THE NEXT HEIR

THE NEXT HEIR

“We are here,” Candice said beside him, and when he pretended not to hear, she hit his thigh softly with a fist.

“Ouch!” he yelped, “and was that even necessary. Where are we?”

He opened his eyes and what met his gaze left him open mouthed. They had said he had been summoned to Andorra for government business. Before that he had never known there was a country called Andorra. Even with a Masters Degree in Education such things were the least of his enthusiasms. Oh good grief, who cared to know about paltry countries nowadays?

Well, he had to deal with the inquiries later because at the present Candice was pulling him out of the car, which had parked near the wide large double doors to a huge castle entrance and the height of the building made him so dizzy. It was a far cry from his newly purchased Capetown residence, and he wondered for the thousandth time that week what had made these government officials convince him to accompany them for this business because there were things that he had to fix that could put the whole nation in jeopardy. What things, they refused to tell and said the King would say so himself. King? Who in this twenty first century gave heed to kings? Just a waste of money taxing poor innocent people to support a royal family that only was of use in jamborees or some other function where there were dress ups and cavalcades and fireworks.

Okay, so he was here for top secret business, as he was told. He had no time to assess his surroundings because he also was instantaneously surrounded by bodyguards the moment he stepped out of the car. Not that he envisaged to get a tour of the place, he wanted out of here as soon as he could. He had a lot of reading to do if he was to get his doctorate in the current year. Though money had never been as scarce, which had always perplexed him because his mother had been a single mother working as a sales assistant at Woolworths but managed to afford a relatively expensive house and bills without being in debt, he could definitely not afford to carry over the next semester. He had plans of opening an institute of free education to underprivileged African children. At least in his own small way he could help the ghetto youths who were prone to bad influencers and at risk of getting involved in bloody crimes. With a chance of decent education there was potential for improvement in-

“Dave!”

Goodness, it was irritating Candice again. The woman could be very persistent and irritating. What had he done now? Surely Candice knew better than anyone else that he was not even interested in in all this setup, whatever it was. He had his own simple life to live not to be shielded left, right and center by mute men who never even seemed capable of smiling. What kind of life did people who lived in castles lead?

Candice had to take his hand and lead him into a brightly lit hall with high ceilings that were so complexly decorated that he took out his phone and started snapping pictures. Maybe it was not so bad after all. He could make this a trip and collect souvenirs to show his students back at work. They would be thrilled.

The snapping only lasted a couple of seconds before Candice snatched the phone out of his hand and sneered at him before she whispered menacingly, “This is no museum, Dee. Act like a dignitary and stop making a fool of me. I did not leave my work to accompany you to embarrass me before His Royal Highness.”

He gave a rebellious frown and followed Candice’s orders. The footsteps of the group echoed across the quiet and glassy floor shined to utmost perfection. To ease his mind of what lay ahead, he focused on identifying, or trying to identify the priceless paintings along the walls, and reading the name tags of the few servants that passed them and bowed with inquisitive faces. The security team surrounding him was very respectful, even to a more paining degree and all he felt like doing was shaking their hands and asking questions about the palace and history of Andorra.

If he could have a word with the King he would surely let him know that he felt very uncomfortable with the deathly atmosphere of the palace. Or just forget it. If this was a tyrannical kingdom as it looked to be, commenting about bad government could grant him an easy and early pass to the grave. He was not done living, so no matter how much he wanted to talk, he would just have to keep it in his big heart.

Candice’s step was ladylike, so unlike her, or was it the heels and the outfit? He had to admit, she was stunning, prim and proper, without those denims and sports shoes that was her usual regalia because she was a fitness coach. She needed to add a little height sometimes by wearing heels and boots and coats and gloves. He laughed to himself, watching her constantly adjust the gloves. Both of them were not suited to this life. Not in the least. She was better at trying to fit in though. If he would stay in a place like this, Dave would break all the rules. All of them, that they would chuck him out before he changed the constitution. Because he was a very influential person when it came to convincing people about what he did.

