The Third [Solo-RP]

[Aubervijr]

16th of January, 2021
Saturday
Constantijn Palace
Lanorth
20:13

Prince Henry walked through the empty bottom floor of the King's palace. He knew, just beyond a set of double doors, the coffin of his father lay, with the Royal Standard draped over, covering the spruce coffin which he had been laid in. The moving of the coffin had been delayed due to poor weather. Henry couldn't help but pace up and down the room, thinking to himself. He then stopped in his tracks. His hands clasped together, by his back. He was Crown Prince now.

He felt something tug at the corner of his lip. He resisted it at first, but then.

He smiled.

He heard footsteps descending down the grand staircase. A footman reached the bottom floor and bowed his head. "Your Royal Highness", he spoke, "His Majesty wishes to see you in his bedroom."

"What does he want now?" Asked Henry. The footman didn't reply, and waited for Henry to walk past him. Once he did so, the footman followed on. Henry walked up the stairs of the grand staircase, and once he reached the top, took a right turn, walking slowly down a corridor. He turned left down a dark hallway, and opened a door. He entered the room, shutting the door behind him.

He walked inside, to find a priest standing at the far wall opposite the bed. The King had fallen asleep. The King bowed his head as Henry entered. Henry walked over to the man in the bed, and leaned over him. "Wake up!" Henry bellowed, waking Frederik, who instantly burst into a coughing fit, with blood soon tickling down his cheek. Henry grumbled to himself, as he waited for Frederik to get a grip.

"You are unwell, old man." Henry spoke with a hint of anger behind his voice.

"You must be King, Henry..." Frederik mumbled "it is of great importance..."

"I thought you cast me out of succession." Henry mocked, referring to the time Frederik stated he would rather Leopold's younger brother become King.

"Pardon?" Frederik said, confused.

"Fie." Henry bellowed.

"You must..." Frederik's minutes were now limited, as he began to wheeze.

"You feel this unwell. Perhaps you are too warm." Henry said, ripping away the duvet, tossing it onto the floor. "Do you feel better, old man?"

"I want to..." Frederik mumbled a little, however gave up.

"Goed voor niets*, as they say about you." Henry said, slowly picking away at Frederik, or what was left of him. "Rest now."

"You..." Frederik stuttered.

"Quiet, now." Henry persisted. "It's time."

Frederik raised his arm to touch Henry's cheek, but Henry slapped the arm down. Frederik left his arm hanging, trying to enjoy his last moments.

"Don't touch me, wretch." Henry growled. Frederik shrivelled up, his arm falling limp onto the bed. His breathing stopped.

"He is gone." Henry stated, standing up straight. He turned to the priest at the back of the room, who bowed. Henry walked out, opening the door he had came in a while ago, now slamming it shut.

"He's dead." Henry said to the footman standing outside.

"Long live King Henry." The footman replied, bowing his head.

"It's Leopold." Henry corrected him. He knew what he wanted his regnal name to be.

Two weeks apart exactly, Frederick and his son, Charles had passed away, with Charles passing first. Henry was only Crown-Prince for 2 weeks. And now, he was King.

Henry walked through the corridors of the Palace. He turned down a hallway, and stopped in front of a door. He knocked.

"Come in." Came a voice from inside.

Henry opened the door and entered. He shut the door behind him. "Eva." Henry said.

"Oh, Henry." Eva said. Eva was Henry's sister.

"I have some news." Henry said in an emotionless tone.

"What is it?" Eva asked.

"The old man is dead." Henry spoke. Eva looked up.

"What?" Eva asked, standing up from the chair she was sitting in.

"He's dead, Eva." Henry said, more clearly this time. Henry saw no change in Eva's emotions.

"Sorry to hear that." She replied.

"I don't care." Henry shrugged. Eva rolled her eyes.

"Course you don't care." Eva said.

"See you in a bit, Eva." Henry sighed, realising it was a waste of time.

Henry walked out, closing the door behind him. He walked, once again, down the same corridor, before turning right all of a sudden, down a dimly lot hallway. He stopped, once again, in front of a door. He knocked and stepped in, closing the door. He found the King's Private Secretary writing into a small book. "What is it?" He asked. Henry cleared his throat. The man looked up.

"Oh. Your Royal Highness." Said the man, standing up. He bowed his head.

"Right, Michael." Henry said. "The King has passed away. Don't know how else to put this. So, I think you know what to do?"

"Oh, of course," Said Michael. "I'll get it done right away. I'm sorry that His Majesty has passed, Your Majesty."

"Right." Said Henry. Henry walked out. Michael sat down, exhaling sharply.

