All Falls Down

[Velaine Krome]

All Falls Down

17th of Cylus, Arc 718

Guilt weighed heavily in her heart as Velaine carefully distangled herself from her betrothed’s protective arms. Her heart was racing so hard that she feared she would not hear the change in his breathing that would tell her he’s waking. Every once in a while, she turned her head around to check if the bear was roused. This had been her struggle for the past few trials, remorsefully slipping out of their bed in the middle of the night.

Nathaniel was not exactly a light sleeper and so she hadn’t worried too much about him waking up. Yet, something told her that he might have noticed how she yawned during the day, looking unrefreshed most mornings. He hadn’t said anything, so she pretended to be oblivious.

The young woman got dressed in her simplest clothes, her unadorned outfits. The cloak she wore was nondescript, without the fur adornments usually found on her other cloaks. Most of the servants in Astedia had not yet recognized her face as a sister to their duke and she had passed as a maid heading home late in the night.

A part of her still doubted if this was the right course of action, but Elrik would already be waiting for her. He had already gone out of his way to come to Andaris and offered to continue her training – looking out for her as always. She had impulsively sent out a vague letter telling him how she had lost her grip on her spark during the mage execution and overstepped after being overwhelmed by the crowd.

Velaine needed to train again, she knew. Her magic needed to be kept in line in order for to keep it secret. Yet, it also felt wrong. Especially since it meant deceiving Nathaniel.

She couldn’t stop herself from sitting on the side of the bed for a moment. Her gloved fingers reached out to run down the side of his face, the rough hairs on his jaw. Her touch was light, barely even there for she feared to disturb him. I’m sorry. The words nearly slipped out of her lips, but she kept a leash on her tongue.

She did not deserve him.

Still, she told herself that this was necessary. That she had no other choice. Should she lost control again last time, she might not be so lucky. They would drag her up that stage and burn her alive and saints know what would happen to Nate. These men were cruel and she feared they would punish her betrothed for simply being associated with her.

That could not happen.

With one last look at the snoozing bear, the she-wolf slipped out of the room.
The woods of Andaris was nothing like home. It wasn’t nearly as thick and entirely unfamiliar. The forests of Krome had always gave her a sense of otherworldliness, the ethereal air about everything. Here, the trees and the earth seemed almost mundane.

As she trudged through the foliage, Velaine was more than a little tempted to take off her boots. It would allow her more ease in finding her mentor. Unfortunately, the ground also seemed quite frozen. Still, even without that connection to the earth, the young woman felt the tension lifting off of her with every step. Winds rustled the leaves in greeting to her, swirling giddily around her.

Finally, she broke into a small clearing after following the instructions her former lover had given her. The trees hugged each other tightly around it and there was a small pond in the center of it. How Elrik had managed to find the place, she couldn’t tell, but she had to admit that this was a pretty decent spot.

The man lifted his head up and grinned when he saw her. “You’re late.” Elrik was dressed similarly to her, warm, but unflattering clothes.

“Well, sneaking out of a noble estate is much more difficult than sneaking out of an inn,” the young woman retorted easily as she began unfastening her cloak before dropping it on the ground. Velaine couldn’t help but check their surroundings. She could not help feeling like they were being watched. “Do we really have to do this?”

Elrik was already standing in the pond, his pants rolled up. He always seemed much more at ease whenever near water. “You do remember that you’re the one who sent me a frantic letter asking me to come?”

“I didn’t exactly ask you to come. I just asked you to help me.”

He smiled softly. “Am I not here helping you right now?”

