Here it is! Finally, the chapter you've all
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Dinner at Windsor was more than I could have imagined. Will and Liz warned me I would be expected to host dinners and receptions and play a part in world politics once it was public knowledge that I was the King. Naturally, this topic led to Josh relating some details from our brief visit to Moscow. Liz was laughing so hard she almost fell from her chair while Kate quietly suggested the world would be better off if Josh had replaced him.
Billy couldn't resist embarrassing me by telling all present how I had originally wanted to have small meetings around the world and, by doing this, meet with all the vampires in the world. I took the gentle teasing as he went through the math of trying to meet with 32 million vampires. Of course, once we considered the numbers, we had to adjust our plans, and I was quite proud of my team for their solution and rapid execution of their plans.
The next afternoon we were going to Alexandra Palace, where we were to meet with over six thousand Alphas from around the world. This meeting would be simultaneously broadcast, through encrypted channels, to their packs in quickly arranged meetings in whatever location they typically met with their packs. In one marathon meeting, I would lay out our plans to almost every Alpha in the world and, hopefully, every vampire as well.
Josh and I were putting on our suits, the black ones with the Drăculeşti crest over the breast pocket, when Billy came in carrying a black cape embroidered with red dragons. He placed it on my shoulders, then stepped back to look. I turned to the mirror and considered it, then turned to Joshua. When he nodded, I shrugged, and we headed for our vehicles that were still parked at the Cold Stream Guard Headquarters. The drive to Alexandra Palace took just over half an hour, and we were escorted from the VIP parking lot to a secure lounge.
Billy, Alex, and Josh had worked up tablets to be given to everyone present at Alexandra Palace. These tablets were theirs to keep, to assist in communication between the Barons, the various offices above them, and the Crown. They were all tied to our network, and at key moments, questions would appear on the tablet, giving us live feedback from those present. This feedback would come live to us through our nanobots, as well as being shown on the large video screens on either side of the stage or at the bottom of the screens at the remote locations.
At 12:55pm, I invoked two effects I had been practicing. The first was a sound barrier around the building, preventing any sounds from escaping the walls. The second was a distraction charm that caused any human who tried to enter the building to suddenly have a burning desire to be anywhere else.
That done, I nodded to Billy and stepped onto the stage. The murmuring crowd went silent as I stepped forward, shifted my voice, and said, "Good afternoon. My name is Charles Gregory Fowler Warnick, and the Council of Nine has told me that I am your King. You'll forgive me if I don't seem very royal today, but you see, I was born in the United States, and I don't know how to be a King. I've only been a vampire for a short time now, and, if I'm honest, I don't completely know how to be a vampire yet, either. I had wanted to have many small meetings that would allow me to get closer to the vampires of the world, but the logistics of trying to meet thirty-two million of you made that quite impossible. We are here, at London's Alexandra Palace, with the Alphas of the world. I am told that of the twenty-two that could not attend, nineteen are watching us remotely with their packs. Our thoughts go out to the three that cannot join us: Alpha Kun Huan Shen, of Lanwan, China, who is mourning the death of his mate; Alpha Antonio Rizzo, who is going through his renewal; and to Alpha Roberto Cortes, of Coquimbo, Chile, who was involved in a traffic accident on his way here."
The crowd remained silent as I told them of how I met and fell in love with Scott and how I fell to my death, only to be reborn so I could share my life with him. I told them how I learned about the prophecy of a coming King and how the details of my life fit that prophecy. I went on to relate how the Council of Nine had declared me King. I spoke of the explosion in Pittsburgh and of the subsequent recognition of Dracul by the United Nations. I laid out what my ministers and I imagined as the future of The Nation of Dracul, how we imagined the Government structure would look like, and what rights and responsibilities came with Dracul citizenship.
Every eye was on me as I said, "I have no desire to rule over the vampires of the world, but if you wish, I will happily serve as your King for the rest of my life. I will listen to your wishes and ask for your guidance. I am certain that I will make mistakes, and for those, I will ask for your forgiveness and understanding. I need to be clear, it is my intention to bring us out of the shadows. The major world leaders know of our existence, and I feel it is time for the world to know. I plan to reveal to the world the existence of vampires."
