This Could Work

Henry~
Three hours later I was sitting in a gilded chair in our large conference room, watching my attorneys yell at Ella’s attorneys about how much money Denmark would gain if I married Maria and how much we would have to raise taxes if I married Ella and how fish trade could improve with Spain but grain trade would improve with the Netherlands and on and on and on.

I wasn’t allowed to talk, but at least I was allowed to sit in. Ella was not.

Two hours in and I realized that across from me in the big bay widows it was now pitch black. When they launched into something about the number of prostitutes increasing if I married either girl, I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood up and walked out. No one noticed.

I found Ella sitting on the stone steps that led to the backfield, under a cloud of stars. Her knees were pulled into her chest.

Ella~
I wasn’t really thinking, because I didn’t know what to think. I was just sitting there kind of numb. I heard him sit down next to me with a sigh.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I turned to him confused, “It’s not your fault.”

“But I take responsibility and I’m sorry.”

I understood he didn’t want me to feel like he was rejecting me, and I knew he wasn’t. It was really sweet. “I’m sorry too. It’s not fun watching your life be juggled by someone else.”

“We have no say in our own lives. It’s not fair.”

“It never was.”

Henry~
We were silent for a little bit, and then she began to laugh, just softly and to herself.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s funny isn’t it? They spend all of those years trying to push us together, and now all they want to do is pull us apart.”

“Yeah… and I was just starting to barely tolerate you,” I said. She rolled her eyes and pushed my chest again, but we both laughed.

And then a thought struck me.

“Ariella?” I asked and she turned to look at me with her sea foam eyes.

“If this whole ‘Princess of Spain’ interception thing hadn’t happened, would you still marry me? Like it was planned?”

Her eyes grew large like she was trying to decipher my ulterior motive.

Ella~
I understood his question, but I knew there was some underlying question he really wanted to ask.

I though about his surface question, and nodded my head.

“Yes, I would still marry you.” When I said it, a smile crept up on my face. It was completely involuntary. I think I liked how ‘marry you’ sounded.

“Alright then,” and he abruptly stood up and then dropped down to one knee in front of me. My jaw hit the floor.

“For what it’s worth,” he said, “Would you, Ariella Marquis, Princess of the Netherlands and of Piano and of all things Political, accept my hand in marriage?”

I was shocked. Absolutely shocked. Never in a million years did I think Prince Hiney would propose to me like this. And to even further my disbelief, I started to smile. And then giggle. And all I could think was, “what the hell?”

I nodded again, “Absolutely.”

“She said yes!” He mock screamed and cheered towards an invisible crowd on the lawn. He through his arms up in celebration, and then covered his mouth to mock the noise of a jubilant crowd. I laughed even harder.

“You’re insane,” I said as I rolled my eyes and he plunked down next to me.

“Now is that anyway to talk to your husband?” He mustered up some exaggerated bravado.

“Oh I’m sorry dearie! Should I call for a cup of tea while I rub your feet?” I said in a fake sugary voice.

“Yes! Now that’s a good wife. And while you do that I’ll admire you’re body and compare it to my mistress’s.”

“Funny! I was going to do the exact same thing!”

“Oh really? And is your side man as tall as me?” He asked as he inched closer.

“No, but he is just as muscular.”

“Oh you think I’m muscular do you?”

“I’m speaking hypothetically!”

“You didn’t say ‘no’,” he smirked.

“Ok yes I do find you to be buff. But what about your mistress! Is she as thin as me?”

Henry~
When she said that I glanced at her waist. All I wanted in the world at that moment was to put my arm around it, but I restrained myself. But I still couldn’t help notice that we were now only inches from each other.

“No, but I like a chunky girl,” I smirked and she scoffed.

“Probably because she has bigger boobs.” I couldn’t believe she said that. She was so brutally honest. It was so cool.

“She probably has great hair too,” she said.

“It’s hard for a girl to have better hair than yours.”

Ella~
He said it so matter-of-factly. I loved his honesty.

“You have pretty great hair yourself. And your eyes…” Somewhere in there my tone had gone from mocking to serious. It didn’t help that I was staring right into his amazing eyes. Our noses were touching.

“…they’re nothing compared to your’s” he said.

“I bet your mistress is more fun than me,”

“Impossible.”

And as he said it I closed my eyes. His hand rested on my neck, and I could feel his lips millimeters from mine. And then….

“ARIELLA!!!!!!”

We both froze.

“ARIELLA!!!!! Where are you?” came the distant voice of my father.

I pulled back from Henry, and his hand traveled down my arm. He looked at me and shrugged.

“Well, it was fun while it lasted,” we said in unison.

Henry~
We pulled farther away from each other as we heard footsteps coming down the stone steps.

In a single instant both our parents had swarmed in to stand in front of us.

“There you are. Come along Ariella, we’re leaving. We’re going to find you someone richer and more loyal to marry,” exclaimed Ella’s father.

“Don’t listen to him Henry-dear, he’s just sour,” retorted my mother.

“With good reason!” And with that he grabbed his daughter by the arm and for the second time that day, I had watched Ella walk away.