She was still staring out the window when Milori came back into the room.

"The guards are ready whenever you wish to depart, my lady."

His voice was serious and formal, as if only addressing his queen.

She turned and walked over, her back protesting the slight jostling of her wings. Stopping before him, she looked up into his eyes to see them observant but distant. "I know you need to get back to your duties, as I've kept you from them for several days. Thank you for taking care of me."

"You still need looking after until you're fully healed," he answered. "And you will need to relearn how to fly."

She searched his eyes, not sure what that comment meant, so she assumed he meant it as a warning. "I know," she answered calmly and forced herself to turn and head for the door.

"That's it? I get completely tossed aside now?" he demanded.

She spun around, her eyes flashing, but she kept her mouth shut.

His temper flared. "Say it!" he snapped.

She exploded suddenly. "I was lost to hallucinations for hours, and a tiny piece of my mind was aware I was insane! I was terrified, not knowing if it would end. I tried as hard as I could to hold onto what I knew was real—that if I could pull out of the nightmares where I could hear screaming, feel pain and see horrors, you would make me yours..." her voice cracked and tears started to gather in her eyes as she pointed at the floor angrily. "That you would wrap me in your arms and battle all of the nightmares that I know will come from the hallucinations. I'm not stupid, Milori. I know that fairies can become permanently insane from hallucinations, just like I heard Spruce tell you! I kept holding on as hard as I could because of you, and then I come out of it to find out you're backing out! I know you need this time, but I'm allowed to be hurt that you're revoking your word when I have waited over three hundred years for it!" she almost shouted. "You crushed me, Milori, and I have a right to need some space so I can deal with this without worrying that I'm making you feel guilty!" she barked.

"I know I've made you afraid to trust me and that I hurt you!" he said loudly, bordering on shouting as he stabbed a finger at his chest, his eyes glittering with pain and anger. "This isn't easy for me seeing you hurting and pushing me away! You are still weak and your wings will cause you grief until you learn how to compensate for them!"

"And I need time alone! You dealt with a broken wing alone; I can certainly handle the tips being amputated!"

"I don't want you dealing with it alone!" he shouted, so angry and hurt that the veins in his neck pulsated as he pointed at the ground. "I am like I am because I pushed you away when you came to help me! I insisted on not needing anyone when I most of all needed you! I won't let you make the same mistake."

"You are not staying out of pity," she almost hissed, her eyes narrowing.

He clenched his jaw. "I will stay as your damn body guard, if I must," he growled. "I don't care if you are my queen commanding me to go." He marched forward and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her passionately.

She wanted to resist, but he felt so perfect in her arms. Her heart ached for him, and his passion swept her away with him. They both were soon consumed by flames.

After a few minutes, he slowly broke the kiss but held her in his arms. Looking down into her dazed eyes he said softly, "You are so damn stubborn. Sometimes even a queen doesn't know what's good for her. I'm not going to back off courting you because I know it's not what you really want, and you need support right now both personally and politically now more than ever. I've been here, Clarion. Space right now would let you start pushing more and more fairies away until you become a recluse. It's painful doing that to yourself, hoping if you push away enough that the pain will fade. It gets worse. I'm not going to let you do that to yourself."

She searched his eyes, suddenly realizing how deep his wounds ran from when he had left her. And the way he read her like a book shouldn't have surprised her but it did.

"You will go back to the castle, but Dewey and Spruce will continue coming to make sure you're healing. I will take Thomas's place as your lead military advisor," he explained as he scooped her up in his arms.

"Oh you will?" she asked, almost amused as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he started down the hall.

"Yes. And we will start practicing your flight as soon as Spruce says you can safely do so."

"You're a bit high handed," she said, watching his reaction.

He looked down at her in his arms. "And you don't seem too upset that I'm pressing myself upon you," he countered. "Somehow I think you didn't really want me to leave you alone, and you being noble or some such nonsense. So, yes, I'm being high handed because every now and then you need it."

