A/N: See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.
Chapter 7: The Queen of Askana
The next eleven months were truly a whirlwind for Elizabeth as she began to prepare to become the future Queen of Askana. She immersed herself in lessons about Askana's history and politics, and she also worked very hard to overcome her nervousness and clumsiness, and for the most part, she was successful. She remained a guest at the royal palace in the capital city of Grace in that time, and it didn't take long for the press to pick up on her presence there. Rumors ran rampant throughout the country for months that the King of Askana was far more than just friends with his guest, Elizabeth Warden, but for the longest time, the palace refused to either confirm or deny the rumors. At long last, in February of 1998, Liz stood proudly by William's side in one of the many sitting rooms of the palace, her wearing a lovely designer lilac-colored dress and him wearing a navy blue suit, and together before the cameras, they officially announced their royal engagement to the world. And the world was watching – as was Richard.
It was on a Saturday morning that William and Liz spoke to the press about their upcoming nuptials, and at the time, Richard was sitting on the settee in the lounge watching television while Daisy, Onslow, and Rose were in the kitchen talking with Hyacinth about the latest silly stunt their senile father had just pulled.
"Daddy ran off after Mrs. Lewis in the nude and you cannot find him?" Hyacinth said in disbelief.
"We've been looking everywhere for him, Hyacinth," said a defeated Daisy.
"I don't believe for a moment Daddy would run after Mrs. Lewis in the nude!" Hyacinth fussed.
"He would if he's had too much to drink!" Onslow chimed in.
"Father's had a crush on Mrs. Lewis for quite a while now," Rose added.
Before Hyacinth could respond, Richard's voice called out, "Hyacinth! Onslow! Daisy! Rose! Come in here!"
They all hurried into the lounge then, and Hyacinth asked, "What is it, Richard?"
"It's Elizabeth. She's on television."
"Elizabeth? On television?" said Hyacinth, not believing her ears.
"There she is now," Richard confirmed, and then Daisy shushed everybody in the background so they all could hear what Liz and William were saying.
"Well, I can't speak for Liz," William told reporters, "but as for me, I think it was over the minute I first looked into her gorgeous blue eyes."
Liz laughed, and then she said, "It was basically the same for me. I'm pretty sure it was love at first sight for both of us. We hit it off so quickly. We just clicked. We just connected. It was incredibly easy for us to fall in love with one another."
"And this love story comes with a rather surprising twist, doesn't it?" asked the female reporter from behind the camera.
"Yes, it does," William answered with a smile. "You see, I'd left all my royal duties in the hands of my now deceased younger brother, Prince John, so that I could come to England for a much-needed vacation and enjoy some quality time with my daughter, Princess Priscilla. And one day, I wandered into a bookstore that was near the house that I was renting during my stay in Britain, and I met the most wonderful young lady."
Again, Liz laughed, and she said, "I don't know that I would say young lady."
"Anyway, we ended up spending a lot of time together over the next few months, and we really got to know one another. And for the longest time, I didn't tell Liz that I was the King of Askana. For quite a while, she had no idea. And then when I finally did bring Liz and her brother Emmet to the palace and I proposed, she actually said no at first."
"I was pretty scared at the notion of becoming a queen," Liz explained. "But William is very supportive, and he helped me to find the self-confidence that I needed."
"Liz is much too hard on herself. Elizabeth is an absolute gem, and that's putting it mildly. And I am an incredibly blessed man to have this dear, wonderful woman for my future wife. And Askana is equally blessed to have her for their future queen."
In an obvious fit of jealousy, Hyacinth suddenly grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned off the television.
"Future queen? Elizabeth? This can't be," Hyacinth said in disbelief.
"How about that?" Onslow said happily. "Our Elizabeth is going to be a queen."
"Oh, it's so beautiful! It's so romantic!" Rose cried out while Hyacinth's face contorted into all kinds of uncomfortable shapes in the background, completely unnoticed by everyone else.
"It's like something right out of one of my romance novels! How about that? Isn't that incredible?" asked Daisy. "Our Liz is engaged to be married to a king!"
"She looked so happy!" Rose said aloud.
"She certainly did," Richard agreed. "And I couldn't be happier for her. Nobody deserves this more than Elizabeth does."
"Hear, hear!" said Onslow.
"Excuse me," Hyacinth gasped, and then she quietly disappeared into the bedroom while all the others got lost in their conversation about Elizabeth's royal engagement.
