Tell me the truth:
Numair walked along the water's edge. The small lake was about more or less a very clean pond. It was only about ten feet in diameter. He sighed and sat down on a rock. He felt weird, like he had lost something that was there all his life. Numair had just realized that he didn't love Daine anymore. She had run away after what he had said. He didn't regret it though. He didn't trust Daine, he knew that she was just going to go right back to the animals when they got back. He had lost something he was waiting for all of his life. That was placed with the memory of realizing that marring Daine was a mistake. She couldn't be happy with out the animals and he couldn't be happy with her putting them before every one and every thing. There was emptiness there now. He couldn't help but not want to see Daine again.
Numair knew he should find her though. Daine wouldn't eat or do anything if he told her he didn't love her. He knew it wasn't right but he should just act like he would get over it. He knew he wouldn't though. He saw Kaddar sitting under a tree. He looked out at the horizon and wondered where she was.
'Has Daine come back yet?' He asked Kaddar.
'No.' He said looking out the same way as Numair.
'We should probably go look for her.' Numair said.
'Why? Weren't you the one that said she needs to be left alone?' Kaddar reminded him.
'Yah, you're right. I'm just a little worried.' Numair sighed.
'I heard them talking about something weird though.' Kaddar said.
'Who?' Numair sat next to him. 'The bandits?' Kaddar nodded.
'Something about how Jacka knew Daine and she was getting her reward, or something.'
'A reward? How would being kidnapped be a reward.' Numair looked skeptical.
'Bandits have their own language.' Kaddar reminded him.
'True,' Numair agreed, 'but a reward? What happened?' Kaddar shook his head. 'Kaddar, what happened?'
'Uh, I don't think I should tell you.' Kaddar replied.
'I think you should.' Numair looked at him.
'Jacka made her sleep with him.' Kaddar said quietly.
'He raped her!' Numair cried.
'No it was a deal. They also said something about that, too. I think one of them said, 'she's keeping up her end of the deal. To bad she doesn't remember him.' Or something like that.' Kaddar looked back at him.
'that means that the leader, Jacka, knows Daine. This kidnapping was planned. Daine would have been kidnapped even if she hadn't gone out in the woods. They knew she was there and they knew who she is. But why kidnap her?' Numair said thinking out loud.
'Were they my uncle's followers?' Kaddar inputted.
'Maybe. Nothing else comes to mind.' Numair and Kaddar sat there for a while thinking things through like scholars. Finally Numair shook his head. 'That has to be the reason. Why else would a bandit have it out for Daine?'
'What about when her mother died?' Kaddar asked.
'No, all of those bandits were killed. Daine said so herself.' Numair sighed annoyed. 'There has to be an explanation.'
'I could just be that she's a famous mage married to another famous mage. Plus she is friends with a lot of powerful people.'
'Maybe that's it.' Numair said. 'She's just the perfect person. They would kidnap her in the woods and create a huge uproar. The perfect plan to a group of bandits.'
'Poor Daine.' Kaddar looked back at the horizon.
'Yah.' Numair whispered. He tried as hard as he could to make it sound like he cared like a husband should.
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
Daine walked another mile away from Numair. She sat down and faced the way she had come. Cloud walked over and stood behind her.
'You're 20 miles away from him.' She told her.
'I got our child killed before I even met him. And now he's mad at me for one thing, wait till I tell him this.' Daine let tears fall again.
'Don't cry.' Cloud soothed. 'The stork-man promised never to hold it against you.'
'But now it's affected him too. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't love me.' She whispered.
'But he will,' Could soothed 'it's written in the stars, he loves you and always will. The two of you were born to be together.'
'How do you know that?' Daine asked sobbing.
'I'm a god, I know every thing. Go talk to him, he wants to know you're alright.' Cloud nudged her gently.
'I can't.' Daine whispered.
'There you are.' Numair had come up behind them. Daine burst into more tears. 'Daine, what's wrong.'
'Do you love me?' she asked. Daine looked into his eyes and saw no emotion.
'Daine,' Numair kneeled next to her, 'I...I don't think I've ever loved you. I just saw you and thought you were so perfect and innocent that I wanted you. I'm sorry, I wish I hadn't....'
'Married me.' Daine put in for him.
'Hurt you. I still want to be friends and I still want your trust.' Numair reached out to touch her cheek. Cloud came back. She had left when Numair showed up. Daine glared at the horse.
'Told you!' she cried. Daine knocked Numair's hand away and ran away from him.
'What's with her?' Cloud asked.
'I realized I don't love her.' Numair said.
'Yes you do.' Cloud replied. 'You just won't realize that you know why she was kidnapped. You won't face the fact you can't stop what happens to her, and that you can't change her past. You think you're not in love because you can't save her. But in your eyes I can see the hurt that you have from having to tell her that, from having to realize that you can't save her form one thing.'
'What thing?' Numair asked. 'I can save her from anything I want to save her from.'
'No you can't.' Cloud replied.
'So what can't I save her from?' Numair asked.
'See you do love her.' Cloud said. Numair suddenly felt the way he always had, like he was in love with her.
'I am.' Numair smiled. 'I still love her. So I can save her, there's no danger I can't get her out of.' Numair was so happy he realized that.
'No, there's still that one thing.' Cloud began to walk away again.
'What!?' Numair called.
'Herself.' Cloud looked back at him. 'Daine can get over anything just like every body else. The demons she thinks are there are only inside her mind. Seeing Jacka again will bring every thing back to her. Every nightmare, every time she was scared. She keeps those, she taught herself to remember every thing. Now that she does, she'll never trust anyone. She trusted you, but now you have to get that back.' Cloud walked away.
