The night is icy and silent when Sebastian is informed about a tragedy taking place at Cavin House, a few blocks away from his own dwelling at Hightown.

After he had his engagement terminated in a grave lapse on his judgement, the lord had requested his parents to remain in the city, ostensibly to care for Starkhaven's commercial interests, but actually hoping for a reconciliation. He might have been coerced into the match, but he had come to regard his fiancée with all the love in his heart. He held on to hope of it even when her marriage to the seneschal, and even after she rebutted his offer of help.

He maintained, nevertheless, a watchful eye on the movements of Cavin, hoping for a faux-pas grave enough he could justify his summary execution. Unbeknownst to him, however, it was that same eye that happen to disturb his sleep that evening.

Lord Vael wanted to scream at whoever was pounding his front door down, until he heard that a murder had happened at the house Marian Hawke now lived in.

Half awake, Sebastian rushed to leave. His heart pounded as he ran towards Cavin House, hoping that nothing ill happened to her.

It has been three years since he last spoke to her. He could feel the heartbreak they both suffered as if it had not been a day that she told him he could not save her from that hateful marriage.

Once he reaches the house, he races through the crowd of people around the front door and enters it with violence. The redhead is out of breath, panting as he stares at his servant, wondering what was going on.

He picks Aveline Hendyr by the shoulder, his grip tighter than it should have been when dealing with anyone at all, lest an authority.

"What has happened here?" He demands.

His eyes are red, swimming in unshed tears. He tries to calm down but he cannot, his emotions are flooding his senses and he is short of a snap to commit another atrocity within these walls tonight. His mind in overdrive and his heart is trying to climb out of his chest.

His servant walks up to him and kneels in front of him, pre-empting his plead for mercy. "She has been killed, my lord. She died. Her husband did it, he did, and he killed himself, too."

"We-We tried to save her Sebastian, but the damage was too severe." Aveline amends, her own throat feeling raw.

The lord's heart stops for a moment. His breath hitches, and he stares at the red-haired woman next to him.

All thoughts leave his brain as he goes into shock. Sebastian stands there frozen, unable to breathe as he tries to process what he was just told. Once the realisation hits, his head snaps up.

"You!" The man bellows. "You are to blame! You knew what was going on, and you did nothing! She was your friend, Guard-Captain. How could you betray her in such a disgusting manner?!"

He is hysterical, screaming madly at anyone who was around him, running in circles as he tries to make sense of what he was just told.

"As for you, useless elf!" He picks up the servant that was detached for the service of keeping vigilance over Marian by his blond hair and throws him away, having him tumble on the floor. "Leave my sight lest I brandish my sword upon you!"

Guards stood ready to contain him if he became more violent, but the captain had them back away.

"I do not believe you, you are wrong. You lie to me! Lies, lies I cannot believe once again. You lie to me. You lie." He whispers that last sentence, his voice hoarse from the shouting.

He sprints up the stairs, running around trying to find Marian. He notices the healer walking out of one of the rooms and he dashes towards it.

His heart thumps wildly as he slowly walks into the room. There is blood everywhere, massive pools of it on the floor and splattered onto the walls.

Right there in the middle of the room, laid Marian Hawke's body. She is curled up in a foetal position with her hand cradling her stomach.

His body trembles as he moves towards her. His lip quivering as he tries to hold the tears at bay. The first thing Sebastian notices when he reaches her is her stomach. There is a noticeable bump and it is at that moment that he realises why she was cradling it when she passed away.

She is pregnant.

Or she was pregnant, the reasonable side of his mind provided. Hers and her child's lives were snatched away brutally.

Sebastian drops to his knees in front of the body. Tears now quickly running down his face. Chest shaking up and down as he sobs. He sobs so loudly that he believes the whole of the Free Marches to know of his pain. He screams and shouts as he cries, pulling on his hair as he tries to come to terms with what has happened.

The man chokes on his own tears, his face flushed with anger and sorrow. His hand trembles as he reaches out towards her, slowly pulling back her hair so he can look at her face one last time.

The tears return as he stares at her, wondering where he went so wrong for it to end like this.

Now he wishes he had done more to help her. He wishes that he did not dismiss his fiancée the day those rumours started. He wishes that she was still alive, so he could hold her one more time and tell her how much he loves her.

Now, he stands on his knees over her dead body, shaking with uncontrollable tears running down his face. Hot tears dripping onto the cold skin.

Sebastian regrets his actions and he despises the price he had come to pay for them. Now, it is hopeless.