Well here it is everyone, I hope you all enjoy. I am so so so so so so sorry that it took me so long to get this last chapter up (kind of a writers block I guess) ANYWAYS, I'd like to thank every single reviewer, you all have been my inspiration. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope y'all liked reading it. I'm not gonna bore everyone with a long boring blah blah, labor of love speech, I just want to say thank you to everyone, and read read read read (I've had a lot of sugar, can you tell?)

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I sniffled a couple of times, gasping deeply, but I couldn't fill my lungs. I felt empty, with something I couldn't fill.

I was angry with myself for not having enough courage, never having enough courage, I could have abandoned my feelings, and saved everyone.

I sniffle, and hot tears drip in to the dirt.

A twig snaps, and my head jerks up, on impulse, and I gasp at the person standing before me.

"Char," I whispered, and his eyes lock on to mine. I stand up slowly, hoping that this all isn't a delusion.

"Ella," he only mouths it, but I can see the look in his eyes, and my heart melts. He closes the distance between us, and I can taste only pleasure from his lips. I bury my head on his chest, but then I jerk back, wondering if this is all a dream.

He runs a finger down the side of my cheek. "It still feels like a horrible nightmare. After you left, some boy ripped the chain from Hattie's neck. Whatever it was, it broke in to a thousand pieces on the floor. It felt like a mist had been lifted, after all this time." He paused to pull me in to a hug.

"Oh, Ella how I've missed you!" He shouts to the world. He kisses my cheek, and wraps an arm around my waist.

"How did you know where I was?" I ask, suspicious.

He runs his hands through my hair, smiling. "One of the guards saw the direction you went. You weren't that deep in to the woods, so it wasn't that hard to find you."

I nod, and grab his hand. "We should go back. I rather like to see Hattie get arrested. You can tell me what you've been doing these days on the way." He says, after kissing my cheek.

I laugh. "It's too long of a story to tell in that little time."

He holds my hand tightly, and flashes me another smile. We start to walk out of the woods. "Doesn't matter," Char says, "We have our whole lives to finish it."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A crowd had gathered around the area. Char and I pushed past them, hands gripping each other's tightly. I was worried that if I let go, that all of this would start all over again.

Hattie stood silent between two guards. As if she had been waiting for something.

Or someone.

It took me a second longer then it should of. Me. She was waiting for me. The curse! How could I have been so stupid?

The crowd broke and she caught a glimpse of me, I shifted to move.

"Ella, make them let me go." I flinched as she issued the order, but nothing happened. I let out the breath, and Hattie's face turned in to anger. "You wench!" She shouted, but all I could do was laugh, I was free. I smiled widely and hugged Char. He laughed, not really understanding, and told the guards to take Hattie away.

Hattie hissed and struggled, but she couldn't do much in her dress. The guards soon had her hands tied up, and her mouth gagged. She disappeared in to the crowd, kicking and screaming, and people surrounded us, and I could see nothing but heads. Char looked at me and whispered, "I love you." I smiled and kissed him.

We walked back in to the Church, there was almost no one inside. Jacob stood near one of the benches, twirling a flower in his hand. I gave him a hug, "thank you." He blushed, "it was nothing."

Char stepped forward, "I think it was more than nothing, we'll discuss your award later."

I sat down, but stood up almost instantly when I realized "where's Ariana and Jon?"

Char gave me a raised eyebrow, and Jacob shrugged.

"They should have been here..." I drifted in to thought, then pushed away any bad thoughts, they just hadn't been able to get in to the Church. I could still hear the crowds outside, and I wasn't supprised.

Char was still looking at me questionably. So, with nothing better to do, I started my story. I gave him the shortened version, and he frowned when I finished. At that moment, Mandy burst through the doors. "My sweet!" She pulled me in to a hug, and I could smell sweet bread.

I smiled everything right at last.

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"And this is where I spent last night." I made my voice high pitched and excited, and it made Char laugh.

I was kind of upset that, no one was here. I was a little worried, that something had happened.

I pushed open the door to the room where Jon and Ariana were staying. I gasped at what I saw.

It was empty. The sheets were neatly folded, and on top of them was a note. It was addressed to me. I opened it quickly, careful not to break the watermark. A small necklace fell in to my fingers.

Ella-

May you always have good fortune, wherever the adventure leads you next. Take this as a good luck charm, may it keep you safe in dark nights.

~Ariana

Looking closely I found that the stone in the middle was gone. It still looked pretty, but I know it would have looked better whole. I clasped the chain around my neck, and it clanged against mother's necklace, which I now had back. I wished I could have said goodbye, but I doubted I would find them now. I rubbed both necklaces lightly. Char whispered my name though the crack of the door, and I walked out of the room slowly.

I shut the door behind me with a click, and with a final look, he and I walked out of the house. The adventure was finally over.

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The woods were dark at this time of night, and no place for any person on their own. He trudged through them heavily, his boots pounding his anger out on to the leafy ground. His tears were salty, streaming down his face mixing with the ground. His hands were clutched tightly.

He hadn't know where he was going in the beginning, but eventually he could see traces of a trail, and he kept his pace steady, too distracted to care if it led him to death.

He almost missed the spot when he got there. It was pushed in deep with the ground, but his sharp eyesight caught it.

Dropping to his knees, his eyes blurry, he pulled a small stone from his pocket. It glistened even though there was no sunlight, like the sun on the water. His hands cupped a small handful of dirt below him, and he threw it to his side. He took a long glance at the rock in his hands, so perfect, so beautiful. Just like her, he thought to himself, and with one last glance he pushed it deep in to the ground. He pulled the dirt and shrubs and covered it, till he didn't even know exactly where it was anymore.

He stood, "someday I will find you again, my love," he whispered.

And with one last look, he gave a half grin, and walked deeper in to the woods.

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THE END. (I've been waiting a long time to write that.) Thank you (again) to everyone, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm working on a longer, more thought out version of this that I might put up on my site, so I'll post something about it in my bio later. And now I'm on to finishing my Cinderella story, Not Another Cinderella. Love You All, -Shaina