Chapter 28: Another Wedding

On Wednesday April 23rd, Rosalinda, Jane, and Elinor were meant to arrive at the castle. It was planned that Corinna and Adeline would arrive that weekend and everyone else the weekend following.

Though Shelby offered to help with the wedding planning, she had no idea how to plan a wedding in her own time let alone 500 years in the past. She hoped Rosalinda would be able to help guide her through anything needed.

Shelby and Sebastian planned to meet Rosalinda, Jane, and Elinor at the West Gate as normal; however, only Rosalinda and Jane arrived.

"Weren't there supposed to be three of you?" Shelby questioned as the carriage pulled away.

"Mother said she wasn't feeling well and would rest for a couple more days before joining us with Adeline and Corinna," Rosalinda explained.

"Ahh," Sebastian nodded. "Is she doing well? Just not feeling well today?"

"Just today as far as we know," Jane explained.

"I'm glad to hear that. Hopefully it is just today and she'll be able to spend the next couple days resting so she feels better in time for the wedding," Sebastian spoke as he began to lead the way to the meeting room where they would go over the final details for the wedding.

Since Rosalinda and Jane's things were being brought to their rooms by a couple of the servants, the group didn't need to delay in making their way to the meeting room. When they arrived to the room, Sebastian pulled out chairs first for Shelby and then for his sisters before going to find Angus.

"Shelby," Rosalinda spoke. "I was wondering if there was anything you did in planning your wedding."

Shelby let out a laugh. "No. I was in the tower because there were some people who didn't want me to marry Sebastian. When he found me, he insisted on the wedding right away."

"He's changed since the wedding, though," Jane spoke.

"Yeah, he has," Shelby agreed, finding herself thinking about the feelings she realized she had for Sebastian.

"We might have talked about it before," Jane began.

"And how the change has made him a better person. Angus has been telling me about it in his letters. Sebastian is much more considerate. He says he'd never say anything to Sebastian's face, but he likes Sebastian now better."

"Really?" Shelby asked.

Rosalinda nodded. "Yeah. They got along fine as kids and everything, but Sebastian's more enjoyable to be around now according to Angus."

"Wow," Shelby whispered under her breath. "Anyway," she began, trying to change the subject. "Do you think it's just nerves making Elinor not feel well today?"

Rosalinda and Jane nodded as the girls continued talking for a few minutes before Sebastian returned with Angus and the two took their seats. They explained how the man who helped coordinate events at the castle was still on his way and would join them in a couple minutes.

While the group waited for the coordinator to arrive, they spent a few minutes talking and catching up. They had been talking for about ten minutes talking when the man arrived.

"Ah, Gregory. Please join us," Sebastian said, motioning towards the two empty seats at the table.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." There were a few moments of silence as Gregory went to take his seat at the head of the table. "Where would you like to begin?" he asked the group.

"Could we go over the rooms that will be used for the wedding?" Rosalinda asked. "Is it just the church hall and the ballroom for the reception?"

"That it is," Gregory nodded. "Given that your guest list was not extensive, the small sanctuary will be plenty of space. However, since there are more people attending the reception, the larger room is necessary."

"Fantastic," Angus replied. "What about the details of the food?"

"Of course, of course," Gregory went over what would be served for dinner as well as what treats and desserts there would be. "The kitchen staff has already been informed of the menu, but changes can still be made if there is any reason to do so."

After a couple more hours of discussion, they brought an end to the conversation to break for lunch. Rosalinda, Angus, Sebastian, Shelby, and Jane all ate together in the dining hall. "There's a lot less stress with this than I was expecting," Rosalinda spoke as they sat down.

"I had no idea what to expect either," Sebastian agreed. "Neither of us did anything in the planning of our wedding."

Angus nodded. "I'm glad there isn't much for us to do either, if I'm being honest."

"Well, I'm glad to know that there's not much to worry about when I get married someday," Jane spoke as the food was brought out to them.

