Where Mountain Meets Sea: HAWAII'S STORY (1) [REWRITTEN]

Constants

Hawaiʻi looked back up at her king giving his inaugural address today. Hawai'i had the utmost pleasure of having to stand in the sun, still hot and irritable in this clothing that she had recently gotten used to. The first part was delivered in Hawaiian, but Hawaiʻi was shocked to hear him translate it into English as well.

He was only 20 years old when he took the throne and full of anger and fire in him. He was the younger of two sons, his older brother being not in line for the throne, as he wasn't adopted alongside his brother.

The great Kamehameha III, Hawaiʻi's friend, was dead. Sure, she had her times of questioning him, but overall, she had loved that man since he was a little boy. And now it was time to serve his son and to be as loyal to ʻIolani as she was to his father. Emma and he were to be wed in the next year. And, of course, that would lead to another child, another king, another person to care about and then die. Like every human that had walked and breathed. How lovely of a thought to have!

The last child of Kamehameha the Great was dead, and the new era was born.

"Let it be one of increased civilization—one of progress, industry, temperance, morality, and all those virtues which mark a nation's progress." ʻIolani's voice held the slightest bit of an American accent, which Hawaiʻi found lovely to hear. He was taught by Judd and the Cookes, after all!

In his commanding voice, ʻIolani paid tribute to his late father. He hailed the former monarch as a steadfast ally of foreigners and expressed his contentment in knowing that Kamehameha III had earned their trust and affection. He spoke of the generosity and liberality that Kamehameha III had exhibited towards them.

Too much, as he had said to Hawaiʻi in previous conversations.

He then emphasised that kindness and generosity towards foreigners were not novel concepts in their history. He asserted that it was an ancestral legacy passed down through generations, and he could not ignore the example set by his forefathers.

He wished to wean Hawaiʻi off from certain influences, he had said, but he would not elaborate on what influences. He said the foreigners would be welcome as long as they held honourable intentions, to advance their own interests while respecting the rights of their neighbours.

However, ʻIolani's demeanour changed as he addressed those with less noble motives. He warned that if any foreigner arrived solely with the intent of exploiting the natives for their own gain, betraying their trust, or harbouring ambitions to overthrow their government, causing chaos, confusion, and bloodshed, then they would be most unwelcome. He reiterated this sentiment, emphasising the unacceptability of such behaviour.

"But if he comes here with no more exalted motive than that of building up his own interests at the expense of the native—to seek our confidence only to betray it—with no higher ambition than that of overthrowing our government and introducing anarchy, confusion, and bloodshed, then—then I repeat, he is most unwelcome!"

Hawaiʻi frowned at the last sentence. Overthrowing the government? What in the world was on Iolani's mind to make him say such a thing? Sure, foreigners talked about eventually being annexed to Britain or America, but it was simply not likely, fantastical rumours and dreams with no real meat to them. Why would the king have such strong feelings about this? There was no threat of invasion, not since France.

The King was being irrationally paranoid.

That was all.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

"You've been folding and unfolding that letter in your hands for the past twenty minutes. Are you alright?" America was sitting on Hawaiʻi's couch as she paced and spoke, a norm of their meetings with each other. Hawaiʻi flopped down next to him, irritatedly groaning.