Of Pride and Power - 26. Chapter 26: “Be royal in your fashion. Act like a king to be treated like one.”

I returned to London in September 1558 after the final round of a separate diplomatic negotiation between the intermediaries of myself and Catherine de Medici, the regent of France, was finalized. Her husband, Henry II, had died of shock upon hearing the disaster that befell the allied army and the capture of Francis, the dauphin and heir to his throne. Catherine as a result needed the return of her critically injured son, Francis, and her 15,000 troops along with various military equipment who were injured or surrendered during the battle for Boulogne. Per the standards of this era, a massive ransom was given, but instead of gold, I demanded 15,000 farmers and their families, 5,000 masons and their families, 50,000 heads of livestock, and 100 tons of grain. Calais was once considered a jewel in the English Crown; I had the intention of building up this province as a major trade hub for European trade. To achieve this, I needed people and materials. I had asked Titania to come to Calais to verify the truthfulness of the individual sent by Catherine. 9,000 of the men and women were simple farmers and herdsmen, while only 2,000 masons were sent. The remaining 9,000 individuals, who came alone without familial relations were convicts or spies with nefarious reputations. Titania and I sifted through this group and executed 429 individuals, while 8,571 were used as laborers.

News of the peace treaty had trickled into London over the months and celebrations were occurring. Several nobles, who sat on the sidelines during the fight between me and Mary, were trying to gain an audience with me, probably hoping for positions or upgraded titles. William Cecil acted as my interim Secretary of State, until my coronation in January 1559. By this point, Mary’s claim of being pregnant with the legitimate heir to the throne was proven to be false. While I was campaigning and negotiating a peace treaty in Calais, Mary through her allies was able to smuggle drugs that induced contractions after a prolonged period of inactivity. In April 1558, with many witnesses that I had granted through coded radio messages to William Cecil back in London, Mary gave birth to a stone baby, also known by the medical term as a Lithopedion. It was a public relations disaster for her as I knew it would likely be, but she still claimed that she was the only legitimate heir to the throne even though she could not give birth.

I was also an unproven element as well in that department since no intersex human being had ever given birth in either timeline. However, my successful military campaign with territorial expansion and raw demonstration of power eliminated the remaining noble fear.

Of course, there were more practical issues before my coronation that I had put off. One of the most difficult issues that I had put off was a royal title for myself. That caused a major debate among my retainers and allies.

William Parr, whom I had elevated for his service to Duke of Norfolk, was the one to start the debate for my title, “Your Majesty, the people are eager to see the fruits of our victory, and they expect a strong leader to guide them. As such, I wish to bring forth attention to the title of your royal person. Your countenance and ability are greater than any King or Queen of legend. Not having set terms, we must choose a royal title for your personage.”

William Paulet, who was the most cautious of my court countered William Parr, “The nobility is uneasy with the idea of a ruler with both male and female attributes. We must tread carefully. Perhaps, we should maintain the terms of sovereign or monarch by other rulers of the era. They are strong titles that have roots in virility and ability.”

Thomas Tallis, who, despite being a composer, represented the fair folk in London, came to my defense immediately, “Our lord’s accomplishments on the battlefield earned the right to the throne. We cannot let prejudice toward masculine terms overshadow that. Using such titles would harm the future reign as fearful compromise will allow outside states to disrupt our affairs. As our lord can be male or female, why must we relegate our choices to limited terms to satisfy convention?”

William Cecil joined his friend William Paulet in counseling a conservative approach, “While our master has gained the throne and kingdom, its people remain fickle and divided. The False Queen has instilled fear within commoners and nobles alike with her words and deeds. They fear those unlike themselves and their positions as a result. If the master chooses incorrectly this may cause an uproar that will impede needed reforms to make our nation strong enough to defend against New Rome and the German Empire.”

In my era, the arguments surrounding the use of pronouns for non-binary and gender-fluid individuals had reached a fever pitch between conservative and progressive elements in society. For centuries, human beings were defined by the binary he/she, while everything else was considered “it” or other in the case of individuals like me who didn’t fit either gender. Unlike fantasy stories about Omegas with their society’s absolute acceptance and lack of gender identity issues, I had to face this issue during this era with sexism and intolerance. Elizabeth I was challenged due to being a female ruler, as well, but she had a precedent in place with others, I had to be a trailblazer in a time when there was no precedent. The fair folk, a collective representation of the LGBT community in England, put all their hopes, built by centuries of beliefs, on me. I needed time to decide on a title, so after. After several hours of incessant debate, I dismissed my advisors.