Whilst Michael followed protocol by contacting the Prime Minister, Henry walked down the Grand Staircase and exited the Palace. Outside, the car he arrived in was waiting for him, with the driver in the drivers' seat. A footman walked up to the back door, opening it for Henry. "Your Royal Highness." The footman said, bowing his head. Only two people, soon to be three, knew of Frederick's passing. So, many assumed Henry was still the heir, and not the King.

Henry got inside of the car, and the footman shut the door behind him. "Vlaardingen Palace, please." Henry said.

"Yes, Your Royal Highness." The car started and drove off. Henry looked out of the window, feeling the same tug at his lips. He closed his eyes, waiting to arrive at the Palace.

Henry fell asleep. When he was woken up by the driver, they had arrived.

"We're here, Your Royal Highness." The driver said.

"Thank you." Henry said. A footman approached the car, opening the door. Henry stepped out. The footman bowed his head.

"Your Royal Highness." Said the footman.

"Thank you." Said Henry, walking up to the steps. Another footman standing at the door bowed his head, as Henry walked inside. He ran through the main hallway, sprinting his way up the stairs. He reached his bedroom and burst through the door, shutting it behind him. He stepped forwards. He sighed, walking over to his desk, where he sat down. He held his head in his hands.

There was a knock at the door. Henry walked up to the door and opened it. In walked Henry's Private Secretary, Captain Sir Robert Bowes.

"Oh, Robert." Henry said.

"Your Majesty." Said Robert, bowing his head. "I hope this can be brief. First, I am deeply sorry for your loss."

"Give it a rest with the condolences." Henry sighed.

"Sorry, Sire. Secondly, we shall need to decide on your name." Robert said.

"My regnal name?" Henry asked.

"Yes, Sire."

"Leopold." Henry replied immediately.

"Are you sure, Sire?" Robert asked.

"Yes." Henry said. Robert wrote something down in a hotter.

Lang leve de Koning."* Said Robert.

"Thank you, Robert, that shall be all." Henry said.

"Very well." Robert said. He bowed his head. "Your Majesty." He walked out, and closed the door. Leopold thought for a moment.

"The third..." he mumbled to himself. He looked outside of his window. He was King now. The tug at his lips was apparent. He wasn't used to smiling much. But he couldn't help but smile now.

---

* Translates to "Good for nothing".

* Translates to "Long live the King".

 

[Aubervijr]

1st of February, 2021
Saturday
Constantijn Palace
Lanorth
9:43 am

Leopold III sat at his personal chair in silence, his fingers laced together. He was looking forwards at a television, hooked to the far wall.

"Good morning." Spoke the reporter. "The Prime Minister, Sebastiaan van Tebberen and his Conservative Coalition have been involved in what has been labelled as a serious political scandal."

Then came another voice, as the camera panned to another reporter.

"Although details are still being released in a steady fashion, we can tell you that the anonymous source has stated that senior party officials have been involved in corruption and prostitution, which they have been accused of prior, but all accusations were covered up in some fashion."

Leopold took a deep breath, as his fingers gently tapped the armrests of the chair, his mind elsewhere. Leopold thought of the sheer audacity of the Cabinet, to turn their back on the oath they took in order to assume their positions. When King Frederik invited the Prime Minister to Constantine Palace, where he was invited to form a Government in the King's name. All of this. Disregarded without a second thought.

Leopold, though, had been alerted of the accusations the previous night, before the media had gotten their hands on the story. A meeting between Leopold and Sebastiaan van Tebberen had already been scheduled for nine-thirty. Sebastiaan was late, something completely unacceptable for a Prime Minister. Leopold expected his guests to be early, by an hour preferably, but to be late, was enraging for the young Monarch.

There was a knock at the door. An equerry opened the door, stepped in and bowed his head at the neck. "The Prime Minister, Sebastiaan van Tebberen, Your Majesty." The equerry spoke in a clear voice. The man stepped in. He bowed his head.

"Your Majesty." He croaked. "May I say..." he began, before his voice quivered, and he fell silent.

"Sit down." Leopold said, pointing to a chair in-front of him, which had deliberately been moved further away from the King. He stepped forward, and sat down. The equerry stepped out of the room, closing the door. The room was silent, apart from the voices coming from the TV. Leopold raised his left hand, pointing at the TV.

"Do you care to explain this?" Leopold asked. Leopold was quite obviously suppressing his anger. And Sebastiaan knew that one wrong answer, would tip Leopold over the edge.

"I..." Sebastiaan began, before stuttering. He opened his mouth once more to speak. No sound came out. He closed his eyes briefly. "First, I'd like to apologise for being late. I was attempting-"

"Enough." Leopold barked. Leopold did not move a muscle. He was a disgrace to the country if the allegations were true, and thus was a disgrace to Leopold. Leopold did not speak after that for exactly twenty seconds, which would allow Leopold's ice cold stare to sink into Sebastiaan.

