"Lincoln Loud, I cannot and I will not be the Duke of Loch Loud," Angus said, cutting off Lincoln who was trying to pass on the crown to him. "Not only have you done so much good for our people and that the Louds were tricked once before out of their rightful place as our leaders, I simply don't want to be the Duke. I love what I am and have never aspired to be more than that."
"But… you're an amazing guy. You'd be a much better ruler than I was," Lincoln looked at the crown in his hands, his face reflecting on it's metal.
"Lincoln, I am old. I don't have a family," Angus sighed and kneeled down in front of his confused Duke. "And you're a young lad and look what you've already done for us. You've built bridges, fixed signs and mended relationships. You brought magic and dragons back to Loch Loud after four hundred years. And you did that in just a few days, you had a few bumps along the road, but everyone does."
Angus turned Lincoln to the townsfolk who had gathered and continued his explanation. "Lincoln you saved the village, Morag would have either driven away everyone who wouldn't serve her and then who knows what life would have been like here. You uncovered what drove away the Louds in the first place. You righted a wrong that stood for centuries."
"That you are so willing to pass on the power to someone you believe is better suited to rule only proves that you truly have what it takes to be the just and fair ruler we've been waiting for so long for."
The villagers nodded happily at Angus' words. Their lives had only improved ever since the Loud Family returned to Scotland.
"Do you all really believe in me that much?" Lincoln asked as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"Yes." They shouted in unison.
"You told me that you were worried about not being special, but I have to say that you are one of the most special people I have ever met." Angus offered a smile at the young Duke.
"If you think I can do this, what kind of person would I be to just run away?" Lincoln said as he put the crown back on his head.
"Woah that is insane Lincoln," Clyde exclaimed with joy after listening to his best friend about all that had gone down in Scotland over their vacation turned permanent change of residence.
"I know, it got pretty hairy at times," Lincoln chuckled now that some time had passed since Morag's attempted coup. Looking back on it, it was dangerous but also exhilarating.
"So what happened to Morag?" Clyde asked because the story ended with his best friend taking back up the mantle of Dukeship.
Lincoln stood up from his throne and waved his hand, indicating for Clyde to follow him through the castle.
"We have her here in the dungeon," Lincoln answered as he brought his friend to the dungeons where Morag was sitting in her cell looking dejected. "She burned down a lot of the village and it was this for life or… execution."
"What?!" Clyde exclaimed in shock at his friend's telling of what the choices were.
"I know that's why I chose this," Lincoln said quickly, leading Clyde back up the stairs so they didn't have to hang around the only prisoner in the castle. "I didn't want to kill her, but she put a lot of people in danger, she almost had Lela crash into the hospital."
"Wow, that's really evil." Clyde didn't consider just how bad things had been since it didn't seem like that much was destroyed.
"And all because she didn't want to clean up after my family. I know that we can be loud and make messes but, to try and hurt so many people for it." Lincoln sighed because he would have been fine if the former caretaker had just said that they were causing problems, it would not have been the first time someone had said that to them.
"But how are things back in Royal Woods?" Lincoln asked his best friend as he continued the tour of the castle with Clyde.
"Oh Em Gee," Clyde freaked out a bit. "You would not believe how everyone has been acting since word got around about this. At first everyone thought I was making it up but then it started hitting the news cycle."
"Really?" Lincoln responded in disbelief hearing that him taking up the Loch Loud crown made it into the news.
"Uh yeah, Lincoln," Clyde stopped his friend and put his hand on his shoulder. "The Duke of Loch Loud is one of 92 Hereditary seats that were kept in 1999 with the House of Lords Act. It was kept mostly in honor of the family's disappearance. When you took up the crown you put yourself in the British Parliament."
"How do you know all this?" Lincoln questioned just when Clyde became so knowledgeable on foreign governmental structures.
"The news is in an uproar, Congress and British Parliament are arguing about it. You're a U.S. citizen Linc and you just sort of took up a spot that's been vacant on another nation's government for four centuries."
"Oh wow, I never thought about what that might have meant," Lincoln said in amazement as he now realized that his actions were having some consequences.
"Yeah oh," Clyde chuckled, he figured that life was going to get a lot more interesting for Lincoln Loud in the near future. "But let's go see my dads, they should be finishing up the tour with your mom and dad in the kitchen."
Lincoln slumped onto his throne in total exhaustion. He just got done with the first meeting of many with the British Prime Minister. Like Clyde had said that him putting on the crown meant that he was now a person of interest. He just didn't think it would be this boring.
That was just the first of many meetings he had scheduled. It left him very little time to find ways to help the people of Loch Loud. And ultimately for Lincoln that was his priority.
"Lincoln, I have the scientists, biologist and animal rights activists with me who all want to study Lela," Lisa said with the assorted labcoat wearers following behind her.
