Princess Charming

23: Her Happily Ever After

Cassidy leaped onto her white horse, securing her sword and bag on the saddle. She turned to her father, who was standing beside the horse, looking up.

“Be careful,” the King said. He gave a wistful smile. “I remember when you were my little girl.”

“I still am your little girl,” Cassidy laughed. “It’s just that I’m a Knight, too.”

“Well, keep in touch,” the King instructed. “If anything goes wrong, send for the Knights in Shining Armor. They’ll come to your rescue.” He patted the horse’s flank.

Cassidy gazed up at the gleaming castle and spotted her mother waving at the door. She waved back and blew a kiss.

“All right, I should go,” Cassidy said. She glanced down at her father. “Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll find the Damsels. Everything will be fine.” She smiled.

“Good luck. Give Winalot my regards. Oh, and tell him that if anything, and I mean anything, happens to you—”

“Will do, Dad” Cassidy interrupted, clicking her tongue and flicking the reins. The horse began to trot down the path to the gate. As they approached the gate, Cassidy turned back and spotted her father, who was waving her off. Cassidy waved back and led her horse out of the gates and onto the road.

“You ready?” Winalot, having made a complete recovery, sat confidently on the back of a black horse, holding the reins.

Cassidy grinned. It was funny how just the sight of him could make her smile. Her horse pulled up right beside his. Then, she reached over and wrapped an arm around Winalot’s shoulders, pulling him into a playful kiss. When she released him, he put a hand to his mouth.

“…Don’t do that,” Winalot muttered, blushing.

Cassidy laughed. “Anyway. Where’s Sar?”

“He and Aiua will meet us at the border,” Winalot answered, nudging his horse forward a bit. “They say they’ve gotten a tip from one of the residents in the north. We’ll start there.”

“Are they together?” Cassidy asked as they began to trot down the road. “Sar and Aiua, I mean.”

“How would I know?” Winalot shrugged. “Guess you’ll just have to ask when we get there.”

Cassidy smiled. She knew hers wasn’t the kind of happily ever after the textbooks and fairy tales talked about. It was definitely better.

The End

It’s done! It’s finished! Sorry for such a short last chapter, but I felt it was conclusive enough that I could leave it like this. :) Yes, I did leave it open ended… in case I ever decide to return to these characters. (yes, selfish, I know) However, I’m pretty sure that I won’t be revisiting the story any time soon, since I’ve already started another one!

THANK YOU to everyone who read, and THANK YOU to all of my lovely reviewers who supported me and gave me such wonderful feedback. I love you all! I definitely feel like you guys made my writing better, and I really appreciate it.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed “Princess” to the very end… I know I did. Thanks again! ‘Til next time…!

-Lefty