§ § § - June 30, 2008
Michiko thought Errico was fading even now as she stood behind him on the stage, trying to avoid the staring, shouting sea of faces with eyes all too hungry for a glimpse of the king in what were clearly his last hours. She watched him anxiously as he handled the reporters with all he could muster up of his usual take-charge attitude. He sweated hard with the effort, and she reached up and unobtrusively blotted his forehead with a monogrammed hanky from time to time. His voice sometimes faded in and out, but he'd always pause, pull in a breath and resume speaking. Because the conference was international in nature, he was using his rather florid English, and as she listened to him she realized she was going to dearly miss his archaic way with the language.
She was grateful that Errico was making it incontrovertibly clear that he endorsed her move back to Fantasy Island after his death. "I will not have it said," he announced in a warning tone, "that my wife seized the first opportunity she had upon my demise and ran away from a grieving country. I have known of her intentions for some time now and I feel this is the best thing she can do for herself. Upon moving, she will have close longtime friends who will be able to help her through her own grief-and never mistake me, my subjects and others, she will grieve. My queen is far too good a person; my people know this, and I know they will not resent her departure. I have reassured my people that my son is fully capable of running the country once I am gone. I hope merely that I may linger for at least several days to come so that he and my lovely new daughter-in-law might enjoy a proper honeymoon." That set off laughter; Michiko couldn't repress a grin of her own.
The next question was aimed at her, and she answered with only the faintest tremble in her voice, wondering briefly as she did what her friends and the jordiska royals in the next room must be thinking as they watched this. It was a relief when Errico took charge again and answered a few more questions; then the conference came to an end and a servant took the wheelchair handles, pushing the king back to privacy. Michiko followed, trying not to look as if she were too eager to leave; but she caught Leslie's eye and knowing smile as she pushed the door shut behind her, and realized her friend knew her better than she'd ever thought. She grinned sheepishly back and Leslie laughed softly.
Errico was taken straight back to the royal suite, and Michiko managed to make eye contact with all her friends long enough to beckon at them to come with her. She led them to the nearest unused room and ushered them all in as if she were trying to hide them, then closed the door, looked around at them and abruptly exploded into sobs.
Her friends crowded around her instantly, all trying to hug her at once, though none of them said a word; they knew each other too well after so many years of friendship. She didn't need words right now, just comfort. They gave her a few minutes to let the initial outburst die down; then Maureen said, "Too much pressure, huh?"
Michiko managed a nod and a shaky, "The old pressure-cooker cliché, yes," before a couple of wayward sobs choked her off. Again her friends waited, patting her back or rubbing her shoulder, till once more she got a few threads of control.
"It-it's horrible," she said, forcing the words out of a constricted throat, squeezing more tears from her eyes. "It crossed my mind th-that I wanted to just go back to Fantasy Island right now, and then I th-thought h-how awful it is to wish…wish…"
"Michiko, you're not wishing Errico dead," Leslie said flatly. "I know it sounds like you are, but you're not. You're just trying to get out from under all the stress."
"I kind of think he'd understand," Myeko ventured. "I mean, he seems to read you like a book he's had all his life."
Michiko nodded faintly once or twice, turning that over. If Errico wasn't reading her mind, or at least her expression, he was certainly good at accurately guessing her mood; she couldn't count how many times he'd figured out what she was feeling and helped her through it, always with love and patience. "Yes, I guess he does."
"I think the best thing you can do right now is go and be with him. I think he'd want you there beside him," Leslie told her. "You'll both feel better if you do."
The advice made sense, and although Michiko was worn out and had a persistent, if very out-of-place, wish that she could have the whole ordeal behind her, she also knew that if she didn't follow it, she'd always regret it. "You're right." She opened the door and signaled at the nearest servant. "Just follow Arturro here and he'll get you back home safely."
The others laughed. "We'll return the favor when the time comes," Maureen promised her, squeezing her hand. "Just go be with him - and tell him we said thanks for everything. It's totally inadequate, but I wanted him to know anyway."
