Author's Note: As a word of warning... some of the content of this particular chapter may be slightly mature... I try to avoid being crude, but there is implied sexual activity and some mature discussion that might not be suitable for younger readers...

Chapter Twenty-Six

Amazing what one good talk will do.

The second day of the summit was nigh, although to Devona it felt like it was still yesterday. Perhaps that was because she had managed so little sleep last night. Of course, sleep hadn't exactly been her friend for the last five months… but her sleeplessness this time was more due to the fact that…

… Grenth take it, she was starting to blush just remembering last night… enough of that, then…

"Tired, are we?" A cutting droll interrupted Devona's half-awake state, and served to fully rouse the warrior. She sat up, self-consciously holding the thick fur, down filled blanket to her naked chest.

Yuu was standing at the foot of the bed, hands on her hips, looking somewhat put out by something that Devona could not immediately assess. "Not surprising, I suppose, you two kept me up most of the night as well. Perhaps next time you decide to sate months worth of sexual tension, you can not bang the headboard violently against the dividing wall between our chambers?"

Now Devona was really embarrassed; partially because Yuu was being so blunt about it, and partially because the assassin had due reason to be so blunt.

"I… I'm… so sorry…" Devona stammered, "Had I known…"

"Relax. I didn't hear anything." Yuu replied, "I just wanted to see how aware of anything you had been during what had clearly been a long night. At any rate, I suspect Coran will be ready to attend the Summit shortly, and it might be a good idea if you are at least beginning your preparations to join him."

It was at that point that Devona processed the fact that Coran was not right next to her in the absurdly large bed. "Where…"

Yuu pointed to her right. "On the balcony performing his daily prayers and meditations. Once a monk, always a monk, I guess."

Sure enough, the Ascalonian king was out on the balcony, legs crossed and his back to them, shirtless despite what must have been frigid temperatures on the other side of the glass divider. Devona found herself staring at two sets of bright red marks, five to each set on each of Coran's shoulders. For a moment, Devona wondered what they were and how they got there… until she remembered all to well. She must have been gripping him pretty tightly while he…

"When you're done ogling your lover, may I recommend getting ready?" Yuu again asked acerbically, now tapping her foot with impatience.

Devona then realized that she had been staring at him, likely with a very sensual expression. She stammered another apology, and slid out of bed, trying to block out the fact that there was another person in the room eyeing her coldly as she tried to locate her clothes.

Of course, she soon realized that the only thing that passed as clothing she had in the chambers was her new suit of armor. She remembered changing after the evening session of the Summit had concluded before attending to her betrothed. He had obviously found it appealing, and Devona had seen very little problem indulging him, especially with his reaction when he saw her enter, and how his…

"While some people have claimed I might prefer the company of other women, in truth I really dislike being together with a naked girl." Yuu sniped. "I suspect Coran is finishing his prayers as well."

Another apology, and Devona started to dress herself. Yuu, by her experience, could be very crass and cold, but it seemed like the assassin was taking it up a notch today. "Is something wrong, Yuu? You seem irritated."

"I'm always irritated for one reason or another." The assassin replied dismissively. "My father says it's bad for my health."

"While that might be… you seem especially irritated today."

"It's a personal issue that you need not worry about. But speaking of things that do concern you, it appears our king is finished with his masochistic meditation. I shall take my leave."

Yuu disappeared from the chamber as Coran entered, shivering from the outdoors. "Mhenlo said that meditating in the open here in the Shiverpeaks gave him a remarkable clarity of man's place in the world." He said, "The only clarity I gathered was that it is impossibly cold up in these mountains. Although if you promise to wear that today, I suspect I'll warm right quickly."

He paused to kiss Devona lovingly, she lightly embraced him and remarked, "You are freezing. Let me stoke the fire in here." She knelt down to toss three more logs onto the dying fire, poking the embers with a prod to stir up some more heat. "As for the armor, I really do not want to go back to my chambers to find something else, so I suppose you'll get your wish."

