Ethari was worried.

Probably more worried than he'd ever been before.

The fact that Runaan was on a mission was already bad enough, but now so was Rayla who he still believed didn't belong there.

As much as he tried to have faith in them, his worries grew a hundred time greater upon seeing the other flowers sinking.

One by one, he saw Callisto, Skor, Andromeda and Ram's flowers sink, showing they had all died.

Only two flowers remained.

From then on, he went back the the pool multiple times a day, sometimes staying for hours, nervously watching as Runaan's flower bobbed dangerously as time went by.

Then it happened.

Ethari had just left his home, turning around after locking the door when the he saw movement the pool in the corner of his eye.

He gasped and snapped his head in it's direction, nearly getting whiplash but he didn't care.

"No..." he whispered softly, wanting to deny what he was seeing but he knew his eyes weren't lying.

Runaan's flower was sinking.

It was slowly going under.

"No! Nononononono!" he cried as he sprinted down the steps, nearly tripping and tumbling the rest of the way down.

The flower was complely under water.

"NOOOO!" Ethari screamed as he threw himself into the pools edge, desperately reaching into the water to try and catch it but he it just missed it.

He sat in silence, struggling to breath as the flower sunk low enough that he couldn't see it clearly anymore.

Runaan's flower had sank.

There was only one reason it would do so.

Runaan, his dear Runaan, was dead.

Tears started running down his cheeks but he didn't bother wipe them away.

Instead if clasped his trembling hands over his mouth.

His shoulders shook.

Runaan, his husband, his love, his heart was dead.

Gone forever.

Ethari felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as he let go, crying openly for every elf and the moon to see