Notes: Y'know, if you were to look in the dictionary under the word slacker, you know what you'd find? The definition of slacker, because that's what I am! I can't believe I let this go unfinished for so long… well, want no longer, readers who have stuck around this long, because this is it. The last chapter. The pièce de résistance. The end of an era… okay, maybe that last one is a bit of an exaggeration, but still. All roads lead here, to a heart-racing climax and a happy ending.
I'd also like to dedicate this final chapter to swampmusic, as an extremely belated birthday present, for being a truly amazing friend, from the very first fic in this series, to today. You are the best, chica, and here's one to grow on.
Enjoy, my loveliest of lovelies!
DG nearly cried with happiness and relief when she glanced up and spotted a guild blind in the dense copse of trees she was running through, even though it currently appeared be empty. It was nothing more than a few planks of wood hammered high up into a tree and covered with a scrap of cloth for one of the Munchkin hunters to perch in and wait for any small woodland creature to present itself as meal, but it meant she was getting close to the guild borders. The only thing that kept her silent was the knowledge that Kenric was hot on her heels and itching for her blood.
He was persistent in tracking her, never seeming to tire, even when she thought she would collapse from the exertion of running nonstop, the cool of the night disappearing when the suns rose, the rains and flooding making the air muggy and unbearable. DG was desperately hungry, thirsty and exhausted, while her pursuer had full use of his limbs, giving him the advantage when it came to quickly foraging for food or stopping to collect drinking water.
Sprinting toward the thick foliage of a downed tree, DG swallowed thickly and took a moment to catch her breath. She needed a plan, other than just running full tilt toward the eastern guild and leading Kenric into their lands. There were more of them there was of him, but the havoc he could potentially wreak while being taken down was unacceptable. This was her fight, not theirs but she couldn't defend herself with her hands and her magic restrained as they were.
The train of her thoughts was derailed when she heard footsteps off in the distance. DG risked raising her head through the leaves to scan the area around her, eyes peeled and ears tuned in to all the sounds around her, waiting to hear the ever present sounds of Kenric's voice threatening her, or the heavy footfalls as he pounded through the forest after her. DG heard the noise again and her head spun around to see where it was coming from.
There was a flash of color between the green of the trees and without even thinking, DG was up on her feet, careening headlong toward the glimpses of color. Only Munchkins boasted such vibrant war paint, even if it served as poor camouflage in the forest, and her heart leapt in her chest as she ran, even if she'd just told herself doing this exact thing was wrong. All DG cared about was going home, and the rest she'd have to take as it came.
"Wait!" DG shouted as she gained ground on the moving colors, "Hey, Munchkins! Stop!" She almost lost her footing when the toe of her shoe caught on a large root, but managed to maintain her center of gravity enough the next few steps to keep herself going. "Help me, please!" She cried out.
There was a small clearing in the trees and DG spotted three Munchkins halting on their trek to turn on their heels toward the sound of her cries. The one she recognized from her first time back in the Outer Zone, orange face paint with black dots covering his ace, but the other two -one decked out in green, the other in red- she couldn't really recall. It made no matter, as any Munchkin was a sight for sore eyes.
One of the two she didn't recognize, one covered in green, beckoned to her as she ran. "Princess! It's her," He turned to his companions in excitement, shaking his spear in her general direction, "She still lives!"
His high-pitched declaration made DG to stop dead in her tracks, kicking up the dead nettles on the ground as she slid to a halt.
"Hey! Very much not dead!" She said, frowning down at them and completely forgetting for a moment why she'd just run them down. "… Who said I was dead?"
The Munchkins traded wary glances with each other, before Green spoke up again. "All the O.Z. knows that you've been missing for days, princess… there are some that have come to think you-"
A shout echoed through the trees and DG's eyes widened, coming back to her senses with a sickening lurch in her stomach. "Never mind that, one of the men who kidnapped my sister and I is chasing me! Can your spears cut through these cuffs?" She asked, spinning around to show them the manacles she'd been trussed up in.
Hurrying toward her, the Munchkins took hold of the magic-diminishing manacles, looking them over and debating loudly about how their weapons, whittled staffs with hunks of razor sharp metal lashed to them, could possibly overcome them.
Without so much as a warning, DG was being dragged over to a stump by the Munchkins, as Red wanted to try bashing the link of chains between the cuffs. "Watch the goods, would you?" She muttered, trying to carefully walk backwards as they led to her a moss covered stump just off the clearing.
