Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the feedback that has come in for this story (and the other one). I really appreciate you guys taking the time to review or send me a PM. Through them, I've spoken to quite a few of you and I cannot thank you enough for the kind words.

This is the last chapter of this story, and I really hope you enjoy it. I have many more ideas for stories and I'll be working on those next. Both stories I've posted so far have only been a few chapters long, and it looks like they're going to stay that way. I don't think any of the stories will go more than five or six chapters. There's plenty of authors who can give many chapters of awesome writing, but I'll be sticking to shorter stories, and many of them are just one-shots.

Anyways, thanks again for all the support, and I hope you enjoy this last chapter. Leave a review if you can or message me with thoughts and ideas.

Till next time!

The minutes passed them by as Judith and Lucius sat near the edge of the cliff. Judith thought that maybe after a few seconds her tears would run out, but it seemed she had an endless well inside her. She had cried so much in the past few days and yet the tears kept coming. Five whole minutes had gone by and the salt continued to run down her cheeks and into his shirt.

A slight movement from Lucius made Judith flinch back in recoil. Shoving her away was not out of the realm of possibilities, and neither was striking her. No doubt this was the first time someone cried on a prince. Judith didn't know what to expect.

She was able to relax when she saw him simply turn towards her and extend a hand, much like he had done when he offered to help her climb onto the flier. Taking his hand hesitantly, Judith allowed him to pull her closer until she was sitting side by side with him. When she was situated, Lucius wrapped his arm around her, keeping her close. The warm feel of his hand rested on her arm as he rubbed her gently, almost soothingly.

His touch surprisingly eased her into a more calm state, her violent shudders and sobs turning into nothing more than whimpers and chattering teeth. She allowed herself to lay her head on his shoulder, something the prince didn't seem to mind. In fact, he inched closer and allowed her to better lean into his body.

They sat like this for a while until Judith let out a slow, painful sigh.

"I am sorry," she whispered. "I did not-"

"Sshhh," he breathed in her ear. "I am sorry too."

"Lucius-"

He quieted her with another slow rub of his hand over her arm. "Call me Luke."

Luke. Judith wasn't sure if she liked it or not, but she smiled weakly in her own attempt at comforting herself. The change from formalities to something a little more comfortable gave her a good feeling, motivating her to wipe her tears. She wanted so bad for this stranger not to be a stranger any longer. They were sitting next to each other with his arm around her and he had told her to call him Luke. Maybe this could be the start of…

"I know you do not wish to marry," he stated in a low voice, repeating his words from the balcony.

Well, so much for that.

All thoughts of gaining his trust were gone. He was still too caught up in her words from breakfast. She was definitely mad that day and wanted Solovet to hear her out, but how could she have been so stupid as to not think of what anyone else felt?

Deciding not to ignore his comment and be as truthful as possible with both him and herself, Judith could only nod with a sigh. "I would have preferred it to be under different circumstances."

"And to someone else."

"Yes," she admitted. "I never thought my engagement would be something planned without my participation."

Lucius turned back to look into the darkness and remained quiet for moment. Then he sighed. "You are lucky," he whispered.

"Lucky how?" she asked, suddenly bothered by his words. She pulled back from his touch and glared at him with a frown. "Lucky because I am going to marry a prince? I am sure you think that is what every girl dreams of."

The sudden loss of contact seemed to have no effect on him as he scoffed, letting a smile curl up on the left side of his mouth. "That is not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" she demanded angrily.

The smile left his face as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by that same sad look from before. He turned his head away from her menacing eyes and looked at the beautiful city in the distance.

"You are lucky because however short, at least you had the illusion that you would marry someone out of love." He clenched his fist together and bumped them lightly against the ground a few times. "Me? I always knew I would marry a stranger. Never once was it a possibility for me to find my own wife."

Any trace of anger that might have started building up in Judith dissipated completely. She felt suddenly very sorry for him. It was never good to feel pity for someone, but in this case, it was almost inevitable.

How sad must it be to live a life where everything was planned out by someone else, with every decision made for you whether you liked it or not? She now understood what this decision was going to do for her life. No wonder he said some people might have tried to get out by using drastic measures.

But she also understood something else, and it was harder than realizing her life would now be stripped of its freedom. She realized she was powerless to do anything to stop the marriage that would trap her in that kind of life forever.

"Yet there is nothing we can do about it, is there?" she asked him.

