After sharing a long, tender make out session with Tolys, Kaska did run off to find Martina and spread the good news. Erika and the others took the time to relax. Erika sat with Lukas, cooing over baby Gale. Ned chatted with Tolys, getting the brunet to spill more details about Kaska. Meanwhile, Matthew and Julchen sat awkwardly next to each other. Julchen had just kissed Matthew out of the blue.
"So . . ." Matthew spoke softly, "When did you start to like me? I don't really seem like your type." He muttered.
Julchen raised an eyebrow, "First of all, what do think my type is?" She asked. Matthew pointed at Ned.
The white haired teen laughed as a blush spread across her cheeks, "Hey now. Ned is attractive, don't get me wrong. But I don't like guys like that. I'm more into the sensitive, quiet type. The kind of guy who doesn't mind listening to a girl vent." She explained, "You're the embodiment of that. You care about everyone, even if only a few care about you. You're nice to every person you meet. And you aren't bad looking either. Your looks are a huge plus."
Matthew felt himself get flustered, "I'm extremely flattered Julchen. B-but won't your father be picky about who you end up with?" He bit his lip.
Julchen smirked, slinging an arm around him. "After this battle, you're a shoe-in with my grumpy pops. He's naturally judgemental but he'll overlook some things because of your role in this war. I mean really! You worked closely with the man who was the key to saving everyone and even had a hand in defeating Ivan. That'll score you some major respect."
"And your sister?" Matthew gulped.
"Oh don't worry about her. As long as you treat me nicely, she won't try anything." Julchen assured.
About twenty minutes later, a purple dragon landed in the courtyard. Erika and Lukas stood up. Astrid changed back into a human and took Eric's hand. They all stood there in silence for a minute or two before Boden broke it, running up to Lukas and hugging him.
"I am so glad you're okay. After your mother and brother disappeared, I thought I had lost everything." Boden whispered.
"Oh, now you care?" Lukas grumbled and looked away as he held Gale closer.
"I've always cared. I just . . . had a hard time showing my love. No, I didn't want kids at first. But having you and Emil around made your mother happy so I never said anything against it." Boden sighed, "I should've stepped up my parenting and not make your mother work so hard. I apologize for everything. I don't expect you to forgive me though."
Lukas looked up at his father, "Honestly, I can't forgive you for how you treated Emil and I when we were younger. But . . . you did protect Erika when her parents entered the picture. As long as you don't mind taking care of Gale from time to time, I can overlook some things." He blushed.
Boden patted Lukas's head, "Awkward just like me, aren't you?" He teased. "I would be happy to take care of Gale. I could never say no to my granddaughter." He pecked the baby's forehead.
Erika smiled at them but then faced her parents with an expression so cold, it rivaled Tolys's ice powers. This made Astrid flinch but Eric pulled her along and approached their daughter.
"So, how are you going to earn my forgiveness?" Erika huffed.
"We don't deserve your forgiveness." Eric shook his head, "We double crossed you. Not only did we threaten your child even before it was born but we nearly passed you off to Ivan to save our own skin. We stopped treating you like our daughter and treated you like a pawn."
Astrid gulped, "W-we don't deserve the luxury of being grandparents. Not after the horrible things we did. Kielo and Boden can have those titles to themselves."
Erika was not expecting that. Her parents were very stubborn individuals. It wasn't often they admitted their faults in person. Their pride was always up there with their love for her. Swallowing their pride and not begging for forgiveness? That was one hell of an apology.
"Erika?" Lukas put a hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and held out her arms to her parents.
"Tolys was basically the whole reason why Gale even exists in the first place and Boden here basically neglected his children. Don't think you're the only ones who have royally screwed up." Erika smiled, "Just don't stab me in that back like that again and you can spoil Gale all you want."
Astrid cracked a smile as she teared up and ran into her daughter's embrace. Eric joined her moments later. The three shared a well-deserved group hug.
"HEY!" Martina came running out to them.
"Martina." Ned stood up.
