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It was in no way the wedding night she'd anticipated but was far better than the one she'd been dreading. Though she was too tired to do much of anything, DG delighted in curling up against Cain after they climbed into bed, listening to the steady sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear. His arm was a comforting weight over her waist, keeping her grounded, holding her close.
She thought back to the previous night, the night she'd thought would be their last together. She smiled remembering it, her heart warmed by the certainty that there would be many more of them.
Elsewhere in the palace, the party continued with her parents as hosts. Azkadellia had retired at the same time as Cain and DG, claiming the day's events had tired her out, too, but DG suspected part of it was her sister's reluctance to be around so many people when she didn't know how they felt about her.
They'd managed to stay until after the meal, sticking it out for their first dance and then a couple of others with close friends and family. While DG had been whisked around the dancefloor by her father, Jeb, Sam and Glitch, she'd watched Cain dance with her mother and sister before he'd retreated to the side-lines to speak with his father and son, their family reunion finally complete.
Once Glitch had returned her to her husband, Cain had decided it was time for them to withdraw for the evening, no doubt because she was struggling to stand on her own two feet and even leaning against him was becoming too much for her. Her eyes kept trying to close of their own accord and as much as she insisted there were people she wanted to see and speak to, Cain insisted.
It was telling that she didn't argue, and instead let him sweep her out of the room after they'd said goodnight to their families. Now, curled up against him, DG had to agree he'd made the right call.
"'m sorry this isn't much of a wedding night," she yawned against him, tilting her head back just enough to see his face. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."
The look on his face could only be described as affectionate. "It's perfect the way it is. You're here, DG. That's all I could ask for."
She smiled and let her cheek rest against his chest again, reaching for his hand to lace their fingers together. "I know I said it before, but I do love you, Wyatt Cain."
"I love you, DG Cain," he returned, lifting their hands to his lips so he could press a kiss to her knuckles. "Now go to sleep, Princess. We've got a busy day making small talk with people we don't know ahead of."
She snorted but only because it was true. Letting her body settle against him, she sighed as his warmth chased away the residual traces of the chill she'd felt since her brush with death.
*/*
The following week was indeed full of days making small talk with their esteemed guests. Although she'd rather spend the days after her wedding alone with her new husband, DG managed to find the silver lining in the situation she was. She was pleased to get the opportunity to meet with those she'd been unable to, more so because she had her sister at her side and Azkadellia couldn't think of a reason not to be there.
On the last day, before their guests would take their leave and allow the Royal Family a day or two alone before they, too, left Finaqua for the city, Cain, Jeb, Glitch and Rafe accompanied the women out onto the lawns of the palace beside the lake but were drawn into conversations of their own. DG couldn't decide whether to be amused or irritated by the segregation between men and women in upper society when there wasn't a formal event but, since it benefited her plans, she was willing to allow it rather than challenge the old tradition immediately.
She spent an hour entertaining the children that had accompanied their parents to the wedding, tag-teaming with Azkadellia to perform little feats of magic that weren't anything amazing but which kept the children enthralled. As her sister laughed and relaxed for the first time in a long time, DG quietly excused herself to join their mothers, who were watching their antics with apprehension they couldn't quite hide.
"She's good with them," Lady Ashcroft murmured, a soft smile on her face as she watched the elder Princess laugh and smile with the circle of youngsters sat around her, clamouring for her attention.
"She is. She's good with most people if they don't judge her." There was only the slightest rebuke in DG's tone and it wasn't aimed at the woman who had started to speak. "She isn't the person some think she is. There isn't an evil bone in my sister's body and it's about time everyone started to recognise that."
"You're very protective of her." It was the wife of the dignitary representing Quadling country from the South who spoke, a quiet woman called Elsbeth, who DG suspected listened and watched everything going on so she could report back to her husband.
"I am, and I make no apology for that." DG met her gaze evenly. "It was Az's protectiveness of me that got her taken by the Witch. I owe her."
Lady Ashcroft clucked her tongue in disagreement. "I'm not so sure your sister would agree. She's just as protective as you. I see it all the time with my two," she continued, her gaze shifting to her children, two boys, sitting enraptured by the elder Daughter of Light's simple display of magic. "But it's almost as if you're the oldest of the two. You have a certainty, an assuredness that your sister is lacking."
"In a lot of ways, I am the eldest. Not physically, obviously." DG shrugged and followed Lady Ashcroft's gaze though focused on her sister instead of the children around her. There was a childlike wonder to Azkadellia's expression, a delighted quality that made her look so much younger. "Az was still a child when the Witch took her; everyone seems to forget that. She was on the cusp of womanhood, yes, but she wasn't quite there. It's like time stopped for her and she's having to go through that now, even though she's by no means a teenager anymore."
