The Prophecy Chapter Fifteen

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Chapter Fifteen: Danger

Wesley's mind was dark, and there seemed to be a sense of magical influence. As she walked around she started to slowly peel away his layer of protection. All at once images flashed in front of her eyes, images no mother would want to see. She was in his memory banks, and it wasn't a very happy trip into his childhood. There seemed to be a break in the memories, she walked over and saw the magical barrier. She could sense that she was not alone, but who or how many lurked within her son's brain. Luthan appeared in front of Lunea. "Hello Lunea."

"Luthan?" She exclaimed in a surprised whisper.

"I am going to help out your son and my heir. I will cure him of his ailment. There is so much left that he must do. No evil force will reign, as long as Wesley is around. I can promise you that. I am going to keep watch over him, and help him to understand his new found powers."

"I just wanted to say I am sorry…for …leading you to your death…helping it along…I am sorry."

"Don't be silly. You did nothing. It was necessary…and I knew the consequences of what I was asking. Besides, nobody else could have done the job. Don't beat yourself up over it. My family will start to come around. I have visited them, and had a little chat with them."

A great burden was lifted off of her shoulders.

Luthan entered the magic barrier and the power quickly dissipated.

"You should go, he will be waking soon." He said softly.

~*~

Fairin had finally caught up to Kaelea, after he had started running after her Remembering what she had said, he did not attempt to touch her but merely called out to her to stop and talk to him.

She stopped and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Fairin gently reached out a hand and wiped the tears from her eyes. "It is okay to be upset, Dara, but you do not have to be alone."

"I don't want to be alone. It just hurts so much… I am so angry, and I feel as if I have been changed in someway, as if my soul is now tainted. I am now tainted. How am I supposed to live with myself knowing that this is the second time this has happened to me? How many times will this occur before I am dead or free of this torment? I hate feeling like this…I just wish I could wash it away…but I can't." More tears streamed down her cheeks.

"It is okay to have those feelings, Dara." He became silent for a moment, thinking about something she said. " Thou said this was the second time this has happened, was it the same person both times?"

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yes." She said quietly.

"It was Aravan wasn't it?"

She buried her face in her hands. "I…you…w-what will you do if I tell? I would rather it be quiet and nobody ever know. I don't want this to happen again."

"I think you should at least talk to Kaje. He is the wisest of us and would know the best course of action to take."

"I-I can't. He could hurt me, or…do it again. If I stay quiet, nothing could happen…and he won't get angry."

He pulled her into his arms, in order to offer his comfort; she rested her head on his shoulder and sobbed quietly.

~*~

Vanidor has been receiving a nagging feeling; he decided to ignore it for the time being.

"What was your life like before you were turned?" He asked her curiously.

"I was young, jubilant, happy. I had a family, and friends…even a good social standing. That all fell through. My family won't even talk to me now, my friends have deserted me and I am no longer happy. I would say that Angel is the only friend I really have. How about you? How has your life been?"

"My family isn't exactly that great. My mother left when I was a child. I found out only recently, that my father had raised, a friend of ours, who happens to be dating the woman I love. My twin brother is engaged to a Herald who is just like my mother." The nagging feeling began to grow stronger, at the mention of his brother.

"Why is this woman, like your mother?"

"My mother was a Herald and they look a little alike, they have the same color hair and style."

"Could that be why you dislike her?"

"I-I don't know. My mother could have been the one who killed my father."

"I can see exactly where this hatred for your brother's fiancée comes from. You have a bit of displaced anger. You are trying to find someone to blame everything on, except for the obvious choice, your mother." Karia stated sincerely.

"I never thought about it that way."

"Are you okay? You look a bit distracted."

"I've had this nagging feeling, since Dakkon and Cordy came by. It seems to be getting stronger."

"Who is it coming from?"

He began to concentrate on his feeling to find out its source.

"Could it be from your brother? I know that twins seem to have an unbreakable bond."

"He's hurt. He…" He replied, never breaking his concentration.

"Where is he? Is he near?"

"I…don't know. Somewhere near, but I can't tell where."

Karia closed her eyes and concentrated to see if she could pick up Vanidor's brother's signal.

"I know where he is. We don't have long…come on." She grabbed his hand and dragged him behind her.

They found Gildor lying in a puddle of his own blood. Vanidor picked up his brother, and they brought him to the house of healing. After they looked him over, they took him over to his own bed.

