I took a deep breath and smoothed my trembling hands over my gown as my new ladies-in-waiting dressed me and prepared me for the wedding. I stood in my bedroom at the palace, staring at my reflection in the tall, gilt mirror.

I wore a white wedding gown with gold lace along the sleeves and in little patterns along the skirt. The lace sleeves reached just to my elbow and the skirt was just long enough to hide my feet and billowed out around me in a mass of tulle and silk. Strands of my hair were held back with a pearl comb, the rest fell past my shoulders in soft curls.

Alice stood with me as the servants worked on my wedding gown. She was very good at telling them what to do and giving them directions. She was the one who organized most of my wedding, with the help of the king and queen—mostly the queen.

Queen Alexia treated me like her own daughter, which had helped fill the hole in my heart left by the disastrous parting with my own parents. The king had begun to warm to me, but I did not think we would ever be close.

After William disobeyed his father by refusing to marry Alice, it had taken several weeks for King Henry to even glance in my direction. And several more weeks still before he deigned to have a conversation with me. It was only after a long talk with William—it was more of an incredibly loud argument—before King Henry decided to help with the wedding at all. But, after that, things began to get a little easier, less awkward between us. We were getting there.

Agnes finished lacing up my gown and smiled at me. "You look absolutely beautiful, Miss," she said, her eyes shining.

My face warmed and I smiled at her. "Thank you, Agnes."

Alice walked up beside me and met my eyes in the mirror. "She is right, Erika. You look amazing. And just think: by tonight, you'll be a princess! And married!"

I did not know what to say, so I just smild, nodding my head, and casting my eyes down so that I was looking down at the white silk slippers that matched my gown.

I released a nervous breath and turned away from the mirror to mile at my sister. I couldn't get rid of the nervous fluttering in the pit of my stomach. I felt like I was going to be sick or burst into song. I couldn't decide which, though. Perhaps both.

A moment later, there was a sharp knock on the door that led into the hall. One of my ladies, Charlotte, opened the door to reveal Poppy Thorel. Alice grinned and went over to greet her.

Their relationship was still mostly a secret, though Commander Gabriel and William knew now. It had taken a little getting used to for them, but they seemed supportive of the relationship. I had a feeling neither Alice nor Poppy would care much if they didn't, though. "I am to escort you to the wedding," Poppy said, puffing out her chest with an air of importance.

I nodded. "Of course," I took Poppy's arm and allowed her to lead me out of the room and through the castle to the gardens where the wedding was being held. Alice followed behind us, fussing with my hair and smoothing out my dress as we walked. I think she was as nervous as I was, if not more so.

I smiled and swatted her hand away when she tried dto fix my hair once more. There was nothing wrong with it, anyway. "Calm down, Alice."

She huffed, looking displeased. "My baby sister is getting married! You cannot expect me to be calm!"

Before we had even made it to the palace doors, I could hear the cheers and shouts. News of our wedding had spread like wildfire across Belhaven and it seemed as though the entire country had come to see me wed. They had to lock the gates at the beginning of last week so that people would stop breaking into the palace to share their congratulations.

There were a select few allowed through the gates to attend the wedding. Many nobles had come, kings and queens from different lands, dukes and duchesses, lords, friends of King Henry's and Queen Alexia's.

Though, Mother and Father were not among the guests. It was very bittersweet, because they were still my parents and it felt like something was missing that they were not in attendance. However, Mother would have been a nightmare and made it an awful experience for everyone involved—and I am not even sure they would have come had I decided to invite them.

Alice took my hand and squeezed it tightly, as if she could read my thoughts. She offered me a reassuring smile, which I returned.

We reached the garden, which was beautiful this time of year, at the end of spring. Cherry blossom trees were in full bloom; the flowers were blossoming and birds were chirping. The sky was a magnificent blue and there was not a cloud t be seen; the sun shone down so brightly it wreathed the trees in gold. I could hear the soft musical notes of the fountain somewhere nearby. It was as though the earth itself was celebrating our marriage.

I let go of Poppy's when we reached the aisle, and she bowed to me and stepped away to her seat near the king.

