Felicity’s house was, as always, a mess. Clutter laid around the small household, furniture crooked. There were no rugs and portraits, the walls were not painted. The bare bones house of wood was tightly insulated against the cold, and the fireplace roared, but that was all. It was a small house with a meager three rooms. The small kitchen area in a corner was in the massive, mostly empty room that was meant to be a visiting area. Felicity hardly had visitors, however. The single thing of interest in this large, vacant space was the collection of hung up weapons on one of the longer walls. Below it, a series of boxes containing random odds and ends just waited to be unpacked and used. Felicity had no such desires to decorate.

A small chest was shoved into the corner as well, holding some of the more important belongings she owned. Her journals from adventures in Corone, Raiaera and Dheathian; her ice mirror; her late cousin’s trinket of Trisgen, common to the Coronian Rangers… Even this chest was rough and unstained. Felicity sighed, dropping her bag onto the long floor as she trudged towards the doorway to her room. Her boots scuffed against the floor, leaving more marks on the floorboards, as she stalked in.

Her room consisted of a simplistic bed with white sheets, a glorious grandfather clock that was an oddity in this bare bone house, plus a dresser and closet. Exiting the bedroom, one would walk into the tiny restroom. Felicity walked straight to the bed and landed face first on it.

Well, it had been another day.

She flopped onto her back, slowly kicking off her shoes. As they thudded onto the dusty floor, Felicity looked up to the ceiling. Another spider made its home in the corner. She sighed, remembering her late night conversations with Osiris and recalling the desire to keep him from harm. If only Gwenael was here to protect as well…

Wait, protect? Gwenael? He was a Thayne! He needed no protection!

Yet, her memories of his wings on the ground, his slouching form looking up the Felicity with deep sadness, never left her. Gwenael was… like herself in a sense. Physically and magically powerful, emotionally weak. Felicity missed him dreadfully, his bizarre personality and desires for justice. Yet, the pathetic title of “Lesser” Thayne held him back. He was so, so much more. She could feel it in her bones…

Felicity continued to look up at the ceiling, watching as the spiders spun intricate webs in the corner. She had no desire to take them down. This house was where she slept and kept things, that was it. She barely spent time here. The soundproof walls, added for the protection of the neighborhood as she screamed of night terrors, let in little light from the shudder barred windows. It was nighttime, and the stars shone brightly outside. Apathetic to the fresh, cold air out there, the redhead closed her eyes without changing into pajamas. At one point, she sneezed from the dusty, thick air, but that was it. As she slept lightly, she was unaware of any sights or sounds until… her magic sense suddenly blared. Green eyes flashed open as she awoke to a powerful presence. She leapt from the bed, which moaned tightly, and darted to the living room. The crackling of the fireplace out there lit the room, allowing anyone to see clearly. This magical energy was by no means dark, but Felicity was too paranoid to take chances. Besides, it was in her house!

“I am so member of the Brotherhood’s military!” She shouted, barefoot and unkempt, “I am more than qualified to beat your-“

She stopped with a loud gasp. The individual in her living room was…

“Gwenael!” The townsfolk were once again lucky the walls were soundproof.

There Gwenael stood. His pale form bore long, white hair. His lithe frame was clothed with white silk, the multiple owl wings lifted in joy upon seeing her. His eyes were the bearers of clocks, ticking in accurate time as starlight glowed in his eyes. The light of the fireplace danced against his glowing figure. He offered her a small smile as she stood there, tears flooding her eyes. “You’re here…”

“Of course.” Gwenael’s ethereal voice echoed as if distant, but was close at the same time. “I did promise.”

Felicity rapidly wiped her tears, smiling. She giggled, a rarity these days. “Of course you did!”

After long last, he was back by her side.