Two days passed and Wren couldn't sleep. Nightmares plagued her and whenever exhaustion overtook her, she would wake with pain in her palms and a feeling of blood seeping between her fingers. She denied visitors from everyone, even Cayde who had taken to slipping her notes under her door several times a day, either himself or by way of messenger.

They were abandoned now. The pile growing every time she looked at it. They all said the same thing. That it wasn't her fault. That she needed to eat. To come out and be with people who wanted to support her.

Wren sat up and pulled her legs in tight, Cayde's blanket kicked off the end of the bed. She didn't deserve comfort. She stared for hours out the window over the City until she had to blink back the first light of day. The curtains were snapped shut and she rolled over to face her dark room.

Kiran settled into the pillow beside her. He'd given up trying to talk to her. To convince her to go outside. Her mouth was dry and her stomach ached but she didn't have the urge to get up. She hadn't even showered since she returned from the replication complex. Dried blood had caked on her skin and flaked off over time. Her hair was oily and overall she felt a prisoner in her own body, but as long as she laid still, she didn't care.

"His funeral is today," Kiran said quietly. "Maybe you should go."

She turned her face into her pillow. They couldn't even bury a body. Just an empty casket.

It wasn't right. He should have made it out. He would have made it out if would have left her behind.

A gentle knock at the door made her stop to listen but she remained still.

"Wren?" Sisre said. "Wren, why don't you come to Beorn's funeral with me? I know it's hard, but I think you need this. He wouldn't want you to lock yourself away."

Wren's throat burned.

"He loved you, you know? Rorick told me he saved you. Beorn only did that because he wanted you to live. Please don't waste the time he gave you."

She remained a moment more, then Wren heard her walk away. Still, what she said remained.

Beorn died for her, as much as the thought made her sick. She forced herself to sit and there she sat for a long time, her feet pressed against the cold floor. Everything felt disgusting. Her skin, her bed, her hair. It was all filthy. Every inch and none of it felt like something she could handle.

"You can do this," Kiran said, settling on her shoulder. "I'm with you all the way."

Wren trudged into the bathroom but didn't bother turning on the lights. She stood under the water but didn't have the energy to scrub herself. All she could do was let the water rush over her but even as the dirt and grime and blood flushed down the drain it didn't take away the feeling of disgust that had settled into her belly. Or perhaps that was hunger. She'd been ignoring the pain that came with it but now that she was moving the effects were wearing on her.

Her mouth was dry, her hands shaky.

There was no telling how long she stayed there with her eyes closed, forcing herself to replay Beorn's final moments. Or what Sisre had said. He loved her. He sacrificed all to make sure she walked out of that replication chamber.

When Wren left the bathroom and turned on the light of her room she was tempted to turn it off again. The bed was a disgusting mess. Clothes and armor on the floor were filthy. Everything she would have found comfort in was crusted with blood and sweat and grime.

"Don't worry about this," Kiran said. "I'll contact the Vanguard and have someone come clean while you're gone. It'll be good as new when you get back I… I assume you're going to the funeral?"

Wren didn't answer. She dressed in silence, choosing the white robes she'd worn while waiting for Sisre's wedding. It was also a color of mourning in the City. She pulled the fur lined cowl over her wet hair, slipped on her shoes, and left over the pile of ignored letters by the door.

Attending the funeral wasn't something she found she could handle. She tried. Got all the way to the door of where they were supposed to go, but she hesitated.

Franz.

She could hear him.

To say he was angry would be an understatement. He wasn't crying anymore, but cursing her name to everyone he could speak to. Sisre and Rorick tried to calm him, keep him from saying anything he might regret but everything he said, Wren felt in her soul. It was true, even if they didn't want to admit it.

Instead of attending she sat on the rooftop of a nearby building along the route between the Tower and the temple where Guardians found their final resting places.

Civilians lined the streets, holding candles and scattering flowers along the path where the casket would be carried. Empty. She blinked and saw his eyes. Bright yellow. Cheery. She looked away, down the street where the procession came into view.

Ikora led them, Zavala and Cayde following behind. Several Warlocks carried the casket of stone and behind it was Franz, head high though she could see the dark circles under his eyes from here. Sisre and Rorick backed him up and following them were droves of Guardians. As they passed, civilians offered their thanks to the Guardian who gave his life to protect them. Some joined the procession as it passed, and many more would as they made their way to the temple.

