It was almost mid-afternoon when Seda dismounted Sakura and walked into the Southwestern border, where he saw a few people dressed in black lowering a lifeless, bloody and presumably-naked body, even though he couldn't see the lifeless body since it was inside a well-built casket, into the ground before the man shoveled dirt onto the grave and covered the wooden casket completely. As he approached, Seda saw a bucket of water that was bloody, meaning that there were clothes soaking in the water.

"What's going on here?" Seda asked, looking at the mourning people as he approached.

"Our Leonardo has been murdered last night..." A man said, embracing his now-crying wife as she cried onto his shoulder.

"Murdered?" Seda repeated. "By who?"

The woman left her husband and walked up to Seda, holding something small in her hand.

"His assassin was holding this when he murdered our son..." She said before she handed Seda a wrapped-up bundle.

Taking it and unwrapping it, Seda's eyes widened as he saw the familiar golden dagger that the assassin from his own country wielded two nights ago. Clenching his teeth, he looked at the two with anger and determination.

"Which way did he go?!" Seda asked, looking at the mourning couple.

The two didn't answer, but simply pointed to the northeast. Almost immediately, Seda quickly mounted Sakura and rode off.

Upon arriving, he saw a few people dressed in their usual clothing as he dismounted and raced to a nearby church, ignoring a beautiful white horse-drawn carriage on the way despite the snow that continued to fall from the clouds above.

As he arrived at the church, he saw something that wasn't even there before, but as he neared, Seda's eyes grew dark as he realized what it was. An iron gate, attended by two armored guards. The guards noticed him as he drew close, but said nothing. Just before he neared ten paces from the gate, the guards crossed their spears.

"No admittance," The guard on the left said. "Begone."

"I need to see Sophia." Seda said, looking at both of them. "Can I see her?"

The soldier on the right chuckled. "Do you not hear, boy? Only members of the royal family can enter. Now get lost."

Seda massaged the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"I hate to do this..." Seda said as he knocked both of the guards out and shoved the doors open, earning a few surprised looks from the guests as he screamed. "I OBJECT!"

At this, Leonardo stopped and turned to him. "What's going on here?"

"Get away from Sophia, you murderer!" Seda said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword and glaring at the man that was standing in front of the altar of the church as the priest backed away.

Suddenly, the dagger that was inside the saddlebag flew out and reached its owner, cutting the young king's face slightly as Seda wiped the blood off and glared at the man that was now holding the dagger.

"I must say, you were very foolish to kill my father on that night." He said, smirking as he revealed his true form after he froze everyone. "I was upset that I found that bleeding wound in his chest, but I was angered at the fact that you were the one that threw him out."

As a huge wave of dark energy slammed the doors and locked them, Seda glared at the man standing in front of the altar.

"It's funny seeing how my father wasn't able to kill you, but I would gladly finish what he started!" Navarre said as he ran towards Seda, quickly stabbing him with the dagger…

…Or so he thought.

Confused, the assassin looked right into Seda's eyes and was shocked to see that they were red with cat-like slits in them. He was holding the hand that was holding the dagger in a deathlike grip as a wicked smirk formed on his lips, the sharp point of the dagger just near his abdomen. Before Navarre got a chance to react, Seda stabbed his sword up and through the assassin, throwing him through the stained glass window and into the ocean below.

As the dark energy faded from his body completely, Seda quickly turned and saw everyone surveying the damage until his heart skipped a beat when he saw Sophia standing there, in front of the door, wearing her usual orange dress as tears ran down her cheeks.

"You saved me, Seda!" She said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I thought that..."

"I was going to get killed?" Seda asked, finishing her sentence as she nodded. "Not at all, my love."

"Well..." Leon, Sophia's father and the king of her country, said as he looked at his daughter. "You passed, Seda."

"What do you mean?" Seda asked, looking up at his girlfriend's father.

"Since you saved my daughter, you can stay with her however long you like." He said, smiling.

Seda smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Your Majesty."

X~X~X

As Christmas came closer and closer, everyone was getting ready for the festivities and started decorating a huge tree that sat in the foyer of the castle while placing presents underneath it.

