It took every ounce of Alia's princess training to walk with perfect poise in front of so many eyes. She walked down the narrow isle until she reached the raised dais in the center of the Auradon Cathedral. She exchanged smiles with Jay and Carlos, who stood across from her, before they all turned to watch the front door. Evie was just entering the cathedral and walking the same path Alia had.
Evie reached Alia's side, and then Mal was entering the cathedral.
In one hand, Mal held a bouquet of purple roses and golden sundrop flowers from Corona. Her other hand was hooked around Hades' arm as her father walked her down the isle. Alia would have been shocked to see how proud the God of the Underworld actually looked walking his daughter down the isle, but she saw enough at the rehearsal dinner the other night to know that he truly loved Mal.
And Mal looked absolutely radiant on her wedding day. Her blue-purple hair was lightly curled with the front sections pinned back, her tiara atop her head. Her gown was a light blue-purple a few shades lighter than her hair, and it was sleeveless with a tight bodice. There was a dragon stitched into the skirt that wove around until it wrapped around her waist, giving it a belt look. She also had a long, purple lace cape that trailed behind her with blue flame designs.
Alia glanced away from the bride and up the dais. Ben was standing up there with Fairy Godmother, who was officiating. The King looked awestruck at the sight of his bride.
It was a beautiful wedding, and Alia was thrilled for her friends.
When all was said and done, several people followed the bride and groom in limos to Ben's castle. Most people who attended the wedding weren't invited to the reception at the castle. As it was the King and now-Queen's wedding, nearly all of Auradon wanted to see it. So there were hundreds of people both inside and outside of the Cathedral, and more than a couple news crews filming it live. However, only friends and family were invited to the reception.
Alia rode in a limo with the rest of the wedding party, which was just Evie, Jay, and Carlos. But she also spent a good portion of the reception with her parents, Genie, both her grandfathers, Lonnie, Jordan, Jane, and, of course, Shang. She even got dragged into an uncomfortable conversation with Harry Hook, who tried to flirt with her. Thankfully, Uma of all people saved her by punching Harry in the arm and dragging him off.
Lonnie and Jordan in particular kept teasing Alia that it was her turn next; getting married. Alia turned it around saying that technically Lonnie and Jay had been dating for longer than Alia and Shang. About ten minutes longer, but that was besides the point.
Mal and Ben shared their first dance as a married couple to a slow rendition of 'Did I Mention', the song Ben sang to Mal, and the same one he used to propose to her.
When 'A Whole New World' started playing, Shang practically dragged Alia onto the dance floor.
It had been a relatively fast four months since they defeated Jafar. Alia was doing much better in school than the first few months, now that she wasn't exposed to Jafar's potion. When the new semester started, Alia took one less class than she did before, which helped a lot. And not to say she lead her Swords team to victory, but they made it to the state championships, only to unfortunately be beaten by Sherwood Forest. It was a good thing Jay and Alia only had friendly competition between them. However, despite Sherwood winning, Alia beat Jay in their one-on-one match, which she would hold over his head for the rest of their lives.
Alia's parents left after the ceremony, needing to get back to Agrabah to work on some construction issue that came up regarding the dungeons. They were almost done, as were the several prisons going up around Auradon.
Several towns volunteered to put up prisons, but it was decided to put a few higher security prisons all around Auradon, and a few with lesser defenses for non-magical villains. The higher security prisons were in more isolated places in Auradon, like Neverland, Atlantica, and Olympus. They were protected by magic provided by Tinkerbelle and her fairies; Zeus, Hades, and the Greek Gods; King Triton; Fairy Godmother, and Mal. And, of course, they all had their own natural defenses. Neverland was an island surrounded by crocodiles, Olympus was up on a mountain high above the rest of Auradon, and of course Atlantica was deep under the sea. There weren't very many prisoners who would be able to be held in Atlantica, but it was a good idea to have it available nonetheless. And it would be a good place to hide important objects if they can be held underwater, as not very many people would be able to get them back.
There were a few smaller prisons, as well, though they didn't lack different forms of protection, magical and otherwise. Elsa of Arendelle created what looked like a large, ice building on the outskirts of her kingdom. In reality, inside was filled with about a dozen cells that were guarded by large snow creatures. She also accepted help from the wizard Merlin and Genie to add some extra protective enchantments.
