Not to Henry’s surprise, he held his glass with absolute stable hands, his breathing remained within a normal rate, and his heart beat as slow as if he were about to pull the covers of his bed up to his chin. He had given many speeches to the Richmond public, he thought to himself, why would this be any different. He was lucky that he had the uncommon power of his own self to convince himself of that fact. Deep inside he knew this might end up being the most important speech of his life, and yet he was able to convince himself otherwise. A calming breath gave him even more poise as he finished buttoning up his Maxwell coat. This was a style to which he was still getting accustomed, and not one that he particularly preferred. In Maxwell coats, all men looked the same, dull black. He made for a very depressing view from the Palace Balcony.
As Henry took his first step out onto the balcony and into the applause of thousands who lined the great Monument Mall, his mind wandered, as it normally did, to the great men who stood here before him. In particular, he thought of the father of Virginia, Robert E. Lee, who had successfully led Virginia through war after war as he sought to secure for his people a land of power and prosperity. What Robert did during his reign has seldom been imitated by any other monarchy in the history of man, Henry thought. That, he mumbled to himself, is enough to intimidate any successor Virginian King.
As he reached the end of the balcony, the crowd of thousands quieted right on queue. It was this moment that Henry liked the most, the moment where he could take in a deep breath of the sweet Virginian air, particularly ripe from the cheery blossom trees that surrounded the Robert E. Lee Square in front of him. The crowd grew so quiet that Henry swore he could hear the birds chirp in the aforementioned trees and the gentle Virginian breeze rustle the dead autumn leaves. Alas, the moment before the speech was drawing to a close, just as fast as it had begun. Still calm as he ever was, Henry cleared his throat and belted the deep baritone, yet lightly adorned with a West Virginian accent, voice onto the citizenry below:
“Virginians, we all know why I have gathered you here today. One year from yesterday, a failed coup supported by the Klannists of Georgia attempted to overthrow the elected government of Tennessee, a fervent ally and long-time member of the Axis, the alliance of which Georgia is a founding member.”
“It is known by now that the Georgia coup, like so many other Georgian plans, failed. The government of Tennessee then invoked her God-given right to enact retribution of the perpetrators, chasing and pursuing them into Georgian territory, where they hide to this day. Dictator Dahl, in his infinite wisdom and incredible loyalty, believed his plan to provoke Tennessee had worked, and used this as a casus belli for an invasion and annexation of Tennessee, a long-time goal and well-known aspiration of the Georgian Klannists.” The crowd erupted in cheer and applause at the use of royal sarcasm. Henry cracked a smile, but quickly returned to the seriousness of his speech:
“My Children, this is just the newest infraction of the Georgian government on the code of peace and tranquility in North America. Georgia has not once, not twice, but many times acted in a warlike way, doing what she pleases and violating the sovereignty of her neighbors. And each time, Virginia has only reacted to her moves, whether it be to expel her Klannist spy network from the Empire, or shoot down her Dreadnought from above the city of New Orleand.” Henry chose to mention the dreadnought incident second for a purpose. The incident was widely popular throughout the Virginian Empire, and the slight mention of it drew thunderous applause from the entire crowd. Building on the applause, Henry raised the volume of his voice, and intensified the movement of his arms.
“The Age of Georgian Warmongering is at an end! Four weeks ago, the Imperial Army of Virginia, in all its glory and skill, came to the aid of our former-ally and eternal friend in Nashville. Our soldiers have defeated the Georgian army on the field, liberated Nashville, and forced the Georgians back to the south shore of the Tennessee River!” Though nearly all Virginians had already heard the news, Henry inspired the patriotism within them as well as another thunderous applause.
“This is a new era for our Empire! A new era for the peace-loving peoples of North America! Georgia has been stopped, her warmongering ways without punishment are done! Together we will meet Georgia at every turn, defeat her in every move, and win again for every Virginia, nay, for every American, the right to a life without fear, a life without hate, and a life full of Peace!” With that, Henry paused for a brief moment, turned, and exited the balcony. He may not have the same political power as his forefathers, nor the Lee blood, but he certainly matched either one of them in charisma and oratory skills. He was breathing harder now, and a touch to his forehead revealed a light cover of perspiration. Smiling, he thought to himself if I am fatigued, I must have done well.
