Falling asleep in Nicholas’ arms was one of the best things. I groan waking up from the nicest sleep I’ve had in a while. Not opening my eyes yet, I feel Nicholas holding my hands, a warm buzz radiating from his touch.
“Good morning,” He softly says. I move my head on his chest to look up at him. Opening my eyes to see his beautiful blue eyes.
“Good morning.”
“Hello” He kisses my head.
“We stayed out all night,” I say.
“Yes, we did,” He confirms. This makes me gasp. I shoot up from Nicholas’ grasp and look around my surroundings.
“We stayed out all night,” Saying this my voice carries panic. But in a few moments I chuckle a bit. Then I look at the lake, seeing a boat, “Is that…? There’s a man in that boat.”
“What?”
“Do you see that? There’s somebody over there.” I fully focus my gaze on the boat.
“He’s probably some fisherman, I suppose.” Nicholas ignores the boat and looks at me intently.
But then a man with a large camera peeks out of the boat. My expression changes to a frown. I turn my head to Nicholas. Shit!
“With a video camera?” I ask.
“What?” Nicholas looks at me confused. Did he do this? I pull the blanket off me.
“You’re really low.” I get up from the ground and take the blanket with me.
“No, Kit…I have no idea…” Nicholas follows me.
“It’s really a shame you didn’t get juicer stuff last night, you asshole.” I threw the blanket at him.
“Kit, I have nothing to do with this, I swear.” He says exasperated. I continue to walk towards our horses. I get on his horse, “Kit, please. Come on. Will you listen to me? That is not my boat.”
“Hey, Nicholas, have a nice life.” I say coldly to him as I ride away from him.
“But that is my horse. Kit…” But I ignore him.
I ride away trying to hold in tears.
When I walk into my suite I see Grandma sitting on my bed, and Mia under the covers. Grandma looks beyond confused.
“Kit? What’s going on?” asks to see my disheveled hair, clothes and tear streaked face.
“Princess, I think you should see this.” Charlotte says coming into my room and turning on the TV. My gaze shifts onto the screen. I saw a video of me and Nicholas. I feel my legs start to give out under me so I sit on a stool. I run my hand through my hair and face, hot tears resuming to come out my eyes. Elsie Kenworthy says something on TV. Mia speaks up.
“I’d like to tell her what she can do with those eggs.”
“Mia, could we have a moment alone?”
“Yes, grandma.” Mia gets out of my bed and walks out with Charlotte following her.
Grandma sits next to me, I can’t even look at her, feeling so disappointed in myself.
“So?” Grandma says. I gently shake my head.
“I got played.”
“Uh-huh. Well, the big question is, do we still have a wedding?”
“Andrew, I’m so sorry,” I say to him as he walks down the steps outside, in front of the palace. I followed him, “I just…Andrew, please wait. I promise you nothing happened.” We both stop on the steps. Andrew sighs.
“Yes, but, Kath, you still went, didn’t you? You went. I don’t think you understand. I am an extremely eligible bachelor in England. I really am. I’ve got plenty of friends, lots of lovely women friends, and…”
“And how does this help?”
“I still think this marriage is a good idea. Kit…” Then he comes over to me and kisses me. I feel very uncomfortable. Besides that I feel nothing. The kiss was fine.
I squirm in his grasp, and he pulls away.
“Ah…”
“So? Anything?”
“Sorry, nothing. I really want to say yes, but no. There’s just…just no…spark.”
“Me, too.”
“Really? Well, this sucks.”
“Really. I mean, it was pleasurable.”
“Very.”
“But no fireworks.”
“Nothing whatsoever. Ohh. What are we going to do? We will figure something out.”
“Hmm. Kit…You chose me…” Guards that were outside walked past us.
“No Privacy.” I stated.
“None.” He stands next to leaning on the banister. My hands are crossed, “You chose, and I accepted, and a gentleman never backs out on his word. We are going to…We’re going to stand up in church and say, “I do,” and tomorrow we’ll be man and wife, and you are going to make an amazing Queen of Genovia,” Looks like I’m gonna have a marriage like my grandmother's. I lightly kiss Andrew's cheek, not in a romantic but more of a friend way, and hug him.
There has to be another angle for this, I’m just not looking hard enough. I want both Andrew and me to be happy.
My head is resting on my pillow, a tired frown on my face. Today’s the day. I’m getting married. I sit up in my bed and look at the dress. As I’ve said before. I don’t completely and utterly love this dress. Paolo was to come and fix me and get me ready for the wedding. I wasn’t completely thrilled by this. But Mom, my baby brother and step dad were coming which was nice.
After the whole getting ready part was done and I had been helped into my dress. I looked at myself in the mirror. I don’t think I’ve ever looked more beautiful, but still I felt off. My hair was put in a large bun, with a few stray baby hairs framing my face. My dress had large poofy beyond belief sleeves, little flowers stitched on the sweetheart neckline and around the collar. My champagne tiara was gently settled on my head.
Whole carriage ride I sat silently thinking everything over and trying to find out.
The processional music played as Mia walked down the aisle with Lilly next to her, both looking beautiful in blue.
I peeked through the door, I whispered to Joe.
“Hey, Joe.”
“Hmm?” He hums.
“I just wanted to say this before I do this, I’m sorry you’re retiring.”
“Who told you that?”
“The maids know everything.” I said plainly.
“Mm. Well, the heart does things for reasons that reason cannot understand.”
“You’re preaching to the choir.” I closed the door. But then Joe knocked on the door, and I opened it.
“Princess.”
“Yes?”
“Then you should know that Nicholas did not set you up at the lake.”
“You sure?”
