“You… you love her. You really love her.”

They were words from another time. Some months ago, when the worries of today had not majorly been an issue, when Stare was able to walk free by herself and operate in business of her own accord. When she had not known she was immortal, when friends were simply friends and her god was just that, when Nevin had figured out the truth of what Vitruvion was and spoken the words.

“You… you love her. You really love her.”

Later that same day Vitruvion had translated it to Stare as the love a god has for a subject. Nothing more, nothing less. She was his high priestess in another life, his genesis of a kingdom he longed to build but was ultimately forbidden to do. That had been easy to understand, to come to a sane conclusion about, and it had been the easy truth for sometime.

But now. Now …

“You’re actually in love with her.”

That was another matter entirely. Stare looked at Sable as if she was mad. Because the woman was, it was crazy, suggesting such a thing. Vitruvion was her god, not some lovesick fool who chased around a girl just because he fancied her.

But then, he had never chased her around. Instead he had linked their minds, made her his legal possession and made her immortal just so she could stay with him for eternity. Indeed, the former two had been during the time when she had been fighting his authority, but the latter? What had Vitruvion said when she asked why he had made her immortal?

“I decided that I refused to live without you. Not that I could not live with you, but I would not. I refused, and I still refuse.”

Refused to live without her. Had this conclusion been staring her in the face all this time and she had just refused to believe it was even possible?

Maybe it was not though. Maybe it was just a suspicion on Sable’s part. With that in mind, and that forming the process of her mind she sucked into her breath and filled herself with confidence that that was all it was. Because he couldn’t. He wouldn’t …

Looking up, she prepared herself to see his denial.

What she saw, however, changed her entire life.

He did not look at her. Instead he was facing Sable, and his eyes were wide. His body was rigid, and now he was leaning away from Stare, his hands by his side, curled into light fists. Unsteadily his chest rose and fell, filled with anxiety, which was not an emotion she normally would associated with him and his eyes - his eyes …

Were lacking in anger. In hatred and spite. Instead they were filled with a great loss, an insecurity that Stare had never dreamed to see in him before. Slowly he swallowed, one fist clenching as he tried to open his lips to speak, then failed. There was a deep sorrow somewhere within him that refused to die, and was now living wild and free, alongside a desperation in his stance and reluctance.

Reluctance to admit it?

Reluctance to let her go?

Holy mother of …

Stare pushed herself rapidly away from the wall. Her attention was on him, disbelief, shock and horror flooding through her. How could he? How could he be in love with her? How dare he first of all, with all that he had put her through, and secondly how … just how?! It made no sense - or, if you looked at it, it made perfect sense. All his obsession with her, all of his desire to keep her near him. It was not just possession, it was beyond that, it was a deep love that he had never expressed, probably tortured himself trying to deny it, hoped to never even tell her until now.

Quite desperately, she backed up against the corridor. At first she slid along the wall, but then she was walking backwards. She saw Sable gasp and point at her, Stare decided to turn and begin to run because all she wanted was to be out of that place, away, outside, away from him, from it all, from all of them.

Arms caught her. Strong, warrior arms. They wrapped around her upper body, pinning her arms to her side and someone deeply whispered in her ear, “It is okay, Miss Stare.”

A deep voice, a familiar voice. One that she had not heard in a long time but had once been the only friendly one in this life …

Brer. Gently, but firmly he held her as she struggled, twisting against him. “Let me go!” she yelled at him, “let me go, bloody hell!”

“Miss,” he grumbled, holding her. No, hugging her in comfort. “It will be okay.”

“NO!” she yelled. “I want - I need to - just -”

A sudden blue light appeared. A shimmering rounded thing, pulsating rhythmically and familiarly. It grew, blossoming out before it was a portal of sorts, a void in which one could step and be away from this forever.

“Go then,” a hoarse voice said quietly. “You need to go, then go. Brer, let her go. You stay here, however.”

The half giant paused, but loosened his hold. Softly he murmured to her, “it's the only option for now, Miss.”

Stare shivered, and leant against the man. She tilted her head up to him, tears beginning to run. “I - I -”

He nodded slowly, and pushed her towards the portal.

“See you soon.”

More figures moved at the edge of her vision. One of them was tall and pale, with laboured breathing. That one she did not want anywhere near her right now, even though he had just said that he never wanted her to leave his side now, that she was to remain within his sights. He had made a portal - Stare did not know where it would go. Hells, it could lead to a cell, in which to keep her prisoner forever and day. But so long as she was fed - right now anywhere was better than here.

So she shrugged away, and staggered through the light. It absorbed her, swirled around her and enveloped her.

She breathed out, stepped through.

Was carried beyond.