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Chapter Fifty-One
❂Of Truest Heart❂
…
Prince Logan
Úna and Bash's engagement was off. Bash was newly engaged to Sawyer and even though my father warned him about any negative reactions to the discovery that my own brother stole one of my Selected, he wasn't afraid of telling the world, and I was happy for them. Sawyer got to stay in the palace as they considered venues for their wedding and watching them made me realize just how close I was to ending my own Selection.
For once, it seemed like everyone was happy – or at least, not in life threatening situations or utterly depressed. Lucille and Jasper were in a happy, stable relationship, Bash and Sawyer were getting married, Brooks and I had talked and worked out our differences. Cael had introduced me to his wife, Ylva, and his three-year-old son, Damien, and the Selected were all just relieved that Sawyer wasn't the one that was killed and the two that actually threatened them were taken care of. Everything seemed just as it should be.
I shifted uncomfortably in the red suit Jasper and John insisted I wear in order to lift the girl's spirits, yet I made them promise they would dress up with me. Bash and Sawyer had gone out for the day to celebrate their engagement and I figured that I would take the four girls out into the city for one of the last dates of the Selection. I pulled up the hood and mask on my Flash costume and waited until the time when I got permission to enter the Women's Room from my mother. Glancing at the clock, I waited, my nerves at the end of their rope. The clock struck eleven and I swung the door open and sprinted inside as fast as my legs would take me, only stopping right before I ran into the wall on the opposite side of the room.
The girls burst out laughing and I felt like my mission was complete, but I turned towards them, announcing, "Lady Elia, Lady Aaliyah, Lady Clare, and Lady Scarlett – would you please join me on a date at one of my favorite places in all of Angeles?"
Scarlett cocked an eyebrow, "Will you be wearing that?"
I nodded, "Yes, I will be, and feel free to wear regular clothes – I actually highly encourage it, I'll be picking you up at one o'clock and Jasper Hayes, John Hayes, and my sister will be joining us," Excited murmurs raced through the crowd and without another word, I sprinted out just as quickly as I came in.
The next two hours I spent trying to get used to my new suit, and getting everything set up. We would go just as any normal people would but some guards would be mixed in the crowd. At least, as normal as one could get in with a prince in a comic superhero costume out on a date with four girlfriends, two brothers, and a princess. When I returned the Women's Room, they were all dressed and ready to go, I grabbed my bag of spare socks off one of the maids with a quick "thank you" and knocked on their door. Jasper and Lucille waited behind me, the male in a Firestorm costume and Luce in a cream crew neck shirt, ripped jeans, and ankle boots. John would meet up with us at the destination in his Green Arrow attire and we would all just hope that there wouldn't be too many pictures circulating the internet of us the next day.
Being the first to emerge, Clare's gaze drifted over the three of us waiting outside, an amused smirk playing at her lips, "You weren't kidding about wearing that, were you?"
I gestured down my outfit, "I'm still wearing it, aren't I?" I teased.
She chuckled and turned into the room, motioning for the three other girls to follow us outside and into the car, this time with both socks on my feet. I smiled as Jasper opened his door for my sister, and he caught me staring with one look over his shoulder. Still grinning, I gave him a thumbs up and ducked into my own car, sitting next to Clare while Scarlett, Aaliyah, and Elia were squished in the back. Aaliyah shifted around awkwardly in the silence as I kept to a promise I made myself of not speaking unless spoken to, "So," she started, "Where are we going?"
I shrugged, feeling powerful knowing information they didn't know, "My favorite place in all of Angeles."
Scarlett cocked a brow, "Wait, are we staying in town?"
I turned in my seat, "I don't know…are we?" The four girls glared at me, trying to prod more knowledge on what the day had in store for them, but I kept my mouth shut until the moment we pulled up to the curb in front of 300 Lanes and I rolled out of the car before Cael even had the opportunity to open my door for me. The guard glowered at me, telling me that I could've been hit by someone without so much as speaking. Shrugging, I waited for my dates to fill into the building behind me as Greta O'Bannon rushed over to greet us.
