After Hy'vel left, Daniel strode to Maria's side and stared out at the horizon. When the shadows began to lengthen, he took Maria's hand and retraced their steps to the elevator. Instead of stopping at the floor where his apartments lay, he chose to go down to the very bottom floor to await Rosyth. Surely Rosyth would have felt either his cousin's presence or Daniel's distress by now and would be on his way home. As soon as the elevator halted with a shudder he was proven right; Rosyth brushed against his mind, the worry in it so acute that it made Daniel's vision waver. He had to clutch onto Maria to keep his balance.

I am fine. Are you almost here?

Almost. Daniel hadn't realized it was possible for a mental voice to be out of breath. Rosyth must be pushing himself and their mount to their limits to reach Daniel as fast as possible. Daniel smiled, touched.

You do not have to hurry over much. I am safe.

You are shaken.

Daniel tried to tuck his emotions more tightly around himself. I have had worse shocks. Rosyth's presence faded from his mind so he could concentrate on his efforts to arrive home in record time.

Alone in his head, Daniel stared up at an etching in the metal walls. A creature like a madman's vision of an angel was bestowing a sword unto a cringing man whose jagged spine proclaimed him a member of Rosyth's race; the Nel'rum they were called in the traders' speak, though The Kin was the translation that came through whenever Franmarrow or Rosyth referred to themselves.

Daniel thought of worlds lined up like children's blocks stretching out into infinity and of Hy'vel's flight amongst them. Was that the slightest bit of envy he felt? He sighed and tried to quash it. The journey to the capital should have cured him of his wanderlust! A cold hand slipped into his and squeezed. "Thank you, Maria." He leaned against her arm. "Will you worry for him?" He looked at her out of the corner of her eye. Her expression remained blank, but she tilted her head the slightest degree. Yes.

"You must have been a remarkable woman in life to have kept a spark of your soul after death. A very tenacious one as well." Was that the slightest quirk in the corner of her lip? An almost smile or a trick of the light? They stood in the near dark clasping hands until her head turned to the entrance. She unlaced their fingers and took a step from Daniel, her head immediately lowering into a demur cast. Daniel guessed that this signaled Rosyth's arrival and began to move towards the door.

Rosyth flung open the doors and swept Daniel up into his arms. "Are you all right?" I felt a Traveller's Locket flare. "Did anyone come here?" I rushed back as soon as I noticed it.

Daniel was overwhelmed by the flood of words, both physical and mental. "Rosyth, calm yourself. I am all right. You must have sensed Hy'vel's arrival or departure."

Rosyth released him, but kept his hands on Daniel's shoulders. "I only felt one burst. Is he still here?" His expression was ominous; Hy'vel had worn out his welcome for good his last visit.

"Then you must have felt him leave. I was…under the impression that he would not tarry after he said goodbye."

"How did he arrive here then?"

"Perhaps he walked?"

"That is very impractical, why would he…" Rosyth shook himself. "It does not matter. If he did journey here on foot or by beast there will be some evidence of it. I will scout around." He made to leave and then immediately turned back to Daniel. "Why was he here? Did he hurt you?" Daniel shook his head. "Threaten you?"

"Not at all. He acted…the perfect gentleman." Daniel forced himself to not blush as he remembered Hy'vel's parting display. He sobered as he remembered the reason for Hy'vel's visit. "Rosyth, he is in some trouble."

Rosyth snorted. "What did he do now, get caught with someone else's mate?"

"Rosyth, he…that matter with the uprising…"

Rosyth paled. "He wouldn't have…He wouldn't dare… Not after…" Daniel did not miss that his eyes shot to Maria for an instant.

"I am afraid he has gotten himself caught up in it. He came to tell me goodbye and say that he had to flee to other worlds."

"How considerate of him to lead the emperor to my doorstep!" Rosyth uttered a curse too potent for the translation magic to work upon. Raking his hands through his hair, Rosyth paced. "What to do? They'll think me involved." He stopped in his tracks and chewed on his thumbnail. "Unless I am the one to report it. If I act first and tell them what you have told me…Surely they will think us blameless." Daniel was at a loss as to what to say. It did seem as good a plan as any though.

"Do you truly think they would notice that he stopped here?"

