Here it is! Last one!

Chapter warnings:

Don't forget that you can find me on tumblr: we - are - all - of - legend - now and that my ao3 account is wearealloflegendnow (even though I haven't posted there yet)!

~TLL~

Guilty.

Rose heard the cry from behind her – Spud's and Trixie's and Haley's and Fu's and Lao Shi's, Jake's louder than all of them – but she couldn't even bring herself to speak. She didn't even have the strength to fall to her knees. She was frozen in place, just staring up at Councillor Andam, who had raised his hand to the small, outraged crowd. They didn't want to calm down and somewhere, in the part of her that wasn't in shock, Rose was glad to have people that would stand behind her like this.

"Enough!" Councillor Omina said. "We are not finished."

The punishment part. It was too much to hope for that they were just going to lock her up. After all, hadn't she just told them how she escaped from a jail cell?

Rose couldn't take her eyes from Councillor Andam's face as he continued.

"There are also the mitigating factors to consider. We have weighed your service to the Magical Milita in the roles of double agent, strategist and assassinator. You were instrumental in freeing the American Dragon, one of our world dragons. You rid the world of a great evil by taking out the Huntsman and, by extension, the Huntsclan. You did all of this for no personal gain or expectation of reward. None of that can be ignored. So, we have voted and we have sentenced you to ten years of probation."

"Probation?" Rose asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as she started to puzzle it out. "What does that mean?"

"It means that once a week you will check in with the American Dragon to assess that you are following these rules. You must not have any Huntsclan related properties in your possession. You will not commit any crimes against magical creatures or be in association with those who do. If you change your address or are going to be out of the state of New York at any time for any reason, the American Dragon must be notified of when you are leaving, when you will return, along with contact information and an itinerary for your travels. Failure to comply with these terms will result in immediate imprisonment and/or death. Do you understand?"

She thought she did. "So, I can just walk out of here, right now?"

Councillor Kulde nodded. "You are a hero to many. Us included. We do not want to see you fail now."

"You are on a flight back to New York tomorrow evening," Councillor Omina said. "You should get out and enjoy the island."

"Yes, I will," Rose said, realizing the gift that she had been given. "Thank you."

Still, she felt wooden as she turned her back to the Dragon Council and faced her little found family. Jake was already on his feet and he ran for her, scooping her off her feet with his one good arm, holding her close. Rose wrapped her arm around his shoulder to steady herself. She was going to live. She was going to walk out of here and have a life and –

"Guess you're going to have to see me every week for the next ten years," she said with a sigh.

"You don't sound thrilled," Jake said, but he was grinning wildly.

"I'd rather take the execution."

"Stop it," Jake said, planting her down on her feet. "You and I both know that's not true."

Rose playfully rolled her eyes at him but didn't have time to respond before Haley was next to her, fist pumping the air triumphantly.

"You're free now, Rose!"

"Not from those cameras outside," Trixie said. "Spud and I are going out the back. We'll meet you at dinner."

"Oh yeah." Haley's cheeks turned pink. "I'm really tired of being on camera too."

"We'll see you at dinner," Rose told Haley.

Jake took her hand again as they left the room, following Lao Shi.

"What should I say to them?" Rose whispered to Jake.

"Whatever you want," Jake said. "Don't feel bad about getting intimidated. It's overwhelming, especially when they're all grouped together like that."

Stubbornly, Rose jutted out her chin. She was not the type of person that was intimidated. She held her head high as Lao Shi threw open the front door. The cacophony of reporters was silenced for a moment as he took a step outside and announced simply, "Not guilty!"

Jake and Rose took a step forward together and immediately, everyone flocked to them. Cameras flashed, voices rang out, microphones were shoved toward Rose. She looked out over the myriad of species and all of their eager faces. This wasn't overwhelming. She'd fought the Huntsman one on one and came out the victor. That was overwhelming. Rose held up her Huntsmarked hand, waiting for the crowd to settle slightly. She wasn't going to shout.

"I will answer one question from each of you," Rose said. "Choose wisely."

Most of them did not.

Rose was barely able to keep from rolling her eyes at most of the questions. How did they think she was feeling now? Relieved. Obviously. She wasn't going to be killed. Would she miss the Huntsclan? If she was going to miss it, she wouldn't have destroyed it. Did it hurt to get shot? Yes; she'd been shot. It was only the last question that she had to actually pause at and think about. In the time she took to think, Jake, who hadn't answered his side, offered a few more platitudes to the cameras about how the Dragon Council had made the right decision and how strong and brave Rose had been through everything. He was much better at talking to them, despite calling them intimidating.

"So?" asked the leprechaun woman who'd asked Rose the question. "Should I repeat it?"