"He will be fine. You got him here just in time."

"How seriously is he hurt?"

"He has been stabbed several times; he has a few bruises and a bump on his head. He will need to stay here for awhile…until he recovers."

"How long will it take for him to recover?"

"I would say a week… two tops."

"Can someone go and get Isethia."

Karia spoke a moment later, "She is on her way."

Isethia walked in out of breath, and walked over to Gildor's bedside.

"What happened?"

"He has been stabbed about 5 times, between his abdomen and lower back. One of the successors has come upon us." Karia piped in.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He will be fine." The doctor added.

~*~

"Stefan…why are we here again? And in the middle of the night no less."

"Haven't you heard by now, that the middle of the night is the best time to do all dirty work? We also have a contract with Wolfram and Hart that we need to fulfill."

"I am still unclear as to what sort of dirty work we would be doing."

"You asking for a license to kiss?" He teased.

"Honey, I don't need one." She says with her hand on her hip.

"I am well aware that you don't dear."

She stepped in front of Stefan and leaned against the tree. Her black outfit was rather revealing. Her skirt had a slit on both sides, up to her mid thigh, and she was wearing a tube top, showing her mid-drift and some cleavage. "Now tell me, what exactly is this dirty work that we have to fulfill?"

"Let's just say we have to kill someone and wreak a little havoc in the process."

"Oo, sounds like fun. Let me guess, we're going after Angel and his sidekicks…or is it just the sidekicks we are interested in?"

"Primarily one of the sidekicks, although we can do whatever we want."

"This is going to be fun." She said with a wicked smile.

~*~

Aravan and Ria went for a walk at the breaking of the dawn. "So, what did you want to talk to me about? You woke me up, so I am guessing it is important."

"Well…I have just received memories of the last 25 years. Let's just say that I have been a bad elf."

"What did you do?"

"A lot of stuff. And I remember when all of this stuff happened, but it is different from how I remembered it."

"And what is it that you remember?" Ria asked him.

"I've…killed people…and raped women."

She stopped and looked at him. "Aravan, how can you not remember something like that? I mean I noticed that you seemed to be a little dark, but I never would have imagined.""I remember the people were evil and with the women, I remembered that it was consensual."

"Obviously not, if you raped them. What have you remembered lately?"

"Kaelea."

"What about-wait a minute-you? Oh boy."

"She was one of the women."

"But it was only one time…so there is less of a penalty…and I am sure if you are sincere, and promise to keep your distance for awhile, she will forgive you."

"It wasn't only one time…the first time I met her two years ago…and yesterday."

"Aravan! This is not good. What are you going to do? Now I can see your dilemma…oh boy."

"It's a situation that has no way out, really."

"Give it time. Time heals all wounds. I am sure she is over the one two years ago, for obvious reasons."

"She didn't remember about that until last night."

"That is just terrific. You are in deep. We should go to Kaje."

Fairin stepped out from behind the tree. "Or maybe you should just leave." He said icily.

Aravan and Ria exchanged looks. "Maybe you should learn to mind your own business, and not eavesdrop on other people's private conversations."

"I wasn't eavesdropping I was on the way back from my guard post." He raised his hand, and blocked Aravan from view. Aravan was no longer a fellow elf in Fairin's eyes.

"It begins. It is ok. We can handle this." Ria stated as she grabbed his hand and dragged him away.

~*~

Kaje was sitting at his desk in his study, with Faedra by his side.

"I have something I must ask you?"

Faedra, looked up at him. "What is it, Chieran?"

"Will you marry me? I know I have been negligent this path month, and I am trying to make up for it." He hands her a necklace. "This is a symbol of my love and I would like you to wear it."

Faedra put the necklace on. "You don't have to ask me twice." She said with a smile. He leaned in and kissed her passionately for the first time in a few months. She kissed back.

"I love you, Kaje."

"I love you too, Faedra."

There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Fairin."

"Chieran, will you let him in?"

She nodded, walked over to the door and opened it to let Fairin in.

Kaje looked up at him, with a smile on his face. "Hello Fairin. Have a seat. Is this business or pleasure?"

"Business. We have a dark elf in our company."

"Oh?" he asked as he quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes. I have come to ask you to initiate the shunning."

"First of all, I need to know what the crime was and how committed it. Then I need to talk to all parties involved."

"It was Aravan. He raped Kaelea. Twice."

"Twice since he's been here. I find that highly unlikely."

