And today is the chapter you have all been waiting for! Kind of. Today is Maxon and America's wedding day! (Not for real though, Kiera Cass said that was in the spring.) Obviously I skipped the part that was actually in the book so this chapter is a little short but it's something short and sweet for me to leave you all with before I go on holiday with my family tomorrow.

P.S. Can you tell I got my laptop?

It felt weird not waking up in Maxon's bed. It felt weird waking up without Maxon. It was the first time we had not slept together since we had been engaged and the distance between our rooms seemed like miles even though I knew that he was probably just waking up on the other side of the wall from me. With a smile, I reminded myself that after today I would be waking up with him every morning not as his fiancé or girlfriend but as his wife, his queen.

His wife. I was going to be his wife. The day I had longed for through months of tribulations and planning was finally here where I would become his wife. I would be adding another ring to my hand and so was he. We were going to be swearing ourselves true to each other. For some reason, that seemed significant. I supposed it was because for the longest time I wasn't his alone and I had to share him with x amounts of women.

There was a knock on my door and my heart jumped, thinking it was Maxon but we had both agreed to not see each other until the wedding. My door cracked open and Marlee's golden head poked through with a wide smile on her face. "Good morning!" she greeted, skipping to my bed. To my surprise, Elise and Kriss were following behind her.

I stretched and sat up in bed as they all joined me on the down comforter. Elise had a square-shaped box sitting in her lap. "We have something for you from all of us," she prompted, holding the present out to me.

"Isn't this what the bridal shower was for?" I asked, taking the present anyway. I briefly wondered where my mother and sisters were but decided to enjoy this moment with my closest girlfriends. I tore the paper away unceremoniously and looked at the book sitting in front of me.

"Maxon helped give us the pictures but this has been in the works for a while," Elise explained, looking at the blue leather of the cover.

Marlee nodded. "Yep. Since you two were engaged, in fact."

I flipped the cover open and saw on the first page was a picture of all of us Elite at the Halloween ball, posing ridiculously in our gaudy costumes. I had completely forgotten about that picture until now but I remembered Maxon insisting we take it close to the end of the night. Natalie and Celeste were a little tipsy and I was drunk on happiness but somehow that picture captured all of us just perfectly. Maxon would have made an excellent Five. I smiled and went to the next page, covered in pictures of us together.

There were later ones. There was one of Celeste and Queen Amberly laughing about something. My heart ached to see that one. Throughout it all though were pictures of Maxon and I. There was one of us dancing at the Halloween ball and I knew from the looks on our faces that it was after he told me about his intentions to marry me. Then there was another one from just a couple weeks ago of us walking through the gardens.

I shook my head in disbelief, trying to wrap my head around it all. If I could take all of the happiness bound into this book and change it to money I would be able to buy myself the title of a One. "Guys, this is amazing…how did you take all of these?" I asked.

Marlee smiled knowingly. "A lot of them are from Carter. He saw you guys a lot and I told him our plan so he had a small camera on him all the time. Other ones were taken by Maxon or other guards, some by us…it was a group effort."

"And everyone knew about it except for me? Even Maxon?" I wondered how he had managed to keep that secret. It had become clear very quickly that he was unable to keep anything from me.

"We couldn't spoil the surprise for you!" Kriss exclaimed.

I shook my head and kept flipping through the book. Then Marlee slid an envelope over to me. "I think you know what this is. He recommended opening it before you get your makeup done," she told me, winking.

I smiled, holding the envelope tightly in my hands. This was something Maxon and I had read about in a magazine where we write letters to each other the night before the wedding and then exchange them the morning of. I had already given Marlee mine the night before. His envelope for me felt heavy. I mentally rolled my eyes. Of course he would write me a book. Although my letter wasn't exactly short either.

Kriss sighed and nodded. "Well, we should let you go get ready. We'll see you at the wedding!" She and Elise both gave me hugs and walked out, waving to my maids bustling around the room.

Marlee watched them go and then smiled to me. "Kriss is being a good sport," I observed. "I never expected her to be so nice about all of this."

"Rumor has it that she has found a new man. Anyway, stop thinking about her and think about that guy in the room next door who is probably reading your letter at this moment."

