Chapter Text
The deafening silence that surrounds the imposing corridors of Buckingham Palace is broken by the sound of thin heels hitting the ground. There she was, steadfast and impatient: Princess Anne.
Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, Crown Princess of the British Throne, only child of the marriage between Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip.
As she approached her mother's office even closer, Anne felt something inside her stir in distrust. From an early age, she learned to listen to her perceptions, and this time, something told her that she was being guided into a somewhat critical conversation between queen and crown princess, and not just a simple conversation between mother and daughter.
“Announcing Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, Your Majesty.”
“Anne, my dear, how are you?” said her mother, the queen, as she kissed her daughter's cheeks.
“Well, thank you, Mom!” bowed as a sign of respect.
"Sit down. I ordered tea for us.” He settled at the end of the sofa, while his daughter sat at the opposite end. “How is Mark?”
"Well, I think." The queen looked up to stare at her daughter, and for a minute, she seemed to ponder the tone of voice in which her question was answered.
"We'd better drink the tea before it gets cold." She began to pour the hot liquid into the white porcelain cup with gold trim. When taking the cup to her daughter, she made a sign of refusal, so the queen took it for herself. “Few things in this world compare to the power of comforting tea, made right. Don't you think, dear?"
“I'm sorry, but I don't think you called me here to talk about the benefits of tea. What do you want to deal with?”
“Always straight to the point, just like your father.” His daughter gave an approving half smile. "I've never been a fan of rambling on about a subject, but this time I confess I'm a little apprehensive about how to begin broaching this subject." It's worse than I thought, thought Anne. "Well...how many years have you been married to Captain Phillips?"
"Six years."
"And how many years have you been waiting for a child that hasn't come yet?", Anne's head tilted a little more to the right, wondering if she had heard right. "I'm waiting for the answer." She simply said.
"Perhaps from the first year of marriage?"
“This is not normal. There are many years waiting for an heir that never comes. Can you see the danger of this situation?” Anne swallowed hard. “You are my only heir. The one responsible for ensuring that the Windsor legacy remains firm and constant, even after my death.” Anne silently received every word spoken. "Our mission, Anne, is to ensure that the Windsor dynasty goes from strength to strength. But how will we do that if you don't guarantee a direct heir to the throne?"
"What do you want me to do? Do you think I haven't thought about all this before? Do you think I haven't already done everything in my power to conceive a child? Do you think I don't care about that? But what else can I do?” Her frustration and resentment rose to the surface and Anne altered her tone a little more.
“Please just listen to me, honey. . .” quickly the queen closed the distance between them, and held tightly to her daughter's trembling hands. “We know where the flaw is, and there is still a way to reverse this situation.”
“Mark and I will keep trying, just like we always have.”
“And they will continue without achieving the desired result. Listen to me, Anne; Mark revealed to us that he had the mumps as a young man, and this may have directly resulted in his infertility. It's been many years of trying and failing, my daughter. He arrives! It is time to change plans and chart a new direction.”
“What else do you want me to do? I have already done everything in my power.” She looked exhausted, but in the end, she was.
“It's time we just accept the fact that Mark will never father a child. Therefore, the need to have another plan to get around this situation." The queen said simply, and noticed the flush of anger rise up her daughter's pale cheeks. “The United Kingdom needs an heir.”
"But it wouldn't be a legitimate Windsor." Anne spoke and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
“Darling, do you really think that in all these years there have never been any less than legitimate heirs? Imagine how many of our ancestors were conceived in kitchen pantries, or in any hovel outside the palace walls.”
“I can't understand where this conversation is going...”
“It's simple and I've thought of everything. You will conceive a child, the one who will be second in line and future king or queen, through a silent partnership. You will have relations with a man of integrity and faithful to his monarchy, and who can help you conceive an heir. There, after one or two meetings on the right days, and the act consummated, you will finally father a son, and ensure the safety of the Windsor dynasty.”
"My God, Mommy…" Anne was frozen in disbelief as her mother's words hung heavily in the space between them. “I just have to be going crazy… You can't possibly have suggested this to me.” She shook her head, trying to compose herself and control the indignation she felt.
“Extreme situations require extreme attitudes.” The queen spoke quietly after taking another sip of her tea. “It's time to act, Anne. We need to put an end to this speculation in the press, and even in parliament. It's humiliating all the assumptions they make about why you and Mark haven't had a baby yet."
Anne felt tears run a lonely path down her cheeks, making her mother startle at the scene. Anne, her daughter, did not cry. Never. Under no circumstances.
The queen had to control the impulse to hug her daughter, as she noticed her beautiful blue eyes growing cloudy with hurt and resentment.
“I'm sorry, Anne. But before anything else, we have a duty to the country, and definitely, we cannot fail.”
“Mark would never accept that.” The princess spoke almost in a whisper.
“He is in no position to demand anything. If he had been efficient, it would not have been necessary to do this.” The queen spoke quietly as she stared at the tea in her cup.
“Since Your Majesty has thought of all the details… Tell me if I can choose the father, or if you are responsible for the choice?”
“I thought about it a lot. . . and really only one person comes to mind, only one person we could trust enough to ask to do something like this.”
"Who?"
“Commander Laurence.”
The flush of anger that moments ago colored Anne's porcelain cheeks gave way to a flush of embarrassment when she heard the name fall from her mother's lips.
“Commander Laurence? Tim? Your squire?”
"Himself. He is a discreet, upright, responsible, educated man, and very devoted to his work and the monarchy. For me, he is the ideal person for this task. Besides, I've noticed that over the past few months, you and he have grown considerably closer. So perhaps he is the right person to take on this challenge by your side.”
"Not. I can't ask the commander to have sex with me just so I can get pregnant, and then I can leave him and move on like nothing happened.”
"It's the safest option we have."
“I won't do it. I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't put Tim through this, I can't ask Mark to do this, I can't submit to this. I just can't, Mama.”
"I'll give you a week to think about this situation."
"I don't need to think..." Anne gets up quickly. “I already made my decision, and the answer is NO. Absolutely and definitely NO!”
“I am speaking to you as a mother who is worried about her daughter. But don't make me demand like a queen, Anne. Because if necessary, I will.” The Queen rose and faced Anne, who had a look of sadness and disapproval in her beautiful blue eyes.
“By your leave, YOUR MAJESTY!” Anne turned her back on her mother and slammed the office door.
“She will accept… She needs to accept.” Her majesty the queen spoke in a whisper.