"I must apologize for the guards," Father says as we enter his small tent, "But in times of war, a country... and a people... must take precautions."

"They just startled me," I say, rubbing my wrist where the man squeezed it.

Father turns to me, a pained and astonished look in his eyes, "Am I dreaming...?" He clears his throat and raises his voice to a more audible level, "They told me you were dead... that all of Lord Dilandau's recruits had fallen... at the hands of Fanelia's king."

"How long has it been?" I ask.

"...Over twenty moons," Father says with awe, "Cherandle, where have you been?"

I beat around the bush, "It's... been a long journey..."

"Oh... Of course," Father says, apparently coming back to his senses. He crossed to one end of his small tent, where a teapot and cup are set. He pours the tea, "Sit," he invites, and hands the cup to me.

"Thank you," I say, sitting. I take a sip. I've already decided that if I tell him the whole truth, he'll think I've gone crazy. "I don't remember much..." I say, and sip the tea again, "...Just... a lot of walking. I must have been delirious..."

"You weren't wounded...?" Father says quietly; half a question, half a conclusion based on his observation.

I shake my head as I continue to drink the soothing beverage, "No..." I say, "Just scared."

Father's large hand strokes the side of my face. A tight feeling rises in my throat, and I try to swallow it down with the tea. The fact that I'm seeing my father again for the first time in such a long time... And after all I've been through...

I sigh shakily, and two quiet tears stream down my face.

Father rises from his chair and embraces me, "Shh... It's all right, Cherandle... Go on and cry. I can only imagine... I can only imagine..." He seems incapable of finishing the sentence.

I put the teacup back down and hug him back, feeling like a little girl in Father's arms. I cry and I cry. I cry away all the sadness of everything that's happened until only the memory remains. And Father holds me the entire time.

*

"...and your mother tried to catch you, but you just kept saying, 'No! No! I want to play with Daddy!'"

Our laughter fills up the tent for a few moments.

"She must have been furious," I say.

"Oh, no," Father says, grinning, "Those were the happy times. Before..." He trails off, deciding not to finish the idea.

"Have you seen her lately?" I ask, "Mother, that is?"

"No," he shakes his head, "I still haven't the slightest what's become of her... Probably remarried. Who knows?" And that's that.

We exit the tent. I've no idea how long we were in there, but I know I arrived sometime in mid-day... and the sun is now drifting towards the horizon.

My time is running out. Where is Dilandau?

"You know, Cherandle," Father says quietly, confidentially; resting a hand on my shoulder, "It would be unfair for me not to tell you that there have been... rumors."

"Rumors?" I ask.

"...About Lord Dilandau," Father continues, "That he was... well, just wondering if you heard, or saw, anything... With the war going on, it's very hard to confirm this sort of thing..."

I feel myself start to blush. Father notices right away.

"Oh, dear," is all he says. The hand on my shoulder goes to stroke his beard as he looks away. There is a long pause.

"I'm sorry, Father," I say.

He turns to me again, and what looks like it might almost be a smile crosses his bearded face, "There now, no apologies," he says, "What's done is done. I spent enough time buying into all that military stuff- I'm only here for my country... Not to follow some silly regulations."

He is interrupted by a great noise from up above, and a sudden waving of the trees from a nearby forest.

"That'll be Jajuka now," says Father, and we turn to face each other.

"I'm not in the army anymore, Cherandle," he goes on, "Neither are you." He smiles, and tilts his head towards the cliff, "Go ahead."

The full meaning of his words dawns on me, "Oh, Father!" I exclaims, embracing him. I plant a kiss on his cheek and, trying to keep on the outskirts of the tents where no one will see me, run off hastily towards a small cliff, where the forest rests.

As I enter the forest, I immediately spot a blue guymelef in a clearing. I see a figure hop down from the front of it, which they had been holding onto. It's Dilandau! The simple fact that he is alive fills me with elation. My mine takes no time to register anything other than the fact that he is alive and I am here, and in half a moment I have called out his name and he has turned to me, and I have reached my destination, falling against him, throwing my arms around him, covering his face- his beautiful, beautiful face- with kiss upon kiss upon kiss.

"Oh, Dilandau..." I say, but my smile and the feeling inside me fades as I notice for the first time the strange clothes he is wearing, the dazed look on his face- something about him has changed. Something is different. Wrong. "Dilandau, it's me... Cherandle..." My emotions suddenly drop to near hopelessness, "Oh... Don't you remember me?"

