Let me just thank you all so much for supporting my story and AU. I truly didn't think it'd go this far or get so much interest when there are substantially better and more established AUs out there (by artists), so you have my humblest thanks! I apologize if it's unsatisfying, but I sincerely hope you enjoy this epilogue chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Epilogue

Spring

Ruby revealed everything she knew, everything that had happened that fateful night.

She explained it all before a council that consisted of her father and all of his men, as well as Yang and Blake. Weiss was on bed rest for the next several days, but in the meantime, Ruby refused to accept any other knight offered to her.

"I don't need anyone else," she had declared. "Weiss is my knight. I'll wait for her."

When she had told them all she knew, the people of the council were more than shocked; Ruby believed they were almost disbelieving enough to accuse her of lying.

"The Dragon's Curse has been around for over a thousand years. With all due respect, Princess Rose, you expect us to believe it just vanished altogether last night?"

"I do," she replied a little tartly, but confidently. "Because that's what happened."

Although the arrow Weiss had been shot with was nowhere to be found, Yang and Blake testified to having seen it for themselves, and they confirmed every part of Ruby's story, save from witnessing the Ancient Dragon.

Yang could see it in the King's eyes, that he wanted to believe Ruby more than anything, but he was just finding all of this too hard to swallow. So Yang proposed that they speak to Weiss when she next woke to get proof of what Ruby was saying.

The princess agreed, but insisted only her father and a few guards could enter the room where Weiss was recovering as to not cause too much ruckus.

Her knight was awake at the time when the King entered, and even from where she sat in bed, she did her best to bow to him.

"Weiss..." Ruby went to her and embraced her briefly.

Normally, Weiss would have dissuaded her from doing so in front of others, especially the King.

But then she remembered they had nothing left to hide now. And perhaps they never really did.

Ruby pulled away from her and spoke softly.

"Weiss, I'm sorry we have to do this when you're still recovering, but could you...?"

The knight knew exactly what was being asked of her, and she nodded.

Weiss recounted everything that had happened in detail, how someone had tried to kill Ruby, but she regretted to tell she never saw their face. Ruby held her hand as she spoke to the King, trying to keep her voice level and articulate.

The King listened with a sorrowful expression before speaking.

"And when you knew you were going to die, what did you do?"

Weiss straightened up and looked directly into his gaze.

"I asked Princess Ruby to kill me."

There was a beat of silence before the King pressed further.

"And...?"

"And she did," Weiss replied. "Or... she tried to do as I'd asked. But something... happened. I don't know what it was. The next thing I knew, I was conscious again, even though there was so much blood. My wounds were healed and the worst of the pain was gone. Something happened, Your Highness, but I regret to tell you I can't say with absolute certainty what it was."

Her story was what convinced the King everything his daughter had told him was the truth. He apologized to Ruby for having to doubt her, but there was no mistaking things now.

"A magic as strong as freezing time, or giving back life... those are not things capable by human or Faunus," he said. "Only a god can tamper with the world in such a manner."

And he had to admit that the presence of the Ancient Dragon would account for why the Grimm attack had suddenly stopped altogether, and the beasts had retreated within seconds.

As he and Ruby walked out of Weiss' quarters to let her nurse tend to her, the man patted his daughter's shoulder lightly.

"So you broke the curse..." he mumbled. "The curse that claimed so many lives over the years, even your mother's... My own daughter broke it."

"Yeah..." Ruby's voice was sad despite the smile on her lips. "He - the Dragon - said... Mom actually came close to breaking it herself, but in the end she... she didn't trust the people who loved her enough."

There was a moment of silence between Ruby and her father then, and it was fragile. A single tear rolled down his cheek and Ruby hugged him briefly.

When the mood had started to mend, they continued walking, and Ruby offered a brighter tone.

"He also said I was the first person in a long time to ever make him laugh! And the first one ever to make him laugh twice!"

And that little tale earned a chuckle from her father.

A guard recovered Weiss' rapier from the courtyard, and the tip was found stained with blood – Weiss' blood. Ruby shuddered at the sight and needed to remind herself Weiss was alright now. The King ordered for the weapon to be cleaned and sent back to its rightful owner.

Then, he presented his daughter with a weary smile. It was one of a man who had lost many things in life, had been through many hardships, but was finally able to compensate for some of those things with something better.

"What do you say," he said to her. "About revealing to all of Vale that the curse is broken?"

Ruby beamed at him.

