Dreaming of Acceptance

There was a long silence, people started to whisper among themselves. Things like: "my isn't he handsome" or "what does that boy think he's doing?". I, myself, knew what Nicholas was doing and I was ecstatic for it.
"Follow me." My father's jaw tightened as he looked around the ballroom.
He strode forward in front of us, trailed by Nicholas and I and my mother flanked my left side. She gave me a sympathetic look.
"Everything's going to be okay, dear." she said matter-of-factly.
As we crossed the threshold out of the ballroom, my mother turned around. "Please, stay here while we get this matter solved." she smiled and dipped her head.

She turned toward the rest of us as the doors closed and the guards took their place on either side of the door.
"What do you think you are doing here, Nicholas?" My father looked at the young man standing next to me.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty." Nicholas hung his head.
"Wait, how would you two know each other?" I asked confused.
My father looked at me. "His father and I were friends when we were your age, we used to go galavanting off, in no mood to grow up," he chuckled. "I was the one who had said Nicholas should work in the castle."

"Nicholas?" I asked.
He looked up at me. "How come you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't know, I had just been told that I was going to work in the palace a few years ago." He replied.
"Did you live anywhere before this?" I pressed.
Nicholas shook his head. "Not that I can remember."
I put a hand to my face. "Hm.."
"Martin.." My mother put her hand on my father's sholder. "Maybe you should let him know.."
My father sighed. "I guess so."

At that very moment, everything else was forgotten as a man made his way past a barricade of guards, he stripped one of his sword and came at Nicholas.
Someone burst through the ballroom doors witha sword. It was Marco. Surprised, I covered my mouth as metal clashed against itself and I realized the other man was none other than Aro. Nicholas pulled me behind him and kept a hand against me.
I looked over his shoulder as more metallic sounds filled the air, everyone in the ballroom turned to look out the doors. Some even stood up.

"Enough!" Marco cried.
Aro looked shocked. "What? Marco, what about our plan?"
"Your plan, and I am not going to be a part of it any longer." Marco's face was hard.
Aro lowered his sword as he looked at his son in disbelief.
Marco looked back towards me. "I'm sorry, for everything."
My eyes widened. "Marco! Look out!" I yelled as he looked back towards his father and narrowly missed a jab to the stomach.
"You'll die with him then!" Aro yelled.
Marco shifted his sword and moved it just right so his father's was knocked out of his hand.
Guards came and pointed their crossbows as Aro.

"What's going on?!" My father yelled above everything.
We all looked his direction, though Marco was the one who answered. "My father had planned for me to marry your daughter in order to have the thrown in his control." He said unafraid. "He was going to send your family into exile and then kill Nicholas."
My heart skipped. That would never happen now, though, right?
My father looked at Aro. "Is that true?"
Aro smiled deviously. "Of couse it is. Why would I not want control over the Senate."
"Aro, you were a trusted memeber of the Senate. Why would you?" my father asked.
He chuckled. "Because, I've always hated you, you had power, yet you never used it."
"I've used the power I was given to the best of my ability. Guards! Take him away!" My father ordered.
The last thing I saw was Aro being taken away by the guards. Nicholas was on the defensive and was spread out in front of me, still ready for a fight.

"It's all right now." My mother chided with a small smile. She looked over her shoulder as Aro was dragged away.
My father sighed, then looked at Marco. "You know that you are still set for treason."
Marco nodded his head and put down his sword. "But I'm not going to have you on trial for it." Marco looked surprised.
"Thank you."
My father nodded his head, then turned back to my mother, Nicholas, and I. "Now.. what was it that you were going to tell Nicholas?" I asked.
My father looked warily at my mother and she encouraged him with a smile.
"Nicholas, do you know exactly where your mother and father went?" he asked.
Nicholas shook his head. "No, Your Majesty."

"You're mother and father are in France." he explained. Nicholas kept a straight face, though I was questioning everything.
Father motioned to close the doors and the guards did accordingly. He explained that Nicholas parents had some business that was left unfinished back in France. Apparently Nicholas' uncle had just died and left the control to no one but his brother, Nicholas' father. He and his wife were to claim control, so they left Italy. They were doing well, and had high hopes for all of their children. My father said that now that they were in control in France, Nicholas could be proven nobility.

"So that means.." Hope laced my words.
"You can marry Nicholas if you would like." My mother replied.
"Then why did you say I had to stay away from him?" I asked.
My mother grimaced. "We hadn't heard from the Jonas's until a couple of days ago. A telegram had arived stating that they were well."
"Oh." I replied.
"Nicholas?" My father asked.
He looked up to my father's face. "Would you like to marry my daughter?"
Nicholas' face lit up. "Yes, Your Majesty." He smiled.
"Good, because she seems to have taken a liking to you." Father chuckled.
I smiled up at Nicholas and he held me close to his side.

Days later...

He trapped me in a kiss, and everyone cheered and clapped. Bailey, Emily, Joseph, and Paul stood up and grinned at Nicholas and I.
I chuckled and blushed and Nicholas laughed. We walked straight through the crowd of people and out the doors of the ballroom. Once outside, there was a carriage and I laughed. People had written stories about this. Like Spaniards and French who lived happily ever after. I had read a few of them, but I never thought they were possible in my country. Nicholas pulled me into the back where the seats were and smiled. I looked through the opening in the back and threw the boquet. Emily caught it and Joseph blushed. I laughed.
And that's when Nicholas pulled me back to him and kissed me. I felt him smile.

Nicholas pulled away. "I love you." He rubbed the side of my face with his thumb.
"I love you too, Nicholas." I smiled.

And I thought love didn't exist. What a misunderstanding.