Epilogue: The Flower That Mends

"Yu, stop shaking. It won't be that bad... Oh, who am I kidding?! This is more nerve-racking than almost getting killed by that doll-controlling witch..."

Yu Zeneolsia stood outside the snow-covered log cabin upon the snow covered hill with the lone magnolia tree. Despite the frigidness of the cold air, he felt abnormally warm, his body temperature clashing with the harsh, thin air. The moon, with its rounded light as powerful as a beacon, pierced the thin clouds of Eternia. Thin puffs of air flew out of Yu's mouth as he paced across the hill.

Anticipation crawled through his blood. Magnolia had to be here any minute now...he clutched the white flower in his hand gently, folding the petals inwards.

"Yu! Yu!"

The boy spun around to find Magnolia Arch in her freelancer attire happily waving to him, her breath forming a small cloud every time she exhaled.

"Wah!" His hand slipped on the flora, and he clumsily grabbed the delicate flower and hid it behind his back.

"Yu, are you okay? Your face is as red as a beet." She leaned forward and peered at his blushing face. "Uh...umm..." He cursed at his nervousness. The dread hit him full force, rendering him speechless.

"Are you alright? Maybe we should go somewhere warmer?" The boy shook his head vigorously, partly to get rid of his nerves. "No, that's okay," he assured. Not quite believing him, Magnolia frowned in confusion, but she stepped away from his space.

Yu cleared his throat. "Magnolia, remember when I first found you on that spaceship? I know that we met before...but to me, that was my first formal meeting with you. You were passed out on the floor, and I grabbed a magnolia in order to help you." She only nodded in response. "Yes, I remember. I thought that you were really giving me a marriage proposal."

He laughed softly at her statement. "Yes, that's right. It really surprised me when you explained it. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. After that, we went through many things together. Finding Tiz, meeting Yoko, flying a hot springs around the world..." It was Magnolia's turn to giggle at his musing. "And the time you fell from that ledge and I jumped after you, right?"

Yu nodded. "All those times...made me realize how important everyone is to me. Especially you, Magnolia. I couldn't stop thinking about all of the things we went through together. How sad I was when I had to face the idea of you returning to the moon, or when you chose to stay here...and I told you how I really felt..."

She stayed silent. Yu took the moment to walk closer to her, his grip on the flower tightening ever so slightly. He took a deep breath, ready to bring up that special question, but his throat suddenly felt empty, and he stuttered to recover his voice.

"Yu, you shouldn't-"

"No! I have to do this! I can't turn back now. Just...please, give me a second."

The flustered boy broke eye contact with her, mentally preparing for his request.

"Here goes nothing. Good luck!"

When Yu looked back to her confidently into her blood-red eyes, her red orbs reflected shock. "There's something I want you to have," he said. And from behind his back, he unveiled the white flower from his hands.

"Yu...this is..." she muttered. "Yes. This is a magnolia. Here." The flower was gently placed into Magnolia's cupped hands. "Oh...but Yu, you didn't have to..." she gasped loudly when she spotted a silver ring with an oddly colored gemstone. Her confused eyes met Yu's unreadable ones.

"Ah, that's right. You don't know about this. In Luxendarc, when a man wants to propose to a woman, he gives her an engagement ring." He sheepishly rubbed his head. "And since I never formally asked you..." Yu couldn't look at Magnolia anymore, and he quickly turned to the right, his face burning a fiery crimson.

The flower-wearing girl drew the magnolia closer to her chest. She plucked the jewelry out from its yellow bed, twirling the silver band to the moonlight. While examining, the gem captured the moonlight, creating a bright blue hue on the surface of the jewel. Fascinated by this, Magnolia turned her interested eyes to her lover.

"Oh...this is a moonstone. People say that it is used as a good luck charm, but most say that it's used to reunite people after a quarrel, especially couples. It's most powerful under a full moon."

Still enthralled by the gem, Magnolia could only let out, "So this flower...and this ring...it's for me?" Yu reassured her by gently placing the magnolia into her hair, leaving the ring in her cupped hands.

"I want to give you this ring not only to propose to you, but to also give you something to remind you of your homeland. Luxendarc may be your home now, but that shouldn't be any reason to forget where you came from. And I guess...the moonstone could also serve as a memento of everything we've been through."

She could not speak; the warmth she felt from Yu's kindness overwhelmed her, and she crashed into his arms and began to bawl. He panicked, his arms flying into the air. A few sniffs later, she disentangled herself, and after admiring the ring one last time, she slipped it onto her pointer finger.

"You put it on the wrong finger, Magnolia. Here, let me fix that."

"Oh really? What's wrong with this one?"

"Well...that's fine for a normal ring, but for this ring...there's a reason why they call this one the ring finger," he explained as he adjusted the band. With tears still running down her face, Magnolia clasped her hands together.

"Magnolia..."

"Thank you, Yu. I'll treasure this forever."