Despite the grateful smile on her face, the young woman rolled her eyes as she walked towards him. “Fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

[Nathaniel Endor]

NATHANIEL ENDOR

For the last several trials, he had noticed that Velaine had not been herself. Frankly, she had not been herself since he had brought her back to Astedia after the mage trial. Not that one could call it a trial. She had seemed anxious, distant. He had found difficulty in approaching, unsure how to deal with someone with extreme emotions. Was it grief that she was feeling or disgust? Perhaps she was overcome with anger to the King and his minions. Sarah had seemed like such an innocent woman and now she was but a flakey crisp with her ashes upon the wind. He was having enough trouble with his own feelings about the situation he had caused. The mage that he had seen at the burning caused chaos; a fiasco he had not intended to create. The King's men had fired down into the crowd. The image was ghastly as he had recounted it. In the trials since the burning, he had no idea how to talk with Velaine because he had no idea what he would say about the situation. If he did not know how he felt about it, how could he ask her about her feelings?

As time passed, the distance grew. He did not yet know that she was slipping out of bed at night, but he had not been sleeping well. He saw her yawns and the growing dark rings beneath her eyes. At breakfast, she ate little. It was a strange site, after her being so famished back in Endor. He would not have believed it if someone told him that she was sneaking out of his bed at night.

Not until he realized it himself.

Her gloved hand was barely touching his face, but his anxiety roused him at the touch. Nathaniel did not move; instead, he feigned sleep and breathed slowly. He wanted her to say something, to explain what she was feeling to his passed out form. Instead, he heard the soft pad of her feet fall and the click of the door as she left. Disheartened, his eyes opened halfway. Her side of the bed was empty, her sleep wear at the foot of the bed. For a brief moment, he wanted to slam his eyes shut, ignore what he was seeing, and pretend it was all just a bad dream.

Then he was getting up and putting his own clothes on, watching her slip into the forest from their window.
Nathaniel was not an amazing tracker and the time that it had taken him to get dressed into the darkest clothes he could find had given her enough distance between them. This forest was far different than the ones that they had journeyed in together or that he had explored as a child. They were dark and foreboding. He preferred the lively forests around Endor, where the birds chirped and the winds sang through the branches; where bear cubs played in the spring and the snowmelt babbled over river stones. The silence of this particular forest blanketed by night unnerved him further. The silk of his clothing flowed over his form, trying to remind him that there was luxury and warmth behind him.

He persevered, pulling his green cape about his form to protect himself from the icy breeze.

Thankfully, he did not need immense skill in tracking. The snow had kept her foot prints for him, and he simply followed them. It was not worth covering his tracks with hers by directly stepping in her path; his feet were bigger than hers and it would be easy to discern the difference. So, he walked off her path, putting trees and brush between the trail she had used. Delicately, he moved through the forest while keeping an eye on the trail.

“Am I not here helping you right now?”

“Fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

Nathaniel stopped, pressing himself to a sturdy trunk of a tree. Actors upon a stage would actively be gripping their chest, as if the world was trying to tear the heart from the cavity. His eyes were wide as the tone of the voice struck him. It was that of a man's voice, followed shortly by Velaine's voice. A thousand daggers could not replace that echoed in his heart and his gut. She was leaving their bed, forsaking their political engagement, to meet with a man in the forest in the middle of the eve. What was she thinking?

Sanity begged him to consider what she said and the way that she said it. It seemed reluctant, as if she did not want to be here. Nathaniel forced himself to take a breath, remaining against the tree so that he might listen to their conversation. Eavesdropping was a good idea. Maybe it was not what he thought it was...

[Velaine Krome]

“Take off your gloves,” the man instructed, his voice carrying a sternness that was so familiar. While Elrik was a gentle lover, he had also been a demanding mentor. He would push her to her limit if he believed she could do it.

She raised eyebrow, but obeyed anyway. “Why?”

“We’re practicing you Defying this trial. I want you to have some protection if the worst was to happen.” Elrik circled her carefully, eyeing her up and down. “Make a fire. Ask it to come to you.”

Velaine blinked. She had never really tried conjuring elements out of nothing before. She had seen Elrik done it a hundred times before, but she doubted it would be that easy. Still, her spark greeted her eagerly with the slightest thought, roaring into life as the elements awoke all around her. Everything felt more vivid, more alive.