At night, I spoke to Robert about the issue of a royal title. We were settled into the room that we stayed in during our joint imprisonment in 1553. It was not my ideal honeymoon suite, nor was the twin-sized bed comfortable for two adults to sleep in. My descendants should be grateful for the luxurious master bedroom at the secondary palace of Windsor, or the ornate bedroom at Bristol Palace that Robert designed.

He asked, “Could you accept being called a sovereign or monarch? We both know how prickly people can be about names and pronouns, the other fair folk won’t be too negatively impacted if you compromise on this point. They’ll understand it’s more pragmatic to associate those terms for heads of state.”

I nodded with an unhappy expression, “If it was just me, I might be willing to make that kind of small sacrifice. However, thinking about the long-term issues this compromise will create, I can’t help feeling a certain kind of discrimination. Remember what people said about me when I was growing up? Being singled out at church as that “special kid”, not being invited over to sleepovers or camping trips by anyone else except you and being bullied for going into the wrong bathroom according to assholes from either gender. If I compromise on this today, I will be accepting all of that as well. Being defined and excluded by conventional identities rather than being myself.”

Robert contemplated, then sighed, “I see your point, people like to have a checkbox to put others into. If you are assigned a gender-neutral title, it could make things worse by creating the “other” category for you and people like you. However, if you choose titles like King and Queen, it will cause problems with idiots,” Robert kissed my shoulder, then asked, “Why don’t we come up with a new name to define you as a ruler?”

I smirked, “I am interested in Overlord, you know I liked the Manga.”

“Hell no, you are not going to claim the title of a genocidal dictator,” Robert punched my bare side playfully.

Robert was correct, even if no one outside a wayward otaku would know what the title “Overlord” denoted about a type of ruler. Among the manga and anime series that I read or watched; Overlord was probably the most extreme in terms of content. Essentially, it’s the story of a human being becoming an inhuman dictator and God, who believes death is the great equalizer against the various injustices in the world. Story elements range from the physical and sexual exploitation of innocent individuals by humans to coordinated eugenics and genocide. Yet, despite the subject matter, the Overlord series by 2021 had sold over 11 million volumes and was quite popular within the genre.

The manga series taught me a lot of harsh lessons about false positive equivalency and the inherent unheroic truths defended by so-called heroes. I knew the type of society that Overlord promoted would be inherently flawed. Concepts like the neutrality of death are utter bullshit. The individual may die and head to eternity within the void of nothingness as I knew it, while the living that the dead individual interacted with are still benefiting or suffering from their prior decisions. Despite that existential inconsistency, Ainz Ooal Gown did succeed in creating a legacy in the story by becoming a living God, transcending various belief systems through generational worship. In history, Roman Emperors were well-known for this kind of display of power and magnificence starting with Octavian Caesar’s change to Augustus through both benign civil reform and harsh military actions. In other fictional stories, Jack said that the type of social and military reforms that Ainz championed were similar to Leto II in the sequel novels to Frank Herbert’s Dune, forming the idea of the “God-Emperor” archetype. I was never a big fan of those novels, but I did watch the various movies due to the charming acting of Chalamet.

In my circumstances, my reforms were just as revolutionary as people in the past and works of fiction. I also had dedicated core believers, who held me up with a messianic view. The fair folk were also not the only ones who shared this belief, the youngsters of Somerset, Devonshire, and Cornwall, whom I had saved from exploitation and poverty, became my soldiers and skilled workers in Bristol. The belief of the fair folk had transferred into them, while the victories had expanded this belief into a separate system from Catholic and Protestant powers that existed previously. I had been made into a God without the pursuit.

Shaking my head, I responded with an air of humor to Robert, “You know, I wasn’t actively trying to become a God-leader, like Ainz Ooal Gown from Overlord. Things just happened with my position, my knowledge, and some weird abilities. I’m not going to promote the worship of death. Been there, done that, and made some scary existential memories.”

