Dust in the Empty Flames

Epilogue

3 years later...

"Oh you look exquisite, Rose!" Ceanna gushed happily.

I smiled at her and shook my head," But you look radiant, Ceanna."

She gave me a look and motioned to her growing stomach," You mean fat."

I laughed and gave her a look," No I don't and you know it, but how is she doing?"

She smiled," Wonderful, actually. I'm so happy! Only 3 more months!"

I smiled back and then said softly," I'm glad you're happy, and I can't wait to meet her!"

She sighed happily," Daniel is, too, you should see him! He's been going crazy making sure that everything is just right for his little girl!"

I laughed as I imagined the sight that probably was. I was as happy today as I was the day I found out that Ceanna and Daniel were finally the happy couple they deserved to be. Daniel finally moved on from trying to best Andrew at everything, and now without the pressure of the future of an entire kingdom upon him, he finally moved on and became the guy he was supposed to be.

He finally opened his eyes and noticed what had been in front of him the whole time. He made it a point of no longer neglecting his wonderful wife. They started little by little but eventually they came to love each other deeply. And it truly showed in the way they looked at each other. 

While Ceanna had always loved Daniel to an extent, her insecurities and his obsessiveness hadn't allowed to much more. 2 years later, here they were already expecting their first child in a few months and neither could bear to be apart from each other for long. Daniel adored Ceanna and he had truly swept her off her feet.

True, he was no longer the Crown Prince of Thaledith, but that was fine with both of them.  Daniel and his parents were instead transferred to their estate in Barthmont where Daniel's father was the duke of. Instead of being King he would be Duke and that was surprisingly fine with him.

I was just happy for them and relieved that Daniel had been able to move on and give Ceanna the life and love she deserved. 

Victoria was currently helping Olivia and Grace do my makeup and hair," Hold still, Rose, please! You need to look perfect today!"

I giggled but complied. She had become a very famous and up and coming beauty consultant and designer. She dressed a lot of celebrities as well as some noble and royal families now. The minute Andrew and I had announced our engagement she had announced that she would be overseeing my dress, accessory, hair, and makeup choices. I appreciated her help because while I had a little bit of experience after seeing Grace and Olivia everyday I was far from an expert.

Cynthia and Amy giggled, too. I smirked at them which only caused Victoria to give me a look which made them giggle even more.

Cynthia smirked back and said," Give her a break, Victoria, it's her wedding day!"

Victoria huffed," That's why I'm doing this! Every bride needs to look perfect on her big day."

"Especially when that bride is a princess," Amy said cheekily.

Victoria beamed not noticing Amy's slight smirk," Exactly!"

I rolled my eyes and let them finish up. They had my hair in my usual princess curls, but this time they were done with extra care and they placed the long flowy veil that had the same pattern as my dress and they finished it with a silver and diamond tiara that sat delicately on my head. I put a pair of silver bejeweled heels that made me feel like Cinderella and I was done!

I looked in the full length mirror behind me and beamed at my reflection. I felt so blissfully happy that I felt I would burst. Andrew had been so wonderful and patient and when he'd finally proposed after 2 years of dating I'd accepted with all my heart. 

We'd both been busy the past 3 years. When he'd returned to his rightful place on the throne he was swarmed with new duties and responsibilities and lessons that he was supposed to have taken care of years ago. While it wasn't likely that anything would happen to King Hugo, there was still no avoiding things. 

Andrew worked as diligently as ever, all the while still managing his company in Amberfield, as well. Most of the time he would rely on Alex, Dustin, and Chris to make sure everything was running smoothly but he was never one to neglect anything and so he added one more workload upon himself. 

Nevertheless, any chance he got he made sure to make time for me. He would take me out to dinner or when he was in Abalicia for business he made it a point of dropping by. And I did the same. When I had time away from princess duties or charity work or the social services program, which was now bigger than ever, I would drop by Thaledith to visit him. He always greeted me with a happy smile and open arms. I'd also taken to visiting Ceanna in Barthmont, and would see him on my way there and back. 

We weren't perfect, and we were sometimes stressed out due to being overworked. My temper sometimes lead me to say things I didn't mean, and he sometimes neglected to tell anyone he was at his limit. This ended in us arguing more than a few times and we were far from the perfect couple. But we also somehow always made it through. 

He accepted me for who I was, impulsive and stubborn, and I accepted him for who he was, a workaholic and too selfless. We knew who the other was and who they could be, but that never overshadowed the good things about each other that made us fall in love in the first place.

And so when he asked me to marry him, I let go of my fears and let myself fall completely and now here I was. In my wedding dress, with my engagement ring sparkling on my left hand, and ready to marry the love of my life.

A familiar knock on my door signaled a new chapter in my life and I happily went to go answer it.