Slowly, the she-wolf lifted her hands, palms up. Her soft, smooth hands. She wasn’t quite sure where to start, but she let herself recall the feeling of fire. It’s wild, demanding nature. The uncontrollable heat. A small spark blinked to life in front of her, sputtering just as quickly as it had appeared It was on her fourth try that she was finally able to sustain a painfully small ball of flame.

“Tell me about the mage trial. Tell me about it and keep that flame alight.”

At first, Velaine did not know what to say. Thinking about it was enough to strike fear in her heart once more. The anger too. Then, the words came in a rush. “The people… They were eager to watch, eating up all that bullshit. They were ready to believe that mages are horrific monsters, undeserving of life.” If she closed her eyes, she could hear the girl’s scream for mercy. The pain she went through. The fire in her hand dimmed as she became distracted and Velaine forced herself to pour more concentration into her magic as she spoke. “They think have the right to pass judgment. That their cruelty was just. It’s… difficult to watch.”

Elrik suddenly became silent, his eyes fixated on the small fire. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking of, didn’t want to try to guess. It was a while until he finally spoke.

“Come back to Ne’haer with me. We can leave. Right now.”

The fire flickered before dying entirely as Velaine sighed. The request was not at all surprising. “No, I can’t leave. Not now.”

His eyes seemed to glow brighter under the moonlight as they locked on hers. Elrik so rarely showed his emotions openly that the harsh gaze was almost enough to make her take a step back. “Can’t… or won’t?”

“Elrik…”

But there was no stopping him once he let his walls down, once he let everything pour out of his mind. “The girl I know would have left once she heard about these executions. She would not be such a fool as to risk her life for a title, not when she knows I can provide her with everything she wanted.” The mage shook his head in disbelief. “Is it because of him? Are you staying here because of him?”

The accusation in his voice forced her to turn her head, to look away. Because his words rang too closely to the truth. The wind suddenly blew harder against her face, releasing wild strands from her tied hair. She couldn’t tell if it was responding to her emotions, or Elrik’s. “Stop. Just stop. I don’t want to talk about this.” Why did she decide to stay? Simply to inherit the barony? It made sense when there was no threat against her life, but now… Common sense told her that it was not worth losing her life. Something else kept her here. Someone.

“Have you even told him? About what you are? What you can do?” Her silence was enough answer for him. “You know he will never understand. Not really.”

“I… I have to stay, Elrik,” she replied stubbornly, looking down at her empty hands. Closing her eyes, the young woman thought of the flickering light of fire, the red glow it offered. Her eyes opened once she felt the warmth on her skin, a ball of flames hovering on her hands. “I…” I found what I was looking for. Everything I thought that would not exist outside of dreams.

Elrik’s whole mannerism suddenly changed as he gaze drifted to something behind her.

[Nathaniel Endor]

NATHANIEL ENDOR

He listened from behind the tree. This man seemed to be interested in training Velaine in self-defense. If she had told him that, he would have been interested in helping. Why were they meeting in a secluded place, under the cover of darkness? He leaned ever so slightly from around the tree, his cloak still behind him as he did so. Part of him felt bad that he was sneaking about after her to find out what she was doing; another part felt it was justified since this was a secret she first kept from him.

Make a fire. Ask it to come to you.

Well, this man was clearly an idiot. Fire was an untamed element, one that had the potential to destroy everything in its path. No one could ask it to do anything, let alone create it out of thin air. Velaine was smart; Nate was absolutely sure she could create fire with some sticks or some flint rock.

Nathaniel could have been happy being completely oblivious. Had she never touched him this evening, her secret might have still been safe. Their relationship would have remained intact, and he would have been able to convincingly lie through his teeth for the rest of his life. The invisible bond that he had built towards her shook as she lifted her hands straight up before her to do as the other man had bid. His brows furrowed as he searched her palms in the dim light. There had to be something there; something that was explaining why she was not grabbing for flint and sticks.