His hands- up to this point motionless- now reach up and stroke back the hair by my ears.

"Cherandle?" he asks.

"Uh-huh," I nod, relieved that he remembers. But what's happened? What's wrong? Twenty moons... Oh Gods, all the things that could have happened...

There is a sudden burst of steam- the sound of a guymelef control chamber opening. From the guymelef leaps a dog-like beastman in a Dragon Slayer uniform.

"Lord Dilandau!" He exclaims, and threatens me with his sword, "Stand back! Who are you?!"

I step back from Dilandau, not wanting to make this new Dragon Slayer any angrier, "My name is Cherandle Zarain..." I say, "I am Arvin's daughter..."

"Arvin Zarain's daughter is dead," says the beastman, "Speak! Who are you?"

"Jajuka!..."

The stern words cuts through the air. Dilandau has turned towards the beastman and I can't see his face. When he turns to me, he bears a countenance I know all too well- his face has once again become cold. I'm almost relieved to see something familiar as he walks back towards me.

"You're not Cherandle," he says, his voice soft and icy, "Cherandle is dead."

I shake my head, "No. She's here. I'm here."

"Cherandle is dead !" He insists through clenched teeth.

"Dilandau, please..." I take his hand, but he throws me violently to the ground.

"Disrespectful girl!" He growls, "How DARE you address me like that?!"

"But Dilandau-" I start. Jajuka quickly strides over and grabs me by the wrist.

"What shall I do with this madwoman, sir?" he asks.

Dilandau has his back turned, "Just remove her from my sight."

"Come, girl." Jajuka starts to lead me away.

Oh, what I fool I was! Of course he wouldn't believe... he saw it happen! He saw me die! But I can't give up on him!, "Dilandau, please! It's me!" I struggle against Jajuka's furry grip, "That night on the Vione... when I left my sword in the training room... You found it-"

"Shut up!" Dilandau orders.

"Keep quiet, girl!" Jajuka growls.

"I won't!" I cry passionately. Jajuka starts to lead me away again. Dilandau starts walking off towards the camp, "I poured you the wine! I hid behind the throne when Lord Folken came, don't you remember? Dilandau, I love you!" I beat at Jajuka's arm with my fist, "get off me! Let me go! Let me-" I stop. Jajuka has ceased his slow, steady pace and is now looking at Dilandau, who has also stopped. Turning to face us, he slowly walks back. His journey seems to take forever.

He looks down at me, then up at Jajuka.

"Release her," he says.

"But Lord-"

"I said release her!"

Jajuka's big, hairy paw lets go of my wrist. I shake and rub my wrist, trying to lessen the pain.

Then I notice Dilandau staring at me again.

I lock eyes with him and pray. Please. Please remember. Please believe. It really is me...

He takes my hand softly in his, and the faintest of smiles crosses through his eyes. he then looks over at Jajuka, "Leave us," he says.

"But-"

"Don't follow." Then, rather forcefully, he begins to pull me in the opposite direction from the camp, towards the edge of the forest, carefully maneuvering his steps so we are not seen by the guards... Until, at last, the tress thin, and we find ourselves in a wide, sweeping field.

No words have passed between us. I have no clue of his intentions- or whether or not he truly believes who I am- or what has happened to him and how it has affected him. I take the silent time to examine his clothes: A pink blouse with a lavender belt, black pants, tan sandals- strange. Very odd.

The sun is beginning to set in front of us as Dilandau stops and turns to face me.

"Who are you?" He asks, "Really?"

"I'm Cherandle. And..." I say, trying the same words that seemed to jog his memory before, "...And I love you." I reach up to touch the left side of his face, but as my palm begins to caress his cheek, Dilandau suddenly swoons, his eyes roll back in his head as if he is about to faint, and he falls to his knees before me. I slowly follow him down, getting first on one knee, then the other, my hands hovering by him as if afraid of catching a disease- and Dilandau does look very ill all of a sudden. His entire body is shaking violently.

"Dilandau...?" I ask.

"Oh God, Cherandle!" he exclaims, his arms flinging themselves around my shoulders and pulling me towards his trembling figure. His voice is panicked. Frightened. Scared. "All alone... Don't leave me a-alone, Cherandle..."