As I said this, I saw the Alphas glancing at their tablets, seeing their first chance to express their opinions. The first question had two parts. First, they were asked if they accepted me as their king and, if so, what form of monarchy they wanted to see in place. I was stunned as my nanobots relayed the results to me seconds before they appeared on the screens. Out of six thousand and forty-three Alphas, four had marked `undecided while the rest had marked `yes' to the issue of me being their King; zero said `no'. On seeing the results, the crowd, as one, stood and bowed, then followed with a five-minute standing ovation. The second half was even more astonishing, as less than a dozen chose an option other than `absolute monarchy' for their choice of government structure. A slightly larger number, thirty-three, objected to exposing ourselves to humans.
I bowed to them as I said, "I am honored by your faith in me. I would ask for your input on who governs whom. To lead this discussion, I'd like to introduce my son and heir, Crown Prince Joshua."
The crowd again rose to their feet and bowed, then applauded as Joshua joined me center stage. As he spoke, the room went silent.
"His Majesty, the ministers, and I have discussed this issue so many times that we have lost track of the many options that have been suggested. If you look at your tablets or the video screens behind me, you will see our current recommendations. As I'm sure you can understand, the King cannot handle every issue for every vampire, but it is his desire to be as close to the people as possible. In this spirit, we propose a hierarchy, as it were, between the current Alphas and the King, to provide each Alpha a contact who can go to his contact, who can take the issue to the King. His Majesty would like to have as few intermediaries between the average vampire and himself as possible, but with 32 million vampires worldwide, the math will make it difficult to have fewer than four or five levels."
"At the same time, many of us feel that the title of Alpha is an archaic term that makes us sound like the monsters that humans believe us to be. It needs to be replaced with something a bit more human, a bit more respectable."
Turning to the screen, he pointed
and said, "There have been several titles used around the world throughout
history. As you see, His Majesty has chosen to embrace the fact that he traces
his vampiric blood directly to Vlad the Impaler and, as such, is reigning as a
proud descendant of the Drăculeşti. Because of this, we feel that
titles for Dracul should reflect this Eastern European flavor. We are
suggesting that Alphas henceforth be called Barons, with a geopolitical
identifier added. As an example, my brother, Eric, is the current Alpha of the
State of Maine, in the US. Under this new system, he would become Baron Eric,
of Maine." He glanced down and noticed Alpha Maxen Vaughan. Pointing him out, he said, "Another example would be
Alpha Maxen Vaughan, who would become Baron Maxen, of Portsmouth. Or he could
be Baron Vaughan, we need not dwell on those details today."
"Depending on the population density, several Barons would take their
issues to a Viscount, who would speak to the Count above him, or if you prefer,
we can use the title of Earl. These Earls would speak to a Marquess, who would
speak to a Duke, who would take the issue to His Majesty. With a system such as
this, Barons get more consistent guidance from the Crown, while the Crown
doesn't have to address the same issues over and over. If you look, your
tablets should be offering you several choices for both the titles and how many
there are. Please consider whom you would like to see in these roles, as His
Majesty will have to rely on your guidance to fill the offices for the first
hundred years or so. While this is not an election, there are spaces for you to
put your recommendations."
After giving them thirty minutes, Billy stepped onto the stage. He
pointed to the screen displaying the results and said, "It seems that the overwhelming majority of you like the titles we've come
up with. For ease of conversation, we will use them for the rest of this
meeting." When he noticed some slight confusion, he said, "Forgive me, I am
Prince William White, one of His Majesty's mates and his Beta." Here, he paused
for a moment, then grinned and said, "I suppose Beta will have to change as
well. As I was saying, I will refer to you as Barons. If a name is suggested by
more than fifty of his peers, we will be asking those barons to speak with His
Majesty and the ministers shortly after we adjourn. Your tablet will inform you
if you are on that list. If you do not wish to be considered for a position
above Baron, please check the appropriate box."
