Sage

As the plane lands back in Canterbury my chest tightens and my palms sweat. It took us some time to visit the countries I’ve helped in the past and get together the documentary we planned on airing. It was amazing to see everyone again and also to see the impact my assistance had in the villages.

During my past visits, I asked whoever took pictures to not state specifically who I was, rather stating I was a fellow volunteer. The last few weeks, I was able to see all the photos taken in individual countries. The memories they brought back were worth the trip alone.

I’ve kept in touch with both my sister and Mom but didn’t tell them where I was or what I have planned. Everything had to be a complete surprise, so my father didn’t try to stop it from happening.

Logan and Joey have been coordinating the viewing back home, and thank God for Logan’s dad, Michael. Though I’ve never been fond of the man, he’s helped us a ton. I had no idea the degree of hatred he held for my father, or the lengths he would go to help me to replace him someday.

It’s pretty cool to see him and Logan bond over this as well. Logan’s seeing a different side of his dad, and for them to actually agree on things has been a huge stepping-stone in their relationship.

In order to keep everything a secret, we had Michael purchase a half hour of airtime on one of our major television stations, saying it’s a sales pitch on a new product he’s pushing. We plan to alert all other media stations and give them access to the feed if they want to air it as well.

Now that the time is here, I can’t help but pray it all goes well and everyone believes me.

As we exit the plane, Logan and Joey are standing there to greet us on the tarmac, ready for us to head directly to the station. Everly has been uploading the film directly to her laptop, editing it between flights and now holds the digital copy in her hand.

I’m so proud of her ability to tell a story and make the imagery just as amazing.

“You ready?” Logan asks.

“Let’s do this,” I reply.

I reach for Everly’s hand, wanting her by my side more than ever as we head toward Logan’s SUV.

When we pull up to the station, I glance over to Everly only to see panic written all over her face. Holding her head between my hands, I place my forehead on hers and whisper, “Everything will be okay. This”—I reach in my pocket and hold up the thumb drive—“is amazing, and if our country doesn’t fall in love with you, then it’s a country I don’t want to run.”

My lips touch hers, and I’m instantly rejuvenated. She offers me everything I need in this world.

I open my door and step out, more ready than ever to let the world finally see who I am.

When we enter the news station, heads turn my direction, and everyone stares in shock. I’m sure I’m the last person they thought they would see walk through their doors tonight.

“Prince Sage.” A man stands, holding out his hand to shake mine. “I’m Tim, the director. It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” I smile as we shake hands. “This is my wife, Everly.”

“Wife?” he temporarily slips then quickly recovers. “Yes, sure. It’s so nice to meet you, Everly.”

“I’m sorry we had to lie to you beforehand, but the program that Michael Thompson is scheduled to play tonight is not exactly what you thought. If it’s okay with you, Everly and I have put together a tell-all, personal-narrative documentary that we wished to share with Canterbury.”

I hand the file to Tim, and his face lights up. “Sir, yes. We are honored you chose us to play this. I’ll get this over to programming right now.”

“Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your cooperation.”

He nods, and as he walks away, I stop him. “Oh, can you also please put it on a line that the other stations can access? I’m going to call them now and give them a heads up if they want to pick up the feed.”

“Of course. That’s no problem at all.”

I pick up my phone and call the other stations, which are all just as shocked as Tim was, and more than happy to pull the feed and stream it live.

All we can do is wait now. We’ve done everything we could, so I grab Everly’s hand, heading to the only place I want to be while we wait: her rock at The Ridge.

* * *

We pull into the employee parking lot at The Ridge. Everly made sure her mom was there to greet us, and when we open the door, Everly jumps out, giving her mom a big hug.

I love seeing them together. Their bond is something I’ve never experienced with my own parents, but I hope to change that. Especially with my mom. Throughout our entire trip, they spoke every day, and Judy even made a few suggestions for our video that we used in the final cut.

“Sage,” Judy whispers to me as she also pulls me in for a hug. “Welcome home, son.”

