The day before the "wedding" seemed to be brimful of action on the Roslae estate. Not only did His Serene Highness, his heir, and her husband arrive, but the army of caterers did as well, setting up their outdoor kitchens well in advance of when they would be needed. With all the bustle, it was easy for Keira and Jamie to keep a low profile, and to break the news to Dru and Josh that the actual wedding was happening that evening without being caught. And sure enough, at around 6pm, the Earl and his wife were spotted out walking in a decidedly interesting direction - toward the little copse of trees where Jamie was wont to take Keira when they definitively needed privacy. Shortly afterward, Dru and Josh were escorted in that direction by the Duke himself, leaving Jamie and Keira to walk with Prince Julius.

They had almost made it to the gate leading onto the grassy knoll when they heard the ugly sisters hurrying after them. "Wait for us!"

Keira only just stifled a groan, wincing as she turned to find not only Elise and Rhona bearing down on them, but their husbands and horrible children as well.

"You can't just set off without us," Elise complained. "That's incredibly rude of you, Keira, abandoning your own family the night before your wedding."

"Yes," Rhona agreed, "and we know you're meeting Mummy and Daddy, because we saw them leave a while ago."

Keira opened her mouth to attempt to tell them to go away, but before a word could reach the tip of her tongue, Prince Julius was speaking. "My dear ladies, inviting yourselves to a gathering to which an invitation has not been offered to you is the very height of appalling manners," the ruler of Tirisano said smoothly. "Am I to understand that Earl Talbot has raised two daughters who do not understand the rules of etiquette?"

Keira's mouth snapped shut on her grin as she looked at Jamie. Who needed the princess when her uncle was apparently more than happy to put the witches down"

It was good that Prince Julius had the presence of mind to speak first because from the look on Jamie's face, if he'd been left to do it, he would have given both women such a tongue lashing it might have erupted in fisticuffs between the men. Jamie wasn't afraid of that, either. He was easily taller and broader than either of the other men and could probably take them both at the same time, if he had to. He gave Keira's hand a squeeze in hopes she'd keep quiet and let the Prince handle things, rather than risk causing a scene.

There was an exquisite moment when they got to watch Rhona's mouth opening and closing while she tried to decide if talking back to the ruler of the country was a wise decision. Elise, on the other hand, apparently had an answer. "We are the sisters of the bride," she said rather officiously. "Naturally we're invited."

Prince Julius smiled his most charming smile. "My dear ladies, unless the bride and groom have actually asked you to join them, then I am afraid no invitation has been issued," he explained politely. "I am sure it was not an oversight. I see you both have young children, and naturally your sister did not wish to disturb your peace on the evening before such a large event. You will, of course, be happier to settle your charming children to bed early, and have a good night's sleep yourselves, rather than risk being bad-tempered at your own sister's wedding."

Elise stared at him, obviously trying to work out how to get around this eminently sensible offering. The Prince, however, didn't give her a chance.

"I see I was right. How wonderful it must be to have such a thoughtful bride for a sister." He bowed to the two uninvited families. "I bid you a peaceful evening, and look forward to seeing you at the festivities tomorrow. Good evening, ladies. Gentlemen. Small children." Offering a last nod, he turned to resume the walk onto the field, and Keira hurried to follow, deeply relieved that someone else had chosen to put her sisters in their place.

Jamie would have chosen far different words, but then Jamie had never been much of a diplomat. That was something he was going to have to learn before he stepped into his father's rather large shoes someday. He tipped his head to the women, unable to hide the smirk from his face, and turned away to lead Keira on, hurrying to keep up with the Prince and not get left behind. "Thank you, Highness," Jamie told the Prince gratefully. "That's the first time I've ever since either of them speechless," he added with a chuckle.

"My dear boy, I've been itching to do that since I arrived this morning and that awful little boy declared to his mother that the prince was just an old man in a silly suit," Prince Julius told him with a chuckle. "Oliver told me a little of the reason for this unexpected change to the schedule. I do apologize for inviting myself along, but as a prince, there are certain privileges I can get away with."

