The flight to Arus was a very quiet, boring flight. They discovered that Griff gets very air sick and when he took pills they found in the first aid kit to combat it, he slept for hours. What Tess had hoped would be some alone time that they rarely get, ended up being her reading and sleeping while he slept for 25 of the 28 hours they were in flight.

"Oh, man," Griff groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. "This sucks."

Tess laughed. "I guess space travel doesn't agree with you."

He shook his head. "I can't wait to be on solid ground again."

"We're almost there."

He leaned over her and looked out the window, his eyes widening as they approached and the Castle of Lions came into view. "Th-that's where you grew up?"

She grinned. "It sure is."

When they first boarded the ship, Tess had been overcome with nerves. But as they drew closer to Arus, her nerves turned to excitement. She was so excited to be home again, to see her family, and for them to meet Griff. She turned to see him leaning over, his head between his knees.

"Oh, babe," she rubbed his back. "Just a few more minutes."

"I hope you realize how much I am suffering for you," he muttered.

"I'll make it up to you."

He turned his head to look up at her. "Oh, yeah?"

"Of course. When we get home I'll cover your shift so you can take a day to recover."

"That's not what I was hoping for."

"That's what you're getting. Sit up, we're coming in for a landing." Tess couldn't stop her legs from jiggling with excitement. She had her seatbelt unbuckled before they had even come to a complete stop.

"Oh, honey," she sighed when she turned to see him with his head back and his eyes closed, looking even paler than usual. "Just stay here a minute, get used to not moving."

"We may end up staying on Arus," he mumbled through unmoving lips. "I don't ever want to get on a ship again."

"I bet Aunt Becca will be able to help you."

"Just a minute, I need to get ready to stand."

Tess stood beside him, shifting her weight back and forth as she tried to be patient.

"All right." He slowly rose to his feet. "Let's get this show on the road."

Tess slid her arm around his waist and helped him as he walked unsteadily toward the door.

"This is not the first impression I wanted to make on your family," Griff groaned as he laid his arm over her shoulders.

"It's okay, they won't make fun of you…too much." Tess waited for the door to slide open and, as she expected, a crowd was there to greet them. "Um, hi!" She said, stopping at the top of the steps. "We, uh, we learned today that Griff does not travel well, he's not feeling too good."

"Oh, dear," Becca said, smiling. "Come with me, honey, I can give you something for the nausea."

"Thank you," he mumbled, following her.

"You brought home a man who can't fly? Is he really your best choice?" Gideon teased as he stepped forward to hug his sister.

"Hey, Declan already approves, so you have to be nice," she said, hugging him back.

"Oh, Tess! I've missed you so much!" Allura cried, pushing her son aside to greet her daughter.

"Welcome home, Tessy," Keith said, taking his turn to hug her.

"It feels good to be home, I didn't realize how much I would miss…whoa! Sky are you having triplets!" Tess teased when she saw her friend.

"Not funny, you little brat," Sky scowled.

Tess laughed and hugged her. "Oh, you look amazing! How far along are you?"

"Almost six months."

"What're you having?"

Sky ran her hand over her growing stomach. "We decided to wait and see."

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Tess to greet and hug everyone. As thrilled as she was to see them, she just wanted something to eat and to relax. "I want to check on Griff and then I thought we could get something to eat."

"Of course," Allura said. "We'll have some snacks brought into the rec room. Go and freshen up and when you're feeling up to it, join us. We have the guest room in the Voltron wing prepared for Griff."

"Thanks, Mom." Tess could feel herself relaxing. It felt so good to be home and on solid ground again.

Becca met her in the hallway of the hospital wing. "He'll be just fine. I told him to lay still for a few minutes and I gave him something for the nausea. I'll come up with something to make the trip home a little easier for him."

"Thanks Aunt Becca."

"Oh, come here, I didn't get my hug." Becca pulled her close. "It's so good to see you, sweetie."

