Royal Performer - Chapter 6

Princess Alexandria Alessi’s life has turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Only a few days ago, she was enjoying a clandestine summer shopping with her best friend at the local mall. Coming home, she was alarmed to discover her mom was there, and her secret of being transgender was suddenly no longer secret! Within a few short hours, her life became like a movie as she discovered that her long-lost father was the Crown Prince of Osané, a small, secluded island nation. Alexandria was immediately thrust into the spotlight in a whirlwind weekend that led to a Monday press conference to announce her royal lineage. Royal Performer is the second Tiffany Shar's 'Suddenly Royal' series.

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Chapter 6: Replacement

AS SHE STOOD, so did everyone else. She held her hand out to me, and I gripped it lightly as she led the way to the room. I noted that someone had removed the barricades from the room, which no longer appeared to be a museum exhibit. An ornate table with a velvet cloth lay near the piano that hadn’t been there before. Laying on it were…

“Clarinets…?” I asked.

“You mentioned that one of the saddest things for you was losing your clarinet, so I asked some friends to help see what we could find.” She smiled at me.

I walked over to the table and noticed that the famous maker from Paris was the brand. Amazingly, there were a variety of woods, and all of them featured extra keys that I knew were only on clarinets, double the price of the one Mom had bought me.

“May I?” I asked Grandma.

She laughed and pointed at a man, “You should ask Monsieur Bois; he’s the one who brought them here for you to try.”

“May I?” I asked him.

His eyes twinkled, “I would be deeply offended if you didn’t. I’m sorry to hear of the loss of your instrument, but I hope one of these will work for you?”

“I can’t imagine them not… They’re amazing!” I said.

He presented me with a few mouthpieces, one of which was like my old mouthpiece, so I used it. Assembling the reed and the mouthpiece, I picked up the first clarinet with lighter-colored wood than I had ever seen before. “What kind of wood is this?” I asked him.

“It’s called Mopane, Your Highness. It’s an African hardwood that gives a bit more mellow sound but projects very nicely. I think you’ll probably enjoy it.”

Gerard Dubois and Maestro Bevins were both hanging nearby. I began by playing a chromatic scale and exploring the additional keys that had been added. I moved on to several etudes I’d had to play the previous year. Then, I played the solo I had done by memory for the Solo and Ensemble at State about a week before.

I did that for each one as guests except the two musicians, Monsieur Bois and Grandma, who all began making their polite exits. Sixteen clarinets became four…, and then I was down to two. I looked at Dubois, “Which one sounds better to you?”

He laughed, “They all sound fantastic, but I think that the Mopane you’re holding right now is the best for you.”

I looked at it and agreed, “This really is an amazing instrument.” I said to him.

“I hope you will enjoy it for many years to come!” He told me.

“You mean it’s mine?”

“Why ever would he have come with these instruments if we weren’t going to keep one,” Grandma smiled at me.

“Thank you!” I told her and embraced her. I shook his hand and watched as he placed my new clarinet in a case and handed it to me.

“I do believe you possess a fair amount of talent, Your Highness,” Maestro Bevins told me.

“I’m okay,” I told him, “I missed being an All-Stater last year by a chair…”

“You are from a very competitive state back where you grew up,” Dubois said. “That’s no small feat! If Her Majesty is amenable to it, would you perhaps be open to some lessons with me, and we’ll see where we can get you?”

“Really?” I asked.

“Really,” he said. “I can tell you would be an excellent student!”

“And you’re already quite accomplished,” Maestro Bevins told me. “What would you think about doing a concerto with the symphony next summer?”

My eyes widened, “me…?”

He laughed, “The audience will love seeing their Princess up there, and maybe it’ll inspire many young musicians to follow in your steps?”

I nodded, “I would love to!” I turned to Dubois, “Providing you can make sure I don’t make a fool of myself?”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” he told me.

Everyone took their leave, and I carried my new clarinet up to my quarters and found Madame Lavigne waiting for me. I cringed when I remembered I was supposed to take more tests after dinner.

“Sorry that took so long…” I told her.

“No worries, that couldn’t be helped. It’s late - why don’t you plan on getting some sleep, and we’ll start again tomorrow? You should have some time to call your mother then, too?”

I gratefully accepted that proclamation and headed to my room to find my phone still charging on my vanity. I saw some messages from Ellie and quickly sent her: ‘I’ll chat with you after I call Mom. ‘

Finding ‘Mom’ on my favorites, I pressed her to FaceTime, hoping she would pick up. I needn’t have worried, though, because she picked up by the second ring.

“Allie?” I saw Mom, heard her voice, and tried not to start crying immediately. From what I could see, she looked a little better in color.

“Mom! Are you still doing okay?”

“Much better, sweetheart. They told me that they’re planning to move me out of the ICU tomorrow.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, “Good!”

“So, how are you doing? That dress looks beautiful! How is being a princess so far?” she rattled off, clearly as anxious to hear about me as I was about her.

I sighed again and opened my heart to her about everything that day. I told her about Anna’s threats.

“If she does anything, you let me know! I won’t have anyone hitting my baby girl!” She made a fist with her good arm and then grimaced as she must have moved wrong.

I smiled and winced at the same time.

I needed to change the subject, “I told Grandma how my clarinet was lost in the fire…”

“Oh? What did she say? I can only imagine how many things we will have to replace… Thank God most of the pictures I took of you growing up are in cloud storage!”

