A Fairy-Tail Marriage

*****

A month later, Braxton interrupted Althea, who was chatting with Chef and Jeff in the kitchens, laughing animatedly at something Jeff had said.

“Althea, may I see you privately for a few minutes, please? I’ll send her right back, guys,” Braxton winked at the men.

Chef waved his beefy arm and clucked his tongue. “Keep her. She’s wearing me out with new recipes this week.”

“You love everything I’ve brought you so far!” Althea defended. He rolled his eyes at her as she scurried out to follow Braxton. “Where are we going?”

“I have a surprise for you,” Braxton teased. “You’re going to love it!”

“A surprise? I love surprises,” she squealed. “Is it a new tiara?” A running joke between the two, Braxton had promised her a new tiara after he’d sat on hers and destroyed it.

“No, not a new tiara. Geez, Althea, you have four others,” Braxton whined.

“Yes, but that was my favorite,” she told him pointedly as she grabbed his hand. “And since we’re handing out surprises, I have one for you too.”

“Oh really? What is it?” Braxton asked as he halted and pulled her into his arms. After a rather passionate kiss, she playfully danced away from him.

“Mine first. Then yours.”

“We’re here,” Braxton said, watching her face.

She looked around, frowning. She didn’t come in this hall often because she so despised the tapestry depicting the war. She avoided gazing in its direction when she walked this way, and did the same today.

“What is it?” Braxton gestured to the tapestry, and Althea’s eyes followed his pointing finger. She gasped and clapped her hands. “A new tapestry! It’s wonderful, Braxton.”

The new tapestry was the scene from their wedding. She in her dress, he in his tux, holding hands in front of Theno. On one side the colorful fairies and on the other side were the werewolves in their earth tones. Stunning, Althea was mesmerized.

“How did you get it?”

“Your mother. She let the fairy weavers in her mind so they could see this scene. It will hang here forever,” Braxton said. “We are the first werewolf king and fairy queen. We made history.”

“We’re about to make history again,” Althea told him as she gazed at the wedding scene in awe. “Gosh, I could sit here and look at this all day.”

“How are we going to make history again?” Braxton asked.

Althea smiled as she turned her head. “I’m going to have the first mixed breed royal child.”

“You’re pregnant?” Braxton yelled, shocked. “Since when?”

“Since just before the fight with Jonathan, I think,” Althea said.

Braxton grabbed her, lifted her, and twirled her around. Delighted, she laughed and screeched. “Damn, woman, I love you,” he said as he lowered her to the ground.

“I love you too.”

They shared another kiss, and this one wasn’t going to end until they were in private. Braxton lifted her in a groom’s hold and carried her to her bedroom, which had become their bedroom. They made careful, sweet love, happy that their kingdom was, for the moment, safe for their child.

The end.