AN: For those of you that may have read my other stories, don't hold your breath for new installments. I haven't seen a Bones or House episode in a while, and I haven't been able to get inspired enough to write for those shows. Maybe when I get my season three DVD for Bones I'll be able to write something. Sorry. I didn't fully read through this for mistakes, so if you find one, please let me know.

Guardian

I hadn't believed that it was possible for one woman to have such a hold over me, but my life, as I knew it, ended when she died. I still remember that nightmare of a day; I was sure that we would seal Ahriman forever, and live to tell the tale. I was incredibly arrogant back in those days.

I skillfully defeated Elika's father, and I did not disappoint once the god of corruption made his appearance. I executed flawless wall runs all the while making sure Elika was out of harm's way. Soon the ground inside the temple was healed, and Ahriman was inches away from being utterly defeated. My face was adopting a smug expression, and my mouth was forming a biting insult when the woman I had grown to love sealed Ahriman away for good with her own life force.

The apology offered as she sacrificed herself did nothing to assuage my pain, and I pitifully maintained the hope that she had somehow survived as I ran to her. As my ridiculous hopes were dashed away, it felt as though my heart had been viciously ripped from my chest, leaving a gaping hole that would never fully heal.

I gently picked up Elika's still form, and paused for a moment to think. I thought, only briefly, about bringing her back. But as I looked down at her face, I knew I could not do such a thing no matter how much I wanted it. I slowly carried the woman that had wormed her way into my heart out of the temple. Ahriman wasn't the only thing that was being locked away as the heavy stone doors slid closed.

I placed the now long gone Elika on top of her mother's tomb, and softly brushed my hand over her face and hair. Ahriman's whispers began to grow louder and louder shortly after that. I didn't know back then that would never stop.

A few weeks after I finished building my shelter on the far left side of the temple, Farah came back, gold intact. I believed that perhaps Ormazd was behind it, a gift for imprisoning Ahriman again. I was bitter and angry back then, and that belief only served to fuel my fury. I couldn't overlook the irritatingly fortunate event however.

I used the gold to trade with the travelers that were passing through, and told any of them that would listen of the peaceful and beautiful essence of the land. I wanted the city to regain its former glory. It took a long time, but the city did begin to flourish. I made sure that the new denizens of Elika's land knew exactly what had occurred in the years before their arrival. I didn't want her to ever be forgotten.

I occasionally oversee the people in each of the former fertile grounds; I won't have disputes or wars tearing apart the city. Most of my time, however, goes into ensuring Ahriman stays sealed away. Some people cannot resist the offers the god of corruption makes, so I stand watch over the temple and the four trees that sustain it. My sword has taken the lives of hundreds of people over the twenty years I have guarded Ahriman's prison, but I have no soul left to stain with death.

Thoughts?