Chapter fourteen! This is the last chapter before the epilogue I will post tomorrow. A few things I want to say about this chapter, I know it seems like it could be the epilogue, I have other plans for it. Also, in this chapter, I bring in the characters from NCIS LA, they are just here to have fun, and are not a big part of the story. The country I made up for them translates to 'operations' in Polish. I hope to see you tomorrow for the epilogue!

-owl

Ziva dragged her hands across the skirt of her wedding dress. She had never thought she would be marrying so young. Before she could let herself fall into her thoughts, she returned her attention to her dress. The dress pooled slightly on the floor behind her, the silk barely off of white. There was a stylized white corset that was worn over the dress, and the sleeves were hanging just off her shoulders.

It had been a year since she had met Tony at her birthday ball. They had gotten close before the marriage contract came up, and gotten even closer after. For the last month, Ziva had been living in the castle of DiNozzo. She was staying in a room in the west wing of the castle, but once she and Tony were married she would be put into a room that adjoined his.

It had been odd living without her family. Other than Abby, Ziva was on her own in a new country. Abby had married Timothy a month after he and Tony had returned to DiNozzo. Even though Abby was in the castle, too, Ziva was often quite busy and unable to spend much time with her.

The wedding would be simple, vows, rings, handfasting, and the kiss. Easy for her, because she barely spoke, easy for Tony, because he barely spoke. They had practiced it the day before. Nothing would go wrong.

There was a knock at her door, breaking Ziva out of her thoughts. "Enter," she called to the door.

Her mother and father stepped into the room, holding hands and smiling. They were wearing a dress and suit respectively in matching shades of pale green. Gibbs held Ziva's bouquet, a grouping of gladiolus stems and lily blooms in blue and white.

"Are you ready, Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

Jenny put her hand on Gibbs' shoulder. "Don't get all sappy, now, Jethro."

"I am ready," Ziva said, standing up and taking the flowers from her father. "Is it time?" she asked.

"Yes," Gibbs said. "Your mother and I are going to walk with you to the chapel, but then we need to find our own seats.

Ziva nodded and she joined her parents as they all left the room. Outside Ziva's room, her guard since her arrival in DiNozzo was waiting for them. Once they joined the guard, he led them through the castle. Flowers decorated the hallways, and as they got closer to the chapel, white drapes joined the flowers.

Abby was at the entrance to the chapel when they arrived. She crushed Ziva in a hug, careful to not ruin her dress. "I'm so excited!" she said.

Gibbs smiled. "We know, Abbs. Why don't we go find our seats and sit so the ceremony can begin."

Abby nodded and she joined him and Jenny to find their seats, leaving Ziva on her own at the beginning of the aisle. The bishop who would be uniting her and Tony was at the front of the chapel. He called for everyone to rise for Ziva, and once they did, she began walking down the aisle. The people on both sides of her had smiles on her faces, watching as she took each step on her way to Tony.

When she passed her family, in one of the front most pews, she saw tears in her father's eyes. Abby also seemed to be crying, tears running down her face, Timothy was holding her hand and smiling. Her mother and Kate both looked proud of her, but were not openly crying. Finally, Ziva made it to the front of the chapel, made it to Tony.

He looked like he wanted to cry. "You're so beautiful," he whispered to her. Then he took her hands and they turned to face the bishop.

The bishop smiled. "Blessings to all as we gather to join King Anthony II of DiNozzo and Princess Ziva of Meadth together," he said before turning to Tony. "King, are you here today of your own free will and choice?"

Tony nodded. "Yes, I am."

Then the bishop turned to Ziva. "Princess, are you here today of your own free will and choice?"

"Yes, I am."

"If any of you see this union to be unfit, speak now or forever hold your peace. do wish to let the potential objectors know that there is a rumor from the princess's family, that anyone who disrupts the ceremony shall later be beheaded during the wedding party for the amusement of the bride and groom."

