Epilogue (Part 1)
September (4 months later...)
Charlie enters from the bathroom and he notices me smiling nonstop at the letter in my hands. He can't help but raise a curious eyebrow, "Is that another letter from Jasper?"
"Yea, Miles gave it to me yesterday when he visited." I lean back into the fluffy bed and my body slowly sinks into the mattress. "He said he hasn't stopped thinking about me and that he has kept his promise. I'm kind of shocked, honestly. I never expected him to keep the promise for this long..." My smile fades, but I don't have time to feel sad anymore. "Too bad I couldn't keep mine..." Quickly, I peel the sadness away and stay happy.
I have realized, over these months, that I should just be happy with what I have now. I am finally beginning to accept what has come upon me. Charlie and I have helped each other cope tremendously, and our internal storm is calming. We are emerging from the rain and looking towards the sunlight. Every once in a while, our raw feelings return, but it has been joyful and cheery recently. We have become close friends, but we don't see each other as lovers just really close friends.
It feels somewhat refreshing not having to fight and resist. We aren't struggling and we are finally looking ahead...
"Well, I got Robin to check up on Bethany and Emerald yesterday. He said that Emerald is doing fine, and Bethany is feeling a bit under-the-weather." Charles tells me.
Emerald and Bethany haven't come out of the dungeon since the wedding, and Charlie and I have made sure they are safe. If we could, we would get them out of that jail, but our power as prince and princess doesn't give us that authority -- only the king and queen.
"Is Bethany all right?"
"Yea, he just said she had a cold of some sort." Charlie shrugs as he adjusts his pale blue button-up shirt that the servants laid out for him for breakfast.
"Ah... anyways," My smile increases, "are you thrilled for your twenty-first birthday ball tonight?"
"Yep. Twenty-one today. WOOP WOOP!"
"You have been around Robin way too much," I joke.
"Hey, he is a fun guy. Plus, someone told me he bought me a superhero cape for my birthday. Priceless." Charlie winks.
Rolling my eyes, I say, "Well, he is one of a kind and special."
"I swear, that dude can make anyone laugh." Charles chuckles.
"I know!"
Sasha pops in for a few seconds, but she doesn't speak. All she does is place a flowing light blue dress, matching Charles's shirt, on a nearby chair for me to wear and scurries out. As I get up, fetching my dress, and go behind a divider, Charlie starts talking about how excited he is about his birthday today. He rattles on and on about how everything is going to go later on today like a child.
I strip off my nightclothes and change into the dress that rests at my ankles. Also, I slip on a pair of matching flats that have appeared in our room.
Now, the only thing the servants do is give us our clothes and clean up our room. We get to fix ourselves up without them helping and doing it all.
As I move into the bathroom, Charlie follows, continuing with his rambling. Quickly, I apply some makeup and do my hair in waves.
"I wonder what kind of cake there will be..." Charles keeps on. Man, he can talk, I think.
As I finish up, someone knocks on our door. When Charles answers it, a smile grows on my face as the goofy red-head comes in. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR, CHARLES! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Robin makes his voice squeaky and off-tune to make it even sound crazier.
Charles winks at him, "Thanks, man. Lovely voice ya got there."
Robin smirks, "Thank you. I've been recording my latest album called 'Robin's Craziest Hits'!" We all laugh and Robin takes my right hand, "Good morning, Princess Arizona." His lips kiss my knuckles gently.
"Good morning, Robin," I scruff up his hair as I let out a giggle. His smile grows even more and reaches his wild eyes. What a cheeky smile...
"Well, breakfast is about to be served, so you both be best on your ways. Shoo!" His all-over-the-place personality makes me laugh.
Robin skips off and Charles and I lace our arms together as we walk through the corridors of the castle. The castle still doesn't seem like a home to me; it is like a very grand hotel in some way. On the bright side, I know most of my way through this gigantic maze.
The buzz around the castle to prepare for the ball is ecstatic. Every servant rushes to accomplish their job. A girl with blonde hair looks up to meet eyes at us as she adjust flowers in a vase. Her eyes filled with guilt as KC examines us together.
She has tried to apologize to me in the past after the wedding, but neither I nor Charles wanted to hear a word she had to say. Now, she has comprehended that we don't want to speak with her -- don't want anything to do with her. Maybe one day I will forgive her... but that day is far away. Sometimes, it takes a person a long while to let the hurt someone caused them go.
My eyes stay locked on the path I am going, and I don't dare glance at her as we pass by. Charlie does the same.
When we open the doors to the dining room, everyone greets us. Once we sit, everyone is served and I am pleased to see that my plate is filled with pancakes drenched in chocolate and blueberry syrup. My mouth immediately waters and the aroma twirls around my nostrils.
As I cut a piece and place it in my mouth, my taste buds are delighted with the sugary tastes.
Mmmm... DELICIOUS!
Charles looks over at me, smiling. He smiles the same way the first day I met him when I stuffed my face with that juicy, well-seasoned, flavorful steak. This time, I am not eating like a complete pig. I guess all the poise has rubbed off on me.
