Arranged Marriage (Or is It)

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Royalty AU

    It was the wedding day of Princess Astrid Hofferson and Prince Hayden Haddock.  The two kingdoms had been enemies for generations, but they had finally decided that the only way to make peace was a marriage alliance.
    "Astrid, I'm so sorry you have to do this, but it is the only way," her mother said apologetically as they stood waiting outside the ballroom where the ceremony would take place.
    "I know, but I'll be okay," Astrid replied with a little smile.  Ingrid looked at her daughter and tears filled her eyes.
    "You look beautiful."
    "Thank you.  Now go on, I'm sure father is waiting for you."  Ingrid begrudgingly left her daughter to wait by herself.  Astrid adjusted her dress and veil nervously, and before she knew it, someone had handed her a beautiful flower bouquet and she was walking into the ballroom.  She glanced around at the faces as she walked past and didn't see a smile on any of them.  They were all aware that this was an arranged marriage, and it showed.  Astrid finally looked up and saw a similar expression on Hayden's face.  She took a deep breath before taking her place beside him.  The ceremony was as solemn and dignified as all of guests.  And then it was over.  They were married and the alliance was formed.  Both of their parents came forward and apologized for forcing them to go through this.
    "Please, can we just drop it," Hayden said impatiently.  They backed off and followed them outside where a boat was waiting to take them on a weeklong vacation.  Even if it wasn't a happy occasion, both families felt that they deserved a break while they processed this drastic change.  Once the newlyweds were on the boat and felt it moving away, they could finally breathe.
    "Well that was.... depressing," Hayden said as he changed into more comfortable clothes.
    "I mean, it was kind of supposed to be," Astrid agreed as she undid the elaborate braid in her hair.  "Nice acting by the way."
    "Why thank you milady," Hayden replied with a teasing bow.  The truth was, they had actually been dating for years, so their serious expressions were completely fake.  In fact, they considered running away together just before their parents announced their arranged marriage.
    "I still can't believe how lucky we were," Astrid said sitting beside her husband.  "I mean, we thought we'd never be able to get married, but instead we were basically ordered to get married."  He laughed and wrapped an arm around her.
    "I promised we would didn't I," he said softly.  She smiled and grabbed his hand.
    "Yes, you did," Astrid agreed.  In that moment, she had never felt happier.  She had finally married the man she fell in love with, and with her parents approval.  It was almost too good to be true, yet somehow it was.  She leaned against him, suddenly feeling the exhaustion from the past few weeks of planning kick in.  Hayden smiled and slowly lay down, adjusting his arm so she was more comfortable.  She stirred a little as if trying to wake herself up again.
    "Shh, get some sleep," Hayden shushed her.  She nodded and snuggled against him once more.  The rest of the world might think that their marriage was forced, but nothing could be farther from the truth.  They both fell asleep, content in the knowledge that nothing could keep them apart ever again.

    Wow, we've already hit 11k on this book😱 Thank you guys so much for all your sweet comments.  I hope you have a wonderful week.

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