~~We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when~
~~But I know we'll meet again some sunny day~

It's the end! :-D

The epilogue is here and I hope that this successfully concludes this little story of mine. :-)

This will likely be my last story for a little while, since I'm so busy with college. I had had an idea for a BillDip, where Dipper is a businessman (probably something to do with a computer company) and Bill is a waiter at the local restaurant Dipper goes to, with them actually being friends from the beginning, but I'm so busy I don't know if I'll ever actually finish writing it. Does it sound interesting to anyone, though?

Well, anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Hope you all have a good life. :-)

Oh! And the song in this chapter is "I know I'm a Wolf," by Young Heretics. It's just such a BillDip song to me that I wanted to have somewhere in this story.

Enjoy!

Contrary to popular belief, living in a palace was not all it was cracked up to be.

For one, the time it took to get from the royal guest bedrooms- where Dipper was forced to stay until he had married the prince- to the dining room? Was absolutely ridiculous. And that didn't even mention how difficult it was to find literally anything. Bathroom? Five rights, two lefts, and then straight for three hallways. The library? Down the hall, take two lefts, two rights, another left, three rights, turn in a circle and pray that the gods have mercy on your soul. Heaven forbid you want to know where the kitchen was; it had been three months and Dipper still had no idea where the copious amount of food came from. And don't even get him started on how clinical everything was; it may look beautiful on TV, but living there? Dipper was afraid to breathe half the time, so nervous that he'd trip and break a priceless artifact. It was like living in a house made of glass, but worse. So, so much worse.

It wasn't all bad, though. It certainly was beautiful. And at least Mabel liked it, Dipper thought fondly, remembering the first time he had invited her over, Bill at his side and about fifty security guards in the vicinity. The girl hadn't stopped gushing the entire trip, gripping onto Dipper's arms with wide eyes, informing him that he was the coolest brother ever and that she wanted to move in. Bill had laughed and exclaimed that she could, once the marriage was settled in a year or so; family of the royal Matches were allowed to stay in the palace if they so choose, which had settled one of Dipper's initial fears of being separated from his twin. She had then squealed, as happy as she had been three months previous, when she had heard the news of his Match alongside the rest of the kingdom.

It may have been three months, but it still felt like yesterday, the Matching Ceremony. He could still pinpoint every feeling he had had, the all-encompassing anxiety filling him as he stared out into the crowd of finely dressed individuals. The nausea that had accompanied the anxiety, the feeling of inadequacy as he stood beside the Prince and the King, both men every inch the royal they were, Bill's face closing off as soon as they had entered the same room as his father. It had been terrifying, being the center of millions of people's attentions. It would be big news, after all, that the prince had finally found his Match.

But he also remembered the relief he had felt when- once the Ceremony started- Bill had taken his hand gently in his and smiled at the boy oh so sweetly. And he remembered the weird pride he had felt, when his Match had been announced to the world, Bill standing and smiling as brilliantly as the moon as he looked at Dipper, his hand carefully holding the boy's as they stood for the whole kingdom to see. Nothing else had mattered in that moment, as he stared at his future, his destiny; his life.

After the Ceremony had ended there had been the after party that the King held in the secondary ballroom an hour after the Ceremony, where he had stood beside the prince, everyone rushing them with congratulations and declarations of well wishes. He hadn't been able to find his twin for nearly an hour, despite his best efforts, since he had been rushed away from the Ceremony as soon as it had ended, and had been rushed into the party by a swarm of body guards, and then instantly surrounded by dozens of people eager to meet the prince and his Match.

In the end, he hadn't found her; she had found him. It had been an awkward moment when, after the girl's usual greeting of an overly enthusiastic hug, the two had been surrounded by body guards, the guards yelling at Mabel to step away from the prince's Match. It had taken Bill shooing- literally shooing, like the guards were naughty children, not fully grown men- them for the guards to believe that Mabel was his overly excitable twin sister and not a crazed murderer.

Things had gone better after that, Mabel's enthusiasm not diminishing even with the snag of the guard's interruption. She had given him another hug, tears glistening in her eyes as she beamed, gushing about how happy she was for him, how lucky he was, etcetera. It was only when Bill had cleared his throat pointedly that Mabel had pulled back, gasping as she stared at the source of her childhood fantasies.