Silence filled the chapel as the bishop gave the attendees a chance to stop the marriage. No one spoke until a single voice sounded from the back.

"She should not be marrying him!" A man yelled as he walked up the aisle.

The bishop looked from Tony and Ziva to Gibbs, then to the man who had nearly reached the altar. "There is no legal grounds for these two people not to marry."

Tony looked over to some of the guards at the edge of the room. As a pair of them approached the man, and as they started to drag him out of the chapel, Ziva recognized him as Duke Rivkin.

Once Rivkin was gone, the bishop continued the ceremony. "Do you, King Anthony II, take, Princess Ziva to be your rightful wife and pledge to her before God and these witnesses to be her protector, defender and sure resort, to honor and sustain her, in sickness and in health, in good and in bad, with all your worldly powers, to cherish and forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live?"

Tony looked into Ziva's eyes as he spoke, slowly and deliberately. "I do."

Then the bishop turned to Ziva. "Do you, Princess Ziva, take King Anthony II to be your rightful husband and pledge to him before God and these witnesses to honor and cherish him, in sickness and in health, in good and in bad, be his one true and lasting counselor and solace, and forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

Then the bishop took the rings for the pair from his pocket. He held them up, letting the sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows shine on the gold bands. "King Anthony II and Princess Ziva have set apart these rings to be visible signs of the inward and spiritual bond which unites their hearts. As they give and receive these rings, may they testify to the world of the covenant made between them," he said.

Tony spoke first, taking the band with a small diamond in it and placing it on Ziva's fourth finger on her left hand. "Receive and wear this ring as a symbol of my trust, my respect and my love for you."

Then Ziva said her part, taking the other ring and placing it on Tony's fourth finger on his left hand. "Receive and wear this ring as a symbol of my trust, my respect and my love for you."

"The circle of the rings symbolizes the purity and endlessness of their love as they have sealed their vows," the bishop said. "We will now do the handfasting with three cords being placed over their joined hands."

Abby, Timothy, Kate, and Gibbs approached the altar then, as the bishop grabbed three cords from the altar top. He handed one to all but Gibbs.

"Princess Abigail, sister of Princess Ziva, will place the burgundy cord to symbolize romance, partnership and happiness. Sir McGee, knight of King Anthony II, will now place the Ivory cord which stands for peace, sincerity and devotion. Princess Caitlin, sister of Princess Ziva, will now place the gold cord which represents unity, prosperity and longevity." After the bishop named the person and the cords they had, they would place the cords over Tony and Ziva's joined wrists. "King Gibbs will now tie the cords together to signify the tying of the knot."

Gibbs carefully tied the three cords together, tightly enough so they wouldn't fall off, but not extremely tight.

"As this knot is tied, so are your lives now bound. Woven into this cord, imbued into its very fibers, are all the hopes of your friends and family, and of yourselves, for a new life together," the bishop spoke once the four returned to their seats. "With the fashioning of this knot you tie all the desires, dreams, love, and happiness wished here in this place to your lives for as long as love shall last. In the joining of hands and the fashioning of a knot, so are your lives now bound, one to another.

"By this cord you are now and forevermore bound to your vow. May this knot remain tied for as long as love shall last. May this cord draw your hands together in love, never to be used in anger. May the vows you have spoken never grow bitter in your mouths. As any child discovers when they are learning to tie their own shoes, the first move is to cross the cross creates the (X), which is the symbol of partnership and union. As your hands are bound by this cord, so is your partnership held by the symbol of this knot.

"Two entwined in love, bound by commitment and fear, sadness and joy, by hardship and victory, anger and reconciliation, all of which brings strength to this union. Hold tight to one another through both good times and bad, and watch as your strength grows. I shall now remove the cords."

Then the bishop took the cords from their wrists and placed them once again on the altar.

"Before I call you husband and wife, you must kiss thrice. Once for luck, twice for love, and thrice for long life."