“Thank you. It’s good to be here.”

“Is everything set?” she asks when we pull back from each other.

“Yup. Now we wait, keeping our fingers crossed,” Everly says.

“You have nothing to worry about. From what Everly has said, and I know her work, you will win over the hearts of everyone here.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Everly smiles sweetly. “So is it safe?” She points to where we are going.

“Yup. I told my boss, and he was happy to help, so he closed off the patio until you guys came through. So head on back.”

“Thank you, Judy,” I say.

She smiles sweetly at both of us before shooing us on our way. Just in case, I pull a hat down low, and we walk as fast as we can through the back entrance to Everly’s special place.

Once we’re there I can’t help but reflect on the full circle we’ve come. Only a few months ago I dreamt of a beautiful girl who sat on a rock and now I’m here with her as my wife. I can’t help it when I reach out and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into me and breathing in her sweet scent.

“I want you to know that no matter what, I wouldn’t do anything different,” I say, while she’s pressed against my chest. “Being here, with you, is the happiest I’ve ever been.”

She leans back to look at me. “You’re not worried?”

I shrug. “As long as I have you nothing else matters. I know we’ve done everything we can. I have faith that the people of Canterbury will see it our way.” I rub my finger along her cheek. “I know they will love you just as much as I do.”

She blushes and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I glance at my watch, seeing it’s almost show time. After taking a deep breath, saying one last prayer, we both sit, pulling up their live feed on my phone as we wait for the show to start.

The program begins, and I appear on the screen, standing in front of the well I helped drill in Nigeria.

“Hello everyone. Many of you know me as Prince Sage Stevinson. For years I’ve been out of the limelight, but I think it’s time for you to see what I’ve really been up to. Unfortunately, my family doesn’t feel the same way about how a royal should help our community. I never wanted to be king because I never wanted to stop what I was doing.

“I know you all have been following my life recently, and I’m hoping this video will set the record straight.

“First, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Everly, who is standing behind the camera. And yes, I said wife. No matter what my father has said, our wedding was legal, and she will always be by my side, if we’re in the royal family or not. I’m here to ask for you to open your hearts, learn who I really am and hopefully, together, we can be the change our country needs. So enjoy, and I hope to see you all soon.”

The screen cuts to a group of kids, pumping water from the well. The youngest one holds the bucket under the stream with a huge grin on his face as a voice over starts from the President of Nigeria.

“Getting clean water to the people who lived on the outskirts of Gbongan was an issue my country faced. Every day, women would walk miles into town just to fill up their jug. Through the help of Prince Sage, we were able to drill a well, thirty feet in the ground, where everyone has access to it. The most amazing part was that Prince Sage was here himself, helping with the equipment and installing the necessary pipes to ensure success. Having him in our country brought hope to many people and made their lives infinitely better.”

Pictures scroll across the screen of my time there. Memories flood my mind of the moment fresh, clean water poured from the spicket. Everyone cried, including me. Some wells don’t have to go that deep, and we were running out of options, but I refused to give up, and the reward was more than worth it.

We all passed around cups of water, drinking with pride at our accomplishment. A little boy hopped on my lap, holding his cup with a huge grin covering his face when he held it up to me saying, “It’s clear!” He’d never seen such clean water.

When the picture passes by of that exact moment, I choke back the tears forming around the memory. Everly wraps her arms around my arm and reaches up to kiss my cheek as I reappear on the screen to introduce the next portion.

The image fades away to reveal a man standing with his wife and four children in a dirt field. “My name is Adia, and this is my family. A few years ago, I got a tooth infection that was spreading to the rest of my body. I was not able to work, and my family was going to starve. My village does not have health care, and without the means to travel to another city, my outlook was grim. We got word of a dental clinic a few towns over, but I was too weak to make the trip. My wife walked the twenty miles, begging for them to help. When Prince Sage showed up at my doorstep with a truck to pick me up, my entire world changed. I was able to get the treatment I needed. Today my family is thriving thanks to Prince Sage.”

