Chapter Nine
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek Myths.
Hope you all are having a safe Ides of March! Then again, considering none of you are Julius Caesar I assume you are—though if the ghost of Julius Caesar was reading my fic, would I even know?
Hope everyone's doing okay as the weather warms up over here in the states! I know I'm counting down until the first day of Spring finally arrives—and then I'll be complaining about the heat. Mother Nature can never escape my complaints! :D
Okay yes I do want to just say I love the 1997 Cinderella with Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother and Brandy as Cinderella. Hence the little Easter eggs sprinkled throughout!
Marcus Emrys: I have to say, I really enjoyed writing a nice little cousin chapter! Trust me, I don't know either—I do find the idea of Harry stealing Cruella's car for parts hilarious though. And ooh that's an interesting head canon! :D
twilightgirl587: Trust me, I don't know why I try to keep to a schedule either, it always reverts back to me just posting when I have a new chapter up. Well I head canon that Cerberi are immortal so Mal'll have Estelle for the rest of her life. :D
OceanBlueSeaEyes: I've never had a night like that with my cousins, but it's fun to imagine (all my cousins are either significantly older than me or younger).
AmethystDragon14: Yay! The muse appreciates being listened too :D And of course they still have sleep overs! I have to say I was kinda inspired by the Grey's Anatomy episode where Derek tells someone 'my wife and Christina had a sleepover. In my bed. While I was still in it' or something like that lol. Yeah according to Uma's Wicked Book for Villain Kids Harry tried to steal Cruella's car and sell it for parts and Horace and Jasper found him and put him in the stocks—unlike our Harry, that Harry spent three days in them. But of course go Hades! :D
danifan3000: Huh…so in some universe my theory that Aurora is an adoptive daughter of Stefan and Leah is true!
miranda88: I love it too! :D
IWantColouredRain: I have to say I'm so glad that back when I was writing Choosing Family I didn't go with them splitting up the way it was originally going to go. Went from a sort of prequel to an alternate universe :D And yeah the villain's going to take a while to appear but they'll be here!
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Chad smiled as he stood at the end of the aisle, Fairy Godmother standing next to him and Ben standing on his other side as his best man. It was honestly hard to believe this day had come—he was finally getting married.
"You nervous?" Ben muttered to him as they watched the groomsmen and bridesmaids make their way down the aisle. The groomsmen were wearing similar colored jackets to Chad's while sporting red ties while the bridesmaids were in a gold dress with a red band around the middle; a similar style to the bridesmaids dresses in Ben and Mal's wedding but of course Evie managed to make it look completely unique, as if it'd been thought up for this wedding and this wedding only.
"Should I have reason to be?" Chad asked, tugging slightly at his blue suit jacket. "Were you nervous before your wedding?"
"Completely terrified."
"Are you just telling me that to make me feel better?"
"Of course."
Chad snorted slightly as he gave Hadie a small smile, the young Godling having been paired up to walk down the aisle with Alexandria. Chad had to say, the blue haired boy looked at ease on his sister's arm.
Had it been anyone else, that might have caused the 'over protective big brother mode' to awaken but Chad had grown to like Hadie over the years. As well, you couldn't really intimidate a Godling. Not with the whole 'God' being in the name.
Besides, it wasn't as if he could go all over protective big brother on Kitty or Lucy considering they were paired with their husband and fiancé respectively. Kitty still got traction on being the first Charming kid to be married even though she was the second born.
Ah Kitty…never change, Chad thought as he glanced out over the wedding guests who were seated in the Charmington cathedral. It wasn't as grand as the Auradon cathedral in Auradon City but it was still rather spacious. Big enough to hold all the people one would think would be in attendance of the wedding of a royal heir.
"Mal wasn't upset that she wasn't in the wedding party was she?" Chad muttered to Ben, as his eyes landed on Mal sitting in the audience.
It wasn't as if there hadn't been room in the wedding party—Ginny had asked Rapunzel's five daughters to be bridesmaids alongside Chad's sisters whereas Chad had asked most of the Tourney team, his brother-in-law, his future brother-in-law, and Hadie to be his groomsmen. Had they needed to, they could have squeezed Mal in as a bridesmaid and had Akiho act as another groomsman.
"Nope," Ben told him. In all honesty, Mal had been happy to have the chance to sit down throughout the wedding rather than being on her feet. Plus she didn't exactly know Ginny all that well.
Being Uma's maid of honor was one thing—Uma was family after all. But Ginny, despite being a fellow VK, had run in a different circle than Mal had so it wouldn't exactly make sense for her to be in the wedding procession.
At least that's what Mal said before proceeding to occupy the bathroom for about four hours while they were getting ready to come to the wedding.