I turned to Alice, who I had asked to walk me down the aisle, and she took my arm and did just that.

Everyone stood and turned to watch me walk down the long, white carpet, to my future. William stood at the altar at the end of the aisle, along with the priest. His eyes widened when he saw me and he looked a little straighter, his lips parted slightly in a look of wonder and love. Just that one look from him and I was nearly giddy.

A small group of musicians played as I walked, and pink rose petals dusted the white carpet. My eyes met the sapphire ones of my future husband's and he smiled.

The walk felt like it lasted a lifetime, but, by the time I reached William, I no longer felt nervous. Alice kissed my cheek and stepped off to the side, as the priest gestured that the guests that they may be seated. William took my hands in his, his eyes sparkling.

When everyone had taken their seats, the priest began to speak. He spoke of our love for each other and our love for the country, he waked us through the vows and asked us to repeat promises that he spoke to honor our commitment to each other and our commitment to the kingdom. When the priest told the audience to speak now if any were opposed to our marriage, no one spoke up.

The priest continued with his speech and, soon enough, we were pronounced man and wife. William smiled, his blue eyes dancing, as he leaned in and planted a long, passionate kiss upon my lips. People cheered and clapped, but I could hardly hear it because I was so wrapped up in the moment. This was my first kiss as a married woman, my first kiss with my husband. It wasn't shared under our tree or or in the dead of night so that it could not be seen, as it had been mere months ago. This was for everyone to see, and to know that we were now one, before God, before our friends, before the kingdom.

"We did it, Erika," William whispered against my lips, causing me to smile.

"Yes we did, William," I replied, pulling away to meet his gaze. "Yes, we did."

#

A feast was held in the great hall in honor of our marriage. I had never seen so much food in my life. Platters of roast duck, boar, venison, turkey, and pig took up the table, along with cheeses, and breads, and fresh fruits and pastries, sparkling wine, justs of ale . . . it was not a celebration that would be forgotten. There must have been hundreds of people in attendance.

William and I received many beautiful gifts from guests, as well as from the citizens of Belhaven. It seemed most people were pleased with our marriage.

At this feast, I sat at the topmost table, now as royalty, not just nobility. I chatted with King Henry and Queen Alexia and sat beside William, holding his hand all the while.

I just could not believed that I was married. I had gotten to marry the man I loved. Just the thought made me smile.

The feast was a blur of good food and and congratulations. I was fairy certain we spoke to every single person in attendance—and there were hundreds of them. Everyone wanted to say congratulations and offer marital advice. It was very heartwarming, but also a bit overwhelming.

Everyone was still enjoying themselves, indulging in wine and food when William and I took our leave. We sneaked out quietly, grabbed our coats, and hurried to the carriage out front.

When we reached the harbor, the last ship of the evening was just beginning to board. Poppy and Alice had arrived there just before us and we had followed to say our goodbyes. The night was cold, the harbor lit only by the occasional oil lamp, a light fog stretching out over the water, wreathing the moored ships.

I wrapped my coat more tightly around myself to ward off the chill that hung in the air as we walked with Poppy and Alice to the ship.

"Where will you go?" I asked, meeting Alice's storm-cloud gaze.

She shrugged—a surprisingly unladylike gesture for her—and offered me a tentative smile. "I'm not sure," she said. "We will go to Renwick first, but only for a short stay. Then off to some place else. We are going to travel, to explore the world. See everything we can. I have never left Belhaven and I have so much money saved up from all those years that I am eager to spend." There was color in her cheeks and her eyes were bright, excited. She looked so different from the girl I'd grown up with. So much happier. More hopeful.

I could not help but return her smile. I was so happy that she'd finally found the future she wanted. That she could be happy now too.

"Is this what you dreamed running away might feel like?" I asked curiously. She looked sururpied by my question and I realized how it must have sounded. "I'm sorry—that was incredibly blunt. I didn't mean it the way it sounded—" I winced as I fumbled over my words and William snorted beside me and coughed to try to cover it, but he could not quite hide the hint of a smile behind his hand.

