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warrioreowynofrohan · 3 years ago

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Today in Tolkien - September 25th

Today gets two full chapters of Fellowship of the Ring: “A Short Cut to Mushrooms” and “A Conspiracy Unmasked.”

Sam is particularly affected by his conversation with the elves, and seems to have gained a perspective that will stay with him through the whole of the quest:

I don’t know how to say it, but after last night I feel different. I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can’t turn back. It isn’t to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want - I don’t rightly know what I want: but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire. I must see it through, sir, if you understand me.

It seems as though Sam has had an almost Elvish glimpse of foresight; this memory comes back far later, at the very darkest parrt of the journey, when he thinks that Frodo is dead in Cirith Ungol:

And then he remembered his own voice speaking words that at the time he did not understand himself, at the beginning of their journey: I have something to do before the end. I must see it through, sir, if you understand.

…“What am I to do then?” he cried again, and now he seemed plainly to know the hard answer: see it through. Another lonely journey, and the worst.

And so he takes upon himself the Ring, and the quest to Mount Doom, and as a result prevents Sauron from getting it. The seeds of that pivotal moment are sown in this chance-meeting with elves.

Looking at the map of the Shire at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring, it seems like the hobbits’ ‘short cut’ today takes them south from near Woodhall to the upper parts of the Stockbrook; dowmstream along the Stockbrook a ways, and then south across it before it’s fully exited the forest of Woody End; then, accidentally, south (rather than west) through a part of Woody End. But I’m not sure about that; if it’s accurate, they spend a large part of the day getting quite turned around and heading south rather than east. But Farmer Maggot only lives about five miles from Bucklebury Ferry, so the hobbits must have managed to walk most of the way there, and by Frodo’s estimate it would have been 18 miles even without getting turned around.

At any rate, Frodo is probably prudent in deciding to stay off the road, as they have three more encounters (well, two sightings and one hearing) with Black Riders, to add to the two the previous day - one shortly after they start out, one in the afternoon when they are in the woods, and the one that they see from the far side of the Brandywine just after getting off Bucklebury Ferry.

This chapter (and the last one, with Gildor’s people) is a strong illustration of the importance Tolkien places on friendship and kindness and unexpected help. Not for Tolkien the ‘lone hero against the world’ story! (Indeed, those who insist on isolating themselves are almost always acting out of pride, and are almost always corrupted.) The hobbits only escape the Black Riders thanks to the aid first of the elves and later of Farmer Maggot, who drives them to the ferry; and Frodo and Sam would have been much worse off the later parts of their journey if Merry and Pippin hadn’t insisted on coming along. Later there’s Bombadil, and then Aragorn, and Glorfindel, and later Galadriel, and Treebeard, and Faramir. And while a few of these meetings - Glorfindel, who was spent specifically to seek them, and Lothlórien - are planned, most are not. Providence in Middle-earth seems to work in large part through ‘chance-meeting’, just as it did with Gandalf and Thorin immediately before the events of The Hobbit (recounted in “The Quest of Erebor” in Unfinished Tales). Even in the Silmarillion such chance-meetings have great importance, as between Finrod and the Beorings or Beren and Lúthien. They are quite clearly intended to be understood as more than mere chance.

And I love Merry’s statement on friendship when they insist on coming with Frodo:

You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo.

I’ve read the books more times than I can count, and I still can’t decipher the meaning of Frodo’s dream at the end:

He seemed to looking out of a high window over a dark sea of tangled trees. Down below among the roots there was a sound of creatures crawling and snuffling. He felt sure they would smell him out sooner or later.

Then he heard a noise in the distance. At first he thought it was a great wind coming over the leaves of the forest. Then he knew that it was not leaves, but the sound of the Sea far-off; a sound he had never heard in waking life, though it had often troubled his dreams. Suddenly he found he was in the open. There were no trees after all. He was on a dark heath, and thete was a strange salt smell in the air. Looking up he saw before him a tall white tower, standing alone on a high ridge. A great desire cam over him to climb the tower and see the Sea. He started to struggle up the ridge towards the tower: but suddenly a light came into the sky, and there was a noise of thunder.