"Your Highness!" She exclaimed, pulling me in closer and kissing both my cheeks, "It's been too long!"
My face flushed, knowing very well that Lucille, Brooks, and I used to come here with our grandparents nearly every weekend for a round of bowling, "Sorry, Greta, you have no idea how much I've wanted to come here for months."
She stared me down as though she was trying to be sure I wasn't lying to her, then when content, eyed my outfit, and frowned, "Seeing that you came out in public in that, I'm assuming you're with Mister John Hayes over in the far corner?" Her gaze settled on the six others behind me, and her face lit up, "Lucie!" She cheered, running over to my sister, "How wonderful it is to see you!"
Lucille giggled, pulling the woman into a close hug as Jasper stood idly by, "I've missed you, Greta."
The dark skinned woman pulled away and focused on the princess' new boyfriend, "You better treat this girl better than the last one did," I frowned and tried to draw Luce's attention, but she ignored me, though she did stand a little taller, "Or you'll have me and my staff to deal with," Jasper gulped and Greta patted his shoulder before finally looking to the Selected, "And you all must be Logan's lovely girls."
They all nodded, Elia's face a bit pinker than the others, but before the elder could bring up some horrendous tale about my younger years, I pulled the girls away towards our lane for the afternoon, "She seems sweet," Scarlett commented and I nodded in agreement.
"Greta O'Bannon doesn't have a hateful bone in her body, she can get protective…and there are people she doesn't like, but hate – I don't think I've ever met someone that woman's ever really hated," I admitted.
John looked over, relief washing over his face, "Finally, it took you all long enough, the beautiful lady almost detained me for having tip-less arrows as props in my quill," his brother laughed and intertwined his fingers with my sister's and pulled her over to the booth.
Taking my chance, I clapped my hands together, "Who's ready to bowl?"
…
Lord Sebastian
Sawyer gazed at the cabin in the outskirts of Angeles, scrutinizing for every flaw, making sure it was perfect. She'd been doing this for the past five hours, dismantling every inn, beach, or church we stopped by with just a simple stare. I scratched the bottom of my chin, we both wanted this to be perfect, we wanted our wedding to be for us.
"So, obviously my mother, James, Madalyn, and Jacob will all want to be invited," Sawyer explained, jotting down notes as to who we were inviting while looking up every so often to comment on something she liked, didn't like, or wasn't sure how she felt about, "Ivy would kill me if she couldn't come – and of course we'd invite the remaining Selected and your half selected..." Suddenly she looked up at me, fear in her eyes, "Would we have to invite all thirty-four of the other ex-Selected, and let them have plus ones?"
I frowned, "Technically it would only be thirty-two after Nala, and the Ash being M.I.A."
"Bash…" She grumbled, rubbing her eyes.
I sighed and plucked the notebook out of her grasp and cupped her cheek with my free hand, "You know what, screw a big fancy wedding," her eyes narrowed but I continued before she could speak, "We want this to be about us, so let's make it about us. We don't need that, marry me. Marry me today, right here, let's find the closest chapel and get the guards to be our witnesses."
Sawyer didn't seem convinced, "What about the legal requirements? Birth certificates? Marriage license? Blood test results? I don't think you walk around with those on you."
"So, we'll fly down to Fennley, a marriage license isn't usually required there in the city and we can just give it a shot."
She watched me for a moment, glanced down at the notebook, then back around at the farm we stood in the middle of, the seconds ticked by and I began to worry that perhaps bringing up eloping was a poor decision, but her face quickly broke out into a smile, "As long as I'm with you, I'm happy, and the sooner we get married, the sooner I can really be with you."
I beamed, hoisted her up, and spun her around. She laughed and the moment her feet touched the ground, she crashed her lips against mine, weaving her fingers through my hair. For the first time, we didn't have to worry about getting caught. For the first time, I could kiss her and know that she would be mine. For the first time, I could love her without putting our lives at risk. And bloody hell it felt good. She pulled away, gasping for air. I gripped her hand with mine and sprinted away from the barn and back to the car that could take us to the plane, "Officer Charles," I greeted as we made our way, "We have a new destination."
