A month later, the city of WaterDeep would be celebrating an occasion. With the defeat of Xanathar, spring followed to help heal the city of the scars left by the tyrant. The heroes of the clock tower had been invited to the occasion at the castle. As a certain thief joined hands with a sapphire scaled dragon blood. As we stood before everyone.
Upon sharing our vows with one another, the two of us would share a kiss. Then the party commenced, as the two of us found our friends among the crowd.

"Ya made it, Mister Bump?" I smiled to see my good friend.
"Latha !" Heart called out as she ran over and hugged her friend.
Buttercup would be holding onto Mister Bump 's arm. For once, the bugbear was wearing a fine suit for the occasion. Squirming a little bit in the uncomfortable attire, he gave a smile, "Course we made it! Wouldn't miss dis after all we went through!"
Latha would hug back, clad in the same dress she wore to the gala all those months ago, minus the mask.
"It's wonderfully seeing you, my dear student." Latha would tease slightly.
I gave a nod to Harlequin, "Tryin' to hide?"
The Jester was sitting on the middle of the table, juggling a few pieces of fruit.

"Me? Where's the fun in that?" he asked, turning to look at Heart and I, "Oh, congrats, by the way. Don't you both get big noble heads now."

"Of course not!" I assured.

Heart looked to Latha still, "Thank you for your aid, I will continue to shape my magic thanks to you."
Nodding proudly, Latha would smile at the young noble she'd seen grow into her powerd.
Then Heart and I shared a look, before turning to our crew. As we did, I prompted, "We do have somethin' to ask of you four?"
"Uh oh. I knew it." Harlequin said, "You wanna make me mayor? Now, I thought long and hard about it, but..."
Mister Bump would raise a brow, before quickly turning his attention to Harlequin, "Bloody 'ell, we might've been safer with Xanathar!"
"Without your efforts, this city would have fallen. I may not even be here if not for all of you..." Heart said, "We want to offer you to be part of our court, and to keep helping with keeping our home safe."
"I would burn the city down myself before that happens." Latha would state calmly to Harlequin's talk of mayordom... before turning back to me and asking, "Wait what?"
"Latha , I wish to offer you a position of council, to continue guiding those learning magic," Heart said, "Including helping me when I need advice or a study partner?"

"I, you, that is, umm..." Latha would stumble over their words at the offer in shock.
The bugbear then let out a chuckle, nudging the clown. However, at the request of his friend, he gave a curious look. "Now den... Aye'm not too sure if Aye'm the right guy for dat..."
"Mister Bump , I trust you more than any guard that let Heart get taken in the first place. I can, an' will, protect Heart; but I would like to know I can have your support as captain of our guard?" I requested.
"With Buttercup of course," I added.
He gave a few bewildered blinks, pointing at himself. "... me... captain of da guard? Well... supposing if Buttahcup's with me... Aye guess Aye can try."
Then we turned to Harlequin, with me giving a chuckle, "Can't believe I'm askin',..."
"...You wanna put me in charge for real?" Harlequin asked, leaning forward and putting a hand on my forehead, "You don't feel sick. Sooo who's mind controlling you?"
I smiled and said, "No one, thanks to all of your help. Harlequin, we need a spy to keep a look out for trouble. To gather information to keep somethin' like this from happenin' again."
"...I want to be called Supreme Spymaster General, I want a team. A tough girl with a scar and a secret backstory. A wimpy guy. And a girl who might be a guy but you're not sure cause you had like five drinks and you're so hung over it's like any date night."
"I don't drink, but I guess we'll see what we can do?" I laughed.
A chuckle came to the bugbear, as he rubbed his chin, "Mind if Aye make Sylgar my deputy. He could have some vital information on da criminal undahworld."
"We do have an alliance with Prince Borg, and allies we met on our journey will be around to give their support in other areas," Heart mentioned, before looking to Mister Bump, "You ended up keeping him then?"
"Aye mean, wut else was Aye supposed ta do? He keeps Ms. Nibbles company."
"...Well, it should mostly be paper work, right? Nothing too crazy or over the top. Might as well take a chance right? It's worked out well so far." Latha would say after processing everything, a tired yet happy look on her ivory white face.
"Besides, if you all need it, you got an assassin on standby."Harlequin then mentioned.
"Hopefully that won't be needed, but we feel confident in our decision," Heart replied while hugging onto my arm.
"It's thanks to you that any of this is finally possible," she added while looking over the happy people of the city.
"We do have another request," Duke mentioned.
"Madame Lucille is watchin' over things when we depart on the honeymoon ship tomorrow. May we ask that ya help watch over things with her? There are rooms in the castle ready for you?" Duke requested.
"Mah pleasure!" Mister Bump gave a nod, puffing out his furry chest.
"...Really? You want me to stay in the castle and NOT steal stuff?" Harlequin asked in disbelief.
"We've done it before. What's a little longer?" Latha shrugged, smiling at her former student and myself.
Before turning a half hearted glare on Harlequin, "None of that, you."
"FiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnneee..." he sighed.
Heart and I shared a laugh while watching and listening to our crew. Knowing things would be in relatively good hands.
"We thank you," Heart said to everyone, a warm smile on the now queen's face.