"We could have slipped by them if he hadn't been fool enough to use a Traveller's Locket to broadcast his departure to all and sundry. If he is the leader of that pathetic little revolt, they will be scouring this entire world for any trace of him." Rosyth walked to Maria and studied her face. She placidly looked back at him. Whatever answer he hoped to glean from her, he apparently did not find it, for he turned away with a frustrated growl. "I will go to my study and contact the emperor's telepaths from there. I don't wish for you to have to overhear it if it turns…if it does not go favorably for us."

"What will we do? If it does not go favorably, I mean."

Rosyth looked over his shoulder, his hand on the elevator's gate. "We flee."

At dinner Rosyth was silent, only answering in monosyllabic replies. Daniel assumed that his conversation with the palace had not been blatantly unfavorable, but it had been a far cry from pleasant. "You can confide in me, if it would help. That is one of the benefits of being married, having someone to unburden oneself to."

Rosyth sighed and threw down his fork. "I would if I could. I…think it went well. They didn't immediately threaten to send a battalion to our doors."

"What did they say?"

"They must ponder and deliberate." Rosyth lifted a hand to press against his brow. He had looked quite queasy since he had left his study and had only picked at his half of the plates.

"We can only hope then."

"Hope." Rosyth practically spat the word. "Hope gets one nowhere." Again his eyes sought out Maria who insisted on hovering behind Daniel, a constant presence since Hy'vel's visit.

"I would beg to differ." But Daniel was willing to let the topic drop. Bickering was not what Rosyth needed now.

"One thing does concern me though, or I should say I find curious."

"Yes?"

"Why did Hy'vel come to expressly say goodbye to you?"

Daniel's spoon paused halfway to his mouth. He slowly lowered it, mind racing to think of what to say. Finally he decided to squarely meet Rosyth's eyes. "Why would you think he would make the effort to risk his life to tell me farewell?"

Rosyth glowered. "Was it only to say goodbye to you?"

"There might have been an offer or two in there besides the farewell part."

Rosyth pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you said…?"

"What do you think I said? I said I was happily married! Honestly!" He returned to his meal with angry gusto.

A small chuckle escaped Rosyth and he reached across the table to rest his hand on Daniel's arm. "And you doubted me when I said I was in constant danger of having you stolen from me."

"Anyone who wants to steal me will find themselves hard pressed! I do not go anywhere I do not wish to go without some show of fight."

"I know. I would never doubt your fidelity." His thumb rubbed across Daniel's wrist. "I just concern myself over your safety."

"As long as I am with you I will always be safe."

Rosyth smiled. "Yes, you are right. And nothing will ever part us."

It had become a nightly custom for Daniel to practice his reading as they lay in bed, comfortably leaning back against his spouse's chest. Not only was it nice to have Rosyth's arms around him, but it was also convenient for Rosyth could easily see the page Daniel was on and help with the words he stumbled over.

"Your reading is improving remarkably fast," he murmured in Daniel's ear causing Daniel to shudder in pleasure.

"Shall I continue onto the next chapter?"

Rosyth plucked the book from Daniel's fingers and tossed it to the foot of the bed. "I think we have had enough history for the night." His hand smoothed down Daniel's chest and ventured under the blankets to rake over his stomach. Daniel's arched back into the touch, a happy mumble on his lips."I've been thinking..."

"Not something I welcome right now."

Rosyth chuckled and Daniel pouted when his hand stilled. "Would you like a little trip? Not right now, of course, but when things settle down."

"What sort of trip? To those ruins you talked about?"

"I was thinking of somewhere more...extraordinary." The world of glowing crystals flashed through Daniel's mind and his pique was soon forgotten.

"You mean it?" he asked as he turned around. "You would take me there?"

"I would take you anywhere you wished."

"I would love to!" He put his hands on Rosyth's cheeks and kissed him soundly.

"It's not like I proposed to you again!"

"You never proposed to me to begin with!"

How Daniel loved those fine lines that only showed around Rosyth's eyes when he smiled. "If I had proposed to you, would that have been the reaction?"

"Oh, my reaction would have been much more...enthusiastic." His voice lowered to what he hoped was a seductive tone. Judging by how Rosyth's eyes darkened and how his head tilted to the side to encourage Daniel to kiss him, he had achieved his aim. Daniel smiled into their kiss, his fingers tangling in Rosyth's hair.

Rosyth froze. Tension vibrated through his frame and Daniel automatically lowered his hands to his shoulders to try to soothe him. "What is it?"

"A moment. I have a…royal summons." Gently untangling himself from Daniel, he briskly walked into the garden.

