Preparations to go took time, but with a destination set, Amber didn’t mind as much.  It allowed her to make peace with her mother and visit the villagers while she waited.  Making her first foray into Karith on her own was strangely intimidating.  She was nervous she might have one of her bad days for one, and that her father would change his mind about her going, and she also didn’t know how the villagers might react.  She wasn’t entirely sure how much her mother had told them about what happened and why; even if she knew what they felt though, she still would have been nervous.

                The whole village was slowly getting back on its feet for the first time in three years, but the winter months were especially difficult to get used to.  Old ties had to be reestablished with nearby villages who had given them up as lost and everyone had to adjust to being three years older without actually having experienced the time passing.  Crops had failed, herds had been lost, and while everyone knew what they should do, it was still difficult to pick up where they had last left off.

                Based on rumors from her mother, the Choi sisters were getting old, and Victoria was already there, by all accounts.  Amber continued to pity them from afar, though they were apparently pining for Changsun who had become their ‘Savior’ from the magical nightmare.  Yejin had done little to dissuade them, as grateful as any other that she had finally been freed in turn.  Others spoke well of Amber, recalling her efforts to help when she had found them; if anything, she was the Tamer of the Beast, and the title made her smile, albeit hesitantly.

                Yet, as soon as she stepped foot within sight of the village, none of it mattered anymore.  With a strange feeling of having done this before, she noticed Donghae and Jonghyun heading out towards the untended fields, their shovel and sickle in hand.  The latter was decidedly more compliant this time, but he looked even more like his father.  The added years had done little for his height, which he had often lamented, but he’d filled out well, and the smile he her when they caught sight of her made her fears dissipate like fog in the wind.

                Reassured by their responses, Amber paused to chat with them for a moment, exchanging quick pleasantries; they were still trying to get the fields ready for next spring and nature had made a valiant attempt to reclaim what was hers in the time they’d been gone.  All three of them avoided the topic of the pocket universe and though the cheer was somewhat forced – resuming life was hard after all – Amber was grateful for the effort.  Upon entering the rest of the village, she received a similar response from the others she ran into or saw from afar.

                While she had never been particularly with the tailors, the Kims were quite delighted to see her.  They did not chat for long, being busy like most of everyone else, but it was obvious the village had heard about her condition.  The sharp featured Heechul eyed her dark blue dress with a strangely disappointed expression and furrowed brows.  When she asked him what was wrong, he gave a lopsided frown and admitted, “It’s a lovely dress, but I don’t think it suits you.”  Just within range of his father’s words, Kibum rolled his eyes and shook his head, waving a hand dismissively so that Amber wouldn’t take it to heart.

                Unsure of how to respond, Amber shrugged helplessly.  “It does feel a little strange,” she confirmed, scratching her head and refraining from grimacing at the too long strands.  They were starting to get into her face now and it was annoying, but she hadn’t done anything about them yet since her mother didn’t want her to.

                “Ah well,” Heechul waved, reaching out to ruffle her hair with a devilish smirk.  “You’ll grow into it, I’m sure,” he winked, turning back to bark energetic commands at Kibum.  He missed the uncertain frown on Amber’s face as she watched for a moment more before wandering off to the next house.

                To her delight, Youngwoon – and his wife and son – were absolutely thrilled to see her.  They remembered their time in the pocket universe relatively well and he apparently delighted in retelling the story of how Amber had used him as a cleaver to counter the Beast during their first meeting, never mind that it had actually been Seungho transformed.  Roped into an impromptu game where little Henry became the monster, Amber acted out the part where she threw Youngwoon at the creature.  Only this time, Youngwoon caught his son in both hands and hauled him into the air, squealing in excited delight.  Amber exchanged amused glances with Youngwoon’s wife and then begged her leave soon after.

                For the afternoon hour, she grabbed Auntie Park, who was overjoyed to see her, and took the older woman to Hyukjae’s for a midday meal of fresh baked bread and cheese.  The bakers closed up shop just so they could share the company of their two guests, more than eager to speak with the young woman who had been instrumental in helping free them from their enchantment.  Though they all looked a little bit older, to Amber, they felt younger, as if life itself was more promising for them in the aftermath of their rescue.  Auntie Park in particular could hardly stop smiling and commenting how much like her mother Amber looked.

