by Anna Hill
Hell, I'd been practicing it for months as I imagined finally beating Robert and being able to bring all my dreams to the kingdom.
I made my way down the stairs and across the lobby, standing for a moment in front of the door as my three boys huddled up behind me. I steadied myself, took a deep breath, and opened the doors with a wave of my hand.
I walked out to the podium with a smile and stepped up to the microphone. The boys all stood around me, smiles across their faces. It looked a little unnatural on Angelo, but I insisted that he must smile. We weren’t just trying to change my perception here, we were trying to change shifter perception, and I wanted them to come off as friendly as possible.
I cleared my throat and began my speech.
“Hello, citizens of Elderan. I want to finally formally introduce myself to all of you. I am Annabelle, the last of my family line and the last witch on this planet. And I am here not only to reclaim my throne that was once stolen from my ancestors, but to create a better country for us all.
“Elderan has fallen into a miserable state, and we all know it. People are starving every day. People live on the streets. Many of you work two full-time jobs to make ends meet and can only barely do that. It’s not a life. It was not what my ancestors intended for this country when they were in power. They wanted Elderan to flourish. They wanted the wealth of this country to be given back to the people. And I intend to follow through on their plans.
“First, I’m going to be redistributing Robert’s wealth back to you. He had a ridiculous amount of money, which, since coming into power, I have discovered he kept physically hidden away in safes all across the country. He did his best to hide his wealth by not putting it in any banks, and he succeeded in that.
“But no more. It's all going to be redistributed equally to each adult citizen in Elderan. That may not seem like it would be much, but it constitutes an actual living wage. On top of the wages many of you already get from working, you will now be able to actually save money.
“Some portion of Robert’s funds will also be going to immediate relief programs which will create food banks across the country as well as homeless shelters where anyone is free to sleep. Until people get back on their feet, we need these social programs to create a safety net for this country. Under my rule, nobody is ever going to starve in Elderan again, I can promise you that.
"I know that these promises sound grand. And I'm sure many of you are skeptical. But I want to prove to you that I’m serious about doing what’s best for Elderan. And I’m going to do that by holding emergency governmental elections. I may be your Queen by birthright, but you all still have a say in your government. I will be publishing all the positions that require filling and I will allow you, the people, to campaign for them. And then you will vote on your candidates. You'll run the government, and you’ll decide who comprises it… Because you all deserve to have a say in the laws and systems that make this country.
“And speaking of those laws, prior to the election I will be starting two new laws immediately. I think they’re necessary in this emergency state. The first one will be that I am creating a minimum living wage to be instituted three months from now. There will be no more slave wages in Elderan. Workers will be paid what their time is worth.
"The second law is regarding shifters and our society’s attitudes toward them. I understand that many of you have been brainwashed by Robert to believe shifters are shady, dangerous creatures. But we have to unlearn that brainwashing. Everything you know about our history is a lie. Everything Robert said about shifters was a lie. They are loyal, honest, loving creatures that don’t wish harm to anyone. And from now on, it will be illegal to discriminate against them.”
I turned to Lio, Rhyion, and Angelo with a smile on my face.
"These men are my lovers, my best friends. They are all shifters, and they all played a huge role in getting me to the position I am in today. Without their love and protection, I would not be Queen. Elderan would not have been rescued from the tyrant, Robert. Everyone would continue to suffer under another thousand years of human elite reign. We have them to thank, completely. As well as all the other shifters who helped protect me when Robert was doing everything he could to find me and destroy me.
“Many people died in this fight against Robert, and I want to acknowledge them all by name right now. They deserve to be known, to be revered for their great sacrifice. So please, join me in honoring the loss of Resa, Trinity, Ronaldo, Anita, Joseph, Pilar, Tamina, Rake, Lois, Trenal, Lana, Trion, and Wren. It bears repeating: I would not be where I am today without them. And whatever prosperity that comes to Elderan, it is owed to them.
“I will not be taking questions today, though there will be a press conference a week from now where you will all be free to ask any questions you want. Within the next twenty-four hours, major news conglomerates will receive details of my election plans and detailed texts of the laws I plan on enacting immediately. Thank you all for your time, thank you all for any acceptance you have to give. I know that I have not earned your trust, but please know that I plan to. I plan to do anything I can to show you all how serious I am about making this country a better place. Thank you.”
As I stepped back from the podium, flashes of light came my way from every direction. The crowd erupted into chatter as I turned around and entered the palace once again, my dress flowing behind me and the boys following it.
Once I stepped inside, I took a deep breath.
