Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait! The time has just slipped away! I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out and I hope you will be too. I'm already working on Chapter 10 but finishing it may take another little while…. In any case, I hope you it!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I just enjoy writing about them :)
Chapter Nine
The day had arrived. It was finally here. Today was the day Kit and Ella would be joined in marriage, not to be separated by anything besides death from this day forward.
Ella woke up feeling refreshed and excited. But as she was stretching and getting her bearings, there was a soft knock at the door and when she bid them to come in, Kate and Jane walked in pushing a cart, all smiles on their faces.
"Good morning, Ella, how did you sleep" Kate asked.
"Really well, thanks Kate." Ella returned their smiles.
"Slight change of plans, Miss Ella." Jane said as she wheeled the cart up to the side of the bed, "You're having breakfast in your room this morn, then it's off to get prepped for the big day"
Jane set a breakfast tray in front of Ella on the bed and started to lay out the food while Kate helped prop up the pillows behind her then moved to open the blinds.
Ella's eyes widened when she saw all the food that was being laid out and she tried to stop Jane from setting out anymore but Jane just shook her head at her and continued to pile Ella's plates high with eggs, sausage, toast, croissants and jam and then a fruit bowl filled with pieces of melon, pineapple and gorgeous strawberries and raspberries.
Mouth slightly open, Ella turned to Jane. "I couldn't possibly eat all this myself, why don't you share it with me?"
"No Miss Ella, this is for you, you'll need your strength for the big day,"
"But still, this is enough food for five people! We can easily share it among the three of us."
Since the two young maids were coming to know their lady fairly well, they knew there were some things they couldn't argue with her about and they could see that this was one of them. So instead of arguing and wasting more time, they two girls settled on the bed where Ella had scooted back to make room for them and the three of them dug into the very generous spread that the cooks had prepared just for Ella on her big day.
Ella was having a fun time just chatting and eating with the two girls and before she knew it the clock was chiming 8.a.m. Abruptly Kate broke off and looked up at the clock. Then she hurriedly got off the bed and started the clear away the remains. When Jane got up to help, she told her to go into the bathroom and fill the tub so that Ella could have her bath.
When Ella got up to help, Kate gently but firmly told her that she could manage and that she should go have her bath before it got too late. So Ella went off to the bathroom and Jane helped her into the tub of warm fragrant water that smelled of vanilla and had dozens of white flower petals floating gently on the surface of the water.
When she emerged about 20 minutes later, the food and utensils were all piled on the cart and the bed was made up and, as usual, they had already picked out something for her to put on. This time it was a just simple dress and slippers. They left her to get dressed while they went to tidy up the bathroom. When they returned she was all dressed but slightly confused. Since this was, of course, her first wedding, she wasn't sure how it was all supposed to go, but she had a hard time believing that after all the fuss that had been made over designing and preparing her wedding gown, that she would be getting married in this pale green knee length dress and slippers.
"Ok, it's time. Are you ready Miss Ella?" Kate asked.
"Ready for what exactly?" Ella asked.
"Well it's time to get ready for the wedding of course! Come with us, we'll take you down to the east wing."
They all left her room and walked down the corridor to the staircase, where they descended to the first level. When they turned down another hallway, Ella realized that she recognized where they were going. Sure enough, they came to a halt in front of the same double doors that opened unto the room where she had met the Barons who had designed her wedding dress.
Jane grabbed the handles and opened the doors to let her enter. When Ella walked through this time she had an even bigger surprise waiting for her than before. There were a few dozen people in the room who all turned to look at her and blind her with their beaming smiles. The women-she noticed there were no men present- all curtsied when she entered then they started talking at once.
"Come with me, Miss Ella, let's get started on your hair."
"What sort of shoes are you wearing today, my lady?"
"Do you prefer roses or lilies for the bouquet, Miss Ella?"
Ella's head started to swim with all the input from so many sources and she kind of stopped there stuttering for a moment but before it could get too awkward, someone took hold of her hand and gently but firmly pulled her deeper into the room, past the mob that had gathered around her.
When she looked up she looked into the kind hearted eyes of Beatrice Baron, smiling softly at her.
"Now, now girls, no need to crowd her," she said to the others. Then turning to Ella she said "Ella my dear, you were looking a bit overwhelmed so I thought I'd step in. I hope you don't mind."
"Oh not at all! I'm not sure what I'm doing exactly so I appreciate all the help I can get," she gave a nervous laugh.
"Well not to worry my dear, we'll take care of everything. We have everything all planned for you. So the only question now is, are you ready to get married?"
