MUWHAHAHAHA…*cackles like the insane person she is*

Uhmm….anyway, back to the story and the next chapter:

Enjoy! …or not…

14. A Sense of Closure

Roald

Roald saw the approaching stranger while he was still a distance away. He sat by the stream of his oasis, waiting. And watching.

He had lowered his protective circle for the night.

It wasn't that he trusted the Goddess. It was just that she had sounded truly concerned about Kaprice and her past. Concerned and …guilty.

And so he had decided to take the risk and lower his circle. But he still had his doubts. That's what he was waiting and semi-standing guard. It was just before dawn and Roald had not bothered to wake Kaprice yet.

The stranger literally staggered onto Roald and his oasis. "Please, can I have some water--"

"You've come to see Kaprice?" Roald interrupted coolly.

The stranger blinked, hazel eyes widening. Then he turned, quickly glancing around the oasis.

Roald knew the exact moment the stranger spotted Kaprice. The stranger's hazel eyes softened visibly, and he stared at her as if to memorize every curve of her body. Roald glanced away, feeling like an unwanted intruder.

A long moment later, the strange spoke again. "Can I have some water?" His voice was rough with disuse.

"Of course."

The stranger knelt to fill his canteen with the oasis' water, but even as he did so, Roald saw his gaze falling back onto Kaprice.

"You have been taking care of her?"

Roald stared at the young man, realizing how handsome he actually was. Roald felt a small bit of jealously spread through out his heart. "Yes, I have been taking care of her."

"You're the Wanderer, aren't you?" The young man's gaze was sharp.

Roald nodded, but did not speak.

The next moment was a tense one, with both young men assessing the other. Roald saw the reflection of his own jealously flash across the young man's hazel eyes.

Then Roald got to his feet. "Stay here. I will go wake her up so that you two can talk."

The young man stared at him guardedly, but then nodded, taking a sip of cool water. "Thank you."

~*~*~

Kaprice

"Kaprice?"

Kaprice opened her eyes to see Roald kneeling over her. She smiled at him sleepily. "Good morning, Roald."

Roald gave her a smile, but she noticed that it was a sad one. Before she could ask him about it, he spoke. "There's someone here to see you."

She blinked. "What?" She sat up, glancing around. And she saw him. "Ryker…"

"Go talk to him. He's come all this way to see you." And he moved away before she could speak again.

Kaprice unsteadily pulled herself out of her bedroll and grabbed a robe, pulling it on over her undershirt as she approached Ryker. She stopped a couple feet in front of him, and they stared at one another.

"How did you get here, Ryker?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "To be completely honest, I'm not sure. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. And I arrived here."

"You look horrible. How long has it been since you last got some proper rest?" she said disapprovingly.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't care. All I wanted was to somehow find you."

"Ryker…" she sighed warily. "You shouldn't have come."

His gaze was sharp. "Of course I had to come. I wasn't about to let us separate again without even saying goodbye."

She just shook her head. With a sigh, she put a hand on his arm. "Come. Roald has food in his tent. Eat and sleep. Then we can talk."

~*~*~

Roald

Ryker was sleeping.

Kaprice sat beside him. Her legs were drawn up toward her chest and she rested her chin on her knees. She was watching Ryker sleep.

Roald stood under a tree by the stream, watching Kaprice watch Ryker.

Roald had kept his distance from the two. He had watched silently as Kaprice offered Ryker most of the food that they had left. Had watched as she had gently pushed Ryker onto her own bedroll so that he could sleep. Had watched as she kept her vigil beside Ryker. She had not even gotten up for food or drink.

It was quite obvious to him that she cared about Ryker a great deal.

And he couldn't help but feel jealous.

Ryker started to stir, coming awake. Roald heard the echoes of soft words float to his ears. Although he wanted to, he didn't eavesdrop on the conversation.

After all, he was brought up better than that.

~*~*~*~

Kaprice

"You're not going to go back home, are you," Ryker said with sudden realization.

"If anything, this is my home. But no, I am not going back to the tribes. I have no life there."

"Then I'll stay here with you--"

Kaprice touched her fingertips to Ryker's lips. "No. You still have a life back with the tribes. Don't give it all up for me."