"And what about you? You don't believe you deserve the same degree of understanding that you ask for for your sister," Elsbeth observed.
"I had my teenage years, regrettably for the most part. I wouldn't thank anyone for asking me to relive them." DG laughed a little but if any of the women sitting with her knew her, they'd hear the slight bitterness to it. "I remember being awkward and clumsy, a little bit on the weird side, very gawky... So pretty much how I am now, really. Here's hoping I grow out of it soon."
The women she was with laughed, as she'd intended. DG smiled along with them, her gaze shifting from her sister to the lake beyond. The conversation began to flow more easily, turning to topics that were less intrusive and more welcome for the majority of the women present.
It didn't matter, though. She'd planted the seed she'd need to, subtly prompted their view of her sister to shift. All they needed to do was mention it to their husbands, speak of the way their children were so taken with the older Princess and what remained of the doubts they harboured towards Azkadellia would hopefully begin to thaw.
*/*
"That was nicely done, Princess." Cain fell into step with her as she and Azkadellia parted ways later in the afternoon. "Very impressive."
She glanced at him but averted her gaze quickly. "I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to, General Cain."
"And I'm sure that you do." He nodded to the guards who stood outside of what was now their suite, effectively dismissing them as he opened the door for her himself.
Once she'd entered, he followed and closed the door behind them. He locked it instinctively, though the flutter of static over his skin told him she'd shielded them and the room they were in with her magic and assured him they wouldn't be overheard or disturbed without warning. He wondered if she'd noticed it was something she did automatically whenever they entered a room alone together, almost entirely without thought.
She led the way into her bedroom, where he again closed the doors behind them and turned the lock on the door out of habit. Finally alone, just the two of them, he stood back and watched as his DG slowly began to emerge from behind the mask she wore all day for everyone else.
The shoes were kicked off first, small heels she endured because it was expected of her but which she'd trade for her beaten up sneakers at any opportunity. Next, she started to remove the pins keeping her hair in its intricate style, soft curls falling to frame her face and bounce around her shoulders as they were freed from confinement.
That was fast becoming one of his favourite parts of the routine, and he moved behind her as usual to assist in removing those that she couldn't reach. He ran his fingers through her hair, feeling the soft strands run through his fingers like water. When he was sure all the pins were gone, he massaged her scalp with just the right amount of pressure from his fingertips, earning a groan of appreciation from her.
"I can't wait until tomorrow morning when the last of them leaves," DG admitted, her eyes slipping closed as she gave herself over to his ministrations. "Do you think anyone else would mind if we just shut ourselves in our room all day?"
"I think they'd understand it if we did," he murmured, continuing his massage of her scalp. "If we didn't have to go back to Central City, I'd suggest we find somewhere to hole up for a week, but I know that's not going to happen."
"Not straight away," she agreed reluctantly. "We have to go back and be there when they formally announce our marriage, for starters. That's going to be fun."
Thinking of the public appearances Glitch and the Queen were already arranging for them, Cain stifled a groan. It wasn't what he would have chosen but he accepted it as part and parcel of his life with DG; if it was what he had to do to be with her, then he'd do it without complaint. Well, he'd try not to complain too much; he couldn't promise there wouldn't be a bit of grousing here and there.
But there was a difference, he thought to himself, about being the husband of a Princess and the Consort to a Queen.
"Deege, there's something we need to talk about." He dropped his hands from her hair to her shoulders, lifting them as she turned to face him only to settle them on her hips. "Has Azkadellia said anything to you about stepping down and abdicating her claim on the throne?"
A frown flickered across her face, her dark gaze momentarily troubled. "She said she wasn't sure she wanted to be Queen, that she didn't think the people would accept her. That's why I've been doing all of this, to show her as much as them that she's more than worthy of taking over from our mother." Her eyes narrowed. "Why? What have you heard?"
"Nothing definite," he answered with a sigh. "But Glitch said a couple of things that made me wonder. You know how your father made me General and Troop Commander?" DG nodded, her brow furrowed. "They're titles usually reserved for the Consort, DG. By doing that, he appointed me as his successor."
"But he didn't know we were together then," DG pointed out, her frown growing deeper. "Why would he do that?"
