Author's Note: As this is the fourth chapter of an Octopath Traveler story, I'm afraid it is the end. I hope you've all enjoyed the ride and the adorable couple that are heroes make. I made sure to address a few of the Octopath story requirements in this chapter, so have fun with that boss fight, and enjoy the happy ending, not to spoil anything.

H'aanit stood a few feet away as Primrose knelt before her father's grave. She'd thought it would be easier this time. It was all the harder now. She thought that now that she was finally home for good that she wouldn't feel like she was abandoning him, failing him. She'd avenged him, her faith had been her shield, and in that she was confident that he'd be proud of her. It had made the last visit so much easier. She regretted nothing. She had earned the right to be here. She hoped that as she continued visiting it would grow easier again. She'd keep doing right by him, she'd rebuild their name, their house, their home, and eventually, she'd finally be able to come to his grave and know that she'd done all she could.

She turned back to see her girlfriend keeping her distance and beckoned her over. "Come here, H'aanit." She paused, choking back a sob as she turned back to the grave. "I want you to meet my father."

The huntress knelt down on the ground beside her, wiping a tear from Primrose's eye. "Art thou certain? I wantede to give thee thy time with him."

"I'm certain. I want him to meet –" she hesitated. There was so much she wanted to say. It wasn't that she thought her father could really hear her, but it was a nice enough thought that she wasn't willing to relinquish it. "I want my father to meet my girlfriend."

Her cheeks burning, H'aanit nodded, seating herself in front of the gravestone and the small bundle of flowers nestled before it. "I am H'aanit," she began. "I – Your daughter beth very important to me. I love her." Primrose's breath caught in her throat. H'aanit hesitated, wiping at her own eyes. "I sweare to thee that I shall looke after her in thy stead. I shall never allowe anyone to harmest her ever again." She choked back a sob, turning away from the grave, her face a dark red as she stared at the sunset.

Deciding to give her a minute after that confession, Primrose continued her conversation with the deceased. "She helped me avenge you. She's the strongest – the best woman I've ever known. I love her too and –" catching herself, Primrose leapt to her feet and circled around her partner. The rest could wait, she'd have all the time in the world. "H'aanit?" she asked, stooping down to peer into her eyes.
"I hearde thee. Truly, thy words fill me with a glee the likes of which I hade never knowne. I love thee, Primrose."

"I love you too, H'aanit."

They'd said it. Not to a stone or a dead man, but to each other. They couldn't take it back now. They'd both been fighting against it, but they'd known it was coming. Perhaps they'd known before they'd even split from their party, before they'd even faced off against Galdera, or perhaps before they'd even fought Simeon and Redeye. They'd grown so close on the road, fighting, sleeping, eating, and spending every moment alongside each other. It was a surprise it had taken them as long as it had.

The grass was soft as she sat down next to H'aanit, resting her head on the larger woman's shoulder as they both watched the sunset. She wasn't in a hurry. All that would do is hasten the conversation that she so feared. She would rather take the time to savor the view with the woman she loved.

"Primrose?" a voice called from behind them.

Straightening, she flew to her feet and turned to face the intruder. It was Revello, one of the only people in this town she knew she could trust, someone she had intended to contact almost immediately, she just hadn't wanted it quite like this. "Good evening," she offered meekly

"A pleasure to see thee again," H'aanit added.

He looked between the two women. "I was just coming down here to pay my respects. I hadn't been in a few days and it was starting to weigh on me. Are you back for good this time?"

Her eyes widened as she glanced at H'aanit. That was certainly one of the things she was not feeling quite ready to discuss just yet. "I'm back," she replied.

"Come over for dinner. Anna is just finishing it up, there should be enough for the both of you."

They could hardly refuse such an offer. "I thanke thee."

Around the table, laden as it was with stew, cheese, and dried sausages, sat Revello, his wife, Anna, their son, Jan, H'aanit, and Primrose. Primrose had been given the seat of honor, and had the bowl of stew closest to her. She stared between the diners, her eyes wide. This was not at all an encounter for which she was prepared. Of course, she'd planned on seeing Revello soon, but she needed time to plan, and to not have been cuddled up with her girlfriend when he first saw her. What did he know? Even worse, what did he suspect?

"So, Primrose, what brings ye to town? I hadn't expected to see you and this huntress together again, though I certainly hoped that you would return. Noblecourt has been sorely in need of the Azelhart family, and you were the best of them – perhaps even including your father."

