MusicPrincess1990 - I will always care about your opinion! Just as with all my reviewers, you guys keep this story moving. Plot lines change, settings move, hearts are broken and fixed and I do it all because your opinions and life experience keep these chapters more realistic and heart felt.
I have found, with my extensive experience of my own and others love lives, that first loves never tend to work out…at least not when you expect them too. And with that I can see a rough plan of the future!
For now, however, lets get back to the older ones shall we?
You guys are correct in saying that Acelin is too "perfect" (I believe we are all perfect with our own quirks). I think Acelin's flaw's lay in the fact that he is too sensitive and tends to follow his heart and not his head. For example; go watch Jude Law in "The Holiday" and you will find a pretty good idea of how I view his flaws.
Love Me, you are very right, they are like my sons ^_^ This is literally my reaction at seeing Acelin as the villain suggestion;
"hmm, Acelin?…why are so many people saying Acelin? I made him so nice! *reads over from Rose* :O I made him TOO nice! The perfect villain is always the nice guy! Darn…."
Tess/Caleb/Acelin will be making an appearance in the next chapter guys so don't panic!
So thank you Romance and Musicals for today's colour,
Turquoise!
Rapunzel had thought he was joking when Eugene said he was going to bring half the Royal guard with them to the wedding.
And yet here she was, unable to see the exotic sights of Monada because her view was blocked by all the guards.
"Eugene don't you think this is a little much?" She whispered, her parents sound asleep in the carriage with them. She had hoped Acelin could have persuaded him out of the idea but even he agreed, insisting he travel with Caleb and Tess just in case she began to feel ill again.
He squeezed her hand, an apologetic smile gracing his worried face.
"I just want you to be safe. I know that there's gonna be more guards than you can shake a stick at here but I don't want anything happening to you."
He was right; The five Allegiance Kingdoms; Monada, Corona, Opeamene, Colestuine and Amara had Royal family attending as well as the royal courts. Each bringing their own fleet of royal guard. But Eugene was worried. If an uprising was going to occur, this would be the event to cause the most disruptions. She had almost lost her life once, there was no chance Eugene was going to let it happen again.
A guard knocked on the carriage window.
"Your Majesties, the palace is in sight"
Lia POV
It was strange, waking in a castle that would, as of today, become my home.
I felt excitement bubbling in my stomach.
I am getting married today!
I had to say it, scream it!
I jumped out of bed and ran out into the corridor.
I finally made it to the grand staircase, where the servants were rushing about getting things ready.
"I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAY!" Many of the servants laughed, a few giving me odd looks, but that wouldn't wipe away the grin on my face.
I skipped back to my room and spun about whilst I dressed out of my sleeping clothes and into my silk pyjamas. It was strange to think I was allowed to spend much of the day in pyjamas whilst I got ready, but who was I to contradict tradition.
It was hot outside, very hot compared to the cool air of Bolnia.
Leo said I would get used to it, that the heat would soon become routine and I would miss it when I travelled. But I couldn't help but doubt him. I would miss my Palace in the North, the great forests and Profund Mountain range that stretched from the south all the way to the northern sea.
Looking out of my south facing window, my eyes were not graced with the sight of distant purple mountains and emerald trees, but with a vast ocean. The most southerly place in the Allegiance Kingdoms.
I stepped out onto the balcony and looked out to the sea. It was then, in the distance, that I saw a creature jump out of the water and dive back in.
Leo had told me that there were creatures in the ocean that would try and reach the sun. To see one was considered a symbol of good luck. I smiled as I realised that his eyes were the exact same colour as the ocean here. A bright turquoise that shone out into the distance until it met the sky on the horizon.
This was his home and in time I would love it like I loved him.
"Knock knock! Is the future Queen of Monada awake yet?"
Alyona!
I ran to the door and swung it open to see my sister, looking graceful as ever, even with two of her three daughters at her feet.
"Alyona! I'm so excited!" the girls ran into my room whilst I embraced my sister.
"Auntie Lia, is dis your rwoom?" cried my eldest niece Irina, who, at the tender age of three, had finally learnt to string a sentence together.
"No darling, this is the guest bedroom" I placed Irina and her little sister Kata on my bed. Kata scrambled away to play with the pillows.
"Alyona where's Nadya?" She smiled and sat me by the vanity table. Nadya was my youngest niece and was only ten months old.