He was loved. She knew that. Felt it from them. How long had he survived among them? So many would miss him… but her?

Her lip quivered. He should have come home.

When the procession passed she turned her back and left, searching for a quiet place in the restaurant district where she could drink in peace. Something had to take the pain away. May as well start there.

Midnight came and Wren found herself in a bar on the outskirts with little memory of how she got there. Her head swam and the vile taste in her mouth told her she'd vomited along the way. Kiran buzzed around her, spinning rapidly and keeping any away that might bother her.

"Wren, you should really go back," he said. "Cayde has been trying to get messages through for hours and he's ready to send the guard out after you."

"Get away," she muttered, batting him away. "Just go away."

"Please, let me help you."

"Barkeep!" Wren demanded, though she could hardly see the man through the haze. "I want… something. Anything, I don't care."

"Sorry, but I think you've had enough," he replied. "Here's some water."

"I don't want it," she said, trying to take a swipe to knock it off the bar but she missed and ended up with her cheek pressed to the cool wood.

"Hey wait…" a Hunter said from nearby. "Is that Wren?"

"God killer!" another said, raising his glass.

"Shh, dude, she lost a fireteam member."

"Oh shit…"

The pair of them approached Wren but kept their distance.

"Hey. You're Wren right?"

"What do you want?" she mumbled.

"We were at your buddy's funeral earlier. Beorn? Sorry 'bout what happened to him. We lost a couple friends to SIVA too. You should have this. As thanks, ya know? For takin' SIVA down." He held out a sheathed dagger with a snake wrapped around the hilt.

As soon as Wren saw it the tears started again. She didn't deserve it.

"It's hard, but you're not alone. We all—"

"Wren!"

She didn't have time to turn before Franz ripped her backward off her stool. The breath knocked out of her in a shock when she hit the floor but there was no time to recuperate before he was hitting her, his fists pummeling her mercilessly.

"What the fuck?!" one of the Hunters yelled, grabbing Franz around his chest to pull him away but in his drunken rage he was stronger than the Hunter expected. His friend had to jump in, along with some Titans that crowded around nearby.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Franz shouted.

Wren had never seen him like that before; crazed and practically frothing at the mouth. His curses were drown out by his own sobbing and a moment later Rorick and Sisre were in the doorway, running to his side.

"Franz, you have to stop," Rorick said, not noticing Wren until she made an attempt to sit up.

That put Franz back into a rage and he struggled against Rorick who pulled him toward the door.

"You promised! You fucking promised!" was all Wren could hear as he was dragged out of sight.

Sisre was at her side, checking her wounds. "Oh, Wren, what are you doing to yourself?" She brushed a lock of hair from Wren's cheek which had been split open with the force of Franz's punishment. "Let's get you home."

She helped Wren from the floor and the other Guardians nearby gave her a respectful bow of their heads. They knew. All of them knew. Things like this tore people apart, one way or another. The first Hunter handed the blade over to Sisre.

"We wanted her to have this," he explained. "For takin' SIVA down but… I don't know if it's safe for her to have it yet."

"Thanks," Sisre nodded, stilly shaken by seeing Franz trying to beat Wren to death. Not that Wren could blame her. She knew Franz would be heartbroken, but she never expected him to react like this. She loved him. He was a brother, someone she thought she could lean on for anything and now he was as gone as Beorn.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Wren said as Sisre helped her out into the street. She hit her knees in the snow, letting herself slip away from Sisre.

"You're making this really difficult. Listen, I know this feels like the end of the world but—"

"He should have left me behind."

"Don't talk like that." Sisre put an arm around Wren's back and hoisted her off the ground. "Let's get you home. Things'll get better. And I'll talk to Franz okay? He'll come around, I know he will."

"He'd trade me to have Beorn back and I can't blame him."

Sisre stopped trying to convince Wren otherwise and the headed toward the Tower in silence, Wren's stumbling through her drunken stupor.

"Sisre?" her Ghost said.

"What is it Sambo?"

"Brix says that Franz gave Rorick the slip. He's looking for him now, but he says you need to get Wren to a safe place just incase he manages to find her again."

"Dammit," she said through gritted teeth. "C'mon. I know you're drunk but you have to help me get you home, okay? Kiran, what's her room looking like?"

"I contacted the Vanguard earlier to send someone to clean she…" he lowered his voice. "She's not been well."

