Red, White, & Royal Pain

4.1

As they walk up the familiar ivy covered stones that lead towards the palatial grounds, they are all hand in hand. Alex and Henry walking in the center, each with one child flanked on one side. Here goes nothing. Although, it's funny how quickly nothing can turn into the biggest headline story of the year, isn't it? Let's go back to the beginning shall we...?

***

The queen is dead. That women might have had a heart of stone, but it just never seemed like that unfeeling lump would one day be gone. Inside of the Claremont-Diaz Mountchrisen Windsor (yes, the kids do get made fun of for that mess of a last name) household, there's a storm of various emotions brewing. 

     Alex for one, has absolutely no clue how he's supposed to be feeling. He had always been very open about his feelings towards the queen. It wasn't a secret that he hated her guts and despised her as graciously as he did the devil himself, but for Henry's sake, he was confused. Henry had never cared for his grandmother either. She had never been the warm type of stereotypical grandma who gives grand hugs and bakes you cookies, but more of the strict and disapproving figure in his life. If one thing was for sure, it was that Gran never ran out of necessary improvements for Henry to make. But nonetheless, they were family. And that's why Henry was confused as hell when he heard the news from his sister Bea and felt absolutely nothing. Not even a drop of grief. No sorrow. Not even a sick sense of joy. Nothing.
Considering the way at which she had forced her grandson to closet (pun intended) his emotions for years, just to preserve the perfect image of royalty, maybe he felt glad that she had reached her end. But he wouldn't dare say that. So he was left with his nothingness. And that was okay for now.
Thinking through his emotions was an ordeal that would have to wait however, because along with Bea's call, Princess Catherine phoned. It was her turn to take throne now, and claim her rightful position as Queen she had told him over the phone. Would they like to attend her claiming ceremony? she had inquired. Yes, he told her, him and Alex and the children would be there. Great. A royal family reunion.
Alex was prepared to follow through with whatever Henry wanted. Whether that was completely ditching the ceremony and stopping by Henry's favorite falafel truck, or politely attending to honor his mother. Either way there was one problem that presented itself: Philip. Ceremony or not, Philip would be in the same general vicinity as they would, and well, Philip was an arse. An obtuse fucking arsehole. He would never change his opinion on the life that Henry and Alex had built for themselves, and for this Philip was as good as a stranger to his family. The odds of seeing his royal lowliness of a brother was much too high for any actual sense of security. On the other hand, Catherine has really been improving her motherly game lately. She's much less distant, and not to mention all of the times that she stood up for Henry and Alex's relationship when it was endangered.
After battling both points of view in his head multiple times over, Henry had made his decision. The Claremont-Diaz Mountchrisen Windsor family would be taking on England.