So far, only a few villains had returned to their roots, forcing King Ben to make the difficult choice of locking them back up. Out of pride, Aladdin and his family almost decided to keep Jafar locked up in their own dungeon in Agrabah, but then they decided it was just too risky. Jafar knew their palace like the back of his hand, even though it had been renovated. In the end, Jafar and Iago were shipped off to Mount Olympus, where Hades himself promised to keep a close eye on him.
With all the negativity of discussing prisons and locking people up, Alia and Jay at one point discussed wanting to do something actually good for all the people who were released from the Isle. Jay ended up commenting that Gil, who he'd gone on a couple trips with, had next to no education, and now had no means or money to get an education. So, they approached their parents with the idea of offering scholarships for kids from the Isle to go to school. So, they did. And it started a wave of people from all over Auradon doing the same or something similar.
Fairy Godmother offered a scholarship to Auradon Prep for magical students. Belle offered a scholarship for younger children who joined a book club. Rapunzel offered an art scholarship. Evie offered an internship at her business for kids to learn basic business skills. The list goes on. And Jay talked about wanting to start some community centers at some point; just safe places for kids to go to play sports and get homework help while having positive influences in their lives.
Alia didn't leave the wedding reception until near the end, around midnight. Her, Jay, Lonnie, and Shang all got in a limo that took them to a small airstrip, where they would take Aladdin's family jet back to Agrabah.
"So, how long do you think it'll be before Doug proposes to Evie?" Lonnie asked as they all lounged in the small jet.
"Hard to say." Jay answered thoughtfully, leaning back on the couch, his arm draped over Lonnie's shoulders. "On the one hand, they've been together almost as long as Mal and Ben. And they've got the whole "true love" thing going for them. But Doug might be so chicken Evie will have to propose to him."
"Oh, leave him alone." Alia scolded her brother while Lonnie and Shang laughed. Alia was laying out on another couch, having changed out of her bridesmaid dress and into comfy clothes. Shang was rubbing her feet because she mentioned earlier that wearing heels all evening was killing her.
"On the one hand, they dated, what, two years before they finally said 'I love you'. And they only really said it after the whole " true love's kiss" thing. On the other hand, they moved in together before they said it." Lonnie noted out loud. "So it could be anytime from now to five years from now before they get to that step."
"Everyone moves at their own pace." Alia defended, glancing down toward Shang, who smirked slightly.
"And what pace are you moving at, Miss-Caught-The-Bouquet?" Jay asked teasingly.
Alia blushed while the others chuckled. At the end of the night, all the women and girls at the reception gathered around so Mal could throw the bouquet. Alia had joined the crowd, but more because her friends dragged her out there. She didn't see the point in catching the bouquet, it was just a silly tradition.
However, just as Mal tossed the flowers over her shoulder, something bumped Alia's hip, causing her to stumble just enough to the side that the flowers ended up in her outstretched hands.
"I don't know. What pace are you moving at, Jason?" Alia countered.
Jay shrugged. "Guess that depends how the rest of spring break goes."
Lonnie and Alia exchanged confused looks before both demanded to know what he was talking about. He merely smirked and pleaded the fifth, refusing to say a word on the subject. Alia honestly wasn't sure if that was his way of hinting that he planned on proposing to Lonnie this week, or if he was just messing with them. She wouldn't put it past him.
Most schools were on spring break, so Jay and Alia were home for the week. They planned on attending one of Shang and Lonnie's Swords meets in a few days, but for the most part they were just relaxing at home, hanging out with family and friends. Lonnie and Shang were spending a couple days in Agrabah to catch up with them.
When they finally reached the Agrabah palace, they were surprised when a guard greeted them almost as soon as they entered the building.
He bowed to Jay and Alia before turning to the princess. "Your Highness, Sultana Jasmine told me to get you as soon as you returned. She's with your tiger in your room."
Alia's eyes widened before she dropped her bag on the floor and raced through the palace toward her room. She slowed when she neared her bedroom door, peaking inside so as not to startle anyone.
Jasmine looked up when she heard the creak of the door. She smiled.
