Chapter 71 Finale part 3
Cole
The morning arose as the sun hit Glidonia borders; Cole was the first one up; after what happened last night, he didn't get much sleep.
Most of the night he spends thinking, did Fallon really fall asleep last night or not because he didn't expect her to reply to the kiss.
When she replied back, the kiss deepened more than anticipated, leaving him with the desire for more, but he didn't want to do anything that would cross the line.
Plus, she's a princess, and what worried him a bit was if she heard him talking to her; he didn't regret saying all those things to her, but he would have liked it if he had told her in person.
"What are you thinking about Cole?" asked Derek as Cole turned to face him.
"Nothing, it's just…." he said but stopped and looked back to see Fallon come out from the cave; they were getting ready to leave and head back.
"Ahh, I see. Women trouble?" Said Derek with a smirk as Cole chuckled.
"Not exactly; let's say more about doubt." Said Cole as Derek looked puzzled.
"Doubt about what?" he asked as Cole turned to ensure she was behind and talking with Tobias.
"Derek, she's a princess, and I'm a hunter; I have nothing to offer her. She deserves a better life than I can give her, but I also don't want to see her with someone else." He said as Derek smiled.
"Cole, I was in the same position as you three years ago." He said as Cole looked amazed.
"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.
"I wasn't born royalty Cole; I was born a commoner; I was the royal shoemaker when I met my dear Genevieve." Said Derek as Cole found this hard to believe.
"What? Then how did you win her?" he asked, still not believing.
"We fell in love when we were kids, and as we grew up, it got stronger. But like you, I didn't want to act on it because I wanted the best for her, but after I helped save her kingdom, I realized we could have died. I maned up and told her how I felt; she responded the same way and looked at us now, happily married and with one child." Finished Derek as Cole wondered if he should tell him the news about the new baby, but it was none of his business to share.
"But you became a hero, helped save their kingdom, and she loves you." Said Cole as Derek turned and faced Fallon.
"Well, from how she looks at you, I can tell she loves you, and you're helping save the kingdom now. Cole, what's stopping you from being with her? You have a good future ahead with her; this I know." Said Derek as Cole thought for a moment.
"The level status, she's a princess." Said Cole as Derek rolled his eyes, smiling.
"So was Genevieve and Cole; if she truly loves you, she won't care about that." Said Derek as Cole thought.
"She has told me before that she doesn't care about wearing fine clothing or jewelry." Said Cole.
"See, don't be afraid and go after her because if you don't try, you may lose her." Said Derek as Cole froze for a moment; that's one thing he doesn't want to occur.
"Cole are you alright?" asked Fallon, he snapped out of thought and realized that he stopped, and they continued to walk, and he was getting left behind.
"Yes, I am; sorry, let's keep walking." As he continued to walk, he said he would talk to her when this was over.
Princess Isla
Today was the day Phoenix had come to them with news of the wedding that Genevieve and Levi were having.
That only meant one thing, too: Derek and Tobias were dead, she didn't want to believe it, but from what he told them, Levi killed them.
Today was going to be a tough day for her; she knew she had to stay strong, not give Levi that satisfaction.
They knew this wedding wasn't happening; they weren't just going to stand there and look at her sister marry a mad man.
They stopped Rowena before with their own guards; this wasn't going to be that different; they all began using their favorite weapons as before.
She went to her cabin that was on the end of her bed and took out her stilts. She placed them on the nightstand and then froze as she saw the ring Tobias gave her.
She wore it every day, but last night she took it off as soon as her father came in, she didn't want him to see her wearing it, or it might worry him about her.
She quickly put it back on her ring finger and admired the ring; it was simple yet so beautiful; it had a beautiful diamond in the middle and smaller ones around it.
Flashback
"Will you become my queen, my princess?" asked Tobias.
"Yes!" She Exclaimed as she hugged him.
"With this ring, I promise to fight and try to come back to you; I will not give up until I've tried everything." Said Tobias as he took Isla and pulled her closer to him, closing the small space between them.
End of flashback
"Oh Tobias, I miss you so much," she said, looking at the ring,
'If only we knew this would happen, we could have had more time together.' She thought to herself, remembering all the good times they had together.
"For you, I will make sure your brother pays for everything he's done; that's a promise I make to you." She looked at the ring and began to prepare for the wedding since it was in just a couple of hours.
Prince Tobias
It had been a couple of hours since the beginning of the trail; everyone was quiet except for Fallon and not the way people imagined.
She was the only one that spoke; she made sure we were okay and led the way to shortcuts since she knew this path when she was a little kid.
"Are you excited to return, Derek?" Asked Tobias as Derek smiled.
"Of course I am, I miss my family, plus they need me back." He said.
"Derek, as I said before, you need to be seen by a doctor as soon as we get back." Said Fallon as he rolled his eyes.