"Please."

"We have all heard the stories about what life in the Clan was like for you – trauma, abuse, torture, and imprisonment, to name a few. My question for you, Rose, is now that it's over, what do you do? How do you move on?"

"I don't know," Rose answered honestly, but she knew that it was unsatisfactory. "First thing, I guess, I'll have to find a place to live."

That earnt her a few chuckles from the crowd.

"I'm going to live. I'm going to get to make decisions every day that were once an act of rebellion for me: what to wear, what to eat, what I do that day. I'm hoping for an ordinary, peaceful life."

Realizing that she had spoken to the last reporter, they group all started bursting forth with questions again. Jake shook his head.

"That's all for today, folks."

Rose steeled herself to run the gauntlet of them but Jake surprised her. He transformed into his dragon self, scooped her into his good arm, and took her high above the reporters and giving her a unique view of the beautiful island. Rose couldn't look at the scenery, though. She was too transfixed by his dragon's face again. How strange it was to see it here. Not in painful captivity or the heat of a battle, but in this gorgeous summer day. There was still a distinct mark of his muzzle on the bridge of his nose and when she glanced down, she could see the restraint scars on his wrists too. He landed on a secluded section of beach, far from the reporters. When he transformed back into his human self, Rose looked for, and found, the faint marks of scarring on his nose and wrists.

"You staring 'cause you think I'm pretty?" Jake asked, bumping his shoulder against his own.

Suddenly embarrassed, Rose felt her cheeks start to go hot. She flipped her hair over her shoulder to hide her face and then, for good measure, she walked away from him, down the water. She kicked off her shoes and then waded in until it was halfway up her calves, but still far from the hem of her dress. She looked out to the horizon. This was where she started to get overwhelmed. All of the choices in the world were now in front of her and she didn't know where to start. She had less than nothing to try and start a new life with.

There was a splash as Jake joined her in the warm shallows.

Maybe not nothing, Rose thought. She had people who would help her and that was more precious than anything.

Jake stood with her, listening to the sound of the waves for a while, neither of them saying a word. That was a gift from him, Rose realized, and it was amazing how he seemed to know what she needed. She didn't need to talk yet, she just needed time to digest. But, she didn't want to be alone.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you," Jake said, his voice quiet and serious. "I knew it was bad in the Clan but hearing it spelled out like that to the Dragon Council really made me hurt for you. I'm sorry you had to say it all aloud like that. I'm sorry it happened to you at all."

"You didn't exactly have a good time at the Clan either," Rose said, trying to make light of it, but it wasn't something that could be made light of.

"At least I knew I was missed. At least I had good times before and hope for good times again. If I was in your position, I think I would have just let it kill me, rather than fighting back."

"No, you wouldn't. You're strong too."

Jake nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe. But, I think we're getting away from my point."

"What's that?"

"That I know what you've been through. That I know you still have a lot to go through. That I'm not asking for anything, especially not right now, but, there's something I need to tell you."

Rose's mind flashed to the last night in Sector 1 and the way that he'd said her name. All of the times she'd been too afraid to hear his words because he was stirring something inside of her that she didn't want to deal with. The way that Trixie had said that they'd be in love. The way that Jake didn't let go of her hand. Rose didn't know what she thought of all of that still but she wanted to know what he had to say. Jake understood her; she was confident in that. She would be able to tell him that she didn't know enough to give him an answer yet and he would get it. And she would tell him exactly what she thought. Two people who had met the way that they had didn't know how to lie to one another.

"What?" Rose turned to look at him, lost in his eyes, and she thought that his expression made her feel warmer than the blazing sun.

"I think there's no one like you in the world and I think that when we get our lives and our minds sorted out from everything that's happened, I want to take you on a date. And then a lot of dates. Because I'm about one step away from falling in love with you and we haven't even had a full day of being normal together and this is only the second time you've seen my human face. But, I want to be normal together."

Rose opened her mouth but Jake wasn't quite done.

"Which is why I want you to know that I know how much you have to be going through in your head and how all of that trauma and pain can take years to sort through. I'm telling you that when you're ready, on your own terms, if you're interested back, I'm still going to be interested."

If she stayed locked in her head, let those painful memories run her life, then the Huntsman had won from beyond the grave. Rose had her life in her own hands for the first time and she wasn't letting go. She was diving right in. She had always done well running on her instincts alone. It had gotten her here, hadn't it?

Jake was still holding her hand. He turned with her when she angled into him so that they were facing each other.

"I just want a peaceful life," Rose said.

Jake squeezed her hand and Rose felt like he was reading her soul as he promised, "I'll be your peace, Rose."

She knew he would, which is why she gave him her first kiss.

And then her second.