I looked to Mister Bump, thinking briefly to when all of this had started. Then to Latha and Harlequin, as I said, "Who'd have thought that a gang of thieves would be standin' where we are now?" I gave a confident smirk to go with these words.
"...I mean, I could have stood right here. It would just be nighttime... and something might be broken." Harlequin shrugged.
The two of us shook our heads, sharing a slightly worried laugh. Before slipping away together to share a dance. As we did, I couldn't help but reflect on all that had happened in just barely a year. Our adventures, the allies and enemies we'd made along the way, magic learned and battles fought. All of it set in motion, because I was out on a job...and I caught sight of someone I may not have ever met otherwise.

"Heart?" I attempted as I twirled her under my fingertips as we danced still.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, catching the unease in my remaining eye as I watched over her.

In a strange way, this alone confirmed what I needed to know. That she was there in front of me, and we were hand in hand. With this, I smiled warmly at my bride as I assured her, "Not at all, sweetheart."

Her white gown clung to her thin, but curved frame, and was so smooth to the touch as I glided a hand along her back now, pulling her closer to me. While she rested her hands gently over my chest, looking up at me, blushing a lovely shade of pink as she did. With those blue eyes of hers glistening as I gazed into them.

"My sapphire," I chuckled in a warm, soft breath, before mentioning, "Ya could've had a prince, or-"

"Why would I? When I have my thief?" she asked, her tone matching my own, but with a touch of relief blended in, "Who saw me...the real me...that no one else did, and..."

"An' I love ya for that," I assured her while caressing her cheek, "For who ya are."

"I love you too, Duke," she promised, as I felt her clutching the fabric of my fine coat, just over my heart as it skipped a beat.

With this dance as man and wife, as our steps drew to a pause, we were able to share a kiss when it ended.

The celebration lasted well into the night, with our friends, from home and from Anaheim alike there with us. Until Heart and I eventually slipped away into the night, adventuring through the city. Just as we had when we'd met all those months ago. Only this time without fear of being caught with the now crowned queen beside me. Though looking back on it, I realized I'd never been afraid of this. I'd risked everything to steal her from the dangers closing in on her, as she fought to keep our home safe well before we'd joined her cause. From Xanathar's guild and the tyrant himself, to the enemies we'd faced along the road of our journey, and everything in between.

In a lot of ways I'd even enjoyed the adventure, as I'd watched her break free of the chains trying to hold her back. I'd seen her magic and passions grow from hidden away secrets in a closed off room, to fully realized and practiced. I'd shown her someone was willing to know this real side of her. Just as she'd shown me that someone was willing to know me, and wanted to be close to me. Without...

"I'd never thought I'd let anyone so close again, friend or otherwise," I admitted to her as we scaled our way up to a rooftop, even with her still in her wedding gown.

As I helped her up to the top, she tilted her head in concerned bewilderment. Then I replied, "The life of a thief can be a lonely one, an' a dangerous one at that. My best friend did try to kill me, an' after that...I wasn't sure if I could trust a crew like I do now. Yet here we are, aren't we?"