Ella gave an enthusiastic nod. And Beatrice clapped her hands together.
"Excellent! Now, let's get you ready. Girls! Come with me!" Taking Ella by the hand, she led her through a door into another room where a large floor length mirror lay against one wall, and there was also an entire vanity area along another wall, with another large mirror surrounded by lights and all sorts of bottles, pots and tubes arranged neatly on the table top, then there was a changing area and folding wall set up in another corner. Ella could just see a long length of a garment bag hung up in the corner and she surmised that that was her wedding dress.
"Now, let's get your hair sorted, shall we?" Beatrice lead her over to the vanity and sat her in the chair in front of the mirror. Two other women came forward and immediately started to undo the braid that Ella had plaited into her hair before she went to bed last night. They gently brushed it out and then they set to work on her hair. About a few minutes in they swung the chair around to face away from the mirror and towards them to make it easier, but also so that a third and fourth woman could come forward. But when one of the women reached for Ella's hand, Ella flinched back.
"What...? Is that quite necessary?" The lady looked a bit strangely at her, thinking to herself what an odd girl this Ella was. Who was scared of a little manicure?
But Jane, who had been hovering around the group of women working on Ella stepped in to intervene. She felt she'd come to know a bit about her lady, and if she'd learned anything, it was that Ella wasn't used to certain things that other women might see as necessary, especially when it came to any kind of beauty or cosmetic applications. Jane had just assumed that she preferred a simpler look, much like her personality, simple, unassuming, not trying to be something it wasn't. Now Jane was starting to wonder if Ella had never experienced these things before at all, and maybe her disinterest was due to her lack of knowledge of certain things, rather than a preference to not engage in them.
Acting on a hunch, Jane stepped forward and took Ella's hand in a gentle grip. "Miss Ella," she said gently, "Don't worry. It's not going to hurt. She's just going to give you a little manicure,"
Ella shook her head. "No, thank you. I'd prefer to not apply any of those odd colours on my nails please." Ella remembered how her stepsisters liked to get a "manicure" and how they had their nails painted in all these garish, bright, neon colours, and very often the paint they would use would have an odd smell as well. That was one thing that Ella didn't mind in the least that they excluded her from.
"No no no, that's... they won't apply any colours if you don't want, it's just to clean the nails and give them a nice finish is all. You want to look your best on your wedding day, don't you?"
Ella nibbled her lip as she thought about it. She looked at her hands. She had short nails, which was how she preferred to keep them, especially with all of the housework she was forced to do. And though she would wash her hands regularly to dislodge any dirt that got beneath them, they still looked a bit dull and tired. They still looked like the hands of someone who did a lot of manual labour, but she realised she wasn't that person anymore and maybe it was time to embrace a different side of her. Maybe she could try a little something...just to have her hands look a little better, maybe Kit might like it too.
Having decided, Ella nodded at the lady so that she could get on with the manicure. Everyone went back to working on their different sections of Ella's body.
It was strange to Ella, being looked after like this. She didn't have to do a single thing. Everyone around her were the ones working on making her look good, for her special day, and she didn't have to do a thing. She was being pampered and looked after and it was one of the strangest things she'd ever experienced. Ella giggled a little, but was gently shushed by the lady doing her makeup. And that was another odd thing. Like the nails, she'd watched her stepsisters heap on a lot of gunk and goo and powder on their faces, trying to achieve...Ella was never sure exactly.
She figured it was something meant to enhance their natural beauty but they put on so much that they ended up looking like... well when Ella thought about what they looked like, she remembered a time back when she was a little girl and both her parents were alive, and a travelling group came to town, they had animals and acrobats and jugglers, one of them even breathed fire! But one part of the show that stood out to her, other than the fire-breathing man, were the people who dressed up in oversized clothes and shoes, and did all kinds of funny tricks and things to make the audience laugh. They were called clowns, if Ella remembered correctly... Whatever they were called, that was essentially what her stepsisters had reminded her of whenever she saw them with their faces caked heavily with makeup. So now Ella could only hope that that was not the standard of beauty all over the kingdom and that she wouldn't end up looking like...well... a clown...
The lady fixing her nails finished and went on to file her toenails as well and Ella had time to study her nails. When she looked at them her mouth fell open in surprise. The lady really hadn't done much with them at all, but Ella's hands looked like someone else's hands. Mostly the lady, Juliette, her name was, she'd mostly just cleaned beneath the nails, filed and shaped them and then buffed and polished them til they shone. No chemicals applied at all, actually, but the before and after image looked like it was someone else's hand entirely and Ella was surprised but pleased.
