Chapter the Sixteenth – Wedding Woes
The girls were standing outside of the small white chapel, Dan was nowhere in sight and they assumed he was inside, standing at the altar and waiting for Ayesha. They had once again had a change in outfits. Ayesha was now wearing a beautiful flowing white gown and Heather and Ally were wearing shorter, golden dresses.
“I guess we’re the bridesmaids then,” Heather said, glancing down at her dress.
“Ready for the happy ending?” Ally asked Ayesha.
Ayesha shot a glance at Ally, clearly still not happy about the wedding situation she now found herself in. They hurried up the steps of the chapel and ran inside. There wasn’t a crowd inside, in fact the church was empty apart from the minister and Dan.
“I can’t believe that I have to marry Dan,” Ayesha muttered as she made her way down the aisle. “I mean, sure he’s good looking but he’s annoying and we argue all the time.”
“Some people say that arguing with someone is the first sign of love,” Heather commented.
“I do not love him!” Ayesha frowned.
They reached the altar in no time and Ayesha took her place beside Dan while Heather and Ally stood to one side. The minister coughed and opened the small book in front of him.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of these people,” he said, slowly.
Dan and Ayesha glanced at each other, each had a weary look on their face. Getting married to each other was bad enough, having the ceremony dragged out because of the way the minister spoke was a step too far in their minds.
“Repeat after me please,” the minister turned his attention to Dan. “I, Daniel Evans, take thee, Ayesha to be my lawfully wedded wife.”
“I, Daniel Evans, take thee, Ayesha, to be my lawfully wedded wife,” Dan said, taking Ayesha’s hand as he spoke.
Ally sniffed loudly from behind Ayesha, dabbing at her eyes with the end of Ayesha’s dress. Ayesha and Dan turned to look at her.
“Sorry, sorry,” she said, dropping the hem. “Weddings always make me cry.”
“Repeat after me please,” the minister continued as though there had been no interruptions. “I, Ayesha, take thee, Daniel Evans, to be my lawfully wedded husband.”
“I, Ayesha, take thee, stupid Dan, to be my awfully wedded idiot,” Ayesha said.
The minister looked up from his book for a brief moment before clearing his throat. Dan rolled his eyes and motioned for the minister to carry on, even though he was clearly shocked by Ayesha’s vows. Heather and Ally were hiding behind their bouquets, trying not to let their laughter get too loud.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister concluded. “You may kiss the bride.”
“Wait, no one said anything about any kissing,” Ayesha said, taking a step away from Dan.
“That’s generally what happens at the end of a wedding,” the minister said.
“I’m not kissing him!”
“You have to, it is how the ceremony ends.”
Ayesha opened her mouth to argue but closed it quickly again.
“How the ceremony ends…” she repeated. “If I don’t kiss him, does that mean the novel doesn’t end?”
She turned to look at Ally and Heather, who shrugged in response to her question.
“Some help you two are,” she muttered.
“Let’s just get this over with,” Dan said, placing his hands on Ayesha’s arms to keep her from moving.
He leaned in and kissed her softly, lingering for a moment before pulling away. Ayesha kept her eyes closed for a few more seconds before letting them flutter open slowly. Dan smiled at her and let her go.
“That wasn’t so bad now, was it?” he said.
“Aww, that was so cute!” Ally said. “Best wedding ever!”
“Congratulations!” Heather shouted, throwing confetti into the air.
The group made their way outside and stood in front of the chapel, allowing the sea breeze to wash over them. Ayesha glanced down at the golden band that now resting on her finger, it glimmered in the sunlight.
“Mrs Evans…” she let the name roll off her tongue, she liked the sound of it.
“What’s that noise?” Heather asked, looking around. “It seems familiar.”
They all looked up just in time to see a familiar large vehicle hovering over them, emitting large amounts of orange smoke into the air. A hatch opened and a minion was lowered by some rope. They swooped down, grabbed Dan around the waist and then rose back into the vehicle in the blink of an eye.
“Hey! Bring back my mancake!” Ayesha shouted, shaking her fist as Wax’s vehicle went further and further away from them.
“I’ll stop him,” Heather said, grabbing the laptop and quickly opening it again.
She began typing furiously, not even bothering to look up and see if her words were working.
“Will that work?” Ally asked. “I mean, the wedding was over, the novel was finished…right?”
“You tell me,” Heather said. “What’s going on?”
She kept typing furiously on the keys while Ayesha ran across the grass, trying to catch the vehicle before it disappeared for good.
“Ayesha chasing the vehicle and it’s flying off,” Ally said. “No wait! It’s landing!”
Heather glanced up from the screen and noticed that her writing had worked. She closed the laptop again and started to run in the direction of Wax’s vehicle. They all reached it at the same time, running up to the door and pounding on it as hard as they could.
“Open up! Gimmie back my husband!” Ayesha shouted.
To their surprise, the door slid open and Wax appeared before them.
“Husband?” Wax asked, a frown on his face. “He’s married now?”
“Yes!”
“Oh… well,” Wax said, glancing at Dan who was standing to the left of him. “I don’t want him anymore then. Cheerio!”
He shoved Dan out onto the grass and closed the door again, starting the engine of the vehicle and slowly rising back into the air.
“Well… that was easy,” Heather said.
“Are you alright?” Ayesha asked, looking at Dan with eyes full of concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Dan said, dusting himself off.
“Oh good,” Ayesha said, clinging to his arm. “I was so worried.”
“Did I hear you calling me a mancake?” Dan asked, turning to look at her.
“Mancake?” Ayesha glanced about nervously. “No, don’t be silly. I said… pancake.”
“Because that’s better,” Heather muttered to Ally, who giggled. “Time to finish this thing.”
Heather sat on the ground and opened up the laptop. The others sat in a small circle around her.
“They had been through much together and the memories would always remain,” Heather said aloud. “But the villain had been defeated and they no longer needed to save the world. The maidens retired to their old fortress, relaxing as they once did. Their story was over, no more adventures were to be had.”
“And thank goodness for that!” Ayesha said.
###
About the Author
Heather Lawson has been creating stories ever since she learned how to read, preferring her make believe worlds to the real world. At the age of nine, she wrote her first ‘novel’ and was bitten with the writing bug. In 2007, after learning about National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo), Heather completed her first, full length novel and has since written three more, as well as two novellas and several short stories.
Heather currently lives in a small town in Fife, Scotland with her parents. She works part-time at a Cash & Carry.
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When Your Novel Strikes Back Page 16