Once she was satisfied with those efforts, she broke into her morning stretches and exercises. As she proceeded to stretching her calves, she said, "Coran, you know Yuu pretty well, right?"

"I would like to think so."

"She seemed rather annoyed when she woke me. Do you know why?"

"She always seems annoyed. She really isn't most of the time; it's one of her personality quirks. I think she likes being rather unapproachable."

"But… I don't know… she seemed more irked than normal. Is there something about this day that stirs up bad memories?"

Coran sat down on the bed, and said, "Not particularly, but perhaps yesterday did. Maybe there is something to what Aidan told me just now."

"Just now?" Devona asked, then noticed that the ranger was actually in the room, leaning against the wall next to the balcony exit.

Before she could ask, Aiden pointed outside. "I was on the balcony with Coran as he was performing his morning rituals. I was probably out of sight, and you were tending to the fire when I slipped in here. I had wanted to discuss the assassin myself."

Coran seemed somewhat nervous when he said, "Aiden feels that Yuu might have, or had, feelings for me. Nonetheless, I don't think that would be the source of Yuu's troubles."

"You think she does." Devona accused.

"I know she does, actually, and if circumstances were different, maybe something could have come of them. But that is neither here nor there." Coran said bluntly. "But even I weren't already bonded and quite happy with my current affections…" Coran squeezed Devona's hand tenderly to reinforce that statement, "… Yuu would not have allowed herself to pursue them. And that, my love and my friend, is the source of Yuu's ills."

Coran sighed, "I've really gotten into the habit of discussing the secrets of others, haven't I? But bear in mind, I'm only telling you both because I know Yuu never would, and I don't want you pestering her any more than you already have."

"To put it simply, Yuu has the same desires as most women and even men… to be happy, to find love, have a family, all those normal goals that you would expect out of any reasonably sane person. Unfortunately for Yuu, she cannot have many of those things, as it might kill her."

"What?" Devona asked, aghast.

"Firstly, I must explain something about Yuu's past and her first encounter with the Charr. When she was twelve, she had wandered out past the boundaries of the Hylan colony, and was taken prisoner." Coran said grimly. "And thanks to my many conversations with Grazz, I believe I have finally pieced together what exactly happened to her and why."

"The Charr have a belief that their souls are passed into their children as they are born. The more offspring they have, the more powerful that soul becomes upon death as they enter the Rift. To that extent, they believe that a Charr who cannot continue the line is in essence spiritually dead, and if the last survivor of a Charr line dies without passing on its soul, the spirits of that entire line die as well."

"This I believe has manifest itself in how they torture their prisoners, although as far as I know, this particular punishment is reserved only for women. They take a burning ember, and they… violate the woman, burning her vagina severely."

Devona gasped, remembering when she had been temporarily overwhelmed when fleeing from Hylan.

"Yes, that was what the Charr were going to do to you. After that, they would have carried you to one of their ritual fires, and burned you to ashes. I'm not entirely certain why they perform such a sick act if they simply incinerate any female prisoners they get, nor why they don't perform similar acts to any males they capture, but I do know that the Charr are a very patriarchal society that has very little regard for women, so perhaps this is a way to degrade their female prisoners before executing them, reflective of the low value they give to the female gender even among their own kind."

"At any rate, the beginnings of this ritual are what happened to Yuu. While she was rescued, by Grazz in fact, the damage to her… sensual areas had been done. She is heavily scarred from that event, that if she were to be sexually active, it's possible those scars would open… causing undue pain and perhaps mortal bleeding. At the best, she would gain no pleasure from the experience, and at the worst, the damage could be fatal."

