A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, Wreath, Skulduggery, Val's parents or Sensitives.
Wreath seemed about to say something, and Valkyrie wondered if he'd meant the ring as a proposal, but he stared at her a while longer before speaking. "Your continued training, of course, means that our relationship must change. What happened between us was a mistake, on both our parts." Valkyrie was trying to process his words, trying to figure out if he was even being serious when her mobile rang.
Valkyrie took it out, tears stinging her eyes. What did her sister want now of all times? But she never called unless it was important. "Sis, it's mum and dad. They've been abducted." Alice's voice was shaky and filled with tears.
"Where are you?" Valkyrie asked, her mind already racing, trying to come up with a plan.
"With Skulduggery at the Sanctuary. He- He's in the other room. He doesn't want you on the case. He said I shouldn't trust you. That it looks like Necromancers did this."
Valkyrie growled low in her throat. "Be ready for me." She said, then rang off after assuring her sister she'd be there. Valkyrie sensed where she was, and she knew it was too far to go alone, but if Wreath helped her...
"I have no idea what's going on in your head right now, Wreath, and frankly, I don't care. Necromancers took my family. Necromancers! And I think we both know why." Wreath looked away.
"To make my isolation complete. It isn't enough I'm shunned, that I have no temple. But they don't want me having you either. I can help you get back to your sister, then we part ways. They'll come after me. They'll leave you in peace, most likely release your family."
Valkyrie approached him and put the ring in his hand without a word and their shadows swelled, when they receded her sister and Skulduggery were staring at her. So were her parents. Although that didn't make much sense, neither did Wreath's behaviour lately. She handed him her cane as well. "Goodbye, Wreath." She said calmly and he was gone in a burst of shadows.
Her sister gaped at her. "Valkyrie-" She managed. "But you two were so in love..."
"You told me our parents had been abducted, by Necromancers, no less!"
"I- The Sanctuary wanted to see where your loyalties were. They were thinking of bringing you and Wreath in as detectives together. It was meant to be a test for both of you. If Wreath agreed to help, to fight other Necromancers..." She trailed off brokenly.
"What do you all think he did? He gave up living in a temple and ever seeing another Necromancer ever again because he chose me. Me! He chose me over any temple and now he has neither. And now he's truly alone." Valkyrie tried to raise her shadows to go to him, sensing that it would have been a perfect time for Necromancers to spring a trap, but of course she had no cane.
There were Sensitives in the Sanctuary and soon Wreath was located, back in the room they'd started from. There was a remote viewing device in the Sanctuary and they all raced to it. It was turned on and at first there was only darkness, and sounds of cursing then screaming. Then the darkness cleared. Just in time for Valkyrie to watch two robed figures disappear in a swirl of shadows and to see Wreath's lifeless form lying on the carpet, the ring he'd given her barely visible between the fingers of his clutched hand.
Then Valkyrie understood. He'd somehow sensed them coming. And he'd left alone to draw them to him. It was likely just a coincidence that her sister had rang, or maybe they had been watching them, tracking Wreath and waiting until he was alone. If her sister hadn't rang, he'd clearly been trying to goad her into leaving. But either way Wreath had driven her away to protect her, and she realized he had loved and meant to marry her.
All's well that ends well? Nobody seemed to like seeming them together, so there you go, a happy ending.