"Quickly, come to the gates. All of you! Some special people are waiting." Martina grinned.
xXx
The party followed the woman through the castle and back to the front. Feliciano and Lovino were waiting for them. Roderich nodded to them and had guards open the gates. This action revealed hoards of cheering citizens.
"I give you the heroes of this war! Group Alpha from the Cardinal Warriors." Roderich announced as he gestured to them. Boden immediately shuffled to the side with Erika's parents to allow the company to receive their praise.
"Mattie!" Alfred ran up and scooped his brother off his feet, "You saved the world! That's awesome." He grinned.
"Al, put me down! We're in front of so many people." Matthew whined.
"Allow me." Julchen snatched Matthew out of his brother's arms, "You're gonna have to share his attention. He has a girlfriend now." She smirked.
"Dude, you got a hot chick as your girlfriend out of this? Wicked." Alfred winked. Matthew covered his face in embarrassment.
Monika pushed her way through the crowd, "Sister!" She shouted. Julchen set down Matthew and rushed up to the blonde, embracing her tightly, "Monika. I'm so glad you're okay. I wish we could've fought together."
"Oh no. You handle all this attention better than I do. You can have your fame and glory." Monika rolled her eyes and gave her sister a cheeky smile.
Kaska walked up to Tolys and took his hand, "I wish we could've seen each under better circumstances." She pouted.
"We got to see each other again. That's enough for me." Tolys kissed her hand.
"Hey girly boy." Magnus walked up to Tolys, "We saved two blonde girls who claimed to be your sisters." He waved two girls forwards.
Tolys blinked and looked at the blondes. One was noticeably taller than the other. The taller girl had long hair with glasses. The smaller girl had a curly bob with a red bow on the top of her head. The brunet released Kaska's hand and went to the girls.
"Rota? Elise?" Tolys said quietly.
"Brother?" The girls replied just as quietly. Tolys got the biggest smile on his face and pulled them in for a hug.
"So many families are getting reunited through this. It's so heartwarming." Erika cooed softly. Monika overheard and released Julchen from her hold, "I wouldn't say that." She mumbled.
The crowd had dissipated to finally reveal the messy aftermath. The bodies of fallen warriors had been collected.
"You can't have a war without casualties." Magnus sighed, "We lost many good men."
"ARTHUR!" Matthew and Alfred ran up to the body of their late brother.
"He fought bravely. With passion, just like a cardinal warrior." Monika reassured.
"Why? He was hot tempered but he was never a fighter." Alfred gulped.
Matthew got choked up, "He joined to save you." He whimpered softly. Alfred fought the tears streaming down his face, "God dammit Artie. You weren't supposed to leave us yet. Not yet." He wrapped his arms around his twin.
Erika gripped Lukas's shoulder, "I'm sorry. I know he was your friend."
Lukas took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh, "His death wasn't in vain. I am not going to cry. Besides, I know the last thing he'd want is for me to be sad." He looked away, "I am going to be strong."
Martina walked up to Arthur's body, placing a carnation in his hands. "You fought valiantly Arturo. May you rest in peace, old friend." She kissed his forehead.
"Context please. I didn't know she knew Arthur." Lukas raised an eyebrow.
"Their relationship was similar to mine and Tolys's." Julchen clarified, "They constantly bickered and fought whenever Arthur visited the Southern Kingdom with his mother. But then they dated off and on for a while. It was a weird relationship."
"I think friend-with-benefits is what you'd call it." Ned added. Julchen nodded.
"We also lost Yao." Magnus gestured to Yao's body, "He fought Ivan and delayed the man's arrival to the castle. There seemed to be large amounts of tension between them as they fought."
"Oh god. They must've had some kind of beef with each other. I wonder what." Erika blinked.
Everyone was for a moment. Then some soft sniffling was heard. A girl was kneeling next to the body of a young man with short blonde hair.
"Eva?" Roderich approached the girl. She looked up at him with glassy, turquoise colored eyes.
"Oh god. We lost Vash?" Julchen gulped and ran over, "Eva. I am so sorry."
Eva sniffled and went to Roderich for comfort. Roderich wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. Julchen joined in the hug.