Thank Gods for ginger ale, saltines, thermoses, and ushers who put Mal near the back so in case she needs to leave to use the bathroom, no one will notice, Ben thought. But also we'll need to let the kingdom know soon. We can only let it go for so long before people are going to put two and two together. Plus Mal'll need maternity clothes at some point.
"Seriously, she had to include the sword today of all days?" Ben heard Chad mutter and had to bite back a chuckle as he saw Cassandra walking Ginny down the aisle.
Not usually the job of the maid of honor but it was Ginny's day. She could have whoever she wanted walking her down the aisle.
King Eugene was on Ginny's other side, which borrowed a bit from Mal's wedding but Chad doubted it would matter much. Eugene had become like a father to Ginny over the years, there truly would be no one else she'd want as the 'father of the bride' role.
"It's Cass, do you really expect her not to wear the sword on her belt?" Ben asked. "Besides, she has to intimidate you one last time before she becomes your sister-in-law. Make sure you don't run from the alter."
Chad shook his head as he smiled, watching Ginny make her way down the aisle; flower petals floating in the air as Jaq, Gus-Gus, and Mary threw them down to the ground from the balcony with Pascal helping while two of Ginny's donkey friends from the Isle accompanied her down the aisle almost like how Max had acted as the flower horse/ring bearer for Queen Rapunzel and King Eugene's wedding.
Chad could only hope the donkeys wouldn't get into the same misadventures with the rings. To prevent that, he had Bruno acting as ring bearer—yes it was copying slightly from Ben and Mal's wedding but Chad didn't rightly care.
Besides, all eyes were on the bride as they should be.
Ginny looked amazing in her wedding dress—according to Evie, it was an off the shoulder A-line wedding dress in champagne with ivory lace on top that cascaded over the tulle on the skirt of the dress.
Now Chad wasn't stupid but he honestly couldn't tell you what half those words meant. What he could tell you was that his fiancee looked amazing. And that was all that mattered.
It's possible, for a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage. It's possible, for a plain villain kid and a Prince to join in marriage, Chad thought as the music swelled throughout the hall. Fairy Godmother had asked her Fae friend Whitney if they could borrow the instrumentals from her song for a wedding march.
After all, they needed something borrowed for the wedding. They had their something old with their location, something new with Ginny's dress, and something blue with Chad's jacket. Ginny and Chad had taken one listen to the song's lyrics and knew they wanted the instrumentals for their wedding march.
And thankfully the Fae had agreed to their request.
However the song was wrong about one thing. Ginny was definitely not plain. Not in the slightest.
She looked stunning with her hair in a half updo that Dizzy had painstakingly braided in flowers while also asking Mal to add a smidgeon of length so that the half of Ginny's hair that remained down could be given a bit of curl.
He might not have known a lot about hair but he knew that his step cousin knew what she was doing.
For the world is full of zanies and fools, who don't believe in sensible rules, and won't believe what sensible people say. And because these daft and dewy eyed dopes keep building up impossible hopes, impossible things are happening every day, Chad thought, glancing slightly at Ben as the music continued to play. Thanks for being a daft and dewy eyed dope Ben. Today would have never happened if you weren't.
"Hi," Ginny whispered as she finally arrived to the end of the aisle.
"Hi," Chad whispered back, gently taking her hand and never taking his eyes off of her.
Fairy Godmother smiled as she stepped forward. "Welcome everyone. Please be seated."
After the sound of a cathedral filled with guests taking their seats quieted down, Fairy Godmother spoke up again. "Thank you all for making the commitment to be here today as Chad and Ginny pledge their love for one another and make a truly wonderful commitment of their own. Life is made ups of a series of commitments: work, friends, family, community, even to ourselves. But making this marriage commitment to the one you love can be the most fulfilling of one's entire life. Yes it is a commitment of time, resources, and emotions to another but marriage is the commitment you also make to yourself. You commit to bettering yourself each and every day working to be the best possible partner you can be for your beloved. And it's not just a commitment to give love, but also to allow yourself to be open enough to receive it back."
Ginny gently squeezed Chad's hand at that, as if she was saying that she would always be open to receiving his love. Chad squeezed her hand back, to let her know that he would always receive her love as well.
"Many of us have experienced the seemingly counterintuitive feeling that giving feels a lot more rewarding than receiving," Fairy Godmother continued, unaware of the silent communication between bride and groom. "Your whole body, your mind, your heart is filled with content and joy when you give and see how positively it affects those who are receiving. A healthy, happy marriage consists of two partners who are whole heartedly ready and willing atto give and receive just as Chad and Ginny so obviously are."
Fairy Godmother smiled as she looked out on the audience. "Chad and Ginny have gone ahead and written their own vows, which they would like to read before you now."
Chad nodded and turned to face Ginny, taking a slight breath to steady his nerves. Prince or not, heir to the throne of Charmington or not, public speaking was still rather nerve wracking.
