Forgive Me

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Guardians of Time Trilogy, and I'm not making any money from this fic

Warning: Spoilers (a lot)

Summary: Lorian isn't killed, and he apologises to Lady Arabella for the hard way he treated her when he believed her to be a traitor

Author's Note: I'm tweaking, I know... Sorry, but I felt really bad about the way Lady Arabella was treated in book three - she's my favourite character - especially when it turns out that she's actually not the traitor

I'm an Immortal Lorian told himself. I should not be so flustered about apologising for being wrong about something. But Lorian was feeling flustered. He'd been so convinced that the traitor had been a member of the Tribunal. He hadn't even tried to listen to Lady Arabella's defense.

Lorian didn't particularly like being wrong. Who did? But he knew that he owed Lady Arabella an apology. He'd never had so much trouble in his decision to remain genderless so that he could be fair and just in the decisions he made. But he loved Lady Arabella, and you weren't supposed to hurt the people you loved. When Lorian had believed Lady Arabella to be the traitor, it had hurt him more than he had thought possible.

The Immortal hadn't really had a chance to talk to Lady Arabella, though. Since his sister's death, the Guard had been too busy trying right the chaos Lathenia had caused while she was alive.

Now, though, everything was quiet, and it didn't look like the remaining members of the Named, as well as the Guard, were going to be called to do anything for a while yet. This was unusual, but it was good.

I'm trying to put off talking to her, Lorian thought wryly. It was going to be hard to admit how wrong he'd been, but he didn't want to leave what had happened lying between them.

So it was that the Immortal found himself outside Lady Arabella's chambers. After a moment, he knocked gently on the door.

"Come in," Lady Arabella's voice called softly.

Lorian pushed open the door, and entered, closing it quietly behind him.

Arabella looked up, and gave a welcoming smile. "Lorian, hello," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologise," Lorian responded simply. "For suspecting you of being a traitor."

"You... Don't need to apologise," Arabella replied. "I understand why you thought that I was a traitor."

Lorian took a deep breath, and reached out to take Arabella's hands in his. Why was he feeling so awkward? He'd lived long enough not to become embarrassed at having to admit to being wrong about something.

"It wasn't fair to you, though," Lorian said, his tone soft. "If I had stopped to think about it, I would have known that you weren't the traitor. I know you. I'm truly sorry for believing that you had betrayed the Tribunal and the Guard." And me, the Immortal added silently to himself.

"Matt has apologised to me as well," Arabella commented. "Neither of you need to do so. I just... I mean, I wanted to help those birds. I had no idea they were really Neriah's dogs."

"I know," Lorian reassured her. "I'm so sorry for doubting you. Please forgive me."

"You don't need to apologise to me," Arabella repeated. "But if it makes you feel better to hear... I do forgive you."

Lorian let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Thank you," he said simply. Then, he drew Arabella into his arms, and held her tightly.

Lady Arabella returned the hug fiercely. The main thing that had hurt her when everyone had believed her to be the traitor had been that Lorian could believe that she'd betray him like that. Anything else, she could probably have handled, knowing that, despite the beliefs of everyone else, she was in fact innocent.

Arabella wasn't quite sure just when she had fallen in love with Lorian. She had tried to hide it, from herself as well as from the other members of the Tribunal. She hadn't wanted to put Lorian in that sort of position which could create an awkward feeling between the two of them. She had been relieved when Rochelle had not revealed just who she had felt the feelings of love from when Lorian had had her test the members of the Tribunal.

A soft laugh from the Immortal revealed that Arabella had in fact been broadcasting. Flushing, the woman looked anywhere but at Lorian's face. She hadn't felt this embarrassed since Lathenia had worked out her feelings for Lorian.

Lorian raised Arabella's chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. Then, he pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss.

Arabella clung to him, a little dazed as she returned the Immortal's kiss. She sensed rather than felt Lorian lower his shields, and felt a wave of intense feelings wash over her. Overshadowing everything else was a feeling of deep love of a fierce intensity that almost frightened Lady Arabella.

Arabella lowered her own shields, allowing Lorian to feel what Rochelle had sensed when searching for the traitor - her love for the Immortal.

Lorian pulled back from kissing Arabella, though his arms remained tight around her. He looked intently into her eyes, and then allowed a small smile to curve the corners of his mouth as he whispered:

"I give you the gift of Immortality."

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