The discussion during the meal turned away from talking about the wedding. Despite it being less stressful than they all anticipated, they didn't want to spend their meal time discussing it. They instead talked about the other things they could do during their time together.

"What about going for a ride?" Angus suggested.

"We could go through the forest," Shelby added. "With Spring blooming, it's beautiful."

"I'd like that," Rosalinda spoke.

"As would I," Jane added.

"We could go today after we finish our discussion after lunch," Sebastian offered.

"That's a great idea," Angus agreed.

The remainder of lunch was spent discussing what horses Rosalinda and Jane would ride. There were always a couple horses in the stable that simply belonged to the kingdom that the two could ride; everyone else already had their own horses on the grounds.

When they finished lunch, the group quickly finished their conversation about the wedding so they could go riding and enjoy the day outside. After finishing the discussion, the five first went to the kitchens to get apples to feed the horses.

"Do you think we'll want coats?" Jane asked when the group left the kitchen.

"It's sunny today and likely warm enough that we will not need coats," Sebastian said.

"But I could take you to your room if you think you might want one," Angus offered.

"What if we just came back if we decided we want our coats," Rosalinda suggested.

"That sounds good to me," Jane agreed.

"Then let us go," Angus said, offering his arm to Rosalinda. Sebastian offered one arm to Shelby as he normally would and offered his other to Jane.

At the stables, Shelby immediately headed towards Midnight while Sebastian and Angus led Jane and Rosalinda in a different direction to find horses for them. They returned with their own horses and two brown stallions. The group shared the apples between their horses and took a few minutes to get their horses ready for the ride.

The quintet spent the afternoon racing each other through the castle grounds and the forest around the castle. As Sebastian expected, the sunny day brought warm enough weather that they didn't need their coats. There was a gentle breeze as they rode which made for a perfect afternoon of looking at the new plants and growth that bloomed around the castle grounds.

Early in the evening, they headed back towards the castle and found that baths were drawn for them so they could freshen up before dinner. They all had dinner together before spending the rest of the evening in their own rooms.

The next couple days were mostly uneventful as the wedding planning continued. At the beginning of the weekend, Elinor, Corinna, and Adeline arrived at the castle.

On Saturday afternoon, after they had lunch, Shelby, Sebastian, Rosalinda, William, Angus, and Jane made their way to the West Gate. Elinor, Corinna, and Adeline were meant to arrive soon after lunch. As they arrived at the West Gate, they could see the carriage approaching.

Elinor was the first to exit the carriage when it stopped. She greeted her children and Shelby first before turning to Angus. "We are so happy to have such a nice young man marrying our daughter and becoming part of our family."

"I am glad to be marrying Rosalinda and joining such a wonderful family," Angus replied.

"Are you feeling better now, Mother?" Sebastian questioned. "Rosalinda and Jane said you weren't able to come with them the other day because you were not feeling well."

"Oh, I'm feeling much better now. I just needed a couple more days to relax before we finish the planning."

"Surprisingly," Rosalinda began. "There's not much more to be done. Gregory, the coordinator, and some of the other servants have most everything else finished."

"Wonderful. We'll have more time to spend together and not worry about the wedding planning before it takes place," Elinor declared as some servants came to take her, Corinna, and Adeline's luggage to their rooms.

"We can head to the meeting room and Gregory will go over everything from there," Sebastian explained.

"That sounds fantastic," Elinor agreed.

Sebastian nodded and led the way to the meeting room. A little while later, as Gregory went over the plans for the wedding, it was obvious that Elinor relaxed. Her voice when she greeted her children hadn't been tense, but her body language showed she was worried. Sebastian could tell that she began to relax as the afternoon went one.

"What do you think, Mother?" Rosalinda asked.

"Everything sounds fantastic," Elinor replied. "I'm very happy with all the progress that has been made. I am much less worried about it than I did when we first arrived."

"That's good," Sebastian spoke. "From the sounds of it, there's not much more to do."

"I agree."

