Cinderaen (BxB Cinderella)

Chapter 6

No words came out and Ethan seemed speechless so he closed his mouth, deciding not to look like a fish. Suddenly, without warning, Prince Ethan grabbed me and pulled me into a hug, resting his head in the crook of my neck.

"The person I saw in my dreams..." He murmured into my neck, "Was a man. It was you."

I gasped quietly, but he continued on talking. "They wore the same blue dress you had so when I saw you at the ball I couldn't help but stare. I knew you had to be the person I had fallen in love with in my dreams, no matter if you were male there and female in real life." Ethan laughed slightly at this. "But now I suppose I love the real you, no matter the gender."

He leaned back, gripping my hands and staring into my eyes.

"But, my prince, the kingdom... You must have a queen! The people need a mother and someone to produce an heir! Someone who can birth your child..." I glanced down, I couldn't bring myself to look at his face. I didn't want to see his beautiful face with that tempting birthmark or see the emotions and thoughts flicker through his telltale black eyes.

Ethan put his hands on either side of my face and forced me to look at him.

"I don't care about what the kingdom wants. This is one of the only things in my life that I can choose. And I choose you, Cinderaen." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes again.

"But Ethan... How could you choose me... You need an heir. The kingdom must have one." I insisted, gripping his wrists until my knuckles were white. All I wanted was to agree and marry him. To finally be my true self, not the pretty little girl my father had made me into.

"Well," Ethan said, smirking, "I hear orphanages are happy to give parent-less children to kind couples who are unable to have their own."

And suddenly I could see a future for us. For Ethan and me. Married with a child, and showing that same sex marriages were not something to be ashamed of, but instead something normal and to be embraced.

"So what do you say, Raen? Will you marry me and become my husband?" Ethan knelt down before holding out a beautiful ring of sapphire and diamond that he had produced from his tunic somewhere.

"Yes! Oh god, yes, Ethan!" I closed my eyes so I didn't cry and felt him slip the ring onto my finger, the cool metal fitting perfectly. He embraced me tightly and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"This isn't some wonderful dream where when I wake up you will be engaged to some petty foreign princess is it?" I whispered, fearful of what he would say.

"No it isn't, love." Ethan mumbled nuzzling my hair. "Because I chose you, Cinderaen."