In the plane, I managed to gain access to the internet and find a site that walked us through eloping in Fennley, and immediately, I started making calls as Sawyer filled out our marriage license to print out. Being the King Consort's son, it didn't take me long to find someone eligible and willing to do so on such a short notice, and by the time the flight landed, it seemed like we were ready to go, "Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, and Sawyer placed a hand on my knee.
"I may have imagined a white dress and a bachelorette party when you asked me, but this is perfect. It feels very…us."
"Spontaneous and secretive?" I affirmed and she laughed, but nodded. I turned to Quinn Charles and read out the address, and without delay, he stepped on the gas.
As I watched the city fly past, I wondered just how our family and friends would feel for not getting to be with us today, "Your friend, Ivy, right?" Sawyer nodded, confused but let me continue, "You said she'd be mad if she wasn't invited to the wedding, so why don't we have a party? Like have the reception with our friends and family," the look on her face was one I could picture myself cherishing for the rest of my life. Pride, shock, wonder, hope, love, and even a mix of others that made her seem more human, and she beamed. The car pulled to a stop and with a chaste kiss on her cheek, I helped her out, "Ready to get married, love?"
❂Of Truest Heart❂
…
Lady Elia
Bowling with the two eldest royals and the Hayes brothers was more fun than I ever expected. With all three boy's wit, the night never had a dull moment, and luckily, we had only been recognized a few times.
After the date, Logan had pulled us all aside, and his face seemed a little pale and his breathing a bit more labored. He chewed on the corner of his lip as we gathered around him and finally, with one final intake of air, he spoke, "I've made my decision," he stated. He made what? That was it, the Selection would end that night, with it going on for the past few months, it seemed as though it would never end, the possibility of one of us becoming queen seemed so foreign that we never really considered what happened when the Selection drew to a close.
And apparently that was happening tonight. The four of us exchanged looks, and Logan made one final comment before running off to change out of his costume, "I just thought you should all be aware of what was in store for tonight."
I stumbled backwards and wondered what thoughts were racing through the other girl's heads because it seemed that my mind wasn't functioning. I couldn't seem to process anything any of this. My maids scrubbed me down raw after dinner, my skin turning red.
They pulled out a massive blue dress from the very back with short off the shoulder sleeves and a bodice made of small pastel pink flowers that then traveled down the light skirt. They pulled my hair up, braiding it in the front then pinning it into a bun as it neared the back and I slipped into a pair of flats, knowing that heels were not a good choice in this situation. They dusted makeup on my cheeks, eyes, and lips and I felt utterly caked. I stared back at my reflection, and I couldn't deny the fact that I did look beautiful. A smile broke through and my guard knocked on my door, saying that Scarlett was outside ready to go down to the studio together.
I nodded, afraid to speak, and wandered out, and my jaw dropped. Like me – Scarlett wore a large dress – a rose red with a similar but completely different flower pattern. Out of everyone, I'm sure we matched the most, but I could practically imagine her makeup being the heaviest. I wrung my hands on my dress, my nerves getting the better of me, and my friend placed her hand on top of mine to calm me down, "You really want to win, don't you, Lia?" She asked, a touch of concern hidden in her tone.
I shrugged, trying to seem like it wasn't a huge deal, "I mean, I love him."
"And he loves you," She added, "So what's there to worry about?"
I bumped into her shoulder and she tumbled slightly and glared at me, before burst out laughing, which didn't help me, so I chose to simply answer her question, "With Maxon and America, Maxon had proposed to her, but then backed out and was going to marry someone he didn't really love."
Scarlett examined herself in the closest mirror, still listening intently as she tucked a loose strand of orange hair behind her ear, "Well, if he doesn't pick you, then he's an idiot."
Unsure how to respond, I stayed quiet and we stalked into the studio a few minutes before they aired. I searched around the room, my eyes skating over every single person in there only to settle on Logan gripping something small in his hands, looking as though he was apologizing to his mother. Killian called places and I could barely keep my dinner down as we all gathered.
"On the air in three…two…one…" the camera man pointed to us and Killian, as usual, introduced us all with the normal formalities. He skipped Mila's usual bit about the safety of the country as this wasn't the usual time for a Report and cut straight to the chase.
