Royal Matchmaker

Chapter Fourteen

"I would like to welcome everyone to this year's Jubilee Celebration." Jack stood at the podium and looked around the room at the assembled guests, resplendent in their best finery. "We are honouring the thirty years my father has been on the throne." He smiled warmly at his father. "As your prince I have had both the blessing and the curse of growing up before your eyes, and with the help of a very special person…"

Trying hard to ignore the gnawing feeling in her belly, Petra glanced over her shoulder at Tosh, seated at the table behind her. Tosh managed a weak smile at her even as she wrung her hands beneath the table. She was quite worried about Ianto, having checked their suite as well as his favourite spots around the palace looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found, and she'd tried numerous times to reach by phone but he wasn't answering his mobile.

"I am confident that you will see a new side emerge." Jack straightened his shoulders. "First, I would like to vow to continue my work with charities both abroad and here on our own soil."

King Franklin found himself tuning out his son's speech as he searched the guests for Ianto's familiar face and he frowned when he realised the Welshman wasn't present.

Jack looked directly at Rudy, seated between Owen and Tosh. "I am thrilled to report that Parliament has agreed favourably to my passionate pleas to restore the St James Community Centre to its former glory."

Overjoyed at the news, Owen reached out and hugged Rudy tightly as the room broke out in loud applause and cheers.

"Here, here!" King Franklin beamed proudly.

"Through funds from the Queen Cristina Grant, next spring, in her honour, it will be rechristened as the Queen Cristina Community Centre."

Another round of applause and cheers erupted in the room and Jack caught Rudy's eye and winked at him. Rudy grinned back at him from ear to ear.

It took a long moment for the celebration to die down, and when it did, Jack continued. "My parents were and still are a shining example for me, not just in the importance of charity, but to that of love."

An excited murmur ran though the guests and a third round of applause broke out.

King Franklin looked first at Toshiko, who was smiling at Owen with her heart in her eyes, then at Petra, who was looking at Jack with mild interest – nothing at all like the look in Tosh's eyes for the man she loved – and then he took a long, hard look at his son, seeing steely determination but not true affection in his eyes as Jack watched Petra glancing around the room with a barely concealed look of boredome before checking out her manicure.

Now that the time for the engagement announcement was apparently at hand, the king wasn't sure he'd done the right thing, forcing Jack into a relationship that would lead to marriage and an heir. Truthfully, bringing in the matchmaker had been very good for Jack himself; Ianto had brought the prince out of his protective shell, but in the back of his mind, Franklin could hear his wife telling him, 'Franklin, get your royal arse in gear and fix this before it's too late and our son ends up miserable and ultimately alone.'

Abruptly, the king stood up and left the table, oblivious to the curious looks he was getting as he slipped between his guests and out of the ballroom; he never saw the look of intense concern on Tosh's face as she watched him leave.

As the time grew later, the throngs of people coming and going at the train station had thinned quite a bit, leaving Ianto nearly alone on the platform. He was cold and alone and oh-so-sad, but the idea of going back inside and being around people who were cheery and excited about travelling just soured his mood even more.

He got up to pace, hoping it would warm him up a little and on his fifth trip past his seat and bags, his mobile bleeped in his pocket, alerting him to yet another text. Pulling it out, he saw the message, like all the others, was from Toshiko, but this one had several exclamation points before the words began. Ignoring all the others left unopened, Ianto slid his finger over this one, bringing the words top the screen.

'Jack is looking all over for you. What do you want me to tell him?'

Tears sprang to Ianto's eyes, blurring the words, and a huge part of him wanted to turn around and return to the palace but then common sense took over. His inner voice was firm and matter-of-fact when it told him, 'Don't be stupid, he's not looking for you because he wants you, he just expects you to be there as one of the guests.'

