Uniting a Kingdom

The morning after Elena crowned Caroline princess she woke up with a satisfied smile. It was days away from the ball and she was content in the fact that she knew that Damon loved her. She rolled over and lay her hand upon his chest. "My love," she whispered "it's time to wake. You have a meeting with the counsel and I have a meeting with Caroline this morning." Damon groaned and pulled Elena closer to him.

"Just a little longer" He said "I want to hold you for a while longer before I have to deal with all the bowing and scraping" he moaned. Elena giggled and snuggled closer to him. "Very well but if Anna comes in here to see us in this state of undress the poor girl will never be right again." Elena joked.

Damon laughed and kissed her on the head. "You win, you little temptress, I will put my robe on and go to my chambers. Elena laughed as he kissed her again and left the room.

She rose and pulled her silk robe around her shoulders and stood and gazed out her windows. She could see parts of her castle and the gardens beneath the castle as well. It was a magnificent sight to see. Anna came bustling into the room along with her cousin Elizabeth. Elena turned around to see them both bowing to her.

She gestured for them to rise and sighed.

"your bath is ready your majesty." Anna quickly responded

"Yes and I helped to fill the bath to majesty!" Elizabeth added quickly with an excited glint in her eyes

"Lady Elizabeth you must not speak out of turn" Anna admonished her cousin quickly. "your forgiven child," Elena assured her "how are you enjoying the castle?"

"I love living in the castle, your majesty, I especially delight in seeing all your pretty things." Elizabeth gushed

"It gladdens me to hear you enjoy living in our home." Elena gave Elizabeth a sincere smile and used her chamber pot. When she was fished washing her hands in the hot water that Anna had provided for her she made her way to her bath. Elena enjoyed her bath so much that she soaked for a while to ease the pain her nightly endeavors were causing her. When Anna entered the room to help wash her back she was sad to know her small amount of alone time was over.

"Lady Anna I understand the need to teach the Lady Elizabeth proper etiquette but when we are alone you may be less formal with me. I enjoy it that way. "Elena felt her hand stop on her back for a moment and then quickly go back to work with washing her back then hair. "Yes, your majesty."

"See, Anna, you may call me Elena while we are alone like this. The lady Elizabeth should continue to call me by my proper titles but you are my personal Ladies Maid and with that comes added bonuses- like being familiar with me. You should call me Elena when we are alone and you don't have to bow every time you come into the room with me. It's all too much."

"Yes, Elena. I will do that." Anna sounded unsure of herself but, seemed ready to please Elena. Elena was out of the shower and dressed in a light blue dress with long sleeves that ended in a point at her hands. The skirts bunched up around a large hoop. Anna had braided her hair into tiny little braids that made the shape of three flowers on the back of her head and was smooth on top then fastened a thick light blue ribbon from the bottom of her hair and tied it in a bow on the top of her head.

Once Elena was dressed she motioned for her ladies maids to follow her. She would be meeting Caroline in her study. As she made her way to the study she suddenly felt faint and held her hand out to the wall to steady her. She took a few deep breaths and shook the feeling off. Elena made her way to the study without incident. She hoped that she was not becoming ill. Elena nodded to a footman to open the doors and entered the room before the man would introduce her to her own cousin.

"Caroline!" Elena held her hands out as Caroline curtsied and came forward allowing Elena to envelop her in a hug. "Has anyone tried to bribe you for anything yet?" Elena joked. Caroline laughed a soft laugh and shook her head "Heavens no, Elena, it has only been a night!"

Elena laughed and then got serious. "Come and sit with me at my desk Caroline. You need to know how to rule if anything were to happen to me. Today starts a lifetime of grueling lessons. Elena then made her way over to her desk that held the baskets of letters that came to her every day.

"I have these letters presorted by order of importance. There are letters from the court asking for things, my people asking for things, and finally other countries asking for thing. Then I have the letters that do not ask for anything but are merely fan mail." Elena explained pointing to each basket. I start with my favorite letters, the ones from my people. They do not ask for anything they do not need. I usually read them and ask them to come to court or just grant their petition."

Caroline was paying rapt attention and asked "Why do you summon them to court?"

