SPOILER WARNING: This occurs after the events of Dawn of the New World, and contains end-of-game spoilers.

"Come on Emil, relax. Our date hasn't even started yet."

The blonde man took some calming breaths. He hadn't felt this nervous since he was a teenager. He paced back and forth in his and Marta's bedroom, ruminating out loud over his plans for later that day. Of course, he spent much of that time being apprehensive about his plans as well.

"We've been on lots of dates before. I just have to think of this as any other date."

Emil then took out a tiny box he had in his pocket, which he had been running his finger over the whole time. He opened it to look again at the ring inside.

"Except for the end of the date."

Emil thought back on the past four months. Shortly after they moved to reside in Palmacosta, he started planning on how to propose to Marta. He discussed ideas with Lloyd and Zelos, as he wasn't sure where he would pop the question to her. Lloyd thought maybe Luin since that's where they started their journey. Zelos suggested Altamira, so Emil could make it extra special.

Altamira made some sense, as it was where Emil first said "I love you," to Marta and where they shared their first kiss. Yet Emil eventually decided against the island resort. Altamira was a little extravagant for a regular date, and Marta might figure out early that he was going ask her to marry him. Instead, they would have a picnic in the late afternoon at a pond near their home city, a favorite spot of theirs. They would then walk back to Palmacosta to see a group of traveling performers. After that, they would stroll until they arrived at a particular, important place. There Emil would finally propose to her.

The idea seemed good to him. He and Marta had been together for over four years and had already discussed getting married. He was sure Marta expected it any day now, and it just felt like the right time to him. This date would be somewhat special, but he hoped she would be surprised that he chose that day to propose. She liked surprises, after all. As good as he thought the plan was, though, he still felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. What if he messed up? What if she said no? What if she said no because he messed up?

Emil shook his head and said to himself, "I shouldn't think like that! I know how much Marta loves me. She's been looking forward to us getting married for a long time, I'm sure. I could fall flat on my face trying to propose and she'd still say yes."

The young man sighed. He knew that, yet a small part of him continued to worry.

"I've always tried my best, especially for Marta. She deserves my best because she's always been there for me. I can do this!"

After his self-given pep talk, he looked down at the ring once more, smiling this time. He was still a little nervous, but he long ago learned that was true courage: being able to do what was needed, even when he was frightened or anxious.

Emil then mulled over how long it took him to get the engagement ring. He spent much of the past four months putting together money for it and having the ring made. Although he and Marta earned as much as they needed and then some, their income was sporadic. When they weren't speaking to dignitaries from both once-separate worlds, they took on temporary work or Katz Guild requests. Emil completed extra jobs when he could, but found it wasn't enough, and he didn't want to take several more months to buy the ring. He then learned that he could delegate the monsters to complete some jobs. Tenebrae suggested it and explained to the situation to the four of them. They were quite happy to help, according to the Centurion. Even so, Emil spent some of the extra Gald buying treats for the monsters.

The time and money were well worth it. Emil did not know much about rings, but Zelos assured him that the craftsman he recommended was one of the best in Tethe'alla. Emil did believe the ring looked pretty. Marta would think so, too, surely.

"I better finish the food for the picnic," Emil said to himself. He closed the ring box and set it down on his chest of drawers. Marta was visiting her father at Meltokio prison and she would not be back until close to the time of their date. He could leave it out for now.

Shortly after Emil left the room, a small monster with white, orange, and purple fur and shiny dark eyes scurried in. Petro the Gunna was a member of the rabbit family, but he looked more like a hybrid between a bunny and a squirrel. He stood on his hind legs to peer upward. In one leap he bounded up onto Emil's chest of drawers. There he found what he was looking for: a tiny box. With little effort, Petro lifted the cover just enough to take out the box's contents, the hinges of the lid closing it back up.

Lord Emil had shown Petro the ring before, but the Gunna wanted a closer look. After all, he helped the Lord to get it in the first place. Petro had to endure being poked and prodded at by juveniles at a place the Katz called a petting zoo! It had to have been the most humiliating thing he had ever done! He did it for Lady Marta's sake because it would ultimately make her happy. Even so, he was allowed a better look at the piece of jewelry.

