Okay, I may be on vacation, but my nights are spent indoors where I can write, and I finally got some wifi going, weak as it may be.

Which means I can post this chapter :D

It's half the length it was supposed to be, but I really wanted to get this to you all because turns out the rest of this month will be even busier than I expected. REAL LIFE IS INSANE, YOU GUYS. NEVER GO THERE.

But I'll still be writing when I can. :D I'm so determined to get this story finished before school starts. *pumps fists*

So, I'm gonna put off my review responses until I've got more time on my hands. Thanks to everyone for being ridiculously patient. You're all great. :)

"Not dead?" Sarion was skeptical at best, but at the same time, Raphael had just confirmed the gut feeling he'd had for days. The thought of Unaril still being alive was a little too hopeful, in his mind. He'd dabbled with the idea but hadn't given himself the liberty of feeding into that hope, in fear he might just end up hurting himself more.

But here Raphael was, saying the opposite.

Raphael nodded in response to his question, taking in a shallow breath and running his hand through his dark brown hair, which filtered between his fingers fluidly and came to rest behind his tall ears.

"They claim, according to what they overheard from the guards' conversations, that Unaril has been struck with one of Ephraim's rare relics, something he calls a 'time shard'."

"A time shard? What the hell is that?" Sarion, even though the Rogue was dead, felt anger boil in simply hearing his name, as well as the thought of him harming Unaril. It was still a prickly thorn in his side he was having trouble removing, despite witnessing Ephraim's gruesome-yet-satisfying death so recently.

"Not a clue. However, it apparently did something bizarre, according to the stories. When Unaril was stabbed, the shard started to glow red, which I gather is normal for it. But then Unaril glowed red, too. Which is...abnormal. So Ephraim, worried he'd lose his precious relic, ordered one of his men to retrieve it and put it back in the vault. But when the man tried to grab it, Unaril and the shard both simply flickered out of sight, then back, as if he were just a vision. The guard couldn't touch him, and when Ephraim became impatient and tried it himself, the shard flickered again but then fully disappeared. Unaril as well. And the guards claimed he looked like he was still alive when he vanished, but not only was he still alive, but in the last second of seeing him, he sat straight up and gasped as if waking from a nightmare. He definitely wasn't dead then."

Sarion took all this with a pinch of salt, furrowing his brows and remaining skeptical. "You saw how Nyela reacted to his death. She was bonded to him. She felt him die."

"Did she, though?"

"She said his heart stopped, and then the bond broke."

"Still doesn't explain what the men saw right before he disappeared." Raphael shrugged, pursing his lips. "It is worth investigating, you must admit."

Sarion did admit Raphael had a point. "And this was all in Ephraim's vault?"

"Yes. That's the first place I'd look for any clues."

"Are you going there personally, then?"

A nod from the Blood Elf.

"When?"

"Few days from now. I'm going to finish up some things here in this city before I head over."

Sarion thought to himself for a while. He couldn't help but let hope rise up at what Raphael had said. Maybe the time shard had done something, maybe it'd transported his brother somewhere else. Or, rather, sometime else. If they could find traces of the magic surrounding the shard, with the help of an experienced mage, they might possibly find out where or when he'd gone to. Now, he wasn't all that keen on the concept of time travel, but at this point he was too hopeful to douse the idea.

He gave Raphael a distinct stare. "I'd like to come with you."

Raphael smiled appreciatively. "Ah, I was hoping you'd say that."

Nyela

Nyela had discovered that if she pushed herself to the point of absolute exhaustion every single day, it'd block out the restless nightmares that plagued her when her mind was anything but depleted. Despite her having gotten her brother back and her home, she was still having trouble dealing with what she had done and what had happened to those she loved.

The anxiety had started after the first time she'd killed someone, which just so happened to line up with when Unaril had died. Nyela didn't like to think of herself as a killer. The people she'd taken out, she could only hope were truly bad people, not just men and women following orders. In her defense, it's not like they'd been forced to join the guild, and she was entirely sure every single one of the people she had shot had killed someone before as well. However that didn't give her any solace in the memories of her own arrows, something so simple and basic, snuffing out something so monumental as another person's life.

And then there was the sheer graphic trauma she'd witnessed in the fight. She held a new respect for the champions and warriors in this world that had to do that as an occupation, the soldiers who saw that sort of thing on a monthly basis. She wondered how in the world they managed to stay sane. The only way she was managing it was to busy herself in helping out in the orchard, working herself so hard that at the end of the day, she'd barely make it to her bed before she was passed out cold.