                Fingertips brushed overly long bangs out of her face and hands touched against her shoulders in gratitude.  Bread and cheese were pushed before her and Hyoyeon even brought out a pot of tea for them to share.  Auntie Park asked about Seungho and Changsun, neither of whom had been seen in recent days, and Amber told them as much as she could.

                “I’m actually going to be meeting Changsun in a couple days,” she managed to explain when they stopped asking her questions about them.

                “Oh!” Hyoyeon beamed, leaning forward on the table.

                Auntie Park gave her a raised brow look and then focused on Amber.  “And why is Changsun returning here?” she questioned curiously, knowing well what Amber had discussed with her previously.

                “He’s taking me to Bannersport,” Amber answered with a deft nod.

                “The capital?” Hyukjae blinked in confusion.  “Why there?”

                “To speak with the King’s High Mage of course,” she winked in delighted mischief.

                Hyoyeon laughed with surprise in her seat and Auntie Park hummed.  “I know your mother didn’t like that idea.”

                “Hardly,” Amber confirmed with a sigh.  “But father can be persuasive and I need this.”  The hand that settled over her wrist let her know that Auntie Park at least understood.  Hyoyeon and Hyukjae exchanged curious looks but were happy enough for her.

                They spoke briefly of her intentions in Bannersport for a little longer and then let her go so that Amber could walk Auntie Park back to her shop.  The older woman gave her a long and firm hug outside her shop, making her promise to come visit when she could.  Amber was reluctant to let go and she had tears in her eyes when she finally pulled away.

                On her way out of the village, she shouldn’t have been surprised when she ran into the Chois – all five of them in fact.  Out of nowhere, she was utterly surrounded by the three daughters, all asking a series of questions about Changsun.  Strangely, Seungho seemed to have virtually disappeared from their thoughts.  Amber didn’t know whether to be annoyed or surprised.  The latter won out entirely when Krystal happened to blurt the possibility of their father purchasing a statue dedicated to the Hero of Karith.

                As soon as Siwon attempted to try and moderate that possibility, all three girls squealed in outrage and turned high pitched, whining voices on their father.  Yoona plastered a long suffering smile on her face and tried to sooth them while Siwon looked like he wished he had never opened his mouth.  It took Amber every bit of willpower she had not to laugh at his predicament.  She did, however, take that opportunity to flee while the trio was distracted.

                All in all, her foray back into Karith was a success.  And if she happened to fall asleep much earlier than usual that evening, her parents didn’t say anything about it.  At least she hadn’t fainted, if nothing else…

                A couple days later, the carriage commissioned to take her to Bannersport arrived.  Changsun rode inside with Minho and Sungmin accompanying him as escorts.  There were extra horses at the back and Amber beamed when she noticed Andante and Merry trotting along behind.  Her parents couldn’t quite figure out her delight and she made no effort to enlighten them.

                “You’re here!” she cheered, running out in her dress and coat with her arms raised high as she threw herself towards the carriage.  Jongwoon and Yejin followed close behind, tense with worry and nervous excitement.  Not surprisingly, Changsun seemed to be equally skittish about returning.  Giving him a moment to compose himself, Amber energetically hugged both Minho and Sungmin who grinned back at her.

                They made comments about her hair getting long and her dress looking funny until she gave them a slight glare with a subtle nod back towards her parents.  It didn’t take them long to understand and they both made their way over to greet the Kims in turn.  It gave Amber a chance to approach Changsun herself and she had to laugh once at his nervousness.  “Hey Amber,” he waved as if she was a stranger he didn’t know how to interact with.

                He took a half step back when she closed the distance between them, but stopped and hugged her just as hard when she wrapped her arms around his torso.  “It’s good to see you,” she whispered, resting her head on his robe covered shoulder.

                His fingers tightened against her body and she felt the tension bleed out of him as he practically sighed in relief.  “I missed you,” he admitted softly, a gentle smile in his voice.