I grimaced at the many embarrassing baby photos that sadly weren’t eliminated in the fire!

“Well, I’m quickly figuring out she has an over-the-top response for any problem…” I told her about getting to try out all of the clarinets tonight and picking out my favorite. “It’s so pretty! And it sounds beautiful!!! I can’t imagine taking it to school, though… Definitely not outside for marching band.”

“Well… I think we both know that you coming back to your old high school probably isn’t happening now, right?”

I felt tears run down my face and nodded.

“Don’t cry, Sweetie; remember you would have been there for only three more years, right? Then you would have been going away to college.”

“I know that, Mom, but… ugh… It’s so hard to imagine not being with Ellie? I didn’t have a lot of friends, but she’s my BFF.”

“Who knows what will happen,” she told me. Right then, a nurse came in and started talking to her as Mom sat the phone down to where all I could see was blankets for a moment. “I need to go so they can start doing some sort of physical therapy. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you,” she told me.

“Love you too, Mommy,” I said, once again reverting to what I had called her when I was much younger.

As I pressed the red button to end our chat, I burst into sobs for several minutes.

I was just wiping my tears away and had control of myself when Ellie’s picture appeared on my phone. I smiled and swiped to answer, “Hi, Ellie,” I told her.

“Hi Allie… have you been crying?” she asked me.

I groaned but nodded, “Sorry, I was just talking to Mom.”

“Is she okay?” Ellie asked worriedly.

I nodded, “Yes, I just miss her!” I breathed, “and you… and a house that’s no longer standing…”

“I’m sorry Allie… Every time I look next door, it hurts. I miss you so much!” she told me.

“I miss you too,” I told her back.

“So… what have you been doing? How was flying in your own private jet?”

“It’s Grandma’s…”

“In other words, it’ll be yours someday!”

I shook my head, “One thing at a time…” I told her. “Today began with dealing with my ‘ladies maids,’ being a pain in the butt. Almost literally…” I found myself telling her about Anna and Madame Lavigne.

“I can’t believe you have a governess… Aren’t they like meant to be for little kids who grew up old enough not to need a nanny?”

I shrugged. “I got the impression from several people that age-wise, I probably am too old for one. She’s not the worst so far,” I told her.

“And you look young enough. I guess it could be normal…” Ellie smirked at me.

I stuck my tongue out at her, then, “I can’t help my height and the fact the boob fairy hasn’t visited yet.”

“That’s a pretty gown you’re wearing!” She told me. “Stand up and let me see it?”

I stood and held the phone out so she could see the whole dress. “It is, I wouldn’t mind changing into something comfortable, but that doesn’t really exist in my wardrobe. I have so got to go shopping for normal clothes!!!! At least some pajamas!”

She nodded, “Why’d you have to get all dressed up tonight?”

“I told Grandma about my new clarinet being in the house…”

“And that made you get dressed up?”

I laughed, “No, the people she brought for dinner did that. The conductor of the Osané National Symphony and the principal clarinetist were there. She also brought in some bigwig from the company in France that makes the clarinets I like. After dinner, she walked us all to the Music Room, and there were like twenty-plus clarinets for me to try out!!!”

“That’s awesome!” she told me. “So, did you pick one out? How much was it?”

“I picked this one,” I told her, grabbing the case, opening it up, and showing her.

“That’s pretty!!!” She told me.

“I know, right? I can’t believe it has gold for some of its key posts. I can’t wait to practice it some more. I’m going to be taking lessons with that clarinet player that was here tonight,” I told her. “Oh, and the conductor is kind of crazy; he wants me to do a concerto with the symphony next summer!”

She squealed a bit about that, too, and we kept talking for another thirty minutes when there was a knock on the door. “Umm… come in?” I said, sitting up.

Anna walked in, and I found myself grimacing at seeing her. “Pardon me, Your Highness, but you have an early morning tomorrow. I recommend you get some sleep here soon?”

“Sleep?” I heard Ellie say.

“It’s like ten over here,” I told her. I groaned, “I’ll let you go, Ellie, I don’t want to fight her on this.”

“Umm… okay,” she told me. “Talk to you again tomorrow, I hope!”

“Bye,” I told her and hung up.

“That was very reasonable of you, Your Highness,” Anna practically crowed.

I glared at her, “Why did you expect me not to be? Other than the fact I never go to bed this early in the summer at home?” I shook my head, “I don’t know what your problem is, but again, if you tell me what is coming, I’m more than happy to be ‘reasonable,’” I said. I stood up and walked to my closet. I was annoyed again that all that was available were nightgowns, but I found one that looked okay and closed the door on her as I walked into the bathroom.

Washing my face, brushing my teeth, and caring for everything took a good fifteen minutes. I spent the time hoping Anna would be gone when I returned but was sadly greeted with her face still there. “So, what time do you need me out of the shower tomorrow?” I asked her.

“We need to be at breakfast with your grandmother at seven.”

“Wake me up at five then,” I told her as I quickly finished with my phone and placed it to charge. I climbed into the comfy bed and pulled the covers over my head. She turned out the lights and left with a “Good night, Your Highness.”

‘How long do I have to put up with her…?’ I couldn’t help but wonder. ‘She’s such a witch!’