Seeing how well her manicure had turned out, Ella decided to just relax and trust that everyone was doing their best to make her look her best for her wedding. So she closed her eyes and allowed herself to be lulled into a little doze by the gentle ministrations of Juliette, Vanessa, Mina and Erika (she'd gotten around to asking their names at some point during the morning)
"Okay! That's the last bit! Its finished!" Ella opened her eyes at Beatrice's excited cry. Everyone had actually just finished and had taken few steps back to admire their work but Ella was so relaxed that she hadn't noticed.
She tried to discern from the looks on their faces if she looked acceptable enough for the wedding but their faces neither showed that they were pleased or displeased with their work. Ella looked over at Beatrice and saw her gesturing for her to take a look for herself. So Ella slowly rolled the chair around again to face the mirror, and she gasped out in surprise.
If Ella hadn't been living with her body for all these years, she almost wouldn't have recognized the person staring back at her in the mirror, but not because she looked like a clown. In fact, Ella lightly patted her face. Vanessa had added just a light dusting of powder and blush, and a small amount of gloss to her lips, just to accentuate their natural pink colour.
Ella's eyes travelled up and widened even further when she saw her hair. The golden locks had been brushed out and carefully styled in an updo and fastened with several little pins, then studded with beads and pearls, and she even spotted a little silver butterfly clip in her hair too!
Ella had to blink her eyes furiously to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. She felt like the night when her fairy godmother had come to dress her up and send her off to the Ball, only this time she knew that it was for far longer than just midnight that she got to spend with her beloved Kit.
Ella turned back around in her chair to face them, and realised that they all wore slightly pensive expressions, but when she gushed "I love it! Thank you so much!" They all breathed a sigh of relief and broke out in huge smiles. If Ella had thought about it more thoroughly, she would have seen that she had more power than she realised. They all knew that she was marrying the King and would eventually become Queen, and she literally had the power to make or break their lives, so even though she seemed to be a nice person, and it was highly unlikely that she would seek to punish them over her displeasure with their work, they still understood that it was important to do their very best and put their very best work forward to ensure that they had her approval. Even if Ella herself wouldn't cause a scene, you could never be sure that the king wouldn't start something on her behalf. Everyone could already see the deep connection that the King and Ella shared, and it would only grow stronger over time.
"You all did an amazing job, thank you so much!"
When she looked like she was about to lose the battle of the tears threatening to spill over, they all swooped in to gather her in a tight embrace and simultaneously dab her eyes and touch up her face so that she wouldn't ruin her makeup before the big moment. After a few moments when she had calmed down, they all eased back. Beatrice and Kate stepped in to help her up and over to the corner with the changing screen where they helped her to undress and then get outfitted with the underclothes made specially to go under the dress. Then Beatrice and Jane brought over the garment bag and unzipped it so she could see the wedding dress that Beatrice, her husband and their team had worked on tirelessly until they got it just right.
When Ella saw it she gasped and her mouth fell open in shock and awe. Even though she had worked with them to come up with a concept for the dress, it was beyond anything she had had in mind when they had collaborated. It was everything she wanted and more, much like this whole process, actually, and she felt like her emotions were in an uproar. After all the years of suppressing how she felt so that she could get through from one day into the next day and keep her sanity and virtues about her, all of the emotion that was bottled up inside was now spilling over and she knew it must be tiring for everyone around her because it was taking a toll on her as well. So with a huge effort, she swallowed past the lump in her throat and put on a big smile.
"It's beautiful Beatrice, thank you. Will you help me put it on?"
"Of course my dear! Can't get married in a corset and stockings, can we?"
They helped her to get into the dress and buttoned up, then led her over to another chair so that she could be helped into her shoes. After putting her shoes, Beatrice came forward to secure the veil into her hair and then she stepped back to look at her work. At the scrutiny, Ella grew a bit nervous. She hoped that everything looked good, not necessarily so much for her sake as for Kit's. She knew that as the King he would have everyone's eyes always on him and that by marrying him, she was also taking on that huge burden and responsibility to make sure that she did what she could to make him look good. And it definitely would not do to make him look bad on his wedding day of all days.
