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“Lydia sends her regards to you.”

….

Night had fallen when they got back to the castle, and the town was eerily quiet. Even in their homes, people didn’t light up lanterns or have quiet chats, and the bars and taverns were even shut down. The impendence of the war had worked its dark magic upon the people, and fear ruled the town.

When they made it past the gates of the castle, Freya was trudging to them, holding the walls for support, and she didn’t look too happy.

“Oh no,” Azriel sighed, leaping off the horse. To Zavian, he said, “I will take care of her.”

Freya was already yelling before Azriel approached her. And because she was weak, Azriel bent and picked her up, keeping her close to himself even as she rained punches on him.

Zavian ignored her as she yelled his name, and could not believe it hadn’t even been up to a week and Freya was already in her full element despite being ill. Once fully recovered, there was no stopping her in full force.

He found his legs leading him to the royal chambers, and he paused just outside the doors of the one he and Neera shared. He needed some answers to some questions, but he couldn’t tell if she was already asleep.

.....

“Come in,” he heard her call from inside.

Bracing himself, and making sure he was going to take proper measures to be as diplomatic as he could be, he stepped into the chamber. There was a lone candle burning on the vanity table, and he caught movement by his left, and Neera appeared from the shadows.

“I could hear you outside the door,” she said, looking ethereal in her white nightgown and silver hair gleaming like a jewel.

That was right, for a moment, Zavian had forgotten she was a demon now.

“Why didn’t you tell me Freya was awake?” She asked him.

“I didn’t see the need to,” Zavian said.

“I haven’t gone to see her,” Neera said. “I wanted your permission to. Ever since… the last time I was there.”

Zavian said nothing. Freya wouldn’t be too happy with the visit and it would end in a tumultuous disaster, that was easy to foresee.

Neera nodded. She could read his answer without him saying it.

“Those times you had those nightmares and saw that figure,” Zavian started. “What did it say to you?”

He saw Neera frown, focusing her eyes on a spot behind him. “He told me I had a mission to fulfill, and Lydia… she said I was the missing piece to everything. But ever since… ever since what I did, they haven’t been back. Not even the nightmares.”

Zavian nodded slowly. “And are you aware of the prophecy?”

“I am. Made for destruction. And I understand their words. That was what I fulfilled, wasn’t it? Chaos. That was the purpose of my return to this world.”

“No,” Zavian found himself saying. “It wasn’t.”

“Eloise asked you to kill me or send me far away, didn’t she?” Neera asked. “I feel like a monster in my skin, I wish you had listened to her, and I wanted to run away myself. Do you remember? But you protected me like your life depended on it. Do you know the things I have done, Zavian?”

“There is no use crying over spilled milk, Neera,” Zavian said. “And you didn’t deserve anything other than life itself when I made that choice, and you loved that choice much as I did.”

“Because it had you in it,” Neera cried. “You are gone now. And it hurts.” She inched closer to him. “Zavian,” she raised her hand to his chin, and his jaw grew taunt. “Forgive me, please.”

Was that possible? Forgiving the calamity she had plunged them into?

But also, he had chosen for her to stay, to live. And the prophecy had lived on. So he could see the blame shifting its finger to point at him as well.

“I am sorry,” she said. “And… Jasmine… I…”

Zavian removed her hand from his chin. “Jasmine wanted you dead. She would have gotten a similar fate, and I do not wish to talk about her.”

He wasn’t supposed to enter that chamber that night, but he needed to see her to confirm all the thoughts he had ravaging his mind all day. And he could see Neera was only a pawn in the larger part of Aloysius’s game.

Zavian moved to the door, and he would sleep in the other chamber he had moved to since Neera’s confession.

“Zavian.” Neera called him just as half his body was out in the hallway.

Zavian didn’t turn back, but closed his eyes and knew what he needed to do.

“I forgive you.” He said and closed the door behind him.

….

In the following days, Freya was a sour presence to be around. Maids came in with trays and scurried out like frightened rats. And everything tasted terrible in her mouth. What she longed to taste, to have, was to be practicing her skills and not reading in the damned bed all day. It was the perfect way to give her a slow, agonizing death.

But most of all, she missed her body. She missed the way she could get up from bed without any problem, and hop back in. But now, one wrong turn, and her skin would punish her.

She slammed the book she was reading against the wall, a habit she was bettering these days, and almost let out a scream.

“Aren’t you great company?” Azriel said, legs propped and crossed on the top of another chair’s frame as he idly cleaned a knife.

Freya was grateful the knife wasn’t in her hands, or else he would think next time he spewed his sarcasm.

“Take me out,” Freya said.

“You are the first lady who had said that to me in a long while,” Azriel held his knife against the light, squinted, and resumed cleaning. “Usually they beg me to take them inside.”