Master Tenebrae had once criticized Petro for favoring Lady Marta over Lord Emil. After all, he was also Ratatosk, Lord of all Monsters. Petro had to show more reverence to Lord Ratatosk, even if Tenebrae was fond of Lady Marta and agreed that she was one of the best humans he ever knew. The Gunna told the Centurion that he saw Lord Emil as Lord Ratatosk's human side in mortal form. As Tenebrae himself had explained, Lord Ratatosk's summon spirit aspects had been separated from his physical body—now indistinguishable from a normal human—and kept them in his core on Richter's forehead. The only part of Emil that was summon spirit now was his soul. Lord Emil was a part of Ratatosk, but not the Lord of all Monsters in his full glory. In short, Petro saw Lord Emil as a human and thus could compare him to other humans, elves, and half-elves. After all, Master Tenebrae seemed to regard Lord Emil differently from Lord Ratatosk. Why else would he tease him the way he did?

The Centurion responded, "fair point," before he dropped the discussion by vanishing.

Aside from Lord Emil being human now, Petro always preferred how Marta treated him. She gave him extra treats, brushed out the knots from his fur, and scratched his ears just right. She cooed over how adorable he was in all of his evolutionary stages. Rabbit monsters prided themselves on being cute—all the better to have larger monsters and adventurers underestimate them. Lady Marta cared for all of the monsters, as did Lord Emil, but Petro was sure he was her favorite. Also, Lord Emil was disappointed when Petro evolved into his Gunna stage. He said that he hoped Petro would take on a stronger-looking form, or at least grow bigger. The nerve! He did apologize after Petro kicked him, but what's done is done.

The Gunna stared in awe at the ring, which consisted of cut, colored stones set onto a shiny, metal band. Petro was no dragon, but he did think the stones were lovely. He mostly understood the significance of the piece of jewelry. It was part of the human courtship ritual. One person would present a bauble to the one they were courting or wanted to court and if the other person accepted it, they would become mates. He didn't understand why Lord Emil was doing this, though. He and Lady Marta were mates already, weren't they? He knew why they locked him out of their sleeping chambers on some nights.

Petro admired the ring a few moments longer before a thought came to him. The bauble would look especially pretty glimmering in the sunlight. No direct rays streamed into the room, so he would have to go outside. He would have it back in the little box before Lord Emil noticed a thing. The rabbit-squirrel monster took the ring into his mouth and ran out of an open window. He leaped onto a nearby tree branch, then deftly climbed to the top in one swift motion.

Once Petro perched on a branch exposed to sunlight, he held the ring out in both of his forepaws. The bauble of metal and stone shimmered beautifully. The way the cut gems refracted the sunlight was especially memorizing.

Suddenly, a dark shape a little smaller than the Gunna rammed into him. Although he tried not to, Petro let go of the ring, as the force of the blow threw him back against the tree's trunk. He scrambled back out of the inner branches to see his assailant fly away.

It was a magpie. It wasn't even a bird-type monster, but an ordinary animal. He saw something sparkle in the black and white bird's beak. Out of desperation, Petro leaped into the air after the magpie, but it was already too high up. When he landed on the other side of the roof of the house, he tried to follow the thief as best as he could, leaping from treetops to rooftops. It was to no avail, as eventually, the magpie flew eastward and out of his sight. His footwork was impressive, but even a Gunna as strong, fast, and agile as he couldn't fly.

The ring, the pretty bauble that was so important to Lord Emil, was gone. Even if Petro didn't understand why exactly Emil was giving it to her, it was still a precious gift to Lady Marta.

It was gone, and it was all his fault.

Petro shook his small head. This was no time to sulk. He needed that ring back, or he could never face them again. The Gunna sent out a silent cry for help; he couldn't describe it any other way. Centurions could talk directly to a monster's heart, and they did the same back. Most monsters could not really speak, so this "heart speech" communicated emotions as well as meaning. There was a range limit to it as well. He hoped Master Tenebrae was nearby. Any of the Centurions that regained their physical forms could help, but he was the one most likely to be near enough to "hear" him. While Tenebrae didn't visit the couple as often as he used to, he was still the one unofficially in charge of keeping tabs on them. Calling on him was all he could think to do to find that bird. Otherwise, he'd have to come up with another plan.