It’s possible that the first part of the dream is conveying Gandalf imprisoned in Orthanc. The second part, Frodo’s dream of climbing a tower and seeing the sea, may be related to where he will be three years hence, on his journey to the Grey Havens. This journey lasts from September 22nd to 29th, so by the they are likely west of the Shire by the 25th:

… going about the south skirts of the White Downs, they came to the Far Downs, and to the Towers, and looked on the distant Sea.

The Prologue to FOTR mentions that:

Three Elf-towers of immemorial age were still to be seen on the Tower Hills beyond the western marches. They shone far off in the moonlight. The tallest was furthest away, standing upon a green mound. The Hobbits of the Westfarthing said that one could see the Sea from the top of that tower; but no hobbit had ever been known to climb it.

#today in tolkien #tolkien #the lord of the rings #frodo baggins #sam gamgee #merry brandybuck #the silmarillion #the hobbit

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pofcroyalfanfiction · 6 years ago

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Outrunning Her Shadow - Prologue

Ordinarily Josie would be excited about staying in London for a few days, especially in the summer time. There were so many things she could do compared to back home in Bucklebury, so many places to see, so many photos to take. A trip to London always felt like a mini holiday, travelling in on the train from Reading which she always loved, hitting up all the big tourist spots in London, having drinks and food at some bar along the South Bank, seeing a movie in Leicester Square in the evening.

Any time she'd ever gone down to London she had had an amazing, fun filled day, but today was different.

Josie stepped off the train behind her family, lugging her suitcase along with her. She'd packed it with clothes and the usual essentials for a short trip, but she'd also packed a few other supplies. Cardboard, large sheets of paper, paint, glitter, brushes and a signed, neatly sealed letter.

She expected most people around her on the crowded platform at Paddington Station carried something similar, letters, placards or flowers. Josie could tell, for certain, that everyone was feeling the same way, upset, confused, concerned... broken. Thousands of people from different ages, races, genders and ethnicities, all feeling the same way.

No, Josie was not excited to be in London this time around. In fact, she couldn't remember a time where she'd arrived in the capital feeling so terrible, but how else could she feel when she was going to see a state funeral?

This was the first state funeral in twenty-six years and the first time a monarch had died in seventy-six years. Josie wasn't even alive the last time Britain had endured something so crushing, but it still hit her just as hard as anyone else.

Some people were apathetic towards the Royal Family, but Josie was a self-confessed fanatic. She could understand why others may not care or just outright dislike the royals. They were an outdated tradition, largely ceremonial and holding no real power in the country. They controlled vast amounts of wealth and yet ordinary citizens like her paid taxes to keep the monarchy going.

Josie found it hard to argue with them. Everything that was said against the royals was true. Josie would say they bring in heap loads of cash in tourism, that they support charities and causes that otherwise wouldn't be well known. The truth was Josie looked up to the royal family, she idolised them. She had a whole blog dedicated to them. Britain without the royal family was like Japan without the Samurai history, France without the Eiffel Tower, Brazil without Carnivale, America without American Football. To Josie, Britain without the royal family would just be... Britain, a country.

They were a huge part of the countries identity, and without them Josie felt her idea of Britain would be lost. She wasn't exactly patriotic but having the royal family around was something she was proud to support, without them there wasn't much in her country that made it feel stable, consistent.

That was why today was so hard. She could feel the anti-monarchy movement building. With Elizabeth dead, Charles had become King, and Charles just didn't have the same popularity as his mother. Most of the peoples' love went to the younger royals, William, Kate, Harry and Emma, along with all their children. They were the royals that people loved to hear about, they were the royals that Josie and her friends gushed over on their blogs. Charles was nice, but he just wasn't as appealing to young people.

She respected the fact that Charles was the next in line, but many people around the world didn't. Many people felt this was the right time to get rid of the monarchy. Rather than spend money on a big coronation for Charles, just end it here. Just close this entire chapter of British history altogether. Josie was having none of it.

There wasn't much she could do to ensure the future of the monarchy as just a lowly teenage girl from Bucklebury, but she dreamed of becoming a journalist and a future royal reporter, reporting on all the great things the family were doing. She often fantasised about getting to meet her favourite royals and interviewing them. First Emma, the Duchess of Sussex, who Josie had loved since her acting days, and then Princess Eleanor of Cambridge, the firstborn daughter of William and Kate and Josie's more recent favourite.

"Josie, come on!" Her mother called. The family was waiting for her on the other side of the ticket barrier.

