#“i do not want children please stop releasing eggs and shedding your lining when no eggs attach”

[calico-kiwi]

i hate periods 🔥 🔥 🔥 (<this is me trying to burn mine so it is gone forever)

[pjnuzlockes]

EHED: Prologue

Posted under the cut

Warning for grief and character death (starting strong lmao)

Kanto, 13 years ago

He’d been having strange dreams lately. The kind where you feel like you’re being watched by someone, but when you wake up in a cold sweat you can’t remember by who or what they wanted. Of course, it helped that Oscar was six and his mother’s Wartortle (a harried pokemon by the name of Quinley) would sit with him until he either fell back asleep or it was late enough in the morning for Oscar to get up and play.

Neither Oscar nor Quinley noticed that on the nights these dreams would wake Oscar up, someone was watching from outside. Small, fluffy, and curious about the children she felt drawn too, she would watch for upwards of an hour before finally moving on.

But she always came back.

She stayed around one morning. Mary, Oscar’s mother, had been able to get moving without the boy running around under her feet. Quinley had actually been able to get him to fall back asleep. He only had to tell him seven bedtime stories this time.

Mary was going to wake Oscar up, but she opened the door gently all the same. His room was unusually neat- for once all his toys had actually been put away. She suspected Quinley had something to do with that. Oscar was a good kid, but he was very excitable.

“Oscar,” she said softly as she crouched next to his bed and ran a hand through his curly hair.

Oscar whined.

“Oscar, it’s time to wake up. Do you know what today is?”

Oscar propped himself up and opened his eyes. “Saturday?” he guessed, despite it being a Wednesday.

“No,” Mary laughed. She cupped his face in her hand and he tried to pull away into his nice warm blanket again. “Today’s the day you meet the pokemon the Professor picked for you.”

That sure woke him up. “What?!” he yelled, jumping up and tangling himself up in his blanket for a moment. “That’s today?!”

“Yes! Now, get dressed. Breakfast is almost ready.” A flash of something pink outside caught Mary’s eye, but when she looked out the window, it was gone. 

This slight distraction gave Oscar the advantage. He threw himself onto her and hugged her tightly, roaring like a Gyarados. 

“Oh no! The beast has got me!” she cried, dramatically throwing herself backwards. “I’m a goner! Bleh!” She threw her head to the side with her eyes closed and her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth in a comical imitation of defeat.

Oscar laughed. He scrambled up, lifted his arms above himself, and roared again.

“The beast better get ready for his day before his cereal gets all soggy!” Mary chided, opening one eye. She took the moment he ran to the closet to make her escape.

“What’s it gonna be?!” Oscar wondered aloud. “Zubat? Buizel? Palkia?!” He paused and considered a shirt that said “Pika Power” on the front. “Okay, maybe not Palkia. But Zubat would be cool!”

---

The walk to the Professor’s lab was short, but Oscar still felt like it took too long. He jumped along the path, startling a few Pidgey here and there and getting odd looks from the Rattata in the tall, green grass. The summer air was warm and energizing. White puffy clouds passed above high in the sky. Oscar started to imagine they were in the shape of potential pokemon he was going to meet, but he tripped over a root in the path and was sent giggling and sprawling to the ground.

Exasperated, Mary made him hold her hand.

The lab itself was pristine and bright. It was several stories, bustling with activity, and was where Mary worked alongside Oak and his granddaughter. They focused primarily on tracking populations of wild pokemon and the impacts urbanization created. This coupled with the fact that Professor Oak was able to approve research licenses made the lab a popular place to work. 

Young Gary Oak was already waiting when they got there. He was bouncing in place and all but fell over when he saw Oscar.

“Gary! I’m getting a pokemon!” Oscar shouted despite the fact they had already embraced each other.

“I know! I’m so excited!! You’re gonna love him! Or her, I’m not tellin’!” Gary’s bright blue eyes were glittering with joy. “I helped pick him out! Or her!” He started spinning with his arms outstretched and was quickly joined by Oscar.

“Gary, this is why I never let your sister give you coffee,” Professor Oak teased, emerging from a doorway with a pokeball in one hand.

