The end

They couldn't believe what was happening in their lives, everything had gone so incessantly in a rush, the love, the laughter, the arguments and then the pain, the pain of loss, the physical pain, the pain of abandonment.

Everything had been for this.

They had just returned from visiting the orphanage where they had been greeted not only by the children, but also by their lifelong friends, Agnés and Coline included.

The blonde daughter of the innkeeper had apologized again and explained, again, her reasons. Antoinette knew that the ill feeling she had towards her would never fade, but she didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so she tried to put it aside. She also knew that Adrien would always be grateful to that family and would always try to help the sick daughter he was close to, he had told her, from nights and days spent telling her about the world.

With Agnès he had seemed much closer, this had made her more jealous. When they had come together to greet each other they had embraced for a long time, then the woman had quickly pulled away to introduce herself to her with a reverence. They had talked a lot, including about Adrien, the evening in Montmartre and little Amélie. The princess had realized then that there would be no need to worry.

Bruno and the others had been on edge the whole time because of the big news.

That night, after the party, Adrien had only pretended to go home and then come back the next morning and put everything in order, he had actually gone back to the princess' room, knowing that, from then on, he would never leave her alone again.

They had talked a lot, he had explained to her the story of his father and Amélie, she had told him how cold and dark her days at the palace had been. They also talked about what had happened at the ball, they laughed at the faces of the guests and at their mother's expression, they talked about how strange it had been to see and hear the king say those things even though, Antoinette said, she could expect it from him. There were memories of her childhood when her father was not the king, they were the most beautiful of all.

They also talked about "Luka", Adrien got an itch every time he thought about it. If he had really been the villain of the story he would have hated him, but it was not so, he had done everything to defend the woman they both loved, he had behaved like an elegant gentleman even when, publicly, he had renounced the marriage with the princess but had guaranteed stability in the relationship with France.

Then they had made love again, this time without feeling dirty, not even in the eyes of God.

They returned to the palace, but still decided to take a walk in the luxurious gardens. They held each other under their arms and smiled constantly.

<< Felix is a nice guy, I can see why you get on so well with him.>> She said, referring to how he had been quite grumpy with everyone except with Adrien.

<< He still hasn't recovered from the loss of Amélie, it's been such a short time.>> She sighed, squeezing her partner's arm tighter.

<< How are you? >> She took an interest in his face.

<< I would be lying if I told you that I live only on happiness. Obviously all this is more than I could ever dream of, but I can't help thinking about it, it's like losing Rose again.>> She walked and kept looking only at where she put her feet.

<< You've done so much, for both of us, and they know it, God knows it.>>

<< But it didn't help the cause.>> He smiled bitterly.

<< Adrien, don't distress yourself like this again, together we'll do better than this.>> Antoinette paused and then forced him to look at her. She caressed his face and tried to comfort him with a sweet smile.

<< Will I be ready? >> He asked, closing his eyes and letting himself go completely.

<< For what? >> She asked curiously.

<< For all this.>> He looked around, << for the life that awaits me by marrying the future queen, for the obligations and restrictions, I'm used to going out at night and feeling free not to go home to sleep, I'm not made to be locked in a cage.>>

<< Is that what is distressing you? >>

<< I'm afraid I'll never be able to live up to you, I'll never deserve to be by your side, I'll always feel out of place, I'll...>>

<< Hey, my love.>> She took his face in her hands and brought it close to her own to calm him down. Their noses brushed against each other. << I'm here, everything will be fine as long as we're together. I will never see you as something too much as long as you are yourself, it's you I fell in love with, it's true you won't be able to do many things, but is it so bad if instead of going out, you spend the night with me in our bed? >>

Adrien smiled. She was right. How could he panic like that? He had her. All his life she would have been there for him, supporting him, helping him, even looking after him.

He had always thought so, after all, hadn't he? What was he to do with wine, with one-night stands, with the filthy hidden streets of the city, if he had a life to spend with his Antoinette?

Freedom was the most important thing to him, but a free life, without her, would be meaningless.

A life without her would have been one continuous winter.

They would have had days in which they would have growled at each other like dogs and times in which they would have wanted to feel closer and closer, he with his temper would have made her go away, but then he would have run to take her back, as he had already done, because he could not do anything else but keep her inside and protect her, because she was that poem that he would never get tired of reading, even if it had not been written, because he could not help thinking about her, because she was the little piece of order in the chaos of his life.

<< Kiss me.>> He whispered to her within a millimeter of her mouth.

He desperately needed to hear her.

Finally, they kissed.

The days of living together would always end too soon, like their kisses, but fortunately they had already been used to living at night.

The craving for her taste on his tongue forced him to deepen the kiss.

Yes, she had stopped him, had chosen him, in the midst of all those people.

He had seen her, he had chosen her, he had stopped her, in the midst of all those people.

He pulled away from her and put one hand on her waist and the other on her pale cheek. He smiled at her. He looked excited.

<< I don't know if you feel you have won an idiot maybe too good with words, but I know that for all the times we have rejected each other then we have always come back to us, I know that if I'm not with you I'm crazy and I get drunk, but that when you are there it's just life that intoxicates me, it's your perfume that makes me go out of my mind and I admit that sometimes, I take advantage of it, I enjoy making you blush or get nervous, I like to see your reactions to any of my behaviors. And it is because of all these reactions of yours that I realized I only want you, because you are transparent and courageous, because you show yourself to be weak, because despite everything you remain close to me and give me strength. You are my only certainty. You're the only one who, after all I've done, was still able to love me. It's crazy. He smiled, shaking his head and looking at the beauty of the emotion in her loving eyes. << So I'll dress as you wish, I'll behave as is most in keeping with court etiquette, I'll be a perfect husband and a capable king, just for you, to be able to love you eternally, to have your concession to be able to take off your clothes with love and passion, for all the nights of our lives, you'll know all my secrets. >> He put both hands on either side of her neck and closed his eyes sighing.

<< Will you marry me? >>

Silence fell and he opened his eyes again. He saw her looking at him with shiny pupils.

<< I know that since last night everything has been fast and taken for granted but...I don't want it to be, I want my intentions to be clear, I don't want to leave anything to chance I...I wanted to do things right.>> He justified himself anxiously.

Why wasn't he answering? Weren't their intentions already obvious anyway?

<< I don't know what to say...you took away all the words I had in my mind. You're going to drive me crazy. >> She said, letting herself go with a smile that slowly became wet with small salty drops.

<< If you think about it, in the end we looked for each other inside other, in different ways of course, and we realized we wanted nothing but each other, even when we screamed in each other's face under that willow tree, we never really left each other, despite the mess I made, despite you saw me even in the worst moments, you never left and you're still here to say you love me, so yes, I'm sure I want to marry you in front of God's eyes and keep you with me for the rest of my life. But what about you? Are you ready to go through this with someone like me? Do you really want to marry me? >>

<< Of course I do.>>

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. It didn't take him long to kiss her back and to hold her by the waist, pulling her even a little bit up from the ground.

It seemed like nothing had passed since he had declared his love to the woman in the market and now they were here, with her who had not, indeed would not, ever stop looking at him or touching him, who had made theirs a special and important story and had never stopped kissing him and now it was not so hard to imagine her doing it for a lifetime.