queen. With a capacity for one thousand guests, it easily accommodated all the high-ranking officials and prominent business owners of the kingdom, as well as their families.
At one end, a massive, three-tier, semicircle staircase extended across the full width of the hall. The first tier, the largest one, served as a stage for the Royal String Orchestra, which was playing one of the queen’s favorite pieces: Mozart’s Serenade No. 13. The second, smaller tier was intended for a speaker or an ensemble of singers. The top tier, the Royal Tier, was for the queen and her husband, who observed the activities below from their royal chairs. A door at the rear of the Royal Tier opened to the main hallway of the second floor, which led to the royal living quarters.
At precisely 6:00 p.m., the Royal String Orchestra concluded its piece, and the queen nodded to her husband, Wally. He stood up from his chair.
The crowd below hushed, and all eyes turned toward him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention?” Wally’s voice rang out, enhanced by the perfectly architected acoustics of the hall. “Her Majesty and I would like to thank you for your attendance here this evening and would like to hereby officially announce the engagement of our daughter, the queen-in-waiting, Miss Conroe Williamson, to Sir Wilford Wincraft.” He extended his hand, directing the attention of the crowd to the second tier below.
Conroe and Will came through the rear doorway of the second platform and walked out to the front, waving to the crowd.
The people applauded.
Wally said, “The happy couple will be united at six o’clock in the Royal Sacred Church this Friday night, which, not coincidentally, is the eve of Conroe’s eighteenth birthday. It will be a very special occasion indeed. Yes, this is late notice, and we do apologize, but we certainly hope that you and your families will attend.”
The crowd cheered.
“Then on Saturday night at six o’clock,” Wally continued, “Conroe will be crowned Queen of the Kingdom of Ampla, and Her Majesty, Queen Connie, will become the Queen Mother. I, of course, will still be plain old Wally.”
People laughed.
“Again, thank you for coming,” Wally said, “and we hope you will take time to offer your congratulatory remarks to the happy couple. Now, let us eat, drink, and be merry.”
More cheers erupted.
The Royal String Orchestra began to play another Mozart composition.
Conroe and Will walked, hand in hand, up the seven stairs to the queen. Conroe curtsied, and Will bowed.
The queen smiled. “So, it’s a wonderful night for you two lovebirds.”
They looked at each other.
Conroe spoke first. “Yes, of course, Mother.”
Will said, “We’re very happy. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Conroe turned to Will. “You’ll be calling her ‘Mother’ very soon, and I’ll be Your Majesty.” She laughed.
The queen was not amused. “Conroe, I’d like to speak to you in private.”
Will said, “If it pleases Your Majesty, I will go down and visit with our guests.”
“Yes, of course,” the queen replied.
Will bowed to her and began his trek down the stairs.
The queen said to Conroe, “You see—I told you. Will is a lovely young man.”
“Yes, he is.”
“And you’re okay with it?”
“What choice do I have, Mother?”
“Conroe, I gave you sufficient time to find a man of your own choosing, but you could not ever make up your mind, so I was forced to do it for you.”
“It wasn’t that I couldn’t make up my mind. It was that something always went wrong before I even had a chance to fall in love.”
“I know, dear. But you were out of time, and I could not let you give up your right to the throne.”
“I understand. I’m trying to make the best of it, Mother.” She gazed down at the floor level and spotted Will, who was at the punch table talking to well-wishers. “He is a wonderful man.”
25
O pal Edelsburg
At one end, a massive, three-tier, semicircle staircase extended across the full width of the hall. The first tier, the largest one, served as a stage for the Royal String Orchestra, which was playing one of the queen’s favorite pieces: Mozart’s Serenade No. 13. The second, smaller tier was intended for a speaker or an ensemble of singers. The top tier, the Royal Tier, was for the queen and her husband, who observed the activities below from their royal chairs. A door at the rear of the Royal Tier opened to the main hallway of the second floor, which led to the royal living quarters.
At precisely 6:00 p.m., the Royal String Orchestra concluded its piece, and the queen nodded to her husband, Wally. He stood up from his chair.
The crowd below hushed, and all eyes turned toward him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention?” Wally’s voice rang out, enhanced by the perfectly architected acoustics of the hall. “Her Majesty and I would like to thank you for your attendance here this evening and would like to hereby officially announce the engagement of our daughter, the queen-in-waiting, Miss Conroe Williamson, to Sir Wilford Wincraft.” He extended his hand, directing the attention of the crowd to the second tier below.
Conroe and Will came through the rear doorway of the second platform and walked out to the front, waving to the crowd.
The people applauded.
Wally said, “The happy couple will be united at six o’clock in the Royal Sacred Church this Friday night, which, not coincidentally, is the eve of Conroe’s eighteenth birthday. It will be a very special occasion indeed. Yes, this is late notice, and we do apologize, but we certainly hope that you and your families will attend.”
The crowd cheered.
“Then on Saturday night at six o’clock,” Wally continued, “Conroe will be crowned Queen of the Kingdom of Ampla, and Her Majesty, Queen Connie, will become the Queen Mother. I, of course, will still be plain old Wally.”
People laughed.
“Again, thank you for coming,” Wally said, “and we hope you will take time to offer your congratulatory remarks to the happy couple. Now, let us eat, drink, and be merry.”
More cheers erupted.
The Royal String Orchestra began to play another Mozart composition.
Conroe and Will walked, hand in hand, up the seven stairs to the queen. Conroe curtsied, and Will bowed.
The queen smiled. “So, it’s a wonderful night for you two lovebirds.”
They looked at each other.
Conroe spoke first. “Yes, of course, Mother.”
Will said, “We’re very happy. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Conroe turned to Will. “You’ll be calling her ‘Mother’ very soon, and I’ll be Your Majesty.” She laughed.
The queen was not amused. “Conroe, I’d like to speak to you in private.”
Will said, “If it pleases Your Majesty, I will go down and visit with our guests.”
“Yes, of course,” the queen replied.
Will bowed to her and began his trek down the stairs.
The queen said to Conroe, “You see—I told you. Will is a lovely young man.”
“Yes, he is.”
“And you’re okay with it?”
“What choice do I have, Mother?”
“Conroe, I gave you sufficient time to find a man of your own choosing, but you could not ever make up your mind, so I was forced to do it for you.”
“It wasn’t that I couldn’t make up my mind. It was that something always went wrong before I even had a chance to fall in love.”
“I know, dear. But you were out of time, and I could not let you give up your right to the throne.”
“I understand. I’m trying to make the best of it, Mother.” She gazed down at the floor level and spotted Will, who was at the punch table talking to well-wishers. “He is a wonderful man.”
25
O pal Edelsburg
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