A/N: Characters belong to Gail Carson Levine. Yay! I love romance. . . *
sigh *
- - - LOVE AND PREPARATIONS - - -
"Ella, I insist! You must come stay at the castle."
Ella looked up at me, her green eyes probing.
"Char. . . Are you sure? I don't want to be a nuisance to your parents or anything. . . especially now that we're engaged."
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lowered my voice to a whisper, inclining my head towards hers.
"Ella. . . I've been without you for so long. . . Now that we're finally together, I don't want to let you out of my sight, not for a moment."
"Oh, Char. I don't want to leave you, either. We've been through so much. . . Of course I'll stay at the castle," she said, putting her arms about my neck. "Anyway, I couldn't stay here with * them *." She pointed at Hattie and Olive, who were both staring at Ella as if she were an ogre.
I laughed, and kissed Ella's cheek, which made Hattie glower at us even more.
- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
All the arrangements had been made for Ella to stay at the castle. Mother had a chamber fixed up especially for her, and it was decided that Ella would reside there until our wedding.
Our wedding. I couldn't believe that we were actually going to get married. After all that we had been through, after all of the lies and all of the hurt, we had finally made it this far.
Ella and I were absolutely blissful. Every morning after breakfast, we would stroll through the castle gardens holding hands, talking about everything under the sun. Whether it was what kind of flowers would be at our wedding, how many children we wanted to have (I wanted six; Ella tried to get me down to four, but soon we compromised on five), how we first met, or our childhood memories, we never ran out of things to talk about.
Sometimes we would play pranks on the servants. (this was all Ella's idea, of course) Once we switched the flour with the baking soda when Mandy was baking rolls. We never laughed so hard as when Mandy opened the oven door and the rolls exploded, flinging dough all over the kitchen.
Mandy easily cleaned up the mess with small magic, but we were still thoroughly scolded. (With Ella and I bursting into peals of laughter whenever Mandy said the words "doughy mess")
The days passed in this way, one after the next, until there was only one week left until our wedding.
- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Oh dear. No, this just won't do." My mother plucked at the frilly lace edging the collar on my tunic. My wedding tunic, that is. I had tried on at least a dozen, and none of them satisfied my mother.
"Its much too. . . what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Girlish?" I supplied, trying to move my arms but failing dreadfully because there were too many pleats in the sleeves, constricting my movement.
"Now Char," my mother said, giving me one of her disapproving looks. "Its just a little. . . gaudy. That's all. We need something simpler," she said, looking over at the royal seamstress.
"Maybe if we just removed some of the lace, Your Majesty?"
I rolled my eyes. This was going to take all day. I wondered how Ella was faring with the fitting of her wedding dress. I knew she was going to look absolutely beautiful, no matter what she was wearing.
"No, no, no. This color is all wrong. Who ever heard of a young prince wearing pastel purple to his own wedding? He simply must wear a shade of blue. Blue is Char's best color!" My mother was getting a little hysterical.
Finally, I was outfitted in a simple white tunic with ocean blue trim and breeches. Mother said that the blue matched the color of my eyes exactly. She said I looked "absolutely handsome and dashing".
"But then, you always look handsome and dashing, darling." My mother was looking at me dreamily, probably thinking about all of the grandchildren she was going to get out of my marriage to Ella.
My mother never failed to amuse me.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I was lying in my bed. I couldn't sleep. It was about two in the morning. I couldn't stop thinking about the wedding. That Ella and I were going to be married, and how much I loved her. I wished that she was awake too. I wanted to see her lovely face, touch her hand, make sure this dream was still a reality.
"Char? Are you awake?"
I sat up immediately, my heart pounding. I saw Ella, standing beside the door in her white nightgown, ghostly pale in the moonlight.
"Ella?" I whispered. "Is that you?"
She came over to my bed, and climbed onto the quilt beside me, resting her head on my chest. I put my arms around her, my hands stroking her long hair.
"Is everything okay?" I said, my voice hushed.
"I couldn't sleep. I hope I didn't wake you. I was lying awake thinking about you, and me, and the wedding. . . I just needed to come see you."
"You didn't wake me. I was thinking about all of that too. I'm glad you came," I said.
I was more than glad. It was strange. Even when she was only a few rooms down from me, my heart still ached for her.
"I can't wait until we're married, Char. It feels like I've been waiting for this forever, and now its almost here." She lifted her head so our eyes could meet. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," I said. "More than anything in the world."
She smiled, and I leaned forward a little bit. Our lips met in a sweet, soft kiss. She settled her head back onto my chest, and soon I could hear her breathing deeply. After a few minutes she was fast asleep.
