A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.

Chapter 9: I'm Ready

While Jo was in New York visiting Mrs. Polniaczek and Mrs. Garrett and the girls, Tony, who was now officially considered a member of the Momian royal family, quit his job at the hospital and moved into his own suite in the palace, where he would stay until he and Jo were married. And as soon as Jo returned, the whole palace was engulfed in a whirlwind of activity. Prince John held a meeting with Jo, Tony, and Grace, and they all agreed that the wedding would take place on the twenty-fourth of November later on that year, which was the same day America would be celebrating Thanksgiving. It was also decided that on the twentieth of April, Prince John would hold a press conference in which he would reveal the truth about Jo to the Momian people. On the evening of Sunday, May the first, Jo would officially declare to the entire nation of Momi her intentions to take her place in the royal line of succession and rule as the Sovereign Princess of Momi when the time came in the future. On the ninth of May, Prince John would issue the letters patent officially naming Tony the Earl of Malana, and on the following day, their engagement would be announced to the press. On the day of their wedding, Tony would then become the Duke of Halia. As the next few weeks passed, Jo and Tony remained immersed in lessons of royal etiquette; they were also immersed in all the planning for their future public appearances together as an engaged royal couple. Jo and Tony and everybody in the palace was lost in a blur of activity in the time leading up to Prince John's press conference.

Finally, the twentieth of April arrived, and Prince John made his big announcement to the nation of Momi. Thankfully, the people's response to the news was overwhelmingly positive, and almost everyone was thrilled to know that Princess Anne was in fact still alive. Hardly any time at all passed before major news networks in America were also carrying the story. By the twenty-first of April, the entire world knew that Joanna Marie Polniaczek was really Princess Anne of Momi. And while most people were happy for this nice young kid from the Bronx who had won the royal lottery, there were three girls at Eastland who were not so pleased.

"I can't believe it, Mrs. Garrett!" Tootie complained as she and Natalie rushed into the cafeteria carrying a copy of The New York Times.

"Can't believe what, Tootie?" asked a very calm Edna as she remained sitting at one of the empty cafeteria tables, keeping her cool.

"I can't believe Jo actually found out that she was born a princess and she didn't tell us!" Tootie fussed.

"I can't believe it either, Mrs. Garrett," said Natalie. "How could she keep something like this from us?"

Before Mrs. Garrett could respond, Blair suddenly came stumbling into the cafeteria in a daze.

"Blair, are you alright?" Mrs. Garrett asked her kindly.

After a long pause, Blair finally answered, "Life as we know it has come to an end. The sun may as well stop providing warmth. The moon and the stars may as well stop shining. We're in the Twilight Zone. Jo Polniaczek is a prin…a prin…a prin–"

"Princess, Blair," Tootie loudly interrupted. "Our Jo is a princess."

Blair then let out a loud, melodramatic whimper, and a moment later she plopped herself down at one of the empty tables and laid her head down.

Ignoring Blair's silly antics, Mrs. Garrett rose from her seat and told Natalie and Tootie, "Girls, you have to understand. It was terribly important that Jo and her biological father, Prince John, keep this under wraps for as long as possible. They had to be very cautious. It could have caused a lot of problems for them had any of this been leaked to the press during Jo's stay in Momi. Jo has really needed her privacy these past few months as she's been getting to know the Momian people and the Momian culture. Jo's had to do an awful lot of hard thinking. She's got an enormous decision to make on the first of May. And the last thing she needed all this time was intrusions from the press."

"I guess you're right, Mrs. Garrett," Natalie admitted.

"Yeah. I guess Jo really has needed her privacy these past few months," Tootie agreed.

"She certainly has," Mrs. Garrett concurred.

"It's so amazing, Mrs. Garrett," said Tootie. "Just think of it. Our Jo…a princess!"

Blair responded with another agonized whimper.

"Just think," said Natalie. "Our Jo…wearing a tiara!"

Blair let out an even louder whimper.

"Just think," Tootie continued. "Our Jo…living in a palace!"

Blair then let out her loudest whimper yet that day.

Mrs. Garrett, barely suppressing a laugh, walked over to where Blair was sitting and told her, "Oh, come on, Blair. Buck up. Finding out about Jo's royal heritage is not the worst thing in the world."

"Life as I know it is over," Blair said in a monotone. "The world as we know it has come to an end. Jo Polniaczek…a…a…"

"A princess!" Natalie and Tootie supplied.

Blair shuddered in that moment, and then she complained, "If I live to be three hundred, I'll never live this down!"

