We, Her Royal Highnesses Alexandra Maria-Louisa de Ghent Vanderburg and Anastasia Maria-Teresa de Ghent Vanderburg, are overcome with grief at the untimely passing of our father, Prince Consort Renauld de Ghent Vanderburg. We loved him as our father and we will miss him terribly. The two of us have decided that he will receive a Monte Vista-style sendoff with full royal honors, and will be interred in the royal crypt.
Meanwhile, preparations for their funeral sendoff were in full swing. "We need two flags, one for the casket and one for the tablecloth, and thirty pounds of premium beef patties," Alexandra told the person on the telephone.
Anastasia laid out the family's fine china and prepared the special brew, wishing and hoping the whole time that she'd prepared it properly. Had she paid enough attention in mixology class?
Alexandra looked over and saw her sister making a face. "What if the brew isn't right? What if the tables break?"
"Come on, Ana, take a deep breath," Alexandra said in an encouraging manner. "You did a great job on the table. The feast looks great, the guests are coming in. Let's do this."
Crown Prince Sebastian, the soon-to-be king, and his wife, Crown Princess Ella, arrived first. Ella arrived in a different dress but changed into funeral attire at the house. When the crown prince saw Anastasia he fell into her arms. The fact that the soon-to-be king was reduced to a blubbering mess in his half-sister's arms was a testament to the scope of the tragedy that had unfolded.
Anastasia had been the good soldier, fighting the good fight and putting on a brave face in front of the cameras. But in her private moments she allowed her grief to flow forth from the fountain. In her private moments she was as much of a mess as her sister.
Among the party guests there was a young man fiddling with the fish tank.
Queen Catarina spotted Alexandra sobbing alone. "Your father adored you," the queen reminisced. "I remember when you were born, he ran through my bedroom screaming, 'I got a little girl!' Then when Anastasia came out, he screamed, 'I got two little girls!'"
Alexandra managed a chuckle.
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