"You did what, Petro?" A cantankerous voice in his heart more demanded than asked minutes later.

In a puff of mist, Master Tenebrae, Centurion of Darkness, manifested near the treetop Petro now stood upon. The Gunna jumped up and down, explaining what happened to the ring and the magpie. Master Tenebrae let a verbal, exasperated sigh.

"I came by to see if Lord Emil was in need of any moral support. No doubt he is nervous about later this evening. I certainly didn't expect something like this to happen. You need to tell him right away!"

Petro gestured desperately. Lord Emil would be so distraught to find out that the ring was lost; all of his plans for today ruined. He also didn't want to make Lady Marta upset if she found out. They could still get the ring back if they started looking for the bird now. Maybe they could return it before Emil or Marta knew it was missing.

Tenebrae glowered at Petro for a brief moment. Then another puff of dark mist enveloped him. Moments later, a blackbird, somewhat resembling a Raven monster, but smaller, stood where Tenebrae was.

"I'll look less conspicuous in this form. Climb on. You said it went eastward, right?"

Petro was surprised that Master Tenebrae changed his mind so quickly, but he confirmed the magpie's direction before he scampered onto the Centurion's now-feathered back.

"I shouldn't be agreeing to this, but you are right. Lord Emil will take the loss of the ring hard," The transformed Centurion said as he took to the sky, "I fear that we won't be able to get it back before Lord Emil proposes to Marta, but the time to try is now, before it flies too far away."

Petro expressed his dismay at having to see them without the ring. The best-case scenario was that they found the ring before Lord Emil gave it to Lady Marta, but how likely was that?

"They won't hate you for losing it. However, Lord Emil will be upset; Lady Marta at least mildly so."

Petro lowered his head. He knew that already. Even so, he felt terrible. He helped to get the engagement ring, but he knew how hard Galena, Monsoon, Zeimia, and Lord Emil himself worked. Truthfully, they all worked harder than he did. Even if the Lady and Lord didn't hate Petro or think less of him, they would still be heartbroken over it, Emil especially.

He couldn't just feel guilty about this, though. The Gunna kept his eyes peeled, hoping to find the culprit to get back the very important bauble. How far could one bird have gotten by now?

About three hours had passed since Petro had the engagement ring stolen from him. There was no sign of a magpie the whole time they had been searching. Petro fretted that they would never be able to find a single bird. Even if they spotted a magpie, who was to say it was the right one? Or that the bird even still had the ring. Surely at this time, Lord Emil already learned it had gone missing. Maybe he'd even suspect Petro had something to do with its disappearance since the small monster wasn't home. He couldn't give up yet, but he had no idea how he wasn't going to find it, especially as nighttime approached.

When Petro and Tenebrae reached a wooded area outside of Palmacosta, they found and spoke to a passing Raven named Zephyr. They asked it if it saw any magpies earlier, and particularly one with a ring. The helpful bird-type monster said that it hadn't seen anything, but it knew of a flock of magpies that roosted in a grove near a stream not too far from there. Petro and the transformed Tenebrae thanked the Raven, then flew in the direction it had indicated.

After several more minutes of flying, the rabbit-squirrel monster and Centurion approached a long copse of trees that grew alongside a stream. Petro might have thought it a picturesque sight on a normal day, particularly as the sun set. His focus was on more pressing matters, however.

"Zephyr said I should be able to frighten the birds out of the grove and not be attacked. Magpies generally only strike against creatures larger than themselves when they're rearing young, which it isn't the season for. While I would certainly face a flock of enraged birds for my Lord, I do not relish in the thought."

Petro agreed as he held tight onto Tenebrae's feathers. The Centurion then grew larger to better intimidate the magpies. Once he resembled a Raven monster himself, he swooped over the treetops, his belly sometimes scrapping them, and cawed loudly. A cacophony of squawks followed an eruption of black and white bird, flying about in all directions. Master Tenebrae had to concentrate on staying airborne, so Petro did his best to see if any of the birds either looked familiar or carried the ring. He scanned the air as quickly and carefully as he could, hoping to recognize the culprit.

Petro let out a chirp of frustration. The magpies all looked the same to him, especially as they flew around haphazardly. How could he possibly single it out?