She'd barely spoken to any of her friends or family these past few days. A day after Julian had returned, she'd spent the whole afternoon taking care of him. That first day, he was too weak to walk, and even now, his legs had lost a lot of the muscle and he practically had to re-learn to maneuver himself about. Not to mention he'd grown taller, as teen boys tend to do year by year, and so his body was a whole new frame that he had to discover. She'd overheard him asking Glenn to help him regain the muscle mass he'd lost, and had said that he'd soon be back to his normal buff size. Nyela had to smirk at this; Julian was never all that 'muscular' to begin with. He was a lanky kid. But she wouldn't tell him that or douse his dreams. At least, not for now.

But, since then, she'd been helping the tribe to rebuild the rooms, sow new seeds for crops (with hopes the fading winter would keep at bay), and tend to those remaining in the hospital area.

Sarion had forced himself on two feet the moment he'd woken up from the operation, and yet she'd noticed he was having difficulty with that leg still. He had a hell of a scar behind his knee, just one more to add to his countless others, and now, despite him obviously trying to hide it, he was limping. She'd tried to get him to rest it, but he'd refused. He clearly didn't want to be babied, so she kept from doing so, but that didn't keep her from worrying about it. The limp wasn't excessive, nor was it even noticeable if you were unaware that his leg was hurt. But she could see it.

Now, after a week since the assault against Ephraim, the tree was ready for the first-through-third-floor residents to move back into their old suites and rooms. Many of the people were beyond happy to no longer require tents.

She was currently helping one woman, Glenn's slightly-younger sister Alayurea, carry her things back up to her room, when she overheard Lucian talking to Norivana about adding on a winding stair downward beneath the tree as well and creating a glorified basement, with clean rooms and working air circulation. He wanted to use the same techniques the elves in Darnassus liked to use.

After telling Alayurea she'd be up soon and to go on ahead, Nyela stopped when she heard him say that doing so would double the room capacity of the orchard.

She poked her head into the conversation, feeling a little confused. "Why would we need to double the space?"

Lucian let out a subtle chuckle and turned his head toward her. "Turns out it's not just you and Norivana who are expecting children. Including the two of you, we're now at seven women in this tribe, all pregnant. Even Glenn and Thalia are expecting their own little one."

"Seven?" Nyela squeaked, alarmed. "How did that happen?" She hesitated. "I mean—not how, I know how, but…why? How did so many become pregnant so suddenly?!" She knew conception rates weren't possibly that high among elves, and it was already ironic enough that they had two at once. The odds of that were slim on their own. But seven women? What in the..?

Lucian held his hands out in a shrug. "I'm at a complete loss. I've never heard of something like this. But I'd bet my worth that it's got something to do with the grove. Maybe the curative spells we were using affected us; I'm not sure. Either way… We're going to need to expand our housing soon. I have a feeling seven isn't the final number."

"Holy…" Nyela just gaped her mouth open in surprise. So that explained how she and her mom had gotten pregnant so easily. This meant there'd be an entire squadron of children, all born around the same time, like a brand new generation. This whole tribe would have their hands full.

She forced her mouth shut and swallowed back her shock, shaking her head in wonder and torpidly stumbling up the stairs. She put Alayurea's things by her door, and then walked down and out of the tree, wondering which women it was who were pregnant. The tribe was of a decent size, probably nearing eighty-some people total, and growing each year with immigrants from the different branches of the Silverpaw tribe, as well as those who showed up wanting to join. About half of those were female, and about half of those females were candidates to having children, due to their relationship statuses. That meant approximately twenty woman could easily end up having a kid if they weren't careful. Although, maybe this was a good thing.

They were already at seven. What's thirteen more?

Nyela smirked at that thought as she rounded the tree to the medical ward, and she stopped when she saw Tiana Raine gathering up some blankets to send to be washed.

"Tiana," Nyela called out, finally letting her curiosity get the best of her. The dark-haired woman perked her head up, lifting her brows as Nyela approached.

Nyela cleared her throat, not dawdling on the point. "Where were you all that time? Those few months you spent gone? You just…disappeared, and then randomly returned."

Tiana smirked, hoisting the bedding up into her arms in a resting stance. "I was wondering how long it'd be before you asked me that."

"What were you doing when you were gone? Where did you go?"

"I was in Stormwind, actually, for the most of that time."

"That doesn't answer my first question," Nyela laughed.

"Actually, I've been meaning to come to you about this anyways," Tiana said thoughtfully, and then after a moment of deciding between continuing to hold the bedding or to set it down, she chose the latter and plopped the bedding down onto the cot at her feet. She gave Nyela a humored glance.

