“Let me get this straight,” Chanyeol said. “You’d rather have something I don’t really want to let you have than something I’d be so very willingly to bestow you?”

  “I only want Andrea.” Baekhyun’s grip on her hand tightened, his eyes softening when he turned his head to stare in her eyes. "Only her."

  Sehun snorted. “Then take your clothes off, too.”

  Andrea glared. “If it isn’t for Owl standing beside you, I would throw you out the window right now, Sehun.”

  “I know.” He hugged Owl closer to him, burying his face in her hair and making her blush ten shades of red. “She’s my little guardian angel.”

  It turned into a hundred shades of red. Andrea thought she heard Owl mumble something like ‘You great idiot.’

  “You really do not desire the crown, Baekki?” Chanyeol shifted a little.

  Baekhyun shook his head, his voice turning grave. “I never fully wanted to be king, Yeollie. It was only because Kang Dae was, and I was the next heir in the family, but… it should be yours. If the Fire had never happened, your family should still have been the rulers of the Southern Commonwealth. You are the rightful king. Besides, I don’t even want it. I hate politics and just the mere thought of ruling. I’m not even fit for the throne, anyway.”

  “What about Gillian?” Andrea suggested. “He’s even more powerful than Kang Dae.”

  “Whoever said that being the most powerful means he has to fall under the weight of the crown?” The chairs Gillian and Hazel were resting in rocked back and forth rhythmically. “I am terribly grateful for the offer, Min Sae, but I prefer living in this tranquil place, serving as a mentor you can run to whenever you are in need of aid, or encounter anything you do not understand.”

  “Then what about Kai – “

  “Sitting on the very top is never something meant for me and my family, Andrea,” Kai said. “And I am at my heart’s content being the head of the Royal Guards.”

  “Besides, I’ll be needing Jongin to help me adjust myself to the new world since I have been asleep for seven years, and maybe eventually rule this realm successfully. Initially, people might be doubtful of me when I step up and appear, and when we tell them the truth of everything…”

  “So you’re willing to take the crown?”

  Chanyeol nodded. “One of us has to, little sis. Baekki is right. And since I might have to let you go to him…”

  “I promise I will take care of her, Yeollie.”

  He sighed. “You’d better, or I will set your pants on fire if you so much as make my precious little sister cry.” He said it seriously, but the twinkle in his eyes betrayed him. “Be happy, alright, Sab?” He ruffled Andrea’s hair, a smile creeping up his lips. “It’s all I want for you. No matter what the two of you are planning to do in the future, or where to go.”

  She smiled back. “I will, Chan.”

***

  The wedding ended successfully.

  Marveling over how beautiful the bride and her white dress dotted with diamonds were, Andrea embraced her. “Lilie!”

  “Oh, Andrea.” Lilie hugged her tightly. “Was I alright? I mean, I didn’t repeat the vows wrong and I am so grateful but I was so nervous I’m sure I must’ve looked weird and bless my soul the kiss Luhan gave me was so amazing – “

  “You were beautiful,” Andrea reassured her, laughing. “And yes, I had to suppress the urge to kick the two of you into a room.”

  Lilie blushed. “Oh, and did you see who caught the bridal bouquet? It was so chaotic – “

  “You won’t believe it,” Andrea replied. “I suppose everyone was pushing around and Celeste bumped into him, and, well, you know due to his good reflexes, he caught the falling bouquet before even knowing what it was.”

 “’He’? It’s - ?”

  “Sehun. It’s Sehun who caught it.”

  Despite her elegant posture, Lilie widened her eyes and then started laughing hysterically. Soon, Andrea joined her, both of the girls turning into a laughing mess until the groom himself appeared and whisked the bride away to ‘save her last lady-like manners existing’ for other guests.

  After half-laughing, half-apologizing to Luhan, Lucas appeared a second later.

  “Luke!” Andrea’s jaw dropped. “You… you’re actually wearing a… suit.”

  “Well,” he tugged at his collar uncomfortably. “It’s better than walking around all in fur, right? Besides, Cel likes me trying new stuff.”

  She smirked. “Oooh, I see the both of you are sailing well?

  “Please, we’re practically gliding across the seven seas.” Lucas laughed when Andrea hit him on the arm, a slight blush creeping up his face. “Besides, you know… it’s good that I met her, or I would still be gloomy over losing you to that prince.”