Robert paused before responding to me, then his head fell into a half-bow with a guilty expression, “Sorry about this, I know it’s my fault that you’re in this situation. If I had gotten to the grove on time, you wouldn’t have been cornered by your dad alone and then ran into that truck. If that hadn’t happened, then you wouldn’t have to be reborn in this world through my vain attempt to make up for that failure.”

Over the years, Robert and I have talked about what happened, how I died, and what little bits of his life after my death, we could piece together. He has always been logical and self-debasing. If my character flaw is pride, his flaw is his humility. There was no reason he should be blamed for the accident that killed me, nor was my current situation that bad.

I hugged him close and kissed a specific spot under his left ear lobe, causing him to moan, then told him what I had said many times before, “Being you is never wrong.”

We had our first round of vaginal sex after that exchange. This was the first real chance after the various conflicts for us to attempt this. I do not know how women usually feel about vaginal penetration, but for me, it was lacking any sexual stimulation. Unlike the feeling of anal sex, my vaginal penetration just doesn’t have any erogenous response. Luckily for me, Robert wasn’t just focused on his pleasure, he was alternating his hands between my dick and my breast. With my arousal, fluid began to line my vaginal tract and I felt my muscles relax, allowing Robert deeper entry into my body. After an hour, we both reached our climaxes.

For my Omega descendants, I know you will likely read this book as much for history as you will for some form of sexual education, so my advice for you before engaging in this form of sexual activity is to make sure your chosen partner is someone who puts your needs first. Based on our experiences, we think the additional biological components within Omega sexual reproduction such as the lack of sexual stimulation during reproductive activities and the need for the active partner to stimulate erogenous zones were meant to enhance compatibility between partners, who want to procreate. The next morning, I discovered I was pregnant with Robert’s child by looking at myself as a result of that single session.

Robert was shocked upon learning he knocked me up for the first time. Let me just say, I have never seen that look on his face before, somewhere between awe and amazement that it worked, and we were going to be parents. Not sure how other people felt when they realized this fact, but I was laughing at my situation and constantly looking at my stomach. My analytical ability told me that the reproductive probability of my child’s gender was 50% biologically Omega, 40% biologically male, and 10% female. With my ability, I knew that my child would likely be an Omega like me, and the biological distribution of future generations would also follow similar trends. In the debate over titles, the issue that no one considered was the fact that there would be more people like me in the future. Fantasy writers in my timeline imagined worlds and wrote millions of words on societies filled with Omegas, but they rarely ever asked questions about the quality of life that they have. When I realized what could be lost through compromise, an uneasy feeling came over me. It’s easy to lose your perspective to gain acceptance.

Being from the 21st century, the pursuit of acceptance was ingrained in my subconsciousness. The internet allowed people to form groups with similar interests, which allowed community formation despite distances. When Robert and I were able to access the web, we found outlets and groups to discuss things with, like answering questions that were impossible to ask in your part of the world. I learned about being intersex, sexual orientation, and other answers that were well beyond the abilities of our rural community. However, as I grew older, I also learned about the issues with such communities and the problems with incorporating divergent ideas. People began to sublimate themselves to fit the majority opinions and create cliques within the communities. In addition, trolls, or people continuously throwing divisive topics, further hardened group positions, until eventually individual expressions were lost in a communal echo chamber. In the end, many online communities imploded and dispersed because of this drive for communal acceptance. That lesson can be applied on a larger scale to a society that has been used to standards of behaviors and terms as well.

Before the next meeting of my advisors in the afternoon, Robert and I planned out how we would announce my decision to create a unique royal title and my pregnancy. I would borrow a concept from my foes, who used an archaic concept called “courtesy titles” to establish rulership titles. The concept of using a name as a title was more prevalent among Asian monarchs during this era in history, but, even in Europe, the archaic tradition of courtesy names continued into my era with the naming conventions of Popes based on their successor’s preferences. English monarchs rarely used courtesy names and never used them to establish a rulership title like I was about to do. In my timeline, the closest thing in the form of English courtesy titles lacked the legal power of substantive titles for noble ranking, like Duke or Earl. Our strategy was to incorporate the Asian concept of courtesy names and elevate them from non-gender bias names to equal substantive titles, it was an unprecedented merger of cultural concepts. This change would cause contempt and animosity amongst established noble families within my realm, but as you probably have noticed, it was the first step in creating a meritocratic model of nobility rather than a hereditary one. As a result, it also made sure generational power could not accumulate. Few understood this reform's long-ranging effects. In my case, I did not realize the human costs that it would cause, especially for my family.