"Kneel down," Orange said, grasping her elbow to help guide her, "And pull the cuffs as far apart as you can."
DG did as she was told, getting as comfortable as she could on the root system of the stump before yanking the chain taut. "Hurry, he's getting closer!" She craned her head around, catching the Munchkins in her periphery as she nervously scanned the area around them. DG could hear the sounds of birds squawking and taking flight in the distance, and knew they had precious little time.
"Not like that, you dolt! The other way!"
"If you think you're so clever, then you do it!"
She didn't know who was berating who, though it didn't much matter when DG jerked in surprise as one of the Munchkins suddenly brought down the end of his spear onto the chain as hard as he could, the reverberation of the blow coursing through her whole body and setting her teeth on edge.
There was pain, as the butt of the spear wasn't a precision instrument, but DG bore through, even as panic rose in her chest. Each blow rang out through the forest and Kenric was sure to hear them, the clangs a clarion call to their location.
After a few minutes of the Munchkins beating on her manacles with no success, DG felt her heart begin to race against her ribcage. "Come on, come on! This whack-a-doodle is gonna find us soon and I don't think you guys can take him… no offense…"
One of them, Green, DG thought, going by his voice, let out a frustrated groan. "Stop, this isn't working! That chain will take ages to break. Here, try prying the cuffs apart instead!" There was some scuffling behind her before someone grabbed her wrist tightly.
"Don't move, princess, unless you feel like losing a hand."
DG didn't need to be told twice and went ramrod straight, forcing herself to keep her whole body still. She could hear a scrape of metal on metal, and she tried turning her head to see what they were doing.
Orange and Red were holding her hand down, while Green slotted the razor edge of his spear into the tiny seam where the cuff connected, attempting to twist the blade and bust the cuff open. Green grunted with the effort, eyes laser focused on the point where the metal met, while trying to ignore the sound of whoever was after the princess getting closer.
There was a pop and a clank, and for the first time in days, DG felt cool air hit her hand as the cuff fell off. "HA! Yes!" She exclaimed as she wiggled and flexed her fingers. DG brought her arm around to press her hand to her chest, despite the protest of the muscles after so long being held in one position.
DG turned around, feeling pain lance up and down her other arm as she moved the abused muscles, but all she did was grimace and bear through it, as there was no time for anything else. "Quickly! Now do the other one!"
She didn't want to risk using her magic to send up an emergency flair, not when the other cuff was still clamped around her hand. The memory of the all-encompassing pain coursing up and down her spine wasn't something she wanted to refresh.
The Munchkins, emboldened by their success, immediately grasped her other wrist and Green pushed the blade once more into the cuff seam. She watched Green bite his lip, fingers twisting on the wood as he began to turn the blade.
As DG felt the cuff begin to separate, there was a flash of black between the trees. Mere seconds later, Kenric rushed into the small clearing, eyes wide with malice as he stopped to take in the scene before him.
"Nowhere to run now, princess…" Grasping the handle of the knife strapped to his waist, he unsheathed it and brandished it at them, edging toward them slowly. "I'm gonna gut you, and your little friends, too." Kenric twisted the blade in his hand to motion at the Munchkins.
Red and Orange's hands lift away from DG's arm, in favor of racing to take up their spears in her defense. Green hesitated for a moment, resolve wavering between freeing her and backing up his friends against the larger, deadly foe. DG used her free hand to grab the spear, bringing his attention back to her.
"Go, stand with your friends…" DG flashed him a sly smile. "Get him to turn his back on me and I can knock him out." She pulled the blade out from the seam and lifted the heavy manacles, to show Green her weapon of choice.
Returning her smile with one of his own, Green nodded resolutely and switched his grip on the spear. Giving an ululating shout, he ran to join Red and Orange, raising the blade to menace Kenric, who waved his knife at him in return.
"Can't even fight your own battles, can you, princess?" Kenric asked snidely, feinting a jab at Red, who growled and jabbed back with his spear. The Munchkins may have been much smaller, but the range of their spears versus the range of Kenric's knife didn't allow for him to get close enough to them, unless he wanted to risk his own life to take theirs. "Just like your sister. You're both pathetic without your magic…"
DG's face scrunched up in a frown, anger boiling up at the remark. She reassured herself that she wasn't weak or pathetic, that anyone would have been cowed after being overpowered and chained up, with no means of defending themselves. I'm not pathetic, I can take care of myself, she repeated in her head, as she watched Green begin to edge around Kenric, his friends following his lead, until Kenric's footing was unconsciously following them, ever so slowly turning with them, until his back was to DG.