Between the two men, Keira was laughing quietly, trying very hard to fix the memory of both her sisters doing marvelous fish impressions in the face of royal charm in her mind before it disappeared forever.

"I wish I'd brought a camera," Jamie remarked with a chuckle, winking over at Keira, whom he couldn't imagine looking any lovelier than she did at that moment. "We do appreciate you being here, Highness. I'm sorry it's such short notice, but we were only able to arrange it yesterday." Or more accurately, they had only just decided to change their plans yesterday.

"When in private, call me Julius," the Prince told him with a smile. "You are virtually family now, James. A nephew-in-law, so to speak." He, too, looked down at Keira, who was beginning to pull herself together. "And your father owes me a certain amount of money. I must confess, I placed a rather large bet on your not actually marrying on the wedding day. Charles Talbot is truly appalling at making accurate wagers."

Keira's mouth dropped open at that. "How many people were in this pool?" she asked incredulously.

The Prince chuckled. "Four, that I know of. There may be others."

Jamie couldn't help but snicker. They had been there when his father had mentioned a similar bet. Why he found it hilariously amusing that a large amount of money had been wagered on the likelihood of he and Keira making it to the wedding day, he wasn't sure, but it amused him to no end. "My brother wasn't one of those involved, was he?" he asked, out of curiosity. That would have surprised him, not only because Josh had been away in Rhy'Din, but it didn't seem like something his brother would do.

As the circle around them murmured the answer to the blessing, simple words that everyone learned as a child, Keira held her Jamie's gaze with a tender cast to her smile, her fingers tightening on his.So many mistakes, so many years lost when they could have been together but for a silly misunderstanding in their teens ....but it was over now. Finally, they had reached the moment when they pledged themselves to one another for eternity.

The priestess held her hand out between them, their chosen rings nestled in her palm. "The ring is an ancient symbol, perfect and simple. It has no beginning and has no end. It is round like the sun, like the moon, like the eye, like arms that embrace. It is a circle; for love that is given comes back round again. Your rings are precious because you wear them with love. They symbolize your commitment in marriage. They remind you of who you are, where you've been, and where you're going. As you wear them through time, they will reflect everything you are, apart and together, a circle without end."

Jamie reached for the ring he would be putting on Keira's finger as the priestess explained the symbolism behind the rings - how they stood for an eternity of love shared between them, of love that would never end so long as they were as connected as a circle, so long as they wore those rings upon their fingers to symbolize their unity and their love.

Keira, too, took the ring from the priestess' palm, rubbing her finger over the shining band as she turned Jamie's hand in hers. These words, they'd had to learn - the traditional words that had always seemed just a little trite until the moment when they came to her lips as she slid the shining band into place in his finger. "Jamie ....this ring is my gift to you. May it always remind you that, from this day forward, you will be surrounded by my love."

Jamie smiled softly as Keira slid the ring onto his finger and spoke the words they had both memorized, but which had been only words until this moment. He took her hand in his and slid the much smaller ring onto her finger, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and serious and edged with emotion, echoing the words back to her with a heart full of love. "Keira, this ring is my gift to you. May it always remind you that, from this day forward, you will be surrounded by my love."

"May you always be surrounded by our love," was echoed by the circle around them, the words more than mere duty when spoken by fathers and mother, brother and sister, even by the ruler of their country.

Again, the priestess smiled, drawing a silken cord from her waist to wrap it about the joined hands of the couple before her. "With this cord, I bind James and Keira to the vows they make to each other. The knots of this binding are not formed by this cord, but by your vows. You hold in your hands and hearts the making or breaking of this union. May your marriage be blessed with patience and dedication, forgiveness and respect, love and understanding. The vows you give to one another are yours alone."

