The migraine hadn't decreased as they touched down in Thailand. Thankfully, there were no photographers or press to greet them. They went straight to the hotel, and they were in for the night. The private secretary and bodyguards lounged around, and the private secretary suggested calling a doctor. The duchess said she was fine, and the duke had to agree with his wife. They were sent off for the night. Food was ordered and came, sitting across the table. However, the duchess had no appetite, so she excused herself.

Meredith drew a bath and stepped into the warm water. Her skin immediately turned pink. A comfort ran through her as the bubbles popped. The lights were on low as she leaned back in the suds. From the hotel, she saw the ocean, but that wasn't allowed. Settling into the bathtub, she tried to pretend she was in the ocean, floating. It worked until she felt her head dip into the water, and Meredith came up with a gasp, realizing she had fallen asleep. Shaking out her wet blonde hair, Meredith huffed and got out of the water.

When Meredith walked into the master bedroom, she heard Harry on his mobile in the sitting room. Grabbing a book, she climbed into the bed and drew the covers up around her. Opening the book, Meredith started Mary Lambert's "Shame is an Ocean I Swim." Taking a pen to her favorite parts, she underlined and circled.

Harry's voice grew loud on the other side of the door before it dropped off again.

Still feeling warm, she felt vomit bubbling up in her stomach. Putting down the book, Meredith sat up and breathed deeply. Closing her eyes, she focused on the ocean again, and the though managed to calm her down enough. Relaxing, she leaned back in the bed. While she had to admit she wasn't feeling well the last few days, Meredith refused to acknowledge it. She knew what they were going to say, and if it was something, they were going to cut this trip short. She chose to ignore it.

A minute later, Harry entered. Dark bags hung under his eyes, and he ran his fingers through his orange hair.  He sat on the edge of the bed. His wife watched him. "You look like you could sleep a day," she commented kindly.

"I feel like it." He laid back against the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"I take it the phone call didn't go well?"

"No." He sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Honestly, no," Harry said, reaching and touching her leg under the covers. "This is a comfortable bed."

"You really are tired."

Meredith shifted unevenly, pulling her leg away from him as he attempted to tickle her. She giggle escaped her lips, which Harry took as permission to begin his assault with tickles. The book slipped from her hands and landed onto the bed. Harry crawled up and settled beside her, tiredness overtaking him. His face landed fully straight into the pillow.

"Wow," she said.

Whatever he said was lost into the pillow.

"Hmm?"

"Can I sleep in my clothes?" Harry mumbled.

Meredith shrugged. She wasn't his nanny. So Harry did so.

In the morning, Meredith was out of the bed and into the shower. Harry continued to snore. When she was out of the shower and before the vanity, Meredith heard Harry snoring still. With the stylists working on her working, Meredith picked up the book and continued her reading of the poetry book. His soft snores were interrupted when Meredith wasn't able to hold Jessica back any longer. By that time, Meredith was over halfway through the book, and her hair and makeup was done. When Harry asked how she managed to get through any book so quickly, she had a lot of time just sitting around and waiting some days.

For breakfast, food was put out again, but Meredith ate plain bread. Jessica pushed more in front of her, the opposite from a while ago. Meredith was able to get some protein and fruit down, even if she wore a disgusted face while doing it. Jessica didn't attempt to bring coffee anywhere near her.

Harry came out of the bedroom and kissed his wife on the cheek. He sat down at the table and ate enough for the both of them. The dark bags under his eyes had cleared up a bit, and if they naturally hadn't, then makeup had been taken to them.

After breakfast, the Duke and Duchess departed the hotel for a day of events with the King of Thailand. The king had many interests, and within these interests, the duke and duchess were going to participate in some of them. Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, had come to his reign late in his life. His father, the much loved Bhumibol Adulyadej, had died in 2016.  Vajiralongkorn was much like Prince Charles in this way.

At the first event of the day, the duke and duchess' car arrived outside the top university in Bangkok. The king had taken measures in his reign to improve education. However, when the duke met with the king, they talked about their old military days. If the duke was able to reminisce about his military days, then he was going to. The king had three marriages and three divorces, so the duchess walked three steps behind them with Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest daughter of the king. The princess had previously studied in England, as the duchess was learning very quickly that many royals around the world did this. Nowadays, she was the attorney general in the Udon Thani Province.

The king hoped to instill lifelong learning within Thailand, and at Rajabhat University, the taught such a thing. Over the past 37 years, it was estimated that the king had handed out over two million diplomas personally. The king also donated over 42 million baht to scholarships for university.

