Just One of the Royals

by Leah Rooper

  Eva’s brown eyes dart around the restaurant, taking in the retro fifties décor with curious bemusement. I tap my foot against the tile and try to scoot further away from Dwayne. The tension hangs between us like a living thing.

  Finally, I can’t take the silence anymore. “So?” I heave out an exasperated breath.

  “So what, big brother?”

  “So why are you here?”

  “I thought I made it perfectly clear. I’m here because I need you to take your place as King of Eldonia.”

  A milkshake spills out of the booth behind us and Ms. Sue quickly rushes forward to clean it up.

  “I’m really not in the mood for one of your jokes, Eva.” I run a hand through my hair, slick with hair gel.

  “This is no joke.” Her voice, so warm and light moments before, turns cold as an ice rink and everything about her seizes my attention. Her posture turns rigid, her eyes dig into me. She doesn’t look like my little sister anymore—she looks like the princess. And for the first time, I think this might not be a cruel joke, that she might not be kidding. That this secret part of myself that I’ve hidden for years, might not be able to be kept a secret anymore.

  “Do you even realize what you’re saying?” I say in a hushed whisper. “Yeah, I go to Eldonia every summer. I play my part. I’m the bastard prince.” I lean back, but Eva doesn’t respond. “I know what everyone thinks of me in Eldonia, what your mother thinks of me. It’s only gotten worse since Dad…”

  At the mention of our father, I see a flicker of hurt cross Eva’s face. It’s been almost a year since Dad suddenly died. But we weren’t close, not the way he was with Eva.

  “That’s why I’m here,” Eva says. “I need you to take Dad’s place as King of Eldonia.”

  “Why me?” I ask. “You’re the true daughter of both the king and the queen. Why don’t you claim the crown?”

  Eva’s fingernails dig into the table. “It’s not that simple, Dan-Dan. The ruler of Eldonia has to be a male. So even though you’re a bastard, you still top me in the line of succession.”

  “Well, that doesn’t seem fair.” I grind my teeth. “Okay, whatever. I’ll just go to Eldonia and tell everyone I turn down the offer. Then you can be king. Or queen. Whatever.”

  “It doesn’t work like that. I can’t take the crown, even if you refuse it, due to the pesky fact that I’m a girl. And if you don’t take the crown by the anniversary of Dad’s death, we lose our kingdom.”

  “What?” I gasp. “How does that even work?”

  “If no one in the Harwell line claims the throne, it’ll pass to the closest relative. Which, for us, happens to be some half-cousin, eight times removed.”

  When I don’t say anything, she snatches my hand. “Daniel,” she pleads, “we can’t lose our kingdom. We can’t.”

  The words hit me like a check to the boards. The anniversary of our father’s death is only a couple weeks away. “Why am I only hearing about this now? I would have thought the Queen Dowager would be going crazy trying to find a way for someone besides me to take over for Dad…” I let myself trail off, as I fill in my own blanks. “She has been going crazy, hasn’t she? Trying to find a way to keep the kingdom in the Harwell family, without me being Eldonia’s new king.”

  I know that Eva’s mother, the Queen Dowager, hates me. And why shouldn’t she? To her, I’m just a mistake her husband made before they were married, some American blight on the prim and proper Eldonia. But now that I realize she’s spent all year trying to find a way to stop me from taking my birthright… I cross my arms. The joke’s on her. I don’t want anything to do with Eldonia, anyway.

  “And,” Eva says, “she’s found a way.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it? Nobody wants me to be king.”

  “No, it’s not.” Eva avoids my gaze, which is weird for her. “If a female in the bloodline is married, then her husband can take the throne.”

  Ms. Sue places my burger and fries down in front of me. For the first time in my life, I think I’ve lost my appetite. Ma would be so ashamed. “She’s making you get married? Aren’t you like…seven?”

  “I’m sixteen.” Eva crosses her arms and scowls. “Which is, it so happens, the marriageable age in Eldonia.” Her eyebrows fall over her dark eyes. “That’s not even the worst part. She wants me to marry…Lyle Worthington.”