Tony and Ziva kissed on the bishop's cues, and as the crowd started to applaud, the bishop spoke one last line.

"By the power given to me by the realm, I now pronounce you King Anthony II and Princess Ziva, husband and wife."

Again, for the second day in a row, Ziva was in an extremely ornate dress. This time it was a deep blue with light blue streaks coming up from the bottom of the underskirt. The dress was more of a ballgown today. Embroidered trim edged the sleeves, neckline and the break in the over skirt with pale blue.

Yesterday she had gotten married, today she would get her crown.

There was a knock on the door, and Ziva got up from her vanity chair to open it. Tony was on the other side, a big grin on his face. He wore his ceremonial crown on his head and was in his formal suit. In his hands he held a box that was tied with deep blue twine.

He had left their room earlier in the morning, and Ziva hadn't seen him in a while. "I have a gift for my beautiful wife," he said as he entered their room. When she closed the door, he gave her the box.

"This is our shared room, you do not need to knock, you know." She looked at him as she took it and continued. "I did not get you anything, Tony. It would not be fair."

He gave her a pointed look. "I don't care, take it."

They sat down on the edge of her bed, and Ziva rolled her eyes but untied the ribbon, then removed the lid from the box. Inside, a gold ring with a sapphire rested on a small cushion. Tony took it from the box and placed it on the ring finger on her right hand.

"Yesterday I gave you a wedding ring, today I'm giving you this. You get your crown soon, Ziva, and another ring. Unlike the wedding band or the ring with the DiNozzo seal, this one is just one I'm giving you, to give you something, not out of any obligation."

Ziva smiled. "Thank you, Tony."

He stood up and offered her his hand. "Are you ready to get your crown?"

She took his hand and he pulled her up. "Yes, I think I am."

Together they left their room and made their way to the chapel where Tony had been crowned and where they had been married the previous day. The decorations were still up from their wedding, why take them down if they would need to go up again?

When they got to the chapel, it was already filled with guests. Tony squeezed Ziva's hand once as he let go and made his way to the front of the chapel. He would be waiting for Ziva to make her vows to the country and take her place by his side.

Ziva waited a full minute before entering the chapel and walking down the aisle. It was nearly the same as the day before, people on either side of her, watching her. The dress was different, but the rest was the same.

Then she made it to the front of the chapel. Instead of Tony waiting for her to take her place right next to him, he was closer to the altar. A resting pillow was on the step, and Ziva kneeled with her head bowed. The bishop approached her and took her hands in his.

"Princess Ziva of Meadth, are you willing to take the oath of DiNozzo, to take your place as your husband's queen?" he asked.

"I am willing."

"Your husband promised that he would reign with peace. Do you promise to help him keep the peace in DiNozzo and in your household?"

"I do."

"Your husband promised he would keep justice and mercy in the land, do you promise to help him in that endeavor?"

"I do."

"Your husband accepted the kingship of this country, do you accept the queenship of it and promise to live for your people?"

"I accept."

The bishop turned to grab the crown and the silver ring with the seal from the altar. First he placed the ring on her left pointer finger and the crown on her head. "I crown you Ziva, Queen of DiNozzo. Long live the queen!"

Ziva turned to face the crowd, smiling as Tony was the first to pick up the cry of 'long live the queen.'

The coronation reception was in the ballroom, which was hung with drapes of cloth bearing the DiNozzo crest. The shield with a leaping fox covered the room. Ziva and Tony would be the last to join the party, and they would enter together.

There was a short fanfare played on the trumpet before the page spoke. "Welcome King Anthony II and Queen Ziva!" he shouted to the silent room.

Tony and Ziva entered the room, arm in arm and passed people who were bowing. There was a raised platform near the back of the room, and they went there.

"Thank you all for coming to witness the coronation of Queen Ziva," Tony announced to the room. "We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy yourselves tonight."

