§ § § -- June 30, 2001

By late afternoon nearly everyone had come and gone, and Leslie was a little lightheaded with amazement and fatigue, between meeting so many famous faces and standing on her feet all day. Kristina, overwhelmed, had retreated to her rooms again, and her daughters had gone with her. Carl Johan, Christian and Anna-Laura were still dealing with some minor dignitaries who had, by odd coincidence, trapped all three of them in windy conversations at just about the same time; Amalia had gone down to the kitchens to put in orders for the evening meal and advise the servants that there were several royal guests still staying in the castle. Leslie stood alone on the three-tiered dais whereupon reposed an honest-to-goodness throne, in which Kristina had been sitting to receive condolences. It was the only chair on the dais; the others had all been required to stand. She let out a yawn, stepped out of her shoes and settled herself in the throne, since there was no other place to sit and it looked surprisingly inviting. She leaned back against the padded cushions, smiled to herself at how comfortable they were, and closed her eyes.

"When did they crown you, Leslie Hamilton?" teased a soft, familiar voice, and she opened her eyes again to find herself staring at Michiko.

"There you are, finally!" Leslie said happily, jumping up to hug her. Michiko giggled and returned the hug with enthusiasm. "You and Errico came through here so early, I thought you forgot all about us."

"No, we knew you'd all be exhausted by now, and we thought it was better to come in while you were still fresh," Michiko said. "You look about ready to fall asleep, and that throne can't be very cushy."

"Oh, I don't know, it felt pretty good to me," Leslie said, and they both giggled. "So I hear you and Errico are staying in the castle."

"Yes, we're in some very lavish suites," Michiko said, "and Marcolo and Carlono have their own rooms down the hallway. If Christian's family ever decides to downsize, or if they ever need extra income, this place would make a wonderful hotel for the super-rich. Where are you and Christian staying, by the way? The media keeps talking about how the entire royal family shut themselves off in this place after King Arnulf died."

"We did," Leslie said, nodding. "Christian and I took over his old bedroom, the one he had growing up here. I have to tell you, Michiko, I'm looking forward to going home. All this pomp and circumstance is starting to tell on me. Christian's used to it, but it's just plain alien to me."

"I know what you mean," Michiko said sympathetically. "Well, maybe it'll be a little easier for you now. Errico and I will be here with Carlono and Marcolo throughout the coronation, and we've been invited to the celebration gala too, so with any luck you and I can visit. That is, if you and Christian go on staying in the castle."

Leslie shrugged. "We had been staying in the city with Christian's nephew and his wife, who bought his flat when he left," she said. "I don't know if we're going back at all, at least not before Christian and I go back to Fantasy Island. For that matter, I don't even think it's necessarily advisable. Christian's been very hard-hit by Arnulf's death, and he seems to be fine now, but it's still only a few days since it happened and I know it's going to take time before he truly recovers."

Michiko nodded, studying her. "I remember him saying something yesterday at the memorial service about having lost his way mentally. I hope it wasn't too bad."

"It was pretty scary for a while," Leslie said, glancing at her husband, still tethered to some long-winded politician or other. "Maybe there'll be a chance to tell you about it later on. There's just so much for us to talk about." She sank back into the throne, wincing and lifting one foot to rub it. "Ow, my feet are positively killing me. Hey, are you up for a shopping trip? Anna-Laura said she and Anna-Kristina are taking me out to get some suitable outfits for the coronation and the gala, and I thought it would be more fun if you come too. Christian said he's staying here, so we might as well make it girls' day out."

"Oh, you mean a hen party?" Michiko said, grinning. "It really sounds like fun. Of course, you realize the local media will be all over you. I'm surprised your sister-in-law even said anything about going out. They must not know what to do with you."

Leslie grinned ruefully. "They've all been so nice and accepting," she said. "Of course, they might just be really good at hiding their sheer loathing for this ignorant little klutz their younger brother somehow fell for." They both laughed softly. "Like I said, I'm looking forward to going home. Christian and I didn't have time to finish unpacking, and we have to find a chance to do that whenever we do get home."

"I'd love to see your house," Michiko said eagerly. "I'm planning my usual trip home in about six weeks, right around the time Myeko's due to have the baby, and it would be so lovely to come and visit you and Christian. Maureen mentioned you built right across the street from her and Grady, and that has to mean you have a view of the ocean."

"Right out the bedroom," Leslie said, nodding. "We have a French door that opens onto a deck, and one window that we leave open at night, and we fall asleep to the sound of the ocean washing ashore. And you know something? We've apparently got our very own night crier. Its call woke up poor Christian, and he was a little spooked by it. I think it's got a nest in one of our trees—it was quite close by."

Michiko looked envious. "Lucky you! Did you tell Christian it's harmless?"

"The melancholy got to him. We slept only the one night in our own house before we had to come here, since that was the night we were told about Arnulf's heart attack. I think he'll get used to it eventually…if we ever get the chance to acclimate him." She sighed. "I'm feeling really homesick right about now. Don't get me wrong, this is a pretty country, and I got such a kick out of Christian playing tour guide for me the other day; but Fantasy Island is home and it always will be."