"You too."

Becca took a step back but kept her hands on Tess's shoulders. "He's very cute."

Tess couldn't even pretend to hide her smile. "He is, isn't he?"

"And the accent?"

"Very charming."

"I would've gone with sexy."

Tess laughed. "Aunt Becca!"

"I'm married, but I'm not dead, sweetheart." Becca winked at her. "He's in room 2."

The hospital was empty when Tess entered and the only closed door was Room 2. She knocked before sliding it open.

Griff was lying on the bed, one arm thrown over his eyes. He lifted it just enough to see it was her and put it back down. "This is so embarrassing."

She chuckled as she approached the bed. "No it's not. They're worried about you, but no one thinks any less of you."

He slowly sat up and turned so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Becca's really nice. She's…Pidge's wife?"

Tess nodded, she had told him all about her extended family and he was determined to keep them straight. "Don't worry about getting up yet."

"No, I'm feeling better. I've been laying here for a while."

"Yeah, it takes some time to say hi to everyone."

He rubbed his hands over his face. "Do you think I'd be able to get a soda or something?"

"Of course."

"Can we just hide in here a little longer?"

Tess laughed and stepped over to the bed. "Come on, I'll take you to your room. Mom wants us to freshen up and then join them in the rec room."

Griff wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, resting his head on her chest.

Tess ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Just need a moment to remember why this flight was worth it."

She chuckled. "Just think, you won't have to step back on a ship for five whole days."

He groaned.

"Come on, you'll feel better after a shower and fresh change of clothes."

"I'm going to get lost in this place at least once." He said as they left the hospital.

"When you're feeling better, I'll take you on a proper tour. Just know there are people all over this castle, feel free to ask anyone if you get lost."

"I can't believe I'm in the Castle of Lions."

"Get used to it, this will be a home away from home for us."

"No pressure."

"This is the Voltron wing," she said as they approached his room. "That's Sky and Erik's room, Declan's room, and Brina's room. Gid and Lynnai stayed in there before they bought their house."

"Where's your room?"

"In the north tower with the other family rooms." She stopped in front of the guest room door. "You look better, your color is coming back."

"Great, so I've gone from ghost white to pasty white."

Tess turned to face him. "Okay, I know you're nervous and you feel like crap, but just know how unbelievably happy I am to have you here."

He gave her a weak smile. "I really am happy to be here."

She opened the door. "Bathroom is through there and they brought your luggage up. You okay?"

He looked around the large, extravagantly decorated room, from the large bed covered in a damask comforter and at least a dozen pillows to the large screen televiewer on the wall to the vases of fresh flowers on the nightstands and dresser. "Uh, yeah, I think I'm okay."

Half an hour later, Tess returned to escort him down to the rec room. "Feeling better?" She asked when he answered the door.

"Yeah, actually, I am. Whatever Becca gave me and just not moving for a little while has really helped." He said.

Tess grinned at him, dressed in slacks, a shirt, tie and sportscoat. "You're all dressed up."

"I thought that if I was going to meet a King and Queen, I should dress up."

"Dad's a Prince Consort, not a King."

"All right, I'm trying to impress my girlfriend's family, I thought I should dress up a little."

She stood on her toes and kissed him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"You ready for this?"

Griff ran his hand through his hair and stood up straight. "Do I look okay?"

"You look sexy as hell."

"While I appreciate the thought, that is not the impression I am trying to make."

She laughed and took his hand. "Come on."

All talk stopped when they entered the rec room. Tess took a moment to imagine what it was like for Griff to face this large group of people for the first time.

"How are you feeling?" Allura asked, coming over to them.

"I'm feeling much better, ma'am, thank you," Griff said.

"Mom, Dad, this is Griffin McManus," Tess said as her father joined them. "Griff, these are my parents, Keith and Allura Whitaker."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Allura said, taking his hand in both of her's. "Please have a seat, I had them bring soda, I thought it might help settle you stomach."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"It's nice to meet you," Keith said, shaking his hand.