The date of the royal wedding was set for the twentieth of September, and during the next seven months, it was difficult for Liz and William to find time to simply catch their breath. Thankfully, even though it was difficult with all the wedding preparations going on, the happy couple was able to set aside some time for themselves, and also for their daughters. Liz made a real effort to spend as much time as she possibly could with Priscilla, whom she was legally adopting after the wedding. William also arranged for Gail and Harold to come to the palace several times, and when they did, they always had a very pleasant visit.
In late July, Emmet, who had been given Elizabeth's house after she sold her bookstore and moved into the palace, made an announcement that almost everyone was thrilled to hear. Liz was coming back to town for a couple of days, and William was sending Paul with her for protection to be on the safe side. As soon as people heard that Liz was coming for a visit, they quickly got together and planned a surprise party for her in the church hall. Liz was flying to London in one of William's private planes, and it was scheduled to land at Heathrow Airport at seven o'clock on a Friday evening, and Emmet was going to meet Liz and Paul there and bring them home. Then that Saturday morning, he would be bringing them to the church hall, where the vicar and his wife and basically the entire parish was going to surprise her. Throughout the week, everyone in town was busy helping with preparations for the big surprise party, including Daisy, Rose, and even Onslow, and they were all more than happy to do it. Well, almost all of them were.
"I don't mind helping out, of course," Hyacinth said to Richard in their kitchen as she stirred the bowl of cake batter she was holding rather ferociously.
"Of course not," said Richard, who was simply trying to hold his head above water and survive. Life with Hyacinth was always murder anyway, but ever since she'd learned that her former next-door neighbor was actually going to become a queen in a few months, living with her had become even more brutal. While all of Liz's other friends were truly happy for her, Hyacinth was so jealous, she could barely see straight.
"But I really don't see the need for all this fuss," Hyacinth complained a moment later.
"Well a person doesn't get married every day, Hyacinth. Elizabeth has found true love, and people are happy for her." He was very careful not to mention the royal aspect of it all for obvious reasons.
"You're wrong, Richard. People do get married every day. Or at least, they get engaged every day. Just look at my sister Rose. Heaven only knows how many times she's been engaged over the years. It's not as if an engagement is an actual accomplishment."
"Oh, I don't know. I think it's very sweet and romantic when one person wins another person's heart."
"Hmph! An engagement ring, even a royal engagement ring, is just a piece of jewelry, Richard. It's nothing to be celebrated, at least not to this degree. You want to know what a real accomplishment is? A real accomplishment is reaching the level of social and cultural perfection that I have reached through a lifetime of hard work and dedication. No one puts the amount of time, care, and attention into the social standing of this neighborhood that I do. No one comes even close to reaching the heights of class and sophistication that I reach every time I hold a candlelight supper or even a mere coffee session with a neighbor. Every single detail of just my dining room table alone is a work of art that most people cannot even begin to comprehend, much less achieve on their own. Elizabeth may have shamelessly romanced her way into a royal position, but it takes a truly special person to become as utterly perfect of a hostess as I have become due to my own diligence and hard work."
Richard knew better than to even try to respond. He just blew out a sigh and quietly slipped out of the kitchen as Hyacinth continued stirring the cake batter, all the while angrily muttering to herself.
"And this is William, Priscilla, and me from a couple of weeks ago when we had that lovely little picnic together in the palace garden," Liz explained while passing one of several pictures around. Everyone had finished eating and now they were all sitting around at the tables in the church hall, just talking and shooting the breeze with Liz, who was wearing a periwinkle blazer, white blouse, and matching periwinkle skirt.
"Princess Priscilla is a beautiful girl," Daisy commented.
"Oh, she is. She is absolutely precious," Liz agreed. "I just adore her."
"You're so fortunate, Liz. You're not only getting a husband you adore; you're also getting a second daughter," the vicar's wife pointed out.
"I still can't believe all of this is happening. I still keep pinching myself, expecting to wake up at any given moment and find that this has all been just a dream," said Liz.
"Indeed," Hyacinth said in an obnoxious voice. "The odds of something like this happening to someone like Elizabeth are astronomical. While we do love you, Elizabeth, if we are to be perfectly honest, then we must admit that there is no one less likely to gain acceptance into a royal family than you, given your unfortunate taste in clothing, not to mention your lack of table manners, which has caused me to lose so many of my Royal Doulton teacups with the hand-painted periwinkles over the years. Yet somehow, amazingly, astoundingly, miraculously, despite all your obvious drawbacks, you seem to have pulled it off."