  “Baek isn’t a prince anymore, Luke.”

  He nodded. “Your brother is now, right?”

  “Not officially yet,” Andrea replied. “He’s still working on winning the villagers’ heart and stuff, but I heard he’s doing well. The people are fond of him, especially women.” She secretly added a roll of the eyes.

  “That’s good news. What about you?”

  She blinked. “What what about me?”

  “Well, Luhan and Lilie got married. Sehun and Owl are set for traveling around the world and helping people that are separated from their families, and other Stargazers that are being treated ill. Chanyeol and Kai are doing pretty well rebuilding this realm. I have my heart for leading my pack and persuading Celeste’s father to approve of our relationship. After successfully saving her sister out the dungeon, Hazel is still going to live in that small village outside the Woods with Gillian. Rick is doing great teaching those trainees how to use their skills and hunt, and helping me out with the Pack.

  “Everyone has found a new thing to do, a new goal in life; or at least have made up their mind on how to move on. But I haven’t heard anything about what you and your boyfriend are going to do.”

  Andrea smiled a secret smile.

  “I felt like a boat, being tossed by a terrible wave of anxiety and waiting, not certain whether or not you would wake up. It was horrible.”

  Baekhyun twirled a strand of her silk black hair. “Let me guess; my waking up was the sunshine to your terrible storm?”

  Although it had been merely a week or so since she last slept here, Andrea still had indescribable feelings for Rick’s cottage. She still had these special, irreplaceable feelings for its natural atmosphere, for its wooden door, wooden furniture, and wooden walls covered with dagger-throwing practice holes. She knew that nowhere else, no other cottage could have the same windows that captured the morning light just the way she loved, the ability to blend the chirping of birds, chopping of wood and whispering of wind into a perfect melody, or even the ‘magic’ to make her feel so… peaceful.

  And, of course, it held the precious memories of the first – and counting today, second – time she and the boy she loved snuggled in each other’s arms and basked in each other’s warmth.

  “Something like that.”

  “’Something like that’?” Baekhyun frowned.

  Andrea lifted her head up from his chest, flipped over onto her stomach, and propped her chin on her hands, her elbows on the bed. “You know what, Baek? I’ve never been out of the Southern Commonwealth – well, if the Stargazer village doesn’t count, that is. I’ve never really seen a real boat! Have you?”

  Baekhyun’s gaze looked faraway for a split second, before his eyes refocused on her face. “No,” he replied. “I’ve never stepped a foot out of this place, too.”

  He used to dream of her. Every night, since Andrea had taken him and Kai to that stream, where he had told her the history of this realm – to be exact, the fake history his uncle had fed him with. And when he dreamt of her, she would always look the same. Her face illuminated from the moonlight shining from behind. Her hair tumbling down and tickling his neck, him lavishing the feeling. Her violet eyes twinkling at him like the stars he used to look upon at nighttime. Her bangle, the one he had bought for her on their first ‘date’, glistening on her wrist.

  Baekhyun gently touched the bangle, and in a swift movement, grabbed Andrea by the wrist and rolled her over, until he was on top of her, their bodies pressing comfortably. “Why don’t we leave this place and explore the outside world?”

  Andrea took in a sharp breath, either because of his sudden movement or his proposal. Or maybe both. “U-us?”

  “Don’t you think three is a little bit too crowded for a newly-wed couple?”

  “N-n-new – “

  Before she could finish stuttering, Baekhyun sprang up from her bed, and knelt on the floor on one knee, his gaze never leaving hers. Andrea gasped, shocked. “Baek – “

  “Andrea Archer,” he said, his tone serious, his eyes gleaming and twinkling. “Or should I call you Andrea Park? Park Min Sae? Princess Sabrina?”

  “Baek, what are you – “

  “Would you marry me?”

  There was a silence for five seconds. Or ten. Or even one minute; she just couldn’t be sure, because her brain suddenly went blank and the air around her suddenly felt so thin, as if her loud and fast heartbeats could be heard.

  “I… I don’t – “

  “You don’t want to?” Baekhyun looked hurt.