"Was that before the funeral?"

"Yeah."

"No wonder Cayde was in a hurry to leave. He's been searching for hours."

"I know, but she didn't want him to know," Kiran said.

"Please don't tell him," Wren asked.

Sisre struggled with it for a time. "Fine. Can I at least let him your you're safe before he sends the whole City guard looking for you?"

"I guess."

"Good. Don't you do anything like this again."

Wren looked away.

When they reached her floor in the Tower, Wren had sobered up some and was mostly walking on her own, though she swatted at Kiran to keep him at a distance. He was insistent on healing her wounds, but Wren was too angry to want to deal with him. Why didn't he understand?

"What's going on?" Sisre said, drawing Wren's attention to the hoards of Guardians who had gathered in the hall, most of them in their pajamas.

"Someone get that idiot," a Titan growled before shuffling back into his room.

They rounded the corner and through the crowd they could see, and hear, Franz beating on Wren's door, unleashing a flurry of curses and threats. He was still drunk and stumbling, a fresh bottle in his hand. Liquor sloshed all over the floor until at last he shattered it against Wren's door.

A couple of Titans stepped in and Sisre used the distraction to get Wren out of there but Franz spotted them. He stumbled toward them and Sisre practically shoved Wren back into the elevator.

"Son of a bitch," Sisre muttered. "Sambo, tell Rorick we found Franz and to get his ass to the Tower ASAP. He's spotted us so there's no telling where he'll end up. Try to keep a track on his Ghost."

In the elevator Wren leaned against her arm, exhausted and nauseous. She wondered if Sisre would take her back to their place, far from the Tower and Franz, but that wasn't the case.

The elevator doors slid open and Sisre led her into a sparse hallway that Wren immediately recognized. As the Vanguard hall. She dug her heels in.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To Cayde. Where I know you'll be safe. Now move before Franz catches up."

"You said Cayde wouldn't know." Wren took steps back, fighting against Sisre who tried to pull her down the hall.

"Franz is trying to kill you," Sisre said, catching Wren's face in her hands and for the first time, Wren saw tears in her eyes. "Even if he can't do it for good, there's no coming back from that. We're falling apart and I can't handle it. So shut up and go to Cayde so I can try to fix this."

"What's going on—" Cayde stepped out of his doorway right before the elevator doors opened again, this time with an angry Franz doubled over his own vomit. "What the?"

Sisre pushed Wren toward Cayde, who pulled her behind him when Franz approached, barely able to walk. He stumbled against the wall and Sisre tried to go toward him but he slashed at her with the broken neck of the whisky bottle.

"Get the fuck away from me, you traitor," he slurred.

"Franz, you have to stop. Please. Wren didn't kill Beorn, you know that," Sisre said.

"She promised!"

"That's not how any of this works," Cayde said. "Dammit Franz, you know better. Sometimes Guardians don't make it back and that's no one's fault. It's what we do."

"Shut up you glorified sweeper bot. You say it's what we do but when was the last time you put your ass on the line? Or even left the fucking Tower? You only came with us to fight Oryx because you wanted to keep Wren safe. Fuck her and fuck you! When was the last time you lost someone? Oh yeah, Andal Brask was it? Got him killed too, guess that's why you're sticking up for her."

"That's enough," Cayde said, his tone going dark.

"Aw, strike a nerve?"

"Leave him out of this," Wren said, pushing past Cayde but he caught her when Sisre grabbed Franz, keeping clear of the broken glass in his hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring Beorn back! I told him to leave me!"

"He should have! Worthless little runt, you cost me everything!"

"Dammit Sisre, get him out of here," Cayde demanded.

Rorick arrived a moment later, sprinting from the elevator and jumping into action. He slapped the glass from Franz' hand and he helped Sisre sandwich him between them to move him away from Wren.

When the doors closed and they were alone again Wren shook out of Cayde's grip and took several steps away, backing up until she hit the wall where she slid down to sit on the floor. Her arms wrapped around her head and she pressed her eyes into her knees, wishing it would all go away.

She hated it. All of it. Not just Beorn's death, or Franz's hatred, or the way she could feel Cayde looking down on her, but the way none of it would end. Day by day she slogged through and it didn't hurt any less. It only hurt more and it was a miserable push through dark waters that were too high.

