Hello again :D Thanks so much to the, like, two people who reviewed my story. You guys are absolutely awesome! So here's the next chapter. Hope you like, and this time, everyone review please :)

Allegretto adjusted the white shirt he had adorned for the ball. Crescendo had offered him complete ball attire, but Allegretto had declined, deciding to go through the closet in search of something simpler instead. He had come out with a white shirt, similar to the one he had worn on the quest, and some black pants.

He examined himself in the mirror, pushing his hair out of his eyes, trying to make himself look decent in spite of the bruises.

Beat entered the bathroom, looking very handsome in the clothes he had found in the closet.

"'Retto, are you coming?"

Allegretto glanced over his shoulder, nodding. "Yeah, I'm just finishing up…why don't you head down? See if you can find Salsa or something."

Beat hesitated, then shook his head. "I'll wait for you." He returned to the main room, sitting on the couch and pulling his knees up to his chest to wait for Allegretto.

Allegretto returned his gaze to the mirror, wondering whether Polka would even remember him. If she didn't, he would simply kill himself. If she didn't remember him, or even if she did, but had already found someone else, he would have nothing left to live for. He was sure that Crescendo would take Beat in. Beat would be despondent, but he would eventually get over it.

Allegretto sighed, leaving the bathroom and going over to Beat. "We can go down now."

Beat leapt to his feet, clearly eager to go see Salsa and everyone else they had traveled with.

They left the room, heading down the massive flight of stairs. Allegretto noticed that as soon as they had reached the top of the stairs, the four guards assigned to him had begun to follow them. He chose to ignore their presence.

When they entered the main foyer of the castle, Allegretto could hear the sounds of people talking and music playing. He led Beat into the ballroom.

All around them were people drinking, talking, dancing, smiling, and laughing. The scene was familiar, but that didn't stop Allegretto's stomach from tying itself in knots. As glad as he was for the freedom, he didn't belong here. These people were all decent, high ranking individuals. They had a right to be here. Allegretto was only here because he had assisted the prince. He was no one special. He had no money or power or anything at all to his name. Just a hole in the ground in Ritardando.

But he pushed all those thoughts aside as he spotted a familiar red-head among the crowd. He looked down at Beat. "Salsa's over there," he said, gesturing in the girl's direction.

A smile broke out on Beat's face and he took off through the crowd, using his size to his advantage. He approached Salsa from behind, then tapped her shoulder. She whirled around and her eyes widened. She practically leapt at Beat, hugging him tightly.

Allegretto watched this with a smile on his face. At least Salsa had remembered Beat, but then, his appearance hadn't changed much. It was his confidence that had dropped dramatically since Allegretto's imprisonment.

Allegretto stuck to the edge of the crowd, leaning against the wall, scanning the room for his love. After at least ten minutes, he began to despair that she hadn't even shown up, despite Crescendo's assurances that she'd be there.

But then he caught sight of two faces that he would never forget; Viola and Falsetto. Standing with them was a young woman. Allegretto studied her for a long time, then realized that it was Polka. His eyes widened. She had changed from a shy and frail fourteen year old girl to a beautiful, confident young woman. Her hair was swept up and pinned delicately atop her head. Her ball gown was elegant and detailed, the red fabric mingling with white and darker shades of pink through the full skirt, the corset-like front and the deeply scooped back.

Allegretto felt like melting into a puddle right where he stood. How could he even speak to her? She was like a princess. He didn't deserve her, not in the least. He had thought so when he first met her, but now he knew that there was no way that he could ever be with her.

He was about to turn and leave the ballroom when Polka turned her head toward where he stood. She was smiling at something Viola had said, but the smile faded the minute she saw him. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with a gloved hand. She looked like she might cry.

Viola and Falsetto looked at her with concern, but didn't have a chance to ask what was wrong before Polka began to push through the crowd, toward Allegretto.

Allegretto stood against the wall, watching her. His first thought was that she had seen someone else, some other guy that she hadn't seen for a while. But when she kept her gaze focused on him like there was no one else in the room, he was sure she recognized him.

She pushed through the final few people between them, then ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as she could without strangling him.

Allegretto hesitated, then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him and breathing in her scent. Oh, he had missed her.

She pulled away after a moment and studied his face. "It is you…" she whispered.

Allegretto nodded. "Polka, I've missed you so much."

She nodded as well, tears coming to her eyes, and she reached up and kissed him.

Allegretto suddenly felt like everything that had been thrown off balance in the past two years had suddenly been realigned. He forgot about prison, the warden, the people whispering about him, he forgot it all. He closed his eyes and pretended like no one else was there but them.

They kissed for a very long time, neither caring about the people looking at them with annoyance or disgust. It didn't matter anymore.

Eventually Polka pulled away from him. She looked up into his eyes. "Where have you been `Retto? And what happened to your face?" she inquired, reaching up to lightly touch one of the bruises on his cheek.

Allegretto sighed. He had to tell her the truth or he'd never live with himself. He took her hand and began to lead her from the ballroom.

