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"You can't catch me Yang!" Pola shouted and laughed, soaring through Beldai at top speed, the wind on her heels.

"Watch me!" Yang-Wo answered with a smirk, just behind her, racing toward the Citadel at top speed.

The sky shone a magnificent, clear blue above their heads. Perfect, fluffy, white clouds floated gracefully. The day was warm and bright, and all of Beldai seemed rich with the sun's splendor.

All was well.

Yang-Wo was doing his best, but Pola was growing up fast, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to beat her anymore. They swept through the city, closing in on the citadel, dust flying behind them; Yang-Wo shouted, "Careful Pola, Tifo's watching!"

"WHAT?" she screamed, startled, stumbling on her own feet and looking around, flushed.

And with that, her cousin dashed past her, winning their race. "Ho ho, how the mighty have fallen!" he crowed, laughing.

"How dare you use my own tactics against me!" she huffed irritatedly, completely out of breath.

"He wasn't lying, though," said a cheerful voice. The two turned to see Tifo, their tall and sinewy friend, who gave a few punctuated claps as he approached. "I was watching."

"See? Told you," Yang-Wo chuckled, giving Tifo a pat on his back. It turned out that Pola had teased Yang-Wo so much about liking Tifo because she herself had a crush on him, which the cougar Prince took full advantage of whenever possible.

Thankfully for Pola, that crush was returned.

"You did great, darling," Tifo said sweetly to her, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her forehead.

Pola flushed deeply, fidgeting, but not fighting back, her discomfort clear to both men, who laughed. She found the idea of love and affection quite embarrassing, and while she had deep feelings for her new mate, it felt completely awkward to express it in front of Yang-Wo.

"You're so clingy," she huffed, though she hardly seemed aggrieved.

"Just for you," said Tifo quietly.

"We watched as well!" came a voice from behind the group. Elder Nihara approached, her gown a stunning blue that shamed the sky, looking as royal and beautiful as ever.

And at her side was Queen Illixa, Queen of Zanat-Ven, as stunning in white as her companion was in blue, the gowns of Beldai suiting her incredibly. "It was quite the race!" the black wolf queen said with a smile. "Tell me Pola, how did you manage to stumble at the last moment?"

The group laughed, Pola blushing even further and grumpily turning her head with a "hmph!" Tifo, who had released her from his arms, gave her paw a squeeze, and she squeezed back begrudgingly.

Illixa was a different woman than the Queen Yang-Wo had first come to know. She was charming, thoughtful, and witty, and always had something clever to say, which Yang-Wo admired about her. Her aqua eyes had a sparkle that had been dimmed for too long by the control of Prince Silhard, but that returned with twice the beauty with her newfound freedom.

As the group chatted and laughed, Yang-Wo couldn't help but think of how drastically life had changed in just a year.

After the battle at the castle, Xeneth and Yang-Wo discovered much about what had transpired to lead them to that point. Silhard, a low-ranking nobleman with demented ambitions of wolf superiority, had conspired to dominate the continent long before he ever married Queen Illixa. His passing led to all of the darkness he had woven to break, freeing both the Queen and Princess Glaysia from his control. And Glaysia, weeping in shock and horror, had intimated all of her father's horrible plans.

Silhard had been an advisor to the Royal Family for years, his wife--and Glaysia's mother--tragically passing from a bandit attack on her way to spread Illixa's message of peace to a neighboring nation. Infuriated and inconsolable, Silhard swore vengeance, and once Xeneth's powers were discovered, he manipulated the boy into teaching him how to access the shadows. However, Xeneth's ability to teleport was just one way to use the darkness, and Silhard studied, eventually learning to control the hearts of others by preying upon the darkness inside and entrapping them with his marionette-like strings of dusk.

And after much practice on the defenseless child Glaysia, he murdered the King of Zanat-Ven, Xeneth's father and Illixa's husband, and began to control Illixa with his dark strings, forcing her to tell everyone that an assassin from Beldai had been the culprit.

Yang-Wo remembered how scared and helpless Glaysia had looked, relating all of this to them. She had remembered everything while being controlled, and the guilt and shock was nearly too much for her to bear after so many years.

"He would talk to me," she had said, "tell me his plans. He knew I couldn't tell anyone, and had no one else to confide in." He had told her how he manipulated his way to the throne by forcing the Queen to marry him, using her pain and anguish over losing her husband as the darkness he needed to influence her heart.

And Xeneth had asked, "Is that how it is done? He latches on to whatever darkness he can grasp?"

"Yes," she had gasped, looking exhausted and forlorn.

"What was the darkness in your heart, Glaysia?" Yang-Wo had asked gently. He hadn't wanted to pressure her in her fragile state, but he couldn't help but want to know more.

"When I was a child, it was my mother dying," she had said solemnly. "Then..." she had trailed off, blushing.

Then, it turned out, she had fallen in love with Sennaven, the Queen's aide, and he with her; Silhard used against them both, telling them they could never be together, using the pain of this star-crossed connection to maintain his hold over his daughter, just as he'd used the Queen's grief for her late husband against her.

"Why did your father never choose to control me in this way?" Xeneth had asked his stepsister curiously.