Cayde didn't speak for a long time. He didn't even make a move to touch her and she knew he was disappointed in her. They all were.

"Sugarbird," he said at last, kneeling beside her. "Franz is hurt right now. It's easy to say things you don't mean when your heart's been ripped out."

"He didn't have to see it happen," Kiran bristled. "Wren had her hands broken and cut to ribbons trying to save Ziro and Beorn was already gone by then! This is…. Is… well it's bullshit that's what!"

"Kiran—" was taken aback by his cursing but when she looked up it was Cayde's expression she wasn't ready for. He was shocked, clearly, but there was something else. It was like he was looking at a ghost.

"Well it's true," Kiran raged. "You did everything you could and I hate that you're punishing yourself for it. You wouldn't have made it out either if Rorick hadn't forced you. Then what? Would that idiot blame Rorick for both of you?! What a careless, awful display!" he buzzed, shooting back and forth until Sundance appeared before him. He stopped short of slamming into her and a moment of staring her down his shell drooped. "I'm sorry."

"Is all that true, kid?"

Wren cautiously peered up at Cayde but she couldn't hold his gaze. "A Splicer got me in the replication chamber. Beorn was the real hero. Of all of it. He killed the aspects… the… the Iron Lords were just corpses reanimated by SIVA." She shook her head. "I guess? I don't know, I just ran. I was so useless in there. I couldn't keep up…"

"You told him to leave you?"

She nodded. "I just wanted him to get out. If he'd left me, none of this would have happened. All those people at his funeral they…" her throat swelled closed with tears.

"And what about me? Dammit kid, if you wouldn't have made it back…" he rubbed his face, then guided her chin so he could get a look at her. "C'mon. You're a mess."

She ignored his hand and stood on her own. "I can go home."

"Get in here and cut that out." He ushered her inside where she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of a broken floor length mirror behind the door. She was filthy all over again from Franz beating her on the bar floor. Her white robes were stained and muddied and her face swollen. Blood tinged her lip though she didn't taste it anymore. All that remained was the foul, bitter bile and alcohol she'd consumed.

Cayde hurried past her to the bathroom where she heard him start the water. A few minutes later he went to his room, then back to her with clean clothes.

"Kick your shoes off and go get a bath," he said. "I'll put the clothes in there for you."

"I don't—"

"Stop fightin' me." He was stern now, his optics intent and she knew she had little choice.

Wren set at the edge of the tub and watched the water while he bustled around, pouring in random things but she wasn't listening. Everything was gone now. She was too tired to think about what was happening, thoughts replaced by an intense throbbing behind her eyes.

"Take this," he said, pushing a glass of water into her hand and a couple of small white pills. "It's for the hangover. Might be too late now but better to try than not."

"Thanks," she muttered, only taking the pills so she could have a good reason to down the water and get the taste out of her mouth.

Cayde sat on the edge of the tub with her and ran his thumb across her lower lip. "Kiran, why don't you get her healed up?"

"She told me not to."

Cayde sighed. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"I don't know if you should leave her alone in here."

Wren glared at Kiran.

"I'll be right outside. Nothin's gonna happen to her. Just heal her and make sure she gets cleaned up. A nice hot bath works wonders."

He finally left her and Kiran alone, the Ghost taking liberties healing her despite her earlier refusal. Wren slipped into the hot water, her fingers and toes shocked with the heat. She raised a hand to see her fingers were purple from the cold. She hadn't noticed.

"It won't hurt like this forever," Kiran said, setting down on her shoulder and cuddling into her neck, just above the water.

Wren closed her eyes and tried to relax despite her body still being sore, even after Kiran finished healing her. Pain gripped her stomach but she tried to swallow the urge to vomit.

"You need to eat," he said. "It's been too long."

"I'm fine."

The lie immediately caught up to her and she had to clamp her hand over her mouth as she scrambled to get out of the tub. She barely made it to the toilet before expelling water, booze, and half dissolved pills from her system. Tears slid down her cheeks and she shook uncontrollably.

Cayde didn't knock. The splashing and sounds of her vomiting had him rushing through the door and to her side. He reached over her to the towel rack and covered her. He remained there until she was finished and could only cry in shame.

"Don't worry about it. Happens to the best of us," he said, though his voice lacked the joking tone she was sure he was going for. "Give me a minute, okay? Just… stay there."