She stared into the pot of stew. They both knew full-well that she didn't deserve that. No murderer was better than her father, and she was worse than that. She was a murderer, a thief, a whore, one who had devoted her life solely to deception and death. She knew that she did it for her father, and she hoped that he would be proud, but being told that she was better than him – no, it was so much more than she deserved. "Don't speak so of my father, Revello. He is a far greater man than I could ever hope to be."

"I'd certainly hope you don't intend to be any sort of man. You're a great woman, Primrose, the best I've ever known –" his gaze turned to the glowering gaze of his wife, "Excluding Anna, of course." He coughed. "No greater woman could I know."

"Eat your stew," she scoffed.

Primrose decided to follow suit. The more time she spent stuffing her face the less time she would have to spend answering their questions. It was definitely the best path.

H'aanit, on the other hand, had decided on a different tact. "Your home is beautiful."

Anna beamed at the woman. "Thank you. I suppose you didn't take much of a chance to look around last time you were here. I swear, you scarcely left Primrose's side as she recovered from her wounds."

Primrose almost choked on the stew. H'aanit had done that? She'd never said anything. Had she just left when she'd woken up? She wished so badly that H'aanit had told her. Maybe they would have realized their feelings even earlier then. She could have known that she was going into battle with the woman she loved rather than fighting alongside mere travelling companions. She did her best to maintain her composure as she swallowed the spoonful.

"To be honest, I hade not even realized that this was the same lodging as that day. Primrose had beene my only concern." She stared down at her partner, their eyes meeting as Primrose spooned another helping of stew into her mouth. Part of her so desperately hoped that H'aanit wouldn't say anything more, but the rest of her so eagerly awaited to hear what else she may say. She adored hearing H'aanits admissions of affection. She'd never seemed the most open woman and finding otherwise was one of the most fulfilling aspects of this new relationship.

Before her fears or desires had the chance to be realized, Anna reminded her of the problem that she had completely forgotten to expect. "Well Jan here has been so keen to meet you, Primrose. I'm sorry he wasn't around when you were last in town. I know how eager you were to see him. It's been since you were kids, hasn't it?" She knew it had. "Take a look at him, my boy's grown into a fine young man, hasn't he?"
H'aanit stared at her. Instead of the jealousy or anger that Primrose had expected as the huntress turned to her, she was shocked to find a look of bemusement. She was smiling down at her, looking like she couldn't wait to hear her answer.

Primrose glowered back. Very well, if that's what she wanted, then two could play at that game. "He has indeed. Jan has become such a handsome man. It's my pleasure to see him again after all these years." She held her hand up and wiggled her fingers at the young man, causing him to spill some stew on his shirt.

He sprung up from his seat, his shins smashing on the table with a loud bang. "Ow!" he blurted out as he hit the chair back into the wall. Making people lose themselves in lust for her had become too easy, though it had been a while since she'd had someone react so hilariously.

H'aanit could scarcely contain her grin. She covered it by taking a sip of ale, her eyes shimmering with amusement over the brim of the mug.

Primrose took it as a dare. "Your mother had talked you up before, but I must say, you well exceed my expectations. You'd been such a shy child, I'm pleased to see you grew into such a man." Her eyes lingered over his form, trailing down his body.

He gulped, ineffectually wiping at the spot on his shirt.

She risked a glance back to H'aanit. The amusement was still there, but it seemed mixed with concern. She knew that she was being silly, but Primrose was not one to back down from a challenge. No matter how terrible of an idea rising to it may be.

He stared at his mother, his eyes still wide. "My mother –" he cleared his throat. "My mother is always trying to get into my business. I mean, not that I'd be against it. I always liked you and you're a beautiful woman, so very incredibly beautiful, and I – that is to say I would want to get to know you first. If that would be all right."

H'aanit scoffed, glowering at Primrose. "Very well, I cane stomache this no more. Primrose, tellest them, or I shalle."

She'd won. Allowing only a small smile to spread across her face, she nodded. "All right." Great, she'd walked right into this. She should have known better. This was the very conversation she'd wanted to avoid. She glanced over to H'aanit, to find the look of concern had vanished. She was hiding a smirk. The game had been a trap. Primrose had lost after all. Shit.

"Wouldst thou prefer I telle it?"

She shook her head. "No. It's best that I do."

The other three looked between them. "Tell us what?" Anna asked.

She cleared her throat, taking a sip of ale to steady her nerve. She had been hoping that she could wait far longer for this confrontation. "I can't be with Jan." Her gaze turned to him. "I'm sorry."

His brow furrowed. "What is it, Prim?"

A shaky breath did little to steady her. "I am already with someone. I have no intention of finding a more suitable suitor."