A glint of light caught the corner of the Gunna's eye. He turned to see a bit more twinkling, then focused on the direction he was certain he saw the glints coming from. He couldn't be entirely positive, but there was one bird that grabbed his notice, enough to excitedly indicate it to Master Tenebrae.

"You are sure that's it?" he asked. Petro expressed that he was mostly sure. He didn't get a good look at what was causing that glittering light, but he had a hunch.

"I'll move in closer, then, and make myself more maneuverable."

Tenebrae shrank himself to his previous size so that he was still able to carry Petro. As they closed in on the magpie Petro singled out, the bird turned its head just enough to show that it held something in its beak: a small loop of gold with distinctly-colored gemstones. There was no mistaking it for anything but the engagement ring. Petro frantically told the Centurion it was the right bird, prompting him to pick up his flight speed.

The magpie tried to lose them by weaving between tree branches. Tenebrae kept pace but hadn't been able to get closer after several minutes in pursuit.

"Of course this bird is more agile than I am in this form," Master Tenebrae said in the heart-thought-speech version of muttering, "I would summon a comparable monster to capture it, but I worry we may lose it in the time it takes me to do so."

As Master Tenebrae spoke, an idea came to Petro. He then explained it to the transformed Centurion.

"I suppose we could try it as a Plan B. Will you be all right, Petro?"

The squirrel-like monster assured Tenebrae that living as a house pet had not dulled his reflexes.

Tenebrae then changed his course, beginning to fly up instead of right behind the magpie. The winged thief kept maneuvering around the branches, likely wary of what the Centurion was doing. Once he reached a particular vantage point above their target, Petro leaped in an arc towards the bird, his ears folded back and tail kept straight out behind him to reduce air resistance. Although the magpie tried to change direction, the Gunna fell fast and hit the bird hard enough to make it drop the ring—as well as be sent crashing into the underbrush along with Petro.

The branches of the shrubbery broke their fall, for the most part. If Petro weren't so fixated on the ring, he might have realized he was in pain. At least no bones were broken. He might have also noticed the magpie thief hoping away awkwardly, but eventually taking back to the air, too tired and hurt to be concerned with the shiny thing it held only moments before.

None of that mattered to Petro. He knew the ring had to be on the ground somewhere, or maybe caught in the bushes. He scurried about in a panic. He had to find his Lady and Lord's ring, he just had to!

"It's a beautiful evening, isn't it, Emil?" Marta asked with a happy sigh.

"Yeah," Emil replied breathily, "It really is beautiful out."

The two walked through the familiar city streets, ostensibly strolling aimlessly before they returned home for the night. Marta wore a favorite white dress of hers that Emil found made her look rather fetching. He felt a bit plain in his black slacks and dark blue shirt.

Despite how nervous he was before the date, just seeing Marta put his mind at ease and gave him the confidence he needed that night. She had always given him courage, on their journey, and now. That thought warmed his heart.

"The night is almost as beautiful as you, Marta," he added with a slight blush.

Marta giggled in that adorable way he loved so much. His heart warmed to the point of melting. She took one of his hands in both of hers and leaned against him as they walked.

"From anyone else, I'd say that was just flattery. But I know you mean it," she said adoringly.

Emil smiled broadly as Marta continued, "I had a great time today! The picnic was wonderful."

Emil nodded, "It was such a nice day near the pond, too."

"The food was amazing, especially the fried chicken. I loved the fruit salad with the different pieces cut into cute shapes, too," Marta chimed in delight.

"It's an old habit, but I know how much you like it," Emil said humbly.

"Mm-hm! I really liked the play, too, although I don't know if that's the right word for it."

"Why, because of all of the singing? I wasn't expecting that when I first saw the fliers."

"Yeah. I mean, sometimes there are one or two songs in a normal play, but almost the entire show was singing. I think operas in Tethe'alla are like that, but I've never actually seen one."

"Maybe it's like one, but I think operas are supposed to be in a big fancy building, not in the city square like that," Emil pondered briefly before he resumed talking, "Anyway, I thought the story was really good. It was like they put together a bunch of fairy tales and connected them in ways that made sense."

