The f*******n Crown

Chapter |5|

E M M E L I N E ‘ S P. O. V

Here, I found it." All four of us pile around the dusty book, barely strung together and browning.

Daph moves to flip the pages, forcing Damien to grab her hand. "Ow, jeez what's your problem string bean?"

Ajax and I attempt to stifle our laughter, whilst Damien flashes us all his signature glare. "Don't encourage her, it's juvenile and outdated."

"You didn't think that when you told on me." I remember that. Daphne was pissed, since her punishment meant missing our annual sleepover party. She's held a grudge ever since.

"I was 12, and it worked, didn't it?"She sticks her tongue out at him viciously.

"Okay, okay let's just focus on the thing in front of us." I turn to Damien. "What is this thing?"

"It's a book, Emmy. I know Ajax doesn't know what they are but you definitely should." I slug his arm, and Ajax barks out another laugh, shaking his head.

"You bastard." Damien smiles, and carefully opens it.

The scribe is completely illegible to my eyes, but Damien read it like he has a thousand times before. "This is your way out, Emmeline. It dates every marriage within your lineage, dating back hundreds of years."

"So my parents?" He points at the faint ink. "And one day, I'll be in there too."

Ajax interjects, blowing out breath, like he always does when he's bored. "How is some stuffy book gonna save Emmeline from marrying some royal asshole and a lifetime of boring s*x?" I glare at him for that.

I hate mentioning s*x in front of this dynamic, especially since Damien is the only one who doesn't know Ajax is the one giving me insane orgasms.

"Well, if there is a royal in here who married someone outside of the law. For example, choosing not to marry a woman during the auction era, then we could use that to argue our case against the advisors and forge our own loophole."

"Like me," Daph is free. It only took a month for her and her clever mother to find evidence that one of her ancestors not only married a farmer, but a man. They were a same s*x couple, something unheard of within ruling a kingdom, and although their reign was short, it was enough to overturn the rule dictating she must marry a royal.

Now my cousin is finally happy with the love of her life and Daph has already spoken to me about plans to propose!

"Exactly but it's gonna be a long shot."

"It might be my only chance, and I'm not gonna just let it go." I look to each of them, the closest people in my life. Each of them nod, and then Damien carefully passes us a section of papers and a magnifying glass.

Don't ask. Damine hates his birthday, but the only gift he has ever accepted was an elaborate set of magnifying glasses gifted to him by his father.

Two hours later, and I'm only halfway through my papers. Damien is...well Damien, already on a second round of papers, Ajax is yawning again, struggling to fight sleep due to late night patrols, and Daph is rifling through her anxiously.

"Daph it's fine just go. You'll miss your flight." She gives me a pointed look.

"I own the plane, Emmeline."

I laugh quietly, careful not to disturb the others. "Calla is waiting and I'll be damned if you make that girl wait any longer for you. Go, go," I practically shove her to the door.

"I love you," She clings onto my tight, like she knows inside all hope of ever making my own future is slowly crumbling away.

I carefully shut the door after she leaves, and settle on the pink ottoman again. The library study is practically always abandoned, one of the reasons Damien loves it so much. It's weird to think we all grew up here, shared the same home, yet at times it felt like we were miles apart from each other.

"f**k yes!" Damien suddenly shouts, fisting the paper in the air. Relief consumes his eyes as we both make our way over to him and I can feel my heart anxiously racing inside of my chest.

"You found it?" He nods, which causes me to glance back at Ajax who shares in our elation.

I stand by the table, overlooking the mess of papers before us, but Damien wraps one arm around my waist, and pulls me onto his lap. I'm sure I look absurd with my eyes practically hanging out of my head, but he doesn't let me go or push me away, instead he holds me closer.

"This okay?" His voice sounds huskier than usual. It forces my lips to part but no sound comes out except embarrassingly heavy breathing. I nod quickly, but then look at Ajax, to see if there's even a slight tinge of jealousy which would make me jump up.