"Fallon is right, Derek; just because you can walk for a bit now doesn't mean your off the hook." Said William as Derek nodded.
"I will as soon as I stop this wedding; it cannot happen on my watch." He said as everyone understood.
"I know what you mean, Derek, and believe me when I say I'll carry you if I have to; if it was Isla instead of Genevieve, I would want to stop this wedding as well." Said Tobias as Derek smiled.
"Thank you, Tobias. Did you end up 'proposing' to her?" He said as Tobias smiled, and Fallon turned to face him quickly.
"What?! You proposed to my sister?! When? where?" She exclaimed happily.
"Calm down, Fallon." Said Cole as he rolled his eyes.
"Before I left, I asked her, and she said yes." He said as Fallon's smile dropped.
"Tobias, when she found out you had died, she was distraught, and now I understand why." She said as they continued to walk.
"Did you ask the king?" Asked William as they all looked at Derek.
"Hello... he's right here, and he approved of me." Said Tobias as Derek laughed.
"I think he means the father or the bride." Said Cole as William nodded.
"Of course, I did." He said.
Flashback
"will you become my queen, my princess?" asked Tobias.
"Yes!" she exclaimed as she hugged him.
"With this ring, I promise to fight and try to come back to you; I will not give up until I've tried everything." Said Tobias as he took Isla and pulled her closer to him, closing the small space between them.
He then pulled away from the kiss. "Now I must go tell your father you said yes and hope he doesn't kill me." He said, giggling.
"I'm sure we won't; he knew this would happen to all his daughters." She said, giving him a kiss as he left.
'She had said yes, the thought, and now he was hers, and no one was going to change that.
He arrived at the office where Derek does paperwork and found Randolph there sorting some papers; when he closed the door, he looked up and smiled at him.
"So, how did it go?" asked Randolph as Tobias smiled at him.
"She said yes! But I need your blessing and acceptance." Said Tobias as Randolph smiled at him and slightly chuckled.
"Of course, I accept, and you have my blessing, my boy. I know you love her and will make her happy. But I will ask you to make her happy you both deserve it." Said Randolph.
"thank you, and don't worry, that's what I plan on doing; I don't want her to know what that sadness is." Said Tobias as Randolph smiled.
End of flashback
"He approved so quick; he knows I love his daughter, and I will do my best to protect her." Said Tobias as Derek smiled.
"That's how it should be." Said, William.
"Did you ever get married, William?" asked Derek as he shook his head.
"No, I don't think I plan to get married soon." He said as they all nodded.
"Around what time do you believe we'll arrive?" asked Derek, all worried; it was understandable because imagine if your wife thought you were dead and was about to marry the enemy to save the nation.
"Hopefully, we will get there before the wedding Derek; I know it's in the ballroom at sunset. We have a couple of hours left before the sun goes down." Said Fallon.
A few hours later
A few hours passed, and we were tired; we stopped a couple of times to rest but only for a few minutes; the longest was probably like 20 minutes, and that was to eat lunch.
But we were close; according to Fallon, it wasn't that far; the most challenging part was over.
"I see it; the palace is right there!" pointed Fallon as everyone felt relief.
"let's stop here for a bit." Said Cole as Derek wondered why.
"Why have we stopped now when we're so close?" asked Derek as everyone looked worried.
"Derek, Levi is convinced you aren't dead; he has put guards around the palace and around it." Said Cole.
"We need to think of a way to sneak you all in," said William as Cole seemed bothered by this.
"What about the tunnel?" asked Fallon as Derek and Tobias looked surprised.
"She knows about it?" asked Derek as Cole nodded.
"Derek, if she knows about them, it means they are in use; something bad must be happening." Said Tobias as Fallon nodded.
"You are right about that, Tobias; when Levi arrived, Genevieve confronted him but not before asking Phoenix to keep us safe." Said Fallon.
"she did what? Is she okay?" asked Derek as Cole nodded.
"Yes, she's never alone, not even since that day; a guard is always with her." Said Cole as Fallon smiled.
"sinceshecan'tmovealot." Said Fallon.
"What?" asked Derek and Tobias.
"Nothing, never mind." Said Fallon.
"We can enter from underneath the room of the place we build." Said Tobias as Cole nodded.
They headed that way until they reached a tree, and behind it was a wall covered by vines full of leaves; they walked in as Fallon's eyes widened.
"When was all this here?" she asked as Derek chuckled.
"there's a lot about the place you don't know about, Fallon." He said as she smiled; they continued to walk until they stopped.
"Why have we stopped?" asked Fallon as Cole took a step and began pushing up the wooden board; William and Tobias helped him until the door opened.
Fallon was the first one up, then Tobias, Derek Cole, and Finally William; they were at the hideaway they built.
"It's empty; they must all be at the ballroom; the wedding must be beginning." Said Fallon.