"I'll tell him," Michiko said, and watched the servant head down the corridor with the girls behind him before turning and taking a different route to the royal suite. Like it or not, the countdown had begun.
§ § § - July 2, 2008
Michiko and her two stepchildren, along with Cat, joined the rest of the crowd at breakfast the following morning to report that Errico had slept only fitfully the night before, and Michiko had gotten only a long series of catnaps herself as a result. "He's awake now, but he doesn't want any breakfast. He said there's no point." The last sentence came out so low that not everyone heard her.
Leslie did, though, and bit her lip before relaying this to Christian, who had been distracted by an altercation between Susanna and Tobias. Christian frowned. "Sounds as if he's deteriorated overnight."
The mood around the table was subdued and there was little conversation, except among the youngest children who didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Right after the meal ended, Michiko disappeared again, and when the triplets pleaded to play with Cat in her playroom, Christian and Leslie agreed and followed a servant to their suite, where they turned on the television and found that there was a widespread deathwatch going on. They managed to find a satellite feed from the BBC, which was broadcasting regular news as usual but provided hourly snippets on Errico's condition.
"This is getting ridiculous," Christian muttered after a couple of hours had passed and there was nothing new. "I hate repetitive news loops. Isn't there something else going on that might be worthy of their attention?"
"Not till at least twenty-four hours after it's happened, no," said Leslie with a wry grin that he mirrored. "It'd have to be something earthshaking to appear the moment it happens. I'm sure Errico's passing will fit that bill."
Shrugging, Christian grabbed the remote off the highly polished inlaid-wood coffee table in front of them and cycled through channels till he came across a local weather network. "Then I suppose we can find out if the weather will hold through the week."
They were commenting on a Europe-wide forecast when their phone rang; they traded one startled look before Leslie lurched to her feet and scuttled across the room to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Princess Leslie? Queen Michiko asks that you and Prince Christian come to the royal suite," said a heavily accented voice she didn't recognize. "A servant awaits you outside your door as I speak."
"We'll be there right away, thank you," Leslie promised and hung up, turning to Christian. "He says Michiko's asking for us."
He performed the Enstad eyebrow quirk and arose, silencing the TV and setting the remote back atop the table. "I confess to a certain dread about this."
She nodded, and they both fell silent as they stepped out their door and trailed an equally taciturn young man with a bushy mustache and closely cropped, curly black hair along the intricate maze that constituted the Arcolosian palace. Finally they reached the royal suite and the servant gestured them in, bowing deeply to Michiko, who stood a few feet back from the doorway clearly awaiting Christian and Leslie's arrival. She nodded back at him, and he pulled the heavy door closed, shutting himself out.
"Are you all right?" Leslie questioned. "How's Errico?"
They saw then that Michiko's face was very pale, and Christian took Leslie's hand in the remaining second before Michiko said, half whispering, "He's gone."
"Oh," Leslie gasped.
Michiko nodded, her eyes glazing over as if she had turned inward. "Five minutes ago, no more, I don't think. By royal protocol I'm supposed to deliver the official announcement, but I…I'm not…" Her voice thickened and distorted, and her face crumpled before she ducked her head and turned away from them. "I can't," she wailed low.
At a loss, Leslie automatically turned to her husband, but Christian was frowning with uncertainty. "Is that an unbreachable rule, then?" he asked.
"What?" Michiko mumbled thickly, brushing at her eyes without effect.
"That it must be you, and you only, who informs the world of the king's passing," he clarified. "I know jordisk protocol, but not Arcolosian." He paused, reflected for a few seconds and took a breath. "Is this written into law somehow, or is it simply tradition?"
"What's the difference?" asked Leslie without irony. She had a sudden flashback to 1991 and Errico's heavyhanded pursuit of her, and how she and Roarke in their research had learned how storied tradition was in Arcolos - enough that many traditions had eventually been written into law, and that the older the tradition, the more unthinkable it was to breach it. "I think maybe the question here is, how old is the law-slash-tradition?"
