Everyone(be prepared for a reeeeeally long note) - *sniff* I can't believe it! The last chapter! Although, there is an epilogue. All I have to say is that, I love you guys mucho. Through all my fanfiction-writing experience(I used to have another account of CardCaptor Sakura ficcies) I've never known my reviewers as well as I do with this one. Well, not know but I can say- hey! I got a review from TallemeraRane- she reviewed my other chapters, I remember her. Like, a consistent group of reviewers that I remember. So a big HUG to all of you! TallemeraRane, daydream, icepixie, Ruby, chop suey/charleigh, FaerieGurl, clarylissa, Arctic Squirrel(love the name!), literaryfreak, Mooky, Celestrial Eclipse, and icybluesky. Thank you SO much! And keep your eyes peeled for an epilogue, there IS one!(molly would kill me if I didn't make one!)

PLUS, daydream, icepixie, anyone else- I have another ella enchanted story planned! It's a bit more serious, although I will put humor in here and there. There won't be as lovable character as Aden, but still cool. Okay, the whole plotline is like this(sneak preview!)- there is this Ayorthaian/Kyrrian girl(her father is Kyrrian, mother Ayorthaian) who can foretell the future through her dreams. When her mother dies, her father blames her and abuses her, then basically deserts her. She decides to go to the Ayorthaian king to give him her help. He accepts her, and she stays at Court, and everything seems dandy(lol). But then she keeps getting these recurring dreams of an assassination, and they slip away when she wakes up- which never happens to her. She gets really troubled by this, and when Char and Ella visit(they're newlyweds according to this timeline) she finds out that her dreams are about someone assassinating Char- so she has to save him! She also finds out that she and Ella are- ahem- relatives, although I'm not going to say how :D. There's a romantic sideplot with the Prince of Ayortha, Daerin, and her. Probably more romance than this story, which was sorely lacking- but hey! Romance in this chapter(I actually heavily copied the kiss from Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, so all credit to her)! ^-^ okay, that's it, enough with my blabbering- story below! LAST CHAPTER, SO REVIEW!

daydream – thanks! Is it not being humble to say I liked that line too? Lol ^-^ never said I was. Yay, I'm so happy you updated your story!!!

Icepixie – when are you updating your story? I HAVE to know what happens!

Okay, okay, I get the hint, here's the story:

"I know I promised Father a celebration, but this is ridiculous," Ria muttered.

"Kyrria's been needing a reason to celebrate," Ella admonished.

"And I gave it to them," Ria said, looking at all the preparations going in the huge hall. Servants were putting up banners of the Kyrrian crest, and replacing dark decorations with new ones. The windows were opened to let in the fresh air and springtime sun. Three servants diligently polished the stair rail.

"A celebration sounds good after sleeping so much," Char said from behind them. He looked much better now, after a week of recovering and hearing what had happened while he was delirious. "Where are your friends?"

"They're outside," Ria replied. "Exploring the gardens. Speaking of-" she looked at the immense grandfather clock at the end of the hall "I said I'd come now and help them find their way out. See you tonight!"

          Ria raced to the stair rail, and calling a warning, slid down it. Ella and Char watched her as she left for the gardens.

"She's grown," Char commented.

"She did go through a lot," Ella reminded her.

"She's more mature, but-" Char tried to put his finger on it. "I think that Aden boy has lightened her up a little."

"Good," Ella said, grinning. "She was too serious sometimes- like you!"
"So Aden is to her like you are to me," Char teased. "Although I must say, I prefer you." Ella just grinned and pointed to the stair rail.

"Care for a slide?"

          Ria found her friends easily, sitting in the lily garden. Picking up stones, the three were seeing who could skip the farthest. Observing them from the entrance, Ria noted that Aden was easily winning.

          Aden. She wondered what had happened, but in the week after Char's recovery, the two had been different. The journey had made them close, and now, in the palace their relationship had become odd. Was it because Aden was actually seeing Ria as a princess? It was one thing to say, another to observe it in action. Through all the plans and political hubbub of the week, she had barely enough time to see Aden- or Halia and Kit, for that matter.

"You two are getting killed," Ria remarked as she made her way to the pond. Halia and Kit looked up, but Aden didn't, watching his stone skip its' way across.

"Five!" he said victoriously. Halia and Kit groaned simultaneously.

"How've you two been doing?" Ria asked, grinning.

"I've two as my best," Halia said, "And Kit has three."
"We're Ayorthaians!" Kit protested. "We're not raised near water or anything." "Excuses, excuses," Aden scoffed. "You think I was? I didn't see a lake until I was twelve."
"Liar," Kit retorted. Ria stooped to pick a stone, and threw it.

"One, two, three, four," she counted. "Not bad!" She shaded her eyes to look at Aden, and grinned.

"Oh, a competition?" he asked innocently. "Bring it on!"

          In the end, Aden won by one skip over a sore Ria. She joined in Kit and Halia's choruses of "Liar" though, and laughing, they went to dinner.