"If you want the truth," she said, reaching out and taking Nyela's arm to lead her from the ward in order to gain some privacy in the conversation. Once they'd gotten a good ways off in the wood, she continued. "The night I left, Sebastian and I got into a massive fight. It's the reason I took off. So, I spent some time on my own… But soon enough I was doing some digging. I began to gather as much possible evidence against Ephraim as I could, to prove what he and his men did to Tiberius. I collected reports from eyewitnesses and, after a while, sought out one of the guild members. Someone Tiberius had once mentioned before, whom I'd never met. Raphael Amaranth."

"What did you want from him?"

"More witnesses. People who could testify in the courts against Ephraim. It was reaching, I knew this, going straight to the guild and asking people to betray their leader. But I got lucky; I found Raphael. I told him what I needed, and he instructed me to lay low, to stay quiet until everything blew over with whatever it was he and you friends were doing. Ephraim would get wind of what I was doing and dispose of me if I wasn't careful."

Nyela lifted her brows. "So that's what you did? That's why you stayed away for so long?"

"Yep. I visited some old friends. Stayed quiet."

A second passed, and Nyela shifted her stance. "So… why are you telling me this?"

"Oh!" Tiana perked up. "Right! You're the key point to the trial. You're the only candid witness of the actual event that I can find. We've gotten everything else lined up, all the way down to a date for the trial. All you need to do is give your statement. Repeat the story of what you saw."

"To whom?"

"To the king!"

"The king? Why not just a normal judge?" Nyela's eyes were wide.

"This is not just a normal case. Tiberius has been tried with murdering thirteen people; it's a matter of life or death for him and Sebastian."

"So when is it?"

"Two months from now. In the meantime, the city guard will take the brothers into their custody."

"For two months?!" Nyela squeaked. "You know the criminals here are treated worse than rats! They'll be tortured!"

"No, they won't," Tiana retorted. "Don't worry. They won't be in the dungeon or stockade cells. Think of it more like 'house arrest'."

Nyela relaxed a little. "And I'm going to take a wild guess that Raphael's people are willing to give their statements as well?"

"Many of them were there when Ephraim and his officers made the plans. They have firsthand accounts of the man's actions," Tiana said, leaning her back against a tree.

"And Ephraim being dead is not an issue?"

"On the contrary, it'll be a boon for the king; he won't have to deal with one more criminal to restrain. There's no way it'll end badly for the Strom brothers. If anything, they'll be granted a reimbursement for the shit they were put through this year."

Nyela waited for a while, listening to the forest teem around them. "Why did you do all that for them?"

"I'm not some coldhearted backstabbing witch you know," Tiana laughed. "I do have the capacity to love someone."

"Even angry old Sebastian?" Nyela joked.

Tiana smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling. "Especially angry old Sebastian."

A few days had gone by with no real change. Julian was improving; he could move about, and soon enough they predicted he'd be completely back to his normal self. Nyela almost felt whiplash at how quickly her world had returned to normalcy, or at least, normalcy for most.

For Nyela though, she still couldn't bring herself to recover from the mangled wound of having Unaril ripped from her heart so violently. Every second of every day she could feel his absence gripping at her, pulling her under, drowning her. She got sympathy from the other Druids, but that did nothing more than glaze her in shame as well as the pain that was already there. She felt foolish, being so useless here, moping around the orchard like a drone. People who had seen or had the bond broken before were more sympathetic than anyone else, but she still felt like she shouldn't be this emotional.

Then again perhaps that was her pregnancy hormones. Just one more thing to terrify her, huh?

Through her thoughts, Nyela heard thunder crackle miles away over the ocean that stretched out before her. She'd traveled to the edge of the northern forest and was standing on the edge of a sloping cliff that reached down into the ocean. The cliff was a far drop; her parents never used to let her come over this way when she was younger, and she now understood why. It was dangerous, at least a sixty-foot drop, with sharp, craggy rocks at the bottom. Waves crashed against the rocks and cliff-side violently, spraying white saltwater up into the air that mingled with the already-falling rain. The thought of a child playing up here sent her into a mild fit of panic.

A warm front had just swept in from the sea, bringing rain and a warmer wind that smelled of salt and fresh fish, a distinct scent of the ocean. This rain was the first one the entire year that hadn't been cold. On the contrary it was a comfortable cool. She watched the rain fall into the giant body of water, the endless, vast stretch of sea that continued for miles and miles. Far off to the left she could see the Stormwind Harbor down a little lower on the edge of the land, and to the right, mountains grew so high she couldn't see past them. But forward, off as far as her eyes could travel, was nothing but water, and the storm overhead did nothing but add to the ocean's vast waters.