I bowed my head and blushed, looking at his letter waiting in my hands. I had put so much into my letter, more emotion than I had ever dreamt I would. I laughed at the memory of how scared I was to tell him how I felt about him. Now a day didn't go by without me telling him that I loved him. "I'm going to save this for later," I told her, setting my letter to the side.

"Well then let's get going! Your mother and sisters are coming in an hour or so but we can at least do your hair now. I have another surprise for you." Marlee grabbed my silk robe from the end of the bed and wrapped it around me. Then the door to my bathroom opened and Lucy stepped through.

"Lucy!" I squealed, jumping out of bed to hug my former maid. She was dressed for the wedding in a pretty sundress and her hair was curled loosely. I hadn't seen her in a few weeks but she had sent me a couple letters telling me that she and Aspen were settling into his apartment nicely.

"You didn't think I'd leave your hair to someone else, did you?" she asked, pulling away from me.

I smiled and followed her into my bathroom where Mary had everything ready to wash my face for the morning and brush my teeth. I was starting to get more and more jittery as Lucy pinned up my hair. When she was finished I only had a few more minutes of quiet before my mother and sisters arrived so I grabbed Maxon's letter and walked out on to my balcony and curled up on the chaise lounge.

I stroked my name written on the envelope in purple pen. I smiled at the memory and opened the envelope, not wanting to wait anymore.

Dear America,

I've already written you a love letter but i feel that we have grown so much since then in our love. Now i feel like our love is boundless and I can't put it in words anymore. i will try my best though.

I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, America Singer. I can't wait even more to make you America Schreave. I've been waiting for you to be my wife since the night i met you; you were always the One to me.

Our journey has not been what i had always dreamt it would be but now, just hours from becoming your husband, i know i would never change it. If this whole process were easy, I probably wouldn't be marrying you. I like to think that it was all of those difficulties that made me love you more. They certainly helped me realize how much danger I was in of falling more in love with you. No matter what you did, I was never able to say goodbye to you.

What's crazy to think is that I always imagined that my wife would be my decision but I never realized that you had to choose me. In the days leading up to the Selection, i was pompous and foolish in assuming that everyone would want to marry me in a heartbeat. I was dead wrong but there was a lot for me to learn from that epiphany. It was, after all, your tenacity that first made me attracted to you. Do you know how frightened I was of you that night we met? I had never met a woman like you before but now I'm grateful for having met you because you have made me the man I had always wanted to be. I had hoped to be a ruler that could make change happen but it's because of you that I was able to do that.

I'll see you in a few hours, okay? Don't worry about the people watching you because I know you are nervous about that. Just think about me and how I can't wait to show you how much I love you tonight.

Tugging my ear,

Maxon

P.S. Also inside this envelope is another letter written from someone very dear to me with explicit instruction for you to read the morning of our wedding.

I opened the envelope further, swiping at my eyes and pulled out another folded sheet of paper.

To the woman my son is marrying today,

A very long road has led to today, I'm sure. Now you're marveling in the fact that you are going to be the next queen of Illéa and that is very scary. With that title comes a lot of responsibility and for an outsider, taking it on is terrifying. Believe me, I know how you're feeling. After all, once upon a time I was in your position.

But today isn't about that; it's about you being Maxon's choice. The truth is, I don't know exactly who you are. I think I have an idea but I cannot be sure. I decided to write this letter in this way because I think it allows me to be impartial which you will come to learn is very important quality for a queen.

I want to simply tell you that you have my full blessing in marrying my son. I know that this responsibility normally falls to the father of the bride but Maxon is my only child. In a way, I am losing my child by him getting married. I am happy though. I can see the happiness you bring to him and so long as he follows his heart, I will never have to worry about him being happy. You are the one responsible for that now. Take care of him.

Your mother-in-law,

Amberly

I hugged her letter close to my chest, looking out over the gardens. A boom of thunder made me jump out of my seat. I had been so absorbed by the letters that i had missed the storm approaching but now it was overhead. I instantly looked down into the gardens where everything for our reception was set up. "Oh no, no," I mumbled, running to the railing and looking between the stormy sky and the gardens.