Blair then got up and walked off into the kitchen and upstairs to the girls' bedroom, still in a daze, and whimpering with every step.


Time flew by, and before everybody knew it, it was almost the first of May. Jo sent out a special invitation to her adoptive parents and to Mrs. Garrett, Blair, Natalie, and Tootie, asking them to come to Momi for the announcement ceremony. Prince John offered to fly them all out on the royal family's private airplane, and it was an offer they were thrilled to accept. Or rather, almost all of them were thrilled to accept Prince John's and Jo's invitation to come to Momi for the ceremony.

Ever since the truth came out about Jo's royal heritage, Blair had remained in a constant state of sulking, pouting, and jealousy. Mrs. Garrett tried to be as patient with her as possible, but on the night of the thirtieth of April, as Blair stubbornly remained stuck in Spoiled Brat Mode, Mrs. Garrett officially had enough. And that night, she went upstairs to the girls' room and had a stern talk with her.

After she knocked on the door and Blair let her inside, Mrs. Garrett said, "Blair, I want to have a word with you about Jo's announcement ceremony tomorrow night."

Blair responded by letting out her typical whining sigh.

"That right there," said Mrs. Garrett while pointing her index finger at Blair. "That attitude of yours is what I want to talk to you about. Blair, I know that like a lot of young girls, you have always dreamed of becoming a princess, and I know it hurts to see that happening to Jo instead of you. But this jealousy of yours has got to stop. Even though it's difficult for you, you've got to put all of this aside and be a source of support for Jo when she makes her official announcement to accept her place in the Momian royal line of succession tomorrow night."

"Jo already has everything," Blair petulantly complained. "A royal palace. A royal title. And I'm sure she's got plenty of friends and fans in Momi, and she's got you, Natalie, and Tootie too. I don't see why Princess Jo would need support from insignificant little me."

"Blair, you're not being fair. You know, there's a whole lot more to being a princess besides wearing fancy gowns, going to balls, wearing sparkling tiaras, marrying Prince Charming, and living happily ever after. There are a lot of real burdens that go along with a position like this. You've been doing a lot of complaining lately about how life as you know it is over. Well let me tell you something. As soon as Jo makes her announcement tomorrow night, life as she's always known it will really be over. She will never again have a moment of true privacy. The Momian press and the American press will constantly be putting her entire life under a microscope. The whole world will be watching and scrutinizing her every move every day for the rest of her life."

"Well if Jo doesn't want to put up with all of that, she should just reject her royal title tomorrow night," Blair childishly fussed.

"It's not that simple, Blair. Prince John's health is declining, and in a few years, he's going to need to step down for medical reasons. Prince John's younger brother, Prince Edward, is a dangerous and vicious man, and if Jo isn't there to ascend the throne in her biological father's place when the time comes, the crown will pass to Prince Edward. And if that happens, thousands of people are going to suffer. Just think of it, Blair. Having to accept responsibility for the lives of seventy-one thousand people. I can't imagine bearing a burden like that. Can you?"

After getting lost in thought for several long, silent moments, Blair finally admitted, "No. I can't."

"It's a deeply frightening situation, but it's something Jo is choosing to go into, because she's a very special young woman, filled with courage and integrity and compassion for others. She deserves your respect and your support, Blair. Not your jealousy and contempt. Now is not the time to get sidetracked by petty jealousy. Now is the time to be the caring, thoughtful, mature friend I know you can be, and to put Jo's needs ahead of your feelings. It may hurt you to see Jo getting the tiara instead of you. It may make you feel a little jealous. But now is the time to rise above all of that and be there for your friend."

A couple of moments later, Mrs. Garrett walking out the door, leaving Blair alone with her thoughts.


Mr. and Mrs. Polniaczek and Mrs. Garrett and the girls arrived at the palace at about three-thirty on the afternoon of May first, but because Jo and Tony and everyone else in the palace was all so busy preparing for the ceremony that night, they didn't get a chance to see her. Finally, at six o'clock that evening, the occasion began with a special dinner in the royal dining room, and it was then that they all saw Jo, wearing a gorgeous lavender velvet evening gown with her lovely brunette hair cascading past her shoulders. To say the least, she looked absolutely gorgeous, and she took everybody's breath away, even Blair's. A number of Parliamentarians were there, along with diplomats from America and several other countries, and Jo and her fiancé, adoptive parents, and friends were truly stunned by it all.