"Prince Logan Reyes, after months of meeting these wonderful girls, has finally chosen the one he wants to stand by his side through thick and thin, sickness and in health, and to raise the next king or queen with. Your Highness," the older man turned towards him, "It's all you now."
He nodded, thanking Killian and still fiddling with the small object. He breathed deeply and adjusted his formal blazer, "When I first saw her, I knew there was something different about her, maybe it hadn't registered at the time, but I bet – in some way, I knew she was the one for me. Though it did take me a while to admit it to myself," he quirked, gaining a chuckle from the audience, "What I didn't expect was how this girl would test me. She defied all boundaries one would thing a prince would have and never let me gave up, even when it made more sense for me to be the one there for her," Logan kept his eyes above the camera, as though he dared not speak to any of us for fear of breaking down.
"At the beginning, it all started with a simple horseback ride and dinner down at a beach," my throat caught and I found myself unsure if I was hearing this correctly, "We were going to make pizzas, but as she was applying the sauce to the dough, I took the opportunity to smear some on her cheek. Though she did manage to get me back after a race down the shoreline and I ended up with a whole jar of marinara sauce dumped all over my head," tears welled up in my eyes, this was actually happening, "After that, the sun had gone down so as we wandered back to the fire we left behind, she started gathering seashells just for the fun of it. No ulterior motive, she just felt the need to gather these up, and sure, by the time we got back I managed to screw up the pizzas and we were stuck eating sausages roasted over the fire, it was probably one of the highlights of my life, and she didn't even notice when I slipped one of the shells into my pocket."
He held up the item, a small conch by the looks of it, and turned towards us, my heart raced, thumping against my chest, unstopping, and he froze in front of me, extended the shell and dipped onto one knee. My eyes widened as they settled on the Verragio diamond ring stuffed inside and a single tear ran down my cheek, "Elia Sheila Starr, my beloved, my love, my little dove," he gulped, his voice breaking, "Will you marry me and collect seashells with me along the beach for the rest of our lives with no other reason besides we love each other?"
I didn't even think before my head started nodding, before a croak of a "Yes!" burst out and tears of joy rushed down my face. Logan beamed and plucked the ring out and slid it onto my finger, he cupped my face, wiping away any tears with the pads of his thumb, and kissed me. My heart fluttered as he pulled away with a wink. He wrapped his arms around me and the cameras shut off. Scarlett leaped to her feet, unable to control her excitement and joined in on the hug – soon followed by Clare and Aaliyah, who both seemed just as ecstatic for me as Scarlett. I pinched my arm, willing that it would hurt and I wouldn't find myself waking up to some sort of dream. And the pain came, and I didn't wake up.
This was it, I'd won. I'd won the heart of my one true love.
And I planned on keeping it for a very, very, long time.
I KNOW I'VE ENDED TWO CHAPTERS ON PROPOSALS BUT IDK IT'S FANFICTION MY WRITING ISNT GONNA BE LIKE 10/10.
I loved writing that last bit, I hope y'all enjoyed reading it!
EOEIRHGIOENT OF TRUEST HEART IS TECHNICALLY OVER, ALL WE HAVE LEFT IS THE EPILOUGE AND IM LITERALLY FREAKING OUT
YALL HAVE NO IDEA
THIS IS SO SURREAL TO ME. I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS SINCE SEPTEMBER AND IT'S GONNA BE THE FIRST LENGTHY THING I'VE EVER COMPLETED. EVER.
LIKE IT'S FREAKING NOVEL LENGTH.
I love all of you, so, so much you have no idea, that you so much for putting up with my unplotted story and I hope that y'all will enjoy the Epilogue and then maybe even participate in Of Truest Intent.
I'm wigging out guys, I erased my writing board that had like my plans for the rest of the story and like the Elite and some other random stuff on Monday and ugugghghghhh I don't know what it's gonna be like not to write about Logan's Selection.
I felt like it was too short and then I realized that OTH is freaking 51 chapters long.
Bye Lovelies! You literally all make my day
~Hailey