A blip of flame appeared and his heart stopped for a trill.

It only started again because his body wanted to live.

Nathaniel wanted to die.

There was only one explanation to what he was seeing here. He pulled his eyes away from the scene, pressing his head against the bark of the tree. Nathaniel really wanted to beat his forehead against the trunk, to wake himself from this nightmare. He was trying to wrap his mind around; explain it all away. Yet, the same images flickered past his mind's eye: Sarah's burning, her intense desire to see the trial, the questions she had been asking just before Caius began to speak. His friend supported the burning, not their friend. With palms pressed into the plant material, nails curled to dig in, he recalled all the strange signs she had been showing leading up to this moment of realization. The statement erupted in his mind, blowing through all the images.

Velaine is a mage.

Her words were laced with hatred as she recounted the mage burning from her point of view. Nathaniel's eyelids were pressed so tightly together he thought the darkness would be enough. Yet, she pictured her standing there, a blip of fire dancing on her palm talking about the people eating up the King's bullshit. Talking about him and others that believed that mages were monsters, undeserving of life. Her words never stated his name directly, but he could not help but cognitively place himself in that group. All this time, he had been ignorant of his own betrothed's greatest secret. Instead, he had started a panic to get after a presumed mage; to protect the one's he cared about. To protect a mage that had been standing in his arms that very day.

Nathaniel choked back a pitiful wine. His eyes were so tight, they held back the burning moisture that was building up behind them.

The bear lord was struggling with his emotions, he could barely comprehend the next segment of conversation. The way that this man spoke suggested that he cared for her in some form; whether she cared for him in return was an unanswered question at this time. Trembling, he listened, his bond cracking and threatening to shatter altogether. Sp, Velaine had come back for the title. With her brother moving to House Andaris, it made sense to call to the next child to come home from education abroad. Talented, beautiful, political. Nathaniel should have steeled himself for this moment. Every movement she made from the beginning had been a screaming red flag. The political arrangement to save her house to guarantee her the Barony and the Duchy, the lack of expressed 'I love you's'. There was certainly a little Syroa hanging out on his shoulder, whispering all the evil's into ears and justifying his sadness, anger, and sudden loneliness.

The wind had picked up in that moment and he couldn't help but feel incredibly vulnerable. Were they altering mother nature. His cape snapped behind them in the building winds and he shook his head. 'I shouldn't be here...' Nathaniel stepped back with his eyes still closed, his hands touching the trunk just enough to remind him it was there. One heel contacted the soft snow; the next snapped a small twig.

It was like thunder at a funeral.

His eyes shot open. A chill gripped his entire body while the silence after the open invitation to his position became deafening. It turned otu that in his negligent movement, he had also sidestepped directly into their view. It was an awesome example of how not to sneak around behind someone's back. One hand fell to his side as he stood there, the other sliding down the trunk a bit until just his fingertips touched it. Half lidded, his eyes fell in a defeated manner. With all the sadness allowed release, a tear fell from the corner of one eye while the rest remained along the edge, threatening a full break down.

Nathaniel opened his mouth and closed it repetitively, trying to find the words to express everything that he was feeling. Between looking like someone had just killed his puppy, penning up the rage towards this man that wanted to steal his heart away, and the white elephant in the middle of the room called 'Mage Velaine' it was not surprising that he did not know where to start. In another world where he was alright with mages, he simply would have sarding punched the living day out of that man. In this life, he was afraid of them both.

"Why...?"

[Velaine Krome]

The fates loved taking things away from her.

Most of her life she had known it, lived through it. Her parents' attention. Her brother's love and care. Her freedom. Her decisions.

It was her fault that she was starting to forget. That she had started to believe she finally had something, someone, to call her own. Someone to be by her side. Someone who looked at her like there was nothing else worth looking. She had been swept away into the belief that she might be handed a happy ending.