At long last, the moment Prince John and Jo had been anticipating the past six months arrived. At seven-thirty that evening, Jo was standing before a podium in a special room inside the palace that had been set up for this very occasion. Hundreds of chairs before her were filled with her loved ones, reporters, politicians, and diplomats from all over the world, and there was a camera and a multitude of lights all fixed directly on Jo. Grace had written out a speech for Jo to read to the people who would become her subjects in the future, but Jo had looked over it and to be perfectly honest, she hated it. It sounded so stiff and forced and insincere. So, Jo made a spur-of-the moment decision. She made up her mind in those crucial moments that she would just speak the truth to the people of Momi and tell them what was in her heart, and let the chips fall where they may.

"For the first seventeen and a half years of my life, I grew up just a typical kid from the Bronx," she told everyone. "Like any other kid, I learned as I grew up. Sometimes, I did good. Sometimes, I got into trouble and I needed to be steered back into the right direction. And all I ever really wanted in life was to be a good person and make a difference in my small corner of the world. Then, all of the sudden, six months ago, I met my biological father, Prince John, for the very first time, and I learned the truth about who I really am and where I come from. I was angry at first. I felt I'd been lied to my whole life. But then when I came to Momi, something happened that I didn't expect. I fell in love with Momi's culture, and more importantly, with its people. I wasn't going to say yes to my title in the beginning. I didn't think I was cut out to be a princess, and I was scared. But I've come to realize that if you want to make a big, lasting difference in the world, you can't afford to let fear paralyze you. You have to be bold and take big steps in your life that you're afraid to take. The bottom line is, I love Momi, and I want to spend my life serving the people of Momi and making a difference. So, if you'll have me, then from this point on, I accept my royal position and my place in the Momian line of succession, and I choose to spend the rest of my life serving you as your Princess. Thank you."

The room instantly exploded in applause, and that didn't just happen in the palace. It happened in living rooms in front of television sets all over Momi. From that moment on, the people of Momi fell head over heels in love with their new young princess.

As the noise level continued to rise, Prince John came out with a sparkling silver tiara in his hands, and the cheering was almost loud enough to break glass as he proudly placed it on his daughter's head. The moment that Prince John officially crowned Jo the Princess of Momi for the world to see, Blair, Natalie, and Tootie all rushed to her side, followed by Mrs. Garrett, Mr. and Mrs. Polniaczek, and Tony.

Everyone spent the next few minutes raving about how breathtaking Jo looked, and they congratulated her on being crowned the Princess of Momi. Or…well…almost everyone did. Blair remained perfectly silent and still as a statue.

"Blair," Mrs. Garrett said pointedly while her blue eyes bore into Blair's chestnut eyes. "Isn't there something you would like to say to Jo?"

After a long, hesitant pause, Blair finally did the right thing, and she swallowed her pride, walked up to Jo, and gave her a hug. She then told her sincerely, "I'm happy for you, Jo. Congratulations. I know you'll make a great princess."

Taken aback by Blair's unexpected show of support, Jo gave her a shocked smile and said, "Thanks, Blair."

Blair responded with a smile, and in the following moment, all the adults in the room were given glasses of champagne. Prince John then held up his glass and joyfully announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Her Serene Highness Anne Alexandra Rose, Princess of Momi!"

Once again, the room burst with cheers and applause.


Practically two seconds after Jo officially accepted her royal title and became the Princess of Momi, Prince Edward started making a fuss in the press. It didn't take him long to start griping and complaining to the media that because Jo wasn't married, she had no right to her place in the line of succession. Then on the ninth of May, as scheduled, Tony became an earl, and the next day, the palace announced the royal engagement of Princess Anne and the Earl of Malana.

As would be expected, Prince Edward tried his best to stir up as much animosity as he could towards the young royal couple. Prince Edward knew better to try and threaten Jo's life again after the physical confrontation that happened between him and his older brother, but he did attempt a number of tactics in the press in the hopes of turning the tide of public opinion against them. He particularly tried to incite hatred towards them on the basis of racial prejudice, given Tony's racially mixed background. However, it was a pretty stupid move on his part because even though such a ploy likely would have worked in America and other countries, in Momi, a large percentage of their population was racially mixed just as Tony was. Plus, Tony had just as much natural charisma as his young fiancée, and it was practically impossible for most Momians not to like him.

The ensuing months flew by in a flash, and before everybody knew it, it was the eve of the royal wedding. Naturally, both Jo and Tony had been incredibly busy that day with last-minute preparations for everything. It was also a busy time for Mr. and Mrs. Polniaczek, Mrs. Garrett, and the girls as they all flew out to Momi to attend the wedding. Much to the girls' delight, Jo asked Natalie and Tootie to be her bridesmaids, and she even asked Blair to be her maid of honor at the wedding. Although Blair was still a little jealous of Jo's royal position deep down, being asked to be the maid of honor at the royal wedding of the Princess of Momi went a long way towards soothing her punctured ego.

