Michael

I walk with James and his wife to the throne room where Raeanne has called a castle-wide meeting this morning. The three of us shuffle up to the front and stand off to the side of the Queen.

"What is this about?" I ask James, hoping he knows what Rae is about to do.

"I haven't got a clue. I was hoping you knew." He replies.

Voices quiet to a whisper and then silence all together when it it obvious the Queen is ready to begin. "Good morning everyone. Thank you for joining me this morning. I won't waste your time so I will just get right into it. I am sure by now you have all heard the wonderful news." She motions to where I stand. "James, would you and your lovely wife please join me?"

Rae clasps as James takes Lorena's hand and helps her onto the raised platform on which Rae stands. Everyone else follows suit to welcome the couple to the stage. James smiles and waves to the crowd.

"I wanted you all here so I could announce a few changes that will be happening around here and so that there is no confusion going forward as to what is going on." Rae smiles. Her smile lights up the room. I can tell she is really joyous today. "First, my brother James is back from the dead and he plans on staying here in Estonia with his wife, Lady Lorena. I wish my dearest brother the best of luck with his new title and land."

James' jaw drops. He turns to his sister. I can tell he did not see that coming at all.

"From now on, my brother and his wife will be known as The Duke and Duchess of Jamestown and should be treated as such." Rae leads another set of applause.

James pulls Lorena off to the side as Rae gets ready to announce another important thing. "Those are not the only titles I will be giving out today. This has been a long time coming. I am sorry it took me so long. Would Calum, Luke, and Ashton please join me?"

The crowd moves out of the way to let the three men join The Queen.

"Back when the castle was under siege by insurgents who wished to overthrow the monarchy, these three brave men took it upon themselves to risk their lives for me and my son. Without their bravery and quick thinking, I would surely be dead and I do not doubt my son's life would have been taken from him as well." Rae gives them credit for everything they did for her while I was here defending the castle. They deserve this.

Rae takes a sword from a guard behind her and asks the three men to kneel before her. "Today, they are to be knighted for their bravery." She takes the sword and taps each of their shoulders, quietly thanking them. If I am not mistaken, I think I might have seen a few tears hit the floor. "Please rise, gentleman." They do. "Let's hear it for Sir Calum, Sir Luke, and Sir Ashton."

I clap along with everyone else. I clap so hard I think my hands might fall off from the pressure. I am so proud to call these men my friends.

Rae hugs each of them. "We will speak privately after the ceremony. Please do not leave yet. I have much more to share." She holds them close.

Rae smiles once again. "Next on my agenda is to reveal the program the castle will be launching in my name in an effort to help the people of this great nation. The program will start with all of the staff here at the castle, ensuring they all have much needed breaks and are given proper healthcare and access to funds they need. Once phase one proves successful, we will roll out phase two which is set to focus on the village. I am tremendously excited for what the next months have to bring. I hope you will all join me in my excitement as we strive to make a better life for all Estonians."

The whole room claps without even being asked to. They are thrilled to hear that the castle is taking steps to give them better lives. Things are really looking up from here.

"And lastly, I need to address something very important." She takes a deep breath. "I'm sure you all have heard the rumors about me and my personal guard. Well, the rumors need to end because I am set to be married soon."

James looks at me from the stage just as my heart sinks into my stomach. I can actually feel it break inside my body. To say I am crushed by hearing the words come from her lips is an understatement.

I knew the day was coming where she would have to marry another for political gain but I did not think it would be so soon I wish Rae would have taken the time to tell me the gut wrenching news in private before she went on to tell the whole castle.

I can feel hundreds of eyes burning the back of my skull. I know they are looking at me. They all know who I am.

"From this day forward, Sir Michael will be stepping down as my personal guard and another will take his place." She continues.

I am shocked that this is the first one I am hearing all of this. I am losing my job and she didn't think to tell me beforehand? I can not believe any of this. I hang my head so I do not have to make eye contact with her. Looking at her will just make things hurt worse.

"I do not wish to force Sir Michael to work because I know he is going to be terribly busy planning the perfect way to propose to his Queen." She practically squeals.

My head shoots up and I make eye contact with Rae. Could she be serious? She is smiling from ear to ear, she is positively buzzing.

She continues addressing the crowd without breaking eye contact with me. "The outdated law has finally been abolished. Everyone is free to marry whoever they desire regardless of title, land, or status."

*
Yay! This is a huge win for Rae and Michael!

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