"I left her with mother so I could give you my full attention. Now, shouldn't we get your makeup ready before all your friends arrive?"
"Has Rapunzel arrived yet?" I had worried so much for my dear friend when I heard of her attack.
"The carriage has been spotted, don't worry! The others will be here by ten and then at mid-day we go to the cathedral and you'll officially be Queen of Monada!"
Queen.
It was a big step.
From second daughter Princess to Queen of an entire kingdom was a bit of a jump.
I had trained. Leo had been learning from his father for years, and yet I couldn't help but feel I wasn't ready.
"You're ready Lia. Just a bit of cold feet."
Darn sister knowing exactly what was going on in my head.
She took my shoulders and pushed me towards the vanity table, grabbing the hairbrush and ploughing it through the mane of red hair.
Eugene hadn't seen this many men crammed into one room since Blondie's birthday party at the Snuggly Duckling. Nine grooms men, three kings and a child in the corner made the room a little more than cramped.
After many hours learning from Acelin he could name over half of the men in the room.
Stood with Acelin, listening to one of his many tall tales, were Leopoldo's six brothers. In age order there was Carlos (head of the Monadaen Army), Eduardo (Most likely to get into brawl), Gualtiero (heavy drinker) , Marcos (Most likely to hit on your girlfriend), Ruben (testosterone filled teenager) and the youngest Tonio. Ages ranging from twenty-one to thirteen made getting their names right slightly easier. Jonathan had warned Eugene that they were quite a boisterous group and he wasn't kidding. If they weren't hitting each other they were yelling about something.
Then there was their father, King Abelardo, who was stood with Rapunzel's father and Princess Lia's father, King Anatolii. They all looked surprisingly younger when put together, quite clearly friends for some good time and teasing one another for their children's betrothals.
And then there was a young boy, no older than four years old, who was sat with a dissatisfied look on his face.
Eugene had never felt so out of place in a room before.
"Hey Eugene! Come over here!" came a cry from across the room. Eugene was relieved to find someone closer to his own age, even if he didn't know who this particular monarch was.
He was slightly shorter than himself and evidently Bolnian from the rust coloured mop of hair on his head.
"Eugene, glad to finally meet you face to face! I've heard so much about you!" The prince grabbed his hand into an eager shake, seemingly impressed with Eugene already. "I'm Prince Ivan, Lia's brother in law. Shame we keep missing one another or I'm sure we'd be better acquainted by now!"
He did seem relatively familiar.
"I do seem to recognise you…are you sure we haven't met before?" Ivan burst into a guffawing laughter, leaving Eugene worried about what exactly so amusing.
"I didn't want to embarrass you, but yes we have. You robbed me the night before my wedding."
Eugene had never been so mortified.
He had expected some speech on how he was going to pay back the prince, double what he took and sit in embarrassment on his own all day. However Ivan just slung an arm around his shoulders and steered him towards some empty seats.
"Don't worry! it's kept me entertained for years! I've spent years telling my friends the story of how Coronas greatest thief robbed me on the night before my wedding! And now to meet you as a fellow Monarch in training! …although I must say you don't look much like your old wanted posters…I was expecting a little more…nose?"
"Yeah…gotta talk to the king about whoever makes those"
Eugene was glad Ivan seemed to understand his humour, making the awkward introduction seem like a life time ago.
"Can I just tell you what a relief it is to have someone else here who wasn't born with a crown on their head. I mean don't get me wrong, I love my wife and her family like you wouldn't believe but sometimes its nice to talk about something less…what's the word"
"Regal?"
"That's it!"
"So your not-"
"Nah, born to a relatively good family, trained to be a knight, fell in love with Princess Alyona and now I'm here! Married, four kids and Trainer for the Royal Guard if you can believe it!" He did believe it and was incredibly relieved that there was someone at these shindigs who didn't always know which fork to use.
"Four kids? Hand full I can imagine" Ivan smiled, in the way only a parent seems to be able to manage, and looked over to the boy.
"Yeah they can be; you'd think boys are the worst but you've never seen two girls fight over a doll like my daughters do. And we've just had another baby girl so she'll be added to those squabbles. My son, however, seems to take more comfort just wondering about the castle making up adventures for himself. That's him over there,"
The boys seemed mature for a toddler, a look of deep thought even Eugene hadn't managed to conquer yet.
