"What other projects do you have in the works?"
"Nothing that I've signed a contract for. There's supposed to be aSPACEreunion panel at a con next fall. I've verbally committed to that, but not officially. I don't think the panelists will be announced for another couple of months." She would miss some of that. She loved meeting fans and spending time with her former co-stars.
"We'll need to get with the public relations team and other advisors to decide how all of that needs to play out." He released her hand and rested his forearms on his knees with his hands clasped between them. After staring at them for a minute, he looked back up at her. "If this is the decision you make, we'llneed to be legally married in the next few days. There won't be a big wedding ceremony."
Leaning back in her seat, Elise crossed one leg over the other as she thought it through. "I have a thought on that. It may not be plausible, but something to consider at least."
"What's that?" He sounded skeptical and a little hopeful at the same time.
"We have a very small civil ceremony here in the palace. It's a legal marriage. Then we plan a big soiree for later in the summer. I know that a significant portion of the population will feel slighted if there's no wedding ceremony with the pomp and circumstance. Legally, we'll be married, but we'll consider it more of an engagement with the ceremony marking the official beginning of our marriage, even it won't be the legal one." She bit her bottom lip as she waited to hear his thoughts.
After a moment of reflection, he nodded slowly. "That could work. The lack of public ceremony has been mentioned multiple times by my staff as well as the public and the media. This could be a way to honor the letter of the law while still meeting the expectations of the people."
"Then we have an agreement?" Could it really be this simple? Not in practice. In practice, it was anything but simple.
Before she realized what was happening, Frederick was on one knee in front of her seat, taking her hand in his.
"Elise, will you do me the honor of being my wife, mother of my children, and queen of my people?" Only hope remained in his voice.
She smiled at him. "It would be my honor."
6
Frederick found himself feeling a sense of relief for the first time since he returned to Southern Santiero.
Yes, the thought of talking to Elise had occurred to him that first morning, but he didn't regret not doing so. This was her own choice, her own idea. He wasn't asking her to do anything, simply accepting her offer.
He suspected there would still be feelings of guilt from time to time, but he would always know he hadn't pressured her into something she wasn't certain about.
"So are you going to kiss me?" Elise's teasing tone pulled him out of his thoughts.
It didn't take much for him to lean forward and kiss her gently. Though very different from the kiss a few minutes earlier, it was no less meaningful for the change in their relationship.
"What do we need to do now?"
Frederick returned to his seat. "I'm not certain. I'll have George join us shortly. He knows the protocols. I suspect we'll need to either invite certain members of leadership to the legal ceremony or make sure they're informed under prescribed protocols. Then we'll have a ceremony."
"I will have to go back to shooting soon, unfortunately." She wrinkled her nose. "I had some unexpected free time today while they worked on other things that didn't require me." After a glance at her watch, she sighed. "I have about ninety minutes before I have to be back. I'll need to leave here in less than an hour."
With a grin, he stood and pulled her with him. Resting his hands on her waist, he marveled at how quickly his life had change. "Well, there's a benefit to being the king's fiancée, you know. You'll have escorts and those escorts know how to get you around town the quickest ways possible."
"Escorts? Like security?" Her hands rested on his upper arms. "I suppose it's necessary. I've had security at times before, but never permanently."
"It's an unfortunate reality of sharing my life." He brushed a bit of her blonde hair off her temple. "There are some cool perks though. Or so I'm told. I don't wear a lot of tiaras, but my mum and sister tell me they're fabulous."
Elise laughed. "That does sound pretty cool." She sighed. "I hate to put a damper on this, but maybe we could talk to George and see what needs to be done immediately?"
"Of course." He gave her another quick kiss - because he could - then hesitated. "I suppose I should probably tell you something before this goes any further."
She waited expectantly.
Frederick could feel his face heat up and couldn’t look straight at her. "I had a huge crush on you a few years ago. I foundSPACEwhile my father was dying. It was my escape. You were there for me. I get it wasn't real, but it felt real in some ways. I never thought I'd actually meet you, much less end up in a situation like this."
Her wide smile gave him immediate relief. "I think it's kinda cute. I'm glad we were able to help you deal with everything you had going on."
"To be honest, I didn't love the movies. I'm not a big fan of musicals in general. I have seen theChristmas Carolone you're doing now in the theater, and as soon as I heard about it, I planned to see if we could get an early copy to screen here in the palace."
"Can I tell you something?" She glanced around the office as though she needed to make certain they were alone. "I love musicals, but I didn't love theSPACEmovies. I don't know why, but I wasn't a huge fan."
