A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing my story! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 19: Wedding Bells
Raymond and Anastasia sat across from one another at the dining room table in their flat, the sun having already risen past the treetops on the eastern horizon. Since Raymond wasn't sure what had happened to his daughter last night or why she had been taken to the castle, he decided to delay opening the shoe shop another day until she returned. Thankfully, Anastasia had come back with a couple of the castle guardsmen early in the morning, and she and Raymond sat down together so she could tell him everything that had happened last night as well as over the past couple weeks. She told him about meeting Prince Christian Grey and pursuing a secret courtship with him away from the eyes of the public; she also told him about overhearing a plot to kidnap the princess and subsequently thwarting Jack Hyde's plans last night to save her life.
It took about an hour for her to explain everything, and once she was finished, Raymond was silent for several moments, absorbing everything she had said. It felt as if his brain would burst with all the information she had just given him.
"What you did last night was stupidly dangerous, Anastasia," Raymond said, frowning admonishingly at her. "So much could have gone wrong, and you could have been seriously injured, or worse. How could you have done something so stupidly reckless?"
"I'm sorry, Father," Anastasia said contritely. "I know it was dangerous - that's why I had warned Christian as soon as I found out what Jack were planning. However, my warning was not enough, as it became clear last night. I had no choice but to intervene."
"I still do not like that you got involved," Raymond frowned, shaking his head. "I wish it had not resorted to that, but I suppose there is little to be done about it now."
Anastasia grimaced but didn't say anything, and for several moments there was silence between them as they both mulled over their thoughts.
"So Prince Christian Grey of Grey Castle has been courting my daughter ever since we arrived in town," Raymond mused after a moment, his voice conveying his surprise. Anastasia couldn't help but smile slightly. "You're really in love with him?"
"I am," Anastasia confirmed, nodding. "I'm sorry I could not tell you, Father. It all happened very quickly, and since Christian was technically betrothed to a duchess at the time, he was forbidden from courting a commoner like me. We had to keep it a secret."
"I see," Raymond said, though he still frowned in confusion. "But he is no longer betrothed to this duchess now?"
"I am not sure. When I had discovered and thwarted the plot against Amelia, Christian asked his father to consider ending his betrothal so he can marry me instead. I have not heard the king's answer yet though."
Raymond let out an incredulous chuckle. "My goodness, Anastasia… you certainly have been busy these past few weeks, haven't you?"
Anastasia blushed and smiled. "I suppose I have. I am sorry I didn't tell you what had been going on with me. I know how often you've said I ought to find a young man worthy of my love… well, I believe I have found him, although I doubt you'd meant the prince of Grey Castle himself."
Raymond couldn't help but laugh. "I did once say that the man who would sweep you off your feet would have to be a real prince. I suppose I hadn't meant it so literally, though!"
They both laughed, and Anastasia felt relieved her father seemed okay with the idea of her and Christian. "Would you not be angry at the prospect of me marrying Christian, then?"
"Angry? Of course not, darling," Raymond insisted. "For God's sake he is a prince! That is hardly something to balk at. And the fact that he fell in love with someone like you tells me that he is of a very high moral standing."
"You mean because he is a prince and I am a commoner?" Anastasia couldn't help but ask.
"Well yes… and also because you, my darling, have a very kind and beautiful heart," Raymond said. He reached forward to take his daughter's hand in his own, and she squeezed his hand back, smiling. "Any man worthy of your love should be able to see that, and it seems as if Prince Christian has. I am sure he would make you a fine husband."
Anastasia smiled at her father, flattered that he felt that way about her. "Thank you, Father. But I do not know as of yet what the king has decided, meaning Christian may never get to be my husband."
Raymond smiled, patting her hand comfortingly. "We shall see, darling… we shall see."
Since the shoe shop was closed today, Raymond and Anastasia simply spent their time going through their inventory while also tidying the place up. Raymond initially didn't want Anastasia to work today because of the events that had happened last night, but she insisted she was alright and wanted to do something today to occupy her mind. Raymond reluctantly agreed, and the two of them chatted amicably as they worked, both of them grateful that things seemed to be relatively back to normal.
