IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ME

By: Matt Taylor

NOTES: I do not own these characters and make no money from their use.

This is my own take on the alternate ending of the new Dragon Quest 8 3ds remake. I have not seen the actual thing yet, so I am just going on my own thoughts. I'm sure it will make all I've written completely foolish sounding, but since when has a fanfiction writer let that stop them?

….

Here she was. In a dressing room in the small church in Alexandria. She could hear the commotion outside. According to her mother, half of Alexandria had turned out for this event.

She looked at herself in the mirror once more. How?

How had she of all people gotten here?

It wasn't supposed to be her.

"Jessica." A bright voice spoke up behind her. She heard the door close and turned around to look at the Princess. "My you look nervous."

Medea grinned brightly, every part of her face radiating warmth and beauty. Jessica Albert found it hard to look at. Here was the one who was supposed to be here.

"Are you alright?" The princess asked again.

"I'm….I'm sorry I just thought….." She was finding it hard to speak.

"Don't worry, I hear that many brides are nervous before their wedding" She blew out briefly and smiled again. "I bet our hero is feeling just the same right now."

Her face must have given her away, as Medea came up to her and put her arm around her shoulders.

"Okay, what's really wrong?"

She found the words just pouring out.

"I just don't get it. How could he want to marry me?"

"What are you talking about? He's marrying you because he loves you. You can see that whenever he looks at you!" Medea said, slight exasperation in her voice.

"But…he's a hero, maybe the greatest hero there is." She said, her voice rising slightly as the words finally spilled out. "What kind of hero goes around the entire world, fights monsters and demons, defies kings and princes, and fights the greatest of all demons while flying in the sky, all of this to save one princess…..and then marries the other girl?"

Medea looked surprised for a minute. For a painful minute, there was no sound in the room. All of a sudden, there was the sound of giggling. Finally the princes of Trodain, burst out laughing. Jessica merely looked at her, flabbergasted.

"When you put it that way, I suppose it is kind of odd." She said, wiping her eyes. "It's like a fairytale, right up to the end."

Jessica nodded, her face glum. "After awhile, it seemed like a fairytale. He seemed like a fairytale. Sword in hand, fighting the worst evils the world had seen to defend and save a beautiful princess."

"Also to avenge those who had been killed." Medea said.

Jessica's thoughts turned to her brother, dead for over a year now. It still hurt to think of him, but not as much as it used to. She remembered standing with their hero in Arcadia, after he had freed her from the scepter's control. She had asked to stay on with him and the others. He had said that she could go with them as long as she wanted, and that he himself wouldn't rest until her brother had been avenged.

Perhaps that was when she had fallen in love with him.

"Jessica, he's been my friend since we were little. I found him, unconscious in the woods around Trodain. He had no parents, no family. My father looked all around the town and the neighboring towns trying to find his home. Finally we gave up and the guard captain adopted him." Medea sighed. "When the curse happened, he was a guard. He woke us up after Dhoulmagus attacked us.

"After that we were on the road, you know the rest." Medea smiled brightly again. "It was horrible really, but it was a story for the ages, and he's a hero for the ages."

"Heroes like that never marry girls like me."

"And who should they marry? Princesses right?" Medea said, her voice serious for once. "Look Jessica, I know him better than anyone else. I also know that not all stories end the way they "should" (and I'm making quotation marks there). Sometimes they end a different way, a way that brings happiness to certain people who truly deserve it."

Medea stood in front of her friend and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Our hero. He's traveled around the world, fought Monsters and Demons, Defies kings and princes, and fought the greatest of all demons while flying in the sky." Medea smiled again. "And during all that he found the girl he loved, and came home to marry her. As far as I'm concerned, that's just as good a story as the one with the princess."

"All that stuff he did for me? I know he'd do all that and more for you. I also know that you love him too. Right?"

Jessica was silent for a moment. "Yes." She almost whispered.

"And you want to marry him as much as he wants to marry you?"

"Her voice was stronger this time. "Yes."

"Then…let's go out there and get you married."

She was walking out of the dressing room before she realized what was happening. She almost ran into her mother.

"Jessica darling, there you are! We're just about to start." Her mother was dressed in her normal outfit, which strangely enough, seemed to be just fine for a wedding. She placed her arm under her daughters.

"I'll see you all after the ceremony." Medea said, rushing out into the main hall. The Lady Albert led her daughter to the entrance to the small church's hall. She saw all of her friends from her journey in the pews. Red and Yangus sat off on one side, with Morrie right next to him. Across the aisle sat the Golding twins, Cash and Carrie, Angelo sat in front of them, with a new girl sitting next to him who seemed to be spending the ceremony trying to stare into his eyes. Bangerz and Mash sat across from him, with a empty spot for her mother. Bishop Rollo stood at the dais. When he had heard of the ceremony, eh had insisted on leading it himself.

She had been flattered that the head of the whole church would come officiate at her wedding, but he had claimed that he owed them greatly for helping him.

And standing in front of him was there hero.

She couldn't take her eyes off of him. As her mother came to a stop she thought she heard Rollo ask who gave this woman away, and her mother answer. She saw her hero take her hands in his, and all of a sudden she was lost. All her previous doubt melted away, and she was never happier than she was at this moments. She heard the bishop speak again, and saw him speak.

"I do." He said. Once again the Bishop spoke. Jessica didn't hear him. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up.

"Lady Albert?" Bishop Rollo asked. She blushed slightly.

"I do." She almost sputtered, looking back at her beloved.

"Then I now pronounce you man and wife." They both smiled "You may now kiss the bride."

He did, and her mind turned to jelly again, a strange haze of joy. She barely heard the applause, until he pulled away from her. The Bishop raised his hands and announced them as man and wife. All the church stood and the place was drowned in applause.

He walked her back down the aisle, and outside the chapel. To her surprise the area outside was crowded to the maximum with people. It seemed like all of Alexandria came out to see her. Her husband placed his arm around her, as she smiled, tears of joy streaming down her face

…..

Hours had passed since the ceremony, and the party still hadn't stopped. She sat at the head of a large table alongside her husband. They had been receiving an almost endless parade of congratulations, and hand-shakes and hugs. She had eaten so much food she felt hat she was going to burst.

Yangus was across from them sitting at a table with Red surrounded by a group of less savory looking residents of Alexandris. There was loud laughter sent up as the former thief finished a story.

Angelo had split his time between speaking with Bishop Rollo, dancing with various girls from around town, and criticizing the local winemakers at their choice of grapes. He was currently involved in the dancing, with what seemed to be his tenth different girl that night.

Princess Medea had had a interesting night. She was also dancing with what Jessica was sure was her 8th different man. Clearing the now thoroughly single princess would have no trouble with a lack of suitors.

She looked up and saw the moon rising. She then turned and saw her husband looking at her. He smiled, and kissed her again.

"You want to get out of here?" He asked. She blushed, and nodded.

As they made their way back to the manor, she felt like she was in a dream, and she began crying again. At the door he stopped and held her in his arms.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too, more than anything." She said. She looked up at him and they kissed again in the moonlight. For another minute both were lost in the moment, and he reached down and opened the door. She followed him inside.

Whatever happened now, she knew that she would face it with the man she loved. Maybe in the fairytales the hero married the princess, but in that moment she knew without any doubt…

She was supposed to be here.

END.