"I thought so, too! I especially liked their version of the tale of the Rose Princess." Marta giggled as she leaned against him again. "Thank you for today, Emil."

"I'm glad you had a great time," he said with another smile.

As they approached the spot where he was going to propose, the blonde man felt his heart rate increase. It wasn't just from nervousness, although that was certainly part of it. He was excited, too. He found himself eagerly wondering where they would go from there. How would their lives change once they were married? Maybe it wouldn't be too different from how they lived now, but maybe it would. Then there was the wedding itself. Maybe a few years ago he would be feeling very anxious, but instead, he looked forward to both the wedding and their lives together as a married couple. It would be such a big step in their journey together, but that made it even more thrilling.

It would also be nice to finally have an answer when their friends and neighbors asked, "when's the wedding?"

"Emil? Emil?"

Marta's voice snapped him out of his reverie. He looked down as he asked, "Uh, what is it, Marta?"

"You were staring out over the ocean, then started smiling," she giggled and continued, "I'm not sure if I've ever seen you space out like that. That'd be a first!"

Emil blushed again and replied, "I, uh, well..."

He then noticed that the two of them were standing on the place in question. He really had spaced out for a bit.

It's now or ne—well, not never, but I don't know when if not now, he thought.

Emil took a deep breath and asked, "Do you recognize where we are?"

Marta blinked, the looked around. She replied, "Yeah, it's one of the bridges. What about it?"

"Well, it's special for us, right?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

She glanced her surroundings again, then her eyes widened slightly in recognition. She smiled warmly and replied, "Yes, it is. This is ... where you came back to me."

"Yes," Emil said with a nod. His smile was equally warm and affectionate as he continued, "I came back to this world in my own body. Something inside me told me that I would find you here, on this bridge. It was like I could hear you silently call out to me."
"I did," Marta said as her eyes seemed to shimmer. They spoke about the day of his return before, but it felt right to talk about it again. Marta continued, "I was standing here that day, thinking to myself how I would help this world that you were protecting. But deep down I wished that you could have been there, with me." She looked directly into his eyes before she said, "And you did answer me, granting my wish."

Emil took both of her hands in his, noting how small and soft they felt and knowing how strong she actually was.

"Marta, you've helped me to grow so much since we've first met. It's because of you that I'm the person I am now."

"Oh, Emil. I know I tell you this all of the time, but you've helped me to become a better person, too. You're kindness, determination, and understanding made me who I am today."

"Marta you're the one with determination to spar, not me," Emil said with s chuckle, "Although I guess we decided that we both did a lot to help the other. I meant it more literally, too. When you asked for Ratatosk's help during the Blood Purge, I came into being. I'm only here now because of you, Marta."

The young woman's eyes widened in awe at the realization. She then said, "I never thought about like that." She smiled tenderly and added, "I brought you into this world. That happened here in Palmacosta, too."

"That's right. My life as an individual started here and so did my life with you," Emil said, feeling his heart surge with love and affection, those emotions likely showing on his face, "I don't know what if anything brought us together. I don't really believe in fate. But I do know why I decided to come back. I know how strong you are. I know how kind, how brave, and how considerate you are. You know me so well, and I know you, even though I'm always learning more about you. I'm so thankful to have met you and to be with you. I love you more than I can put into words, Marta."

An insightful look appeared on her visage from his outpouring of words. Near the beginning of his speech, she seemed to want to say something to him but decided against it. She instead looked at Emil expectantly.

"It's here in Palmacosta where I want to take the next step on the journey of our lives together. So Marta..."

Emil let go of her hands, then reached into his right pocket to take the small box out of it. Marta's hands both covered her mouth as her eyes shone with wonder when Emil dropped down to one knee. He opened the tiny box and began to say the lines she was anticipating.

"Marta, will you ma—"

The open box was in his line of sight as he looked up at Marta. Something else should have been there. The lack of it caused him to stop his question. Emil glanced more directly at the ring-less box.

Ring-less. There was no ring in the box.

"What?"

Emil's baffled expression turned to dread. He took the padding out of the box, but there was no ring hidden in there. He checked the pocket he held the ring box in, but there was no ring in there. He put his hand into his other pocket, even though he was sure he hadn't switched at any point after they left the house. Predictably, no ring was in the opposite pocket.