"Coming mum!" Josie called back, rushing down the platform.

Ever since she met Eleanor in a Tesco superstore in the middle of Bucklebury, completely casual, no tiaras or paparazzi, Josie's love of the royals had gone into overdrive. Eleanor had been so normal, so down to earth, even a little shy. She was there shopping with her mum like two ordinary commoners, she was relatable. Josie felt they could have even been friends.

That was a big reason why she'd convinced her whole family to come down and attend the funeral. None of them were as fierce monarchists as her, but they weren't completely anti-monarchy either. They would have been perfectly happy to watch the funeral on the television where they'd arguably see it better, but Josie wanted to go in person because to her, Eleanor was a friend.

This was a time for everyone to come together. That was Josie's thinking. So, she'd convinced her entire family to catch an early train from Reading and spend a few days in London, to join the packed crowds of the city and show their support.

After checking in at their hotel, Josie, her parents and her younger brother headed out. They got on the Underground at Waterloo and got out at St James's Park, making their way from there to the gates of Buckingham Palace. They were able to buy white lilies along the way at a news stand, where all the front-page headlines were about the Queen. They were also selling flags, but there were enough union jack flags everywhere, on hats, on jackets and on banners and placards of support. Josie was happy with the flowers and a little letter that she'd addressed to the entire royal family. After making their purchases they joined the crowds that were all converging on the same point, all moving in the same direction as if they were on a pilgrimage to a holy site. There didn't seem to be anyone heading in the opposite directions, off to work or somewhere else. Everyone was there for the same reason.

Even on a hot summery day there wasn't a person who was just lying down in the park. Everyone was moving towards the same point. When they arrived on The Mall the crowds were even thicker. The long red road was channelling thousands of people towards the great gates of Buckingham Palace, where the royal standard flew to indicate that the monarch was in residence.

The atmosphere was quiet, contemplative. The people around her were all in mourning, all in shock. Josie had her tributes ready, but from the looks of things it would take ages to get to the front and have the chance to lay them at the gates of the palace. She needed to climb up the steps of the Victoria Memorial to see better, only then was it clear.

The tributes, a massive variety of colourful flowers, notes, handmade signs, photographs and candles, there were so many of them, so dense that they completely covered the hard ground outside the palace fences and severely restricted where people could walk. They covered the roads so that the entire area was a no go for traffic, they even went as far as touching the Victoria Memorial itself. The only open space was a path that had been cleared from the palace gate itself, and then the palace forecourt behind them.

"It's like Diana all over again." Her mother remarked. There were nods of agreement from dozens of mourners around her.

"Hang on, there's some movement."

Josie looked up, watching the windows of the palace up ahead. She saw a few curtains shift on the upper floors, but nothing obvious. She struggled to see straight ahead to the ground level, instead having to rely on what people were saying.

"Look! The gates are opening!"

"They're coming out!"

"Who do you see? Who do you see?" Josie asked desperately. The crowd around her were all pushing forwards, just as eager to see as her.

"Looks like Charles, and I think maybe William, and one of the young girls." Someone said.

Moments ago, people had been turning up, paying their respects and then making their way back through the crowd to leave, but there was no chance of that happening now. Everyone wanted to be at the front, everyone wanted a chance to hand their gifts directly to one of the royals, to be able to see them up closes, to even be able to speak with them. Josie knew she'd never get the chance, there were still masses of people in front of her and this definitely wasn't the place to start yelling for attention.

She heard their voices as they got closer. From what she could hear from the crowd's reactions, the royals were browsing the letters, making their way along the outside of the palace, collecting flowers and thanking people for being there. Josie kept straining to see, peaking between arms, jumping to see above heads and shoulders. She wasn't the only one.

It was Ellie up ahead, out with her father and grandfather. Josie could feel the warmth of the crowd, a sort of protectiveness of a worried parent, all of it being directed towards the royals. She started to hear Ellie speaking as the people quietened, all eager to hear her. She sounded upbeat, from what Josie could hear. Thanking the people and calmly reflecting back their words of encouragement.

It wasn't the shy Eleanor that Josie remembered from Bucklebury, but then again it had been three years. Three years in which the young Princess had rarely been seen in public, instead being closely guarded while at boarding school, a fact that Josie and her royal blogger friends knew all too well.