At five-thirty on the evening before the wedding, Jo was taking a stroll through the palace gardens. Even though it was late November now, there were still a number of evergreen trees there, and the green scenery they provided as well as the beauty of the winter sunset in the sky above made Jo's already excited heart dance with joy inside. Obviously, she was very nervous about what was coming next in her life, but she was looking forward to it, too. Over the past few months, she and Tony had grown closer than ever, and she knew that Tony was everything a young woman could ever hope for in a husband. And Tony felt the same way about Jo. They had each come to truly love everything about one another. Although it hadn't happened the way either one of them had always planned, now, they genuinely were happy that they had ended up together.

As Jo strolled through the front garden that evening, suddenly, Tony came up behind her, planted a kiss on her cheek, and wrapped a coat around her shoulders to keep her warm.

"I think you forgot something," he said with that beautiful smile of his that never failed to warm Jo's heart.

"Thanks, honey," Jo responded with a mile-wide grin.

"Don't mention it. So, are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah," she admitted. She then patted her stomach and said, "The butterflies have already started. How about you?"

"Definitely. But you're not having second thoughts or anything, are you?"

They stopped walking then, and Jo looked up into the chocolate eyes she'd come to love so much, and she assured him, "Of course not. You?"

"Never," he whispered, and then he took her breath away with a long, passionate kiss. "Jo, I fell in love with you the instant you cracked your worthless uncle's jaw," he told her truthfully, and she laughed out loud.

"Over these past few months as I've really gotten to know you, I've fallen in love with you, too. I guess I just keep thinking about what happened with Ma and Pop. In the early years, they were so happy. They seemed to be so in love. But through the years, it all just…went to hell in a handbasket, and their marriage didn't survive. It's kind of hard not to be scared that that'll eventually happen to us, too."

"It won't, Jo. It's not going to happen to us. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because we're not going to let it. We're going to love each other and be there for each other every day, for the rest of our lives. And when things get tough, we're going to do everything we have to do to work through it. We are making our minds up right here, right now, that no matter what happens to us in life, we are never going to let each other go. That's my promise to you. Is it your promise to me?"

Jo looked up at Tony and smiled and told him, "You bet it is."

Again, they passionately kissed, and when the kiss finally ended, they clung to one another in the fiercest hug.


The next morning, Momi, America, and the world watched as the young royal couple that had captured everyone's hearts stood side by side in the palace chapel and became husband and wife. Blair, Natalie, and Tootie, all wearing lovely dark emerald dresses, were wiping tears from their eyes with one hand and holding onto their bouquets with the other as they all proceeded down the aisle. Then when Prince John escorted his beloved young princess down the aisle, everybody's heart stopped. Jo was wearing a long-sleeved white silk wedding gown with a very long train that was quite similar to the gown Princess Diana wore, and every person there was stunned at her incredible beauty. Jo's hair was down, and she wore a long veil that covered her face, but the veil in no way concealed just how gorgeous Jo looked. She'd also donned a very small, simple tiara for the occasion, and like everything else about Jo that day, it too took people's breath away. Mrs. Garrett's face filled with tears at the sight of Jo, her Jo, as a bride on her wedding day. Jo was the first of her girls to get married, and suddenly, it all made her feel very old. Mr. and Mrs. Polniaczek, both of whom were also constantly wiping tears from their eyes that special day, felt the same way Mrs. Garrett did.

The Princess of Momi and the new Duke of Halia delighted everyone's hearts when they had their first official dance together as husband and wife at their wedding reception. Then after meeting and greeting guests and partying with their friends and loved ones for hours on end, their wedding reception finally came to a close, and Jo said an emotional goodbye to her adoptive parents, Mrs. Garrett, and the girls.

Finally, when they were alone together in their new royal suite and they'd changed out of their wedding attire into something more suitable, they had a much-needed chance to just stop and catch their breath.

"So, are you ready to begin our honeymoon, taking the Grand Tour through Europe, my wife?" Tony asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Yes, my husband," Jo replied with a smile. "I'm ready to begin our honeymoon in Europe."

He then asked her more seriously, "Are you ready to rock the world together?"

After a moment of contemplation, Jo looked at her new husband with fierce determination in her green eyes, and she told him honestly, "I'm ready."