OH MY GOD! IT'S HAPPENED IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED! I HAVE REACHED THE END OF MY FIRST FANFIC! (cries) This is such a wonderful moment! Thank you everyone for being such a loyal audience! Thank you for all the reviews! And remember, just because this is the end doesn't mean you have to stop writing reviews! I will write more fanfics in the Vampire Game category, so if you have any ideas, email me or write it up in a review! LOVE TO ALL!! Now, please, let's make this special. Enjoy!

Broken Dreams: Chapter Nine (Grande Finale!)

Mending a Broken Dream

Ishtar floated in a sea of darkness. All around her was nothingness. Am I dead? She wondered. Funny. I never expected it to be so...boring. She became aware of a pounding at the back of her skull. It looks like I'm gonna have a headache for the rest of eternity... just great. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Wait a minute... If I'm dead, then why can I still feel the pain?

It was then that she noticed it. On the edge of her hearing, very faintly, she could hear someone calling her name. "Ishtar..." the faint voice called.

She started noticing other things too. She felt cold stones underneath her. She smelled something that hinted faintly of violets. The voice calling her name grew louder and more persistent. She realized that she wasn't dead in the slightest.

Finally, with a groan, the princess opened her eyes. At first everything seemed blurry, but after a few blinks, her eyesight became more focused. The first thing she saw was Yuujel, the source of both the voice and the violet scent, leaning over her, anxiety clouding his delicate features. When he saw her open her eyes, relief flooded through him and a he grinned. "Ishtar! You're all right!" he sighed. "I was worried about you."

She frowned slightly. Her head was pounding, and his voice bludgeoned her frail mind like a sledgehammer. She tried to speak, but her voice came out as a rasp. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What... happened?" She asked slowly.

"I saw you jump," said the suddenly somber prince. "I stopped your fall with a spell." Ishtar sighed and closed her eyes. She felt horrible in more ways than one.

"You know," he continued, "I wouldn't have been here in time to save you if not for that cat of yours."

She jerked her head up in surprise. Big mistake. A line of white-hot fire seared her head, and she gasped at the pain. Yuujel looked over and made a move to help her, but she stopped him by asking, "Wait. What... do you mean?"

"Well, I was in my study when that cat of yours came bounding in. He seemed awful upset, and so I went to go ask you what he wanted. But you weren't in your room. It was then that I knew something was wrong, so I came to the first place that came to mind. And there you were." He smiled sadly. "I guess that fate was on our side."

Ishtar silently agreed. I didn't think that Duzie would wake up when I left... how fateful. Out loud, she said, "I'm feeling better. Help me up."

Yuujel complied, and gently lifted her into sitting position. He hesitated, and then suddenly leaned over and held her tightly to him. She was surprised at this, but was even more shocked when she felt hot tears falling onto her shoulder. "Why?" the prince whispered. "Why did you want to leave?"

Ishtar knew why.

"Yuginn..." she began. "You know I care about you." He nodded. "But I don't love you. I always have, and always will, love Darres. I know that I can't have him, but I still won't stop loving him. I'm sorry. I can't marry you. My heart belongs to another."

The prince sighed as he released her. His eyes were downcast. "I understand. I won't pretend to be happy..." he smiled grimly. "But I won't try to stop you. I know that true love is more important than anything. I just want you to be happy, Ishtar." He embraced her once more.

"Now, let's head back down."

Darres paced frantically. His hair was a tangled mess and he was still in his undershirt, but he didn't care. Oh god, oh god! He berated himself. It's all my fault! Something has to have happened to her! She wouldn't leave her cat here if she just ran off! Ishtar... Ishtar, where are you?

Fifteen minutes ago, Darres had been roughly awoken by a servant. "Sir Knight!" She had exclaimed. "My lord Yuujel says you have to get up!"

He had grumpily told her to tell the prince that he would wake up when he was good and ready to.

"But, sir knight," begged the servant. "He says it's important! He says it's about the lady Ishtar!"

Darres sat bolt upright. In twenty-seven seconds flat he reached the princess's room. He burst into it and was greeted by empty air.

"JILL! KRAI!" He bellowed to the two guards, who were supposed to be guarding her door but were actually napping against the wall. They jumped up, guilty looks covering their faces.

"Where the hell is the princess?!?!" he shouted. They looked at each other, and shrugged. "Isn't she in her room?" asked Krai innocently. Darres grabbed them both and threw them into the princess's vacant bedroom.

"Does it look like she's in here?" He demanded. They shook their heads.

"Then go FIND HER!" he shouted, giving Krai a kick for good measure as they scampered out the door.

Now he paced anxiously, his feet creating a worn hole in the carpet. Damn, Damn, Damn! He cursed inwardly. He suddenly heard footsteps approaching, and stopped pacing long enough to see who was there.

Ishtar walked into her room. She kept her eyes on the floor, as if she was afraid of meeting anyone's stare. She knew she looked awful; her hair was a mess, her nightgown had wrinkles and smudges all over it, and her face was red from crying. She shut the door to her room quietly, glad to be able to finally go to bed and forget about this awful night. It was then that she heard something that made her heart stop.

"...Ishtar?" Darres breathed.

The princess looked up at her guard. The surprise on his face turned into relief. Her face lit up with a smile. In three quick moves, she ran up to her guard and threw her arms around his neck. He laughed and hugged her back.

Okay, she thought. Maybe my life isn't so bad after all.

(Trumpet Fanfare) That's it! Sorry about the cliffhanger ending! I'm sorry! If you want, I could come up with an epilogue, but it would be stupid and sucky. So please review! I love you all! Thanks for believing in me!

This is Succorelle, signing out.