This is the last chapter, so y'all know what that means :( I have loved all the reviews and I'm just gonna warn you I cry when I read this chapter. There will be a sequel and I have other one shots coming…Hope y'all like it!

Chapter 18

Milori and Clarion rushed back to the border. They were breathing heavily when they arrived. Milori sunk into the snow.

"Milori? Dear?" Clarion stepped as far as she could. She didn't dare cross. "Are-are you ok?" Her voice was quivering as she looked at the love of her life lying in the snow. He slowly stood up, his wings facing winter. He wouldn't look her in the eyes. Clarion slowly reached out and spun him around. She gasped and hugged Milori tightly. "They aren't broken! Milori! Your wings aren't broken!" Milori turned back to look and jumped for joy.

"We made it! Clarion we did it!" They laughed together and kissed. "I love you Clarion!"

"I love you too Milori!" They stood in each other's arms for a few moments. "Milori, you can never cross again. No matter what!" Clarion said sternly.

"Ok...but you are still going to visit me in winter, right?" Clarion sighed and looked away. "If you wear your coat you'll be fine!" Milori began to protest.

"Alright! But only because I love you!" She giggled before kissing him again. "But I'm not coming as often." She said in a more serious manner.

"Alright! But only because I love you!" He mocked before pulling her in for another kiss. But before he could plant his lips on hers, they heard a cry from the air.

"Milori!" Clarion shrieked and pointed to the sky. As she pointed a large hawk dove down at the couple. "Milori!" She yelled even louder. He acted quickly and pick her up. With his lover in his arms he flew into autumn. He carried her quickly into a hole in a tree. He set her down and looked outside. The hawk cried out again and dove towards Milori. He couldn't move quick enough this time, and the hawk grabbed him in his large talons.

"Ah!" Milori yelled as the bird of prey flew off with him. With tears streaking down her face, Clarion flew after her love.

"I'm coming!" She called out to him as she shot light rays at the bird. "I'm coming for you Milori!" She reassured her boyfriend, who was screaming. The bird faltered when hit with the rays, but soon regained its senses. Clarion had to resort to using her fast-flying talents. "Milori! Don't worry!" She created a tornado and sent it towards the hawk as quickly as she could. The bird was swept away in it and dropped Milori. Clarion flew as quickly as she could to catch him. She grabbed his arms and tried to stop him from falling, but they plummeted to the ground. They hit hard with a 'thud'.

"Milori?" Clarion was about to go on when they heard the hawk again. Clarion dragged Milori into the base of a tree and out of harm's way. She watched the hawk fly away. She ran back to Milori when she heard him groan. "Milori!" She ran and hugged him.

"Ree? Thank you..." He was hardly awake. "For saving me. I love you so much." Clarion let a small smile grow on her face as the tears poured from her eyes.

"I love you too! More than anything in the world." She kissed him passionately. "I thought I was going to lose you." She began to cry again. Milori wiped her tears.

"I thought I was going to lose you." He said with a small smile. Seeing Milori smile reassured her.

"You will never lose me Milori. I love you with all my heart. And that will never change." Milori was going to reply when he let a small grunt of pain escape his lips.

"I love you too Clarion. But right now I need to get back to winter." Clarion nodded and began to help him up. He walked slowly ahead of her only to hear her gasp. "What?! Ree what is it?!" He asked alarmed as he placed his hands firmly on her arms.

"Your wing..." She said so quietly he could barely hear. He looked back and had to stifle his own gasp. "It's ripped." She quickly pulled him through the woods. She hadn't realized how far they had gotten from the border. "Please! Please let him be alright!" She thought out loud. Milori heard her and stopped dead in his tracks. "Milori! Come on you need to get back to winter!" He shook his head.

"Clarion, I will be alright. I need you to know that before I move another step. I will be ok no matter what as long as you are by my side." He kissed her as tears began to fall from her eyes again. "I love you Clarion. And a ripped wing won't ever change that."

"I love you too-" she was interrupted by the sound of tearing. They turned to his wing to see the rip grow. Finally his right wing ripped off completely and fell to the ground. "No...No...NO!" Clarion screamed and pick up the broken half of his wing. She pulled him back to the border and pushed him into the snow. She knelt beside her lover and desperately tried using her healing talent to heal his wing.

"Clarion...dear." Milori turned to her.

"No! I can do it Milori! I can fix your wing. Just let me keep trying." She spoke through her sobs. It was then Mary and Vidia flew up.

"Oh no..." Mary whispered.

"Ree. It's over...my wing is broken. And there's no cure for a broken wing." He spoke slowly as he wiped away her tears. He cupped her face and kissed her gently. "Thank you for trying, but it will never be fixed." Just then he felt light headed and passed out. Vidia and Mary flew to Clarion side. She was hysterical.

"Milori will be ok. He just needs to let the cold get to him." Clarion nodded at Mary's words and took a step back into the warmth.

"He broke his wing...because of me." Clarion collapsed to the ground crying her eyes out. Mary flew to her friend and hugged her tightly, but Vidia stood there fuming.

"This is what love does Ree!" She shouted, her anger boiling over.

"What?" Clarion looked up.

"This is what love does! The stupid sparrow man leads you on and makes you love him! Then he breaks your heart!" Vidia was screaming as loud as she could.

"Milori didn't do that! He truly loves me!" Clarion stood and began to shout too.

"Yeah right!" Vidia spat. "He had it all planned. He was going to make you fall for him and then hurt you!"

"No!" Clarion's face was beet red from anger. "Milori would never do that to me! And why would he plan to break his wing!"

"Maybe his plan didn't go accordingly, but it worked!" Vidia shouted back to the new queen. "He made you love him, and broke your heart! It's what love does!"