"B-but how?!" Where is it?!" Emil said in a desperate tone. He dropped to his hand and knees and frantically searched the ground. He knew it made no sense for the ring to be there when the box was in his pocket before, but logic was not his strong suit right then.

"Where, where is it? I know it was in the box! " he exclaimed in a distraught voice as he fruitlessly searched the ground around him, "When did I last see it? I opened it that one time, then went downstairs to finish the picnic food. Later I ran back upstairs to hide the box in my pocket before Marta came home. I … I don't think I opened it before I put it there. Oh, why didn't I check to see if it was still in the box?! But I mean, why wouldn't it still be in there? How would it get out?"

Emil let out a cry that sounded both frustrated and hurt. He stopped combing the ground and instead sat on his knees, hanging his head in shame.

"I...ruined it. I completely ruined today. I can't believe it," Emil sobbed. He covered his eyes with his right arm and continued in a choked voice, "I'm so sorry Marta! I don't know what happened to the ring! And now it's gone! You must've been really looking forward to the moment I asked you to marry me, and then this happened! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Emil kept his eyes covered out of guilt, so he didn't see that Marta's expression went from confused to concerned. Her visage then changed to an endearing smile.

"Emil," he heard her say before he felt her arms wrap around him. He uncovered his eyes to see her kneeling in front of him and holding him in a tight embrace. She pulled back from the hug so that her bright blue eyes met his slightly reddened green ones, her smile as bright as the sun.

"Oh, Emil! Yes, yes, of course, I'll marry you!" She proclaimed happily.

The now-befuddle young man blinked and asked, "B-but how?... I mean, I ruined the proposal! I lost the ring!"
"It's okay, really! It's more important for me to hear you say that you want to get married," she answered, her kind, sincere voice easing his distress, "And it's more important for me to hear how much I mean to you. Sure, I knew that already; I've known it for a long time. You mean so much to me, too. It still makes me so happy to hear you say how much you love me! I love you so much, Emil!"

"Marta, I …" Emil began to say. He then enveloped his arms around her waist and continued, "I always want to make you happy. That's why I wanted today to be special, or at least not to mess up. I was so focused on making this moment perfect that it surprised me a little to hear you say yes anyway. I guess I shouldn't be, though."

Emil pulled her closer to him, holding her in a warm embrace. He rested his head on her shoulder as he said, "I'm so glad you still said yes. You've made me so happy, Marta!"

"Not as happy as you've made me, Emil, and will keep making me. You're the most wonderful person in the world. I couldn't ask for a better partner, a better fiance, " Marta replied as she returned the hug with equal affection.

The couple stood back up from the ground, chuckling a little at how long they were kneeling for. Their lips then met in a long kiss. They were in public, but for once, Emil didn't care. Despite his best efforts, he somehow screwed up the proposal, but Marta still said yes to marrying him. Not that he seriously thought she would say no, but after that embarrassing, baffling display of the engagement ring somehow disappearing from its box, he thought she would have tried to laugh it off and let him propose another day. With how utterly humiliating that was, he didn't know when he would work up the nerve to ask again.

But of course; he should have known how Marta would react. As he told Marta not too long ago, she was the most incredible person he had ever known. She had such a kind, loving heart. She wouldn't be petty enough to demand that he have a ring. Maybe if she were many years younger, she would have been more upset that the proposal had turned out like this, but not as she is now.

Even so …

Emil broke the kiss and asked, "Uh, Marta? Would it be weird if we looked for the ring together? It took me a long time to get it, and I still want you to have it."

Marta's smiled understandingly at him and replied, "It's not weird, and of course I'll help! I'd like to at least see my own engagement ring." She laughed lightly.

"You can call off the search," A familiar disembodied voice said, "Petro knows what happened to the ring."

"Tenebrae?" Emil asked before the Centurion in question puffed onto the scene.

"First off, congratulations on your upcoming nuptials."

"Thank you, Tenebrae, but what's this about Petro?" Marta asked, voicing Emil's next question.

