reader was just a regular American girl who has some royal family members in Scotland. Drew is the heir to the Scottish throne, and he needed to marry to become king. Drew and reader were married only days after they met, making reader a Scottish princess. both were against the wedding. now, the two want nothing to do with each other unless they have to attend a public event, until one night ...
WARNINGS: prince!drew, arguments, arranged marriage (ig that's what you can call it?), angst, a tiny bit of fluff
WORD COUNT: 3,631
******
You're getting ready in your chambers. The maids are helping you get ready for the annual New Years Ball that the royal family of Scotland puts on every January 1st. Your long Y/H/C colored hair is being curled by one of the maids while another does your makeup. A third maid is making sure your dress and shoes are ready for you for when your hair and makeup are done.
Balls are not your thing. Actually, going out in public with your husband is not your thing. It's only a few times a week but you're not all about the fake smiles and hand-holding when you were never supposed to marry him anyway.
Being a princess was not on your list of things to be in life. You were an up and rising professional wrestler. Your great Aunt Blair asked you to come to Scotland to meet someone while you were wrestling on Ring of Honor. You had no idea that she meant that she actually volunteered you to marry the heir to the Scottish throne.
The maid doing your hair throws some little white flowers with a sparkly silver lining on the end of the petals. The maid doing your makeup has done a silver smokey eye look with some highlight, blush, and nude lipstick color.
Your nails were done earlier in the day. You got an acrylic French manicure. The nails are kind of long and oval-shaped.
"Princess," one of the maids says. "Yer dress is ready for ya when ya're."
You look at the ballgown hanging up in your large closet and sigh softly.
Once your hair and makeup are done, you get up. One of the maids grabs the dress. You take off the long, silky robe and the dress is pulled over your head. You're zipped up and the maids puff out the skirt.
The silver ball gown is very poofy with a small trail. The dress is strapless and very sparkly. The neck dips down a little bit. The top is tight and gets poofy at the waist. You put on silver heels to match the dress.
You put on silver earrings and a necklace, as well as your diamond engagement ring and silver wedding band.
There's a knock on your door as one of the maids put on a silver tiara since you are the princess of Scotland. Another one answers the door.
"Oh, yer highness," she says, bowing. "The princess is almost ready."
A male voice says, "Thank ya, Miss Arabel." Your husband, Drew, is at the door.
After some finishing touches, you're finally ready. You walk up to the door and look at Drew, who's dressed nicely in a black and white suit with a silver tie to match you. His hair in a neat ponytail on the back of his head. He's also wearing his wedding band.
"Ready?" he asks. You can hear the annoyance in his voice.
You nod and mumble, "Sure."
Drew hooks his arm with yours and the two of you head down to the ballroom.
You wait at the door with Drew's father and brother. The royal family is announced together. Drew's father, the King of Scotland, says, "Y/N, ya look stunning. Doesn't she, Drew?" He looks at his eldest son.
Drew just nods and says, "Sure, it's a little too much though."
Anger rises within you as Drew's dad signals for the door to be opened. The guard at the door opens the door and another guard yells, "Introducing the Royal Family of Scotland. The king, Andrew, Prince Drew, Princess Y/N, and Prince John."
Music plays and a fake smile forms on your lips as you follow Drew's father into the large ballroom. Most of the room is made of gold and a large chandelier hangs on the ceiling.
"The princess looks stunning."
"Look at the princess."
The comments make you blush and the fake smile turns real. Drew looks down at you without you knowing.
You and Drew mingle, talking with guests together. Drew steals occasional glances at you but you don't notice as you laugh with the guests.
Being an American, you're still learning about all the Scottish traditions. You've only been over here for a few months so everyday is a learning experience. The guests ask what you did for the holidays with Drew and his family since it's your first time in the country.
"Oh, we celebrated Christmas the way we do in America," you explain to the guests who asked. "Christmas Eve dinner, presents on Christmas morning, and Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. Drew and I also watched some Christmas movies that night. I've heard that Scotland's Christmas traditions are similar to America's."