"No. The first time was two years ago, when they first met. And, I heard him talking to Ria, and Kaelea is not his first victim. He has also murdered people."

"Fairin, it is not like you to eavesdrop. And there's nothing I can do about the first offense. My decision will be based on present circumstances."

"That is not enough. If I have to, I will go to Isethia, and ask her have the system bypassed."

"The only way the system can be bypassed is if there is personal gain involved. As of right now, we will go through the questioning process. If Kaelea presses charges, we will then talk to Heralds to see if there are any extenuating circumstances. If there are, he won't be shunned, but he will get punished."

"Fine. I will follow the rules."

"You have no choice. If you don't, and you get in the way of this investigation, I'll have no choice but to contain you for the remainder of it. You are too close to this investigation. I suggest you stay out of it. I wouldn't go talking to Kaelea or Isethia for a while."

Fairin nodded, and walked from the room.

~*~

Fairin went in search of Kaelea. He found her sitting down by the river. "I was hoping to talk to you," he said.

"About?"

"I spoke to Kaje, after I overheard Aravan talking to Ria. You need to press charges against Aravan, so he can get what he deserves."

"Why are you so adamant about this? I just want to be left alone, and the fact that you went and told Kaje my business upsets me. That was not your place, and I am sure you're doing it out of caring for me, but it wasn't your place."

"He needs to be stopped. He has done this to others. I heard him admit it to Riatha."

She stood up and looked at him. "I don't care, Fairin. All I care about is how I'm going to live the rest of my life. How will I be able to do that? All you seem to care about is prosecuting the perpetrator, but what about the victim?"

"I do care about you, Dara. I just . . . cannot see him remain among us."

"And you think I can. I can't even stand to look at him. I can't be in the same room as him. And I'm having a really hard time being in a room with any other man."

"Is that your way of showing you want me to leave. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, and I am sorry if I have."

"It's not you. It has nothing to do with you. It's me being stupid. It just . . . I just want everything to be like it was, but it will never be that way again."

"You're not being stupid." He closed the distance between them. He touched her cheek lightly. She looked up into his eyes.

Kaje looked at Aravan. " I have had an informer tell me some rather disturbing things. Would you care to tell me if any of them are true?"

"Depends on what you heard."

"Well, quite a few things. There is an accusation against you. Did you rape Kaelea?"

"Yes."

"Did you rape her more than once? How many other victims were there?"

"Yes. There were a couple of times. There have been countless victims."
"You seem to be rather saddened by all of this. Why didn't you stop yourself?"

"This might be hard to believe but I thought it was consensual. Just like I can remember killing people that I thought were evil, but now I know they weren't. When I woke up this morning, all of my memories of these events were different. Now I know the horrible things that I have done."

"Hmmm…It sounds like there is an extenuating circumstance to this. I am going to have my Heralds take a look at you. You are dismissed. Go and wait in my study until you are called for."

"Yes Alor."

Kaelea knocked on Kaje's office door.

"Who is it?"

"Kaelea."
"Come on in."

Kaelea walked in, somewhat meekly. " I believe that you wanted to see me."

"I did. Please have a seat."

"I would rather not, if you don't mind."

He smiles, "That is fine. I wanted to see you, because, Fairin came to me with the news."
"Yes I know. He told me."

Kaje quirked an eyebrow. "He did? What else did he tell you?"

"Look, I just want to know why you asked me here. I have things to do."

"I wanted to talk to you about Aravan."

"What about him?"

"Is it true? Did he rape you?"

"Why is everyone bothering me about this? Yes, yes he did. Why can't I just be left alone? I am trying to get over this. Evidently, that is too much to ask."

"No, it's not. You have the right to feel that way. All I need to know, is if you are willing to press charges?"

"If I do, will everyone leave me alone?"

"That is not what this is about? It is about your safety. We care about you, Kaelea and we don't want you to be in this alone. We want justice to prevail, in order to do that, you need to press charges."

"Fine, do whatever the hell you want to. I don't care. If you want justice to prevail, then press the charges. You could always tack my name on at the end."

"I am not going to do something you are against."

"Well, is he sorry? Does he have the memories to haunt forever?"
"Yes, he is not happy with himself and I am sure that he wishes he could take it back."

"That is enough for me. Leave me in peace, let me begin the healing process, let me get on with my life."

"As you wish." He nodded.

Kaelea turned and walked out.

