DAMON'S POV

I was pacing around the room while Josh, Gabriella and Shawn sat on my bed.
"She's going to kill me, isn't she?" I said in absolute fear. "She's going to kill me the second I ask her hand for marriage. I'm a dead man."

"Oh, Cool! Then can you write off your bedroom and your flip flops under my name?! I love both of them. Especially those blue velvet flip flops of yours. I mean, they are so comfortable that-"

Slap.
"One more word you utter, Josh, and the next step is me throwing you out of the window. Damon's pacing is already giving me a headache here," said Brie.

"Damn! You better let me at least have my hand placed on his back when you push him, babe," said Shawn.

"Do none of you morons see the shitty position I am in right now?! You guys should be giving me advices on what to do here. Not speak about things that don't even matter!" I said.

"Ugh, boys," said Brie as she got up.
"Okay, listen to me honey. Amelia is going to be REALLY upset. Like, REALLY. But the only thing you can do to not make things worse right now is tell her yourself before she comes to know from a third person. That'll just piss her off more."

I sighed and said," You're right. I'm going to go to her, right now, and explain-"

BANG BANG BANG.
"Damon Holden you better open this door right now and tell me what's this crap I hear about us getting engaged today!"

Well, it looks like I'm already too late.

***

AMELIA'S POV

As soon as the door opens I march inside and get right in front of Damon's face.
"Explain. Now," I gritted my teeth and said.

From the corner of my eye I saw Gabriella, Shawn and Josh in the room, their eyes and mouth wide open with shock.

"You guys can leave if you want to," I said to them not removing my eyes off Damon. "But if you want to stay....."

"No way in hell am I missing this. Someone bring me popcorn, man," said Josh. I then turned towards him and gave him a deadpanned look.

Shawn smacked him on the head and said, "Sorry. Brie and I will make sure he doesn't utter another word."

I looked back at Damon and raised my eyebrow, waiting for an explanation from him.

"What do you know?" he said.

"Nothing much, really. All I heard was I was getting engaged today and you want to hear the joke? I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW MYSELF."

Damon sighed and said,"I need you to first let me finish what I have to say and then speak. ONLY AFTER I AM DONE. You have a habit of not listening to me."

"I don't listen to you?! Damon, you son of a -"

"This happened yesterday night," he cut me off and said. "Father called me to his chamber and asked-"

*FLASHBACK*

"So, what about the invitations, son?" he asked.

Damon scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion and said, "What invitations?"

"The ones for your marriage, of course. You're getting married, aren't you?"

"And when did that happen?"

"That was always supposed to happen, wasn't it? The was the plan right from the start, Damon. All the nonsense about you 'wanting to find true love' was all a pretence. We were searching for our Queen so that my throne would have an heir after you."

Damon was taken aback. In the rush of everything happening he had forgotten about the succession rule in the first place. The rule that was written centuries ago which stated that no royal could descend the throne until and unless he had a wife which ensured that there would be heirs to the throne.

"Why do you look so taken aback, Damon?" said the King with a smug smile. "That is why Amelia is still around, isn't she? Because you're marrying her. And afterall I've already sent word to the press that I would be arranging for the press meet day after where I would be announcing who takes the throne after me. The media has been particularly interested since Theo has been back."

"Don't try to back me up against a wall, father, it won't work. Remember I still have those papers against you."

"Oh you mean those papers that were never even legitimate? Yeah I had some of my most skilled men look into that matter. Turns out they were forged and I must say a really bad job was done. So while the things written on it must be true, there is no actual proof. Some of the rebels had constructed it based on some rumors who then contacted me as someone who 'had some information against me'. I must admit I was a fool to fall into that trap but don't worry, the main orchestrator of this so called master plan has been captured. His name is Paul Gregory."

Damon widened his eyes in shock. He wasn't aware of any of this. Now not only was Paul captured but the only thing he had over his father was lost.

"Oh, don't look so shocked, Damon. I will still live by my word. I will pronounce you as my successor but only if you get married. After all, those are the rules. If for some reason, though, you don't announce your marriage soon, we have Theo waiting in line and he isn't interested in marrying the one you love and all that drama. I've found a girl for him which not only will he like, but will make an excellent Queen too. So do tell me if there is a change in plans, Damon, because the press meet is day after."

Damon's morale had gone infinitely low but he couldn't show that to his father so despite knowing that he'll regret saying what he was going to say next, he did anyway.
"Don't worry about that, Father. Amelia and I are getting engaged tomorrow."

*FLASHBACK ENDS*

I had my mouth wide open after the little story Damon just told me. There was complete silence in the room because everyone was waiting for me to say something.

"You idiot," I said softly. "YOU IDIOT!"

All four of the people present in the room flinched because of the volume in which I just screamed at.

"You FORGOT that you had to get married before you sit on the throne? YOU FORGOT?! And what's that shit about the papers being useless now?! And Paul is now KIDNAPPED?! How could you let all of this happen, Damon? Did you fall on your head or something?"

"Look I know I haven't been the smartest, lately, but -"

"SMARTEST?!" I screamed again.
"Even Josh wouldn't have forgotten something so important! And no offense, Josh," I said as I spared him a glance, "but Josh, is an idiot!"

"Hey!" yelled Josh while Shawn and Gabriella snickered.

"Not now, Josh," I said as I turned my attention back to Damon.

"I'm sorry, okay?!" said Damon. "I have been really occupied recently with my shady dead brother coming back to life, my Father turning full on evil and your parents being attacked!" He was screaming too.

"Oh God everyone shut it with the screaming," yelled Shawn. Technically he shouted too but there was a finality in his voice to which I didn't want to argue on.

"Instead of crying over spilt milk we need to decide on what to do next."

Seriously, this guy was the only one with brains in this room.

"Thanks, Amelia."
Crap. I said that out loud.

Damon rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, you did."
He then sighed, walked towards me and said, "Look Amelia, I stand in front of you, not only as a future King thinking for his people but also as a nineteen year old guy who screwed up. I need your help. I need you to help me help my people by saving them from people like father and brother," he then got down to his knees and asked me.
"Will you marry me?"

***

As I stood in front of the mirror with Joe tightening the strap of my gown I thought to myself.
'Surely I wasn't ready enough to marry someone, let alone to a Prince but I have to remember that I'm doing this for the people. They deserve better than what they have. They deserve Damon. And while forgetting to tell me something as important as the fact that he needed to marry me in order to sit on the throne, he has been a really good Prince. So all you got to do right now, Amelia, is remember that this was your choice. You agreed to marry Damon. Just remember. Remember you are happy. Even if you actually aren't.