Letting out another sigh, Lucius dropped his head in defeat. He ran his hands through his hair a few times before bringing his head back up.

She took that as a no.

Scooting closer again to sit just as she was doing before, Judith leaned against him cautiously. Her outburst was more than enough reason for him to refuse her physical company and she wouldn't blame him. To her surprise, the sad prince put his arm around her back again and continued rubbing her arm absentmindedly.

"I spoke to my father, but he refuses to change anything," he told her. "He says this is good business. He likes his ale and his pride, and he has already given his word that I will be waiting for you on that altar. If he backed out from this, he feels he would lose respect, and there is nothing bigger than father's ego."

"So after he makes a decision, he does not retract from it? Even if it is wrong?"

"Even if it is wrong," nodded Lucius. "He is a man of his word and will not budge once he has spoken. Rarely will he take consideration from anyone on an unmade decision.." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I was…lucky enough to get him to choose you."

"You told him to choose me?" she asked after a pause.

Lucius shifted uneasily. "I did," he admitted.

Judith was confused and a bit flustered, trying to keep the blush from her face. The thought of entering this life of royalty was terrifying and almost disgustingly repulsive, but the thought of someone choosing her? She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

The prince frowned, trying to get comfortable by looking out at the surrounding darkness. "General Solovet proposed a marriage between the families, something my father saw beneficial because of who she is and who your father is. Solovet offered Susannah as a potential wife for my brother, but my father insisted that I be the one to wed. He was quite…enveloped already in his decision to join the war."

He sighed, taking a moment to think about his own words. Similar to how he had tensed in the dining hall, Judith could feel Luke's muscles clench in frustration. Clearly the topic of his father bothered him.

"Father said that in case… well, in case something were to happen to him, he wanted to leave me with a wife. He also said that he was quite positive I would choose the wrong woman, so he… arranged the marriage himself," he finished with a frown.

"I did not know any of this," Judith replied, still trying to process everything.

"Solovet insisted I marry Susannah, but I said I would not."

Judith peeled her eyes away from the darkness to look at him with a surprised confusion. "Why not?"

"She is much too young. How old is she?" Lucius asked her.

"Not yet fourteen."

"Definitely too young," he nodded.

Judith frowned. "And your father was not angry that you were going against Solovet's request?"

Lucius shook his head. "He later told me that he was proud I could stand up for myself against a general. Says it is a good quality for the next king. But believe me, even if my father was not on my side, I would have fought it."

Judith felt like a four year old, curious about everything, but she couldn't help the questions that formed after everything he said. Susannah was going to be chosen?

"Why?" she pressed on.

"I believe General Solovet wanted it to be Susannah who married me because…" he trailed off, turning to look at Judith. "Well, because she might be easier to control."

The realization crept into Judith with a maddening rage. It was as if a boulder had slammed right into her, knocking the wind from her lungs.

Of course Solovet would prefer Susannah to be queen.

If Judith was a victim of her mother, it was nothing compared to how Susannah was treated. She was too sweet to live up to Solovet's harsh expectations. She spent most of the time with Vikus and was easily intimidated by their mother. She would never think to defy her the way Judith was already planning to. She would have been the perfect queen. The perfect tool. That way, Solovet would control most of what happened. Solovet herself might as well have been the queen at that point.

Poor Suzy…

"That is why you chose me," Judith said slowly.

Lucius nodded. "I told her that our families would never be united. I said that the only way to have her daughter as the next queen would be to have you marry me. Either that or marry Susannah to my brother and then kill me off. I swear I saw her consider the second option before deciding on the first."

"Then why did it take so long? I have been hearing talks of the possible marriage for many days," asked Judith.

"Really?" he asked with a frown. "I knew they spoke about it before, but the day I was present at the meeting and made the change was the day of the final decision. Up until then, the choice was Susannah."

Judith felt herself turning red again when she considered all she had heard the past week. Every time she had heard Vikus and Solovet speak about it from another room, they only said "she" and "our daughter." Never once did they say the name of the person they were condemning to hell.

Now Judith felt stupid for believing they were talking about her. All along it was supposed to be Susannah, not her. Young, innocent Susannah. The one who would submit to every whim and demand of her mother. The one who would be all too easy to control.

And it was thanks to Lucius that her sister had been saved.