"Prince Stefan, four years old and already worried that he's heir to the Bolnian throne. I'm pretty sure he thinks we're all going to keel over and he'll have to start now." They chuckled, but deep down both felt sorry for the boy. Neither had to worry about living up the expectations of becoming King at such a young age.
He felt an elbow jab into this arm as Ivan smirked at him.
"Hey, two more months and your gonna be the one forced into producing heirs and spending nights looking after screaming children…not that I'm trying to put you off! Stars forbid! I love my kids more than you can imagine…" A pensive look crossed the joker Princes face, "Best thing that ever happens to you, having kids. And it doesn't matter how many you have or how difficult they can be, at the end of the day your still the one their calling their father and begging to tell them stories."
Eugene hadn't spent much time thinking about whether he wanted children or not. He hadn't really thought of himself as "Father" material. But then he remembers Rapunzel talking about what she thought their children would look like. She'd be a fantastic mother.
Just as the image of himself playing with miniature versions of himself and Blondie, Stefan had pushed his way to the crowd and arrived by his fathers seat
"You alright their champ?" Ivan asked
"Father do I have to wear this…I feel silly" Clearly the young prince wasn't very happy about having to wear his Sunday best for the wedding.
"I know champ, but its only for today and then I promise you won't have to do it for another two months." The child sighed, muttering acceptance to his fate, and sat back down.
He looked like his father; tall for his age, a mop of brown hair on his head and muddy green eyes.
"He seems like a nice boy" Eugene wasn't quite sure how else you could compliment a child.
Ivan laughed and patted him on the back.
"He is. He's got his mothers hair thankfully."
"Wait, if Princess Alyona is the eldest child to the throne, doesn't that make you -"
"Future King? Yep. Can you imagine how awkward meeting her father was 'Hello there King Anatolii, I'd like to marry your young daughter even though I have no claim to royalty and will one day be running your kingdom if you let me marry her' Pressure like you wouldn't believe!"
Looking over to Jonathan and the other Kings, Eugene didn't find it hard to imagine himself still friends with Ivan, with their own children getting married and having grandchildren.
By the stars, he wasn't even married yet and he was already planning out how the families would meet together and if their children would get on.
"Now you do understand that if you and Rapunzel have a baby girl I'm calling dibs for Stefan right?" Eugene burst into laughter.
"My daughter won't be allowed to look at boys until she's eighteen, let alone be engaged at birth"
Yes, meeting Ivan had made this day a whole lot easier.
The room was full of girls.
From the mothers in the corner (Lia's mother was holding a baby as well), the five princesses in the middle of the room helping Lia get ready and the two little girls on the bed, Rapunzel wasn't sure if anyone had even noticed her enter.
"RAPUNZEL!" Or maybe they had.
She was suddenly tackled by the bride.
"I've been so worried about you!" Lia began inspecting her, seemingly more excited to see her than the prospect of getting married in a few hours.
"I'm fine Lia, but look at you! You look amazing!"
"She's stunning!" cried Hattie, Princess of Colestuine. "Leopoldo is so lucky!"
"The perfect couple! And you'll have-"
"-Stunning children!" Cried the Twins who, considering they were wearing the specially made Bridesmaid dresses, we're impossible to tell who was whom. Rapunzel enjoyed the flurry of young girls, considering how rare it was she was able to see them all.
"Now now girls!" Cried Alyona, who was always the voice of reason and maturity even though she was only Rapunzel's age. "I know it's a very exciting day but there's still a lot to do! Remember, this is the day you're never going to forget Lia!"
Little did anyone in the castle know that this would, indeed, be a day no one would forget.
Dun dun dun! Oh yes, I left you on a cliff hanger!
This wedding is probs gonna be split into 3 parts because its SO long! And on top of that I'm writing Rapunzel and Eugene's wedding AND more Tess/Caleb/Acelin drama!
So I'm not slowing down for a minute! So happy all of this is happening during my holidays and I have the chance to upload almost every day now!
Big love and thanks to my sister BlondieMess for reviewing! As you guys might have guessed from her review, she is my muse for Tess and a major inspiration for these chapters! Don't worry dear, I'll upload Coral soon!
Reviews are always welcome here! Remember before "you review, I write, I upload, you get the next chapter quicker" ? It still applies my friends! And colours! Don't forget your colours!
Big love to all of you!
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