A/N: FINISHED!! This is the final chapter of this horrible fic; it takes place ten years after chapter seven. Just to confuse things, this chapter isn't in the first person, I decided it works better in the third person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man walked from town to town, looking haggard and melancholy. His eyes carried a deadened stare, from the past ten years he had spent in prison. He had only been released a month ago and his cheeks were hollow and his whole face had a huge sadness around it. As soon as he had been released he had set out, always searching always yearning. He went to Gelgonheimer first and learned of the murder of Vonecart. He went to Sventon next. He entered the town of Terton about three months after being released. He was tired and wanted a place to stay. He entered the local store and asked them if they knew of anyone renting out rooms. They told him he should try Mya's house. It was located at the edge of town and she sometimes had a room to let. He thanked them and proceeded to the house of this Mya.
The woman stood with her back to the door shelling beans for the nights dinner. The afternoon was warm and the woman had opened the door to let in a breeze. The man stood in the open doorway, unsure of whether or not to go in.
The man noted everything about the room, including the small ebony box, by the woman's elbow, but his eyes rested on the woman. He would know that tall slim figure and the long chestnut hair anywhere.
"Arina!" The man said, entering the room. The woman stopped her motions for one brief second at the sound of the name, but resumed her work immediately. Only a careful observer would have noticed the pause at all.
"I'm sorry, Sir," she said in a cold voice, without turning around. "You must be mistaken, my name is not Arina, it is Mya and if you are looking for a place to stay, we are full." Not once did she even look at her visitor, but went on cutting the beans placidly.
"Arina, what are you playing at? It's me, Chrys. You must remember. Please, Arina, look at me, say you remember." The woman turned around with a jolt and whipped a dagger out of the ebony box in the same breath. She held it level with his chest. The man recognized it as the one he had given her.
"Oh, I remember you, Chrys. More than you know. You know, of course, that I killed Vonecart that night all those years ago, and so help me God I'll kill you here and now. But before I do I want some answers. Sit down." The woman indicated a chair, by the table with the dagger.
"What are you talking about, Arina?" The man named Chrys asked, the look of sadness becoming one of confusion and fear.
"Shut up! I'll be the one asking the questions. I've waited ten years for you to get up the courage to face me. Did you think I would forget? Forget that you turned me over to that...that bastard? But I'm letting you know I haven't forgotten. I want to know, before I kill you, how much he paid you. Was that your plan all along? To make me trust you and then stab me in the back? Well, this time I'm going to do the stabbing!" The woman began to laugh. "Answer me Chrys, how much did he pay you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Arina! I never turned you in. I didn't even know you had killed Vonecart until two months ago. I've been I prison for the past ten years because of you!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" The woman named Arina asked.
"Your father put me in prison for kidnapping you. He says you ran away from me and then were...I don't know...killed by bandits or something. He's remarried you know, your father, and he has a son."
"A decent heir," the woman muttered under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing." The man could see the tumult behind the woman's eyes. She was disparately struggling to hold on to the hate that she had harbored all these years and yet there was hope that maybe she had been wrong.
"But it had to be you," she said, more to herself than to Chrys. "You left me by the forest, and you purposely botched the potion. It had to be you."
"It wasn't me, Arina, I promise you, it wasn't me. I messed up with the potion, yes, and I am still sorry about it. And when I left you by the forest it was to get this from my grandmother." She felt something cool slip over her finger, and the dagger clattered to the floor. Chrys stood up, "I didn't turn you in, I didn't see Vonecart. I love you, Arina." He stooped down and kissed her gently. She put her arms around his neck and frowned when he pulled away. "Marry me?" He whispered, she nodded and kissed him again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Minutes later when they were both seated at the table, Arina's head jerked up,
"Wait a minute, Chrys, if you didn't turn me in, who did?" She asked, hoping he could give her an answer.