Anastasia, despite not knowing what was going to happen with her and Christian, felt oddly at peace at the moment. Having spent the last couple weeks hiding from the world, terrified of people finding out about her and Christian, she felt somewhat relieved that other people now knew and were okay with it. And the king was now even considering allowing her and Christian to be wed! Anastasia couldn't help but let herself hope just for a little while that maybe she could actually be with Christian.
The door to the shop suddenly burst open, and Alistair came running in.
"Alistair?" Raymond looked alarmed at his brother-in-law's behavior.
"Raymond!" Alistair exclaimed, out of breath. "Anastasia! Come outside - quickly!"
"What is it?" Anastasia frowned in surprise.
"The royal carriage is coming through town at the moment - it looks like the entire Grey family is there," Alistair explained excitedly. "They are coming this way, and everybody in town is gathering to see. Hurry now!"
Raymond and Anastasia glanced at each other before dropping what they were doing and hurrying outside after Alistair. Anastasia's heart was pounding wildly in her chest, and her mind was spinning about a mile a minute.
The whole Grey family had come out today - why? Was Christian with them? Why would they come into town in such a manner? Anastasia hurried after her father and uncle down the street and onto the main road, nervous and excited.
Sure enough, a large crowd was beginning to gather around the main street, and in the distance, a beautiful gold-trimmed carriage Anastasia had seen only once before slowly made its way down the cobblestone street. It was not just the carriage that was drawing everybody's attention, however - several guardsmen on beautiful white horses trotted alongside the carriage, and in front of the group was a young copper-haired gentleman in his finest princely garb riding a clydesdale.
Christian.
"Is that the prince?" Several people in the crowd exclaimed, pointing up at him.
"I think it is! That's Prince Christian!"
"He's so handsome!" a few women nearby giggled. Anastasia glanced over and saw Leila standing near the giggling women, gaping up at the prince in utter disbelief.
Anastasia looked back at Christian and couldn't help but smile widely. It had been a few hours since she had last seen him, and she honestly had missed him. His eyes were scanning the crowd of people, as if searching for somebody.
Finally, Christian's eyes landed on Anastasia, and the moment his gaze locked onto hers Anastasia felt as if her whole body was thrumming with electricity. He beamed at her, and she couldn't help but smile widely back.
"Whoa!" Christian pulled on the reigns of his horse, and it shuffled on its hooves before coming to a stop. The carriage and the other guardsmen on horses stopped as well.
As if in a daze, Anastasia watched Christian unhook his feet from the stirrups and hop off the horse before making his way over to her. She barely registered the crowd of people around her murmuring amongst each other, shocked and confused by what the prince was doing. They watched as Christian approached Anastasia.
"Anastasia," he greeted, and he gave her a courteous bow. Still feeling a bit dazed, Anastasia blushed before curtsying back.
"…and Mr. Steele," Christian turned to look at Raymond, who was standing beside his daughter. Christian held out his hand for him, and Raymond shook it, smiling widely.
"Prince Christian," Raymond greeted him politely. "I have heard much about you, dear boy."
"I have heard much about you too," Christian smiled. He glanced over at Anastasia for a moment before turning back to Raymond, squaring his shoulders. "I have come to you today to ask for your blessing in taking your daughter's hand in marriage, sir."
He looked only at Raymond as he asked that, but the crowd of people nearest him heard what he asked. Loud shocked gasps rippled through the crowd, and excited whispers began spreading from person to person. Christian said nothing as he waited for Raymond's response, and Anastasia could swear he looked almost nervous.
"You do have my blessing, son," Raymond said to Christian kindly, reaching forward to pat him on the shoulder. "It is clear how much you love my daughter, and there is no doubt that you will be able to provide for her and make her happy. But in the end it is not my decision to make - it is hers."
Christian nodded before turning to face Anastasia once again. She watched as he moved to stand right before her and get down on one knee.
"Anastasia - you are the love of my life," he said sincerely, reaching forward to take her hand in his own. Anastasia felt her eyes filling with tears as she gazed at him, a huge smile on her face. "And despite our different circumstances in life, I would be honored beyond my wildest dreams to call you my wife. Will you marry me?"
Feeling as if she were in a dream, Anastasia nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Yes, of course I will!"
