"Do you, Arthur Lionheart, solemnly swear that you will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of your ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States?"

"I, Arthur Lionheart, do swear, so help me God."

A simple remark, delivered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, but it finalized the inauguration of Arthur Lionheart as the first President of the United States of America and marked the high point of an hours-long ceremony that had been ongoing since sunrise when artillery batteries sounded off at the nearby Fort Arthur. Church bells had rung across New York City for half an hour, and a colorful military parade had escorted the then-President Elect and his hundreds of guests (including the entirety of Congress, other American officials such as Governors, assorted notables of the American elite and foreign dignitaries from France and Spain) to the inauguration hall in the leadup to this moment.

After removing his hand from the Bible, kissing it and bowing to the crowd of gathered notables, Lionheart retreated to an adjoining chamber where he delivered his inaugural address. His manner was, as his friends and associates could expect of him in most social situations, fairly relaxed and easy-going despite the circumstances: he may as well have winked and smirked to the crowd when he engaged in a spot of self-deprecation and spoke of how he was 'peculiarly conscious of my own deficiencies', and his tone and expression only became more serious when speaking of the gravity of what it meant to be 'called by the country' to public duty, the need to ensure that 'the foundations of our National policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality' to guarantee 'the pre-eminence of a free Government, exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its Citizens, and command the respect of the world', and the protection of 'an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity'.

Finally, following the inaugural speech, the inauguration of Vice-President Clare & his own speech, and the celebration of Divine Service at St. Paul's Chapel led by the Episcopal Bishop of New York, it was time for the real festivities to begin. As the sun set and the moon rose, the honor guard escorted a fleet of carriages bearing Lionheart, the hundreds of assembled elites, and their families to the Presidential Mansion on 1 Cherry Street. There a lavish dinner would be held to celebrate the occasion, with Lionheart and the guests seated around a massive round table - after all, are they not all equals, and he only a first among equals rather than a new king? No doubt to the displeasure of his own son - as finely dressed servants and favored slaves brought forth an assortment of dishes and spirits for their enjoyment, while fireworks lit up the night sky and could be safely observed from the mansion's windows or courtyard. Despite the new nation and Constitution's fragility, there was a mood of optimism and good cheer - though how long that would last as all gathered began to mingle and talk around & across the table at the event, remains to be seen.