fine and not overdoing things, I instructed her security team to keep a very closer eye on her.

  My plane land back in Hermosa Islas forty-five minutes ago, and we are now heading for Homero. Since I was two days early, I knew I had time to make an unscheduled stop there. Honestly it wouldn’t have mattered if I did or not. Three weeks away from my wife of only three months meant that the only incident that could have kept me away would have to have been catastrophic in measure. My team hadn’t even questioned me when I gave them instructions to take me to Maximiliano Chateau. I am certain they anticipated the change.

  I am lost in thought when I hear Isaac answer his cellphone. At first, I don’t think much about it until he seems to straighten and quickly becomes extremely professional. He is doing his best to keep his voice low while making it clear he understands. I don’t miss the fact that he has retrieved his tablet, and now frantically working on it, while talking at the same time. Five minutes pass before he hangs up the phone and turns to give the driver instructions.

  “We need to turn around. Destination Aragon Palace. T-minus twenty would be ideal.” Isaac’s voice is level.

  “Isaac.” I only need to say his name to get him to understand I expect to know why we are making this modification without consulting me.

  “Your Majesty trust me when I tell you that Aragon Palace is where you want to be.” He doesn’t elaborate, but his tone has me searching for my own phone.

  When I pull it out there aren’t any messages or missed calls. I decide to send one to Larkin to establish if I get a response from her.

  Antonio: Where are you?

  Her text doesn’t come back immediately; in fact, it takes fifteen minutes for her to respond. When she does things seem to spiral out of control quickly.

  Larkin: Why?

  Larkin: I’m fine. Everything is fine.

  Larkin: What did they tell you?
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br />   Larkin: I told them to shut it and I’d handle this when you got back.

  Larkin: It’s just a minor setback really. No need to rush back, because there is nothing you can do anyways. So, do what a King must do and when you get back, we can discuss it.

  “What happened?” I don’t leave much room for him to lie to me, and he is a smart man to realize that.

  “Apparently there was an incident.” His straight-lipped expression reports he knew nothing about it until the phone call.

  “What kind of incident?” My blood is heating up.

  “Honestly I don’t know exactly Sir. Her team is following the Queen’s orders and keeping the details under wrap. All I know is that when they heard we were heading to Maximiliano Chateau, they felt they should let us know she wasn’t there.” Isaac sounds almost as irritated as I feel.

  “That is complete bullshit. They were to report in each day and I know I read each report thoroughly. There was nothing in them about an incident and since when do my instructions not get followed.” I know I am fuming right now, and as soon I figure out what is going on, heads will most certainly roll.

  “Permission to speak freely Sir.” Isaac obviously has something he wants to share that he knows will piss me off.

  “Spit it out.” I growl.

  “I believe you gave Queen Larkin equal authority over all matters. Perhaps she reminded them of that when she gave her own orders on the subject. I’m certain that her team feels like in order to do the job they are assigned to do; they also need her to trust them.

  “Tell me this, if something were to happen that you felt would be blown out of proportion, if you felt by her knowing she’d overreact, would you not give us the same order. I’m not condoning this Sir, I assure you of that, however I do believe that until we can properly assess the situation, we should all do our best to remain calm.”

  I really hate it when someone uses my own words against me, my own actions as well. Equality in all things does not mean I be kept in the dark when something happens. Perhaps Isaac is right though, and I should just keep my cool until I know for sure what we are dealing with.