The Victoria River vireen mine was closed. Vincent was right in front of it, sitting on the back of Sparks with Spencer on his own horse nearby. Neither of them wore the grey uniform of the Governor's guard anymore, with Vincent finally back in his familiar black coat, but they were both still in her company.

They wouldn't be for much longer. They were there to see her do one other thing and then they would be on their way to North Ilsania. She had somehow convinced them both to stay for a little while longer, almost two months, but working for her hadn't been anywhere near as hectic without Nicholas there to cause chaos.

It was their last day with her and because it was easier, they had escorted her out to Victoria River to oversee the closing of the mine. It wasn't their last stop, they had one more left, three hours away, but then they would be gone. Vincent couldn't help the rush of excitement that ran through him at the thought of finally being away from the Governor. The pay was good, but after everything with Nicholas, it hadn't been worth it.

He still had the rock he had taken from the mine a long time ago, barely used since his fight with Nicholas, but there wasn't much power left. He was saving it for another moment of desperation, for when he truly needed such immense power. Until then, he was happy to continue smoking the plant. As far as he was aware, Spencer still had his as well, tucked away at the bottom of his bag.

The two of them stood off to the side while Charlotte talked to the grouchy mayor of Victoria River. His mine might have been the most recent one to open, but it was the first of many that had to close. From the many meetings Vincent had listened in on (both as a guard and not), some of them were staying open to fuel Charlotte's new idea for the province.

"I don't know where all the money has gone," Charlotte had told them both early one morning, a hand running through her greying hair. "But quite a bit of it was aimed at the mines, even ones I didn't know were being built. Apparently the natives weren't the only thing I was being lied about. Can't say I'm surprised.

"Anyway, taking money away from them should help a bit and producing medicines out of what has already been mined will help exports as well. There's a long way to go, but it should be at least one problem solved."

It was a reasonable solution, at least it was to Vincent, who had no idea how running a province was supposed to work. The money wasn't the biggest issue to him anymore, not personally anyway. With Charlotte firing the majority of the guards Nicholas had wastefully hired, there was more than enough for him and Spencer. She had even been able to hire a gardener for her tulips and roses, something she had been far too happy about.

Most of their second tour around Morgot had consisted of personally checking that the mines had either been closed or their efforts pushed towards gathering the mineral for medicines. Charlotte even had people researching it back in New Feridian, how to make medicines that would specifically heal people instead of giving them impossible power. She didn't want people running around the country attacking each other again. It meant there most likely wouldn't be another way to get more of the rock if he wanted it, unless he snuck into a mine again.

Spencer laughing next to him pulled him out of his thoughts. "What is it?" he asked.

He nodded towards the Governor, who had her arms crossed over her chest and a disapproving look on her face. "At least she's not putting up with it anymore," he said. The man she was talking to was glaring at her, voice raised and saying things a mayor should never say to his Governor.

"Only took her almost being killed and having her advisor try to take over," Vincent replied. He still didn't care much for her, but even he could admit that she had learned from her experiences.

"How do you think she'll go in Hurendi Creek?" Spencer asked, his lips pursed.

Vincent shrugged. "I don't know. Didn't she say it was purely ceremonial?" he asked, his mind flashing back to the days before they had left and she had explained what they would be doing. "I suppose there would be an issue if they didn't accept it, but I don't think that will happen. We'll find out soon enough."

"And then we can go!" Spencer exclaimed, sounding like an excited child.

Vincent couldn't hold back his laughter. After two months, both of them were antsy, wanting nothing more than to continue on with their plans. Charlotte had tried to convince them to stay, but even she seemed to understand why they didn't want to be anywhere near New Feridian any longer.

"You're not ready to settle down yet, are you?" Spencer asked, a worried look in his eyes. Vincent's eyebrows raised in surprise, but he didn't get a chance to answer the question. "North Ilsania doesn't know who we are yet. We could make a new start over there, as a couple, doing what we always do. Vincent and the Cannibal, terror of the north."

He couldn't help but laugh at him again. Once his strange jokes had been irritating, sometimes they still were, but he had grown to enjoy them. "You read too many books."

"Says you. You took your name from a book character," Spencer replied and let out a long sigh. "You didn't answer the question."