Since she had looked too star-struck introduce herself, Dipper had politely introduced the two, smiling even as he wondered how often he'd be called in the next few days, Mabel demanding every detail he knew about the prince. Bill, of course, had not helped matters at all when he had given Mabel a winsome smile and had elegantly kissed her hand, like a prince would. Dipper knew then and there that Mabel would never leave him alone, stars in her eyes as she stared at the prince. Luckily, Pacifica had wandered up soon after, smiling politely at the prince as she took her Match away, telling the girl that they should leave Dipper and the prince alone, winking surreptitiously at the boy as the two left.

The following days had been hectic at best, and downright chaos at worst. The whole palace was in a tizzy, people rushing in and out so quickly that Dipper barely knew what to think. He had been moved into the guest bedroom the day following the Ceremony, his belongings getting shipped instantaneously from his room Gravity Falls. He hadn't even had a moment alone with the prince in those days, Bill busy with the press and with his princely duties. Dipper had similarly been pestered by press, as well as by advisors and hairdressers and seamstresses, and whoever else was concerned with his looks or his lack of knowledge of the 'higher class.'

He had almost had a nervous breakdown at least five times a day.

Just when he had thought he was going to explode, his mind frantic and his nerve totally shot, Bill had shown up like a saving grace, his smile blinding as the man asked Dipper to accompany him on a walk through the gardens, which the boy had frantically agreed to.

On the walk Bill had taken Dipper's hand, leading them to a small, secluded corner, where the prince had asked Dipper how things were going, with a hint of concern in his eye. Dipper had considered lying, but ultimately decided that, if any relationship between them would work, he would have to be honest. And so he had explained his concerns and his fears, under the noonday sun, staring at a rose that was wilting. Bill had then taken his hand and hummed softly, nodding his agreement.

"Things will sort themselves out, Pine Tree; they always do," Bill had claimed, shrugging slightly. Dipper hadn't been entirely appeased, but he nodded, letting the conversation turn lighter in nature, talking about everything and nothing.

After the first week things did, indeed, calm down, the kingdom getting used to the knowledge. It was still reported everywhere, but all the press were not allowed in the palace anymore, which had made things much less hectic. Dipper was still hounded by advisors, who were trying to teach the boy a lifetime of rules and regulations, but at least Bill was around more. Bill, who would laugh at the rules and claim they didn't matter. Dipper still tried to learn, though, if only because one of them needed to know what to do and what not to do. He had also been contacted by his Great Uncles after the first week, both of whom were too busy to come visit, but had given him their blessing and congratulations. Grunkle Stan had even tried to get Dipper to send them money when he finally married the prince, which had caused the boy to smile softly at his Grunkle's typical behavior. It had calmed him, to know that while things were so different, some things would never change.

The first major snag had happened after the third week, right as Dipper had finally starting to get used to the constantly energy that surrounded the palace.

He had been in one of the smaller dining rooms with an advisor, who had been telling him about the importance of fork placement, when he had heard screaming, screaming from a voice that sounded awfully familiar. Rushing out of the room, despite the advisor's warning to not get involved, Dipper skidded down the halls towards the sound. It had taken about a minute, but he finally found the source of the screams; inside the main entrance hall, where a small crowd surrounded a body huddled in the corner, the screams emitting from the scrunched up frame. Dipper had watched in helpless horror as Bill screamed, shouting how they were all murderers, all of them villains and how dare they try to touch him. The prince had apparently lost his eyepatch and Dipper felt… not disgust, but he certainly felt his lunch returning as he saw the bloody, gaping hole, scratch marks mixing with older scars.

He had finally understood, then, why people always called the prince insane. Had he seen this display, without knowing the prince better… he was ashamed to admit he would have thought the very same thing. As it was, all he had felt was his heart breaking for the man as he fought against the demons that plagued his mind. He had been helpless as he watched, a few kind, elderly maids trying to coax the prince out of the corner. It hadn't been until an older gentlemen had shown up, someone who later introduced himself as Bill's therapist, that Bill had stopped screaming, listening to the kindly man's words with distrust in his golden eye.