"Ancient," Michiko said, voice quivering. "Errico told me about it this morning, when he was lucid enough to talk at all. It goes back to the very first king."
Christian winced and Leslie made a face. The prince released a deep sigh and shook his head. "Then we'd better find out the details behind this, so you can fulfill your duty. I'm sure you know full well that tradition may as well be law in this country."
Michiko got a panicky look about her. "I know I have to do it, but I can't go out there and make that announcement without breaking down."
Christian made a noise and frowned, thinking. Something occurred to Leslie then and she exclaimed, "What about Marcolo and Adriana? Even though you have to make the announcement, is there anything that says you have to do it alone? Find your stepchildren, Michiko, and go out there with them. It just makes sense that any of Errico's children who are available should be with you when you inform the press. You should get Cat too."
As Michiko nodded, Christian added, "Before you tell the world, you'd better inform the new king and his wife. They should be told before the press gets wind of it. Did Paolono and Lindalia take mobile phones with them? They should have - it's not as though they had no idea his father didn't have much longer to live."
"Y-yes…yes, you're right…I'm so…" Michiko audibly gulped down a sob and pulled in several deep breaths, one after another. "I mean…even when you know it's coming, it's…it's always a shock when it actually happens. And it only just happened…"
Leslie nodded, hugging her friend. "I know. You're too shocked to think straight. It's okay, don't worry. That's why we're here - we'll help you through."
Michiko brought them into the bedroom section of the suite, where Errico's still body lay in the bed; he looked as though he were asleep. Christian reached out and grasped the king's limp hand, squeezing and bowing his head for a moment to say a private farewell. While he was doing that, Michiko picked up the bedside phone and spoke in subdued Arcolosian for a moment. She hung up and turned to Leslie. "The kids are on their way here to the suite. The servant who brings them should have Paolono's cell-phone number, so I can call him and tell him."
After that, things seemed to happen in a blur. Cat and Adriana dissolved into tears at hearing their father was dead; Marcolo managed to rein in his emotions, but there was a new bleakness in his eyes, and he bowed over his father's hand for quite some time while Michiko spoke with Paolono and delivered the news. It meant the new young king and his bride would have to cut their honeymoon short, but Paolono - steeped all his life in preparation for the throne - knew full well what was expected of him and raised no fuss, telling Michiko he and Lindalia would be home by the end of that day.
With Marcolo, Adriana and Cat flanking her, Michiko at last granted an audience to the press and released the news that King Errico V of Arcolos was dead of an inoperable brain tumor, and that Paolono was on his way home from his honeymoon. One of the servants who staffed the palace's communications office had gone out with her while she delivered the announcement, and deflected a number of shouted questions before herding the widowed queen and the prince and princesses back into the so-called ready room. There, shut away from public eyes, Michiko finally cracked under the pressure of her grief and collapsed into a chair, sobbing. It set off the two sisters again, and as Leslie sat beside her friend to offer quiet solace, Marcolo turned away and gave in to silent weeping of his own. That left Christian to deal with the servant, suggesting that he arrange transportation for Paolono and Lindalia upon their arrival and see to it that a suite was prepared. "You may as well set the funeral preparations in motion now," he added, glancing back at the grieving family. "I have it on good authority that His Majesty wished not to waste time in holding the funeral and making sure Prince Paolono is formally invested with the throne."
The servant nodded, but hesitated. "I realize that you are not a prince of our country and cannot be expected to know all nuances of our customs, but you should understand that Her Majesty cannot depart for her home before she has played her part in the funeral."
Christian nodded. "I understand. I'm sure Her Majesty is fully aware of the duties she has yet to carry out, but I think it best if she and her children are allowed their privacy to grieve, until at least this time tomorrow. But the arrangements should go ahead now. And if Her Majesty prefers alternate sleeping accommodations, by all means, indulge her. Once she's had a chance to let the worst of her grief run its course, she'll be able to take care of whatever role she must play."