"Alia. Come on in. She's almost done." Jasmine called softly.
Alia entered the room, crossing it to the little nest in the corner near her bed. A couple weeks ago, Raisa started preparing a little nest-like area in Alia's room near her bed, even going so far as to drag one of Alia's fuzzy rugs across the room to use. Now, she was sprawled out on her side in the bed she'd made, and Alia could hear what almost sounded like little piglets.
Raisa lifted her head and started purring as Alia knelt next to her mother, stroking her beloved tiger's head while looking down at the little wiggling bundles nursing against Raisa's belly.
There were three baby tigers, all fluffy and orange with thin, black stripes. They were about the size of Raisa's paws.
"They're so little." she breathed, amazed by the sight. She'd seen Raisa when she was a baby, but never at this young age.
"And there's one more coming." Jasmine answered just as a sort of wave rolled through Raisa's body. A moment later, a tiny cry sounded from near her tail. Raisa pulled herself up and a moment later, she gently placed a tiny cub from her mouth to the curve of her belly, licking it clean while it cried.
A few moments later, the newborn was feeding among it's siblings.
Jasmine ran her hand over Raisa's side. "Looks like she's done. Four healthy little cubs. I'll call the vet and have him come by in the morning to check."
Jasmine left the room, letting the others trickle in to see the new arrivals.
"Look how cute they are!" Alia squealed quietly as Jay, Lonnie, and Shang approached.
"What are they? Boy or girls?" Jay asked, kneeling next to her with Abu on his shoulder.
"I don't want to disturb them." Alia argued. "They're eating."
After waiting for them to finish feeding, Alia carefully picked up each little cub and checked what they were. There were two boys and two girls.
Alia, Jay, Lonnie, and Shang sat with Raisa and her new family for a while, discussing names for the cubs. They decided to stick with names that start with 'R', like Raisa and her father, Rajah. Alia knew the conservation program Raisa and her father before her were part of did the same thing to keep family lines straight.
They decided on naming the girls Rani and Rose. Jay named one of the boys River.
Alia picked up the last of the litter, the tiny little boy that was born after she arrived. He was smaller than the others, the runt of the litter. All the cubs were about the size of Raisa's paw, but this little one was so small Alia could hold him with one hand. She carefully held him up near her face. He had a tiny pink nose and his eyes were shut tight, little specks of black dappling his head to form a unique pattern of stripes from his siblings.
She smiled, knowing what she wanted to name this little one.
"I'm naming him Rajah." she decided quietly, lowering him to cradle him to her chest for a moment.
Jay smiled, silently wishing he'd had the chance to know their mother's tiger. "Sounds good."
Alia nodded, gently setting the cub back in Raisa's little nest so he could sleep with his brother and sisters. Raisa sat up to sniff all her babies for a moment before laying back down again to rest.
"I'm gonna go let Mom and Dad know." Jay decided, standing up carefully so as not to disturb the new family. Lonnie stood up and followed him, leaving Shang and Alia alone. They both moved back to sit with their backs against the side of the bed.
Alia sighed heavily, leaning her head against Shang's shoulder tiredly as she watched the sleeping family of tigers. Shang shifted slightly so he could slip his arm behind her, snuggling her into his side.
"Tired?" he asked quietly.
"Mhm." Alia mumbled sleepily. It'd been a long day. They'd flown down to Auradon City yesterday to set up the wedding and have the rehearsal dinner. They then spent the morning finishing last minute wedding preparations before the big event. Overall, Alia was exhausted. She couldn't imagine how tired Mal and Evie were, as the bride and maid of honor.
Alia almost felt like she could doze off right there when something rustled the bed sheets behind her head. She blinked open her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Abu was sitting just behind her shoulder on the bed, prying at something in his little hands. When he saw her looking at him, he instantly held the object out to her, chittering excitedly. Brows furrowed curiously, Alia reached her hand over her shoulder to take the small object from the monkey.
It looked like a black ring box.
"Oh! That-" Shang's hand shot out as if to snatch the box from her hands before drawing back, raking said hand through his hair and looking away uncomfortably. He then briefly patted his pockets before glaring over his shoulder at Abu.
Alia glanced between the box and her boyfriend. "Did Abu steal this from you?" she asked, her tired brain a bit slower than normal.