"who's out there?" asked a familiar voice Tobias and the rest turned to see Charlotte, Phoenix's mother, with a pan in one hand and Henry in the other.
"D... Derek?!" she exclaimed and hugged him.
"Where have you been? They have all been worried sick you need to be cleaned up." She said as Derek tried to shrug it off his attention went to his son; he was so happy to see him.
"Dada," Henry said as Derek went over and hugged his father; it seemed like he missed him.
"later, I need to stop the wedding." He said while hugging Henry and handing him over to Charlotte; he then started crying while Charlotte gave him his bottle.
"Besides, I think there's someone who would be very happy to see you, Charlotte." Said Fallon as Tobias looked confused but then looked back and realized what she meant.
Charlotte gasped and then shed tears. "William?!" she asked as he looked surprised and then dropped his jaw.
"Mother?" he said.
Queen Genevieve
Genevieve was in her room looking at herself in the mirror, remembering her first wedding with Derek; she still wore her ring.
She always admired it, it was small and straightforward, but it holds more value than any diamond could ever have.
"Are you ready?" asked Edaline as she turned around and hugged her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as she smiled.
"You are our sister; you think we will leave you alone? You and Derek helped rescued papa three years ago; let us be here to help you now." Said Edaline as Genevieve worried.
"don't worry, everything will end today, the triplets are safe and won't be in danger, and Henry is with Charlotte." Said Edaline as she nodded.
"Where are the rest of the family?" she asked as she smiled.
"They are safe and will be with you all the way." She said and then smiled; Genevieve looked at herself in the mirror and then at her belly; she was willing to end this for her children.
"I am ready." She said and then headed out with Edaline.
She entered the ballroom it looked simple, it only had a couple of flowers and the red carpet, she didn't want it to be too elegant because there was nothing to celebrate about this.
The music began, and she started walking down the Isle; she then saw from the corner her family was hiding all around the room or even wearing costumes. Levi was so distracted that he didn't notice.
They had utterly wiped out almost all of Levi's men and replaced them with Glidonia guards and from the kingdom of Genovia.
She looked over at the guest and saw that Delia, Ashlyn, and Blair, were sitting along with their husbands, were sitting at the ceremony looking unlike themselves, also was Alex; they smiled and nodded.
When she arrived at Levi's side, she stood in her place with Phoenix, Gabriel, and Brandon; they nodded and watched every movement Levi made.
"If anyone objects to this union, please speak now or forever hold your peace." Said the pastor; Genevieve took a deep breath; she was about to say something but then stopped when hearing someone talk.
"I OBJECT!" he said.
Genevieve seemed confused 'that almost sounded like…. Like...'
"Derek!" she finally said when turning around.
She was about to run towards him when "Guards get them!" said Levi as the men he had run towards them, but before they could do anything, guards from Glidonia came in and protected Derek, Tobias, Fallon, and Cole.
"What?!" exclaimed Levi.
"Get on with it!" he told the priest as Genevieve shook her head.
"NO!" said her sisters as they stood from their chairs.
As did the guards that came with them, they took off their costumes and began to fight with Levi's guards.
She felt someone grab her by her wrist; it was Levi; he began to drag her out to the balcony.
He took out a small pocketknife and put it around her throat, as her hands were stuck.
"I tried to do this easily, but you couldn't stick to the plan, could you? You had to keep searching for him, and now he will have to witness you marry me or die." Said Levi as Genevieve exclaimed.
"Neither of those things is happening under my watch Levi!" exclaimed Derek.
"Derek! You are the cause of everything that has happened to me! You couldn't stay in your own place, could you?!" exclaimed Levi as Genevieve tried to break free from him.
"Let her go, Levi!" exclaimed Derek as Levi shook his head.
"Why?! So, she can run towards you!? NEVER!" he said as she looked into Derek's eyes, she was terrified for her life and her baby's life.
"You were never meant to be king! That throne was for me, especially Genevieve, but you took that away from me!" exclaimed Levi.
"You will never be king!" said Genevieve; she couldn't believe what she was hearing; all this was because Levi was obsessed with her, not love but an obsession.
"That's enough from you!" exclaimed Levi to Genevieve.
"You are nothing more than a worthless cobbler! And now you are going to have to watch me kill your wife and children!" exclaimed Levi as part of the knife came in contact with Genevieve's skin.
It stuck a little, but then the pain stopped, she had closed her eyes, but when she opened them, Levi let go of her and was fighting with Derek until he couldn't take it anymore and lay on the floor; blood was running down from him.
It looked like Levi won but then, as he was about his way toward Genevieve when Phoenix and Cole put two swords in front of her.
"Don't you dare come to our queen again!" said Phoenix.
She looked around and saw that her whole family was surrounding them, ready to fight Levi; they had captured all of his soldiers and taken them to the dungeons.