The grand chamber was filled with the weighty atmosphere of anticipation as I stood before my council of esteemed advisors. The council members, each with their own opinions and perspectives, awaited the moment when I would choose a title, a symbolic and legal gesture marking the beginning of my reign.

I cleared my voice, “My esteemed advisors, I thank you for gathering here today to assist me in selecting a title that shall represent me henceforth. As you all know, this decision holds great significance, both for me and for the realm.”

As I gazed around the room, William Paulet bowed and I gave him a wave of my hands to allow him to speak, “Your Majesty, may I remind you of the importance of selecting a strong and virile name befitting your stature as the ruler of our kingdom. It is essential for projecting strength and authority to our allies and adversaries alike.”

After Paulet finished his short speech, he retreated, and William Parr stood forward. He bowed and waited for my approval before speaking.

William Parr cleared his voice, he stumbled as he was trying hard to remember what were likely practiced words, “You… Your Majesty….I think…no, I believe a title such as King or Emperor would command respect and instill confidence in your subjects.”

Next up was my oldest ally, William Cecil, who spoke, “I concur with my esteemed colleagues. A name that harkens back to the great monarchs of history would serve you well, Your Majesty.”

This kind of orderly speech and point presentation reminded me of the debates from the Netflix romantic-comedy movie Candy Jar, where two high school students competing in their high school debate team became lovers after they synced their debate styles to form an unorthodox debate style. I was wondering if the three Williams will eventually start a gay throuple at the rate they were going.

With their words expressed, I looked over the solitary voice of dissent, Thomas Tallis, who had the look of a defeated man. Representing an unpopular idea is usually a thankless position, especially from someone who did not have a noble background, political connections, or military experience like Thomas as he was only known as a musical composer. However, it’s exactly his outsider perspective that makes him a good advisor.

I asked, “Mr. Tallis, can you offer some thoughts on this topic?”

Thomas Tallis cleared his voice and spoke softly, “If I may opine in this discussion, Your Majesty. While the suggestions put forth by my esteemed colleagues are undoubtedly noble, I believe we must consider a different approach. One that reflects the evolving nature of our society and acknowledges the diversity within our kingdom. Like you and Lord Robert Dudley, the kingdom has many unique individuals that need to be represented….”

Thomas lost his nerve and paused in his speech. I nodded, then offered him my support, “Please, continue, Mr. Tallis, I believe your words will weigh the future of our kingdom.”

Thomas continued speaking, “Your Majesty, I propose that you should have the freedom to choose a title that resonates with your true essence, regardless of traditional gender norms. I believe that your title should reflect your character and values, rather than confining you to a predetermined archetype.”

The three Williams glared at Thomas for his words.

However, before any of the three can begin debating, I made my support clear, “Your perspective is both insightful and refreshing, Mr. Tallis. I appreciate your advocacy for individual expression and inclusivity within our court.”

While everyone was shocked by my decisive response, William Paulet pleaded without my approval, “Your Majesty, while Mr. Tallis' sentiment is commendable, we must not lose sight of the importance of tradition and precedent in matters of state.”

There are times when a conservative approach is needed to maintain order, so I did not admonish William Paulet for his words. In many ways, he was a great minister and a loyal retainer, despite his cautious nature.

I spoke softly in response to William Paulet, “Tradition certainly holds its place, Lord Paulet. However, I am inclined to agree with Mr. Tallis. It is time for our monarchy to embrace a more inclusive and progressive approach. My reign cannot be sustained by what has happened before. I am going to create something new...”

A silence covered the room as everyone was expecting something profound.

I raised my voice, “Henceforth, my royal title shall be known as Aelfric. My full royal title and name will be Aelfric Elias Tudor. For it symbolizes not only my connection to the ancient lineage of our realm but also my commitment to ruling with understanding and embracing the future of our kingdom.”

William Cecil and Thomas Tallis, both of whom knew about the Fair Folk, were shocked most of all by the double meaning of the title, I was claiming my rule of the Fair Folk as well as the realm. Essentially, I declared myself to be one of them.

