I guess... I guess there's really nothing left for me to do but smile, is there?

Honestly, I can't think of anything. This all worked out amazingly. Better than I planned, even. Pardon my language, but sheesh. Better'n I coulda hoped for. Honestly. Not that I'm some kinda mastermind or anythin', but... well I mean, I dunno. You agree, right? You've been here longer than I have, honestly. Right from the start, when I was still tucked into my silly little house hidin' from demons, you were watchin' everybody else. You ever see these girls be so amazin'? Did you know they could be? 'Cause honestly, I'm kinda shocked. 

Hehe, that's kinda rude, isn't it? When I met Rose I, I mean. Of course I thought she was brave and beautiful and stronger than, like, twenty horses. She carried those muscles like they were treasures from some forgotten vault and just. Wowies, gosh. But honestly it took me a good long while to see past that and realize she was hurtin' inside. Always so scared of breakin' the world, y'know? Or havin' it run away from her so she'd be all alone. It's, mm, it's hard. For someone like me, I mean, to understand where she was comin' from. I never had any strength at all, I couldn't even imagine what it'd feel like to be scared've all the strength runnin' through my body. I kinda still can't, bein' fully honest. 

But the girl she is now? I think she's stronger than the one I met at the start. She's strong enough to choose something I could never, never, never manage in a hundred years, not if I tried every single day. See, Rose? She's strong enough to [i]not[/i] be strong. Does that make any sense? I dunno. She's just, y'know... y'know? Imagine askin' me to choose not to pick up a sword, now that I know how. Or I mean, like, I know she doesn't have to pick, but still. But still. Even if you told me I could spend the rest of my life with Hyra I couldn't do it like she does. I wouldn't wanna. But she? She looks so beautiful. She looks so happy! And I'm so happy for her. All my life for as long as I get to live it I'm gonna take every chance I get to hug her, invite her over to tea, and swap ideas for dresses and stuff. She's bound to have a million in that silly head of hers! And I mean, I can't be wearing this same thing for the rest of my life, right? Sooner or later and about a million stitches from now this has gotta be a special occasion dress. Maybe I should... hm. 

Also I can't believe Kat beat Rose before I could. Kat. [i]Kat![/i] Little flooferdoodle, where have you been hiding all your strength? Hehe, look at her. My precious little bean. She's so pleased with herself. I'm gonna need to break out the good foxnip soon, she's earned it. 

And Hyra beat Yin. Hyra beat Yin!! Remember what it was like, at the start? I thought she was gonna be some kinda final boss but then Hyra just... pow! Wowies. I can't believe how pretty [i]she[/i] is. When she had her hair up, wow, and now her hair is down and wow [i]wow[/i] and her armor is so, so, so! I want to peel it off of her. I do. I'm sorry for just saying it right in front of you, but I feel how I feel. I wanna get her alone, by a pool or a bath or I don't even care, and I wanna slip her incredible shining armor off her legs and arms and chest and waist and neck, and then I wanna kiss the skin that's underneath it. I wanna give her a bath and get my fingers tangled up in that wet, silver hair and listen to her breathing. I wanna lie in her lap, while she's still wet and naked and press my head against her and listen to the breath come in and out of her body and the beating of her heart. I just, wow. She's so strong. She's so brave. She's so, so smart. She could do anything to me. Anything she wants. And I'd do anything to her, too. We could be pet and master, princess and handmaiden, or hero and villain, or we could both be shining swordswomen together or a pair of cuties, or anything else I can't think of at the moment. 

And, and, and. You wanna know something else? I'm gonna marry her, too. But I'm not gonna ask until I manage to beat her in a duel. Maybe that's silly. But I feel like she'd appreciate the gesture. Don't you?

I, uh. Oh. Sorry, this is distracting. I didn't think Chen was gonna see through... I mean, no! I didn't do anything, that sillyhead! She's the one who, who, who, whoosh! Wow! Up in the sky like snowflakes that refused to fall but drifted, drifted, danced and sang, just, just, just, delight and teasing and. Goshies. Yeah. It was her. She's so amazin'. I still, I. I can't even believe it. I can't believe she's my friend. I can't believe she let me come with her. Can't believe she taught me. Can't believe. I can't believe it. I can't. I, I, I, I, I can't. I can't. I can't. I. No. It just doesn't. I can't. I can't, ok?

