Christening The Princess

Finale — The Christening

Solo piano, soft church organ, a single cello.

Here in the quiet,

Here in the light,

I bring you my daughter

To heaven tonight.

I once was a child

With a world to outrun;

Now I know what it means

To be someone’s mother.

And if I can give you

One thing to keep,

May you know you are loved

Before you know how to speak.

Warm strings enter; a gentle, lilting orchestral pulse.

And you stood beside me

When I needed to stand,

Never asking for glory,

Just offering your hand.

You never promised

The road would be kind;

You simply said I was gonna be your wife,

You my husband

And stayed by my side.

If she asks me what love is,

I'll tell her the truth:

It is finding a home

In the heart of someone like you.

And whatever this kingdom

May ask us to do,

I'll be less afraid

If I walk it with you.

Organ deepens; the melody becomes ceremonial.

Bring the child to the water.

Let the candles burn clear.

May she grow into wisdom,

May she walk without fear.

May her hands learn compassion,

May her heart learn what is true.

May the love that surrounds her

Be the light she carries through.

A child is a promise,

A life yet unknown.

May she never mistake

A great crown for a home.

The orchestra pauses. Footsteps. A delicate piano figure.

And who has come quietly

Through the back of the door?

A face I remember.

A love I once mourned.

Mother...

You came.

And beside you, my sister,

With tears in her eyes.

For a moment, the years

Fall away from our lives.

There are things we have broken

That words cannot mend;

But you came for my daughter.

Perhaps we can begin.

Almost complete silence. A single piano note, then a soft string quartet.

Come closer, my granddaughter.

Let me look upon your face.

No crown can make you worthy.

You were born deserving grace.

I have ruled over a kingdom.

I have guarded its name.

But no throne has ever taught me

How to love without fear.

Today, before these witnesses,

I welcome you as mine.

By the blood that came before you,

By the hope of what will come,

May you bear the name of princess,

But let kindness be your crown.

May your mother's heart protect you.

May your father's love stand near.

May your auntie's arms receive you.

May you never grow up fearing

That love disappears.

I christen you in honor,

In remembrance, and in grace.

May this family find its future

In the light upon your face.

Strings bloom into a grand, soulful Broadway crescendo; subtle gospel harmonies rise behind the lead.

We are here.

We are here.

Though the road has brought us tears.

We are more than what has hurt us.

We are more than all these years.

Let the bells ring through the kingdom!

Let the morning find us new!

A new life has joined our story,

And there is room enough for you.

The orchestra falls away. Piano, soft organ, and a final suspended string chord.

Sleep, little princess.

The world can wait.

You need not earn love.

You need not be great.

Before you wear a crown,

Before you know your name,

You are loved...

You are loved...

And that will never change.

The Queen gently places the baby in her mother's arms. The princess reaches for her sister's hand. The church bells begin to ring.