You added the part about Drew to make it seem like you and your husband actually spent time together on Christmas. After dinner, you went off to your separate chambers and you watched Christmas movies over FaceTime with your friend who now works in NXT, Candice LeRae.
The guests are all very interested. Then the music changes and Drew asks, "M'lady, may I have this dance?"
You look up at Drew and say, "Uh, yeah. Sure." He takes your hand and you excuse yourself from the small group and walk to the dance floor with Drew.
He takes one of your hands in his and the other goes to your waist. You hold up your very poofy skirt so you don't trip.
The dance is slow at first, to make sure you don't trip. Once you're both in sync with each other and you're sure you won't trip, Drew speeds up the movements.
"Wow," Drew says. "My toes aren't bruised yet. Looks like those dance lessons 're paying off."
You stare up at Drew, who is standing tall above you at six foot five. "You're so funny, Drew," you say, rolling your eyes. "I almost peed from laughing so hard."
Drew says, "And there's the sarcasm I absolutely just love about ya."
"As if you love anything about me," you mumble to yourself.
The air turns tense and he says, "Ya could only wish that I'd love ya, or anything about this relationship."
Rolling your eyes, you say, "Maybe if you spent time with me, maybe you'd actually start liking things about this relationship. You only married me to become king when your father relinquishes the crown in a few months."
He looks around and says in a hush tone, "Believe it or not, Y/N, but I married ya for several reasons. Yes, I needed t'marry t'become king but I was excited to start a family. Then ya got here and were nothing like I expected. Yeah, I have an attitude with ya but that's because ya have one with me all the time."
Annoyance rises within you and you say, "I gave up my career to come here. I gave up my dreams of wrestling for WWE and winning titles for the company. I'm not happy I'm in this marriage, Drew. I married a stranger and you're still a stranger to me."
Guests start to look at you and Drew so he takes your hand and whisks you off to a more private area in one of the hallways. You trip over your gown as you follow closely behind Drew.
The door closes and now you're alone with Drew. He looks at you and says, "I'm sorry that ya gave up wrestling to come here and marry me, Y/N. I'm not that happy about it either but if I wanted t'succeed my father then I had'ta marry someone, and that someone is ya."
"You could've picked someone in the country, Drew," you say. "Seriously, you had to pick me."
Drew says, "Yer aunt spoke very highly of ya when she would visit my father. When my father told me I needed t'marry, my mind went t'ya. I didn't think about the repercussions ya would face when I told my father I wanted ya t'be my wife."
Sighing, you say, "Wrestling was taken away from me and I moved away to a country to marry a prince. It's been overwhelming for me and you are nowhere to be seen. I've been taking princess lessons for months and I'm still struggling. It doesn't help I'm alone, Drew, in a foreign country. I don't even have wrestling anymore because I 'can't risk getting hurt'. It's not a fairytale ending like in the books."
There's a silence between the two of you before Drew says, "It still can be"
You look at Drew and ask, "What does that mean?"
He meets your eyes and suddenly you feel butterflies. You've never felt butterflies in your stomach since meeting Drew.
"I just thought that maybe before the coronation that maybe we can go t'America and see a few wrestling shows," he says slowly. "I'm a big fan myself."
Everyday in Scotland is a learning experience. You didn't know that he was a wrestling fan.
You say, "I'd, uh, like that."
Drew slowly takes your hand and he says, "I also thought that maybe we can share a room together like a married couple should."
Confused, you say, "It was your idea to have the separate chambers since we 'didn't have to be married within the four walls of the castle'. At least that's what you told me."
He says, "Contrary to popular belief, I actually do like ya, Y/N. Why do ya think my mind went t'ya when asked if there was someone I wanted t'marry? The girls in this country are beautiful, don't get me wrong, but ya. There's just something about ya that peeks my interests."
You stare up at Drew and for a second before you say, "We've been married for months and this is all coming out now."
"We've never had this conversation until now," Drew says, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "By the way, ya do look stunning in that dress. Shows yer personality really well."
You get flustered and say, "You said it was too much."
Drew chuckles and says, "I'm just that good of a liar, I guess."
A little bit of annoyance creeps up and you say, "Stop lying to me, Drew. I'm confused and now I have a headache because of what you're saying to me."