She shines so bright, like a star. She, ah. Her hugs are so warm. You've no idea. So warm and soft. Even softer than her smile, now that she's gone and floofened herself. I didn't even realize that was an option! Not like this, anyway. She looks so happy. She looks so happy! All my friends look so [i]happy!![/i] It's so amazin' that even after all this time, talkin' and walkin' and trainin' and learnin' everythin' I could about all of 'em, they've all, every single one of them, managed to surprise me in the end. 

Maybe I'm just a sillyhead. But you think so too, right? They're all. They've grown so much. Done so much. Danced just [i]so[/i] pretty. Did... did I look like that? Iono. Problem with [i]bein'[/i] me is that I can't [i]watch[/i] me. They oughta invent a way to do that, I say. But anyway, no. I don't think so. Qiu dazzled like a diamond. Chen sparkled like a whole constellation of stars. Rose glittered like gold and somehow like the tiniest, most beautiful flame in the whole world. And Hyra stole my heart, even though she already had it. Oh, and did I mention she beat Yin?

I guess it's true. There really isn't anything for me to do besides smile. It's all done. Don't worry, I can do it easy. I can even talk, not that it's polite. Didn't really have time to tie a proper gag, see, and I kinda panicked and just did it like I remembered seein' in the stories. But it turns out you can just kinda... open your mouth and talk anyway? If nothing's in there? But I, I can't. I can't let Chen know. I know she [i]knows[/i] but still. If I break the spell, it stops feelin' special. If I make a comment right now, everything ends.

...Oh. Well that's silly. It's so hard to see right now. Stupid tears, nobody invited you! B-but I, I, I! I can't stop! Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm ruining the whole thing, y'know? But I can't help it. I don't, I don't...

I don't want it to end!

I'm not ready yet! I don't wanna go! There's so much left to do, isn't there? There's so much left to see! Kingdoms and mountains and rivers and cities and grasses and so many kinds've animals! And people! So many I haven't met! So many stories I didn't get to be part of! Oh, shut up I know it's greedy! But I! I! I never got...

I'm the only one who didn't win, in the end. Hyra, Chen, Rose, Cyanis, Qiu, Katherine. Not me. I wanted. I tried so hard. I wanted to make everybody proud of me, and I just... I didn't do it. I couldn't do it, in the end. And that's where we are. I'm not ready, please, show me the next vista! Pick another story, please, please! There's, there's gotta be a surprise twist villain, a, a, a, I dunno, a quest to do! A shrine to the demon swordswoman's ancient lover where we can finally learn her name! A cat stuck in a tree, anything! This can't be it, I've got so much left I wanna try! There's so much growing left for me to do if I'm gonna catch up to everyone. There's... there's so much and I...

B-but this is it. Isn't it? It's all tied up. City saved. All the hearts are shinin'. I even miss my boring little cottage. Never a good sign, is it? But I just. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just wish I had a little more time. I just wish I coulda showed you a tiny bit more. It's not fair. It's not fair, is it? Stories are so beautiful. So amazin'. I got to be part of one and I'm so, so grateful. But no one told me that had to end!

My... my lips are curling up. In a smile. I think? I think so. I can't see right now. My face is tremblin' so much right now. But I'm pretty sure... I'm smiling. I'm nodding my head. Yeah, Chen. Y-yeah. I was a naughty little usurper and you beat my champion, f-fairer and squarer than I coulda imagined. So. Yeah. Let's go, you've earned it. I'm ready. No, really, I'm ready. And I'm happy. I [i]am[/i] happy. You, listen. Ok? Gran Gran used to say, you can care a lot and not cry. But you [i]never[/i] cry because you don't care. So come on, let's go. It's the happy ending everybody's won. My amazing, perfect friends.

...I'da made a lousy princess anyway. You think so too. Right?