But Beatrice only smiled warmly and said "Come see for yourself," before helping Ella to her feet and over to the floor length mirror. When Ella stopped in front of it, all she could do was stop and stare. The person looking back at her hardly resembled her at all. She was clothed in a beautiful white gown. The bodice was solid until it reached to top of her bustline then it gave away to sheer lace up to her neck. Her arms were also covered in lace sleeves which ended in tapered points at her wrists. The dress fell to her ankles, enough to fall to floor length but still short enough so that she wouldn't need to lift the front of it to walk so she wouldn't have to worry about tripping over it. There was a trail of flowers all around the dress, on the skirt of it and embroidering the bodice of the dress. She turned to look at the back of it and saw the long train that fanned about behind her. Her veil was long and sheer. It fell all the way down her back to meet with the train of the dress. A pair of small diamond studs winked at her ears as well. It was everything she had dreamed of and more. Finding her voice she turned to Beatrice and everyone in the room and said solemnly "I cannot put into words how grateful I am to all of you, for everything that you've done for me. Thank you."
Beatrice started to tear up in response to all the emotions saturating the room so instead she cleared her throat and said with a light laugh "Now now, no more tears ladies, we'll never get Ella down the aisle if we flood the dressing room with tears."
Taking Ella's hand, she said "Now come along dear, the King must be wondering where his bride's gone off to. Let's go get you married!"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
It was an interesting kind of morning when Kit woke up. He just sort of lay in bed for a moment, collecting his bearings. He woke up feeling surprisingly light and cheery and for a moment he was a bit confused as to the reason for it. It wasn't his birthday... Suddenly Kit's eyes grew wide and he shot up in bed. Right! He was getting married today! To Ella! He moved so fast to get out of bed that his foot got tangled in the sheets and he tripped and fell. Hearing his surprised cry, the servants in the outer chamber waiting til he woke up and summoned them rushed in and saw him sprawled on the floor. One rushed in to help him to his feet and over to a chair while another went to tidy up the bed. After making sure that the king was fine, the first servant, John, went into the bathroom to set out the things the king would need to complete his daily ablutions.
By the time Kit came into the bathroom a few minutes later, John, who'd been serving under the King since he became King a few years ago, already had the hot water running for Kit's shower. He helped him to disrobe and then left Kit to shower in peace. Alone with his thoughts in the shower, Kit's mind of course went back to what a big day today was and how things would change from this point. He was excited and happy to be marrying Ella, who was everything and more than he could have hoped to find in a wife, and Queen. She was kind, caring, loving, generous, and above all she was humble. She knew how to put people above herself and that was one trait that his father had made sure to instill in him. His father considered it one of the most important traits of being a leader, and so Kit was beyond thrilled to find someone who embodied one of this father's most important lessons, in a sense.
But then Kit also thought about how he would measure up to Ella's expectations. Sure, he was a king, he had wealth, a castle and other properties, servants, good looks, but Kit felt he knew enough about Ella to know that such things were superficial in her eyes. She preferred to look deeper, into the heart and soul of a person and see what they were really made of. Kit could only hope that since she had agreed to marry him that she saw something in him that attracted her to him, but at the same time he knew that she valued a person's character. He vowed then and there that he would make sure that she never regretted marrying him, that he always strove to be that person whom she could trust, someone whom she could be proud of, and someone on whom she could rely.
Having come to this rather easy decision, Kit's heart grew lighter and he was able to finish up with his showering and washing his hair. When he got out, he toweled off and wrapped the towel around his waist, then went to the large vanity area with the long counter, the large mirror and the double sink. John had arranged the shaving cream, razor and all the other tools he knew Kit would need to shave, and Kit smiled in appreciation before he lathered up the shaving cream on his face and picked up the razor. However, as he leaned into the mirror and lifted the razor to his jawline, he found his hand wasn't anywhere near as steady as he would have liked to complete this task, especially on a day as important as this.
After the third attempt where he almost nicked himself, he gave up and called for help. Brandon, the other lad who had been serving under Kit for about a year now, hurried in and upon assessing the situation, he briskly took the razor from Kit's hand and began to deftly shave him. After making quick work of it, he handed Kit a warm towel to wipe down with and then began to clean up, telling Kit to go on ahead.
When Kit came out of the bathroom, John had the bed stripped down, and at first Kit was surprised. The sheets had only been changed a few days ago...Oh... Kit forgot that since he was getting married today, someone else would be joining him in bed from today. The thought gave him a warm feeling in his stomach that started to spread a little further south but before he got carried away, he realized that John was speaking.
"I'll have fresh linens on the bed shortly, in the meantime, just wear these for now and we'll help you get ready after breakfast. Would that be acceptable Sire?"
Kit cleared his throat. "Yes, that would be quite fine. Thank you John."
