All over the kingdom, as the word spread that Lex had been defeated, celebrations began to erupt. Bells rang, music played, people poured out of their houses to see if the story was true. And when they found that it was, that Sleeping Beauty had come home and vanquished Lex, nothing could restrain their joy. There were parties and dances and parades and bonfires, singing and dancing and cheering. Things didn't go back to normal right away; life just didn't work like that. Lex had done some damage during his short-lived reign as king of Kryptonia, and it would take time for that damage to be reversed. But the triumphant return of Sleeping Beauty, broken curses in hand and no suitor in sight, did wonders for the spirit of the kingdom. No longer did the people have to cower in fear of a magical madman. The story of the quest spread far and wide, carried even beyond the kingdom's borders. Now, when tales of dark magic crept throughout Kryptonia, the people had only to point to the palace and remember that their princess was stronger than any curse that might come. With the rightful king back in power, and all the wrongs of Lex's reign beginning to be set right, the mood that seized the kingdom was a mood of hope. No spell could hold Kryptonia anymore, and within a few months, it was well on its way to being the vibrant, happy kingdom it was meant to be.

There were other reasons for happiness, too. In the months following the quest, every person who had been a part of it found their happy ending.

The first one happened right in Kryptonia. After a little convincing from Alex and Kara, plus a reassurance from Kal that he was willing to let bygones be bygones, J'onn decided not to return to his sleepy little village. Instead, he and M'gann settled down in a pleasant, peaceful little cottage a short distance away from the palace. J'onn had no desire to return to his former position as Captain of the Guard, but his insight and experience made him a valuable advisor and he was often called on when there were difficult decisions to be made. It was good to see him happy, learning how to live again, and if Kara was being honest, she had worried about what she'd do without him. He had become a second father to her and Alex both, and it was reassuring to know he would always be there when they needed him.

Alex, too, found happiness in Kryptonia. The quest had opened Kal's eyes to the power of magic, and even though it had been defeated and the people no longer feared it, he knew there was always a possibility of another magic-wielding foe springing up. On J'onn's advice, he created an elite group of knights who were trained to deal with not only the regular threats, but magical ones as well. The Department of Enchanted Operations, it was called, and there was no one more qualified than Alex to lead it. She and her black-armored knights soon became a familiar sight all across the kingdom, and though no one really knew what the DEO was up to at any given time, the people were glad to have it. For Alex, it provided her with a sense of purpose that she hadn't found anywhere else. She had not been meant to be a lady of the court, to follow all the rules of society. Which meant the DEO was perfect for her, since there was no need for social graces and she was free to make the rules herself. Adventure, as she often told Kara when she returned from one mission or another, agreed with her.

Not every story came to an end on Kryptonian soil. It was Lena, perhaps, who faced the biggest change out of all of them. She had never wanted power, never craved the crown as the rest of the Luthor family did. But with Lex imprisoned for his crimes, there was no one else to lead the Luthor kingdom. And once the people learned that their lost princess was found at last, they begged her to take the crown. They remembered clearly how kind and gentle and understanding Lena had been as a princess, and after years of Lex's leadership, they were desperate for a lighter hand. Though at first Lena was hesitant, not wanting to be seen as just another opportunistic Luthor, she eventually realized how much her people needed her. And so, in a simple, elegant ceremony attended by only a handful of those closest to her, with throngs of citizens waiting outside to welcome her when she emerged, the lost Luthor princess became the new Luthor queen. The work of undoing centuries of tyranny would not be an easy undertaking, but Lena had never been one to shy away from a challenge, and as the work went on she confessed to Kara that she was beginning to enjoy it. She made frequent visits to Kryptonia, and her friendship with Kara remained strong as the Luthor kingdom blossomed.

Other kingdoms changed as well. Kara kept her promise to Mon-El, and used her position as the famed Kryptonian princess to put pressure on his parents to change their ways. They did so grudgingly, and it took some time before the people felt any real difference, but eventually a glimmer of hope returned to Daxam. Mon-El resumed his outlaw ways, growing even bolder as his parents' iron fists were forced to loosen. He and Kara weren't able to communicate as often as she would have liked, but he found the time to send a hasty letter every so often, and once in a while he'd manage to slip back to Kryptonia. These meetings were secretive, few and far between, but Kara treasured them, and every time some new tale of Robin Hood's exploits found its way into Kryptonian gossip, it always brought a smile to her face.

As for Nia, she returned to the mountain cottage with Eve, but her power was always growing, and it was not surprising for Kara to walk into her room to find that Nia had magicked a message onto her desk. Whether it was about something she had seen in a dream, or an update on how things were for her, or simply one of the random tangents Nia had always been prone to, the messages were always a welcome surprise for Kara. (Sometimes Nia would skip the message and simply magic herself into Kryptonia, which was a slightly more startling surprise, but no less welcome).

But not all of their little band chose such unconventional paths for their lives. For one of them, the ending to their part in the quest could have been the end to any storybook, complete with true love's kiss and wedding bells ringing. It seemed that Princess Ayla, as Winn had feared, didn't like the fact that he wasn't a prince...and decided to fix that problem by traveling to Kryptonia and proposing to him. As she explained it, marrying a princess would make him a prince, and after that, what else could his family say about it? After a beautiful wedding ceremony- one which all the questers managed to be present for- the happy couple was off to Ayla's kingdom. It was a long journey, which meant Kara didn't get to see much of Winn, but he was always sure to visit at least once a year, and letters flew back and forth between them. It was through one of those letters that Kara learned of the arrival of little Princess Mary. Originally, Winn wrote, they had wanted to name the baby after her, but had eventually decided to name the new princess after his mother instead. To make up for it, he and Ayla wanted Kara to be Mary's "non-fairy godmother," a role Kara was more than happy to take. She couldn't have imagined a better future for Winn. He had finally put his family behind him, and was now free to enjoy life with a family of his own.

If Winn's happy ending was the most conventional, Brainy's was the strangest. The Huntsman had always been somewhat aloof, and that didn't change now that Lex was out of the picture. He spent most of his time in Kryptonia, lending his intellect anywhere it was needed and working closely with Alex and the DEO, but it was not unusual for him to disappear for days or weeks at a time, wandering from kingdom to kingdom. At first Kara had worried about him, but eventually, after bringing the subject up with him, he had reassured her. "I never had a home, not really," he had said. "I found one on the quest, but it wasn't a kingdom. It was all of you. So whether I'm here, or with Lena, or with Winn and Ayla, or with Nia up in Daxam- I'm happy, Kara. I'm happy in my own way."

In the end, that's what all of them were- happy in their own ways. And Kara? She was happy too. The life she was living now was the one she had dreamed of. She spent her days helping her cousin rule Kryptonia, playing with her little nephews, or simply roaming the countryside the way she and Alex used to do. Cat was a frequent visitor, popping up any time and any place she wanted, and once in a while Astra would make a quick, clandestine visit. And there were always other adventures cropping up, not as big as the quest but still exciting. With Alex at her side like always, and her friends always ready to stand with her, Kara kept her kingdom safe, enjoying a life full of all the things she wanted- family, friends, and a little excitement every so often. True love? Maybe she'd find it, one day, but for now, life was everything she could have hoped for. Sleeping Beauty had come awake. The quest was over, and Kara was home.

And so this story ends as all stories should- and they all lived happily ever after.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's all I've got. I'd love to hear your reviews if you enjoyed this story! And if there's something that you would have liked to see in this fic that I didn't get to, pop on over to my Tumblr blog, arrowversefairytales, to request a mini-fic about it! Thanks so much for reading!

-Scarlet