The three royals didn't stay out for long however. Soon they were heading back through the gates and across the forecourt, then disappearing back into Buckingham Palace while everyone in the crowd spoke of feeling uplifted by how friendly and approachable the royals had been.

It took another hour before Josie could get to the front and lay down her gifts with all the others, and by then the sun was starting to set. She waited to see if any more royals would appear and watched all the palace windows closely, but nobody came out. Josie's mum eventually convinced her to head back to the hotel with the family.

Later that night Josie was on her laptop, sharing some photos on her blog that she'd taken of the immense crowds in central London and down the Mall. She'd taken some outside Buckingham Palace but all they showed were people's backs. None of them were good angles of Charles, William or Ellie.

The whole fandom was in overdrive, blogging like crazy. All Josie could see after hours of scrolling was photo upon photo of London, the crowds, the memorials, the mourning, Elizabeth tributes and pictures of various royals. She stayed up late into the night talking with her friends, answering questions about what it was like to be in London in that moment and what the royals were like. She struggled to find the words to describe the day and eventually gave up, telling her followers that she'd come back with more soon.

The next morning, Josie and her Mum lined up with crowds along Westminster Bridge. What felt like the entire population of London had queued up and were quietly shuffling towards the Palace of Westminster where the Queen's body was lying in state.

The roads were mostly quiet, even in what was normally such a busy tourist area of the city. Only a few buses and cars were passing them by, but they were hardly noticed, even the big red double decker buses. Everyone was in their own worlds or quietly chatting in their groups, just as the crowds were the day before.

It probably would have felt different if Josie's parents had gotten a hotel room that was a bit further away from central London, where all the funeral events were taking place, but even then, the round the clock coverage in the news would be enough to put them all in the same mood. Josie could tell her family were a bit moody about having to spend their time focused within a small area of London that was the center of millions of people's worth of grief and sadness, but she honestly felt that this was where she wanted to be. She needed to be part of it.

The rest of her family didn't feel so strongly, so her dad and brother had gone sightseeing instead while her mum stayed with her.

Being inside Westminster Hall was probably one of the most surreal experiences of Josie's life. What little chatter that had been going on outside quickly died down as they entered the grounds. The whole area was usually closed off to the public, but for something as huge as the Queen's death they were willing to allow people in, although it was still heavily guarded. Thousands of people were streaming into the heart of the British government, so it would be surprising if she didn't see a whole lot of armed soldiers keeping a close eye on things.

Josie had never been in the midst of such high security, whilst also being surrounded by such history, sadness and grief. Combined with the fact that this was such a world changing event, the biggest that she could remember, it made sure that nobody had any idea what to do with themselves. Josie held her mum's hand as they entered the building, almost fearing what would come next.

Inside the Hall was a wide-open expanse, with a high centuries old ceiling which directed all the light towards one specific spot, the spot where the Queen's coffin rested. It was covered in the royal standard, a flag that bore three English lions, the red lion of Scotland and the golden harp of Ireland. On top of the standard was a single flickering candle which cast an eerie glow over the whole thing.

The strangest part of all were the royals that were standing vigil all around the coffin, dressed in black and staring solemnly down at the ground. Josie recognised all four of the Queen's children, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew were there wearing their Royal Navy uniforms, Princess Anne as well and Prince Edward. They stood at the four corners of the raised platform, their backs to the coffin that was lying on a podium behind them.

Josie couldn't help but feel like it was all very old fashioned, she wanted to be able to speak to the royals, but she couldn't. All anyone could do was respectfully and quietly make their way around the vigil, paying their respects and enjoying the presence of Queen Elizabeth one last time.

It was grim and heart wrenching to be so close and to see the thinly disguised emotions of the Queen's children right in front of her. She could tell they were all going through an incredibly rocky time in the family, and at times Josie thought that Charles was barely keeping it together. The whole thing felt unfair, even though she knew that the royals didn't have to stand vigil, it still felt like something they were forced to do.

By the time she made the final turn to start heading outside, Josie could feel tears running down her cheeks. The atmosphere inside the hall was so overwhelming with emotion, with the walls effectively containing an immeasurable amount of sadness. She saw the light of day just up ahead, but more royals caught her eye.