Brandon came to help Kit get dressed and then they went off down to the dining room so that Kit could have breakfast. After eating his fill, he went off into the West Wing where he found a room with a similar set up to what Ella had. There were a few servants to help him get ready, the royal tailor, Todrick Bailey and of course Mr. Baron.
"Your highness! You're looking very dapper today, how are you feeling?" Kit smiled at Baron.
"Well I'm a bit nervous to be honest." He said with a little chuckle. "I can't believe the moment's finally here"
Baron smiled back. "Aye, I remember that feeling well. But don't worry, when you see her coming up the aisle to meet you, everything will fall into place."
Kit smiled back and then allowed himself to be tended to by all the servants there who were helping him get ready. He stripped down and allowed them to help him with the white pants, undershirt, the vest and finally the Royal Blue overcoat with gold embroidery. He sat down and let them lace up the knee high black boots that had been polished to a shine. Finally, as he stood in front of the mirror as they put the finishing touches to his hair, he allowed himself to relax just a bit. This was his wedding day and he was marrying the love of his life. He allowed himself a small smile.
Baron came up to him and said "You're looking very dapper, your majesty. I'm sure Miss Ella will be smiling ear to ear when she sees you."
"Thank you Baron, but I think I'm the lucky one. She's everything I could have asked for."
Baron smiled, a twinkle in his eyes. "Well then, you'd better go get her! Let's get you married, shall we?"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Kit looked down into the cathedral at all of the people gathered there. The place was packed and that was maybe a quarter of the people who were invited since the entire kingdom was invited to the wedding. Kit made sure to inform the persons in charge of seating arrangements that no one was to receive preferential treatment when it came to seating arrangements based on their status. This meant that persons who may have had more status or money than others were not placed up front of the cathedral just because they had more money or status. If you came early and there was a seating available, you were allowed to sit. Kit knew that Ella would appreciate a gesture such as this and he also recognised the merit in making everyone feel as if they were valued and welcome to share in this special day with him and Ella.
Kit walked down the stairs and came to stand in front of the pews of buzzing guests at the front of the cathedral. Almost immediately, the entire cathedral lulled into expectant silence.
"My friends," the king began, "I wish to thank you all for coming to share in this joyous occasion for me, and indeed for all of you. Our kingdom will once again have a Queen to rule side by side with the King and to lead us into a prosperous future. Now I've seen this person and I know that she is the only person I would want to stay and rule by my side and it is my hope that you all would come to see her and love her the way I do and that you will allow her to touch your hearts and your lives, the way that she has already touched mine. "
"So my friends, if you would, allow us to share this special moment with all of you."
After the king's little speech, a round of applause broke out among everyone present, which Kit took to mean that they approved. He gave a wide smile to the room in general and then turned and walked back up the steps to the arch that awaited him at the top, with the priest who would officiate the ceremony.
Meanwhile Ella was ready and had allowed Beatrice and the team to lead her from the room, down the hallway, out across the courtyard and into the cathedral. The cathedral really was a massive structure, Ella thought, it's a wonder she hadn't seen it before. Then again, she had only been here for a few days and the grounds were quite extensive so it really was no wonder that there were several areas she had yet to even lay eyes on.
They led her around to a side entrance where they were able to slip in without being spotted by the throng of people at the main entrance. Once she stepped inside however, she started to feel a bit anxious. It eased a bit when Beatrice led her to the group of flower girls who all excitedly crowded around her, and one of them exclaimed what a pretty Princess she was! But then when it was time to start, and the music played for the flower girls to go up the aisle, that anxiousness became a full-on panic and her heart began to beat faster. And then it was time, she heard the priest's voice boom to ask everyone to stand, and then the first lines to the wedding march played and she saw Beatrice urging her to take her place at the start of the aisle.
When she took her spot, she could see everyone's faces turned to her, all those eyes watching her intently, many of them with surprise or curiosity on their faces. And then something told her to look up, so she looked past them all the way to the end of the aisle where she could see Kit standing up on the raised platform and he too was looking right at her. Their eyes locked, and suddenly, no one else in the room mattered. Where everyone else's eyes on her made her feel like shrinking away, Kit's gaze made her feel bolder, stronger. She know then that she was ready to do this, she would march up this aisle and join her beloved who was waiting for her at the end. So when the organist opened with the wedding march, Ella took a deep breath, clutched the bouquet of white lilies close to her and slowly but confidently put one foot in front of the other and allowed them to take her up the aisle where she paused to hand the bouquet to one of the flower girls before continuing up the steps until she came to stand in front of the priest next to Kit, who was smiling at her; his eyes shining.
