The life of Ted Pine Ch. 03

"Good morning and may I say, congratulations and best wishes to the newlywed couple. My advisers received word that not so Retired Col. Dave Weller brought you up to speed. I wanted to personally reach out and say thank you for your service to the country and the world for that matter. As of your debriefing this morning you now have the title and rank equivalent to a 3 star general. I'll have a uniform sent to your home in Nashville, for special cases if you are needed in the capital here. No one would dare question a Lt. General. In our morning debrief we agreed to continue the code name of your grandfather and pass it on to you. If ever anything happens and you need to get anything cleared up, contact Homeland security and identify yourself as 'Gatekeeper'.

You are the only one that can walk through the gate of freedom, so to speak. Dave has my direct number if you need anything at all give me a call any time. I look forward to working with you as I and many other presidents did with your grandfather, Kenny. Tell 'Liz' I said hello and can't wait for her visit next month. She may want to bring a bathing suit. May God bless you, Lt. General Pine." with that the screen went black.

I went to stand up but Morgan pulled me back down. For the next hour I received various ranks from various dignitaries the only thing they all agreed with was the code name "Gatekeeper". By the end of our meetings it was clear to me now how much power and control my grandfather was entrusted with.

I use the word entrusted because that is what my grandfather had taught me about when someone is given a leadership role in life they are ENTRUSTED with the power by those that are below them. This is something that I'm sure to surprise the dignitaries of the world. Although I'm only in my 20s I have the wisdom of an 80 year old and longing and searching for more.

Dave knocked on the door to the conference room and snapped to a quick salute. "Oh for fuck sake Dave! Don't you start that shit with me for 2 reasons. 1) You've seen me fucking my sister in the back seat of our SUV, and 2) You're retired from active duty." I exclaim in annoyance, knowing he wouldn't drop his salute till I saluted back.

As soon as I returned the salute he doubled over in a deep bellied laugh. "Sorry Ted, it's tradition to receive your first salute from a lower ranked soldier. Kenny hated when I did it to him for his first salute." He wiped a tear from his eye before telling us we should prepare for landing in an hour.

We sat in the living room for afternoon tea and Dave went over proper form when meeting the Queen. After all Dinner was at Buckingham palace this evening. When we touched down at 5 pm London time, Tim held a suit and 2 ball gowns for me, Morgan, and Izzy to change into. Dave after landing had changed into his old Army uniform which was filled with medals and awards. We piled into an official SUV and were driven straight to the palace.

After a thorough security search we were led into the palace. The Queen was announced by an aid about 30 minutes later. Dave was first to greet her, he gave a half bow and shook her offered hand "Your Majesty." When he finished he gave a cheeky little wink which made the Queen give a slight giggle before saying, "Col. Weller is always a privilege to see you again." Tim followed suit minus the wink before he introduced Morgan which curtseyed. Izzy and I did the same but I followed Dave and gave a cheeky wink as well which had the Queen saying "Your grandfather had the same devilish spirit when I met him the first time as well. More on that later let's get the formalities done first."

Her majesty led us to the throne room and an officer withdrew her father's sword and handed it to her. She turned and the aide from earlier directed me to kneel before the queen.

"By royal decree of her majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, Theodore Pine is bestowed the most noble order of the garter for service to the crown and thus receives the title of knight."

"I dub thee Sir Theodore Pine you may rise" she says with a tap on each shoulder. The officer then presents me with a sword and the aide has a uniform for official use when the Queen should call on me to wear. The ranks are of Field marshal, the highest rank in the british army, although it is symbolic it still has power.

I am led to a changing room. Once in uniform, we are led to dinner. I sat next to the queen and we had a nice chat. She discussed several of the medals pinned to my uniform. The George Cross is pinned on the left breast for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy. The blue riband worn like a sash over the left shoulder to right hip and Star on the left breast just below the George Cross indicated the order of the garter. The Royal Victorian Medal, the British Empire Medal, The military cross and a few others are worn in compliance to the orders of wear.

With the honors and awards came letters to add behind my name. My name in the UK should I sign an official document would be: Field Marshal Sir Theodore Pine KG, MBE, MVO, GC, MC..... I think I'll just buy a stamp so I don't forget any of them when signing.

After a lovely dinner with her majesty we were shown out after the queen retired for the evening. The official SUV drove us to the estate that once belonged to my grandfather. The sheer size looked like a mini castle. Tim and Dave both agreed that since our meeting tomorrow was not an official visit the Uniform could be left at home.

We went into my office in the castle and were updated on the situation that caused tomorrow's meeting. Exhausted from the flight and little sleep we filled into our bedrooms for the night. Izzy curled up against me and whispered softly "You've always been my knight in shining armour." The last vision I had prior to sleep was Izzy's head resting on my chest, fingers curled in my chest hair.