Temperature was an area where Alexander had the worst foresight, something he realized as the heat infiltrated his thick clothing. It was humid, and Alexander's hands started to sweat as he pressed them together in worry. The political climate in the kingdom, much like the day's weather, was just as heated. He struggled to form the inner workings of a peace treaty in his head, knowing that if he had no good ideas, his advisors would take over.
Technically, there was no way he should be able to write out any sort of treaty as a prince. It was up to the king, but he had abdicated the throne and left Alexander in the middle of chaos. Stability was needed to get him on the throne, and with war still raging at the northern border and the nobility casting him dark looks, he suspected he'd have trouble on the path to being coronated. But for now, the former advisors of George had decided that Alexander would assume his role until George came back, Alexander met the requirements for ruling, or if the worst happened, someone else would take their place. Whichever came first. The requirements? Alexander only had to survive the months until next summer, the season of coronations.
He knew George Washington wasn't coming back to the throne, the man had made it very clear to him on his departure that no further political squabbles would find his peaceful home on the outskirts of the forest. That was fine, Alexander knew how to rule. The problem was, the nobles didn't think he could. The stain of his nation's hereditary monarchy remained even as the former king adopted child after child, not intending to have a biological heir. Everyone assumed the bloodline would die out until Alexander was suddenly declared a legitimate child. The lie was blatantly false to him, but some nobles seemed to buy it. Others kept spreading rumors of his upbringing.
"Alexander," his servant said, calling him from his thoughts. The simple touch of his hand on Alex's arm had cleared his head. Alexander smiled as he remembered there were some constants in his now messy daily life. Laurens. George had brought him in as a child from the unusually cold winter, intending to raise him, but Laurens had insisted on earning his place in the castle. Alexander didn't have that choice, which he was glad for now, his pride would've declined George's hand without any hesitation. Laurens continued with, "The diplomat is here, he wishes to discuss something with you."
"Thank you," Alexander replied, betraying no sign of nervousness. Inside, he was clueless. Peace with the north after their skirmishes would take up his week with meetings, there was no simple way out brewing in his mind. But he knew what he wanted, at least. He wanted the northern soldiers out of the territory, the embargo removed, and some payment. His confidence dwindled as he was reminded the north wouldn't give these things up for free. Some things had to go, and with the country in debt and the stability in doubt, he didn't know what.
He opened the two doors that led to the dining hall, the peace of the garden behind him leaving his heart. He didn't need to look back to see where Laurens had gone, it was in his character to had either gone to the stables or the lake to sketch. At the head of the table was a diplomat from the elusive north, it being obvious the king couldn't be bothered to even attempt to contact them. Alexander hoped this apathy stopped at King George and didn't spread to this diplomat.
As soon as he sat down, the diplomat started speaking, with no care given to introducing himself, "Good afternoon, prince Alexander. As the diplomat hailing from Elysia, we feel it is in both of our best interests to negotiate terms and bring peace to our nations in light of recent skirmishes."
"An apology for the interruption, but I'd like to hear Elysia's demands before we begin," Alexander said, the smirks of Elysia's visiting nobles and the uncaring looks of his own nobles unnerving him. It felt more like a trial of his peers than negotiations with a nameless diplomat. He wondered if he had done something wrong already.
"Very well. As we wish to reduce damages, we ask for a period of peace and reconstruction of our relations, one that should be enforced for our good," the diplomat said. Alexander resisted the urge to lean back in his seat, though these demands were simple, he knew how peace was enforced in Elysia.
Alexander folded his arms, and responded, "If you're asking for me to open the borders for your army to discourage another attack, I should remind you that it was not our actions that provoked the beginning of this war. Our demands request for the removal of every soldier from our territory."
The diplomat smiled in an obvious attempt to seem sincere, and said, "Not at all what I'm implying. I'm asking for a union between our nations. To enforce this, one of our nobles have suggested you marry a noble of Elysian origin. With a heir of both of our blood, it'd be unwise for either of us to attack each other."
"I'm sorry, what?" Alexander asked before he could stop himself. He blinked and continued, "Right… I see what you mean. A marriage between me and someone from Elysia would discourage any violence, I believe that would be the best course of action." He thought he'd have to give up some alliances and make his army smaller, give away something that wasn't himself. And marriage with anyone was a slap to the face of any noble of his domain who had hopes of a royal wedding.
"The noble we have selected for our union is a woman from the Schuyler family. She is the second oldest daughter, the first oldest already being married. The ceremony will be sometime this week if you accept her hand. We'll work out the details tomorrow if you sign," the diplomat concluded. Alexander piqued at the mention of this specific daughter, a woman by the name of Eliza Schuyler. The Schuyler family was powerful in the other country, but Eliza in particular had won over the hearts of nobles and commoners in his own domain. He wondered if this was on purpose, or if she was unaware of the reputation she had in his land. Alexander shook his head, there was no way this woman had gained all of her favor accidentally.
He was passed a quill, an inkwell, and the treaty. With no hesitation, he dipped the quill into some ink and signed. There was no room for error, and one look of regret would sour relations with this new ally. "Thank you for your visit, do get back to your domain safely after tomorrow," he said to the diplomat, before escaping to the halls. Alexander knew it was easy for him to lose his cool, so he decided to ride out his shock outside. Fears piled up inside him, and there was only one person he could confess them to.
He found this person at the tranquil lake behind the castle, with a full page of turtle and frog sketches. Alexander gazed at a fawn that the other had by his side. The servant had seen this fawn in the same spot for a few days and hadn't seen its mother anywhere. Laurens always was better with animals than Alexander, the former joking that he had a magic touch that seemed to calm everyone.