Polka followed curiously. She glanced over her shoulder, frowning when she noticed four large men, who were most definitely not there for the ball, following them. She picked up her pace a little, walking close to Allegretto.

"Who are they and why are they following us?" she asked him in a whisper, motioning towards the men.

"Guards," Allegretto said quietly as he pushed open the doors to the courtyard. He looked down at her and the sadness in his eyes overwhelmed her.

Polka frowned but didn't ask any more questions. She was always hit with emotion when she entered this courtyard. She remembered when, two years ago, in this very yard, Viola had taught her a love charm to use on Allegretto. Polka knew that it was fake, but that day had been special to her since.

Allegretto led her to the far end of the courtyard, as far away from the guards that stood by the door as he could. He sat down on the wrought iron bench that lay nestled between two large trees. The moon cast a silver light down on them.

Polka sat beside him, looking up at his face with worry and confusion. "Allegretto, what's wrong? Why didn't you come see me sooner? And what's with the guards?"

Allegretto didn't look at her. He looked straight ahead, tears threatening to blur his vision. "Polka, I…" he took a deep breath. "I got arrested."

Polka blinked. "What? Why?"

His head dropped onto his chest. "I stole stuff…expensive stuff." He exhaled. "I was going to use it to get Beat and I passage here so I could come see you. There was a dress too, a dress I wanted to buy you because I thought that it would look beautiful on you and you would like it and think maybe I was worth something after all. I should have gotten a job, but I was good at stealing stuff and I thought that once I got here I could get a job. But I got caught. Someone whacked me over the head with something. I've been in prison for the past year. That's why I didn't come see you. I wanted to, more than anything, but I couldn't." A single tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek. He didn't turn to look at her, he was afraid that he would only find accusation in her eyes.

What she said next, though, surprised him.

"Allegretto, you're worth more to me than you know, no matter what you've done or where you live. I love you, and that's never going to change." She shifted closer to him and reached up, laying a hand on his cheek gently.

Allegretto turned his head to look at her. "But I don't deserve you. I don't even deserve to be speaking to you. You're like a princess, and I…I'm nothing, nothing at all."

Polka shook her head. "No, Allegretto, you're not nothing. You're my heart and soul. I haven't gone a day without thinking of you. When you're gone, I feel so empty. You own me, whether you like it or not."

Allegretto sighed. "I feel exactly the same way. I love you to death Polka. It's only because of you that I haven't killed myself yet. Since the end of our journey, things just went downhill so fast that I couldn't even stop to think about it. I just went with it all and look where I've ended up."

Polka looked at him sadly. She didn't say anything, simply pulled off her gloves and set them on the bench beside her. She lifted her hands to his face and set her fingertips on his various bruises. Her fingers glowed a soft orange and the bruises faded.

Allegretto looked at her. "You still have magic? Didn't it…?"

Polka shook her head. "No. I may not be in danger of dying anymore, but somehow I retained this magic. It's not as powerful as it once was, but it does the job. Is that all of them?"

Allegretto hesitated, then shook his head. "No. There are more."

"Well, then, show me," Polka insisted, smiling a little.

Allegretto looked at her, then pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it on the ground in front of him.

Polka's eyes widened at the sight of his torso and arms. Almost his entire chest, back and upper arms were covered in large, purplish bruises.

"Allegretto…what…?"

Allegretto motioned towards the guards. "They got sea sick on the ship here. I guess they were frustrated with their weak stomachs." He laughed a little, but it was bitter.

Polka glared at the guards, who stood watching them suspiciously, like any minute Allegretto was going to leap up and over the fence. The blinked when Polka glared, all of them wondering why a pretty girl like her was associated - and romantically involved, even! - with the convict they had been put in charge of.

Polka turned back to Allegretto, who was leaning against the back of the bench, eyes closed. Her gaze wandered over his chest and she wondered what it would feel like to run her hands over it. He was certainly more muscular than he had been when she had last seen him.

She smiled sadly, then touched him lightly. "Allegretto, do you want me to heal those or not? Because it's kind of awkward when you're sitting like that."

Allegretto opened his eyes, turning his head to look at her. He straightened up. "Sorry. I just…I haven't felt like this is a long time."

She nodded. "I can guess. Can you just turn at little, face me?"

He shifted so he was facing her. She moved as close to him as she could so she wouldn't have to reach, then laid her hands gently on his chest. She could feel his heart beating under her right hand.

The soft orange glow enveloped her hands, then spread out, cocooning Allegretto's arms and torso. She felt him relax as the healing magic did its work and quickly the bruises began to fade, just like the ones on his face had. The glow disappeared once the magic had done its work, but Polka couldn't bring herself to move her hands, even though she knew she should.

But Allegretto didn't look like he noticed or even cared. Time slowed down as he studied her, emotions swirling in his eyes, before taking her arms gently and pulling her up against him. He lay back on the bench, bringing her with him. She kept her eyes on his face and her hands on his chest as she leaned down and kissed him gently. Allegretto slowly closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her and resting his hands on her bare back. He kissed her mouth and her neck and she smiled, closing her eyes in contentment.