The music died down and the priest bid everyone to take their seats and motioned for the couple to turn to each other. "Today we celebrate the start of a new era where our new King will take a bride, the Kingdom will once again have a Queen, and in time a new generation will arrive to continue to lead us into the future." The priest went on to intone how their union was special and it should be cherished and fought for above all else.
Finally he got to the vows. He had Kit do his first. "Do you, Kit promise to take Ella as your beloved and lawfully wedded wife, do you promise to honour her, to love and cherish her in the good times and the bad, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
"And do you, Ella, take Kit to be your beloved and lawfully wedded husband, do you
promise to honour him, to love and cherish him, in the good times and the bad, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
The priest called for the ring bearer to step forward and present the rings to the couple.
Kit took hold of Ella's left hand and as he slipped it onto her ring finger he said "Take this ring, as a symbol of my love and of my promise to you to spend the rest of our lives making you feel loved and cherished."
Then Ella took Kit's left hand and slipping it onto his finger, she repeated the vows back him. Then the priest ended said a quiet benediction and then louder he proclaimed to all present that Ella and Kit were now joined in marriage and that Kit could kiss the bride.
Smiling brightly Kit leaned in and took Ella in his arms he looked deeply into her eyes for a moment before he slowly but firmly fitted his lips over hers in a slow and deep kiss.
For Ella's part, everything seemed to slow down and went kind of muted from the moment Kit took her in his arms, but when he slowly pulled away, grinning from ear to ear, the tolling of the church bells and the sudden shouts and cries of everyone in and outside of the cathedral rushed to her ears suddenly and made her jump slightly. Kit released her but took her hand in his instead. Then he leaned in again to whisper "We've finally done it" Ella looked over at him with his smile firmly in place and felt her face muscles stretch to match his in an answering smile.
Hand in hand they descended the steps and followed after the guards who had appeared to help contain the crowd and help clear the path for them as they made their way out of the church and across the courtyard back into the palace.
All along the way, the heard their names shouted out, along with greetings and congratulations. When they went back to the palace, they went straight to the balcony to greet all the people who waited below and who would not have been able to attend the actual ceremony or would not be able to attend the reception dinner due to the sheer lack of space to put them. Finally, after greeting and receiving greetings from a few thousand people, they thanked them for coming and withdrew from the balcony to go into the large dining hall for the reception.
When they came in, everyone in the dining hall rose to their feet and a thunderous round of applause picked up, while the couple made their way to the head table and took their seats, then the Captain bid the guests to take their seats as well.
Ella looked around the dining hall. She saw a few familiar faces and of course a whole lot of unfamiliar ones. She spotted Mr and Mrs Baron, she saw a few villagers whom she had known back when she was living with her stepmother and stepsisters and of course she saw Kate and Jane hovering around the edges of the dining hall.
The Captain was acting in the capacity of Master of Ceremonies for the reception and so he introduced the newly wed couple to the guests and thanked everyone for sharing the day with the couple on their special day. Then he announced that dinner would be served shortly and invited everyone to eat and drink to their hearts' content.
Jane and Kate, along with several other servants, came wheeling in a large dinner cart loaded with different dishes. They started with a light broth, full of vegetables and noodles to whet the appetite. Ella thought it was light and flavorful, full of onions, celery and carrots. Then they moved on to the main course which consisted of tender steak medallions, done just right, full of herbs and spices, nestled on a bed of different types of lettuces for a lovely salad and it was accompanied by baby potatoes cooked with garlic and herbs. Ella ate with relish. She made sure to try to plan a menu that would include lots of vegetables in an effort to make sure that everyone present, especially the common villagers, could eat well, since not all of them might have been able to afford fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. She wanted everyone present to at least be able to enjoy this healthy filling meal and so she made sure to include several salads and vegetable options on the menu for the reception.
Even though she'd eaten well for breakfast, that had been a few hours ago now. It's funny, Ella hadn't realised that so much time had passed in the day already. The whole day kind of went by in a blur that only came into focus in certain moments of the day, like when she stepped into the cathedral and walked up the aisle.
Then everything came in stunning clarity. She remembered the people, she remembered the smell of the bouquet she held, the way the dress swished around her legs as she strolled up the aisle, but most of all she remembered how Kit looked, she remembered the look on his face when he saw her, his large grin firmly in place when he offered her his arm, the way his voice was filled with certainty when he looked into her eyes and recited his vows to love and cherish her all the days of their lives.
