Just One of the Royals

by Leah Rooper

  He doesn’t say anything—just squeezes my hand tighter.

  Eva, too, seems on edge. She’s barely said anything since we got off the plane. Like her, I made sure I had a change of clothing, and a bag of cosmetics to keep me fresh for the palace. Alice looks like she just rolled out of bed from a hundred-year nap. Her short hair is sticking out in every direction, and there’s, like, seven thousand wrinkles in her dress. Regardless, Hayden is still gazing at her like she’s the Stanley Cup.

  Something twists in my stomach. It’s not jealousy—Hayden’s always been a bit too country for me. But…desire. Desire to have someone look at me like that. To love me for all my flaws the way Hayden and Alice love each other—messy hair and all.

  Eva’s big brown eyes focus out the window and she says softly, “We’re almost there.”

  I think my fingers might break beneath Daniel’s grip.

  Eva makes a soft sound at the back of her throat, then focuses her eyes on me. “Mama does not know we’re coming.”

  “You didn’t tell her?” Daniel says, his voice deep and menacing in a way I haven’t heard before.

  “Of course not,” Eva snaps. “Do you think she would have let me use the jet if she knew I was bringing you back with it?”

  Wow, I swear I can feel the heat coming off Daniel from where he’s simmering right now.

  “Oh, settle down, Dan-Dan,” Eva says, rolling her eyes. “You’re the rightful king. There’s nothing she can do about it if…when you decide to take the throne.”

  “Except make my life a living hell,” Daniel growls. He turns to Hayden, who’s looking at him with concern. “Heard of the evil stepmother? The Queen Dowager makes her look like an angel.”

  “Toughen up, Sacachelli!” Alice says, reaching over to punch him in the arm. “We aren’t going to let some old lady bother you.”

  “If you call her old,” Eva says in a low voice, “there won’t be anything left of you to bother.”

  “Alright, alright,” I say, sitting forward in my seat so I could look at everyone. “Let’s all just take a deep breath. INNNNNN and OUTTTTTT. INNNNNNN and OUUUUTTTTT.” To my displeasure, the only one following my breathing is Dwayne Boulder in the front seat. I sigh. “To the Queen, Daniel Sacachelli will be a completely reformed man, ready to assume his royal duties.” I narrow my gaze. “Hayden, I’m counting on you to keep Daniel in line. No partying, no alcohol, and no girls.”

  Hayden salutes me. “Aye, aye, captain. I’m on Sacs duty.”

  “Okay, but don’t call it that.”

  Daniel seems to sink into his body, his hands covering his face. “I can’t—”

  “No choice, big brother,” Eva breathes. “We’re here.”

  …

  I feel like I’m a Disney princess. The castle stands before us, crafted from sun-soaked golden stone, neatly rising up to shimmering spires and turrets. Ivy threads its way up the walls, and polished stairs lead up to a set of giant mahogany doors. We stand in a sun-baked courtyard that stretches all around the castle.

  I have to force my jaw closed so that I don’t give the Queen the impression that a suckerfish has arrived at court.

  Keep it cool, Madison, I tell myself. Remember—Eldonia is your stage, and you are the star. This is your first act.

  Eva leads the charge and we walk up the gorgeous stairs toward the wooden doors. As soon as Eva places a foot on the landing, the doors creak open.

  Okay, it’s no use trying to keep my jaw closed. The doors open to a beautiful foyer with an ornate crimson carpet leading up a giant marble staircase.

  “Welcome home, Princess.” A warm voice drifts through, in the same accent that Eva has.

  I turn to the left to see a tall man wearing a slick black suit, standing as erect as a suit of armor. He has golden blond hair with soft wisps of grey and a matching goatee.

  “Eldredge!” Daniel says, turning to the man.

  The man—Eldredge—is slightly startled, then a huge smile crosses his face. “Master Daniel! Why, this is a surprise! We were not expecting you.”

  Daniel tears away from my hand and embraces Eldredge in a giant bear hug. Eldredge seems shocked at first, then embraces Daniel too, chortling to himself.

  Eva gives the butler a genuine smile. Then her face hardens. “Eldredge, where is my mother?”