“The maids know everything.”
Charlotte strutted to Joe and spoke in a whisper to him.
“We’re ready for her when she is.”
The organ started to play. I tightened my grip on the light blue roses that were my bouquet. Slowly strolling down the aisle. But I stop and turn, hand my flowers to Charlotte, running out of the church. Panic rises in my mind. I hear the clicking of heels behind me, I turn and see grandma. I crouched down in the sidee garden out of view of the cameras.
Grandma sees my panicked form.
“Kit…” She never calls me Kit.
“Grandma…I’m sorry. I-I-I just need a minute.” I quickly said nerves were evident.
“No.”
“I can do this.”
“No.”
“I can’t do this.”
“I know,” Grandma places her gloved hands on my shoulders, calming me, “Darling, listen to me. I made my choice…duty to my country over love. That’s what I’ve always done it seems. It was drummed into me my whole life. Now I’ve lost the only man I ever really loved.” I look over her shoulder and notice Joe.
“Grandma, I know that feeling.”
“Kathleen, I want you to make your choices as a woman. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Make your own mistakes. There’ll be plenty of them, believe me.”
“I think I’ve already started with it.”
“Now, you can go back into that church and get married, or you can walk away. Whatever choice you make, let it come from your heart.”
With those words a plan had formed in my mind. I sobbed a bit and embraced Grandma.
“Thank you, Grandma. I love you.” She patted my back.
“I love you too, Kathleen.”
So this time I almost jogged down the aisle to Andrew. I took off my engagement ring and held it in my hand.
“Everyone deserves a second chance at true love, right?”
“Yes.”
“Including us?” I raise the ring up into his field of vision. He takes it from me and looks at it.
“Uh…Thank you.” He smiles genuinely at me.
“Huh?”
“Well, for, uh, saving me from doing the proper thing for once in my life. Now all I have to do is tell Mummy.”
“I have to tell everyone else. Good luck.”
“Good luck.” Andrew steps away, to his parents, while I strut to the (I don’t know what it’s called) and speak up.
“Welcome,” I start, “A few moments ago, I realized the only reason I was getting married was because of a law, and that didn’t seem like a good enough reason, so I won’t be getting married today. My grandmother has ruled without a man at her side for quite some time, I think she rocks at it, so as the granddaughter of Queen Clarisse and King Rupert…”
“King Rupert, may he rest in peace.”
“...I ask the members of Parliament to…think of their daughters, your nieces, sisters, and granddaughters, and ask yourselves…would you force them to do what you’re trying to make me do?” A smile grew on my face as I continued, “I believe I will be a great queen. I understand Genovia to be a land that combines the beauty of the past with all the best hope of the future. I feel in my heart and soul that I can rule Genovia. I…I love Genovia. You think that I would be here almost getting married to someone I didn’t love if I didn’t? I stand here…ready to take my place as your queen…without a husband.” The crowd cheered. But then Mabrey stood up and opened his stupid mouth.
“Every time…Every time this charming young lady opens her mouth, she demonstrates a contempt for the customs of Genovia,” I didn’t say anything of the sort you…hag. Then he continues, “The law clearly states unmarried woman cannot be queen. Fortunately, there is another heir.”
“No there is not,” A different voice says. Nicholas. When did he get here? The crowd murmurs “I decline. I refuse to be king. Ladies and gentlemen, it is Princess Kathleen who should have the crown. She is bright, and she is kind, but more importantly she has a vision, one that will take Genovia forward, and if the Parliament were astute, they would name her queen. Listen to her. She’ll lead us into the 21st century. And besides, just think how lovely she’ll look on our postage stamp.” A warm smile formed on my lips and I sent it to him, he smiled back. The crowd laughed.
“Lovely on a postage stamp?!” Mabrey shouted, “You would look lovely on a postage stamp!” Nicholas starts walking away. This angers Mabrey even more, “Don’t you walk away from me, sir. You have a duty, sir, to Genovia!” He starts to walk after him, throwing excuses into the air. Chaos filled the air. In the end the Primeminister stood at my side and we talked.
“Make a motion,” He fake coughed. I turned to the crowd.
“Ah, um, Prime Minister…”
“Yes, Princess?”
“I move to abolish the marriage law as it applies to present and future queens of Genovia. Will anyone second my motion.” I kept straight eye contact with them. One of the member’s stood and spoke.
“Ahem.I second the motion. It’s time we had a new tradition. I like change. I may grow a mustache.” Then he and another member went a bit off track. So the Prime Minister reminded them.
“Gentlemen, please. All those in favor of abolishing the marriage rule say, “Ay.”
A chorus of “aye”s filled the church.
“The “ayes” have it.” The Prime Minister concluded.
“Congratulations, Princess. If I may say so myself, you rule!” A member complimented. The smile on my face grew. I looked at Grandma, then I turned to Lionel.
“Lionel…” I whispered to him and asked him for his earpiece. Then I asked Charlotte to call Grandma over to him. I whispered into it, “Grandma…just because I didn’t get my fairy-tale ending doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”
I saw Grandma talk with Joe and my smile turned into a grin. Joe handed his ear piece and tophat to Shades. Joe took Grandma’s arm and they walked down the aisle together. When they reached the archbishop Grandma handed me the flowers.
“My Lord Archbishop, I would like to take this man to be my husband, if you please.” The bishop sighed happily.
“Finally,” I snickered a little at that, “We have come together for a different wedding. Joe, say, with this ring I thee wed.” Joe took the ring and said this to Grandma, placing the ring on her finger.
“I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride,” And the crowd cheered as they kissed. Finally! Mia and I cheered too.