  “No! I-I mean, no, I don’t don’t want to marry you, I want to marry you, I-I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore! It’s just… you just threw all these at me at once, and I’m so overwhelmed – “

  The grin that had been spreading across Baekhyun’s face widened until he couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, catching Andrea off guard. He set himself up back onto the bed, and held both of her hands in his. “You look so cute when you’re flustered, you know that?” He kissed her hands. “I’ve been thinking. Right now, you’re busy helping Lilie for her wedding next month, and I’ve been assisting Yeollie. But after the wedding, what is there left for us to do? I’m finally free, your brother approved of us, and you don’t have to stay at the palace. We can go and explore the world, out this realm we’ve never left before, and experience every wonder out there. We don’t have to get married right away; if we travel and find a place we both think is the most perfect place for us to be wed, then we shall. I’m not rushing you, Andrea, my love.” Baekhyun chuckled. “We have all our lifetime.”

  “Always together?”

  He touched her cheek. “Always together. I can’t bear being separated from you, ever again.”

  The way she looked at him, in the dim moonlight and from under her eyelashes, temporarily brought back a specific memory of the Festival, one where they were about to share their first kiss, to open the very first page of a new chapter in their love story. He could feel her hand brushing against his, the loving feeling of her warmth, and that sudden urge of wanting to be responsible for her safety. He wanted to be the one to protect her, to let her live her life out the fullest, and to love her.

  “How about we do this again?” Before Andrea could comprehend, she found Baekhyun in the same kneeling position by the bed, but this time there was something different – he had something in his hands.

  “Oh – “ she covered with both her hands.

  “Will you marry me, Andrea?” He opened the small box in his hands, and her breath was stolen. The ring inside looked delicate but strong, as it shone a color of gold with a faint color of violet shimmering around the edges. In the middle there was no diamond – Baekhyun knew that Andrea was never fond of diamonds or such expensive things – instead, the ends of the ring had been bent and curved into an intricate but beautiful shape of a rose. Andrea could’ve spent all night awing over its beauty, if it weren’t for the slight shaking of Baekhyun’s legs.

  “Yes,” she breathed out in a rush. “Yes, stars above, yes! Yes, I will marry you, Baek – “

  “That answer is enough for me to marry you in four lifetimes.” He was so fast she didn’t even see him move until she felt herself be tackled, and the familiar soft feeling of his lips, a feeling she would never get used to.

  She froze, temporarily paralyzed, terrified that if she opened her eyes she’d find herself alone again, awakened from a dream, a dream where Baekhyun was just a figment of her overwhelming missing of him, like the past few weeks before the ‘Great Battle.’ Please be real, she silently pleaded. Please.

  When his lips found hers again, they were more demanding, searching. She realized Baekhyun had been hiding these thoughts all to himself, and it must’ve been a torture for him to not speak it out loud until now. Of course she had thought of marrying him and traveling around. She just thought that maybe… maybe he thought she was still too young.

  “You’re not,” Baekhyun said, pulling away and breaking their intimate kiss. “Too young. You may still be seventeen, but how your mind works is beyond mature of that age.”

  “You heard my thoughts again?” She blushed.

  “It was hard not to; I’m still trying to figure out how to make my own mind walls, and yours always crumble when we’re kissing.” Absentmindedly, his hand touched the skin over his left abdomen, where his Stargazer mark meant for royal relatives who had once been - or almost had been - on the throne was.

  Andrea blushed even harder, her face turning scarlet as Baekhyun slipped the ring onto her finger. “Perfect,” he teased, “Future Mrs. Byun.”

  “Alright,” she cleared . “After Lilie's wedding, we go traveling.” Her voice was dripping with excitement. “And maybe like Sehun and Owl, we could help people who we run into, those who are in need of help. Even Stargazers who don’t have a home – we can bring them here.”

  “Yes.” Baekhyun nodded. “See? You must admit I have such great intelligence to think of such a wonderful future purpose for us.”

  Half-shoving him, she laughed. “I thought of it, too! I just didn’t tell you – “

  “I know.” He cut her sentence off with another brief but lingering kiss, tracing the ring on her finger, and watching it shine in the moonlight with her. “We always think the same.”

  “No, we don’t.”

  “Alright, so perhaps that was the second thing we thought the same of.”

  “Is that so? Then what is the first?”

  Baekhyun smiled, making Andrea’s heartbeat accelerate. “That I love you, with all my heart, and that I will never let you go.”