  Eldredge coughs and straightens. “She was taking her tea in the sitting room, ma’am. Shall I fetch her?”

  “No need,” Eva says, and starts forward, her hips swaying. “I just want to know what room to avoid.”

  I feel like I’m in an undercover spy movie. Our mission is to disguise ourselves among the royalty, so we can pull off the heist of a lifetime. I look around at Daniel’s hard expression, Hayden’s wide eyes, and Alice’s pent-up energy and think we are the worst spy team in history. Only Eva—with her fabulous sense of style, swishy hair, and sly expression—might be passable as a cool badass spy…but I haven’t really figured out if she’s on our team or not.

  “Okay,” Eva says, turning to all of us. “I’m going to take you to your rooms. We want to avoid Mama until I have a chance to train Dan—”

  “EVANGELINE!”

  A voice pierces the quiet foyer and I look up to the top of the marble stairs.

  Uh oh.

  The Queen Dowager.

  She’s breathtaking in a way that’s both terrible and beautiful, like a thunderstorm. Her cheekbones look sharp enough to cut through my heart all the way from the top of the stairs, and her glare could wither grass. But my eyes catch on her hair—it’s white as snow except for a single black streak.

  “ELDREDGE!” the Queen Dowager calls out, her voice sharper than her cheekbones.

  In an instant, the butler is at the bottom of the stairs. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

  Her lip curls back to show her diamond white teeth. “Some riffraff have snuck into the castle. Look, they’re there, following right behind Evangeline! Arrest them…NOW!”

  The butler looks between the Queen and us. “But, uh, my lady—”

  “Mother,” Eva says, her expression showing chilled boredom, “these are not riffraff. Err, at least, not common riffraff.”

  The Queen Dowager’s eyes widen and she searches our faces, one by one. Then, she brings her hands to her chest. “Daniel?”

  She says his name in the same tone she’d use if she was talking about vermin or bugs.

  “Your Highness,” he says, and bows his head, a flush rising on his face.

  “Whatever are you doing here?” I watch her foot—a delicate pink slipper—poke out from beneath her chiffon skirt and then retreat, as if she was thinking about coming down to greet us but could not force herself to be on the same floor.

  “What, can’t your favorite stepson drop in?” A small smile curves up Daniel’s face.

  The Queen Dowager’s lips purse so much, they disappear entirely. “You’re my only stepson.”

  “Enough!” Eva steps in front of him. “Let’s not bother with formality. Daniel is here to claim his rightful place on the throne.”

  The Queen Dowager could be one of those statues at the overpriced wax museum. She does not flinch, does not move, and the only tell that she has heard her daughter’s words at all is the tightening of her silk blouse across her chest as her shoulders pull back.

  Then she finally moves. Her steps down the stairs are not at all delicate. Her slippers clip-clop and her lip furrows into a full-out curl. Even the air seems to retreat from her. I feel myself shrivel back until I bump into Alice.

  The Queen gets right up close to Eva, but her daughter does not back down. My God, between the two of them, they could start World War III. I guess this is the Eva Daniel was talking about, the one who wears a mask inside the castle.

  The Queen reaches forward and strokes a silky piece of Eva’s hair. “Darling, I thought the whole reason we were throwing this fabulous party tonight was to announce your engagement to Lyle Worthington.”

  “That’s what
you thought,” Eva snaps. “But now the party is going to introduce Eldonia to their new king.” She tears herself away from her mother’s grip and grabs her brother’s arm. “Daniel Sacachelli!”

  I can’t tell who looks like they’re about to throw up first—Daniel or the Queen.

  “Darling,” the Queen says, and I’ve never heard the word used with so much venom, “your dear brother…”

  “Is the rightful king. And he wants to take the throne. Isn’t that right, Daniel?”

  I hold my breath, waiting for Daniel to run out of the castle and straight back to the airport.

  But it seems he’s put a mask on, too. Daniel smirks and says, “Well, I didn’t get into any Ivy League schools, so I guess this is an okay alternative.”

  “Please,” the Queen says, and with her thick accent, the word comes out in two syllables. “Evangeline, be realistic—”

  “No, Mother,” Eva argues. “You be realistic. I would rather see a jester sit upon the throne than Lyle Worthington.”