Finally the long walk ended and doors swung open and the bodyguards melted away before he came face to face with a four poster bed with intricate carved brass legs and all that a royal bedroom could hold. But a bedroom, for what reason? Were they not supposed to be going to a throne room, office, boardroom or something along those lines?

The assistant gave a respectful bow and the figure lying on the bed opened his eyes and the in-house nurse helped to sit up an old grey haired sick man, who, he presumed, had to be the King. Candice curtsyed and he bowed as far as his tall frame could before walking to the ushered seat near the bedside. Candice asked to be excused but the King denied her the leave and said if she had come all the way and was as close to Dave as she was said to be, she had a right to hear what manner of business they had been called for.

The rest of the servants were dismissed and only the three of them remained in the soundproof room. As Dave stared at the man, something struck him. He was familiar. But how? His mother had never been to Europe before, he was African in all respects despite being white. So where had he seen him? Probably television on the news or something.

Candice was just looking at the King and feeling sorry for his condition. The woman had a soft spot for sick people.

He focused on the present. The King’s voice was firm though low.

“Dave Galloway, how do you do, young man? I have so long wanted to meet you.”

Raising a quirky eyebrow, he asked as politely as he could, “How so, King McMillan? How long have you known me? Anyway, forget it, royal people have access to a lot of things and people’s personal lives.” The man was making him irritated that Dave was forgetting that he was a King.

“I understand being here is in the least of your interests right now, but I can tell you I did not want to force you into anything, yet duty demands me to turn lives upside down sometimes. You will have to prove you are man enough to handle what I am about to tell you.”

Trying hard to suppress his displeasure, he said, “Your majesty, if it takes me out of your beautiful palace sooner, I would like to hear it. I just had to leave my work halfway and as I am sitting here I am losing precious time.”

“That is one thing I always liked about you. Directness. It is so needed considering where your life is about to head.”

“The gallows?” he asked with a laugh.

The King smiled. “Not really. I could not do that to my only son, would I?”

Candice’s hand tightened around his. They had been holding hands since they sat down. He looked at the old frame lying on the bed, not exactly understanding what was going on.

“I do not follow. What is my business here?” he asked seriously. For some reason Candice’s face was paler than whitewash.

“To cut it short,” the King said after a series of deep coughs, “and it is not easy to say or explain, but Rita Galloway was my lawfully wedded wife. We wed when I was a young man who had come for vacation and we fell in love. I had purposed to forsake my title and inheritance for her and I wed her thinking that she would come to Andorra with me. When my parents knocked on the door of our apartment three months later and she found out I was a Prince, she wanted nothing to do with me. I left with a purpose to come back for her but she decided to keep herself and you hidden. Your mother did not want anyone to know you were royal blood and she did not want anything to do with me, and since I had no choice but to step up to my duties, and that sealed our relationship. She was well provided for and I made sure you had everything you needed. She swore to her death that she would never let you know your father because of the hurt I caused her, but I cannot let the same happen. I am dying, my days are numbered now and I could not refrain from keeping you away. I deserve all the things you may say about me and I will kindly tolerate it, but I will not allow you to make the same mistakes I made with my life.” His eyes were flooded with tears. “I did try, to meet her halfway and have a chance to sort things, but she always refused to show up. I got a fake marriage here, a contract wife who would be the Crown Queen in name only and the agreement worked, and she was confirmed to be barren, so there was no heir. I could not let anyone take up your place, Dave. You are my son and whether you think I called you here because it is now convenient for me or not is not relevant. I have proof for your questions, and your mother hid you away from me enough. I cannot die like her with this thing unresolved.”

Candice’s head fell on his shoulder and he was so weak, but he had to be strong for both of them. No, this had to be a dream. He had to think of it as such. This King was so crazy, maybe his sickness had affected his brain activity. But the whole tears business going on, Candice shaking beside him and his own spinning head had to mean something. The long flight had been real. The castle was real, and this- this sickening scene playing out in front of his eyes was real.

His surprise made him reach out for the box the King handed him, and he found photos of his pile of pictures, and a younger version of the old man crying helplessly and silently on the bed. And the DNA tests they had taken before they had come to Andorra. Everything was clicking into place, his mother’s brushed dismissal of his parentage questions, the expensive lifestyle they could not afford, her disapproval of Europe as a holiday destination, the hidden files she burnt when he had started getting inquisitive, the over-protection…..it all added up to what the old man before him was saying.

