Chapter 10: Crash the Wedding

The Duloc Cathedral. The local church of the kingdom. The cathedral is constructed similar to Duloc Castle. Having a rectangular structure, making it look like a stack of blocks. Unlike the castle however, there are stained glass windows, mostly featuring Farquaad in knight armour. The glimpse of the church's interior is the chapel, where the wedding is being held. Much like the rest of Duloc, it is square and rectangular in design.

Lord Farquaad and Princess Fiona were both up at the front of the cathedral at the altar, ready to be wedded. The whole town was there, too. The prompter card guys held up a card that read 'Revered Silence'.

"People of Duloc." The priest began. "We gather here today to bear witness to the union... of our new king..."

Fiona gets the priest's attention. "Excuse me. Could we just skip to the "I Do's"?" She asked.

Farquaad chuckled, then motioned to the priest to indulge Fiona. "Go on." He said.

Outside the cathedral, the Knights were all standing around like statues. All of a sudden, the Stormcutter dragon landed in the middle of the courtyard, making all the Knights scatter, while Shrek and Chika get off the dragon's back.

Braedey turned to the Stormcutter. "Go ahead. Chase some Knights. If we need you, I'll whistle." The Stormcutter nodded, and took off to chase the Knights.

Shrek was about to walk into the church to stop the wedding, but Chika stopped him, running up in front of him. "Shrek, wait, wait, wait a minute. You want to do this right, don't you?" She said to him.

"What are you guys talking about?" Shrek asked in frustration.

"There's a line you have to wait for." Chika explained, Braedey running up. "The priest will say, 'Speak now or forever hold your peace', and that's when you charge in and say, 'I object'!"

"I don't have time for this!" Shrek yelled in frustration. He was about to charge in the church, only for Braedey to grab him, then push him up against the doors.

"Shrek, just listen. Listen to me!" Braedey held Shrek back. "You love this Princess, don't you?" He asked the ogre.

"Yes." Shrek replied.

Braedey: "You wanna hold her?"

Shrek: "Yes."

Braedey: "Make her smile?"

Shrek: "Yes!"

Braedey: "Kiss her?!"

Shrek: "Yes!"

Braedey: "Please her?!"

Shrek: "YES!"

"~Then you gotta, gotta try a little tenderness~" Braedey spoke out in a musical tune. He then saw Chika and Shrek just look at him. "What? I thought girls love that romantic stuff." He said innocently.

"Alright, cut it out." Shrek sighed. "When does this guy say the line?" He asked.

"We'll need eyes in the sky." Braedey replied, looking up to the windows above.

About 10 seconds later, Braedey flew up to the window, looking in to see what was going on inside, while Shrek and Chika were down on the ground, ready for the moment.

"What do you see?" Shrek called.

"The whole town is in there. Fiona is at the altar." Braedey called back.

"And so, by the power vested in me..." The priest spoke out. "I now pronounce you husband and wife..."

"He said it! He said it! Go, Shrek!" Braedey called out.

"Right!" Shrek charged in, with Chika alongside him.

Fiona and Farquaad were both just about to kiss, when Shrek kicked the doors open, everyone looking over to the door, as the ogre sprinted into the cathedral. "I OBJECT!" Shrek yelled out, running up.

"Shrek?" Fiona looked in surprise, while the priest walked away in shock. "And Chika?"

"Oh, now what do they want?" Lord Farquaad scoffed to the ogre, Fiona looking a little angry.

"Hi, everyone." Shrek smiled nervously to the crowd as he walked down the altar to get to the princess. "Having a good time, are ya? I love Duloc first of all. Very clean."

"Princess. You do look very nice in that dress." Chika commented to Fiona.

"Chika, what are you and Shrek doing here?" Fiona asked.

"Really, it's rude enough being alive when no one wants you, but showing up uninvited to a wedding..." Farquaad began.

"Be silent, tiny! Or I'll make you silent myself." Chika warned, looking down at the smaller man, who was now quiet.

"Fiona! I want to talk with you." Shrek said to Fiona, walking up.

"Oh, now you wanna talk?" Fiona snapped at Shrek. "Well, it's a little late for that. So if you'll excuse me..."

"But you can't marry him." Shrek kept Fiona from kissing Lord Farquaad.

"And why not?" Fiona asked.

Shrek was nervous about answering, but then remembered something about the man. "Because... Because he's just marrying you so he can be king!"

"Yeah and not out of love!" Chika added.

"Outrageous!" Lord Farquaad glared angrily. "Fiona, don't listen to him-"

"He's not your true love." Shrek insisted.

"And what do you know about true love?" Fiona glared at him.

"Well, I..." Shrek now sounded nervous to answer, which did get Fiona's attention..

"Oh, this is precious." Lord Farquaad started to laugh. "The ogre has fallen in love with the princess!" He announced. The prompter card man holds up a card that says 'Laugh', and the whole congregation laughed, Shrek sighing to himself.

"Shrek, is this true?" Fiona asked the ogre, who looked back at her.

