the lord and the alleycat [COMPLETED]

Extra Surprise Chapter

(this takes place between the final chapter and the epilogue)

Bennet and I were on our way to visit the new home of the Alleycats.

"Hey, are you okay?" I kissed his cheek.

He sighed, but smiled, "I'm a little nervous, to be honest."

"Why?"

"What if their home isn't good enough?" He turned to look at me, his forehead creased in worry. "What if they haven't found jobs because no one will hire them? What if—"

I cut him off, putting a hand over his mouth and giggling, "Come on, Benny. I'm sure they're doing great."

He removed my hand, but held it tightly in his own, "I hope you're right."

The carriage pulled up in front of a massive house. It was made of simple brown brick, but the yard was well taken care of. Martin, the Alleycat from the dungeon, was trimming some hedges. He turned, a huge smile gracing his face as we stepped from the carriage.

"Amara! Prince Bennet! It's wonderful to see you!" he hurried over and shook Bennet's hand, giving me a hug. "Come in, come in." Martin gestured for us to follow him as he opened the door. "Prince Bennet and Amara are here!" he called and soon the foyer was filled with dozens of people.

"Oh Prince Bennet, thank you so much for providing us a home," One woman, Rita, said, clasping Bennet's hand between her own. "Most of us have gotten good jobs—"

"We get to eat every day—" said Jasper, one of the small boys.

"We have good clothes—" called another man, Carl.

"And we have toys!" A little girl who reminded me of Olivia, named Emily, said happily, clinging to Bennet's pant leg.

"Are you going to school, young one?" Bennet reached down and picked Emily up.

She nodded vigorously, "All of us are. We are learning to read and write!"

"How magnificent!" Bennet twirled her around and everyone laughed along with Emily.

"Please, stay for lunch," Martin said, and everyone murmured in agreement.

"Alright," Bennet said, and we followed them to the dining room.

I leaned into Bennet, smirking, "See, I told you that you didn't have anything to worry about."

"Oh shush," he tickled me with his hand and I had to quiet my laughter.

"What happened to your arm?" Jasper said, and Rita chided him.

"Don't worry," Bennet smiled. "It's quite a long story. Not a very happy one either."

"Oh, please tell it!" Emily cried, and the rest of the children jumped in.

"Let's eat, and then Prince Bennet can tell his story," Martin said over the noise, and the children grumbled but relented. We had a simple meal of soup and a small sandwich. We talked with the adults about the jobs they had gotten, and they thanked Bennet profusely. I caught Bennet blushing a few times at the thanks he was given, but I thought he deserved it.

He had helped my family in a way I never could've. If I hadn't met him, who knows where I would be.

After lunch we sat down in the living room, and children covered every inch of the floor and furniture. I started the tale, and Bennet filled in the parts I hadn't been around for.

"When Amara left the castle, after being hurt," Bennet took a breath and turned toward me. "I didn't know what I was going to do. At that moment, I knew I loved her." 'Aww's and 'Eww's sounded around the room and I blushed, flustered at his confession in front of a room full of children. We finished the story and everyone clapped, which wasn't something we were expecting.

"So, both of you almost died?" someone called out and we nodded.

"Wow, you guys were totally meant to be together," Jeanie, one of the older girls, said from the side of the room. There was a buzz of agreement and I blushed again.

"Off with you," I said, shooing them from the room. "Time for homework." Groans rang out, but they all followed my request. Emily stayed behind for a second, climbing into my lap.

Not so softly, Emily whispered, "Are you going to marry Prince Bennet and become a Princess?"

"I'm not sure, sweetie," I whispered back and brushed a hair behind her ear. "We'll see."

"If you do, you'd be the best Princess ever," she hugged me around my neck before following the others who had left the room.

"She was so sweet," I clasped my hands to my heart and Bennet had a soft smile on his face. "What?"

"Nothing," he hurriedly stood up. "I think it's about time we leave." We thanked everyone for the meal, and gave out many hugs.

"Thank you again, Prince Bennet," Martin shook Bennet's hand, tears slightly gathering in Martin's eyes. "We don't know where we'd be without you."

"It was my pleasure. I just hope anyone else struggling will come here for solace and friendship," Bennet answered and Martin nodded.

"Our doors are open to everyone in need," Martin said, as Bennet and I got into the carriage. "Farewell!"

"Goodbye!" Bennet and I called together. We settled in, my head on Bennet's shoulder. We rode for awhile and I realized we were nowhere near the palace or Bennet's home.

"Where are we going?" I took my head off of Bennet's shoulder to peer out the window.

"Surprise," Bennet said, but he looked nervous again.

"Oh fine," I huffed and frowned, crossing my arms. Bennet poked at my face until I smiled at him.

"That's my girl," he said, pulling me close. My heart jumped in my ribcage, and I dug my face into his shirt. His heartbeat was fast as well.

We suddenly stopped and I pushed myself off Bennet, scrambling to get out of the carriage to see where we were. I jumped out to notice we were standing on a road in front of the ocean.

"Wow," was all I could say. I had never seen the ocean before.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Bennet said, tugging my hand. He pulled me off the road and into the sand. We discarded our shoes and ran toward the ocean, flinging water at each other as we laughed. I only went in about knee-deep since I didn't know how to swim, but Bennet didn't seem to mind. He snuck up behind me and pulled me down, soaking us completely. The sun was setting, covering the sky in reds, pinks, and purples. I stopped to take it all in when I realized Bennet wasn't beside me. I turned slightly to see him standing behind me, staring at me with love in his eyes.

Then, he spoke, "Amara, there is nothing I love more in this world than you. I know that we've been through a lot, but you were worth it. Emily was right when she said you'd make a great Princess," he paused, and I had to remember to breath when he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a simple silver band.

And then he asked the one thing I never thought I would hear from anyone.

"Will you marry me, RaRa?"

I stood there gaping at him and he frowned, his eyes looking anywhere but me, "I'm sorry, I just thought—"

"Of course I'll marry you, Benny," I said, and he instantly perked.

"What?"

"I said yes!" I jumped on him and we fell into the shallow water.

"I love you so much," he said, placing the ring on my finger. I stayed on top of him as we kissed deeply, the water lapping at our waists as the sun finished setting behind us.

I guess everything had been worth it, if I got to be with my Benny in the end.