He says, "I know, I'm sorry. I can walk ya to yer room if ya wanna go lay down and get rid of that ache."
You soften up a bit and say, "Yeah." That's all you say. That's all you feel like you can say.
So, Drew walks you to your chambers. You notice that you're still holding his hand when you arrive at the door of your room. He turns toward you and says, "Whenever ya would like t'go see those wrestling shows in America then let me know and we'll go, okay?"
You nod and look up at your husband. "Thank you, Drew," you say. "Offering to go see some wrestling shows in my home country sounds really nice."
Drew says, "It's been a while since I've been to America and I'd like t'see where my wife is from."
My wife. He said you were his wife. That was the first time behind closed doors that he's referred to you as his wife.
There's another silence between the two of you before you say, "I'm, um, going to head inside. Take some medicine and lay down."
"Can I stop by later t'make sure yer okay?" he asks slowly and cautiously.
You consider it for a moment before you say, "Yeah, sure. Just come in if you do because knocking may make my headache worse."
Drew nods and says, "Alright."
You look up at Drew and the air between the two of you thickens a bit. Your heart races in your chest as you wait for Drew to do something.
He pushes a loose curl behind your ear before he kisses your cheek lightly. Your heart almost jumps out of your chest when his lips touch your cheek. You look at him as he pulls away from you slowly.
"Goodnight, in case yer asleep when I come check on ya after the party," Drew says quietly.
You nod and say in almost a whisper, "Goodnight."
He shoots you a smile before walking off to the party again. You stand in the hallway for a second, playing with your engagement ring as you watch him walk off.
For the first time in this marriage, Drew's actions and words made you have butterflies in your stomach and made your heart race.
If you didn't know any better then you might be falling for your husband.
***
The moment between you and Drew has melted away by morning. You walked down to breakfast early the next morning and he doesn't even acknowledge your presence at the table.
"Y/N, are ya feeling okay?" Drew's dad asks. "Ya left with Drew and only Drew came back."
Nodding, you say, "Yeah. I just wasn't feeling well so I went to bed a little early. That's all."
Drew finally glances at you and his dad says, "Feeling better this morning, I hope?"
"Depends," you say, looking at Drew. "Is your eldest son going to keep ignoring me like he is right now?"
His dad looks at him and asks, "Is there something wrong?"
You say, "No, nothing's wrong." You get angry and stand up. "Excuse me but I think I'm going to go back to my chambers. I'm not feeling well again."
After you're done talking, you leave and go back to your room. You've just closed the door when there's a knock.
Reluctantly, you go and answer it. Drew stands in the doorway and you say, "Oh, great. It's you. Come to promise me something else then ignore me again?"
Drew says, "Look, I'm sorry. This whole thing is new to me, Y/N. I'm 35 and I haven't been in a serious relationship like this."
"We're not even in a relationship, Drew," you spit at him. "We're legally bind to each other for you to become king."
He says, "I'm trying here, Y/N!" His voice is rising. "I'm fucking trying. We met, were engaged then married within weeks. I'm trying t'be a good husband in public while also trying t'form a relationship with you behind closed doors. It's not easy. Especially because I do want a relationship with ya, Y/N."
You glare at him and say, "Ignoring me isn't trying, Drew."
He says, "I know, Y/N." He rubs his face. "God, I'm terrible at communicating how I feel and this is whole new territory for me."
Deciding to lighten the air, you say, "If you want to be king then you have to work on communication skills there, Drew."
Drew looks at you and says, "I'm gonna pretend that I didn't just hear ya say that."
You smile and say, "Come on, Drew. Lighten up a bit. Here, tell me the truth. How do you feel when you're around me?"
Your husband blinks at you and thinks for a second. He says, "I, uh, I feel nervous. Ya make me a little nervous, Y/N. My heart races when ya're around me, especially when we touch. Um, when ya walk into a room, I feel a knot in my stomach. I don't know what it's called-"
"Butterflies," you say, helping him out. "They're called butterflies in the stomach. It's what happens when we're around someone who we may or may not like."