Then it was Ziva's turn to speak. "I also thank all of you for coming. I hope to make you proud to call me your queen. I promise to keep you, my people, safe and protected."

The room applauded, and Tony and Ziva left the platform as a quartet struck up a song and they began dancing. Slowly others joined them on the dance floor, Gibbs escorted Jenny and Timothy escorted Abby. Other pairs also joined them on the dance floor.

Tony twirled Ziva as they danced, smiling. "I'm so happy to be able to call you my queen," he said to her.

Ziva laughed, spinning and letting her dress fan out around her. "You are too corny, Tony."

They danced for a little while longer then began to greet some of the visiting royalty and nobility. From Meadth, there were no guests other than Ziva's family and Jimmy and Ducky. King Fornell of Investigatii was there, watching the party with a suspicious glint in his eye. One of the other neighboring countries, Operacje, had a delegation consisting of Empress Hetty, Princess Nell, Prince-Consort Eric, Earl Sam of Hana, Sir Callen, and Duke and Duchess Deeks and Kensi of Bly.

Ziva watched as her father began talking to King Fornell, before going herself to greet the Operacje group.

"Thank you for coming, Empress Hetty," she said, nodding her head in respect. "Have you been enjoying your stay?"

The empress nodded. "I have been friends with you father for quite a while, so I knew I had to witness your coronation. Have you met my daughter, Princess Nell?"

Princess Nell nodded before Ziva could answer. "We've met before, though I think that I hung out with you sister, Abby, more than you. This," she added, pulling Prince Eric over from where he stood with the other two men, "is my husband, Eric."

Tony and Ziva shook hands with Eric and the entire delegation. Then Empress Hetty left the group, saying she 'heard someone talking about her.' The group watched as she quickly disappeared into the crowd of people.

"She's scary like that," Duke Deeks said in response to Tony and Ziva's confused looks. "If you ever start talking about her, she appears behind you."

Ziva looked at Tony, then back to the Duke Deeks. "I see."

She didn't get a chance to add anything else, as Abby came running up and launched herself at Nell. Timothy followed behind her at a regular pace, looking apologetic for her actions.

"Nell!" Abby squealed, trapping the other princess in a hug. "I've missed you so much since the last time we were together!"

Duchess Kensi, Duke Deeks, Sir Callen, and Earl Sam moved to let Abby and Princess Nell talk on their own.

"We're sorry we couldn't make it to the wedding yesterday," Sir Callen said. He was the lowest in ranking, but seemed to be the regular speaker for the group. "We were slowed on the road because one of the roads was flooded."

Tony shrugged. "It's alright. The only thing you really missed was Duke Rivkin getting beheaded."

"What did he do?" Duke Deeks asked.

"He objected to the marriage."

"Oh."

Ziva was watching Duchess Kensi. "My mother was a duchess," she commented, drawing her attention. The men kept talking about the previous day's beheading.

"But you are a princess? Sorry, weren't you a princess?" Kensi asked.

Ziva nodded. "My mother married King Gibbs when I was seven. I was raised as a princess."

Kensi looked deep in thought. "Are you the one I have heard about, the 'warrior princess?'"

"Yes, I joust and spar just like any of my father's knights. Do you do either activity?" Ziva asked.

"I spar, hands only, no swords, and I shoot," the duchess said, grinning. "I think we would get along well, call me Kensi, the title gets annoying anyway.

"Well, Kensi," Ziva said, grinning back at her, "how long will you be here? We could find time to spar."

"I'm not sure, one second," she responded, then turned to Sir Callen. "Callen, when do we leave for home?"

Sir Callen looked over to the girls. "Hetty plans on leaving on the third day from today, Kens."

"Thank you!" Kensi turned back to Ziva. "Sounds like if we are going to spar, we'll have to do it in the next two days."

"I will make sure I have time," Ziva said.

Something in her voice must have tipped Tony off, because he suddenly broke off his conversation with the other men. "What will you make time for, Zi?" he asked.

