Hi everyone, SK here.

So yes, this is the last chapter :(.  There IS an epilogue, which should also be out at the time this chapter goes live, so take a read!

Last chapter... holy hell... and it's a short one too.

For the last time, enjoy :')

Valerie

One month later...

"What!?"  I'm shocked to say the least as I spin around in my chair to face my father.  The fairies want to prepare a coronation party for me?  

Dad looks at me with a mildly amused expression, and I pout at him.  He came to visit me in my study room earlier when I was trying to keep busy to distract myself from my grief.  "Both of the Leaders are very eager to throw you this celebratory party, you know.  And after all you've been through to claim your place on the throne, you deserve to have fun.  You deserve a celebration."

"I know, but..." my voice trails away as I stare at my feet.

Leave it to Dad to figure out what's bothering me in a pinch.  "You are worried about seeing His Lightness again.  Is that why you have been avoiding the Colony for the past month?"

I nod.  Both my parents, although Mom isn't here right now, must know about my hardship.  Well of course they know, they've been visiting the castle frequently to check on how I'm doing, how well I'm handling losing the love of my life.  My friends have been a big help too; they've given me space when I needed it, gave me comfort and warmth when I needed them too.

Dad puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.  "Starshine, I know it must hurt to even look at him, but you must remember that he knows nothing about you now.  No one in the Colony remembers anything about you.  The fairies are trying to give something to their new Queen, and I don't want to push you, but you must at least try.  Show them the kindness they've now forgotten."  He smiles.  "And you don't need to go anywhere near the Leaders during the celebration, maybe once to say hello, but you can just remain with us and your Spirit Soldiers for the rest of the time if you would be more comfortable that way."

He does have a point, I need to reform some good memories with the fairies so they'll like me again.  I don't have any sort of relationship to them, I'm essentially a stranger.  I wouldn't want a complete stranger as my Queen either... 

"Alright, fine," I tell him reluctantly.  A party would be nice after everything that's happened, I admit to myself, especially a fairy party.  "When is it being planned for?"

"The day after tomorrow," he informs me, standing up.

I begin to panic.  "The day after tomorrow!?  But- I'm the Queen, right-"

"Are you not the Queen-"

"Don't I need to wear something fancy?" I fret.  "Argh, this dress is already fancy I guess but it's just what I always wear, do I need to-"

Dad shuts me up with a wink.  "A dress, is this what you're going on about?  You just leave that to me."

~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later... 

"Ouch, Mom, you're pulling too hard!" I whine as Mom styles my hair.  

She lets out a tsk noise.  "Just hold still.  I'm almost done."  I can feel her fiddling with my locks for a few more seconds before I hear her footsteps echoing as she steps away.  "There, finished.  What do you think?"

I gaze at myself in the mirror.  Instead of my usual long hair let down, it's now put up into twin buns on the side of my head, tied together with pink ribbons.  "It's really pretty Mom, thank you!"

Her reflection smiles back at me through the mirror.  "You're welcome," she says warmly.  "Now come on, let's get you into this dress."

"Oh, so I actually get to see it now?" I ask her with a roll of my eyes.  Both of them brought a dress up here but wouldn't let me see it, "IT'S A SURPRISE!" they shouted at me... well, mainly Dad was the one shouting.  They stuffed it in my bedroom, and while Dad sat down to wait, Mom dragged me into my bathroom and went to work with my hair.  

Mom giggles.  "Yes, sweetie, yes.  Now come on, we don't have all day you know."  She goes to exit the bathroom, but I stop her.

"Mom, there's uh... I need to tell you something," I say in a rushed voice.  My heart is beating a million times a minute, but I need to tell her at least.  It's felt wrong keeping this from her for so long.

She turns around, looks me right in the eyes, and says, "Valerie, I know you're pregnant already."

I gape at her.  "What?"

Mom keeps staring.  "You are aware that my powers let me see their souls, right?  And no, I didn't say anything to your Dad," she reassures me when I open my mouth.  "That's for you to tell him."  

"O-Okay," I say in a tiny voice.

She seems to notice what I'm waiting for.  "It's going to be difficult, but you're happy about it, aren't you?"

"I am," I return to her evenly.  I smile, I'm happy I got to keep a part of August with me.

She echoes my smile.  "Then I'm happy for you.  C'mere, give me a hug."

I walk up to her and hold her close, being careful not to mess up my hair because I know I'd get murdered for undoing the work she spent a good half-hour on.  She breaks apart from me after a few seconds.  "Now come, let's get you in this dress already!"  She practically shoves me out of the bathroom.

"Okay, okay!" I laugh, only to feel awe wash over me when I see this gorgeous thing sitting on a dress stand.  The dress is huge with three flowing layers, each of them getting to be a shade darker as they go down.  The colours are actually very similar to my usual outfit, huh.  "Mom, where did you get this!?" I ask her, walking in a circle around the dress to examine it further.  Coloured beads have been carefully sewn around the edges of the layers, a purple ribbon is tied around the waist area.