"Let's do it now!"

The order was put in to ring the large bell atop one of the highest towers. It was a very rare sound to hear for the citizens, and its ringing signified there was to be a gathering of sorts outside of the royal castle.

Humans and Faunus alike clogged the streets and plaza, and those who could not hear the voices of those speaking would be passed the information by others. Guards on their horses would saunter through the crowds to relay information to the people who could not hear directly.

And there was a different air about the kingdom that morning, even before the King began to speak. It was like a shroud – one they had come to live beneath blindly as it slowly suffocated them all – had finally been lifted by a powerful, protective wind.

The call for silence was made, and the King began to speak, as loudly as he could, voice bellowing.

Yang and Blake flanked Ruby, and when it was her time to speak, she did so as confidently as she could. Yang watched her fondly and mumbled to Blake.

"I can still remember when she was little and was too scared to make friends with other kids," she chuckled. "And now, here she is, addressing the entire kingdom without a hitch."

"She's something else," Blake murmured with a smile.

"You can say that again."

There was a tense silence about the crowd, threaded and woven amongst the anxious onlookers as Ruby recounted her story, spoke of meeting and speaking to the Ancient Dragon.

She told them all he had told her, about the history of the Curse, and the truth behind it, how it was an accident made in a time of poor judgement, and not a malicious thing sent out to destroy the world as they knew it.

She finished a little breathlessly, but her silver eyes were serious.

"You don't have to believe me. I understand it must be difficult for a lot of you. But this is what happened. I've told you all I know."

She then raised her arms and all but shouted the words:

"The Dragon's Curse has been broken!"

Following her empowering words, many things swept over the crowd.

Cheers erupted just as loudly as sobs and cries of relief did. Strangers from either race embraced one another, lovers kissed, parents lifted their children and praised the day.

Ruby smiled proudly as she stepped away from the castle balcony. She had not realized she was crying too, but they were good tears. Blake and Yang embraced her joyously.

"Well done, Ruby," Blake murmured to her.

"I'm..." Yang sniffled hard and swallowed. "I'm so proud of my lil' sis!"

"All this time..." Blake said softly. "We've been wondering how to break this curse. The only answer we'd come up with was fighting, trying to exterminate the Grimm in the White Fang's case, or to preserve them in ours. But we were thinking about it all wrong."

"You did it, sis," Yang went on. "You freed all those souls Remnant lost to that curse. Summer's too."

Ruby sniffled, nodded, and buried her face into her sister's shoulder, sobbing softly as Blake stroked through her hair.

The citizens celebrated, some breaking out into dance right where they had gathered until almost everyone was twirling and laughing together. Street vendors shared their goods, children played - everyone played.

And not long afterward, the sunlight dimmed just a bit as thick white clouds blew in to cover the sky. The first snowfall of the season flurried down on them, and it was almost too good to be true.

Ruby felt it was an apology of sorts, and a blessing.

Nearly the entire kingdom was in joyful tears all throughout that day, and the laughter rose up into the air, louder than the bell. It was a moving scene, one that came around maybe once in a lifetime.

But Ruby was a very lucky girl, and the people who shared their lives with hers would get to experience it all again before very long.

The winter was a generous one, one of light snowfall, enough to let the children play, but never too heavy to bring about crisis.

In that season, Vale's envoys spread the news of the broken curse to the other kingdoms, and with a sense of ease on all the peoples' minds, a time of great peace began.

With the curse lifted, the Grimm were no longer attracted to the negative emotions the citizens harbored, and therefore no longer attacked the kingdoms or their people.

Because of this, the White Fang no longer had a purpose to fight things did not threaten them, and was rumored to have disbanded indefinitely. The guilty party who had made an attempt on Ruby's life was never apprehended, nor did they ever cause such outrageous trouble again.

The dark organization that had once caused such an uproar – kidnapping children, sending people out into the forests as live bait, acting against the late Queen's wishes – were all suddenly silent, and never heard from again.

It was unsettling in a way, but once it was clear there was nothing brewing from the group of radicals, a sense of ease came over the kingdom that would be the final part to their peaceful days.

Weiss recovered fully within a short amount of time, insisting she have her rapier returned to her as she dressed herself in her usual armor and attire. She would have been out of bed sooner, but the doctors kept insisting they run just one more test. She only listened to them because Ruby had begged her to.

The princess stayed by her knight's bedside, despite the latter's protests.