"Arrest him and chain him." Said Derek as he tried to stand up, Genevieve quickly rushed towards her husband and helped him as Phoenix, Cole, Brandon, and Alex took Levi to the dungeon.
She didn't care that the dress had blood since it wasn't her wedding dress.
"Edaline, please go get Philip!" exclaimed Genevieve as she saw Derek close his eyes.
They took him to their room, and he was being examined by Philip while everyone else waited outside except for Genevieve, Randolph, and Edaline.
"How is he?" asked Randolph.
"He was pretty badly injured, your majesty, but whoever took him in did a good job with the wounds. However, they weren't healed for long; the battle caused them to open again." Said Philip as he cleaned more of the wounds.
"But he's out of danger, right?" exclaimed Genevieve as he nodded.
"of course, my queen, he just needs time to fully heal; I closed the wounds that opened as well as the one that Levi created." Said Philip as he finished.
"My queen should get a check-up too, to ensure the baby is healthy and clear that cut on your neck before it gets infected." Said Philip as she nodded, and he cleaned the scratch on her neck with warm water and listened to the baby.
"they are both perfectly fine." Said Philip as Randolph and Edaline nodded.
"How long do you recommend bed rest for them?" Asked Randolph.
"For the queen, she can get in a few days, two at most, but I think she should be good tomorrow, but if she would rather wait, that's fine too." Said Philip as they all nodded.
"What about Levi?" questioned Genevieve.
"You don't have to worry about him; he's secured tightly this time; he won't escape so easily." Said Phoenix as she nodded.
Everyone left the room and gave them privacy to rest up; she looked over at her husband, who was still sleeping; she couldn't believe she had him again in her arms.
She gently stroked his hair, then when she looked down into his eyes, she saw a pair of blue eyes looking directly towards hers; when she saw this, tears began forming in her eyes.
"you're alive?!" she exclaimed with tears as her husband smiled.
"I'm alive." He said as she smiled and kissed her husband's cheek,
"I promised to come back to you, and I did, at a good time too." He said as she smiled.
"Good thing because I was about to be married." She said, smirking.
"I would never have let that happen." He said, chuckling.
"How are you feeling?" she asked him as he smiled,
"I'm fine, just a bit sore; I was scared, though. I thought I was going to lose you…. Well, you both." He said as she looked down at him rubbing her belly; she forgot that she had changed into a more comfortable gown, and the abdomen was now noticeable.
"How far along are you?" he asked as she smiled.
"Well…... I am now five and a half months, but I'm far too small to notice unless she wears tight clothes; the comfortable ones usually hide her belly. I think it might be a girl since I was already huge with Henry." She said as he smiled before kissing his wife.
"I thought you would ask?" she questioned as he shook his head.
"I will never doubt you, Genevieve, even if it wasn't mine; I know how the circumstances were." He said as she quickly cleared his mind.
"he never touched me; Phoenix, Alex, Brandon, and Cole's brother always guarded Henry and me." She said and felt his muscles relax.
"I thought I was going to lose you; one minute you were standing, the following blood was being spilled, and you were on the floor.
What happened?" she asked.
Flashback
"You are nothing more than a worthless cobbler! And now you are going to have to watch me kill your wife and children!" exclaimed Levi as part of the knife met Genevieve's skin.
He could just stand there and watch, she had closed her eyes, and then Phoenix stood behind them; he had climbed the balcony and pushed Levi, removing his arms from Genevieve.
Then quickly, Derek wanted to take away the knife, but his wounds weren't fully healed, and he was tired from the trip.
He knew he was going to hate himself later for this but…. He let go of the fight and pretended that Levi won; only then, with his back facing Genevieve, Phoenix and Cole got around her and the family and surrounded them.
"Don't you dare come to our queen again!" said Phoenix.
"arrest him and chain him." Said Derek as he tried to stand up; Genevieve quickly rushed towards her husband and helped him as Phoenix, Cole, Brandon, and Alex took Levi to the dungeon.
"Edaline, please go get Philip!" exclaimed Genevieve; that was the last thing he heard before closing his eyes and drifting into slumber.
End of Flashback
"I promise to come back to you, and I did, and now I am not leaving you or our children." Said Derek as he pulled his wife in for a kiss.
Princess Isla
"I'm so glad you came back!" exclaimed Isla as she hugged Tobias,
"When I was in battle, you were the only thing in my mind; you were my reason to fight and keep living." Said Tobias as she smiled and took her lips and joined them together.
"Why were you gone for so long?" she asked as he thought for a moment.
"The day we left, we arrived at the battlefield, and we had basically won, but Levi cheated, and we had to improvise." He said as she bit her lips nervously.
"I was fighting Levi when he knocked out Derek, Cole appeared, and he pulled Derek away, and then I realized that he was never my true brother." He said.