Charlie scoops up a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth and a server sets orange juice in front of him. Then, I realize they set a cup of chocolate milk in front of me.
Ohhhh, these people are speaking my language today!
I take a good gulp of my chocolatey drink as I notice Queen Chelsea tapping her spoon on her glass -- creating a loud clinging noise to gain our attention. The chitter chatter dies down as the giddy-looking queen stops the noise.
"Sorry for the interruption, but um, there is a special announcement that needs to be made."
Charlie puts a gigantic spoonful of his oatmeal into his mouth and I lift my glass to my lips, about to take another sip of my drink.
"Prince Charles and Princess Arizona are expecting!"
Immediately, Charlie begins choking on his oatmeal; a servant rushing to help Charles.
Crash!
My chocolate milk glass shatters on the hard floor. My jaw hangs open as I stare at my mother-in-law. When Charles finishes choking and coughing, he hurriedly asks a stupid question. "Expecting what?!"
"Well, a baby, of course." His mother answers, "I am going to be a grandparent and we will be welcoming a new baby Royal!"
Everyone radiates joy. Several phrases were thrown out at us like:
"Congratulations!"
"Welcome to motherhood, Arizona."
"Oh, I can't wait to find out if it is a boy or a gal!"
In that moment, I knew our lives would never be the same. We will be forever changed -- never the same, no matter what.
Still, I sit there in the same position, not moving a muscle. My body stuck and frozen. My mind keeps repeating those words over and over and over. I can't process the fact that I am... pregnant.
"C-Can we be excused?" Charlie politely asks, but clearly taken off-guard.
"But you haven't even finished your brea--"
"We have lost our appetite." Charlie blurts out.
"Go on." Queen Chelsea agrees.
Grabbing my hand, Charlie yanks me out of my seat and begins to rush me out of the dining room. My feet couldn't keep up with his fast actions. My limbs were as stiff as a tree branch and my muscles felt tight. He scoops me up in his arms and sprints down the hallways.
My mind is blank and I cannot think straight. Thoughts jumble up in my mind and it turns into a headache. My brain is not capable of keeping up with all the news.
I knew that this would happen. Charles and I didn't choose to have a kid; it was against our will. We didn't choose this path. His parents forced us to have a baby just like the marriage. Queen Chelsea threatened to hurt Emerald and Bethany if we didn't 'continue the line of Royals' a few weeks after Charlie and I were married. The threats she oppressed upon on us rang in my head for days afterwards, so things happened... but only to keep Bethany and Emerald safe.
Every week I would have special high-tech tests done to see if I was pregnant. Now I know the results.
Charles busts through the door of our room and slams the door behind us. He lays me on our bed as he paces around the room, running his fingers through his brown hair. I wonder if our baby will have his hair...
My eyes focus on one spot on the ceiling and don't move from there. Panic rushes through my every being. My brain is trying so hard to decipher how I feel. Not sad. Not happy. But scared, frightened. Now, it is a fear that is unusual. It isn't like those mini heart attacks. It is a fresh, new, tender fear I don't believe I have ever experienced.
My fear is of this new responsibility that I will have to take on. I have to be gentler and more careful than I usually am. My body will be changing and accommodating to a baby's needs. How I live my life will be centered around this baby, and my actions can affect his or her fragile life so much. That is frightening, knowing that everything you do is so urgent.
All these worries and concerns sprint through my head, but one thing I know for sure is that I will give him or her a good life. I will guard my child from anyone who will hurt him or her. I will go out of my way for this child. I will do anything for this kid. Then, I realize that this frightening prospect is centered around love.
Love paces through me and in this moment, I know one hundred percent that I love this child. I have never felt a love like this and it is an uncontrollable type of love. It is hard to describe...
Even though I am forced to have this baby, I love it with everything I have. He or she is a piece of me.
When my eyes drift over to Charlie, he looks over at me. I see the same feelings in his eyes: the worry about what I will have to go through and our responsibilities as parents, but out of all those anxious emotions, love flows through us.
***
December
"Charles, calm down!" Queen Chelsea yells from the hallway. Charlie and her are bickering again. He is getting more on edge as the days creep by, and I believe he is stressed. He really shouldn't be so anxious; if anybody has a reason to be anxious, it is me.
My belly has swollen some, and my cravings for chocolate are more frequent. One minute I feel like singing gleefully, and the next minute, I feel like crying over the simplest of the things.
Earlier this week, I asked for hot chocolate with marshmallows. When I received it, it wasn't warm enough. The server went back and got me a warm cup but no marshmallows. Suddenly, I started crying over no marshmallows in my hot chocolate. How pitiful is that?! I kept thinking something is wrong with me, but everyone said it was normal. Um, it doesn't feel normal.
The whole kingdom knows about my pregnancy too, so the press wanted an interview. Of course, we had to fill it full of lies. The interviewer asked me what gender do I want the baby to be, and held up two baby outfits: a baby blue sailor outfit for a boy and the other was a pink fluffy, frilly dress for a girl. I started giggling hysterically at how adorable they were and then it turned into crying. That was pretty embarrassing... but I did tell them that I would want a boy.
