Two of Belle's favorite maids, Marie and Collete, hadn't stopped giggling for at least two hours. They wore simple long gowns of sage green, and a crown of baby's breath on their heads, the tiny white flowers glowing softly in the early morning spring light. They were like spirits of the forest, each girl wearing a smile for their future princess that could rival the sun above. Belle didn't know how long she'd been up; she just knew it was before dawn. Collette, Mrs. Potts, and her mother had been working on her since the crack of dawn. Her wedding dress was a beautiful white ball gown with gold floral embroidery made of lace. The sleeves short and slightly off shoulder, it was gorgeous. Forced to sit still for entirely too long, she fidgeted lovingly with the gold band she was to place on the prince's finger in a short while, while Collette and her mother painstakingly worked on her hair, working swiftly and expertly to twist it into an elegant loose bun, allowing a few tendrils to fall and frame her oval, thin face, and weaving flecks of gold accents throughout her hair.

"You're beautiful," her mother gushed, enveloping her in a tight hug as she waited outside the doors to the ballroom. "Never let anyone tell you anything else." Almost as an afterthought, her mother thoughtfully tapped her chin and winced. "Do you think that your future husband will forgive me for cursing him, Belle? I'd hate for it to cause any friction between the family, given everything that happened."

Belle laughed. "Yes, Mama," she whispered quietly as she snuggled into her mother's embrace. "You're the only person besides Papa that gives indefinite hugs. Don't ever stop, please. And as for the prince, do not worry what he thinks of you. He is much changed."

Her mother snickered, catching Maurice's eye and winking. "It is because of you that he changed, and for that, I could not be prouder of you, beloved daughter. Well, love, where else would I rather be?" In that moment, her mother's arms squeezed a fraction tighter, and Belle breathed more slowly, her body melting into her mother's as every muscle lost its tension to the spring air. This was life, real life for her now.

Maurice came to her other side, admiring their daughter in her dress, his gaze drifting downwards towards the simple yellow gold rings in Belle's hands. "Your prince made a good choice, Belle."

She knew he was not referring to their rings. Belle nodded, tears welling in her eyes as she hugged her father in turn and he offered her his arm, fully prepared to walk her down the aisle. Belle took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. She knew Prince Adam was her happy ending, and he could be hers. Because around him, Belle had the serenity she'd been seeking all her life, and she hoped the same for her. She wished for him to take her in those arms of his because she wished to stay there, safe, warm.

"Are you ready, milady?" Cogsworth asked, glancing at his pocket watch. "Your dear prince has been waiting, rather impatiently, I might add, for his future queen," he chuckled to the brunette.

Belle nodded, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear.

"I've been ready, Papa." She could stall no longer. It was time. Her prince was waiting for her.

As her father walked her down the aisle to where Adam waited, Belle met his gaze and blushed. She had lived long enough to know that what the two of them shared, she could not replicate with another. This love, this feeling, was just her and him. Belle could travel the world and the seven seas; she'd still have to come right back to the prince's castle if she wanted true love. It's not that nobody else wanted her, or him, but that they were born to spark and travel the same path in this life. Adam and Belle were protectors of one another, confidants, and now true friends. The trust she gave him, that he in turn gave her, was what would keep them safe in this world. So, whether her heart beat another day or hundred years, it was his, and it would always be his. Words and rings were exchanged, and in her prince's embrace, the world seemed to come to a halt. There was no time, no wind, no rain. Belle's mind was at peace. How could it be that she had failed to see Adam's love for what it was before? Pure. Unselfish. Undemanding. Free. She felt her body press in, soft and warm against his chest. This was the love she had waited for, the kind she had read about in her books, prayed for. Belle inwardly thanked God if He existed and hugged Prince Adam all that tighter. A love like theirs was to be cherished for all time, for as long as they both shall live.

Finally, she was home.