Flashback
"You don't have to do this, Levi; you can stop this, and I promise your punishment won't be too severe." Said Tobias as his brother simply laughed, not noticing Cole standing from behind; he grabbed Derek and took him to the forest.
"Have it your way." Said Tobias as he began to fight with his brother; he had gotten better thanks to Cole and Derek.
"You think I'm stupid, but the only stupid here is you, brother." Said Levi as he began to laugh, causing him to wonder.
"You and Derek won't make it back alive, that I can assure you," he said as the angel appeared from the back bushes and gave Levi a button, causing the dual to end.
'Oh no!' he thought; that can only mean one thing. He planted bombs like they did; the only difference was that the ones built from Tharras were designed to kill; they were the deadliest.
When they exploded, the distance was far for damage, while the ones they designed were only to knock out the enemy for some time.
He pressed the button, the floor started to tremble, and there was a loud boom from afar but close enough to them.
"They are planted everywhere were at, even the forest, so if Derek went into the forest, he's dead now, and you will be too in just a matter of seconds!" exclaimed Levi happily.
As he got into his horse and rode it to the palace of Glidonia, the floor he was now standing on was trembling and opening.
End of Flashback
"Derek and I hid on top of a tree, and then we fell after leaving a bit of clothing behind so they would think we were dead because we knew Levi would stop at nothing to see us dead." He said as Isla listened; she couldn't believe Levi would do all this because he wanted to be king.
"How do you feel?" she asked him.
"I am a bit hurt, but, at the same time, I am not; I always realized he never cared for me, so it didn't really matter to me." He said as she smiled.
"it's all over now; we can finally rest in peace." She said as he nodded.
"Yes, no one will ever hurt us again." He said as he hugged her tightly; she knew he meant from the time his brother had physically hurt her, she already forgave him, but he knew that haunted him even though she told him it wasn't his fault.
Phoenix
"I can't believe it?!" he exclaimed, was it all a dream or not? His brother was standing right in front of him, the brother he thought was dead.
"Where have you been all this time?" he exclaimed to his brother, standing next to his mother.
"Good to see you too, brother." Said William smiling.
"Now I have all my children back home." Said Charlotte; he couldn't believe that his mother had just accepted him.
"I am sorry I left Phoenix, but it was something I had to do." Said William in a calm voice.
"You didn't care what mother and I would feel? After father died, you were the only one left, and after you left, I had to be in charge; someone had to help out mother from hell." Said Phoenix angrily.
"thanks to Derek as well, we were able to do what you failed in, I needed you, and you failed me, don't ask for forgiveness if you know you don't deserve it." Said Phoenix.
"Phoenix!" exclaimed Charlotte as he left the room; he didn't want to hear it.
'How could he do this? Sure, father's death hit us hard, but he was supposed to be the one to care for us after him; mother needed him…. I needed him.' Thought Phoenix, as he was walking down the stairs, he suddenly felt a slight brush against his arm and then looked up to see a pair of Teal eyes.
"Phoenix? What are you doing here? I thought you would be catching up with your brother." She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I can't do it, Hadley; I'm sorry, I just can't. How could he leave then after years come back?" he questioned, confused as she sighed.
"Phoenix, he may have his reasons for leaving. Sure, nothing excuses what he did, but you may never know what happened until you talk to him," she said while brushing his shoulder.
"Plus, the Phoenix I know never runs from anything; he faces the problem with such bravery. I know you're hurting, but he too could be in the same situation as you, but you won't know until you talk with him." She said as she kissed his cheek and continued walking up the stairs.
She was correct; he had to talk to his brother; he returned to his mother's room to find his younger siblings hugging William.
"Talk." Was the only thing Phoenix could say to him as his brother nodded, and their mother took the kids away from this.
"After dad had died, I didn't know what to do…. He made me promise that I would step up if anything happened to him; I thought he was joking," said William while looking at him.
"but then, while we were hunting out one afternoon, we came across crooks; I was a kid and scared. He told me to run and hide, but…. As I ran, an arrow ran straight in my direction over my head, and I ran faster. I didn't look back; I just kept on running." He said and looked almost terrified.
"But one of the guys caught up to me and found out where we lived, I thought that since father killed him, they would never find out where we lived, but I was wrong." He said as mother began to have tears forming in her eyes.
"Father didn't die from Influenza nine years ago…... he was poisoned." Said William as their mother's tears began to fall down her cheeks.
"what are you talking about? We saw him dying of influenza; he had a fever and was vomiting, to the point where it was now blood." Said Phoenix as William shook his head.
"No, you see, one day while all of you guys were out, I was in the room when I heard a noise and hid under the bed; after a while, when the close was clear, I went out and opened the door." He said as Phoenix listened closely.
"father was on the floor, the men had broken in and knocked him out, and then they were feeding him poison; after they raced out the door and left father on the floor, I raced to him, and when he woke up, I told him what happened. I promised him I wouldn't say anything to mother or you guys." He said as their mother began sobbing.