Drew looks down at you and says, "Sounds like yer talking from experience."
You nod slightly and say, "I am."
He blinks at you and starts to say something before someone walks into the hallway and say, "I apologize for the interruption, your highnesses. Prince Drew, your father has requested your presence in his chambers. Immediately."
Drew nods and says, "One second." He turns toward you. "When I'm done with my father, I'll come back and we can keep talking. Okay?"
You nod and he smiles before walking off quickly.
That's when you notice when there are butterflies in your stomach again.
***
It's hours later and you're still waiting for Drew. You've asked your maids if they've seen him and they've all said that he's still with his father.
You're watching Freaky Friday on Disney Plus when the doors to your chambers open. A red-faced Drew walks in and you ask, "Woah, Fire Face. What's wrong?"
"My father is what's wrong," Drew says. He's pacing around the room and you pause the movie, getting up and walking to him.
You say, "Talk to me, Drew." He doesn't look at you. "Hey, dumbass. I'm your wife, remember? You're supposed to talk to me about this stuff."
Finally, Drew looks down at you. You're so much shorter than him. You're barely five foot four. You're eye level with his chest and you have to tilt your head up to look at Drew.
He says, "My father just told me that we're going on a two week tour of the country. He wants me t'know the country before I ascend the throne."
"What's the matter with that?" you ask, gently stroking Drew's arm to calm him down.
His eyes are on your hand on his arm as he says, "I wanted t'surprise ya with tickets home t'America for the two weeks that we'll be on tour."
Your eyes widen and you say, "We can go when we get back."
Drew says, "When we got t'America, yer friend was gonna meet us in Florida. I got ya cleared t'wrestle in one match in WWE against your friend. It was more than just going t'see some wrestling shows in America. When we got t' ya're hometown, I was gonna take ya t'yer favorite spot that ya told me about before and I was gonna ask if ya wanted t'try and be a real couple."
Your heart sinks into stomach when you see how upset Drew is about this. You say, "You had all that planned out for me? For us?"
He nods and says, "I wanted ya to feel less alone and I wanted ya t'have at least one more match before ya actually have t'give up wrestling."
You console Drew by hugging him. You close your eyes and you say, "I already feel less alone, Drew."
"What about yer one more match?" he asks.
Looking up at Drew, you say, "I've already come to terms with the fact I'll probably never wrestle again. It would have been amazing to be in a WWE ring but I don't need one more match."
His hands rest on your cheeks before he says, "I'll get ya in a WWE ring at some point, Y/N. Ya gave up yer career t'be here. It's the least I can do."
The idea of talking to Drew's father pops into your mind and you say, "I need to do something really quick. Can you excuse me?"
Drew nods and you let go of each other before you walk off to the king's chambers.
At the door, you knock. A "come in" is said from the other side so you open the large doors.
King Andrew sits at his desk and he looks up at you. "Ah, Y/N," he says, getting up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Postpone the tour of Scotland," you bluntly say. "Please, sir."
His face hardens a bit as he says, "Drew must've told ya what was happening."
You nod and say, "He did, and he pulled a lot of strings to surprise me back home. Mr. King Sir, he gave me an opportunity to do the thing I love one more time before I give it up to join him by his side as queen of this beautiful country. He wants to take this trip to help us get closer so maybe we could be together behind closed doors as well. Let us take this trip and the day we get back, we can tour this country that I can proudly say I call my second home."
Andrew looks at you as you talk. He leans against his desk and crosses his arms across his chest, looking down at the floor when you're done talking.
You wait for a response.
It's almost an eternity before he says, "I can remember what it was like t'be in love with Drew's mother when we were younger. All the trips we took were always business, never for pleasure. Then she got sick and she died, and I regret that we never got to go on a trip just for pleasure. So, I will postpone the tour so ya and Drew can visit the States, but the day ya get back is the day the tour of Scotland begins."
You smile and say, "Yes, Mr. King Sir. May I go tell Drew the news?"
He nods and dismisses you.
As soon as you're out of the room, you take off back toward your chambers. Drew sits on the small love seat in your room and looks at you when you walk in.
"When do we leave to go to America?"