Allegretto wasn't sure how much time had passed when they stopped kissing and simply lay on the bench together, looking at the moon which cast its silver glow on the courtyard.

He tightened his grip on Polka a little, whose head rested on his chest. He didn't ever want to let her go, he knew that much. Maybe Crescendo could manage to give him a full pardon…

Polka lifted her chin, looking up at his face. "Allegretto, how much longer do you have to…be in prison?"

Allegretto shrugged. "Crescendo said that he'd shorten my sentence. I started out with three years…with any luck I'll only be there another year."

She pushed herself up. "A year?!"

"Maybe more, maybe less…" he sighed, looking up at her and suddenly feeling completely helpless.

"How about six months? Would you have learned your lesson by then?" Polka asked, sounding desperate.

"I've already learned my lesson. I'll starve before I steal something again."

"Then couldn't Crescendo just lift your sentence?"

"He offered and I declined. I'm not so sure anymore though…" Allegretto returned his gaze to the moon.

"I'll ask him," Polka said, about to climb over him and off the bench.

Allegretto pulled her back. "Don't leave…I deserve what I got. All of it. Crescendo shortening my sentence is more grace than I deserve," he stated resolutely, despite the fear in his eyes over the rest of his stay in Ritardando's prison.

Polka sighed. "I'm going to miss you. Now that I've seen you again, I feel so…whole, and once you leave, I swear that gap's going to open up again…"

Allegretto forced a smile. "Don't think about that right now. How about we go back in? I want to say hi to everyone…they're all here, right?"

Polka nodded. "Of course. Crescendo and Serenade insisted. Jazz wasn't going to come, but he showed up anyway. I think Viola bribed him."

Allegretto laughed a little. "So I take it Viola and Falsetto settled who gets Jazz?"

Polka smiled. "Of course. Can you guess who ended up with him?"

"Viola, of course," Allegretto stated, a smile on his face as well, this time not forced.

Polka nodded. "Yes. She was very determined, much to my surprise." She crawled over him, getting off the bench and examining her dress. It was a little wrinkled, but she didn't care. She smoothed it out, put on her gloves which had been kicked off the bench and were lying on the ground, then picked up Allegretto's shirt. She smiled, pleased that it smelled like him.

He sat up and held out his hand. "Can I have that? Somehow I don't think Crescendo would be too pleased if I went back in without a shirt on."

Polka thought a moment then shook her head. "You can have it back once you catch me." She whirled around and began running back towards the doors, knowing that she didn't have a chance, but enjoying it none the less.

Allegretto smirked, then got to his feet and ran after her. He caught up to her quickly and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to a stop. He hugged her tightly, then took his shirt. "Thank you very much."

She smiled widely as he let go of her and pulled on his shirt. He looked down at himself, then sighed. "It's all wrinkly." He attempted to smooth it out.

Polka laughed, pushing his hands away. She straightened out the bad wrinkles, adjusted the shirt, then nodded. "There you go."

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

He took her hand and they walked back into the castle, right by the guards as if they didn't even exist.

The guards sighed and followed.

After an entire evening of dancing, drinking, and talking, Allegretto and Beat decided to head back up to their room, both completely exhausted, but both completely content.

A little bit of wine had helped Allegretto forget his situation and just focus on his friends. The guards disappeared in the crowd. Allegretto couldn't care less where they'd gone.

His friends had been completely sympathetic, all of them knowing what kind of person Allegretto was, having fought and traveled with him. Crescendo had given him a letter to give to the warden. It would shorten his sentence to only six months remaining. Allegretto was looking forward to giving that to the warden just to see his fury and annoyance.

Salsa had made Beat promise that as soon as Allegretto was out of prison, they would come visit her and March.

Jazz had offered Allegretto and Beat a place with him, Viola and Falsetto, and the two women had agreed with Jazz. Allegretto had promised he'd think about it. It sounded like a good idea to him, and Beat seemed enthusiastic.

They had said goodbye to their friends, then, as Beat went upstairs, Allegretto had pulled Polka aside and kissed her again. Viola and Falsetto had gone 'awww', but Allegretto and Polka had ignored them. After a goodbye and one more kiss they had separated, Polka standing in the foyer until Allegretto had disappeared up the stairs.

When Allegretto got to the room, Beat was already fast asleep on his bed, still wearing the clothes he had worn to the ball. Allegretto smiled and covered him with the blanket.

Allegretto changed quickly, then lay down on his bed. He was still pleasantly drowsy from the wine and was able to get to sleep quickly. His last thoughts before falling asleep were that he was glad he hadn't killed himself. He now had hope. He had friends, Polka loved him, and once he got out of prison, he'd have somewhere to go, and he'd hopefully find himself a job. He could get out of Ritardando and never see the people who had condemned and hated him again. A smiled formed on his face as thoughts of Polka took over his mind as he drifted into sleep. Yes, he most definitely had hope.

So, I realized that this is not only the next chapter, but the end of the story. I hope you guys liked it. It wasn't supposed to be long, just emotional, and I hope that it at least sort of was :) Thanks for reading!

~theSunlitEarth