Dedicated to my friends, all you guys who read it, and my ever lovely beta, Krissy, because without her help this wouldn't have been possible.

Thank you, all of you.

I choose you, only you.

Chapter ten: Epilogue!

Years go by so quickly when you're in love. That happened to Jacen and Darla, they were so in love, and they loved their children so much that suddenly they were all grown up. For the most part the two boys turned all right, sure they weren't the models of responsibility, but Jacen never wanted them to be that, they were still young and need not to know of the burdens of king-ship. Bryanna was another story on herself. Being the baby in the palace would have spoiled her rotten if it weren't for her un-materialistic nature, she was so much like her mother, princess-ship was like a little stone in her shoe.

By age fourteen, however, her life changed just by holding someone's hand.

"How long has it been?" Darla asked happily, her arm linked with her husband's as they walked the main hallway in the Black Wood's Place.

"Good six years, at least!" Hector answered smiling.

"Really?" Jacen asked sarcastically, but quietly. He and Hector never were friends or anything, but they put up with each other from time to time just because of Darla.

"I must admit that I was surprised that dad's choice to be Bryanna's guard was your boy," Darla said, ignoring Jacen. Jacen and Darla had to recruit one of the Wolves' army for Bryanna's guard since half of the palace guard feared her, and the other half let her do whatever she wanted. Max Stone had suggested that perhaps someone closer to her age would be good for her. As such, he had sent one of his best men, who turned out to be Gregory Montell. By age seventeen he was already a very successful commander in the army on his own right.

Hector had married some twenty years before, it wasn't a marriage of love but of friendship, he cared about his wife and found joy in his children. Of the four, only Gregory, the oldest, had joined the army.

Currently, Gregory was walking between Dean–age twenty-three–and Jesse–of nineteen, answering with monosyllables to the both Sharade boys' questions. Gregory was a man of few words. He wasn't really enjoying his new assignment. He really had liked his job keeping the borders clean of Crows who still attacked from time to time. But he had to give that up and come to the Black Wood's palace and baby-sit the spoiled princess. Not that he remember her that well, he had only seen her once when she was three or so. But grandpa Stone had asked, and Gregory couldn't refuse the old man.

Just then a loud voice was heard : "I'm going to slice you open from your throat to your groin!!!" It was a female voice. And just after it was heard one of the doors opened quickly and in came a sixteen-year old boy, running as if he had a fire in his pants.

"What did you do to her this time?" Dean asked, amused.

"I did nothing!" the boy said, dragging in a ragged breath. His name was Shane and he was Jared's son. Jared had settled down, finally, and to do so he choose the only woman who never fell for his boyish charm, the woman for whose love he dared to grow up. Her name was Kyara and she was neither rich nor noble but in Jared's eyes she was just perfect.

"Your sister has an anger management problem!" Shane added.

"But we already knew that." Jesse said calmly.

"It's not funny!" Shane said, then turned to Darla "Aunt D., have you seen my parents?"

"I believe they are in the gardens," She said sweetly, Shane just nodded and set up running again, he tripped and picked himself off.

"Mate, don't fall, remember she is faster than you."

"Jesse, shut up!"

As Shane disappeared, little Bryanna came running, her red hair in a messy ponytail and holding a sword that it looked big for her but really wasn't. She was ready to sprint down the hallway and go after Shane. But her father stopped her.

"Bry!" Jacen called shortly, and the girl turned around to face him, her face lit up with a big smile and she went to hug him as if she hadn't seen him in five years.

"Daddy!" She said, sounding like a five year old, Jacen hugged his baby girl, happy.

"Does she always greet like that?" Gregory asked, confused.

"Just dad." Dean said.

"When was the last time she saw him?"

"Uh, this morning at breakfast," Jesse answered.

"What did Shane do?" Jacen wanted to know.

"Oh, nothing, I'll get back at him later."

"You have to stop saying you're going to slice him open."

"Nah, he likes it."

Jacen just rolled his eyes, "Your grandmother sent pie, it's in the kitchen," he said.

"Yay! Pie!" Bry said, jumping. "Lets get some Jesse!" She moved to grab her brother's hand. Jesse loved pie almost – just almost – as much as her.

"Sure thing, sis," Jesse said, but then moved his arm out of the way and Bry ended up grabbing Gregory's hand. Not that she noticed it, she was already running down the hallway. Gregory almost tripped but caught himself and fell into step with Bry, letting her drag him.

"How long do you think is going to take her to realize that it wasn't you?" Dean asked.

"Brother dearest, I would say… May!"

"Of next year?"

"Possibly."

Jesse and Dean were silenced by an icy glare that their father was shooting in their direction.

"Oh, come on dad, we love Bry, but let's face it…" Jesse said

"She is not the brightest rock in the rock garden," Dean added

"She just gets distracted sometimes," Jacen defended his daughter.

"Sure, call it that," Both kids said. Jacen shot them another glare.

"Mmm… let's see if Shane made it safely with his mom, bro, what do you say?"

"I say: run!"