"I want an explanation, Prime Minister. I am going to count to ten. I'd like an explanation in that time."

"An explanation?" Sebastiaan asked, leaning forwards slightly, concerned. Leopold changed his expression slightly, now nearly daring Sebastiaan to ask further. Sebastiaan didn't speak again.

"One." Leopold said. "Two."

Sebastiaan adjusted himself in the seat.

"Three."

"Okay!" Sebastiaan blurted out, nearly jumping out of his seat. "I admit it, the allegations, they're true." He stopped talking. "Your Majesty." He finished, adding it on. Leopold guessed so.

"I expect your resignation will land on my desk by midnight tomorrow." Leopold began.

"It will be." Sebastiaan said, attempting to seem more confident. Leopold didn't react to Sebastiaan's posture.

Leopold inhaled. "I'd like you to make a public statement, live, in-front of the cameras, admitting that these specific allegations are true. I'd like you to detail the actions of yourself and of your peers." Leopold looked away. "I cannot force you, and you may choose not to. It is merely a personal request from myself, so the people of Lanorth are not..." Leopold paused, looking for the right words, "left feeling confused." He finished.

Sebastiaan did not speak.

"You were asked by my grandfather to form a Government in his name. You have betrayed his trust, and my own. Good day, Mr von Tebberen." Leopold pointed to the door. Sebastiaan stood up, stepping aside. He bowed his head at the neck. "Goodbye, Your Majesty."

"Goodbye." Leopold replied, lacking a hint of emotion. Sebastiaan hastily walked away, with the door being opened for him by the equerry outside. The door was shut.

Leopold stood up, walking over to his desk. The phone rang. He lifted the phone and slammed it back down. He leaned over it, attempting to restrain himself, so he didn't pick it up and slam it against the table until it had shattered into a million pieces. The phone rang again. He picked it up. He waited for a voice.

"Your Majesty?" Came a voice. It was the King's private secretary.

"What." Grumbled Leopold.

"I wanted to remind you that you have a state visit coming up soon, to Aydin, on the 10th of February."

"Right, thank you." Leopold said, before putting the phone down. He didn't think much of it. He slammed the phone down. He placed his hands over the desk, leaning on it, before standing back up. He ran his fingers through his thick, black hair.

He turned on the spot, and began walking towards the door, where he opened it, and then slammed it shut. He needed to take a walk.

As he walked down the corridor, he heard a familiar voice from across the corridor.

"Henry."

Leopold looked up. It was Eva, his sister.

"Oh, sorry, Your Majesty." She said almost mockingly, curtseying. Leopold sniffed.

"Hello, Eva." Leopold said quietly.

The two approached each-other, before they hugged each-other, rather briefly. The two then broke apart.

"How are you?"

"Good" He replied simply.

"I'm glad." Eva replied.

"Right." Leopold said bluntly.

"So." She said awkwardly. Leopold was bored.

"So, what?" Leopold asked.

"Not much else to say." She mumbled.

"I was going for a walk." Leopold said finally, after fifteen seconds, or so, of silence.

"And I was going to see what all of the noise was about." Eva said, raising an eyebrow.

"What noise?" Leopold asked.

"A door being slammed. Presumably, your door." Eva said.

"It was nothing." Leopold said.

"And I doubt that." Eva said, walking over to the door.

"For God's sake." Leopold mumbled, turning. "Stop it."

Eva raised her hands like she had just surrendered, rather mockingly. "Sure." She chuckled.

Leopold put his hands in his pockets. He walked away, leaving Eva to do whatever she wanted. Leopold walked through the hallways of the palace, before walking down the grand staircase, and eventually, ended up at the back doors of the palace. Two footmen guarding the doors bowed their head to Leopold and opened the doors for him. He walked through.

He finally inhaled the brisk cold air. He exhaled sharply. He now thought of Sebastiaan van Tebberen's upcoming resignation. The news of the scandal being true. God knows if the population would forgive the Coalition, which was bound to break apart. He thought for a second. He then realised it.

The next Government could be a Labour one. He could hear the avid Socialists singing songs in the streets already. He frowned. Leopold wasn't too fond of Socialists, but alas, he could not sway the vote of the people. He would have to meet with the leader of the Labour Party soon. But first, he would have to prepare for his state visit to Aydin. His mind, once again, began to wander, as he thought of the country. He closed his eyes briefly, thinking of the controversies that had emerged from Aydin. He shook his head slightly, and began his walk around the palace grounds.