Rella, reflecting absently as she gazed at the miraculous dancing fountains of the Faerie Lands, recalled that it had been six months since she had first come here. Six months in the time here, at least; Ruby had told her that time ran differently here, and she was likely to find that only a week or two had passed when she went back home.
It certainly didn't seem like it had been six months. And yet Rella's empathic and magical training, which she had been assured was likely to take at least a year, was already over and done with; Diamond said she learned quicker than anyone she had ever known.
Rella smiled at that. When she had learned that Diamond, the Queen of the Faeries, was to be her teacher, she had been positively stunned, and protested on numerous occasions that the Queen of the Fae would never want to teach her, even if she was half-faerie. That was when Ruby had informed her that it was more than likely the faerie blood in her came from Diamond herself, which had caused her to gape at the royal faerie, who didn't look much older than Rella herself.
Now, she had actually managed to become friends with Queen Diamond; once one got past the somewhat cold and aloof exterior, she was really quite a nice person.
The finishing of her lessons weren't the only thing that marked the passing of time, though. Cloud's belly was now quite plump as the result of her encounter with Starlight; Rella's guess had indeed been correct. Starlight himself had somehow ended up becoming Rella's horse; she couldn't help but see the irony in that, that the one thing the Prince had treated decently ended up becoming her's.
Honey, while at first frightened of the odd Faerie Lands, had taken to them quickly enough, and they had ended up leaving her in the competent hands of the some of the faeries who shared Rella's gift. They really had no need of the pony anymore, although Rella hated the idea of leaving her when finally she left the Faerie Lands; Honey was really a sweetie.
Now that her training was over and done with, she was again left with the dilemma of where to go next. The faeries had made it more than clear that she would be welcome to stay in the Faerie Lands if she wished, but could also feel free to leave if she wanted. Rella, although she liked it here, thought she liked life in the normal world better; the only question was, what was she going to do with herself from now on?
Leaves rustled behind her as someone moved along the pathway leading up to the fountains. Turning, she saw Bardic; smiling, she moved over, giving him an unspoken invitation to share her bench.
He took her invitation, smiling back at her. "So, happy that you've finally finished your training?" he asked, leaning back into the comfortable embrace of the bench. It was amazing how something that looked so much like an uncomfortable wooden bench made by human hands could prove to be so soft and comfortable.
"I...guess so," she said. "I just, once again, don't know what I'm going to do with myself." Sighing, she leaned her head on his shoulder; he put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. "I've never really had a home, you know? I mean, with my father we were always travelling, and then of course Rhianna's wasn't a home. And...this isn't really, either."
"Ah," he said, gently stroking her hair. "You could--I mean, well--you see, I..."
Smiling, she tilted her head back to look at him. "What are you stuttering about now, Bardic?"
"Well, I--I mean--" He took a deep breath, and let it go. "I was sort of wondering if...well, if you would...I mean...will you marry me?" he finally blurted out, then blushed.
She blinked, and her mouth fell open. "I..." She closed her mouth, and swallowed. "Yes," she whispered, and kissed him.
She had been surprised to find that Bardic actually had a house, what with all the travelling he had to do; not only that, but he also reportedly owned three cats and a dog. When asked how they ate when he wasn't there, he had shrugged, saying he got a neighbor to feed them while he was gone.
Their wedding had been quite an elaborate affair; faeries apparently loved to throw parties, and they weren't going to let so big an occasion as this get by without partying until the sun rose. Practically every faerie in the Faerie Lands attended, which surprised Rella, until Emerald had told her that half of them were just coming for the big party after the event.
Emerald and Ruby had been bridesmaids, followed by Rella, wearing a dress that the best of the faerie tailors had made for her. It was made of white silk and lace, and in her opinion, was even more beautiful than her dress she had worn to the ball.
Bardic, of course, had his outfit done by the same tailors. His was a much more elaborate tunic, pants, and overcoat, embroidered in silver and black. Rella thought he looked simply stunning.
Diamond herself had performed the ceremony, which hadn't been all that long. It seemed to Rella as if all it consisted of were "I do's", the exchanging of rings, and then she was kissing Bardic and it was over.
The party afterwards, however, lasted until well after dawn. She and Bardic had plead fatigue and retired shortly after midnight; when dawn came the next day, they left, heading for Bardic's home, which was situated, ironically enough, in Nordon.
When Rella got her first look at the house, she fell instantly in love. It was a small but cozy-looking cabin, surrounded by forest on three sides and looking like a woodcutter's cabin from a fairy tale. As Cloud and Starlight walked placidly into the small dirt lane leading up to the door, a large gray-and-white dog came bounding energetically up to the two of them, then stopped, looking at Rella and Starlight in confusion. Cocking his head to one side curiously, he barked at them, then looked at Bardic, as though asking him why in the world he had let these two into his yard.
"It's alright, Wolf," Bardic comforted, dismounting from Cloud. The dog--Wolf--barked once and ran in a circle, chasing his tail. As soon as Bardic dismounted, Wolf ran to leap on him, placing his paws on Bardic's shoulders and licking him squarely in the face, tail wagging all the time.
"Thanks for the bath," Bardic told the dog solemnly, as Wolf ran over to the other side of the yard and sat, scratching fleas and watching Rella suspiciously. Rella tried not to laugh.
Dismounting, she knelt and offered a hand to the large dog. He came running over and barking at once, stopping just within arm's length to sniff curiously of her hand. Apparently deciding he liked how she smelled, he barked once and then proceeded to run up to her, lick her face, and run back off again.
Wiping off her face with the back of her hand, she suddenly found herself being lifted by a smiling Bardic. "I have to carry you across the threshold, after all," he said, grinning at her.
As the door was opened and she was carried inside by Bardic, laughing all the way, she felt that she was finally home.
Final A/n: Whee! We're finally done. Well, that was long, wasn't it? And do you see know why I said this one was different? I took a Cinderella retelling and a rape-and-revenge story and put em in a blender, and this is what came out. Anyways, all reviews and/or emails will be much appreciated. Farewell for now, folks!