Mischief Mage: Here it is finally, the last chapter.

Outside, the sky was stained a pale pink, the sun was crawling towards the horizon, looking forward to a long slumber. In comparison, Vanessa's mind was very much awake.

Was it possible that Forde was still interested in her? It had been a hope that she had shut away in the deepest confines of her mind, sure that it could not be true. Yet, here Syrene was saying that Forde had had his eyes glued to her at every chance.

Vanessa thought back to her conversations with Franz. He will always be loyal to you, he will never give up. She doubted that Franz realised the significance of his words to her now. At that moment she realised how ironic it was that she was now depending on Forde's loyalty when she had openly doubted it with catastrophic circumstances.

The falcoknight had made up her mind. She would see Forde and find out what his feelings truly were, and at least apologise to him. She turned and marched towards the Renais stables. She had seen Forde, Kyle, Franz and Amelia go there to settle their horses in and had only seen Kyle, Franz and Amelia return.

But Forde wasn't in the stables. Nor did he seem to be anywhere in the castle grounds. Vanessa wandered through the twisting corridors repeatedly, getting strange looks from the bustling servants.

After searching the gardens for the paladin for the umpteenth time, Vanessa was about to give up when she heard a groan, followed by a rustle in the bushes behind her. She whirled around, her skills gained in combat still with her.

Forde emerged from between the hedges, shaking his head dejectedly. He took a few steps before realising that there was someone there, he looked up and seemed to jump in surprise. Vanessa had never seen Forde out of sorts before.

"Oh …Vanessa! Hi. So umm… you're staying her for a month or so?" he asked, sounding much more like Franz than his usual articulate self.

"Seems like it."

"Okay."

There was an awkward pause; Forde stood looking at his right foot, Vanessa at the ants crawling over the grass on the ground to the right of her.

Vanessa took a deep breath.

'I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for questioning your loyalty and for comparing you to Grado. I can see how harsh I was and that I was wrong. So… I'm sorry." She said quickly, screwing up her eyes while she said it but looking at his face as she finished.

Forde looked up surprised, as though he had not expected this at all. But he seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Thanks, it means a lot to me."

There was a slightly less awkward pause.

"So, do you still think that I'm a paranoid, jealous, brooding mess?" asked Vanessa in a half joking way.

"No, but do you still think I'm a flighty, lazy scoundrel?"

"No…well…lazy maybe…but I think I've gotten used to it."

They both looked in opposite directions again. This time, Vanessa looked at the shrubs behind him which she could see were in bloom. Something in Forde's hand caught her eye. It was a rolled up canvas.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing.

"Oh this thing? Well to be honest…I don't think I understood you properly at first either and so I made assumptions on that night in Rausten as well." Forde reddened slightly, another first.

Vanessa looked at him questioningly so he continued.

"I had first thought that you were tough on the outside but soft on the inside. I was right, that painting was a lie." He looked up into Vanessa's eyes now, his light green eyes asking for her understanding.

"But it wasn't the kind of lie that I thought it was" he continued, "I watched you in the Darkling Woods, battling the Demon King. You were never distracted once, you never panicked when an ally was hurt, you were control personified, you showed an inner strength that I thought had been an outer coldness. I saw this and as I threw away my other painting, I tried again. This time I tried to show that actually, you're meek on the outside and that your strength comes from the inside. You could say that I fell in love all over again, but for a different reason."

Forde now unrolled he canvas. This picture wasn't a painting but a charcoal sketch, again of Vanessa. This time it was only of her shoulders up. The Vanessa in the portrait seemed to have just spun her head around, her face soft and a little bit sad, but her eyes. Her eyes seemed to be glowing with an inner fire. Vanessa's face would have gone scarlet if her heart hadn't been standing still in awe of the portrait.

The canvas jerked before Vanessa's eyes, then, to her horror, Forde screwed it up and put it in his pocket.

"I don't like it" he said, seeing her expression," It is nothing compared to the real thing."

He grinned at her, Vanessa blushed. But something was nagging at her.

"I don't understand, during our battle in Rausten you-"

"Oh that. I'm sorry that I seemed so cold but, to be honest, I was angry. I hadn't given up on you but I was angry"

"But what about after Darkling woods? You never came anywhere near me then!"

"Just to point out, you didn't come anywhere near me either. My excuse? I was scared. I hadn't been nervous to go to you before because I thought that you were a really a softie on the inside, but in the Darkling woods! I was petrified and I realised that you had only put up with me before because you weren't really as annoyed at my antics as you made out."