                “I missed you too,” Amber assured him, stepping back enough to look into his face without breaking contact with him.  She could see he was a little pale with circles under his eyes – as if he hadn’t been sleeping well, and his dark hair was longer than usual, but he looked every bit the Changsun she otherwise remembered.  “Come on,” she urged, grabbing his hand with a confident, warm smile.  “My father wants to speak with you.”

                The tension returned almost at once, but he collected himself quickly.  “Of course,” Changsun nodded, and if he looked a little less than his usual, confident self, Amber couldn’t blame him.

                Yejin invited Minho and Sungmin in to share the afternoon meal with them, and they all spoke over stew, fresh bread, and water to wash it down.  Changsun was forced to sit next to Jongwoon so Amber took the other side, aiming to play mediator if she had to, while Minho and Sungmin regaled Yejin with stories of their adventures in general.  The two kept Amber’s mother marvelously distracted as Jongwoon confirmed every step of the journey with Changsun and what measures he would have in place to make sure that his daughter would be safe in his care.

                To his credit, Changsun did not disappoint.  He had warding spells and protection spells and guiding spells and scrying spells and warning spells and even communication spells either already in place or ready to be activated on command.  “I even have a teleportation spell with a safe zone in mind should I have to use it,” he promised determinedly, his lips pressed into a thin line.

                “See, father,” Amber nodded in satisfaction as she smiled broadly at Changsun.  “I told you he would be one of the best people for me to go with.  And Minho and Sungmin know how to fight more than enough to handle anything else that might show up,” she gestured towards the two guardsmen who perked up at the sound of their names.  With mouths full of food, they smiled and nodded emphatically, agreeing without actually knowing why, to Amber’s amused delight.  Yejin laughed too, rather lost in the whole conversation.

                Even Jongwoon cracked a smile and he shook his head before giving Changsun a sidelong look.  “Not bad, Master Mage,” he conceded with a very slight nod.

                Changsun’s eyes widened as he looked at Jongwoon with a slightly incredulous expression.  He glanced at Amber to make sure he wasn’t hearing things and when she smiled harder at him, he managed an uncertain one in response.  “Thank you… Master Kim,” he nodded, swallowing hard and exhaling as if he’d just passed some kind of test.

                By the time their meal was over and it was almost time for them to leave, she was quite pleased with how things had turned out.  Nerves returned just a little bit when they got up to head out and Jongwoon spoke first.  “Yejin dear.  Why don’t you see our guests out?  We’ll be along in just a moment,” he confirmed with a glance at both Amber and Changsun.

                Yejin looked somewhat confused at first, but with practiced ease, a smile appeared on her face and she nodded.  “Of course, dear.”  With a wave of her hand, she beckoned for Minho and Sungmin to join her outside and the kitchen was suddenly all too empty.

                Nervously, both Changsun and Amber turned to look at Jongwoon who was fishing around in his robe pocket with a look of concentration on his face.  Confused, the pair exchanged glances before the Mage exclaimed, “Ah hah!”  With a satisfied expression, he pulled a silver necklace free, the sparkling chain obvious against his dark blue clothes.  When he extended his fist to Amber, he opened his hand to reveal an amethyst stone set within silver bindings.  “Sorry it took me so long, baby girl,” he apologized, looking at her with a saddened but expectant expression.

                Amber felt tears prick her eyes and she laughed around the sudden urge to cry.  “You fixed it,” she beamed, reaching for the necklace before she stopped and moved to pull her hair out of the way instead, turning her back to her father.

                “It took me a little while to restore the proper enchantments,” he explained, carefully clasping the necklace into place.  “After all, it’s not so easy undoing such powerful castings,” he admitted, his voice changing slightly as if he was looking to the side.

                When the crystal settled against her chest, Amber placed her fingers over it, relieved as the familiar sensation returned to her.  And as she turned around to thank her father, she noticed he was looking at Changsun rather intently.  She didn’t know whether he wanted to yell at him, hit him, or something else entirely.  It was strange and apparently, Changsun didn’t know how to react either.