Judith leaned towards him more heavily and suddenly found herself with both arms around his neck. He stiffened at her touch, sitting completely still while she hugged him. It wasn't until she backed away that she saw his expression of surprise and the slight blush that had colored his cheeks. It was honestly kind of cute.

"Thank you," she said finally with a smile.

"For sentencing you to live in a palace forever where you will have no freedom and be married to a man you do not know?"

She nodded her head. "For sparing my sister from all of that."

Lucius smiled back at her, finally understanding.

They went back to her leaning into him and him rubbing her arm, staring out into the darkness and trying to recover. Judith's heart was still beating quickly, and she could tell Luke's blush hadn't left yet. If this was how he was, both charming and awkward at the same time, her marriage wouldn't be so bad.

Then she remembered who his father was and her heart sank again. Why was she lying to herself about all of this? She wanted so hard to believe in him. That he might be different. And maybe he was. Maybe… Just maybe…

"I need to ask you something."

"Anything."

"It is a rather…personal question."

"We are going to be married. I doubt our personal lives will be kept secret from each other for much longer anyways."

"…So you will be honest with me?"

"You have my word."

She swallowed nervously. "Will you… take to other women as well?"

Lucius turned to look at her with a curious eye. "What mean you?"

Judith shifted uneasily, biting the inside of her cheek. "I-I only wish to know beforehand. I know many kings have done it in the past and-"

"Oh."

"What?" she asked, seeing the change in his expression.

"You are referring to my father and his… women."

Unfortunately, Judith's expression and her lack of acting skills gave her away. Lucius let out a low breath.

"Father swears on his life to me and my brother that he never bed another woman while he was married. He says before and after the marriage, there were more than he could count. But a marriage is sacred."

"Do you believe him?"

"I do," he nodded, using the hand that wasn't on Judith's arm to rub his chin. "But mother was only alive two years after my brother's birth. My parents were only married for five years before she lost her light. Father could have married again but did not. I believe that he saw his one chance to go back to his old way of life and took it. He says he misses her and would have preferred she did not die, but who could blame him for having an alternative?"

Judith nodded, trying to decipher what he was saying. From what she understood, as long as they were married, he would not be unfaithful. Right?

"How did your mother die?"

"The plague. There was a very bad wave of it when we were very young. My father lost his wife and his oldest son. Me and my brother lost our mother."

"Would your brother be the next king if he were alive?"

Lucius shook his head. "No. He was only my half-brother. Born outside of the marriage. My father had him before he was married to my mother."

"Oh," she nodded, a bit curious about that. "Do you have any other half-siblings?"

"Another older half-brother. Big ugly brute, he is," Lucius smiled. "I get along with him well. He is inside with my father at the moment."

Judith remembered seeing the king with another man, the one she thought was his brother. Now she knew it was Luke's older half brother.

"They look so alike," she told him.

"York does take after father quite a bit," Lucius nodded. "And in more than just physical appearance. He is no stranger to drinking or philandering."

She had heard that name before. Hamnet had mentioned York once or twice while speaking of his military training. Apparently York was someone very skilled in battle, as he was the only one that could manage to keep Hamnet on his toes while sparring, though Hamnet was much younger. From what she knew, the two had a bit of a rivalry going on, but they got along quite well. She also remembered that the man did not live in Regalia and only visited occasionally.

"York grew amongst the family of General Arche?"

"Aye. He and father are good friends."

Judith frowned. "Even after your father…"

Lucius burst out laughing at that, and although she wanted to be mad at him for laughing at her, she also had the urge to smile. His laugh was honest and a bit contagious.

When he calmed down, Lucius turned to her and cleared his throat.

"Father did not bed the General's wife. Father impregnated York's mother and she died in childbirth. General Arche, who was her brother, kept him for a few days while they decided what to do with him, since he was an illegitimate child. But he grew fond of York and he and his wife opted to raise him with the rest of their children. By the time my father was made king, York was already a few years old, and Father did not have the heart to tear him away from the only family he knew, so he gave General Arche the Fount. Not only was it his form of gratitude, but he insures York will eventually inherit it. It was the best he could do for not being able to leave him as king. From my understanding, it was my mother's idea."

"He was not raised with your father and yet they are so alike. You and your younger brother seem nothing like him," Judith pointed out, hoping it didn't offend him.

"It would probably be more accurate to say that we did not grow up with Father either. We were raised amongst caretakers and nannies. He was always too busy with his royal duties to spend much time with us," Lucius said with a small frown. "Besides, when mother died, he spent quite some time in the mess hall drinking away his sorrow."