Vanessa laughed now.

"What an idiot I've been! To think that you fancied Syrene! What idiots we both are!"

Now Forde laughed as well, hard, and for a long time too; long after Vanessa had finished.

She stared at him incredulously.

"What's so funny?"

Forde clutched his side and said with difficulty.

"You wouldn't believe who Syrene is with now!"

"Who?"

"Kyle, the lady's man. Are you telling me you really didn't notice?"

Vanessa gaped, amazed while Forde started laughing again. There had been so many misunderstandings…poor Syrene, the guiltless victim, but then again it seemed that Syrene had had more than one reason to organise a return to Renais in a month.

"Vanessa?"

Forde's voice pulled Vanessa's mind back to the present.

"Hmmm?"

"So, will you go out it me? Assuming that you aren't depressed by Innes staking his claim on Eirika of course"

Vanessa smiled. She seemed to be doing a lot of that today.

"Okay."

Vanessa hugged her sister close. Forde, Vanessa, Amelia, Franz and Seth had ridden out with those returning to Frelia for a short distance to see them off safely.

"I'll come back to pick you up, little sis. I expect a full report" Syrene whispered in Vanessa's ear.

"But of course captain!" Vanessa said looking at her sister as though insulted.

They both burst out laughing.

"Syrene, hurry up! The sooner we get to Frelia, the sooner a month will end and you can come back." called out the ever brisk Prince Innes.

"Keep an eye on Ephraim for me," he added to Vanessa before he turned his horse around and began galloping down the dirt road, Gillam and Moulder on two horses behind him

The two sisters parted, Syrene gave a final wave before she mounted her Pegasus and rose high into the sky, soaring over the trees and becoming a dark speck on the cloudless, morning sky.

Within moments the sound of hooves died away and those returning to Renais lead their horses around and returned the way they came. Seth, the silver paladin had remounted his steed and was riding on ahead. Kyle followed close behind him, taking backward glances every so often to gaze at the shrinking blot in the sky that was Syrene.

Vanessa and Forde dawdled a short distance behind.

"Phew, a whole month without big sis to keep an eye on you eh? Shall I send out the call for all sons to be locked up and all the pubs to be closed? I know a good closet below the main stairwell that I could hide in." he joked.

Vanessa grinned, she had a come-back prepared.

"You know" she said," speaking of getting one up on your siblings, I think that Franz has finally pulled ahead of you"

Vanessa nudged Forde, and jerked her head backwards.

Shortly behind them, almost out of sight, Franz and Amelia could be seen. Amelia was leaning against a tree in full bloom, Franz kissing her gently; holding her hand as though it were a baby bird, soft and fragile. Both with their eyes closed, two beings of innocence lost together in their own world.

Forde did not seem at all taken aback, in fact, he grinned mischievously.

"It's about time, and anyway" he said, turning to look at Vanessa, "he won't be ahead for long!"

Before Vanessa could answer Forde's strong arms had circled her waist and had drawn her up into a kiss, his tight embrace holding her close. Vanessa put her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to him. It was not a fiery kiss. It was gentle, simple, Forde making sure it stayed within Vanessa's comfort zone while still satisfying his own desires. His care for Vanessa's comfort made it worth more to her than any amount of frenzied passion could have. Vanessa closed her eyes, content in the Forde's loving embrace.

Vanessa was not sure how long they had remained locked together, but when they drew apart all her experiences in the war of the stones seemed far away. They remained vivid, but it was as though they had occurred a year ago rather than only a month. Vanessa could not dwell on what had happened, there was only forward, to Renais in this case.

Forde mounted his horse and held out a hand to Vanessa. He pulled her up so that she sat in front of him in the saddle, his arms reaching around her to hold the reins. It seemed as though all Vanessa's woes and toil had led to this feeling of complete security and contentment in Forde's arms.

Vanessa took one of Forde's gloved hands off of the reins, leaving him to steer with the other. She held it in her lap. Forde squeezed her hand tightly.

"So now that I have a commitment to you" he began, "Am I going to have to start acting more mature? Less sleeping, more stressing?"

Vanessa smiled a small smile.

"No," she whispered softly as she leaned back, her head resting against Forde's warm cheek, his hand still in hers.

The world never looked so colourful and alive.

"Just be yourself."

Mischief Mage: It's finally finished! Did you like it? Well, if you're reading this then i guess you've read the whole thing! Thanks for reading. R&R if you have time please? yay! Cya.