                At last, Jongwoon broke the silence.  Grudgingly, he spoke, “I still don’t like that you almost killed my daughter.”  Changsun winced at the words, looking like he wanted to shrink in on himself, but he froze when he saw Jongwoon extend his open hand before him.  “But I owe you… my thanks.  For everything,” he admitted, waiting patiently for the younger Mage to accept.

                Minutely, Changsun straightened up and one hand smoothed the front of his robes reflexively.  He didn’t look at Amber but his eyes dropped to Jongwoon’s hand before rising to meet his steady gaze.  “You’re welcome,” he finally murmured, taking the proffered hand and gripping tight.

                Hand in hand, Amber walked out with Jongwoon and Changsun in tow, filled with excitement and hope and happiness all at the same time.  Her mother’s smile was like the sun when she saw them: warm and radiant and welcoming.  Amber hugged them both tightly and stepped back, banishing the tears with a quick swipe of her hand.  She almost laughed when Changsun tensed as Yejin gave him a quick, motherly hug and then moved away to grab Jongwoon’s hand.

                Amber made many promises as she got into the carriage, stepping through the door that Minho held open for her.  She promised she would write often, that she would be safe, that she would never forget them, that she would always love them, and that she would see them when she could.  Amber was confident about all her promises except the last – she did not know when she would be able to fulfill that one.

                But when they yelled, “Take care of yourself, dear!” after the carriage pulled away, Amber stuck her head out the window and shouted back, “I will,” with just as much fervor as she could.

                She watched until she couldn’t see them anymore, remembering exactly the way they looked together in that moment.  And then she watched until the Tower disappeared over the horizon, like the last light of day clinging to the earth.  Only when her neck began to ache and her arms pinched from where the skin was bunching under her weight against the windowsill did she finally slip back inside to seek shelter in the cover of the carriage.

                “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she whispered to herself as she toyed with the necklace between her wind-chilled fingertips.

                As planned, Amber and company made their way back to Changsun’s summer estate – it was part of the agreement she’d made with her father to see how she fared with traveling.  The journey would take them just over five days, since they were traveling at a relatively easy pace.  If she could manage that trip with little trouble, the journey to Bannersport would likely be just as doable.

                During the trip, Amber mostly resigned herself to stay inside the carriage, bantering with Minho or Sungmin who took turns riding one of their horses beside her, and occasionally Changsun who rode within.           The latter seemed as if he was still trying to get used to being around her again, staring one moment while pretending he wasn’t the next.  She didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed at his almost childlike antics, but she was certainly grateful when he was there the one time she did faint near the end of the third day.  Apparently riding Merry in winter weather while still recovering wasn’t the smartest of ideas.  It wasn’t until she got off the horse that the sudden shift in position made her dizzy.

                Her world spun, darkness encroached on her vision, and the next thing Amber knew was that she was waking up inside a moving carriage with her head in Changsun’s lap.  She groaned and heard, “Amber?”

                Briefly disoriented, she frowned when trying to figure out where to put her hands.  But then she felt Changsun’s hands helping her and she sat up with hesitant care.  “I fainted again, didn’t I?” she mumbled, still unused to the term and not liking it being applied to her.

                “I’m afraid so,” he laughed once with a smile that didn’t quite hide his worry.  “You alright?” he asked, brushing her bangs away from her face so he could get a better look at her.

                Amber nodded her head carefully and conjured a wan smile to prove it.  “Not the first time it’s happened,” she admitted, wrinkling her nose.

                “Sorry,” he apologized softly, tracing her hair behind her ear as his eyes roamed her face.

                A quiet growl emerged from as she smacked him ineffectively in the chest.  “Don’t say that.”

                “But I am,” he assured her, chuckling at her reaction.

                “I’ve already told you, you shouldn’t be.”  Her lips pulled into a wry smile and she snorted once.

