Chapter Text
The kingdom erupted in a mix of laughter and applause, giving a standing ovation to our new king.
The three of us shared a smile between each other. Breaking into my own guffaw, I pressed my nose into the crook of the blond's neck.
"Artie! Artie! Artie! Artie!"
Artie had just turned his head, grinning down at me. He tilted my chin up, only to be swept away by two of Hook's crew members. I couldn't help but giggle as they scooped him up -- to his astonishment -- and carried him into the crowd.
Shrek seemed just as amused; he rested a hand on my shoulder as we watched.
"So," he began. "Think you can keep him in check?"
King Arthur was lost in the audience, beaming as he greeted his people with handshakes, waves, hugs to small kids who were watching.
My heart swelled.
"It won't be easy, knowing him," I answered with a smirk to the ogre. "But, I think I've got it."
"Then I guess that means this is goodbye." Shrek assumed.
My smile fell.
Then again, all journeys had to come to an end, in order for new ones to begin.
"..."
It didn't make saying goodbye hurt less.
Tearfully, I wrapped my arms around the ogre's torso.
Well, far as I could, anyways.
"I'm sorry for lying to you guys," I confessed. "I wish I could've told you all earlier, but there was so much going on and--"
"Now come on, no need to cry over spilled milk." Shrek dismissed playfully, turning his gaze to Artie -- who had just been climbing back up the steps to the stage, after waving goodbye to some people. "Goodbye is..."
He trailed off, observing for a moment as the blond spoke with Queen Lillian.
"...Well...it's a hard thing to say." he finished. "But, ya know..."
He turned me gently by my shoulders, so that I was facing the king.
"...one thing I've learned on this trip is...some goodbyes can lead to new hellos. You'd agree, wouldn't ya?"
Artie flicked his eyes away from the queen for just a second.
He grinned at me, tossing a wink before carrying on in their conversation.
"Don't think I never listened to you two talking," the ogre continued. "You're both obviously closer than you might think; don't you think it's a wee bit...irrational... to throw away this chance over a bit of fear?"
...
"You guys could turn out to be just like Shrek and Fiona! More in common than you might think!"
Enid's words rang in my head.
I didn't know if I was mad that she was right, or mad that I proved it.
I turned back around, and gave the ogre a nod.
"See?" he asked rhetorically. "Now do me a favor, kid."
I gave him a perplexed look; within a split second, his expression had switched from satisfied to...rather annoyed.
I shrunk into myself a bit; seemingly amused, the ogre's frown flicked back to a warm grin.
Playfully, he socked my shoulder.
"Go be happy with yourself," he requested. "Don't worry so much about what comes next, alright? It'll fall right into place before you know it."
I smiled, and returned the gesture.
"Thanks for everything, Shrek."
With a nod, a smirk, and a two-fingered salute, the ogre backed away a few steps before turning around, and meeting his wife at center stage.
I turned in the opposite direction, to find Artie waiting with his arms crossed.
He gave me a shit-eating grin.
"Hard goodbye?"
"Least I had the decency."
The blond chuckled as his hands met my waist.
"Fair enough."
I hummed.
"So...what now?" I queried in his hold. "I know you've probably got a busy schedule ahead of you...being king and all."
"Well," he began. "I talked with my aunt for a bit...she said she wanted to talk to you, too."
The queen? What would she have wanted with me?
I wasn't even meant to be here, right?
"Am I in trouble?"
Another laugh escaped from the back of the king's throat.
"'Course not," he corrected dismissively. "She just...wants to meet you; see if you're fit for the crown, y'know?"
I choked on air.
I-- me? Crown?
English-- help--HELP--
"A-wh--she--" I stuttered -- much to Artie's amusement from the sound of his laugh.
I swear he did this shit on purpose.
"I--I couldn't," I stammered, when I was finally able to form words again (yey), "I'm not a leader, I'm--oh god, I think I'm gonna pass out--"
The king was absolutely beaming.
Jesus, he was just getting a kick out of this, wasn't he?
I'd let it slide, because god he was so cute when he smiled hELp-
"Of course you can! Are you kidding?" he corrected once more. "Bri, you literally stood up to a villain, and lived to tell the tale!"
"Less that I stood up to him, and more that I just insulted him."
"But you still had the guts to speak up even when he was threatening to kill you! You stood up for me to Lance, you defended Shrek when I wanted to go back to Worcestershire!"
My lips formed a grim line as I averted my gaze. The blond took me by the shoulders.
"Bri, you were even brave enough to tell me how you were really feeling, the one thing you told me that you feared the most! You remember that, right?"
"But all of that was just me acting on my emotions," I argued softly, my eyes finding his again. "I couldn't even tell you how I felt at school; why would any of what I've done count, now?"
"Because it was you!" he laughed, gesturing to the stage, and to the audience. "Everything we went through, we went through together! Look at yourself! You were up and ready to fight a bunch of pirates without hesitation, yesterday!"
...Okay, that earned a chuckle.
A small one.
"And even tonight!" Artie continued to ramble. "You had a whole kingdom handed to you, you were literally given the chance to be an actual queen, but you were so kind that you gave it up and chose your home and the people you love instead! Do you not see yourself, right now?"
