....

Sorry. Long time with no update. I'm not going to distract with excuses, either. Just, sorry.

Last chapter! This one goes hand-in-hand with Chapter One.

Please read and review.

Chapter 10

She always had thought she was better than everyone. She had always thought she would be a powerful princess of Etruria. That one day she would marry a prince and be the best girl in Etruria. Clarine always believed she'd have a happy ending that would be fitting for her rank.

It had been her childhood dream.

But what she hadn't expected was a war, a half-Bern, half-Sacaen Swordsmaster to come into her life, and to fall in love with that Swordsmaster.

Everything had changed after that. Clarine would become someone better than a princess. She would be a general, to show her country that she was worth something. To show her family she had matured. And to show her love that he would regret ever leaving her.

And everything had worked.

So now, almost four years since the end of the war, Clarine had once more come to the conclusion of many things.

One: Rank was a special thing. It was good and bad. Yes, she was right, when she said four years ago that she couldn't use her rank to get things, but it was more than that. Her rank was special for a reason. She was higher ranked than others because she needed to protect those who were lower ranked than her. Becoming the Sorcery General taught her the importance of looking out for those below her rank.

Two: There wasn't really a difference between those of rank. People were still people no matter what rank they were in. There were bad, horrible, despicable people who were nobles, and the same type of people who weren't nobles. There were wonderful people in a lower rank, and wonderful people in nobility.

Three: High-bred Etrurian nobles aren't always stuck-up. Her mother wasn't, or her father, or her brother, or the prince, or the king. Sometimes, Clarine just needs to look outside the circle of Etrurian women to see the good Etrurian nobles.

Four: Even if you are rejected, it can sometimes be a good thing. Rejection can help you grow and help you realize what truly matters in life.

Five: Threatening people just isn't good. It had backfired once against Rutger when he had rejected her all those years ago, but yet, when she had confessed what she truly felt, when she had spoke to him calmly, they got together. Threats shouldn't be the way to go. Because they often do backfire.

Six: Rank really doesn't matter in love. At least, in true, actual love. Because when two people love each other so much, then it doesn't matter. Because nothing will stand in their way.

Seven: Mistakes were forgotten. People remember the good things more than the bad. Roy doesn't chastise her for any mistakes she ever made in the war; instead he praises her great ability.

Eight: Depending on yourself can only get you so far. But sometimes, it is best to trust others. If she never trusted Rutger, then she wouldn't have survived through the war.

Nine: Wars are horrible. They hurt innocents, hurt towns, hurt everything. But there is always a good-side. Had there never been a war, Clarine never would have met Rutger and never would have gotten married.

Ten: Fairy Tales are real. Or at least, they can be. If you love someone, and they love you back, then you can have a fairy tale ending. Even if there are some rough spots along the course of that "Happily Ever After" ending.

Ten things Clarine would always keep inside her heart. These ten things that she had learned, had thought about, and had been thankful for the positives.

She had worked for everything she ever wanted. She had worked for her position of being the Sorcery General. She had worked for her and Rutger to get together. She had worked on their marriage. And all the effort she had ever put in, all the heart-breaks and suffering that had happened through the course of her journey, was worth it. Because in the end, she got everything she ever wanted.

Staring at the figure behind her, still in the bed, Clarine smiled so gently. One day, they would start a family. One day, they would inherit the Reglay fortune (since Klein didn't want to inherit everything). One day, they would raise their children to be strong. One day, they would go back and visit their friends. One day, they would watch their children get married. One day, they would be grandparents. One day, they would watch their grandchildren grow. And one day, one final day, they would die together.

One day...

As Rutger opened his eyes, sitting up, looking at his blonde-haired wife, Clarine smiled.

This was just the beginning of a long story.

A story that would have a happy ending, Clarine was sure of it.

End

Finally, it's done. It's done with. I'm not sure how wonderful it is, but, this isn't really the end.

The sequel to this story is already being worked on. And it's way better than this one. I'm much more proud of it.

Not only that, but I have another ClarinexRutger story in the making. I'm excited. So, because of the long time without updating, I'll give you a preview of both :D

Before that, thank you for everyone who reviewed. I really appreciated it. It always made me happy to read the kind words and helpful tips you gave me! I'm very thankful.

Preview for Stay Forever (Come Back's Sequel)

But suddenly, she didn't have the strength to fight gravity and push herself back onto the balcony. It felt so much better to fall into the cool breeze of the night air. It felt so nice to feel the wind lift under her light pink nightgown, cooling her sweaty body off. Her blonde hair spewed out, as it fell out of the pinned up braid one of her maids had done before she had retired to bed.

When she opened her violet eyes, the ground was approaching at a dangerous rate. But she couldn't stop her fall. She was freely falling, the wind whipping around her.

Suddenly, she was sick. The wind was much too cold, much too hard. It was hurting her. The ground was approaching too fast. She didn't want to hit it. She wanted to float. Not hit the ground. Her voice began to bubble in her throat, ready to be released at any second. But Clarine clamped her mouth shut, not letting out the ear-piercing scream that was sure to be heard.

Instead she closed her eyes, feeling the impact of the ground. She heard a sickening snap, a raging pain spreading throughout her body. Her head dropped listlessly, slumping onto the grass.

Tightly clenched in her hand was Rutger's note.

This story will be much less happy than this story. Clarine and Rutger aren't going to be the happy married couple they are in this story.

Preview for Arranged

"I... I guess I should go." Clarine turned to him, her eyes having a desperate look in them. She closed them, though, and when she opened them back up, they were much more calm and accepting. She understood.

"A... All right. Have you already told everyone good bye?"

"Everyone who matters." Clarine nodded, watching as Rutger stood up, retrieving a pack that was beside him. Clarine stood up a few seconds later, willing herself not to cry. She tried so hard to put on that face all nobles knew how to do. The plesant, 'I wish you didn't have to go, but it's alright, because I'll be fine without you' face. The one where there was a soft, sad smile, loving eyes, but a rigid face that held back tears.

Clarine tried it, gritting her teeth as she forced herself not to cry. Her body trembled as she watched Rutger glance at her, his eyes soft and caring.

"I'll talk to you later, Clarine. It's been... a good experience working with you. I never would have expected to fall for a girl a good six years younger than me. If only fate was different..." Rutger shook his head, sighing. "Anyways, I'll always remember our time together." Clarine's face was failing quickly. Her smile began to tremble as her eyes welled up with tears.

"O-Oh Rutger..." Her voice trembled. She knew he could hear the tears in it. "I-I..." She couldn't confess undying love to him because she wasn't sure if she did have undying love for him. She couldn't tell him that she loved him with all her heart and soul because she knew that would merely make everything harder. She couldn't tell him that she would always love him because she wasn't sure if she would. "I... hope we meet again." With a trembling hand, she reached out to him, and he grabbed her gloved hand, interlocking their fingers together.

The moment was brief, though, and soon enough, he stepped away from her. Flashing her a sad, small smile, he turned away from her.

I'm pysched for this story. And, I'm hoping to post it around the same time I post Stay Forever.

But I'm not sure when I'll post either of them. Eventually. :D Thanks everyone for reading! I hope to see you again for the next ClarinexRutger stories.

-Tri17