"And you, sir."

Tess looked around. "Do you want me to try and name everyone or should we take it a little slower."

"I want to know if you remember everyone," Declan teased.

"Oh, is that a challenge?"

"Yup."

Starting on the left side of the room, Tess took a deep breath and pointed to each person as she named them. "Okay, Griff, pay attention, there will be a test later. That's Tristan and he's holding Jake, Cady and Sammy, Sky, Erik, Aunt Darcy, Uncle Lance, Uncle Pidge, you met Aunt Becca already, and their three kids, Luke, Tori, and Ben. That's Uncle Hunk and Aunt Patton and their three kids, Casey, Mykel, and Natalia. Next Is Gideon and his wife, Lynnai, you remember Brina and Declan, then Charlotte and Nicky, and last, but not least, is Nanny."

Griff waved. "Hi."

"Please, have a seat," Allura repeated. "I'm sure you're glad to be on solid ground again."

"You have no idea," he said as Tess led him over to the sofa.

"So, Tess told us you have your own business," Keith said as he sat in the chair beside the sofa.

"Yes, sir, a bar and we're in the process of turning a house we just bought into a brewpub."

"What's the difference between a bar and a brewpub?" Allura asked.

"Welcome home, Tessy," Cady said as she sat on the other side of her sister.

"Thanks Cady. It feels good to be home again."

"Sammy has been asking about you, he wants his truck."

Tess laughed. "I left it in my room, I'll get it later. I brought presents for everyone."

"So, Declan was telling me you work in a bar now."

"Yes, and I love it."

"It's not exactly where I pictured you ending up."

"Me either, but it's where I want to be."

"Tess?"

She looked over when she heard her mother address her. "Yes?"

"Did you really hide who you are from Griff?"

Feeling a little ashamed, Tess shrugged. "Nobody recognized me and I just went with it."

"Tess."

"It was nice not being recognized or photographed everywhere I went."

"What happened?" Keith asked.

"Someone at the Independence Day party recognized me and word got out. The press got in touch with me and it was crazy for a little while."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought I could nip things in the bud if I just let someone interview me and, hopefully, they'd just leave me alone. So, I sat down for an interview with a local station and the paper, I answered all their questions and told them that I just wanted to live a normal life. For a couple of weeks, people showed up at the bar hoping to see a princess. But it is a small town and I've gotten to know so many people that they just see me as Tess, not a princess. And since I'm not a Terran princess and, unless they're in the military, most Terrans don't know much about Arus, it hasn't really been a big deal."

"If we lived in a larger city, there would be some paparazzi," Griff said. "But in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania, the novelty wore off quickly."

"Yeah, but we did get invited to the White House and to meet the president."

"You did?" Keith asked, impressed.

"Yup, the invite arrived just before we left, I wrote back and told them we'd love to. I think it would be really cool and I want to see DC." Tess said. "There are still some people who come looking for me, I think they're disappointed I'm not in a gown and crown when they see me."

"Tess, you should be proud of who you are," Allura lectured.

"I am, Mom, but I don't need to flaunt it."

"And you weren't angry when you found out?" Gideon asked Griff.

"I was mad that she wasn't totally honest with me," he admitted. "Not exactly the best way to begin a relationship."

"Oh, Tess," Allura sighed.

"Look, I know I was wrong not telling him everything from the beginning, but we talked, I apologized, and he forgave me. Let's move on." Tess said, still embarrassed by her behavior.

"I don't know if I've completely forgiven you," Griff muttered.

She looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

"Oh, I'm going to make you pay for a long time," he promised.

"I hope this doesn't reflect poorly on us," Allura said. "We tried to raise her better than that."

Tess shrugged. "You did, but then the twins undid everything you tried to teach me."

"Why do we always get blamed?" Gideon asked.

"Yeah," Declan agreed. "All we've done is look out for our siblings."