"I'm not ready to settle down yet... I didn't realise that was something you were worried about," he said and reached over to take his hand from his horse's reins. They should have been paying attention to Charlotte, but they technically weren't her guards anymore. "Would you ever want to?"

"Maybe. I don't know yet," came the nervous reply, before quiet laughter bubbled in the air. "Who would have thought I'd be thinking about settling down with you of all people. Ah, if only sixteen year old me could see us now."

Vincent choked on air, squeezing Spencer's hand a little too hard. Sparks made a noise from under him and he was quick to calm her before whirling towards his partner. "That long?" he asked, shocked when Spencer nodded. "Who steals from someone they fancy? Who fights with someone they fancy?"

"I could ask you the same thing. How long was it for you?"

Part of him didn't want to answer the question, not when it would be embarrassing, but Spencer had already confided in him about it. "I don't know, a long time I think," he said and glanced away, dropping Spencer's hand. His cheeks were hot again, of course they were, but he couldn't stop it.

"Aww, and you were telling me we weren't friends," Spencer said, unfazed by it all. A second of silence drifted between them, awkward and tense. "It's not exactly something we could have done anything about at the time. We were both trying to survive, that's why I did what I did anyway. And because it was fun to tease you, still is."

He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and found him smiling still as if nothing was wrong. Maybe nothing was wrong, it was just Vincent thinking there was. "Well, I don't want to do that anymore," he whispered. After years of trying to hate him and sometimes succeeding, it was strange to finally admit that he wanted it to stop. He was happy with where they had ended up, as new as it was.

"Neither do I," Spencer replied and made a noise in the back of his throat. "How hard do you think it would be to kiss you on horseback?"

"You better not spook Sparks," he said and gave her a pat on the side of her neck.

"Of course you care more about that damn horse than me," Spencer said with a shake of his head and a hand over his heart.

Vincent rolled his eyes and pulled him over, kissing him roughly. "Shut up," he muttered. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be, almost slipping from the saddle. He pushed Spencer back and pat Sparks again when she let out a snort. There was something in his partner's eyes, a strange twinkle that said he expected more later.

Someone cleared their throat nearby and when he looked, Charlotte stood in front of their horses with her arms still crossed over her chest. "It's time to go, boys," she said and gestured to the uniformed guards behind her. It wasn't often that she caught them in the act, but they weren't exactly bothered by who knew and who didn't.

He should have been paying attention to the mine and the angry mayor that was left to stand in the middle of the road. Closing half the mines down wasn't going to do much to help her reputation with the townsfolk, but from what she had told him, she hoped that her plans for the farms and the medicines would help make more jobs for them. Besides, she had enough guards to look after her.

The miners were nowhere to be seen, wooden boards already covering the entrance. The only workers nearby were people transporting crates of vireen on horse and carts. They were supposed to be taking them to New Feridian or to the other mines, where other people would work on them to figure out how to make working medicines. It was something that would have to be monitored closely to make sure no one ran off with something so powerful.

Charlotte had explained it to him once, how they'd been able to make sure no one ran off with vireen. There had been constant searches every time someone left, the miners told that they would be punished should vireen be found on their person. For the most part, it seemed to have worked. They had to continue that threat if they wanted things to work out.

With a frown on his face, Vincent turned away from the mine to follow Charlotte out of town, Spencer sticking close by him. Luckily for them, there were no angry mobs to deal with, no one angry enough to lash out. He couldn't say that things were changing, but they would soon, he just wouldn't be there to see it.

He didn't talk much on the three hour trek north to Hurendi Creek, content to listen to Spencer talk with Charlotte about what they planned to do in North Ilsania. Of course, he didn't speak a word about their actual plans, making up something sweet about getting jobs in a small town, building their own home with the gold they'd been given. It wasn't hard to tell that she didn't believe him, but she let him talk anyway.

It was strange to be back in Hurendi Creek, the place where it had all begun, so to speak. The wanted posters were still on the wall outside the sheriff's office despite the pardon they'd been given as a part of their job, but were covered by images of other mean faces. People occasionally stopped to stare at Vincent in particular, but none said a word when they caught sight of the Governor.

They all knew what she was there for. The nomadic tribe that had set themselves up a few kilometres away and had attempted to make contact with the town. Tucked in the back of the carriage was Charlotte's gift for them, an offering of peace and the start of the treaty the Queen had ordered.