"Call me liar all you want," Aden joked. "But tomorrow night, you're the ones that are dragged into your rooms for torture."
"Torture?" Kit asked. Then she groaned. "Oh no…tomorrow's the ball."
"Exactly," Aden said, grinning. "And I plan not to be there."
"Right, tough boy," Halia said mockingly. "So where are you going to go?"
"Nowhere," Aden grinned. "There is a library right next to my room you know. I think I'll find a very interesting book about an hour before the ball."

"You?" Kit joked. "I didn't even know you could read!"

          Aden pretended to look extremely offended. Ria and Halia just laughed.

          Of course, Aden did end up going to the ball. Halia and Kit, egging each other on, innocently let it slip that Aden had other plans for the ball that night at dinner, and Char and Ella immediately insisted that he come. Of course, there was nothing Aden could do against royal orders, so he complied, shooting dagger glares at the giggling Halia and Kit. Ria just shrugged helplessly.

"I didn't do anything," she protested. "It was all those two."

"Yes, I know," Aden grumbled. "They gang up on people."

"Nah, just you," Ria said, grinning.

"See why I left my family?" Aden demanded. "Four sisters was too much to handle. There's only so much dye you can put in their hairbrushes."

          Ria made a mental note to check her brush before combing her hair that night.

          The next day, the 'torture' commenced rather early. Right after lunch, Halia, Kit, and Ria were whisked to baths, a legion of handmaids tut-tutting about their adventures and the tolls it took on their appearance. Halia's hands were too rough, Kit's hair was a mess of tangles, and Ria had grown tan and freckled.

"I really wish I was a boy right now," Halia moaned.

"I envy Aden," Kit joked, then winced, as a maid yanked a brush through her unruly hair.

          The maids briskly combed their hair, and then styled them. After millions of rejections of updos and poufy hairstyles, all three of them ended up with relatively simple hairdos. Halia braided her hair herself in a coronet, while Kit braided the top half of her hair and let the rest fall down curly, and Ria left hers down with a peach blossom tucked behind a ear.

          Then the dresses they were fitted for a week ago arrived, and they were dressed like dolls, the maids bustling around ordering them to lift a limb.

"I never realized dresses were so complicated," complained Halia. "I just thought you could slip them on and go. But no, there's the overrobe, the underskirt, and all these dumb things."

          Halia was attired first, all of the maids' attentions on her while Kit and Ria watched. Her dress was the color of her teal eyes. The underskirt was a lighter peacock blue, and the dress swooped down asymmetrically to reveal the underskirt, shimmery and soft. The sleeves were short and puffed, and a slim opal necklace was placed about her neck.

"Good riddance," Halia muttered, turning to Kit and Halia. "How do I look? It better be good, for all the trouble it took."

"Lovely," Ria said sincerely. "The dress really matches your eyes. Plus, makes your hair look even more golden."

"I always wished I had hair like yours," Kit said absently. "You know, golden and straight, shiny, all that stuff in the legends. Mine's way too thick and all over the place."

Halia blushed with the compliments, but with her usual grace, snorted at Kit's comment.

"I'll take that as a 'Thanks Ria and Kit, for complimenting me,'" Kit said, as she was brought up next. "Now it's my turn." She looked resigned. Unlike Halia, Kit and Ria were used to these attirings, so Kit stood patiently as her dress was brought out.

"Whoa," Halia said, looking at it. "Cool."
          It was a very untraditional dress, a deep red with gold embroidery running through it. There were mirrors in the full skirt, making it twinkle.

"Has an Ayorthaian flavor to it," Ria said. "I like it."

          Kit was put into it in no time, and walked over to the mirror, studying herself. "Not bad," she said at last.

"Not bad, she says," Halia snorted. "All I can say is that red is definitely your color."

          However, Ria's dress was hands down the winner. A silvery silken cloth with hints of peach in certain lights, it draped her slim figure. A low neckline was accented with little pearls along the hem, and a pearl choker was put on her neck. It had no sleeves, in the latest fashion, and thick straps held it up.

"You look like those marble busts of those queens from way back," Kit said. "All gorgeous, and that dress is exactly like theirs."
Ria blushed. "Really? The dressmaker said they're coming back in fashion."
"It looks great on you," Halia said, studying it critically. "But I doubt all the other ladies of Court would look as good."

Kit giggled. "I'd like to see them try."

A page came in, blushing tomato as he bowed to the three of them. "Ladies, The Highnesses wish you to come to the antechamber now," he said nervously, and then left.

"Poor boy," Kit said sympathetically. "He's going through that 'awkward' stage now."

"The sight of you sent him off to write a poem," Halia laughed. Kit elbowed her.

"No, I think it was you," she joked.

          Laughing about the hapless page, they arrived at the antechamber. Ella looked younger than she had in a year in a royal blue dress matching Char's tunic. Looking around, the girls found Aden sitting in a corner. He looked miserable.
"Don't you look happy to be here," Halia remarked as she plopped down in a chair next to him.

