"Will everyone but Halduron, Rommath, and Miss Hawke, please leave," the Regent Lord ordered. He waited until everyone filed out, keeping his eye on the Grand Magister and human, who were standing in silence, arms wrapped tightly around each other. Braelyn looked like she didn't know whether to be happy or sad, while Rommath was stoney faced.

"Surely you knew something like this could happen?" he asked them.

"Yes," Braelyn said, "but... it's just the timing, I guess." She lay her head on Rommath's shoulder.

"One hundred thousand sovereigns?" Rommath spat out venomously. "Is that all they offer? Times that by a hundred, and it still wouldn't be a fair trade."

Reminding himself to speak to Halduron about why the Ranger-General had failed to mention that Rommath had gotten involved romantically with their hostage, Lor'themar tried to think of something to say that wouldn't inflame the situation.

He needed all the help he could get when it came to rebuilding Quel'Thalas, but... Rommath was his friend. He knew the Grand Magister deserved some sort of happiness after all this time. Lor'themar sighed, and, not for the first time, wished that someone else was leader for a day.

"I won't lie," the Regent-Lord said. "I am inclined to accept this deal."

"But?" Rommath prompted, eyes fixed on Lor'themar.

"I can see that you and Miss Hawke have formed an attachment," he replied. "So foolish, Rommath. Cross faction affairs tend to end... badly. You know this."

"But not always," Braelyn said defiantly.

"No," Lor'themar sighed, "not always." He paced the foyer of Sunfury Spire, lost in thought. "Because you have been such a good friend, Rommanth, and so devoted to our people, I will let Braelyn decide what to do."

"What?!" Braelyn and Halduron said in unison. Rommath was busy staring holes in Lor'themar's head.

"If Braelyn choses to leave, I will arrange for the transfer to take place. If, however, she decides she wants to stay with you, Rommath, then I will extend to her the citizenship of our country." The Regent Lord, paused, looking at the human. She was looking very hopeful. "I trust you understand the consequences of accepting that offer?" he asked.

Braelyn nodded. "Yes, my Lord, I do," she said quickly. Lor'themar held up a hand to stop her from saying anything else.

"Do not make your decision now. Leave it until morning. You and Rommath need to discuss things first."

"We will do that, my Lord," Rommath said. He bowed to Lor'themar. "Thank you."

"Do not thank me yet, my friend," Lor'themar replied. He watched the Grand Magister leave, his hand clasped tightly by Braelyn.

"This well not end well," he murmured to Halduron.

"You don't know Braelyn like I do, Lor'themar," Halduron replied. "If anyone can make this work out, it's her."

"You can see your family again," Rommath pointed out to Braelyn. "Your friends."

They were in their library, Braelyn standing in front of a window, watching as Rommath paced the floor, brows furrowed, deep in thought. He was always so graceful, even when he was so wound up.

"I'll be able to see them again, either way," she replied, and he stared at her. "I'll be a citizen, Rommath, not a hostage; free to come and go as I please."

"Braelyn," Rommath said, "they'll call you a traitor. You won't be able to go back to Alliance lands without risk of being arrested."

"I don't have to go back to Alliance lands to see them," Braelyn pointed out. "It will be safe to meet them in Shattrath, Gadgetzhan, even Booty Bay."

"No one's ever safe in Booty Bay," Rommath muttered.

"Then I'll take bodyguards," she shot back, "although I'm a little disappointed you think so little of my skills as a hunter."

"It's not that," he snapped. "I just thought you'd be happy to go home, walk the forests of Elwynn again."

"How can I be happy about something that separates me from you forever, you stupid man!" Braelyn yelled, eyes blazing, hands on hips.

Rommath stared at her, and his words died on his lips. She was so damn beautiful, standing there bathed in light, her eyes glowing almost as brightly as his. His anger left him, and he all he could do was march over to her and pull her flush against him.

She seemed to freeze up when he kissed her, but after he bit her bottom lip gently, she relaxed. Braelyn wound her arms around his neck, pulling herself even closer to him. Rommath ran his hands up her back, then back down again, undoing the buttons of her dress as he did so.

"It's about bloody time," she said, kissing his chin.

"I just want you to stop yelling at me," Rommath goaded.

"You know," she whispered when he started kissing along the elegant column of her neck, "I feel like a drink. Maybe that nice troll will b..."

"You want me to get arrested for murder, woman?" he demanded, sliding his hands around her hips. "Because that's what will happen if I see that damn troll again."

Braelyn giggled, slapping Rommath's hands away, and stepping back. She yanked her arms out of her sleeves, letting her dress fall to the floor in a graceful heap, and kicked off her shoes. She heard one of his beautiful vases shatter.

"Oops," she said.

"I always hated that thing," Rommath replied, eyes darkening. He grabbed Braelyn, and threw her over his shoulder. He practically ran up the stairs, causing her laugh to sound all wobbly.

Rommath kicked his bedroom door open, stopping only when Braelyn grabbed the door jamb. "Wait!" she cried.