He gathered up the clothes and drained the tub before returning to her. He took another towel and put it over her head while she sat up and covered herself. She tried to let her stomach settle while he dried her hair and found she couldn't keep her eyes open.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Wren shook her head.

"She needs to eat," Kiran said.

Cayde dropped the towel around Wren's shoulders and used it to gently pull her in and kiss her forehead. She didn't deserve any of this.

"Get dried off and put those clothes on. I'll get someone to bring you food. Nothing too heavy. I don't know if you can handle it. You're so pale… how long's it been since you ate?"

"I don't know."

"Not since we left for the SIVA complex," Kiran said. Wren glared at him.

"I'm not gonna let you waste away," Cayde said. You have to eat somethin'."

He dried up the water she'd splashed over the edge of the tub before leaving her in the bathroom with Kiran. Wren reluctantly pulled herself off the floor, drank some water from the faucet, and dressed herself in his clothes. Everything was too big, swallowing her whole and making her feel as little as she felt. She'd never felt this small before. This useless.

It took her back to what Franz had said. Useless runt. How long had that been what he thought of her? Maybe she was delusional, and he'd always felt that way. She turned away from her reflection, unable to face herself.

In the main living area Cayde was clearing off a space on the coffee table for them to eat when the power began to flicker. Through the window she could only see half of the City, the other half was in darkness, but it was getting harder to see with a snowstorm moving in.

"We're getting' hit again," Cayde said, lighting some candles. "Zavala talked about getting' the engineers to push as much power as possible to the storm shelters so the citizens can stay warm but that means we're likely to lose it at any time."

"What about command?" Wren asked. Her heart wasn't in the question, but it was better than talking about Beorn. Or Franz, or all the other things she's destroyed.

"Generators. No matter what, we can't let command go down."

The wind howled outside, shaking the window and the power flickered, then went out.

"Damn," Cayde huffed. "Come and sit down. Rest."

Wren shuffled to the couch and curled up in the corner, laying her head on the arm. She remembered coming here when she was sick after…

Someone knocked and Wren jumped.

"Calm down, it's just food," Cayde eased.

Someone knocked and Wren jumped.

"Calm down, it's just food," Cayde eased. Soon he had bowls set out on the table and was pouring them both a sort of chicken ramen with eggs, leeks, and a warm honey colored broth. "Eat up while it's hot. Sorry I didn't make somethin' for you myself but things have been crazy around here. Oh, I got someone to secure the stuff in the den. I got it stashed away in my spare bedroom. With that wall missin' I didn't want to snow to ruin everything. Figured it'd save some steps too. For when we fix it up, ya know?"

Wren stared at her silhouette in the broth, eating slowly. Even though it was soft, her jaw was tired after a few minutes and she struggled through eating. How could he talk about the future at a time like this?

Cayde sighed and put his bowl on the table. He leaned forward onto his knees and remained there for a time. "Kid, I know how you feel. Really, I do. I've been there."

"Andal?"

"Yeah. He was my best friend. We were real close back before he became Vanguard. Did I tell you that? Andal was Vanguard? See, me and Shiro and Andal used to run together back in the day. Tevis Larson sometimes too…"

Wren had heard something about Tevis. Shortly after they had defeated Oryx Tevis' body had been found by some Hunters but nothing much had been said about it. Since she didn't know him, she didn't go to the funeral.

"You knew Tevis?"

"Yeah. He was an asshole but also a damn good guy."

"You didn't say anything when they found him so I didn't know."

"There's a lot you don't know." He stood and went to the window. "A long time ago some Fallen put a hefty bounty on our heads. Andal was gone at the time, so the rest of us went in and came out one short. Another one lost his Ghost. When Andal got back we told him everything. I guess we got a little caught up in our feelings. Wantin' revenge and all and… we made a dare. The Dare. You know about it?"

"Not really."

"It's how Hunter Vanguards are picked, so to speak. It's different for anyone but for us, it was that whoever was the first one to kill Taniks got to keep his freedom. The other one would go on to be Vanguard and get stuck in this ivory tower."

"You won?"

"Andal lost. Things were quite the same after that. I wish he never woulda stuck with that damn dare but it's a Hunter's honor. Didn't really have a choice."

"I don't understand how that's your fault."