High up above, watching the vigil from a secluded perch, Josie spotted what must have been Kate, Alex and Ellie, all dressed in black with their faces hidden behind veils. With Prince William standing beside them, the three women surely couldn't have been anyone else.

Josie didn't get to look at them for long as the crowd continued to move, forcing her to move with them. She stepped out into the sunlight just wishing she could go back inside and get another peek, disregarding the completely crushing atmosphere that the hall was overflowing with.

"That was just dreadful." Her mother said, wiping her eyes.

"It must be so horrible to stand up there like that." Josie told her. "I couldn't do it."

The next morning Josie left the hotel on her own and travelled up to Kensington Palace. She had loved the royal family for a long time, loved reading about them, loved blogging about them. She'd gone to dozens of events to see them in person, but now she was starting to worry her obsession was being overwhelmed by so many frequent sightings.

It was another day until the funeral procession, so she gave her family the day off from grieving so that she could be alone, allowing her to embrace her love of the royals without any judgement. Her parents didn't talk to her much about it, but her brother was often joking about her interest, although he'd thankfully not said a word against them whilst the family had been in London.

He would probably be shouted away if he did make any jokes, that much was clear as Josie walked across Kensington Gardens towards the palace. The whole area felt like a sacred shrine just like Buckingham Palace, except there were far less tributes and the roads weren't blocked.

Josie placed down more flowers outside the gates, beside hundreds of other tributes that were honouring the Queen and supporting the other royals. She had to gingerly tip toe between candles and gifts that had been laid out to get her flowers lying next to all the rest. The bouquet of violets was, according to rumour, Princess Eleanor's favourite flower, so she wanted to get them as close to the gates as possible.

Josie wanted to put her letter down too, a more personal one that she'd written just for Eleanor herself, but as she looked around at the thousands of letters that were already there it became clear that none of the royals would ever read her letter. It would probably be read by the staff, or never even opened at all.

Instead Josie stuck with the desperate hope that she might meet Ellie face to face once again, where she'd would be able to give her the letter in person and tell her how much she and the royals meant to her.

She decided to do a bit of sightseeing, wanting to enjoy her time in London whilst she was there and pretend her plan wasn't incredibly stalkerish. Josie figured that the royals would likely want to get some fresh air, away from everything that was going on in the family. She also knew that William and Kate had been spotted walking in Kensington Gardens before, as well as Eleanor, Alex, Emma and Harry. It would have to be a massive stroke of luck to find a royal in the massive park, but Josie was feeling lucky.

She started off by enjoying her inner history nerd, journeying to each of the monuments of former kings and queens that were dotted around Hyde Park. Each one had its own collection of tributes, even if the monuments themselves weren't for Queen Elizabeth. Josie could understand wanting to avoid her offerings getting lost in the masses, but laying flowers and candles in front of the Albert memorial seemed a bit out of place.

I guess that, as distant as it may be, they are all related.

Josie finished her tour at the Diana memorial, a large egg-shaped fountain that seemed completely out of place when compared to Albert's massive statue beneath a gothic pagoda, but it seemed to fit Diana perfectly. Kids loved to play in the water and jump from one side to the other, and the drastically different style was exactly how people thought of her when she was alive. Diana had changed the royal family immensely, and everyone loved her for it. Now it seemed like a good place for everyone to gather and reflect as more big changes were about to hit the country.

"Josie? Is that you?"

Josie looked to see where the voice was coming from. Almost immediately a girl was sitting beside her and smiling broadly at her. She was wearing a baseball cap that was pulled tightly down, and she was dressed casually in a normal pair of shorts and a t-shirt. To anyone she would have been completely inconspicuous, with the red maple leaf on her cap enough to throw anyone off, but Josie recognised her voice straight away.

"Oh my god." Josie whispered, almost fainting. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"Are you okay?" Ellie asked her, sitting down on the grass beside her.

"It's really you." Josie was on the verge of tears, and for once it was for a good reason.

"We've met before, ya know." Ellie smirked at her. She seemed so relaxed, even jokey.

"Yes, yes, I remember." Josie reached across to hug her, but quickly stopped herself. She didn't want to overstep the boundaries. Ellie stared at her, confused. Her arms were up and ready to hug back, she was ready for it. She even seemed hurt that Josie had stopped herself. A moment passed and instead of Josie excitedly hugging her idol, Ellie hugged her back just as if they were good friends.