Of course, Vincent didn't know all the details of Charlotte's correspondence with the Queen of Nuran, but both he and Spencer had been assured that she knew of everything that had happened with her nephew. Both of them had been pardoned for their actions by the Queen, but Vincent couldn't care less about what she thought of them.

From the tired mutterings Charlotte occasionally let out over the last two months, the Queen wasn't all that surprised by Nicholas' actions. Disappointed, but not surprised. Vincent never did find out what had sent Nicholas to Ilsania in the first place, only that it had been borderline treasonous. After a while, she stopped talking about it.

Charlotte spoke briefly with the mayor of Hurendi Creek, who eyed Vincent on the back of his horse with a nervous expression. He glared at the mayor and bit back a laugh at the terrified look in his eyes. He would miss that part of living in Morgot, but it was something he could easily earn back once they got to North Ilsania.

They could easily leave then, but even though he wanted to get the show on the road, there was a big enough part of him that wanted to be sure that what he had done in New Feridian had been worth almost losing Spencer. He needed to see the beginnings of the treaty, make sure that no one else would needlessly kill someone who was just trying to offer help.

The Governor looked nervous as she pulled the two baskets of food and supplies from the back of the carriage and began the long walk towards where the tribe was staying. They couldn't have been there for more than a month, possibly settling in for the autumn. It was the perfect opportunity for Charlotte to start making amends to them. Eventually, she would head back to Riuta, when it wasn't so dangerous for her, of course.

As with most of the tribes and even towns Vincent had come across, they were hidden in the rough and rocky terrain of the trees. Their chatter was loud in his ears, cheerful and oblivious to the people making their way towards them. It silenced as they drew closer, the air around them growing tense and Vincent could hear them scrabbling across the dirt.

It was only him, Spencer, Charlotte and two guards. A smaller group had felt better, less intimidating, but it also meant less safety if things did go wrong. He doubted it would, but there was always worry in the back of his mind. Sparks had been left back in Hurendi Creek with the carriage, so it wouldn't be that easy to run away.

When they finally walked out into the open area the tribe had set up in, they found them standing with spears in hand, guarding those who could not fight. Vincent's heart ached at the sight and he held his hands up to show that he held no weapons. All he had on his was his knife, used to cut down foliage that got in their way. He'd never use it against them.

The only one of them who didn't hold up their hands was Charlotte, who took two steps forward with a shaky sigh, still holding the baskets. Vincent glanced over at Spencer, but couldn't tell what he was thinking about being in the presence of a tribe again. Last time had been strange and they'd never spoken about it, there hadn't been a chance.

Charlotte held up the baskets, filled with freshly baked bread and other foods they had brought over from Nuran. Tucked at the bottom of each one was vireen mined from Victoria River, supposed to be a sign that she trusted them with the power, as if they hadn't had access to it for years already.

One man, a spear in his hands, strode forward to take the baskets from her. He looked into them, moving things around with a deep frown before looking back up at Charlotte in confusion. Vincent hissed in a breath, teeth gnawing on his bottom lip as he shuffled closer to Spencer.

Another man, this one far older, with wrinkles covering his face and hair so grey that it was almost white, walked out from the pack. He spared a quick glance at the baskets, a smile on his weathered face, but he walked towards a nervous Charlotte. She kept her mouth shut when he reached her, but didn't resist when he grabbed her hand. He pulled her towards the group of people, saying something none of them could understand, before turning and gesturing for the rest of them to follow.

The contents of the basket were quickly spread across the fifty or so people living among the trees. The old man drew Charlotte further into the crowd, towards an unlit fire pit, a smile on his face. A hand squeezed Vincent's as he followed her and Spencer shot him a nervous smile. He squeezed back, relief washing over him.

The look of awkward fear on Charlotte's face made him laugh. It had to be her first real experience with the native people of Ilsania and she had no idea what she was supposed to do. Neither did Vincent, if he was being honest, he'd only been with them for more than a few hours once and it had only been because he was injured at the time.

All of them were welcome with open arms and confused faces, most deviating to Spencer and his familiar features. He looked as uncomfortable as he had last time it'd happened, and Vincent didn't let go of his hand. Some would reach up and touch his face like the old woman in Riuta had, but most would give him a pat on the arm and a smile as if they were welcoming him home.

