After a couple days, it was time for San to leave. He was meeting his army on the border of the kingdom, but he was having a hard time leaving.

He was eternally grateful for what Kita had done for him. No one could explain it, but it was like she had obliterated any dark thought, deed, ambition, from his heart.

Of course, that was now replaced by extreme guilt, which he knew he would carry with him for the rest of his life. He remembered everything he did. Every. Single. Thing.

All the lives he took, the people he had hurt... Playing with Wooyoung. No. Taking advantage of Wooyoung... and he did the same thing to Kita. But with her it felt infinitely worse because she had given him a second chance.

When it came time for him to say goodbye to the king, he was scared. His eyes stayed locked on the floor and he kept his head bowed a little. He could feel eyes watching him as he walked up to the throne, and as he got down on one knee to show respect to the king.

"That is not necessary, King San. Please."

San stood slowly and looked at the king. Kita looked so much like him; it made his heart hurt a little looking at him.

"Are you all set for the journey home?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your generosity. How can I ever repay you?" San said quietly. He didn't deserve any of this. The food, the supplies, the kindness.

"You just keep your head high and do your best to take care of your people. We have all been through a lot, and now it's time for us to move on and get stronger. I except to see you a lot more in the future." The king smiled, a warm and genuine smile.

San felt his heart beat a little faster. No wonder Twilight was the kingdom of healing. He bowed low. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I look forward to seeing you as well."

He heard someone walking up behind him and turned to look. Kita was walking to him, wearing a beautiful pale-yellow dress that made her skin glow. She smiled at him, but he noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes,

Wooyoung was next to her, dressed in a navy and white military uniform. He cleaned up nicely and was falling into his role as Kita's betrothed perfectly.

The both stopped and bowed their heads in greeting, then Kita took San's hands in hers. "We came to see you off." San felt himself blush a little and his mouth opened and closed a couple times. His eyes flicked to Wooyoung's, who was giving him a bright, half-smile and nodding.

"Thank you." San whispered. He turned to bow to the king one more time, then walked out of the main hall, still holding hands with Kita.

They were silent for a long moment as they walked away from the palace. He could see his carriage waiting for him, but he didn't want to go. San stopped walking.

"San?" Kita asked, turning to him. As if she could hear his thoughts, she pulled him into a hug. "San, all has been forgiven. It doesn't do good to dwell on the past. What's done is done, and now we all need to work on moving on. Wooyoung and I have forgiven you, now you need to work on forgiving yourself."

He felt the tears building up as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her neck. They stayed that way for a long time, but eventually Kita pulled away. She placed one hand on his cheek and gave him one more half smile, before she turned and went to stand next to Wooyoung.

"Have a safe trip home." Wooyoung said, nodding to him.

"Thank you... Youngie." San said, his voice getting really soft. With one last bow, San turned and got into his carriage, praying that he could live up to the second chance that he had been given.

.

.

.

.

Wooyoung wrapped his arm around Kita's waist and pulled her to him, kissing the side of her head. "Are you ok?"

She hummed and leaned into him, closing her eyes.

"What do you want to do now?"

"I'm kind of tired." Kita said.

"Ok, Love. Let's get you back to the palace." He said, turning them around and pulling her with him.

The silence was awkward for him. He wanted to talk to her about what had happened, but she hadn't been herself since she confessed she lost the baby. It didn't change anything for him, if anything it made him love her more. But he didn't know how to tell her that. She hadn't shown a real smile for days.

He missed it. He missed her.

When they got to their room, Wooyoung helped her into bed and tucked her in, kissing her forehead gently. "I'll come join you in a little bit."

She didn't respond.

Wooyoung let out a low breath and walked out of the room. He needed to find a way to cheer her up, so he went in search of Seonghwa. He found him talking with Mingi in the main hall about how filling in the trenches was going.

He waited patiently, standing off to the side and sliding one foot across the floor.

"Hey, Wooyoung. Is everything ok?" Seonghwa said after a few minutes, walking over to him.