Understandably, Hyacinth's terrible remarks made everybody feel most uncomfortable, although no one said a word. Poor Richard looked like he just wanted to crawl away and die, and Daisy and Rose looked almost as horrified as Richard did. Onslow, the vicar, and his wife were visibly annoyed, and Emmet was angry. Liz could easily tell that her brother wanted to bite Hyacinth's head off, but she shot him a warning glance, and he backed off for her sake. Liz was certainly tempted to say something to Hyacinth, but she was determined to bite her tongue, stay cool, and not allow Hyacinth to get under her skin.
"So Elizabeth, I hear that after the royal wedding, you and King William are going to be spending your honeymoon touring Europe," said the vicar, who like everybody else, was most anxious to change the subject.
"Yes, that's the plan. We're going to be spending some time in Italy, France, Greece, Spain, and several other countries."
"Oh, how exciting!" Rose said aloud.
"This really is just like something out of one of my romance novels!" Daisy cried out.
"So Liz, after you're crowned Queen of Askana, what are you going to do next? What exactly does a queen do anyway?" asked Onslow, and then Hyacinth's face turned a deep, angry shade of red.
"Oh, when William and I get back from Europe, I'm really going to have my work cut out for me. I'm hosting a number of charity dinners and fundraisers for cancer research and other causes. I'll also be expected to give a number of interviews for the press. And I'm going to be visiting all of the Askanian provinces with William to try to meet as many citizens as I can and try and give the public a chance to get to know me."
"That sounds wonderful, Liz," Daisy said happily.
"Let's just hope that Liz doesn't get so busy with all her queenly duties that she doesn't forget about us common folk," Emmet teased.
"Oh, Emmet!" Liz laughed, and then she leaned over and kissed her brother on the cheek. "How could I ever forget about you? You're my only brother. How could I forget about any of you?"
"That's comforting to hear, Elizabeth," Hyacinth said in the same irritating tone she'd used before. "It is nice to know that even though you obtained a royal title by sullying your reputation with untoward romantic advances on a widowed man, you shan't forget about your friends when you run off to your palace."
Hyacinth had been taking jabs at Elizabeth like that all day long, and that one was finally the last straw. Just about everyone was ready to explode at Hyacinth in that moment, but when they saw Liz get up from her seat and walk over to Hyacinth, they all remained silent, waiting on pins and needles to hear what she was going to say to her. In the past, Liz never would have dreamed of actually standing up to Hyacinth and publicly calling her out on her stupidity, but all her time with William really had strengthened her. She wasn't about to let her new royal position go to her head, but she was no longer going to allow all the Hyacinths of the world to walk all over her and disrespect her, either.
Liz then folded her arms, locked her eyes with Hyacinth's, and said, "Hyacinth, let's just get this out in the open and deal with it. Ever since this party began, you have done nothing but sulk and pout and make snide remarks against me, and quite frankly, I'm getting very tired of it. I know how important it's always been to you to become a member of the aristocracy; to climb the social ladder."
Hyacinth laughed a fake laugh and said, "My dear Elizabeth, one does not need to 'climb the social ladder' when one is already at the top of it."
"Hyacinth, with all due respect, I wouldn't call hosting candlelight suppers once a week reaching the top of the social ladder. However, I would call becoming the queen of a country reaching the top of the social ladder. The truth is painfully plain to see, Hyacinth. I've surpassed you socially – greatly surpassed you – and you're so jealous, you can barely stand it. Your greatest social accomplishment is having a sister who's in an unhappy marriage to a bookie."
"A turf accountant!"
"Whatever. My greatest social accomplishment, on the other hand, is becoming the Queen of Askana. It is literally no contest. All these years, you've looked down through your nose on me and you've treated me as though I'm so far beneath you, but who's on top now? You with your Royal Doulton with the hand-painted periwinkles and your white slimline telephone, or me? You see Hyacinth, I don't think I told you this, but when William and I get married in September, I'm going to be wearing a golden silk and lace wedding gown with a long train that is, in fact, quite similar in design to the wedding gown the late Princess Diana wore."
The instant Liz said that, Hyacinth winced and let out a small cry of pain, and all of Hyacinth's family and Emmet and the vicar and his wife, who were now standing in the background watching, fought to hold back their laughter.
"And in addition to the beautiful golden veil I'll be wearing, I will also have a tiara on the top of my head."
Hyacinth then let out a second, much louder groan of protest, and again, everyone standing in the background cracked up.
