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“Arigomy, are you excited for your coronation tomorrow?” Auntie Grace asked me.
We were planting broccoli seeds in the backyard. Auntie Grace had wanted me to plant a Gardenia shrub, which I had no idea what that was until Auntie showed me a picture of one, and I knew I wanted nothing like that in the castle's gardens. Why plant a shrub when you can plant a vegetable like broccoli, which can feed everyone? I had no idea that broccoli seeds looked like tiny brown balls, but whatever they looked like, I was more eager to plant them than I was any flower at all.
“No, I am not excited for my crowning ceremony.” I answered Auntie Grace truthfully.
“Why? I haven’t heard you talk about it much either.”
“Because I don’t want to rule this kingdom! The people are stupid, and once I’m queen I’ll have to deal with all their problems, and whatnot, and I just don’t want that responsibility.”
Auntie Grace was surprised, “Well- do you know how many girls would love to be in your shoes!? Do you realise how much privileges you have as princess!?”
“No! I don’t realise how much privilege I have, because this is the only life I know! I’m very grateful to have been raised in a castle and to have never been hungry, but that doesn’t mean I have to want to be Queen! I still don’t want to have to make war decisions or fix town buildings and whatnot!”
“You very much are a strange princess. Wanting to plant broccoli in the royal gardens instead of fabulous Garenia, wanting no royal pets, blaming your mothers death on Happy- drink… Arigomy, you’re making that weird face again.”
What I would never tell her is that I was holding back my tears. How could she just bring up my mother’s death as if it was common conversation? Screw Auntie Grace!
“Leave me alone,” I said to her.
“What?” Auntie Grace asked.
That’s when the castle's back doors opened. “Princess Arigomy, the king would like to speak to you,” servant Tom said.
“You mean Dad?” I asked him rhetorically as I quickly got up and dusted my apron off. I tried to wipe all the dirt off on Auntie Grace as I left.
I quickly threw off my apron on a dining room chair and walked down the long hallway leading up the stairs to Dad’s office.
“Do you have to follow me all the way to Dad’s office?” I asked Tom.
“Well, it’s formal in this kingdom for the castle staff to accompany the young descendants on their way to somewhere important.”
“Well, I don’t need you to accompany me. I know exactly where my fathers office is. Goodbye!” I shooed him away.
“You’re quite the individual, Arigomy. Just like the king himself. When he was younger he was just like you actually,” Tom said before leaving back down the shiny tile stairs.
Tom sort of assured me. Since people always called me weird I often felt strange, like I was the only one who preferred food plants to flowers, or hated Happy-drink with every atom in my genetic makeup. I was glad to know my father was at least very much like me. That I wasn’t the only one who was… different from the crowd.
As I approached Dad’s office, I could hear talking through the huge wooden doors. Laughing.
Who did he invite into his office? I thought. Father never invites anyone to his office. I opened both the doors wide to reveal two tall people, and a boy who looked my age. The two tall people had crowns made of silver with purple diamonds in them, and while the man had a long purple robe with white fur with black dots edging it, the woman had a long silver cheetah-print dress. Dad was the last to notice me at the door and stood up smiling.
“Arigomy, there’s my smart girl! Here is my buddy Martin, with his family Queen Essence and Prince Jay.
Ah, so this was the famous Martin Dad was always writing letters to about the latest basketball scores to or arguing with for hours. I had no idea Martin was the king of his own land. Prince Jay kept staring at me, his rich dark brown eyes studying me.
“So you are Miss Arigomy, who’s going to be crowned Queen tomorrow huh?” King Martin asked me.
“Yes.” that was all I could say without sounding awkward, though I prayed he wouldn’t ask me if I was excited for the occasion.
“Hm. Are you ready to take over this huge land and be the face of an entire kingdom?” asked Queen Essence.
*Aw, great. She asked me. *
I refused to be rude to Dad’s guests, but I also refused to lie. “...No.” I said honestly.
Thing’s got quiet for a second before Dad said, “Why don’t you show Jay around the kingdom, you both could go outside and play football or something.”
I decided I’d take a walk with Jay around the capitol city just east of the castle. We were quiet the whole way through, just walking, Jay looking around at all the carriages and people harvesting water from a water pump, or children running across the stone path playing with dolls and such.
“Arigomy, that’s your name right?” Jay turned and looked at me.
“Yeah.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to the queen before you? Your…”
“My Mom?” I finished for him. “She died… she died to Happy-drink.” I told him.
