After leaving his mother's chambers, Frank wandered aimlessly throughout the Palace's mazelike corridors. He knew Eva would probably be back in his own chambers by now, but he was not yet ready to see her. He needed to come to terms with his conversation with his mother before he could even begin to think of discussing everything with her.
After encountering several servants, all of whom wanted to engage him in lengthy conversations welcoming him home, he fled the Palace's interiors and headed toward the beach. He made his way to his favorite spot, a small, secluded inlet whose shoreline was adorned by a large boulder. He climbed up on the boulder, clasped his knees to his chest and pondered the difficult decision facing him. Actually, it wasn't the decision that was difficult…it was trying to figure out how to present it to his beloved wife. He remembered the fear in her voice when she'd asked if his return to Transsexual was to be permanent. He had assured her that was not the case. How could he go back now and tell her otherwise?
Unfortunately, he had not managed to come to any conclusions when he heard approaching footsteps. He did not even need to turn his head to know it was Eva.
Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder, softly caressing him. "Frank? Are you all right? I was on the balcony and saw you wander over here."
The love and concern in her voice brought tears to his eyes yet again. He blinked them back furiously, and turned to face her. "Well, I must admit I've been better."
She walked over to the other side of the boulder and clambered up next to him. "What's wrong? Did you speak with your mother?"
For a moment, he didn't trust himself to speak; he nodded wordlessly. Finally, he said, "Yes, we spoke this afternoon. I'm afraid it was a rather upsetting conversation."
She put her arms around him, and her embrace destroyed any semblance of emotional control he'd managed to muster. He turned, put his own arms around her, and broke down into a flood of tears.
For seemingly endless minutes they remained locked together, with Eva gently running her hands over his back and through his hair as he cried. Finally, he pulled away, took a deep breath, and wiped his streaming eyes.
When he regained his composure, Eva asked quietly, "Are you up to telling me what happened?"
He sighed and nodded. "I suppose so." He shifted on the boulder so that he was facing her. "My mother summoned me here to tell me…she's dying. She has only weeks to live."
An expression of horror crossed Eva's face. "No. Oh, no. Frank…I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry." She grimaced. "That sounds so…inadequate."
He smiled wanly and shook his head. "No, it isn't 'inadequate' at all. There are no magic words that will make everything better. I appreciate the sentiment."
She gave him a faint smile in response. "How is she handling it?"
Frank laughed softly. "Considerably better than I am at the moment. My mother is a very…pragmatic woman. When she's faced with adversity, she has the strength to deal with it and do what she has to do. Summoning me was one of those things she had to do."
Eva nodded. "I can understand why she didn't want to tell you something like that over the communicator."
"Well, yes…but that was only part of what she wanted to discuss with me."
Eva cocked her head curiously. "After news like that, what else could she possibly need to tell you?
Frank took a deep breath. Here was his opening. However, perhaps a bit of explanation was in order first.
"As it turns out, this is a particularly difficult time for Transsexual to be losing such a strong and effective monarch." He explained in detail the dangers from both within the Transylvanian Alliance and from the Adonis Galaxy on the outside. He summed up, "If Transsexual is seen as weak and unstable, the balance of power in the entire galaxy will be irrevocably shifted, thus leaving Transylvania as a whole vulnerable to attack. It is a source of great concern to my mother as she faces the end of her reign – and her life."
Eva asked, "So who will take the throne…after…" She was feeling too awkward to finish the sentence.
Frank let her off the hook. "After her death? As it stands, next in the line of succession is my cousin Frederic. Unfortunately, that prospect is the source of a great deal of her apprehension."
Eva frowned. "Why?"
"Frederic is a rather…limited individual. He isn't terribly bright, nor does he inspire confidence in those around him. He wants the privileges of the throne, but isn't particularly interested in taking on its burdens. My mother had hoped to have more time to 'groom' him, but unfortunately time has run out. If he were to ascend to the throne, particularly given the current political climate, it would be disastrous - both for Transsexual and for Transylvania as a whole."
Suddenly Eva saw where this conversation was going. "Your mother wants you to take the throne."
Frank gazed sightlessly out toward the ocean; he couldn't look her in the eye. "Yes."
Eva's voice was small. "What did you tell her?"
Frank reluctantly turned to face her. "I told her I needed to discuss it with you."
The familiar fear was back in her voice. "You didn't just refuse? You're really considering this?"
Frank steeled himself. "Eva, I have to consider it. My decision will potentially affect the lives of millions of people. As much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, my mother is right. For many reasons I am, by far, the most suitable person to follow in her footsteps." He put his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Please try to understand. This decision is bigger than the three of us…well, four, including your mother. It goes beyond our family. Can't you see that?"
Tears filled Eva's eyes. "It sounds like you've already made your decision."
Frank shook his head. "No, I haven't. I know what I should do, but until we talk this out, I don't know what I will do."