Charlie, King Randolph, and Queen Chelsea's argument grows louder and louder as they get closer to the bedroom door. Hurriedly, a servant comes in the room, trying to avoid the commotion. I believe her name is Kari and she is around my age.
"Hello, Princess. Here is your chocolate bars you wanted," Kari hands four chocolate bars to me: a regular chocolate bar, a chocolate bar with almonds, a dark chocolate bar, and a white chocolate bar. Immediately, I open the dark chocolate bar, the sweet aroma so appealing to me.
"How are you feeling?" Kari asks. She has been helping me a lot with the pregnancy and she is so kind.
"Good, just hot and annoyed..." I grumble, "they've been arguing outside my door for about an hour..."
"Have they, really? They shouldn't be bothering you like that." Kari states.
"Shut up, Mom! Dad, don't touch me!" Charlie screams. They are all getting on my nerves, and the screaming increases.
Kari and I jump when we hear a loud crashing noise and thumping and screams. "That is it." I gripe as I stomp outside my door, munching on my chocolate bar.
The sight of Charlie on the ground with a broken mirror by him makes me believe that King Randolph shoved him into the wall. My free hand sits on my hip sassily as I yell to them, "Look, can you all stop it?! If you are going to scream and fight, do it somewhere else because you people are giving me a headache! Don't mess with a pregnant girl with chocolate because it isn't good!" Feeling a little satisfied, I return back into my room. Luckily, they decide to listen to me and they go silent.
Once I finish all four of my chocolate bars, Kari speaks to me, "Well, I better get going... you take a nap, Princess."
Kari helps me get into bed even though at this stage I can do it myself. Once she tucks me in as if I am a child, I hold my little baby bump. I run my fingers gently against my stomach. For some reason, it feels relaxing and it makes me feel like the baby is safe.
As I drift into a dreamless slumber, I think about how they are going to reveal the gender of the baby to Charlie and me. When they found out the gender of the baby, they blindfolded Charlie and me, so that they can throw a cute lil' party to celebrate the upcoming Royal and have a 'Big Reveal' to the parents. Everyone in the castle knows the gender but Charlie and me.
Names have crossed my mind. If it is a girl, I would love the name to be Joy Jayde White. It seems like a very happy and pretty name. If it is a boy, I would like Marko Marley White. Marko is Jasper's middle name, but I love that name for a boy overall, not just because it is Jasper's name. Also, Marko seems like a cool but cute name.
Before I know it, someone is waking me up and helping me get ready for the party. The dress that I wear combines the colors pink and blue in swirls, and it is very comfy. The fabric doesn't bother me and it feels very soft and simple. When I was all done up for the party, Charlie pokes his head in the door.
"Good, you're ready. I have been waiting for you." He smiles, the worries from earlier are gone now, but his hands are bandaged, probably from shards of glass from the mirror piercing through the skin.
"What? Has everyone been waiting for me?"
He gives a slight nod, and we leave the bedroom and begin walking down the hall. When we get to the large doors of the ballroom, where the party is being held, a servant stops us and makes us place blindfolds over our eyes.
The servants gently guide us inside and carefully move Charlie away from me. The room is completely silent in anticipation even though I know people are all over the place. Then, they guide me to sit and I realize I am sitting on Charlie's lap. In my mind I mentally send him an apology: Sorry for this oversized load... I know I probably feel like the size of a truck.
Then I feel someone setting something tiny on my belly. Someone takes off the blindfold from my eyes to reveal a pair of blue baby footies on my stomach with a note saying: I am a boy, Mommy and Daddy!
Charlie's blindfold was released at the same time as mine and a huge smile comes across his face -- a real smile. Joy overwhelms me and I can't help but smile.
I have always heard mothers say that when they have a baby, they automatically have an indescribable love for them. Right now, that feeling floods over me and comforts me. In the midst of all the fights, arguments, lies, and the storms, Marko is my ray of sunshine.
I love you, Marko, with all of my heart.
A/N: Agh, I just love seeing Charlie and Ari happy! Awwww, Ari is gonna have a baby child (that Disney joke, though)! It is just so adorbs because like despite all the stuff they find happiness in their child and AGH! I am fangirling over my own book. Gollywobbles! I was really wanting to get the first part of the epilogue out soon, so here it is. Sorry, not my best work, but I will edit it later. :P
Yea, Jasper is now in contact with Ari. *Cue the Charizona/Chari shippers frustration*
Also, I am planning on entering this into the Wattys... let's go for it! Why not!
Annnnd, ATTENTION THIS ISN'T THE ENDING! NOT YET! THERE IS MORE TO COME! SO STAYYY TUNED PEOPLE! STAY TUNED!
Questions: For you people who dressed up for Halloween, what did you guys dress up as? I dressed as Maleficent!
Also, who else is in love with Taylor Swift's new album 1989? My fave songs are Bad Blood, Style, Blank Space, Wildest Dreams, and Wonderland.
Also, thank you for the support and the encouraging comments. All those comments just made me gush and I teared up. Those comments just made my day! Thank you. :)
STAY AWESOME YOU AWESOME READERS.