"What now?" Rommath growled.

"I can't go in there!"

"Why not?"

"Because you told me that I was never allowed in there. Ever," Braelyn teased. Rommath just growled as he yanked her forward, causing her to lose her grip.

He walked over to his bed, laying her down carefully. He followed after her, raising himself above her with one arm. He trailed his finger down her cheek, smirking when she blushed.

"I think we can do away with that rule from now on," he said.

"Good," Braelyn replied, hands working to release the clasps on his robes. "It was a stupid rule anyway."

Rommath lay on his back, one arm tucked behind his head, the other holding Braelyn to his side. She nestled against him, head on his shoulder, hand resting lightly on his chest. Her pale brown hair glimmered in the starlight, and she was smiling as she slept, his fingers tracing circles on her bare skin.

He was at peace, truly at peace, for the first time in a hundred years.

His hand paused as Braelyn muttered something in her sleep. "Not so sexy with your hair on fire, are you, bitch?"

Rommath laughed softly. He let his eyes close, and was soon asleep.

Rommath frowned. Why was he in Stormwind? He hadn't been here in at least two hundred years. And why weren't the pathetic humans screaming for the guards?

He looked around. It was if he were invisible; the people around him were paying him no attention. He didn't realise he was dreaming until a couple of guards walked right through him.

He was standing in what appeared to be a market place, on the steps of an auction house. The area was crowded, with no room to walk without having to push a way through a wall of people. Was there some sort of human celebration going on?

"That traitorous bitch is finally going to get what's coming to her," an angry female voice said. Rommath turned to his left; a group of mages were standing against a wall, gossiping. A feeling of unease settled in his stomach.

"Can you imagine throwing yourself at a blood elf?" one of the others said. "Ewww."

"It's worse than that," a third voice said. "Rumour has it she has a couple of kids back in Silvermoon."

"Whore!" cried the first woman, and Rommath wanted to punch her. He knew they were speaking about Braelyn, he just knew it. But where was she?

"Make way!" a guard bellowed as he pushed his way through the crowd, people scattering to avoid a collision. Behind him, two more guards held a bound and gagged figure, who was struggling furiously against her bonds.

It was Braelyn.

Rommath felt his blood boil as he saw that she was covered in bruises, and that her beautiful hair had been shorn off. She looked older, but it was definitely Braelyn. He'd recognise that sweet face anywhere. At any age.

He strode forward, planning to drag her away from those bastards, when a second lot of guards appeared. He froze when he saw who it was that they dragged between them.

It was himself.

He was bound in arcane shackles; more than were actually required to contain his magic. He was struggling like a mad beast, yelling at the Stormwind filth to take their hands off his wife, to let her go. By the time they got to the makeshift stage, false-Rommath was pleading for Braelyn's life, promising the guards anything they'd like in return for freeing her.

They didn't listen.

Rommath watched in fury as the dream version of himself was forced to his knees at the front of the wooden stage. Sitting in front of him was a block of wood, and he knew what it was for; it was a chopping block. They were going to make him watch as they beheaded his wife, the mother of his children.

He wanted to scream, as his dream self was doing, as Braelyn was forced to her knees, her graceful neck slammed against the wood. She had stopped struggling, but their was still fire in her eyes as she looked at her husband.

"Stay strong, my love," she said in Thalassian, and the crowd began to jeer her for speaking in the tongue of the enemy.

The crowd fell silent as the King appeared on the stage, a man and a woman clad in Alliance regalia at his side. Rommath gasped; the woman looked just like Braelyn, only older.

Her parents were here, and they were going to watch their daughter's execution. And do nothing.

The woman came and knelt by Rommath's side. She said nothing, just watched her daughter in distaste as Braelyn told him how much she loved him, that he needed to take care of the children.

The man, whom Rommath assumed to be Braelyn's father, stood by his child's side, face impassive. The King stepped forward.

"Braelyn Hawke," he began, having to yell to be heard over the crowd, who had once again started to call out insults, "You have been found guilty of the crime of treason, and been sentenced to death. Have you any last words?"

"I have never betrayed my country!" Braelyn yelled, but was drowned out by a chorus of catcalls and jeers. "What crime is there in love?"

Rommath clenched his fists as he saw Braelyn's strength fade from her eyes. Her beautiful eyes... he would never see them again.

"Jasper," Varian said, "as her father, it is your right to administer this punishment."

"She's no child of mine," Jasper Hawke spat, drawing his blade.

"You know," Ellysan Hawke finally spoke, "this is all your fault, Rommath."

"How is this my fault?" both Rommaths said.

"If you had let her go, if you had sent her home, none of this would be happening." She looked down at him and smiled mockingly. It was disconcerting to be looked at like that by someone who looked so much like the woman he loved.

The king gave a signal, and Jasper Hawke brought his great sword down on Braelyn's neck. With a violent gush of blood, Braelyn's head dropped onto the stage. The King kicked it into the crowd, whose cheers almost deafened Rommath. He watched as her body jerked and then rolled over like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Both Rommaths screamed until their voices gave out. Ellysan laughed, and jerked dream-Rommath's head up by his ponytail.