"little by little, father began dying, and when he finally did, I promised to find and kill all those men, getting revenge and finding something better for us. Hoping father would forgive me for not doing anything to stop him from being poisoned and leaving you guys when you needed me most. I tried returning for Christmas, but I thought you guys had already left or died even worse. I am so sorry, brother." He finally said; Phoenix could see that he really meant it; what could he do, punish his brother for something that wasn't his fault.
"Welcome home, brother." Said Phoenix as he hugged his brother tightly.
"It wasn't your fault father died; it was those awful men; if I was you, I would have done the same thing to them." Said Phoenix as he let go of his brother.
"All that matters is that you are home now." He said, smiling while thanking Hadley in his mind for convincing him to listen to his brother.
Princess Fallon
Fallon was in the library reading; it's been a while since she last read; she had been on the best adventure she could hope for but knew it might have to end.
Flashback
"Hello, papa." Said Fallon as her father exclaimed with joy
"Fallon is anything wrong, dear?" he asked as worried as she shrugged.
"Papa, I wanted to talk to you about my future." She said as her father seemed confused.
"What do you mean, dear? Your future is up to you, not me." He said as they took a seat in the study room.
"Papa, I think I want to be betrothed." She said as her father looked at her blankly. "why my dear?" he asked.
"papa, I have terrible luck. No one pays attention to me; why not save me from all this and just find me a betrothed. He will become my husband, and I know this one might tolerate me." She said as her father smiled at her.
"I can't do that, my dear; love is something you must experience and find." Said her father as she began thinking.
"But you might even get lucky you did with Blair, Ashlyn, and Delia. They are all happily married and with kids." She said.
"Genevieve found Derek and are having another baby; Isla and Tobias are another couple, and so are Phoenix and Hadley. And I didn't pick their man; they did. But you and Edaline are close to finding love, I know it. But I can search and figure out if you really want to." Said Randolph as she began to think and then nodded.
"Thanks, Papa." She said as she headed out of the room and saw Cole from afar.
Did he hear her conversation with her father or just get here? She wondered.
If he did hear, maybe this was a message he could get; she was tired of waiting for him to make up his mind, and she deserved to be happy.
"Fallon," said Randolph as he ran out of the room.
"Good thing you haven't fully left yet; I just remembered there is a suitor. His name is Lord Hunter, in the council of Genovia, king Alex's kingdom." Said Randolph as she nodded.
"Perfect, I'll set the arrangement for you." Said Randolph as she saw Cole turn around and leave.
End of flashback
CLACK!
She looked down to see the book had fallen from the bookshelf, which made her snap out of her thoughts, she had asked King Alex about him, and he said Lord Hunter was a rude person who always believed he was correct but very respectful to women.
However, he believed they were to be home and give children, not to do anything she loves to do.
"So, you're getting married?" said a voice as she turned around to see it was Cole smirking.
"Yes." She said calmly but a bit nervous.
'Why am I nervous?' she thought to herself as she got up, preparing to leave, but Cole stood in front of her.
"it's your funeral, but good luck." He said as she was prepared to leave but then gave him a look.
"it's better than being with someone who isn't clear about what he wants." She said as he raised an eyebrow.
He took a step closer to her making her stumble a bit, and her back touched a couple of books; she figured she was now against a bookshelf.
"Who says I don't know what I want?" he questioned as she lifted her eyebrow, confused.
"You have a funny way of showing it if you know what you want." She said as he smiled.
"it's part of the mystery, my dear Fallon." He said as his fingers brushed back a piece of her hair towards the back and then traced down to her cheek; he smirked as her breathing became a bit heavily.
"Do you have something you want to tell me?" asked Fallon while looking around the room.
"I think you know what I want." He said as she looked confused.
"N-no…I really don't," she said as he smirked and traced his fingers towards her lips.
"You. I want you." He said as she looked shocked and surprised. Was she dreaming, or was this real?
"What did you say?" she asked to ensure she heard him correctly.
"How about I show you." He said as he pulled her towards him and crashed his lips with hers.
The kiss was long and passionate; she didn't know that she meant a lot to him; as soon as he pulled away, she breathed heavily.
"I want you; please don't marry the Lord, marry me." He said as she gasped.
"I know I'm not much to look at, I am no one of society, but I do love you and promise to always be there for you and support you." He said as she felt speechless.
"Yes!" she exclaimed as she hugged him.
"See, I told you, you were close to finding love." Said Randolph smiling as she and Cole broke the hug.
"Papa?" she questioned and was a bit embarrassed.
"Your highness, I love your daughter. I want her to become my wife; I promise to protect her with my life and make her happy. Will you give me your blessing?" asked Cole, a bit nervous as her father smiled.