"And corrupt them," Keith added.

Lynnai groaned and crossed her hands over her belly. "I'm starting to think letting Gideon have a kid of his own to corrupt is a bad idea."

"Should've thought of that before getting knocked up," Gideon said.

"Oh, really!" Allura gasped, turning to Griff. "We tried, we really did try to raise them better."

Griff seemed to fit in well with Tess's family. He bonded with the twins, teaching them the basics of brewing and he got along great with the kids. Allura and her sisters were utterly charmed by him and he was blending in with the extended family.

After a couple of days on Arus, Tess went shopping with Allura, Cady, Lynnai, Brina, and Brina's mother for bridesmaids dresses. After years of their children dating Allura and Euclida, Brina's mother, had forged a comfortable friendship and they were both excited to help plan the wedding.

As the others went through fabric samples, discussing colors, Allura linked her arm through Tess's and steered her down an aisle.

"So, Tess, you're still planning on going back to Terra?"

"I am. I'm really excited, actually, getting my own apartment, getting back to work."

"And Griff."

"And Griff." Tess stopped at the back of the store and turned to her mother. "Honestly, what do you think?"

Allura smiled and reached up to tuck a lock of Tess's hair behind her ear. "He's a good man, sweetie, your father and I are very impressed with all he's achieved and how ambitious he is. And he obviously loves you."

"He does, and I love him."

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't rushing into anything."

"It doesn't feel like we're rushing."

"I guess having to wait for so long before your father and I could marry makes anything less than three years seem like rushing. I'm very happy for you, sweetheart, we both are, your father and I."

Tess smiled. "Thanks, Mom, that means a lot to me and to Griff."

"What are we going to do today?" Griff asked.

Tess shrugged. "Do we have to do anything? Can't we just relax? When we get back to Terra, we're going to be so busy."

Griff was stretched out in the grass next to the lake, his arms folded behind his head and his eyes closed. "We're only here for two more days, I want to see more of where you're from."

"Want to go out tonight?"

He opened one eye and looked at her. "Are you asking me out?"

Tess looked at the pencils spread out in front of her and selected a green one. "Yes."

"You've never asked me out before."

"We can hit Alforia."

"You okay with that?"

They had taken a trip to the museum on the outskirts of town because he wanted to learn more about Arus and gone for drives with parents to explore the countryside and get to know each other better, but for the most part they had stayed in the castle. Tess was a homebody when she was on Arus, mainly because that is what she had always been, but Griff was someone who enjoyed being out with people.

She smiled down at him. "Yes, I'm okay with that. I was thinking we'd sneak into town for dinner and maybe go to a bar."

He leaned up on his elbows. "I do want to see how an Arusian bar differs from a Terran bar."

"Oh, turn it off, you're on vacation."

"Sorry, I can't. What are you drawing?"

"You can see it when I'm done."

"Are you almost done?"

"Nearly."

Griff sat up and moved to sit next to her. "Seriously?"

"What?" Tess held the sketchbook up in front of her at arm's length. She had sketched him from the waist up, lying in the grass with the lake behind him. His eyes were closed and he looked at peace.

He rested his chin on her shoulder. "I think you're being generous."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, I look like…like a Disney prince or something."

She grinned. "That's how you look."

"You've got some weird rose-tinted glasses on, Love."

"You are, without a doubt, the hottest, sexiest man I've ever known."

"I hope you always see me like that," he whispered.

"I will." She turned to kiss him.

He nuzzled her neck. "And you are the most beautiful, sexiest woman I've ever laid eyes on."

"I know."

Laughing, Griff gently leaned on her until she was lying in the grass beneath him. "And humble too."

Setting her sketchbook to the side, Tess wrapped her arms around him. "I feel guilty."

"Why?" He continued nuzzling her throat, pressing gentle kisses to her skin.

"I love my family and I love Arus, but I keep thinking about going back to Terra and getting on with our lives there. Does that make me a bad person?"