Thinking about it again made her glance in his direction, only to see him already looking over at her. Even though she had been the one to catch him staring, she still ended up being the one to blush, which of course made his smile grow wider, then he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips to place a soft kiss at the back of it. She offered him a shy smile in return but then the two lovebirds were interrupted by a high pitched clinking noise. Looking around, they saw that the Captain was clinking a spoon against his glass to get everyone's attention. When he had it, he addressed the awaiting audience.
"Our honored guests, I believe we've reached the part of the evening where we present our well wishes to the happy couple and I'll ask you to allow me to be the first." He turned so that he was at angle where he faced both Ella and Kit and the audience he was addressing.
"I've served the previous king and I was there when our late king, Kit's father passed and Kit ascended the throne. I've taken it as my job to look after him and serve him and now once again I'll have a Queen to protect as well. Allow me to be the first to say that I am so pleased by your union and I wish you all the best for your long and fruitful lives together."
Raising his glass, he waited until everyone else raised theirs too and then toasted to couple.
After that other guests came forward to bestow their well-wishes on the couple as well. All the while Kit and Ella smiled and laughed at all the comments and well wishes they received from the guests. Finally when it seemed the toasts were about finished, there was a commotion as the doors leading to the large kitchen opened and out popped a ginormous cake on a large rolling cart, followed by Mario who was the one pushing, but until he got close, there was no way to tell it was him, the cake was that large. It was a large, 7 tiered cake, with the base colour as white and then it was alternately decorated in blue and lavender piping all around the cake. Mario also decorated it with several icing flowers and edible pearls and other decorations. All in all it was a very grand cake. Ella's eyes lit up when she saw it and when she glanced over at Kit he was also smiling broadly and when he realised she was looking at him he looked over and winked.
Mario similarly was grinning ear to ear. He wheeled the cart to the front of the room right in front of the couple and stopped. Stepping out from behind the cake, he approached Kit and Ella smiling brightly.
"My friends," he began, "Today we celebrate the union of our esteemed king and his beloved. I have known our King his entire life and even though I only met our Lady Ella just a few days ago, I can already tell that they will be very happy together. And so, to celebrate their union I wanted to give them a gift from my heart. Kit, Ella, I present this wedding cake to you as my wedding gift, made with love. "
Kit was already on his feet and took Ella's hand to help her up, then they both came around to be enveloped in bear hug by Mario. When he pulled back, he gestured to the cake where a servant was already waiting with a crystal handled knife and fork on a silver platter.
They moved over to the cake. Ella picked up the knife and Kit fitted his hand over hers on the handle. Together they made an incision in the cake and neatly cut out a small slice and put it on a small plate. By this time everyone was crowding around them eagerly waiting to see what would happen. Ella was a little confused now. She assumed they'd taste the cake as a form of appreciation for Mario's gift but it seemed everyone was waiting for something more to happen.
Then Kit came to her rescue. He moved in close to her and picked up the fork. He neatly cut off a small piece with the fork and held it up to her mouth. Ella accepted the offering and took a moment to savor the moist cake and the unique flavor of chocolate and vanilla swirl cake with the sweet, but not too sweet icing. When she finished, she opened her eyes to see Kit and everyone smiling at her, and now she knew what to do. Mimicking his earlier actions, Ella offered Kit a piece of cake from the fork, but after he accepted it, rather than chew it right away, he moved in closer to her, took her in his arms and lowered his mouth over hers.
Ella had a vague notion that the cake tasted much better when shared through a kiss with Kit, but then he moved his lips over hers and she thought that Kit tasted much better than the cake altogether. Just when she was getting lost in the kiss, Kit eased back from the kiss, but while he was still leaning close, he said just loud enough for her to hear "The cake tasted much better that way, don't you agree?" Then he winked and released her.
Ella could feel her face grow warm and it didn't help because even though Ella was sure that no one had heard what he'd said, they all seemed to understand the general idea and they were all laughing and smiling cheerily. Once again Kit came in to save her and took her hand in his.
Raising his voice, he said first to Mario, "Mario, my friend, I want to thank you for this extravagant gift. Knowing that you labored with your own hands to prepare it makes it more valuable to us than any gift paid for with gold or diamonds. And to all our friends and loved ones, we're happy to share this day with all of you. Now I think it's time the I had my first dance with my lovely wife, don't you?"
At the hoots and cheers he received, Kit knew they all agreed. Kit led Ella to the ballroom, opposite the dining area. He stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face her. Taking her hand in his, he placed the other hand gently around her waist and when the band started to play, he led her into their first dance as husband and wife.
