Ups and Downs

Time sure flies. I cannot believe that it has been thirteen months already. Pierre is one year and one month old now. He walks and it certainly very good at expressing his feelings. No one at the palace can say that they aren't aware when Pierre is angry; he can be heard over the loudest of noises. Rupert continues to be a very proud father; any chance he gets, he brags about Pierre's accomplishments and is amazed at Pierre's ability to know what is being said to him either in English or French. According to my darling husband, our son is nothing short of a genius.

In the past six months, we have certainly had our ups and downs. I thank God that it has mostly been the ups. The downs, though few, have not been pleasant. My mother is getting weaker and no doctor has yet been able to determine why. Rupert's father, Genovia's King, is also weakening. He had not had trouble with his heart for a long time, but now it has weakened some more. This, of course, worries us. He is even considering stepping down as King and let Rupert assume the throne.

"Clarisse, Rupert I'm not getting any younger or healthier; we all know this. I am still contemplating my decision; but I want to let you both know so that you can prepare. I'm thinking about stepping down as King of Genovia." He said.

Rupert grabbed my hand at his father's last words; I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and received a faint smile in return. "But father, Genovian Kings, at least those of the Renaldi line, have always remained on the throne to their very last day!" Rupert exclaimed.

"I know son, but change is good. I think, no I know, that Genovia will benefit from having the two of you ruling her!" He shared with a smile. I could see that Rupert didn't know what to say.

"Thank you, father; we will do the best we can. Would it be possible that you could give us at least a year before making it reality?" I asked nervously.

"As I said my darling Clarisse, I'm only in the deciding process - nothing is final yet." He smiled at me as I let out the breath I hadn't realised I had been holding.

"Thank you, father, I will be honoured to take the throne whenever you decide that it is time and I am ready. I only hope I will be as good and fair of a ruler as you!" Rupert said and bowed to his father who in turn pulled Rupert into a fatherly embrace.

After a brief moment, he moved Rupert to arm's length to look him in the eye. "Your mother and I have already been talking about this; we have arranged for your portrait to be painted soon, so that, when the time is right, it will be ready for your coronation." King Albert said and nodded towards the Queen.

"With all due respect, father, if I am to be painted, I would like to be painted with Clarisse and Pierre." Rupert politely requested.

The Queen, of course, was not pleased with this and offered quickly, "Oh what nonsense, Rupert dear, you will be painted, alone, in your uniform and that's that!" With her statement, the Queen left the room. Rupert mimicked her departure seconds later, slamming the door as he left. I excused myself after the door slammed; I wanted to go my office to think this over for a short while. I needed to think about what this would mean for me, for Rupert, and especially for little Pierre. I didn't make it to my office because, by the entrance to the Red Room, Rupert stood quietly and very pensive. He looked up at the sound of my heels clicking on the marble floor and offered his hand; I took it and let him lead me in silence down the hall.

It was not until we reached the destination Rupert had in mind that he finally spoke. We were standing in the middle of the throne room, hand in hand. Rupert raised my hand to his lips and planted a soft but loving kiss on it. "Clarisse, look around. These walls contain the Renaldi royal line through the past 500 years or so. Look closely at each painting." Rupert requested.

I let go of his hand and walked over to the first painting and studied it as I did each and everyone until I reached the painting of my father in-law, King Albert III. I turned around facing Rupert again with a questioning look. "I don't see what it is you want me to look at." I said and turned around to look at the paintings again.

"What do you see, Clarisse?" Rupert asked.

"All of your, no our, ancestors; all the rulers of our beloved Genovia!" I answered

"Exactly darling, all the rulers and nothing or no one else!" Rupert said with an angry tone

"Dear, what is it?" I inquired

"I wanted you to understand why I said no to my parents when they told me that only I had to have my portrait painted for when I am to be crowned King. I want you to rule Genovia at my side as my equal. I do not wish to do it alone. I want to, shall we say, share the responsibility with my wife. You are an intelligent woman and I adore and admire you and your passion for helping our people. I want you to have your say in what we do to or with this country. And that is why I want us to have our portrait painted, together." He said seriously while walking to where I stood.

"Oh Rupert, I will love to rule our Genovia by your side!" I said teary eyed

"As my equal - your word will be as good as mine!" He looked into my eyes and smiled

"Thank you, Rupert!" I stammered

Right there, in the middle of the throne room, we shared a kiss, filled with love and tenderness, yet also passionate. When we broke apart Rupert looked at me from head to toe and back again and smiled widely.

"What is it, Rupert?" I asked.

"Nothing darling, I was just thinking that the painter will have to hurry." He said

"And why is that my dear?" I tilted my head

"First, because I don't think that we can hide it much longer; and second, because I want a thousand portraits of you all over the palace. I want to be able to see you where ever I am!" He said smiling even wider.

I blushed at his admissions and covered my lower abdomen with our hands. "I don't think we can hide this much longer either." I whispered and tiptoed to give him a soft little kiss.

Yes, we are pregnant again. We had talked about waiting until Pierre was at least a year old, but about three months ago, I found out, quite by accident, that I was pregnant again. I had fallen off of a horse on one of our competitive riding trips and Rupert had insisted on having me completely checked over by the doctor. During the examination, he learned that not only was I not hurt by my fall, but he also discovered what would be a perfectly healthy Crown Prince or Princess and an excuse to congratulate us.