I sighed, and pulled my arms around her a little tighter. Before I knew it I had drifted off myself, and both of us were dreaming of what was to come for us in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - LOVE AND PREPARATIONS - - -
"Ella, I insist! You must come stay at the castle."
Ella looked up at me, her green eyes probing.
"Char. . . Are you sure? I don't want to be a nuisance to your parents or anything. . . especially now that we're engaged."
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lowered my voice to a whisper, inclining my head towards hers.
"Ella. . . I've been without you for so long. . . Now that we're finally together, I don't want to let you out of my sight, not for a moment."
"Oh, Char. I don't want to leave you, either. We've been through so much. . . Of course I'll stay at the castle," she said, putting her arms about my neck. "Anyway, I couldn't stay here with * them *." She pointed at Hattie and Olive, who were both staring at Ella as if she were an ogre.
I laughed, and kissed Ella's cheek, which made Hattie glower at us even more.
- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
All the arrangements had been made for Ella to stay at the castle. Mother had a chamber fixed up especially for her, and it was decided that Ella would reside there until our wedding.
Our wedding. I couldn't believe that we were actually going to get married. After all that we had been through, after all of the lies and all of the hurt, we had finally made it this far.
Ella and I were absolutely blissful. Every morning after breakfast, we would stroll through the castle gardens holding hands, talking about everything under the sun. Whether it was what kind of flowers would be at our wedding, how many children we wanted to have (I wanted six; Ella tried to get me down to four, but soon we compromised on five), how we first met, or our childhood memories, we never ran out of things to talk about.
Sometimes we would play pranks on the servants. (this was all Ella's idea, of course) Once we switched the flour with the baking soda when Mandy was baking rolls. We never laughed so hard as when Mandy opened the oven door and the rolls exploded, flinging dough all over the kitchen.
Mandy easily cleaned up the mess with small magic, but we were still thoroughly scolded. (With Ella and I bursting into peals of laughter whenever Mandy said the words "doughy mess")
The days passed in this way, one after the next, until there was only one week left until our wedding.
- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Oh dear. No, this just won't do." My mother plucked at the frilly lace edging the collar on my tunic. My wedding tunic, that is. I had tried on at least a dozen, and none of them satisfied my mother.
"Its much too. . . what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Girlish?" I supplied, trying to move my arms but failing dreadfully because there were too many pleats in the sleeves, constricting my movement.
"Now Char," my mother said, giving me one of her disapproving looks. "Its just a little. . . gaudy. That's all. We need something simpler," she said, looking over at the royal seamstress.
"Maybe if we just removed some of the lace, Your Majesty?"
I rolled my eyes. This was going to take all day. I wondered how Ella was faring with the fitting of her wedding dress. I knew she was going to look absolutely beautiful, no matter what she was wearing.
"No, no, no. This color is all wrong. Who ever heard of a young prince wearing pastel purple to his own wedding? He simply must wear a shade of blue. Blue is Char's best color!" My mother was getting a little hysterical.
Finally, I was outfitted in a simple white tunic with ocean blue trim and breeches. Mother said that the blue matched the color of my eyes exactly. She said I looked "absolutely handsome and dashing".
"But then, you always look handsome and dashing, darling." My mother was looking at me dreamily, probably thinking about all of the grandchildren she was going to get out of my marriage to Ella.
My mother never failed to amuse me.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I was lying in my bed. I couldn't sleep. It was about two in the morning. I couldn't stop thinking about the wedding. That Ella and I were going to be married, and how much I loved her. I wished that she was awake too. I wanted to see her lovely face, touch her hand, make sure this dream was still a reality.
"Char? Are you awake?"
I sat up immediately, my heart pounding. I saw Ella, standing beside the door in her white nightgown, ghostly pale in the moonlight.
"Ella?" I whispered. "Is that you?"
She came over to my bed, and climbed onto the quilt beside me, resting her head on my chest. I put my arms around her, my hands stroking her long hair.
"Is everything okay?" I said, my voice hushed.
"I couldn't sleep. I hope I didn't wake you. I was lying awake thinking about you, and me, and the wedding. . . I just needed to come see you."
"You didn't wake me. I was thinking about all of that too. I'm glad you came," I said.
I was more than glad. It was strange. Even when she was only a few rooms down from me, my heart still ached for her.
"I can't wait until we're married, Char. It feels like I've been waiting for this forever, and now its almost here." She lifted her head so our eyes could meet. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," I said. "More than anything in the world."
She smiled, and I leaned forward a little bit. Our lips met in a sweet, soft kiss. She settled her head back onto my chest, and soon I could hear her breathing deeply. After a few minutes she was fast asleep.
I sighed, and pulled my arms around her a little tighter. Before I knew it I had drifted off myself, and both of us were dreaming of what was to come for us in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -