Queen Nichole was in the War Room together with Page, Captain Ben Finn and Kalin. On top of a table, the Eye of Avo shone brightly while everyone admired it in awe.

- "So this is the amulet"- said Page looking at it suspiciously- "It looks just like an expensive jewel, are you sure this is the correct thing?"

- "Well, if it isn't, we can always sell it. This thing must cost a fortune"- joked Ben.

- "It is the Eye of Avo, I can sense its power. Now I just have to study it and find out how we can use it"- said Kalin firmly.

- "I saw someone using it back in the Wraithmarsh"- added the Queen- "You must only hold it against the source of darkness and it will disappear".

The Queen knew that Dainara's experience with the amulet would have been very useful in this situation, but she didn't want to trouble her with the Kingdom's problems. These last two days, Dainara had been even sadder than she was when she met her for the first time and sometimes she would catch her looking through the windows with an empty look, like longing to go back to her marsh and let herself die there.

- "I believe it still would be better if I examined it"- Kalin insisted- "The dark forces we may encounter are probably much more powerful than whatever creatures that dwell in the Wraithmarsh".

- "As you wish"- replied the Queen- "As soon as you learn its secrets, inform us immediately so that we can go to end the threat".

Page approached the map and observed it thoroughly.

- "We need to plan the attack…"

A knock on the door interrupted her.

- "Come in"- said the Queen.

The door opened and Hobson appeared behind it.

- "Your Majesty, Master Reaver is here to see you".

Page crossed her arms and frowned.

- "Reaver? This man is always bothering us, one way or another".

- "Did he tell you what he wants?"- asked the Queen.

- "He did not, Your Majesty. Do you want me to ask him?"- replied Hobson.

- "No"- said the Queen firmly- "Ask him to wait for me in my parlour. I will be with him shortly".

Hobson bowed and left the room.

- "I'm so sorry for cutting our meeting short. We shall continue it tomorrow if you don't mind, I have business to attend"- said Queen Nichole to the group.

- "What? Are you really going to cancel this meeting to see Reaver?"- asked Page angrily.

- "I need to talk to him".

- "Your Majesty, you know what he always wants! He probably wants your permission to hire babies in his factories or to take houses from poor citizens to build a brothel! You can't cancel our meeting just to listen to his nonsense!"

- "I do not care for what he has to say"- replied the Queen- "It is me the one who wants to tell him something important".

- "Do not worry, Your Majesty"- said Kalin- "Do as you must".

Queen Nichole opened the door and got ready to leave.

- "You may stay here and continue without me if you wish".

She closed the door behind her and made her way towards her parlour. As she was walking along the corridor that led to it, she heard the door of the War Room open and quick footsteps approaching her.

- "Nikki!"

She turned around.

- "Ben! What are you doing here? You should stay with the rest planning the attack".

- "I know, it's just that…"

The Queen looked at him, waiting for the rest of his sentence.

- "It's just that what?"

Ben bit his lower lip and crossed his arms.

- "What is it that you want to discuss with Reaver so urgently?"- he said, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Queen Nichole chuckled.

- "Why? Are you jealous?"

Ben frowned.

- "No, of course not! It's just that…I don't trust this man".

The Queen held his hands and smiled.

- "You have nothing to worry about, my love. I just want to make him pay for what he did to a friend of mine".

Ben smiled, relieved to hear that.

- "Well, if you need any help, just call me".

- "I will"- she replied as she turned around to go on her way.

When she arrived to her parlour, Hobson was waiting for her at the door.

- "Master Reaver is inside, Your Majesty".

He then opened the door.

- "Thank you, Hobson".

As she entered the room, she saw Reaver standing by the window and looking outside thoughtfully. He turned around quickly and smiled.

- "Your Majesty"- he said, bowing to her politely- "Thank you very much for seeing me despite me coming so unexpectedly. I do hope I didn't disturb you…too much".

The Queen frowned.

- "I am quite busy actually"- she replied coldly- "I just accepted seeing you because I have something important to discuss with you".

- "Oh, is that so?"- said Reaver approaching her- "Then, by all means, do tell me what's troubling you, Your Majesty".