Nyela thought about how Unaril would love this, standing here just outside the protection of the trees' canopy and standing in the warm rain. Unaril loved rain. She remembered him stating that many times, and could remember the expression on his face that'd form when the thunder would crack. He held such a great appreciation to the storms, as well as just about any other weather phenomena.

Images flashed through her mind of his infectious smile, his honey-glowing eyes that crinkled at the edges, his long sea-blue hair with reflective teal streaks. Everything about him was so beautiful. Perfect. The feel of his arms around her, the sound of his cheerful, sweet tones, quiet and teasing. She missed all of it. She missed it so badly, she felt her heart constricting tight enough that she might never take another breath.

She recalled the sound of his pure laughter. It brought a smile to her face, at the same time as she felt a sob escape from deep in her chest. The wetness on her cheeks wasn't solely thanks to the rainfall now as she hugged her arms tightly around herself and stared out over the edge of the cliff, watching the tide crash against the rocks. Another sob wracked her, and she gritted her teeth tightly. She really, really needed to start getting a grip, to push on and start moving forward. But every time she thought about Unaril, the pain of his loss drowned her so suddenly and so deeply that it was getting harder and harder to come back from it each time.

Right now, solitude was all she wanted, and it was what she was getting. People rarely came to this cliff-side edge of the forest. It was dangerous, sure, but Nyela could handle herself here. She was standing a few feet from the edge, not close enough to get hurt, and she realized now she should've come here sooner. It was beautiful, quiet, and breathtaking, this view.

All of it was interrupted, though, with a voice that was beyond alarmed. It belonged to Sarion. She'd recognize his tones even in her sleep.

"Nyela? What are you doing?" he called out frantically, his voice getting louder as his thudding footsteps reached her. She felt his hands close around her arms and tug her away from the edge of the cliff. She startled slightly at the sudden action, but she was too drained to react, and she just kept crying as he pulled her tightly against him, his breath coming in quick pants. His voice was quiet, but that didn't detract from the alarm that laced his deep tones.

"What are you doing out here? On the edge of that cliff? What were you doing, Nyela?"

"I was just thinking," she reassured him quietly, talking while she cried. She wasn't sure why he was so alarmed, or why he'd yanked her so suddenly from her spot.

She felt him tug her further underneath the thick trees, out of the rain and away from the cliff, and he coaxed her to sit down beside him, which she acquiesced.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked, still breathing quickly. He reached a hand up and brushed a soaked, curled lock of hair out of her eye, and she noticed his finger shook. What had him so spooked?

She swallowed, processing his question. She'd expected herself to want Sarion to leave, but to her own surprise she realized it was better having him here with her. Having his company, it helped keep her focus off of her pain, not to mention he was probably one of the only people who truly understood her pain. He'd loved Unaril as much as she did.

She tried to answer him, but her throat caught, and she had to swallow once, then twice, and finally another sob escaped.

"I miss him, Sarion," she cried.

He wrapped her in close to him quickly, making a sound of sympathy, and pressed his lips firmly to her temple, holding her tightly. He then braced his head against hers, rocking them both back and forth ever so slightly. "Me too, Love," he said after a moment. "Me, too."

She sobbed in his arms. He was her rock, her support right now, even though this was a time where he would most likely be having the same reactions as her, were he not stronger.

The rain intensified now to a constant roar, dripping around them as it managed to push through the dense forest canopy. Eventually Nyela's crying slowed down as they sat in silence. He held her yet, and once he was sure she was done venting her pain, he released his grip slightly.

"Damn you scared me," he murmured quietly. "I saw you there on the edge of that cliff, and I just... I thought you were going to jump, Nyela."

She felt him shudder, and he gripped a hand up to his mouth for a moment, staring off past the cliff. His fingertips scrubbed through his black stubble, his intense golden eyes flashing with multiple battling emotions.

She hiccuped and otherwise stayed silent, unsure of how to reply to that. He thought she wanted to jump off the cliff? That was why he was so freaked out? How could he think she'd do something like that?

She just rested her head on his shoulder, his arm still holding her close as the two sat there staring out over the ocean, through the pouring rain.

He was quiet for a while before speaking again. "I've been there before, you know. Ready to just...end it all." He sounded almost shameful.

Nyela sniffed, blinking a few times, and craned her head slightly. "What? Really?" She was a little surprised he was revealing this to her in the first place. She knew him to be a somewhat reserved man.

He nodded solemnly. "When I killed Unaril, a full century ago, I actually attempted to..." He trailed off, not finishing that sentence. "It's the lowest point I've ever fallen in my life. I didn't think I'd ever come back from it."

"What kept you from it?" she asked softly. She had so many questions, but refrained them all.