"Kensi and I are going to spar before she returns to Operacje," she answered, a sly grin on her face.

Duke Deeks' face paled. "Kensi, are you serious? You're really going to spar with the queen? What if she gets hurt?"

Kensi smacked him on his shoulder. "You idiot, you've heard the stories of the 'warrior princess,' haven't you?"

The duke's face paled even more than it had been. "Please accept my apologies, Your Majesty," he said quickly.

"It's fine, Deeks," Tony said, beginning to pull Ziva away. "Please excuse us though, we need to greet more people."

The group from Operacje nodded as Tony and Ziva left them. Tony led them towards King Fornell.

"I was not going to do anything, Tony," Ziva hissed.

"I know, Ziva, but we do need to continue talking to other people."

"I see the leadership of the country has changed," King Fornell said as they approached him. "It's alway interesting to see how DiNutso changes."

Ziva winced at the mispronunciation of DiNozzo. "Thank you for attending, King Fornell," she said. "I am surprised you came, as you seem to have such an issue with DiNozzo."

He shook his head. "Not so much the country, just late King Anthony I."

Tony looked surprised. "You were just against Father? We've been convinced that it was the country itself."

He shook his head with a laugh. "You're not my favorite, kid, but Investigatii doesn't have a true issue with DiNozzo." Then he bowed to Tony and Ziva before wandering away.

"That was odd."

"Yes, it was," Tony agreed.

They didn't get much time to themselves before Ducky approached them. "Anthony, Ziva," he greeted them, bowing. "I wish you well as you begin your reign."

Ziva smiled and hugged him. "Thank you, Ducky."

Just then, the song the quartet was playing changed and Ziva nearly got knocked over by Abby running up, draggin Kate behind her. "Ziva! Do you recognize the song?" she asked.

She did remember the song, it was the one that was always played during her birthdays. Ziva was sure Abby had always requested it to be played. For whatever reason it got played, the three sisters always danced together.

Ziva sighed happily and grabbed Abby's right hand with her left, and Kate's left with her right. Abby and Kate grabbed hands and the three spun in a circle, laughing and having fun. Their dresses fanned out as they spun, three colors melding together in a single swirl.

Kate's dress was purple with off the shoulder straps. It was light purple at the top and about a foot from the bottom it switched to a dark purple. Abby was wearing her black and red wrap dress. The fabric went up her neck to the base of her skull and the sleeves went to her shoulders.

"I heard you already have a spar planned," Abby commented as they spun. "How have you managed that in the two hours you have been queen?"

Kate gaped at her sisters. "Ziva, seriously?"

Ziva shrugged. "Duchess Kensi of Bly also appreciates sparring."

Kate and Abby shook their heads. The sisters continued dancing until the song changed again.

Gibbs took Ziva's hand as soon as her sisters let her go. "I'm proud of you," he said. "I know you will become a great queen. I didn't tell you yesterday, but I truly think that Tony will be good to you."

"I know he will."

She knew he would, he loved her, and she loved him. They would rule the country together and fulfill their vows. There was nothing for her to worry about.

The song changed and Gibbs brought Ziva over to where her family was standing. Now Ziva noticed that Gibbs was in a gray suit, and her mother was wearing a new dress. The bodice and overskirt were a pinkish maroon, and the underskirt was a tannish yellow. The maroon had lighter lines of texture crossing over it randomly, and the neckline plunged slightly lower than Jenny normally wore her dresses. Her arms were covered with long sleeves of the tan color.

Kate and Abby were there too, and Ziva smiled, her family accepted this was what she had to do. Ziva was about to say something when there was a crashing sound and then Kensi could be heard yelling.

"DEEKS!"

Then there was the sound of scrambling feet and the room dissolved into chaos.

Oh well. Life wasn't perfect, but it was more fun that way, Ziva thought as she tried and failed to hold in laughter.