Oscar stopped flailing around and staggered for a second. “What is it, Professor?!”

The Professor didn’t answer. His arm held out in front of him, he released the pokemon from the ball.

It was a small, young Bulbasaur. He had some round spots on his hips and chest and two circles above his eyes like little eyebrows. On his forehead was a triangle pointing down and to the right. There was a little notch in the middle of the top part of the triangle, making it vaguely heart shaped.

Oscar gasped. He crouched in front of the Bulbasaur. For a moment, the two were calm. They gazed into each other’s eyes. Oscar smiled, revealing one tooth missing from the top row. “Hi! My name’s Oscar and we’re gonna be best buddies!”

The Bulbasaur reached a vine up and touched the dark skin of Oscar’s face. He smiled back. “Bulbasaur!”

“I’m gonna call you Finley!” He patted his new friend on the head.

Gary bounced over. “Isn’t he great?!”

Finley looked quite pleased with the attention and beamed. He certainly seemed to agree with Gary’s assessment.

“Now, he’ll start to learn Kantonian as you two get to know each other. He’s very even tempered and would make an excellent research partner if that’s what you want to do,” Oak explained.

“Gary, Finley and I are gonna help you and your grampa research all the pokemon in the world!” Oscar said. He jumped to his feet and paused a moment to help Finley up as well.

And that sounded like an absolutely wonderful plan to Gary. 

---

As the three of them grew, so did their friendship. Gary and Oscar taught Finley Kantonian and started helping out in the Professor’s lab as soon as it was decided they would probably not manage to break something important. They were given their licenses, which allowed them to catch as many pokemon as needed provided that they weren’t all used for battling.

Kanto’s laws stated that only one pokemon per evolutionary line was to be used as a battling pokemon under the normal trainer license except under special circumstances- like type specialization- and the research license acted for them as a trainer’s license with special permissions. But the boys primarily did catch and release. They had no real need to keep the pokemon they studied around. Finley was enough for Oscar.

Several years after Oscar met Finley, Gary was given an egg to hatch. Out of it came a little Charmander that Gary dubbed Brinley.

Finley was quite fond of the little lizard. He helped her take her first few steps and encouraged her as she learned to command fire.

Oscar still had dreams of being watched and soon the dreams started for the other three as well.

This wasn’t the only thing to begin to change for the four friends. A group calling themselves Team Rocket began making themselves known.

Team Rocket started off small. Spray painting an “R” here and breaking some windows there, kicking up a fuss on major holidays and trying to take over parades. But, it escalated. Soon, they were attacking people walking home from work at night and stealing from them. Valuables, money… Pokemon. 

They got more and more violent and the police had trouble keeping up.

But they never went further than that. Until…

Kanto, Present Day

Oscar had been just north of town with Finley, taking soil samples for Gary, Brinley, and the Professor back at the lab when the blast hit. Terribly loud. Powerful enough to knock Oscar off his feet. He screamed involuntarily and instinctively felt around for Finley. A vine touched his hand. Finley was there. Finley was okay.

Oscar saw Finley was saying something, but Oscar’s ears were ringing too loudly for him to understand. “Are you okay?” he tried to ask, but his voice was muffled. Finley didn’t look like he could tell what Oscar was saying either.

They stood shakily. “What was that?” Finley asked, not recognizing his own voice. Oscar didn’t react. “Hey, can you hear…?”

Oscar was frozen in place, staring with massive eyes at something. 

Finley’s heart dropped into his stomach.

Huge, billowing clouds of smoke in the south edge of town.

Oak’s lab.

---

The once proud building was gutted. Debris still fell, parts were smoldering, and a massive hole had been taken out of the center. Oscar’s heart was racing. There was no sign of his friends.

Mary had beaten them there. She shouted orders to people and had a bandana tied around her face as protection from the dust and smoke. 

“Mom!” Oscar called. “Mom, where’s Gary?”

“I don’t know! Finley, start pulling rubble, we need to get people out. Try calling to see if anyone responds.”

“OSCAR!” came a cry from behind. Gary!

“Gary! Oh my god, are you okay? Where were you?” Oscar grabbed him by the shoulders, but Gary was staring at the mess that used to be the lab. His eyes glistened with tears. 