I ran back through my room and met Marlee, who followed me down to the doors to the garden. Maids and guards alike were already working to move everything back inside. There were so many chairs to carry though and not enough people. Without thinking, I ran out into the pouring rain but someone held me back by my elbow.

I looked up into the eyes of my soon-to-be-husband. "I thought you had a meeting?"

He put a firm hand on my shoulder and chose not to answer me. "Tell them to take everything into the music parlor for now. We'll organize it all in the conservatory once it's all in." With that said, Maxon took off his jacket and tie and draped them in my arms so that he could go out in the rain. I started telling the maids and guards where to put everything and Marlee went to the music parlor to get things situated in there.

Through the doors I saw Paige struggle to carry four chairs and I ran out to help her, getting soaked in seconds. I took two of them and she looked up at me gratefully. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she said fervently as we ran back in. I passed my chairs off to Gerad who had just appeared. I shook the water out of my sleeves and watched as the last few tables and chairs were brought in.

Maxon strolled through the doors with Carter, both of them laughing and pulling their wet shirts away from their bodies. Then it dawned on me. "Maxon, this is where we met!" I laughed, taking his hand.

He looked around and then laughed with me. "Indeed, it is." He stepped away from me and back into the rain, extending a hand to me. "Would you like to dance?"

"Hmm, well I'll have to think about it," I joked, stepping into the rain and into his arms. "You know I'm not the best dancer."

"Luckily a human being only needs about eight toes to be able to walk normally," Maxon informed me. His hands settled on my hips and we started to just gently sway back and forth. "Of course, it is bad luck to for the groom to see the bride before the wedding."

I smiled as I rested my head on his chest. "We've never had the best luck anyway."

We stayed like that for who knows how long before Marlee finally cleared her throat, waving me inside with towels waiting in her arms. I reluctantly let go of Maxon and met her inside the door. "Well now look what you've done!" she said, taking in my soggy hair.

"I think Lucy will be more than happy to do my hair again," I assured Marlee. Maxon kissed my hand before heading off in the other direction with Carter, towel drying his hair along the way.

As I had predicted, Lucy was practically overjoyed at the prospect of having to do my hair again. After blowdrying it, she started to replicate the complicated design from earlier while Mary started on my make-up. Haley and Paige were helping Marlee, May, Kenna and Mom get ready. We all laughed and ate no-drip foods as the excitement in the room gradually built.

Finally it was time for me to put on my dress and it was even better than I remembered it. The zipper allowed an easy process of putting it on with just ten buttons at my neck. Mary fluffed my skirt and then it was time for me to go to the Great Room where the ceremony was taking place.

The boys were getting ready in a room next to the Great Room and Sylvia and Stavros were taking extra care to make sure that they didn't see any of us. Adele's youngest girls were there in the narthex when we got there, dressed in their flower girl dresses. Astra wasn't old enough yet to be flower girl and I wanted some of Maxon's family to be in the wedding.

I danced around with one of his cousins as we waited for Sylvia to give the musicians the go-ahead to start playing the music we had selected. I looked around at the people gathered in the narthex and could only think of two people who I wished could be there - and one of them would be meeting me at the altar. Even though I missed my dad, I was ready for this next step in my life. The next step that would take me from being girlfriend to wife, princess to queen, Five to One. But most importantly, I was going to be Maxon's alone and that was all I could dream of.

My head had finally adjusted to the foreign weight of the crown by the time Maxon and I entered the conservatory for our reception. Our guests cheered as we walked in and I could hear the tinkling of champagne glasses as people raised them to us. As we were standing on the raised platform, I leaned over to give Maxon a quick kiss to appease everyone. From my vantage point, many people caught my eye. Nicoletta was going ballistic and was surprisingly sober for having been in the party for two hours already. Queen Svea was clapping politely along with the women of the German Federation but she looked far less enthused than them. Finally I saw my family and they looked nothing but happy. Mom was actually wiping tears from her eyes. Marlee had mentioned something about my mother crying all day.

Maxon helped me take off my cape and as he did so he whispered in my ear, "I can't wait to completely undress you later." I gasped at his words, not used to him being so open about that. He smiled mischievously and then we had to part ways to greet our guests. He started at one end of the room with his family and I at the other with mine so that we would meet in the middle.

