"We're here."

Max's voice woke Nikki up as the wagon rolled to a stop. He was shaking her awake.

"Today's the day?" she asked, sitting up in bed.

"Yep. This is the last chance Gwen is giving me to see you before the wedding, so I'm taking it."

"Yay!" She leaned over and they started kissing. Max's hands started roaming over her body again, but before they could get very far, the door opened to reveal Neil.

"All right, guys. You have all of tonight to do this," he groaned. "You don't need to be doing it now. C'mon, Max."

"See you later, Nik," Max told her, following Neil out the door.

"Aw…" Nikki pulled on her boots and stood up. "Well, time to prepare for the wedding."

"Speaking of which," Gwen stated, coming into the wagon. "I already went into town and rented the rest of us a room at The Grumpy Butterfly. I figured you wouldn't want us to be around when you make your marriage official."

"Thanks, Gwen."

"Also, there were several guards from Lilac within the walls, so to safeguard everything, we asked the resident minister of Sleepy Peak to do the wedding here and asked Max's friends from inside the city to attend. The more witnesses you have, the better."

"Oh. I didn't even think about that."

"Well, how many friends do you have?"

"Hm… you guys and Neil. Wow. I'm a loser."

"It's not your fault. Overprotective motherhood tends to ruin social interaction for the children." Nikki tilted her head in confusion. "Never mind. You nervous about today?"

"The wedding itself? No. Tonight? Yes."

"I'd give you pointers, but that would be awkward considering I'm about to become your mother-in-law. And I think Max wouldn't want to do anything if he knew I helped you out."

"Um… agreed. Let's stop talking about it."

"Yeah."

They stood there awkwardly before Lizzie hopped inside.

"Let's go get Nikki ready for the wedding!" she cheered.

"Yes, let's do that!" Gwen agreed, relieved at her biological daughter's interruption. "Let's go."

"Any sign of Max or Princess Nicolette?" Rosemary asked her guards.

"No, Lady Baker," Thomas, their leader, replied. "No sign yet."

"Well, keep an eye out. They'll be here soon, based on the information I got from those two magic-users."

"Yes, milady." He nodded and they spread out. Rosemary started to walk around.

Despite the very public arrests of both Nerris the Cute and Harrison, nobody suspected that Rosemary was the reason for the event. Nobody treated her any differently than before, which made her confident that they wouldn't interfere the way Nerris had attempted to. She smiled as she made her way through the street, keeping a careful eye out for her targets. However, the person she spotted was almost as good.

The royal alchemist, a prodigy who had been missing as long as the princess.

"Well, if it isn't Neil," she greeted him.

"Oh, hi, Rosemary," he replied, smiling. They'd been on pretty good terms as friends, last she checked.

"How have you been? You look… less scrawny."

"Yeah, well, traveling will do that to you. And you look… determined."

"I am. Thank you for noticing."

"So, what brings you to Sleepy Peak?" They started walking together.

"Don't tell anybody, but… I'm looking for my father."

"The father who ran out on your family when you were just a kid?"

"Yep. I figured that with me being an adult now, I should meet him before I get married or something."

"That's… a very flimsy reasoning. Do you even know anything about him?"

"I know he's a con man. And that he has a mustache. And his last name: Campbell."

She noticed Neil flinch.

"Do you know something about him, Neil?"

"I ran into him a while back."

"How is he?"

"He was blackout drunk and mumbling about Bella, Rosie, and Joey."

"Mom, me, and my brother… wow." She shook her head. "Any idea where he is now?"

"Nope!"

"Quick response, Neil. Very quick response. Anything you'd like to tell me?"

"No, no. Nothing."

"Neil, my stepfather is the captain of the Lilac Guard. I know how to get the answers I want."

"Okay, you're definitely not out here just for your father. What's the real reason?"

"I'm looking for the princess and her kidnapper, the same as you." She smirked, then flipped a gold coin out of her pocket and into her hand. "Of course, I'm here on the orders of Queen Candy herself. You'd be surprised how much information a single piece of the queen's gold can get you in a shithole town like this."

"That makes more sense than you looking for your father."

"Oh, I'm always looking for him so I can kick him in the balls for walking out on my mother. If I find him, it's a nice perk to this little assignment."

"You're here on the queen's orders, you said? I thought the Guard didn't take women."

"They don't, but my stepfather convinced her to make an exception. He thought I could get more information than a man could."

"Good to know, good to know. Say, you wouldn't happen to know what will happen to the kidnapper when you do find him, do you?"

"He's going straight to the gallows, day after the wedding of Princess Nicolette and Prince Edward." She had a grim expression. "I almost feel bad for her marrying that ass."

"Great. Well, I'll see you, Rosemary! Good luck with the kidnapper thing!"

Neil was having a panic attack.

He knew Rosemary Baker very well. She'd been his second friend after Nikki, and he'd hung out with her whenever Nikki wasn't available. Rosemary was the kind of girl who would sell her own brother if it meant she'd get ahead. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that she hated her brother, but that wasn't important. He was glad that Gwen had insisted on having the wedding in the camp, and that Nikki and Max have the space to themselves for the night. If Rosemary was in Sleepy Peak and looking for them, then anywhere inside the walls wasn't safe.

To calm his nerves, he decided to have a beer with Harrison and Nerris at The Grumpy Butterfly.

But… they weren't there.

"Hey, where are Harrison and Nerris?" he asked Preston.

"They were arrested for conspiring with the kidnapper of Princess Nicolette," the actor replied. "I saw them get dragged off. Poor things. Nerris was ranting about Rosemary not being trustworthy or something."