Josh, Billy, and I had debated whether to have the Alphas, now Barons,
elect or simply suggest those who would serve above them. I made a snap
decision that I hoped my son and mate would forgive. I connected with Alex
through my nanos and confirmed that he could do what I wanted via the tablets,
then I stepped forward and interrupted, saying, "A slight change of plans." I
looked around at the assembled group, attempting to make eye contact with as
many as possible as I asked, "Do you wish to elect your Viscounts, Counts,
Marquesses, and Dukes? Or should I simply take the names you suggest, speak
with them, and make my own choices? And speaking of suggesting names, we have
entered the twenty-first century, and yet this room has zero female Alphas, or
should I say, we have zero Baronesses. I would like to see that change, and I hope the fates work with us on this. If you know a female
that would make a good Viscountess, Countess, or even Duchess, I would love to
hear her name. This goes for males that are not Alphas as well. If they would do well in the office, suggest their name. All
that said, you will see your tablets have put the question to you. Do you elect,
or do I appoint?"
I decided we should pause to allow the barons to mingle and discuss their
options on how to hold the election. After an hour of conversation, the barons
sent Eric and Derek to Billy with the decision. We had Alex sort the Baronies by
geopolitical lines and pack size, doing his best to divide the population into equal-sized
groups. Ultimately, some of these groups included three or four barons while
others had eight barons, this being affected by the population density and
location of the various baronies. The baronies were sorted into Viscounties,
Counties, Marches, and Duchies. Each Baron would first vote for his Duke, then
his Marquess, his Count, and finally his Viscount. This prevented having to
repeat elections when someone was voted into a higher office. Before voting
began, I made a few comments.
"In order to prevent any holdover from the previous ways of governing
vampires, those who were on the Council of Nine are not eligible for any office.
Those who were on the Council of Twenty-Seven are not eligible for any office
above Viscount. I will put one last restriction on those who hold office, you
cannot be both a Baron and something else. Those who are elected will have six
months for either the fates to replace them or name a successor. Another issue
for consideration is how long these offices are held. That can be decided
later."
"I also want to say that I have heard my sons' names being bantered
about for some of these offices. Please do not vote for them because they are
my sons; only vote for them if you sincerely think they are the right man for
the job. One last comment, then you may begin voting. I am elated to have heard
several female names suggested as Countesses, Marchionesses, and even one
brought up as a Duchess. I ask that you consider these ladies on their merits,
not the fact that we should have more female leaders. Now, begin your elections
by voting for your new Dukes or Duchesses."
Two hours later, it was done. Dracul had eight new dukes. Actually, we had seven new dukes and a duchess. I was proud to
see that Derek was now the Duke of North America, and his older (younger?)
brother, Eric, was the Marquess of New England. I wasn't surprised that Piers
McGowan was now the Duke of London, but I didn't expect to hear that Lorenz
Stuber was now Duke Stuber of Zell. In all, we had sixty-four Marquesses, two
hundred-thirty-six Counts, twenty Countesses, nine hundred-sixty-five
Viscounts, and fifty-nine Viscountesses. As several of these new leaders were
not present, there were quick phone calls to confirm that they would indeed
serve. There were none that declined. This left twelve hundred baronies needing
new leadership. In the back of my mind, I hoped that the
fates would replace several of these barons with baronesses.
After the election, Billy asked if anyone had any concerns that needed to
be addressed immediately. If not, we would adjourn the official meeting and sit
down to the dinner that had been catered. A few had questions about minor
issues, and I was happy to see our new leaders stepping up and asking the
barons to give the new system time to work. We adjourned and spent several
minutes mingling and socializing while the staff quickly removed the rows of
chairs and set up tables for our meal.
Billy, Scott, Josh, and I sat at our table and were soon joined by
Derek and Eric. I noticed that the vampires that had been with Derek were now standing
near our table. When I asked him about them, he called them closer and then
stood.