~*~

Karia sat down by the river. She looked out at the island, a gut feeling hitting her. She recognized this feeling, Stefan was in the area.

Stefan was hiding in an abandoned building, on the island, trying to avoid the sun. He sensed the presence of one of his Children. He focused on the feeling, trying to discover which one it was. Eventually, he realized that it was Karia. Stefan moved to the door of the building, and cautiously put his hand outside. When the sunlight had no adverse affect on him, he stepped out of the building, and crossed the river to confront his Childe.

Karia was pacing the area. Her back was to the island. She did not see Stefan approach.

Stefan walked up to Karia and wrapped his arms around her waist. Karia turned her head. "What do you want, Stefan."

"At the moment merely to see you." He concentrated on something for a moment. "And to ask why you are still hanging around Angelus."

"Because I can. I just caught up with him and decided I would help out. Last time I checked that wasn't a crime."

"Yes, but I am your Sire, and you spend more time with Angelus than you do with me."

"Getting a bit possessive are you?" She turned in his arms. "Look, I am sorry if I have made you feel bad, but the fact is, you make me feel uncomfortable."

"You have always been one of my rebellious Children. I should never have let you leave, when you did. You know of course not to tell anyone that I am here."

"Yes, of course, why should I ruin your fun? After all, I am sure I would pay dearly. Although you might enjoy that too much."

"I enjoy all fun, Childe. But I am not here entirely for fun this time. I am here on important business that I cannot afford to have you or Angelus jeopardize."

"Oh, but would be so much fun."

"Yes, well, I am the Sire, so I get to decide what is fun and what isn't."

"You can let go of me now. Do you enjoy making me cringe?"

He slapped her. "Don't be insolent. And I enjoy making everyone cringe."

She turned her head back to him slowly, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "What do you really want from me Stefan?"

"At the moment, nothing except your silence. I will be speaking to you again. Right now, I have plans to make."

"I am surprised. Although I am sure you will be forceful before you leave. You always are."

"Only when it is required. I will deal with you later. Right now, I have business to attend to."

"Right. I guess you will be summoning me when you need me."

"I always do, don't I?"

"Unfortunately. I think you tend to abuse the privilege, when it comes to me. Why am I your favorite? You never quite explained that to me."

"What I chose to explain or not explain is my decision. Do not question me. Now, I have to get to work."

"Go, I'm not stopping you."

He turned and left without another word, the encounter over for the time being. He knew he would see her again before he left Gondor.

~*~

Grool gathered together his army of Orcs for his annual assault on Gondor. He was determined that this time he would get his revenge for the two destructions on his home. "Remember, we will not turn back until we have destroyed Gondor, or find another way to get our revenge." He laughed sinisterly.

With that he led his army toward Gondor. This time they would destroy the city.

When they reached the river, they crossed by way of the island.

Karia saw a band of Orcs headed toward her and the city. She sent a telepathic message to all of the Crusaders, Kaje included, Wesley, and Eldarion were the first to receive the message. Wesley, Eldarion, Angel, Kaelea, Dakkon, Celedbhel, Legolas, Ria, Kaje, Faedra, and Isethia were the first to arrive. The second group to arrive was Vanidor, Ayala, Fairin, Aravan, Calyna, Lia, Lunea, and a small army of soldiers.

Karia stepped forward and said, "You guys might want to stand back."

They stepped back. She held up her hand, and a shield formed around them. When she turned around, Wesley and Lia had joined her.

"That is very good. You must show me how to do that someday." Wesley stated.

"It's too complicated. So, you have powers . . . this could prove to be helpful." She looked to Lia. "Why have you stepped forward?" she asked out of curiosity.

"I felt compelled to do so. I can't really explain it," Lia said, quietly.

"Okay. I hope you prove to be useful for our sake."

Grool ordered the front line of his army forward, only to have them repelled by the shield. This was unexpected. "Attack that shield," he ordered his swordsmen, and a group of Uruk-hai charged forward, their swords drawn, to attack the shield.

Karia turned to the Crusaders. "We need a method of attack, then we can take them by surprise."

Kaje stepped forward. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, I suggest we prepare to fight in some shape or form. How many archers to you have?"

"I would say we have about twenty."

"Have all the archers get into one line, toward the left, then we will have the sword fighters form together over to the right."

"What about everyone else?"

"Well, all the people who can use magic can stand in the front line, so that we can protect you. Spear-throwers and staff-users can stay in the center."

