Joseph returned to the chapel to face the wedding party. He took his place beside Pierre for the last few moments of the rehearsal, and shook his head in response to Mia's questioning look. Pierre and Charlotte held hands, and she whispered to him: "It will work out, have faith."

A party was scheduled after the rehearsal, with one hundred or so of Genovia's young elite. When the Archbishop declared all details finalized, the wedding party scattered to dress for the dance and buffet, until only Joseph was left in the chapel with the Archbishop.

"No luck, old friend?" the Archbishop, Andrew, asked of Joseph.

"She's made up her mind, Andrew. Somehow her sense of duty to her country has only increased since I proposed to her last year. I don't think she can see any other way than to deny herself the love I offer." Joseph sat on the front pew, his head in his hands.

"Clarisse and I have been friends down through the years, but perhaps today she needs to have a counselor, someone to share her fears with. Go join the party, Joe. I'll talk to her."

The tears had stopped falling, but Clarisse hadn't moved from where she had slid to the floor. The Archbishop found her there, head on her knees, a picture of complete desolation. "Strength comes from weakness, you know."

Clarisse looked up sharply. "I appreciate you coming, Andrew, but I'd rather be alone right now."

"Sorry. I can't do that. A minister is bound to help those in need. And you, my dear friend, are very much in need at this moment."

"And what do you think I am in need of?" Clarisse had erected her wall again, and not even the pastoral presence of the Archbishop would cause it to fall, or so she hoped.

"Love."

"I beg your pardon?"

He said nothing, just letting her think about it for a moment.

"You think I'm in love with him?"

"Clarisse, what's the point in denying it? You've loved the man for forty years, and finally when you actually can admit it, you do the opposite. I'd say you're damn afraid of your own feelings."

She started to say something, but couldn't form the words. Instead, in a small voice, barely above a whisper she admitted: "I am scared."

"Of Joseph?"

"No! I'm scared of having to be just myself, not the Queen. It's who I've been most of my adult life, and now with Mia coming to the throne, I'm unsure of so many of the things I've always taken for granted."

"Like Joseph?"

She turned away from him and faced the window. "I could always put a professional distance between us when I needed to, but I don't have that anymore. The monarchy has always been my safety net with him. Without it, well I..." she hesitated.

"Without it you feel vulnerable?" The Archbishop was determined to help the Queen, his friend, face her true feelings.

"I don't know! I don't know how to be anything else. Our entire friendship has been based on me being the Queen and he being my Head of Security. But now..." she trailed off, unsure.

"Do you think Joseph loves the Queen, or does he love Clarisse?"

She looked at him, a flicker of hope in her eyes. The words came back to her, words almost forgotten, "You were never just my Queen, Clarisse. You were the someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

"Well?" The Archbishop prodded her. He could tell she was hopeful, but still struggling to believe.

"I've been such a fool. All this time I've been hiding behind the crown, holding up my duty to Genovia as an excuse not to face him as a woman, as myself." She stopped, running her hand through her hair with a sense of desperation. "But it's too late, I've pushed him away too many times."

The Archbishop held out his hand to her. "Clarisse, your love for Joseph and his for you is the greatest that I have seen in my forty years of ministry. If you don't go downstairs right now and tell that man that you'll be his wife, I'll… well, I'll be sorely disappointed in you!"

Clarisse stifled a laugh. "Yes, My Lord." But then she hesitated, and turned to her friend and confidant once again. "I told him I never wanted to see him again."

"Damn it, woman! Go tell him you changed your mind. And be quick about it before he thinks you meant what you said."

Clarisse wondered how she could have spent years dealing expertly with parliament and world leaders, and yet the man she loved could reduce her to such a state. Finally, she realized she had no choice but to heed the counsel of the Archbishop. She didn't know if Joseph would forgive her, but for the first time since she had watched him drive out the palace gates she had a sense of hope.

The Archbishop watched as her face registered the resolve he had come to know so well over the years. A quick peck on the cheek from his former Queen and she was out the door and down the stairs, forgetting to hasten in her rush to reach the man she loved.

A/NI sense a warming trend coming.
Hopefully I will be forgiven for the torment I've caused so many of you. he he

Oh, and there's just one more chapter to come. And you know how to persuade me to post it sooner rather than later...