Instead he's simply, admiring us both and smiles softly, resting his hand on Damien's shoulder to look closer at the papers.

This should be weird. Right?

Me on the lap of my best friend, whilst my other best friend and the man I'm sleeping with watches on.

Yet, somehow it feels like the most natural thing in the world.

"So she's called Marie. Queen Marie and a very distant ancestor of yours, we're predating the auction era which was enforced a few hundred years ago. Anyway it reads that she was the first ever female heir, so of course comes the stipulation of marriage before reigning as Queen. She wanted to rule, so she married one of her guards. It was a quick affair, official as a clergy member signed off on the contract and then she declared this before the advisors. They were pissed, naturally, and they planned to have her overthrown. Instead she killed them...and every last member of their family with her new husband leading the charge."

"f**k, we can't do that." Murder I draw the line at. I may be unsure of how I would run my kingdom yet, but I know I would never want to sit on the throne knowing that blood was shed to get there.

"I know, I'm thinking we just subtly hint at the story. Hint the threat, make them know that you hold the power and not them. You'll already have 2 votes." Him and Uncle Elliot, but it's never enough because Huxley has his claws sunk into most of the council members.

Ajax leans over to point something out. "What does that mean? King consort?"

Damien grins up at me. "You'll love this." My gaze drifts to his lips, those perfect lips I've only ever tasted once before, mere inches from mine. f**k, I want him. "Her husband was not King, he had no real authority over her rule or any decisions made. Yes, he could suggest them, but ultimately Marie was the sole ruler, and she maintained her power, even within being married."

"Were they happy?"

He pauses for a beat, before smiling. "They went on to have eight children, and were found dead together holding hands in their bed at the age of 86. I would suspect they were happy, that eventually they fell in love."

"I want that." I whisper, but they both hear it. And together they grab my hands, promise in their gazes.

***

My father is still pacing the room. His crown rests crookedly on his head, almost slipping off. I remember playing with the crown as a kid, trying to pry off each glimmering jewel that sits on top, wearing it and pretending that it was my coronation. Everything was easier then, it's easier to pretend.

My mom catches it, and gently fixes it, forcing him still. His lips rise, simply watching her breathe.

She's everything to him. They were one of the lucky ones.

But I can't disregard the amount of death and pain and suffering that others have felt. Those poor girls in the competition with my mom, the girls before her and before her, and female heirs like me that are pushed into marriage.

"Dad, what do you think?" The meeting is scheduled to occur in half an hour.

Damien and Ajax are informing their parents right now, both of their families are highly influential within court and may be enough to sway the advisors. Even Xander, a former advisor and my mom's close friend, sent a letter showing his support of the new rule.

That any heir, regardless of gender, has the right to choose their spouse and the ability to rule without one too.

"It's a lot of change, Em, and these people are callous and cruel and they will never see the world the way younger generations do. It took so long to ban the auctions, to get rid of the houses and so much opposition against it. You will be walking into a room full of misogynists that already think you lack the capabilities to rule and they will try to destroy you because of it. They will use this as an excuse to take everything away from us." My dad approaches me, resting his hand on my shoulder softly. "Being the monarch is hard, especially when everyone believes you have all the power and don't see the struggle to cling onto it from others. Anything passes and they will blame you, even if you're not the one who enforced it."

"They'll try and push me out."

"Yes, and they won't stop until you are begging them to let you go."

I force back my tears. Be strong, Emmeline. Be f*****g strong.

But the truth is I am terrified. I've always been scared of the council, and that has never left me even as I stand here as heir to the throne.

"You can't come in." I admit to more to myself than anything else.

He smiles, understanding everything like he always does. "I know, sweetheart. This is your time now."

My mom flashes me a thumb's up, hastily wiping away a few stray tears. "You're my strong girl, and don't look away from them. Especially Huxley, no matter how much intimidation they throw at you."

I nod, just as the door clicks open. Ajax and Damien enter with their parents. Aunt Rory holds me tight, whispering, "Give them all hell."

