lmp, just because I adore happy endings, I'd love to see the two of them simply go back home and get married. And, of course, if you did it the dream way, you'd be able to write out a tragic and heroic death scene without having it actually come to pass.
But regardless of what actually happens, it occurred to me that it would be a good thing for Liornung, or, rather, for me as the writer of Liornung. He's been sticking pretty close to Ędegard and Leafa. The former he swaps songs and stories with, the latter he sort of adopted when she joined them. If they make their exit from the story Bella will be the only one left who he really considers himself close to. And at this point in time she's off somewhere in the wilderness. This will make things interesting for him.
And along those some lines, if death for Ędegard or Leafa or both comes up, we also have to consider Liornung. He's very much involved in their story, and a sad ending for them would also have a deep effect on how his tale ends.
Oh, and I wanted to add as a last note...
Fea, thanks for all your input on the Ędegard and Leafa story. It's very helpful to have the opinions and thoughts of one who isn't personally involved with the characters... though to me the story of Ędegard and Leafa is done, having known them for as long as I have, I get all wishy-washy whenever I think of them. When one devotes so much time and creative energy into creating a personality and a character, one sometimes has a slightly skewed vision of what serves the story best.
