The Castle of Gold [Bk 2]

ch.72 Castle of Gold [Final]

This was our favorite park: Monarch Park.

I looked down at my hands; I was holding a carefully picked bouquet of the peace-colored roses. I was wearing my white dress with the gold ribbon, the one my mom helped me pick out. My hair was brushed and smoothed back to its natural brunette color.

I touched the clasp that held my hair together loosely, delicately. I smiled; it was the gold butterfly pendant that my dad had given me.

Zayn and Becky held each other’s hands and waved to me from my left.

Niall and Tony patted each other’s shoulders and nodded at me.

Gemma clasped her hands together to contain her excitement.

This is how it was supposed to be the whole time; just the handful of us. Together, here in Westwood, not in some stuffy palace.

I turned to focus on the path before me. There was a soft trail of petals, leading to Harry, my knight, my fiancé, my soon-to-be husband.

Harry stood proud and tall, all alone at the end of the path, waiting eagerly for me.

I stopped myself from grabbing the lace of my dress and running down to him.

Danny cleared his throat and I realized that he had been waiting patiently beside me. He held his arm out for me and I took it eagerly, even pulled him a bit too tightly. He just shook his head and smiled as he walked me down.

I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned to see a golden butterfly flutter close to my ear. It stayed on my shoulder, as if wanting to hitch a ride with me.

I took a deep breath and watched Harry as those worldly green marbles grew bigger and bigger and I realized that I was getting closer and closer to him. I turned to look at Danny and for a moment, I saw my dad, holding my hand, smiling at me.

“Where’s my knight, when is he going to save me?” I asked him.

Dad grinned.

“He’s standing right in front of you, angel” he whispered.

I blinked.

I saw Danny instead of dad. Then I turned to look at Harry, who was a mere few inches from me now. He nodded slowly at me as I reached where he stood.

Danny turned to me and he kissed my cheek.

“I was your valiant guard for 20 years” he whispered close to my ear.

I smiled.

“Now you can go to your knight” he grinned and he nodded at Harry.

Danny shook Harry’s hand and then stepped aside. Harry reached his hand to me and I took it. The butterfly from before kissed my nose, then it fluttered to Harry and kissed his nose and I knew in my heart that my mother was with me, watching through the butterfly.

The priest motioned for him to recite the vows he had been waiting to recite since the devil stole my name.

Harry cleared his throat and his hand shook ever so slightly in mine.

"I wanted to say a few words, a poem actually, but I believe Angela knows it already. She knows it by heart” Harry spoke up and he smiled down at me.

“Recite it anyway” Zayn shouted. Niall pulled Zayn’s head under his arm and ruffled his hair. Zayn stood up straight and laughed. Becky smoothed his hair back into place.

“Go on Shakespeare” Tony grinned.

Harry nodded.

He took both my hands in his and held onto them with every last ounce of hope he had in his golden body.

“Will you recite it with me, Angela?” he whispered so that no one else heard.

“Yes” I nodded.

“There she lay” he began.

“Pure and golden” I smiled.

“A dream in my arms” he declared.

“My words unspoken” I whispered close to his lips.

“She begs me to stay” he grinned, tugging me closer to him.

“I do in a moment” I nodded.

“Yet she hides her wings, scared they are broken” he shook his head slowly, but didn’t dare move his eyes from mine.

“He-”

“She-”

“Knows not- my heart is” we recited together.

“Her”

“His”

-Token” we finished.

Harry took my face in his hands and kissed me, too impatient for the priest to announce it.

“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Harold Styles” the priest called quickly, but Harry and I were long gone, gone in another world, one that had knights and a castle made of gold. And hope, beyond hope for a future that wasn’t shadowed by the depths of blue-black darkness.

We heard cheering and screaming and laughing and tears.

We turned to see Danny’s eyes redder than Gabriella’s bloody nose. Gemma pulled his neck down lower and kissed him. Then she reached a card out to Becky and Becky smiled shyly as she took the modeling card.

Niall, Tony, and Zayn threw the extra Daisy petals at me and Harry as we ran- not walked- back down the make-shift aisle.

Aunt Lisa walked up to me and she shook her head slowly, in disappointment.

"I am so, so sorry Angela. I will make sure Gabriella is taken to her real fiance, in Sicily" she assured me.

I nodded. I really had nothing else to say about Gabriella. I just wanted to forget she ever even existed.

"She has been post poning her marriage for over a year now" she shook her head slowly.

Something twisted in my gut. I remembered when Gabriella looked uneasy when I threatened to ship her off myself.

"W-who is her fiance, may I ask?" I spoke up.

My aunt blinked in surprise that I even cared after all that Gabriella tried to pull.

"Why, she is arranged to be married to the head of a large winery in Palermo" she grinned eagerly. 

A knot thickened in my abdomen.

"Arranged?" I mumbled and looked over at Harry. 

I shook my head.

"Don't arrange her marriage, zia, let her find someone she loves, let her find her knight" I smiled.

Aunt Lisa held her breath, as if I had uttered some unthinkable phrase. Leo looked at me and Harry and patted his mom's shoulder.

"Thank you, cugino. And we are sorry about Gabriella," he smiled.

I hugged them both and they went their ways. 

Harry grew impatient and he scooped me up in his arms and carried me over to his midnight black motorcycle, the one the boys had helped make what seemed like centuries ago.

He helped me on the bike carefully and the engine grumbled to life. We rode to his apartment. I looked out at his-our – apartment and I saw tall, ivory, crystalline pillars. I saw a forbidden, golden door knob and we turned it.

Harry lowered me onto his- our bed. And we lay there, holding each other so tightly. We removed the layers of lace and satin. I reached for his leather armor. He took it off slowly.

We lay there, holding each other in our golden puzzle, so eager for forever to officially begin, so afraid to let go of each other.

We took a deep breath, yes we took one together. I looked around the room and Harry nodded. We were in our castle, our castle of gold.