Christian beamed at her, and he got to his feet, still holding her hand in his own. As if her ears had suddenly been turned back on, Anastasia heard the crowd of people begin to cheer and clap, having seen the proposal happen before their very eyes. Many of them had never so much as seen Prince Christian in person before, and none of them had any idea he had plans to marry a commoner like Anastasia. This was a pleasant and unexpected surprise, to say the least.
Christian and Anastasia stared into each other's eyes, smiling happily as the crowd cheered around them - they very much wanted to kiss one another, but they were both highly aware of the people around them and knew it wouldn't be very appropriate. Instead, Christian brought Anastasia's hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles sweetly.
"Anastasia!"
Amelia hopped out from the carriage and ran over to the two of them, beaming happily. Anastasia looked over to see her, Prince Elliot, and the King and Queen all exit the carriage after her, smiling widely at them.
"Hello, new little sister," Prince Elliot smiled widely at Anastasia, walking forward to pull her into a hug. "Welcome to the family."
The rest of the Grey family greeted Anastasia and Raymond in a similar way, smiling and hugging happily, welcoming the newest members of their family. The people in the crowd had never seen the royal family interact with commoners in such a manner, so this was all a shock to say the least. The guardsmen had to get off their horses and try to keep the excitable crowd at bay, but it was no easy task.
"Anastasia," Carrick approached Anastasia, smiling down at her appraisingly. "Welcome to the family."
Anastasia blushed, smiling widely. "Thank you, your Majesty."
"I know you just came back home, Anastasia, but we would love it if you and your father would join us at the castle," Amelia said excitedly, looking between Anastasia and Raymond. "We are going to celebrate your engagement with a huge feast!"
Anastasia smiled widely. "I'd love to come," she said brightly, turning to look at Raymond. "Father?"
"I don't see why not," he chuckled.
The royal family, Anastasia, and Raymond all began making their way toward the carriage, smiling and talking excitedly with one another. Anastasia was highly aware of the crowd of people watching them, but Christian simply pulled her to his side, making her feel safe and protected.
"After you, my lady," Christian walked them over to his horse, and he helped hoist her up so she was sitting side-saddle. Christian climbed up too so he was sitting behind her - his chest was pressed up against her back and his arms on either side of her, grasping the reigns while also holding her close.
"I told you I would convince them," Christian whispered into her ear, and Anastasia giggled, smiling over her shoulder at him.
"I never doubted you, my love," she said sweetly.
The carriage and horses turned around and began making their way through town back toward the castle, and the crowd of people who hadn't been privy to what happened seemed to slowly but surely realize that it was the shoemaker's daughter who was riding with Prince Christian. Anastasia felt embarrassed that everyone's eyes seemed to be on her, but she smiled and waved at the cheering crowd nonetheless.
"All the men seem to be staring at you," Christian noted, glancing around. "I am sure they are all jealous the most beautiful girl in the country has chosen to marry me."
"Or maybe they are confused that a prince like yourself would deign to marry a simple town girl like me," Anastasia pointed out.
"There is absolutely nothing simple about you, my love," Christian insisted. "I am the luckiest man in the world to be seen with you right now."
"And I am the luckiest girl," Anastasia looked over her shoulder to smile sweetly up at Christian. He smiled back at her.
"Your life is about to be much different now, My Lady," Christian said, glancing around at the throngs of people surrounding them. "Are you sure you are ready for it?"
Anastasia glanced around at the crowd of people too before gazing toward Grey Castle in the distance. She couldn't help but smile.
"Absolutely."
~One Month Later~
The next month or so passed by in a blur. Soon after Christian's proposal to Anastasia, King Carrick signed the order for Jack and Elizabeth to be condemned to the fullest extent of the law. They were to be publicly hanged as punishment for their crimes; however, when the day of the hanging commenced, neither the king nor anybody in the Grey family could bring themselves to attend. Once the deed was done and confirmed by the guardsmen, however, everybody in Grey Castle rested a little more comfortably from then on.
As a way of saying thank you for saving his daughter's life, King Carrick then decided to formally knight Anastasia for her heroic deed. It was simply an honorable title bestowed upon her, but it made Christian and the rest of the Grey family very happy. Anastasia was now lawfully a recognized member of Grey Castle, and pretty soon she would become a member of the Grey family once she was married to Christian.