“Oh man. Oh god, Gramps and Brinley are in there!”

Before Oscar could respond, Finley shouted for them. He’d found something.

Out from underneath a slab stumbled Brinley. Banged up and bleeding, but alive. “Gary…” she croaked. “I thought you were under there!”

“Oh, sweetie,” Gary knelt down. He hovered his hands over her, afraid to touch somewhere hurt. “I had to go get a test kit from the shed, I’m so sorry, I-”

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s okay. I’m glad you weren’t there.” She lost balance, but Gary caught her. She coughed. “Ow.”

“She needs to see a nurse…” Oscar looked around him, not looking at the smoldering remains of the lab, not looking at the people surrounding a spot and covering their mouths in horror, looking for someone- anyone- that could help.

Thankfully, the Nurse from Viridian City had arrived and Oscar flagged her down.

Brinley would be okay.

First responders got there soon after. But it would still be hours before anyone else was found.

Brinley had been relatively far away from the blast. Oak and four of his aides, including his granddaughter, weren’t so lucky. The bomb had been situated in that old machine Oak never could get running. Just out of view.

They likely didn’t even know what had hit them.

Their funerals were on the same day and blurred together.

Gary and Brinley stayed at Oscar’s house for the next few days. 

They all got the news that the Rockets had been behind the attack on the lab while sitting in the living room a week later. Gary thought it was weird what he was aware of. He didn’t remember his grandfather or sister’s funerals, but he was acutely aware of what the carpet felt like on his legs when he found out. A little itchy.

Mary just placed a loving hand on his back. 

“We need to stop them,” Oscar said quietly. Not quite a whisper. Not quite a mumble. “It can’t happen again.”

“What’ll we do? Where do we even start?” Brinley asked.

“We can fight them,” Finley suggested. “They’ve got pokemon. We’re pretty tough already, even though we’re both not very battle experienced.”

“We do have our researcher licenses,” Gary said. He rested his chin on his arms, propped up by the table. 

Oscar was across from him, in his favorite spot on the couch. Right in the middle, as inconveniently as possible, and right next to Finley. “I don’t think anyone’s just gonna let us blast through and attack the Rockets. We’ll have to prove we’re capable.”

“Quinley and I could go to Alola. Get your dad to help. Samuel’s cousin is there, I bet he’d want to help, too,” Mary added.

Quinley tightened his grip on Gary’s hand.

“We could take on the league,” Finley said.

Brinley tilted her head, considering it. She leaned against Gary. “That would be a nice way of tracking how strong we are.”

“Then you’ll need me,” a new voice suddenly said. Six heads snapped up.

Small and fluffy. Pink. It was Mew, floating above the ground and clearly having just come in through the window.

At first, no one spoke.

“... Huh?” Oscar said finally. A god. A literal god. In their living room.

“You’re right, the Rockets have to be stopped. But you guys can’t do it alone. The Rockets are way too strong, but I can help you,” she said. Her expression was severe, but they got the feeling she wasn’t angry with them.

“You’re Mew,” Oscar said.

“Yes.” Mew took a breath. “I know this is weird. But, we can help each other. The Rockets want to get to someone important to me. He’s incredibly powerful, more powerful than me, even. We can’t let that happen.”

“Do, uh. Do you know where he is?” Gary asked.

“No.”

“Oh.”

Finley lifted a vine “I’m sorry, have we seen you before? Because I swear I’ve seen-”

“Yes, yes, I showed up in your dreams, but that’s not-” the group got loud and she had to raise her voice. “That’s not important right now! Literally trying to stop pure evil! From finding my- friend!”

“You showed up in my son’s dreams?” 

 “Oh my god, Quinley, you owe me so many apologies.”

“I knew it, I knew it was a god.”

“Can you appear in their dreams and make them stop?”

“I still say we fight the league.”

“Listen.” Mew held up a paw, and managed to get them all to stop their nonsense. “Take on the league. You do need to get strong, you’ll need to be very strong to do this. I’ll help you out when I can, but mostly I’m going to be tracking down my friend. He’s not going to just trust anybody. You’ll have to prove yourselves.” When no one said anything, she added, “Please.”