"Of course, Cole. Call me Randolph; by the way, you came here with a purpose and duty to protect us; you completed that the moment you brought Derek back and fought with us in the battle; I already considered you in the family." Said Randolph smiling as Cole exhaled and nodded.
"Thank you." Said Cole as Randolph nodded and left the room to give them a moment.
Fallon smiled at him the biggest she could as she brought his hand to her cheek and pulled her close for a kiss.
A few days later
Prince Tobias
"king Levi you are accused of kidnapping, torture, murder, and attempted murder, as well as escaping from prison. From all these accusations, your sentence is now death." Said Phoenix as he read from the paper Levi's accusations as the rest of the royal family sat on their thrones.
They then dragged him to the guillotine, but before he died, he said his final words.
"You will all pay for this!" was his last words as the rope was let go and his head was cut off.
"Are you okay?" asked Isla as they returned to the palace.
"I guess I never imagined things would end up like this." He said as she hugged him.
"Tobias, we have some business to attend to." Said Derek as he nodded and then followed him with Genevieve, king Alex, and Randolph.
"Now that Levi is dead, Thraas officially belongs to you." Said Derek, and he saw where this was going.
"Yes, but I can't fully take over until I turn 21; that's why I want you to support me, Derek; since Courtney married Levi, she is still partly queen." Said Tobias.
"The judge broke of that marriage, so Courtney doesn't have a say in it, or does she?" asked Alex as Tobias thought for a moment.
"Technically no, but the people see her as the queen until the next coronation, and once she gets remarried, Thraas will have a new king unless she doesn't join the spouse kingdom with Thraas." Said Tobias.
"So, let's say she ends up married to king Alex; if she doesn't want to, the kingdoms don't unite?" asked Genevieve while Tobias nodded.
"yes, she just has to say that she leaves you in charge until I become 21 and can run the kingdom." Said Tobias as the rest understood.
"However, I want to do what is right starting now, and I hope you'll support me and say that immediately this goes into action." Says Tobias as Derek seemed confused a bit about what Tobias meant.
"I will return to king Alex his land that Levi had taken away, so Genovia becomes its own kingdom again." Said Tobias as Alex seemed surprised, and Randolph looked proud of him.
"thank you, Tobias." Said Alex as she was shaking his hand, and Derek nodded.
"That will immediately go into action." Said Derek.
"Your father would be so proud of you." Said Randolph as Tobias smiled.
"What will you do next? With my sister and all?" asked Genevieve to Alex, almost smirking.
"Well… with your permission Randolph I want to marry your daughter." He said.
"Who doesn't want to marry my daughters? Of course, you have my permission." Said Randolph smiling.
Queen Genevieve
When the meeting was over, she went above to rest in her bedroom until she saw the door open; it was Derek and Henry.
"Are you okay?" he asked, a bit worried as she smiled.
"Yes, I'm just a bit tired. But through it all, I am thrilled." She said, smiling as Derek raised an eyebrow as he rubbed her stomach.
"Why is that?" he asked her.
"Well, for one, you are here with me; two, Levi is gone, and four, my sisters are finally getting their happy ending." She said as he smiled.
"We have another one on the way; I think it's another boy." He said, smiling as she laughed.
"How can it be a boy, Derek? Remember how I was with Henry?" she said as he smiled.
"Yes, but every pregnancy is different, dear, and you aren't even done; you're about halfway there, and there is still more room to grow." He said as she thought for a moment.
'Could he be right?' she thought.
"we'll. I guess I don't know then." She said as he smiled.
"Whatever it is will be beautiful." He said as she smiled at her husband and kissed him.
"I love you." Said Genevieve while looking into his eyes.
"I love you more; there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you." Said Derek as they shared a long kiss.
Four years later
"I crown you king Tobias and Queen Isla of Thraas." Said the priest as he placed the crowns on them. They had just gotten married and were crowned the following rulers even though Isla wasn't 21 till a couple more months.
"Long live the king, long live the queen!" cheered the people as they shared a kiss; they are now the rulers of Thraas.
They had the wedding at Glidonia while the palace of Thraas was getting cleaned and reorganized; since the place where they were going to spend their honeymoon was close to Glidonia, they decided to have it there.
It was about three to four weeks of traveling; by the time they get home, they had already gone on their honeymoon.
"how do you feel?" asked Genevieve to her sister.
"I am thrilled; I can't believe I'm married!" exclaimed Isla.
"and you are the new queen to Thraas." Said Hadley as she hugged her twin, they were sad to see each other go, but they knew this day would come eventually.
"your mother would be so proud of you." Said Randolph as he hugged her daughter; he too was sad she was officially staying in Thraas, but just like the rest of his daughters, he was a bit used to it, but he would still miss her.
"Thanks, papa; I'm really going to miss you." She said, slightly crying and hugging her father.
"I will miss you too, but I know that you'll always be protected with Tobias, and you can visit us at Glidonia." Said Randolph as he wiped his daughter's tears as she nodded.
