Looking at myself in the mirror, I hated what I saw. The dress was breathtaking. My hair and make-up were stunning. But there were so many things wrong with the girl frowning back at me. I was all cried out from the night before. And unless I wanted to go through another make-over – which I didn't – crying wasn't the best option.

Dejected, I slumped into a chair and hung my head, momentarily wincing at the bite of my burns. I wasn't fully healed, so the high heels I was forced to wear brought excruciating pain. The pains from my burns were the least of my problems, though. It was my heart that hurt the most. I held myself as I remembered Lavi's hand in mine just moments before he was torn away from me forever.

"Promise me – that you'll always be my friend…"

"I swear."

I chortled, shaking my head. A real friend wouldn't have let me go like that. I understand about Allen – I hardly know the poor boy – but Lavi…Zane… I expected more from him. This couldn't possibly be the end, could it? I looked to heaven for a sign. Please, please, I begged anyone who would listen, save me.

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door, making me jump. According to the booming voice, it was time. There was no more delaying it. Exhaling deeply, I stood shakily and then left the spacious room behind. A muscular man was waiting for me outside the door. He wore a suit, but it did not compliment him at all. He handed me a bouquet of flowers and then locked arms with me. Obviously he was posing as my father-figure today.

Or my guard.

The altar we entered was beautiful. The whole place was decorated in white. And it seemed like the whole kingdom was here. But after a second look, I realized it was mostly the upper classmen. Fancy snobs who cared nothing for the lower classmen like my friends. The peasants I recognized on a daily basis, they sat in the rear of the church. Their expressions were pained – every last one of them.

These people were my subjects, my followers, and my friends. To see their princess like this – dethroned, beaten down, worn out, defeated – must have been hard on them. Surely word spread about Peter's capture. And there was no denying everyone in the kingdom now knew about this marriage. As much I myself didn't want to admit it, I knew that they must have come to the conclusion that all hope was lost. And now more than ever, I felt like a traitor.

Peter and I were their last hope. We were supposed to be the ones to take down Nicolai and take back what was rightfully ours. And now look: Peter is gone, I am unreturnable. I felt weak thinking about Peter. I wanted to collapse right there and then, right in the middle of the aisle. Damn everyone in the room, I couldn't take this! This was my fate, not theirs. The blame was on my shoulders. That was my brother; those were my friends. This was my kingdom that I let down.

By the time I had to face Nicolai, I found it almost impossible to breathe. I was visibly trembling with emotion, close to tears. The man by my side took the bouquet and stood to the side. In a sudden movement, Nicolai took my hands in his. I kept my eyes lowered; I couldn't bear looking him in the eye. His fingers pinched my chin and lifted my head.

His lips were twitched in a sneer. His icy eyes pierced through mine. This was to be my fate. Life with the man who took my whole life away. Eyes hardening in anger, I made my decision. If this was how I was going to spend the rest of my life, I would take it in defiance. No matter how many times I would be beaten or threatened or raped, I would never stop fighting.

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. Pulling my chin away from his hand, I looked to the crowd. Ignoring the cold upper class, I focused on those in the back – the ones who needed me most. With all the strength I could muster, I gave them a smirk. Hopefully that got across to them. I wanted to let them know that I hadn't given up, not on them or myself. They needed to know that their princess would always be there for them.

Putting my attention back on Nicolai, I gave him a taunting smile. The priest to my right began his speech, and at the same time Nicolai glared hatefully at me. He probably didn't know what I was thinking, but he knew that smirk meant something. And that something wouldn't be good on his part.

The ceremony dragged on for what seemed like hours. Did Nicolai mean for this to happen or do weddings usual take this long? I didn't know, but when the time came for the rings, Nicolai slipped the diamond on my finger gently. I, on the other hand, shoved it on his. He didn't even wince, but gave me a look that meant business.

"Do you, Princess Elizabeth," the priest said, "take Prince Nicolai as your lawfully wedded husband? To love and care for for as long as you both shall live?"

I hesitated, throat going tight. This was it; the final voyage. Would someone interrupt dramatically? Would Lavi run in here and take me away forever? My eyes shifted to the doors which seemed so far away. No sign of anyone coming to my rescue anymore. I was on my own. Licking my lips first, I braced myself, and said, "I do."

Nicolai grinned like a snake. "And do you, Prince Nicolai," said the priest, "take Princess Elizabeth to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and care for for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," he said surely.