"You shouldn't stay in my quarters," Weiss told her. "Yours are much better to accommodate you."

"Are you saying..." Ruby whined, snuggling closer to her. "That you don't want me here?"

"Of course not! I simply mean-"

"Don't you feel better this way? I mean, you can at least keep an eye on me, riiight?"

Weiss had clamped her mouth shut after that, and Ruby giggled.

The days were easygoing that winter, calm and lighthearted as the people rejoiced.

The four girls soon fell back into their usual routine of having breakfast together before going out on the streets to greet the people.

Ruby was accepting birthday gifts from the children even weeks after it had passed, but she welcomed all of their kindness with open arms.

Some of the Faunus children told Blake they heard no more about the White Fang, and a few even said that a loved one who had been snatched away had been released and come back to them.

It was all simply a very hopeful time.

Despite the snow, the crops seemed sturdier than usual this year, and there was an abundance of food to go around.

Every day was special and bright.

But there was one toward the heart of the season that would prove brighter and more special than any other.

. . .

Not many people knew of Weiss' birthday.

She did not believe it was a date important enough to be made known to others. That was what she told people anyway, but Ruby liked to believe she refused to announce it and make a big deal of it because Ruby was one of the few, few people who knew of it.

It was their secret, special day, in a way.

And Ruby had something very, very special in mind to offer her that day.

Since their relationship as lovers had been made official to the kingdom, Weiss now shared Ruby's bed.

The morning of her knight's birthday, Ruby woke early, even before Weiss did. She rolled over to watch her sleep, hair down and breathing soft. Ruby placed a light kiss on her nose and looped an arm around her to hug her before she slipped out of bed.

She did not change from her nightgown, and merely slipped a robe over herself and stepped into her slippers before scurrying out of the room.

She went to the kitchen where breakfast was just being prepared, and she thanked the chefs before telling them she and Weiss would be eating in her room that morning.

Ruby balanced a plate of fresh fruits, toast, and jam on either arm, and took a mug of coffee in each hand as she slowly made her way back up the stairs, politely refusing the assistance several guards offered her.

She had left the door slightly ajar and pushed it open with her foot before closing it behind her.

Weiss stirred at the sound, and Ruby quickly went to the nearby dresser and put everything down before rushing over to the bed and all but diving in to hug her.

"Goooood morning, Weiss!" she squealed, showering her with kisses at anywhere she could put them. "Happy birthday! Happy, happy, happy birthdaaaaay, my love!"

Weiss was squeaking in surprise at every kiss, every word, ever squeeze Ruby gave her.

"R-Ruby! Gosh, you- mmph!"

She was cut off by a kiss to the lips as Ruby laid on top of her, finding Weiss' hands and interlocking their fingers. Weiss went limp and did her best to reciprocate in the short window of time Ruby gave her before she pulled away.

"Happy birthdaaay!" she said again, a little softer as she nuzzled into Weiss' chest. "Thanks for being with me another year, Weiss. And thanks for... loving me all this time."

Weiss was silent, listening to her words, absorbing every last one. Ruby always remembered her birthday, even when Weiss was led to believe even Winter and her own father sometimes forgot.

And every year, Ruby bombarded her with heartfelt words like these, ones that left the white-haired girl nearly speechless from their tenderness. She brought her arms around Ruby and held her close.

"You dunce. Of course I love you. I always have and I always will. You know that." She felt Ruby nod against her collar.

"Yeah! Yeah, I know! I just needed to say it! I need you to know how much I love you too, Weiss!" She sat up and crawled off of her, helping Weiss sit up. "Which is whyyyy I brought you breakfast in bed on this special morning!"

She scampered across the room and retrieved the plates of food, presenting one to Weiss proudly.

"Ruby, you didn't have to-"

"I know! But I wanted tooooo!"

Weiss sighed hopelessly.

"Then thank you."

"Heehee~"

They sat together and ate slowly, a light breakfast for now; Ruby had put in the order for a feast tonight as she did every year, and Weiss knew it would await her later for a small, private celebration.

They finished their food and coffee, after which Ruby put everything back onto the dresser.

When she turned around, she found Weiss slipping out of bed, making her way to the dresser where she had left her formal clothes and armor.

Ruby jumped, and the small object she had secured in her palm was swiftly swept into hiding in the long sleeve of her nightgown as she scurried over to her knight.

"Ahhhh, wait wait wait, Weiss! Don't... um, d-don't get changed yet..."