She saw him bite the insides of his lips together in a tight line before letting out a breath. "Your father did."

She blinked, brows arching.

He swallowed, like he was afraid to share this with her, but finally mustered the courage to do so. "He found me near death with my wrists already cut. Bleeding out. I was almost gone."

Nyela's heart lurched. She'd known Sarion had a dark past, but never thought it had gone this far. And the fact he was revealing all this was shocking to her, almost as much as it was that he thought she herself was about to do the same. She felt her eyes well up in sorrow for him.

"You tried to..." she couldn't finish the sentence.

She saw his chest fall as his breath left his lungs in a sigh. "Yes," he said finally. "I tried to kill myself."

Nyela sucked in a breath, subconsciously pressing herself a little closer to him. Her eyes blurred, and finally spilled.

He stayed silent for a very, very long time. She began to think maybe he was done talking, that that was the end of it, but then he finally spoke again.

"Lucian gave me my second chance. He brought me back, force-fed the life back into me when I didn't know I wanted it." He nearly laughed. "He was so angry with me."

Her brows tightened. "Angry? Why?"

"Yes, angry. Taking one's own life...it's such a selfish thing to do. We rarely realize how many we're affecting by doing so."

Nyela sniffed her stuffy nose, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Sarion, why are you telling me about this?"

He craned his head down to meet her gaze for the first time since the two had sat down. The look in his eyes was surprisingly free of sadness; all that lay there was a hint of determination, an intensity she couldn't pinpoint, and a hint of affection. "Because I want you to know that your happiness isn't gone forever. As much as it may seem hopeless, as bleak as it may feel right now, you're not alone. And because I've been down a road that I don't want to see anyone else taking. Especially not you."

"...Thank you," she finally said, resting her head against his shoulder again. "For the record, I wasn't going to jump." First of all, she was kind of afraid of heights, and second, it wouldn't just be her life she'd be discarding.

She felt his big arms tighten around her. "Good. I couldn't bear to lose you, too. I don't know if you realize how much you mean to me, Nyela."

Nyela's emotions were choking her, and she couldn't bring up a response to his words. Her throat was tight. She'd been burying her affections for him, and she couldn't let herself feel all of this for him, not so abruptly after the loss of Unaril. Sarion wasn't just some backup guy. He was the first man she'd ever confessed her love for. She'd never stopped loving him, even after everything. And strangely enough, everything that'd happened with him had only brought her to appreciate what he was saying now even more. She was still in love with him, undoubtedly so.

It was just so disorienting feeling this level of love for one person after having that same kind of love ripped from her heart so recently.

Sarion wasn't her replacement for Unaril. He never would be, and had the roles been switched, it'd be the same. Neither were replaceable, and both held their own spots in her heart. She wasn't sure she'd ever get over Unaril, but that didn't mean she couldn't still love Sarion. Her love for one would never cloud or smother her love for the other.

Sarion's voice brought her out of her introspective thoughts.

"I'd initially been searching for you to tell you I was about to leave with Raphael. But I think I've changed my mind. I'm going to stay here with you. He can do what he needs to on his own. He's fully capable."

Her interest was piqued. "Why were you going to leave with Raphael? Where were you going to go?"

He looked hesitant. She could tell he was trying to decide how much information to give her, which sort of set her off, but at the same time, she didn't have the energy to be actually mad about him being secretive. He glanced to the side, and then back to her.

"Doesn't really matter. If it turns out that it is an important matter, I'll tell you about it. But it'd do nothing more than worry you."

Nyela would have, normally, demanded he tell her. But, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. He probably knew what was best, and to be honest she couldn't take more emotional stress right now, including worrying about who-knows-what.

Sarion stood, helping her up with him. The rain still fell in sheets, and on occasion thunder tore through the skies above.

"Come on back to the orchard with me," he beckoned her, taking her hand in his. "I believe your room is ready to move back into, yes?"

She nodded. She hadn't moved all her things back yet, though.

Sarion smiled at her. "Tonight, you'll sleep in your own bed for the first time in ages."

UNGH. So, it got a bit dark there with Sarion's confession. Sorry 'bout that if it touches a nerve for anyone. Kinda does even with me. :S

In Breaking Faith, I actually had that part written in there but then took it out because I was afraid it'd be too...dark, especially compared to the lighter theme of that story. But I kinda think it's important to know how much better Sarion is now than he used to be.

...Which is a lot!

Oh and also, that storm and the ocean and stuff... Where I'm at IRL, at the ocean, it's storming. :D Seriously, you haven't lived 'til you witness a storm on the sea. It's...magnificent. x)