Sinbad left the house he stayed at having even shared breakfast with the owners, and literally ran into the brunette sorceress. The latter seemed strangely calm to him, however, he stayed alert.

"Hey"

"Morning" Bryn smiled.

"I… just… well, I mean… sorry… that's rather to Maeve but if she's watching…"

"Sinbad" Bryn interrupted, "she's not. And that won't help anyway"

"You mean… I still have not a chance to deserve a bit of mercy?"

"Hmm… You do, I guess. Come. Perhaps I know what to do"

Sinbad shrugged but eagerly follower the sorceress to Tiffany's house.

"Maeve can't stop caring in a human way…" Bryn started her explanation but Sinbad's eyes told her the sentence was too complicated for him. "Ok, look. She can't stop loving you. However strongly she tries, she fails every time"

"Even though I am such a bastard?"

"Even despite that"

"So, if I really change, recall who I am in fact and stuff, she'll forgive me?"

"I'm afraid we don't have time for that"

"What do you mean?" Sinbad was trying hard to follow her possibly difficult speech.

"There's a magical procedure… It's called "heart-lock". Sorcerers use it to get rid of unnecessary emotions as a rule"

"How does it happen?"

"Well, applying a strong will and a great deal of imagination, the sorcerer locks his heart, completely. A particular undesired emotion stays inside, and can't get out. It's quite painful, but I guess doesn't involve more pain than Maeve's feeling already"

"You think she's going to lock her heart? From her love for me?"

"I know she is"

"What can I do?"

"Dream, Sinbad. Someone you can't find in your real life, you can always find in your dreams… If you try to, of course"

"How?"

"How are you looking for her now?"

Sinbad fell silent. All of a sudden he realised he wasn't looking for Maeve, not anymore. He knew he had to, he was supposed to, he wanted to, but his daily routine, new and new missions, day by day were replacing his main quest in his mind.

"You were going to a new place, trying, failing, trying again…"

"And failing again" Sinbad sighed. "Always"

"Sinbad" Bryn moved closer and touched his hand. "You won't let her down, will you?" She wanted so much to encourage him, to help him find the way, but still she knew he had to do it on his own.

"I'll be waiting for tonight"

Sinbad stirred on his bed. For already several hours he was unable to fall asleep. Now he was responsible for everything. His life, Maeve's life, everything depended on him. He helped himself up, walked a bit in the cabin until he felt like sleeping, and finally let the deep black vortex conquer him.

He remembered well the place that Bryn had described. There must have been twilight, and the scenery must have been like early autumn. But the place where he turned up was nothing like that. It was a desert, with a baking sun and lots, lots of sand. Sinbad looked around.

"This is my dream" he thought. "I must know the way out, at least subconsciously. For now, let's just walk and see".

Sinbad was walking for many hours, feeling so worn off as if it was the reality, not a dream. His legs grew numb and he was desperately thirsty. The desert didn't seem to be going to end at any side, like…

"The desert of Colossus!" stroke the idea all of a sudden. Of course. He's already seen it. He recalled his stupid bravery, his unbreakable faith in Maeve, his endless gratitude when she saved his life. When did his faith crack? When did all she'd done start not to matter anymore?

Then, at once, he turned around and saw such a familiar entrance, the one that used to lead to Turhan's shelter. "It is my memory that leads to her" Sinbad thought. "I lost her, because I prohibited myself to think of her even. Now I'll learn how to think of her again"

Sinbad entered the tunnel and found himself in a cave. As he studied the place, he saw several rows of cages along the wall, a richly decorated sofa in the centre and a particularly familiar curtain hanging over the next tunnel. Sinbad didn't really like the way the curtain was shaking, and he wasn't even surprised when the entrance he'd just used was not there anymore.

