@aheartundercrossfire I couldn't resist the flash fiction opportunities this presented.
*
"I haven't prepared you enough for this meeting."
Ellie jumped, not so much because of the words, but because of the sound of them. At university, Sam had always displayed a proper Bostonian accent, but ever since they'd gone through customs, his drawl had been growing stronger. Now that they'd arrived at the Royal Ranch House, it was impossible to forget that he was really a prince of Texas.
And she was about to meet the king.
Ellie tried to laugh it off. "I might be a republican girl, but I can handle myself around royalty. I met the princess of California when she gave that speech on campus, remember?"
"Texas," Sam said cautiously, "isn't like other monarchies."
He unlocked a cabinet on the wall of the waiting room and held out a gunbelt toward Ellie. Two ivory-handled pistols sat within the holsters.
"You'd better wear this," Sam said.
Ellie reeled back. "Excuse me?"
"My dad's a stickler for protocol. Visitors have to be armed in the presence of the king."
"What kind of rule is that?"
Sam raised a what-did-I-tell-you eyebrow. "A Texas one." He held out the gunbelt. "I can help you put it--"
"Are you insane? I'm not wearing a gun!"
"Then you're not meeting the king."
"You're making that up!"
Sam sighed. "Refusing to wear arms shows you don't respect the king as a fighter. I want you to make a good first impression."
"I've never even touched a gun before."
Sam winced. "Do not say that where my dad can hear you." He fumbled with with weapons. "Look, they're not even loaded. It's just for the look of it. We're running out of--"
The doors flew open, and a herald announced the entrance of the king.
A short man with a pair of bushy side whiskers burst into the room, wearing what Ellie could only assume was Texan royal regalia. In the flurry of motion, Ellie couldn't make out much more than denim, a pair of elaborately tooled leather boots, and a truly enormous cowboy hat.
King Houston IV swept Ellie's hand into a crushing handshake. "There she is!" He pumped Ellie's hand so hard that her joints hurt. "Sam finally brought a girl home!"
Meeting the princess of California had been nothing like this. Ellie stammered, "Pleased to meet you, your majesty."
"Pleasure's mine! You're quite a looker. Sam sure knows how to pick 'em."
The king stepped back to get a better look and suddenly fell silent. "Who let you in here without a weapon?"
"I..."
Sam stepped up. "It's my fault, Dad. I..."
Ellie found her voice. "Sam said I could greet you with a proper Texas weapon, but I took too long admiring those pistols. No one makes a gun like Texas does."
The king's smile returned. "She's got a brain, too! You know, I had my doubts about Sam bringing home a Boston girl, but if you've got respect for Texas, it'll take you a long way." He started toward the door. "Come on in, and we'll get to know each other over a drink."
He rushed out of the room like a small whirlwind, leaving Ellie and Sam standing breathless behind him.
Sam gave Ellie a grateful look. "Good job."
Ellie smiled. "I told you I know how to handle royalty."
@dragonanne4fun I couldn't resist adapting this idea to fit with this already-written scene about the Kingdom of Texas.
*
"The what?" Ellie asked, unsure she'd heard right.
"The Royal Rodeo," Sam sighed,as he hung an enormous coil of rope onto a hook in the stable wall. "It's a Texas tradition. A prince must prove his fitness for the throne by competing in several events that showcase his riding and cattle-handling skills."
"You've got to be kidding."
"Do I look like I'm kidding, Ellie?"
Ellie looked at him, all denim and plaid, covered in dust and sweat and smelling of horses after a day spent working himself to the bone. Not much of a difference between prince and cowboy in Texas. "No. You don't. So this rodeo is serious business, huh?"
"I stand a very real chance of losing my crown. After Dad's injury, the barons want to make sure the succession is secure. The rodeo's only two weeks away, and I'm not ready."
"Are you sure? I've seen you ride..."
"I'm out of shape. I've been at school, not ranching, which is part of the problem in their eyes--"
"What happens if you fail?"
"The crown is offered to the next in line--my cousin, Austin."
The name was said with a derisive sneer. Ellie wracked her memory to find a face that deserved it. "The one with the black hat?"
"That'd be him."
"Oh no."
Sam smiled cynically. "I'm glad you understand the problem."
"You can't let that...that....pig rule Texas."
A voice, deep and drawling, boomed from the doorway of the stable. "Easy, little lady." Austin--black hat and all--sauntered toward them while twisting the end of a dark mustache. "We don't take kindly to insults from city slickers around here."
Sam stepped ahead to shield Ellie. "Leave her alone, Austin. This is between you and me."
Austin smiled wickedly. "We all know how that'll turn out. Why don't you just fold right now? Get out of the game before you embarrass yourself."
"I don't recall asking your advice, Austin."
Austin's lip curled. "You're soft, Sam. All that schooling out East polished away all the grit you had. It's a good thing I convinced the barons to push up the date of the rodeo; they'll all see you're not fit for the throne."
Ellie watched Sam's hand twitch, ever so slightly, toward his gun belt, and Ellie found herself wishing that the guns Sam had given her were loaded.
"I think you'd best leave," Sam told Austin, his drawl getting stronger than ever. "Before I show Ellie just how we deal with lying, cheating dogs in Texas."
Austin's eyebrows rose. "You callin' me out? We could make it official. High noon. Main drag."
"You're not worth the bullet."
"Coward."
"King." It took Ellie a moment of stunned silence to realize she'd been the one who'd spoken. She stepped ahead of Sam, letting indignation drive her before she lost her nerve. "He'll be king, which is more than a snake like you will ever deserve."
Austin smirked--actually smirked!--in a way that made Ellie want to tear that mustache off his face. As if she were just a child or a yippy little dog. "I can't say I agree with you, little lady, but I don't expect a Boston girl to know much about it."
"I know that if Sam doesn't shoot you, I just might."
Austin gave Sam an approving look. "Didn't know they made 'em with that much spunk out East."
Sam just said, "Get out of here, Austin."
To Ellie's surprise, Austin obeyed. There was a certain authority to Sam's words that discouraged resistance. Or maybe Austin had just gotten tired of twirling that mustache. He sauntered out of the stable as casually as if it'd been his own idea, and then Sam and Ellie were finally alone.
Sam took off his hat and looked at Ellie in amazement. "Threatening to shoot a man, Ellie?"
Now that the moment was over, it felt surreal. Like she'd been stuck in some strange Texas dream. Ellie was beginning to see why all their weird traditions had stuck around. "He has a very shootable face," she said.
"For future reference, please don't say things like that unless you've got the bullets to back it up." Sam's anxiety suddenly dissolved as he broke into a smile. "But for the record, that was behavior fitting a queen of Texas."
Ellie found that she liked the sound of that. If the current queen had her say, Ellie would never have that title, but the more time Ellie spent here, the more she could see herself at Sam's side.
Ellie smiled and said, "I'll take your word for it. But before we go thinking about that, let's worry about making you king."
