"Varian!"
Arianna heard Quirin's shouts as he stumbled over mountains of rubble and debris.
"Varian!"
The castle lay in ruins - destruction as far as the eye could reach, walls torn, foundations lifted, the courtyard wrecked. Her bones still rattled in the aftershock of the demon's reign. The battle was won still the chaos remained. So much happened. It seemed impossible to wrap one's head around.
"Varian!" Old Coronas leader found what he was looking for. "Are you okay?" Crouching down Quirin put his hands on the boy's shoulders. His eyes skimmed over him, searching for any signs of harm.
The child nodded and when he came to the same conclusion Quirin relaxed.
"Dad, I am sorry."
Almost losing what's most important to you for the second time in one day set things in perspective.
"I…," Struggling, Varian's voice broke.
Quirin couldn't bear seeing his son like this. "I am proud of you," he repeated helplessly. He felt like saying the words too much, felt like he could never say them enough.
Varian laughed at the taunt. It sounded like nails against concrete. Apparently, he couldn't do wrong in his father's mind. But he remembered, remembered the cracks of electricity, the pain, the utter betrayal on his face. He did this, he had to.
Varian stepped back and Quirin's arms fell useless to his side. The tension around them was palpable, and with full force, the silence returned louder than ever before.
Arianna's heart flew out to both of them but could not dwell. Later, she promised, later there would be time. She wouldn't allow it to fester, had seen where this could lead, though first, she had to make sure her own daughter was okay.
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AN: This plays after 'Plus Est En Vous'. It's been a while - but I haven't forgotten about this story. It just took me a while to figure out where I wanna go with this chapter.
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