As he finally lifted his phone to return the text, several fat tears plopped onto the screen, making Ianto brush angrily at his eyes. When he lowered his hand he was shocked beyond belief to find King Franklin standing in front of him with a bemused expression on his face while all around him travellers were gathering and whispering about seeing the King.

"Your Majesty!" Ianto immediately went into a deep bow. "What are you doing here?" Seeing the king's protection officer standing between the monarch and the crowd of people, he lowered his voice and said, "You're supposed to be at the Jubilee Ball," as though it were a secret.

King Franklin put on a face full of disapproval. "As are you."

Ianto had the grace to blush. "Ah… yes… yes, Your Majesty," he stammered. "Yes, I'm sorry… but I… I just can't."

"You seem to have developed a… fondness for my son, Mr Jones."

Ianto's blush deepened; he had no idea anyone but Tosh was aware of that fact, let alone the King of Boeshane. "Yes, I'm sorry," he apologised again. "I assure you that wasn't intentional."

"Well then, I am confused," Franklin frowned. "I assumed we had an agreement."

Ianto was slightly taken aback. "We did and I fulfilled my obligation."

A smile twitched the corners of the king's mouth. "Then why do you believe I came down here on the night of the Royal Jubilee?"

"I don't know!" Ianto's eyebrows rose in confusion; he was too heartsick to be interested in riddles.

"Because, young man, you promised me to help find my son his happily-ever-after and I believed you."

The string quartet played an old familiar sonata but Jack was only half paying attention to the music; he was prowling the ballroom in a determined search for his matchmaker. He nodded and smiled at those he passed, he registered the fluid movements of the couples on the dance floor, but his eyes never stopped looking for Ianto.

"Your Highness," he heard a voice call out and he turned to see Owen, Rudy and Tosh approaching him, while Gwen trailed behind the trio, still unwilling to let go of her romantic fantasies about Owen.

"Your Highness," Rudy beamed up at him. "We cannot thank you enough for everything you've done. You have no idea what this means to the community."

Jack reached out and brushed Rudy's fringe from his forehead and then straightened his bow tie. "It was my pleasure, Rudy, I promise."

"Maybe you could come and speak to one of our afterschool classes?" he asked hopefully.

"I'd be delighted," and Jack nodded his head with approval.

Owen stepped close to Jack's shoulder and leaned in as he said, "I haven't seen the king since the dedication."

"Neither have I, Owen," Jack frowned and glanced around the room, "he seems conspicuously absent, along with…"

"Ianto?" a new voice interjected.

They all looked to find that Petra had walked up on them unobserved and with brief smiles, Owen led Tosh and Rudy away, pausing with a nearly indiscernible eyeroll to wait for Gwen to join them.

Jack smiled at Petra, though try as he might, he couldn't get the smile to reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I couldn't help but notice you looking for him."

After opening and closing his mouth several times, Jack discovered that there was nothing he could say. He had been looking for him, wondering where he was, if he was all right, why wouldn't he attend… 'Doesn't the man know I'm looking for him, for Goddess' sake!'

Petra took his silence as admission. "Perhaps we should talk?"

Jack sighed and nodded, taking her arm to lead her to the side of the dance floor away from guests. His brain was racing to find the right thing to say, knowing that no matter what it was, it would no doubt hurt her feelings. But before he could open his mouth, Petra started the conversation

"I get the sense that this thing between us isn't quite what we first imagined."

"As much as I've been trying to convince myself otherwise…" Jack noticed that she held a red velvet box in her hands and then he belatedly realised that the bejewelled butterfly pin was glaringly absent from her bodice. "I think you're right." He smile ruefully.

"Please don't misunderstand me, you're a wonderful man," she spoke earnestly.

Jack chuckled at her words.

"And we have so much in common, but," Petra frowned slightly. "But…"

"But as friends," Jack finished her sentence.

"As friends," Petra grinned at him and then looked down at the box she held. "Because we're missing that one key ingredient…" and she offered the box to him.

Jack accepted it with a frown, not sure if he should open it or not although he knew what it contained.