"Honestly? No... I'm worried about Kita. She hasn't been herself since..." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I've noticed that too."

"You know her best. What can we do to try and cheer her up?"

"Knowing my sister, she is probably worried that your feelings have changed. She gives so much to everyone else... Hey!" Seonghwa's eyes lit up. "I know Father approved of the marriage, have you officially proposed to her?"

Wooyoung's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, well, I mean I asked her on the pirate ship, but that was a heat of the moment thing."

"Come on." Seonghwa said, reaching out to grab Wooyoung's hand and pulled him out of the palace.

They went into the town surrounding the palace. Seonghwa went on and one about different things the other could do to propose. The townspeople all bowed as they walked by, which they both nodded their heads in turn, but they didn't stop.

After winding their way through the streets, they ended up at a crafter's store. One that specialized in jewelry. "This is where we commission all the crown jewels from. He does amazing work." Seonghwa said, he was so giddy he hopped up and down a little as he waited for the crafter to appear.

"Your Highness!" An elderly man said, bowing the instant he walked out of the back room. "This is a surprise."

"Hello, old friend. I have a special request for you." Seonghwa smiled, walking up to take the man's hand. "This is Wooyoung. He's going to marry my sister."

The man gasped and brought his free hand to his mouth. His smile was so wide his eyes creased. "Well, you are a lucky man!" He snapped his fingers several times and shuffled into his backroom.

Wooyoung couldn't believe this was happening. He stared after the man with wide eyes.

Seonghwa walked over to him and wrapped an arm around is shoulder. "Don't look so scared, Brother." He chuckled and playfully punched him. "You had to know this was going to happen eventually."

"I-I guess I did. I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly?" He said, questioning what was happening.

"Well, get used to it. Once the wedding planning actually starts, I'm sure things are really going to speed up. But for now, let's work on getting a ring." Seonghwa winked and pulled Wooyoung to a small table that had large chairs for them to sit in.

The old man reappeared after a few minutes holding a couple of cases. "I can't believe this day has finally come, although I must admit I thought you'd be the one coming in here first, Your Highness."

The prince flushed, knowing he couldn't say the real reason as to why he hadn't brought a ring yet. "Yeah, I guess I just haven't found the right girl yet. But I'm glad I can help my future brother-in-law." He took Wooyoung's hand and squeezed it.

"Well, I've got a few premade rings already. Just a few things I've been tinkering with." He opened the first case and there was an array of beautifully crafted rings. Most had a large diamond set in the center, and some of those had halos of diamonds or diamonds set into the band.

Wooyoung gasped. He had never seen anything so perfect. He could see the detail and love that was put into each ring. It was almost too much for him to look at.

"Now these are more traditional. But..." The man smiled and opened the other case. "If I may give my own opinion, our princess in not a traditional kind of girl."

Now it was Seonghwa's turn to gasp. This case was even better. Each ring had a colored gemstone set in the center, sending an array of colors all over the wall as the light reflected off them.

Wooyoung scanned them, then reached out and picked one up. "This one." He said, bringing it to him.

"Good choice." The man said, nodding in approval. "That stone is fitting for a princess. It's called Alexandrite. It has a very unique property to it. May I?" He reached for the ring and held it close to the light on the corner of the table.

The gemstone, which had been a gorgeous green color, morphed into a deep purple red. The man tilted it back and forth, letting the light change the color. It had been cut in the shape of an oval. There was a hallow of small diamonds around it, and it was all set into a white gold band.

"It's perfect." Wooyoung breathed, not able to take his eyes off it.

"Draw up the bill and I will make sure you get paid for it." Seonghwa said, placing a hand on Wooyoung's shoulder.

"Yes, Your Highness. Let me get everything put together." The man shuffled around and took his cases into the back, returning with a small black box that he opened to show the ring. He also handed a folded piece of paper to the prince.

They bowed and Seonghwa led the stunned Wooyoung out of the shop. He glanced down at the tiny box in his hand and felt himself blushing. This was actually happening. He hoped Seonghwa was right. He hoped this would be what Kita needed to be happy again.