Mom embraced me as soon as I reached her and we swayed back and forth. "I am so happy for you, America, my little fighter." She smiled warmly at me and then started crying in earnest. May rolled her eyes candidly and handed her more tissues.

I hugged May next. Over the course of the last week I started to realize that she really was growing up. She actually sat politely through teas and made suggestions - albeit bad ones - to Maxon and I about some of the issues the country was dealing with. I had missed watching her mature by being at the palace for the Selection but after having her so close for the last few months I realized how indispensable my how family was to me.

Soon I finished with my family and moved on to the Italians, who made me shotgun a bottle of wine. It was disgusting and I only drank about a quarter of it but it appeased them enough that I knew I wouldn't need to drink any more alcohol for the rest of the night. They were by far the loudest of my guests and they earned their fair share of disapproving looks from the German Federation and Queen Svea but they obviously didn't care and they were having fun.

Finally, Maxon and I were reunited as we visited our guests from France. They had arrived late last night so I had not yet been introduced. "America, this is Queen Eloise of France and her daughter, Princess Daphne," Maxon introduced for me.

I nodded, appraising Princess Daphne. I had noticed earlier that she looked equally as disappointed as Kriss at the wedding and I had assumed that she was the infamous Daphne. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Daphne," I offered to her, smiling warmly despite wanting to scalp the girl. Just looking at her, I knew she was all wrong for Maxon.

"Soon to be queen, actually," she said, purposefully not looking at me but at Maxon as she said it.

He smiled cordially and I knew he was uncomfortable. "King Frederick is a lucky man," he said shortly. He definitely wanted to leave but I hated to see him complimenting her. More because of her reaction which was a flirtatious smile. He was mine. Comparing the girl to Celeste would be a disservice to Celeste but she was the only other person I had met that compared to Daphne. Maybe Bariel but I did not know her that well while she was here.

"Well, we have more guests to greet so please, enjoy," Maxon said graciously to the queen before sliding away from Daphne who had been inching her way closer to him. "What's a wedding without having to deal with a few exes?" he joked.

"A few? You have twenty-six of them here, to be exact," I reminded him, nodding over to the tables that the Selected occupied.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Well your ex walked you down the aisle, so I'd say we're even."

By then we were at the table the Northern Rebels were occupying. Obviously for safety reasons we made it known that they were friends of ours and not rebels. That didn't stop the guards from wanting to stand closer to their table. The rebels didn't seem to mind at all though. They understood and they were happy just to be there. Our conversation with them was brief but August and Georgia were clearly overjoyed by our marriage, expressing excitement on multiple occasions for their own wedding. Maxon explained to them that we probably would not be able to make it because we were king and queen now but they were very understanding of that. "We'll send you pictures!" Georgia exclaimed as we walked away, moving to the middle of the room so Maxon could make a toast.

A maid gave us both glasses of champagne which I had not intention of drinking after drinking so much wine when I was with the Italians. Maxon raised his class and tapped it with a butter knife. "I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for coming here. I think we can all agree that it is difficult to carve out the time for these occasions but it is always wonderful for us all to be gathered together in celebration. I know that all of you watched the Selection and waited with bated breath to know who my choice was. Believe me, at times I was doing the same thing because as I said to America just this morning, she wasn't my choice. I was her choice. And I am glad she chose me. It wasn't an easy decision - for either of us - but I know that it was the best one we have ever made and ever will make. We are young, as you all have no doubt recognized, and some may say that we are inexperienced. Whether or not that's true, it doesn't dull our passion for this great country. We are excited to work with all of you in the future and even more excited to call you our friends for many more years to come. So here's to my wife, my queen, and the happy years to come!"

Yay, they're married! How'd you like America's first time meeting Daphne?

OH, and some of you did catch my use of the name Zoella. I am in love with vlogging so yes, that is inspired by the YouTube Zoella. If you haven't heard of her, check her out on YouTube at MoreZoella. I love her channel as well as her boyfriend's channel, PointlessBlogTV and the SacconeJolys. Thanks for reading guys!