  “Well, that’s what you’ve brought.” The Queen points a condemning finger at Daniel.

  A look of stricken hurt shoots across Daniel’s face. I reach out and grab his arm.

  “Say something. Tell her you’re serious! Defend yourself!” I whisper to him, and for drama’s sake, add, “Defend your throne!”

  Instead, Daniel looks down at his shoes.

  Okay, fine. Looks like it’s my turn.

  I clear my throat and step right beside Eva. Up close, I can see the Queen Dowager clearly now. Her cheeks are far too tight for a woman of her age. “Your Majesty.” I wrack my brain on the proper etiquette for introducing yourself to a monarch. Somehow, I have a feeling all those princess Hallmark movies I watched weren’t exactly gospel. “I’m Madison Myong, Daniel’s Honor-Roll-Student girlfriend. Let me just tell you, Eldonia is to DIE for.”

  The Queen Dowager looks like she might just die. Of boredom.

  “What Eva’s trying to say is…” Okay, I can’t meet the Queen’s gaze any longer. I look away and twirl a strand of hair around my finger. “Daniel is ready to take the throne. And he’s going to be a great king. The best! Even better than your husband!”

  Eva elbows me hard in the ribs. “Ow!”

  The Queen sighs. “Well, then, if this American thinks Daniel will be a great king, who am I to argue?”

  American? What’s wrong with that? Sure, I’m American, and I’m proud of it. Daniel’s dad hadn’t had a problem with it either, obviously, or Daniel wouldn’t be here. What a snob.

  “Daniel, darling,” the Queen Dowager says and finally looks at her stepson. Slowly, he raises his eyes from the floor. “So, the mistake from Long Island wants to be king.” She tsks. “I’ll never forgive my late husband for the vulgarity of his past.”

  At that, Daniel seems to summon some dark energy. Did he make a deal with the devil I wasn’t aware of? “If you’re talking about my Ma—”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” the Queen snaps. “I’m talking about you.” She gestures wildly in his direction. “All of you!”

  Daniel grits his teeth. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth when I was in Eldonia last year for the funeral?”

  “Tell you that you were next in line to be king?” she says. “Can you imagine? Turning Eldonia over to the likes of you?” The Queen rubs the bridge of her nose. “I am not debating this ridiculous notion any further.”

  “No, you are not,” Eva says, calmly and darkly. “Because there is nothing to debate. You don’t get a say, mother. Daniel will be king.”

  The room goes eerily quiet for a few seconds, as if all the air has been pulled away.

  The Queen gets this really weird look on her face, almost like the Grinch did when he decided to steal Christmas. Her black, round eyebrows sink toward her eyes and her mouth curves into a thin, calculating smirk. “Daniel, is this what you want? To be king?”

  “Of course, it is—” Eva says.

  Daniel just crosses his arms and looks down at her from under his dark lashes. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “You’ll be expected to come to the cocktail party tonight,” the Queen says, and her voice seems a bit airier. “That won’t be a problem, will it? All the lords, ladies, dukes, duchesses, and neighboring nobility will be there. I’m sure you know all their names and titles, don’t you, little prince?”

  Daniel mumbles something that could have been “I know.” Or it could have been, “Kill me now.”

  “And dear Lyle will, of course, be there,” the Queen continues. “You can’t expect me to uninvite him now. That would be terribly rude!”

  “Whatever game you’re playing, Mother—” Eva growls.

  “No game! I just want Daniel to have a taste of what it’s like to wear the crown.” She narrows her eyes. “And see if he is up to the…responsibility.”

  “He will be,” I assure her, jumping back into the conversation.

  “Splendid!” she says. “Well then, I am off to oversee the final preparations.” She holds Daniel’s gaze with a vicious smile. “I will see you tonight.”

  With a wave of her hand, a sashay of her narrow hips, and a pompous “Too-da-loo”, the Queen rises up the stairs and disappears down one of the hallways.

  Our gang lets out a collective breath.

  “Wow,” Alice says. “She’s a huge bitch.”

  Eva grinds her teeth. “You have no idea. Come on, I’ll show you to your rooms…before the Wicked Witch of Eldonia comes back.”