She took her opening when it was presented to her. Raising her still cuffed hand, she began to swing the other cuff around, chain whirring in the air as it gained speed. DG crept up behind him carefully, making sure her shoes didn't snap any twigs or branches, and give her position away.
The Munchkins, seeing her move behind Kenric, started to shake their spears at him more violently, answering his barbed words with their own.
"You're trespassing in guild lands, Longcoat!" Red yelled.
"By our laws, your life is forfeit, if we so wish it!" Green added.
"Surrender now however, and you might find the Tin Men more forgiving…" Orange offered, voice low but threatening.
"Not as forgiving as I am…" DG was right behind Kenric, and she swung the cuff right at his head. Her aim was true and it hit him with a sickening crack. He dropped to the ground with a shout of agony and the Munchkins moved in immediately, the tips of their spears going right to his throat.
DG swung the cuff around again, hitting him in the stomach once, twice, before Kenric went limp. She stared down at him in grim satisfaction as he uttered a weak moan, eyelids fluttering as he fought to keep consciousness.
"Bastard…" She murmured hatefully, feeling day's worth of fear and dread lift from her shoulders. "I'm not pathetic. You are." DG slammed the cuff into his stomach again, for good measure and took a step back, huffing out a relieved breath.
It was over.
Jeb was leading his horse along the side of the Brick Route, making sure the prisoners didn't try anything funny as they trudged through the mud. They'd been lashed together with rope, hands and feet, then tied to on another, to prevent any of them escaping, so they could be taken to the palace to face judgment. Branko walked at the head of the group, his rope tied to the saddle horn of Ambrose's horse.
Azkadellia sat behind Ahamo in the saddle, as there were no horses to spare, though she didn't mind, wanting the comfort of her father's presence near her. It also allowed her to negotiate what would happen to the Longcoats with him and Branko.
He only overheard snippets of their conversation, more concerned with keeping an eye on the prisoners, as his father had taken a small number of their already small group to find DG before Kenric did. After they'd tied up the Longcoats, Cain, Ambrose, Raw and three other Tin Men had hurried off into the forest, going on Branko's directions of where they'd let DG free.
Cain had told them before taking off that they'd try to find her path, moving toward the Eastern Guild as they went, in the hopes that she'd taken refuge there. Jeb had seen the look in his father's eyes, the stubborn determination that he'd find DG alive, that Kenric hadn't hunted her down in the forest the night previous and killed her.
They all knew how fierce and strong-willed DG was, and everyone wanted her to be found alive and healthy, but Branko had told them how dangerous Kenric was, nearly as dangerous as Zero and Lonot had been, though what he lacked in their cleverness, he made up for in brutishness. Branko shamefully admitted that despite knowing this about Kenric, he'd taken him into the fold of the rebel Longcoats, as he believed they'd all deserved as second chance in the new O.Z.
The look his father and Ambrose had given Branko as he confessed to his error would have been fatal, if looks could kill. Jeb wondered if whatever Azkadellia and Ahamo were negotiating would hold up if Ambrose and his father returned to the palace with DG's body.
The thought was quickly banished from his mind however, when a display of red fireworks lit up the sky. In the distance, over the canopy of trees, they all saw the unique color of DG's signal flare go up. Everyone stopped to watch, the whole party going still to view the dazzling show, Longcoats murmuring to each other and Azkadellia crying out in relief against Ahamo's shoulder.
DG was alive and informing the whole O.Z. of the fact, the red so brilliant and intense, that all of the realm would surely know. Jeb and the tin men let out a victory cheer, causing the horses to whinny nervously, and Branko, along with a number of the Longcoats, appeared relieved at the colorful display.
Cain, Ambrose, Raw and the other tin men hurtled through the dense thicket of trees, toward DG's vibrant signal. They were close, farther west of the guild territory than Cain had originally thought, but it made no matter how much longer they had to travel, all of them willing to go to the ends of the realm, if need be. If she was throwing up the flare for all the O.Z. to see, it meant that DG had gotten out of those magic draining shackles, and that she was alive and in safe hands.