Daniel pulled the blankets around him, chilled despite the warm air of the late summer. He let an hour pass before he went in search of his spouse, worry causing a nauseous feeling and shaking hands.

Rosyth was in front of the monument, head lowered as if in contemplation of the flowers which glowed eerily in the moonlight. Daniel could tell from the set of his shoulders that something terrible had happened.

"My love?" Rosyth turned at his voice, his expression stricken. Daniel almost took a step back from it. "Whatever is it? What did they tell you?"

Rosyth opened his mouth but no sound came out. He cleared his throat and tried again. "It was the emperor himself."

"Oh."

"He told me to…" Rosyth pressed the heel of his shaking hand against his right eye. "I must…" Daniel flew to him, arms surrounding him, trying to make things right through the fierceness of his embrace. Rosyth clutched him tighter, fingers clenching on his shoulders to where there would be bruises on the morrow.

"Must we…go?"

"Not you," Rosyth whispered against his hair. Daniel pulled back, dread crashing through him like a dark wave.

"Are you to be arrested?"

"I am to go on a mission for the crown." Rosyth tried to smile but only managed to make one side of his mouth twitch.

"You cannot mean…You must go after him?"

Rosyth inclined his head.

"But that is madness! Impossible! How are you to track him through worlds?"

Rosyth softly clucked his tongue. "We are relations. We cannot truly shield from one another."

"His telepathy is better than yours!"

"I know!" Rosyth snapped. He regretted it instantly and gathered Daniel closer to him. "I know."

"Will you travel with…guards?"

"I must go alone. He graciously told me to think of it as…penance. A way to prove my loyalty." The sneer in his voice would have earned him a visit with the gallows if any but Daniel had been around to hear it.

"When must you leave?" Not tomorrow, he thought fervently. Not at dawn. Give me some time, give me more time.

"The day after tomorrow. I pled prettily enough that they allowed me a day to settle my affairs, to see that you are looked after."

"Surely I am to come with you!"

"Alone, darling. He was very adamant that I must go alone into my exile."

"Do not call it exile. You will come back, you have to come back!"

"I can after I have…found my cousin."

"Then you must bring him back? To face justice?"

Rosyth started to lead Daniel back to their chambers. "No. No trial. There is no need for it." His voice was dull, almost dead.

Daniel dug his heels in and forced Rosyth to stop. "Not…They cannot expect you to…" Rosyth stared at him blankly. "But he's your kin! They cannot ask you to kill your own…" Daniel's voice faltered at the mirthless smile that split Rosyth's face. It started out as a chuckle then quickly climbed into a full out roar of laughter. He doubled over, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Daniel wondered if it were the first signs of madness; he hoped it was only nerves.

"Rosyth, stop. Please," Daniel begged, petting his lover's long white hair, trying to calm him. "Please calm down." Rosyth fell to his knees and Daniel followed, coaxing the other man to lay his head in his lap. Daniel kept stroking his hair, the sharp plane of his cheek, until the horrid, gasping laughs faded to pained whimpers.

Somehow they managed to get a few hours of sleep. Daniel awoke cursing his frail body. He had lost precious hours he could have spent with Rosyth. He needed to fill up on the sight of the man, had to commit every nuance of expression, every quirk of body language, to memory. He had to store up enough to tide him over until…But what if Rosyth never…

Daniel flung back the covers and strode to the wardrobe. Rosyth was not in their room and he could not hear the man in their bathing chamber. He must have awoken early and gone to his study to make the preparations for Daniel. Daniel tried not to become irritated that Rosyth was wasting the precious time they had left with his boring paperwork.

Throwing on the first tunic his hand brushed against, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. It had been many months since the hollows under his eyes had been so pronounced. He touched the cool glass. Rosyth would come back to him, had to come back to him. The universe could not be so cruel to Daniel, not after everything he had been through. But if Rosyth came home that would mean…Hy'vel would be… That thought was intolerable too. That they had to fight to the death like common curs for the emperor's amusement set a rage to kindling with Daniel. It was a new feeling to this incarnation of himself, this black, burning thing in the pit of his stomach. He had thought this him to be incapable of such outright hatred.

Time was slipping by. He did not even glance at the breakfast that had been laid out for him and went immediately to the study. Rosyth looked up as he entered, not surprised in the least to see him. "I am just signing some documents to give you legal holding over all of my estates and finances. Everything takes care of itself these days, so you need not worry about making payments. Bel'rok will keep bringing you work you are capable of. Our income will drop without me handling the more…difficult wares, but I will be surprised if you'll notice. She'll also know what supplies to send you and if you need anything else, just…" Rosyth's voice trailed off and he hid his face in his hands.