"That was fantastic!” Lio encouraged.
“Really? Are you sure?” I looked to Angelo and Rhyion for confirmation, and they both nodded.
“Truly phenomenal,” Rhyion told me.
“You couldn’t have done better. If that doesn’t win them over, nothing will,” Angelo added.
I breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that they were right, that they weren’t just hyping me up.
“Okay, Rhyion, go ahead and get those plans to the press immediately. I want them released as soon as possible.”
“Got it,” Rhyion said eagerly, as he waltzed away from me with a pretty big spring in his step.
Lio wrapped his arm around me as he stepped away. “So how does it feel, my Queen?”
“It feels… good. Mostly good,” I told him.
"Mostly good?” Angelo bellowed. “We destroyed Robert and your reign of Elderan has been widely accepted. How could it possibly be better?”
But I knew exactly how it could be better…
My parents could be here.
After a week of hoping to have a dream of my mother but failing to each night, I finally dreamt of her. I had no idea what took so long, but I’d been dying to talk to her.
I was in the old meadow with my mom again. She was far away, though, her back turned to me. She didn’t seem to know I was there.
“Mother!” I called out to her, and she whipped around, a smile on her face. She immediately sprinted to me.
“Annabelle, my baby, you did it!” she shouted as she wrapped her arms around me and swung me around. “I knew that you could. I just knew it. You were brilliant, absolutely brilliant!”
“You've been able to see?” I asked her. “Everything that happened?”
“Yes, of course! We can always see the important moments in our loved ones’ lives. And what is more important than the day your daughter becomes Queen of her own country?” She grinned.
I laughed and wrapped myself tightly around her, leaning into her chest. “I've missed you so much this week! I’ve wanted to talk to you so bad. So much has happened in just a week.”
She leaned back and pushed my hair out of my face. “I know, baby, I know. But you’re doing everything right. You’re exactly the leader I thought you’d be. I mean… you going out to see Robert’s wife? Wow, my dear, that was… that was something.”
“Really? You don’t think that seemed weak or emotional or anything?”
“Weak? You? You could never be weak. And your emotion and compassion—t
hat is no weakness. That is a special kind of strength. It’s what is going to make you a fantastic, benevolent leader. You will give people what they actually need… Kindness, respect, dignity. It was proof to me that you were the queen I hoped you’d be and more.”
I quickly pulled away from her hug as I realized something. "Wait a minute… if you could see what was going on this week, how come you didn’t come to me in my dreams? You must have known how I was missing you!”
She looked guilty. "I know, and I wanted to. But I was working on something very special. I wanted this moment, the moment I finally got to congratulate you, to be perfect."
I smiled at her. "Mom, just the fact that I get to tell my mother I’m the Queen of Elderan is perfect enough. It really doesn’t get any better than that.”
She grinned. “I think it does, though."
I looked at her skeptically. "What exactly are you talking about?”
“Why don’t you just go ahead and turn around?” she said, as she pointed directly past my shoulder.
My heart began to pound in my chest. I wasn’t sure what her surprise could possibly be. I had no idea what could make this moment better.
I slowly shifted my body, turning around nervously. My jaw dropped when behind me, standing in the flesh, was my father.
My hand immediately flew to my mouth as tears began to fill my eyes. "Dad?" I asked.
He was smiling from ear to ear. “Hey, princess. Or should I say Queen?”
I ran toward him, threw myself around him, and cried into his shoulder.
This was a day that I thought would never, ever come. I had long ago accepted that I’d never communicate with my father again. Even after I saw my mother, I knew that it could not happen with my father. He wasn’t a wizard. He didn’t have the power to come to me in my dreams.
“You know how I said I wanted so badly to come to two people at once in a dream? Well, that's what I was working on all week. It wasn’t easy at all, but I finally mastered it. I can bring your father with me now to visit you.”
“So… this won’t be the only time?” I gasped. "I get to keep seeing you?”
“You do.” My father gripped my shoulders tightly. "Oh, honey, I'm so very proud of you. You have no idea. I always knew you were an incredible young lady destined for greatness. But being able to see it play out has been the greatest honor of my life. I'm so very proud of the woman you’ve become.”
I couldn't stop bawling. It took minutes for me to calm down.
When I finally did, I wasn’t sure what there was to say. There was only one thing I wanted to repeat over and over again.
“I love you. I love you so much.” I turned my head to my mother, who was now standing to the right of us. “And you too, Mom.”
She came in close, pulling us both together in her arms. “I love you too, baby,” she whispered.