The fates liked to remind her when she was wrong.

The snap of a twig broke through the air. Her entire body froze with shock and fear. Someone else was here. Someone was watching them. Probably seen what she could do. There was a sickening feeling in her gut, twisting and churning.

Her legs nearly disappeared from underneath her when she took in the familiar figure standing between the trees. The broad shoulders she knew so well, the green eyes she had gazed upon a thousand times.

Nate.

The way he was looking at her... He always looked at her with wonder and sometimes she could even convince herself that he was looking at her with love. There was always such kindness in his eyes. But now... His eyes widened in disbelief and fear, looking at her like he wasn't entirely sure he recognized her.

Instinctively, her mind tried its best to rebuild her walls. Her walls, her emotional distance, it had always saved her from the pain, the heart break.

Her eyes hardened stubbornly, even when tears soon filled them to the brim. "Because I don't want you to look at me in fear. Like I'm some sort of monster." Velaine told herself it shouldn't matter. That it didn't matter what anybody thought of her. Not even him. She made it all this time alone. She needed to remember that. "Like the way you're looking at me now."

She couldn't even be sure that he was truly listening to her.

Perhaps she shouldn't be surprised when Nathaniel began turning his back on her. Perhaps her answer was the wrong one. Perhaps he was sick of her, scared of her. He was walking away. He was leaving her.

Was she just going to let this world steal another good thing from her?

Her body reacted without thinking. Velaine surged forward just in time to catch the sleeve of his shirt. She needed to stop him. She couldn't let him walk away. Not like this.

It was then that Velaine realized there was no rebuilding those walls. At some point, perhaps it was that day he said he loved her, the night they spent together, perhaps even before that... Whenever it was, Nathaniel forced herself to shed all her defenses and bare her emotions for him - even if he didn't realize it.

"Nate, please..." Please listen. Please stay. Please don't leave me. Her voice broke, sounding younger than she ever did. More scared than she ever did. But vulnerable, most of all. Though she refused to let the tears fall, it seemed the desperation found another way to express itself.

[Nathaniel Endor]

NATHANIEL ENDOR

If you had asked him up until yestertrial, Nathaniel would never have believed that this would be the scene he was playing a role in to-trial. When they made eye contact, Elrik's presence seem to have vanished. Nathaniel could not register both of them in this moment, tunnel visioning onto Velaine with mixed feelings. His heart begged her to feel something, to have a look of pain across her face that might have signaled that she felt something for him in this moment. If she wanted him to truly believe that whatever came out of her mouth next was the truth, he needed to see something real from her.

She presented him with a stone cold stare that pushed the dagger of betrayal further into his heart.

"Because I don't want you to look at me in fear. Like I'm some sort of monster. Like the way you're looking at me now."

Since they met, never in a million trials would have have imagined that he could see her as a monster. Was that really how he was looking at her now. For a brief moment, Nathaniel thought shame might creep up into this melting pot of emotions. Instead, it crawled away and he tightened his hands into little balls. How dare she try to spin this on him and make him out to be the villain? She had lied to him, kept this sin a secret. Now, not only did he want to lay into the slime ball in standing knee deep in the pond, he wanted to shake some Seven-given sense into Velaine. Domestic violence had never been the answer. So, Nathaniel did the only thing he thought best in this moment.

He turned around and began to walk away.

It was an icy thing to do, giving the cold shoulder, but what else was he supposed to do. It was better to lives the monster's lair, especially when he had nothing to fight her with. She was all powerful in his eyes; mages were deemed evil by the Crown. All his life he had supported the crown and drank greedily from the golden chalice of safety, nobility, and promise of a quality life if he was good. Now, the Seven had given him the biggest challenge yet. How would he deal with this knowledge that Velaine was a mage? The woman that he loved, if he turned her in, would be set upon a pyre and burned alive before her friends, family, and the rest of Rynmere. The skeleton of nobility would shake and crumble; no one would be beyond persecution.