Jamie had thought long and hard about what he wanted to say here today, in witness of their loved ones and each other. What words could he possibly choose that would tell Keira all he was feeling in his heart and in his head on this, by far the happiest day of his life" With his hand held in hers, bound by the cord that symbolized their joining, he looked into her eyes, seeing only her, focusing on her, speaking only to her.

"My dearest Keira, what can I say that will tell you of my love" I cannot promise to be a perfect husband. I cannot promise to never make you angry, to always know the right thing to say or do. You know me well enough by now to know I am far from perfect, but my love for you is true. My love for you is perfect, and I promise to always love you, to always care for you, to always protect and be there for you, no matter what befall us, for the rest of my days. You have held my heart in your hand almost since the first day I met you, so many years ago. I give my heart to you now and ask you to keep it safe, just as I will do yours, now and for always. In witness of our family and dearest friends, I tell you now that I love you, that I have always loved you, and that I will always love you, until my dying day." Standing there, in the circle of those they loved, Keira could not have recited even a single name belonging to those family and friends. She was caught up in everything that was Jamie, in every word he said to her, in the tender warmth of his eyes looking into her own. Her own vows, she thought, could not compare with his, but they were her own. He deserved to hear them, however poorly the words expressed how she felt.

"Jamie ....my darling Jamie. For ten years of my life, I have been the world's greatest idiot. I let you go; I forced you out of my life in misplaced anger and resentment, and I never allowed myself to forgive one mistake. But I never forgot. I never forgot the hours we spent together as children, playing together, learning together. I never forgot the times we would laugh together, and I never forgot the times we cried together. I owe your father at least a dozen grandchildren for bringing us back together again. I love you. I've loved you since I was a child, and even a decade apart couldn't still the way my heart beats for you. They say a circle has no end, and that life is a circle. I say that love is circle, too. And my love for you has no end; even when my life is done, I will still love you."

Her words were true, they rang true to the very depths of his soul. They had laughed together and cried together; they had fought like cats and dogs, but there was no sweeter feeling than when they made up. And despite all those years apart, all the pain and loneliness and heartache, it all seemed worth it now to have her back, to make her his, to know that she loved him and always had. It made his heart swell and his eyes shine with happy tears to hear her tell him what he'd been longing to hear her say for so long. At that moment, he was longing to kiss her, but thought he should wait for permission, for the priestess to give them their cue. He only smiled at her through his tears, while they stood facing each other, hand in hand, as they waited for the priestess to make it official.

The priestess tied the knot in the cord that bound them together, giving them both a moment to compose themselves before she spoke one last time. "Keira and James, as your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars you love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow."

Another murmur from the circle around them, the final words of the rite that had not changed for centuries in Tirisano. "And so the binding is made."

With a last smile, the priestess slipped her hand from the bound couples' fingers. "You may kiss your wife, James."

At that moment, Jamie had eyes only for Keira, a smile breaking across his face as the Priestess bound them together for all to witness - stars and sky and earth and water. Somehow he knew his mother was watching somewhere and smiling down on them both, happy and proud of the children she'd once loved. He wasted no time pulling her toward him and taking her in his arms to kiss her there in front of their family, sealing the promises that had been made when they were children, finally fulfilled.

The circle of their friends and family broke out in applause as Keira went willingly into Jamie's arms, giggling as he kissed her, answering that kiss with as much love as passion, despite the awkwardness of being tied together by one hand. She broke the kiss with a loud laugh, however, when Duke Oliver's voice interjected loudly.

"It's about bloody time. Someone get those blankets out, I'm starving."

"Jamie and Keira." Glasses were raised all around them as the toast was answered and taken, and Keira found herself smiling warmly at her new brother, glad to be able to call him that finally.

"Well, now the formality is over, may I please eat my dinner?" the Prince asked innocently, laughing as his niece prodded his thigh with her foot for his query.