Thomas Tallis spoke with a huge grin, “A fitting choice, Your Majesty. Aelfric, meaning "Fair Ruler," encapsulates the essence of your reign: wise, benevolent, and accepting of all.”

The council members, though initially taken aback, bowed their heads in respect of my decision, acknowledging the significance of this moment in history. Announcing I was pregnant was far less shocking at that point for most of my ministers, except Thomas Tallis. While William Paulet and William Parr may not have believed that I could give birth when I told them of my peculiar biology, they were in deep thought on how to announce my decision to create the personal title of Aelfric. William Cecil was more focused on how to coordinate my coronation to coincide with a marriage ceremony to Robert, to legitimize our child as an heir to care about the idea behind my pregnancy. Thus, Thomas Tallis was the only one who was truly amazed at the miraculous conception.

The former composer’s eyes grew wide, and he begged to share this news with the other fair folk throughout the kingdom immediately through coded radio transmissions. This pregnancy represented one of the prophecies of the Omega that the fair folk held up as a belief for centuries after the fall of Camelot. I still was not a fan of deification, but I couldn’t argue with the results or the reality that most of the prophecy would become true over time. I was now the ruler of England, nominally I controlled all the islands of Britain and Ireland. I would be giving birth to a child, despite not being biologically female, within five months, around the time of my coronation. The only part of the prophecy that I haven’t achieved yet was creating a new line of human beings, the titular “Omega”. Assuming I would want to be pregnant every five months, which I did not desire, I did not think I could give birth to an entire species within my lifetime.

Just giving birth successfully would be enough. Due to the words of Reginald Pole, I knew Jack had succeeded in his research project of using the cores in genetic resequencing and had 233 cores stowed away somewhere. If I could find those cores, we could rediscover the process and give any fair folk members a choice, if they desire this kind of body. Beyond just fulfilling Merlin’s promise, the inclusion of Omegas with our shorter gestation time compared to women will usher in a major population boom, a necessity for industrialization. There were some leads to the location of those cores that I had considered over the last few months, including the legendary island of Avalon. Once my coronation occurred and my child was born, I would be embarking on an expedition to find those cores.

In the following days, the court made plans for my coronation, wedding, the announcement of my self-defined title, and the birth of my first child. In terms of the two important ceremonies, I wanted to perform a public wedding and accession ceremony in the middle of the area where Whitehall should have been. As the Sky Fortress had destroyed the palace several years ago, the area was clear with several scaffolds meant for new Catholic churches to be built, a bit of revenge by Mary against her father’s beloved palace. I planned to rebuild the palace and establish a new administrative institution there, along with the area of Hampton Court and St. James Palace.

I specifically asked William Cecil to provide a private veiled elevated platform for Mary Tudor and some guests to view the combination coronation and wedding ceremony. I made a promise to the sadistic Amy Robsart that I would give her a front-row seat to my wedding before killing her, I was going to honor that promise. She was already limbless and tongueless after my last judgment, having been kept alive by servants at her former estate for the last decade under my order. Inside a room alongside Mary, Jane Dudley, and their allies, I would have Amy Robsart observe everything. She would be executed in front of them with a full account of what she did. Her family used castaway sons of noble families as slave labor for their farmlands while claiming all of this was God’s will. She chose and tortured these gay and bisexual youths, resulting in many deaths.

Francis came back from Navarre for the ceremony, and I asked him to take care of the special arrangements. I knew I could depend on him to do this as he saw what happened on the Robsart farm and partook in the vengeful uproar against their so-called noble family. While I may not be a bloody tyrant like Mary, no one who calls themselves a nation’s leader is above such actions.

As for my old friend and submissive lover, Francis’ appearance had changed over the last five years, he was more weathered with noticeable scars and scrapes on his body, which I found during one of our sessions with Robert. Francis could pretend to show emotions to others, but he rarely showed genuine feelings, except towards me and Robert in the safety of our embrace.

When Francis returned to England from the continent, he did not come back alone. Along with Francis were two young men, one was a Portuguese noble adorned in jewels and gold, and the other was an Asian boy, who wore rags and had long flowing black hair.