  I almost throw my food across the room. Almost. I’ve had to endure Lyle—a pretentious duke from a neighbouring kingdom—every single summer. Each visit made me want to tear my hair out, bit by bit. And I love my hair more than I love hockey. “Wait. Are you two like…a thing?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Eva snaps. “Mother thinks he’d be absolutely perfect to run Eldonia. But she doesn’t see him for who he truly is. A monster hidden behind great style.”

  I shake my head. No…this is all too much. “Eva…”

  “Don’t you see now?” Eva pleads. “You have to come and take the throne. Or else I’ll have to marry Lyle.”

  My head spins. “There’s got to be some other way. I’m sure we can think of something. Anything else but me becoming a king. The Queen doesn’t want me. The people of Eldonia don’t want me. And hell, I don’t even want me.”

  “But Dan—”

  “No, Eva! End of discussion!”

  “Not necessarily.” A chirpy voice cuts through the diner. I feel a presence above me, and look up to see the person from the booth behind us leering over me. Bright brown eyes. Shining black hair. Perfectly made-up face.

  Madison Myong.

  …

  Madison

  “Daniel Sacachelli, here I was, thinking you totally ditched me to go get drunk with your friends.” I tear out of my seat and scooch around to the booth with Daniel, his sister, and whom I can only assume is some high-level secret service agent. I take the free seat next to his sister. “At least this is a perfectly valid reason to blow me off.”

  “Madison?” Daniel gapes at me, face flushed.

  “I’d just been drowning my misery in a couple of Ms. Sue’s shakes when I happened to overhear your predicament.”

  “So you were eavesdropping?” Daniel’s gaze is so scorching, it could light a fire.

  I reach over and grab a fry off his untouched plate. “Daniel, you were brooding loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. But my tears instantly dried up once I heard my favorite Falcon is…what was it? Prince of Eldonia?”

  Daniel breathes in a ragged breath. “If you tell anyone…”

  “Of course I won’t!” I exclaim, and then avert my gaze. “Well, except I already told Xander and Alice…and I’m sure she’s probably told Hayden…”

  Daniel pulls out his phone and stares at it in horror. “Thirty-four texts from Tremblay? Argh!” He slides down in the booth. The giant man grabs the collar of his shirt and yanks him up.

  I decide to ignore Daniel’s dramatic meltdown and instead, turn to the girl beside me. “I’m so sorry I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Madison Myong.”

  I realize the girl has been staring at me since I sat down, and I stare back unabashedly. I can see it now—the resemblance to Daniel. Underneath the winged eyeliner and the contoured cheekbones, there are obvious aspects of him—the big brown eyes, the straight eyebrows, that smile that could mean a million different things.

  “I’m Evangeline Harwell, Princess of Eldonia.” She nods curtly to me. “And this is my royal guard, Dwayne Boulder.”

  The giant man beside Daniel doesn’t even look up from his salad.

  “So,” the princess says, “are you Dan-Dan’s girlfriend?”

  I feel my face grow hot and my muscles tense. I can’t even bring myself to look at him. “I-I…uh…”

  But Daniel laughs. “No,” he says, his voice barely more than a scoff. “She’s not.”

  My face feels like it could catch fire at any minute. Well, there it is. To Daniel, even the idea of me being his girlfriend is a joke.

  But I can’t let him see tha
t it feels like my heart just got hit with a slapshot. So I put on my brightest smile and force myself to look at him. “So, Prince of Eldonia…” I feign a laugh. “I’m surprised you never tried to use that as a pick-up line.”

  His body is tense as wire, and I can see he’s grinding his teeth. “I’m done with all this royalty talk. We’re going home.” He snatches the bill off the table and awkwardly scrambles over Dwayne to get out of the booth.

  He huffs toward the counter, then doubles back to the booth I was sitting at. He grabs my bill too, then storms to the front to pay.

  I lean back in my seat next to the Princess of Eldonia. “Daniel…a prince. I can’t believe it.”

  Eva looks down and plays with the hem of her sleeve. “So he really hasn’t told anyone here? About me? About Eldonia?”

  I notice now the princess has bright eyes, such a light brown they almost look gold in the fluorescent diner light. “I mean, he might have told other people. But not me…Your Highness.”