"Of course not." He lifted his head to look down at her. "You've found what makes you happy and you want to pursue it. I want to get you home too so I can have my way with you."

"I was thinking more about getting my office in the house completed so I can set up shop."

"I thought you wanted to get away from the prying eyes of your family so we could fool around."

"Well, that too."

"Aun' Tess!"

Griff groaned and rolled off her.

"Sammy!" Tess called out, sitting up as her nephew ran to her.

"Consider this your friendly reminder to be smart about fooling around," Cady said as she approached, Jake on her hip.

"Thanks," Tess said, sarcastically.

"Griff, my dad sent me out to get you. He's in his study."

"Where's that again?" He asked, getting to his feet.

"I'll show you," Tess told him, slipping her pencils back in their case.

"No, that's all right, I'll find it, it's near Castle Control, right?"

Cady nodded. "Second door on the left if you take the hallway around Castle Control."

"Thanks." He jogged toward the castle.

"I wonder what that's about," Tess said, flipping her sketchbook to a clean page so Sammy could draw.

"Oh, you know what it's about. Griff asked for a meeting with Dad this morning."

She looked up at her sister. "Really?"

"Oh, Tessy," Cady sighed. "How're you going to plan a wedding on Arus if you're living on Terra?"

"That's what email is for. Besides, I want to keep it simple, I don't need or want a big wedding."

"I really wanted to go shopping for your dress with you," Cady whined.

"You and Mom and Charlotte should come to Terra some time, we could go dress shopping."

"That could be fun. I'll have to talk to Dad, maybe after Dec's wedding."

Tess rubbed her hands on her shorts, she felt nervous for Griff and she wished she could be in there with him. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"I wouldn't worry. Mom and Dad really like Griff. Tristan told me when he talked to Dad about marrying me, Dad was nice about it."

"Are you sure Tristan wasn't lying to make you feel better?"

"Nah, he wouldn't do that. No, Jake, we don't eat Aunt Tess's pencils. So, you're actually going to live on your own? You're the first of us to do that."

Tess gently tugged her pencil from her nephew's grasp. "I'm going to have a roommate. But I am looking forward to it. Just being normal."

"Being a princess isn't so bad."

"No, it's not. I am so lucky, I know that. But, what you have here isn't what I want."

Cady smiled. "I know. You were always the one that was a little different from the rest of us. In a good way."

"I'm going to miss you all, terribly," Tess admitted.

"We're going to miss you, too. This'll always be your home."

"I know. You will need to send me pictures of these two all the time."

"We will." Cady picked up her youngest son and sat him on her lap. "What're you drawing, Sammy?"

"A horse." He gripped the red colored pencil tightly in his right hand and scribbled so hard, Tess grimaced. "For Gamma."

"It's beautiful," Tess told him, gently pulling her sketchpad away from him. "Let's go take it to her."

Allura was in her study answering correspondence when her daughters and grandsons found her.

"Oh, Sammy, that is such a lovely…" She trailed off, holding up the picture.

"Horse," Cady said, trying to cover it with a cough.

"Of course it's a horse!" Allura leaned down and hugged her grandson. "I love it."

Tess sank down on the couch at the far end where she could watch the closed door to her father's study across the hall.

"Maybe if you stare at it hard enough, it will magically open," Cady said, sitting down next to her.

"Oh Cady, leave your sister alone," Allura chided.

"Do you know what Dad is saying to him?" Tess asked her mother.

She nodded. "We talked before he met with Griff."

"And?"

Allura smiled at her daughter. "You'll have to ask Griff."

"We're going out tonight, I want to take him into town."

"I'll arrange for a car for you."

"Can't we just drive ourselves?"

Allura shook her head. "I'll have a guard drive you."

"Mom…"

"Tess, while you're here you will be guarded."

Whatever Tess's response was going to be was forgotten as the door to Keith's study opened.