Once again he was being stopped by the cuff of his clothes. His body froze, his arm hanging by his sleeve behind him. Part of him wanted to rend it from her and keep walking; the other was too stunned and aching to do anything. Although his body was weak, his mind was going a million miles a minute. "Please what Velaine?" The pain was evident as his voice cracked at the end, his gruff voice darkened with grief and anger. Slowly he turned to face her, towering as he always had been.

"Please what? What do you want from me? To understand all of this? To listen to your pleas and your story about how you became a mage? Did that man do it?!" Nathaniel thrust a finger past her shoulder towards Elrick. "Clearly he loves you enough to keep your secret. Even amongst all of this confusion, he wants to take you away, to steal you from me and protect you. Maybe that is the kind of love you need; the kind of man you need..."

He was pissed, but the sadness was enveloping him again. His green gazed focused on Elrik for a moment. Was that a smirk on his face? One of victory perhaps? It was too hard to define this far away. Defeated, Nathaniel placed both a hand on either side of Velaine's shoulder. It was raw, all these emotions he was feeling. "This is hard for me. I loved you. I still love you. That's what makes this hurt so sarding much. You lied to me..."

Nathaniel let go, taking a step back. "Tell me Velaine. Have you ever used magic on me?"

It was a small invitation to tell him what this was all about; to justify her reasoning. He doubted it would make him feel any better.

[Velaine Krome]

The young woman flinched at the Endor’s demands, his accusations, and dropped the sleeve she was holding. He was furious and she could understand that, yet it didn’t make his words any less sharp. Each one was like a knife to her heart, dripping with betrayal and sorrow.

As Nathaniel pointed behind her, she followed his gaze only to meet Elrik’s eyes for the briefest of moments. Velaine could see the pain in them, but there was also understanding. With an imperceptible nod, the man took a step back. And then another. They both knew his presence would not help Nathaniel accept this whole situation. Elrik had understood what she was feeling for the bear-like man before she even had an inkling of what was happening.

That she was spiraling into this uncontrollable, unknowable pit that people called love.

She had been running away far too long, dodging all the emotions. It was her fault that she shied away from his love. It scared her, worried her. He bared his heart for her and she didn’t. Preferred to keep it all to herself for her own selfishness.

Now that she felt like he was slipping away, she unleased them all. Every emotion she had so masterfully cage deep inside her soul.

“But I love you, Nate.” It was a cry, a yell, a declaration. She thought of Elrik’s accusations just now. It had been a reminder for her. “I’m still here because of you. I can’t leave this damned land where its people wanted to kill me because you’re here. Everything we were supposed to have, everything we could be… It’s here. It’s you.”

Velaine braced herself for him to turn away again. She promised to herself that she would let him go this time. That she would not force him to accept her. Not when he might be disgusted by what she was. But instead, he put his hands on her, his touch steadying her before leaving her unbalanced. The pain in his eyes... Her heart twisted at the thought that she was the one who caused it. That she had hurt him, betrayed his love for her.

“Tell me Velaine. Have you ever used magic on me?”

“No! Never! I wouldn’t because–” She swallowed her pride as she looked up at him with dark blue eyes. It didn’t matter if he would think she was foolish or childish. If the truth was what it would take to make him stay, then it was truth that he would get. The words were clumsy – she wasn’t even sure it was entirely coherent. “Because… because after that day we first kissed, I started believing that there was something between us, something I never experienced before. I asked you about falling in love once, that’s because I never fell in love before. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. But with you… It’s different. I could feel it. And I wanted to be real. Not some sort of manipulation through magic. I wanted you to truly love me. For us to have something true.”