The camera pulls back to show his home and the land around them before cutting to a dental clinic we opened. The dentist stands in the middle of the kids when he says, “To date, we have been able to help thirty thousand patients within our facility. This would not be possible without the help of Prince Sage. Through his assistance, we have been able to apply for grants and get international funding as well as a group of dentists who come through twice a year to help with our patients. The lives we have been able to save, just through simple routine dental care, has made a huge impact on the surrounding villages. We are proud to display Canterbury’s flag on our building at all times.”

The image pans to show our flag, flying high right next to Kenya’s. I was so proud the day we raised them together. I wish my family could have been there to celebrate with me.

This was the hardest project I took on because I don’t know a thing about dental care. I just knew there was a need, so I made it my mission to file for grants through Rotary International and the World Health Organization. This was the longest project I worked on, but the one most worth the effort.

Since we had to leave Malawi early, I was eager to get back and make sure the maternity ward was completed. Madame Callista was flabbergasted when we told her what was going on, and she was more than willing to help. For this section of the video though, I wanted it to feature Everly. When Madame Callista had sent me the info for the women wanting to start a business and work with Everly, I was elated. This is the perfect thing for Everly to get involved in and make her own mark as our future queen.

The video cuts, I see Everly’s gorgeous face staring back at me. She smiles so sweetly, and I fall in love all over again.

“Hello, Canterbury. I think we got off on the wrong foot”—she laughs nervously—“My name is Everly Stanley, well now Everly Stevinson. My entire life I hated the fact that I was in the running to marry the Prince of Canterbury because I didn’t know who he was. Prince or not, I wanted to marry for love and nothing else. That is until I got to know the real Sage. This, what you see now, is who he really is. He took me to Malawi where we helped build a maternity ward.

“While I was here, I learned of a project that I would love to get our country involved in. You see, the women here don’t have feminine products. Instead, their entire lives are put on hold while their cycle progresses, and they sit in a corner waiting it out. An organization has created these reusable products,”—she holds one up demonstrating how they work—“and I’ve made it my goal to help these women not only get the products they need but also create jobs where people here can make these. I hope the women—and even men—of Canterbury can assist me in my mission and change the lives of women thousands of miles away.”

I wrap my arm around Everly, bringing her to me and kiss the top of her head. The video continues, with Madame Callista talking about the maternity ward and showing its progress. At the time of filming, it wasn’t quite finished so we stayed an extra day to help them as much as we could.

All that’s needed is the finishing touches, which I know they can handle. I laughed out loud when I was told the village had already agreed that the first born would be named either Everly or Sage. The look on Everly’s face was priceless.

She’s priceless.

The documentary goes on to other countries I’ve visited and people I’ve helped, but all I can focus on is the woman sitting beside me. In this short amount of time, she’s given me so much hope.

Hope for me.

Hope for my position as king one day.

I know since the people of Canterbury just saw what I’ve seen in her this past month or so, they will love her, too.

She glances up into my eyes. “Are you okay?” she asks, concerned.

“I’m more than okay.” I lean down to kiss her softly and hold her in my arms, exactly where she was meant to be.

I turn my attention back to the screen, and I’m back at the well, where the video first started.

“I know you all have been told I was away so I could become more suitable for a king, but in my opinion, there is nothing about who I am that I want to change. You see, I have been traveling the world between my studies, helping people just like this. I would love to bring my knowledge and experience back to Canterbury. We don’t need wells dug or maternity clinics built, but there are plenty of things I could do to make our country better.

“I want to work on a better school system that’s free to everyone, and I have ideas of ways to create jobs and start making things in Canterbury again to export to other countries. I plan on doing anything I can if you allow me to stay and represent our country as your king.

“Thank you all for your time and until I see you again, much love Canterbury.”

Images of the kids from each village we visited grace the screen, all waving and saying goodbye to the camera before fading to black.

I click the screen off and turn to Everly. “You did an amazing job.” I kiss her sweetly.