With her magic, Kenric wouldn't have stood a chance against her, if indeed he'd managed to pick up her trail and had pursued her through the night. The foreboding sense that it'd all prove to be for naught was gone.
Raw had felt the storm clouds dissipate from all their minds the moment they saw the red fill the sky, and he, more so than anyone, was glad to feel the looming aura of doom expelled. Ambrose, who had been like a dark cloud of anger and pain to Raw, was now brimming with effulgent hope.
The ambient sounds of the forest was drowned out by their panting breaths and the blood rushing through their ears as they ran, feet eating up the miles between them and DG. When they came upon a wider path between the trees, Cain huffed out an order to cut around toward it and they followed his lead.
Now on the path, it became easier to run, their feet not catching on roots and stones, and within the hour, they crossed over the borders of the eastern guild. One of the men, Peeka, requested a breather shortly after, one they desperately needed.
They rested right there on the path, eyes on the light echoes of DG's flare painting the sky, passing around a few canteens of water, drinking deeply between ragged breaths, dousing their sweating faces after swallowing their fill. After a few moments, Ambrose caught Cain's eye as he fanned himself with his hat and nodded to him.
Nodding back, Cain got them all back on their feet and onward down the path. They didn't have to go much farther, it turned out, when they were spotted by a lookout.
"Stop, interlopers!" Came a shrieking voice, hidden somewhere in the trees.
Cain stopped short, hand going toward his pistol, the motion aborted when Ambrose suddenly crashed into him from behind, and he nearly lost his footing again when Raw bumped into Ambrose. There was a jam-up underneath the blind in the trees, from where the commanding voice had issued, and a giggle rose up into the leaves as Ambrose Glitch'd out for a moment during the kerfuffle, apologizing profusely.
Once they and the others got themselves sorted, Cain turned his gaze upward, toward where he thought he'd heard the laughter from. "We're Tin Men from the city!" He called, flinging a hand back to smack Glitch's chest to stop him from mumbling under his breath about untrue declarative statements as to all of their professions. After a moment, Cain felt Ambrose resurface.
"We're following the flare sent up by Princess DG! Surely you saw it and know we're a search party looking for her. The accords the Guilds signed guarantee safety to the Tin Men conducting a search."
There was a pause, followed by a quiet murmuring sound. Cain wondered how many Munchkins were hidden in the blind as they waited to be allowed passage. Finally, the disembodied voice spoke once more.
"You may pass." It said, the tone thick with mirth.
"You have our thanks." Cain replied, touching two fingers to the brim of his hat in the general direction of the Munchkins. Raw, Ambrose and the others responded in kind, thanking them as they continued on their past the tree. Within minutes, they were back up to speed, running full tilt toward the main village of the Eastern Guild, knowing DG would have headed there, to take advantage of the sanctuary the guild would have provided her.
Moving into the denser copse of trees, they had to slow down some, to avoid injuring themselves in the narrow passages between the tree trunks. Running through a clearing in the forest, sunlight streaming down through the canopy, they came to an abrupt stop, all of them struck dumb by the sight before them.
DG was calmly sitting cross-legged on the ground, greedily eating what little food the Munchkins had on them, rivulets of water dripping down her chin from draining their water skin, cutting tracks in the dirt that covered her face. A few feet away, her rescuers stood around the supine form of Kenric, heatedly debating what they would do with his skin and bones.
"The princess entrusted me with her plan to overtake him and I was the one who devised the method to free her from her bonds," Green shouted vehemently, "So his skull is mine!"
"Lies!" Red retorted.
"Slanderous!" Orange agreed angrily.
DG spotted Ambrose and Cain coming into the clearing before the Munchkins did, distracted by their arguing. Her face lit up. "What took you guys so long?!" She cried, a teasing look of exasperation on her face. Quickly getting to her feet, she ran over to them, making sure to walk over Kenric, foot stomping right into his gut.
Ambrose had barely opened his arms before DG fell into them, hugging him tightly to her. Tears prickled the corners of her eyes as she buried herself in his embrace, the feeling of true safety washing over her as she felt his fingers clutch the material of her jacket possessively. He stank of sweat and worry and horse, but DG found that she didn't mind one iota, firmly planting her face in the crook of his neck.