"What would we like to do for the remainder of the afternoon?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, I would love to catch up with everyone on how things have been at the castle since we last saw each other," Elinor replied.

"We could go to the sitting room," Shelby suggested. "Or an outside courtyard since it's such a nice day."

"That would be lovely."

Shelby and Sebastian led the way out of the castle and to one of the courtyards where the group could sit and talk. The courtyard was surrounded by large and well kept bushes. It was an area Shelby had learned about recently and she hadn't had much of a chance to check it out. There were several stone benches in the courtyard. Some were in the shade, so the group made their way to that side of the courtyard.

"This is marvelous," Elinor commented.

"Yes it is," Shelby agreed.

"How come we have never been here before?" Elinor questioned.

"Mostly because I wasn't aware of it at first. The weather most every other time you've been here has not allowed us to see this area of the castle grounds," Sebastian replied.

"Ahh. Well, are there any other hidden treasures around the castle I should know about?"

"The gardens are beautiful this time of the year if you would like to see them some other day before the wedding," Shelby added.

"That would be wonderful," Elinor agreed.

The conversation turned to how everyone had been since the last time they saw each other several months before. Sebastian again checked to make sure Elinor was still feeling okay and that her not feeling well had only been from worry about the wedding preparations. She assured him she was feeling much better and turned the conversation to Sadie instead.

"I'm glad she's doing so well. I wouldn't mind seeing her later."

"We'll see to it that you can," Sebastian replied.

"It's hard to believe she's already almost a year old," Shelby commented. "It seems like just yesterday she couldn't do anything for herself."

"It seems like just yesterday Sebastian was that little," Elinor sighed as she recalled the days when Sebastian was little. "I missed out on a lot of those younger days with all of my children," she spoke. "Don't make the same mistakes I did," she finished, turning to Shelby and Sebastian first then looking to Angus and Rosalinda.

"I always want to be in Sadie's life," Shelby began. "And any other kids I may have in the future," she added as she looked up at Sebastian and met his eye.

"As do I," Sebastian agreed. "But we're not here for Shelby and I. We're here for Rosalinda and Angus."

"Right. That we are," Elinor agreed as the conversation turned back to Rosalinda, Angus, and their wedding.

"Queen Shelby." Shelby looked up at the sound of a voice a little while later.

"Is something wrong?"

"Sadie is very upset. We can't help her. Would you like me to bring her here, or would you like to come with me?"

"You can bring her here. The family wanted to see her anyway."

"Yes, my Queen."

"Do you think I could help calm her down?" Elinor asked.

"Mother, it might be best for Shelby to comfort Sadie first. Sometimes when Sadie is upset, Shelby's the only one who's able to calm her down. I assume that's why Joan sought us out," Sebastian explained.

Elinor nodded. "That is understandable. If she's up to it after she's calmed down, I would love to see her."

"Absolutely," Shelby replied. "She should be able to know the extended family she does have since she can't know any of my family."

Elinor nodded in agreement as the family fell into silence until Joan returned to with Sadie.

"Hey, Baby Girl," Shelby said, standing to meet Joan with Sadie since the little girl's cries could be heard before the two arrived to the courtyard.

"Let us know if there is anything else you need," Joan said, giving a curtsy before she left.

Shelby made her way back to her seat beside Sebastian as the two spent the next few minutes trying to comfort Sadie and calm her down. When her cries began to subside, Shelby stood and walked around the courtyard for a few more minutes before making her way to Elinor. "Are you ready to take her now?"

"I'd love to," Elinor replied, holding her arms out to take Sadie. "Hello Sadie. I'm your grandma Elinor." As Shelby again took her seat next to Sebastian, Elinor continued to talk to Sadie. "She's so adorable," she exclaimed. "I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to see her more."

"I would agree that she is adorable," Sebastian spoke. "I think she gets her beauty from her mother."

Shelby coughed to cover her surprise at hearing Sebastian's statement. She was sure she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Are you okay," Sebastian asked.

