Lestra sat the desk in her room, her head in her hands. After the ceremony in the square, she had retired to her old home which she found exactly as she had left it. Even the thrill of the ceremony combined with the delight of being in her old home again could not suppress the feeling of despair that was creeping over her.

"If only -" she thought and then once more burst into tears. "Why?" she thought. "Why did I have to fall in love? Why did he have to die? Why can't I let go? Why did -"

She stopped. She heard something strike against her window. Wiping the tears from her mask, she walked over and opened the window, staring out into the night.

"Is someone out there?" she asked.

Getting no response, she began to close the window, when something flew by her face. She gasped and jumped back in surprise. She looked out the window again, but still, she saw no one. She looked back into her room and saw an arrow stuck in the far wall of her room.

Her eyes widened. "No," she thought, "it can't be."

She rushed over to the object and wrenched it from the wall. She looked the object up and down; it looked just like Cedrak's arrows. She noticed that a tassel was hanging from the arrow's center. She grasped it and pulled. When she did so, the tail end of the arrow popped open, revealing a hollow interior. Looking inside, she saw within was a rolled up piece of parchment. She pulled it out and unrolled it. And as she read what was written there, her eyes began to water, and she sat down in astonishment.

"Dear Lestra,
Please know that I am alive and well. I do not know to whom I owe my life, but know that I have come back. I have come back to find you. And know that I still love you with all my heart. I only hope that you still feel the same. I will be waiting in the woods in the clearing marked on the back of this note. Please Lestra, come find me.
Cedrak"

Lestra sat in shock as her tears dripped onto the note in her hands. "He's alive?" she thought. As she let the knowledge sink in, her heart began to fill with hope. Somehow, someway, he had come back. She flipped the note over and looked at the map.

She smiled. "I know where that is," she thought. She stuffed the map into her pack and rushed out the door, as her eyes alight with joy. As she rushed through the streets, she passed several night guards, who all saluted as she passed, but she hardly noticed them. All that filled her mind was what lay ahead.

Cedrak sat by his fire once more. Trell had gone back to the Tedra Inn where Zorkek and Redizic were waiting. Tahlis lay next to his master, sleeping contentedly in the fire's glow.

Cedrak stroked his back, and the monkey stirred in his sleep. "Mata Nui," said the Skakdi, "please let her come. Please let her "

He stopped. He heard something approaching in the woods. Instinctively, he threw his cloak on and hid himself and Tahlis under its invisible shield. As the figure drew closer, Cedrak tried to make out who it was. He hoped with all his heart that it was Lestra, but, having been hunted for so many years, he knew he could not be too careful.

At last, the figure emerged from the trees, and the Skakdi smiled. There stood Lestra, her armor gleaming in the fire light; much as it had on the night he first realized he loved her.

He smiled as an idea formed in his head. He set Tahlis on the ground and shooed him over towards the Toa.

Lestra bent over and picked up the Brakas. "Well hello, Tahlis," she said, "is your master around?"

With her attention on the monkey, Cedrak snuck around behind her. He smiled as he became visible and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gasped as she whirled around and found herself face to face with him. They stood still for a moment, just gazing into each other's eyes.

Finally, Lestra whispered, "Is is this a dream?"

Cedrak took her hand in his. "Does it feel like one?" he asked.

Tears sprang to Lestra's eyes as they had so many times. Cedrak wrapped his arms around her as she leaned against his chest. Neither said a word, for they both knew what the other was feeling at this moment. All the emotion that had welled up that night not so long ago came flooding back; they wanted this moment to last forever.

But unknown to either of them, a figure crouched in the woods nearby. He stared at the sight before him, shocked at what he saw.

"I can't believe this," he thought. "She really does love him." The figure sat there for a few more moments before retreating back the way he had come. Once out of sight of the clearing, Koth activated his Kakama and raced back to Tedra-Koro. As he ran, he pondered what he should do.

"I can't ask Lestra to go through that pain again," he thought. "But, what if Onric finds out?"

Morning broke over Tedra Nui, filling her window with light. Lestra lay on her bed, a smile on her face as dreams filled her mind with peace. A knock on her door woke her. She got up from her bed and made her way to the door. Upon opening it, she found Koth standing at the morning light.

"Why are you up so early?" asked Lestra, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"I need to talk to you," he said as he entered her home.

He sat at her desk as she sat on her bed. He sighed before saying, "I saw you met Cedrak in the woods last night."

"What?" cried Lestra. "How did you know?"

"I was out for late night run when I saw you running towards the woods. I knew you don't normally go into the woods at night, so I followed you. When I first saw you two, I couldn't believe my eyes. I was tempted to run in there and 'save' you again, but the way you looked at each other told me that you didn't need saving."

"You didn't tell Onric, did you?" asked Lestra, dread creeping across her face.

Koth shook his head. "I knew I couldn't talk reason with him, so I just went home. I haven't told anyone."

"Koth, promise me. Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"I promise, Lestra. Believe me; I don't want to see you go through that pain again." He sighed, "I just wonder how long we can keep it a secret."

Another knock came at the door. Puzzled, Lestra answered and found a Ko-Matoran standing on her doorstep.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Ma'am, my name's Trell," said the Matoran. "You don't know me, but we have a mutual friend, Ced-" He saw Koth sitting inside the house and paused, "-rak..."

Lestra motioned the Matoran inside. "Don't worry about him," she said, closing the door. "He knows about Cedrak, but he's not going to tell anyone, right?"

"Absolutely not," said Koth, extending his hand. "The name's Koth, pleased to meet you."

Trell stared at him and asked, "Aren't you the one who tried to kill Cedrak in the first place?"

Koth's smile dropped as he replied, "Look, no doubt Cedrak's told you what he thought happened, but please hear my side of the story. I didn't want Onric to kill Cedrak, but he hates Skakdi more than anything else in this world. If I or Lestra had tried to intervene, he'd have, at the very least, hurt us really bad. I'm glad to know that he's alive, but I don't blame him if he hates me for what I failed to do."

"Oh, he doesn't hate you, Koth," said Trell. "He -"

An explosion rocked the house, cutting him off. The three beings rushed out the door and looked towards the sound's source. A column of smoke was rising from the city center, and the sounds of destruction could be heard.