"Understood, Your Highness. You certainly were not required to assist us at this tragic time, but I wish you to know on behalf of everyone here in the palace that your efforts and direction are most deeply appreciated." The servant bowed as Christian smiled his thanks, and departed the ready room at a half-run.
Leslie watched him questioningly, one arm around Michiko's shoulders while the grieving queen clutched her wailing young daughter, as he approached and pulled a chair around to face her more fully before sitting. "The crucial arrangements are being taken care of now," he said quietly. "I think everything will go exactly as Errico tried to plan for it, and in that case we should be able to go home by this time next week."
"Good," Leslie murmured. "I think that's just what Michiko needs."
§ § § - July 10, 2008
Paolono had taken up his father's baton with little fuss, as if he knew exactly what to do and how to go about it; his nervous young bride rose admirably to the occasion and gave him full support. They both urged Michiko to go on home; but in the end she went with her friends only, because Cat balked at leaving the only home she had ever known and pleaded with her mother to stay till the end of the summer. Michiko hadn't expected that development, but when Paolono and Lindalia promised to take good care of her and send her on to Fantasy Island when Michiko asked for her, the grieving queen gave assent.
So the royal jet, with Christian, Leslie, and their triplets; Maureen and her daughters; Myeko and her Noelle; and Michiko was winging its way around the planet, with three scheduled refueling stops along the way. For a change, they would land at Fantasy Island's tiny airport, located on the southwestern corner of the island, to avoid any unnecessary fuss; Roarke had assured them he would have rovers waiting there to take them all home.
Most of the travelers managed to sleep away a good portion of the flight; but Michiko had turned inward, obviously unable to sleep, staring blankly out a window and refusing to respond to anyone's overtures. The flight attendants let her be, but Leslie could see the increasing worry on their faces as the trip progressed and she simply sat and stared. One of them finally approached Leslie and asked nervously, "Shouldn't we insist that Her Majesty at least get up and walk around a bit?"
Leslie took in the sight of her friend slouched in her seat, unseeing eyes trained on the window, and considered it for a moment, thinking back of what she knew of Michiko across all the years they had been friends. After a moment she focused on the flight attendant. "I think she's using the time to come to grips with King Errico's death. She has a new life ahead of her and a lot of changes, and they'll occupy all her time when we get back and she starts carrying out her plans. So I think she's taking the chance she has now to think it through and adjust herself to the situation as it stands. I think she'll be all right in the end. She'll always miss the king, but she's strong enough to know that the best way to honor his memory is to go on with her own life."
The flight attendant nodded slowly a few times, and a small smile broke out on her face. "I understand. Thank you, Your Highness." She dipped a quick curtsy to Leslie before retreating, and Leslie tossed Michiko one last glance before resettling herself in her seat and hoping devoutly that her words would be borne out.
They landed on Fantasy Island in the waning hours of the day; the triplets and April Harding were all cranky from so much traveling, and Brianna and Noelle were both yawning and complaining about the long flights. The rover carrying Myeko, Maureen and their girls left first, once the women had had a chance to hug Michiko and let her know that they were only a phone call away at any time; two other cars sat waiting, and Christian gave a few succinct instructions to their drivers as to disposition of the luggage before trying to round up the triplets, who had been chasing each other in frenzied circles from the moment they hit the ground at disembarkation.
Michiko by now had dark circles under her eyes, but she paused to give Leslie a wan little smile. "Did you tell the flight attendants to stop bothering me?"
Leslie had to grin at that. "Not exactly. They were worried about you, but I told them you were likely using the time to think." She hesitated a moment, her grin fading as she took in her friend's haggard look. "But they aren't the only worried ones. Are you sure you'll be all right? Your mother is expecting you, right?"
"Yes, of course," Michiko said, nodding. "All of you, you're really sweet to be so concerned, but I think Mama-san has something I can take so I can get a proper night's sleep. With the way my brain is chasing its own tail, I'll need it. I haven't been able to shut off my mind since the funeral."