Shang cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing at her. "Um, yeah. That was in my pants pocket." he admitted. He was still wearing his red dress shirt and black pants, having shed his black suit jacket earlier in the evening.
Alia offered the box back to him, and he hesitated for a moment before taking it back and looking down at it. He seemed to be thinking something over.
"How tired are you?" he asked after a moment, looking over at her again.
Alia blinked, forcing herself to sit up straight. She was becoming more awake by the moment, sensing something was going on. She'd never seen Shang this uncomfortable before. It worried her.
"I'm awake." she assured him, crossing her legs and turning to face him more.
Shang's lips quirked up slightly in a smile before looking down at the box in his hands. He then turned to mirror her position.
"I've had this in my pocket for the past couple days, trying to decide when would be the best time to do this." Shang admitted, holding the small box in his hands on his lap. "I thought today would be good, with the wedding and reception and all. But then it got late, and I figured I could do it at our Swords meet in a few days."
"What are you talking about?" Alia asked slowly.
Shang took a deep breath before tearing his eyes from the small box to look Alia in the eyes.
"You've had my back pretty much since we met years ago, and I've had yours. Both in a fight and just life in general. I trust you, I love you, and I want to be by your side for the rest of our lives. So, Alia, will you marry me?"
He leaned forward slightly, holding the box in his hands so he could open it. Nestled inside the small box was a ring with an infinity band and two gems, one purple and one red, side-by-side on top.
Alia gaped wordlessly at the ring for a moment, completely in shock. Her lack of an answer seemed to make Shang slightly nervous.
"We don't have to get married anytime soon." he told her quietly. "I mean, we'd probably want to at least wait until you graduate. But-"
"Yes." Alia cut him off, finally getting over the shock. "Of course I'll marry you." she answered eagerly, nodding her head.
Shang laughed in relief, taking the ring from the box and slipping it onto Alia's finger. As soon as it was in place, Alia wrapped her arms tightly around Shang's neck while he held her close. After a few moments, Shang pulled back enough to kiss her excitedly.
"Jeez, save it for the wedding." a familiar voice complained.
Alia and Shang pulled away from each other, both trying to glower toward the doorway. But it was hard to do when they couldn't seem to stop smiling. Jay and Lonnie were peaking into the room. Jay was smirking slightly while Lonnie was beaming excitedly, bouncing in place on her toes.
Unable to contain herself for another moment, Lonnie bounced into the room and practically tackled Alia in a hug, almost causing the two girls to topple right into Shang, who laughed while holding the two girls up.
"Oh my gosh!" Lonnie nearly squealed, squeezing all the air out of Alia lungs in a hug. "I'm finally going to get a sister! I can't wait!"
Alia laughed, glancing over Lonnie's shoulder in time to see Jay roll his eyes, grinning in amusement.
When Lonnie finally released Alia, she turned to look over her shoulder. "You knew my brother was going to propose! Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.
"Yeah, like you'd be able to keep it a secret." Jay laughed, entering the room.
"Why did you know?" Alia asked curiously, glancing from her brother to Shang.
Shang grinned, giving a shrug. "I asked your dad and brother for permission a few weeks ago."
"And…you said yes?" Alia asked her brother in disbelief.
Jay rolled his eyes at her. "'Lia, as much of a fuss as I've made about you two dating, I respect Shang and I know how good he's been for you. He treats you like an equal instead of a delicate princess, which is hard to come by in Auradon. Besides, most of the times I've complained and made a fuss about your PDA, I was just messing with you."
Alia rolled her eyes, but warmth spread through her chest knowing her family accepted Shang so warmly. And she knew before long, they would all accept Lonnie into the family just as openly.
They were all one big family. Not just Alia, Jay, and their parents, but also Lonnie and Shang, and Mal, Ben, Evie, Doug, Carlos, and Jane, and Genie, Jordan, and both Alia's grandfathers. They would always have each others backs, no matter what they went through.
OoOoO
I'm sad to say, we're near the end. After this is the epilogue, which is set about ten years later. I'll probably post it around New Years unless something comes up.
I hope everyone liked how this chapter went. Please review and let me know what you thought! I love hearing from you!