"The carriage is ready." Said Derek as he returned and hugged his wife.
"go on." Said Genevieve as she hugged her sister one last time and smiled at her as she got into the carriage and saw it ride away.
"I'll start the cleaning, your highness." Said Sophie as she kissed Gabriel before she began to tidy up the ballroom.
"thank you, Sophie, Gabriel, and Brandon. Can you help with the tables, please?" Said Genevieve as they nodded and began to put the chairs and tables away.
After everyone helped clean up, it was close to sunset, and the job was done thanks to everyone's help.
"The food is stored, and the whole ballroom is cleaned, your highness." Said Stella smiling.
"thank you, Stella; you may have the rest of the day off and tomorrow as well, you too, Sophie." Said Genevieve as they bowed, thanked her, and left smiling; Sophie was with Gabriel, and Stella was with Brandon.
Genevieve walked towards the water fountain in front of the castle, sat at the table set there, and began to look at the sunset as she thought about how far they'd all come in just four years.
Ashlyn and Atticus had another daughter named Mary and are happily expecting another; hopefully, it's a boy that way, two girls and two boys.
While Blair had a boy named Antonio, they didn't want any more children for the moment; maybe they would have more in the future, but for now, it's Gabriella and Antonio.
Delia and Edmund had triplets; their names were Axel, James, and Aidan, they were about five years, and after three years, she had a baby girl; at last, she named her Rosella.
Courtney and king Alex got married and became the new king and queen of Genovia, they also had a three-year-old girl named Bella, and Courtney was currently pregnant again.
Edaline got married to Philip; she studied nursery and helped him with whatever the village needs; they had twin boys named Alexander and Luis.
Fallon and Cole got married, and they passed their time in adventure and traveling; they now have two daughters, one named Lucy and the other named Angela, and just like she said before, her daughters were not twins; they are two years apart.
Hadley and Phoenix married two years ago and have no children, but they hope to have some soon. In the meantime, they spend time together and enjoy their free time.
Isla and Tobias just got married, so there are no children; they now have a new nation to run, and I know they will do an excellent job like Derek and me.
The triplets are now in their early teens; they don't have any arrangements, although, for their 12th birthday, they had a ball, and Janessa met Prince Eric, he's the son of Willard.
Willard had an accident while returning to his kingdom and died; since his wife passed away, his son became king at an early age.
But unlike his father, the boy is kind and has a heart. They danced and talked the whole night; maybe this would be her first crush.
As for Derek and me, we had two more children; what are their names, you must be wondering.
"Mama, Henry won't play with me." Said her son Edward.
"That's because he doesn't know how to play; he does it all wrong." Said Henry with his arms crossed.
"What's all the fighting about?" asked Derek with a frown as he handed me our daughter.
"Henry won't play with me." Said Edward as Derek looked at Henry.
"He doesn't play right." Exclaimed Henry.
"Then teach him, teach me, and then I'll show him; come on, boys." Said Derek as they followed him, and they began to play all together; I think that was one of his favorite things to do, play with our children.
Henry is five years old and looks precisely like Derek, except he has my light blue eyes, while Edward is four years old and looks more like me but has Derek's icy blue eyes.
Then there was our little girl, Lily, who was about to be two-year-old, she looked like Derek, she had brown hair but had my light eyes, and she looked more like me, at least that's what Derek says.
Thankfully no one attacked us again, and I don't think they will want to because we are a stronger nation; we have kingdoms and soldiers to fight with us, and the kingdom was also doing better than ever.
I guess you can say my father and I were right about Derek; he was meant to be king, but most importantly, a father.
"Okay, break time, kids." Said Derek as he was heading over to us, tired and out of breath."
"Are you tired already, sweetie?" asked Genevieve frowning and chuckling as he smiled.
"daddy! Why did you stop?" asked Edward as he saw his father sit down.
"Your father isn't exactly young like he was before Edward; he gets tired easily, but don't worry, he will play in a bit." She said as Derek raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not that old; I'm 25." He said as she laughed.
"Can you believe how far we've come all the obstacles we had to face?" She said as he smiled and hugged her from the side.
"it was a lot, but we got through them together, and I promise you that I will always be here to protect you and the kids, my family." He said as he kissed her before heading back to play with the children.
As she played with Lily, she remembered the time when things were tough, she asked herself.
'Will our happily ever after come?' she thought to herself.
'I guess you could say that our happily ever after did come.' She thought as she watched her husband play with the kids and began to rock Lily to sleep as the sun started to set down.
Derek then headed over towards her with Henry hugging him on the side and Edward on his shoulders; I stood up to give him a kiss on the lips.
"I love you." Said Genevieve smiling.
"I love you more." Said Derek smiling as they began to walk towards the castle, and they lived happily ever after.
The End