In preparation for her and Christian's approaching nuptials, Anastasia and Raymond officially moved into Grey Castle. Raymond was very hesitant to abandon his shoe shop so soon after he had started it, but the king was kind enough to appoint Raymond the official cobbler of Grey Castle, and his brother-in-law Alistair as his partner. They would both be paid handsomely for their work, and considering the amount of people who resided inside the castle, Raymond and Alistair would surely be kept very busy making and repairing peoples' shoes for many years to come. Raymond was positively delighted by this promotion, and couldn't stop expressing his thanks to the king for this opportunity.
Raymond and Anastasia were slowly but surely becoming a more ingrained part of the Grey family's life, much to everyone's delight. Amelia, Grace, Isabel, and Anastasia had begun planning and preparing for the wedding immediately - it was going to be a huge affair for the whole province to witness, and would undoubtedly bring much attention from other kingdoms all over. Even though Anastasia was perfectly fine with a small, simple wedding, the royal family had different ideas in mind. The Hall of Ceremonies was going to be where the wedding would take place, and the whole room would be completely covered in white wedding adornments - the carpeting, windows, ceilings, and altar were going to be swathed in white silk, and opulent floral arrangements were going to cover every available surface around the pulpit and windowsills. The dresses for the ladies were being specially made with muslin silk and lace, and Anastasia's would be the most beautiful one of them all.
All this wedding planning was almost overwhelming to Anastasia, but she thought of her future husband, and she felt better. Being married to Christian would be worth all the stress of planning this wedding, and she could not wait for the day when she could call him hers.
This whole experience felt like a dream - one she hoped never to have to wake up from.
~/~
Finally, after weeks and weeks of strenuous planning, it was now the night before the wedding. Per tradition, Anastasia and Christian would sleep in separate chambers tonight, and once they were wed tomorrow they could finally share a bed together as husband and wife.
Anastasia was not patient enough to wait for that, however - she now sneaked her way through the darkened castle corridors in the middle of the night while everyone slept. She made extra sure to stay quiet so as not to encounter one of the servants who were already preparing the food and accouterments for tomorrow's reception.
She made it to Christian's bedroom door, and, without knocking, quietly turned the handle and slipped inside. The hearth of his fireplace only had a couple glowing embers left, and at the far wall saw her beautiful soon-to-be husband slumbering quietly in his bed. Smiling to herself, Anastasia walked quietly over to him and sat on the edge of his bed, gently shaking him awake.
"Hm…" Christian rolled over onto his back, blearily opening his eyes. "Anastasia?"
"Yes," Anastasia smiled at his adorably sleepy face. "I am sorry to wake you, my love, but I couldn't sleep. I missed you too much."
Christian blinked slowly, waking up a bit more as he stared at Anastasia. All of a sudden, he sat up and took her face in his hands, pressing his lips to hers fiercely as if he hadn't seen her in ages. Anastasia giggled as she kissed him back, and allowed him to move them so they were lying back down on his bed.
"...I was dreaming you were with me," Christian admitted breathlessly after finally pulling away, still holding her close. "It was spectacular… and then I woke up and saw you here. You are quite literally a dream come true, Anastasia."
She giggled again, gazing into his gorgeous gray eyes. "I am not even supposed to be here, Christian. Perhaps I should leave?"
"You will do no such thing," Christian insisted. "You are going to be my wife, and you and I shall be sharing this bed for the rest of our lives. This is precisely where you belong."
Anastasia smiled as she leaned forward and gently pecked him on the lips. "Then I shall stay, dear husband, if you so wish."
"I am glad, my dear wife."
And with that, Christian rolled over so he was on top of Anastasia, kissing her into oblivion. Anastasia kissed him back, feeling excited and elated beyond belief that tomorrow she was going to officially be Prince Christian Grey's wife - she would actually hold the title of Princess. Never in her entire life had she thought she would be in this position, and it was almost unbelievable that she was really here right now.
But she really was here, and Christian was real. He was hers, forever and always.
Nothing in life could ever be this perfect.
THE END
A/N: Thank you all so much for reading my story!
I honestly loved writing this fic from beginning to end. I had always wanted to write a story like this, but when I started it I was kind of disappointed when a lot of people really weren't that into it. Maybe because of the setting? I don't know, but to all of you who reviewed and stuck with me to the very end, I deeply appreciate all of you! :) lol
Until next time then,
Straw Paj