I bounced on my heels in front of the mirror as Holly, Lauren, and Susan fluffed my dress.
Today was the day.
I was going to be married to the love of my life.
"This dress is more than I could've imagined. You guys have really outdone yourselves this time," I said as I admired it.
It was tight in the bodice with lace, my favorite. The back was sheer, with capped sleeves and satin buttons going up the middle. It flared out at the waist and trailed on the floor with flowered details kissing the bottom.
Not seeing Maddon for the past day has been hard, but the anticipation was all the more exciting.
"It's time," Kellan said as he came in the door. He was walking me down the aisle in place of my father.
With one final brush of my hair, we set off through the castle. Everyone was gathered in the church where the ceremony is held. Then we would all go out to the gardens for be reception.
Holly, Lauren, and Susan held the train of my dress as we reached the doors. Mrs. Bruns was playing the organ inside.
Maddon had just walked in. I could see him a little bit through the stained glass doors.
My bridesmaids gathered behind me, ready to walk. Kellan placed my bouquet of flowers in my hands. The familiar rose scent calmed me as I prepared to walk in.
My heart was beating out of control. I don't think it was from nerves, but excitement.
"Ready?" Kellan asked.
"Absolutely," I said as the Here Comes the Bride began to play.
The doors swung open to reveal the perfectly decorated church. Flowers were hung under the windows and on the ends of the pews. It was just the perfect touch of tradition and outdoorsy.
When I took my first step, everyone stood to see me, but I didn't notice them.
All I could see was Maddon, the man in about to marry. The music faded in my mind, the people vanished. A huge smile spread across my face as a little bit of tears came to his eyes.
It was so hard not to run down the aisle to him.
Kellan squeezes my arm as I went to stand by Maddon. Tears gathered in my eyes too.
I was already crying and the ceremony hasn't even begun.
"Hi," I smiled through my tears. People laughed.
"Hi," he laughed.
"Welcome all to the linkage of Maddon Crosgrove and Braelynn Cochran. We are thrilled to have you all here to enjoy this celebration of love," the priest said.
Susan was sniffing behind me, looking beautiful in her navy blue dress. It matched Maddon's suit which was also navy with gold detailing. It was fit for a king.
The priest blabbed about the tradition and crowns were placed on our heads for royalty.
"You may take her hands," he said and Maddon gently grabbed my hands in his.
"Do you, Maddon Crosgrove take Braelynn Cochran as your wife?"
"I do," Maddon smiled and slipped a ring on my finger.
"Do you, Braelynn Cochran take Maddon Crosgrove as your husband?"
"Yes, yes, I do," I squealed and put a plain gold band on Maddon's finger.
"You may kiss the bride," he said.
Maddon leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He pulled away, but I reached my hands behind his neck and pulled him back in for another kiss. The crown laughed again.
We walked hand in hand down the aisle, with matching smiles on our faces.
I can't believe we're married.
A bunch of flowers were put into my updo as we got ready for the reception.
"We're married," Maddon whispered in my ear. I answered by giving him a kiss on the lips.
"I know."
The gardens were trimmed to perfection, flowers littering the grass and tables. It was all pastel peach, green, and navy blue pops of color.
"You did an amazing job on this," Maddon said.
"Thanks. I wanted it to be as normal as possible," I answered as Maddon's family came up to me.
"Wonderful ceremony," Rob commented.
"My honey is married," Susan sniffled.
"Mom, please stop crying," Maddon said and looked apologetically at me.
"It's okay, I cried all morning too," I laughed.
"Time for the first dance," someone said and everyone gathered around the small dance floor near the band.
Maddon held onto my waist as he swayed back and forth. I thought about the other night in the ballroom where we practiced.
Our whole relationship seemed to replay itself in snippets. How he looked when I first saw him in the gardens and the anger I felt. Then his face scrunched up on the horse and the laughter we shared. The ice skating, lessons, paintings, all smiles and laughter. His determined face as he protected me from the rebels. The anger when we fought in the observatory or over my engagement to Ford. When I first realized my feelings, seeing him in the infirmary bed. Then the love, oh the love. Every last one of our kisses. First so timid then do passionate; all breathtakingly perfect.
For this past year of my life, Maddon has been my life. All I ever thought about, fought about.
God, I was so in love with him.
I smiled up at his face.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Us," I said and put my head on his chest.
"Me too," he whispered and kissed the top of my head.
Maddon danced with his mother and I danced with Kellan for the next dance before everyone else joined in.
Today couldn't have been more perfect. Not only did it seem almost normal, everyone was smiling and happy for once. Even Mother, who danced with Maddon a few times.
"Time for cake," someone called.
Our cake was vanilla with raspberry jelly between the layers. It was decorated with edible flowers and greenery. Maddon and I had tasted so many different flavors until we finally found this one.
We cut a slice out of the bottom layer together. I took a piece in my hand and smirked. Apparently, this was tradition in the towns.
Maddon fed me his piece first, and then it was my turn. I smeared the frosting all over his face before actually putting the cake in. He simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"You're going to have to clean this up," he said as people began to cut their own cake.
I led him away from the crowd, kissing his face to get rid of the frosting.
He captured my lips in his.
"You taste good," he commented.
"This was a good use of the cake, wasn't it?"
"The best," he smiled and pulled my in for another kiss.
"I love you," I said.
"I love you more."
"Nope. Not possible," I argued.
"I'll show you that later," he said and my cheeks turned red.
He laughed. "Come on, let's go back."