Don Antonio, the 27-year-old noble from Portugal and grandson of its former king, was currently a wanted man throughout Europe as one of the last remaining claimants to the Portuguese throne outside Philip I of the Habsburg Dynasty. Due to the machinations of Charles V, his son inherited Portugal through Cardinal Henry after all the other claimants from the House of Aviz died of various circumstances, probably murder. Don Antonio was merely a child during this purge and his mother was a Jewish woman from a mercantile family that had bought their way into minor nobility. Though he was born in wedlock, his mother’s religious background and low status caused the union with Prince Luis of Portugal to be nullified by his brother, Portuguese King John III. This legal action made Antonio an illegitimate child. He was sent into exile by his father and roamed various lands for decades. I had asked Francis to watch out for this guy if he was still alive since I wanted him to be protected. In history, Elizabeth I would house the exiled Antonio in England and help him in an unsuccessful campaign to claim the Portuguese throne under the royal house of Aviz. My historical counterpart wanted to counter the Habsburg power of Spain and German lands, which was something I also desired at that point. Portugal held an empire that circled Africa and included many parts of the Middle East and India. They complemented the Spanish empire in the Americas and southeast Pacific. Having him around would create legitimacy issues for Philip II’s Habsburg government, a rival government in exile was my aim.

The Asian boy, who was 15 years old, did not speak any European languages, was dressed in rags, and had wild long black hair. The boy was a slave, who was bought by Francis under one of his aliases as a merchant from an underground brothel. As I had told Francis about Manga and Anime, he learned a few Japanese words as a result. When he said Konnichiwa, the boy bowed his head low, cried, and spoke words that Francis did not understand. Francis brought him to England to meet me, considering my affinity with the language. I learned his name was Matsudaira Takechiyo, which meant nothing to me at first, but then I cross-referenced his name to my history and realized who the skinny Japanese teenager I had in front of me was. I was shocked to see one of the Great Unifiers of Japan, who would be the future Shogun in front of me. When I discussed this chance encounter with Robert, we laughed at how this situation was the inversion of James Clavell's historical fiction novel, Shogun. The teenage boy did make several attempts at engaging me, Robert, or Francis in sex. While I knew in Japanese culture was acceptable at his age to have multiple older male lovers, I think there was a psychological component to it as well, since he was treated as a prostitute for years due to Imperial forces. Based on Japanese history, I knew he was at least bisexual, but I forbade sexual activity with him until he had some time to recover. It was a good decision as we became good friends even without a sexual relationship initially since I was the only person who could speak the old Japanese dialect due to my ability and love of manga. He relied on me as an interpreter and trusted in me as if I was a Japanese Daimyo. Over the years, Robert and Francis joked about naming him as another consort.

Despite enjoying his friendship and companionship, I always knew he couldn’t stay in my domain, I had to help him return to Japan and hopefully win his battle for the throne. I didn’t realize how massive that challenge was in this environment. My radio intercepts had revealed that Habsburg and the Catholic Church had already had links in Japan through another unifier, Oda Nobunaga. New guns and artillery had easily overwhelmed the other Daimyos of Japan, granting Oda Nobunaga a kingdom, more than two decades earlier than history. They were already preparing for military campaigns in Asia against the Ming Chinese and had captured the Joseon kingdom, which I knew as the countries of North and South Korea. Based on the details of the church’s communications, I had guessed that Oda Nobunaga was like the others, a transplant from the future, probably another rogue member of the Corporate Consortium.

These two guests were honored as foreign dignitaries, equal to crown princes during the ceremony, much to various people’s displeasure. A bastard child and a foreign whore was what some English nobles called these two young men, among other lewd remarks about what they must have done for me in bed to get the honor of being situated so close to the coronation without being part of my inner circle.

On January 15^th, 1559, the ceremonies were held. I specifically chose that date due to several factors, including the timing for the building of the venues, the arrival of various guests, the assignment of guards, and my pregnancy.

The grand public pavilion was adorned with opulent tapestries and rich fabrics, hanging from the towering pillars that framed the open space. The tapestries were weaved by Nick Bottom. The air was filled with the fragrance of roses and lavender, creating an atmosphere of regal elegance. A raised platform stood at the center of the pavilion, covered in a rich velvet carpet, leading up to the ornate throne where I would soon be crowned as the ruler of England, Wales, Ireland, and France.