Laurens looked back from the dock, hearing Alexander's footsteps on the wood, and said, "That was faster than I expected. How does peace feel?"
Alexander was already confessing, finding no reason to hold back the inevitable, "Well, I'm a married man now. I suppose that was bound to happen, now that it's plausible I could be on the throne. But still…" Laurens kept his gaze on the still water surrounding them on three sides. "It's too early for all this," Alexander continued, "Soon even you will be married, however long that takes."
Laurens ignored the joke and only responded with, "No time for marriage for me, too much to be done. You're quite a demanding one."
"I wish I could use that excuse," Alexander said, sighing. Laurens jolted a bit, his hands over his heart as if to protect it. It didn't go unnoticed, the other knew that Laurens became a little defensive when it came to the subject of marriage. Alexander knew why, of course. He never got out of the castle, it was obvious that he had trouble interacting with people. Perhaps it wasn't right to have him trapped inside the walls all day.
"When's the ceremony?" Laurens asked, holding a smooth stone in his palm that he had found sitting on the dock.
"Sometime this week," Alexander repeated the diplomat's words, no emotion present in his voice. It's not that he was apathetic about meeting the most powerful person in his country that didn't even live there, on the contrary, he was nervous. She seemed to be a force to be reckoned with, able to influence anyone to his side.
But he could use that, right? The thought branched out before he could object. It made sense, if he could sway her, he could sway the entire country to trust him on the throne. This wasn't a union of affection, just political gain. The diplomat may have realized that sooner than him, but now he had something to get out of this marriage.
They sat in silence as Alexander watched Laurens throw the rock across the water with a force he hadn't seen in him before. It skipped across the water only once, an anticlimactic finish to what Laurens wanted as he sighed in frustration. Alexander could relate to his troubles, though his were huge in comparison to his servant's. There was the subject of heirs going off in his mind, and while it was necessary, Alexander couldn't imagine having a heir, but at least he wouldn't have to move out of his country. And besides, he always had someone to watch his back, his always loyal friend and servant.
With an arm vigilant and on guard for the one he was escorting, Laurens led him back to the castle so he could draft a letter to the remaining leader who would attend the meeting of the entire known civilized world this winter. It was designed to keep the peace, but ultimately failing as nations raced to take control. Now, it was only a glorified gala. But it was still the proper thing for him to attend and try and convince other nations to attend as well.
The words did not come to the paper easily, not because of stress but because of who this letter was addressed to. A leader and fervent monarchy hater, yet somehow, they managed to stay afloat. Alexander had his theories, but he quit thinking about it a long time ago because some of the more disturbing theories were keeping him up at night. This would be addressed to the ministry of state leader, a slightly more tolerable man by the name of James Madison.
"To one of my closest allies," Alexander began writing, already lying. He and Madison had ideological differences that couldn't be quelled with a few words from him, which meant it wasn't worth trying to change his mind. "I am well aware you know of the world meeting this early winter, falling on the end of November in the neutral territory that lies west of Elysia. I extend our invitation to your nation and implore you to consider attending to strengthen your relationships. As a new nation, this is the first step to gaining prestige. Perhaps a financial discussion is in order as well, you know that as an obedient servant to the public, I consider your nation's health just as important as my nation's and my own." He signed with his signature, A. Ham, and placed it in an envelope. Alexander held a smug look knowing his ally's future downfall, a weak financial system and crippling debt. He would help; it was in his best interests to, though he'd definitely rub it in their faces if their system backfired on them.
A knock was heard at the door. The sound is planned, almost the exact same amount of time between each noise. Alexander had a suspicion about who it was before he even opened the door. Aaron Burr, second-in-line to the throne. Taken in by Washington, he was older than Alexander, making him the first consideration for the throne. But technically, Alexander was declared a legitimate child first, so the rule of the first legitimate child to be acknowledged gets the throne played in his favor.
Alexander analyzed Aaron's features. He didn't seem too upset about the political situation that placed the crown on Alex's head instead of his own. With no emotion seeping into his voice, Aaron announced, "Dinner will begin in five minutes down in the dining hall. Dessert's bread pudding, and… Is that a letter?" He pointed at Alexander's desk.
"Yes, would you please run this to someone who will ride this over to the ministry of state in Fluxus?" the other asked, handing Aaron the letter.
Aaron took the envelope, transferring it from the light grasp of Alexander's to the firm grip that Aaron uses on the paper. "Of course," he merely said, before shutting the door behind him. Not a word more was said to Alexander, the only sound being the light footsteps Aaron always had. He found it funny that for a guy with footsteps so quiet he could sneak up on you, he had a grip so strong you couldn't take a thing from him if he held on to it.
Speaking of Aaron, Alexander thought it'd be best if he at least showed up to dinner. He unrolled his sleeves and slipped a light coat over his outfit. Perhaps it'd be more appropriate if he wore more regal clothing, but that could send the wrong message. He didn't know. Nobody had taught him how to be a king.
Nobody had expected him to have a chance of becoming king in the first place.
Hey again, here's a skippable note, I apologize for the wait for something new. I really do like school this year, but it snuck up on me. Everything's a lot more stable, so I'm glad to be back. I wanted to do something really different, so I'm going to be playing with some supernatural and fantasy elements. This is a story a friend helped me with. She's awesome and made this story a lot more fun to write, even though a kingdom AU is one of my favorite things already!
Also, I'd like to add that some things might be different from canon because of the drastic change in environment. And extra note, I found it fun to put in some thought to the names of countries and brush up on the meanings of flowers.