We danced a little longer before sitting down for dinner. It was time for the speeches. Kellan was up first.
"I love my sister," he started. "Most of the time." People laughed and I rolled my eyes.
"She's always there for everyone, even when it's not the best for her. She never fails to sacrifice herself to help others. And now, she has someone who will do the same for her. The day my sister told me about her feelings for you, Maddon, she was so happy. The happiest I have ever seen her. You two were meant to be together. You bring out the best sides of each other. I have never seen my sister so playful or giddy in her life. So thank you, Maddon, for sticking around."
He took a bow as everyone clapped. A tear rolled down my cheek as I got up to give him a hug.
"Thank you," I said.
"Anytime."
Adrion was up next.
"For those of you who don't know, I'm Maddon's younger brother," he said.
"Now, I'm going to be honest. When you first left for the castle, I was upset, angry even. You were my brother, you were supposed to be around to mess with me all the time," I laughed.
"And then you wrote that first letter back home, explaining your feelings for Braelynn and your decision to stay. I have that letter here today to read out loud. Sorry," he smiled.
I didn't know Maddon had written a letter. I looked over to see him bright red, eyes wide.
Adrion smiled and unfolded the paper.
"Adrion, I think I'm in love. It's only been a couple months, but I think it's real. She's the one.
"The king offered me leave to go home after my injuries heal, but I can't accept. I can't leave her here when she's in so much danger. She needs me, and I need her. I hope you understand.
"She makes me happy. She makes me laugh. I've never smiled so much or laughed so hard. I'm just not ready to give that up. I truly believe that we could work. It won't be easy, but I'll give anything to be with her.
"Tell mom and dad I love them, and that this letter was about how I was signed on longer. I will kill you if you mention anything written on here to anyone.
"Love, Maddon. (P.S.- she threw a book at me)"
Everyone clapped at the speech and I looked over at Maddon, who was a tomato.
"You wrote that?" I asked through my tears.
"It's so embarrassing," he whined.
"I loved it," I said. "Guess you'll have to kill him now."
I got up and gave Adrion a hug, sniffing over his shoulder. He gave me the letter to keep.
The food was brought out, eaten, and taken away. The guests gave their wedding gifts and left.
"What exactly are we going to do with twenty crystal candlesticks?" Maddon asked.
"Mood lighting," I suggested and wiggled my eyebrows.
"Guess I'll be taking these now, then," Maddon said and scooped them up. My cheeks burned again.
We walked back to my bedroom, which was decorated by my maids. The curtains around the bed had been pulled back, revealing scattered rose petals all over the place. Candles were already lit around the bed. There were three vases on my desk, two filled with their flowers and one for mine.
"This is so sweet," I whispered.
A folded piece of paper was on my desk, right where I left it.
"So I had done some reading in one of the books," I said and Maddon nodded. "Apparently it is custom for people to read vows during the ceremony. I thought they were really cute, but we couldn't have them. So, I wrote my own."
Maddon laughed. "I actually did too."
"You first," I said and kicked off my heels.
He took a paper out of his jacket pocket and unfolded it. He dramatically cleared his throat.
"Braelynn, I love you. I never thought I would get to say those words out loud. I also never thought you would say them back. When I first laid eyes on you, your hair was shining in the sun, like a spotlight. You were walking through the gardens behind your mother, and I couldn't look away. I could never look away.
"I want to promise you. I want to promise you that I will always be there. I want to promise you that things will not always be easy, but that we will move past it. I want to promise you that I will always try my hardest to be the best husband I can. I promise that I will wipe your tears and kill the bugs, even though I'm scared of them too. I promise that I will always support you in your decisions. I promise that I will work hard to be king and stand my your side. I promise that I choose you. I promise that I love you." Maddon wiped a tear from his own eyes, and then wipes them from mine.
I was freely crying, and he was wiping my tears like he said he would.
"How am I ever going to get through my vows now?" I laughed and took a breath.
I grabbed the paper and unrolled it, wiping my eyes a final time.
"You were my first friend," I sniffled. The tears were back.
"You were the only outside person I have ever let into my life. The only person that I will willingly share everything I am to. The only one I will give myself to. The only person I trust with my whole heart.
"You are my best friend, my inspiration. You encourage me to be a better person and the see things through a different perspective, even when I'm stubborn.
"I want to thank you," a tear splashed into the paper.
"I want to thank you for loving me. For accepting me even with the crown and all the troubles that came with it. I want to thank you for never giving up on me, even when it seemed like there was no hope for us. I want to thank you for being my shoulder to cry on, to yell at, to kiss. I want to thank you for protecting me in times of danger, and sticking by me when I'm acting childish or entitled. And most of all, I want to thank you for letting me love you, because it has been the best thing I have ever done."
I pressed a hand to my mouth as tears streamed down my cheeks. Maddon sniffled before wrapping me in a hug.
"Look at us," I laughed. "Crying on our wedding night."
"I love you, wife" he whispered.
"I love you, husband," I laughed and kissed his lips.
He pulled a cloth out of his jacket and wipes my tears with it. I took it from him and wiped his face too.
My gaze fell to the rose petals on the bed. It's only tradition.
"Maddon?" I asked, biting my lip.
"Yeah?" He breathed.
"Let's make some heirs."
~*~
AAAND THE STORY IS FINISHED!!! This is the first book I've ever completed, and even though it sucks, I'm still proud of it. If you've stuck around, thank you for putting up with me.
There will be an epilogue coming soon.
Here are the bridesmaids dresses:
And here is the ring: