Jewels of the Crown

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I stand in front of the group of advisors, feeling like a little kid again. My parents' voices fill my head.

"Never allow anyone to make you feel inferior. Stand your ground, raise your head, meet their eyes, and be the most important person in the room. Because you are, everyone is in their own way. Anyone who is made to feel inferior is the bigger and better person, no matter who they are, because they don't look down upon someone else. No one is actually inferior, they're only made to feel that way."

I do exactly that, and raise my gaze, meeting his eyes in an almost challenge, daring him to say what he is going to anyway.

"We have been talking, and we believe-" I cut him off, not allowing him to have the power in the conversation, or to talk on behalf of everyone in the room.

"We?" I inquire, looking around the room of old men. My eyes rest on each familiar face for only a second, willing anyone to disagree with the sentiment of what he's about to say. My gaze lingers on the youngest of the men, Robert, his black hair is however still tainted by white hairs flecked throughout. He can say, though, that he is the last remaining advisor to have any colour in his hair. His face is lined with wrinkles and sagging in places, looking a lot more weathered and old than I remember. He gives me a strained smile, letting me know he doesn't agree with their judgement, but he's been overruled so he can't do anything.

I've only seen him a handful of times since my father died, and looking at him know, I can almost imagine my father standing in the room, putting them all in their place. Whenever I was growing up, and there was some sort of problem, the first person that my father went to, and trusted the most, was him, and as a result he's the person I trust the most in this room. He was one of my father's closest friends as well as confident.

"Yes, we," Reginald confirms for the room.
I bite my tongue, knowing that there is a time and place to bring him up on talking for the room. If I am going to possibly disagree with what he's got to say, then I want him on my side, and not annoyed by my actions.

I clasp my hands in front of me, waiting for him to continue.

"We think that the wisest choice is to start preparing you to take over from the queen. She is unfortunately in a place where her duties can't be performed to their full extent, and possibly in the next few months her strength, and potentially her mental abilities, could decline. As a result..."

"Excuse me?" I exclaim, forgetting about my decorum and allowing my emotions to show.
Reginald blinks a couple of times, but continues, ignoring my outburst. "As a result, we think that it would be best to start looking for a suitor for you, in preparation for for when it's time to take your rightful place."

I stay silent, flabbergasted at his remarks. Surely my mother didn't have anything to do with this. I don't even know where to start with my reply, and what to address first, as it was all wrong on so many different levels. Firstly, he is potentially going behind my mother's back. Secondly, he is under the impression that my opinions, and abilities to rule, are only worthwhile with a man beside me in advance. He knows that if I am married to someone before I ascend to the throne, my jurisdiction and power will be diminished by my husband. I would end up being stuck beside someone I potentially don't love for the rest of my life. My father and mother have always been of the persuasion that the rule of a princess needing a king to become queen is wrong, and they were hoping to be able to change it. But they were both busier with other things, and both weren't expecting to need to change it so soon. They thought I would be more of an adult, and already have someone in my life, so they had no need to change it hastily. It's a long process, and I think even now if my mother were to say that she wanted to change it, most of the advisors would stand in the way, and would argue that she wasn't of sound mind, which is absolutely wrong.