“I had an easy subject to cover.” She smiles so brightly that my heart melts. “So what now?”

“Now we wait and pray people see it my way.”

We stand to gather our things when my phone dings with a text message from Logan.

Shit is getting real. Check it out.

He sends me a link to a trending hashtag on social media called #ImWithSage. I scroll through to see people posting about the video, how they support me, and how they want me to be their king.

“Oh my God!” Everly screams while jumping and holding onto my arm. “Is this really happening?”

I wrap my arms around her, picking her up and swinging her around. “It is. All because of you.”

We kiss just as we hear, “Um, you guys better come down here.” I turn to see Judy standing at the bottom of the hill. “Someone saw you sneak back here and as soon as the video started the word got out. The place is swarmed with news crews.”

I hold Everly’s head in my hands. “Are you ready for this?”

She holds on to me. “I’m ready.”

We kiss before I lead her down the hill.

“What a great story, Sage,” Judy says after giving me a hug.

“It was all Everly,” I reply.

“I love you both, so much.” Judy hugs Everly, and we all walk toward the chaos I hear brewing.

She wasn’t kidding. At the gate of The Ridge, people swarm, all trying to get a peek at us.

As we approach I hear people yell, “I’m with you, Sage.”

“You’re my King Sage.”

“I want to help Everly.”

I stand in front of them, asking them to quiet down so I can speak. “Thank you so much for your support. Really. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. We still have our work cut out for us but know that we will fight this battle”—I glance to Everly—“together. Thank you.”

We work our way to a car where our driver, Sam, is standing, waiting to open the door. When he does, I see my mom and Mya sitting inside.

“Sage.” Mom holds me close to her as soon as we sit in the back of the limo. “I’m so sorry. You know I tried.”

“I know, Mom. I’m sorry to put you through that.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m so proud of you for standing up for yourself.” She turns to Everly. “And sweetheart, you have no idea how happy I am that Sage found you. I know you haven’t had the best introduction to our family, but we are very happy that you joined us.”

“What about Dad?” I ask.

“He stormed off as soon as he found out about the broadcast,” Mya says. “Mom came to get me when we heard where you were. Welcome home, big brother.” She hugs Everly and then me. “I always wanted a sister to get into trouble with,” she teases, like my sister would ever do anything wrong.

We head back to the palace, ready to face the wrath of my father. I have no idea how he’s going to react, but with the support we’ve received already, he might not have much of a say about it.

Everly and I head straight to his study, in this fight together.

When I open the door, he turns in his chair to face me. “How dare you make a liar out of me,” he spits out.

“I did no such thing,” I growl, not holding anything back. “You made a liar of yourself. I set the record straight and told the people the truth.”

He stands and struts over to me. “Get out of my house. You are not welcome here anymore.”

“If that’s what you want, I’m prepared. But you better be prepared yourself. The people of Canterbury know now. Don’t think you’ll have an easy time getting rid of me.”

“Get out!” he shouts into my face.

I turn to leave when surprise smacks me in the face in the form of my mother. “No, William. I will have no more of this. You will welcome our son and his wife into our home and into your country as the next king, or I will make a true mockery of this family and leave. I have put up with a lot of things from you, but you’ve gone too far.”

She pauses, waiting for his reply but to my surprise, he’s completely silent.

She walks to be by my side. “I should have stood up when you spread lies about Sage, but I’m doing it now. So hear me and hear me good. I will not allow you to disown our son. Now straighten up, welcome your new daughter-in-law into our family or I swear you’ll never see me again.”

She turns to storm out of the room, and when my eyes meet with Everly’s, both of us are stunned into silence. As is my father.

After moments of awkwardness, I reach for Everly’s hand and say, “I’ll leave you to your thoughts. I hope you make the right choice.”

My mom and sister are nowhere to be found, so I send a quick text to Mya, making sure she’s with Mom. We leave the palace, knowing all that was needed to be said has been. Now we pray he stops this bullshit and lets us live our lives.