Michiko smiled reminiscently. "I know exactly how you feel, believe me. Listen, the men and I have been invited to take dinner with you and Christian and the rest of the family. We can talk more then, okay? I need to get back to our suite and get out of these fussy clothes. I hope they don't mind if I show up for dinner in shorts."

Leslie grinned. "No, I plan on doing the same thing. The family's surprisingly informal in private, I found. Just as well, or I'd be way more nervous than I already am. I'll look forward to it."

"Great, see you then." They grinned at each other and Michiko made her way toward one of the entrances off the south side of the great entry hall. Feeling better, Leslie relaxed in the throne and closed her eyes again, patiently waiting for Christian and letting herself daydream about decorating their new home.

Hmm…has Kristina abdicated the throne, then?" Christian's voice asked humorously then, and Leslie opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her with an amused look on his face. She smiled up at him.

"Naah, I usurped it," she kidded, and Christian laughed, reaching for her hands and pulling her back onto her aching feet. "Ow, here we go again."

"I know how you feel," Christian said ruefully, looking down at their feet and grinning when he noticed her lack of shoes. "You do have a way of going barefoot when it suits you, my Rose. Anna-Kristina made a remark about it a few days ago…and it shocked me to realize she's probably not gone barefoot since she was a toddler. I think I'll have to get into the habit, especially as I live on a tropical island now…" He paused to reflect on that. "By the way…I meant to ask you something. Come on, let's get back to our room; we're through here for today. Dinner won't be for two more hours."

They slid arms around each other's waists and ambled towards the corridor entrance that would take them to Christian's old room. "What was the question?" Leslie asked.

"Oh yes. I was thinking this morning, when we were right in the thick of meeting all those well-wishers, and it occurred to me to recall Arnulf's words about losing my citizenship here once my title is voided. That led to wondering what the citizenship requirements are for Fantasy Island. So I ask you—what are they?"

Leslie thought for a moment. "Wow…I never considered it, for some reason. Let me see if I can dredge my eleventh-grade governmental classes out of the depths of my brain. We had one entire grading period where we studied island law, and…" She trailed off, searching her memory while Christian watched her. "Well, Father's very strict about immigration, so I haven't actually been witness to more than a couple or three of these cases, but recently it came up because of Myeko's marriage. This will apply to you too, my love. If you marry a citizen of the island, you have to wait a year, then you're eligible. So next January 16, you'll officially become a citizen."

Christian stared at her. "But if my title is revoked in the next two or three weeks, as Arnulf suggested, then for a good six months I'm going to be a man without a country."

"Then we'll just have to make sure we're safely back home before you lose your royal status," Leslie said lightly, smiling at him. "Father's not going to penalize you in any way for that. It's just the vagaries of bureaucracy."

"But you know the nature of my work," Christian protested, "where I have to be out and about most of the time…and if I have to leave Fantasy Island for a job, I may run into difficulties. My Lilla Jordsö passport will be invalid, and I won't be able to get a Fantasy Island passport until next year. I think when we return home, we'd better talk to Mr. Roarke about all this."

Leslie regarded him in surprise. "Do you expect to have to make any international travel in the next six months or so?"

"Not right now, but you never know what might come up," Christian said.

"Couldn't you just send Julianne?" Leslie asked.

Christian sighed. "She doesn't have the level of expertise I do. She's good, but her forte is the actual setup; mine is both the design and the setup, and you know I always consult with my clients so that they get exactly what they're looking for. I don't know how this is going to work."

"Me either," Leslie admitted. "Well, as you said, we can talk to Father about it. He might be able to come up with something without having to break the law."

"Or else I just turn down anything off the island till I have a valid passport," said Christian, shrugging. "I'm not even sure I can go to the military base if I must."

"Oh, that's nothing," said Leslie. "They don't even look at passports anyway. All school-age children on the base attend classes on Fantasy Island, and there's a special arrangement to accommodate that. Come on, my love, cheer up. Wouldn't you rather stay close to home for awhile anyway? We've just moved into our house, and right now we're on the other side of the world from home as it is. Maybe you could put a moratorium of some sort on traveling anywhere for work, at least till you've got citizenship."

They shut themselves into Christian's room and he looked doubtfully at her, though there was a little smile on his face. "Appealing in theory, but quite likely impossible in practice. I can only wait and see, and if a situation does in fact come up, I can always go to Mr. Roarke for help then. I suppose we have enough to worry about."

"Yeah, like that shopping trip and this brutal protocol you mentioned this morning," Leslie said, blowing out her breath. Christian grinned and picked up the videotapes Anna-Laura had brought around.

"So these are supposed to be my father's and Arnulf's coronations," he mused, weighing them in one hand. "We'll have to watch these in the sitting room. To be honest, I've never seen these—didn't even know we had them. This could be embarrassing."

Leslie laughed. "I'm looking forward to it."