The blond cupped my head in his hands.
To say I was beaming would be a major understatement.
"I don't think I'll ever find any other girl in this entire kingdom that has your sense of nobility, and bravery, and negative attitude, and you know I can't go without that! I bet Annie would call you a dingus if she were here, huh?!"
My laughter picked up, and the king soon chimed in with his own. Just the sheer joy of being with him, combined with his kind words, I couldn't help but tear up.
His optimism was so contagious; he saw the good in everything and everyone, the good in me, and he wasn't afraid to make his voice heard, anymore.
This was a complete 180 from the Artie that I knew in Worcestershire, the one who was so shy and reserved, and never spoke his mind, in fear of being bullied by his own peers.
I didn't think he would ever stop being so admirable, and it made me fall in love with him all the more.
I hated that only he could have this effect on me.
Three speeches from Artie within the span of a single weekend; I had to say I was impressed.
"Come on, Bri," he finished softly, wiping a few tears that had cascaded down my cheeks.
"You were made for this. Can't knock it 'til you try it, right?"
"..."
I sighed, holding his wrists.
This entire trip, I'd seen and experienced so much. Hell, I went flying into the sky and landed in a canopy from thirty feet in the air.
And survived.
Would my best friends really want me to reject this? To give up ruling a kingdom for them?
To give up true love?
...
"What are you doing? He's getting away!"
"Go, you fool! It's my job to jest, not yours!"
"This could be your last chance before he's gone forever~..."
Those were my friends' last words to me before I left Worcestershire, and all they did was encourage me, because they knew that Artie was going to be gone, that I'd never see him again.
They didn't want me to say goodbye then. So why would they, now?
Why had I never stopped to think about what they would've wanted for me?
With a grin, I found Artie's eyes once more.
"..."
I nodded my head.
"Yeah?"
"...Yeah."
"Yeah?!"
Another laugh erupted from between the two of us as my arms snaked around his neck, and I buried my head in the crook. He pulled away from the hug just enough to keep my chin between his index finger and his thumb.
I could feel my heartbeat picking up speed again as our foreheads touched.
...
Fuck it, what did I have to lose? My dignity.
Defeatedly -- and fine, I'll admit it: desperately -- I finally pushed upward and closed the gap between our lips. He tightly locked his arms around my waist and I cupped his cheeks.
If he could pull me any closer to him, I was fairly confident he would have.
I was sure some deity above was delighting in my anxiety.
They could go fuck themselves; I was on Cloud Nine.
The kiss was long, and deep, full of life and passion, and admittedly almost a fear on my half that if I parted, he'd disappear again, and I wouldn't be able to say goodbye. At the same time, it was sweet, and simple, and loving, something that could easily be read by onlookers as just two high school sweethearts in love, and unafraid to show it.
It ended only upon someone clearing their throat.
I pulled away with a clashing combination of hesitation and haste, looking past the blond to the wing of the stage.
Queen Lillian stared at us with an unreadable expression.
I couldn't tell if it was of shock or secondhand embarrassment that she'd walked in on something that was embarrassing enough by itself.
Not the best first impression, Bri.
Sheepishly, I averted my gaze. The blond chuckled.
Lillian cleared her throat again, as if trying to regain her composure.
That made two of us.
"I...assume this is the young maiden you were speaking of, Arthur."
---
"I hear that he actually managed to pull it off."
"No way! You think that's where she must be?"
"Last we saw her was during the assembly last Friday. That's when he left, is it not?"
My eyes were already welling up as I tried to keep my footsteps quiet, which was hard to do in heels. Students in the courtyard were in absolute awe as I walked past, the red gown I wore being a fast way for me to stick out like a sore thumb.
It had been a week since I'd become antiquated with the kingdom staff, since Far Far Away became my new home.
Just as he promised, Artie and I made our way back to Worcestershire to visit.
Walking arm-in-arm past the students who once judged us to our faces was an experience in and of itself. There was a sense of satisfaction the two of us shared, a newfound respect echoing from the school to us.
To Artie.
He made it.
I beamed when I saw three familiar faces together in a spot on the grass, speaking lowly with one another.
"You think that she'll be able to--"
One of the girls gasped.
The other turned around.
There I stood, my king protectively behind me as I stared into the blue eyes of someone I thought I'd never see again.
The blonde slowly stood from where she sat cross-legged.
With tears welling, we made a beeline for one another, before sobbing into each other's arms.
Enid and Daggy followed hastily, turning the embrace into a group hug.
"You did it." my best friend whispered into my ear. I nodded, my grip around her upper torso tightening.
"We did it." I confirmed with a shaky breath, ignoring the onlookers who gawked and glared.
They could eat it.
I parted halfway to face Annie, cupping her cheeks with a sad smile.
"You don't have to worry," I reassured her jokingly, trying to ease the heartache. "I haven't been crowned just yet; that's gonna take some time."
She and Enid laughed aloud.
"Best guess is the spot's reserved, though." Daggy chimed in; with a beam and a nod, I threw my arms around his torso, burying my head in his chest with a giggle. Chuckling, he returned the hug tightly for a moment, before we parted.