Almost immediately, Ella's mind took her back to the night of the Ball, everything about that night had been magical, and not just because her Fairy Godmother had shown up to give her a new dress and glass slippers and a coach made from a pumpkin, but rather because it was the night where everything changed for her. Starting from that night she was no longer the little servant girl her stepmother and stepsisters tried to make her out to be. Every day, every hour from that point on, she grew into a stronger, more confident woman. Kit's love was growing her, grooming her, making her into a woman who was confident in her skin, a woman who knew she was loved and cared for and knew this gave her the strength to overcome almost any obstacle.
Ella looked up at him as he led her around the room. He looked down at her, a soft smile on his lips, his eyes shining in that way that they did when he was looking at her and allowed his emotions to show through.
As the last strings of the dance ended, Ella became aware of the cheering and hoots from the crowd who had gathered at the edge of the dancefloor to watch them. Once again Ella felt a bit startled, like she'd been so caught up in her dance with Kit, that she sort of zoned out and stopped taking notice of her surroundings. All she could think of at the moment was Kit. He took up all of her senses. It made her cheeks colour a bit to think of it.
Kit just took it all in stride. He guided Ella in a bow to show appreciation for their audience then he raised his voice and said "My friends, please, join us on the dancefloor, there's room for everyone!"
The guests began to file in and take a spot on the dance floor one by one and when the band struck up a second time, they all began dancing as one in a slow waltz. They danced and danced and the time just flew by. Ella's face muscles were sore from smiling and laughing so much, but still she didn't complain once. She was having the time of her life, and if she were to rate them, she would say that this evening outranked even the evening of the Ball, because then she was essentially playing a part. Everyone thought she was some mystery princess and Kit didn't even know her name far less anything about who she really was.
But tonight, tonight they were now joined in matrimony, she was dancing with the man of her dreams, but he was her lawfully wedded husband this time and now she really was a princess! Or queen... Ella wasn't quite sure how all that worked... but even if she had no title at all, she wouldn't mind one bit because she'd already gotten everything she's ever wanted and more when she said her vows a few hours earlier.
When the next song came to an end, Ella was a bit breathless from all of the dancing and moving around and she guessed that Kit had sensed that she was becoming a bit weary so even though she was having so much fun, she allowed him to lead her to a corner of the dancefloor. Kit opened his mouth to speak, but paused as he heard the clock chiming 11.
Afterwards he started again. "Ella, are you having a good time?"
"Oh! Yes! I'm having a wonderful time, thank you!"
Kit seemed to falter a bit, but then he smiled at her again and said "Well would you like to keep dancing?"
Ella looked at him directly. She was slightly confused. It seemed like Kit wanted to ask her something else. Well why didn't he ask it then?
"Kit, is there something you wanted to tell me?"
"No no, it's...it's nothing really." He gave a nervous chuckle that he tried to pass off as smooth.
Ella put her hand on his arm. "Kit, what's the matter? Is something wrong?"
"No, no! Ella," He took her hand in his and blew out a frustrated and slightly embarrassed breath. "I was thinking that maybe, you'd want to retire for the evening." Ella's mouth parted in a small 'O' and Kit hastened to add "But it's okay! We can stay and dance some more if you'd like."
"No, that's fine. It is getting quite late. I'm ready to leave if you are."
"Are you sure?" Kit asked her.
"Yes, I'm ready to turn in for the evening."
Having reassured himself that Ella was certain. Kit signalled the Captain. When he came over, Kit explained what he wanted then took Ella's hand and escorted her to the exit to the Ballroom.
From there, they watched and heard the Captain announce that the happy couple wished to be excused as it has been a long day but they wish to thank everyone for coming and extend an invitation for everyone to stay as long as they liked.
When everyone turned to the Ella and Kit and waved them off, Kit and Ella waved back and amidst cheers and applause, they left the Ballroom.
From there, Kit led Ella back to his suite of rooms in the Royal Chambers. Finally they came to a set of double doors with a guard stationed on either side. As the couple approached, the guards straightened to attention and each of them grasped a handle on either side and opened the doors to the Royal Chambers to allow the couple to enter.
Kit allowed Ella to precede him inside then gave strict instructions to the guards not to allow anyone to enter except in a dire emergency. Then the doors closed behind him and he followed Ella into the inner chamber.
Here you go guys. Chapter 9 is finished! I'm sorry about the ending. I couldn't think of a better way to end off this chapter because I started working on Chapter 10 already and it pretty much picks up right where this one leaves off so the ending for this chapter may have been a bit awkward. I'd really appreciate it if you let me know what you think so please leave a review!
