Player's Princess (A Royal Sports Romance)(85)

"Move," Mother orders. "I don't want to have you dragged to the altar."

"I won't do this."

"You will. Go."

She gives me a short, sharp shove, and I walk very slowly through the hall. There is no music, no effort at even a pretense that this is a joyful moment. Mother takes the position my father should, walking me up to the altar. The closer I get, the more naked the lust in Mortimer's eyes. I'll stab him before I take off this gown in his presence.

"You can make me walk up there, but you can't make me say a vow."

"I said the same thing. You know it's the right thing to do. The line must continue. You're going to marry him; you don't need to love him."

I shudder at the matter-of-fact way she says it.

Her voice is a cold whisper. "Don't try to convince me you had some illusion that your father cared for me, or me for him."

"That's awful," I tell her. "I truly feel sorry for you."

"I'm sure you do. Now get up there."

I stand next to Mortimer and I can feel him peeling the layers of my clothing off in his imagination already. I pointedly look anywhere but at him and hold the flowers in front of my chest like a shield. I'll rake his face with the thorns if he tries to kiss me.

Hurry up, Jason.

I hear a commotion outside the doors. Mother looks on uneasily and says something curt to an aide in a low voice, sending the man running off. She looks at the priest.

"Get started."

The little old man clears his throat.

"We gather here today in the sight of—"

"The important parts only," Mother snaps.

The old man sighs and looks at me with an apologetic shrug.

"We are here today to seal the union in holy matrimony of Mortimer Andrew Karl Victor de Kupp and Princess Anastasia Carolien Jacobina Katrien De Vries."

He shifts uncomfortably and looks at Mortimer.

"Do you—?"

"I definitely take her."

Mother glares at him. "Shut up and don't interrupt."

Mortimer rolls his eyes.

"Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He grins at me.

"Do you, Princess Anastasia, take—?"

"No."

He blinks. "What?"

"I said no."

I throw the flowers down and rip my veil off, and throw it aside.

"I do not and I will not. Do you all hear me? I'm not marrying this slimy eel. I love another."

"Anastasia!" Mother hisses, clenching her fists.

There is more noise outside.

The doors buckle inward, straining against the lock. They buckle again and crack open with a mighty boom, swinging to boom again against the wall behind them. Jason's friends Akele and Aheahe run into the room, carried by the momentum of shouldering the doors open, and fall into three-point stances.

Between and around them, more players flood into the room. Mother screams orders at the top of her lungs, but she's drowned out by the reverberating thunder of drums and brass instruments as the De la Warr Knights marching band stomps into the Great Hall, blasting Stars and Stripes Forever from their instruments.

The cheerleaders come in next and start forming a pair of human pyramids, chanting. Between the two groups of cheerleaders, the De La Warr Knight—the foam-rubber mascot—comes surging through the room, up the red carpet.

When a pair of guards grab at him, he spins and shoulders them aside with wobbly grace, his big foam head teetering on the verge of falling off.

As he runs up the steps to meet me, he rips the foam helmet and head off all at once. Jason grins from between the great big pauldrons of the foam-rubber armor and turns to Mortimer.

Then he punches Mortimer in the face. The blow sends him sprawling, and he turns and scoops me up in his arms. I leap off my feet onto his chest to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. He spins in a circle, and one of my shoes goes flying.

Konstantin runs in, sword in hand, and takes up position next to Jason, the tip of his blade hovering inches from Mortimer's nose.

"You, stay down," he says, beaming a cocky grin at me.

Then he winks.

My mother looks like she's about to explode, like her hair is on the verge of bursting into flames. Any redder, and smoke will begin pouring out of her ears.

Jason ignores them all and cups my cheeks in giant foam gauntlets.

"Ana, listen to me. It's all a lie. I never slept with Grandolf, I swear on my mother's grave. I'd never touch her. You're the only girl I want. I love you, do you hear me? I love you with all my heart. If you have them arrest me and throw me out of here, I'll still love you. If you marry that… person who I have no idea who he is… I'll still love you, now and forever and ever."

He lowers me to the ground and falls to his knees.

"Marry me."

I throw my arms around his neck and pull his head to my chest.

"I knew. In my heart I knew. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Jason. Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, honey. As long as you take me back, nothing else matters."

Akele stands up.

"Okay, everybody! It's time! Do the thing!"

The marching band starts up again, and the song sounds vaguely familiar. When the cheerleaders and the football team break out in song in unison, I break out in a silly grin.