"Eva and Vash lived in the castle with Roderich. They were the children of nobles. They lost their parents when Vash was six years old. Eva was just a year old. Roderich's family took them in. Vash ended up training with the royal guards and worked up to becoming Roderich's bodyguard. Eva made her place in the kitchen and spent a lot of time with her brother and Roderich." Feliciano explained, as Lukas and Erika looked the most confused.
"It's a small world. We're all connected in some way and don't even know it." Monika hummed.
xXx
The Northern Kingdom spent the next six months cleaning up the aftermath of the war, this included honoring the fallen warriors and officially thanking Lukas and his group for stopping Ivan. The Crystal scepter was given back to the royal family to be put under their protection once more.
In this time, Magnus was true to his word with Erika and opened the Cardinal warriors to women. The warriors' numbers spiked with the inclusion of women.
Sakura took over her father's role as chief. Her and Ned were even able to overcome their differences and try out dating.
Tolys and his sisters moved in with Kaska after establishing peace between the Northern Kingdom and the mountain fairies.
Alfred and Matthew headed back to their village to aid in protecting it.
Lovino and Feliciano met up with their grandfather in the Southern kingdom and moved on to a simpler live on a farm.
Martina and Roderich were wed three months after the war and took over as rulers.
In the midst of all these changes, Lukas officially proposed to Erika after getting the blessings from her parents and her friends. Erika was overjoyed and agreed to move to his village once they married.
xXx
Now, nine months after the war, it was the day of Lukas's and Erika's wedding. The two had separated the night before and were up early the next morning. Lukas had stayed with Matthew and Alfred while Erika stayed with Kielo.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" Kielo woke Erika up bright and early that morning.
"Ma!" Gale cooed as her grandma Astrid set her next to Erika.
Erika groaned and covered her head with a pillow, "It's too early. Five more minutes." She grumbled.
"It's your wedding day. You must start getting ready!" Astrid huffed, pulling the blankets off her. Erika pushed away the pillow and sat up, pulling Gale onto her lap. "Don't I need to eat first?" She yawned.
"Yes. You eat while I do your hair. Kielo will feed Gale." Astrid nodded.
Erika groaned one more time before getting out of bed, carrying Gale and following the older women downstairs. Erika ate her breakfast with Tina and Emma as Astrid did her hair. Kielo sat next to her, feeding little Gale some applesauce.
"I can't believe you're getting married. Finally!" Tina cooed.
"This wedding is gonna be so magical." Emma giggled.
Erika blushed, "O-oh please. This hardly changes things between Lukas and I. We're just making it official and moving in together."
"I know but still! It's so exciting. And so many people are coming too!" Tina grinned and clapped her hands.
"Ugh, don't remind me. If something goes wrong, everyone will see." Erika groaned.
Kielo shook her head, "I have planned everything. Nothing will go wrong. That rehearsal last night was perfect. Everything will go smoothly." She assured.
"Alright dear. Your hair is done. Now time for the make up and dress." Astrid said in a sing-song voice.
xXx
Many people came to the village for the wedding. Including Sakura and her family, the phoenix twins, Julchen and her family, Tolys joined with Kaska and his sisters. Even Martina, Roderich and Eva.
Erika was starting to become nervous when she saw how many people were there. Her parents were trying to calm her down.
"Mom. Something is gonna happen and I'm gonna look like an idiot." Erika gulped as she paced back and forth.
"Honey, Kielo has planned everything down to the littlest detail. Nothing is going to happen." Astrid grabbed Erika's arm to make her stop pacing.
"Everyone gets nervous dear. It's okay. Just focus on Lukas. If you're going to fixate on anything, focus on him." Eric suggested.
"Yes! Just look at Lukas's pretty face. Everyone else will fade away the moment you focus on Lukas." Astrid nodded.
Erika glanced at her parents, "Does that really work?" She bit her lip. Astrid handed her a bouquet of daisies and lilies, "That's the method I used." She smiled and kissed her forehead.
Eric hooked arms with Erika, "Now let's go. Lukas awaits." He smirked.
xXx
Ned dusted off Lukas's attire while they waited for Erika, "Would you relax? She's coming." He grumbled, noticing how visibly anxious Lukas looked.