"I think you should keep it so that it will remind you that when you do meet your special someone, never let them go."

Refusing to admit that there was a tremble to his fingers, Jack opened the box and discovered the golden butterflies but before he could speak, Petra leaned in and kissed his cheek and then walked quickly away, leaving Jack to frown at the pin. 'How am I going to get such a valuable piece of jewellery back to Ianto halfway across the quadrant,' he wondered, 'when I can't even find the man to speak to in a small room!'

Just then King Franklin walked through the main doors into the ballroom, nodding to those around him as they bowed and curtsied with respect. As he strode to the middle of the floor, clearly intent on speaking, the musicians ceased playing, couples stopped dancing, people seated at the tables stood up and the servants slid away silently to stand against the walls. Owen took Toshiko's arm while she held Rudy's hand and they moved to the front of the guests, leaving Gwen behind. Even Jack stood at attention, watching his father and wondering where he'd been.

"This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of my taking the throne," the king began. "I was a mere lad, only a little bit older than my son is now." He beamed at Jack, his love and pride shining in his eyes. "The only difference is that I had already met and married the love of my life. My beloved wife gave birth to our son the day after my coronation." For a brief moment the light went out of his eyes as he remembered how much he and his wife had loved one another.

Franklin cleared his throat and continued, although there was a slight huskiness to his voice that hadn't been there a few seconds ago. "Those who knew her and knew her work said that Queen Cristina would light up a room…"

At that moment, Ianto Jones walked into the ballroom, and while everyone else's attention was on their king, Jack saw him immediately and a huge smile filled his face as he started to walk towards him.

Franklin noticed the instant attraction the two men had for one another, like magnets being drawn together and Tosh turned to see what had caught the king's eye. When she saw Ianto standing there, eyes locked with Jack's, she poked Owen in the side and nodded towards them, and they both smiled at one another.

The king continued his speech. "I must confess that the moment we met, my heart knew that ours was a love that I would forever treasure."

Jack stopped in front of Ianto. "You look wonderful."

Ianto wore a suit of the deepest black with a crisp white shirt and black tie, and a waistcoat in a most unusual shade of rose-gold; its metallic threads made the fabric shimmer in the light of the chandelier.

"Thank you," Ianto smiled tremulously.

"Is everything all right?" Jack was stilled worried by Ianto's late arrival.

"Well, I don't know," Ianto glanced around the room. "Did something happen with Petra?" He sounded genuinely concerned her absence.

Jack shook his head, "We realised we weren't in love…"

Ianto's heart skipped a beat and a wee flare of hope began to flutter.

"We're just friends."

"I see, so…" An elegant eyebrow arched, "what now?"

"I'm not sure," Jack told him. "I have this huge announcement to make and I don't know what to say." He searched Ianto's face for some clue, their eyes looking deeply into one another's.

"…adequately express what these last thirty years have meant to me…" The king's voice broke through their quiet moment and they turned to look at the monarch.

"…serving this sovereign nation. But it gives me great solace to know that when the time comes to pass the torch, Prince Jack, my son…" The king's voice was filled with fatherly pride, "will continue to lead us to greatness." The king straightened his shoulders and held out his hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present your humble prince."

As the applause began, Jack looked at Ianto with alarm. He'd had a speech all planned but it was suddenly gone from his brain, his mind a complete blank.

"Remember," Ianto put a reassuring hand on his arm, giving a gentle squeeze. "Speak from your heart, Jack, you'll be fine."

Giving him a nod and a smile, Jack strode confidently across the floor to his father's side. Franklin leaned in close and murmured, "go on, my son, make me proud," and he clapped Jack firmly on the shoulder.

Drawing a deep breath, Jack turned to his guests. "My father and I had an agreement that tonight I would make a monumental announcement. The problem is however, that I don't know exactly what that is at the moment."