"No it's what evil sparrow men do! Sparrow men like Gale!" Vidia tensed at her ex-boyfriend's name. She covered her pain by rolling her eyes. "Milori really loves me! And I really love him!" Milori slowly awoke but was too weak to speak, to break up the fight. "If you can't see that then just leave! I hate you!" Clarion wanted to take back her words as soon as she said them. It hurt her so much to tell one of her best friends that. Vidia's heart broke even more; she knew she had lost Ree forever.

"Fine! But getting rid of me won't fix Milori's wing! Nothing will! You should have known something like this would happen!" And with that Vidia flew away at fast-flying speeds.

"I know...and I'm so sorry." Clarion whispered into the cool autumn air.

"Ree?" Mary asked gently. Clarion turned to her friend with tear filled eyes. "Vidia will come around. She just needs time to cool down."

"Oh I hope." Clarion sighed before turning to see Milori awake. "Darling!" She flew quickly to her lover.

"Ree! I'm ok dear." He said with a small chuckle.

"But your wing..." She held up the broken half. "It's broken." He took the wing from her and threw it into the water.

"I could care less about it." She couldn't look him in the eyes.

"It broke because of me..."

"No it didn't!" Milori told her firmly.

"Yes it did! If you hadn't crossed your wings wouldn't have been weak. If you didn't have to save me-" Clarion was cut off by a kiss.

"You know it's not your fault. It was an accident. And I'm not upset Ree."

"I can tell you are." She said quietly before adding, "And it's all my fault." Milori just kissed her again.

"No, please listen to me." He paused and waited until she looked him in the eyes. "I will never blame you, ever. I'm not upset. When I said I would give up anything to protect you I meant it. I could care less if I never fly again. You take me places flying could never take me. I love you with all my heart, and a broken wing doesn't change that. It never will." He kissed her with everything he felt.

"I love you too. I always will. No matter how many seasons come and go, my heart will always belong to you, Milori. I promise one day I will find a way to make everything up to you. But Milori..." She trailed off and took a deep breath. "It's too dangerous for us to be together. I can't allow you to put your life in danger for me. I love you too much." She kissed him again but he pulled back quickly.

"Clarion don't do this. It would kill me to leave you. You're the only fairy I've ever loved and I will never love anyone else." Milori had tears forming in his eyes. Mary was floating behind the lovers crying as well.

"Milori, it's for the best. I think we both knew from the beginning we could never be together truly. It was only a matter of time." She kissed him gently and he pulled her close. They held the kiss longer than they ever had before. "I love you Milori."

"I love you too, Clarion." He kissed her again as she stood to leave. "Clarion?" She turned back to him tears streaming down her cheeks. Milori crossed the border and hugged her tightly, wiping away her tears. He pulled back but held her hands firmly. "Please, one more sunset. At the border." He begged.

"One more sunset." She said through her sobs. "I'll be here."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." As Milori spoke she pulled her hands away and flew off. She didn't look back. Mary stared at Milori.

"I promise she'll be fine. I'll bring her to the border tomorrow. Go home and rest. You need it." Mary hugged Milori.

"I'm going to miss all your stories." Mary nodded before following Clarion. Milori walked back to his home.

The next day Clarion locked herself in her room until sunset. She didn't care if she had royal duties to attend to. She didn't care if the ministers were banging at her door. She stay there and cried into her pillow. At sunset Mary flew through her window.

"You're lucky none of the ministers are smart enough to go through the window."

"Mary, what do you want?" Clarion asked annoyed.

"I promised Milori I'd bring you to the border. Now come on, you don't want to miss it." She took Clarion's hand and dragged her to the border. Milori was waiting. Mary hugged her friend and flew away before she could cry.

"Hello my love." Milori walked to the edge of the border.

"Darling." Clarion walked up to him and kissed his nose. "I wish I didn't have to leave your side yesterday."

"I know you didn't sweetheart. But I'm fine. Dewey even helped me figure out how to fly again!" Clarion gasped.

"Really?"

"Well sort of. We tamed a snowy owl and she flies me around now." Clarion giggled, which eased the tension in the air.

"You always wanted to ride the owls!" He nodded.

"You remembered!" She laughed again.

"How could I forget?!" He pulled her closer and kissed her passionately. Together they talked until the morning star came out. Clarion sighed. They had been sitting together and kissing for a good portion of the night, but it was over now. She stood and began to talk in a business voice.

"Lord Milori." She began.

"Ree?" He looked alarmed at her.

"Lord Milori, it has come to my attention that crossing the border is extremely dangerous. So I'm passing a law to forbid fairies from crossing. I would like your consent." She pulled out a sheet of paper and pen. Milori looked crushed.

"Honey?" He whispered as he took the paper.

"I don't want to do this sweetheart. But you are the lord and I am the queen. We have to put our fairies before us." She began to cry. Milori wrapped his arms around her.

"I suppose you're right. Even if I disagreed you'd end up changing my mind. I can never win an argument with you." He looked as though he would break down and cry as he signed off on the law. The sun was coming up now and they fell into the first awkward silence they ever had.

"I'm never going to stop loving you Milori." Milori embraced her.

"I know you won't. I won't either. I love you Clarion." She reached up and kissed him.

"I don't want to say good bye." She sniffled back tears as she tried to stay strong.

"Then let's not."

"Milori..." Clarion sighed.

"Let's just say 'I'll see you later'." Clarion gave him a small smiled. They kissed again.

"I'll see you later Milori." She kissed him again, "I love you."

"I love you too." Milori kissed her one last time. "I'll see you again Clarion. That's a promise." They let go of each other and walked away from the border. They each took one last look over their shoulders. One last look at their loves. One last look at the border that started it all.