"The only reason I ask for them to come to court is if I am handling a matter that involves another person and it requires more information." Elena smiled knowing this would be easier then she thought. She split the stack of letters in half and handed Caroline something to write with. "Now I want you to answer half of these. This is the first step of my duties." Caroline and Elena worked in silence for a spell until Elena finished her stack and looked at Caroline who was finishing off her last letter. "Hand me the last three letters so I might check them." Elena looked over the letter and they were completed perfectly.

"Very well done Caroline, Now I go through the letters of the people from court. These are a bit trickier to handle. If any of my dukes are asking for money immediately deny the letters and hand them to me. They will need to be investigated. If they are asking for permission to build in their lands and they have not mentioned how they will help the people in their land that the building with impact then ask for more information. If they are asking for a petition to marry or of some such then grant their petition if the marriage is of the same rank. Finally, if they want to send their children to court grant them permission if the children are of 12 years of age. Any other petitions use your own discretion."

Caroline quickly nodded her head and Elena handed her half the letter. "Lady Anna please bring me wine." Elena airily asked. Her head was spinning again and needed to drink something to help the dizziness go away. Elena and Caroline quickly finished that stack of letters. Caroline handed a few of the letters to Elena and Elena was again please with her work.

"Now Caroline these letters are the most difficult. They are letters from separate countries wanting different things. I do not want you to answer them but merely read them so you can get an idea of what difficulties will wait." Elena handed a few letters to Caroline and started answering a few herself then switched the unanswered letters for the answered letters. "When you are finished reading those seal them for me." Elena asked and handed her seal of state to her and the wax. Elena answered the remaining letters and finished sealing them.

"Now Caroline do you have any questions?" Caroline thought for a moment and then smiled "Yes how do you sleep at night knowing this will be waiting each day?"

"You have to put the worries out of your mine and focus on the good you will be doing." It is an easy job to do when you focus on the positives."

"Now Caroline lets go check in with the King and our councilors to see how they are doing." Elena grabbed her cup of wine off the table and walked with Caroline to the councilor's chambers.

Elena could hear a heated debate going on as she approached the room and walked in quickly. "Now, what is going on?" she asked in anger. How dare they argue with her husband!

Duke Jeremy was the only one on the council not too scared to answer and spoke up quickly "Your majesty, it seems that the rest of the councilors do not agree with allowing your husband into such private matters. That is they agreed until he would not agree with them."

Elena knew that her face was hard when she looked at the rest of her councilors. "Now hear me on this for this will be the last time I say it. The king is that exactly. The KING!" She thundered. "He will not be undermined and you will treat him as you treat me. He will run my meetings for me when I am unavailable and he will be here when I am. You will listen to him in everything that he says."

"If I may your majesty…" Duke Mickal started "Who is running this country; Mystic Falls or Italy?" Elena rounded on him. "Now you listen here Duke. You will show him respect. I want you out of our presence NOW! You may return to court when you gain a little respect for the crown! Sir Frederick, escort the duke to his chambers and make sure he leaves at once." The rest of her councilors had bowed her head to show their acceptance and Jeremy met her eyes and smiled. "Duke Jeremy please find a seat for your daughter on the left of the King and I will take Mickal's seat." She quickly arranged before she sat in the seat that was in the middle of the table. It seemed that her Dukes did not know what to think.

Once everyone was arranged she cleared her throat, winked at Damon, then announced "The Princess Caroline will be attending me in all my duties to prepare her for the event that she must step in or for my absence. Now what were you so heartily arguing over before I entered?" She asked

Damon answered "I wanted to surprise you but I feel now is the best time to ask. I wanted to unite Italy and Mystic Falls." She gazed into his ice blue eyes before answering "Granted. We will write a treaty up that unites our two countries until the end of time."

"You misunderstand me. I want our countries to be one."

"They already are. You may rule along side of me in Mystic Falls and I will rule alongside of you in Italy. You may bring your Dukes to Mystic Falls if you choose or an ambassador- which ever you choose. Do you have the document that I may sign?" He produced a scroll and Elena quickly signed it beneath Damon's name.

"If there are no more matters to attend to I would like to take a walk in the garden and I am sure the princess has last minute details to attend to before the ball tomorrow." All her Dukes were too afraid to bring any more matters up and shook their heads while Elena stood and clasped hands with Damon.

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