The sun did indeed come out a few hours later, and thanks to its constant presence, Vaan noticed that because of it the water was evaporating really fast.

Ashe was still lying down on the floor, still nude from earlier but her upper body was covered in the fur blanket Vaan had given her. She slowly sat up and saw him standing at the window, "Vaan?"

The teen turned his head to her, "Oh, hello Ashe. You rest well?"

She nodded, "Yes, thank you." She had a handful of the blanket and got to her feet. She walked slowly to her lover, putting a hand on his bare shoulder as she looked out the window and saw the result of a few hours of sunlight were doing on a hot day. This sent a pang of dread up Ashe's being. "It will soon be dry..."

Vaan nodded once, "That's right."

She sighed in disappointment, which was odd of her. A few days ago she'd jump at the thought of getting back on the road and reach her objective. But that was a few suns and moons ago, and things had changed for the proud princess. She had found something she had been seeking for two years, and now she didn't want to give it up. Not now, not ever.

Yet...

"Soon we'll be able to get back to the others and continue on our journey," Vaan said, putting one of his hands on Ashe's.

'The others...' Ashe suddenly realized something, and it needed to be addressed here and now. "Vaan, there's something we need to talk about."

He slowly turned around to face her, and the sight of Ashe before him made him smile for a split second, "What's wrong?"

Ashe was slightly hesitant, like she was regretting what she was saying, "It's about everyone else...I don't want them to know about this. About these past few days, or about us. Ever."

Vaan looked down towards the ground then back at her, and Ashe felt her heart had drop to her stomach, "That so?"

"I'm sorry...I just...for the sake of the mission, I'd think we'd keep this all between us."

To her surprise she thought she had seen a smirk come across his face, "well, if we got too intimate I'm sure they'd ask questions and we'd be in quite a pickle...and with what you being a princess and all that. I think I can understand why."

"Me being a princess have nothing to do with it, Vaan. I just don't want us to be distracted from Arcadia's defeat," she grabbed his hand with one of her own. "Trust me, what we went through here together-and what you gave me-I will never forget. I'll keep it in my heart until I die." She smiled at him.

Vaan thought about it for a few seconds, then he looked down at his hand in hers, and he squeezed it lightly. He nodded at Ashe, "I'll never forget either, Ashelia."

From that moment on, Ashe knew she didn't have to worry. Vaan would never tell anyone. She was touched by his words, "Thank you, Vaan."

She tried to pull away, thinking to go get dressed for when they left later, but Vaan's grip on her hand was tight. Before she could ask Vaan tugged her towards him, she dropped the blanket in the process and her now naked chest collided with Vaan's. He caught her though, and held her in his arms, the skin on skin contact calming her as she stood up straight.

"Well, we leave in the morning…want to make our last night together a memorable one?"

His words brought a smile to Ashe's lips, and her appreciative expression made her answer plain as day.

The last morning was a quiet one. Vaan and Ashe had tried to avoid any sort of intimate contact, with the exception of the kiss Ashe had given him to wake him up at dawn.

The plan between them was set and they rehearsed it as they got their belongings together and started to walk on the now bone dry ground towards the Jungle.

"Remember," Ashe said, trying to sound polite though she knew once they were reunited with the others that tone with Vaan would be gone. "We're to say that we got stuck in a cave and fought our way out after four days…we helped each other only to survive."

"That's what we agreed to, and I'll follow it to the letter," Vaan agreed.

They stopped short of the bend that would take them right to the entrance of the tunnel that would go into the Jungle, and Ashe hesitated. Vaan got right up beside her.

"Ashe?"

She turned to look at him, "Vaan…promise me you'll never forget. About us."

Vaan looked at the bend, then back at Ashe, "I promise, and I'll honor our moments." He grabbed her hand, "You're the only one in my heart, Ashe. It'll stay that way forever."

He finished his sentence as the princess grabbed his vest with both hands and pulled him to her. The kiss was sudden but after an initial surprise Vaan settled into it

For Ashe, it was the last one for a very, very long time and she wanted to savor it for as long as she could.

Then, for what she wanted it to last for a blessed eternity, it was over.

Vaan pulled back slightly, and for a few seconds he and Ashe locked eyes and didn't flinch. She spoke, "I have this feeling this is good-bye, my love."

"This is a simple 'see you later' matter, Ashe. We'll be with each other again."

She nodded slowly, still unsure of what was going to happen in the future.

Then, from the far end of the bend, they could hear voices of their friends and they were getting closer to them.

"Well, time to stick to the plan, Ashelia. Farewell," Vaan said as he started to slowly walk towards the others as they started to come from the other side.

Ashe took a few seconds longer to move. She remained standing in place, and in her mind Vaan's last words echoed, and in her heart she felt them melt her soul. In a whisper only she heard, but secretly hoped Vaan would hear her as well she said only six words.

"Farewell, but not good-bye, my beloved."

A/N: So, the trilogy is finally complete after five years of work. That is extraordinary. The previous chapter before this was supposed to be the end but I thought I could make it a bit more heart wrenching, and besides, I thought the last sentence of this chapter was rather fitting end to the series. Thank you all those who stuck with this story until the very end. Remember, "The Hardest Way to Love" was the middle story, this is the prequel, and "Farewell, but Not Goodbye" is the final piece of the trilogy. Once again, thank you all and see you in another story!