"Go home, Grand Magister," she said, "and tell your children how you killed their mother."

Rommath awoke with a start, waking Braelyn with his frantic yell. She called out to him, wrapping her arms around him, and crooning to him softly until he calmed down.

He looked at her, still so young, with her hair still long and glorious. He reached out and grabbed a few strands, winding them around his fingers. "By the Light," he murmured, "you're alive."

"Of course I am," Braelyn replied, kissing his forehead. "It was just a nightmare, honey."

"It was more than that," he declared, pulling her against him. He rolled her over onto her back, pinning her to the mattress. He bent down and kissed her, not stopping until they were both breathless, and the sun began to peek over the horizon.

Braelyn woke up in an empty bed. She was very disappointed, and a little hurt, by that. She got up, chosing to dress herself in one of Rommath's black silk shirts, before heading off to find her missing lover.

She grinned at finally being able to call him that.

As she'd suspected, Rommath was in the library. He was clad in his robes, but not his helm. He had his back to her, looking out one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. She snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Goodmorning, Rommath!" she said, but paused when she felt him tense up in her embrace. "Honey?"

He turned around, and after one look at his face, Braelyn knew something was wrong. His eyes were cold and distant, and he wouldn't look at her. He pulled away from her.

"We need to talk," he said firmly.

"About what?"

"Sending you home."

Braelyn forced herself to remain calm. "Rommath, we discussed this already. I'm staying here."

"You can't," Rommath said, and pushed Braelyn away when she tried to take his hands in her own.

"Why not," she asked, horrified to feel herself begin to tear up already.

"Because it was just a dream," he said roughly, and Braelyn felt like she'd been kicked in the head. "These feelings, your feelings, are not real. They're just a passing fancy, a delusion brought on by months of captivity and confusion."

"How can you say that?" Braelyn hissed. "After all that we've been through. Last night..."

"Last night was a mistake," Rommath said, and this time Braelyn gasped and brought a hand to her heart. She felt like he had just stabbed her. "I was weak, and selfish."

"How can you say that?"

"Because it's the truth." Rommath started to pace. "You are so young compared to me, but you will die so much earlier..."

"You think I care about that shit?" Braelyn demanded, outraged. Why was he acting this way? Last night he had been so loving.

"You should," he retorted. "As you age, you will truly realise all you gave up to stay with me, and then you will start to resent it. Resent me. You will be trapped in this city, with friends who do not age, as you begin your decline. You will miss the deaths of your parents, the wedding of your cousin, the birth of her children. Never again will you see them, never again step outside Quel'Thalas; can you honestly say that this does not bother you?"

"Rommath," Braelyn said in frustration, "we discussed this. I can go to meet my parents at Shat..."

"No!" he snapped, and his cool demeanour began to crack. "If you stay, I will not let you out of the city. It's too dangerous. The Alliance will come for you..."

Braelyn suddenly realised what Rommath's problem was. "Rommath, it was just a nightmare..."

"They killed you, Braelyn!" he yelled, and she caught a glimpse of the inner turmoil Rommath was experiencing. "They tied me down and made me watch as your own father beheaded you!"

Braelyn winced in horror. Rommath's words were like a slap in the face.

"We had children, but your father killed you, anyway." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I care for you too much to have that happen to you, to see you die because of your feelings for me." Seeing Braelyn about to start arguing again, he added, "Don't do that to me, Braelyn. If you care at all, don't force me to be your death."

Braelyn watched in stunned surprise as Rommath finally collapsed into a chair, head in his hands. She felt a brief flicker of sympathy, but stomped it down ruthlessly.

"You selfish, cowardly bastard!" she yelled. Rommath flinched, but did not look at her. "I am willing to give up everything to be with you, and not only do you insinuate that my feelings aren't real, but you also piss all over my intelligence!" She took a deep breath of her own.

"I know the dangers, and I know the consequences of my choices! And I am willing to face them all down. But you!" she said, pointing at him. "You won't even fight for your own happiness. You would throw my love away because you're too scared to let me take the risk of being with you. All because of a stupid dream."

Rommath's head snapped up, and he stared at her. "My happiness lies in you being safe and well, and if that means sending you away, then that's what I'll do."

"You bastard," she repeated. "I love you. Even as you sit there breaking my heart, I still love you." She felt the tears start to fall, and wiped them away on her sleeve. Rommath didn't move.

"Fine," she said, stepping backwards and calling for Violet and Bitey. "If you aren't prepared to fight, then I can't force you. May the Light show you more mercy than you've shown me."

With one last, long look at Rommath, Braelyn turned, picked up the dress she'd left laying on the floor last night, and exited the house she'd come to call home.

"Goodbye, Braelyn," Rommath whispered, kissing the long lock of hair he'd cut from her head during the night. "May the Light bless you, and always keep you safe."

AN - well, how about them apples? Nice and angsty for you.

Next chapter: Braelyn's not so happy homecoming.