"What do you mean? Are you with a low-born man?" Revello asked. "You know we wouldn't judge you for that, Prim. Why would you hide it?"

"It's not a low-born man. She's a low-born woman."
The room was suddenly silent as everyone waited for clarification. Not even H'aanit said a word.

"I'm in a relationship with H'aanit. If I'm to continue my house, then it will be with her, not your son."

"But how –" Anna began.

"Don't be absurd," Revello countered. "You can be with whomever you like, none will judge you for that. You would be far from the first noblewoman to take a concubine, but that's no way to continue your house. It's not possible. The Azelhart family needs to live on. You need to produce an heir, and unless I'm sorely mistaken, there's no way for you to do that with her."

She'd expected worse than that, but she had at least expected this. Her name needed to live on. It was important and she could hardly blame him. "There's more than enough orphans, H'aanit and I can certainly attest to that. Just as I wouldn't be the first to follow your suggestion, I wouldn't be the first to name a successor who had no blood relation to me. I don't need to birth an heir in order to have one."

Anna ground her teeth, looking between the three of them. "Poppycock. Surely you'd rather have a child of your own. What woman wouldn't?"

After everything she'd been through, she wasn't even sure that she still could. She tried not to dwell on that. Helgenish was well past her. His blood had stained her dagger and he bore no more thought than that. "I would not."
The silence resumed. No one seemed quite certain where to go from there. They were at an impasse.

H'aanit helped herself to some more of the stew. "Thou outdid thyself, Anna. It's the best stew I've had in a long while."

After a long pause, in which Primrose had expected them to be escorted out of the house with as much haste as courtesy would allow, Anna nodded. "Thank you. It's a secret family recipe. If you're going to be staying here in town, then perhaps I could teach it to you. I can hardly have you improperly looking after our girl here, now can I?"

That was all it took. The silence grew less stilted, more comfortable, as everyone took their seats again. There was little more discussion as they finished the meal, but the contention had all but vanished. Now, Primrose just had to deal with the topic she'd been avoiding, now that Anna had been so kind as to bring it up for her.

They spent the night in the Forsythe home. The Azelhart household was in need of a good bit of tending before it would make suitable lodging. They'd both been surprised when no one had objected to them sharing a bed. Their sleep was uneasy, but uneventful.

The next morning, it could be put off no longer. The two women rose early and made their way to Primrose's childhood estate.

The building somehow seemed even larger than it had as a child – more foreboding. Primrose shuddered as she made her way to the door. Her feet grew heavier with each step. This may be too much for her. She could still turn around. She'd already avenged her father, she'd sworn to no more than that. She could just turn back, head to S'warkii and live out a peaceful life with her girlfriend. She didn't need to enter the world of nobility and politics, the world that she had walked away from so long ago to walk the path of vengeance.

H'aanit placed a hand on her back. "Thou hast me. Thou art not alone. Fearest not."

She nodded, grasping for H'aanit's hand with her own. She could do this. The door wasn't locked, nor was it entirely attached. The house had seen substantially better days. As she made her way inside, it fell onto the ground, disturbing a cloud of dust and sending a colony of insects scattering. Home sweet home.

"It possessest a certain charm," H'aanit offered.

They made their way further inside, scaring away more insects and a handful of snakes. She could scarcely believe how much her childhood home had changed.

"Art thou readyeth to discusseth last night?"

She snickered. It would certainly take her mind off of the decay of her home. "What, my calling your bluff?"

"Is that what thou didst? Thou couldst certainly have fooled me."

"I was going to tell them. I just wanted to give it a bit more time. I wanted to do this first at least."

"My apologies. I hade not meante to rushe thee. I wille only thy comfort."

"I know."

"Well, what are we doingen here? Thou hast yet to say."

She hadn't. She'd wanted so badly to ask her, and yet she'd cowered at each opportunity. Why did H'aanit continue to put up with her? "I want to return home. I want to restore my House and turn Noblecourt back into the city that I remember."

She nodded, her face an unreadable mask.

Before either of them could continue the discussion, they heard a roar echo from upstairs. Apparently the empty house had not only attracted dust and pests. "What was that?" Prim asked, turning to the huntress. Even with her recent experience, she would bow to H'aanit's judgment on any beast.

"It couldst not be.

"What?"

H'aanit drew her bow from her back, nocking an arrow as she began to make her way up the stairs. "I trust thee willst remember it, but I dare not saye before setting mine eyes upon it."

Primrose followed her as they crept up the stairs, the aged wood creaking beneath them.

