Britovia: A Forgotten Throne: 1, #1

By Bruce Ball

A gripping tale of what happens when an ancient throne that sat empty and forgotten for 400-years began calling out for its rightful king to occupy it once more. 

Little did they know, as the search began, it would take them around the globe and involve them in international crime, danger, and even murder, before the new King was found.

 

And what happens to an ordinary middle-aged American postal worker and his family, when he is discovered to be that king! It is a tale of suspense, warmth, and the question begs to be asked by each reader: "How would I react if this were to happen to me?"

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bruce Ball
• Release date: Jan 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393830399

Book preview

BRUCE BALL

LEGAL STUFF

B RITOVIA: A Forgotten Kingdom © , by Bruce Ball. Copyright 2020. All worldwide literary rights are reserved. By copyright law, you are not allowed to copy, quote, publish, or transmit the material in this book at any time, in any format, without the prior expressed written permission from its author.

This book was written for entertainment purposes only, therefore any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, or any resemblance to any event or place, is purely coincidental.

ISBN - 9781393830399

PRELUDE

For nearly 20-years , Mr. James Blackmore and his wife, Annabelle, lived in the house at 3763 Crescent Dr., Phoenix, Arizona, USA. That house was located in a very peaceful cul-de-sac where all their neighbors had known one another for years. It was a quiet and peaceful neighborhood.

Then, two years ago, a black SUV with two men inside came to visit the Blackmores. Over the next two weeks, they came back several times, and then; the Blackmores disappeared. A month after their disappearance, a large unmarked truck backed into their driveway, emptied the house of its contents, and drove off, not to be seen again.

DEDICATION

The first Person I must acknowledge is God because He saw fit to give me whatever thoughts I needed, to conjure up this tale, and then He made sure I had all the resources I needed to write those thoughts down so others might be able to read them.

Next, I must thank my lovely wife, who was gracious enough to allow me the time to write this book.

Thirdly, I thank Mrs. Alma Cox of Jonesville, Virginia, USA.

She was my first-grade teacher and also my father’s first-grade teacher. She taught us that if you love to read, you will never be alone, no matter where you go. And, you will always find entertainment in whatever  you choose to read.

I must also dedicate this story to you, the reader, as it is my desire and hope that you will be entertained while reading this book.

~1~

THE NEW KING

AS YOU READ THIS BOOK, we want you to ask yourself what you would do if you found yourself in the same set of circumstances in which the Blackmore family found themselves. How would you feel, or more significantly, what do you think you would do if it meant becoming Royalty on one hand, but on the other hand, saying good-bye to everything and everybody you have ever known, including moving to the opposite side of the world?

James Blackmore was a married man of 48-years of age and had worked as a mail clerk for the United States Postal Service in Phoenix, Arizona for 24-years. He enjoyed the life he had spent so many years building with his wife,

Annabelle. It was a comfortable life, which offered him no surprises.

He was punctual and had only rarely taken time away from work. The last time he could recall taking time off, other than a planned vacation, was when he asked for three days off when his father died six years ago, and when they made him take fourteen days off after acquiring COVID-19 earlier in the year.

During the first period, he was emotionally distraught because he was close to his father. In the second instance, he was bored to death because he could not do anything but stay inside his home for two full weeks!

On the 15th day, he took another test to see if he still had COVID -19, and receiving a negative result, he went back to work again on the 19th day, he reported back to work with his clearance papers in his hands.

James was a non-descript man of medium height and weighed 190 pounds. His short light brown hair was beginning to turn gray at the temples and he began noticing how it was beginning to thin at the crown of his head, just as his father’s hair had done so many years before.

However, even though his body was beginning to show slight signs of aging, James felt healthy. His doctors gave him glowing reports of good health, and he enjoyed playing sports with his co-workers and friends.

People liked James because he was intelligent, friendly, and always had an encouraging word to give others, especially if they were not having a good day themselves. Few things seemed to upset him and he shared his amiable sense of humor with every one in which he came into contact.

He was not particularly active in politics but did like to stay abreast of what was happening in his community, state, and even in national and international interests. He had definite ideas on why the world seemed so hostile at times, but there was no one to listen to his thoughts, so he kept them to himself and only shared them on occasion with his wife.

Annabelle was 46-years of age, two years younger than her husband was. She worked as a senior legal research manager for a large Phoenix law firm. She had been an employee of that firm for nearly 16-years. They considered her one of their most value le assets.

She had made it her weekly habit to visit the gym three times a week with friends and enjoyed going walking with her husband every morning, weather permitting, before getting ready for work.

One would consider them the average American couple. They were honest, hardworking; and enjoyed their life with one another. They enjoyed what they had and had no thoughts of ever changing the comfort of their lifestyle or the location in which they lived.

James and Annabelle had two grown children. Their son, Thomas, was 24-years of age and looked very much like his father looked at that age. Thomas had graduated from Arizona State University two years earlier, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, and had since worked as an assistant manager for a national food store chain. Everyone who met Thomas liked him because he had a humble, friendly, and pleasant attitude.

James and Annabelle’s daughter, Erin, had worked as a nurse’s aide at a local doctor’s office in nearby Tempe, Arizona, for almost two years. She was 22-years of age. Unlike her mother’s short and lighter colored hair, Erin had long flowing light brown hair.

Both Thomas and Erin had very good ideas of where they wanted to be in life, and both were content with taking their time getting there. However, neither one was prepared for the intense changes, or the conflict and chaos these changes would soon bring into their lives.