)=(=(==)=)=)=)=(=(=

Years later, at the Palace's gardens.

"How long?" Gregory asked – again - annoyed. He was a handsome young man, his skin tanned with dark liquid eyes and dark hair. He was latterly tall, dark and handsome.

"It will take as long as it has to take," Bry declared in her most prissy-princess voice.

"I shouldn't have agreed to teach you to draw," Gregory complained.

"Well, if you let me get near other boys, I wouldn't be drawing you. I can't draw flowers forever, you know."

"You know, very well, that is my job to take care of you."

"Whatever, Gregory." Bry only called him his full name when she was annoyed with him.

Gregory had been Bry's guard for the last four years. And he was always vigilant and watchful when it came to her. Jacen did asked to keep all boys away from her. As a result of that, they had become very close.

At first, Gregory had thought he was going to be bored out of his wits babysitting the spoiled princess, but said spoiled princess turned out to be really entertaining. She was vital, which often meant that he ended up chasing her around the palace. She loved pulling pranks in others, which often made him her partner in crime. She was an apt swordfighter, which meant that the two of them often ended up engaged in weapon drills perfecting each other's techniques.

Gregory had agreed to teach her to draw last winter when she had caught him drawing her birthday card. She said that was what she wanted as a gift, and Gregory agreed. Suddenly it started to rain, and rain hard. Gregory stood up suddenly and grabbed Bry's hand running inside. After leaving her in her room to change, Gregory went to do the same, his room was actually just a few steps down the hall, it was the next door really.

Then he bumped into Jacen, and the scrapbook that Gregory had in his hand went flying spilling its contents on the floor.

"Excuse me," Gregory said, going to the floor to pick up the drawings. Jacen did the same.

"You did this?" Jacen asked holding up a drawing, it was of Bry.

"Yes," Gregory admitted turning a bit red. "I know is probably improper but, I spend so much time with her, is all that I get time to draw," he explained, but he wouldn't admit that he knew the lines of Bry's face by heart.

"It's really well done," Jacen said looking at the drawing, and then at Gregory as if he had never seen him before. "Can I keep this one?"

"Sure."

"Thank you, Gregory," Jacen actually liked Gregory, for being a boy and being around his baby girl.

….

Next day, just before this big ball to celebrate Bry's 18 springs, said girl stormed into Gregory's room.

"I found this at my father's den. Dad says you did it."

"Oh, yes," he said, distracted while buttoning up his formal uniform shirt, he still wore the Wolves' army uniform.

"This is how you see me?" Bry asked, voice soft.

"That's how you are," Gregory answered with a sigh.

"Why did you draw me?"

"Because, I do have to keep my eyes on you at all time, remember? This way is just easier."

"Yes, I forgot, I'm a meaningless obligation."

"Bryanna, that's not what I meant!" Now he was angry.

"I never know what you mean, and you won't tell me!" Gregory was about to answer when a maid came in and took Bry away to finish getting dressed.

…

Bry was still pretty peeved at Gregory later at the ball, so she was avoiding him for the most part, but she could feel his eyes on her at all times. Ignoring that, or that's what she told herself, Bry started to flirt with some of the guys. Even danced with some of them, just to provoke Gregory, but it didn't feel quite right. One of those guys was getting all mushy at her.

"Sir, you're making me uncomfortable," She snapped at the guy.

Gregory saw it all. For a second he considered watching how she got herself out of, but shed id looked uncomfortable so he went for her, "Bryanna, come with me." It wasn't quite an order, but he put his hand on her upper arm and started to lead her away while shooting a very nasty look in the direction of the guy that had been bothering her.

They ended up in the garden, and immediately Bry yanked herself away from him, Gregory just let her go, but he was pretty mad.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Gregory asked.

"I wasn't, I was just mad at you," Bry admitted.

"Well, your being mad at me just makes my job harder," he yelled into the cool night air.

"Oh, so sorry!" Bry retorted but she didn't sound angry at all. Both of them turned their backs at each other. Bry sighed. "You never called me your job before, Greg," she said softly.

"What?" Gregory turned stunned.

"Not even at the very beginning, or when I did stupid things that got both of us into trouble," her voice was louder now.

"I have to call you my job!" Gregory snapped, "I have to remember that! Other wise I would… I would…"

"You would what?" she said frustrated, facing him, Greg didn't answered right away so she took a step forward, invading his space, forcing him to react. "What's going on? What's wrong? Tell me…" the last tell me was more like a tender plea.

"You want to know?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes."

More quickly than she had ever seen him move, Gregory had his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, covering the few inches of space between them. She felt Greg's lips –warm and moist – over hers. For so long she had wanted him to kiss her like that. Bry locked her arms around Greg's neck and pulled him even closer.

"I love you, Gregory." She whispered after the kiss ended and she rested her head in his shoulder. Gregory was still keeping a death grip on her waist.

"I love you too," He said, kissing her hair.

That was it, he had been doomed since that first day, when she had grabbed his hand by mistake. But this, this wasn't a mistake. And they both knew it.

…

The End!

Ok, so there you go, a little epilogue.