"Rumina's cave… The one where the witch put me through a test…"

Sinbad sat on the sofa, cautiously, but nothing happened. Nothing prevented him from recalling the full story he'd heard from Doubar. Having been his crewmember for two weeks, Maeve'd still rarely said to him more than "hello", "aye" or "goodnight". A couple of times he'd been able to get her talking about Dim-Dim. Her expression would stiffen, her eyes would give away grief and anxiety. Sinbad had tried to treat all these feelings with respect and compassion, sometimes winning her warm uncertain half-smile.

Their feelings hadn't been certain back then. Sinbad didn't know about Maeve, but his own emotion'd been mostly curiosity, mixed with some subtle admiration and, once in a very while, with far less appropriate thoughts.

And despite their lack of closeness, of mutual trust and time spent together, she'd already had Dermott watching his back. She'd already fought the men considering her mad and been ready to take over the ship if needed. She'd already been risking her life to save his, and perhaps, Sinbad thought, this had been the key moment. The day when he'd finally realised how truly special she was. The day when his gratitude had touched something in his heart, for a completely new feeling to start growing.

Already without amazement Sinbad watched the infernal curtains fall, freeing his way towards the next tunnel.

Sinbad had to walk a lot more. Forests, deserts, rivers and caves, they replaced each other at a light speed, as the captain's memories started flowing more freely, the shield that he created between them and himself crashing under this unstoppable stream.

When Sinbad thought he'd already recalled everything, the umpteenth tunnel took him to what looked like an empty village. It didn't cost him any effort to recognise it. As well as the man in a weird hat, standing there with a hungry stare and a knife in his chest.

"Milasko"

"You thought you would get rid of me so easily, captain?" the man smirked, his smirk promising nothing good.

"I'm not afraid of you, Vorgon" Sinbad said firmly. "You're dead, defeated, destroyed. You can't take over my body anymore"

"How wrong you are" Milasko and Sinbad started tracing a circle, still facing each other. "I'm in your mind, and everything is real for you. It's not just a dream, Sinbad. This is your alternative reality, didn't you know?"

"I don't care" Sinbad answered, his smile getting dangerous as well. "I killed you once, my pleasure to remind you how it happened"

Milasko-Vorgon laughed only.

"You had Firouz's invention, didn't you? What do you have now? Or are you going to lift me with bare hands?"

Sinbad didn't like this reminder. He didn't have anything indeed. How on earth was he going to defeat Vorgon?

"Maeve" Sinbad thought. "Maeve, she could help. If we'd known Milasko was Vorgon, she could've burnt him… But when I knew it was too late… Almost everything connected with Maeve in my life goes with "too late" I must admit…" Sinbad curved his lips in something like a pained smile, and looked at Vorgon, standing in front of him now instead of Milasko.

"Get ready, captain" the creature prompted.

"Try this" Sinbad heard a gentle voice behind him on the right. A cloud of flame flew towards Vorgon from that direction and Sinbad was able to jump backwards before Vorgon exploded, leaving a familiar trace on the ground.

Sinbad turned around. She was standing there, like long ago, as beautiful, but alone and distant. She didn't run towards him, didn't even smile, a glint of love and desire didn't appear in her eyes. He slowly came up to her. They remained standing like two strangers for a while.

"Hi" he said then, raising his hand to touch her face, but she turned her head to avoid his touch.

"Hello" she answered, stiffness and tension almost visible in the air around her. She was looking in his general direction, but not at him exactly. She was just afraid, totally afraid to look in his eyes and get lost in them. She couldn't allow him to have this power over her. Not anymore.