"Well . . . I would say that Lunea should stand with you, as well as Celebdhel. Everyone else will get into their groups."

Karia nodded and took her position in line. "Everyone get into your positions."

Everyone got into position, as the first of the Orcs reached the shield. "I hope you are all ready. The shield is coming down." Karia lifted up her hand and the shield came down. The Orcs fell to the ground. "Archers . . . attack."

As his army began to pick themselves up from the ground, Grool shouted to his soldiers, "Watch out, they have magic users with them this time." Then, he ordered his archers to return fire.

Karia looked over to the others in her line. "Prepare to attack."

Some of the Orcs' arrows were getting close. Lia raised her hand, stopping the arrows in mid-air. Celebdhel took the opportunity to attack. He closed his eyes and lifted his hands in the air, a water funnel formed. He directed towards the Orcs' archers, and let it go. The funnel wiped out the row of archers and dissipated.

"The magic users are in the front line!" Grool shouted to the Uruk-hai. "See if you can take them out."

Wesley stepped forward. A metal object formed in his hand. He threw it and it multiplied. It hit about four of the Orcs.

Lunea closed her eyes, suddenly five of the Orcs began to rapidly age.

"'Do something about those magic-users!" Grool shouted.

One of the Orcs charged. Kaelea stepped forward. She stopped him in his tracks and knocked him out with one sweep of her staff.

A group of about ten Orcs charged at the line of magic users. Karia grabbed the sword from the fallen Orc, and began to fight the ten Orcs. Kaelea, Fairin, and Isethia joined her. Kaelea took a hit. She was cut on the arm. Fairin came to her defense, and took on the Orc. The line of Orcs quickly fell.

Grool ordered another twenty Orcs to attack the front line, as well as five of the Uruk-hai. The majority of the Crusaders stepped forward and began to fight. Dakkon got stabbed in the leg. Kaje was slashed on the stomach. Aravan was slashed on his back. Lia concentrated all of her energy onto the Uruk-hai that stabbed Dakkon. Within minutes, the Uruk-hai was holding his head screaming, and he fell to the ground. Grool ordered more Uruk-hai forward. Karia quickly took action. She moved at vampiric speed and took out all the Uruk-hai within five minutes. Angel had been busy for quite some time, trying to fend off some Uruk-hai, doing so unsuccessfully. Grool ordered more of his Orcs forward.

Celebdhel raised his hands in the air, this time creating a whirlwind. He sent it to the center of Grool's army, narrowing down Grool's army to about two hundred Orcs and fifty Uruk-hai. One of the Uruk-hai went after Eldarion. Eldarion tried to fend him off, but he was unsuccessful.

"Dad, watch out!" Wesley called out. As he did so, he shot out a ring of fire. The Uruk-hai screamed and fell to the ground as he turned to ashes.

Grool had heard what Wesley said, and realized the identity of one of the magic users. The prince had returned. Grool immediately saw his window of opportunity, and ordered one hundred Orcs and twenty-five Uruk-hai to attack Wesley.

Everybody saw half of the army charge toward Wesley. They immediately surrounded him and prepared to fight. Dakkon threw a spear and hit three of the Orcs. Legolas began to shoot arrows, and knocked ten of the Orcs down. Kaelea threw a dagger and hit a Uruk-hai in the neck. Kaje swung two of his swords, knocking another fifteen out of the battle. Ayala grabbed her sword from its sheath, and killed two Uruk-hai. Lia, Dakkon, Ayala, and Isethia joined Legolas and took out fifty from the army. With everyone fighting, the army that attacked them was now down to thirty. Seeing this, Grool ordered the rest of his army forward, and led the charge. Lunea rapidly aged fifteen of the Uruk-hai, until their bones rapidly fell to the ground. During the battle, Kaelea got wounded, Dakkon had to sit on the sidelines due to the his wound, Karia was stabbed in the stomach, Lunea's arm was sliced open, Fairin got a deep cut on his thigh. Grool went after Eldarion and his son.

Wesley saw his father in danger and came to his aid. He stabbed Grool in the back. "I suggest you leave my father alone, or you will have to face my wrath."

Grool decided this would be a good time to retreat.

Eldarion put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Thank you, son. I don't know what I would do without you."

Wesley pulled his father into a hug. "Don't mention it, Dad."