"Ginny, I think it's safe to say that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you," he said. "There was a time in my life where I could hav been described as the son of my mother's step-sisters. The day I met you was the day my life turned around for the better and you helped me be the man I am today. I vow to always be that man, a man you can trust to always have your back no matter what, to be someone you can turn to, or just someone you want to talk about the day to day with even if you don't think I'd be interested. I vow to put you first. I love you Ginny and I always will."
Ginny smiled as she looked at Chad. "Chad, if you had told me years ago that I would not only end up marrying but marrying someone from Auradon, I would have thought you mad. I never dreamed that this could be my life, but meeting you, meeting your family…becoming a part of your family…it's been a dream come true and one I never want to wake from. I vow to be your partner, to be your person. I vow to always love you Chad no matter what."
Fairy Godmother smiled at the two of them. "May I please have the rings?"
Bruno walked forward, the pillow with the rings clamped in his mouth but still managing a small grin as he wagged his tail, looking at his hooman and his hooman's new mate.
"Chad, please repeat after me," Fairy Godmother said after both Chad and Ginny had taken a ring from the pillow. "Ginny, please accept this ring as a symbol of my love for you above all others. It's my promise that wherever our journey takes us, I will be there for you whole heartedly. With this ring, I thee wed."
"Ginny, please accept this ring as a symbol of my love for you above all others. It's my promise that wherever our journey takes us, I will be there for you whole heartedly. With this ring, I thee wed," Chad said as he slipped the ring on to Ginny's finger.
"Ginny, please repeat after me," Fairy Godmother said. "Chad, please accept this ring as a symbol of my love for you above all others. It's my promise that wherever our journey takes us, I will be there for you whole heartedly. With this ring, I thee wed."
"Chad, please accept this ring as a symbol of my love for you above all others. It's my promise that wherever our journey takes us, I will be there for you whole heartedly. With this ring, I thee wed."
The grin on Fairy Godmother's face grew as she looked at the two of them. "Do you Chad take Ginny to be your wife? To love and cherish forever?"
"I do," Chad nodded.
"And do you Ginny take Chad to be your husband? To love and cherish forever?"
"I do," Ginny said, smiling at Chad.
"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Chad needed no prompting as he placed a gentle yet firm kiss onto Ginny's lips. It was the moment he'd waited for for what felt like an eternity and one he was thrilled had finally come.
"Now I'm sure you're all anxious to get to the reception but we have one more ceremony to complete," Fairy Godmother said as Chad and Ginny broke apart. "Ginny, if you would please kneel?"
Ginny nodded, giving Chad's hand a small squeeze as she knelt down in front of Fairy Godmother. Chad could see the golden tiara that Ginny, Rapunzel, and his mother had spent months designing resting on a pillow next to Fairy Godmother and the gears in his head clicked.
They weren't just getting married—they were providing Charmington a new Princess.
"Do you solemnly swear to govern the peoples of Charmington with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?" Fairy Godmother asked.
"I do so solemnly swear," Ginny said and Chad realized something else—Ginny had been aware that they would be crowning her at the wedding.
So he had thought that it would be a separate ceremony like Mal's had been, so sue him!
Over on the bride's side of the cathedral, Chad could see Cass staring at her sister with unshed tears of what Chad assumed to be pride pooling in her eyes as King Eugene rested a hand on her shoulder.
Fairy Godmother tapped both of Ginny's shoulders with her wand, smiling at her before taking the tiara off of the pillow and gently placing it on Ginny's head. "Then it is my honor and my joy to bless Charmington's new Princess. Congratulations my dear."
"Thank you Fairy Godmother," Ginny said as she stood back up and walked over to Chad.
"Is it time for cake now? Asking for Elliot!"
"Alex, Elliot's one. Our nephew won't care if there's cake or not," Chad said with a chuckle as he looked over at his little sister. "But yes, I think it's time we head over to the reception."
He shook his head in amusement as they did just that, Fairy Godmother using her magic to transport them all to the Charming castle where the reception would be held.
"Congratulations you two," Mal said as she walked over to them, arm in arm with Ben.
"Thank you Mal," Ginny said. "And thank your father for providing the rubies for the tiara."
"He was happy to do so," Mal told her, as Estelle broke from her side to sniff at Bruno. Yes of course Estelle had an invitation to the wedding."He sends his apologies for not being able to attend. Unfortunately Rea's powers have started to come in with full force now so mom and dad thought it'd be safer if one of them stayed behind with her while the other attended."
"No apologies necessary Mal," Chad told her. "Appreciated but not necessary."
"Well I figured since I'll have some VK company in the Learning to be Royal club, I should make sure there's no bad blood," Mal said with a small smile.
Before either Chad or Ginny could say anything more, Lonnie's voice sounded out over the speakers.