I never thought I’d have a moment like this again with my parents. And I was going to keep having them! They’d be able to continue to be a part of my life…
It wasn't as good as having them alive, but damn, it was pretty close.
Epilogue
I looked over the ocean, my hair whipping in the wind as I waited for my three boys to come out here.
They arrived, just a short few minutes later. Rhyion had a pen and paper in his hand, ready to write down everything we said in today’s meeting.
We did this once a week. At first, we had meetings in the conference room in the castle… but I hated that. First, because it kept me indoors, and second, because it made my lovers feel like my personal assistants… which they were not. I much preferred meeting outdoors as we went over our rundown for the week.
As each walked up to me, they all gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek, one by one, before taking seats beside me on the rocks that sat upon the cliff that overlooked the sea. I stayed standing, however.
“Rhyion, how were public opinion polls this week?” I asked.
“Even better than the last. You’re up to an 85% approval rating.”
“Not bad… yeah, that’s not bad at all. We’re continuing to move up.”
When I started out as Queen six months ago, I only clocked in at about a 60% approval rating. Although I didn’t really think a full 40% disliked me. Rather, I believed they were… skeptical about me. And they had a right to be. None of them knew me or what kind of leader I was going to be.
But after the programs I’d instated, the money that they already received, the shifter security force that I'd put into place, and the elections that happened three months ago… It was clear that I intended to follow up on all my promises.
“Crime seems to be down this week as well,” Angelo told me. I’d made him head of the security force, both within the castle and internationally.
“Good. Is there anything I need to know?” I asked.
“Not really. They’re still making new hires across the country—new shifters sign on every day.”
Soon after I got into power, I offered shifters an opportunity to work on our police force across the country. They’d be guaranteed hires because I knew how hard it was for shifters to get jobs. So many jumped on board immediately, and even six months later, they were still signing up.
“Good… this was the police force my ancestors wanted. It’s a lot safer than just the humans policing society.”
It had also had a positive impact on how people viewed shifters. I had to admit, that was probably the hardest part of my job… trying to change how people felt about shifters. Even with the new anti-discrimination laws I’d put into place, discrimination ran rampant. It frustrated me to no end, considering the greatest loves of my life were all shifters.
But Rhyion was constantly reminding me that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and that this change would be slow but would come eventually. I had to be patient and allow people to see just how wrong they were about shifters… and eventually they would.
I turned to Lio. “Anything scheduled this week?”
“You've got a television interview on Sunday, yes.”
Lio had become primarily responsible for public opinion. He scheduled press conferences, interviews, anything to get me out in the open and talking to the people of Elderan. Lio believed the more people of Elderan trusted me, the more my public opinion would go up. And he wasn't wrong.
By now, the people of Elderan knew my entire story. They knew of my parents and how they’d been killed by my boyfriend, how I hid away to try and train as a witch to fight Robert, how I was captured… They knew of all of the evil that was done to me and my family.
It humanized me. People saw me not just as the queen, but as another person who had suffered the way they had and wanted to make a better world.
And I was. I was so uncomfortable with being Queen at first because it felt like I had inherited a disaster, but six months later, I was so proud of the work I’d done. I’d truly made change. There were still a ton of changes I wanted to make, but I had a government by the people, everyone was sheltered and fed, I had instituted minimum wage laws and anti-discrimination laws… I was making Elderan a better place every single day. And I had no plans to stop.
I looked at all three of my boys curiously.
"What is it?” Rhyion asked.
“Nothing, it’s just… We’ve been so busy lately, running the country and everything, that I don’t think I tell you guys enough… I love you. I appreciate you. I know from the bottom of my heart that I would not be standing here today without you. It makes sense to me that all three of you were meant to be my destiny because I wouldn’t be completely happy without all three of you. With you, I’m fulfilled, deep in my heart and soul. And because of that fulfillment, I can be the leader I always wanted to be.”
I could feel myself tearing up, but I was just so overwhelmed with the love I had for them. They completed me, and I needed each and every one of them. If I lost one, I didn't know where or who I'd be.
All three of them stood up and came close,
wrapping their arms around me in a group hug. They did this from time to time, usually when I was getting emotional. It was one of my favorite moments, holding all three of them close to me. They brought me a feeling of safety and protection that I'd never known before.
“We love you so dearly,” Lio said softly as Angelo and Rhyion each kissed one of my cheeks.
This was it… This was my version of happily ever after. It may have been unconventional, not exactly what I’d believed I’d find when I was little… But it was perfect.
With them by my side to build back Elderan, I knew I’d be happy forever.
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