The Prince and the Pea- Solangelo

The Challenges

Nico POV

I didn't think Will would actually say yes to the proposal, but I was ecstatic. But, now he had to go through multiple challenges just to prove his worth. Seriously, if anything he was too good for me! I could tell he was nervous, and my family wouldn't tell us when and what the challenges were, so we were always looking around. We decided to have a nice picnic near the river while we waited to hopefully get rid of the nerves. "So, what's Sunaline like?" I asked. His eyes light up. 

"Oh, it's amazing, Neeks. My father hates the dark, so he put up fairy lights all around the kingdom and it looks so magical. And don't even get me started on the gardens-" He continued to ramble on while I stared at him. My fiancé. The thought still made me giddy. He eventually seemed to notice he was rambling and stopped abruptly. "Sorry, I tend to ramble when I'm excited." He looked sheepish. 

"Hey, don't apologize." I shoved him lightly. "I like when you ramble." He blushed. "So...do you want to do anything after this?" 

"Yeah! I would love too!" I laughed at his enthusiasm. 

"Good." Something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. The bushes were rustling slightly and I could tell Will noticed it too. He stood up and went over to it slowly. I followed trying to get in front of him, but he didn't let me, pushing me behind him. A creature suddenly leaped out of the berry bushes. It was a rattlesnake. Will pulled a dagger from his belt, which wasn't entirely abnormal in the local kingdoms, and stabbed its head before it could get to me. We held our breath as it stopped moving.

"Is it...dead...?" I asked. 

"I-I think so...get back just in case." We went back over to our picnic blanket, keeping an eye on the snake. We suddenly heard clapping. Our heads shot to the nearest balcony, where my family all stood. They all looked impressed. Will and I shared a confused glance. Bianca rolled her eyes and shouted down, "That was his first test! Congrats, you passed." 

"You...you sent rattlesnake at us?!" I yelled. Will put his hand on my shoulder to calm me down, which did work slightly. 

Hazel rolled her eyes this time. "We all know Nico's perfectly capable of protecting himself. We just wanted to make sure Will cared about you. Which he does since didn't even let you fight!" I could tell we already convinced her that he deserved to marry me. 

I looked at Will and sighed. "Let's go inside. We can play Mythomagic." He nodded, a little nervously. 

The next challenge came the next day. We were in the lake swimming, but mostly just splashing each other and enjoying the company. Suddenly, Bianca came up to us, causing Will to freeze slightly.  I held his hand comfortingly as we got out. "Hey, Will?" She asked once we dried off with our towels. He looked scared. 

"Yes?" He squeaked. 

"When's Nico's birthday?" 

"January 28, 2000. Last week." He said, growing slightly more confident. 

"Full name, including middle?" 

"Niccolo Alexander di Angelo." We had learned a lot about each other during the month of courting, so if this was the test, I was sure he would pass with flying colors. 

"How old is he?" 

"23 years old." 

"How old are you?" 

"Also 23."

"What're your intentions with my brother?" 

"...to make him happy and feel loved." He looked at me and smiled softly. I couldn't help but grin back as a squeezed his hand. Bianca hummed, pleased. 

"What're his favorite hobbies?" 

"Sword fighting, Mythomagic, and drawing." 

"And are you willing to participate in those with him?" 

"If he wants me too, then yes." 

"Of course I do, Sunshine." I told him. 

"Then I will." 

"What is Nico's heritage?" Bianca asked, back to the questions. 

"Well, his mother was from Italy, but his father had Greek heritage." Bianca paused. 

"What was his mothers name?" 

"Maria di Angelo."

"...what happened to her?" I knew what Bia was trying to do. I didn't open up to a lot of people, especially about my family. She wanted to make sure I trusted him and actually loved him. Will paused before answering, probably confused. 

"She died in a thunder storm. Hit by lightning." 

"And what happened to Hazel's mother?" 

"She was driven insane. Sent to a mental hospital." Bianca looked at me surprised. I glared at her for making Will uncomfortable. 

"One final question, who was Nico's first crush?" 

"Prince Perseus." Will answered confidently. My sister's eyes went comically wide. 

"He-he really did tell you everything, huh?" She said softly. 

"I did." I said. 

"He never opens up. To anyone. If he told you all that, then he must really love you. Im glad you guys are getting married. You just need to get past one more challenge." She walked off.