Bo and Lauren were in their private chambers as the Seneschal dressed Bo in her royal robes for her Installation Ceremony as The Princess Royal while her aides, Willa and Landon, went through Bo's itinerary for the next several days before the Ruling Family moved to the Prescotti Homelands for the Harvest and the Great Sleep. Bo was dressed in the usual ornate, cream-colored, formal dress pant-suit of a member of the Ruling Family. She wore her hair straight down with small, round-shaped earrings her mother Mary had given her as a teen when she competed for Miss Cherry Blossom at the Cherry Festival in Grimley. She also wore the small necklace Lauren had given her years ago after she had returned from the Death Train. She also chose to wear the golden bracelet Ryan had given her during their first meeting on her birthday. Lastly, she also chose to wear the saber Trick gave her also on her birthday in honor of both him and her grandmother, Isabeau.
To say Bo was nervous was an understatement. The long-awaited day had finally arrived. She thought the Convocation was intimidating enough but found the Installation Ceremony even more so when a great many of the rulers and representatives of the Realm turned out in person. Julian said it was so they could ingratiate themselves, and gawk because there was quite a few Fae who had never met a human before, let alone the several they would meet at the Installation Banquet. Bo rolled her eyes. She was not looking forward to all the pomp and circumstance the Installation Banquet promised.
Bo did, however, let out a smile at the recollection of Protection Ceremony for BJ Lucarrelli, now 15 years old. The small affair was held in a wing of the Monadori Sanctuary presided over by Trick, assisted by Acolytes of the Sanctuary. In addition to the Lucarrelli family, Bo, Lauren, Jobina and Wilford Gallo, and Evony were there along with Agent Greystone whose new job was to serve as Evony's Personal Agent. To the collective surprise of the group, The Seer also attended the ceremony. No one knew why, but then no one pressed it for it was an honor for the Seer to attend the small affair. Per Presidium law, Protection Ceremonies are considered quasi-adoption ceremonies, and Protected Children can take on the last name of their Protectors. Thus, BJ Lucarrelli formally became known as Bo Dennis Lewis Gallo Lucarelli. Bo smiled and shook her head at that last thought.
"Traust Maestas would like an audience as soon as Installation Ceremony is concluded." Landon reported. "I informed him that would be too soon, but he insists."
"Also, the Brinari Delegation would like to extend their compliments personally." Willa added.
"Oh brother!" Bo let out. "Is this about the political skirmishes they've been having with Traust?"
"The convenience of both audience requests would certainly suggest a connection." Landon replied.
"And Rajah Noorali of the Iclodu Exception would like a short audience." Willa added.
"Can't this all wait?" Bo pleaded.
"The Realm's business waits for no one, Your Royal Highness." Willa replied.
"Ha! Ha!" Bo said then let out a sigh. "Pencil in Traust, but only Traust. Everybody else can wait a few days."
"Your Royal Highness, I would ask you reconsider Rajah Noorali's audience request." Willa replied.
"Why?" Bo asked.
"He's a Rajah. It would be considered…insulting if you granted a sole audience with Traust Maestas, and not with one who sufficiently outranks him." Willa replied.
"How many Rajah audience requests are there?" Bo asked.
"Quite a few. In fact, there are so many you could reasonably spend the entire Banquet in audiences." Willa replied.
"Taking advantage of 'A Godfather cannot deny a request on his daughter's wedding day' rule, eh?" Bo said. Willa and Landon looked at Bo bewildered. Lauren chuckled.
"Your Royal Highness?" Willa prompted.
"Are these requests mostly about schmoozing?" Bo asked.
"Your Royal Highness?" Willa and Landon prompted in unison.
"Sucking up." Bo clarified.
"Oh, ah yes." Landon replied.
"Then let's make it one, big audience with all the schmoozers, and then I can see Traust afterwards in private. Satisfactory?"
"Sufficiently so, Your Royal Highness." Landon replied.
"Great! Crisis averted." Bo said.
While Bo dressed, Lauren sat on a nearby window sill and looked out and down at the pageantry of the day. Lauren herself was dressed in a cream yellow, sleeveless dress that went down to her yellow shoes. She wore a purple brooch just over her heart that bore the insignia of the Sovereign. She also wore her hair up in a decorative fashion with small earrings, and a pearl necklace given to her years ago by her favorite Aunt and Uncle, Taffy and Josiane Llywelyn, along with white arm gloves that reached up to her mid-bicep. She turned to look at her four children who fidgeted and toddled about in their ceremonial clothes. Because they were the children of The Princess Royal, they also had to wear formal regalia. They also wore the bracelets Ryan had given them for their birthday, an added touch to match Bo. MaryAoife and Char seemed content watching Bo being dressed, while Ethan tugged at his clothes, and Ryan toddled everywhere as the Seneschal tried to keep him off the floor.