Dipper would later learn that the prince had 'forgotten' to take his medication for the past few weeks, in the excitement of everything. The prince had, apparently, been growing worse and worse as the days had passed, something Dipper hadn't noticed at the time. Looking back he could recall the prince muttering to himself more often than he had previously, but he had written it off as a quirk, since the man had smiled as brightly as ever at Dipper. The boy had vowed after that harrowing experience that he would make sure that his Match took his medication every day, which had resulted in a screaming match three days later as the prince claimed he was fine and didn't need to be medicated to function, and it wasn't Dipper's business regardless. They had reached a common ground the following night, when Bill had silently crept into Dipper's bedroom, the two talking softly about what had happened and how Dipper could best help without becoming overbearing. It had been decided that Dipper would attend one of Bill's meetings with the therapist, so the man could better explain Bill's condition, as well as how Dipper could help, since Bill seemed at a loss. After the meeting, Dipper was able to understand what to do when Bill had one of his… episodes, as well as how to help Bill with his medication without acting like he didn't trust Bill to take it himself. The rest would come naturally in time, the older man had assured, telling the boy in private later that he was glad that Bill finally had someone he could trust, even if the prince would doubt that trust at times.

After that experience, the following two months were easier to handle, though the two still had their issues to work out, one being Dipper's insecurity and anxiety. But, regardless of the issue, they always worked things out. Nothing was too big that it ruined them. Nothing was able to stop the growing love- yes, love- that the two felt. And that was all that mattered to Dipper.

That was something Dipper had to remind himself of as he was dragged along by an excited prince, the boy's eyes bleary from sleep, the hallways blending together into one mass of impossibility. That was one thing he'd never get used to, the boy thought absently. Too many hallways.

"Bill," Dipper whined after they took yet another turn, breaking the predawn silence, "where on earth are you taking me? It's, like, five in the morning and I was having a very nice dream. What is so important you have to drag me around the palace so early? Can't it wait until a decent hour of the morning?"

Bill simply tutted, shaking his head at his Match.

"Dipper, Dipper, Dipper. No," was all the man said, taking yet another turn. Dipper groaned, but resigned himself to following the prince, knowing it was better to accept it than to fight. He thanked Mabel for teaching him such a skill.

It was minutes later before the prince stopped, Dipper smacking into the Bill's back with the unexpected stop.

"We're here!" Bill exclaimed, smiling down at Dipper brilliantly. Dipper just blinked at the man, uncomprehending, as he looked around the small, dusty room. There was nothing in the room, save dust and gloom.

"I don't… I don't understand, Bill. Where are we? Why-why are we here?" Dipper yawned, desperately trying to blink away the sleep to no avail. The boy winced when Bill scoffed and flicked him on his forehead, the boy letting out an indignant yelp as he rubbed his birthmark, glaring sleepily at the playfully frowning man.

"Not here, here, dummy. Up there, here," Bill explained, like his words actually made any sense to anyone who wasn't him. It took Bill gesturing exaggeratedly to a ladder that the boy had missed in his survey of the room.

"Oh. Up there, here, indeed," Dipper muttered, rolling his eyes when Bill made a shooing motion, indicating that he should start climbing the ancient looking ladder. With a sigh, he did just that, hoping that his arms didn't give out, seeing as how tired he was. He heard as Bill followed him up, informing the boy to open the little trap door when he had reached the ceiling.

Trying not to wince as a blast of cold air hit him- it was midwinter, after all- he pulled himself out of the small hole, blinking rapidly as he took a good look at his surroundings. It took him a second to register the view he saw, but once he did he couldn't help but let out a soft gasp, the sleep finally leaving him as he stared at the wondrous sight before him.

The two were currently standing on a piece of the roof of the castle, a small section that overlooked the grounds but was sheltered from the snow that had started to cover the land earlier that week. The view, though… the view was stunning. The grounds were covered with snow, clean and unblemished, as no one else was awake at the moment. There was a small pond that had just frozen over, and there were rows upon rows of hedges in the most intricate shapes, still green despite the time of year. As he stared, the sun began rising, allowing Dipper to partially view the sight, the hazy sun just about to break over the horizon and pierce through the smattering of clouds in the sky, but not quite managing it. Dipper was so enchanted that he had forgotten about his companion; that was, until the man stood beside him, letting his impossibly warm hand linger gently against the boy's back. Dipper blinked once, twice at the view before him, before turning to his Match, a soft smile on both of their faces.

"Thanks, Bill, for showing me this," Dipper said softly, sliding a little closer to the prince's side. The prince, in response, snorted.