Letting out a relieved sob, she tipped her head back to stare up at Ambrose, staring up at him with unfathomable happiness in her eyes. Gazing down at DG, a smile tugged at his lips as he ran his fingers through her dirty, unkempt hair. They snagged a bit in the mess of tangles and Ambrose let out a frustrated tut before pulling her into a kiss, a hard press of their lips together, just needing the reassurance that DG was real and alive.
Glitch then suddenly broke the kiss. "You're pregnant!" He squawked.
She let out an almost hysterical giggle and peered up at her husband with a grin. "And you're late." She declared matter-of-factly. "It was a good thing I was able to rescue myself… if I'd had to wait any longer on you lollygaggers…"
Cain barked out an exasperated huff and DG turned in Ambrose's arms to look at him. "Listen here, princess. I think all of us take great offense at being called a lollygagger, especially after running all over the O.Z. the last several days to find you." He plucked his hat off his head and wiped at the sweat on his brow with the sleeve of his jacket.
DG had Cain in a hug before he realized what was happening and it took a moment for him to register what was actually happening. He smelled just like Ambrose did, but she rested her head on his chest all the same, squeezing him tight to apologize for running off on him in the first place and to thank him for coming to her rescue, even if she had to do that last part mostly by herself.
Cain awkwardly rubbed a hand over her back, taking a moment to adjust to the change in having another person attached to him and he rested his chin on the crown of DG's head. "You did good, kiddo," He said quietly, gaze flicking over to the large lump on the ground. She'd managed to take down Kenric, the man the other Longcoats feared, without an ounce of magic. He remembered how fierce she'd been when they'd first met, all those spans ago, before she ever knew what she was capable of and the thought that she was the most dangerous person in the O.Z. was solidified.
He was sure the story behind how DG and the three Munchkins had felled the man would be highly amusing, as most stories that involved DG usually were, though he'd prefer to hear in their home, far from this place.
When they broke apart, he patted her dirty cheek with a calloused hand. "Real good… I'm proud of you, DG."
She beamed up at him, impossibly blue eyes sparkling and Cain's heart flipped-flopped in a way usually reserved for when he was in the presence of his son. Their gazes held for a moment, and then her eyes moved over his shoulder to find Raw. DG's smile brightened tenfold, rushing past Cain to hug the viewer.
His gloved hand petted her hair, drinking in the good vibes radiating off DG. After so long feeling nothing but fear and despair from everyone around him, DG's presence cut through it all, more brilliant than the suns themselves, banishing the darkness in his heart. "Raw happy DG alive." He said, feeling the effect his words had on her, making him even happier. "Missed DG smile."
"I missed you too, Raw." DG mumbled into Raw's fur covered tunic, glad to be surrounded by friends once more. She was certain her and Azkadellia had been missing for no more than a week, but it had seemed like a lifetime… her eyes flew open.
"Azkadellia!" She shouted with a heart dropping realization. "The Longcoats, they let me go, but they wouldn't release Az!" DG backed away from Raw, raking her front teeth over her lower lip. "We have to find her!"
"She's fine, kiddo, calm down!" Cain told her, raising his hands up to placate her. "She's with Jeb and your father, heading back to Central City." When DG visibly deflated, Cain managed to turn the corner of his mouth up in a tiny smirk. "She's safe. When we found her, Azkadellia was more concerned about you."
DG glared back at Kenric and the Munchkins, thinking about how close he'd been to overtaking her and finally… she shook her head. Ambrose moved to her side, slinging a comforting arm around DG to pull her close to him. She tipped her head up, nose in the air. "Well, she should have been more concerned about him."
Her words were punctuated by a victorious cry from Red, who immediately started crowing to the others about how magnificent Kenric's scalp would look in his tree hut. Ambrose raised an eyebrow.
"We're not really going to let the Munchkins skin him… are we?"
DG shrugged. "Luckily for us, that's a matter for the Tin Men to take up with them." She knew herself to be better than that, to allow Kenric meet such a fate, that he deserved to be brought to justice the right way, but the fear of him that had soaked through her pores and shut down every rational thought but simple survival had made her bitter. DG honestly didn't care what happened to him, one way or another. All she wanted to do was go home, hug her sister and her parents, and tell them her good news, while never having to worry about the man showing up in her life ever again.
Cain shook his head, knowing DG was weary of the situation, to be so blasé toward Kenric's fate, but waved for the others to follow him to the melee going on over Kenric's unconscious form, to straighten out what was to be done with him. He'd make sure the right thing was done, so she wouldn't have to.