Judith smiled sadly. "He must have cared for your mother greatly."

"He did," sighed Lucius. "At least that is what he says. He did not meet her until the wedding day, but he says that they grew to care for each other. Lived a peaceful marriage."

Judith thought about how nerve wracking that might be. Not knowing the person you were marrying until the day of the wedding? She felt a bit relieved that no matter how shaky the first few minutes of the conversation were, at least she was meeting Lucius beforehand. And it honestly wasn't that bad. She felt relaxed and comfortable here talking to him. He was very direct, but he was easy to talk to.

She had wished so bad to start talking to him, believing it would be a challenge to keep him -or herself- interested in their conversation. But there was no effort needed. It felt so natural speaking and smiling and laughing along with him. And so they carried on speaking throughout the hours of the night. Neither of them noticed the bat that had brought them fly by to check on them a few times. They were completely immersed in each other.

They spoke of many things, ranging from her life in the city as a child to his tales of mischief exploring the palace with his brother. With every story he told she saw him stop worrying about his father's trip to the Dead Land and start to focus on keeping her entertained. She noticed that he did whatever he could to make her laugh, and she was glad he had such a genuine smile.

Was she forcing herself to like him because she knew he was destined to be the only man for her? Maybe.

Or maybe not.

Lucius truly was an interesting person. She had more questions for him that she had answers, never fully giving a satisfying response to him while he could explain things to the smallest detail. He spent a lot of time in the royal library reading about pretty much everything. He told her about the plants that grew in the jungle and the creatures that dwelled in the Waterway and of the world above the surface that knew nothing of the Underland's existence.

She also had to turn away every few minutes to hide her blush.

Every time she seemed incredulous about one of his stories, he would give her a cocky half smile that rose from the left corner of his mouth. It was a smile that made her heart rate increase, and she hoped her face wasn't betraying her emotions by turning a bright crimson.

"Trust me," he would say after every story.

"I do," she'd tell him, egging him to go on with the next.

She found a familiarity to his presence, leaning into his side while looking up at him. He pulled away slightly after a moment so that he could use his hands more, making wide motions to emphasize his stories. Judith laughed and laughed, surprised by his outgoing nature. In the events she attended at the arena, he looked so calm and quiet sitting at his throne in the high box. Now, she was seeing a side to him she wasn't sure many other people had seen.

And then a nudging began tugging at the back of her mind. The thought of him being charming and outgoing with someone else made her feel uneasy. Slight jealousy? Not likely. He had said that as long as he was married to her, he would never be with another. But what about those last few days before he vowed to be forever faithful?

Something must have changed in her demeanor, because Lucius stopped mid-sentence to give her a worried look.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," she reassured him quickly, trying to smile again. When that didn't work, she looked away and pursed her lips. "I just…"

"Just what?"

"Well I-I was thinking…"

"Thinking about how we promised to be honest with each other, hopefully."

She smiled at his playful tone, thinking of a way to ease into it. In the end, she found none. If he could be so direct, why couldn't she? The curiosity was suddenly killing her.

"Have you ever been with a woman?" she asked bluntly.

Lucius seemed taken aback by the suddenness of the question. "And this matters because…"

"Because I want to know."

"No," he replied slowly.

"I am not allowed to know?" she asked, hoping the pain wasn't registering on her face as strong as it was hitting her chest.

Luke smiled. "I meant no, I have never been with a woman."

She sighed quite audibly, feeling as though a huge weight that she didn't know was there had been finally lifted. Feeling relaxed again, she took a deep breath, much to Luke's confusion. Ignoring his cluelessness, she focused on trying to see him as someone completely different from his father.

Sure his father liked to enjoy the pleasures of more than one women per week, but that didn't mean Lucius was the same. Right? He said he'd never been with a woman. That was final. But should she believe him?

Deciding that she had no other choice but to trust him, as it had to start somewhere, she looked up at him with a smile.

"Have you?" he asked timidly.

"No," she replied. "I have never been with a woman." She got a laugh out of him with that and found herself smiling wider. "If you meant to ask if I have ever been with a man," she continued, "then the answer to that is no."

He nodded, apparently clarifying something in his own mind. It wasn't long before they found themselves smiling at each other again despite the blush on both their faces.

And just like that, they were back to talking and laughing. Judith reveled in the idea that maybe, this was the first time he had told those stories to anyone. She listened with an undivided attention that made him gain confidence in his storytelling skills.