"Who cares?" Farquaad replied. "It's preposterous! Fiona, my love, we are but a kiss away from our 'happily ever after', now kiss me!" He then puckered his lips for a kiss.

Fiona glanced at him for that immature gesture, then she looked out the window as the sun was now starting to set. "'By night one day, by day another'..." She then looked over to Shrek. "I've wanted to show you this before." She said, walking over to the window, Shrek, Chika, and Farquaad looking over to her.

In a flash of golden light, Fiona became the monster princess she once was and still had her wedding gown and everything. Everyone in the congregation gasped in shock by what just happened, even a woman in the audience fainted.

"Well, uh... That explains a lot..." Shrek smiled sheepishly to Fiona who smiled sheepishly back to him.

"She wanted to tell you about this earlier today." Chika said to Shrek. "She just didn't get the chance to... until now."

"Ugh, it's disgusting!" Farquaad sneered in disgust. "Guards! Guards! I order you to get them out of my sight! Now! Get them! Get them!"

At once, Knights in armour began to rush into the cathedral to take Shrek and Fiona away. Chika started to use magic to blast away Knights, with Shrek using brute strength to knock them down.

"This hocus pocus alters nothing!" Farquaad glared as he put the crown on his head. "This marriage is binding and that makes me king! See? SEE?!"

"Oh, shut up!" Chika glared as she used some of her magic to down most of the knights.

Despite the efforts of both Shrek and Chika trying to knock back and forcing the Knights into submission, they just keep on coming. They held back Fiona from advancing forward, and they were forcing Shrek away.

"I'll make you regret the day we met. I'll see you drawn and quartered!" Farquaad proclaimed at Fiona, glaring at her. "You'll beg for death to save you!"

"Shrek!" Fiona yelled out in worry.

"And as for you, my wife..." Farquaad suddenly whipped out a sword, holding it at Fiona's chin.

"Fiona!" Shrek yelled out.

I'll have you locked up back in that tower for the rest of your days!" Farquaad announced.

Chika finally had enough. Her eyes narrowed darkly at Farquaad, then she whistled out loud. Unbeknown to Farquaad, the shadow of a large winged form was approaching the large windows behind him, the sound of flapping wings accompanying the shape, as it got closer.

"I am King!" Farquaad ranted on. "I will have order! I will have perfection! I will have-"

Before he could say anymore, a loud roar echoed out, just as the Stormcutter dragon smashed through the window and wall with an almighty crash. Fiona shielded herself from the falling debris as did Chika, with Shrek wrenching himself free from the Knights, while the other Knights looked at the dragon. Farquaad could only scream in horror as the Stormcutter dragon grabbed him in its jaws, like a shark grabbing its prey, swallowing him whole.

Braedey stood up on the Stormcutter's back, looking downright serious. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Nobody moves. I've got a fire-breathing dragon here, and I'm not afraid to use her." He threatened, the knights running off in fear, as the dragon grunted. "I'm a dragon on the edge!" Braedey yelled out.

Shrek smiled in relief to see his friend. Then, the Stormcutter grunted and belched, spitting out Farquaad's crown, the crown bouncing off the floor, until it landed at Chika's feet. She looked at it, and she stomped her foot on it, crushing the crown under her foot.

"Celebrity marriages." Braedey laughed. "They never last, do they?" He asked, and everyone in the audience clapped and cheered for such a performance that occurred today. Braedey looked over to his ogre friend. "Shrek, you have centre stage." He gestured.

"Uh, Fiona?" Shrek spoke up shyly.

"Yes, Shrek?" Fiona turned to him.

"I... I love you." Shrek finally said to the Princess turned ogre.

"Really?" Fiona's eyes lit up.

"Really, really." Shrek confirmed.

"I love you too." Fiona replied back softly, and they then shared a kiss with each other.

Thelonius takes one of the cards and writes 'Awwww' on the back of it, then shows it to the congregation. Chika gave a thumbs-up to Thelonius. Suddenly, the magic of the spell pulled Fiona away. She's next lifted up into the air, and she hovers there, while the magic works around her. A bright shimmering golden glow erupted from her form like a sun, forcing everyone to shield their eyes from such a sight, as the windows in the cathedral blew apart, shattering them into millions of pieces.

Eventually, the light died away, as Fiona floated down to the ground, now lying on her side, but she was still an ogre. Braedey gently patted the Stormcutter on the head, getting her attention, as he gestured over to a window next to them, which was still intact. The dragon showed a smirk, and with her tail, struck the window, and it shattered like the others.

"Fiona? Fiona. Are you all right?" Shrek walked over to Fiona, helping her up to her feet.

"Well, yes. But I don't understand. I'm supposed to be beautiful." Fiona spoke back to Shrek, seeing she's still an ogre, and not human anymore.

Shrek shook his head to her. "But you ARE beautiful." He said softly to her.

Braedey smiled, landing next to Chika. "You know, I'm not one to get emotional at something like this..." He brushed away a tear from his face. "But I do love a happy ending."

"Oh, come here." Chika hugged her draconic friend, as they smiled at their ogre friends.

Shrek and Fiona now both lean in for a proper kiss...