"Forgive me" he took her hand, this time she didn't move. "Maeve, do you hear me? I'm begging you, forgive me"

"Why?" she smiled, shrugging slightly. "Who am I to make you humiliate yourself here? You don't owe me anything. You never did"

"Maeve, I need you to forgive me. Please"

"You may do whatever you wish. I said, you don't owe me anything"

"Damn it, Maeve, I do! Stop this game! Get this cold uncaring mask off your face! You care, and so do I. We both do. We could go on, we could live a life that's ahead of us, if only you could forgive me for what I've done to you! I know how you felt…"

"What?" Maeve laughed, but it wasn't a happy laughter. "You know? Really? Well…" she looked in his eyes, for the first time and squeezed his hand that was still holding hers. Sinbad gasped. He recalled cold sea water washing over him, lethal, but unable to reach the agony he felt seeing Maeve nowhere in the dark depths. How he had felt when his crew had failed to find Maeve on the island. He felt his heart aching for his loss and his whole being seemed to be on fire.

"Like it?" Maeve said, her voice even and cruel.

"Maeve…"

"Don't say anything. Just one thing: you felt this way. I lived this way. You put me through this. When I sailed with you, I knew you cared. Then I realised, I'd thought you'd cared. Imagined. Fantasized. Call it whatever"

Sinbad turned away, sat down on the ground and sighed. Then he stood up brusquely and handed Maeve his saber.

"Take it"

"Why?"

"Maeve, I also lived the same way. Only I … tried to block the pain in every possible way, while you… it seems you had to live despite it all this time… I'm sorry. I'll understand if you don't want to forgive me. Take the saber. If I can't live without you, I won't live at all. It wasn't a life, Maeve. It was just existence, for it was without you"

Maeve's expression remained unreadable, and nothing gave away any emotions she might feel.

"Stop this cheap farce, Sinbad. You know very well that I'm not a murderer, so I'm not gonna play your game"

"It's not a game, Maeve!" He grabbed her shoulders and made her face him. "It's the truth. Please, believe me"

"Before Dim-Dim contacted you back then, you mentioned, "how much you cared". I believed. And?"

"Maeve… please. Don't lock up your heart. You are loved, and you will always be. I love you"

She looked in his eyes, trying to reach his mind with her magic. His love and regret washed over her, so strong that she held her breath. Sinbad watched in amazement as she closed her eyes, full of emotions. Now she was the Maeve he knew.

"You love me…" she repeated in a whisper.

"God, I do" he answered, hugging her tightly.

"But… Sinbad. Do you understand… if you deceive me again, I won't survive it. I just won't be able to"

"I'll never hurt you again" he whispered against her lips. "That's a promise"

He closed his eyes, kissing her. When he opened them, the scenery changed. It was Maeve's Dreamland, he realised.

"Now you know where it is" she said absently, "and you can return whenever you want. I trusted you with my shelter. Don't betray it. And now it's high time you left. The crew must be already worried"

"I'll wake up in my bed, and you won't be by my side…" Sinbad sighed. "It's unfair"

Maeve smiled.

"But once you fall asleep, you can find me"

"Maeve?"

"Yes?"

"You haven't told me how you feel… about me"

She caressed his stubbled chin.

"You'd better shave, captain. I don't want to get scratches when you kiss me"

Sinbad woke up in his bed. It was already early afternoon, and he found Bryn by his side.

"How was it?" she asked.

"I think I'm forgiven…" Sinbad answered, still feeling Maeve's lips on his own and her hand caressing his face.

"How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful" Sinbad sighed dreamily. "I hope so does Maeve"

A feeling of happiness and calmness overwhelmed Bryn, and she smiled.

"She does, Sinbad. She does. And…."

"What?"

"She loves you and is waiting for you to come"

Sinbad grinned and looked lovingly somewhere in front of him.

"I will. Allah knows I'll come very soon"

The end

A/N: Not a good piece of literature, actually… This was based more on an idea than on some writing inspiration, unfortunately :D But I'm happy I got to finish it finally. So, waiting for any reviews, positive, negative, whatever. And in any case, thanks for stopping by to read this stream of thoughts _O_

The story was renamed because one of my favourite bands, "Within Temptation", brought out their new album with this title, and although my story can't be compared with their creation by any means, I thought "The Unforgiving" goes well with the plot :)