Uncle Wyatt and Elliot walk with us, present in almost every council meeting as advisors to the court. I stare at the oak door, hesitating to go in first.

I called this meeting, and they all know that. They're probably laughing at the silly little princess and her dumb ideas, believing I have no real power, not real authority over them.

"f**k them," Ajax whispers into my ear. A smile tugs at my lips.

Damien stands on my other side, before slightly behind. "They are your subjects, you own them."

Figuratively of course, but their words overpower any resounding fear that I have, and I force the door open.

We walk in, me and my closest allies.

All eight advisors sit around the huge table. Add Wyatt and Elijah that makes twelve. Damien is my personal advisor and one day he'll take his father's place but for now, he stands besides me.

They both do.

Huxley is in perfect line with my gaze, right before me. He smirks, annoyingly so, the thick grey moustache curled to a perfect point. "Princess Emmeline, and what do we owe to this gracious presence?"

A few of the other sniggers like I'm an inside joke to their gentleman's club. Ajax glares but it's his father who interjects, "Princess Emmeline is the heir to the throne, so she holds more authority above all of us and you will act as such."

Wyatt controls the army, so they all shut up.

I stand a little taller, and imagine they're all dogs. I like dogs and somehow that always works for me.

Huxley is a Rottweiler, but I'm flanked by a German Shepard and Retriever. They're loyal and strong and they will protect me.

No matter what, I have them.

"First I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me." My concentration falters at the quiet mocking laughs that echo. "I..uh...I want to address the topic of my marriage. I will not be marrying for the sake of this council, when and if I choose to marry it will be for me. It will be to a suitor of my choice, and they will be my partner, not King. They will rule besides me, but as heir to the throne I will hold the power and authority in terms of ruling. This will also apply to future generations of the monarchy. Marriage is for life, it is not something that should be dictated by others and I hope to enforce this among the kingdom. For women to have the right to choose their husbands."

Silence befalls the room. I watch them all, calculated vultures, but Huxley I can't read at all.

Ajax nudges my side, "You killed it Princess," Damien catches my hand on my other side and squeezes it tight.

I feel proud, strong, almost untouchable. It's a f*****g powerful feeling.

Then he laughs. A callous haunting laugh that makes my skin crawl.

"Well well little princess, looks who's all grown up. You believe because you have a right to dictate such a notion before us. We have centuries of experience between us, and you know nothing of what it takes to control a kingdom like this. Your role as princess is to sit on the throne one day and smile and wave and look pretty for all your subjects to bow down to. We run this kingdom, your husband will be a man with his own power and title and wealth, and hopefully put you in your f*****g place."

Ajax and Damien step forward, but I gesture them back. "We have evidence of this having happened before. One of my ancestors she..."

"Yes, yes we all know the story." He cuts me off, a callous smirk on his face. "Queen Marie. She killed the advisors and their families, then married some lowlife."

"Marie became one of the most notable monarchs in history. She made advances and changes that are still viable today, proof as a woman I can rule even without a man by my side."

"You think the support of two advisors, and a letter from that pathetic Xander will work? If you attempt to kill any of us, we have a plan in place that will invite forces from around the kingdom to create a rebellion against the monarchy. They will overthrow you, kill you and all your family, and Dahlia will be left in ruins."

I struggle to breathe simply thinking of the chaos that would inflict.

"You f*****g bastard!" Uncle Wyatt stands abruptly, forcing his son and Uncle Elliot to try and calm him down.

"You would risk the lives of millions, children and families killed, because of your own selfish intent?"

Huxley merely shrugs. "I would be dead, what do I care?"

"You..." Damien seethes.

"The clock is ticking now Princess. I was willing to be lenient with the timeline of your marriage, you should have been muzzled and chained to a man years ago, but for now I will give you 8 months. 8 months to find a husband and be married. That is your only role in this world Princess. Marry and make heirs. It's a simple task, let's see if you can fulfil it."

________________________________

A/N: Huxley might just be one of my most annoying villains ??

Let me know what you thought of the chapter? All comments appreciated and loved ?