They sat together and ate food handed to them by people who kept drifting through the crowds, never allowing Vincent to properly see their faces. He didn't know what he was eating, but he took it gratefully, smiling at whoever passed him by. Spencer leaned against his shoulder, a hand on his knee and his thumb rubbing circles against the fabric.

He didn't know how long they sat there for, hours at least. A few people around them sang strange songs as they ate. Nearby, Charlotte sat with the old man who had greeted her, trying to have a conversation with him. At one point, she met his eye and gave him a smile, but didn't try to speak to him. There was surprise in her eyes at the fact that her offering had worked and that the people she was trying to talk to weren't the savages she had been led to believe they were.

A few of the people from the tribe tried to talk to them, Spencer mainly, but realised quickly that neither of them could understand the language they used. Huffing with laughter, Spencer leaned over to whisper in his ear. "This is nice, isn't it?" he said.

He hummed in agreement. "It went better than I thought it would, to be honest," he replied and pressed a kiss to Spencer's temple.

"But I think it's time we go, don't you?" he asked and glanced up at the sky. "It's getting late and I want to at least make a start. It's a long way to North Ilsania, you know?"

Charlotte didn't notice them leaving until they were halfway back to the trees, passing by the questioning looks of the tribe. She hurried after them and Vincent raised an eyebrow when he heard her shuffling across the dirt in a dress that wasn't designed for it. "I expected you to at least say goodbye," she said in disapproval.

"You looked busy," Spencer said.

"I am," she agreed and glanced over her shoulder at the people waiting for her. "I will be for quite some time, I think. Thank you for helping me see what was right under my nose. I know I've said it a thousand times, but I'm sorry for the way it happened."

Spencer waved her away. "It doesn't matter, it all worked out," he told her, but it wasn't hard to tell that he was lying. Neither of them were happy with what had happened, but at least it was over.

"Just... Be careful out there, boys. I might have given you a pardon here, but I can't do much in North Ilsania," she said and gave them both a pat on the shoulder.

"No promises," Vincent said. They were going to do whatever they wanted in North Ilsania, as free men.

It was such a short goodbye to someone who had been a part of their life for the last few months, someone who was almost constant, but he had never been one for long drawn out goodbyes. They were never going to see her again most likely, but she was on the right track as Governor of Morgot. He didn't need to worry about anything, hopefully.

Sparks nudged his hand when they reached her again and he smiled at her. "Hi, sweetie," he whispered.

"Oh, so she's sweetie, is she?" Spencer asked as he climbed atop his own horse, who had yet to be given a name.

Vincent gave him an odd look. "Do you want to be called sweetie?" he asked.

Spencer was silent for a moment before he made a disgusted face. "No."

"Then what are you complaining about?"

"You like your horse more than me."

"It's good that you know where you stand," Vincent said and walked over to the stallion his partner sat on. He stood on his toes and pulled Spencer down, crushing their lips together. He laughed when Spencer shoved him away to stop himself from falling. "I'll kiss you properly later."

Sparks was quiet when he climbed onto her back and checked his bags to make sure nothing had been stolen. He sighed when he was done, casting a quick glance over Hurendi Creek. He didn't think he would ever be back in the small town, but it seemed like a fitting place. It was where he had planned to leave from all those months ago, although he never expected to be leaving with Spencer, of all people.

The sound of bag buckles unclasping brought his attention to his partner. Spencer reached in and pulled out something Vincent hadn't seen in a long time. The leather mask he had been asked to take off the day they arrived in New Feridian. Both of them regarded it in silence for a couple of minutes.

"Are you going to wear it?" Vincent asked, startling Spencer.

The silence stretched on until Spencer sighed and lowered his hand. "No, I don't think I need it anymore," he whispered and after a second to breathe, dropped it into the dirt. "Come on, let's get going."

Vincent didn't spare the mask or the town another glance as they rode north out of town. If he listened carefully, the sounds of singing reached his ears, drifting between the trees. It brought a smile to his face, the joy and the cheer of a province trying to change. Maybe someday in the future, he would see how they were doing, but for the moment, he wanted something new with Spencer at his side.

THE END

A.N: That's all folks! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did. As per usual, if you want to read more there are a couple of extras on my patreon (including an NSFW one ;) ) with more coming in the next few months!