Even if he hadn't fully had time to explain everything, Audrey was certain that Seymour must have some good idea in mind. She'd never had a reason to look around the armory before, but she moved as swiftly as she could to find what he had asked for: a long chain with a hook at the end, the sort of thing that would usually be used to scale a castle's walls during a siege.

She wanted to run straight back out to see how he was faring, but Seymour had told her to go up one of the towers instead. It was nerve-wracking being up there as lightning flashed through the sky, but if Seymour was brave enough to face a dragon head-on, then she was determined to follow through on her part. After wrapping one end of the chain around the tall spire several times, she checked make sure it was secure, and then she finally had the time to see what was happening below her.

She looked just in time to see the green creature land on a lower part of the walls and start tearing at the stones, and froze when she saw that Seymour was beneath the chunk of wall torn loose, and her view of him was promptly swallowed under the fall of rocks. Standing there in shock, she was unable to draw in a breath even to cry out for him. The green monster's triumphant laughter rang through the night, mingled with the patter of the rain and the sound of a few stray pebbles continuing to fall.

Audrey stared hard at the pile of rubble, searching desperately for any sign of movement that would show her Seymour was still alive. But a pile of stones that had just fallen was not a still thing, and every little shift as bits of rock rolled over each other and settled into place had her heart leaping into her throat.

But then… yes, that was an arm! It was followed by another, and gradually, Seymour was starting to drag himself out of the pile. The plant didn't appear to notice, still too busy gloating in its triumph. Still only partially free, Seymour quickly looked up, and immediately breathed out in relief when he saw Audrey there.

Despite wanting to take a moment to enjoy feeling of elation that he was alright, she knew that they would still need to quickly take care of the dragon terrorizing the estate, and she hurried to grab the chain and throw the free end down to him.

After grabbing the hook from where it landed a few feet away, Seymour struggled to get himself just a little father out of the rubble so he could move enough to get a good throw. He was fortunate that the long, dangling vine that formed a sort of tail made for an easy target, and the fact that it was barbed with thorns made it possible to get the hook solidly ensnared.

The plant immediately felt the tugging on its tail, and looked down with a snarl as it realized its prey wasn't quite dead yet. It didn't know what the human hoped to accomplish with a measly chain, but it fully intended to make a meal out of him before there could be a chance to find out.

Seymour had to admit that he was leaving things up to chance more than he would have liked. But the spire had been drawing in bolts of lightning all night, and they only needed one more.

The creature was climbing down towards him when the crack of thunder following the last flash seemed to shake the whole ground, and one could count only a few seconds before another arc of light touched down on the spire. The bluish-white bolt raced down the chain, much too quickly for the plant to realize what was happening and try to get its tail free. Its voice filled the night again, this time not with laughter, but a roar of anger that gradually rose to a shriek as the crackle of sparks overtook it. Yet more stones crumbled and fell as it dug its claws harder into the wall, but it took no notice that the human beneath it was getting buried once again. The glow became brighter and brighter, until at last there was a great burst, and nothing was left of it but the multitude of ashes and sparks raining down through the air.

Audrey raced back down through the estate as quickly as she could, and only let herself stop once she was standing in front of the pile of stones. The rain was finally beginning to clear, and the dim light of morning had begun to appear. Though even without the rain her sight was obscured, as the air had become hazy with all of the churned-up dirt and dust. Her heart began to sink as she searched for a sign of him. The rubble looked still, much too still. Seymour had survived the first fall. He had to be alright still, didn't he?

But no movement came, and the cloud of dust became thicker and thicker, undisturbed by any stirrings. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't have lost him. It just couldn't be. He'd always been there for her. Countless days, she'd desperately wanted to turn to those keeping them apart and beg them, "please, you don't understand how I need him." Now it was the same feeling all over again, but a thousand times worse.

Throughout everything, even when she couldn't feel more that she didn't deserve him, she'd had her devoted Seymour. When she'd been ripped away from the life she knew and the future she expected, he'd told her he would always come when she summoned him. When she'd been told she needed to focus on finding a suitor and didn't have time for old friends, he'd shown that he would give even his own lifeblood if that was what it took to remain by her side. When a brute threw down a challenge for her hand, he'd become her champion. When she'd confessed everything she'd had to do and the things she was ashamed of, he'd never wavered from her side for a moment. And now, when a monster had nearly overtaken them, he…

He couldn't be gone. How could he be gone?

She was almost ready to give up hope, almost ready to fall to the ground in despair. But even if she didn't know what, she must have done something to deserve a miracle coming her way. A soft breeze started to clear the air, and standing there was Seymour, disheveled and moving in a ginger way that suggested he would soon be covered in a good deal of black and blue, but he was very much alive.

Audrey didn't know whether the sounds escaping her throat were laughter or sobs of joy, and she only fully allowed herself to believe it was true once he was in her arms, the two of them holding each other in a tight embrace. Under different circumstances, they might have wanted to stay there forever. But now, when nothing was standing in their way and they didn't have to wonder if they were going to see each other again, they realized that what could come after that moment was the time to start their life together.

Though she didn't plan on going back, Audrey knew that everything would soon be better than ever in the estate she had left behind. The danger was gone and the wall could soon be repaired, and she knew that she was leaving the place in more than capable hands.

And while she knew that some might have longed for the life she once had, it was running away from it all that made her feel she was getting her fairytale ending. After a little time to recover and get their clothing mended, it was seeing the way Seymour looked at her during their small wedding ceremony that made her feel like a princess. And it was a wonderful, wonderful dream come true the moment the two of them could run hand-in-hand towards their new home in a little place with lots of flowers and green as far as she could see.

This was the sort of thing they had dreamt of their whole life, and now it had finally come true. After everything they'd gone through, the past had given way to a beautiful tomorrow. At last, the doubts that it could ever happen were behind them, and they knew without a doubt that they had reached their happily ever after.

The end.

And, that's a wrap! This was my first time writing a longer Little Shop story, and I had a great time with this one. I was really touched by the nice reviews I got while I was writing this, and I'm always so glad to hear when someone enjoys something I wrote!