As the orchestra stopped playing, you heard the ballroom door close behind someone. You glanced around the room to see if anyone was missing, and of course, Namjoon was.

  "Go on," Leon said, nodding towards the door.

  You quickly made your way to the door, and just as you left the ballroom, you saw Namjoon turn a corner, so you followed. You followed, calling out to him but with no reply until eventually, he led you out to the gardens. It was much darker outside, and the rose bushes were hard to navigate through, so you ended up losing him. You wandered aimlessly through the gardens, trying to find him again. There was so much you wanted to say. 

  Eventually, so much time had passed since you entered the gardens you  gave up. You'd find him eventually. But as you turned to make your way out of the gardens, there ue was. He stood behind you with his arms behind his back and a stupid grin on his face.

  "Finally, I was beginning to think you'd never turn around." He said.

  "You were following me the whole time?" You asked.

  "I waited by the entrance for you to follow me, I figured you'd be more aware of your surroundings, but apparently not."

  "Now that the war is over, I must've become more relaxed." You shrugged.

  "Even after everything you've been through? You know, being kidnapped, chasd tortured. I'm a little disappointed in you, Princess."

"Can you blame me? I knew you were around to protect me." You shrugged.

  "You know, that won't always be the case." He stated.

  You paused. He was right, of course. You would resume your duties at Sayaria while he would likely return to his crew and set sail again. Unless, of course, you could convince him otherwise.

  "Y/N?" He said, breaking you from your thoughts.

  "I just..." You hesitated before shaking your head at yourself and stealing your resolve, "I was hoping that wouldn't ever be the case."

  "Hm? What was that? I didn't quite hear you," he leaned towards you and cupped his hand to his ear.

  You looked down as you fiddled with your hands, trying to rebuild the courage to repeat yourself.

  "Well?" He said.

  "I said... that I hoped you would uhm..." You looked up at him to see a cocky smirk plastered across his face. "Oh, you jerk! You heard me the first time!"

  He laughed as you playfully hit his shoulder with the palm of your hand. He gently took your hand in his before you could pull it away from him, and he leaned down as he lifted your hand and gently pressed his lips to tour knuckles.

"I would love to stay with you, Y/N." He whispered against your hand.

  Your face went flush, and it took you a second to think of your next words, "What about your crew? I don't want you to leave them for me."

  "I would do anything for you," He began as he stood straight, still holding your hand in his, "Besides, Jungkook would make a better captain than I would. I was planning on settling down at Vraitis anyway before Hoseok's parents asked me to help Hoseok, of course."

  "You'd stay here with me?"

  "If that's what you want. Or would you rather set sail with me? Of course, we could always return to Vraitis if you'd like."

  You shook your head, "No, I want to stay at home with you."

  "Then it's settled," He smiled, "We'll stay here."

  You returned the smile, and the two of you began making your way back to the castle, hand in hand.

  "You know," you began, "I thought you were going to reject me. This whole time, I thought you disliked me."

  He turned to you, eyebrow raised, "What made you think that?"

  You shrugged, "I just felt like you always kept your distance because you didn't like me."

  He didn't reply. He just stared at you, and the two of you stopped walking.

  "What..?" you said nervously.

  He said nothing and just pulled you close to him, kissing you gently. You were taken aback but returned the kiss. When he pulled away, you wanted to pull him in for another kiss, but he began speaking.

  "Does that prove that I like you?" He asked.

  You nodded and wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him again.

◇♡◇♡◇

  Time went on.

  You accepted Leon's offer. That night, it was announced that you would become the new queen of Sayaria. Leon became the head of the guards like he planned, and you began making repairs to your kingdom. Shortly after your coronation was announced, so was your engagement.

  It took Namjoon some convincing to believe he would make a good king. He was a great captain, after all. And once you finally managed to convince him, he took his role really seriously. Your kingdom wasn't too fond of the idea of a former pirate becoming king, but with the backing of your family, as well as Jimin and Hoseok, who became kings of their own kingdoms after the war, your people were convinced.

  You didn't see or hear much from Seokjin. You guessed he trailed after Jungkook to try to reconcile, but his excuse as to why you never saw him was always that he was "too busy."

  Jimin and Claudia severed their engagement like Jimin said he would. Claudia was upset at first, but she eventually came to terms with it. And much like her while you were in the coma, you were with her the whole time. Dririth and Vraitis were in good standing with each other. Jimin was crowned, and the two of you were still friends, though you didn't see much of each other.

  Taehyung was eventually tried in court because of public demand, but Leon offered him a full pardon for what happened during the war. Many people were outraged, as he was a prominent figure in Worden before the war ended. It didn't last long, though. He was given a position as part of Leon's council and did very well in it. Because of this, however, you saw less of him. He would always be your first friend but not so much your closest anymore. Unlike Leon, you found it hard to forgive him after everything that happened.

  Jungkook continued sailing as a pirate. He rebuilt the crew Namjoon once had and became a formidable captain. He visited often, stopping by to check on you and Hoseok every once in a while. He remained on the hunt for something. He wouldn't tell you what it was still, but he wasn't quite as obsessed with finding this thing as he was before.

  As for Yoongi, you still missed him. Namjoon couldn't empathize with your grief, but he remained understanding and gave you time to mourn for your lost friend. Sometimes you would return to the beach where you first met Yoongi and as the waves washed over your feet you felt comfort in knowing that the seafoam Yoongi was reduced was now part of the ocean.

  There was still no sign of Philomena. Part of you wished she was still alive. You hated feeling guilty for being the cause of her death. But, as much as you wished you could mend your relationship with her, she was unsavable.