"Fine," Shelby replied. She cleared her throat and found herself lost in her thoughts. She had thought she had feelings for Sebastian recently, but she couldn't really like him. There was no way she could like him after what he'd done to her. However, another part of her mind reminded her that Sebastian had grown in the time they'd been together in the 1520s. He was different than he was at first.

Sebastian asked her about herself and her day. He was genuinely interested to know about her and whatever she had to share with him. True to his word, he also hadn't pressured her to have more kids or to begin trying. She was sure he thought about it, and she did too, but she'd always planned to wait until Sadie was a year old before she let anything happen with Sebastian. Hopefully, Sadie would be around two by the time she had any little siblings.

"Shelby. Shelby, are you okay?" Sebastian asked.

"What? Sorry, yeah. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing important. Anyway, what were you saying?"

"We were just discussing how Angus and I will be living at the castle for a while before we move likely to the village nearby."

"Ahh, right. I guess that's not something I thought about before."

"Well, they'll need to move. The servants quarters are not a place for my sister to live."

"Sebastian," Angus spoke, catching his friend's attention. "The knights have their own quarters now."

"It'd still be better for you two to be somewhere else," William spoke. "You'd have your own room, but if you want a family," he trailed off.

"I agree. Maybe you could have one of the many guest rooms to start while other arrangements are made," Sebastian suggested.

"That would be nice," Angus agreed. "It would give us more of our own space, but still let us be near the castle."

"Why wasn't there something like living quarters for knights and other servants with families designed to begin with?" Shelby asked.

Sebastian was silent for a couple moments. "I think originally, most servants would be here for a few weeks then return to their homes in the nearby villages to their families for a few weeks. But I'm not sure I want to continue with that tradition."

"I agree," Shelby spoke. "Family is important. If I've learned anything from Sebastian's family—all of you—it's that it's important to have family with you. I know Sebastian enjoys having William here and I believe that is partially because they are close in age and have always been close," she finished.

"I agree with Shelby's assessment," Sebastian said. "We should find some way of changing things for the better not only for Angus and Rosalinda, but for the other knights who have families or who will have families in the future."

"That's really kind of you, Sebastian," Angus spoke.

"I want to do this not just because you are my friend and will soon be family, nor is it because I have brothers who will be knights, but for everyone. I've heard some of the older knights talking about how they wished they had more time to spend with their families. We can change this for them and for other servants in the future."

"The time with your family is priceless," Shelby added.

Sebastian nodded, taking note of a few unshed tears in Shelby's eyes. "We have room for family as guests, why not families of servants?"

"I think that would be nice for everyone," Elinor spoke. "But it will be a long project."

"It will be worth it," Sebastian confirmed with a nod. The family spent a little while longer in the courtyard of the garden before going to walk through some of the other areas of the castle grounds. A little while later, they made their way inside for dinner.

XXX

The remaining days before the wedding passed in a blur. Soon, Shelby, Elinor, and Jane were helping Rosalinda prepare for the wedding.

"I'm so nervous," Rosalinda spoke as the others finished the ties of the dress and she smoothed it out.

"Take a deep breath," Shelby spoke, keeping her voice calm and even. "Let yourself relax," she added.

Rosalinda took several deep breaths as she'd been instructed to. "Thanks, I needed that."

"You're welcome. Just remember that you're marrying Angus."

"Thank you," Rosalinda repeated as they finished getting ready for the ceremony.

"And, if you start to feel nervous again, just remember that you get to marry and spend the rest of your life with someone you truly care about and who cares about you."

"Right," Rosalinda said, offering Shelby a smile.

They soon made their way to the hall where the wedding would take place. It was the same small church hall Shelby and Sebastian's wedding took place in.

There weren't all that many people in attendance at the wedding, but the small room for the ceremony was filled. Shelby assumed it was mostly just family and close friends—people who could make the trip to the castle.