Sitting in a classroom, the duke and duchess were able to speak with English-speaking students about their love of learning and what they planned to do with their lives ahead. The longer the duchess sat there, the more she realized she was barely older than any of them. Her life really was something she never imagined.

After the university, as the car was taking the royals to their next destination, the duchess looked out the windows. People stopped to watch as the royals passed, Thai and British alike. Pictures of the king hung as murals and offerings. However, the duchess had been warned not to say anything about it. A strict-- and enforced-- law in Thailand kept people speaking out against the king, members of the royal family, past royals and even their pets. Large fines and prison sentences up to 35 years had been enforced. 

The king's controversial life had led to much of this criticism. 

His second wife had been his mistress for many years. She had given him five children. Their marriage, however, only lasted two years. She now lived in Florida, United States of America. She was not the only royal to live in Florida either, which the duchess found interesting enough.

In 2009, a video was leaked of the king dressed casually with his former wife dressed promiscuously for the birthday of their pet poodle. In 2017, a picture of the king wearing a crop top and showcasing his half-sleeve tattoos was leaked online, which caused Google to change its algorithms for Thailand. The duchess had been warned several times by the private sectary not to say something, which she did need that warning. The duchess did know how to push buttons. 

The duke caught the duchess looking, and he slid his hand across the street, giving it a warning squeeze. The duchess set her lips in a tight line.

Driving to a sports arena, the duke and duchess partook in some football. The duchess, wearing heels, didn't play much as the duke joined in with some of the players. The king stood with his hands behind his back and a smiling face. Photographers watched his every move. Princess Bajrakitiyabha stood beside the duchess, and they discussed the weather, the princess' time in England and sport. Those were safe and already approved topics of speaking.

"Does the king play anymore?" the duchess asked.

"He dabbles," the princess replied evenly, which the duchess imagined as the princess' lawyer tone. The skills of a princess had the possibility of being used as an attorney. "He has more important things nowadays, but he likes to watch the sport. Do you like football?"

"It's something I'm growing more used to." The duchess tried to keep her voice just as even. Also, she tried to keep her sentences short, just in case something slipped.

Back at the hotel, dinner was served, and Meredith was too busy talking. Harry nodded along but said nothing. He preferred if she didn't say anything at all about this-- but at least not inside the country. However, with only them and their security around, it was hard to keep Meredith tight-lipped any longer.

"I mean, I know it wasn't going to be all peachy," Meredith rambled, "but what the hell? I thought things had gotten better because I no longer heard about the military having full control, like Marshal Law, like a curfew to the citizens. But this-- they can't say anything about their royals?" Meredith scoffed and took a sip of her water. "Whoa. Is this what old royalty used to be like?"

"You're the historian," Harry replied.

"You're the royal."

Harry gave her a look.

"Okay, you're more of a royal than I am. I just graduated out of training. You've done this your whole life."

"We do learn about the old days, but we don't actually like to remember those days."

"They weren't great days for the monarchy." Meredith laughed. "So, I was reading I was sent about some Americans want the royal family back. Can you believe how insane that is? I mean, not that it's that insane, because I'm a royal. But it all started on the fact that I-- an American-- married you, and that started this whole meme business of the British monarchy taking over again."

Harry smiled. "Who sent you this?"

"Rachel." This was the first time Meredith had thought about Rachel in a while. Life had changed, and they had gone separate ways. Immediately, Meredith found herself back in Edinburgh in the summer of 2016. It was her, Chloe and "Mer," going through Edinburgh and having every fun moment possible. They went to--

"She's pregnant, right?" Harry asked, pulling Meredith out of her thoughts.

"Yeah."

"How far along is she now?"

"Um...." Slowly, the wheels started to turn in Meredith's head. "She's due in summer."

Harry was satisfied with that.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were dressed in their best as they arrived at the Grand Palace. While their official residence was Dusit Palace, the Grand Palace held any ceremony. The king waited on the steps along with his fifteen year old son and heir, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti.  Behind them was Princess Bajrakitiyabha and Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana; the latter princess was the only child that survived with a royal title from the king's second marriage.

The duchess' tiara sparkled as she went into a deep curtsy. There were things she didn't struggle with, and a curtsy was one of them. Most people moaned "damn" when she did it. Years of dance taught her to keep her back straight and butt in.

The duchess' arm slid through the duke's as they stood with the royals of Thailand. Bright flashes of light lit up the night sky. The photographs weren't over as they entered the grand palace, but at least the flashes were turned off per request from the British royals. The doors closed behind the royals.