Mary sighed. “You’ll all be careful, won’t you?”

Oscar smiled at her reassuringly. “Well, we’ll certainly try.” 

“I’ll keep them in line, Mrs. Willow,” Brinley added.

Mary laughed. “Yeah, probably wise. Mew? Watch over them. Please.”

Mew smiled. “Yeah. I’ll do my best.”

Gary took a deep breath and, for the first time since the explosion, smiled. “Guess we’re gonna go beat up some Rockets.”

[dovahdez]

Sex Ed.

It’s come to my attention that around four or five of my followers/friends have never received sex ed or even the talk from their parents because it’s “not appropriate for children” and that their parents just “assumed they knew the basics.”

So, without further ado...

Female Anatomy

The area that you see here is overall called the ‘vulva’, though is also informally referred to as the pussy or the vagina (though this area is not the actual vagina, as we will get into later.)

There are two sets of ‘lips’, or flaps of skin surrounding this. The outer lips, or the labia major, and the inner lips, or the labia minor. Towards the top of these lips is the clitoris and the flap of skin that covers it, called the clitoral hood. The clitoris (clit) is the sensitive nerve that creates pleasure when rubbed. 

The hymen is a small thin flap of skin that partially covers the opening of the vagina. The hymen may be torn during sex, which may hurt some but not a whole lot. The tearing of the hymen is rumored to be the official and only declaration that you’ve lost your virginity (and is referred to as ‘popping the cherry’). This is not true, as sometimes the hymen will tear and sometimes it won’t, depending on the size of the penis. 

The vagina is a tube that goes up from the vulva and connects to the uterus.The vaginal canal is on average about 3-4 inches in length but may be longer, as it varies from person to person. During sex, the penis inserts the vagina, and during your period the blood comes out of the vagina. 

You do not pee out of the vagina. You’ll notice the urethral opening is above the vaginal opening (vaginal orifice). Though, this diagram is slightly off in that the urethral opening is more directly above the vaginal opening rather than an inch or so above as the diagram shows. 

The vagina goes up and joins the cervix, which is the opening to the uterus. The uterus has two arms, the Fallopian tubes, and an ovary at the end of each tube. We will go more into how the uterus makes babies and is responsible for your period later.

Male Anatomy 

Forgive me as I know a bit less about this cause, yknow, I’m a lesbian female, but here we go

The penis shaft is the long part while the glans (the mushroom/hat looking top, called the ‘head’ of the penis) is the part at the end. The head is typically more sensitive than the shaft. When born, the head has a piece of foreskin that covers it. When a baby is circumcised, this piece is cut off to expose the glans. Circumcision also may prevent certain infections from developing under the foreskin. 

The penis only has one hole that men both pee and ejaculate semen through during sex. 

The scrotum, or the ‘balls’, is the sack that hangs outside of the body below the penis. It hangs outside because it is much more sensitive to temperature and must be kept at around 94 degrees, about four degrees cooler than regular body temperature. The testes (testicles) lay inside the scrotum sack and constantly is creating sperm, because, unlike women, men are not born with a sperm supply and must therefore continuously make it. 

Okay I don’t think I missed a whole lot in these two categories SO

How Babies Are Made (no it’s not a stork)

Lets bring this diagram back real quick:

When a female is born, the ovaries are already completely stocked with every egg you will ever produce in your lifetime (about 1-2 million). You release about 400 eggs over the course of your reproductive years (the time between your first period and when you hit menopause). 

In the middle of the menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs, which normally happens between the 9th and 21st days of your 28 day menstrual cycle. Ovulation is when an egg matures and is released from one of the two ovaries. The Fallopian tube quickly sucks up this mature egg and begins delivering it to the uterus. The egg only lives about 24 hours after it is released. If, on the way to the uterus, it meets a healthy sperm cell, it will be fertilized and begin growing into a baby. 