As they approached the top, she could see through the myriad cracks in the door to what had once been her parents' room. Red scales and a slowly swishing tale were all that were visible of the creature. It couldn't be. Wind whistled through the cracks, coming from the hole in the ceiling through which the creature must have entered. How had no one noticed?

Holding a finger to her lip, H'aanit gestured toward the door. They were going to make their move on the beast.

As the door swung open, the huntress darting past it, another arrow already on the string as the first flew, Primrose could finally see the creature in all its glory. It wasn't as large as the last one that they fought, but the wyrm still took up half the room. What would it possibly be doing in her house? "A dragon," she breathed, as she muttered an incantation, moving her body to the silent beat of the spell.

Its eyes flew open as the first shaft struck it, but before it could react, it was enveloped by solid shadow. They'd fought far worse than even this beast, and they knew how to work in sync.

A volley of arrows thundered against the dragon's hide, cracking and tearing at its scales. It let out a roar, licks of flame scorching the wall where there had once been an expensive tapestry. The flames didn't even come close to either of the women. It was still trying to adjust to the surprise attack.

Primrose adjusted her stance. She'd learned much in her travels, and darkness was no longer all she could conjure up. A flurry of icy blasts buffeted the creature, causing it to flinch back as its scales grew brittle and buckled under the onslaught.

H'aanit gave it no quarter and rushed it, her axe drawn. It soon found itself buried in the creatures neck. The swing hadn't quite decapitated it, however, and with a quick spasm it sent her sprawling against the far wall, the impact splintering the weakened wood.

Knowing that she could trust the huntress to look after herself, Primrose continued her attack. She wouldn't allow the dragon a second to ready a response so long as she still had the strength in her to keep up the spell. Icicles erupted through the floor, tearing apart the wood along with the dragon's exposed belly.

As it spun on her, its breath attempting to beat back her magic, an arrow lodged itself in one of the beast's eyes – H'aanit had managed to recover.

In an instant, a second shaft stuck out of the other one. Blinded, it roared madly, its limbs and fire shooting out in every direction. The walls and ceiling were destroyed and ignited, but they were all a secondary concern. The spell had taken a lot from her, and Prim needed a moment to catch her breath, but she could still fight. Throwing knives struck at the creature's neck beneath the axe.

This, unfortunately, told the dragon her position and it turned, focusing its assault on her. Fortunately, this was exactly what she'd wanted.

H'aanit took the chance to wrench the axe free of the massive neck, following it up with another swing, willing all of her might into it. It stuck again, unable to slice through the last foot of mustcle and scales, but it had managed to bury itself through the creature's spine. It spasmed blindly as it died, an unsanswered mystery in a location it had no business occupying.

She wanted desperately to rest and recover, but they had come here for a reason, and that reason would be up in smoke if she didn't act quickly. A wintry burst of air and ice fell open the flames. The walls steamed as the fire died away under her power.

"I knewe it was a dragon." H'aanit grinned, ripping her axe out of the once mighty monster. "Master willst die of envy."

Chuckling, Primrose collapsed to the floor. "What the hell was it doing here?"

She shook her head. "I knowe not. Perhaps someone broughtest it here when it weren still an egg, It seemede young still. Maybe it simply found an unoccupied lodging at the edges of town and decidede that it seemed as good a home as any."

Prim nodded. Speculating as to the reasoning of a deceased animal was not likely to get them anywhere. "You're probably right."

Sitting down beside her, the huntress smiled, wiping the lizard's blood from her face. "I believe thou were sayingest something."

She should have let the dragon eat her. "I was."

"Thou wishest to stayest here."

"After we clean it up."
A shaking breath emerged from the older woman's lips. "I hade hopede that our journey weren not quite over."

Here it was. She had to say it now or she may never have the opportunity again. "I was hoping that you'd stay here with me."

Her eyes widened. "Oh." Letting out a low breath, her face contorted from a neutral mask into one of obvious relief. "Then it beth not over, but merely beginning."

"So you'll stay?"

"Primrose, I wolde travele the world for thee, making a new life with thee wolde be a pleasure."

She leaned back against the wall, her eyes drifting shut. "I'm so relieved. I love you, H'aanit. I don't think I have it in me to do this without you."

"Thou wilt never have to."

She never did. The two rebuilt House Azelhart, restoring it to the glory that it once knew, and growing it past that. Though it was not for many years, they did eventually take in an heir, one who had known an early life not unlike theirs, but whom they intended to spare from the future hardship. As they forged their life together, finding that politics and stability had replaced their various hunts, Primrose knew that her father would be proud of her. She'd found what she had faith in. Love had become her shield.