I can't believe this is happening again.

"It's nice to see you again." Ellie told her.

Josie was blown away by how much Eleanor had grown in three years. Josie was supposed to be older than her, like she had done the last time they had met, but now she couldn't help but feel a bit small and overawed by her presence. Ellie seemed so different to when Josie had last met her in person.

"I didn't think I'd see you out in public again. Especially not now. What are you doing out here?" Josie asked. She looked around at the masses of people that were in the park, the people walking past them and within inches of a real-life Princess. Did any of them know that Diana's granddaughter was sitting at the memorial with them? And how uncomfortable must Ellie be feeling right now?

"Trying not to be so awkward anymore." Ellie looked around, adjusting her cap and avoiding eye contact with anyone but her. Josie could tell she was nervous, but it didn't seem as bad as before.

"Dads been helping me with my anxiety." Ellie pointed to a tall and majestic man that was sitting in the middle of the egg, also dressed in casual summer clothes and sporting sunglasses and a baseball cap. He seemed to just be sitting, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere like everyone else.

"He's been coming out to the memorial a lot over the last few days and I wanted to join him." Ellie told her.

"No guards?" Josie looked around, trying to find a well disguised protection officer.

"No guards." Ellie smiled proudly, quite smug about it.

"Wow, you've really come far." Josie grinned back at her, surprising herself. She could feel her body starting to relax.

"Definitely." Ellie seemed comfortable sitting next to her, like she had an ally. Josie couldn't help but feel fiercely protective of her. She'd fought in Ellie's corner online whenever the haters would criticise her for not appearing in public, today was no different. If only she could think of more things to say. She felt like Ellie was reaching out, but what do you say to a Princess?

"Oh! How are you and the family doing?" Josie asked. She needed to remember that as much as the world had lost a Queen, the royals had also lost a massive part of their family.

"We're getting there. Dad and Grandpa are taking it the hardest but I'm helping them out where I can."

Josie couldn't help but feel proud. Ellie was definately someone worth sticking up for in the online forums.

"I want you to know that everyone is with you. Everyone I've spoken with is ready to help you get through this."

"Thanks, Joze" Ellie said gratefully. Josie shivered with excitement at that. "It really means a lot. We went outside the palace yesterday and the support was just... overwhelming."

"I was there, you handled it really well." Did she just give me a new nickname? God, now I MUST change my blog title.

"Yeah, just about. Sorry I missed you."

"Don't worry about it." Josie patted her hand reassuringly.

"So, what are you doing now? Still in Bucklebury?" Ellie asked, taking out her phone from a back pocket.

Josie couldn't help but steal a glance at Ellie's contacts. It was intoxicating. For years she'd run a blog and obsessed over the royal family, but always from a distance, always dreaming of feeling closer to them. Now she could see 'Mummy' and 'Daddy' on the phone of Princess Eleanor and know exactly who they are. It was wild.

Is there even a point to running a royal blog anymore? I just feel like I know so much already.

"Oh, yeah." Josie remembered to answer. "But I'm studying Journalism at Reading Uni."

"Awesome. Maybe you'll end up being the next big royal reporter?" Ellie smiled at her.

"Hope so!" Josie said coyly. She decided not to ask for a job at the palace.

"Hey, why don't you give me your number? We can meet up again when we're both back in Bucklebury." Ellie suggested, holding her phone out to Josie.

"Holy shit! Really?" Josie blurted out, immediately blushing.

Ellie laughed back at her. "Yeah, why not? Otherwise it'll probably be another three years till we see each other."

"Of course, definitely." Josie hurriedly obeyed like it was a command, but, it seemed much more like Ellie was just eager to be friends. Josie's fingers trembled as she took Ellie's phone and started typing in her number, resisting the urge to explore all her contacts and even browse her photos. She was a swipe of a finger away from what could have been the cutest family photos that she could ever hope to find.

I can't believe she trusts me so much. So many people online would kill to have this much access.

"Time to go Ellie." Josie's heart skipped another beat. Prince William stood imposingly above them and helped Ellie get to her feet. His warm smile had Josie frozen in her spot.

"Dad, meet my friend Josie." Ellie helped her up and presented her to Will proudly.

"Lovely to meet you Josie. Short for Josephine right?"