"And you see this gorgeous engagement ring, Hyacinth? This gorgeous royal engagement ring? It's been in William's family for generations. With the exception of his ex-wife who rejected it, this amethyst engagement ring has been worn by ten previous Askanian queens, and now it is being worn by me. And you know why it's amethyst, Hyacinth? Because amethyst is purple. Signifying royalty."
Hyacinth let out another cry, and the laughter in the background grew louder and louder as people stopped even trying to hide it.
"And let's come back to the tiaras for a moment. You know that there are a number of absolutely breathtaking tiaras that the Askanian royal family owns, and as soon as William and I are married, they'll be mine to wear, Hyacinth. All mine. The tiara I'll be wearing on my wedding day is actually made of gold, and it matches my golden wedding gown perfectly. Then there's this lovely little tiara that has several small amethysts in it that I'll be wearing on a number of occasions as it matches my engagement ring so perfectly. Then there's the one–"
Unable to stand it any longer, Hyacinth, holding her ears tightly, yelled, "ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"
"I was dreadful, William," Liz said regretfully to her fiancé the morning after she returned to the palace from her stay in England. They were sitting together on the beige settee in the living area of Elizabeth's suite. "I was positively dreadful. I was bragging about my royal title and my social advancement. I was going on and on about my engagement ring and my wedding dress and the tiaras I'd be wearing. I was relentless. I don't know what came over me."
William laughed out loud and said, "It's a real shame I missed it. I wish I'd been there to see it."
"I'm glad you weren't there. I was awful."
"You weren't awful, my love. You were just human. I saw how Hyacinth treated you all the time when Priscilla and I were staying in England. A person can only take so much and I think you've taken far too much from her over the years as it is. It's high time Hyacinth started getting a taste of her own medicine. You've got to remember, Liz, that you're a queen. Not because of the title you'll receive by marrying me in September, but because of who you are as a person. And a queen should always be treated with respect."
"Oh, William," Liz whispered, and then she kissed William passionately.
At long last, the big day arrived. After endless preparations and royal functions and engagement parties and interviews for the press and fittings and wedding rehearsals, the time came for Elizabeth and William to get married. Liz invited everyone in her parish to the wedding – including Hyacinth – and William had them all flown in on one of his private planes. The happy couple also asked the vicar to perform the ceremony, which he was more than glad to do. Liz decided to break with tradition in one respect and have two maids of honor instead of just one. Both Gail and Priscilla served as Liz's maids of honor, and several young girls who were distant cousins of William's (but not the Sutcliffes) were bridesmaids. The five-year-old daughter of a family friend, an adorable brunette girl with brown eyes, wearing a lavender dress that matched the dresses of the bridesmaids and the maids of honor, was the flower girl.
However beautiful that Princess Priscilla, Gail, the bridesmaids, and the flower girl were that day, though, none of them could compare to the bride. Liz was brought to the church in a horse-drawn carriage that morning, with hundreds of spectators watching on the streets, anxiously hoping to catch a glimpse of their soon-to-be queen. And when Emmet, in his white tuxedo, met Liz in the back of the church, he was truly stunned at how amazing his sister looked in her golden wedding gown.
"You look glorious, Liz," Emmet gasped. "You look positively glorious."
"You know something, Emmet?"
"What?"
"I feel glorious today," Liz said with a radiant smile, and Emmet smiled in return.
"This is your day, sis. Enjoy it. Enjoy every moment of it. You've earned it."
And that was exactly what Liz did. She thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of her wedding ceremony, as did William. Elizabeth's feet just glided down the golden marble floor of the church aisle towards William, who like her brother and the other groomsmen, was also wearing a white tuxedo. And William watched so closely as his bride came down the aisle towards him on her brother's arm, his heart racing with excitement. He wasn't a young man anymore physically, but inside, today, he truly was a young man again.
After the royal couple exchanged their vows, everyone proceeded to the wedding reception, taking place in the palace. When everybody had sat down to eat, William tapped his champagne glass with a knife to get their attention, and then he made a toast.
"Everybody, I give you, Her Majesty, the Queen of Askana!" he proudly announced.
The crowd held up their glasses and responded, "Her Majesty!"
William then bent over and gave Elizabeth a long, loving kiss while everyone clapped. Even Hyacinth (reluctantly) applauded.
Hours later, when all the people were finally done eating, Elizabeth and William had their first official dance together as husband and wife. The king and his new queen just floated together on the dance floor in each other's arms as people watched and smiled. But even though hundreds of people were watching their every move in the palace ballroom that evening, and thousands more on their television sets, Elizabeth and William truly were lost in their own world. The only thing they could really see as they danced that glorious first dance together was each other's eyes.
