There was only one serious disagreement between Raymond and Logan: Raymond preferred the bed in Duke Rupert’s tower, while Logan liked the one in the king’s bedroom better. Every evening they bickered about where to sleep. Then finally they reached a compromise and alternated. Logan laughed about their agreement. “Constantine keeps telling me I’m no diplomat. That’ll show him.”
Their lovemaking became more and more intense and they fell deeper and deeper in love. They tried every known position and every known variety of sex, and they invented several new ones. And the uses they found for Raymond’s scepter… !
There was one particular spot at the nape of Raymond’s neck; when Logan touched it with the tip of his tongue, it drove the king mad with desire. And it never failed. “King, schming,” Logan joked. “I’ve got the upper hand.”
“One of my few memories of my mother,” Raymond told him solemnly, “is of her reading Alice in Wonderland to me. I still remember her impersonating the Queen of Hearts. ‘Off with his head!’ Don’t make me imitate her.”
Everything about them was compatible, their sexual tastes, their humor, their taste in art… Everyone around the palace began talking about them as ‘the royal couple.’ The more conservative nobles and churchmen in Bulvania were scandalized by the openness of their love.
But the people adored them, and that was what mattered. In the months since Raymond’s announcement, work had started on the tin mines. Dozens of Bulvanians had been hired, at very good salaries, with the sure promise of hundreds more to come. An international design competition had produced a design for the new Royal Bulvanian Art Museum. The design was by a prominent American architect, an old acquaintance of Logan. “He’s gay, of course,” he told Raymond.
The king was wry. “All the best architects are.”
“You’re learning fast.”
“I owe that to my country.”
When Raymond announced plans to create a democratic Parliament and to cede part of his royal power to it, his popular support soared even higher—and solidified. The queen and her allies were powerless to dethrone him. The only option left to them was violence, so Alex recruited more men to the Royal Guard and stepped up security. Raymond’s position was safe.
* * *
Then came the day of the final big announcement. Once again Raymond took over the cathedral. A detachment of the guards surrounded him and kept their eyes peeled for possible assassins.
Raymond took his place at the top of the cathedral steps, with Logan at his side. Archbishop Defilippo, angry at being stymied in all his plans, refused to appear with them. The king wasn’t even slightly deterred.
“People of Bulvania,” he began his speech. “In the name of our beloved country, I have decided it is time for us to join the great nations of Europe in their ongoing quest for democracy and equality. Therefore, effective three months from today, Bulvania will legalize gay marriage.”
The crowd was caught off-guard; no one seemed at all sure how to react. Then scattered pockets of applause broke out among the younger Bulvanians, followed by more and more. In a few moments most of the crowd was cheering.
“And I am pleased to tell you,” Raymond went on, happy at the reception so far, “that the first gay marriage to be performed here will be between myself and Mr. Logan Bockwein. Bulvania will see the first gay royal wedding in Europe—in all the world!”
Again. the crowd seemed unsure how to respond. But again, led by the young people, scattered applause broke out, followed by more and more. In very short order the roar was almost deafening. The people’s approval of their new king—and their outright love for him—was cemented.
He caught hold of Logan by the shoulders, pulled him to himself and kissed him. The crowd thundered with cheers and ecstatic shouts. Suddenly, spontaneously, everyone broke into the national Anthem, “For the Greater Glory of Bulvania.” Couples embraced. More couples kissed. It was an unplanned but wildly exuberant celebration.
At the top of the steps, Logan and Raymond’s kiss lasted longer and longer and longer. Their embrace grew tighter and tighter. The crowd’s energy and love seemed to fuel their passion. They had never kissed so deeply or so passionately.
Bulvania was ready for the future. And it seemed like the whole world was too.