There were hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators and paparazzi surrounding the Westminster Abbey as she arrived, her gown trailing behind her in a beautiful train and her smile brighter than the sun shining in the sky. She looked, for all intents and purposes, like the princess that she had been born. With the ivory color of her gown and the lace that covered her face and trailed behind her, however, she looked like the bride that she was.
Princess Madeleine of Wales smiled and waved to the crowds as they cheered. It had been a stressful morning, full of complications- her mother's Spencer Tiara had been loaned to a family friend, and so she had chosen one from her grandmother's collection- but she would soon be somebody's wife, and that made up for everything.
She smiled as her father approached her, taking her hand in hers in the proper way that he had never been able to do before, as she was his first and only daughter, and therefore the first and only woman he would walk down the aisle. She caught sight of the tears glistening in his eyes and felt them prick her own. She knew that his mind was on the same topic as hers was- her mother's absence- and only the thought of Zachary waiting at the end of the aisle stopped her from climbing back into the vehicle and running as fast as she could for her mother's grave.
"She would be quite proud of the woman that you have become, Madde," her father insisted as they approached the open doors of the Abbey.
"I know, Dad," Madeleine responded, giving the crowd one final wave before walking into the abbey, her heels clicking despite being hidden beneath her gown. She approached the Archbishop and her grandmother with a confidence she did not feel at all. She knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man, but having millions watch as she said so- well, it was vaguely terrifying.
Her grandmother had always taken her seat before the bride arrived, always one to be proper, and that was the proper way. She approached her granddaughter with a smile, however, and embraced her warmly, careful not to ruffle the lace and silk of her gown, careful to keep from touching a hair on her head in fear of ruining the elegant upswept hairdo that she sported.
"This is your day, my girl, not theirs. Do not allow yourself to be nervous because of these cameras," Elizabeth murmured, and Madeleine smiled as she nodded.
"I'm trying not to be. It's a bit nerve-wracking," she admitted as her grandmother walked ahead of her.
"Don't allow it to be. Pretend that none of them are here. It's simply you, Zachary, and everyone that you care about, everyone that you love." With that, Elizabeth and the Archbishop left.
William and Catherine had been standing off to the side, but when the Queen left, they approached her with smiles upon their faces. Catherine embraced her warmly before backing away.
"How close are you to fainting?" she asked, her voice calm, and Madeleine smiled.
"Right, you've done this before," she said, adjusting her veil.
"I have, and it is absolutely worth it. We have to take our seats," Catherine said, and Madeleine smiled as William placed a hand on her back.
"Are you ready?" Charles asked, but it seemed to Madeleine that he was asking himself more than he was asking her.
"He's good for me, Dad. He's a lot better than I am," she said.
"Nonsense, it's impossible," Charles said, and Madeleine smiled before facing forward and allowing her smile to shine through as she approached the man that was to be her husband.
She passed so many familiar and unfamiliar faces, and they were all full of warmth and of happiness. She smiled and giggled internally when her godfather gave her a thumbs-up sign and his wife simply shook her head and smiled at her. And then, at the end of the aisle, she caught sight of Zachary.
He was in his military uniform, the sash of the royal family on his chest, and he was looking at her as though he needed her to breathe, and it took all of her willpower not to dash to him, to kiss him in front of everyone waiting, but she somehow managed to withhold from doing so.
The Archbishop smiled as they arrived in front of him, and Madeleine flashed Zachary a smile before falling into a curtsey so that her father could peel back her veil.
"Who gives this woman to this man?"
"Her late mother and I do," Charles said, his voice clear.
And then, everything was a blur. She remembered saying, 'I will.' She remembered Zachary saying the same, and she remembered their vows. But other than that, she was blank.
That didn't hold for long, though, because she was quickly led to the Queen, falling into an elegant curtsey at her feet as she and Zachary passed. She smiled when her grandmother stood and followed after them. Her bridesmaids were all behind her, and her new sister-in-law carried her train.
The sound when she walked outside was deafening. There were thousands of people waving and screaming and carrying on.
"This is different," Zachary said, and she laughed at him before walking down the steps of the abbey.
They climbed into the carriage and waved, both of them smiling at the crowds, and Madeleine couldn't help but thinking that this was the beginning of her fairytale.
And it was.