"I know what you meant," Alice said quickly to cut off my nervous rambling. "This is sort of what I pictured when I dreamed of running away, though I had never put so much thought into it. It had only ever just been running away. Running away from this life, these expectations, teh people. I would not call this running away in the same sense. Instead, I'm running toward something. I'm not sure what yet, but I'm excited to find out."

Poppy tossed her hair and managed a haughty look. It reminded me very much of the kind of face Alice would make. Poppy and Alice truly were a perfect match. "Seh's running toward her future with me, of course. We do not know where that future is, yet, but it's out there. We are going to find it." She looked off toward the ship and then back at Alice. "Which I think we must do rather soon, since they are almost done boarding."

"Right, of course," Alice said. "Well hurry on ahead. I have to say goodbye to my sister."

Poppy nodded and pulled me into a tight hug, causing me to gasp in surprise. "It's been so nice getting to know you, Erika. I wish you and His Highness the best of luck in your marriage."

I tentatively returned the embrace, a warm feeling flooding my chest as I did so. "Thank you, Poppy. You make Alice very happy. I wish the same for the two of you."

Poppy stepped back and hurried off.

William smiled wryly and ducked his head before following after Poppy.

I turned to Alice who was watching me, a contemplative look upon her face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It is nothing," she said quickly, with a shake of her head.

I narrowed my eyes at her, suspicious. "Are you lying?"

She bit her lip. "I suppose I am just a bit worried. Will you be all right here? Without me? We have not always been close, but neither have we ever really been apart. Is it wrong of me to leave you here by yourself?"

My eyes began burning and I blinked furiously to keep the tears back. "Oh, Alice," I said, my voice breaking on her name. "You know I am not alone. I have William. I will certainly be all right without you, knowing you are on the adventures you've always dreamed of."

Her eyes shone with unshed tears and she hugged me fiercly to her. "Fine," she said. "But I will write to you often and I will expect letters back so I know how are you are. And if I sense even the smallest inkling of unhappiness in any of your letters, I will be on my way to you immediately, prepared to fight the cause of your unhappiness with a vengeance."

This time, I could not quite keep the tears from spilling over as I hugged her just as tightly. "I do not doubt it. But, please, do not worry about me. I will be fine here. I am so happy. I do not think anything could take that from me."

Alice drew back to look me in the eye, her hands on my shoulders, as though assessing me for any hint of a lie. And then she nodded. "Well," she said, dropping her hands and brushing invisible dust off of her down. "Then I guess I must be off. Goodbye, Erika."

My throat ached and I had to swallow several times before I was able to say anything in return. "Goodbye, Alice. I'll miss you."

She pressed her lips together and, after one last look at me, spun on her heel and walked toward the ship where Poppy waited for her. It was bittersweet seeing her walk away. I had only recently formed a real friendship with her; it was still new and tentative. And now she was leaving. I would miss her more than I ever thought I would. But I was so happy for her too. I was happy she'd found Poppy and that she would get to know what freedom was, the way she'd always hoped. I was very hopeful for her future, but a part of me wanted to call out to her, to beg her not to go, to admit how much I would need her when she was gone.

I took a shuddering break and brushed the tears away from my eyes. William said his goodbye to the two of them, though I could not hear what he was saying from this distance. Once he'd finished, he made his way over to me.

His eyes widened when he saw me and he hurried over. When he reached me, he hesitated before lifting a hand and brushing his thumb over my cheek, wiping away a tear. "You'll miss her, won't you?"

I swallowed against the lump in my throat and nodded. "Very much."

He gave me a gentle smile adn took my hand in his, brushed his lips across my knuckles. "You know, I think I'll miss her too. I was surprised to realize that, actually." He paused, eyes widening. "Sorry, I mean—that came out wrong."

I could not help but laugh. "It's all right. I know what you meant. We can miss her together, then."

As the sip pulled away from the harbor, Alice and Poppy leaned over the side to wave at us, and William and I waved back, shouting our goodbyes, as though we had not done so already. They got smaller and smaller as the ship sailed away and I waved until my arm ached and I called out to them until my voice was hoarse. The ship disappeared into the mist and only then did I stop waving, content to know that we would see them again. It was a goodbye for now, not a goodbye forever.