Chapter Text
Elmer clapped loudly as Spot walked up the aisle, stopping at the top to turn around and face the audience gathered in the throneroom of Spot’s castle. Elmer, Albert, and Race were in the front row; across the aisle sat Spot’s mother and father.
“Prince Sean,” said the man in front of Spot, “this is the day on which your father’s power transfers to you, as will his kingdom. In order that the kingdom may have full trust in you as their leader, please repeat the following: As have my ancestors before me,”
“As have my ancestors before me,” Spot said.
“I vow that I will do all in my power to protect the magic of fire.”
““I vow that I will do all in my power to protect the magic of fire.”
“And I will protect the kingdom in which it reigns.”
“And I will protect the kingdom in which it reigns.”
“Thank you, Sean,” the man looked him in the eyes, and placed on his head a golden crown, with rubies all around it. “Friends and family of all kingdoms, now rise for the King.”
Elmer rose to his feet, smiling uncontrollably at Spot’s proud face.
“May I present King Sean, ruler of the fire kingdom.”
The audience clapped loudly, and Race hollered as loud as he could. Elmer elbowed him in the stomach, but laughed at his antics. Within seconds, everyone was following Race’s example, cheering and hollering.
-
Of course, Elmer thought as Albert walked up the aisle, all of the coronations were only a formality. Everyone knew that the second they were over, all of the “kings” would lay down their crowns and live as normally as they could. That didn’t stop Albert from being nervous for the procession.
“What if I get the words wrong though?” he asked Elmer, before the coronation.
“You’re not going to. You’re literally repeating what he says. You’re going to be alright.”
And of course, Albert did the whole thing perfectly. Not that it was hard, necessarily. But they still hugged him afterwards, telling him that they had all known he would do well. He walked out of the throne room, an intricate crown of flowers and branches and gems on his head, and his cape trailed behind him. It was just like the cape that all of them would wear once they became king: a stripe that looked like lava on the bottom, brown above it, then trees, sky, and clouds. Elmer smiled as he left, now the “King Albert, ruler of the earth kingdom.” He met the eyes of Albert’s mother, who wiped a tear out of her eyes and smiled at him.
-
“Allow me to present King Anthony, ruler of the air kingdom.”
Elmer was sure to scream as loud as he could when Race was crowned, as his boyfriend had instructed. Albert and Spot did the same thing, and Race’s father shot them a dirty look before he remembered that the people he was staring down outranked him, and could legally do anything they wanted to him. Not that they would ever think of doing something like, say, have him executed. But they could, and the old king knew it.
Race’s blue eyes sparkled as the crown was placed on his head. Pure silver and intricately made, it fit his head perfectly. Elmer noticed that in this kingdom, the last ruler was the one to crown the new ruler, if possible. Race’s mother bent down to place it on his head, and it was obvious that he was breaking tradition when he reached out and hugged her. She didn’t cry, or at least she didn’t cry as much as Albert’s mother had. Race, instead of walking out of the room like he was supposed to, walked down to the front row. He kissed Spot, and then Albert, and then Elmer, and walked back up to the throne, where he sat as everyone left the room.
-
Elmer had laughed at Albert for being nervous, but once it was his turn, he understood it. He wasn’t nervous about messing up, really; he was nervous about the fact that he was taking over his father’s kingdom. And that wasn’t true, since the borders had long since been dissolved, and the kingdoms did not need kings anymore.
Still, it seemed important. He’d been thinking about this day since he’d been a little kid, since the first time he’d heard the story about the original founders of the kingdoms.
“May I present,” Elmer’s father said, after crowning Elmer with a ring of gold and sapphire, “the King Elmer, ruler of the water kingdom.”
Everyone clapped, and Elmer smiled at the people in the chairs near him. His father clasped the cape around Elmer’s neck, and Elmer walked back down the aisle.
-
They hadn’t decided on just one castle to stay in. Elmer rolled his eyes just remembering that conversation. Since they had each wanted to be at their own castle from their childhood, but they all also wanted to be with each other, they had fought for a few days over it. Once they each understood that they weren’t getting what they wanted, it came down to a final fight between Elmer and Albert, who had selected the earth castle, and Race and Spot, who had chosen the fire castle. In the end, the verdict ended up being the simplest choice: none of them.
They’d had a house built. It was modest sized, nothing that would suggest their status to anyone who didn’t already know. There were enough rooms to fit all our people, plus at least two pairs of parents, if they ever wanted to visit for more than a day. Elmer had wanted some more space, for “any other people who might come along,” but Race had quelled his hopes for that with a promise that if anything of that sort ever did happen, they could build a second story to the house. Elmer had grumbled, but given in.
Their house had a huge yard, big enough for anyone who wanted to come over, and certainly big enough for the kind of party that they threw after all four coronations were complete. People from the all four corners of the kingdom showed up, each one congratulating the four kings. Elmer pretended not to notice it, but people seemed particularly keen on congratulating the king from their own kingdom. It didn’t matter, really. People were eating drinking and laughing and carrying on with the party. People were happy with how everything had turned out, and that was the most important thing.
Well, not exactly. The most important thing, Elmer thought, was the placement of the house. When they’d begun construction, that was the one thing on which Elmer would not compromise. It had to be in a very certain clearing of trees, close to the place where all four kingdoms had connected, but just barely in the earth kingdom. Luckily, no one had tried to argue with him on that.
The OTHER more important thing, of course, was the three people who stood at his side, accepting congratulations and smiling at each other as the party went on. On a perfect night like that, Elmer wouldn’t have minded if time stopped, and the moon stayed where it was.