That evening, after Faye was put to bed, Frank and Eva were relaxing out on their balcony. As Frank poured Eva another glass of wine, he said, "I had a rather interesting conversation with my mother this morning."
Eva smiled. "What do you mean by 'interesting'?"
He returned her smile and put his arm around her; she cuddled against him and laid her head on his shoulder. "She made a rather intriguing request I would like you to consider."
She raised her head and looked at him. "What was it?" There was the faintest tinge of alarm in her voice, which Frank picked up on immediately.
"No need to be concerned, love. Actually, it's a rather wonderful idea. She would very much like us to have a formal wedding ceremony here. She gave me several perfectly valid reasons, but the true bottom line is it would mean a great deal to her to watch me marry the love of my life…and, Eva, it would mean a great deal to me to do that for her." He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. "And I cannot help but suspect there has always been a part of you which has regretted we never had a big, beautiful wedding."
Eva's eyes filled with tears. "Frankie, I never would have admitted it, but you're right. Our relationship is so special I just felt it deserved a beautiful celebration." She turned and put her arms around him. "It is a wonderful idea – for your mother, for my parents…and for us."
Frank returned her embrace, then pulled back to look into her eyes. "Eva, I promise, you will have a wedding fit for a Queen…literally." He paused a moment, and a pensive look crossed his face. "There is one thing of which you should be aware, however."
She cocked her head curiously. "What would that be?"
He sighed. "The wedding will be a religious ceremony, not a civil one. My mother has very much taken solace in religion as she approaches the end of her life, and she wants to see us married in the eyes of our Goddess. You will need to take religious instruction from the High Priestess prior to the ceremony."
Eva looked anxious. "I will?"
Frank nodded. "Yes." He attempted to reassure her. "Eva, I know you were brought up with a very different system of beliefs. I'm not asking you to believe what you will be taught. Approach it as an intellectual exercise – a way to learn something about the Transylvanian culture. It is something you will need to learn sooner or later anyway."
Eva sipped her wine as she considered Frank's words. Finally, a slow smile lit up her face. "You have a point. I'm sure you wished you'd had a similar opportunity when Christmas rolled around the first year we were together."
Frank laughed. "Oh, please, don't remind me." He looked at her and smiled. "One other bonus…I know you've been at 'loose ends' a great deal of the time, since I've been so busy. Planning the wedding will give you a project of your own."
Eva looked shocked. "I'll be planning the wedding? I don't know anything about Transylvanian wedding ceremonies!"
Frank's smile widened. "But my mother does. She didn't say anything to me, mind you, but I know she'd love to help you. It would be a wonderful opportunity for the two of you to spend some time together. She can give you guidance, but I assure you the final decisions will be yours."
Eva nodded and smiled. "That's fine. I'd love her help." Suddenly, her expression changed to one of excitement. "Speaking of mothers…Frankie, can we go tell mine? She and my father will be ecstatic! I know my mother always wanted me to have a big wedding…and my father missed our wedding entirely, just like your mother did."
Frank laughed. "Of course. Why not bring them over here, so we don't have to disturb Faye?"
She immediately got to her feet. "I'll be right back."
As Eva went to retrieve her parents, Frank walked into the sitting room to wait for them. In record time, Eva was back, with a very confused couple trailing behind her.
"My goodness, Eva, what on Earth…or Transsexual, I should say…is going on?" Eva's mother looked a bit shell-shocked.
Eva looked at Frank, and he nodded his permission for her to be the bearer of the good news. "Mom, Dad, Frank and I are getting married!"
Audrey and Kristoph looked at each other, mystified. Finally, Kristoph said, "Eva, unless I'm missing a rather important piece of information, you're already married."
Frank laughed. "She means we're going to have a Transylvanian wedding ceremony…a big, beautiful royal wedding."
At this, Audrey and Kristoph both looked at them with wide eyes. Finally, Kristoph walked over to Eva, his eyes glistening with tears, and took her in his arms. "I'll get to see my baby daughter get married. It is a dream come true."
Suddenly, Audrey's hand flew to her mouth. As Frank, Eva and Kristoph looked at her with some confusion, she said, "Oh, I'll be right back!"
She ran out of the room, returning quickly with a large white box. "Eva, this is for you."
Eva looked at Frank, then took the box from her mother. She sat down on the sofa, opened it, and gasped. She grabbed the box's contents and stood up, pulling out a mass of white. Holding it against her body, the others saw it was a breathtaking wedding gown.
For a moment, words failed Eva. Finally, she choked out, "I thought you destroyed your wedding gown."
Audrey smiled. "I did destroy the gown from my first marriage. Like I told you, your father and I got married by a justice of the peace. However, I never stopped dreaming of having a formal wedding with him. When I was pregnant with you, your father promised that after I had the baby and felt ready, we would renew our vows in a church wedding. I bought this dress, but never got to wear it before…he got sick." Audrey walked over and hugged her daughter. "I couldn't bear to leave it behind when I came here. It means the world to me. And now it would mean the world to me to see you wear it to marry Frank."
Eva's eyes shone with tears. She looked at Frank and said, "I don't know what brides wear here. Can I wear this gown?"
Frank smiled. "To be sure, it isn't traditional Transylvanian wedding attire. However, I fail to see that as a problem. Our wedding should be reflective of who we are, and who you are is very much influenced by your upbringing on Earth. I believe it would be uniquely appropriate for you to wear that dress."
At his words, both Eva and Audrey broke down in tears. Audrey made it to her son-in-law's side even before Eva, and put her arms around him. "Frank, I was delighted to see you marry my daughter the first time, and I'll be even happier to see you do it again." She smiled through her tears. "Who said fairy tales can't come true? My beautiful daughter will be marrying her handsome prince. If that isn't a fairy tale, I don't know what is."
Frank smiled, gently broke the embrace and walked over to Eva. Putting his arms around her, he said, "And I have no doubt we will live happily ever after."