"I think, Julius, you had better simply start eating," Lady Eleanor laughed. "You are, after all, the highest ranking delinquent in this group."

"Which is why we tried to blame him for everything when we were young," Charles broke in with a grin. When the three of them were together like this, it was like old times, and it almost made him feel young again. "He was the least likely to get punished," he explained with a smirk before taking a healthy swig of his wine.

"Most likely to whine about it for days afterward, though," Oliver pointed out, his own grin turning artlessly innocent as Julius turned his mocking glare onto his other old friend.

"You have all this to look forward to, Drusilla," he warned his niece. "Only for you ....one of your tormentors is going to be your brother-in-law."

Dru laughed, shaking her head. "Ah, but you forget, uncle ....my brother-in-law happens to be married to my best friend now," she chuckled, glancing at Josh with a wink.

Meanwhile, Jamie had loosened his tie and was taking his coat off and spreading it across the blanket so that Keira could have a seat without chancing getting her behind damp or dirty. "And what makes you think that will stop me from tormenting you?" he asked, arching a brow at the conversation going on nearby, unless she thought Keira would punish him if he dared tease the Princess.

"Oh, it won't stop you," Dru assured him. "But it means you'll have to negotiate your brother and your wife to do it." She grinned sweetly around a mouthful of prawn salad as Keira laughed.

"She does have a point there, Jamie," she conceded with a smile of her own. "You've already been threatened with the dungeons once today, and they're not even in charge yet."

"Ha!" Jamie exclaimed, going straight for the sandwiches. No sissy salad for him. He wrapped a large hand around the sandwich and took a bite, chewing a little before continuing. "Josh might outrank me, but I'm still his older brother. And I'm bigger than he is, so there." Like that made a difference. He was grinning around his sandwich now as he claimed a seat beside Keira.

"Don't look at me," Josh said, trying to look innocent. "I'm just a consort!"

"And how do you propose to convince your little brother's really quite fanatical security and household to allow you to torment his wife?" Prince Julius asked with a grin. He wasn't exaggerating, either - Josh's staff at the palace were verging on truly devoted. All he had to do was glance at any of them, and they rushed to do whatever they thought he might want.

"I have my ways," Jamie replied, waggling his brows and grinning, though he wasn't about to say what those ways were, probably because he didn't even know himself. "She might be the Princess Royale of Tirisano, but she's my little sister now, too!" And just to make a point, he reached over to poke a finger in Dru's side to tickle her.

As Dru squawked and tried to wriggle away without spilling her food or drink, Duke Oliver sighed comically. "I do believe I may have inadvertently signed myself up for more than a few very lively visits by encouraging my boys to get married," he confided in his friends with a faint grin.

"Be glad they haven't decided to encourage you to marry again," Julius pointed out. "Yet. They'll remember the bargain you struck with them last August soon enough."

"Oh, we haven't forgotten, have we, Josh?" Jamie said, chuckling a little at Dru's reaction and being kind enough to relent, for now anyway. Jamie offered Keira a bite of his sandwich before he gulped the whole thing down on his own.

Josh frowned a little and shrugged. He wasn't that thrilled with the idea of his mother being replaced, but then he didn't want his father to be lonely for the rest of his life either.

Taking a bite from that sandwich, Keira did her best to ignore the frown on Josh's face. She could easily imagine the thoughts going through his mind, but she was confident that Dru could soothe her husband's concerns. Swallowing, she looked at the sandwich suspiciously. "What on earth is in that?" she asked laughingly. "It tastes like it's only horseradish!"

Jamie laughed at his wife's reaction and took a closer look at the sandwich for the first time. It seemed to be roast beef, along with a liberal dose of horseradish. "That's because it is horseradish!" he told her with a grin as he wolfed the rest of it down. Hopefully, they had a generous budget for food as Jamie could eat like a horse when he wanted to.