Daniel rushed over to him, taking one hand in his, he pressed it to his cheek. "I…really must finish this paperwork, my love."

"All right," Daniel said. He kissed Rosyth's palm and let him go. He did not leave though. Instead he settled himself on the carpet beside Rosyth's chair, his cheek against Rosyth's knee. Rosyth's hand settled on his head and softly carded through the soft brown hair. The sound of pen scribbling against paper resumed.

The day slid through Daniel's fingers like sand. No matter how tightly he tried to clutch at it, it went too fast. He was thankful that Rosyth did not want to let him out of his sight as much as Daniel was pained to have Rosyth leave his. Though Rosyth repeated himself on numerous occasions, Daniel never interrupted the advice and explanations. It seemed that Rosyth had spent the morning writing up instructions for the maintenance of every machine in the keep with detailed advice on how to diagnosis any potential problem they might have and several methods to remedy it. Even though it was written out, Rosyth still insisted on taking Daniel through a tour of the castle from top to bottom, pointing everything out and having Daniel recite it back to him. Far from tedious, it was a blessing to hear Rosyth's deep voice. He would miss that slight underlying growl to all his words, the way certain syllables could make his skin vibrate.

"Surely you will not be gone so long as for me to need all this," he pointed out when Rosyth had paused for breath. Rosyth only looked at him.

"It never hurts to be overly cautious," was all he would say.

"Let me go with you. How would they ever find out?" Daniel pleaded when they wandered out into the garden.

"They would find out. And they would kill you."

"Hy'vel ran away. Why do we not do the same?"

"They would find us eventually."

"You cannot know that. If we always move, if we go so far-"

"And you would welcome that kind of life? Always on the run, no place to call home ever again?"

Daniel fell silent. Rosyth leaned down to kiss his temple. "It is a nice thought, love. But this way I keep both you and our keep. I will not be long."

Terror gripped Daniel's heart, an implacable sense of foreboding filling it, and Daniel clutched him, shaking him. "Promise me you will return to me. No matter what you must do, you must return to my side."

"Even if that means that my cousin must die?"

Daniel's throat went dry. He could not bring himself to say the words, but he gave a small nod. "No matter what, come back to me. Promise."

"I swear it." Rosyth tilted his chin up and his lips sought out Daniel's. Daniel grasped his shoulders and brought their bodies tightly together, wishing that he could forge themselves into one being.

Their love making that night was slow. As explorative as if it were their first time, each trying to map out the other's body, trying to commit as much of it to memory as possible. Each small gasp and moan was paused over, savored, stored in the mind to bring up again on lonely nights. It would not be enough though and they both knew it. No matter how much they stretched it out, how many times they took each other, dawn would still come and after they had parted nothing would be able to soothe the endless stretch of cold, empty beds that awaited them.

The corridor stretched out before him and Daniel paused, overcome by deja vu. He did not live in this part of the castle now. Why was he wandering around this wing so late at night? And why were the bloodly lights not turning on? Ahead of him came the familiar swing and glow of a lantern. Ah. He remembered this dream.

He walked to the hall of faces, not even pausing as the phantom light extinguished. He knew he would not be in the darkness for long and he knew who awaited him ahead. Sure enough, just as his heart began to hammer so hard he was sure it would bruise his ribs, a door was flung open and light spilled out along with his wounded Rosyth.

Even knowing that his attempts at aid would be in vain, he still rushed to his lover's side, hands pressing against the old wound that still gushed blood in the man's dreams. "I hope this is in no way prophetic," he muttered.

"I told you, it happened very long ago." Rosyth grasped Daniel's hands and pulled them away, forced them up to cup his face. He closed his eyes and seemed to draw comfort from Daniel's touch. Daniel on the other hand was appalled to see Rosyth between his own bloodstained hands. It conjured too many bad memories, though when he tried to pull back, Rosyth's hold tightened. Finally Rosyth sighed and opened his eyes again, releasing Daniel. "I don't want to leave."

"I do not want you to go either." Daniel rubbed at his wrists.

"It will kill me." Rosyth's voice sank to a whisper. "I don't think I can bear-"

Daniel quickly cut in, "You will. You will bear it because you must bear it. Think on what will become of me if you do not return."

Rosyth smiled and stroked his cheek. "You're a survivor. You would live and in time forget me."