"Duke, are you alright?" Heart pushed through my wistful words and reflective motions.

I laughed softly, "I'm fine, Heart. I guess I'm jus' a bit in shock, after everythin' we've gone through."

"I know what you mean," she admitted while looking out over the city now basking in the full moon light.

"Just a year ago, I set out on my own to try and protect this home of ours. I never imagined I'd find others to even listen to me, let alone support me. Yet there you were, when I needed you without knowing it," she looked to me with a warm smile upon her face, "And with you came the hope I thought I'd given up a long time ago."

"Ah, our first dance," I chuckled while recalling that first duel against the thugs Xanathar had sent out, "an' the first time I got a real glimpse of those sapphires, I knew there was no turnin' back at that point."

"We work rather well together, don't we?" Heart mused.

I gave a nod as I reached over and took her by the hand. Squeezing it gently, I ventured, "An' I'll be there to keep doin' jus' that; an' not 'cause ya have that crown."

"You promised that before you ever knew I had one," she recalled.

"How could I turn away, darlin'?" I teased while slipping her closer to me again.

At long last, I had her in my hands, "There isn't a treasure out there that could distract me, an' I've seen my fair share. I've wanted to hold ya, like this..." I demonstrated by pulling her into my arms, "An' give ya all that I am...like this..." I kissed her neck gently, then her cheek, her forehead, and finally her lips once more.

All the while she held onto me, sharing this embrace and the memories that brought us to this point. This night we were finally able to just be together. Adventuring as we had that night, beneath the moon and stars a like of an ebony blanket that was the sky above. Hand in hand, and sharing every kiss we'd been holding back from fear and uncertainty. Alone together, through the streets, over rooftops, and then inside our room, up in the clock-tower one last time. While the palace and streets below celebrated their freedom and our union, so did we. In one another's arms, at last with her as we'd wanted for so long. Holding back, until now. As we shared another deep kiss, I would breath out, "I love ya, my sapphire."

With her soft whisper of an answer reaching me, causing my heart to skip a beat in my chest, "I love you too, my thief."

"That's not where the story ends...is it...?" I grimly prompted, a mist in my eyes as I looked to the thief.

He gave a chuckle that was twisted with bitterness, "Not quite."

"After everything you went through...after helping her to save your home...?" I tried not to cry thinking of how this was clearly leading to something horrible, after such a seemingly happy conclusion.

"Heart an' I learned a long time ago that our story was not a simple fairytale. The elements of a storybook may be there, but blended with other sorts of tales. Shadows chased our steps no matter how we ran from them, an' ignorin' them only made them seek us out in earnest. It seemed somethin' wasn't done with me, an' I had to make a choice..."

"Even so, please don't regret your time with her...if you feel anything still, let it be the love you showed her..." I ventured carefully, my voice shaking a bit as I did.

"Why worry over that so much, I wonder?" Duke raised a brow as he looked over me.

His remaining eye seemed to try and see passed the mask and hood that hid my face, to read my expression. He then pondered aloud, "You're not hopin' I'll forget about our deal, are ya? Now that we're drawin' close to the end?"

I shook my head, "No, a promise is a promise. I will let you steal my heart away when the story is complete." I glanced over the book in my hands still, seeing the decent bit to still get through.

"Still," I pushed, "You must feel something when you speak of her? To talk of how you held onto her as you do, how much you wanted to protect her?"

"Perhaps..?..Or maybe it's simply that I remember how I felt then...an' it aches to not feel it?" he mused with a thin, almost pained smile to show this.

"I think it's scaring you to feel these things again, at least a little. Maybe you're afraid of not being able to see her again even if you do? You're hanging on every word she wrote to find out if she's still alive or not," I noted, "To find out what you possibly tried to prevent for her, by becoming what you are now?"

"I guess we'll see, now won't we?" he gave a grim smirk, with a glimpse of a light showing in his remaining brown eye.

"On to the next beginning then?" I prompted.

"The beginnin' of the end," he sighed before continuing on.