"Do you mean if I said no, you would turn your mother down?"
He nodded. "Yes. But I want you to understand the ramifications if you do say no."
The tears were now running down Eva's face. "Frank, that isn't fair, putting the burden on me that way."
Frank looked at her helplessly. "Eva, none of this is fair! It isn't fair my mother is dying at such a young age. It isn't fair my cousin is so inadequate to the task of succeeding her. It isn't fair there is so much turmoil both within and outside of Transylvania, making his shortcomings even more dangerous. Whether it's fair or not, we have to deal with it." He wiped away her tears, and his voice softened. "You seem to see the prospect of staying here permanently as a bad thing. Has it not occurred to you it could actually be for the best?"
Eva stared at him, wide-eyed. "How do you figure that? How could moving to a place where everyone's free to have sex with everyone else, whether they're married or not, possibly be for the best?"
Frank closed his eyes and shook his head. "Eva, I've already told you I have no intention of taking on any other lovers."
"That was when you thought we were just here for a visit."
Frank tried not to smile, but failed. "The sentiment still stands. Eva, nothing will change in the way we conduct our relationship if we stay here. Besides, we're royalty. We don't follow trends, we set them."
She was obviously confused. "What do you mean?"
His smile widened. "It's quite simple. How do you think this atmosphere of decadence came about in the first place? About five hundred years ago, Transsexual's society was much like Earth's where sexual behavior was concerned. However, a monarch named King Oslo ascended to the throne. As it happened, he was very unhappily married. Once he came to power, he took advantage of that power by decreeing every citizen should be able to take as many lovers as he or she wanted, regardless of marital status. That decree was the source of the rampant sexuality you see here today."
"Do you mean you're going to issue a decree that married people have to be monogamous?"
He laughed. "No, of course not. What our relationship will do is legitimize monogamy as a valid lifestyle choice. Believe it or not, not everyone wants to hop from bed to bed. Some people do it merely to avoid being ridiculed; others practice monogamy but try to hide it, for the same reason. However, when people see us remaining faithful to each other, despite our easy access to as many lovers as either of us could possibly want…trust me, it will make a considerable impact. However, when I said staying here could be for the best, I wasn't referring to our becoming torch-bearers for a new standard of morality."
She looked at him with open curiosity. "Then what were you referring to?"
"For one thing, it would mean you and your mother would be able to stay in your father's life. I've never seen your mother so happy in all the time I've known her…and I can't help but notice how quickly you've established a bond with him. And Faye – along with any other future children – will be able to get to know and love their grandfather. Not to mention the fact it would be a terrible blow to him to lose you and Audrey again, after finally being reunited with you."
Eva nodded slowly. "Yes, that's true."
"Also, you need to think of Faye's future."
Eva asked, "Do you mean that she should inherit the throne one day?"
Frank shrugged. "Well, that's part of it, but not precisely what I meant. What you need to do for a moment is think of our relationship. Think of what we share together. Think of certain 'traits' we have undoubtedly passed on to Faye. Now…think of the odds of her finding fulfillment with any lover she would meet on Earth. Somehow I cannot believe she would be as lucky to find a compatible partner as we were. I know that won't be a consideration for quite a while, but once it is…well, it will have a major impact on her chances for happiness."
Eva paled. "Oh, my God…I'd never thought of that."
He smiled and put his arms around her. "Then, of course, there are the benefits we will enjoy." A delicious hint of seductiveness crept into his voice. "What we experienced last night was just the beginning, Eva. This is the only place in the universe where we'll be able to reach the full power and potential of our relationship. We would be cheating ourselves out of some absolutely indescribable experiences if we were to leave."
Eva sat in silence for a moment…then a slow smile lit up her face. "Hmmm…you may have a point there." She leaned over and kissed him deeply, as if to remind herself of the ecstasy they had shared the night before. When she finally pulled away, she asked, "You really believe you should stay here…we should stay here?"
Frank smiled and nodded. "Yes. I truly had every intention of living out my life on Earth, but given the present situation…everything changed. Perhaps it was naïve of me to have ever believed I would be able to simply walk away from the enormous obligation I inherited. I'm frightened out of my mind at the thought of trying to live up to my mother's legacy, but I have to make the attempt, for the people of Transsexual…and for myself. If I were to decline, I'd be running away from a challenge I was literally born to take on. Do you understand?"
Eva smiled back at him. "I understand…and I know you'll be a wonderful King."
He looked at her. "So we're staying?"
She nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "Yes. We're staying."
Frank pulled her even closer, and they exchanged another long, passionate kiss. After breaking the kiss, Frank began to plant a series of slow, sensuous kisses along Eva's neck, and she moaned softly as she felt the familiar heat rising in her body. Before they abandoned the boulder for the caress of the soft sand below, Frank looked deeply into her eyes and smiled. "My mother and I thank you…my Queen."