Numair walked along the water's edge. The small lake was about more or less a very clean pond. It was only about ten feet in diameter. He sighed and sat down on a rock. He felt weird, like he had lost something that was there all his life. Numair had just realized that he didn't love Daine anymore. She had run away after what he had said. He didn't regret it though. He didn't trust Daine, he knew that she was just going to go right back to the animals when they got back. He had lost something he was waiting for all of his life. That was placed with the memory of realizing that marring Daine was a mistake. She couldn't be happy with out the animals and he couldn't be happy with her putting them before every one and every thing. There was emptiness there now. He couldn't help but not want to see Daine again.
Numair knew he should find her though. Daine wouldn't eat or do anything if he told her he didn't love her. He knew it wasn't right but he should just act like he would get over it. He knew he wouldn't though. He saw Kaddar sitting under a tree. He looked out at the horizon and wondered where she was.
'Has Daine come back yet?' He asked Kaddar.
'No.' He said looking out the same way as Numair.
'We should probably go look for her.' Numair said.
'Why? Weren't you the one that said she needs to be left alone?' Kaddar reminded him.
'Yah, you're right. I'm just a little worried.' Numair sighed.
'I heard them talking about something weird though.' Kaddar said.
'Who?' Numair sat next to him. 'The bandits?' Kaddar nodded.
'Something about how Jacka knew Daine and she was getting her reward, or something.'
'A reward? How would being kidnapped be a reward.' Numair looked skeptical.
'Bandits have their own language.' Kaddar reminded him.
'True,' Numair agreed, 'but a reward? What happened?' Kaddar shook his head. 'Kaddar, what happened?'
'Uh, I don't think I should tell you.' Kaddar replied.
'I think you should.' Numair looked at him.
'Jacka made her sleep with him.' Kaddar said quietly.
'He raped her!' Numair cried.
'No it was a deal. They also said something about that, too. I think one of them said, 'she's keeping up her end of the deal. To bad she doesn't remember him.' Or something like that.' Kaddar looked back at him.
'that means that the leader, Jacka, knows Daine. This kidnapping was planned. Daine would have been kidnapped even if she hadn't gone out in the woods. They knew she was there and they knew who she is. But why kidnap her?' Numair said thinking out loud.
'Were they my uncle's followers?' Kaddar inputted.
'Maybe. Nothing else comes to mind.' Numair and Kaddar sat there for a while thinking things through like scholars. Finally Numair shook his head. 'That has to be the reason. Why else would a bandit have it out for Daine?'
'What about when her mother died?' Kaddar asked.
'No, all of those bandits were killed. Daine said so herself.' Numair sighed annoyed. 'There has to be an explanation.'
'I could just be that she's a famous mage married to another famous mage. Plus she is friends with a lot of powerful people.'
'Maybe that's it.' Numair said. 'She's just the perfect person. They would kidnap her in the woods and create a huge uproar. The perfect plan to a group of bandits.'
'Poor Daine.' Kaddar looked back at the horizon.
'Yah.' Numair whispered. He tried as hard as he could to make it sound like he cared like a husband should.
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
Daine walked another mile away from Numair. She sat down and faced the way she had come. Cloud walked over and stood behind her.
'You're 20 miles away from him.' She told her.
'I got our child killed before I even met him. And now he's mad at me for one thing, wait till I tell him this.' Daine let tears fall again.
'Don't cry.' Cloud soothed. 'The stork-man promised never to hold it against you.'
'But now it's affected him too. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't love me.' She whispered.
'But he will,' Could soothed 'it's written in the stars, he loves you and always will. The two of you were born to be together.'
'How do you know that?' Daine asked sobbing.
'I'm a god, I know every thing. Go talk to him, he wants to know you're alright.' Cloud nudged her gently.
'I can't.' Daine whispered.
'There you are.' Numair had come up behind them. Daine burst into more tears. 'Daine, what's wrong.'
'Do you love me?' she asked. Daine looked into his eyes and saw no emotion.
'Daine,' Numair kneeled next to her, 'I...I don't think I've ever loved you. I just saw you and thought you were so perfect and innocent that I wanted you. I'm sorry, I wish I hadn't....'
'Married me.' Daine put in for him.
'Hurt you. I still want to be friends and I still want your trust.' Numair reached out to touch her cheek. Cloud came back. She had left when Numair showed up. Daine glared at the horse.
'Told you!' she cried. Daine knocked Numair's hand away and ran away from him.
'What's with her?' Cloud asked.
'I realized I don't love her.' Numair said.
'Yes you do.' Cloud replied. 'You just won't realize that you know why she was kidnapped. You won't face the fact you can't stop what happens to her, and that you can't change her past. You think you're not in love because you can't save her. But in your eyes I can see the hurt that you have from having to tell her that, from having to realize that you can't save her form one thing.'
'What thing?' Numair asked. 'I can save her from anything I want to save her from.'
'No you can't.' Cloud replied.
'So what can't I save her from?' Numair asked.
'See you do love her.' Cloud said. Numair suddenly felt the way he always had, like he was in love with her.
'I am.' Numair smiled. 'I still love her. So I can save her, there's no danger I can't get her out of.' Numair was so happy he realized that.
'No, there's still that one thing.' Cloud began to walk away again.
'What!?' Numair called.
'Herself.' Cloud looked back at him. 'Daine can get over anything just like every body else. The demons she thinks are there are only inside her mind. Seeing Jacka again will bring every thing back to her. Every nightmare, every time she was scared. She keeps those, she taught herself to remember every thing. Now that she does, she'll never trust anyone. She trusted you, but now you have to get that back.' Cloud walked away.