Seda was in his room, looking at the snow-covered city as Sophia came into the room while holding a plate of freshly-baked cookies. She was wearing a beautiful red dress with white wool stitched on the edges and a gold necklace with a ruby embedded in the center. A pair of sapphire earrings dangled from her ears.

Carefully setting the plate down as well as a mug of hot chocolate, she looked at him and smiled as she took a small sip of her drink.

"We're going to have a beautiful Christmas." Sophia said, smiling as she placed her warm hand over his. "Why don't you come inside? It's getting cold out here."

"Alright." Seda said, shutting the doors leading out to the balcony as he sat down across from her.

As she sat down, Sophia noticed a wrapped box that was standing next to his bed and looked at it.

"What's this?" She asked, looking at it before shaking it.

"It's for you, but please don't open it." Seda said, looking at her as he took a bite out of a cookie that was still warm. He wasn't too fond of sweets.

"Okay, I won't." Sophia said, giggling as she heard banging outside the door. "I guess I'd better get going."

"Okay." Seda said, watching as she left without even stopping to notice a piece of mistletoe hanging above the doorframe before he stopped her. "Wait, Sophia."

"Yes?" She asked, turning towards him and stopping as she saw his red face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just that..." Seda said, his face turning redder than his coat. "You forgot something."

"What is it?" She asked as he walked up to her.

Before she could understand, Seda took her hand and looked into her eyes before he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Her cheeks were flushed as she returned the kiss, her eyes slowly drifting close as they broke apart at last.

"What was that for?" She asked, feeling her face turn bright red before she saw the mistletoe hanging above them.

"Here." Seda said, handing her the wrapped box that he had next to his bed. "Don't open it until you get home and when you're alone."

"Alright." She said, taking the small gift and turning away from him.

X~X~X

When she got home, Sophia immediately took her cloak off and hung it up as she entered the kitchen, where she saw her parents sitting at the dining table.

"How are you, honey?" Julia asked, looking at her daughter as she placed a salad bowl on the table.

"Great." Sophia said, her nose running as she smelled the scent of tomatoes in her bowl after she helped herself to the spinach salad. "Just got my gift from Seda."

"Really?" Leon asked, surprised. "Where is it?"

"In my room." She said, blowing the steam off before putting the tomato soup in her mouth. "He wants me to open it alone."

"Alright." He said as they continued eating.

After she ate and bid her parents good-night, Sophia entered her room and saw the gift that Seda gave her, picking it up.

"I wonder what he got me..." She wondered before tearing the paper and opening the box, only to find a small, velvet, violet box inside.

Her heart was pounding rapidly inside her chest as she swallowed, picked up the small box and opened it…

…and almost died from what that she was seeing.

It was a beautiful sapphire ring, the gem almost matching the color of her eyes as she carefully took the ring out and looked at it before a familiar voice broke the silence.

"You like it?"

Sophia snapped out of her trance and turned to find Seda leaning against the balcony, smiling.

"Seda!" She cried as she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's beautiful! Thank you!"

"You're welcome." He said, smiling as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I have another question for you."

"If it's a proposal, then yes!" She said, kissing him on the lips.

When the kiss broke, he looked at her and noticed the tears running down her face as he smiled.

"We have a lot to plan for this day." He whispered into her ear, feeling her nod into his coat.

X~X~X

The day of the wedding was on a beautiful Christmas morning as everyone in the city headed to a church that was built next to the castle, eager to see the royal couple when they emerged from the doors.

In one of the rooms, Sophia was wearing a beautiful white dress that was zipped up in the back and was strapless. She also wore white gloves and shoes as Julia gave her a beautiful woven bouquet of red and white roses. Her hair was in a tight ponytail, framing the sides of her beautiful face.

"Don't be scared, sweetheart." She said, smiling at her daughter.

Nodding and taking a deep breath, Sophia took her father's hand and walked out into the church, taking her beloved's hand when she reached the altar.

After they had said their eternal vows, Sophia smiled as she wrapped her arms around her lover's neck and shared her first kiss with him to confirm their love for each other before he picked her up and carried her out to the horse-drawn carriage waiting for them.

Everything turned out well in the end.

X~X~X

A/N: That's the end! I'm sorry for letting this story SIT THERE, but thankfully its over. I've had a horrible writer's block last month, and I'm thankful it's gone now. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I had making it.