However, if the egg reaches the uterus without being fertilized, it dies and is either absorbed into the body or dissolves. When pregnancy doesn’t occur, the body stops producing estrogen and progesterone (the hormones that assist in pregnancy), and the thickened lining of the uterus is shed through menstruation. Yes, you read that right, your period is literally the inner lining of your uterus shedding itself. Cramping occurs when the uterus contracts to help shed the lining. 

During sex, a man’s semen will combine with around 250 million sperm cells and will project itself out upon orgasm (climax during sex). If the penis is inside the vagina when it ejaculates, the semen well travel up into the uterus and Fallopian tubes to try and find an egg. Sperm cells may live in a woman’s reproductive tract for up to five days. Despite there being millions of sperm cells, only one can fertilize an egg. 

Only a few dozen make it to the egg; the rest get trapped, go up the wrong Fallopian tube or die along the way. After one sperm cell reaches the egg and penetrates its surface to fertilize it, the egg instantly changes to prevent any other sperm cells from burrowing their way inside of it. This new embryo (the fertilized egg now developing into a fetus and soon a baby) moves to the uterus to grow, where it will attach to the wall of the uterus. However, if the embryo implants itself somewhere other than the uterus, such as the Fallopian tube, it will need to be terminated by either surgery or medication to prevent it from growing, as it may rupture the tube. 

No, you can’t get pregnant from the penis ejaculating semen into your mouth or anus. That’s not how that works. 

Alrighty! You know know how sex works, how pregnancies occur, and the anatomy of the female and male reproductive systems! And now...

Some Tips For Having Sex

If you don’t want to get pregnant, please, just use a goddamn condom. Don’t believe a guy when he says “oh my penis is too big for a condom” or “don’t worry I’ll pull out”. Don’t believe him. Ever. Condoms come in different sizes and there is a condom for every penis. And chances are the guy won’t pull out before he ejaculates. 

PINCHING THE TIP IS IMPORTANT. DON’T PULL THE CONDOM ALL THE WAY DOWN. There should be a little loose tip at the end to make room for the semen. 

There are other forms of contraceptives such as a birth control pill for women that is taken daily, female condoms, IUD’s (which release copper ions that kill sperm) and surgeries that tie the Fallopian tubes in women (tubal ligation) and cut the tube that connects the sperm-producing testicles to the penis in men (vasectomy)

SEX SHOULDN’T HURT. A little pain might be expected on your first time, but it shouldn’t dramatically hurt. Without lube, you may feel like the penis is just hitting a brick wall inside of the vagina, causing a lot of pain and discomfort. That’s why you use lube. However, if it still hurts even with lube, consult a doctor/gynecologist and get yo self checked out. 

ITS OKAY TO TALK AND ASK QUESTIONS DURING SEX. Learn what the other person likes. Tell them what you like. Experiment. It should be enjoyable on both sides. 

CONSENT. MOTHERFUCKING CONSENT. You can say “no”. Fight back the other person if they’re pushing themselves on to you. Even when you’re drunk/high, no means no. Even when you’re wearing revealing clothes, no means no. You’re allowed and encouraged to make a scene if you don’t consent and you’re allowed to completely remove yourself from the situation without fear of “hurting their feelings”. Your consent should be enthusiastic, a “YES! I’M READY FOR THIS!”, not a “....okay ... well... if you say so...” 

WOMEN. YOU MIGHT BLEED THE FIRST TIME. Bleeding is caused when the hymen is stretched or torn, This might bleed and may not bleed, when it happens it is normal. They hymen can also, though, be torn during non-sexual activities, like jumping on an effing trampoline. It’s normal, but if you’re concerned, consult a gynecologist. 

WOMEN. AFTER HAVING SEX. GO PEE. JUST DO IT. AS SOON AS YOU’RE DONE. GO PEE. Peeing after sex flushes the bacteria out of the bladder and may prevent infection. No, this will not pee out the semen and prevent pregnancy, but there is a chance that, as I said, it will prevent infection. 

IT’S OKAY IF YOU DON’T ORGASM THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE SEX. Many don’t orgasm the first time they have sex. It takes time to figure out what you like. You aren’t obligated to moan super loudly and fake it. 