"I shall let him explain, to the best of his abilities," the panther-like Centurion replied. With a wave of his hand-tail, the Gunna was summoned. Petro looked downcast, his ears lowered. The small monster's whole demeanor communicated a feeling of guilt to Emil. He held a small, shiny object out in his forepaws.

Emil blinked repeatedly as if trying to make sure he wasn't imagining it. He finally asked, "Is that …?" His eyes widened with gladness and he smiled as he exclaimed, "Petro, you found it!"

"Yes, after he lost it, to begin with, and didn't want to face you both until he recovered it," Tenebrae explained frankly.

Marta gasped, then said, "Petro, how could you?"

Emil was only half paying attention to the Centurion. He rushed over to the small monster and scooped him up in his arms, giving Petro an appreciative squeeze as he repeated: "Thank you, oh thank you, Petro!"

Tenebrae looked on at the scene of Emil hugging the remorseful monster, then smiled slightly. "I supposed Lord Emil is quick to forgive," he said.

"Aww, I can't stay mad at the little guy, either," Marta remarked with her own smile.

The bemused Gunna held out the ring again once the young man was done showing his gratitude. Petro chirped in what might have been an apology. Emil palmed the ring and inspected it. There wasn't a scratch, chip, or smug on it, but he still took out a handkerchief to clean it a little.

"Well, I suppose Petro and I should be off to leave the two of you alone." Petro bounced over to the Centurion of Darkness. He squeaked one more time and Tenebrae translated for them, "He says congratulations, and that that it couldn't have happened to better people. I must say I agree, even if the two of you getting married was inevitable."

Despite the Centurion's nonchalant addition, Emil saw a small, proud smile on his panther-like face. He and Marta thanked them and waved the two off as Tenebrae whisked them both away in a puff of dark mist. Emil then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Can I try again? I know you said yes already, but we have the ring back, so …" he asked, trailing off.

Marta giggled as she replied, "Sure."

With that, Emil approached Marta again and got down on bended knee again. He held out the ring upwards towards her, cupping it both hands.

"Marta … will you marry me?"

With a radiant, loving smile she replied excitedly, "Yes, Emil! Yes before, yes now, yes a million times over!"

Even though Emil knew it was coming, he gave her the biggest smile he could, wanting to laugh with joy. He carefully placed the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. Marta looked over it grinning appreciatively. On the gold band were three gems: a fair-sized diamond and two smaller stones flaking it. One was a light brilliant green; a peridot. The other was a deep red color; a ruby.

"It's beautiful, Emil! I love it! Although I wonder why you picked red and green gemstones." Marta's tone and perceptive smile told him that she already knew the answer and liked it. It was to represent both sides of him. It was a strange thought, but she was marrying Ratatosk as well, in a sense.

"I'm glad, Marta," Emil said. She giggled happily and he couldn't help but join in by chuckling with mirth.

Emil stood back up and the newly-engaged couple held each other again. Emil's love for her felt like it had boiled over and before he knew it, their lips met once more. Over time, their kiss became increasingly more heated and their hands started to join in, caressing up and down the other's sides. Emil felt his desire for her bloom, but also an embarrassing realization that they were still in public. Thankfully, there were no other people around that he could see.

"I-I think we should go home now," he said a bit nervously after breaking the kiss.

Marta's eyes and voice reflected his own feelings of desire as she said, "As long as its right to bed."

Emil chuckled with a quiet, seductive timbre to his voice, "Of course."

Author's Note: Is it odd that I wrote the proposal story after the pregnancy fic? Oh well!

I've had the idea for this fic for a long time now. It does feel good to finally get it out! I wanted to write about Emil proposing to Marta, but I also wanted to make it terribly awkward for Emil, but still very sweet. I also wanted to tell a story from the perspective of one of the monsters, so thus how this story came about.

Considering current events, I have somewhat more time on my hands, but perhaps not the motivation. Even so, maybe I can get some more fic out. I hope that these fics are bringing smiles to people who enjoy this OTP, this game, or to fanfic readers in general.

I hope you all enjoyed this fic, and that I brightened someone's day by writing this. If you did enjoy it, please let me know in a review. Perhaps it'll give me the motivation to get my next fic out sooner

As a final note, yes I know magpies don't actually steal shiny things. This is a fantasy world, though, so why not have the magpies act like folklore says they do?