Kalistan

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Catching up with the Crown Prince
His Highness talks Comedy, Ladies and National Service
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 18, 5596


His Highness, the Minor Crown Prince Fredrick William Ananto-Sandoval, age 16, at Wilson House

We caught back up with His Highness, the Minor Crown Prince Fredrick Ananto-Sandoval at his family's home in the Wilson Hill Neighborhood of Southern Kaliburg.  His Highness was kind enough to sit with us for another interview, where we checked in with him to see how he was doing as he began the long arduous process of becoming Emperor.

Below is the Transcript.  His Highness communicates almost exclusively through sign language now, because his hearing is almost entirely gone, but he can still speak quite well, and has learned to read lips expertly during his training, and so there was very little difficulty communicating during the interview.

(La Moda's) T(heresa) M(artinez):  Hello again Your Highness.  Thank you for speaking to me again.

(His Highness, the Minor Crown Prince) F(redrick) A(nanto-Sandoval):  Hello again Ms. Martinez.  It is wonderful to see you again.  I see you haven't aged a day since we last spoke.

TM:  I'm really quite surprised that you remember me to be honest.

FA:  A pretty lady like you would be difficult to forget.  I'm glad they sent you back.

TM:  I'm flattered, but also, Your Highness, I am married.

FA:  Compliments are freely given, Ms. Martinez.  They cost you nothing to receive them.

TM:  Well, Your Highness.  That is very charming.  I notice your interpreter is not here.

FA:  I gave Ms. Miller the day off.  To be honest, she is almost done with her work, and we spend most of our time talking these days, but I am quite competent to read your lips and if I don't understand something I hope you will repeat it for me, faster.

TM:  Faster, Your Highness?

FA:  Yes, you see I can read lips well when people speak to me at a normal natural pace.  When they slow down because they think I am hard of hearing rather than completely deaf, that throws me off, so I get a little confused.  If I need you to repeat something, just say it to me as you would say anything.  It's not your fault really, but I am totally deaf now, so if you say it slower and louder, it doesn't help me at all to hear it any better.

TM:  Your speech is very good for someone who is completely deaf.

FA:  Thank you.  I have had the benefit of speaking Vrassan all my life, and hearing how the words sound, so I can still hear, or I guess, feel the vibrations that my vocal chords make.  I suppose that's "hearing" in a way.  My ears just don't work any more.  And I suppose, as I get older I will get lazy with my speech and will gradually also lose the ability to "hear" myself, such as it is.  Habits change over time, you know.  And then I will need the people I am speaking with to have an interpreter present.  But for now, I have only been without hearing at all for a few months.  So, I am still practiced in the Empress' Vrassan, if you want to say that.

TM:  Very well, Your Highness.  I will speak as if you can still hear me.

FA:  Thank you.

TM:  So how is your comedy career coming along?

FA:  Excuse me?  Comedy career?

TM:  Yes, last time, you were full of jokes.

FA:  Oh haha.  My humor has grown more subtle over the last few years.  Miss Miller beat the ability to laugh out of me.

TM:  Your Highness?  She..  beat... you?

FA:  Oh yes, she is a real brute, that lady.  Hahaha  Five foot three, and pure evil.

TM:  Are you joking, Your Highness?

FA:  (suddenly growing very stone faced serious.)  Do I look like I am joking?  She said You will be the Emperor some day.  There is no laughing as Emperor.

TM:  Your Highness...  I.  uh...

FA:  (Laughing)  No  hahahaha.  You should see your face.  White as a sheet.  How long do you think she would last if she ever laid a hand on me?  Do you know who my mother is?

TM:  (uncomfortably)  Oh eeek.  That scared me for a moment...  I... couldn't tell if you were being serious...

FA:  See, this is the mark of the true comedian.  You can't tell when they are telling the truth and when they are telling a joke.  Hahaha.  No, of course, Miss Miller is not as strict as all that.  She is paid to teach me how to communicate.  She is a real professional, that one.  She is more or less like an aunt to me, and I wouldn't joke about her if I didn't care very much for her. 

TM:  I am relieved to hear that.

FA:  Did you know that she is to be married?

TM:  Regrettably Your Highness, I had not heard that piece of information.

FA:  Yeah, but she will still live on Wilson Hill.  My mother made a gift of her House that she has lived in all these years to her as a wedding present.  She has been a wonderful friend to my mother, and I think she has grown quite accustomed to my parents' company, and so when she stops working for my mother helping me and my sister learn languages, she will be able to live free here as our neighbor.  That's pretty neat.

TM:  That is very kind of Her Imperial Majesty.

FA:  Who did you say?

TM:  Her Imperial Majesty.  I said that is very kind of Her Imperial Majesty.

FA:  Who?  HAHAHA

TM:  Your Highness, I had quite forgotten your mode of interaction. 

FA:  HAHA.  Don't mind me.  I will be here all week.

TM:  So, Your Highness, do you ever go out to see any comedians at any local clubs?

FA:  Yes, I do enjoy that.  My father will take me maybe three or four times a month to this one club near the campus.  We have our own table just off to the side of the stage, where I can see the comedian's mouths, and if I miss a joke, my father can sign it to me.  I always have a great time.  I am learning a lot from the Comedians, about things like timing of the joke, what makes a story funny, how to work a room.  I get a lot of information about the joke also from seeing the audiences' reactions.  I like the comedians that shock people, like when they say shocking things.  Finally when people realize that the guy was telling a joke, he may come out with some really filthy punch line or something and the people realize it was all a joke, and they laugh, I really enjoy that response.

TM:  Have you ever tried to do stand up comedy yourself?