"Oh, now you're all impressed. Had to deal with your whiny ass for ten whole minutes as we walked over here, and now you're all 'thanks Bill, this was a cool idea!' Maybe now you'll learn to do as I say without complaining, huh, Pine Tree?" Bill returned teasingly, rolling his eye as he hip checked Dipper. Dipper laughed softly, carefully winding his arm around the prince's waist, not wanting the man to hip check him again. When he thought he was safe, Dipper relaxed against the man, resting his head against Bill's shoulder with content. Bill let out a soft hum, and wrapped his arms around Dipper's hip in return, the two sharing a side embrace as the sun finally started to peek out from the horizon, bathing the world in golden light.

Time passed slowly after that, the world peaceful and beautiful, life good as the two shared the space. In the silence that the two shared, Dipper could hear his Match start to sing softly, which made the boy smile. Over the past three months he had learned that Bill had a surprisingly nice voice, when he tried at least. Dipper listened contently, though he began to grow concerned when he comprehended the lyrics that accompanied the strangely familiar melody. It took Dipper a minute, but just as Bill began to complete the song, he realized where he knew the tune from. With widened eyes, Dipper looked up at the man, who was apparently singing the melody that he had been humming intermittently over the past three months, including the first time they had met each other. Dipper listened to the last few words carefully with wonder, pressing closer to the taller man as the haunting song ended.

"So rabbit, please stop looking the other way. It's cold out there, so why not stay here, under my tail."

At the last note faded, Bill pulled Dipper even closer, the man turning somewhat to look at the boy in his arms, eye distant, like he was remembering a long forgotten memory or dream. Dipper just set his hand on Bill's, not wanting to ask if the man didn't want to explain. Minutes passed in silence, the man nearly clinging to the boy, and the boy trying to offer silent support to a man who was clearly desperate for it.

"It was a lullaby," Bill stated softly, after roughly five minutes had passed, turning his eye out to the grounds, his shoulder slumping slightly, "that the Queen would sing to me before they took her away from me. I never could forget this song; it would echo in my head during the day whenever it got too dark, too loud. I always liked it," the man muttered, closing his eye carefully. Dipper felt his heart clench, pressing closer to the prince. Dipper knew from the past months that Bill's mother was a point of contention for the prince, as he felt both resentment and sorrow for the woman. She had apparently passed away when the prince had been fifteen, robbing him of the chance of coming to terms with her departure from his life when he had been a child, which had been what had prompted him to join the King's quest in ridding the world of the people who had taken her sanity away. Though, if Dipper had understood the rumors right, it hadn't exactly been the attack that had robbed the Queen of her sanity; the woman had always been… off, though no one had questioned her before, since she had hid it well enough.

Saying nothing, the two stayed in the silence that followed Bill's confession, the two standing out in the cold until the very first person was seen trudging through the snow, likely a gardener who was trying to keep the mysteriously green hedges green and free of snow. With that, Bill began to move, stretching as he headed back to the trap door, movements carefully even and measured. Dipper didn't question it, simply followed the man down the ladder and into the small, dusty room.

"I'll see you later, huh Pine Tree? I've got to go to a boring meeting the King is holding, and you've got to learn all those pointless rules and restrictions. Fun day, huh?" Bill said conversationally, smirking lazily at the boy. Dipper rolled his eyes, walking over to the prince and pulling him down for a small kiss.

"Which is Bill speak for 'I'm going to skip the meeting and bother you while you try to learn the valuable rules that will help when we eventually are left to run this kingdom,' right?"

Bill smiled brightly as he wrapped his arms around the exasperated boy, leaning down to return the kiss.

"Yep! You know me so well, Pine Tree!"

Dipper laughed at that, shaking his head in exasperation. He figured he could have argued, told Bill that the King would just get angry if he missed yet another meeting, but he decided against it. Bill did what Bill wanted, and nothing he said would ever change that.

But still the boy went through the pretense that he would learn that day, leaving the prince in the small room, hurrying to his room so he could change out of the night clothes he hadn't had time to change out of earlier, when Bill had burst into his room, wide grin on his face. And when Bill showed up in the library later (which the boy had had to get a passing advisor to take him to) and started making a ruckus, Dipper just smiled fondly, apologizing to the advisor only out of obligation and not out of embarrassment of his Match.

Things weren't perfect. Life would have its ups and downs. He knew that. But they had each other.

And in the end, that was all that really mattered.

Wasn't it?