Chapter 11: The Reveal
"Aerrow?!"
Piper couldn't believe this. She could not believe this! One moment, she was fighting against her father's grip to help Adam and-and suddenly it wasn't Adam, it was Aerrow! Aerrow, wearing Adam's armour, pretending...to be Adam? What was going on here?!
Her father was just as incredulous.
"What in the name of Atmos!?"
'Oh, right, the helmet.' Aerrow thought.
This certainly wasn't how he'd thought the reveal would go. Nope, not in the middle of a duel between him and a murderous Cyclonian with two bleeding cuts on his forehead and over his ribs (which, holy mother of terra, still hurt).
And speaking of murderous Cyclonians, the Dark Ace let out a chuckle.
"Pitiful," he said, "I was expecting a challenge."
Aerrow saw the blade glow brighter, and heard the hum of building energy. Before the man could strike, he grit his teeth and planted his feet on the ground. He darted out of the way of the blast, grabbing his second sword as he ran. The Dark Ace was taken aback; just long enough for Aerrow to shoot a blast from his own swords. The blue energy wave knocked him off of his feet! He got back up, but when raised his head, Aerrow was already flying at him! His boot hit the man squarely in the jaw! The Dark Ace landed with a heavy THUMP and a CLATTER as his sword slipped from his hand.
Now, he was mad. He growled, a thin trail of blood leaking from his broken nose, and reached for his sword. Aerrow kicked it aside and pointed one of his blades in the man's face.
"I wouldn't." Aerrow warned.
The look the Dark Ace gave him was pure loathing. Aerrow glared back in return.
"Yield."
"I do not yield."
"I don't think you have a choice." Aerrow pointed the sword a little closer to the man's throat.
"You are an adolescent, with barely any battle experience, tired and wounded. If I got up, I could kill you within minutes."
"Who says I'm stupid enough to let you try?" Aerrow asked. "Besides, your prince ordered you to "beat me to the ground", not to kill me."
The man grumbled something rather rude which the author will not transcribe here.
"Now, yield."
The Cyclonian hesitated, and then let out an angry breath.
"I yield." he grunted with a mountain of reluctance.
With that, Aerrow sheathed his blades, allowing the Dark Ace to regain his feet. He grabbed his sword and returned to Crow's side, giving Aerrow a burning acid glare. But he wasn't one of Aerrow's concerns now. He turned to look at Piper, and saw her running to him.
"Aerrow!" she cried out.
She reached him and hugged him so tight his ribs almost snapped. But it was so sweet to hold her and be held by her and have her finally know that he smiled through it. She pulled away, and immediately started talking:
"What-I mean-how-you-Adam-you were-why-this whole time-you-"
"Piper!" Aerrow interrupted her nervous rambling.
"What?"
"Breathe."
She took a few long, deep breaths. Aerrow couldn't hold back his laugh. He was just so happy, so completely happy that it just bubbled out.
"Feeling better?" he asked Piper once she appeared calmer.
"Honestly," she said, putting a hand to her forehead, "I think I'm going to pass out."
"Are you okay?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine. Just need to...wrap my head around all this...which could be easier said than done."
Aerrow couldn't blame her for that. Piper finally looked up at him.
"Tell me what happened." she said, not as a demand or an order, but almost pleading. "And tell the truth."
Aerrow took her hand in his.
"I was Adam," he said, "this whole time. Well, I was pretending to be Adam. Stork set up the competition as a way for me to get in. He found Adam on the list of suitors your father made so that I could take his place."
"So that's why you wore the helmet." Piper finished. "So that no one would realize that, instead of Adam being in the competition, it was you."
Aerrow nodded.
"Exactly,"
"And what about the letter? The one Adam wrote me after I sent one to him? That was yours?"
"Yeah, that was mine."
A smile spread across Piper's face. She let out a burst of laughter and shook her head.
"This whole time, I was trying to convince myself that Adam wasn't you. But it turns out you were him!"
She hugged him, being careful not to touch his sensitive ribs. Aerrow returned the embrace. But there was still something on his mind.
"I'm sorry." he said.
"Sorry for what?"
Piper pulled away. Aerrow found it hard to meet her eyes.
"For lying to you. I had to trick you to-"
Piper put a finger to his mouth, stopping him.
"In other circumstances," she admitted, "I would be a little upset."
She took both of his hands and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"But I forgive you."
Aerrow smiled. He leaned in to kiss her again, but was interrupted by a furious voice:
"No! This isn't supposed to happen!"
They turned. Crow was raging, fuming, practically boiling. He pointed a threatening finger at Aerrow and yelled:
"He's just a peasant! A pauper! You can't marry him! Princesses do NOT marry commoners!"
Piper glared at him.
"Well, this princess DOES."
This only served to make Crow even more outraged.
"You WILL marry me! Even if I have to drag you to the altar!" he screeched.
Aerrow instinctively reached for his swords, ready to rip Crow to shreds if he so much as took a step closer to Piper. But luckily, the king spoke up:
"No, she won't."
Everyone turned to face the monarch, who placed a protective hand both on his daughter's and Aerrow's shoulder. The grand duke behind him blanched.
"But, your highness, you can't be-"
The king gave him a look that ordered him to shut up, and shut up the duke did, immediately. Piper's father faced Crow.
"Admittedly, Crow, you are the sort of person I once would've considered marrying to my daughter."
Piper frowned indignantly at her father, but as he continued, her brows lifted:
"However, my daughter's marriage is her own. And besides, I gave my word as a king that I would accept whoever won the competition and her favour."
He turned and smiled at the princess, completely ignoring Crow, who seemed to be having trouble with his vocal cords.
"And, I'm asuming Aerrow here does?"
She nodded, grabbing Aerrow's hand. The king nodded and gave Aerrow a warm smile.
"Then there's nothing I can do."
He stepped forward.
"I was a fool to try to keep you away from my daughter," he said. "I see that now. You both love each other, and I believe you've more than proven your worth."
Aerrow beamed.
"Thank you, your grace."
The king roared with laughter and clapped him hard on the shoulder. Aerrow winced. This man was stronger than he looked! Or maybe that was just his wounds getting the better of him.
"You better started calling me father, if you're to be my son-in-law!"
"Father!" said Piper. "He's still wounded!"
It was so sweet of her to be this concerned. But Aerrow wasn't helpless.
"I'm alright."
She frowned at him.
"I'm still taking you to be healed."
She took his arm and started leading him inside. Aerrow smiled at her.
"I love you." he murmured.
Piper blushed, but answered just as softly:
"I love you too."
Behind him, Aerrow heard the king call out:
"Grand Duke! I believe we have a wedding to plan!"
And a wedding there was. An enormous wedding, even grander than the day Piper's suitors had competed for her hand! Aerrow couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. He would've preferred a simpler ceremony, with just their friends and family, no fuss required. But Piper was a princess, and princesses could hardly be wed in a simple ceremony, even if it was to a pauper.
But Aerrow was a pauper no more. Once he and Piper were wed, he was the prince of Terra Krystal, the prince! In time, he would rule alongside Piper, and their reign was surely to be a long and prosperous one.
Aerrow's friends also benefitted from the marriage. Junko, Finn and Radarr became royal advisors, and Stork became a renowned poet all throughout Atmos. His best work, without a doubt, was a rather charming tale he'd written in thanks to his protégé for granting him so much status. It was the story he'd written to immortalize Aerrow and Piper's love story, from its beginning to its triumph, a story with a very straightforward title: The Princess and the Pauper.
The End