A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me.
The King's funeral was a massive event, with at least two hundred and fifty guests attending, ranging from Genovian diplomats returning from different parts of the world to heads of states (or their representatives) as well as the entire parliament, Prime Minister and the wealthy of Genovia, as well as military representatives and some from charities, although it was well known that His Majesty didn't patronise too many charities, preferring to leave charity work to his wife.
Prince Pierre didn't return for the funeral, being deeply involved in his studies, but Charlotte couldn't fault him if he hadn't wanted to return, considering his father's attitude towards him post abdication.
The mourners were led by the Crown Prince and Her Majesty and the massive attendance at the funeral (which had been televised) as well as the streets of Pyrus being lined with sober and saddened people, watching the procession move from church to the family crypt at the cemetery, proved that, despite his attitude toward his eldest son and wife, the King had commanded enormous respect from his fellow countrymen and the rest of the world.
It had been a busy few days leading up to the wedding, and Charlotte had been busy preparing for the funeral with the office of the Prime Minister and the diplomatic attaché, as well as the wake afterwards, so busy that she hadn't had much opportunity to do her own work or communicate with the Queen (not that there was any work to do, Her Majesty had spent much of her time in her suite, or hosting the visitors that had been streaming into the country and the palace once the news had been released), but Charlotte was appalled to hear a rumour that parliament was planning on setting an emergency meeting of parliament, after the funeral, to settle the matter of who would be ruling Genovia in the wake of the King's death.
"Surely… surely Her Majesty should still remain on the throne, at least until His Royal Highness has had more time to get used to his new responsibilities…" she finally dared to say to Sebastian Motaz (he had insisted that she call him Sebastian, almost right from the beginning of her time at the palace) the day before the funeral, when they were finalising details, and he frowned.
"I thought so too, but the men of parliament can be…well, they can be difficult, and that's a gentle way of putting it."
"So… what's going to happen at the meeting?"
"Hopefully, nothing. Hopefully it's only some of the trouble makers that were friends and cronies of His Majesty and it will settle down again…" but Charlotte could see by the expression on his face that he wasn't convinced that they were going to do what he hoped, before his expression brightened again.
"However, I do have the discretion to agree or disagree with decisions that parliament make…and I definitely do NOT agree with this, not at all."
"But doesn't issues that have a majority in the voting have to be carried?"
"Yes, that's correct, Charlotte, but I don't think that this certain group will have a majority to carry the motion forward."
She hadn't seen either the Queen or the Crown Prince's reactions when the emergency meeting had been called, but she knew that Joseph was furious, judging by the way he stormed around the palace in the lead up to the funeral.
Her Majesty, meanwhile, had dealt with the loss of her husband with strength and dignity- it had been a loss that had been expected and she had had time to process the news before it had occurred, but she would still be grieving long after the funeral and there was concern that the Crown Prince would try and take on too much to give his mother a break.
"He's a strong young man," said Charlotte's former boss at the wake, Charlotte hovering in the background while the guests mingled, many of them trying to get closer to Her Majesty (who was already surrounded) and talking amongst themselves. "He's kind, caring, compassionate and intelligent- just as much as his brother is- but he hasn't had the time to prepare for it as Crown Prince Pierre did and…. well, the pressure may be too much for him… not that I think that for a second," he said added hastily, seeing Charlotte give him a small frown.
"Other people aren't saying that, are they?" Charlotte asked in concern, with a twinge of protectiveness for the Crown Prince and the Queen. As the Queen's personal assistant, she was kept away from most of the rumours that swirled around about the royal family, but she also needed to know what was being said, so she could try and contain the situation, not that there was much she could do, except for the dry 'no comment' that was always released when the palace didn't want to release any information in regards to scandals and other issues.
"No, no, definitely not- believe me, the public are more than supportive for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, but in his own time… and the diplomatic attaché, as well as the heads of state and their representatives still consider the Queen the first choice for ruling the country… at least until the Crown Prince knows a little more of what he's going to do… but parliament… well, I won't say anything more on that except that I don't agree with what some of them trying to do and hopefully the Prime Minister will be able to quash the motion."
"I hope so too…"
The funeral and subsequent wake soon came to an end, and as the guests began to leave the palace and the country, to return to their own countries and lives, the life and atmosphere for the palace began to return to normal (or as normal as it could be for the royal family) as everyone accepted that the King has passed away…and with that came the realisation that things were different, the atmosphere was different… it was almost as if some of the tensions that had been part of the palace life for almost as long as some of the older staff members could remember had dissipated and…life could almost be positive and happy again….
Charlotte herself was relieved when the pressure eased- she happily handled the funeral and its associated preparations, but she was also looking forward to things going back to normal, and going back to her own duties.
Joseph, via Her Majesty, had offered her a couple of days off but Charlotte politely refused.
"You've done an awful lot of work in the past two weeks, Charlotte, Her Majesty appreciates what you have done and if you feel that you need a few days off to recover…."