She felt a smile threaten to overcome her. "No one else would be permitted to take such liberties," she warned.

"Because no one else has the nerve. You like it that I'm not afraid to challenge you," he replied simply with his eyes forward.

She was about to half heartedly protest when they reached the doors and he stopped to meet her eyes.

"You're a strong female, Clarion. You need someone who can be just as strong." He walked through the doors and looked at the guards who were ready. "The search of the castle is done?" he asked Thomas.

"Yes, my lord. It is safe."

He gave a curt nod and then raised his voice in command. "I want full formation around Her Majesty, double lines!"

Milori set her down beside Blizzard, who was waiting patiently. He climbed up and then reached down, offering her his hand.

She looked up into his confident eyes. He didn't even realize it himself, but he had just in these minutes healed so much himself. This fairy was born a ruler and thrived in leading his people. Setting her hand in his, she saw the protectiveness in his eyes. He may have a strong disadvantage not being able to fly, but she knew he could well compensate for it in battle. And he had already proven he would go through Hell for her.

He helped take her weight as she climbed up and settled her in front of him on Blizzard lest she started to feel ill or weak. He wrapped his arm around her and his thighs tightened on Blizzard to make sure he had a good grip to keep them from falling off. He held the reins firmly with his other hand.

She sat sideways on Blizzard, her wings too sore to make contact with Milori's chest. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she rested her head on his chest as much from being tired as from wanting to feel him hold her close. He wrapped his strong arm around her, and she felt a warm wave wash over her. It was in that moment that she realized she felt as safe with him as she did with a dozen guards.

"Let's go!" he called. Then his arm tightened around her, prepared for takeoff. "Yah!"

The warm wind blew across her face, the feeling relaxing her as his heart beat strong and steady under her other ear. She closed her eyes and let her bandaged wings lean against his side for support as the wind tried to softly beckon them to open and fly. A soft sigh of contentment escaped her. How did Milori know better than her that this is what she needed, not space from him? She had seen him heal a bit today, somehow him coming to rescue her from herself had restored a little piece of his damaged heart. It gave her hope that he would one day soon get down on his knee. If they could overcome everything that has and was fighting to tear them apart, she knew that one day she would find a way for them to truly mate and unite their souls. And unite their bodies with the creation of a baby. She sighed softly again with contentment. She wouldn't give up hope again. If he had taught her anything today, it was that they would help pick each other up to fight for their life together.

He held Clarion safe in his arms, sensing her fear from earlier fleeting away. He had been afraid of pushing her too far by refusing to give her space, but it had turned out to be a risk worth taking. He realized now that she only had been getting lost in a storm and losing sight of hope. She needed him so much more than he had realized, and it made his chest swell with responsibility and protectiveness but, most of all, love. Together they would figure out how to fight for their happily ever after, and his fear that it would never happened died a little today. He felt like he could conquer the world.

"Let's take Her Majesty home!" he called to the guards.

She whispered softly to herself, "I am home," and nuzzled slightly closer to his chest.

The wind carried her words to his ears. It was only the fact that he was holding onto her and the reins to keep them from falling off that kept him from laying a hand over his heart as it melted upon hearing those three little words.

Author's Note: I Luv Milarion 1201, what you said helped inspire this chapter. And I'm going to work into the next chapter the point that you brought up (I actually have a different spin on it).

I know some of you were worried they were breaking up and others said they just wanted the happily ever after to happen. I'm a believer in building a solid relationship between main characters through their trials because they learn about themselves and each other through these. A happily ever after is so much sweeter that way.

As we saw in this chapter, Clarion was more affected by him leaving all those years ago than she will admit to even herself, and she was afraid he was gradually getting ready to do it again. She wanted to push him away before he could do it to her again, hoping it would help protect her heart this time. As Milori acknowledges, he has done some damage to her trust that must be rebuilt. I left Tink and Terence out of this chapter because I wanted the focus to be on how Milori and Clarion unknowingly are rescuing each other and how this was a pivotal turning point in their relationship.