                Her smile softened when she felt his left hand settle against her lower back; his right hand brushed against her cheek until his palm rested snuggly against her warm skin.  She didn’t resist or pull away when his eyes fell to her lips and he leaned in to brush his lips against hers.  They were warm and soft, tender and caring, and Amber liked it; the way his hands felt against her and the love she knew he had for her, but… the spark she had half expected and half hoped for wasn’t there.  In truth, she wasn’t sure it ever had been.  A sad half-smile tugged at her lips, changing the way theirs fit together.

                And he felt the change.  “No?” he whispered, the word almost a plea as he pulled away but pressed their foreheads together.

                For a brief moment, Amber didn’t know what to say, because she didn’t want to hurt him.  But then the truth made more sense and she sighed resignedly, “No.”

                Changsun laughed once, his breath washing over her face warmly.  “You can’t blame me for trying,” he admitted, a hint of sorrow in his voice, as if his throat was threatening to close.

                Amber placed her hand over the back of his right and gently grabbed the side of his neck with her other.  “I do love you, Changsun,” she promised, knowing that much was at least true.  “I’m just not in love with you,” she admitted, lifting her eyes to meet his in the failing light of the carriage. 

                “That doesn’t mean we couldn’t still get married,” he reminded her, though the words were half-hearted and more wishful thinking than anything else.

                A bittersweet laugh trickled from and Amber kissed his cheek before she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.  “You and I both know I will never be what you need me to be,” she whispered with against his shoulder as he hugged her around the waist.

                “But what if I still need you?” he asked, fingertips pressing harder against her.

                “Then you and I are the same,” Amber promised, easing back so that she was sitting beside Changsun and looking into his slightly confused face.  “Because I know I still need you in my life,” she laughed with a hint of strain in her voice, giving him a quick, chaste kiss that made him blink in surprise.  “You’ve taught me so much,” she explained, grabbing his hand in both of hers.  He’d taught her about love, friendship, magic, and so many other things already.  “But I know there’s so much more to learn.  And I want you in my life when I learn it,” she assured him, knowing it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but it was the best she could offer him right now.

                “Ugh,” he groaned, throwing his arms around her and letting himself become deadweight against her.  Amber squealed in surprised amusement and he grumbled against her shoulder, “You’re such a pain sometimes.”

                “I know,” she sighed in quiet apology, cradling his head against hers with a sad smile curling the edges of her lips.  “But so are you.”

                “Am not,” he denied immediately with a pitiful groan.

                “Jerk,” she snorted once.

                “Mage’s daughter,” he retorted after a brief pause where he didn’t seem to be able to think of anything else to say.

                She laughed at his response and then sighed as a peculiar heaviness settled over her instead.  Her words had been true and she was proud of herself for speaking them, but… it was still hard.  Swallowing once as unwanted tears threatened, she hugged him tighter and pet the back of his head.

                “Amber?” he whispered so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.  In response, she hummed and he added, “Are you in love with someone else?”

                Her sad smile returned and she turned her head against his.  “I don’t know,” she admitted after a slight pause.  The only other person she might feel that way towards was currently missing from her life and she had no way of actually figuring it out.

                “Have you heard from him?” Changsun asked into the silence.

                “No,” Amber sighed, closing her eyes as she tried not to think about why her brief letters – there had been only two really – hadn’t been responded to.

                “I see,” he murmured, shifting out of her arms so that he could pull her into his.  “You’ll be alright,” he assured her, tucking Amber’s head under his chin as he held her close.  “You’ve got me after all,” he added in a confident, teasing manner that didn’t quite hold up to his usual standards.

                Amber laughed at his words anyway and pressed herself hard against his chest.  “I guess I do.”

(a/n: So this was supposed to be the last chapter... and it just wasn't.  Too much information to wrap up!  lol  And I really didn't just want to do an info-dump sort of thing so we have more character interaction and trying to tie up all my loose ends.  ^_^  I know the end of this one isn't what some of you wanted but it did feel right to me.  Either way, I do hope that you'll stick around for the final bit to see how the rest of everything else unfolds.  Unless something really strange happens, it should actually be the last one.  lol

To all my readers and especially my commenters, thank you so much for your continued support!  You guys help to make it worthwhile and, many times, you give me inspiration and guidance with your feedback.  So thank you for that and just know that you're all awesome!  <3)