"I'm fine, Joe," she said firmly but with a smile on her face. "There were a few very late nights but that was part of the job… I don't need any additional days off aside from my annual vacation… speaking of which," she added with a small, teasing smile. "When was your last annual vacation?"
"Never you mind," he responded with a responding smile. "Well, the offer is there if you want it."
"I appreciate it… and you can let Her Majesty know that I appreciate it, but I don't need the time off."
"Good. Just so you know."
"I do."
00000
The next few months were blissfully uneventful- well, not uneventful, but compared to the past few months and year or so, the months were 'normal'- and the palace finally returned to normal, with everyone returning to their normal tasks and responsibilities.
Her Majesty was still quiet and withdrawn, but she returned to work the day after the funeral and was soon buried back in her paperwork- more paperwork, actually, as she had taken on His Majesty's work as well, so Charlotte's workload was again doubled, but they hired a younger woman to be Charlotte's assistant, which helped with the work greatly, although Charlotte primarily dealt with Her Majesty.
She had not seen Joseph treat Her Majesty any differently to before she had witnessed that moment between them the day after the King passed away, but Charlotte suspected that there was more to their professional relationship than met the eye, not that it was any of her business and not that it was something that could be even considered at this point in time, it was inappropriate and almost…treasonous.
However, things finally settled down, and while Her Majesty and the Crown Prince celebrated a quiet Christmas and there was no New Year's Eve ball out of deference for the mourning period for the King, but by the spring, things were finally returning to normal and there was talk that the Crown Prince would ascend the throne that Christmas. The emergency meeting that parliament had insisted on in regards to forcing the Crown Prince to ascend the throne immediately after his father's death had never eventuated, much to everyone's relief and now, after some time and more experience, the Crown Prince was ready to ascend the throne.
"I still cannot imagine that I am going to be King… I never thought that it would be me," the Crown Prince admitted to Charlotte one day after he had escorted his mother back from a session of parliament. "When Pierre and I were growing up, it was always drilled into us that Pierre would be King and I would be his support… I suppose we could have coined the phrase the 'heir and the spare', if you really wanted to think about it."
"That's not a nice way to refer to yourself as," Charlotte said chidingly- over the years, they had become friends in a way, Phillipe continuing to insist on her calling him by his first name but she had never taken him up on his offer, much to his amusement, but no one else knew about their friendship, not even Joseph and especially not Her Majesty.
"Still, that's what royal families label the heir to the throne and second in line."
"Well, I don't like it."
"I can see that," Phillipe grinned at her through his well-trimmed beard. "Anyway," he continued as he glanced at his watch. "I have to get going, I have a meeting in Lybitt and I'm going to be late if I don't get a move on… I assume you'll still be at your desk by the time I get back tonight?" he teased and Charlotte chuckled.
"I might be… although if I get my work done, I may go home early."
"You, go home early? That's one miracle I want to see! See you later, Charlotte," before he strode out of the room, Charlotte still chuckling- he was quite a character and she liked him, although she would never consider thinking of him as any more than the Crown Prince, a friend and the future King of Genovia.
0
Storms had been forecast for that afternoon, and, as predicted, they arrived with gusto, the dark clouds darkening the rooms of the palace, forcing lights to be switched on earlier than normal, and the booming of the thunder overhead was the background noise as Charlotte and the palace staff went about their normal business.
"I hope the Crown Prince and his entourage will return safely this evening," Scott commented when he and Charlotte met up in the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a brief break. "It looks like that the rain is definitely settling in."
"Your men are all trained in defensive driving, aren't they?"
"Yes, they are- it's part of our contracts."
"So, I'm sure that everything will be fine and they'll be home safe and sound by seven thirty, as you said they would be."
As it turned out, Charlotte was just about finished her work around the time Phillipe and his entourage were due to return home, and she was just thinking about how awful it was going to be to have to go out into the rain (although Scott had assured her that her car would be parked as close to the front steps as it was possible) to drive home, the rain was actually getting even heavier as the evening wore on, when she heard movement in the doorway of her office and she looked up to see Joseph walking slowly into the room.
"Joe!" she began with a smile before it quickly disappeared as she saw the expression on Joseph's face, an expression she had never seen before… it was almost as if he had aged ten years in the past half an hour, and there was such agonizing emotion on his face, devastation mingled with regret, that she was suddenly frightened.
"Joe? What is it?"
"I need you to come with me into Her Majesty's study… there's something we have to tell her together."
"What is it, Joe?" Charlotte was growing increasingly alarmed at the tone of his voice and the expression on his face.
"It's the Crown Prince… there was an accident on the way back from Lybitt… the roads were very, very slippery…." Joseph almost recited the words and Charlotte suddenly had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"And….?"
"The Crown Prince was killed at the scene, along with two of his men… the rest of the group are fine and are being transported to hospital as we speak."
"Oh… my…." Charlotte couldn't help but utter, her knees buckling slightly under her weight and she had to grab onto the edge of the table to prevent herself from collapsing. Could it really be true? Could the Crown Prince really be gone? She had only spoken to him a couple of hours ago…. It didn't seem real, it couldn't be real… but if it couldn't real for her, she couldn't imagine what Her Majesty was going to say…."