She pulled a face, reaching for her glass to wash the taste away as the others laughed. "Be thankful nothing has chilis in it," she informed her husband with a warning wink. "Or your wedding night might have turned out to be quite ..."

"Spicy?" Dru suggested with a cheeky snicker.

"My wedding night is going to be spicy whether there are chilis involved or not, Munchkin," Jamie retorted. "Isn't that right, Keira?" he asked, with a wink to his wife. Might as well torment the sister-in-law now while he could still get away with it.

"Oh, I don't want to know about that," Dru grimaced, rolling her eyes as she laughed again. "I can guess, though ....my own wedding night was definitely ....eventful. Wasn't it, love?" She turned a sweet smile onto Josh, though she was blushing brilliantly even as she did so.

Keira laughed at the silly by-play, tucking herself close against Jamie's side. This was infinitely better than the grand planned ceremony they had both been dreading in their own way for a few months. And in just a couple of days, it would be just them, far away, beneath the sunshine on another world.

Josh arched his brows at Dru's mention of their wedding night, dragging him away from his thoughts of the possibility of his father dating again. "Hmm?" he asked a bit distractedly, but then he wasn't about to share any details of their wedding night. "Eventful isn't quite the word for it," he replied with a smile, leaning close to brush a kiss against her cheek.

"I do not want to hear about the night my brother lost his virginity!" Jamie's voice boomed, just a little too loudly.

"Good, because we don't want to hear about the night you lost yours!" Dru countered to Jamie's tease. "Although it might be a fun story if you were in curlers and fishnets at the time ..." More than proof enough that those embarrassing childhood photographs had made it safely to the palace in Itana.

Keira spluttered on her wine, unable to hold in the loud guffaw of laughter as she dropped down onto her back, onto Jamie's jacket, holding her stomach as she laughed uproariously.

Her face lit up with a warm smile that belonged entirely to her father. She had always been his girl, of all his girls, the baby who had resisted all attempts at being spoiled to go her own way. "Thank you, Daddy," she murmured, her hands tightening in Jamie's as her cheek tilted into her father's touch. "So long as everyone can keep me from trying to strangle anyone at the party tomorrow, we should be good."

Dru chuckled softly. "Oh, please put me in charge of dealing with the troublemakers," she pleaded, not knowing that her own uncle had already started that process for the bride and groom on the way to the wedding.

Josh winced, unsure if he wanted to listen to Keira's sisters whine the entire day. With any luck, they'd get bored and decide to go home early. At least, they had tonight. "What are you going to do, Dru" Tell them off and dare them to try and make trouble?" he asked. He wouldn't put it past her to do just that.

Jamie laughed. "It would serve them right. Why don't you tell them if anyone causes any trouble at the wedding, they get to spend the night in the dungeon?" he suggested with a smirk.

"What, and miss a perfect opportunity to tell them that if they don't start behaving like the ladies they're supposed to be, I'll make absolutely certain they are never invited to a single ball, dinner, event, or gathering ever again?" Dru asked innocently.

Keira winced, though she was laughing at the thought of that.

"She's right," Eleanor conceded regretfully. "The princess could easily blacklist the girls if they can't behave properly."

Charles frowned. As annoying as their two eldest daughters could be, he and Eleanor did love them. "I'll talk to them," he volunteered. It was probably about time he did, after all. This jealousy and bickering had gone on long enough. "I promise you there will be no trouble." It was risky making that promise for his daughters, but he hoped they would listen to him.

"Spoilsport," Julius murmured under his breath, but he didn't say it loudly enough for anyone but Charles and Oliver to hear him, and neither one of them would repeat it. If they were honest, the entire court was waiting to see what the Princess Royale and her husband were going to do to some of the less desirable members of the elite as they settled into their roles.

"Are those strawberries?" Dru asked suddenly, her eyes straying to a large bowl she'd managed to overlook. "Fresh strawberries?"