As they left her, Raw and Ambrose behind, DG glanced up at her husband, brow furrowed. "How did you know I was pregnant? I hadn't told anyone yet… not until I found the right time to tell you first."
Ambrose cleared his throat. "Cain found one of the safe houses you and Az had been held in. The rains had left enough water behind for Raw to show us what had happened there… we saw what Kenric did to you." He growled deep in his throat, hands curling into fists.
Curling her body into Ambrose's, she peered up at him with wide, sorrowful eyes. "I'm sorry. That's not how I ever wanted you to find out." She placed her hand over his heart, trying to siphon off some of his anger.
"I was going to kill him." Ambrose whispered coldly, purposefully not looking anywhere near Kenric, who was still knocked out beneath the Munchkins, Cain and the other Tin Men, the heated argument starting afresh, with the new participants wanting a piece of the Longcoat as well.
As much as DG wanted to be shocked by Ambrose's confession, she simply wasn't. She'd wanted him dead, too, after he'd terrorized her and her unborn child, only to hunt her down like an animal when Branko finally found enough mercy inside himself to set her free. The bitterness she felt vanished, glad that neither of them were going to get the chance to end his life. She didn't want that burden hanging over them.
"Then it's a good thing I not some cookie-cutter princess who can't rescue her own ass. I kicked some serious butt without you and saved you from having to do… that."
There was a subtle twitch and Glitch was staring down at her with a wry expression on his face. "Just take all the fun away, doll, see if I care."
DG knew him well enough to know that Ambrose had been so frightened by what he might have been capable of, that he Glitch'd out to protect himself. She didn't mind. DG loved them both and it was worth it, if it meant keeping Ambrose the mostly gentle-hearted man she'd fallen for as a child.
She stuck her tongue out at him. Raw chuckled and copied DG, leaving Glitch standing there, appalled that he was being ganged up on after missing out on all the fun.
Cain walked back them, effectively ending the childish moment. "So, they're demanding the guild get a few fingers, for the crime of trespassing and threatening a protecting signatory of the Guild Accords, before turning him over to us for summary judgment in Central City. That was the best I could do, considering… never really been one for negotiations. More of a… getting things done kind of guy, if you know what I mean." He looked away sheepishly, clear blue eyes sliding over the trees and the forest floor, before landing back on DG. "How does that sound to you, kiddo?"
Mouth turning down in a contemplative impression of a shrug, she glanced up at Ambrose for a consensus. He nodded his agreement, that they could live with Kenric short a few fingers, as long as he was also brought to justice the proper way, and DG turned a smile on Cain.
She'd always found it endearing how Cain approached his shortcomings, with an acknowledgement of their existence, but always on the back of a demure sort of self-compliment. "Sounds like you got things done." DG leaned forward, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Cain's cheek. He flushed a bright red, like he always did.
DG pretended not to notice. "With that out of the way, can we please get out of here? I want to go home and see that Az is okay with my own eyes." She was certain that all the progress her sister had made in letting go of the guilt of being used by the witch would come back with a vengeance, and DG wanted to be there for her, if and when she finally broke down.
"Yes, let's… you're in desperate need of a shower and new clothes, doll." Glitch replied cheekily, waving a hand in front of his nose, as if to ward off an offensive odor, while looping his other hand through DG's arm.
DG narrowed her eyes. "And I'm in desperate need to tell my parents that you knocked up me up." It stopped Glitch dead in his tracks, eyes going wide as saucers in apprehension.
Cain barked out a laugh. "That should be fun to watch…"
Raw fell into step with the three of them, the other Tin Men following behind, all them heading to the Brick Route. His senses were swimming with the relief as he watched his friends, feeling his body tingle right down to his toes with their laughter. It was a sensation he'd missed the last few days, and one he was overjoyed to experience once more.
DG held out her hand for Raw to take, and their fingers curled together, her other hand settled on Ambrose's forearm as they walked with the their elbows linked, Cain holding DG's gaze as she teased her husband mercilessly. She might have declared that she wasn't like the storybook princesses children read, but there was one thing Raw was certain DG and those princesses had in common, a phrase that he'd taken to using when telling stories to Kalm and the other young, especially the ones who were old enough to remember the bad times.
They were going to live somewhat happily ever after.
Well, it only took like... nine thousand years, but this story, and this arc, is finally done! *throws confetti and promptly dies*