  She returned his smile, pulling him closer to her, whispering against his lips. “I love you, too.”

  “You’ll know when we come back.”

  Lucas nodded. “Alright, I’ll know when you – halt your horses. Come back? Come back from where?”

  “I told you, Luke, you’ll know when I come back, maybe even with more people – “

  “More people?!” He screeched. “What do you mean, more people?! Andy, you’re too young to have children – “

  Andrea’s face flared up. “That’s not what I meant – “

  “Children? Did someone just mention children?” Appearing from nowhere, Baekhyun put an arm around Andrea. “If you have the intention of being the godfather of our children, Lucas, I assure you you won’t have to wait for long,” he said with a wink.

  As they quickly escaped from a red-faced, arms-flinging Lucas, Andrea’s wiggling out of his arm made Baekhyun’s laughter subside. “Byun Baekhyun!”

  “Yes, milady?” He still had his goofy grin on.

  “You… you… you – “

  “Would you prefer ‘you’ing me all day or come along? They’re already heading for the ballroom now.” With a chuckle, he grabbed her hand and led her into the ballroom, already full of the people who came to celebrate the wedding. Andrea spun on him.

  “You can’t just joke about something like that to Luke! It was so… so – “

  “Embarrassing? May I remind you, but he and Celeste are going to have theirs, too, sooner or later.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Her father agreed?”

  “There was no reason for him not to. The daughter of a powerful, royal werewolf family, in love with the alpha of the biggest Pack in the Southern Commonwealth? It is a perfect match.” He pretended to shudder. “I can’t believe I almost got married to a were…”

  Andrea laughed. “I can’t believe you had the courage to call off your engagement and let her finish her wailing and throwing everything she could get her hands on at you.”

  Baekhyun smiled. “I would do anything for you, Andrea.”

  Suddenly, the music in the room changed from a fast-beat one to a slow one. His eyes twinkling, Baekhyun put his left hand behind his back, and held out his right hand. “May I have the honor for this dance, my princess?”

  “But…” she slipped her hand in his hesitantly, and dipped into a small courtesy. “I’ve never danced with anyone before, and I’m not sure if I can dance the steps right.”

  “Then let me guide you,” Baekhyun replied, pulling her close, a hand on her waist. “Just don’t let go of me.”

  Andrea believed him. She believed, by just staring into his clear, brown eyes that had captured her heart from the very first moment, that he would always be there to guide her. To stay by her, and to conquer every difficulty they may face in the future together – the future they would be spending every spare minute with each other. She could feel them boiling inside her: the courage of taking on every obstacle they would encounter, and the faith that she would never get lost, as long as she had Baekhyun by her side. As long as they had each other.

  “Never.”

  Forever and ever.

-The End-

[Author's Spazz HAHAHA] How do I do this. I have so many stuff to say omg what should I say first. Um... /stays like this for ten minutes/

FIRST OF ALL.

SCREAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMSSSSSSSS I CAN'T EVEN BELEIVE I FINISHED STARGAZER ;____; Thank you all for subscribing, commenting, upvoting and just supporting this fic !!!!!!! You guys were my biggest and main source of motivation to keep writing, and I enjoyed writing it too because it was like making my own movie starring all of my favorite characters <3 And your reactions in the comment box were always what made my day; they always made me feel so warm and happy after a tiring day at school!!

SECONDDDDDDDDD

So I'm going to take a hiatus for a month or two, it depends >_____< BUT WHEN I COME BACK, I'LL BE BACK WITH ANOTHER STORY - well actually I'm still contemplating on which of the two stories I have in mind to post first. One is another one like Stargazer, but in the modern world (or maybe somewhere around 2070), with almost the same amount of suspense, action and of course, ROMANCEEEEEEEEEE. The other one is a light-hearted love story... or maybe angst. I dunno. Or maybe I could find someway to combine them... /evil laughs MUAHAHA/

I'm really excited for the action one tho hehe. WE'LL SEE WHEN I RETURN, AND HOPE YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE IT, TOO<3

AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR SUPPORTING THIS STORY OF MINE, I REALLY HAD A BLAST WRITING IT AND I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED READING IT, TOO!!! WISH EVERY LOVELY YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR BEFOREHAND!!!!!!! <3<3<3<3<3