Anyone could tell Dru was trying to change the subject, and Charles said no more on the subject, but he held Keira's gaze a moment longer, just so she knew he meant what he said. And if those other daughters dared not listen to reason, then they deserved whatever retribution awaited them.

Meanwhile, Josh was thankful Dru had no jealous sisters. "Looks like it," he said as he reached for a few and offered one to Dru, glad the subject had been changed once again.

"Mmm ..."

Keira laughed as Dru bit into a strawberry with every sign of enjoyment, leaning back into Jamie's arms with a soft, contented sigh. The gentle weight of both rings on her finger made her smile as she tilted her head back to look at her husband. It had been a long time coming, but finally they had made it. "Happy?" she asked him softly, nuzzling a kiss to his jaw.

Jamie had either been ignoring the talk of her sisters or had become distracted again by the close proximity of the woman he had loved and wanted for more years than he could count. He smiled back at her as she tilted her head toward him. "Very. You?" he echoed her question quietly, smiling at the kiss. "It's too bad we can't hire dopplegangers to take our place tomorrow."

"I'm very happy," she promised him softly, as the conversation around them turned to more trivial matters, punctuated by laughter. "And we don't have to stay too long tomorrow. The photographs in the morning, the party in the afternoon ....it isn't so much to ask. Besides, we can't skip out on the staff. They've put more into the celebration than we ever asked them to."

"Would it be terribly rude if we leave early?" he asked, tracing her cheek with a finger. Whether he was talking about today or tomorrow was unclear, but it was no secret that he was eager to have her all to himself.

She laughed softly, curling her own hand to his cheek as she looked into his eyes. "Do you think we can survive the inevitable teasing if we got up and walked back to the house right now?" she asked him playfully.

"I think we only have another day before I have you all to myself," he replied, dipping his head to taste her lips, uncaring of present company. Let them watch. She was his wife now, and he'd earned the right to kiss her in public, to shower her with affection, to claim her for his own.

There was love in that kiss, and passion, too, neither one of them ashamed to show how they felt for each other in front of the people they cared for most. A little breathless as they drew back from one another, Keira found herself giggling quietly. "If you kiss me like that again, we might not make it back to the house at all."

"Is that a promise or a warning?" he asked as quietly back, catching hold of her hand and pressing it to his lips. They were married now and as much as he appreciated this little picnic, he thought they had appeased their family long enough.

"Oh, definitely a warning," she grinned, stroking her thumb over his lips tenderly. "Because I have no intention of getting dressed again once we're undressed tonight, and if it happens out here, we'll be sleeping on the cold ground the night before our big day."

"Then perhaps we should say our farewells," he whispered, kissing each of her fingers, one by one and making it seem like part of a seduction.

Despite the laughter that was being shared not far away, at least one of the group had been paying more attention to the bride and groom than they might have expected. "Go," Charles said with a shooing motion of a hand and a fond smile. "Go enjoy yourselves and don't forget to get some rest. Tomorrow is a busy day."

Startled by her father's interjection, Keira blushed at the realisation that he had caught her husband seducing her to good effect, knowing they wouldn't be able to escape without drawing attention for a moment or two. "Thank you, Daddy," she said softly, making to stand up with Jamie close behind her.

Duke Oliver looked up briefly, offering them a nod before returning to his conversation with the Prince, who seemed oblivious.

Dru grinned from where she was ensconced in Josh's lap, enjoying the strawberries far too much for public view. "Have fun," she teased the newly-weds playfully.

Josh only smiled over at them, a smile that said far more than words could say - a smile that was proud and warm and understanding and supportive and pleased, all at the same time. He popped another strawberry into Dru's mouth and winked at his brother, echoing his wife's tease without saying a word.

Jamie offered a bow to those gathered. "Highness," he said, before turning and hoisting Keira over a shoulder without a single word of warning to haul her back to his suite to claim her as his wife once and for all.

((Took 'em long enough, and they still didn't do the big wedding they were expected to do! Fun, though ...))