"I've thought about that for the past ten years. My decision was simply that we didn't have a very good escape plan. We headed for where your father was sure you'd go again." She nodded, knowing for sure his answer had to be correct.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So there it is folks, the last chapter, sorry it took so long! ~Lilia22
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man walked from town to town, looking haggard and melancholy. His eyes carried a deadened stare, from the past ten years he had spent in prison. He had only been released a month ago and his cheeks were hollow and his whole face had a huge sadness around it. As soon as he had been released he had set out, always searching always yearning. He went to Gelgonheimer first and learned of the murder of Vonecart. He went to Sventon next. He entered the town of Terton about three months after being released. He was tired and wanted a place to stay. He entered the local store and asked them if they knew of anyone renting out rooms. They told him he should try Mya's house. It was located at the edge of town and she sometimes had a room to let. He thanked them and proceeded to the house of this Mya.
The woman stood with her back to the door shelling beans for the nights dinner. The afternoon was warm and the woman had opened the door to let in a breeze. The man stood in the open doorway, unsure of whether or not to go in.
The man noted everything about the room, including the small ebony box, by the woman's elbow, but his eyes rested on the woman. He would know that tall slim figure and the long chestnut hair anywhere.
"Arina!" The man said, entering the room. The woman stopped her motions for one brief second at the sound of the name, but resumed her work immediately. Only a careful observer would have noticed the pause at all.
"I'm sorry, Sir," she said in a cold voice, without turning around. "You must be mistaken, my name is not Arina, it is Mya and if you are looking for a place to stay, we are full." Not once did she even look at her visitor, but went on cutting the beans placidly.
"Arina, what are you playing at? It's me, Chrys. You must remember. Please, Arina, look at me, say you remember." The woman turned around with a jolt and whipped a dagger out of the ebony box in the same breath. She held it level with his chest. The man recognized it as the one he had given her.
"Oh, I remember you, Chrys. More than you know. You know, of course, that I killed Vonecart that night all those years ago, and so help me God I'll kill you here and now. But before I do I want some answers. Sit down." The woman indicated a chair, by the table with the dagger.
"What are you talking about, Arina?" The man named Chrys asked, the look of sadness becoming one of confusion and fear.
"Shut up! I'll be the one asking the questions. I've waited ten years for you to get up the courage to face me. Did you think I would forget? Forget that you turned me over to that...that bastard? But I'm letting you know I haven't forgotten. I want to know, before I kill you, how much he paid you. Was that your plan all along? To make me trust you and then stab me in the back? Well, this time I'm going to do the stabbing!" The woman began to laugh. "Answer me Chrys, how much did he pay you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Arina! I never turned you in. I didn't even know you had killed Vonecart until two months ago. I've been I prison for the past ten years because of you!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" The woman named Arina asked.
"Your father put me in prison for kidnapping you. He says you ran away from me and then were...I don't know...killed by bandits or something. He's remarried you know, your father, and he has a son."
"A decent heir," the woman muttered under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing." The man could see the tumult behind the woman's eyes. She was disparately struggling to hold on to the hate that she had harbored all these years and yet there was hope that maybe she had been wrong.
"But it had to be you," she said, more to herself than to Chrys. "You left me by the forest, and you purposely botched the potion. It had to be you."
"It wasn't me, Arina, I promise you, it wasn't me. I messed up with the potion, yes, and I am still sorry about it. And when I left you by the forest it was to get this from my grandmother." She felt something cool slip over her finger, and the dagger clattered to the floor. Chrys stood up, "I didn't turn you in, I didn't see Vonecart. I love you, Arina." He stooped down and kissed her gently. She put her arms around his neck and frowned when he pulled away. "Marry me?" He whispered, she nodded and kissed him again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Minutes later when they were both seated at the table, Arina's head jerked up,
"Wait a minute, Chrys, if you didn't turn me in, who did?" She asked, hoping he could give her an answer.
"I've thought about that for the past ten years. My decision was simply that we didn't have a very good escape plan. We headed for where your father was sure you'd go again." She nodded, knowing for sure his answer had to be correct.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So there it is folks, the last chapter, sorry it took so long! ~Lilia22