  She laughs slightly. “Just call me Eva. But no, I already know that if he’d have told anyone, it would have been you.”

  I sit back, shocked. First of all, I’ve made it to a first-name basis with a MONARCH in the span of five minutes.

  And second of all, she thinks Daniel would have told me his biggest secret. “Me? Why?”

  “The last two summers he’s visited Eldonia, you’re all he’s talked about.”

  I snort, then try to cover it up with a cough. It’s not polite to snort in front of a princess. “Seriously, Your High—Eva, you must be joking.”

  She turns to me, her face growing stern. “Madison Myong, assistant trainer to the Chicago Falcons. Only child. Going into your final year of high school. Your aspiration is to be a…” She worries her lip for a moment, as if thinking. “—an actress. Isn’t that right?”

  I flick my eyes to the man across from us. “Have you been spying on me?”

  Eva examines her nails. “Please. Dwayne is for my defense only. I have other personnel for intelligence.” I must give her a terrified look because she cracks a smile and says, “I’m joking. Daniel has just talked about you a lot.”

  I start tearing chunks of napkin. “Well, that’s because we’re friends. Best friends.”

  “If you’re his best friend,” she says, “please enlighten me. Why wouldn’t he even consider being king?”

  I lean against the plush vinyl seat. “Daniel’s just not into commitment.”

  I feel her eyes drilling into me. I turn to look at her and nearly recoil at the intensity in her gaze.

  “Do you think…?” she says softly. “Do you think you could help me…convince him?”

  “Me?” I place my hand on my chest. “How could I do any better than you? You’re a princess, his sister. I’m just…we’re just…” I sigh. “I’m really just a friend to him.”

  “Trust me,” Eva adds, “the way he looked at you…that’s something.” Her eyes are huge and pleading. “I may be his sister, but Eldonia and our father have always been difficult for him to talk about. You’re important to him. He’ll listen to you.”

  I grab another fry and chew on it. Daniel Sacachelli…hockey player. Playboy. Prince. And potential king? I look at him, standing at the counter, putting bills in the tip jar. My heart flutters.

  But this is so much more than I thought I had gotten myself into. Political intrigue! A secret monarch! A reluctant prince! Someone definitely needs to make a K-drama about this.

  But before I get caught up in the craziness of it all, I look at Eva. Behind all the jewelry, and designer clothes is Daniel’s little sister. And she’s in trouble. If I know anything about Daniel, it’s that he’ll do anything to help his family.

  “Daniel will figure something out,” I say to her. “I’m sure he’ll help you. But I can’t make him do anything that’s not in his heart.”

  “Dan-Dan doesn’t know what’s in his heart. He won’t even let me explain.” Eva leans on her elbows. “What about what’s in your heart, Madison? Why were you crying?”

  I shrug. “My parents wouldn’t listen when I told them I wanted to pursue acting. They’re making me study medicine, like them,” I say in a single breath. I’m surprisingly comfortable being candid with the Princess of Eldonia. I guess my plight must seem small compared to the turmoil of royals, though. “I just want to go to school in NYC. But I’ll never be able to get there if they don’t support me.”

  “Oh my goodness, that’s perfect!” Eva chimes, and I stare at her blankly. I don’t think there’s anything perfect about what I just said. She must see my confusion, because she quickly continues. “I can help you with that. Have you ever heard of ‘100 Years Fallen’?”

  “Ummm, it’s only the single best teenage dystopian show to ever grace network TV,” I croon. “And they film it here in Chicago. But what does that have to do with anything?”

  “The director once did a documentary on Eldonia. We’ve stayed in touch ever since,” Evangeline says. “I’ll tell you what. Talk to Daniel. If you can convince him to take the throne, I’m sure I can get you on the audition list for next season.”

  My mouth hangs open and I don’t even care. If I got a role on a show like that…well, that would pay my entire tuition to Juilliard. And my parents could see me on TV…see that I could make this work. The princess is offering me the chance of a lifetime. Only, she thinks I have sway over Daniel. And worse, she wants me to try and force his hand. With a decision this big, shouldn’t it be Daniel’s decision?

