So … one year and three months later our wedding date dawns bright and beautiful.
It is the grandest occasion you can ever imagine. I won’t be surprised if they find out that the majority of the population attended. What Dante never told me is just how loved he is. The people had been rooting for him and patiently waiting for the day he would take over and be their King.
They come out cheering and waving flags.
Funny thing is after all that time of planning, it passes in a quick blur. Only a few things stand out in my mind. Star, Cindy, Raven and I drinking champagne and laughing while our hair and make-up is being done. Then, when I walk into church and, though Dante had been told during the dress rehearsal not to turn too early, he turns instantly. A slow smile spreads on his face and he shakes his head as if he simply cannot believe his eyes. I try not to trip.
I am so happy.
I remember the brush of his lips after we exchange rings. I remember Matilda putting my son, Alfred Wilhem De-Beauvouli, into my arms for the photographs. He stole the show. Best looking kid in the world. What can you expect when your father is Dante?
I recall the cake too. White chocolate with raspberry filling, but only because I smear it onto Dante’s face. He is a good sport though. He makes me lick it off. The guests go quiet. They don’t expect that of their King. Ha, ha, they’re going to go quiet a lot in the future. Dante plans to change a lot of things in Avanti.
I remember his Dad. He kisses me on my cheeks and tells me I am the best thing that happened to him, his son, and Avanti. Yeah, I call him Dad. I guess I feel sorry for him. He makes a sad figure. Sometimes I think he still misses for and bleeds for Linnea, though he tries his best not to show it. I guess he truly loved that bitch. We have become great friends. We garden together. The truth is, he should never have been king. He always was, and always will be a gardener at heart.
Unlike him, I never want to see Linnea again. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with strange dreams about her. She caught me at a time when I was so vulnerable she could manipulate me like I was some brainless puppet. Those are the times I think of little Elsa. How she sacrificed that girl as if she was nothing. I still feel guilty about her death. If not for me she would still be alive, but Dante is more pragmatic. He takes good care of her family and tells me what happened is just fate. Some people are born to be princes surrounded by wealth and luxury and other people are born to starve in barren landscapes. She was meant to die on that plane and there is not a thing I could have done to prevent it.
Maybe the person who hurt me the most in all of this was Cassandra. I thought she was a friend. Someone I could have become really close to eventually. How wrong I was. She sent me a card from Dubai, where she and Linnus found refuge. I guess they party there with all the other corrupt despots who have had to flee their countries. The card said: wish you were here. It was a photograph of weathered camel bones in a desert. I don’t dwell on any of them for long, or let them keep me awake. I simply roll over and hug Dante, and everything is perfect again.
Oh, of course, I remember the kiss on the balcony. The crowd roars for one more kiss. I blush with embarrassment, but Dante plays up to the crowd, miming that another might overwhelm him. When they good-naturedly beg him for one more, he obliges with a laugh. He sweeps me into his arms and bending me back theatrically, kisses me passionately. Needlessly to say, the crowd eat it all up. I hear cameras clicking like mad. Princess Rosa. Who would have thought? Better than a kick in the teeth, that’s for sure.
Then he says, ‘Queen Rosa De-Beauvouli they’re playing our song.”
And I say, “That’s not our song.”
And he says, “That was the song they were playing the time I saw you.”
And I nearly cry, because I can’t believe how lucky I am.
For our honeymoon we fly to Paris. To the Plaza Athenee.
“You know you are the most beautiful woman on earth,” he whispers in my ear. I can smell the city in the breeze that blows in through the window.
“You know you are the most handsome man on earth,” I whisper back.
“Yeah,” he says.
I slap his chest. “Stop being so cocky.”
“Why shouldn’t I say it? It’s the fucking truth. Are you going to deny that wasn’t the reason we hooked up in the first place?”
I roll my eyes. “I was very drunk.”
“Bullshit. You wanted me so bad I could smell your arousal.”
“Haven’t you heard of a thing called modesty?”
“Yeah.”
“Ever feel like practicing some?”
“Never.”
I laugh. “What do you think Alfred is doing?”
“I think he’s irritating the hell out of Star.”
“Shall we call and find out?”
He takes his phone out, dials and hands it to me. I take it from him. This is the first time I’ve been away from Alfred and it feels strange.
“Hey,” I say.
“I don’t think I can give your son back to you,” Star says.
I giggle. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”
“He’s so cute, he makes my ovaries hurt.”
“What’s he doing?”
“It’s cute. He’s sticking his fingers into the electricity sockets.”
I sit bolt upright. “What?”
“Just kidding. He’s licking the dog.”
“Star!”
“Okay. He’s sitting in his cot looking very cross, because I’m talking to you, and not allowing him to crawl around and destroy everything in sight.”
“Thank you for taking care of him, Star.”
“No probs. Now you better go suck your husband off or something equally carnal and lustful.”
“Right,” I say. I disconnect the call and turn to my husband.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he says with a cocky grin.
“Just something Star said.”
“What did she say?”
“She said I should suck your dick.”
His eyes glow with pure wickedness. “Sounds like very fucking good advice to me,” the King says, dropping his pants and showing me his big royal rod.
ONE YEAR LATER
I sit at the vanity brushing my hair. A few minutes later I hear him begin to stir. I turn just as he’s getting out of bed.
“Good morning, bella,” he says, his eyes lingering on my breasts. I know what that means. Horny devil.
“Good morning.” I pause. “I want to ask you something.”
“Ask away.”
“Do you think there are any three-day old biscuits anywhere in Avanti?”
At first he looks puzzled, which makes him look absolutely adorable. I almost jump him. Then, his face breaks out in a disbelieving smile. “You sure?” he asks.
“I’m absolutely certain.”
He leaps up, rushes over to me and lifts me clean off the ground.
Our kiss lasts an eternity.
p.s.
I know I did a crappy job of describing my wedding day. If you want more details come over to Avanti, and I’ll show you the video over tea and fruit cake. I must warn you though, I look a bit like the cat that got the cream, but Dante and Alfred look amazing.
THE END