Two weeks later we sent out the press release:

Genovian Palace, July 26, 1961

Their Royal Highnesses, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, are happy to announce the pregnancy of Crown Princess, Clarisse.

It is expected that the birth will take place at Genovia Memorial Hospital in the beginning of February, 1962.

The Crown Princess will continue to fulfil her official duties as long as possible.

C. Beaufrere
Chief of the Court of
TRH the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Genovia

We really weren't trying to get pregnant; especially because we didn't want to live our lives according to what Parliament wants. As a result, it initially was not a joy to learn of my pregnancy. However, now that I am showing, we've accepted it to the fullest. We are looking forward to this new addition to our family. News of the baby seems to have put some more life into both Rupert's father and my mother; it was so lovely and sweet to see how their faces lit up at the news.

I am now four months along and I am huge. Even Pierre can't help but notice and pats my belly and says Ba-Ba every time he sees me. Rupert has told him repeatedly that 'Mama has a baby in her belly' and he my darling son feels compelled, each time someone comes by, to run and pat my belly to share the news. I think it is rather sweet.

One of the other downs that we've experienced is the destruction of buildings we were about to transform into a home for the elderly. They were set on fire and burned to the ground. We are currently searching for another location for the building. We don't believe this will be a problem, though, as the people of Genovian are more than willing to help. We will have to look at the budget once more and are hopeful that we will not have to move more from the children's education fund. I have thought about suggesting to Rupert or the King a decrease in pay for the Parliamentarians as I am certain that would give us the resources necessary to build what's needed. I don't think, however, that it will be a likable suggestion.

The first two weeks of July were spent, as always, on a Royal cruise visiting the countries that import Genovian Pears. This was Pierre's first time on a ship and he was ecstatic. I was very comforted to see how seriously the staff had taken their precautions about having a very small boy on board. Everything was covered and secured; we knew we only had to worry if he had inherited his mother's non-existent sea legs. Lucky for us, he hadn't and mine had improved.

We visited Rupert's second oldest sister, Nathalie, and her husband, Eric, Duke of Shempearl, during the cruise. I became very close with my sister in law whom I last saw briefly at my wedding. It was nice to be able to talk with a woman that lived in the real world, so to speak. She had met Eric at a ball in England and they had fallen in love. King Albert had given them his word of approval and they now have four children, all girls. We were able to talk like we had known each other for the longest time…that was a very nice feeling. Rupert felt the urge to strengthen their relationship and had shared the news of our newest family addition with Nathalie and Eric. I had to agree that it felt good to tell them…it was as if some pressure had been removed.

On the final week of the cruise, we had three whole days at sea. Rupert and Joseph found a mutual interest in fishing. I found it very relaxing to sit on the deck and watch my husband stand with a fishing poll in one hand and holding Pierre with the other. I enjoyed watching Joseph, standing beside them, carrying on a conversation with Rupert like they were old friends. My calm was interrupted, though, when they suddenly turned towards me and started quizzing me. "Darling, will you please tell Joseph here about that big fish I caught two months ago?" Rupert requested.

"Oh your Highness, I believe you; I simply pointed out the fact that I have caught one that's bigger!" Joseph teased.

"Nonsense, I was told this was the largest ever caught. Am I right darling?" He asked.

I did not respond but just looked at them through my sunglasses and smiled.

"Her silence may be intended to not insult you, your Highness!" Joseph tried

"No. No. No, that is simply not the case. Darling tell…!" Rupert started.

His pleading was cut short, however, as I interrupted him. "Gentlemen, stop this at once! Chéri, hand over our son. I will not have him poisoned by your stories and efforts to surpass each other. Oh, and Joseph, let me give you a bit of advice…let him win now or you will never sleep again." I laughed as I bounced Pierre on my hip.

"What do you mean by that?" Rupert asked, trying to sound hurt.

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Mister!" I insisted and started to move off the deck with a little assistance from Eric, Rupert's bodyguard.

"You are not being fair now, Clarisse!" He said and started chasing me. As I passed the nanny, I handed Pierre to her so I would be able to run a little faster. We heard squeals of joy from our son as he watched his Papa chasing his screaming Mama. Fortunately, the Nanny kept Pierre because the chase ended in our bedroom, as it does most times while we are "playing".

We began to kiss and make love. "You are the best and greatest thing I have ever caught; I would love to see Joseph top this!" Rupert managed to say before I covered his mouth.

"Be quiet! If you think I'm the best and greatest and that there is no way Joseph can top this, then why don't you let him win all the others?" I smiled at him.

"He is like a brother to me; I feel the need to surpass him in everything!" He laughed.

"Fine; I'll try to live with it…just don't drag me into your battles anymore." I begged and received a kiss as an answer.

We had the best time on that cruise. Even though both the King and Queen were on board as well, we didn't see or hear much from them. Oh and it should be noted that Rupert did let Joseph win a few of their battles.

Today is an "up" day as I have a sleeping Pierre on my ever-growing belly and my husband is studying a binder filled with various papers preparing for his first full year in Parliament. I just hope he will still have time for Pierre and the new child; I've seen how occupied his father always is. He has promised me, though; that he will remember he has a family. I just hope it is possible to run both a country and a family at the same time. For now, he just has to help me out as this little one growing inside of me promises to be rather large; I'm already twice the size I was with Pierre. I am hoping to have another little boy. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm wishing for a girl. When I say no, they just look at me strangely and don't inquire any further. While I wish for a boy, my first and foremost wish is for a healthy child.