Lauren then turned to watch as the Seneschal attached Bo's 1,400-foot ornately decorated train onto her shoulders. The length of the train was 1,400 feet long to reflect the number of years Ari had ruled. The train itself was an ornate canvas of the battles and triumphs Ari had won over the course of her reign. The train itself was made by Helen and the Acolytes of the Monadori Sanctuary and symbolic of the history Bo would inherit one day. When Bo and Lauren first heard about the length of the train, they had no idea how they expected Bo to pull it along, but were readily informed it would be carried by the Peries of Ebon, courtesy of Rajah Polyhymnia. The train itself would look like it was floating in the air as she walked along.
Bo and Lauren opted not to invite their respective parents to the Installation Ceremony which did not sit well with the Ruling Couple, but Bo and Lauren had their reasons. For Bo, her concern was that the thousands of Fae present would prove too much for Mary to handle in one sitting, let alone the sheer grandeur of the Presidium itself. For Lauren, her parents were still fighting off the dust and fallout of her court appearance, as well as the fallout from Dr. Lavoie's various intrigues at both the Plato Foundation and Zandri Labs. Nevertheless, Bo and Lauren also realized the Ruling Couple had a point. Both sets of parents would need to come to know the Presidium one day. "It's going to be a little hard to hide a kingdom under the rug." Kenzi had once said.
The Seneschal finished dressing Bo and Bo went to Lauren and gazed out the window as well.
"I cannot believe what I am seeing. This is all so surreal. Look at all the Fae out there! I honestly cannot see where it all ends!" Lauren commented.
"I know, right." Bo replied.
"I know I say this all the time, but who would have thought this is where we would all be 14 years ago." Lauren said.
"It is scary just to hear it was that long ago." Bo replied.
"Fourteen years ago, you were looking for your destiny, and now you are about to meet it head on." Lauren said.
"And with you by my side." Bo replied then she turned to the Seneschal who handed her a small package. "This is for you." Lauren looked at Bo in surprise.
"What's this?" Lauren asked.
"Open it and see." Bo replied. Lauren opened the package and eyes narrowed at the sight of what was inside.
"That little sneaker!" Lauren said. Bo laughed.
"Ryan didn't want you to be left out, so he made one for you as well. Yours has a chip inside too so you are connected to the rest of us. Look at the inscription." Bo replied. Lauren looked inside the bracelet.
"G.S.O." Lauren read off.
"G is for Gebo, which in runic means generosity and balance. S is for Sowilo, which means energy, life, warmth and fertility." Bo replied.
"Fertility?" Lauren quipped. "I think we have achieved that one." Bo chuckled.
"And the last one is O for Othala which means protection of our family, legacy and home." Bo replied.
"Ryan didn't need to do this." Lauren said.
"He loves you too, you know." Bo replied. "Here. Let me put it on." Lauren offered her right wrist and Bo slid it on, and then leaned in for a kiss. Bo and Lauren kissed long until the kiss was broken when little Ryan gripped one of Bo's legs followed by the rest of his siblings.
"Fertility indeed." Lauren said as she looked down at their four children.
"And his tugging must be our cue to get moving." Bo said.
The Seneschal opened the doors and an enormous swirl greeted them. The children were fascinated and tried to reach for it, but Bo and Lauren kept a tight grip on their hands. A figure emerged from swirl. It was Planar Representative EnChante from The Peries of Ebon Plane.
"Your Royal Highness." EnChante greeted as she curtsied. Bo smiled.
"Thank you for this honor." Bo replied.
"The honor is ours." EnChante said.
"Milady. Lovely to see you again."
"You as well, and thank you for this lovely gesture of support." Lauren replied. EnChante smiled then motioned the swirl forward. They buzzed along the length of the Bo's train and then under it and the train lifted off the ground.
"I can't even feel on my shoulders now." Bo remarked.
"That was the intent, Your Royal Highness." EnChante replied.
Their children were already moving towards the doors when Bo took the small hands of Char and Ryan while Lauren took Ethan and MaryAoife's and together they all walked down several corridors towards the Great Presidium Hall with the Seneschal and the Regnant Guard in tow.
"I feel like I'm getting married." Bo said as they walked along.
"You are in many ways." Lauren replied.
"We could sneak in a quick one between us." Bo offered.
"If only. But we will have our day." Lauren replied.
"Yes. We will." Bo assured.
When they arrived at the double doors of the Great Presidium Hall, Bo kissed Lauren one more time, then bent down and kissed Char and Ryan and handed them off to the Seneschal, then bent over and kissed MaryAoife and Ethan.
"Behave for Mommy, okay?" Bo said as she straightened up. She received a mixture of nods and "yes" answers in return. Then she looked to Lauren.
"Well, here I go!"
They kissed one more time, and then Lauren and the children were led off to their seats by the Seneschal, and after they were out of sight, Bo turned and faced the double doors and her destiny.