A/N: Is this one good or bad? You decide

Zephrine could barely form coherent words, though she tried relentlessly. Xavier took her face in his hands.

"Is that a yes?" His smile faltered slightly.

"What do you think?" She laughed, running her thumbs along his cheeks. "Of course I'll marry you!"

They pressed their foreheads together, and for the first time since Vana attacked, they felt at peace.

But Zephrine was still uneasy. She now had a fiancé, not only that, a family to think of and Vana was still alive. Everyone had sacrificed everything for her, Eetu and Rosario with their lives, Rhys and Caius with their happiness, and even Xavier with his eye. And Zephrine had given up nothing.

"Let's take a walk through the citadel." Xavier whispered.

Zephrine said nothing, taking Xavier's hand in hers. Together the pair walked through the square, boots echoing off of the cobblestone beneath them. The winter months were approaching, which meant the people were only outside when they had to be.

"Zephrine, look!" Xavier pointed to a booth in the lower town. Zephrine couldn't figure out why Xavier sounded so far away. Yet, he placed a little trinket into her palm.

"It's a soapstone bear." She ran her thumb over the carving. "Just like-"

"Just like the one you got me for my birthday." Xavier finished, standing behind Zephrine, his breath moving the hairs on the back of her neck. "Vana took it from me when she-"

Zephrine shushed him with a gentle kiss. "I know, I know."

"And my Lady," the merchant suddenly speaks up, or maybe Zephrine hadn't been hearing him the whole time, "I've also got this one." He pulls out a little dragon, curled up, asleep.

"We'll take them both." Zephrine didn't even think about it before she responded. Xavier set the gold pieces in the merchant's hand, then looped the bear over Zephrine's head, pulling her hair away from the string.

"I thought the bear was yours?"

"Hear me out, if you have the bear, and I, the dragon, we'll always have a little piece of each other, no matter where we are."

"You are so incredibly cheesy." Zephrine's laugh was sincere as she took Xavier into a passionate kiss.

"Getting married sounds good forever!" Xavier sing-songed.

"Oh, you have no idea."

As they entered the castle, Zephrine glanced toward the staircase that lead to the dungeons.

"When we get to our chambers, I've got to do something, and you have to promise you won't follow me."

"Of course." Xavier nodded.

"That's- that's it?"

"I trust you. You've never given me a reason not to."

Zephrine bit back a cry.

Once she reached her chambers, the only thing she grabbed was her dagger. She brought the bear up to her lips and went down to the dungeons.

"My Lady!" The guards snapped to attention upon Zephrine's arrival.

"I wish to see the prisoner." Is all she said before plowing right through the men. They didn't go after her, just simply stared as she turned the corner.

Vana was sat in the middle of the cell, staring blankly at the wall behind Zephrine.

"Come to gloat?" Vana's voice was dry and scratchy, she obviously hadn't spoken in weeks.

"Quite the opposite." Zephrine whispered an unlocking spell and carefully stepped into Vana's space. "I've come to understand."

"You lost me."

"I want to know why you did what you did."

Vana sighed but gave Zephrine the entire story. How her mother betrayed her, how Amharic manipulated her. Everything.

When it was over, Zephrine, again, said nothing, but wrapped Vana into a hug, tears streaming from both women's faces. "I'm so sorry."

Vana tensed up as Zephrine's dagger pierced through her stomach. For good measure, Zephrine stuck the knife further and twisted it.

"It's okay." Vana whispered back. "It's okay."

Zephrine used her shoulder to wipe away her tears. "I wish it didn't have to come to this, Vana." She stood, letting Vana fall with a soft thud.

"As do I, my Lady. As do I." Vana's shuttering breath halted, and she lay still on the concrete floor, a red flower blossoming from underneath her.

"Guards! Help! The prisoner's been killed!" Zephrine took a deep breath before yelling into the hallway.

The guards came running, Xavier in the lead. He took up the duty of ushering Zephrine away from the scene. He led her to their chambers and she immediately collapsed on the bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow.

END OF BOOK 3

A/N: AHHHHHHHH the series is complete!!! Actually no, not yet, there's the epilogue, which is going to be divided into parts (like chapters)

A huuuuuuuge huuuuge thank you to pristine_trash and SarahGuyer for being my hypemen but for also helping out with my ideas for this series. You guys are awesome.