I dreaded the moment at hand, but there was no avoiding it. The most I could do was try to shorten the kiss as much as I could. He leaned in first. I stood as still as a rock.

It was only in that horrid second when his lips brushed against mine, that the doors burst open. Before I knew it, it had happened: a revolution. The peasants not already present all burst through those doors, shouting and exclaiming in excitement. Nicolai stumbled back in surprise; I was frozen in my place in shock.

They all rushed in wielding pitchforks and sickles and weapons of all sorts. Those of the back rows joined in the chaos. They let live the innocent fools of the upper class, but guards and followers of Nicolai fell to their blades of fury. My eyes flickered throughout all the tumult, trying to keep up with everything. It was really happening. This wasn't a dream.

With tears springing to my eyes and a grin quickly spreading across my face, I shouted out in rejoice. The numbers of my people overtook Nicolai's army. This battle was ours. It would be over very quickly.

"Unhand me, you rats!"

Turning swiftly, my heart leapt at the sight of Icarus and Louis taking hold of Nicolai and forcing him to the ground. Not far from them, Will and Thomas were handling the guards as best as they could.

"Icarus!" I exclaimed, relief and joy washing over me. He looked up and broke a smile. With a wink, he and Louis forced Nicolai to the floor and bound him. Louis put a knife to Nicolai's throat and threatened the guard who had a hold on Thomas. Seeing the king in danger, most of the guards backed off. Those who tried to push forward to help soon were killed. Soon, the whole altar was deathly silent.

"Well, well," a familiar voice shouted out in the quiet, "seems like the odds are in our favor today, Nicolai."

I spun on my heel, shouting out his name. Peter grinned and allowed me to run into his arms. He was alive! My brother was alive! It was he who led the revolution. It was he who saved us all. I didn't know how he did it, but I didn't care.

He gently pulled away from me and then confidently made his way to Nicolai. The bound prince struggled to get at Peter, but to no avail. Louis and Icarus had him held tight. "Well, this is unfortunate, isn't it, Nicolai?" Brother purred. "Looks like the tables are turned now."

I was shocked when Nicolai spit on Peter's cheek. "You all will rot in the pits of hell for this," he growled venomously. "I am the king now. I will have every last one of you killed for this!"

"You aren't the king of anything," I snapped. As Peter wiped his cheek clean, I strode over to the two of them. Yanking off the blasted ring off my finger, I threw the diamond at his head. "You will never be my husband. And you will never let our people suffer ever again."

Will stepped over to us and snatched the crown off of Nicolai's head. Peter stood and faced the man. "If anyone is deserving of the crown," Will said, "it is the true king – Peter." Then Will gently placed the crown atop Peter's full head of brunette hair, and the altar erupted in cheers and hollers.

Soon after that, Peter and I took over Nicolai's castle. The guards who wished to be set free were released, and those who wished to protect us now remained our guardians. Nicolai was imprisoned for the time being while Peter and I got everything together once more. A week later, Peter was officially crowned king in front of the whole kingdom, and everyone rejoiced. I remained princess and was content with my title.

As the entire kingdom celebrated that night, I stayed in my new bedroom. I watched the party from my window and I couldn't help but smile at it all. It was almost like a dream. We had taken our kingdom back almost too easily. It was going to be incredibly difficult to get everything back in order as my father once had it, but I was positive we could manage it. We would tie all ends with the other countries, get all the support we could, and in no time, our people would be happy once again.

I should have been completely happy with all this. I almost was, too. But there was something missing. And it was pretty big. After all I had gone through with the Exorcists, I couldn't help but feel like I was missing out on the one thing that I needed. I closed my eyes and rested by head against the windowpane. I needed Lavi. He was the only thing missing from my world. Now that he was gone, now that my life had come back together, now that everything was perfect once again, I realized that I loved him. And I would never find anyone like him again.

It was almost one in the morning when there was a knock on my door. I couldn't sleep, so I stayed in the window, watching the party rage far below. With my approval, Icarus and Angela walked in. Angela hopped up in my lap and I held her tight. "Elizabeth," Icarus said softly, "it's late. In two days is Nicolai's sentencing. You have a long day of preparation tomorrow. Why don't you try to sleep, OK?"