  I take a deep breath as I follow behind the princess. It’s okay. Every good show needs a villain. I’ve just found mine.

  …

  Daniel

  “I’m sure you remember where your room is, Prince Daniel,” Eldredge says.

  “I think I can manage, unless the Queen Dowager has moved me to the dungeon.” I smile at the butler. “But why don’t you take me there, for old time’s sake?”

  Eldredge and I have just finished showing all my friends to their rooms, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to be alone yet. The officials and dignitaries of Eldonia have always been cold, but the staff, especially Eldredge, have always felt like family. At least more like family than my father and stepmother had. When Eva and I were little, we’d sneak out of our bedrooms at night and Eldredge would help us steal pastries from the kitchen.

  “How’s Eva been doing?” I ask.

  Eldredge puts his hands behind his back. “She’s strong, but I can tell the last year has been hard for her.”

  I put my hands in my pockets. I should have called her more, maybe visited at Christmas. There was so much I could have done for her, but didn’t.

  “But,” Eldredge says, “she’s happy you’re here now.”

  I think back to the last time I was in Eldonia—last summer, for my father’s funeral. It had been sunny that day, which had seemed so wrong, somehow. Dad had been buried on a hill by the castle, in a graveyard with statues above the graves instead of tombstones.

  I don’t know how I ended up being the last one there. I guess Eva and the Queen Dowager and all his actual important relatives had left early to give press quotes.

  But there I was, by myself, staring at a mound of fresh dirt.

  Oscar Harwell had never been a dad to me. Ma was the one who’d taken me skating for the first time, who’d showed me how to tie a bowtie, how to shave. She’d even spell-checked the first text I ever sent to a girl.

  But even if he hadn’t been a dad, he was still my father. And every summer, I muddled my way through what that meant to me. I tried to understand the stern figure who asked about my life in the same way he conducted interviews with foreign affair officers. I guess, I always thought one of these summers, I’d figure out what it really meant to be his son. Only now, I’ll never get the chance.

  I remember how I’d stood there, staring at his grave, as the summer sun turned into light rain. It still didn’t fit the melancholy mood—the rain was so warm and fresh. But I’d stayed th
ere until my hair was plastered to my forehead and my suit was soaked.

  Then I’d felt a hand on my shoulder. I’d looked up and saw Eldredge.

  “I’m going to take a walk around the grounds, Prince Daniel,” Eldredge had said. “Would you care to join me?”

  I’d followed Eldredge away from the cemetery and back to the castle grounds. The silence had been comfortable, and deep inside, I’d been grateful for his company.

  “I just always thought,” I had said to Eldredge, “that one of these days, he was going tell me who I was to him. Where I fit into all this. But now…”

  “Seventeen years ago,” Eldredge had said, “I was hired on as a butler for the castle of Eldonia. The Queen Dowager was very clear on all my various tasks and duties. But I found as the years went on, that my job here—one might say my place, even—extended so much further than answering the door and keeping order of the house. I discovered I was most vital in other ways, like when I was bandaging a scraped knee or listening to your father after a long day. I came to understand that above all else, I was there to assist the members of the royal family, in whatever capacity that took. That my place here was not to keep order, but to cultivate love. And although it was not in the job description, I would have it no other way.”

  I look to Eldredge now, a year after I had brushed off his words. Now they float in my mind. Being a king is more than just a title and commitments.

  I don’t know if the realization makes it more or less terrifying.

  We get to my door and I turn to him. “Eldredge?” My throat is dry. “I need your honest opinion. Do you think I can do this? Do you think I can be king?”

  Eldredge studies me for a moment. “Of course you can be king, Daniel. It is your birthright. Rather, the question you should be asking yourself is, can you rule?”

  I stand there, staring into his pale blue eyes that are more familiar than my own father’s. I don’t even know what color my father’s eyes were.

  Eldredge looks behind him, and I spy Madison peeking around the corner.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she says.

  Eldredge smiles. “I have just delivered the Prince safely to his chambers. I’ll leave you to rest before the cocktail party tonight. Please ring if you need any assistance.” He bows slightly to me then disappears around the corner.