Our story takes us on a journey that lets us see these sudden changes in the family’s life, including their involvement in international terror attacks, murder, and other mysterious happenings.

Alas, I may be jumping too quickly into the future, so I will leave you with the knowledge that some very uncomfortable and dangerous events are going to be happening to this family in the very near future. 

Our story begins when James, the father, was driving home one Thursday afternoon just as he had done hundreds of times before.

~2~

MEETING MR. COOKE

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL Thursday afternoon, and James Blackmore was driving home the route that he was so familiar with, and using that time to relax, enjoy the warm weather, and to relax before he got home. It was an uneventful drive, leaving him time to reflect on his job and how he might seek a promotion after he returned from their up-coming vacation.

His supervisor told him there was going to be a job opening for a supervisor in another department soon, and James was still trying to decide whether he wanted to apply for it, even though his present supervisor was encouraging him to do so.. Even though there was no actual hurry in making that decision, he knew he could not drag it out too much longer. That promotion would add to the security and income for his family in the years to come.

As he arrived at his cul-de-sac and proceeded towards the driveway to his house, he saw a large black SUV parked alongside the curb in front of his home. It had black tinted windows so he could not see if anyone was inside. As he passed, he saw a large black and black sign on the door identifying it as belonging to the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C.

He wondered why it would be in front of his house. He wondered if the occupant was there to see one of his neighbors, never considering for a moment that they might be there to visit him.

He hit the button on the garage door opener and the door to the garage began to open. He waited in the driveway for it to open completely before pulling his car into the garage and lowering the door. He always wondered why the door always seemed to take longer to open than it did to close.

He got out of his car and went inside the house. Putting his canvas lunch bag on the kitchen counter and hanging his car keys on the hook by the door, he poured himself a glass of iced tea and went to turn the television on in the living room. His routine was always the same, with no deviation. Then he would head to the living room and sit in his recliner, drinking iced tea while watching the news until his wife got home from her job.

She normally got home 45 minutes to an hour after he got home, giving him time to relax and wind down after his work day.

Listening to the news, he was a bit troubled to hear ongoing problems around the world, and considered himself very blessed to be in such a safe area as Phoenix, Arizona, where nothing upsetting could ever happen to him or his family.

Right on time, he heard his wife’s car pulling into the garage. As she entered the house, they exchanged their daily hellos and a hug, but today, the hug was cut short because the doorbell rang.

Turning the television off, James answered the door and saw two men. It turned out they were the ones who were in the SUV in front of his house. But why would they be there to see him? His first thought was they were visiting other neighbors, too.

They were very well dressed and had pleasant expressions on their faces. They were both dressed in black suits and he immediately wondered why two men in black suits would come to see them. It gave him the impression of something sinister and secretive was about to happen.

The man who spoke first introduced himself as Mr. Jason Wheeler, Deputy Secretary Liaison of the U.S. Department of State, Foreign Affairs Division. He showed James his badge and said, Are you, Mr. James Blackmore? Somewhat stunned, James hesitatingly said he was, and the man asked if they could come in and talk to him and Mrs. Blackmore about some very serious governmental business.

Once inside and seated, he continued, I am here to introduce you and your wife to Mr. Albert Cooke, of the Sovereign Kingdom of Britovia. James guessed the man from the State Department was in his mid-thirties, about six feet tall with an athletic physique. He had short black hair. The man from Britovia was about James’ height and body weight, with salt and pepper colored short hair with a light gray, and a very well trimmed, mustache. James thought him to be in his mid-fifties.

Mr. Wheeler continued, Mr. Cooke has been sent here by the Kingdom of Britovia and has been cleared by our State Department to enlist your help on the behalf of his country. I am going to let him explain to you what this is about and how it affects you and your family.

Mr. Cooke began talking with a soothing and pleasant British accent. "Mr. and Mrs. Blackmore, I have been sent here on behalf of the Sovereign Kingdom of Britovia to seek your assistance

"As you may have heard in the news during the last few years, by a ruling of the World Court, the nation of Britovia has won the freedom to reform their kingdom once again after winning their freedom from England. At this time, I shall not bore you with all of the political details, but the last time we were an autonomous nation was just over 400-years ago.

"To properly show you why we need your help, and to explain how you might help Britovia, let me give you an overview of our current situation.

"In the year 1612, the British government found itself sitting on the sidelines of a war between Sweden and Norway. It was called the ‘Kalmar War’.

"Although Sweden and Norway were the actual participants in that war, it looked as if whoever won that war might end up declaring war against England next. England did not have an army large enough to repel either of the other participants in that war, so they began looking for ways in which they could increase their pool of potential soldiers they would need if such an action did take place.

"At that time, Britovia was a separate kingdom, lying on the southwest corner of England proper. Since Britovia was much smaller and less powerful than England, King James, the King of England, annexed Britovia as part of England in the latter part of 1612.

"Ever since that time, everyone assumed Britovia had ceased to exist and that it was now just part of England. That is, until 2005 when a Scottish archaeologist, who was searching through some ancient artifacts in the British Museum of London, discovered the documents drawn up in 1612 to annex Britovia were not legally binding.

"The problem with those documents was neither of the kings had had used their Signet Rings to seal the wax on the documents. And without that Signet Ring impression, the documents were legally not binding.

"As it turns out, for the last 400-years, Britovia did continue to exist, even though everyone assumed it did not. In today’s world, that may seem trivial, but believe me when I say that in those days, it was as legally important as having a Notary Public witness documents today.

"Since 2007,