Before the month was out, Prince Cyrano and Princess Roxanne were wed.
The Lunar King and Queen, returning to their court following the storm that had detained them, marvelled at the incredible tale of their son's courage and cunning, and immediately gave their blessing to the marriage. Madame des Nuages, who returned with them, was also pleased, but felt a pang of mother-like mourning at the loss of her charge... comforting herself with the notion that there might soon be more little princes and princesses for her to care for instead.
The former Baron de Brouillard, stripped of all of his accolades and titles in death, was buried in some shady, forgotten spot of the Sun Realm. Mademoiselle Géle's diaries and notebooks were destroyed, eliminating all of the malicious gossip she had acquired, and she spent the rest of her days as a deplored convict in the Sun Realm's prison dungeons.
The royal wedding took place in the Solar Palace: to repay for the hospitality at that fateful Ball that had led to the blessed event. Roxanne won the admiration of her people once again in her white silk wedding gowns, adorned with pearls and gold leaf, and a train several metres long. Cyrano, meanwhile cut a dash in a black velvet, silver-lined doublet and cape - with no mask in sight. After the ceremony, the newlyweds were presented with two new crowns from their families to celebrate the future union of their kingdoms: golden crescent moons now adorned the band of Roxanne's sunrise tiara, and Cyrano's coronet-turned-hatband of silver featured both celestial bodies joined together in equal eclipse.
The grandest feast and dance that the kingdom had ever seen occurred that evening, where the Lunar King and Queen held an audience with the faithful valet, Christian – who wore the fine garments and brooch given to him by his master. There, they reaffirmed their son's gift of the Polaris Palace, and declared, without question, that he was henceforth, now and forever, the Count des Étoiles.
As the Prince and Princess enjoyed their first dance together as husband and wife, everybody in the Lunar and Solar Courts watched happily from the sidelines – the new Count among them. During the kindly applause that followed, Christian's interest was peaked as he saw a beautiful young noblewoman approaching him, blushing fiercely as she toyed with her chestnut curls and frantically fanned herself, before greeting him with a curtsey.
"My brave lord Count... I... I..."
Flustered, she seemed unable to find the right words to say. It was a feeling Christian knew all too well.
"May I have your name?" he asked kindly.
The question only seemed to make matters worse for the poor woman. Thankfully, a passing ambassador provided the answer.
"Good evening, my dear Marchioness de la Nébuleuse."
The Marchioness acknowledged him with a nod, before turning her attention back to Christian – still struggling to speak out of nervousness.
"Would you care to dance?" Christian asked, offering her his hand.
The Marchioness nodded eagerly, and stepped forward – clumsily tripping on her dress as she did so, leading Christian to catch her in his arms. After he helped her up, the pair locked eyes, both burst into laughter, and made their way to the dance floor.
In time, the two of them would find plenty to talk about. It was to be the start of a wonderful new relationship.
As for Cyrano and Roxanne, they lived on together in perfect happiness for many years: ascending to their thrones, ruling over their joint realms with peace, justice and love, and did indeed bring into the world many gifted children, who possessed both their father's talent and their mother's beauty... though only one young prince inherited that distinctive nose!
King Cyrano, although no longer ashamed of his appearance, never fully forgot his days of loneliness, and marked well how fortunate he was to have his wife by his side. For the rest of their days, without fail, Queen Roxanne was greeted at every sunrise by a poem, and each evening, she, in turn, gifted its author her sweet kiss.
Sun turns to moon, and moon to sun,
But true love found is not undone.
THE END
"In short, I have been able to bring everything to a happy ending."
- "Beauty and the Beast", Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve (1908 translation by Ernest Dowson)