“It sounds lovely.”
“All Elvish weddings are,” Cassiel said. “They are the most important ceremony our people have.”
“I wish Ava and I could’ve had something like that,” I admitted sadly. “She proposed last-minute, and we got married later that day in an abandoned chapel on prison grounds?—”
“Excuse me,” Cassiel cut in, sounding appalled. “Did you just sayAva-Marieproposed?”
“Yeah. I mean, we didn’t have much of a choice. We had to get married so the Warden couldn’t send me down to the Infernal Underground, because there was a rule that he couldn’t attack a family member of a chieftain without inciting a war against the Hawkei. Ava was Liam’s daughter, so she asked me to marry her, to protect us.”
“This is not how things are done in the Elvish monarchy,” Cassiel insisted. He sounded truly offended. “Where’s the romance, the beauty? When I proposed to Aponi, it was a three-day event! Charlie, you are a prince. It was your responsibility to ask the princess forherhand.”
“Well, I didn't really get that option,” I grumbled. “Our friends put together what they could, but it was no Elvish wedding.”
Cassiel shot to his feet. “This isn’t right! No prince and his princess should be wed in such a manner. You should have only the finest wedding! I won’t allow a grandson of mine to be married in this way.”
I shrugged. “There’s not much we can do about it now. Ava and I are already married.”
“Nonsense,” Cassiel insisted. “You are the heir to the throne. You can throw any party you want whenever you please. You may be married under the law, but you never had a proper Elvish wedding— let alone a Hawkei wedding on your mother’s side— and therefore, you are not married in the eyes of the goddesses and ancestors. So we will begin preparations immediately.”
A royal wedding!Oberi cried.Get my veil. We’re getting married! Again!
My grandfather had clearly made the decision for me, so there was no arguing against it. But you know what? I didn’t want to argue. I’d always regretted that I couldn't give Ava the wedding she wanted, because I knew in my heart that she desired it. She thought she’d never get to have the pretty dress or her big day, but this was a way I could change all that and make her dreams come true. We could do it all over again and get married the right way this time. It’d make her so happy, and gods only knew that was the one thing I aspired to in this world.
Besides… I was obviously not going to convince my grandfather otherwise. Couldn’t really tell the Emperor no, especially about a free party he wanted to throw for me and my wife. This was important to all of us, and I’d never gotten to have a huge celebration with all my friends and family. Might as well go along with it.
“I’ll tell Ava right away—” I began, but my grandfather cut me off with a guffaw.
“You’ll do no such thing,” he said. “You’ll get down on one knee and beg for her hand, like any decent prince should do. And make it a surprise. A grand gesture, if you will!”
“I’m sure Ava will love the surprise.”And the fanfare.I wasn’t sure who was going to be more excited about planning this— my wife or my grandpa.
“We shall perform the ceremony in the temple within the palace,” my grandfather informed me. “Your wife will walk down a stone aisle surrounded by sunlight, with flowers in her hair and ivy hanging from the trees. We will sing and dance, and you will have the wedding you both deserve.”
I started getting excited, because this actually sounded like fun. “You know what, you’re right. If we’re going to do this, I want to do it right. I never got a chance to ask her family for their blessing, and neither of us got a proper proposal.”
“Yes, indeed. And you need a proper ring.”
“Ava has a ring,” I stated.
Cassiel laughed. “I’ve seen that ring, and it is not fit for a queen. It is merely a band, and the princess deserves a marvelous gemstone.”
“I really would like her to keep the original ring,” I said. Kallie had made it for her when we’d first gotten married, and it was special to her because of that.
“If you wish to keep the original band, we can solder it to a new one. I have just the ring in mind.”
I furrowed my brow. “What were you thinking?”
“Follow me.”
My grandfather led me off the beach and to the limo. The driver took us back to the palace.
Wedding bells are ringing once more!Oberi sang the whole way back, though it was hard to hear him over my grandfather carrying on. Cassiel really had a thing for weddings, it seemed, because he kept throwing plans at me while I just nodded stupidly. I had to propose to Ava fast, so she could handle all this and decide what she wanted. I didn’t care what the details were, as long as she was happy and we both had a good time. Let her and my grandfather decide on what color the decorations had to be or whatever. I was fine with anything.
Guards followed us to a secluded area of the castle, one where we had to wander through a lot of doors. Something on the wall beeped, and I heard a loudthunk, like a lock disengaging on a massive safe.
“This is the royal treasury,” my grandfather said.
He led me inside. Oberi spun around, taking in all the jewels.It’s so shiny! Ava would love it here.