Standing arm-in-arm off to the side, Toshiko and Owen shared a hopeful look, and behind Owen's back, Tosh crossed her fingers, unaware that Owen was doing the same behind her.

"The truth is," Jack go a nervous breath, "I'm in love." He looked directly at Ianto for a moment before continuing. "I just don't know if he feels the same way about me that I feel about him."

Looking over at Owen, he smiled gratefully at the small family. "But if there is one thing I've learned about love it's that you have to take that great leap." Jack's smile grew even bigger as Owen wrapped both arms around Tosh and kissed her on the lips and as those around them smiled happily, only the waiter who she rudely shoved out of her way noticed Gwen storming angrily from the ballroom through a side door.

Jack sucked another deep breath in and then released it. "So here I go." Never breaking eye contact with Ianto, Jack walked over to him.

"Ianto…"

"Yes…?"

"It's you who gives me butterflies, it's you that I can't get out of my mind, and it's you that I truly love."

Ianto's eyes widened as Jack sank down on one knee before him and a collective gasp went through the room as the guests realised what was about to happen. Even Toshiko's eyes were like saucers, even though she was already aware of Ianto's feelings for the prince.

"Please give me your hand and make me the happiest man on Boeshane."

Ianto Jones was completely flabbergasted, unable to form a single coherent thought as he stared down at Jack's hopeful face. He knew he looked a right twpsyn, what with his mouth opening and closing but no words coming out.

"Ianto?" Jack pulled the red velvet box from his pocket, opened it and then offered it to Ianto. "Will you marry me?"

Seeing the bejewelled butterflies shining up from the box at him, Ianto let out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding.

"Yes, Your Highness," he answered as his heart began to beat again and he reached out trembling hands to clasp Jack's and pull him to his feet. "Yes, Jack," he said in a softer voice.

Around them thunderous applause broke out as their guests responded with glee.

"So romantic!"

"We were here for it!"

"Wait til I tell mother what she missed!"

And one plaintive, "Why can't you be more like the prince?!"

Jack removed the exquisite butterflies from their silken nest, handing the box to Ianto and he carefully pinned them to his beloved's lapel, then he pulled Ianto into his arms and began to kiss him as though it were going out of style. The king nodded with great satisfaction and signalled for the music to begin again, however, no one took to the floor, everyone waiting with bated breath as Jack stepped back, snapped his heels together with a mischievous grin and then he bowed deeply to Ianto before straightening and holding out his arm.

Still slightly shocked by such an unexpected turn of events, Ianto took the proffered arm and began to accompany Jack but then he noticed he still held the velvet box. Looking around frantically for what to do with it – his brain was a wee bit too addled to think of putting it in his jacket pocket – he realised that Tosh had rushed up and was taking it from him.

As the couple stepped out on the dance floor the music swelled and Jack whirled his beloved Welshman into a waltz, followed a few minutes later by numerous couples eager to share the dance with their prince and his intended.

After more than fifteen minutes of non-stop dancing, Jack and Ianto accepted glasses of champagne and then joined the king to catch their breaths.

"I cannot tell you how very happy I am for the two of you." The king raised his glass to the couple.

"Thank you, father," Jack smiled happily.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Ianto blushed.

Seeing an old friend across the room, Franklin nodded and as he turned away, the two men heard him mutter, "I don't know where this leaves us as far as an heir is concerned."

A huge grin lit up Ianto's face as he leaned in close to Jack's ear and whispered, "Did I ever tell you that many centuries ago when New Cardiff was being colonised the Jones men were genetically enhanced so we can bear children?"

Jack's whoop of joy echoed off the ballroom's high ceiling and the king turned back just in time to see his son grab Ianto around the waist and swing him around in dizzying circles.

'Well, I guess I'll find out what that's all about later,' he shrugged and raised his glass to the couple a second time.

end

A/N: In the movie the female matchmaker brings Owen and Gwen together but I changed the story so that Owen falls in love with Toshiko, cos they belong together.