- "No, please, tell me what you came to say first"- replied the Queen controlling her anger- "You are the one who came to see me after all".

Reaver remained silent for a moment and smiled.

- "As you wish, Your Majesty"- he said walking towards the big desk that stood in the middle of the room and resting his body against it- "It has come to my attention that you are sheltering a young woman here".

The Queen frowned and crossed her arms.

- "And what if I am? How is that your business?"

- "Oh, I do not care who you take to your castle, my dear Queen"- he said hiding his bitterness with fake politeness- "But it becomes my business when your guests come to bother me at my manor".

Queen Nichole was really making an effort to control her anger. Bother him? How dared he say that after what he had done?

She scoffed.

- "So someone goes to your manor hoping to find information about a loved one, only to find out that you killed him…and she was bothering you?"- she said angrily.

Reaver remained thoughtful for a few seconds. Was that what this woman had told the Queen or was the monarch pretending in order to torture him longer? He left from the desk and started walking around the room.

- "If that is what your dear guest told you about her visit to my manor, I'm afraid she has lied to you, Your Majesty"- he said firmly- "The only purpose of her visit was to bother me, I can quite assure you".

- "She didn't lie to me, she had been looking for him ever since she arrived in Bowerstone. I was helping her with her search".

Reaver stopped walking and looked at her intently.

- "And did you consider it a good idea to send her to my manor to trouble me? Your Majesty, I thought you'd know better than this…"

- "It was her own decision to go to your manor. In fact, I asked her not to approach you when she started asking me questions about you"- replied the Queen defiantly.

Reaver raised his eyebrow. She had been asking questions about him? Maybe the Queen had nothing to do with this after all, maybe the woman was working alone…

- "Questions about me?"- he asked bitterly- "What kind of questions?"

- "Do not worry, Reaver, I didn't tell her anything compromising about you"- replied Queen Nichole with a smirk- "She just wanted to know who you were and how long you had been living around here".

- "Did she now?"- he said, now quite curious to know who this mysterious woman was- "And did she by any chance tell you why she was so interested in me? Not that I blame her for it, I tend to have that effect on people".

The Queen sighed deeply and walked towards him.

- "She thought that you might know something about her husband"- she stopped right in front of him- "Apparently she was right. The only thing she wasn't aware of is that she was standing before his murderer".

Reaver scoffed and looked through the window.

- "I have killed many people, Your Majesty, but I can assure you her husband is not among them…as far as I know. I do not know who this woman is so, as you probably understand, I couldn't possibly inform her of her husband's death as she claims"- he looked at the Queen and scoffed- "I don't even know who her husband is!"

The Queen frowned, feeling confused. She didn't trust Reaver, but somehow he seemed to be telling the truth. But why would Dainara lie to her?

- "She said he was a pirate, that's why she went to see you"- she said- "I know you used to be a pirate, my father told me, so you may know who her husband was".

Reaver raised his eyebrow and sighed.

- "It is possible…Did she mention his name?"

- "His name was Lucious; Lucious Willingham".

As soon as he heard that name, his heart froze.

Lucious Willingham…the name he had been denying all these years, the name he swore he would never mention after that tragic night.

Reaver turned around slowly, his eyes filled with rage and pain.

- "How does she know that name? Where did she hear it?"- he shouted.

The Queen frowned, surprised by Reaver's reaction.

- "I…I don't know. She said it was her husband's name".

- "That is impossible! She cannot be his wife!"- he said furiously- "She's lying!"

The Queen was really confused. Who was this Lucious Willingham? Why did mentioning him make Reaver so angry?

- "I don't believe she's lying. She's been looking for this man since she arrived to the city…Why are you so furious? Who is this man?"

- "Did she mention where she comes from?"- he asked, ignoring her questions.

- "I found her in one of my missions"- she replied- "She was living in the Wraithmarsh with more people who claimed to be the descendants of Oakvale's survivors. She seemed to be protecting them".

Reaver got pale and loosened the neck of his shirt which was stifling him.

It couldn't be…She was dead, he saw her die…But everything seemed to prove otherwise. He didn't want to believe it, he didn't want to think about the past and the painful memories anymore. But…what if it was really his love? What if somehow she had managed to survive? What if the shadows had blessed her with eternal life?

- "Did she tell you her name?"- he said, looking at the window to conceal the pain.

- "Dainara".

Reaver closed his eyes as he heard the sweet name that he thought he was condemned to hear only in his terrible nightmares.

Dainara…He had to see her, he had to make up for his horrible behavior back in his manor. He sighed and looked at the Queen.

- "I need to see her"- he said firmly.

Queen Nichole scoffed.

- "You kill her husband and now you want to see her?"

- "I didn't kill her husband!"- he shouted.

He took a deep breath.

- "Please, Your Majesty, I need to talk to her".

- "You may have not killed her husband, but you surely treated her horribly when she visited you"- she replied firmly- "I'm not letting you hurt her again".

- "Your Majesty, I beg you, you must let me talk to her. Send her my apologies for my behavior back in my manor".

Reaver's attitude surprised the Queen: he was way too proud to beg for anything and he would never apologize unless he wanted something in return. Maybe he really needed to talk to her…

She sighed.

- "Very well, I'll tell her you wish to speak to her. But that doesn't mean she will".

- "Thank you very much, Your Majesty"- he replied, bowing his head- "Tell her I want to talk about her husband".

The Queen nodded and left the room, heading towards Dainara's room. She knocked on the door softly and opened it, finding Dainara lying on her bed. As soon as she saw the Queen, she got up and bowed to her.

- "Is there something you need, Your Majesty?"

Queen Nichole remained silent for a moment and approached her.

- "I know that you probably will refuse but…Reaver is here and he wishes to speak with you".

Dainara frowned and walked around the room.

- "I have nothing to talk about with him and I do not wish to see him".

- "He said it was about your husband".

- "My husband is dead and there's nothing else to say about him"- replied Dainara firmly.

- "He said he didn't kill him, that he never told you anything about him…is that true?"

Dainara looked down.

- "It doesn't matter. Tell him my husband is dead and there's nothing to say anymore".

The Queen approached her and held her shoulder.

- "Listen, I generally would never allow you to talk to Reaver again, but…he begged me to convince you to do so. He even apologized for his behavior towards you!"

Dainara crossed her arms.

- "His apology will not convince me to…"

- "You do not understand"- interrupted the Queen- "He has never done this before…never. Whatever it is that he wants to tell you, it must be really important".

Dainara remained silent, unable to decide what to do. She was so hurt and hated him for what he had done…but she wished that, deep inside, she didn't have this need of seeing him again, of hearing his voice, of touching him…

- "I promise I'll be nearby just in case you need me"- said the Queen.

Dainara nodded and Queen Nichole led her through the corridors towards the parlour, where Reaver waited for her. As soon as they opened the door, Reaver turned around and looked at Dainara, who didn't want to look back.

- "I'll be around here, so don't try anything funny"- said the Queen before leaving the room.

- "Thank you, Your Majesty"- he said, unable to keep his eyes off Dainara.

The couple stayed in silence for a moment, unable to find the proper words to say after all this time.

- "Is it…really you?"- he said softly, hardly believing his eyes as he approached her slowly- "How can it be? I saw you die…I held you in my arms…"

Dainara remained still, looking at him as painful tears filled her eyes.

- "But so many years have passed, even if you survived, how could you be alive now?"- he went on.

- "By selling my soul to the shadows to pay the price for what you did"- she replied with a shaky voice.

Reaver got closed and smiled faintly.

- "Could it be that my deepest wish has come true after all this time?"

He raised his hand and caressed her cheek sweetly as she closed her eyes, feeling his bittersweet touch.

Suddenly, she moved her face away and walked backwards a few steps. Reaver looked at her, hurt by her action.

- "Why do you recoil from my touch? You have always cherished it".

- "You have never touched me"- she replied firmly.

Reaver frowned.

- "Of course I have, my darling, don't you remember? It's me…"

Reaver remained thoughtful for a moment. Who was he? Could he actually admit to himself who he really was? Was he ready to admit that he was the man who had caused his hometown's destruction, killing everyone inside?

He had spent so much time, so many years, convincing himself that he was not that man from Oakvale who had lost everything he ever had that now it seemed impossible to him to admit that Reaver was just an illusion, a fake character that hid who he really was but was always too afraid to acknowledge.

He looked at Dainara, who was standing before him: she was alive, she hadn't died that horrible night…he hadn't killed her. The thought of being responsible for her death had haunted him since that night, and it had been the main reason why he couldn't bear the idea that he was the same man who had dared to hurt her.

But now she was there, standing in front of him, so beautiful, so sad…and alive.

He smiled as he hadn't done it in a very long time.

- "It is me, my dear, don't you recognize me?"

Dainara shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks.

- "No"- she said sadly- "I don't".

He approached her again, wiping her tears softly with his hand.

- "It is me…Lucious".

It felt strange to say his name after all this time, but somehow he felt relieved to be able to say it. As he finished his sentence, Dainara pushed his hand away violently.

- "No, you are not, and do not dare to tarnish his name with your dirty lips!"- she said shouting at him angrily- "Lucious was kind, and caring, and generous, not hurtful, evil and selfish. Lucious was a good man who was always willing to help…not an exploiter and a murderer".

Dainara approached him and looked at him intently as pain filled her eyes.

- "Lucious promised me he would never kill anyone…He promised me he wouldn't go to the Shadow Court…He promised me he would never do anything to hurt me….So you cannot be my husband, you can only be the man who killed him".

Reaver frowned and did his best to look as firm as possible and conceal the terrible pain he was feeling inside.

- "I would never do anything to hurt you, my dear. Never".

Dainara scoffed.

- "You have a funny way of not hurting me then, killing me and everyone I loved and knew back in Oakvale. Is that how you protect me?"- she said bitterly.

The memories…Oakvale…The shadows…It was him, he was responsible, he was Lucious….

- "I…I didn't know. The shadows lied to me…"- he said with a shaky voice.

- "No…You lied to yourself. You were so sickly obsessed with death that you would have done anything to get your immortality".

Dainara shook her head.

- "You are not my husband…My husband died as soon as he set foot into that cursed Shadow Temple. You are nothing but a shadow of what he ever was, you are everything he always hated".

She turned around and made her way towards the door.

- "Please, do not leave"- he begged her.

Dainara stopped walking and turned around.

- "I have nothing to talk to you about. A few days ago, you threatenedme to leave you alone…now I ask you to leave me alone. I do not wish to see you ever again"- she said, the words hurting her so much.

Reaver approached her, ignoring her last comment.

- "Come to live in my manor. Now that you are here we can make our plans come true, now we don't have to worry about anyone trying to separate us, we don't have to worry about money anymore…I have everything we ever dreamt of…I even own a manor with servants by a lake, just as I promised I would get for you one day".

Dainara scoffed.

- "Our plans? I had plans with my husband…We were going to live in Bowerstone, in a humble house as he worked in an honest job and I raised our children. All I ever wanted was his love…My plans never included exploitation and mistreatment of poor workers, they never included gold stained by the blood of innocents"- she said, taking a deep breath as it was getting difficult for her to breathe.

Reaver frowned and gripped his cane tightly. Now that he had found her, he couldn't let her go, he couldn't lose her.

- "And where will you stay? Here, at the castle, imposing on the Queen's hospitality?"- he said bitterly in his usual tone- "I am the only family you have, my dear. I'm afraid you have no choice".

Dainara remained silent for a moment. Could it be that she was really imposing on the Queen?

- "I'd rather go back to the Wraithmarsh than go to live in your manor"- she said firmly- "Goodbye…Reaver".

Reaver…even though that had been his name for hundreds of years, hearing it from her lips hurt him deeply.

He approached the opened door and looked at her as she walked along the corridor, getting away from him.

He had to do something, he had to win her back…even if he had to force her to. He had been missing her every single day since that dreadful night, he had suffered so much, having terrible nightmares where he would hear once and once again her desperate calls for help while he could do nothing to save her.

And, despite breaking every promise he had ever made to her in the past, there was one that he had never broken: he still loved her with all that was left of his heart.