FOREPLAY IS KINDA IMPORTANT. Make sure both of you are turned on before you go at it. For men, getting turned on hardens and erects the penis, making it easier to have sex, and for women, getting turned on expands the vaginal canal, making it easier for the penis to slide through without pain. Figure out what you like and what turns you on. 

LOSING YOUR VIRGINITY DOESN’T DICTATE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Your sexual history has nothing to do with your morals or who you are as a person. It doesn’t make you cooler nor does it make you a piece of shit. 

FINALLY, PORN LIES. Sex is never EVER what it looks like in porn. You’re allowed to laugh, fart, talk, and even be nervous about it if it’s your first time (though you should still consent 100%). Your body isn’t gonna look like the porn movies nor is the other person’s. Its a natural thing, not whatever the fuck is in the porn. 

AND THERE YOU GO. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU’VE RECEIVED SEX EDUCATION AND PASSED IT WITH FLYING COLORS. I’M SO FUCKING PROUD OF YOU. 

BE SAFE KIDS AND I LOVE YOU. 

[swedishroyallove]

Chapter 38

January 9, 2016: Kingston family house

Lucy was speechless. She had no idea what to do or how to act. She no longer had her mother to lean on, to spend time with and to help plan her wedding. Isak was Lucy’s rock during this time. Family and friends dropped in all evening after Ann had passed away; many brought food to try to make things easier on the family. 

Isak had called his parents and siblings after consoling Lucy that afternoon. He knew, and Lucy did too, that the Royal Court would have to send out a press release about Ann’s death. It was agreed that it would be sent out the following morning at 8:00 am Swedish time. 

Lucy cried most of the night while Isak held her in his arms. She knew the press release would be out soon and all of Sweden would be sending their condolences, but she did not want to read the press release. She was not ready to do that before they had even made arrangements for the funeral. 

At 8:00 exactly the press release was sent out to the Swedish media. The American and international media quickly picked up on it, as well. It said: 

Statement with His Majesty The King:

“It is with profound sadness that I announced that Prince Isak’s fiancé, Ms Lucy Kingston’s mother, Mrs Ann Kingston, passed away yesterday afternoon at her home in Tennessee. The Royal Family and I send our heartfelt sympathy and prayers to the Kingston family during this difficult time. Prince Isak is with Lucy in Tennessee during this time. The family requests that their privacy be respected and that the be able to grieve in private. Ann was a wonderful woman who the Queen and I had the joy to meet. A light has gone from this world, but we rest easy knowing she is no longer in pain and suffering.”

Princess Madeleine posted a heartfelt message on her official Facebook page, as well saying:

“All my and my family’s love and prayers to my future sister-in-law and dear friend, Lucy during this difficult time. I ask that you all send your thoughts and prayers to her family, and our family, too, as Lucy and her family are a part of our extended family. We are heartbroken with the news.”

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel had an event in Solna that afternoon where the media asked them about Lucy and the loss of her mother. Victoria said:

“Obviously, it is terrible news. I, we, can’t imagine what she is going through. All our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time. Lucy is a wonderful woman, and we will support her and her family, who is also our family, in any way that we can.”

A reporter then asked, “Will you travel to the United States for the funeral?”

“We hope to. However, as I am in my third trimester I have to listen to the doctors on whether or not I can travel. Thank you all very much,” she said as she and Daniel walked away. 

On Monday, January 11, the family went to the local funeral home to make arrangements. They decided on a closed casket with the receiving of friends and funeral to be held Wednesday night. The burial would be Thursday morning with a memorial service in Quebec that Sunday for Ann’s family there. 

On Tuesday evening, King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O’Neill, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, Princess Estelle, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia arrived in Tennessee for the funeral service the next evening. Victoria was advised not to fly so close to her due date, and Daniel stayed behind with her after requests from both Isak and Lucy as they were afraid if she went into labor, he would miss the birth. Estelle begged her parents to let her travel to the States so she could see her Aunty Lucy and Uncle Isak. 

Lucy was touched that they all took the time out of their hectic schedules to support her and her family. They came in and went through the receiving line just as any others, and they sat in the congregation just a row behind Lucy’s maternal aunts and uncles. They all also attended the burial the next morning where an extremely emotional Lucy broke down as the singer sung “How Great Thou Art” at the graveside. 