Lincoln pinched the bridge of his nose. "And are these people vetted?" he asked because the existence of his dragon was not kept secret and the world was reeling from the knowledge that dragons among other things existed.
There had been so many people who were trying to study the once thought mythical creature that Lincoln knew he had to be protective of Lela from people who would try to exploit her just like Morag had done. Even with the gemstone gone that didn't mean there were no other ways to try and control a dragon.
"Of course dear brother," Lisa smiled at Lincoln who looked relieved. "These are some of my trusted colleagues. I know how much you care for Lela and these esteemed individuals know the difference between science and exploitation."
Now that he had a chance Lincoln took a moment to really get a look at the people who followed her sister into his throne room and he did recognize a few of them from times he had gone with his sister to some of her events. "Just make sure that you all stay safe and if Lela doesn't want to do something don't push her. She's still a dragon." Giving a warning to the adults because he would be very cross if someone got hurt.
Hoping that would be his last meeting for the day Lincoln stood up and stretched having been seated for so long. Deciding that he hadn't had a real meal all day with just light snacks being brought in for the guests Lincoln wanted to get something in his stomach and headed for the dining hall where hopefully his father would have a meal ready and waiting.
Angus having been promoted up to Royal Advisor, with some protest, slash Groundskeeper, because he still wanted to take care of the grounds, coughed into his hand. He knew that Lincoln had been so busy the last few days with things that no child is suited to handle but there was one more tiny little itsy-bitsy thing he needed to deal with. "Your Dukeship, I hate to be the one to tell you this but…"
"What is it Angus?" Lincoln asked while turning to look at the man.
"Now that you are a Duke and how do I say this… unattached," Angus tugged at his collar because while he knew Lincoln was a level headed young lad anyone would likely get upset about what was going to come next. "Other peerages are looking to attach in a sense to you."
Lincoln blinked slowly. "What?" he finally blurted out after a moment of silence.
Angus just sighed. "I think it will be easier to just show you, they've been waiting for a good while." Nudging Lincoln down another hallway, away from the glorious food he wanted to consume.
Pushing open a door, Lincoln suddenly realized what Angus had been alluding to. Because standing before him throughout the room were girls, lots of girls. Of all shapes, sizes, colors and ages. As one the girls all looked up from what they were doing, their conversations ending and stared at him. Lincoln barely managed a squeak before falling to the floor in shock at the understanding that by attaching what they really meant was a joining of royal families.
Lincoln Loud had suitors.
Author's Notes: So after watching The Loud House movie. I got to say, I both regret and am relieved that the story I started but never worked on involving The Loud House and Harry Potter never went anywhere, there is SOOOOO much in the movie that translates over and I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to make it all work because I do want to work that story now that I've had a few years to hone my talents.
But that's details for something else. What this is, is me seeing the end of the movie and groaning that status quo had to be kept. There's so much in this that's ripe for new and imaginative story lines that could go on if they just had them stay even for a single season in Loch Loud.
So this will just be things that I think should/could happen if Lincoln did not give up the crown. Part of that is because I could see how much Angus didn't want it and should have stopped Lincoln with what I tried to make a reasonable explanation for why he should remain the duke.
A minor gripe I had with the movie was the families initial reluctance to stay, claiming what about school. Their friends not being there I understand, that's a reasonable concern about not wanting to move halfway around the world. But clearly the village has schools otherwise no one would have gotten an education, it is a sleepy Scottish village, not the middle of nowhere desert. They have schools.
But I also wanted to address just a super tiny, almost insignificant detail that honestly could have been overlooked by anyone. DRAGONS AND MAGIC ARE REAAAAAAAALLLLL! Lucy summoned a literal ghost of her ancestor and that MATTERS.
Lincoln claiming the Dukeship of Loch Loud would make the news, it's a change in a regional governmental structure that likely had been overlooked for a long time. While not as crazy as say Lincoln becoming the ruler of Camelot, it should still be enough that an American Citizen just as far as some people are concerned weaseled his way into British politics and skipped pretty dang high up there to boot. A duke is the highest peerage of royalty that Scotland has currently. He'd be somewhat on the same level as Prince Charles, not quite but it's mostly accurate. That's not a minor detail.
So what I did was write up a few little snippets that I plan to expand upon. The first was Lincoln keeping the crown, the second was the promised visit from Clyde and lastly some drama that should be getting things started.
It would make sense that others would see Lincoln as a means to an end and such the common way to go about this was through marriage. That's a way for others to have more of a say in another nations government, plus who doesn't love some Lincoln relationship drama that might end in a weird way.
If this gets some buzz going, I might try to do more while I'm working on a billion other stories because I have no selfcontrol or focus.