"To pave the way for this, for us, I'm guessing. So the Council and anyone else wouldn't object to you choosing me should you get the chance to." It was a hugely flattering thought, though the consequences of it were troubling. "But it begs the question of what he intends to do when Azkadellia chooses to marry. If she does take the throne, her husband would be entitled to the titles he bestowed on me. Not that I'd object to anyone taking them, to be honest."
"There's no one better qualified to command the troops," DG objected, her expression thoughtful. "Maybe that's what my father was thinking. You're a hero of the eclipse and a Tin Man, the people love you for that. And your experience in the resistance gives you the knowledge needed to command should the Royal Army be needed." She smiled when he looked uncomfortable at the praise. "What was Glitch saying about Az? Does he think she's going to abdicate?"
"He doesn't know for certain but I believe Az might have asked him what would happen if she did. Interestingly," he added, quirking an eyebrow. "Your sister does seem to have had a couple of conversations with Rafe on the subject. If anyone knows what she's thinking, other than you, I'd say he's the one who might be able to say."
"Rafe?" A small, speculative smile arranged her lips. She'd come to think of her former guard as her sister's new shadow; since she'd asked him to take over as lead on Azkadellia's security detail, she hadn't seen him venture far from her sister's side. Though she'd thought it was just Rafe being dedicated to his duty, she now wondered if there was something more to it. Her sister definitely seemed to be smiling more freely these days, though she'd put that down to relief at neither of them needing to marry the very happily married King of IX or his scheming brother. "That would be interesting."
"Interesting's one word for it," Cain agreed. "He didn't seem convinced she's going to be Queen, though."
What would happen if Azkadellia did step down hung between them.
DG stilled under his hands and he felt the tension rise in her slender frame. She was unaware of the way she stood straighter, her shoulders going back, her head tilting just so her chin was at an angle.
A very regal angle, he mused. Very Queen-like.
"If that was to happen," DG started, her voice quiet and eyes intent on his. "If you were to find yourself married to the Queen of the Oz, how would you feel?"
Cain was quiet for a long moment, knowing he had to choose his words carefully. He knew DG, and remembered all too well that it was her fear of trapping him that had caused her to send him away from her all those cycles ago. It was what she feared most, making him unhappy, forcing a life he didn't want in the public eye on him. It was bad enough when she was a Princess of the realm, a representative of the Crown and therefore required to fulfil certain duties and obligations.
As Queen, it would be worse. Their lives would rarely be their own; every decision, every argument, every moment they had outside of the four walls of their rooms would be observed and speculated on, shared not only with the palace staff but those at court and the people as a whole.
It was his idea of a living hell in a lot of ways. But in others...
"I wouldn't be married to the Queen of the OZ," he said eventually, holding her gaze. "I would be married to DG Cain, my wife and the woman I love. So I'd feel exactly as I do now, damn lucky to have her and determined to keep her safe so we can keep that promise of growing old together."
She looked at him a moment longer before a smile broke out across her face. It was part shy, part relieved. Her shoulders sagged and she lifted her arms to wrap them around his neck, drawing him down to her for a searing kiss. "Then it doesn't matter what Az decides."
"It doesn't?" Cain asked, hands slipping from her hips to the small of her back, pressing her closer. "How would you feel about it?"
"I'll do what I have to do." She shrugged as if the burdens that she sometimes had to carry because of her title and her family didn't bother her when he knew that sometimes they did. "As long as it doesn't mean I lose you, I'll live with it," she continued seriously. "But if I had to choose between the throne and you, I don't think I could do it. I have a duty to my people, Wyatt, whether I'm Princess or Queen, and I understand that. But now that I have you, that I know what we have is real and isn't all just a daydream of mine..." Her voice trailed off and she shrugged a shoulder. "If Az and my mother offered me the throne tomorrow, I'm not sure I could accept it if it meant losing you. I know that's selfish of me but –"
His lips against hers cut her off mid-sentence. He made a silent promise to himself that she would never be put in that position of choosing between him and her people, their people. No matter what happened, he would be at her side supporting her however she needed him to.
"You're never going to lose me," he promised when they parted, his voice low. "Through thick and thin, hard times and good, we're in this together now. No matter what."
"No matter what," DG repeated, her hand resting at the back of his neck applying a gentle pressure to encourage him to dip down again so she could claim his lips. "Think anyone would notice if we didn't turn up to dinner?"
He smirked at the suggestion in her darkened eyes, bent slightly at the knees so he could scoop her up into his arms and carry her towards their bed. "If we didn't turn up at all, maybe. Don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if the newlyweds were a little late, though."
DG's laugh was quickly cut off by his mouth on hers, all worries about what the future held temporarily put on hold as they focused on the here and now.
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