Of course, some from the Swedish media found out about the arrangements and were at the graveside to capture images of the Royal Family arriving and leaving. They managed to get a shot of Lucy in a fit of tears while Isak held her. They also got an image of young Estelle and Leonore trying to comfort their aunt with a teddy bear. The images were splashed across all Swedish media the next day, much to the understandable fury of Isak and the Royal Family. 

After the family arrived in Tennessee, they stopped by the Kingston house. Estelle and Leonore were excited to see where their Aunt Lucy had grown up and explored the house. Meanwhile, Silvia set herself to cooking and doing laundry. When Lucy objected, Silvia said, “My dear Lucy, please let me do this. I lost my mother in 1997. I know what you are feeling and going through. I want to help in this way at least while I am here.” 

Madeleine hugged Lucy and said, “Just let her. She’s not going to take no for an answer, and this is something she loves to do. She loves to mother, and her instincts are driving her to mother you in a way.”

Lucy thanked Silvia for all of her help and gave her a big hug. When she went into tears, Silvia just squeezed her tighter and said, “I know. Remember it is ok to cry. Let is out.”

Chris and Carl Philip spent some time with Lucy’s brother Will, while Carl Gustaf and Thomas spoke. Carl Gustaf even volunteered to go out to the chicken shed to help Thomas feed and collect eggs. 

“Oh You Majesty, you don’t have to do that! You are a guest!” Thomas said, 

“Please call me Carl Gustaf, and I want to. I grew up with a chicken shed actually. My mother made my sisters and I feed the chickens, clean it and collect eggs. We actually have a hatchery at our Solliden home. I had my children do the same. Often Estelle comes to help!”

The King, Queen, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, and Princess Estelle left on Thursday night to go back to Sweden. Madeleine and her family stayed until Friday evening. She helped Lucy organize and get things ready to go to Quebec that weekend. 

As she left, she joked to Isak, “You are going to wish you had kept up with your French now! The whole service will be in French, and you’ll be there confused. Good luck!”

January 19, 2016: Sweden:

“The wedding will go on!” read the headline on Svenskdam. 

“Oh for goodness sake!” Victoria exclaimed, “Of course it is going to go on! These people can be so stupid. No one thought it wouldn’t go on!”

Daniel agreed and convinced Victoria not to say anything about it to the media at the conference she was attending the next day. She relented but was annoyed nonetheless. 

After Victoria had gone out for a walk with Estelle, Daniel decided to take a look at the rest of the article out of curiosity knowing with Victoria’s hormones that she would not let him when she got back. It said:

“Svensdam can reveal that the wedding between Prince Isak and Lucy Kingston will indeed go forth this year after Lucy lost her mother on January 9th. The head of the royal communications department told us, ‘Yes of course it will go on. The family is in a period of grief at the moment so a date has not yet been made permanent. However, announcements regarding the wedding will be released to the media soon.’

The Royal Court confirmed that Lucy’s mother died from ALS and that Isak will remain with her as support for the time being in the States.”

Daniel thought to himself, “They really do make a headline out of nothing.”

On January 21, 2016, the Royal Court made the announcement of the details for the wedding. The press release said: 

“The wedding between Prince Isak and Ms Lucille Kingston

The wedding between Prince Isak and Ms. Lucille Kingston will take place on the 1st of June 2016 in the Royal Chapel, at the Royal Palace, Stockholm. The engagement between Prince Isak and Ms. Lucille Kingston was announced on the 16th of July 2015. 

Traditions from Sweden and America will be present in the ceremony, as well as a tribute to Mrs. Ann Kingston during the ceremony.

Updated information about the wedding will be published at www.royalcourt.se.”

On February 4, 2016, the Royal Court made the following announcement about Lucy’s status:

“His Majesty The King has decided that Miss Lucille (Lucy) Kingston  after the wedding with HRH Prince Isak, will become a member of the Royal Family and will receive the title of HRH Princess Lucille, Duchess of Uppland. She will be known as HRH Princess Lucy. She will retain her American citizenship and gain the additional Swedish citizenship.”