He could as well blame both of them but that did not help the situation at the present. His father may be a King, but he wanted nothing of that life. He was a simple man with simple dreams and a simple lifestyle and he wanted nothing more than that. The silence in the room was so eerie it was like a scene from one of those horror movies, and he was the frightened victim about to lose everything if he was not brave enough to take a stand.

“So is this all? What do you want? Besides making me know that you are the coward who lied to my mother and never mended your bloody-

Candice’s sharp look and a pinch on his thigh let him know he was getting too emotional for the situation. He reluctantly closed his mouth but he was fuming inside. She felt it in the loud beating of his heart against his chest and reclaimed his hand, began stroking the clammy skin softly, and like magic, his heartbeat slowed. Apart from being bossy at times, she was his blessing, his personal one.

Taking matters into her own hands, she began to talk and he knew better than to interrupt. “This is a bombshell in both our lives, and it may mean with your sickness your son has to step up as your successor as duty requires. But you cannot expect him to make such a change without getting to know this country, the people and everything pertaining to government first. He needs the time to adjust, sort his life.” Dave openly groaned at the words, but there seemed to be no alternative to it. The country could not be ruled entirely by the monarchy, it needed the royal family to secure ties and treaties with other countries for its welfare, especially for the education and health sectors. They already had binding agreements which would risk the nation’s current economic situation should they freeze the monarchy. As the discussion went on, Dave felt the fences closing in on him so fast he could barely breathe. Him, a King? Ruling? Making decisions for hundreds of thousands of people? The world needed him to accept this, for the good of Andorra. He had to sacrifice his freedom and solitude to serve thousands of people home and abroad. And Capetown was no longer his home.

“Our condition is, we stay here, see the country, reach out to people and find out if it is worth the try. I am not leaving him, if you have another royal bride already stacked up somewhere should he decide to be King,” Candice finally said. “And you two need to bond. I cannot take animosity anymore.” She looked at him long and hard and kissed his cheek. “I will be right here, always,” she whispered.

“Better be,” he murmured huskily. He could never do this or even try if Candice was absent. In all the commotion, he was thankful to have met a woman like her. She would make a good bossy Queen. He was not good at making orders.

Time flied as if in a haze. His new homeland grew on him and the days were so full of activity that they flew by. The grooming, learning, meeting the organisational structures of the little country was tiresome, but he found comfort in bending the rules to suit his simplicity. He would be the King that sometimes wore denims and sweaters, played chase with his fiancée, called his bodyguards brother and drove his own car at times. The people embraced him warmly and treated him with utmost respect. And by the time he was convinced he had to take up his role as King, all the fire of resistance and the stubbornness had died in him. He was a part of Andorra and he would lead Andorra.

Eight weeks later, he was standing in front of Candice, who looked every bit a beautiful Queen to be. It was the day of his coronation and she was doing the last check after the valet before they went out. Crowds were waiting, millions would be watching off television screens across the world and hearing him swear to serve Andorra with heart, mind, body and soul.

Despite the icy cold outside, he had sunshine at his side in the name of Candice. Together they could do anything. He still had his Capetown with her. She straightened his tie and the long line of confusing medals he did not believe he earned, or it came with title perhaps, and nodded.

“You are going to make one hotshot drop dead gorgeous King,” she said proudly.

“I am only for one woman, and her name is Candice,” he said assuredly.

“Makes me one lucky woman,” she answered. “Is the speech ready? Are you ready?”

He was nervous. Millions of people would be hearing him today. “Not really. I could use a tip or two.”

They walked out of the room to the waiting escort. “Just know that you are a teacher by blood. Think of our students watching and how they will be cheering. Just pretend you are in a classroom. Walk around. Do what makes you comfortable and nail that speech for me, for us. For everyone.”

“I can do that,” he answered, much relieved. “Thank you, my love.”

He left her with her own escort. The first important speech of his life, and he would nail it.

He was a King. The heir from Capetown.