Ah, that was right. I knew my duty; I remembered my dream perfectly well. Nodding, I agreed to try to sleep. Kissed Angela good night. Hugged Icarus. And lay down in my bed.

I slept fitfully – my dreams haunted once again by the bloodshed I saw in the altar. By the memory of my father's beheading. By the pain of Lavi's retreating form. But I woke the next morning ready to go. That day, I was fitted and given a beautiful black gown, new boots. I practiced my swordplay and made sure my arm was strong enough. I got a checkup for my burns and the pain had receded drastically. And by the next day, I was all ready to go.

At sunset, Peter and I made our way to the guillotine. There, my people were waiting for us. And there as well, Nicolai waited for me. He was on his knees, head bowed in the guillotine's hold. But it wasn't the blade of the guillotine which would take his life.

I stepped up onto the dreaded platform where so many of my people were killed, and I couldn't stop shaking with rage. Icarus stood ready for me. When I faced him, he bowed respectfully and handed me a sword. I took the blade and studied it in the fading sun. After a deep breath, I went to the front of the platform. Nicolai shifted his eyes up to me. Said nothing, only smirked.

I swallowed hard. "Nicolai," I said, my voice ringing throughout the crowd, "you deserve no last words. What you have done to my kingdom for the last eight years is unforgivable. Your reign of terror will last no longer." I took a look throughout the crowd. They were all anxious and anticipating. Torches lit our way outside. I did a double take at the glimpse of red in the crowd, but shook it off as my imagination.

So, raising the sword high above my head, I finally got my revenge. The sweet revenge I had been waiting for all my life. The sword came down on his neck, and with one swift movement, off went his head. Blood spattered around, stained my dress. But I took no heed. As his head fell into the basket at my feet, it was like my whole life had flashed before my eyes.

I witnessed my father's head roll. A blade went through my mother's chest. Lavi walked away from me. My brother held me in his arms.

Reality rushed back to me like a shove of wind. Keeping a firm grip on the hilt of the sword, I leaned down and lifted the heavy head by his hair. The roar of the crowd was overwhelming. Nicolai's head in my hand was a horrible feeling that fought with righteousness. My father had finally been avenged.

When I dropped his head back in the basket, that hand was trembling uncontrollably. As the crowd roared in excitement, I couldn't take my eyes off of Nicolai. I had been waiting what felt like my whole life for this moment. Why didn't it feel amazing? I thought I would feel triumphant and powerful, but…honestly, I felt sick.

Breaking me from my trance, Peter came up behind me and embraced me in front of the whole crowd. I dropped the sword immediately and held him as tightly as I could. "You've done it, Elizabeth," he whispered in my ear, stroking my hair just like Mother. "He's finally gone forever."

…

After Nicolai's death, things passed smoothly. Any complaints we had were handled. Taxes weren't a problem. Work time was fairer. Prosperity had draped over the land like a blanket. It seemed impossible to me: There had to be something wrong with our kingdom, but I just couldn't find anything to complain about.

I continued to go out in public like before. Everyone loved Peter and I. They mostly complimented me on what a wonderful king he was. I wanted it to stay that way.

However, just a couple months before New Year's, visitors from different countries began coming to our kingdom – maidens and princesses. All of them wanted Peter. The princesses did their best to seduce Peter so they may be the queen of the land, but none made more of an impression on him than the beautiful Annabel. She was a shy princess, only sixteen years old. Her father, the king, was forcing her to come and meet Peter in hopes that he would take her hand in marriage.

And, slowly but surely, it became obvious that he was falling for her. He joked to me once that he would marry Annabel when I finally got off my high horse and choose a husband of my own. But, I refused. The occasional prince came to our kingdom to ask for my hand in marriage, but I rejected all of them. I never told Peter, but there was no way I could be with anyone other than Lavi.

After a whole year, he never came, though. There was no sign at all that he was even still alive. It hurt, but I was willing to wait for him till the end of the Earth.

One day, in April, I was called to the throne room with Peter at my side. When I asked what this was about, he said we had a visitor. I expected another princess to come, but this time, the visitor was a prince. Trying to be polite, I sat straight in my chair and attempted my best smile. He walked in subtly with his guards and father behind him. When our eyes met, he bowed respectively. He was quite handsome, actually.

"Dear princess Elizabeth," he said, head lowered, "my name is Lance. I have come from a land across the sea in hopes that you will give me the chance…to be my bride, if you will."