"He said there wasn't the darkness necessary in your heart," Glaysia had replied, and had given a quick glance at Yang-Wo. "You had always wanted peace, to save everyone...and I don't think Father could touch that."

Xeneth had been surprised to hear this, and Yang-Wo remembered smiling at the shock on the handsome wolf's face, knowing that Glaysia had to have been right.

Thankfully, the slaves from the harem--or more accurately, the Royals of the Continent--were able to return to their homelands and rule once more. When everything had ended, and caravans were sent from Zanat-Ven with Royals and a message of peace in tow, Yang-Wo and Xeneth had said not a good-bye, but a "see you soon" to their friends.

"Yang-Wo..." Adam had said sheepishly, asking to speak to the cougar alone.

With his courageous act of clearing a path for Xeneth to get to the Royal Chambers, and with his past record being mostly sweet and kind, Yang-Wo had smiled and followed, ready to forgive.

"I'm s-sorry!" Adam had sputtered when he and Yang-Wo were out of hearing range of the others. The horse had fallen to one knee, taking the cougar's delicate paw into his own massive one. "When we met, I felt an instant connection to you, and while my feelings for you grew, I was also saddened to find those feelings weren't returned, and...and..."

"And the darkness crept in," Yang-Wo had replied with a soft smile. "Arise, Adam of Vicktenburg."

Adam had looked into Yang-Wo's eyes, seeing nothing but kindness and understanding, and had stood to his full height again, pulling the cougar into a loving embrace.

"I forgive you," Yang-Wo had said against the horse's chest, and the stallion had sighed gratefully.

"Thank you, my friend," Adam had responded softly, bending and giving Yang-Wo a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I think I will always love you, for you have brought a light into the world like no other."

"And I will love you," Yang-Wo had said kindly, the affection passing between them warming both of their hearts. "You will always be my friend."

"And you will be mine," Adam had said gratefully.

Yang-Wo and Melanie had shared a tearful "see you soon," as the cougar had with every former slave, each of them now sharing a bond like no other.

And at last, the continent finally knew peace.

"I believe your father is waiting for us in the Central Courtyard," Nihara told her son, who blinked from his reverie and replied, "Let's go!"

The group walked together toward their destination in full conversation, laughing and chatting. Nihara and Illixa found that they became fast friends, and were talking about how the Elder would have to visit the Queen in the autumn, when Zanat-Ven was covered in radiant colored leaves, and the harvest brought on an incredible festival. Tifo teased the playfully grumpy Pola, who claimed she won the race because Yang-Wo had cheated, ignoring that it had been her own strategy from the year before used against her. They held paws, which Pola looked like she was doing both happily and begrudgingly. Yang-Wo felt serene, as if he were floating toward the Courtyard on the breeze, the sun shining into the Citadel from the open balustrades to their side.

"Ah, there you are Cricket!" Hensei boomed, as boisterous as ever. "Come, lunch is nearly ready, and we have so many things to discuss about next week!"

Behind the cougar appeared Prince Xeneth, handsomely clothed in the garb of the Yunka-Shu, his arms out for Yang-Wo.

The younger Prince wasted no time entering his love's embrace, sharing a small kiss.

"Must we discuss the wedding now, Father?" Yang-Wo asked with an eyeroll.

"Yes, we must," Hensei answered sternly, making his wife laugh beside him.

"The one time you take something seriously, and it's a big party," she commented, nudging him.

"Dearest, this is a grand occasion for both of our nations, as well as our sons!" Hensei exclaimed, feigning offense. "How could I not take it seriously?"

The group laughed as Xeneth bent over his love's ear and said, "We really do need to finish planning, because I want nothing standing in the way of you being my husband."

Yang-Wo blushed, feeling incredibly loved, and had to restrain himself from inappropriately kissing and groping his fiancé in front of the family. He merely cast the wolf a grin, raising an eyebrow to communicate that he had something later for the Prince, who raised his own eyebrows suggestively, smirking back.

"Yes dear, please cooperate," Illixa begged in an aggrieved sort of way. "If you don't, your dear sister-in-law-to-be will drive me mad with all of her questions!"

The group laugh as Glaysia called from the dining table, "Stepmother, if you didn't have me, this wedding wouldn't even be happening! These two are so irresponsible!"

"Now, now, dear, we all know how much you've contributed," Sennaven clucked at her, pulling her down to give him a kiss. "I only hope you'll be as thorough when planning our own wedding."

Princess Glaysia smiled indulgently and said, "You can stake your life on it, handsome."

And so they all sat to eat together. After the experience of prison, of slavery, of servitude, the Royals gained new appreciation for their staff, and it was proclaimed by the Queen and the Elder that no longer would social standing or gender matter in marriage, and that no longer would anyone ever be forced to serve. Each job would be to those who wanted it, and each would be offered fair compensation.

As Xeneth chewed, he couldn't help but smile at his fiancé, the brave man who'd stolen his heart and saved his kingdom. Yang-Wo was talking animatedly with his mouth partially full, and Hensei was dying with laughter as Nihara scolded her son reproachfully, exasperated at what behavior she'd be forced to endure at the Royal Wedding.

And the love that filled the wolf's heart as they caught each other's eye, as Yang-Wo's paw came to rest on his thigh, as they envisioned an incredible future together, was a shining ray of pure light.