"Thanks for telling me." Neil double-checked that none of the Lilac Guard or Rosemary were in the bar, then leaned in. "And, just so you know, Max is getting married outside town tonight."

"Are you serious? Wait, is he marrying that pretty green-haired girl?"

"Exactly. The wedding's at four. Don't let Rosemary or the Lilac Guard hear."

"Got it. I'll pass it along to Ered and the others."

"Great." Neil ordered a beer to go, then slipped out of the bar. He ran into David almost immediately.

"Hey, Neil. Ready for the wedding?"

"Yeah, but we might want to keep it on the down-low. The Lilac Guard is here, and their leader is determined to bring Max and Nikki in. We can't risk it until tomorrow."

"Gosh darn it, you're right. I can't believe I forgot about that…"

"It's fine. Just keep them outside until all the qualifications of the law are met."

"Which will be…?"

"After they have sex tonight."

"I can't believe the boy I raised for ten years is getting married today!" Neil rolled his eyes and headed out, sipping the beer as he went.

Today was extremely high-risk.

Max was about to pass out.

Just three months ago, he'd been a thief who planned to steal a princess's crown on her wedding day. Now, he was the thief who'd gotten the whole princess… and her wedding day. He was marrying a goddamn princess.

If my birth parents could see me now…

They'd still probably call me a useless piece of shit for not getting the Princess of Flora.

Fuck. Don't think about them. That'll ruin today.

Today will be a good day.

"Max, you ready to start?"

He looked up to see David.

"Yeah, just about." David walked over and sat down next to his adoptive son.

"Nervous?"

"Fucking terrified. She's a princess, and I'm a goddamn thief. How the hell does that shit even happen?"

"It's natural to be scared on your wedding day, Max. I remember how I felt when Gwen and I got married."

"You almost pissed your pants, if I remember correctly."

"Hey, I went through with the wedding, didn't I?"

"You did, and that's how we got Lizzie."

"Exactly." David patted him on the back. "Forget about the guards and your status and the bounty on your head for today. Just think of how today, you're marrying the girl you love and you'll stick by her for the rest of your life."

"Thanks for the decent pep talk, David."

"You're welcome. Now, you ready to get out there?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Max headed out to see the Quarter-Minister—the head minister in Sleepy Peak—standing in between the two wagons. His hook-hand gleamed in the late-afternoon light, and Max was actually surprised that several of his friends had shown up. Nerris and Harrison, oddly enough, were nowhere to be found. He'd expected them of all people to be there, but hey. Life happens.

Wasn't that why he was here today?

He joined the Quarter-Minister and watched as Lizzie fidgeted with the small stuffed cat Gwen had made her for her birthday. She was restless from excitement, he could tell. He was distracting himself. That's all he was doing. He hadn't seen Nikki since that morning, so hopefully the wedding went well.

As if to answer his question, Neil came from behind the trees at the edge of the campsite, walking with Nikki towards him. She wasn't wearing jewelry or a fancy white dress or a veil. She was wearing a clean version of her normal outside-of-the-castle outfit and carrying a bundle of sticks with some leaves and flowers woven in. To her family or any of the other royal families, she would've looked insane and needed to be sent away for correction.

To him, it was one-hundred-percent Nikki.

"Take care of each other," Neil stated with a smile, putting Nikki's hand into Max's. He sat down and Nikki and Max looked into each other's eyes.

"Dearly beloved," the Quarter-Minister began in his usual gruff tone. "We are gathered here to witness the union of Max and Nikki. They haven't known each other that long, but they've made the life-changing decision to get hitched and spend the rest of their natural lives together. Max, as we all know, was a pain in the butt for much of his life. Nikki is new to all of us. But, if she's willing to put up with him, and he with her, then this is a match made in Heaven above."

"Aw…" Preston murmured happily.

"Max, do you take Nikki to have and to hold, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And do you, Nikki, take Max to have and to hold, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"If there is anyone who objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Nobody said anything.

"Well, alright. You had your chance. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Max and Nikki kissed, making every guest in attendance cheer. David was sobbing his eyes out from pure joy, while Gwen simply wiped away a tear. Lizzie jumped up and down, excited that Nikki was now legally her sister. Jaspar clapped his hands in approval. Campbell wandered off to where Ered had left the wine.

"So, now that we're officially married," Max chuckled to Nikki, "what's the first thing you want to do?"

"How about we eat dinner before we get to the 'consummation' business? I don't think I want to do anything like that on an empty stomach."

"That's fair. You're the boss."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, really. What, you think just because I'm your husband now that I'm going to order you around? I know you didn't want to marry Prince Edward because of that, and I'll be damned if I treat you that way." Nikki's eyes filled with happy tears as she threw her arms around Max's neck and kissed him again. When they broke apart, they started laughing.

"Max, you are the best husband I could've asked for. I can't wait for the rest of our lives to start."

As the revelry wrapped up, however, and the guests began to make their way into town, there was a single man watching it all happen. He narrowed his eyes. He hadn't forgotten what Max and Nikki had done three months earlier, and he knew of the bounty that would come from their capture. He didn't know of their union.

Jason ran into The Grumpy Butterfly and knocked rapidly on Rosemary's door. She opened up with an annoyed expression.

"What do you want, Jason?" she asked.

"My dear lady, I found who you're looking for. They're just outside town, in a small caravan consisting of two wagons." Rosemary's expression shifted from annoyed to elated.

"Thank you for your help. You'll be given a handsome portion of the reward money in return for your services. Be here at eight tomorrow morning. We move in as soon as possible."

She closed the door.

Tick. Tick. Tick.