"They dressed me up," he muttered, although he looked elegant in a pale yellow tunic and fawn breeches.

"Hey, it's not like you were put through what we were," Kit said. He looked at them all.

"You guys look nice," he said. He looked at Ria, grinning. "Really good."

She blushed, then cursed herself for it. "Thanks," she said awkwardly.

Halia and Kit just snickered, while Aden grinned somewhat maliciously. "Didn't I tell you I loved you?" he said melodramatically. "Right before I thought we were going to be eaten by those ogres."

"Yeah," Ria retorted. "I'm wondering why I even bothered to save you."

"You have grown emotionally attached to me," Aden said, grinning wickedly. Ria just rolled her eyes.

          The ball was fun, Ria had to admit. There was good food(Mandy outdid herself), but she rarely had the chance to taste too much, because she danced almost every song. It seemed boys were eager to meet their princess who had 'saved Kyrria.' She answered all their eager questions patiently, but eventually looked for an escape. Taking on an official air, she marched to a door, knowing if she looked like she had a purpose, no one would stop her. She was right. Last time she saw, Halia was telling a bunch of boys how to use a glaive, and Kit was dancing with a noble, and arguing happily, it appeared.

          With no clear idea of where she was going, she turned towards the gardens, and walked to the lily patch where she skipped stones earlier. Kicking off her tight slippers(the maids believed that since she had fairy feet, she could fit into elfin shoes), she sat down on a bench, looking up to the stars and thinking. Just a few weeks ago, she would have been thankful for this- Char well again, Ober gone, and Ella back to her normal, fun loving self.

          Instead, she just felt a longing to be back in breeches with her bow on her back, riding Stormsong. She chided herself for being so ungrateful, but the sneaking feeling came back. Angry at herself, she picked up a stone and hurled it across the pond.

"Now, you're not going to skip it like that," a voice came from behind her. She whirled around to find Aden standing behind her, grinning.

"Where did you come from?" she demanded.

"The girls started chasing me," Aden replied easily. "I thought the adoration was getting a little thick."
"You skullhead," Ria said affectionately. "You just didn't know how to dance."
"That too," Aden replied. "Although the girls did chase me."

"The ones with no sense and brains," Ria retorted. "Otherwise they'd definitely know better."

"A wound to my heart," Aden said, clutching his tunic. "You've insulted me."
"The first time its ever happened to your Exalted Figure?" Ria grinned.

"I demand a competition," he replied. "Skipping stones."
"I wager I could easily beat you," Ria said. She had only lost by one last time. If she concentrated, she could win.

"What bet?" Aden's eyes sparkled with competition.

"If I win, I'm going to make you dance," Ria said wickedly. "You must with at least three girls."
"That's cheap," Aden groaned, then smiled. "So I return it. My wager's a kiss."
"Which you'll never get," Ria retorted, but blushing in the dim light. "You're on."

"Best out of five skips?" he asked. "Or let's add them all up for a total."
 "Yes, let's," Ria said, stooping to find a perfect stone. Aden joined her, and spotted her feet.

"Slippers gone?" he asked. "Court life getting to you?"
"I've lived it my whole life," Ria replied. "I'm used to it."
"I'd rather be riding right now," Aden said.

"Me too," Ria admitted reluctantly. "Or doing something. I don't know. I just feel so restless."

"You'd have made a good gypsy," Aden teased. He found a stone, and threw it expertly.
"Five!" he crowed. "Good for the first time."
Ria took her time finding a good stone, and was rewarded. "Five right back at you," she taunted.

"Four," Aden groaned.

"Five again!" Ria exclaimed. "Beating you by one."
          Aden tied it up the next time, and fourth throw, both got the same. Fifth throw decided it all.

"One, two, three, four, five!" Ria exclaimed, squinting to see in the darkness.

Aden just grinned, and threw his.

"One, two, three, four, five…was that a sixth?" Ria asked, peering into the dark pond.

"It was!" Aden grinned.

"Was not," Ria protested. "I think it was just a ripple."
"Sore loser," Aden taunted.

"Am n-" Ria was cut off as Aden kissed her softly. She just stood there, unable to do anything but let it happen.

"It appears I won anyway," Aden said, smiling.

Ria thought of at least a hundred things to say, and hastily discarded them all. Through the night, she could see Aden's silhouette, still smiling at her.

"I'm sure your silence means you liked it," Aden continued. He kissed her lightly on her closed eyes and cheek, but no more, though the space between them was small. Ria reached up, and closed the last distance. Their lips met, and Ria felt as if she never wanted the kiss to stop.

"That means I get my wager carried out too," Ria heard herself saying when they broke apart. Her heart was pounding, and she was sure she was blushing hotly.

"As long as three girls are the equivalent to you," Aden replied.

Ria smiled, and slipped her hand into his. "Of course," she said. A thought came to her as they walked back in a comfortable silence. "I think I'll teach you how to slide down a stair rail tomorrow."

-Alqualyne