She took Weiss' wrist, pausing her from what she was doing.

"Pardon? Why ever not, if I may ask?" Her mist-blue eyes were curious and confused, perhaps a tad worried as to why Ruby needed to stop her.

Ruby felt her face go red with a blush, and her heart started to pound.

This... this is it, she thought. Th-Th-This is really it oh my god...!

Weiss was waiting for an answer, and the princess swallowed with a gulp.

"Ahh... w-well because I-I-I wanted to sh-show, uh... give you something? B-But like uhm, I..."

She took a deep breath, thinking through her words as she stopped her legs from trembling. She coached herself through this in her mind, recalled the lessons she had given herself for the past two weeks as she lie in bed every night.

After a moment, she was a bit calmer, and finally went on.

"I want to do this for you, but... I want to do it for Weiss. Not my knight in the royal guard – well I mean, that's still you, but... but this..." She motioned to the girl with her hair down, the girl in her nightgown with her true self visible to Ruby and Ruby alone. "This is the real Weiss, I feel. I mean I know you're always Weiss no matter what but-"

"Ruby..." Weiss leaned forward and pressed a gentle, steadying kiss to her lips. "I understand what you mean. Go on then, and do what you must."

Ruby almost trailed after her lips, and it was hard not to take them again, but she had something else she needed to do right now.

The early morning winter sunlight was filtering through the curtains now, bringing a new light to the room, cool and yet also somehow warm.

Ruby took a deep breath.

She took Weiss' left hand in her right-

-and got down on one knee.

"Weiss..."

She spoke her name, and the white-haired girl felt her heart come to a screeching halt. She felt dizzy instantly, like she was drowning, and yet it was not suffocating.

She could not describe it, nor could she resist it. All she could do was look down into those silver eyes and listen.

"Weiss..." Ruby's throat had already tightened, but she persisted. "I've... I've loved you for... for my whole life. You've been... my loyal knight for as long as I can remember."

She was already crying, but she could not stop now.

"You've... You've died for me... b-but I... I want you to live for me now more than ever. For the rest of our lives... together..."

The words wanted to tumble out, but Ruby bit her lip. She rolled the tiny velvet box out from her sleeve and into view, keeping her eyes locked on Weiss' as she spoke as clearly as she could manage.

"Weiss Schnee... my very best friend and most trusted, loyal knight, and the love of my life... would you-"

"Ruby-!"

Weiss whimpered her name, closing her eyes instantly as the tears started flowing.

Ruby fell silent immediately, as though stricken, but she did not let go of her knight's hand. Weiss was shaking just as badly as she herself was, and Ruby watched her with scared, uncertain eyes.

Weiss' free hand wiped her face desperately.

"Ruby... Ruby, you dunce! You can't do this!" she cried.

Ruby felt her entire body go numb, heart throbbing in her throat.

Weiss grabbed her armor and dug into it with her free hand, scrambling for something.

"You-You can't do this now, Ruby-!" she said again, and at last she found what she was searching for.

Then, Weiss too brought a small, velvet box into view and met Ruby's gaze once more.

"Because... if you do this now... then what am I supposed to do with this?"

It took a moment for Ruby to realize what this meant.

She looked to the box that more or less matched her own, then back to Weiss' face. The older girl was smiling as the tears broke free, and Weiss lowered herself onto one knee before her.

"You dunce..." she muttered, bringing a hand up to caress the princess' face. "You... You almost beat me to it... I was going to wait until the new spring, but you're so impatient..."

When she heard those words, Ruby started sobbing uncontrollably as she burrowed her face in Weiss' shoulder.

"Weiss! Weiss, f-for real, y-you really-?"

"Dunce." Weiss kissed her hair. "If this wasn't real, could I do this?"

She tilted Ruby's face up to hers and pressed a firm kiss to her lips, pulling their bodies together until their pounding pulses overlapped. Ruby sobbed against her, and Weiss tasted salt.

And yet it was so, so sweet.

When they parted, Ruby was smiling, laughing despite the tears as she kissed Weiss' scar.

"I love you, Weiss."

"I love you too, Ruby," she replied. "But don't you think we should... finish this?" Her eyes flashed down to the unopened boxes in their palms.

Ruby nodded and opened hers first before Weiss copied the gesture, revealing the rings.

"Princess of Vale, Ruby Rose-"

"Royal Knight, Weiss Schnee-"

"Would you do me the utmost honor-"

"Will you be mine for the rest of our days-"

They spoke separately, then in unison:

"Will you marry me?"

