#Chapter 411: The End The Beginning

I wasn’t sure what to expect when our car delivered us from the train station to the palace, but even in my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have guessed what actually awaited us. Cheering crowds lined the outer walls of the palace. Balloons and streamers of various colors were abundant. A stage had been set up with a band. Some people had signs. Long Live The Bear Princess, they said, with a picture of my face. When they separated to make way for our car, they nearly rioted with their joy. “Praise you!” shouted one woman. “Our hero!” called a man. In the backseat of the sedan, I clutched at Nicholas’s hand, unsure what to make of all this. Not all that long ago, these same people had been half-ready to start a rebellion. Now, the only thing they seemed to want to fight for was some of my time and affection. Nicholas clapped his free hand on mine, the one holding so hard onto his other hand. “Breathe, Piper. You’ve earned this,” he said. “All I did was exist,” I told him.