I exchanged a look with Peter. We both knew how this was going to go down. So, just like always, I said, "I would be honored if you stayed with us, dear Lance," and offered my hand to him. The young prince came forth and kissed my hand with soft lips. When he lifted his head, I saw that he was only a few years older than me. Still, with his fair hair and dark eyes, he was charming enough.

Peter stood and clapped his hands together. "Well, Sir Lance, welcome to our castle!" he said. "Let me show you around, yes?" My brother wrapped his arm around Lance's shoulder and led him away with Lance's father and their guards following after. "Come on, Elizabeth!"

Sighing deeply, I shook my head to myself and stood. I hated doing this. Allowing the princes and princesses to stay here with us felt wrong, like we were leading them on. Maybe not for Peter, but for me, it did, because I knew I wouldn't marry these men. Still, I had to act like I was interested, so I stood from my throne, patted my dress down and started after them.

"Wait!"

I froze in my tracks at the sound of that voice. It couldn't possibly be…

Turning slowly – could it be? – I saw standing at the door the redheaded man of my dreams. Lavi. He looked so different since I last saw him. His uniform was similar, but now it was black and red. His headband was black now and held up his hair in a different style. And his scarf was no longer orange but ruby red. But of course, he looked even more amazing than when I last saw him.

"Lavi…" I said weakly. He broke a smile and hurried over to me. Peter stopped and turned, watching us incredulously.

"Who is this?" Lance demanded as Lavi took my hands in his.

"I…I thought you forgot about me," I said, staring deep into his emerald eye.

"Hey…" he said, his smile softening. His pinky was soon locked around mine and my heart fluttered in my chest. "I swore I'd never forget you. And after all, I am a Bookman. And a Bookman never forgets."

At first, I didn't know how to react. The tears came on their own. I wanted to embrace him and never let go, but he just admitted to still being a Bookman. So…

He answered my doubt for me by pulling me into a strong hug. I would never forget his sweet smell, the feel of his muscles, his slim figure pressed against mine. Without pulling away, he grinned and looked to Peter.

"King Peter," he said bravely, "if you don't mind, I think I'd like to kidnap your sister." Then he turned to me and cupped my face in his hands. "I just don't think I can go on any longer without her by my side…" he whispered.

Slowly, Peter began to laugh. Lance was utterly flabbergasted. There was nothing he could say. He had come all this way for nothing.

"Do you mean it, Lavi?" I cried.

He stroked my hair back and behind my ear. "Of course," he said, pressing his forehead against mine. "I don't care what Bookman says; we can keep it a secret if we have to, but I just want you with me."

Peter ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, what can I say?" he said. "If Elizabeth wants to, there isn't much I can do to stop her." He gave me a soft smile and nodded. "Go on, Sis. You'll be happier with him, won't you?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, jumping into Lavi's arms. He held me off my feet and kissed me long and passionately.

After that, Lavi took me back to the Black Order with him in England. It was a beautiful cathedral that I couldn't have thought up in my dreams. Their chief – Komui Lee – recognized me as the girl from before who had lost her Innocence, and welcomed me into their organization as what was known as a Finder.

I was given a tan uniform, a telephone backpack, and a device called a talisman. I was assigned a nice, cozy room with all the other Finders and given a grand tour of the place. Before I could go on missions, I had to study everything about Akuma, the Black Order, Innocence, Noah, and so on. It was a lot to take in, but it was worth it for Lavi.

Allen was the only one who knew about our secret love affair, but he swore to keep it a promise for the sake of his best friend's happiness. Not all of my missions were with Lavi, but the ones that were, I cherished. I secretly stayed in touched with my brother and my friends back home when I could. And there were so many wonderful people at the Black Order, making friends here was incredibly easy.

I loved my life at the Black Order – the fun, the thrill, the adventure, it was everything I could ever ask for. I loved my life with Lavi, most of all, though. We haven't had sex yet and we don't plan to be married – that would most likely be impossible – but I was content living with him in private, loving him like I had no other.

And, so, like all sappy princess stories, we all lived "happily ever after."

Author's Note: Well! I had fun writing this. I wanna thank everyone for reading, reviewing, favorite-ing, all of it. And also for staying with the story despite how Mary Sue I unintentionally made Elizabeth. I was honestly going to stop it after the third chapter. So, I hope you all enjoyed reading this and thank you for your support!

– Eri