"Just take deep breaths and just take in her lovely face." Vladimir smirked and patted his friend's shoulder.
"Easy for you to say. I'm the one getting married." Lukas looked away. Ned caught Astrid from the corner of his eye giving a thumbs up, signaling that Erika was coming.
"Okay pretty boy. It's your time to shine." Ned whispered and moved to sit down with Vladimir.
Lukas gazed down the aisle and felt him get flustered. Erika was so beautiful. Her hair was put up in a neat bun with curls framing her face. A natural palette made her ocean-blue eyes stand out. She wore bright red lipstick. Her dress was something similar to the one Martina wore back at the castle, except it was white. The young man grasped her hands once Eric had walked her up to him.
"You look speechless." Erika giggled.
"I-I can't help it. Your beauty took my breath away." Lukas stammered and looked away for a moment.
Erika blushed, "O-oh you. Stop it." She laughed sheepishly.
And then, the ceremony started. It consisted of a lot of rambling from Roderich, who was officiating the wedding. Erika didn't seem too bothered but this made Lukas antsy. He was very much an introverted person and did not like so much attention on him for long periods of time. Once they got past the vows, Lukas knew the big moment was coming.
"Lukas Bondevik, do you take Erika Kohler to be your wife?" Roderich glanced at Lukas.
Lukas shook off his nerves and stood up straight, "Yes. I do." He nodded and placed a golden band on Erika's finger.
Roderich looked at Erika, "Erika Kohler, do you take Lukas Bondevik to be your husband?"
Erika grinned, "I do!" She nodded as well and copied Lukas's actions.
Roderich closed the book he was holding, "Then by the power vested in me, as the king of the Northern Kingdom, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Erika wasted no time and connected her lips with Lukas's in an instant. Lukas suddenly relaxed and wrapped his arms around her. Everyone stood up, cheering and clapping for the happy couple.
Lukas pulled away after a few moments, "Can we move on to the reception? I want less attention on me." He looked away.
"Aww you're so cute!" Erika cooed and kissed his cheek, leaving a kiss mark.
"No I'm serious. I love you but easing my social anxiety overcomes the fueling of your ego." Lukas raised an eyebrow.
Erika puffed out her cheeks, "Seriously. How can you be so sweet but such an ass at the same time?"
Lukas lightly poked her forehead, "It's a gift my love. My asshole-ish-ness is meant to balance out your overly happy nature." He smirked teasingly at her.
Oh my god. It's finished. I finished it! I am so proud of myself. Thank you to everyone who left comments, favorited and simply read the story. I've said it multiple times but I'll say it again. I had so much fun writing this fic. I did fall out of the fandom for a short spell (I don't think that was a bad thing though) but I kept going. And I'm glad I did.
I did notice that the title kinda lost meaning at one point. Probably when Magnus appeared and begrudgingly accepted Erika's help, but whatever. At least it was near the end when it happened. I also noticed that I changed two characters. 1) Boden. He was meant to be a shit father but then I gave him redemption. And 2) Erik. For one, he wasn't protective in a good way. And, small detail, I misspelled his name. It's meant to end with a 'k', not a 'c'. Oops. But oh well.
Also, I am not sorry for killing off Arthur and Yao. Okay, I feel a little bad for killing off Yao but not Arthur. England was never one of my favorite characters. Be happy I didn't kill Monika. I nearly did. I don't like Germany that much as a character either but I guess switching his gender changed my mind. I do like the nyotalia characters, which seems to be an unpopular opinion in the fandom. Male! Hungary and Fem! Germany are better than the original characters. Fight me.
One last thing. Despite the nice comment Monika made about Feliciano a couple chapters ago, they will not end up together. I'm not a fan of Gerita so Feliciano will end with someone else and Monika will simply be a kickass aunt to Julchen's children. Which I think is fitting for her. Monika is a strong girl who needs no man to make her happy. She'll just spoil the children of Julchen. Anyhow, until the next story, hasta la pasta! ~Mistress Churro