TENSIONS

"What is this?" Alexander asked as he tossed a piece of the early morning newspaper right in front of the Queen Valerian.

"A section in the army for women." Valerian casually replied.

"Did I have my say on this, was I even allowed to express myself on it?" Alexander asked.

"No Your Majesty, you seemed a little bit too busy." Valerian replied.

"To busy to hear you out?" Alexander asked.

"Bot necessarily, I can't seem to see what the problem is here." Valerian said a little bit puzzled.

"Because to you it is absolutely normal." Alexander said in fury.

"Need I forget that it was you who entrusted me with that power." Valerian said.

"And asked you to rule second to only me alone, not on my behalf because I am aware that there is nothing that the Queen or any other person should do without my prior knowledge.

I didn't get to hear this from my Queen but the media, the Press and the parliament and so on." Alexander said.

"I didn't want to add to your burden." Valerian said.

"The Burden of what, the crown?" Alexander asked rhetorically.

Valerian kept quiet.

"We are aware, I am the King here and if there is someone that should bear the weight of the Crown it should be me." Alexander said.

"I did not tamper with any of your responsibilities, I only did what was required of me." Valerian said.

"Of course you did." Alexander accused.

"When the people see their Queen, they see you their King, they feel empowered by a Royal presence.

It is the very least that I can do for your Majesty, give your Crown an image so immaculate amongst it's people." Valerian replied.

"Without my consent. Do you really not realise what I mean by the concept of the final say.

Am I speaking in a manner that is too complex for you to understand?" Alexander asked.

"No your Majesty." Valerian replied.

"You have crossed your boundaries and I have watched with keen interest as you have failed to own up to your doings.

I find myself irritated at this point in time that my Queen can not trust me enough to tell about my own army." Alexander said.

"There is no need for you to be aggressive towards me this much." Valerian said.

"What do you expect me to do, be Happy and congratulate you on your victory?" Alexander asked.

"I was expecting you to be happy if ever you found this out, all that I was doing was for you." Valerian said.

"You are lying, this was all for yourself and your own individual benefit, it had really nothing to do with me." Alexander replied.

"You can't misunderstand this." Valerian said.

"I am not misunderstanding anything, it has all been clearer." Alexander said.

"I have fought to go through all this because of you, it was the very least that I could do to get the people on your side.

It is the very best that I could do for you, your Crown, your name, you can't simply say that to me." Valerian said.

"I have noticed with keen interest that my Queen simply doesn't seem to need my consent while handling such critical matters." Alexander said.

"Have you even considered what it is that you have done?" Alexander asked.

"I have done nothing wrong." Valerian replied.

"Recruiting women in the army?" Alexander said.

"What is wrong with that?" Valerian asked.

"You and I both know that the battlefield is no place for women." Alexander said.

"And what is their place?" Valerian asked.

"Women are supposed to take care of their homes, husband's, families and gardens.

They are not to wield swords and guns to slaughter and to shoot to kill." Alexander replied.

"Because you think lowly of them." Valerian said.

"It has always been the norm. It is not something you just change because you want to do so." Alexander said.

"As far as the both of us know, the common norm we can all agree too is that it rests upon every citizen irrespective of their sex and age to protect their country.

My idea has brought about the unit of the people and allowing them to see that they too can protect themselves and their families." Valerian replied.

"Have you thought about the division amongst families, amongst parliament, where is the unit their?" Alexander asked.

"My decision and order is not the problem but their mass hysteria is." Valerian replied.

"This is not hysteria, there is a code of conduct that has to be followed for every society." Alexander said.

"And there is a time that it has to be changed in a particular society." Valerian said.

"Whether it changes or not that depends on me, parliament, the generals feel you have eroded the norm we have followed.

For generations and centuries it has been this way and what you have done is tarnish all of that." Alexander replied.

"And I am as good as inferior now, what I am doing is giving women an opportunity to defend themselves.

Think bout the unemployed widows, think about the girls on streets who have no future.

I am creating an opportunity to women to thrive in this country." Valerian said.

"And an opportunity for them to compete with their husband's for the same jobs." Alexander said.

"I expect you to see beyond the ego of all the other men Alexander." Valerian said.

"I can't care that much about it because it is very hard fore to cope with the fact that my Queen was secrete with me." Alexander replied.

"Forgive me then, for making the people realise that they had a chance at fighting for themselves." Valerian said.

"You have simply done so much ha that you are too blind to see it yourself." Alexander said.

"And what is it that you are going to do now?" Valerian asked.

"You know very well, as King and as Sovereign it rests with me to have a final say." Alexander replied.

"But the people have decided what they want." Valerian said.

"But the people do not govern the Crown." Alexander replied.

"At least give them this chance." Valerian pleaded.

"I can not, I am a person of change but at the same time in this Kingdom, tradition must keep it's place." Alexander said.

"Alexander..." Valerian said.

"No." Alexander halted.

"I am your husband and I am your King, it rests with me to show you the right path when you are in wrong.

Additionally I am appointed by the gods and annointed again by the same to rule and govern these people according to the preexisting order.

It is one there is that I can simply not tamper with if you did not know, what ever it is you want to say you can keep it to yourself." Alexander added.

"I realise my place your Majesty." Valerian said.

"Actually, you do not, you have made that clear with all this mess of yours that you have done.

You have acted recklessly and you have misused your office and position in this country." Alexander said.

"I am sorry if I offended you your Majesty." Valerian said.

"It is not going to work." Alexander said.

"I can't stand on this with you either, I know it that my decision was the right and you should try to see things from my perspective." Valerian said.

"And what will I tell the children who will become orphans, the husband's who will become widows, the families and friends who will become bereaved.

This country can only thrive better if it maintains its old order and goes uncontaminated by your change." Alexander said.

"Contaminated?" Valerian said.

"It is the most appropriate term that I can tell you." Alexander replied. Alexander said.

"Please don't be like this." Valerian said.

"I should have listened when I heard the chance." Alexander said.

"Listened to what?" Valerian said.

"When you liberalise the crown and expose too much of it, it turns on you, there are elements that the crown is not supposed to express." Alexander said.

"And one happens to be it's reliance on the people?" Valerian asked.

"The Crown is supposed to be feared." Alexander said.

"Fear is not appropriate, people are supposed to love their crown not fear it." Valerian said.

"Fear is the strongest and the greatest weapon in any Crown's arsenal, only with it can the Crown thrive." Alexander said.

"Don't do this." Valerian said.

"I should, it seems that parliament and the generals are not comfortable with your doing." Alexander said.

"I thought you were not answerable to any of them." Valerian said.

"But theirs is a case I can listen to at the moment to restore order and stability." Alexander replied.

"There is nothing that is between us that we can patch up and at the same time go on with this change." Valerian said.

"This is a change we can not agree on and since it is without my consent I must do as I am entitled by my position." Alexander said.

"What is this?" Valerian said.

"As King and as Sovereign I have decided that today, I am going to expel the Women's military front.

Additionally, I have stripped you of all your powers both in the military and parliamentary spheres as well.

You shall hereby function like every other Queen that has come on before you, this is my word and my word is law." Alexander said.

"What have you done?" Valerian said.

"You must do your real job, stay silent and take care of the Royal household." Alexander boldly replied.