"Charlotte? Are you alright?" Joseph was looking at her with concern. "If you don't think you can accompany me, I understand…."
"I'm coming, I'm fine," she straightened up and stiffened her shoulders, but she couldn't help but feel a growing nervousness in her stomach as she followed Joseph towards the closed study doors and, after tapping on the door, following him in.
Her Majesty was still sitting at her desk, perusing some paperwork, but she looked relaxed as she looked up and gave them a warm smile.
"Charlotte, I thought you would have gone home by now… and Joseph… is there some sort of crisis in the security hub that you can't handle?"
She was teasing them both and Charlotte couldn't help but feel her heart break at the awareness that Her Majesty had only just managed to get over the death of her husband and now was going to be crushed again by the loss of her son… and, worst of all, this loss wasn't expected at all…
"Your Majesty… Clarisse…" Joseph began, mumbling slightly as the Queen stood up, her smile fading.
"What's wrong, Joseph? Charlotte?" she asked with a twinge of concern in her voice.
"Why don't you come and sit down on the sofa?" Charlotte offered, seeing that Joseph was seemingly speechless.
"Of course… but what's wrong?" Her Majesty's eyes were still on Joseph as she walked slowly towards the sofa in the corner of the room. "Joseph… please tell me," her voice suddenly had more than a twinge of panic in it and Charlotte ached again. "It's not Pierre, is it?"
"No, Clarisse, it's not Pierre," Joseph finally said as he sat down beside her on the sofa and took one of her hands in his, Charlotte still standing above them but turning a blind eye to what she was witnessing.
"Then… what, Joseph?" her voice turned soft.
"My darling…." His voice was even quieter than Her Majesty's and Charlotte felt tender at the term of endearment he had just given Her Majesty…
"Joseph…."
"It's Phillipe…."
"No….no, no no… don't say anything," Her Majesty tried to pull her hand away from his but he kept a firm hold on it. "It's not true… you can't say it so it's not true…"
"There's was an accident on the way back from Lybitt… Clarisse… he didn't survive."
For a long moment, Her Majesty stared dumbly at Joseph, seemingly not comprehending what he had said, what she had listened…but Charlotte, her own eyes welling with tears, could sense the emotion that was suddenly building in the Queen… before she turned away discreetly, not wanting to see the realisation strike the Queen… before there was a long, heartbroken scream and, the next thing Charlotte realised, when she turned back, was that the Queen, who had been trying to stand up, had suddenly sank to the ground and Joseph joined her, wrapping his arms around her as she buried her face in his shoulder and Charlotte knew that it was time to walk away and leave them alone.
Outside, Scott was standing in front of her desk, a dumbfounded expression on his face.
"Is it true?"
"Yes. How did you find out?"
"I took the call and then passed it on to Joe…how….?"
"It's very hard to say at the moment, and I really don't want to say anything… how are you?" she asked gently, resting a hand on his arm. "Were any of them close friends of yours?"
"Not really," he shrugged. "The ones who are okay I'm closer to… but it's just hard to believe that I saw these guys this morning and now… and even worse, the Crown Prince…"
"I know, that is absolutely devastating," Charlotte said quietly, her eyes filling with tears again at the thought that they would never see the Crown Prince again, compounded by the scene she had just witnessed in the Queen's study and this time, it was Scott who put his arm around her to comfort her.
"She had just gotten over His Majesty… and now this… this is just…. dreadful…"
"There is going to be a lot to do in the meantime…"
"I don't think I could think about any of that at the moment, although I am going to have to contact the Prime Minister…."
"I'll do that," Scott said gently as Charlotte moved away from his arm and walked back around to her desk, wiping her eyes as she did so.
"No, thank you, I should do it."
"I thought you were about to go home."
"I don't think I'll be going home for the next couple of hours, if at all," Charlotte gave him a small smile.
Just then, Her Majesty's maids came into the office, both of them looking anxious and worried.
"Is it true…we heard….?"
"Indeed it is true."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"I want you to prepare her suite upstairs and let the kitchen know to prepare a light meal, just in case… Scott, can you get your men organised as soon as possible- I assume someone will have to go to the hospital to check on your men…"
"What about you?"
"I've got a lot to do here…" but before she could say anymore, one of the Queen's study doors opened and the Queen and Joseph emerged, the Queen was white and shaking, leaning heavily on Joseph, her eyes focused blearily on the ground and neither of them had ever seen her so agonisingly devastated, not even with her husband, and I was something neither of them wanted to see again.
Scott and Charlotte were silent as the two of them made their way towards the office door before Joseph paused to give Charlotte a meaningful look, a look that Charlotte knew meant that he trusted her to get started on the preparations and he would come to find her as soon as possible….
"How much more can she take?" Scott murmured to himself when they were gone, obviously heading upstairs to the suite, and Charlotte only shrugged, although the question was running around in her head as well- indeed, how much more could Her Majesty take?