X

When the ceremony finished, the guests were led to the Grand Ballroom. The reception was similar to Shelby and Sebastian's wedding. There was a meal followed by time for dancing. A dessert table sat to the side of the room; however, it had fewer desserts than it did at Shelby and Sebastian's wedding. Neither Angus nor Rosalinda had as big a sweet tooth as Sebastian.

X

Since it was Angus and Rosalinda's big day, Shelby and Sebastian neglected wearing their crowns so they wouldn't draw attention away from the bride and groom. They also sat at a table to the side of the head table with the rest of Sebastian's siblings to ensure all the attention was on Angus and Rosalinda.

"May I have this dance?" Sebastian asked, turning to Shelby after they finished eating and offering her his hand.

"Yes," Shelby replied, taking his hand in hers.

In an attempt to make sure she didn't outshine Rosalinda, Shelby had chosen to wear a pale purple dress. Though it was a beautiful dress with lace like many of the other dresses Shelby wore, it was simple.

The two made their way to the dance floor without many people taking a second glance at them. When they made it to the dance floor, Sebastian gently put the hand that didn't hold Shelby's onto her waist. Shelby was sure she felt her heart flutter, but did her best to ignore it as she placed her free hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "I hope to be a better dance partner than I was at our wedding and coronation tonight," Sebastian spoke as the two danced.

"Thank you," Shelby replied.

For a while, the music they danced to was upbeat and they moved around the dance floor in a similar way to how they had at Homecoming. The thought of Homecoming brought Shelby momentarily back to her time in her mind. It seemed like light years since she had been home. She didn't realize she sighed, longing to see her family and friends, until Sebastian questioned if everything was okay.

"Fine," Shelby replied.

"Are you sure?" Sebastian's expression was soft as he looked down to meet her eyes.

Shelby was reminded that Sebastian truly did care, and gave in. "I was thinking about my friends and family."

"You miss them, don't you?"

"Like crazy. I mean, I'm enjoying being here now and I love Sadie, but I miss my parents, Cyd, Barry, Naldo, even my brothers. What if they think I'm dead and have a funeral and—"

"Don't think like that," Sebastian cut her off. "Maybe someday we can figure out how to get you back home. I regret that I ever forced you to be here and marry me."

As the music slowed, Shelby rested her head on Sebastian's chest. "I don't," she whispered, realizing that while she still hated what he'd done to her, she loved the man he'd become.

"What?" Sebastian asked.

Shelby was sure Sebastian wouldn't have been able to hear her. "Nothing."

"Shelby, you can tell me what you said," Sebastian spoke, his voice once again soft.

"Could we talk about this later?"

"Okay," Sebastian agreed. He made sure to make a note in his mind about the conversation so he could ask Shelby about it later. He needed to remember what the conversation was about, otherwise asking her about it would be pointless.

X

At some point, later in the evening, Sebastian cut in to dance with Rosalinda while Shelby and Angus danced together.

By the end of the evening, as Shelby and Sebastian returned to their room, they were both too exhausted to think about their earlier conversation. Since Joan and Lucinda were taking care of Sadie and would have her until the following morning, Shelby and Sebastian changed into their nightgowns immediately after returning to their room and quickly went to sleep.

A/N: This was a bit longer of a chapter, so that's part of the reason updating took a little longer than a month. I also got inspired to begin a new story since my last update here, so found myself distracted by that.

Anyway, I'd love to know what you thought about this chapter. I hope to get the next one published before the end of the month since I took a little over a month between this chapter and the last one; the next chapter is longer, but I'll try to motivate myself because it's my favorite chapter. Thanks for reading.

Reviews:

sweetsimplegirl: I hope you enjoyed seeing more of Shelby and Sebastian realizing their feelings for each other in this chapter. I'm very excited to share the next one. :)

Ansy: This chapter 100% has more of Shelby realizing she does like Sebastian even though she's been denying it. In my original plan of the story, it was going to take longer for Shelbastian to develop, but the story led me in a different direction and here we are. :)