Victoria does have a choice.
She could leave. She could go home and never come back.
She could go back to the States with Matt and just ignore the rest of the world.
But she doesn't.
This means a lot to Matt. Deep down, it means a lot to Victoria, too. Her parents are never going to just give her a hand; they are never going to accept this.
But she opens up the door anyway and says, in as firm a voice as she can, “Mother, Father, I've come to speak with you.”
The Queen looks up, startled. Her knitting needles clack together. She's working on a blanket, pale pink and blue.
The King looks far less surprised. “Victoria! What are you doing here?”
“I've come to speak with you,” says Victoria. “I've come to tell you things are changing. That they already have changed.”
Gabriella jumps to her feet. The needles and yarn and half-made blanket fall to the ground. “Victoria! You stupid, awful child! Where have you been?”
There's no actual anger in the words. It almost sounds like she's upset. And that is what one must remember, for the Queen is a queen but she's also a mother. Those two jobs can be very conflicting, and it causes much turmoil in Gabriella's heart. She takes three large steps forward and then freezes. “I was worried about you.”
“No,” says Victoria lightly. “You weren't. If you were worried, you would have sent out the army; you would have been looking for me.”
“They said you missed your flight,” says Gabriella. “I assumed you were simply out with a man.”
Victoria bristles. “I was not. I was being held under duress.”
“Impossible,” says the King. “There's no way we wouldn't have heard about that!”
“Why would you? There's no reason to ask for money from a family that has all but disowned their daughter,” says Victoria. She shakes her head, and she holds up one hand. “But that's not what I've come home to discuss. I've come home to tell you I will be getting married in the spring. It will be with a man of my choosing.”
“No,” says Gabriella firmly. “We've already had this discussion! There is an agreement in place, Victoria, and I will not have you tarnish the name farther by breaking it.”
The agreement.
That's part of the reason for Victoria's fear, for her anger.
“That agreement was something you created,” says Victoria. “That's not my problem, Mother. You didn't consult me, and I didn't agree to anything you left in that note or that you said to Sir Harold.”
“It's not up to you to choose,” says Gabriella.
The King stands up. His face is grim, like he's just bitten something sour, like he's just seen something of the most awful sort. “Gabriella, sit down. Victoria—this man, he deserves a proper introduction.”
Victoria waits until her mother is sitting down again to motion to Matt. “Mother, Father, this is my fiancé. Matthew.”
Matt smiles. It's clearly forced. “I'd say it was a pleasure to meet the two of you, but these are pretty shitty circumstances.”
The Queen looks appalled. “Don't speak like that!”
“Gabriella,” says the King firmly. “Let them have a chance to speak. You have made your thoughts on the matter clear. Whether we agree with them or not, it's only fair we let Victoria speak, too. Politics are never fun, but they are important. Isn't that what you said to me just yesterday?”
“Yesterday was different,” says Gabriella, and it's the closest thing to a pout Victoria has ever seen on the Queen.
“Just let her talk,” says the King. He waves at Victoria, much like he would wave at a visiting dignitary. It seems strange, being treated like she's just a visitor.
Victoria clears her throat. “I will not marry Sir Harold, and I will not be getting rid of my child. Whatever you choose to do with my status, it no longer matters. My life is not a political endeavor nor is it a game for you to play. It's something I will never be able to get away from and something I will never be able to forget. You may have chosen to enter into a loveless marriage, but that won't be my fate.”
“This is no argument,” continues Victoria, before her mother can interrupt and say something untoward. “And there is nothing you can say that will change my mind. The fact that you're willing to let the news say such things about your only daughter speaks volumes! Whatever your own personal thoughts, you have done a great disservice to your country.”
“You're the only one that has done the country a disservice,” spits Gabriella.
Victoria shakes her head. “No, Mother. You have shown the world that you are willing to let your own kin's name be slandered. You will not stand up to the news, so long as they are ruining someone's appearance other than your own.”
“That's a lie,” says Gabriella.
Victoria says, “It's the truth. It's the truth, and you know that. You have done nothing to protect your daughter, and all of Vertsea will see that. Soon, my name will not be the hot and up-coming scandal. It will be your name, and it will be your lack of caring.”
Gabriella demands, “Are you threatening me?”
“No,” says Matt. “But I might be. There are a few reporters that know we've come for a visit. If things go south in here, they might catch wind of it. They might just find out about the arrangements you've made with Sir Harold and all of the other foul comments you've made. Tell me, how do you think they're going to deal with hearing things like that come from the Queen's mouth? If she's so willing to speak like that about her daughter…fuck, if she's willing to disown her daughter over wanting to get married to someone that isn't loaded? You think they're going to have any respect for you?”
Gabriella sputters. She looks absolutely taken aback. No one has ever spoken to her like that! It's never happened before in the history of Vertsea.
Even the King seems taken back by the display. Whatever he had in mind, it clearly wasn't this!
But the young couple standing before them isn’t ready to back down. They haven't finished here, not just yet.
“Mother,” says Victoria, suddenly sounding more tired than firm. “I love you. I will never be able to not love you. But you are far from the kind person I once pictured you to be. I came here out of courtesy to you, and because Matt thought it would be best to close one book before we opened another.”
Gabriella sputters, “What are you talking about?”
“We will be spending the night here. Then, tomorrow, we will be flying back to the United States of America,” says Victoria. “Whether you give me the funds or not is unimportant. Whether you continue to tout me as your daughter—as the crown heir apparent to the throne of Vertsea—is unimportant. What matters is that I love Matt, and I'm going to live with him. We'll be married, and we're going to have this child.”
Matt wraps an arm around Victoria's waist, pulling her close. “You have a choice. You can stay in contact with us and meet your grandchild when she's born or you can cut us out now and never know her.”
Gabriella sputters. It seems she doesn't know what else to do about this situation. Truly, she doesn't. As the Queen, she's never questioned like this!
Finally, she manages to say, “Get out of my house. Get out of my house if you think you can speak to me like that. We might not be on the best terms, but I am still your mother!” She jumps to her feet. “I am still the queen!”
“Then you can be the queen of a dying family,” says Victoria. She sniffs, and then she turns around and escorts Matt out into the hall.