Keith had his hand on Griff's shoulder as they walked out, he was saying something quietly and Griff smiled and nodded.

"Gwampa!" Sammy squealed, running over to Keith.

"Hey, buddy!" Keith scooped up his grandson and flipped him over his shoulder.

"So, uh, everything okay?" Tess tried not to wince as her voice gradually rose an octave by the end of her sentence.

"I think so," Keith said, carrying Sammy over to the couch and sitting with him on his lap. "Why? Something you want to tell me?"

Tess looked up at Griff who was leaning against the doorframe. He winked at her. "Uh, no."

"Tess told me she and Griff are going to go into town tonight," Allura said.

"We'll get a car for you."

"Okay." Tess stood up. "We'll leave at six. I'm, uh, I'm going to go. Get ready."

"Have fun, Tessy," Keith called after her.

"Okay, what did he say?" She asked as soon as she and Griff were out of earshot.

"About what?"

She glared at him. "You know what."

Griff took her hand and kissed it. "It was a private conversation between your father and me."

"Come on, tell me."

Griff turned so they were walking toward the north tower. "Sweetheart, go put on dancing shoes, because we are celebrating tonight." He twirled her away from him. "I'm going to go get dressed."

At 5:30, there was a knock on Tess's door. She stopped in front of her mirror for one last look. She had chosen the dress she had worn on their first date.

Griff stood on the other side of door dressed in khaki slacks and a green button down shirt, in his hand was a single pink rose. "Ah, once again, I feel underdressed."

"I thought you were going to get a tux."

He held the rose out to her. "Don't tell your mother, I may have stolen this from her garden."

She grinned at him. "It'll be our little secret."

"Where are we going tonight?"

"I thought we'd have dinner at Josephinia's Café and then head over to Selina's for drinks."

He held his hand out to her. "Shall we go?"

Tess had called ahead to make a reservation at Josephinia's. It was a small, intimate café made for dates and quiet conversations.

"I guess it's my turn to ask you," Griff said as he opened his menu. "What do you recommend?"

"My favorite is the pear and walnut salad."

"I feel the need to remind you I'm a man, Tess."

After their orders had been taken, Tess slid her hand across the table to take his. "Are you going to tell me what you and my father talked about?"

"We talked about our future."

"And?"

He brushed his thumb over her watchband, causing a quick tingle to run up her arm.

"Stop trying to distract me," she warned.

"We talked about Flynn's and the brewpub, what I had planned for the future."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I saw you and the family we would have."

She smiled. "What did he say to that?"

"That if you shared the same vision for the future then he and your mother would support you and your decision."

Tess blinked as tears filled her eyes. "Really?"

"He told me that he and your mother couldn't wait to visit Terra as soon as they could, they want to see Flynn's."

"Oh, wow, Griff, this is really happening, isn't it?"

"It is." He kissed the back of her hand. "No turning back now."

By the time they left the café, a handful of photographers were waiting outside.

"Your Highness, who's your date?"

"Princess Tess! Is it true you're moving to Terra?"

"Your Highness! Are the rumors true?"

Tess signed deeply and tucked her head down.

Griff pulled her close and turned to shield her from the flashes.

"This is what I was talking about," she whispered.

"Only two more days and we'll be home away from all this."

"Your Highness! What is your date's name?"

Griff looked up at the man calling out the question. "My name is Griffin McManus. M-little C-big M-a-n-u-s."

"How long have you been dating?"

"About 3 months now."

"Come on," Tess whispered, pulling on his hand.

"Is it serious? Your Highness, is it serious?"

"Oh, it's serious," Griff said, twirling Tess around in front of him, wrapping his arms around her, he dipped her back and kissed her.

Tess wrapped her arms around him, gripping the back of his shirt to keep her balance as flashes went off around them.

Griff stood up, a grin on his face and his arm around Tess's shoulders. "Okay, we've answered your questions and given you what you want, now please leave us alone."