Mom chuckles at me.  "We didn't 'get' it anywhere.  Your father made it for you centuries ago."  

My eyes widen and my head snaps back toward her.  "What- he did?  But how did he know it would fit me?  And how did he know I would even come back?"  A sudden thought crosses my mind.  "Did Alara tell him?"

Her eyes glint at me.  "You know your father, he always has a way of getting what he needs."

"I guess..." I take it from her answer that she doesn't even know herself.  Oh well, I'll have to ask him about it later.

"Here, there's a zipper on the back here," Mom tells me, undoing it and getting the dress off the stand.  "Take off the Elemental Clock, you'll need to put it on again with your dress- and take off your Element pins too."

I gape at her.  "Elemental Clock?"

She returns my stare.  "The clock at your waist."

Oh.  "I didn't know it had a name," I admit as I take it off as well as the pins above my chest.  Mom helps me slip into the dress, which surprisingly doesn't feel that heavy despite its size, and zips me up as I attach everything back in its place.  

"Alara didn't tell you?" she questions, sounding a little shocked.

I shake my head as Mom fixes and fluffs up the layers.  "She didn't tell me a lot of things."

"You do have a point," she admits as she stands back and puts her hands on her hips.  Her eyes sparkle.  "Beautiful," she says in a loving tone.  "Beautiful."

The compliment is making me feel weird, flustered even.  Mom notices and she grins.  "Look in the mirror, see for yourself!"

I turn around and face my reflection in the glass, doing a little spin.  Okay, I don't think I look beautiful, but I don't look half bad either.

"I really like this dress," I tell her heartfully, feeling a smile coming on.  

Mom laughs.  "You shouldn't be telling that to me- come on, let's go show your Dad."

"Okay!"  I grab the Staff in my right hand, it would be dumb to leave it here alone regardless of how safe it is here.

The castle's pretty quiet since my friends are already at the Colony.  Dad's waiting for both of us in the front hall, clearly looking a little impatient.  "Dad," I call out to him, "I really love the dress!"

"You do-" he cuts himself short when he turns to see me, and then he smiles.  "Starshine.  You look beautiful."  Gardenia, his smile is making me smile, why are my parents so sweet to me.

"Th-Thank you," I stutter.  "But really, thank you for making the dress.  I really love it."

"I'm glad."  He walks up to me and begins to examine it, ruffling the layers and looking at the fabric so intensely it looks like he's performing some kind of science experiment.  "Does it fit you properly?  Too tight perhaps?"

I giggle.  "No, it fits perfect," I reiterate to him.  "It's not tight anywhere."

"Hmph," he mutters under his breath.  "Nonetheless, if something becomes out of place with it, let me know immediately and I'll mend it.  That being said..." he glances at the clock on my waist.  "we should really be going."

"Y-Yeah."  I'm stupidly nervous for this event even though I don't even need to anything but exist and party with my fellow fairies.  This is... the first time I've even seen August since my second test.  The first time I'll see him and have to restrain myself around him.  The first time I'll see the new him, the version of him that doesn't even think about me.

How can I... how can I face him... how can I face him and pretend that nothing's happened?

"Breathe," Dad instructs me, both of my parents huddling close to me to engulf me in their warmth and comfort.  "Breathe, Valerie."

How can I look my soulmate in the eye and pretend that he means nothing to me when, in fact, he's my whole world?

"Breathe," Dad keeps repeating, strong but soft.  Eventually I hear it and do as he says, though it does take a few minutes for me to calm down.  My fingers are still shaking a little but Dad grips onto them with his right hand, starting to make a portal with his left before stopping mid-spellcast.  "Starshine, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to.  We can just say that you got ill and it can be cancelled or rescheduled.  If you are not ready-"

"No no," I interrupt him, shaking my head.  "I need to be strong and do this.  Eventually I'm going to need to see him, I'm the Queen and he's a Leader, after all.  Besides," I add with a tiny smile, "the fairies did all this planning and I can't let that go to waste, can I?"

"You're literally the Queen," Mom reminds me, "you can do whatever you please."

I try not to think about how that was essentially the same mindset that Alara had.  She's been dead for a month now and I still can't rid myself from her shadow.  "No, I need to do this.  It's alright."  I smile at them.  "Let's go."

They don't look convinced but Dad finishes the portal anyway, and we step through.  The entrance to the Colony.  It feels like a lifetime since I've been here.  With a simple glance I catch glimpses of magical decorations, all of this... for me?  For a now-stranger?

Mom sees my shock.  "Yes, all for you," she teases.  She didn't have to read my mind to know what I was thinking.  "Come, let's go in.  The rest of your friends are already there, remember?"

Right, all of them will be there.  I won't be alone.  I turn back to my parents.  I won't be alone.

I won't be alone.

I won't have August, but... I won't be alone.

My heart feels mellow for the first time in weeks.  