Pangs of sadness and pity shoot through me. Has he really been impacted so much, or is he playing at some game? He sounds- and feels- so small, and helpless... Like a lost little child.

I gently fold my arms around his waist, countering his tight, panicked squeezing.

"I never meant to leave you, Dilandau." I say quietly into his ear, "I'm so very sorry..."

We drift apart. "You damn well should be..." Dilandau says shakily.

I take his hand. The palm is covered with sweat. My instincts tell me to let go, but I realize it doesn't matter if he's sick- I'll be dead again tomorrow anyway.

"Shh..." I softly stroke my hand through his hair, down the side of his neck, to his shoulder, his ribs, down to his legs and finally his knee. His trembling is starting to cease. "It's all right..." I squeeze his hand gently. "Shh..."

"Would you kiss me?" he asks.

"What?" I ask, a bit taken aback.

"Please?" His eyes squeeze shut and the shivering starts up strong again.

I press my lips together unsurely. What's wrong with him?, I think as I cradle one of his hands in both of mine.

Not sure why; only because he asked- I lean forward, tilt my head upwards to meet his down-turned countenance, and melt my lips into his. I stroke his trembling mouth with mine, using my tongue to gently part his lips and caress his clenched teeth. My hands massage his; his cold and clammy palm welcomes this and massages back.

When I've decided I'm finished, I pull backwards, nervously biting and wetting my bottom lip. I feel Dilandau's hand again. He's stopped shaking.

"...Thanks." he says, and his voice seems to be regaining a tone that sounds familiar. The word, however, gets stuck in my ear and resonates strangely.

Dilandau turns towards the setting sun, and the moderate breeze blowing over the field meets his face.

My hands slide off his into the cold grass. He looks so handsome with the wind smoothing back his hair. But his eyes are so empty...

What's happened to you? , I again ask in my mind. I can tell, at least, that he's ashamed of what just happened- but he can't make himself leave, or tell me to go.

I wouldn't leave him now anyway.

His head turns towards me, the thin, white crescent of a smirk glistening in the setting sun.

"What's it like being dead?" he asks.

"Huh?" I ask, and am met only by a raised eyebrow. "Well..." I hesitate. He's being so immensely confusing that I stop trying to rationalize his words and actions, "...It's very lonely." I face the sun, "And... empty."

A seething breath enters Dilandau's lungs through his teeth, and he puts a hand to his forehead.

"Don't... say... that word," he manages to say.

"What?" I ask, looking at him, "Empty?"

"No..." he insists, "Just... don't say it."

"But what word?" I ask again.

"Just don't say it!" he bursts out at me, his eyes wild. He shudders again, and turns away, "God.... DAMN it, Cherandle..." he says, getting to his feet, waving his arms on the emphasized word, looking down at me, "God damn it..." he turns away again, running a hand through his hair. He spins violently towards me again, "What makes you think you can just show up again like this, huh?!" he turns his back on me.

I stand, "But I thought you'd want me here, Dilandau. After all we've been through-"

"No, after all I'VE been through!" He spins again, his eyes furious, an accusatory finger pointing in my direction, "You haven't been through SHIT!"

I push his hand away angrily, "I've been dead for the past twenty moons."

"Yeah, sure," he says, turning again to look away from me, sounding skeptical- or perhaps not quite sure what he believes, "There are things worse than death, you know." he adds over his shoulder. Those final words pierce my heart. There is a long pause.

"But I cam here to see you , Dilandau," I say quietly, "Not just to live again... But to be with you one last time. I thought maybe I could find out what had happened to... to everyone, and to everything, and maybe... Just maybe get a rational thought in my head for the first time in such a long, long time.... ...It's a miracle that I'm even here. I thought that you... I thought you might be happy to see me."

No response comes. I turn away from him.

"At least say that you believe I'm really here..." I whisper, tears welling in the corners of my eyes.

A hand lays on my shoulder. Dilandau's. I face him again, my arms hanging by my sides. His hand drops by his side as well, and he stares at me.

"There you go again, Cherandle," he says eventually, "Thinking you're so clever."

I smile sweetly. "I am."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Well, the next chapter will, unfotunately, be the last... I'll say in advance that I hope everyone enjoyed this story who read it, and I would like to thank all those people who left me all those fantabulous reviews. ^.~ Love 'ya!