He spoke of all the tricks he could do on his bond, Io. He had been bonded with the platinum-silver bat since early childhood, and they were very good at acrobatic movements. He told her of his undying urge to join to teams that played in the arena, but his father didn't let him. He said that it was something unfit for kings and royalty to play.

Whenever he spoke of his father or his brother, Lucius had a light in his eye that was easy to see. Anyone looking would have noticed that he held his father and brother very close to his heart.

It was just out of pure clumsiness that Judith made a comment about his father going off to the Dead Land. He had been telling her of a time when he and his brother were trying to convince the king to stay home from going out and work out a new treaty with the gnawers.

"Do you think he will negotiate another treaty or just go straight to fighting?" she asked.

As soon as those words had left her mouth she immediately regretted them. His shoulders seemed to slump slightly, and his stunning smile was replaced with a look of worry.

"Forgive me," she stammered quickly. "I did not mean to-"

"Please," he said, raising up a hand. "It is not your fault. I just have not taken his decision lightly."

"I would not either," she offered, but that didn't help his mood.

"He seems to ignore the fact that he has family here that cares about him. If he…well, loses his light out there, what is to become of us? I mean, look at me!" he cried, motioning a hand up and down his torso. "I am no king."

"Have you spoken to him about it?"

"And say what? That his overage son, who is next in line to the throne, is having separation issues? Not a very good reason." He sighed deeply, shaking his head. "I have sworn that if I ever have kids, I will not put them through the same. Ever."

Judith almost blushed at his words. Judging by his expression, he probably didn't realize what he was saying. She knew he was serious, but he was so wrapped up in his anger at the moment that he didn't think to choose different words. He was talking to the only person who would legally give him any children, and the idea of having children with him was very new to her still.

"Sometimes I think about just abdicating and letting my brother take the throne."

"No," she sighed, shaking her head and placing a hand on his arm. "You will be just fine. I believe you will make a great king."

Lucius looked down at her lingering hand for a moment without saying anything. He then slowly looked back up at Judith's face, smiling.

"I will be the best king ever. Better than Sandwich himself."

Judith gave him a cocky grin. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves here."

"Thanks for the confidence," he grinned. "But I will be. And do you know why?"

"No?"

"Because you will be there to help me."

She smiled back at him and gave his arm a small squeeze. "Yes I will."

He looked away from her and stared out onto the city again. "It will not be so bad, this marriage," he nodded, trying to convince himself.

"Perhaps not."

"And we have a kingdom to worry about. Not just ourselves."

"Very true."

They had Regalia to think about. The whole purpose of having royalty was to rule over the people. She would be queen and Lucius would be her king. Her earlier notions of what this would be had turned out to be quite different.

At that moment, Judith decided that she wouldn't be alone in her marriage. It would consist of two people, just like every other marriage. Hers would not be any different. Sliding her hand down his arm, she reached his hand and intertwined her fingers with his, smiling up at him.

As long as his priority was not going to war like his father, her family would be okay. They had all they ever needed in the palace, so her children would live a blessed life, free from war and suffering. As long as she was alive, she would make sure of it. And she knew Lucius would do the same. Maybe he would be a father like Vikus. And as long as she stayed far away from being anything like Solovet, her children would be happy.

Turning to the edge, they stared out into the soft glow of torches that burned quietly in the distance. This would be their city to protect. She knew that one day Regalia would wake up and have a new king and queen to rule over them, and when that day came, she would be ready.

"We can make this a good life," Lucius whispered.

"You really think so?"

"Of course."

Holding her hand and looking out onto the sleeping city was a man who was better than she could have hoped for. One who was already worried about what kind of life he would give their children. One who even before he knew her family, he was already looking out for little Suzy. One that would tell her stories every day to keep her smiling.

She had thought that his marriage was a curse. That it would only bring her pain and suffering and darkness. But Lucius was no curse. He was her gift of light.

Luke rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "We will be okay," he said softly. "Trust me."

"I do," nodded Judith.

And she did.

I do.

She trusted him in every sense.

I do.

She no longer believed she was rushing herself to like him. Judith knew she could trust him.

I do.

She also knew the next time she uttered those two words, those two very simple, meaningful words, it would be in a wedding dress in front of the entire kingdom, but she no longer feared that day.

In fact, she was looking forward to it.