~*~

When all the Orcs were either dead or gone, Vanidor turned his attention to the wounded. He went first to Dakkon, who seemed to be the most seriously injured, and placed his hands on the wound. Dakkon felt something warm, and his wound began to heal.

Karia leaned up against a tree, tore off a strip of material from the bottom of her dress and wrapped it around her waist. Kaelea was sitting on the ground, tending to her wounded shoulder. Fairin was sitting on the ground next to her. She ripped a piece of her dress off and tied it around her shoulder. Wesley had a few cuts and bruises. Angel was unscathed. Aravan had a few major cuts. Ria was unscathed. Legolas, Ayala, Lia, and Isethia were also unscathed. Everyone else had a few minor cuts.

Tolar walked up to them. "Hey guys. What happened here? You guys look like hell."

"Always the comedian, Tolar. We just finished a two-hour battle with Grool. He just doesn't give up," Eldarion said.

"Oh, well, why wasn't I called."

"You were."

"Is that what that was?"

"Tolar, how many time have I told you not to IGNORE telepathic messages."

He scratches his head. "Um, once."

"Try ten times."

"Who's counting. I'm not counting." He shrugged. "Oh well . . . better late than never."

"You know, Heralds are receptive to Mindspeech for a reason," Isethia said.

"No dah."

Isethia walked over to Fairin. "You know, you need to stop going to people's defense in battle all the time. You could get yourself killed like that."

"I don't do it for everyone."

"Yeah, just Kaelea."

"And you that one time."

Her hand went to the scar on her face, which was no longer covered by her hair. "Why do you do that?"

"I'm not trying to throw my life away, if that's what you meant," he said. "I just try to protect those I care about."

"Or love."

Fairin turned bright red. "Yes, that too."

Kaelea looked over at the two of them. "Fairin . . . why did you come to my aid. I can handle myself, you know?"

"Yes, I do know that you can handle yourself. I just do not like to see you hurt."

She smiled. "You are too kind of me. Remind me on day to repay you for your kindness."

Isethia stood up again. "I'll leave you too alone," she said, and headed back into the city.

"There is no repayment needed." Fairin said.

~*~

Ria sat down next to Aravan. "You're hurt."

He looked over at her. "And your point is?"

"You should go get tended to."

"I don't really think that's necessary."

"I do. And I will make sure that your wounds get tended to even if I have to drag you there."

"You couldn't, and anyway, there is no one else here who would care one way or the other."

"That is not true. Get that thought out of your head. There are a few people here who do. You have to realize that they don't know the extenuating circumstances to your actions."

"Regardless of the circumstances, I still committed those actions."

She put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. "You couldn't help it. Don't get all guilt stricken on me. I need you."

"No, you don't. There is no reason why you, or anyone else would need me. I have turned against everyone I had a close connection to for the past several years."

"And I think that damn obsession of yours is part of what caused all this."

"I promised Coron Eiron that I would find whoever killed his son. I cannot give up my search for the yellow-eyed man until I find him and kill him. I have nothing else left."

"You have me, and that is enough."

"You do not understand what I have done . . . I have killed innocent people . . . and raped women . . . and . . ."

"Abused Aylis . . . I know. You cannot dwell on these things, Aravan. They are tearing you apart. Yes, you did bad things, but everyone has a few demons in their past."

"I know. I just cannot forget them . . ." He turned away from her.

She turned his face so that he was looking at her. "Figure out a way to forgive yourself, because if you don't, you will never be able to move on."

"I do not deserve forgiveness for what have done to them. The only reason you don't hate me is because . . ."

"I do not hate you because I know the truth. It wasn't you. You were under the control of someone else. Stop being so guilty. You deserve forgiveness more than anyone I know. You are a good person, and would not do these things intentionally. I will be damned if I let you do this to yourself."

"How I feel about this is none of your goddamned business."

"Stop pushing me away. I'm not going anywhere. And the fact that you are reducing yourself to having a death wish is beyond me. You are not that type of person. You are resilient and strong."

"I did not say that I had one. And it would be what I deserve. That or the shunning."

"You have suffered enough. I know Kaje will see this, and you will not be punished. You do not deserve anything but happiness."

"Happiness is the last thing I deserve. They are the ones who have suffered."

"What do you call what you are going through? That is suffering." She grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"I call it a deserved punishment." He pulled his hand from her grasp, preparing to leave the conversation.

She grabbed his hand again and pulled him toward the city.