"Well, I think you should give yourself a few days to rest and resettle before you start running around the island hiring architects and construction companies to get your house built. All the stuff you wanted to bring back won't make it here till probably the end of the summer anyway, and I know your mother won't mind having you with her for as long as you need her. And it's like Myeko and Maureen said: all of us are just a phone call away, anytime you need someone to talk to. In my case, even if it's on a weekend, just drop by the main house and sooner or later, I'll be back around."
That small, wan smile - more of a stretching of the lips really - appeared again for a fleeting second or two before Michiko closed her eyes, let her head fall back and opened them again to take in the riotous color of the sunset sky. "The one redeeming thing in all of this is knowing I'm home again. Really and truly home, for good. And having all the rest of you close by instead of on the other side of the world…" She focused on Leslie, and this time there was a new spark in her eyes. "It's going to do me so much good. Give me some time to get my equilibrium back, and you won't know what happened to me."
Leslie grinned for real this time. "Now that's reassuring to hear. You head on over to your mother's place, and we'll see you whenever you're ready, okay? I've already checked with Father about the land beside our house, and he said to let you know you can come into the main house when you're ready and sign some papers to make it official."
"Great. Well, I'll see you all soon," Michiko promised, and hugged Leslie before making her way to the waiting rover and settling into the middle seat. Leslie watched the car cross the tarmac and disappear down the Ring Road, while Christian came up behind her, having given up on the triplets for the moment.
"Where're the kids?" Leslie asked, half turning to him as he slid his arms around her from behind.
"They won't stop running, so I thought I might as well let them wear themselves out till they're tired enough to be amenable. That may take a while." He sighed, then chuckled as she turned in his embrace and took a moment to hug him. "Is Michiko all right?"
"She will be," Leslie said, squeezing him. "She told me she's glad to be back home again, and she had a look in her eyes that said she's going to make it through, once she's been back for a while. I don't think it'll be long before we have to get used to construction noise next door for a few months."
"We'll have to put the children on leashes to keep them from exploring the site," said Christian with an exaggerated groan, and she laughed. They wandered to the remaining rover, watching their children playing a raucous game of tag some distance away from the now-quiescent royal jet.
† † †
By the time the next weekend came around, everyone was back into normal routines; Leslie and Roarke had seen their guests off into their fantasies, and Katsumi, Tabitha and Camille were well aware of Michiko's return but had yet to see her. So it didn't come as a surprise to Leslie when Tabitha came into the study about an hour before lunch and paused in front of the desk, clasping her hands in front of her as if awaiting acknowledgment. Leslie grinned at her. "What's on your mind?"
"Michiko, naturally," Tabitha said, and Leslie chuckled while Roarke sat back as if to watch the byplay. "I'm sure you didn't expect anything else."
"Not really. So what's on your mind?"
Tabitha sat in one of the leather chairs at Roarke's gesture. "Well, I know it might take a while before she's ready to be very social, but…well, we're her friends. I was talking to Camille, and she said something about throwing a welcome-home party for Michiko."
"We told you you should've come to Arcolos with the rest of us," Leslie teased her, and Tabitha and Roarke both laughed quietly. "I like the idea, but even I haven't heard from Michiko since we landed at the airport the other day. Obviously Errico's death hit her hard, and then Catalina decided she wanted to spend the rest of the summer at the palace rather than coming home with her. I'm sure she's feeling pretty torn up right now, and not enough time has passed to help heal it much."
Tabitha nodded. "I understand that, but maybe it would help her a little to be around friends, and maybe talk about what she's been going through."
Roarke smiled at her and remarked, "Quite commendable. It might be preferable to have Leslie sound out Michiko on how she feels and whether she's ready to move past the worst of her grief. Give her a little more time; perhaps she will come forward on her own. It has been only two days since their return, after all."
Tabitha twisted her mouth in chagrin. "That's true. Well, maybe we -" Just then, the door opened and none other than Michiko appeared in the inner foyer; Tabitha jumped to her feet, and Leslie and Roarke both arose as well. "Michiko, it's so good to see you," Tabitha exclaimed, rushing up to hug the surprised queen. "We've all been hoping you're okay."