"I would give my life for you if it was necessary," he said to her roughly. "And I don't give a damn about my life back with the tribes."

She shook her head. "We cannot be together. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because it's not true."

She sighed. "Ryker. It is true. And besides, if we did manage to run off and be together, what kind of life would we have?"

"A better life--"

"No," she forcefully interrupted. "Ryker, I never told you, but the truth is that I have already forgiven you for what happened three years ago. I've forgiven you for it a long time ago."

"But then why--"

"I learned from the event. You are the chieftain's son. I am nobody. I will not let you ruin your life by marrying me. By loving me. Do you hear me, Ryker?" She suddenly heard the trembling in her voice and paused to try and control it. "The reality of the situation is: even if you were allowed to be with me, I would not let you." She made sure her words were perfectly clear.

He flinched back and shook his head. He wanted to protest, but she gave him a piercing glance.

"Will nothing change your mind?" he finally asked.

She wanted to. She really did.

"No. Nothing. I've made up my mind."

He was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly moved, reaching into his robe pocket. "I have something for you. I was planning to give it to you later, perhaps at the next Dawne."

He held out a small bag.

Kaprice took it and opened it. At first, she thought there were grains of sand inside the bag, but after examining the contents, she realized that her assumption was wrong. She poured out some of the contents onto the palm of her hand and stared. She glanced up at Ryker, puzzled. "You're giving me seeds?"

He gave her a sad smile. "Yes. Seeds of the--"

"Rare desert bloom," she finished, her eyes widening. Seeds of the flower he was always saying that she smelled like. "But these must have cost a fortune!" she immediately protested. The flowers themselves were rare; the seeds for them even rarer. Traders had the seeds sometimes, but they were usually unwilling to part from them.

Ryker gave her an exasperated sigh. "Kaprice, your happiness means more to me than money. Don't you know that by now?" His voice was heartbreakingly gentle.

She stared at him.

He sighed again, teasingly this time. "Apparently not."

She made a face at him and stood up. "It's getting late. You should go before it gets dark." She carefully poured the precious seeds back into the bag and folded the bag shut.

He nodded.

There was an awkward silence.

"Goodbye, Ryker," she finally said. She stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He put his arms tightly around her.

"For what it's worth," he said, his chin resting on top of her head, "I do love you."

"I know," she said gently. "But sometimes, love just isn't enough."

He paused for a moment. "Strange. I'm leaving you again, on the same day that I left you three years ago after our first festival together. Our only festival together."

"But this time, you're leaving on good terms." she pointed out.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I am." He breathed in, as if to breathe in her scent for one last time. "Take care of the seeds. Plant them and remember me. Don't forget me…"

"I won't." After all, it's hard for a girl to forget her first love. "But promise me something."

"Anything."

"Go back to the tribes. Find a nice girl and marry her. Don't waste any more time over me."

He stiffened immediately in response to her request.

"Ryker, I mean it. Don't waste any more of your life waiting for me. Knowing that you got past…our relationship and was able to move on will make me happy."

"I," he said after a long pause, "will try."

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He was silent for a moment, his gaze intent on her face.

And then he stepped back, letting her go. He turned around with a soft sigh.

And he left.

She stared at his retreating back, wondering if she was making the right decision after all.

"Why did you let him walk away?"

Kaprice jumped when she heard Roald speak. He was staring at her with an inscrutable look on his face.

"He deserves more than I could give him," she said softly. "I would only be a burden, a curse."

"A burden and curse that he was willing to bear."

"He doesn't deserve to. He deserves more," she said emphatically.

Roald didn't object again.

Ryker's leaving did make her sad. But she had spent three long years feeling that sadness. And now, it didn't hurt her as much as it had three years ago. She was ready to move on.

She only hoped that Ryker was as ready.

"Your protective circle wasn't up last night," she said after a long silence.

"No," Roald said.

"You knew Ryker was coming."

"Yes".

She didn't ask him how he had known. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

~*~*~*~

A.N.- Exuent Ryker, stage left.

Poor ryker…everyone wave goodbye to him! *bye-bye!*

Now be a good person and leave me a review *smile*

~krizsta