There were soft chuckles as they tried to maintain their smiles past the waves of intense emotion crashing over them.

And then the answers:

"Yes..."

"Yes..."

Ruby pulled the ring from her box, a simple trinket save from the small red rose carved from a ruby into the top. The ring from Weiss' box had much the same shape, including a white rose carved from diamond.

They took one another's hands and slipped the respective rings into place.

And then they threw their arms around one another and kissed again, passion and joy mixed between soft sobs, blissful laughter, and lively heartbeats.

The spring came slowly, and yet by the time it arrived, it was as though it had never left Vale.

Ruby and Weiss' wedding was set to be held as soon as the weather warmed up.

News of the betrothal was both surprising and yet not unexpected.

It was the day after Weiss' birthday that Yang had noticed the rings, and from there, word had spread absurdly fast. All she had done for the rest of the winter season was hug the two girls every time she saw them, crushing them to her as Blake offered congratulations.

No one was opposed to the arrangement happening so soon; it was clear to everyone in the kingdom that Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee would forever be together. If a broken curse and a lifelong bond were not enough to convey as much, then surely the affectionate kisses they shared – even publicly now – served to suffice.

Invitations for the event were sent out to other kingdoms, and although not every land could send a representative or guest to attend the wedding, bountiful gifts were sent over to Vale for the couple.

The wedding was more lavish than any banquet the King had ever overseen.

Human and Faunus alike pitched in, sharing kindness and gifts and acceptance. The military's troops were told to attend the celebration informally, which led JNPR's members to dress casually in suits and dresses.

A simple comment from Nora to Ren of "Soooo when are we gonna get married?" had the entire team blushing red.

Jaune glanced at Pyrrha and looked intent to say something, but saved it for another time.

That day was the happiest in Vale's history, even more so than the day the Dragon's Curse had been announced to be broken.

For the occasion, a grand feast was put in order, and banners and streamers were decorated around the castle both inside and out. Every guest had been given a rose or brought one themselves in celebration of the couple who was to be wed today.

With the flowers all in bloom, colors lit up the world beneath the sunshine, vibrant and lively. Even the multi-colored rose bushes that had surrounded the castle walls for years and remained dead for some time now had miraculously bloomed to life.

As Ruby stood in her wedding dress that morning, peeking from her room, she recalled a certain promise, one that she had been told she would remember in the spring.

The once-dead bushes were now in full bloom, roses of red and white and pink, mixing together and bordering the entire castle. A makeshift altar had been prepared on the elevated plaza, and the flowers wreathed around the area in volume.

All morning, all she heard from her window was laughter and joy.

Presently, Ruby cast a fond glance down to her left ring finger, and the little white rose that sat there.

Her dress was luxurious, made of some of the finest materials her father could afford, layers of deep crimson overlapped by lighter shades of red. One of the red roses from the garden had been picked and placed into her hair by none other than Yang herself, and the elder of the two had helped her little sister get ready that morning before taking her leave.

Now, when her knock sounded on the door once more, Ruby knew it was time.

Yang stepped into her room, her golden dress flowing like a magical waterfall, her hair curled slightly as it ran all down her back. She almost burst into tears when she saw Ruby then, and Yang simply opened her arms to her.

"C'mere, lil' sis."

Ruby bounded to her and threw her arms around her sister, giggling lightly. Yang whimpered against her ear, trying to hold back the tears to no avail.

"I can't believe... my lil' sis is getting married today..." she murmured. "No fair... You're growin' up so fast... faster than me and Blake."

"Maybe," Ruby mused. "But you two will be married later this year, right?"

Yang sputtered and pulled back quickly.

"W-Who told you that? I'm not even wearing the ring!"

"It's kind of obvious, Yang. I bet Dad already knows, too~"

"No way! You... you don't really think so?"

Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Sooo when did Blake propose, exactly? Was it right after Weiss and I did? Heh, I bet she had a ring for you but you probably didn't even have hers yet-"

"Ruby, it's your wedding day but I will still headbutt you until you're unconscious for a bit if you don't stop talking."

"Okaaaayy~"

Yang snorted, her face flushed pink as she let go of her sister and promptly changed the subject.

"Blake just went to fetch Weiss. She's waiting for you, so let's go."

Ruby hugged her one last time.

"Right!"

As they walked through the castle halls, they could hear the sounds of the celebration outside.