  I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Eva. I think Daniel’s made his choice.”

  Eva’s eyes flash to Daniel, who’s returning to us. “Just talk to him. Get the whole story. Because if Daniel doesn’t take his rightful place as king by the anniversary of our father’s death, it’s not just my life that will be ruined. The whole country will suffer.”

  Heavy. And to think, the other day Daniel spent thirty minutes in the drug store debating between hairspray brands.

  “Ladies.” Daniel comes over to stand at the end of the table. “Dwayne. Ready to go?”

  I grab a couple fries, and we get up to leave. I cast a quick glance back to Eva. “Fine. I’ll talk to him,” I whisper, “but no promises.”

  She smiles. “If Daniel becomes king, you get your audition.”

  Chapter Four

  Daniel

  Outside, the dying sun gives way to street lamps and headlights. I watch my sister’s black car disappear around the corner, taking her to the fanciest hotel in Chicago. I always wanted Eva to come to Chicago, to show her where I live, all my favorite places in the city. I never thought it would happen like this.

  “Do you need a ride home?” I mutter to Madison, avoiding her gaze.

  She raises a single eyebrow in that disparaging look she’s perfected. “Travel twice in one day on that rust bucket of yours?”

  “Hey,” I say, “you love my rust bucket.”

  She rolls her eyes but follows me as I turn the corner. I should be mad at her for eavesdropping, but I never manage to stay mad at her for longer than two minutes–even when she lectures me for hours about my partying or doesn’t tell me her best friend was disguised as a dude for almost a year. Which I still have to ask her about, now that I think about it.

  Even though she rode on it earlier today, Madison still eyes my bike apprehensively. It’s a 1985 Honda Goldwing: cherry red with genuine leather…even if the leather is a bit torn. There’s a second seat right behind mine, making it perfect for dates. That is, when the engine isn’t flooding. Still, I always carry an extra helmet…even if I usually just end up giving Tyler Evans a ride home after practice. I hand a helmet to Madison.

  “I’m surprised you can even get your helmet on, Daniel,” Madison says. “Doesn’t all that gel in your hair make it as solid as a brick?”

  “First eavesdropping on a private family matter, and now insulting me? One would think you don’t want a ride home.”

  Madison buckles
the strap under her chin. “Actually, I don’t really want to go home yet.”

  I slide onto my bike. That’s right…I guess her talk with her parents didn’t go well. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own drama, I forgot to ask about it. But I know that as soon as I walk into my tiny townhouse, everything from today is going to come crashing down on me full force. “So let’s not go home yet.”

  “Wanna walk around Navy Pier?” she suggests. “Maybe get some ice cream?”

  “I just paid for TWO of your milkshakes, Myong.”

  “Well, technically I spilled one when I heard you were Prince of Eldonia.” Her arms wrap around my waist as she mounts the bike and her cheek presses against my back. We’ve done this many times before—her on the back of my bike, her body tight against mine. Somehow, it always gives me the chills. “So, you owe me a replacement,” she finishes.

  I let out a long sigh and kick the bike into gear. Every thought that’s fighting for attention in my head zips away as I speed through the streets of Chicago. All I concentrate on is the warm breeze blowing on my face and the feel of Madison’s arms around me. By the time we’re walking through the crowds of people on the pier, I almost feel like a normal human being again.

  It’s a busy night, but we’re used to it. Madison and I weave through the people, ice cream in hand. I’ve always liked crowds. Everyone’s connected and separate, all at once. In a crowd, I can be anyone I want and no one is any the wiser. I can disappear.

  If Eva gets her way, I’ll never be able to blend in again. The new King of Eldonia will have his face on the cover of every European newspaper—and maybe even the American ones, too. I fight back a wave of nausea, imagining my mug in black and white on the front page.

  I’m surprised Madison hasn’t questioned me more about it. She must be really messed up about her talk with her parents. “So…what happened at home?” I ask.

  The blue and red lights dance off her black hair. “They completely and utterly shut me down. But I’m not surprised. It was a longshot anyway.” She turns to me, smiling. “I’m already over it. I’m more interested in what it was like growing up as a prince…and why you haven’t told anyone.”