"And you said it was just an infatuation!" Enid taunted, looking between Artie and me with a teasing smirk.
My cheeks could've given my dress a run for its money.
Artie's gloved hand snaked around my waist from behind.
"What about an infatuation?"
"Forgive me, my liege," Dag joked. "Seems your princess here was denying some serious allegations."
"Oh really? What of?"
"Something about being infatuated with you last week," Enid piped back up. "We tried to convince her to tell the truth, but I guess she just enjoys ye olde thug life!"
"Huh..."
I wanted to crawl beneath the ground at the taunting look on Artie's face, as he quirked a smirk.
"I'm sure you're aware that this is a punishable offense."
"You guys can stop at any point, you know." I pointed out, much to the amusement of the trio. The blond grinned into my shoulder.
"Maybe," he agreed, pressing a kiss to my jawline. "But I kinda like seeing that pretty little blush."
"..."
I playfully shoved his head away; the few of us shared a laugh.
"Anyways--" I dismissed, clearing my throat. "--we're not just here to catch up."
I gave the king a knowing look. He simpered, turning his gaze to the group.
"A few trade-n-sellers are gonna be on their way, this weekend," he explained. "Wanted to invite you to the kingdom, for when we set them sailing..."
The few of them looked between each other, absolutely befuddled.
I hid my smile behind my hand.
Artie grinned as he added:
"We also talked about it, and agreed that...Far Far Away has a pretty big castle--"
"Shut up--" Dagonet interjected.
"--and we are kind of short on staff."
"Are you serious?!"
"You're joking. You've gotta be joking!"
I gave them an excited smile.
"Not many jesters and poets in the group," I chimed in. "We've also definitely been missing a member in Far Far Away's Royal Association of Witches and Wizards International -- you know, since Merlin left and decided to go off and find his spiritual purpose and all."
"I swear to god if this is a prank, mates." Daggy threatened, though his emotion was easily betrayed by the giddy grin on his face.
"We've got enough room for you guys," Artie added tauntingly. "Come on, whaddya say?"
Annie looked to me.
"My family is in the castle waiting to meet you, you know." I argued, in the hopes that this would be the persuasion she needed.
"Plus, we'll finally get to go over that spellbook you got for Christmas."
"..."
Checkmate.
Beaming, she pulled me back into a (deathly tight) hug.
"I was right to give you the Disease!"
I laughed aloud as I returned the embrace.
"We'll wait for you after school so you can get your parents."
The bell rang; free hour was over.
Daggy and Annie smiled as they parted from us; Enid punched me lightly in the shoulder, giving Artie a wink.
"I knew I picked the right person to be in Club Worm with." she quietly joked.
God, I wanted to cry. I was so lucky to have friends like these.
As everyone passed down the corridors -- some glaring, and others whispering -- Artie took me by the chin, visibly puzzled as he turned my gaze to his.
"What's the Disease?" he inquired.
I smirked, pecked his lips, and gently love-tapped his cheek as I passed.
"You are, Dum-Dum."
---
Our families and friends had gathered at the harbor to celebrate the day. It was a minor thing, but in a kingdom like this, where so much conflict had occurred on an almost regular basis, we couldn't help but celebrate any ounce of happiness.
Artie and I took an oath that this would be the start of a bright era for Far Far Away; no more villains, no more destruction. Just people who could live out their dreams, who could follow their paths and be themselves.
People who would get the chances that we never got, growing up.
Having Annie, Daggy and Enid in the castle only made things so much livelier; their presence was something I could never live without, whether it was Enid's weekly reports on the events she found interesting, Daggy's obsession with wanting to break his juggling record, or Annie teaching me about different spells and potions, there was never a dull day in the kingdom, since Artie took the crown.
Had it not been for their final push, I never would've agreed to take this trip with him, and I never would've gotten the chance to see him when he was allowed to be himself, to see just how much more I could love him.
He'd come so far from where he began. No one believed in him at Worcestershire, no one saw him as having the potential to be anything in life, and he was strong enough to prove them wrong, to prove that he wasn't just some hopeless loser.
To prove that he was better than all of them combined.
I knew I wasn't the only one proud of him, but I'm sure I was certainly the proudest.
I ignored the heat creeping up my cheeks as he took my hand and walked me down the dock. Upon reaching the edge, we set our eyes on a beautiful ship and an open, shimmering sea.
"So about shipping costs?" he quoted. "Was wondering how many of these bad boys we'll have the chance to send off."
I hummed, reaching my free hand up to adjust his crown.
"Maybe, that can wait until later...chief."
The blond chuckled, pulling me close to his side as we looked to the people behind us, who applauded in anticipation; I rested my head on his shoulder, squeezing his hand in response to the soft kiss that he placed atop my head.
The soft velvet of his red leotard -- mixed with the silk of the crimson, gold-lined cape that blanketed his shoulders and buckled into his belt -- made for a much comfier headrest than that dusty school uniform.
I knew from the gleeful expression on Annie's face and the hopeful look in Artie's eyes, that this would be the start of our Happily Ever After.
And it began with a boat and a bottle.