Happy Ever After

 Her lips were so soft. It was the only thing Paltar could focus on, as everything else seemed to melt away. Only Nanna was here. And that was all that mattered.

When they finally parted, their breath still mingling, it was still difficult to look at her. Instead, he held her hand, which burned as hot as his own. It was difficult to tell where he ended and where she began, and at the same time, he was very much aware that she was there, a human being completely separate from him and yet so close.

"Ah..."

He didn't know what to say. This was more than he ever dared to dream, but why did it feel like he wanted more? He smiled at her.

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Her face was flushed, but she looked him straight in the eye.

"Don't say things like that, or I'll feel bad." She stopped herself and sighed. "No, I mean... I don't want to ruin this. And I hope..."

"I love you." He squeezed her hand. "I know that now."

She made a choking sound, and for a moment it felt like she was going to pull her hand away. Everything in Paltar tensed, and he was already loosening his own hand. But then she stopped, and instead, she gripped his hand tighter.

"I love you too," she whispered.

His heart skipped a beat as their fingertips brushed against each other, blazing hot like little torches in the darkness. He would never forget this moment, he was sure. And he would keep her close, as long as he could.

"Then... let's go," he said. "Let's go home."

She nodded at him.

"Sure." Her smile was as bright as the sun. "We can overcome any difficulty, right?"

"I think so." He grinned back. "After all, we got through all this-"

"Beautiful, just beautiful!"

Their moment was suddenly interrupted by Reod, clapping loudly and sniffling.
"That was a truly heartfelt confession! Even better than I imagined!" He sighed.

Paltar glared at him.

"Can you stop that?"

"Oh?" Reod grinned at him. "Not satisfied with my congratulations?"

Paltar shook his head. "I'm not, and you should know that."

But Reod didn't seem to hear him. Instead, he tilted his head to the side, humming and hawing as if deep in thought.

"There should be..." he murmured.

Paltar looked at Nanna.

"Shall we go?" he whispered to her.

She nodded.

"But where is the exit?"

Paltar would be so happy never to hear that question again in his life. He tried to steal a few glances around them, but it looked like there was just... nothing beyond the farm. The land stretched out into white nothingness where his eyes could not see further. Had Reod summoned this specifically for them? He still couldn't understand the wizard. Maybe he never would.

"Ah!"

Reod jumped up and clapped his hands.

"There it is."

Paltar jumped. What was he going to do to them now? What if he wasn't finished with them—what if he had more trials in store for them? After all, he hadn't said he was done yet.

They couldn't trust him. Not completely.

So he watched the golden glow between Reod's hands carefully until it faded completely. Between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand, Reod was holding something. Paltar blinked, but it wasn't necessary. Reod came closer, smiling at him the whole time.

"For you," he said. "The princess should be satisfied with her curse being broken. But you have done unusually well, Paltar."

A golden needle gleamed between his fingers.

"I have no use for this old thing," Reod explained, "but I'm sure you can make good use of it."
He smiled even wider.

"Open your hands!"

"Uhh... thank you?"

Paltar held out his hand, and Reod dropped the needle into his open palm.

"Oh, you should never thank a wizard." He smiled at him in a way that was supposed to be pleasant but reminded Paltar more of a shark. "I look forward to seeing what you can do with it."

This time Paltar did not thank him. Still, it was a nice present. Carefully, he placed it on the pincushion on his wrist. There it shone even brighter than his other needles, and he had the feeling he wouldn't lose it.

Suddenly, his arm was grabbed by Nanna, and he stumbled into her. 

"Well, thank you, o great wizard, but we have to go," she said, looking at Reod the whole time. "Can you show us where the exit is? …Please?"

"Sure, sure."

Reod waved his hands and the door to the barn began to glow. He didn’t need to explain the swirling, sparkling light to them. Paltar knew exactly that it would lead them outside. Still, he held Nanna’s hand in his own as they made their way over there. 

It was still strange to see real, powerful magic, even though they had been through so much. Nanna seemed to feel the same way. He could feel her tense up next to him.

"We did it," he whispered to her.

"We did," she murmured back.

They were done. Once they stepped through the portal, they would be back in the real world. Maybe they could stop by the inn, or even his parents' farm if Nanna wanted to. But there was so much else they had to think about: she was a princess, after all. And he would be her tailor. Or more, if all went well.

He forced a deep breath. He shouldn't think about the future, not when they could enjoy this moment. And he would treasure it forever, he was sure. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead to calm her and himself. It felt natural, like an extension of all their interactions before. And when he looked into her eyes, she smiled.

"Until we meet again!" Reod waved at them.

Nanna stared back.

"As if that will ever happen!" she hissed under her breath.

But she said nothing more. Instead, she took Paltar's hand and smiled at him.

"Let's go."

That was more than enough for him.