I won't have August, but maybe... maybe it's okay.

"Sure, let's go."

After we enter the Colony it doesn't take that long to be noticed.  People start bowing down but honestly this whole position is so surreal as it is, I gently but forcefully tell them to stop, it's all good, no one needs to bow right now.  Is this how Alara felt the first time I saw her, asking me to stop bowing?   

At first, I don't spot either Verity or August, which to be honest is a good thing.  I'll take some time without them, and with my friends instead.  There's music (curiously no dancing yet), there's food, there's Mist Battles... what more could I want?

Oh yeah.  I summon Nombles, which has been a lot easier using the Staff, and let her roam free in the Colony while we're here.  I've been able to let her out more and more recently, which I'm happy about.  Like anyone else, she deserves to be free.

"Vallll!" Leaf's call echoes in my ears and I turn toward her.  "Come get some food with meeee!"

I smile, a laugh escaping from me.  "Sure," I agree enthusiastically, good food is always appreciated.  

Before I can go, however, someone else calls out to me.  "Your Majesty, welcome."  That's Verity's voice, and despite how nervous I am I turn to face her.  To my relief, she looks happy.  I'm glad, after all she's been through she deserves to be happy.  "There's lots of festivities going on here, I hope you'll enjoy yourself."

"Just Valerie is fine," I tell her promptly.  "Or Val if you prefer.  And thank you for putting all of this together, it feels nice to be so welcomed."  A smile forms on my face as I say her old nickname for me out loud.

"Huh, alright then Val."  Her smile falters a bit.  "Why does that feel so familiar...?"  She mutters to herself, then shakes her head.  "Anyway.  My brother's probably gonna wanna talk to you soon, so look out for him."

"Your brother?"  I feign ignorance, I need to play my part correctly.

"Oh, my bad, I thought you knew.  August, he's my brother, the other Leader."

"Ah."  My heart is pounding a million times a minute.  

Leaf practically drags me away at this point, practically raving to me about all the delicious foods she's eaten.  We do get a few plates and spread them out between us and the rest of our friends (who've already gotten a table), and we eat.

"Who would've thought we would end up here," Nate remarks, gazing around at where we are, a magical Colony of fairies.

Me neither, Nate, me neither.

We sit there for what feels like eternity talking about random things, nostalgia sweeping over me the entire time because it feels exactly like we're back in our clubroom again, a bunch of nerdy high school students just trying to figure out where their lives would lead.

Oh how times have changed.

After a while, footsteps sound behind me.  "Your Majesty, I'm sorry to interru-"

I cut August off.  "Valerie, you can call me Valerie."  Currently he can't see my face, but oh my goodness I am starting to freak out.  Leaf puts a comforting hand on the folds of my dress which I appreciate.

"Valerie then," he says in a happy tone.  "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to formally introduce myself to you.  My name is August Yvonne-Ketchum, I'm the Light Leader.  I hope you're enjoying yourself in this little celebration, everyone put in a lot of effort putting it together."

I know that tone of voice, he's testing my reaction.  Taking a deep breath, I turn around and face him, trying not to get lost in those beautiful cerulean eyes, those cerulean eyes that don't belong to me anymore.  "I'm loving it, thank you for this, truly.  And it's a pleasure to meet you."  I hold out my hand, and he shakes it.  I hope he can't tell how hard I'm trying not to let my voice shake, not to let my fingers tremble, not to let my entire being crumple apart at the sight of him.

He smiles.  "Well then, Valerie, since you are the Queen, you have to take part in the first dance to kick that activity off."  He holds out his hand.  "Shall we?"

My heart almost stops.  Us?  Dance together?

I take a deep breath.  Valerie, you're the Queen now, not his girlfriend.  You need to act like one.

A red leaf appears at the corner of my vision, and far across the Colony, I see my parents both smiling at me, proud of how far I've come, how far we've all come.  With me, my friends who I know will never leave me.  And in front of me, the love of my life... who will be separated from me for quite some time, but there will be a day when we're reunited at last.

The future is so prosperous.  There are paths where humans live happily knowing the existence of fairies.  There are paths where they coexist.  There are endless worlds to be discovered, endless joys to be had, endless sorrows.

The red leaf appears at the corner of my vision again, this time stuck to a tree. I know it will keep getting stuck for millions of years, until finally, finally, my binds are released and it can soar into the oblivion.

But that's the future.

As for the present, I gently take August's hand.  I smile at him as I stand up, knowing things will never be, are never going to be the same.

"We shall."

And that's a wrap.  For the book.

Wow.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and this book!  But there's still one more part- the epilogue.  Please give it a read, it's the true ending.

I said some words in my concluding notes at the end of the book, but if you don't end up reading those, I just want to say thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and this book.  If you don't end up reading the concluding notes, thanks for reading, and make sure to come back for the Extras!

Anyway, I've talked enough here.  Read onto the epilogue and enjoy.