Thousands of people had gathered and were already gazing upon one of the future queens.

Weiss stood at the altar before the priest, and every eye was damp and drawn to her. Her father and sister had walked with her down the carpet not too many moments ago before stepping away to the front of the crowds.

The knight everyone had always known to wear armor and sword now revealed herself to the kingdom in a pure white dress, like blankets of untouched snow. A silver veil of gossamer made for a transparent layer that laid over the main shade, and the sunlight pouring down over her made every inch of her sparkle.

Her hair was freed from its usual bindings, and even slightly wavy, and white gloves covered her hands to her elbows. A white rose had been tucked behind her ear, and her tiara that usually set atop the crest of her ponytail now was worn proudly at the crown of her head.

Blake stood behind her, also attracting quite a few gazes, considering her rare appearance. She also adorned a dress, one that was like an autumn night, hints of purple embroidered in around the edges. The hair she normally kept in a low mussed ponytail was also down, flowing fully to the small of her back in waves like the ocean at night. Her Faunus ears were perked tall and proud, only slightly anxious as the sound of the castle doors opening echoed out around the plaza.

All those gathered fell silent in a matter of seconds, and every gaze turned to take in the sight of their princesses.

Blake and Yang had already seen one another that morning, but the sight of seeing each dressed so beautifully again admittedly had their respective partner's jaws dropping a bit.

But the second Weiss glimpsed her love, she put a hand to her mouth as a powerful surge of emotion filled her chest.

Ruby held herself proudly, a bouquet of multi-colored roses now in her hands as she stepped out of the castle. The King himself stood to walk his youngest daughter down the red carpet that had been rolled out for this momentous occasion. Yang kept to Ruby's other side, occasionally wiping her eyes, catching her father doing the same.

Ruby managed to keep her head held high all the while as they walked together.

But the instant she saw Weiss looking like the angel she was, Ruby almost crumpled.

She was crying by the time her father and sister let her walk to the altar alone, dipping her head into her shoulder to catch a few of the tears.

Weiss too, was finding it difficult to look at her new wife's brilliance as the priest began to speak.

Ruby clutched the bouquet to her chest, her tears falling periodically down onto the petals. Weiss folded her gloved hands before her stomach, doing her best to maintain some shred of composure.

When they were asked to speak their vows, Weiss' heart swelled as she recounted them word for word, speaking clearly despite all else.

Ruby returned the words unto her, one portion of which they had gone over together and therefore presently spoke in unison:

"I vow to be by your side until the end of my days, just as I have been since the beginning of them. My love for you is unbreakable, incomparable, and unconditional. For as long as I live, I shall love you and you alone with unbridled affection, and together we shall overcome any and all obstacles presented to us."

It was asked if anyone saw a reason why these two should not be wed. Of the thousands of people gathered, there was not a single sound from the crowd.

The "I do"s were said, loudly and clearly.

At last, the priest permitted them to kiss.

And it was flawless.

Their hands found each other's over roses as lips pressed curved smiles into a kiss that sealed their lives together, joining them as one. Hearts beat quickly, colors and promises old and new swirling around them as cheers erupted and a million roses were tossed high into the currents of the breeze.

Sisters and fathers wept, and once more people without any relation to one another embraced and cheered and smiled.

The entire world seemed to be at peace in that moment, and perhaps it truly was.

It was a blessed day, and there was no doubt about that.

Ruby and Weiss parted, and the bouquet was tossed - almost perfectly into Yang's hands. The blonde squealed, threw her arms around Blake, and twirled her, kissing her fully and holding her tightly. Ears flicked in embarrassment, but it lasted only a second before Blake returned the contact with fervor.

The two new future queens of Vale watched and laughed together, and the whole world laughed with them.

Then, silver and blue met again, as did their lips. Hands slid around shoulders and waists, caressing hair and cheeks, catching tears. There was a shared breath between them, and mutual words:

"I love you."

Their hearts beat as one, laced together by the threads of fate and the universe itself.

Their love was strong enough to break a thousand-year curse, to lift its dark magics and replace it for joy, peace, and celebration.

It was a love more powerful than any hatred, greed, or misguidance that had tried to tear them apart.

It transcended time and space, locking their souls together in a perpetual dance.

It was empowering, unbreakable, incommensurable.

And it was eternal.

A/N: Once more, I thank you all so much for reading until the end! Thank you for your support! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing!

Please review!