FA:  Me?  No.  I don't think people would appreciate that all that much.  I'm just a kid after all.

TM:  Well, if you ever decide to try it, invite me to come cover your set, and I will give you an honest review.

FA:  I sure will.

TM:  How is school going for you Your Highness?

FA:  Ah, well you know.  Same old same old.  I am captain of the football team and am dating all the cheerleaders.

TM:  Really?

FA:  Hahaha, no, not really. 

TM:  Oh.  Again...

FA:  Seriously Ms. Martinez.  I love playing football but the problem is, they had to ask me to quit the team, because apparently it is a serious crime to injure me.  Even if I wanted to play, the coach very carefully came up to me at try outs my freshman year and explained to me that if I were to be allowed to be on the team, other parents wouldn't let their kids play against me, because they didn't want to be the one whose son tore my ACL...  It was very frustrating to me.

TM:  Oh, I see.  Can you do any extracurricular activities?

FA:  I have taken up the theater.

TM:  You've become an actor.

FA:  Indeed.  I tend to get cast in small roles, but this is fine, because I get to be in the play, but not have to do a lot of work.  Hahaha.

TM:  What kind of plays do you prefer?

FA:  Musicals, obviously...  HAHAHA...

TM:  (sighs) I see, Your Highness...  Do you sing well?

FA:  (smiles politely)  Thank you for indulging me, Ms. Martinez.  Actually I enjoy the tragedies, the ones where the kings get killed, or someone's hubris leads them to a bad end.  Those plays are enjoyable.  I like Kalopian and Luthorian Classics, to be honest.

TM:  I knew you were joking about the musicals.

FA:  You sighed so loud, I thought I almost heard it.  Hahaha.

TM:  How about romance?  Are there any special someone's in your life?

FA:  Oh, you know, I have had the chance to date a few of the girls in my class, but unfortunately, being hard core Brethrenists like my parents are, and having these security guys all around and no privacy, its kind of hard to be smooth like a guy has to and be me.  So.  I have a lot of friends who are girls, you know, but getting a girlfriend is surprisingly difficult.

TM:  You'd think it would be otherwise.

FA:  Yeah, you'd think.

TM:  How about classes?  Are there any classes you enjoy?

FA:  You will remember, Ms. Martinez.  I am a fan of history and politics.  I am especially learning to appreciate the philosophical texts we are being exposed to-- they have this kind of philosophy called moral philosophy, that I am particularly interested in.

TM:  Ah moral philosophy will definitely help you get girls.

FA:  Hahaha.  Well, in my defense, the more of it I read, the less I am sure that that is what I should be doing with my life.  HAHAHA...

TM:  Indeed.  Have you begun your State education yet?

FA:  Yes, we started as soon as I turned 16.  My mother has me in her office once a week to kind of show me what she does.  She is currently going over the protocol, because they are codifying it in the Assembly.  And she noticed some typos, so she ordered a new election to table the bill.  The Assembly is slow walking her request.

TM:  Have you met the members of the Government? 

FA:  Of course, years ago.  But now I get to shadow them, one each for about three months, to see how they work and meet their staffs.  Its really a whole other education in and of itself.

TM:  How soon do you think you will be finished?

FA:  Oh when I am crowned of course.

TM:  Ah, I see.

FA:  Yeah, then we do it all for real.

TM:  Does Your Highness intend to go into National Service?

FA:  Of course.  Both me and my sister will go into National Service:  that is expected of us.

TM:  What do you hope to do in National Service?

FA:  I have always wanted to dig ditches.  So I think ditch digging.  Is that a thing?

TM:  Yes, it is, well... its part of a larger corps, I suppose.  I don't know that there is a specific job of digging ditches in the National Service Program, but I am sure if you really wanted to...

FA:  HAHAHA  No of course I don't want to dig ditches!  Who wants to do that?  I want something romantic, like airplane mechanic, or dam maintenance or something like that.  Not ditch digging.  Hahaha...

TM:  Oh, you got me again, Your Highness!

FA:  I suppose that I will go where they need me, like everyone.  I don't know where they put guys who are interested in philosophy, but if I can read at night, I suppose I will have the best of both worlds.

TM:  Final question, Your Highness.  How is your sister?

FA:  Little Shelly?

TM:  You call her Little Shelly?

FA:  Not to her face.  Hahaha.  She hates that.

TM:  Her Highness, the Minor Princess Michelle.

FA:  Oh yes, the Highness is well.  She like math you know.  She is always talking about rockets, and we're going to go visit Spencer Space and Test Center in August just for her.  You'd like her.  She's a real nerd.

TM:  Does she always tell jokes like you?

FA:  No, she hates comedy.  She thinks it is a waste of time.  She's a lot like my mom.

TM:  How so Your Highness?

FA:  My mom is very smart, and she works a lot.  Whenever I tell her a joke, she tells me I should take life more seriously.  My sister has started telling me that too, and I figure that I will have a lot of time to take things very seriously.  But my sister seems to think that she can just say stuff like that to me and I'll just start doing math like her.  She's on the quiz bowl team, you know?

TM:  Quiz Bowl?

FA:  Yeah, the academic competition team.  She's on the 8th grade quiz bowl team.  She's pretty good, I guess.  She does really good at trivia.

TM:  Sounds like you are both bright kids.

FA:  Of course we are!  We're Anantos.  They don't make dumb Anantos.

TM:  And so humble, Your Highness.

FA:  (smiling, knowingly and obviously playing along)  ...The Humblest.

TM:  Thank you for sitting down with me today, Your Highness.

FA:  It was very nice to speak with you again, Ms. Martinez.  I'm sure we will meet again someday.

TM:  I hope so, Your Highness.