Michiko smiled and returned the hug. "It's really good to see you too, Tabitha. How are Fernando and the children?" They exchanged a little small talk as they meandered back into the study; then both sat down in tandem with Leslie and Roarke, and Michiko gave them a slightly sheepish smile. "Sorry to drop in unannounced. But I thought I'd give you some time to get the fantasies going, and then put my plans into motion. I'm already feeling the walls closing in on me."
"Goodness, it's that bad?" Tabitha asked, surprised.
Michiko laughed a little. "Oh, I love Mama-san very much, and I'm grateful she took me in without question and told me I can stay as long as necessary. But I hadn't realized her new apartment was so small. She has only one bedroom and I've been sleeping on the sofa. And so much of the familiar stuff from the house is gone. She's reverted to the spare decorating style of the Japanese; there's a family portrait on the wall from about 1980, but otherwise it's just very Spartan. I asked her where the other things were from the house and she told me most of them are in storage. So I said I can probably use some pieces when my own house is ready. And speaking of that…" She focused on Roarke. "Leslie says you have some papers ready for me to sign."
"Indeed I do," said Roarke, pulling open a drawer and removing several pages. "There was little trouble drawing them up and making arrangements to transfer a parcel to you. Most of the land on that particular lane reverted to my ownership after the death of Russell St. Anthony and Maureen's decision to keep only as much property as she and her husband wanted for their own home. You need only look them over and sign them."
Once she had done so, Tabitha tried again. "Michiko…" she began, half arising from her chair. "I, uh…some of us were thinking that we'd like to give you a welcome-home party. If you feel up to it, of course."
Michiko paused, with a faint look of confusion about her; then she cleared her throat, as if coming up from a reverie. "Well, that sounds nice," she said, though they could all see it took some effort for her to muster up even a little enthusiasm. "If you want to, feel free. Just let me know when and where, that's all. Mr. Roarke, thank you so much for your time and your help; I appreciate it more than you know."
"I was happy to do what I could," Roarke assured her. "Good luck with your plans." She smiled and thanked him, then left with a quick wave to her friends.
Tabitha sank back into her chair, a textbook demonstration of disappointment. "I was hoping the idea of a party might cheer her up."
"Well, she has a lot on her mind and a lot to do," Leslie pointed out. "I'm sure she's just preoccupied, and by the time you're ready to have the party, she'll probably see it as a welcome break from all the other things she has to handle."
Looking encouraged, Tabitha smiled again. "Of course, that must be it. Well, thanks for letting me bother you. I guess I'd better get back home." She hurried out.
Roarke regarded Leslie for a moment when the study was quiet again. "What do you think, Leslie?"
"As little as I can get away with right now," she retorted jokingly. Roarke flashed a smile of acknowledgment, but she could see he really wanted to know, and had to settle back and think about it for a moment. "What I think is that she's kind of at loose ends, especially since Cat decided she wanted to stay in Arcolos till summer's over. I have some thoughts on that too, by the way, but they'll keep. I just think that she feels the need to stay busy, to keep her mind occupied, so she doesn't lose it."
Roarke nodded slowly a few times, studying her. "What are you thinking in regard to Princess Catalina?"
Leslie compressed her lips and met Roarke's gaze from under her bangs. "You should have seen the fuss she put up when Michiko said it was time to leave. She cried like a fountain and begged to stay in the palace, almost at the top of her voice. I think under the circumstances, Michiko couldn't refuse her. But I'm…I'm a little worried that at the end of the season, Cat will try to find some reason for staying put, and that won't do much for Michiko emotionally. I know it's hard on Cat too, but she can't always have her own way."
She knew Roarke's brain was clicking along, and there was no doubt in her mind that he could extrapolate, if not outright predict, what lay in Michiko and Cat's near future. But he said only, "I think you may be right. But I feel the best thing to do is give them both time. She has only just arrived home; let's see what the next few weeks bring."