Coran paused slightly, as if uncertain how to proceed. "And if through some miracle she were to ever become pregnant… her vagina simply would not be able to stretch in the way a normal woman's would. Giving birth would literally rip her insides apart, killing her, and likely her child. Sadly, such damage has been proven to be beyond any monk's ability to heal… even Mhenlo's. Yes, he knows of this… I told him several months ago, and we attempted to mend her without success. "

"Perhaps there is a little bit of truth to the Charr's belief of the soul being tied to a person's sexual opportunity, because there does indeed seem to be something… dead… inside of Yuu, the knowledge that she simply cannot have the pleasures and the promises that most normal people have."

Coran's tone turned bitter, the only other time she heard him talk in such a way was whenever he would talk about his childhood in regards to his brother, Rurik, or when he tried to think about his mother. "On an aside, this created a strain between myself and Sslani, a strain that has never completely fully healed. I know he possesses the genetic, cellular, and surgical knowledge to heal Yuu's condition, but to this point, he has refused to do so. I understand his reasons; his Academy is not ready to be received by the people of Tyria, nor can he afford to offer exceptions to certain people because he happens to know them… but it's still hard for me to accept."

"At any rate, I'm quite certain it hurts her to see Devona and myself together… even as she knows that she couldn't give any man what she feels they want and deserve. The best I could do, and continue to do, is be her friend."

"That's terrible. No wonder she is the way she is." Devona said, finding herself near tears. Perhaps it was intimate knowledge of how close she had come to suffering that same fate, or maybe she was primed for such a deep emotive response. "And… oh Dwayna... what she must have felt this morning, seeing me the way I was, knowing what must have happened…"

"She doesn't resent you, Devona. I'm certain of that." Coran said comfortingly. "Nor does she begrudge you for doing what is natural. If I may be so bold as to let you in on a little secret, and Aidan can vouch, is that when you ran off into the Charr's clutches back when we were making for the wall, I wasn't the first one to run after you… Yuu was, and she threatened death upon anyone who told you."

The ranger nodded, as if suddenly amused by whatever images that recollection provided.

"Just as I can only be her friend, I hope that both of you can continue to see past her foibles and the walls she constructs around her heart. That's what she needs most of all, people willing to accept her and to show her that she can still provide much for others."

Aidan looked towards the hallway entrance to the chambers, and he tensed, gesturing towards the now open doorway. Yuu was in the doorway, her facial features impassive, but her eyes reflected a nervous fear, as if she were a child whose trust had just been betrayed.

"King Ironhammer wished to know what was keeping you, Coran, as he would like to begin the morning discussions. I suspect my initial theory that you and your future queen were resuming your night's activities will suit his curiosity." The assassin said coldly, and made to leave.

Devona leaped to her feet, catching up to Yuu before the Shade had made more than four strides down the hall. "Yuu, please wait!"

The assassin did as ordered, turning about and staring up at the warrior with disinterest. Devona was silent, not sure how to put her thoughts to words, and it prompted Yuu to say testily, "Well?"

Finally, Devona gathered up the shorter girl, and hugged her tenderly. "I'm so sorry. I… I shouldn't have been so outward about…"

"It's not your fault. How could you have known? And even if you did, why should you be ashamed?" Yuu replied, the impassive façade cracking ever so slightly, the assassin's voice reflecting an ever so slight hint of sadness and regret. "Coran deserves everything you can give him… things I simply can't…"

"Perhaps… but he values you dearly, and I am fond of you as well. I considered you a friend even before learning what I did just now. I just want you to know that I will always be here if you need anything, just like Coran, and Aiden, and Mhenlo… even Cynn, even if she'll drive you up the wall at times."

"I'm grateful for the offer." Yuu said, pushing herself away. "Perhaps, one day, I might be able to take comfort in who I am. Until then, however, don't try to accommodate me by trying to hide your feelings or what you do with those feelings. It would only hurt you in the end, and I'd see right through your attempts anyway."

The assassin took two deep breaths, "And now that I have accepted even more people knowing of my shame, can we gather ourselves and finish this damned summit? As much as I am sure the Shiverpeaks are a beautiful place to visit, I am frankly tired of risking frostbite every time I walk outside of a room."