"I can't believe you did that!" Tess gasped when they were safely in the car.

He grinned at her. "You mad?"

"I don't know what I am."

"I want all those wannabes who want your money or your connections to know you're taken."

"Oh, Griff," she sighed and then laughed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You're going to come back to Terra with me, marry me, and have my babies."

At a loss for words, Tess took his face in her hands and kissed him.

"Uh, Your Highness?"

Tess released him, remembering there was a guard in the front seat. "Uh, yeah, um, Franklan."

"Yes, ma'am. Where to now?"

"Take us back to the castle, please," Griff said.

"Don't you want to go to Selina's?" Tess asked.

He shook his head. "Change of plans."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

As they approached the castle, Griff leaned over the front seat. "Can you let us out up here?"

"Are you sure?" Franklan asked.

"Yup."

He pulled over just inside the road that led to the castle garage. "I feel like I should not be letting you out so far from the castle."

"I take full responsibility," Tess told him. "And we're on castle grounds, we'll be fine."

"Thanks for the ride," Griff said as he followed Tess out of the car.

"Okay, so what's the new plan?" She asked as they stood in the field behind the castle.

"I wanted to take a walk at sunset with my girlfriend," he said, taking her hand and heading up toward the castle.

"Sounds romantic."

"I'm known for my romantic gestures."

"Known by whom?"

"The trail of broken hearts I left sprinkled around Houten."

"So the rumors were true?"

"Of course."

"Will you be able to settle for just one woman for the rest of your life?"

"Marrying you means I can't see other women?"

"Afraid so."

"Hm. I may have to rethink this whole 'getting married' thing."

Tess held her left hand out in front of her. "Well, I don't see a ring yet, so this whole 'getting married' thing might not happen anyway."

"You want a ring?"

"It would be nice."

"I'm running a business and opening another," he reminded her. "Money is a little tight."

"Oh, Griff, we can wait for the ring if you want, it's really not that important."

"Don't say that."

"Engagement rings are just an old tradition, it's not necessary for us to get married."

Letting go of her hand, Griff wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him. "Oh, pretty Tess from Arus, I am so madly in love with you."

She tilted her head back to look at him. "I am so madly in love with you and that's all that matters."

Griff reached into his pocket and pulled out a navy blue velvet ring box. "Of course I have a ring."

Tess felt her heart stop, causing her feet to do the same. "What?"

He turned to her, tossing the ring box in the air and catching it. "Of course I have a ring and I want you to wear and be photographed with it so all the men who want to marry a princess know you're taken."

Tess's eyes widened, clapping her hands over her mouth.

"I wanted to get you something special, it's not as big as the ring your brother got Brina. Someday, I'll be able to get you a ring like that."

She shook her head and lowered her hands. "I don't want a ring like Brina's, I just want a ring from you."

Griff opened the box and held it out to her. "Will you marry me, pretty Tess from Arus?"

The ring had a half-carat, round cut diamond in a simple setting. Griff lifted it out so she could see the inscription that started around the outside of the ring and was finished along the inside in elaborate script.

Le mo ghrasa mise, agus liomsa mo ghra

"It's Gaelic," he whispered, reading it for her. "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

"Yes, you are," she said.

"So, you'll marry me?"

"Of course."

A grin spread slowly across his face. "Give me your hand."

"Oh…oh yeah." She held her left hand out to him.

Griff slid the ring on her finger and brought her hand up to kiss her palm. "I love you."

Tess threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close. "I love you too. Come on!" Releasing him, she took his hand and pulled him toward the castle. "You told me we were going dancing tonight. I want to tell the family then convince as many of them as I can to go to Selina's. I feel like dancing."

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, sometimes life gets in the way. I had a lot of fun writing this story and your reviews really meant a lot. Thanks for everything!

Oh, and looking toward the future, I see Tess as the one Whitaker who has twins. A pair of little redheaded twins.