"Hiiii, yes. But everyone calls me Josie" Josie nervously mumbled back, her cheeks turning red.

"Dont embarrass her Dad." Ellie shoved her father's meaty arm. It barely moved.

"Hah, well sorry to break things up girls, but we really need to be heading off." He looked at her apologetically.

"Of course. Definitely. Yeah." Josie signalled it was okay, blushing even more as she handed Ellie's phone back to her. They had barely walked more than two steps before she blurted out again. "Oh, sorry! Wait!"

She searched through her bag, desperately looking for her letter to Ellie, not realising in her nervous rush that she was looking straight at it. Josie detected a hint of irritation in Will's face as she handed her letter to Ellie, who took it gratefully.

"I was holding out hope I could give this to you in person, and here we are." Josie laughed, trying to keep her cool and appear relaxed, but struggling.

Both Ellie and William were growing more conscious of the attention they were getting. Several people around were starting to recognise them, and the whispers started circulating.

"Thanks Josie, thank you. Hope to see you again!" Ellie waved at her, going along with her dad. It was clear that neither of them wanted to cause a scene.

Josie watched as they hurriedly walked off and disappeared into the park before a crowd formed. Then she watched in satisfaction as a few paparazzo's arrived not long after, obviously following a tip off and just missing the royals. They looked around, questioning people at the memorial and looking stumped.

Better luck next time losers.

On the final day of her family trip to London, Josie stood on the edge of the Mall awaiting the funeral procession that would pass them on its way to Paddington Station. From there the Queen's body would be taken by train to Windsor Castle and buried there, but all that would be much more private. She had been able to watch the funeral from super screens that had been set up in the parks, and now waited for the mass of soldiers, foreign royals, dignitaries and family members that would escort the Queen on her way.

While the thousands of people in the crowds waited, they listened to the one hundred and four gun artillery salute that was echoing throughout London whilst Big Ben tolled along with them. It was one for every year of the Queen's life, and for the first time that week Josie quickly realised how old the Queen really was. When they got to seventy, she heard someone in the crowd surprisedly say "Really, how old was she?". Everyone truly thought she was ageless.

When the salute was finally over, anticipation in the crowd slowly grew as the procession started making its way from Westminster Abbey. Josie could feel it, like a sadder alternate version of a Mexican wave, as she watched the screens and saw the procession turn onto the Mall. The crowds around her pushed against the barriers and the people in front, including herself, as they were all eager to see.

A parade of horse guards came first, followed by the guardsmen wearing their bright red uniforms and bearskin caps, who were then followed by the slow-moving gun carriage that carried the Queen. The guards that lined the sides of the road saluted as the coffin moved past, and hundreds of onlookers bowed their heads or removed their hats. Everyone was in almost complete silence, the only noise coming from the clopping of horse hooves and the slow trudging of the people in the procession.

Behind the Queen's coffin looked like a carbon copy of Diana's funeral in 1997. Elizabeth's four children, just as they had done at the vigil, were staying close to their mother's body, walking slowly behind it all the way to the station. William and Harry joined them as well, but there was no sign of the women. They followed behind, hidden away inside stately cars. It was hard to recognise Ellie, sitting in the back of a car with her family and dressed fully in black. Compared to the girl that Josie met in the park the day before, the one sitting inside that car along with her mother, sister, aunt and cousin James was someone completely different.

After them came more royals than she could count. Josie was familiar with most of the royal families of Europe through following other blogs who weren't so Britain focused. She loved seeing the foreign royals there supporting the Brits, but soon enough she stopped recognising faces and the whole thing became much less interesting.

The crowds started to dissipate not long after and by the evening the entire Mall was empty, with just tributes left behind and candles still burning, which made the long red road glow and flicker in a warm orange light. The past nine days had brought seemingly the whole world together into one spot to share their grief, but now they were all gone.

Josie could feel the unease that was starting to build just as she and her family were getting on the train to go home. People were already talking about Charles now being king, and morbidly joking about how long he would last. The monarchy needed something good to happen, but Josie knew that Charles was nowhere near as popular as his mother. Elizabeth had held majority support for most of her reign, Charles couldn't hope to repeat that.

And then, with a big expensive coronation on the way for a moderately popular monarch, now would be the best time for those anti-monarchists to rise up and get their way.

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