"Do not insult me! A life without you would be half a life! It would be a life without joy in it. Would you really condemn me to that? A life as soulless as…as…" your sister's "Well, would you?"

"Never." He held him tightly against himself and Daniel felt the warmth of his blood seep through the thin material of the nightgown. "I would never hurt you. Ever. The one thing I would never…" He held Daniel far enough to see his face. "You would truly want me back?"

"What a stupid question!"

"Even if I must…" His golden gaze darted to the opened door. Daniel no longer had any desire to find out what lay inside of it, what haunted his lover's nightmares.

"You do whatever you must to come back to me. Whatever." He shook Rosyth.

"Whatever," Rosyth repeated. "That can cover more than you can possibly imagine my love…"

Fingers brushed through Daniel's hair and pulled the slightest bit. Daniel mumbled a complaint, still half lost to his dreams. "I love you." It was spoken close to his ear, the words so cracked by emotion that the translation magic almost could not make them out.

"I love you too, now let me sleep," Daniel snapped back, weariness already pulling him back down. There was a soft bark of laughter and then lips against his. It was a rather pleasant sending off to dreamland, though there was a nagging dread at the back of Daniel's mind, something he should have been remembering…

When he woke up fully, the sun was angled in such a way that its beams fell full upon the bed making Daniel over warm. He grumbled and kicked off the sheets which clung to his sweaty body. Blinking at the garden, he tried to calculate what the time must be. He jolted upright, his hand flinging out to the other side of the bed. Empty. And cold.

Not caring that he was naked he threw open the bedroom door and ran for Rosyth's study. He wouldn't…He couldn't have possibly… It too was empty. Already the room smelled of disuse and the solemn hush that lay over the air stunned him. No. No no no… It was not fair. The coward!

A blanket was settled over his shoulder. Daniel spun around, a relieved smile on his lips. "Rosy-" Maria looked down at him with what he took to be pity in those glossy, black eyes. Daniel blinked the tears away and turned from her. Clutching the blanket around him he walked over to the desk and sifted through the paperwork. Nothing personal. Well, there would not be anything here. Of course if Rosyth had left a note, it would be by the… Daniel turned on his heels and stalked to his bedroom, Maria trailing behind him as if his very shadow.

There was the note, tucked under his breakfast tray and folded around a sprig of his orchids. He threw the flower on the floor and opened the letter so harshly it was a wonder the paper did not tear. He snorted when he saw that Rosyth had taken pains to write in both his own language and the traders' so Daniel would be sure to understand everything. It helped him hold onto his anger at such an ignoble goodbye…until he started reading.

My love,

I apologize for leaving as I am. If it angers you, if it makes you think less of me, I welcome it. Better you should hate me than feel this unbearable sorrow that I hold within my heart. I would not wish this pain on any creature, even my direst enemy. It is for that very reason that I cannot wake you to say farewell. I know it is the proper thing to do, I know it is what you would want me to do, but if I have to look into your eyes and say those words…How could I ever say those words to you? It would kill me. It would undo me. I would snatch you up and flee with you across the worlds until the emperor's guards found us. It would be a story fitting for the books you love, but not one I would wish to see enacted upon you. I would never see you harmed. And because of that, I leave you now. Sneaking out of my own castle, the place you helped me make a home of. My heart is breaking as I look upon your face for what may be the last time. If I never come back, know I have never regretted anything I have done in my life for every choice, bad or good, led me to you. But know also that I keep my promises. As long as I have life in me, as long as my heart beats and I still draw breath, I will make it back to your side. No matter what lies between us.

It was signed with all his love and with his true name, though underneath it he had written "your Rosyth" in the trader's language.

Daniel did not resist when Maria tucked him against her. He turned his face until it was pressed against her voluminous robes and sobbed like a small child. Hope. That is all he had left. Hope that the gods that had brought them together would let Rosyth be a man of his word. And Daniel hated himself for knowing that by wanting Rosyth home he was wishing another man, a good if flawed man, dead.

X

So my birthday gift to myself is giving you a very depressing chapter! Please don't hate me... Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. I had the best party ever the other day and tomorrow, on my actual birthday, I'm going to Disneyland! I will be traveling this winter vacation so there might be a few weeks without updates. I will try to put one up next weekend before I leave. If I am not able to manage it, I am sorry I am leaving you on such a downer of a chapter for a while. As always, thank you for all the comments, favorites and alerts. And Happy Holidays!