“You really think she did?” Jay asked me.
I know she did! I wanted to yell, but there would be no use. No one ever believed me when I told them. Happy-drink, a bubbly orange drink that was supposed to make people relaxed and happy, had a lot of side-effects that people didn’t care to read. Side-effects that could lead to death.
“Well, I don’t know,” I told Jay. who knows? Maybe I really was wrong about her death.
“Well, I believe Happy-drink is what killed my grandmother. She tried not to have too much, but she loved it so much that when we found her in her room dead, she had the orange liquid leaking out of her mouth, and a bunch of empty cans next to her.”
I cringed at the thought.
“So you think happy drink kills people too, huh?” I asked Jay.
He nodded. “It kills lots of people. My father won’t address the problem because it makes him loads of money. People love that stuff.”
“Tell me about it,” I laughed and Jay did too.
Jay was actually a pretty nice guy. He made me feel like I was not alone in this world.
“You know, sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who thinks that Happy-drink is awful. Like I’m weird or something, since everyone else thinks it’s great.”
“I thought like that too. Except, I don’t think I’m weird. So what If I’m the only one who hates the drink!? If people want to risk their lives to drink it, then so what? Even if I’m their prince, I can’t control their lives. It does feel good though, to have someone agree with you and have the same headspace as you.” Jay smiled shyly at me.
“Yeah, you're right. I like you, Jay. You know- not weirdly, but as a friend!”
Jay laughed. “Don’t worry, I know what you mean. I understand.”
Then came the big day.
And unfortunately, I had a plan.
Today, I was going to become queen. I had asked for Happy-drink not to be served at my ceremony, and though I got a few angry faces, I stuck to my own word. Everyone was in the castle, waiting for my arrival.
My black, curly hair was done into cornrows so tight they almost hurt.
I walked down the throne room with confidence. To either side of me, there were what had to be hundreds of people stuffed staring at me as I walked up to the throne. I looked at everyone briefly and subtly, careful not to stare.
I saw Jay in the front row of the crowd to my right, his mother’s hands on his shoulders. He gave me a thumbs up and a little smile. I smiled back at him.
I finally made it to the crown.
My father smiled at me.
My heart raced. Who knew if he would like what I was about to do? Would he hate me?
“Today, you all have gathered around to watch as I crown my daughter, Arigomy Verday, to be queen of the Star kingdom.”
My father turned to me.
“Arigomy, I hear by crown you, Queen of the Star kingdom.”
I didn’t say it! I had promised I’d say it before he dubbed me queen!
Before the crown touched my head I leaped up.
“Wait! Before you dub me queen, I have an announcement to make! Number one, as soon as I have power to do so, I am banning Happy-drink! I do not give one crap about how much you like it, it is deadly for everyone, especially kids my age, and if you don’t like it, you can leave the kingdom! Secondly, after that, I’m abolishing this whole monarchy. You shouldn’t have to have someone ruling over you at every moment of your life!”
I turned to servant Tom who stood straight as a stick behind the crowd. He didn’t look baffled, but rather… joyous?
“Tom, you shall have payment for your service along with the rest of the servants of this castle. This kingdom is going to get some very major changes, and if you don’t like it, well, you can always leave!”
Silence, then one man in the crowd said:
“She’s delusional! She can’t become queen! No one said Happy-drink was a kids drink, and why does she care who drinks it anyway!? Besides, the monarchy works! Somebody get her out of here!
“Somebody get him out of here! A lady yelled, and soon everyone was throwing apples at that man and pushing him out of the crowd.
Everyone started to rejoice and yell, of happiness, and celebration music began to play.
"To queen Arigomy!" yelled Tom.
I turned to Dad, who was smiling at me.
I was shocked. Happy even. “Dad! You aren’t mad at me!?”
“No, Arigomy. Actually, I’m actually quite proud of you. You did everything I would've done at my coronation, if I wasn’t so afraid of what all my subjects would think of me. Arigomy, you did good. I’m sure your Mom would have been proud of you as well.”
I smiled, happier than I had ever been in a long time.
I ran to Jay and gave him a big hug. “Thanks for the thumbs up, Jay. You’ve been an awesome friend for as long as I’ve known you.”
“Well, it’s you who’s really done something today. You’re awesome Arigomy, just the way you are.”
I smiled. I could tell me and Jay would be friends for a long time.
And that, is how my coronation crumbled.
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