Happily ever after

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"Oh, I bet that you are." He said, still keeping his little smile. "And even if he says that you aren't, that won't change a thing."
 
"Okay," Xera replied, "I believe you." She looked around at the other couples, hugging tightly as they danced, kissing, and other things. She said in a joking tone, "I don't suppose you'd want to kiss me too, would you?", with a shy smile on her face.
 
Sadao's face suddenly reddened at the questioning. He did indeed want to, but... She said it so jokingly. Did she not want to? "Well, I... Actually, I do."
 
Xera smiled, though in a different way that she had before with Sadao. "I suppose all there is left now is, to do it" she said softly.
 
Once she said that, it was like the entire world slowed down around them. With a small hint of uncertainty, Sadao leaned in towards Xera, ready for that magical moment.
 
Xera thought, it feels like time has stopped around us, the music stopped playing, when Sadao moved closer to her at that moment in time. It definitely felt very, very special to her.
 
And then, they met halfway through. Sadao closed his eyes as his lips met Xera's, savouring the special moment that occurred right then and there.
 
Xera closed her eyes once her lips made contact with Sadao's. She would never forget that moment. She also realized, for some reason, only when they kissed, some of the people recognized it was the Princess, kissing a man. Gasps, giggles, and clapping were heard in the background.
 
Sadao didn't pay the bystanders any mind, anyway. He didn't pay any mind to anything... Except Xera. He raised his hand to her neck and held it there, playing with her hair a bit. "I love you."
 
"Oh, Sadao," she said, "I love you too."

Then, suddenly, some men came and surrounded them. Xera looked at them. "The royal guards? What are you doing here?" she asked them.

"Your highness." Doak, one of the king's advisors, stepped forward, and bowed. Xera was stunned. "Why are you calling me 'your highness'? No one has ever called me that before."

Doak stood back up, and explained. "Your highness, your father passed away. About one hour ago." Xera dropped to her knees and started to cry uncontrollably.
 
"W-What?" Sadao asked in shock. "How did it happen? Was he at good health once the princess left the castle?" He asked in confusion as his guards approached. "Prince, is... everything alright?"

Sadao simply stared at him in disbelief. "Well, you have ears, don't you? You did hear us if you decided to walk out here, right?"
 
Xera sighed, as she wiped away tears from her eyes, as they continued to fall. "Doak, let's go back to the palace now", she said to her advisor. "Right away, your highness."

She then looked at Sadao, and approached him. "I'm so sorry Sadao. But my attention will be focused on my duties as Queen, and taking care of my father's burial now. Please, if you would give me time to get things straightened, my life straightened, my nation normalized, I will come to visit you."
 
"I..." He sighed, knowing full well that what she said was true. Any further debating would be pointless, and he was fully aware of it.

"I understand what you need to do. Please remember that I'll wait for you, no matter how long the stabilizing will take." He bowed as his guards began leading him back towards his own ship.
 
(Three years later)

"Why are we traveling to Este again, your highness?" Reira asked. Her long, black hair got loose in the winds of the sea and Reira struggled to keep her hair out of her eyes.

Xera smiled at her handmaiden. "I'm going to visit... a good friend," she said, "to complete a promise I made years ago." As they got closer to the island, from a distance Xera saw the beach where she set off to swim from, years ago. She smiled at the distant memory. The ship was drawing close, and in minutes would be docked at the harbor port.

They were walking off the ship, and onto the port, when Reira asked, "Your highness, no welcome from the kingdom?" out of curiosity. Xera looked straight ahead, saying "I'm visiting unannounced. I felt that was more, appropriate here." She knew her royal bodyguards would follow behind, from a distance, disguised as common folk just as Xera and Reira were. She wanted this to be low key, quiet... like the last time she was here.

Xera turned to look at Reira and the rest of her group. "We'll make our way to the royal palace now".
 
Once the group got closer to the palace, the royal guards of Ente seemed to look at them suspiciously. While the fact that uninvited commoners approaching the castle was suspicious on its own, it became maven stranger when there was an entire group of them.

They positioned themselves so that they blocked the entrance, looking at the person up front. "May we ask what business you may have with the royal family? Trespassing will not be taken lightly."
 
Xera had never been to the royal palace, so this was going to be something new to her as well as to the rest of her traveling group. She looked at the palace and thought about Sadao. She wondered how she had been since they parted ways years ago.

Upon reaching the royal guards, Xera stepped forward and spoke. "I am Queen Xera of Ilum. I would like to have an audience with the Royal Family, paid as a courtesy on my unscheduled visit." She wondered if that would be good enough. If they pressed further, she could show proof, but she would wait to see what happened first.
 
The guards seemed splitted. A request for an audience was nothing new, but when the requester presented herself as the Queen of Ilum... One could just say that doubts were raised.

As the guard on their right shook his head cautiously, the other guard spoke up. "We're sorry, madam. But unless you can prove such a claim, we cannot let you enter."
 
Xera nodded. They were doing their job, she could more than understand that. So, her handmaiden, without her asking did hers. She brought out the royal banner of Ilum, and unfurled it for the guards to see. Xera would then explain, "I prefer to travel inconspicuously, that is my way."

She then thought, and offered more proof, though it would come from within their own castle walls. "If you require more, I believe your Prince Sadao would also be able to verify my identity, should you wish to summon him to do so."
 
The guards took a good look at the banner, taking extra time to make sure that this wasn't a forgery. After hearing that she was ready to have the prince summoned to verify her identity, though, they were convinced. They handed the banner back to the other party and bowed as the guard on the right stepped inside.

"My partner will alert the royal family of your presence." The remaining guard stated. "Now, if you could just follow me, Milady..." He said as he began walking slowly.
 
Xera smiled, and nodded. She looked over to Reira, and said "it's my first time here, so I won't be much of a guide". She looked around, and found fascination with the castle she knew of but never visited for years. She looked back at her royal guards and nodded to them, indicating that they should follow along, as planned.
 
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