Cayde hung his head. "I tell myself I was drunk and neither one of us was in a good state of mind, but I can't even get drunk." He looked at her. "It's to ease my conscience. See, I thought Taniks was dead. But he wasn't and Andal… well, he lost again. Big that time. There was nothin' I could do. As lost and helpless as you feel now, I've been there, kid."

"What did you do to cope?"

His shoulders dropped. "Nothin' I want you to do."

He came back to her and sat down. "I told you I'd be here for you when it happened. I said I wasn't gonna leave you behind and I meant it. You're gonna get through this and it's going to be alright."

Wren started to cry again, pain behind her eyes becoming unbearable but she couldn't stop. Cayde put her bowl on the table and picked her up to take her to the bedroom.

"Shh, you're gonna make yourself sick again," he said, laying her down. "Come on, tuck in. It's gonna get real cold in here with the power out. Thata girl. Look, I have to go check in with Zavala and Ikora and you better be here when I get back. Kiran, keep an eye on her and if she tries to leave, you let me know." He put Colonel in beside her.

Kiran nodded and ducked into the blankets with Wren as Cayde piled them on top of her. The weight was comforting and by the time Cayde kissed her cheek and left, her eyelids were heavy and she couldn't keep them open any longer.

She fell asleep to a numbness spreading over her body like the fresh blanket of snow that threatened to smother the City and she welcomed it.

Wren sat bolt upright in Cayde's bed a few hours later, gasping from a nightmare where she had died, crushed beneath the wall and Beorn, the weight of both of them preventing Rorick from saving her. He ran. He saved himself. She cried out for him. For Cayde. For anyone. Trapped under Beorn's body as explosions became more and more intense until the final flash woke her.

Cayde lay nearby, sprawled out and fast asleep with Colonel tucked under his arm. Kiran and Sundance were cuddled up in a pile of blankets by his head. Outside the storm still raged, making it impossible to tell if it was morning yet.

She stood, struggling to walk in the pants he'd given her to wear but there was somewhere she had to go. Feeling the weight of her own body as strenuous, she shuffled back down to her own floor, passing a few Guardians here and there on their way to their own beds, some covered in dirt and blood.

This was it. Their lives. Their whole existence.

She rounded the corner to her room, knowing what she would find. Franz. He sat outside her door, his head down on her arms that were crossed over the top of his knees.

"Franz?" she whispered, taking a step closer.

He wasn't asleep. He glared up at her with pure hatred. "Decide to face me after all?"

"I don't want to fight you."

He scoffed.

"I just… I needed to see you. I never intended for this to happen and…"

"You never should have gone with them. Beorn never should have gone at all. He should have stayed here, but if someone else should have gone with them, it should have been me. Or Sisre. A kingerguardian would have been better than you."

Wren hung her head. "I didn't intend for this to happen. I loved him too—"

"You still have people. You don't get to say you loved him like losing him meant you lost what I lost."

"You're not alone, Franz. Sisre and Rorick are your friends and … and I love you, Franz," she couldn't stop the tears from flowing now. Dealing with Beorn's death was hard enough without losing him too and here he was, sitting a few meters away, in pain but alive and she couldn't even comfort him. She couldn't lean on him.

"You're fucking pathetic," he spat, struggling to his feet. "I can't do anything to you here. But I swear by the Traveler, Wren, if I ever see you in the wilds, I'll kill you."

He turned and left, using the wall to aid him. Maybe these bitter words weren't just grief but lingering thoughts he'd always had. Doubt in their friendship clawed its way to the forefront of her mind. No. No he cared… before…

She remained there for a time until at last she retreated to Cayde's room. Did Franz really feel he had lost everything? She sat at the edge of Cayde's bed and watched him sleep. What would she do without him? Sisre and Rorick were grieving themselves, but it seemed they'd been up to their necks taking care of the funeral and Franz. If she didn't have Cayde they'd be spread even thinner and … and she was making all their lives hard.

Franz was the one that needed their comfort. Their support. He was the one who had to go back to an empty apartment full of Beorn's things and have to look at them, live with them… tears pricked her eyes again but this time she was flooded with all the times Beorn had encouraged her. Held her up. Saved her. Hugs and headbutts and long hours in the hanger working on Sparrows. She depended on him so much. What would she do without him?

"Hey," Cayde muttered, stirring behind her. "C'mere."

Wren lay on her side and he scooped her in, pulling her close and tucking her in. His warmth broke her.

"I'm here," he said. "Let it out. I've got you."