It was a pathetic excuse, but it was the truth. Despite her armor of wit and control, the Krome was still a naïve little girl deep inside.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped towards him, praying to her ancestors that this was the right thing to do. Her voice was shaky, but she held his gaze steadily. “It’s not true what they are saying. I’m… I’m not a monster. I’m not an abomination. I’m not a different woman from the one you believed.” She didn’t care what everyone else think. She only needed her lover to know understand, to accept her.

It was then that Velaine realized… It wouldn’t matter if Nathaniel decided to turn her in to the Ashcloaks. If he left her, hated her, the pain of burning alive would be nothing compared to the ache she would go through for losing him.

[Nathaniel Endor]

NATHANIEL ENDOR

He wanted to call her out on the way that she inserted the 'I love you' just now; to call her a lying witch and truly believe it. He was too cold to question it at this point in the conversation, more concerned with her answer to his following question. If she had used magic on him, it would end whatever they had because he would never truly know if his feelings were real or not. Then again, she could simply tell him no and lie to him. It would be his choice as to whether or not he would believe her coming answer.

His eyes were glazed and distance as her words poured from her mouth, caressing him in a way that he wanted to melt away into the snow. He recalled the first kiss where he pinned here against a tree and dug the point of his spear into the soft wood of the trunk. The need between them was young and powerful, full of lust and not yet love. It was the start of something new for both of them. If she had never loved before - especially the prick that had left the area for the time being - then it was not shocking to him that she didn't understand her feelings. He hadn't. How could he expect her to?

Nathaniel opened his mouth in hopes to find aggression and hatred for her words. When nothing but silence came, he closed his mouth and looked away. It would have been so much easier to call her a lying witch, to make her hate him so that she might be able to run away from these lands. It would be a valiant play at saving her. Push her away so that she might find freedom to be what she truly was on the outside.

“It’s not true what they are saying. I’m… I’m not a monster. I’m not an abomination. I’m not a different woman from the one you believed.”

"I would never be able to bring myself to call you a monster," Nathaniel murmured, running a hand up his opposite arm. "...or an abomination."

This was all too much for him. He could not make a decision right this moment about which path he would walk down. One included taking her hand and giving the rebel bird to the crown. They would walk down the raging road of constant concern and looking over their shoulder. He would have to come to understand magic and he would lose friends and family over it. How would he be able to keep these things from Caius, his longest and most trusted friend? Choosing love above all else would jeopardize everything he had worked for. The other path was lonely in a sense. Loyalty to the crown. He would be forced to make an example of Velaine by turning her into Caius and his lot. She would burn, just like the young Biqaj woman had trials earlier. Velaine's screams would not only echo in the courtyard of the prison, but it would reverberate across the kingdom. To burn a noble would only seed further hatred in the mind's of those with less. "I need time..."

Nathaniel did not know why he just said what he said, but it was necessary. He straightened up, gulped, and repeated himself. "I need time Velaine, to work through all of this. I am going to go stay with Caius in Andaris. You should stay here with your brother and his wife."

The bear should have left it at that, but he wanted to remember what life had been like before this evening. He closed the distance once more to envelop her in his arms, wrapping them tightly around her waist before catching her lips with his. Much like the fire she had been playing with on her palms, this felt warm and real. When he broke away and set her back down, the chill of an extinguished flame gripped him. Without saying another word, he let her go and turned around to head back to Drakengard.

He needed to pack and get to Andaris as quickly as he could.

[Velaine Krome]

The Endor just stood there for as she talked, his eyes never truly focusing on her. His face did not change even when she told him she loved him. As if he couldn’t truly believe her. Velaine knew better than to expect him to understand all this in an instant. Yet, she prayed it was the case nevertheless.

Of course, this was no fairytale. No miraculous forgiveness or understanding.

“I need time Velaine, to work through all of this. I am going to go stay with Caius in Andaris. You should stay here with your brother and his wife.”