The claim to the French throne was an intentional snipe at the recent death of Prince Francis, due to injuries he suffered in Calais, and his mother Queen Regent Catherine de Medici, who was merely a puppet ruler of the New Roman Papal State. Catherine de Medici’s two other remaining sons, Charles IX and Henry, were both young children, who could not bear children, while I was visibly pregnant with my future heir.

As the sun began its ascent to its peak, casting a warm golden hue over the pavilion’s shadows, I emerged, resplendent in regal red robes that flowed behind me like a gown. The crowd hushed in awe at the sight of their soon-to-be-crowned ruler. I ascended the platform with dignity, my eyes appeared to reflect a sense of my determination according to Robert and Francis.

William Cecil stepped forward, his voice carried across the pavilion as he addressed the assembled nobility and common folk. "Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the Privy Council and Parliament, we gather here today to witness the coronation of Elias Tudor as our sovereign ruler. In the tradition of our ancestors, Elias shall be crowned with the title of 'Aelfric,' symbolizing a divine reign that shall guide our great nation to prosperity."

The members of the Privy Council and Parliament, dressed in elaborate Renaissance attire, gathered around the platform, their faces reflecting a mix of anticipation and solemnity. William Cecil, the trusted advisor, and representative of the Privy Council, stood at the forefront, a majestic crown cradled in his hands.

Continuing the pageantry, I knelt before William Cecil, who gently placed the crown upon my head. The crowd erupted into cheers, and trumpets sounded, announcing the momentous occasion. As I stood, I scanned the pavilion, acknowledging the people I now ruled. Elizabeth was well known to have mastered the art of eye contact, I had to make people feel like they were also on stage with me. By uplifting others, I was protecting my reign.

With the weight of the crown on my head, I turned to face the assembled crowd. "I accept this sacred responsibility with humility and dedication. May my reign be one of justice, compassion, and unity for all our lands."

The ceremony, however, was far from over. In a coordinated move, I turned to my partner, Robert Dudley, who stood by my side. The crowd fell silent, curious, and intrigued at my sudden motion. I took his hand into mine and kissed it. The three Williams didn’t think a public display of affection would go off too well with this crowd, but handholding and an indirect kiss was my line in the sand. It was after all my wedding ceremony as well to my boyfriend of two lifetimes.

I asked loudly, “Will you Lord Robert Dudley, accept me as your eternal friend, companion, and partner in all conditions, through all sufferings, and by any distance that separates us?”

Robert lifted our joined hands and kissed each of my well-manicured fingers, then answered, “I accept all those conditions and infinitely more to be with you.”

I raised our joint hands, gesturing for Robert to step forward. "In recognition of unwavering loyalty and love, I hereby crown Robert Dudley as my Royal Consort. Furthermore, he shall hold my title of Aelfric and be treated in equal standing to myself. He will share my duties and my burdens as my equal partner from henceforth."

The crowd erupted into a mix of gasps and applause, as I placed a smaller, equally regal coronet upon Robert's head. We shared a tender moment, sealing our commitment amidst the grandeur of the pavilion. I gave Robert a tactile sign to begin artificially stimulating my contractions through a chemical cocktail that he was injecting into me. We had spent several weeks using my ability to transfer knowledge to familiarize him with obstetrics, including pharmacological formulas and dosages. Using my displacement ability to remove bacteria and viruses would grant an area equivalent to any hospital clean room.

There would be no better time to give birth than publicly during my coronation. A private birth would raise questions of skepticism as to whether I had stolen a child from a commoner family to falsely claim this kind of action. In contrast, a public birth would have many witnesses between commoners and nobles within my realm. My allies from Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, Flanders, Navarre, and fair folk of western England were also eager to see a presumptive heir to safeguard my reign. Additionally, enemy representatives from Imperial Germany, Papal Rome, and Valois France were present, which would be the final dagger in the heart of any of their ambitions.

Thus, my first child Henry “Harry” Tudor was born. He was a normal biological male, who bore a strong resemblance to Robert in terms of physical features but had my red hair. I was too drugged up and woozy to recall what happened next, but Robert filled me in. When Harry was presented to the gathered crowd, who had watched in awe for an hour at my birth, Harry cried out and, according to Robert, he pissed at the sight of the crowd. He was a very active and boisterous baby boy to everyone including Robert, but when I first saw him after a nice night of rest, he cooed and attached himself to my body, seeking my warmth.