By the time Ja-Ree had woken, Aphina was half asleep. Her eyes barely closed, but she could hear his heartrate flutter, and feel him stir, and feel the soft brush of his lips against her forehead. When she opened her eyes, however, he was gone. As silent as the night itself. By the bedside table, the Healing Mother slammed a flask down. "Drink," she demanded.

Aphina sat up with the movements of a slug, and drank, and it was surprisingly sweet to her tongue, and filling to her stomach. When the flask was empty, however, she could still feel a sort of emptiness in her stomach.

The Healing Mother took the flask and wouldn't give her another one. She could hear her pulse slowing as she backed away from Aphina as if there was some relief to being away from her. She was afraid. How many others felt the same as Healing Mother? Aphina pursed her lips, and watched her shuffle out of the room as quickly as she could, and a shadow slipped in. For a moment, Healing Mother stopped, and spoke to the shape, but all Aphina could hear was the rushing of blood and smell the delicious food. She didn't bother looking up or try to listen harder for the words. She had a feeling she knew what was being said and she feared that Ja-Ree was here to ask her to leave.

Ja-Ree pushed a cup into her hand. It was almost hot to the touch. "Drink," he sat down next to her, so close, but she never looked up at him. He put a piece of bread on her lap, "and eat."

Aphina pushed the cup to her mouth, and took one swallow, and she could taste everything in the tea from the sweet orange to the earthy jasmine, but as it hit her stomach, she felt nothing for the drink. It wasn't as sweet as the blood, and it left her stomach churning. She stuffed the bread in her mouth angrily, but the bread barely had a taste, and it didn't fill her stomach like it should have.

She heard Ja-Ree chew his piece slow, watching her.

Aphina's hands shook violently. Somewhere inside of her, there was a dark cloud of regret that made its way up her throat to choke her, and the cup slipped out of her hands and shattered at their feet. Neither of them moved.

"You saved the Hist." Ja-Ree said awkwardly.

"I know."

"You saved everyone."

"I know."

There was a brief moment of silence.

Aphina sighed. "Everyone is going to say that they're fine with it, but I can hear everything. I can smell their fear and hear their voices from across the cave." She turned to him. "Everyone says in the Dark Brotherhood it doesn't matter, but I'm not asking Ja-Ree the Listener…I'm asking my Ja-Ree. I'm asking my husband. Can you really live with me like this?"

Ja-Ree smiled, the same smile he'd always held in her presence, and he lovingly laid his hands over hers. "Yes, my love. It doesn't matter to me what condition you are in. However," He squeezed her hands.

"Nobody else could…could they?"

He nodded. He sighed, his shoulder's slumped. "This is why the Listener shouldn't marry…it is hard to make decisions for the good of my brothers, and you. Someone will always have to lose. Today…I am afraid it is you. I cannot take you with me to the new sanctuary, as much as I want to bring you."

Aphina was almost relieved, but all the same her heart dropped and her stomach churned painfully. She didn't want to leave his side. Ja-Ree squeezed her hand.

He felt…warm now. Would this be the closest she could get to the sun? Soon, even this would be taken away from her. "In Archon…I heard people from Akavir are here."

He nodded. "Yes, according to some of our…well…sources, Akaviri have been here for some time."

"Akavir…they haven't stepped foot in any part of Tamriel..so why now?"

Ja-Ree shrugged. "We do not know."

Aphina closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Behind her eyelids she could see the poorly drawn maps, over hundreds of years old, of Akavir and its many kingdoms and borders. Akavir was not so different from Tamriel. It was made up of different kinds of species that were considered neither men nor mer. Painted as grotesque monsters, or impossibly animalistic. When she opened her eyes she said, "Dreekius says you will not get involved." She looked up at him. "But I am not part of the Dark Brotherhood…and I need to know what's happened in Archon…I need to know if we will be fighting two wars."

Ja-Ree nodded. "I understand. Be careful, my love. I fear the Thalmor have only gone back toward Gideon and Stormhold."

Aphina leaned against him and he put his arms around her. "Always," she whispered.

(Authors note: I'm sorry it's taking so long to update. I've been trying to work ahead into the second arc. I will update as soon as I feel the next chapter is ready. I need to make sure the writing in each upcoming chapter hasn't deteriorated and is just as captivating as these chapters have been.)