It was another slap to her face. He wanted to leave, to distance himself from her. Probably couldn’t even stand her, despite saying that he would never call her a monster. She certainly hadn’t forgotten the look he gave her when he first stepped from between the trees. And he preferred to stay with Caius instead. Perhaps he felt the need to place a mage hunter between them. Perhaps she would find herself hunter down by the Ashcloaks by tomorrow. There was not a single optimistic thought in the young woman’s head. All she knew was to expect the worst.

The lady of Krome looked away, prepared to take a step back.

But then, the Endor closed the distance between them. Nate’s arms were suddenly around her, his familiar warmth enveloping her. She was still too distraught by his words to realize that he was leaning down until a trill later. When their lips found one another, there was no thought needed before she kissed him back deeply. For the briefest moment, everything else faded away.

Yet to her, the kiss still felt too desperate. Too much like a goodbye. Still, she clung to him as long as she could, closing her eyes. As if she shut her eyes hard enough, when she opened them they wouldn’t be here and none of this happened. They would be back in their bed, tangled with each other, lazying around until there was a knock on their door announcing there would be breakfast.

Soon he was gone, ripping himself away from her and turning his back. The shock of the sudden loss made her gasp and stumble. The Endor didn’t look back, didn’t say another word. Just walked and walked deeper into the woods, leaving her to watch his back, praying that he would stop. But he didn’t. Her eyes never left him until he was entirely out of sight.

Velaine sank to the ground as her first tear dropped. The rest came like flood, unstoppable. Velaine couldn’t even remember the last time she cried, truly truly cried. Her arms wrapped around her body, holding it together and it shook. She had promised herself that she would not let the world take anything else away from her. That she was finally in control of her own. Yet, here she was sitting on the snowy ground with tears streaming down her face.

It didn’t hurt. Not really. Her heart did not shatter into a million sharp pieces, cutting away at her insides. She just felt… hollow. Like something had been stolen from her, something precious.

She should have known better. Her relationship had been too good to be true. These past seasons… Velaine had done nothing but let herself be whisked away by the promises of love. Nathaniel Endor had came into her life with his strong arms and hidden kindness and swept her off her feet. Like some naïve adolescent girl praying for true love. And in the process, she had hurt him. Broke his heart because of who she was. Velaine knew that he deserved more than her, yet selfishly, she held onto him.

Perhaps it would have been better if they never met. Better if they never saw each other again.

The realization rang true inside her head, yet her heart had a hard time letting go. And so the young woman just stayed there and wept. Wept for the broken strings of the bond that held them together. Wept until there was nothing left inside her.

[Tristan Venora]

Velaine:

Knowledge:
Deception: Keeping Secrets from a Lover
Stealth: Sneaking Away in the Middle of the Night
Defiance: Makes the Elements More Vivid
Defiance: Recalling the Characteristics of Fire to Summon It
Defiance: Summoning Fire from Nothing
Defiance: Focusing on Magic While Getting Pissed Off
Psychology: Building Walls to Prevent the Pain
Psychology: Love Makes You Vulnerable
Psychology: Secrets Can Destroy Relationships
Discipline: Don’t Break Down Yet

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A
Magic XP: yes

Points: 15

Nathaniel:

Knowledge: N/A
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A
Magic XP: N/A

Points: 15

- - -

Comments: I followed this thread from the start. When I noticed it in the review queue, I knew that I had to take it!

This was dramatic and sad and emotional. I understand both Velaine’s and Nathaniel’s point of view. Velaine put Nathaniel in a difficult position. I’d hate being lied to as well, but on the other hand Velaine had a good reason to keep her being a mage a secret.

I wish Nathaniel would return and you two would continue this story. I want to know if they’ll meet again. Nathaniel said that he needed time. Maybe there’s still a chance for the two of them?

Nathaniel, if you come back, send me a PM with your knowledges or submit a review request, and I'll edit this post.

Velaine, please edit your review request to include the button below so that the other reviewers know that it's been taken care of!

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