Once their first dance was over, Liz danced with Emmet, Onslow, her son-in-law Harold, and the vicar (with his wife's approval.) And finally, she danced one last dance with her former neighbor and old friend, Richard. There was a great deal between them that had been left unsaid through the years. Due to Hyacinth's consistently atrocious behavior, they'd often found solace in one another's friendship. However, Elizabeth and Richard were honorable people, and even though they'd each harbored a crush on the other, they never indulged in an affair. Given the state of both of their unhappy marriages, it had been a very real temptation for each of them, but they never gave in. They'd always loved one another, but they'd kept it platonic despite how difficult it had been at times. And now, as they danced, they each knew what this was. This was their way of officially saying goodbye to everything that might have been between them. They were closing a door, once and for all, but it was not a sad thing. Elizabeth was happier than she'd ever been, and Richard, in turn, was equally happy for her. He knew she deserved this.
When the dance ended, Richard playfully asked, "Am I supposed to bow, Your Majesty?"
Liz laughed and said, "You know, in the Askanian royal court, it's actually forbidden for anyone to bow to Askanian royals. Askanians believe, and I agree wholeheartedly, that the only Royal a person should ever bow to is Jesus Christ."
"Interesting. I agree as well."
"I'm going to miss you, Richard," Liz told him seriously.
"And I you, love," Richard responded with an emotional whisper, and then he gave Liz a long warm hug, and he kissed her cheek. "You be happy now…Your Majesty."
Liz laughed softly and said, "Thank you, Richard. I will be. And you take very good care of yourself."
"I will," Richard said quietly, and in the next moment, he gave Elizabeth's hands an affectionate squeeze before reluctantly leaving.
Several minutes later, Hyacinth found Elizabeth. Elizabeth and William were just about to change before heading out on their honeymoon – as Hyacinth knew – and she did want to have a chance to say a proper goodbye.
"Well…I guess this is it then," Hyacinth said quietly.
"Yes. William and I are about to go get changed and then we'll be leaving for our honeymoon."
Hyacinth nodded, and then she said pleasantly, "Goodbye, Elizabeth."
Liz smiled and said, "Goodbye, Hyacinth."
Hyacinth started to walk off in that instant, but after she took a couple of steps, she stopped and she turned around and walked back to Elizabeth. Yes, Hyacinth had been petty, childish, jealous, and utterly impossible ever since she found out Elizabeth was marrying into royalty, but underneath all of her stupidity, she truly did care about her friend. The fact was not lost on Hyacinth that this could be the last time she'd be seeing Liz for quite a while as she began a new life in a new country.
After a long silence, Hyacinth finally looked at Elizabeth and told her honestly, "Congratulations, Elizabeth."
Liz gave Hyacinth an even bigger smile then and said, "Thank you, Hyacinth. Thank you very much."
"I suppose you'll be much too busy with all your royal duties to write to me."
"Of course not. I'll be terribly busy, yes, but I will write and keep in touch. I promise."
Hyacinth nodded, and then surprisingly, she gave Liz a very sudden, very quick hug, which expressed to Liz all the things she couldn't bring herself to say out loud. After the embrace ended, Liz gave Hyacinth a loving pat on the back, and Hyacinth smiled, although it was becoming obvious that she was actually fighting off tears. Hyacinth just stood there in the palace ballroom with Elizabeth for several long moments before finally leaving.
It was like that with everyone else as well. Liz said her goodbyes to Daisy, Onslow, Rose, the vicar, and his wife. It wasn't quite as emotional when she said goodbye to Emmet, Gail, and Harold because they were planning on coming to the palace for a long visit over the Christmas holidays. However, all of the goodbyes to everyone did leave a bittersweet feeling in Elizabeth's heart. She couldn't wait to start her new life in Askana with William and Priscilla, but still, it was hard to leave her old life behind. She really would miss all her family and friends.
But later on that night after they'd gone up to their suite to change, Liz stood with William in their foyer and gazed into his loving eyes, and the instant she did, she knew she was ready for the newest adventure the good Lord had in store for both of them.
William gave Elizabeth a long, tender kiss then and asked her, "Are you ready to leave for the honeymoon?"
Elizabeth looked up at her husband, smiled, and told him honestly, "I'm ready for anything and everything with you."
William returned the smile, and once again, he kissed her for the longest time. When their kiss finally ended, William wrapped his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and she wrapped her arm around his waist, and they began walking out of the palace, each of them anxious to begin their lifelong journey together.