Derek looked at me, gave a slight bow, and said, "Your Majesty, may I
present Piers McGowan, Duke of London; Lorenz Stuber, Duke of Zell; Vahid
El-Hashim, Duke of Cairo; Kumar Chaudhuri, Duke of Dhaka; Ishat Malhotra, Duke
of New Dheli; and Tai Zhen Tsui, Duke of Jinan. Duchess Bianca Solano of Rio de
Janeiro will be arriving shortly." When I looked surprised, he sent me a nano
message saying he had arranged for one of our planes.
Derek and the other dukes sat, and as I was already eating, they began
to eat as well. Joshua sent me a nano-text telling me that no one would speak
unless I started the conversation, so I swallowed a mouthful of potatoes and
said, "While we are eating, let us simply get to know one another. Once Duchess
Solano arrives, we can sit and discuss business."
Derek swallowed and asked, "I assume we're all invited for your
coronation, Your Majesty. May I ask when it is?"
I nodded and replied, "Yes, I don't think we have room at the castle
for all the barons, but I am sure I'd like all the dukes there. I will speak
with Andrew and see if we have room for the Marquesses. I expect several world
leaders to attend. None have committed, but I feel certain that the monarchs of
The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and Spain will be there, along
with several of their Prime Ministers. The Presidents of the United States and
Russia will probably attend as well. Beyond that, I can't say who might come."
Lorenz said, "If you like, Your Majesty, I could try to speak personally
with Prince Albert and Grand Duke Henri."
I shook my head and said, "Thank you, Lorenz, but no. I have already
met those I mentioned. Any others need to be approached through the appropriate
ministry channels." I paused, then said, "I must say, I was surprised that Western
Europe elected you as their duke."
Lorenz blushed as he said, "I feel the same way, Sire. I think it has
to do with being your brother-in-law, though my pride hopes that isn't the
case."
Piers said, "It may have influenced it, Duke Stuber, but I've heard
several good things about what you've done with your packs since you took over.
I feel that Western Europe is in competent hands."
Lorenz grinned, then said, "Thank you, Duke McGowan, and please, unless
His Majesty feels differently, call me Lorenz. At least when we're not in the
public eye."
Kumar Chaudhuri, seemingly the oldest of the dukes, said, "I would
agree. It seems silly for us to address each other by titles, especially when
we are trying to get work done or in a casual setting."
We had finished our main course and were enjoying the lemon-lime sorbet
when a tall, slim, black woman approached our table. When she hesitated, Piers
stood and said, "Your Majesty, may I present Bianca Solano, Duchess of Rio de
Janeiro." He turned to her and said, "Duchess Bianca, His Majesty, King Gregory."
As she bowed, I stood and walked around the table, offering my hand as
I said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Duchess. Please, join us. We were just
about to have dessert, but I'm sure we can get you a meal if you would like."
Derek pulled out a chair for her, and as she sat, she said, "Thank you,
Your Majesty, but I had lunch just before the flight." She watched as the
server brought our dessert, an inside-out German chocolate cake served with
vanilla ice cream, then grinned and said, "Although, I suppose I could have a
piece of that."
While the server continued handing out the cake, I introduced Duchess
Bianca to those at the table. When everyone had finished and the dishes were
cleared, I sent Joshua a nano-text. He read it, nodded, then stood and tapped
his glass with his knife. Once the room had fallen silent, he made his
announcement.
"His Majesty will be discussing matters with the dukes for the next few
hours. There are several meeting rooms available for those of you who might
like to gather and discuss issues. The bar and refreshments will remain
available here in the main room. We shall reconvene at six this evening. Thank
you for your understanding."
With that, I stood and led the eight dukes, Joshua, and Billy, to the
conference room we had reserved to discuss and decide the future of our kind.
**********************************
Here ends this chapter, and this book. The story might continue, but I
have no plans to do so at this time. What started out from idle boredom has
grown beyond my imagination, but, like all good things, this has come to an
end.
For now, I'm going to focus on Lone Wolf
Ranch, along with another little idea I've had bouncing around in my head.
Thank you for all your kind words throughout this journey!!!