~January 1st, 1750 – New Year's Day~

Belle twirled around in front of a full length mirror in what, for only a short while longer, would be her room in the castle, admiring herself in the beautiful, handmade dress that had been made especially for her. If she were to be completely honest with herself, she still couldn't believe that this was really happening. In just 20 short minutes, she and Adam would become husband and wife. Growing up as she had, just an ordinary girl in an ordinary little town, she never, in all her wildest dreams would have ever imagined that she would be where she was at that moment, about to marry her one true love and real life Prince Charming.

As she anxiously awaited her father's arrival, and shortly thereafter the start of the ceremony, her mind began to wander back to that wonderful day 1 year and 8 months earlier, when her love, her husband-to-be, her Adam had asked her that most important of questions, the question that every young woman dreams of being asked.

~Flashback… May 1st, 1748~

It was about 2 in the afternoon. She was roaming around the castle gardens, just enjoying the view, and thinking about how truly blessed she was not only to be there, but also to have the most wonderful, loving, caring man in the world to share it with. Right about that time, she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist. She knew right away who it was.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?

"Yes, but not nearly as beautiful as you, my love."

He brushed a few strands of hair off of her shoulder, and placed a soft kiss on her neck. Turning around, and still wrapped protectively in his warm embrace, she found herself face to face with him, his intense, piercing baby blue eyes penetrating her very soul.

"I love you so much, Belle. You know that, don't you?" She smiled, and laughed a little.

"Yes, of course I do. You only tell me every single day. I love you, too, Adam. Always and forever." They leaned in for a brief kiss, before he offered her his arm.

"Come, my darling. I have something I'd like to show you." They walked a relatively short distance, before finally coming to a stop. "Look around you, Belle. One day, all of this, everything your eyes can see, will belong not only to me, but to my Queen, as well."

"Why are you showing all this to me, though?"

"I'm showing all this to you," He took her right hand in his, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it, before slowly getting down on one knee. "because I want you to be my Queen."

Realizing what was about to happen, her hands flew to her mouth in complete and total surprise. Still holding her right hand, he looked up into her eyes, and began to speak.

"Belle, from the moment I first laid eyes on you in that beautiful yellow dress, and held you in my arms as we danced that night in the ballroom, I knew with all my heart that I was gazing into the eyes of my future. I knew that there was no other woman on Earth that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. That first kiss we shared, I tasted a lifetime of happiness.

"You are such a wonderful woman, and how I've lived as much of my life as I have without you in it, I will never know. What I do know, though, is this that before I met you, I was only half a person, with an emptiness in my heart, and that now, because of your love, that void has been completely filled, and I have been made whole again. You have made me a better person than I ever knew I could be, and if you'll have me, I promise to stand beside you always, and to love you more and more with every day that passes."

He produced a small, black box and opened it, revealing the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her whole life. It had a band of six small diamonds on top, a big diamond in the center, and another band of six small diamonds on the bottom.

"Belle, my beautiful, darling Belle, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

With tears now streaming down her face, she couldn't answer fast enough. "Yes. Yes, Adam. Of course I will."

They smiled as he gently slid the ring on her finger, and then picked her up and twirled her around in his arms. Setting her down, they leaned in for a celebratory kiss, before turning their attention to the stunning diamond on her hand, sparkling brilliantly in the afternoon sun. This ring was more than just a sign of his eternal love for her; it was a promise. It was a promise that one day, they would be husband and wife; that one day she would be his Queen. Knowing all that, they honestly couldn't have been any happier.

Note: I know this chapter is rather short, but I promise you all that I more than made up for this in chapters 2 through 4.