"If the bride and groom could please make their way to the dance floor, it's time for their dance."
"You're dancing before dinner?" Ben asked.
"Yep," Chad nodded. "I actually want to remember dancing with my wife and not be half asleep because the food was so filling. Remind me why the French make such filing food, Ben?"
"Search me dude. I'm just surprised you got Lonnie as DJ."
"She practically demanded she have the role after sh found out Ginny and I were getting married," Chad chuckled. "Why do you think we scheduled the wedding during her and Jay's bye weeks?"
"Paging the bride and groom! We're all getting old over here!"
"Okay, okay," Chad chuckled as Lonnie shot him a look. "We're coming."
Gently taking Ginny by the hand, he led her out onto the dance floor and began to sway with her as the music began to play. They hadn't been able to decide on one song so they had elected to do a medley.
All those days watching from the windows, all those years outside looking in, all that time never even knowing just how blind I've been. Now I'm here blinking in the starlight, now I'm here, suddenly I see. Standing here it's all so clear I'm where I meant to be…
"Almost hard to believe this day finally came," Kitty whispered to Roland as they watched Chad and Ginny dance. "I'm happy for them."
"I am too," Roland nodded. "Chad seems happier than I've ever seen him."
"And that's the way it should be," Kitty sighed. "So, which of my siblings do you think is next? Lucy or Alex?"
"You know perfectly well it'll be Lucy. Your dad would kill Hadie if such a thing was possible. Not to mention you're assuming Hadie will come out of his denial or Alex will come out of her denial any time soon."
"Ah yes, excellent point."
And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted, and at last I see the light, and it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright and the world has somehow shifted…
Kit and Cinderella smiled as they watched their son and new daughter-in-law continue to dance.
"Remind me to find a way to thank Ben after all of this," Kit whispered.
"You know he won't accept it," Cinderella whispered back to him.
Kit sighed. "I know. But Ella, seeing Chad like this…it makes me so thankful that this is happening. Not after everything…"
"I know," Cinderella said gently. "But you also know that Ben won't want to be thanked for this. Bringing the kids over from the Isle, that's just what Ben wanted to do. And as an added bonus, Chad met Ginny."
Kit smiled and chuckled softly as the music shifted. "Now why does this sound familiar?"
Ten minutes ago I met you and we murmured our 'How do you do's?' I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news. 'I have found her, she's an angel with the dust in the stars in her eyes. We are dancing, we are flying, and she's taking me back to the skies.' In the arms of my love, I'm flying, over mountain and meadow and glen and I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again…I may never come down to Earth again…
"Chad can throw a pretty nice shindig," Mal said as she rested her head on Ben's shoulder.
"He certainly can," Ben nodded before lowering his voice slightly to avoid being overheard. "How're you feeling? Just say the word and I can give our excuses to Chad and Ginny and we can head on home."
Mal smiled softly. "Pup's been pretty good right now," she whispered. The last thing she wanted was for the news to get out at Ginny's wedding. Ginny deserved to have all the focus be on her. This was her day.
"You know we should probably look into telling the kingdom," Ben whispered.
"I know. But not today."
"Oh right, right. No I didn't mean today but still."
Mal sighed. "I know. But I…it's been nice not being hounded by everyone asking me how I've been. The minute we tell people, all eyes are going to be on me. More than they are already."
"Well…can we at least tell Evie?" Ben asked. He hadn't wanted to say anything but he had noticed that Mal's stomach seemed to be a bit bigger than it should have been at this stage in her pregnancy.
"…fine. But just Evie. I trust her to keep this a secret but if Dizzy and Gil find out…"
"You didn't tell Macaria?"
"…oh…right…Gil knows already then since Macaria knows," Mal said, flushing slightly. "We can trust Dizzy not to blab then considering Gil hasn't."
Ben chuckled before leaning to whisper in Mal's ear. "I guess the pregnancy brain fog is true," he teased.
"Hush," Mal chuckled as the music changed to the final song in the medley.
Am I making believe I see in you, a man too perfect to be really true? Do I want you because you're wonderful, or are you wonderful because I want you? Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream or are you really as wonderful as you seem?
"We probably should have changed the order," Chad chuckled with a small whisper as they came to a stop.
"Nah," Ginny smiled. "I think it was perfect. This whole day has been perfect."
"I'm glad. My beautiful wife deserves it," Chad said as he kissed her cheek.
Ginny chuckled. "Not any more as my wonderful husband."
Chad grinned. Husband. Of all the titles he'd had, that one was probably the one he was the most thrilled about. And the one he was excited to have for the rest of his life.
So this is the miracle…that I've been dreaming of… Chad thought as they continued to twirl around the dance floor, both Prince and Princess content to be in their own little corner of the world.
Both as content as they could possibly be.