"And I'll treasure you for the rest of my life," he responded. Magnolia exploded at his vow, effortless and true. Realizing what he just said, Yu reverted back to his bashful self, tugging the edge of his sleeve.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Magnolia asked, breaking the silence.

"Of course. What is it?"

"Why do you still call me Magnolia?"

The knight took a moment to think about his answer. While he was analyzing his thoughts, Magnolia continued on. "I mean...I know that you are trying to avoid calling me by my real name in public, but you don't call me that when it's just the two of us. Is there any reason why?"

He hummed, still in thought. "I guess...I didn't want to call you by your real name because it wouldn't feel special to the both of us." Baffled by his statement, Magnolia kept quiet. "I mean, it's our little secret right? No one else is supposed to know about it."

"Plus, I just think Magnolia fits you better."

She didn't speak- couldn't speak. Her gaze fell to her ring, which shone with the calming, yet alluring hue of SP falling from a hourglass. Time froze for the pair...until Magnolia once again shattered the silence.

"Will you keep calling me Magnolia?" She whispered.

"Of course."

"In that case...I guess from now on, I will no longer bear the name Arch."

...

A flock of birds began its morning routine, slowly building twitters to present to the morning. In a small cottage in Norende, Agnès Arrior let out a small groan, her weary mind just starting to wake up.

"..."

"Good morning, Agnès. Do you want some breakfast?"

Tiz watched his wife sluggishly lift her body from their cozy bed. She did not respond to him, instead choosing to mumble his name. The shepherd chuckled at her behavior and sat himself onto the bed. His arms embraced Agnès, his hands sliding up and down her back.

"Tiz...what time is it?"

"The sun's just broke the horizon."

She didn't speak for a while. Detaching from her lover's embrace, Agnès stood up and stretched, her body jolting with shivers. While she prepared for the day's work, Tiz set the table for breakfast. Once he had properly laid the food, he huffed in satisfaction.

"I think that's enough. Agnès, breakfast is ready!"

"Okay, I will be out soon!"

The former pope walked out of the bathroom in her freelancer outfit and proceeded to join her husband for breakfast. Even though the food was a simple bowl of oatmeal topped with various fruits and a glass of milk, Agnès indulged instantly. Her husband chuckled at her actions, causing her to make the pouting face reserved for him.

"Sorry Agnès, it's just...it's been too long since you made that face."

"Tiz…" she whined, her pout stretching to her cheeks.

The rest of their breakfast was silent and quick. Once Agnès finished placing the dishware into their sink, she found her durable black gloves, slipped them on, and grabbed Tiz's hand.

"Ready to go, Agnès?"

"Yes, of course."

…

Edea Lee stood next to her dainty bed, looking around the hidden corners to look for unwanted guests. She ran back to the door, making sure that it was sealed tightly. After huffing in relief, she pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper.

She unveiled the slip to find a hastily drawn picture of herself followed by a note, also messily written. It took her a while to decipher the message, but when she did, she felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

"To my dear Edea," she read aloud, "There are many things I wish I could say to you, but alas, I'm in a bit of a hurry. What I can tell you right now is that no matter how far I go, I'll always come back to you. So, please, my dear, grace me, who has annoyed you for so long, with your presence the next time we meet, and forgive me for making you wait just a bit longer."

Folding the note back into its compact form, Edea went over to the balcony door. Letting a shiver run up her spine upon walking onto the balcony, she turned her head to the night, the full moon illuminating the sky alongside its many starry brethren.

"It's suddenly clearer," she thought.

Sometime later...

"Thank you for attending this reunion. I'm sure everyone has come a long way, so let's not delay. Everyone, please head over to the Zeneolsia mansion for our feast." Agnès Arrior masterfully performed an elegant bow before stepping off the podium. Finally, the biggest reunion party was about to begin. Members of the audience all murmured in relief.

Braev Lee affirmingly nodded while his wife smiled with gentle beauty. Even though he was supposedly retired from his position, he wanted to check on his daughter. So far, she's doing a wonderful job running Eternia, holding up as a kind, but a bit hot-headed leader. Braev silently chuckled at the thought.

He was about to head off to meet up with Edea so that he can spend time with her when a voice halted him, "Everyone, we have important news to share."

Yu Zeneolsia made his way to the front of the crowd with Magnolia closely trailing behind him. Agnès swayed back and forth, lost in thought over any missed news.

"What is it, Yu? Some speech you made up?" The Orthodox Knights' leader shook his head.

"No, it's something we have been hiding from all of you for a while."

Tiz raised an eyebrow. "Something you hid from all of us…?" Edea, never one for waiting in suspense, cried out, "Well, tell us!" Yu opened his mouth, but froze after taking in a deep breath. Sensing his nervousness, Magnolia gripped his hand and gave him her famous wink.

"You can do it, Yu."

With that, he closed his eyes, relaxing the frantic beating of his heart. His eyes then opened with confidence only found during his battle against Providence. Magnolia pulled her glove away to reveal her ring.

"Magnolia and I...are engaged to be married!"

Fin.