Disclaimer: I do not own the Fable universe. Characters you do not recognize from the series were created by me for the purposes of this story. This story contains content of a mature nature, do not read if anything along those lines could offend you. It will also be quite dark at times, you have been warned.

I have been considering writing a sequel for "Wolves"...once it is finished of course. It would follow Shiloh in her adult years...can't say any more than that without ruining the ending of "Wolves" lol. So, would that be something you would like to see, dear readers? I appreciate all feedback! - Fallon.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ben, Walter and Shiloh managed to get out of the mansion just as the ceiling collapsed. They regrouped with Ben's regiment in the courtyard and watched as the imprint of the Family was erased from the Pines for good.

Windows exploded from the pressure building inside and debris shot out to litter the once extensive gardens.

Inside, the bodies of balverines and fallen soldiers alike began to succumb to the fire. Their uniforms became unrecognizable and the sickening smell of burning fur and flesh filled the smokey halls. The flames eventually reached Malakai's body and started to eat away at his clothes. His dead eyes remained open, and the light of the fire reflected off his cloudy, soul-less orbs. Soon, his ashes would be lost in the rubble – the only monument to his tormented existence.

Walter watched the spectacle with a heavy heart.

Scarlet...

If anyone deserved to walk out of that mess, Walter knew it was her. After the pain that had been inflicted on her, she deserved a chance at a normal life. He held on to the naive hope that the woman was safe somewhere, perhaps hiding in a pocket of clean air deep in the tunnels that twisted under the building...

He held Shiloh tightly to his chest and rubbed her back in the hopes of comforting her. Shiloh's gaze was fixed on the forest however, were she saw the figure of a woman beckoning to her. The strange woman wore red and white robes and folded her hands in an odd manner. It was her eyes that pulled at Shiloh, those pale, unseeing eyes.

On the other side of the burning mansion, a blistered hand pushed aside rubble and dug it's claws into the earth. Naked and covered in deep burns and bites, Ezra pulled himself out of the destruction and toward the safety of the forest. He pushed the agony aside and held on to his lingering hate for his brother and the woman they both desired. Ezra was no fool, without even seeing the extent of his injuries, he knew it would take some time before he was back to full strength.

But he would be patient and allow time to mend his wounds. His brother and the Queen would be lulled into a false sense of security and continue their lives as if darkness wasn't looming in every corner – a beautiful picture in his mind that made him grin wickedly.

I'll get you Von...if it is the last thing I do...

Maya shook him roughly, desperate to get some sort of reaction from him. Everything around them drew silent and all she heard was her own shrill pleas.

Don't do this! Please don't! I need you here...

She had already lost him once, she knew she couldn't go through that again.

"Von! Wake up!"

She ran her fingers across his cheek and over his closed eyes, "You can't do this to me!"

The fire raged on around her, and she knew at any moment the entire complex would crumble. Not willing to leave him, regardless if he was alive or dead, she slipped her hands under him and tried to lift him. With her heroic blood, she managed to heave him onto his side, but something stopped her from going any further.

It was faint, but she swore she felt his heart beat.

Maya pressed her ear to his chest, and heard the gentle but weak pounding of his heart. Tears of joy fell down her cheeks and she placed her hand in front of his mouth.

She laughed as she felt the tickle of his breath across the palm of her hand.

Two more of the towers fell, and with no other options available to her, she pulled her Guild Seal from her pocket and snuggled up against Von. She clutched it tightly in her hand and closed her eyes.

She felt the familiar rush of a cool breeze flow over her and the ground vanished underneath her. Von`s warmth was still under her fingertips, and she thanked Avo that the Seal didn't leave him behind.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the Sanctuary and Jasper was looking down at her with a horrified expression on his face.

"Amaythea...what in Avo's name is that!" He gasped, pointing to Von.

She stood and gestured for him to help her, "It's Von, Jasper. We need to help him!"

Aware of her feelings for the balverine, Jasper pushed aside his fears and tried his best to help her get him to his feet.

They grunted and groaned as they dragged the unconscious balverine past the map table and into the bedroom tucked in a corner off of her dressing room. It was Maya's favourite part of the Sanctuary. Everything was covered in red velvet, gold and fine ivory linens. The desk still contained her father's journals and maps, and his old leather chair that had lost much of it's detail from excessive use.

But she could not stop to admire those details now.

With the help of Jasper, she managed to lean Von against the bed. Adrenaline and fear for Von pushed her onwards. She knew nothing could be done for him though if he remained in his current form.

"Von," she said in a desperate whisper, "I need you to change back, love."

Jasper glanced at her, having never heard her call anyone such a name, but quickly redirected his focus on the task at hand. Whoever this man was, his loss had nearly killed Maya – Jasper knew that without doubt. If Maya was to return to her old self, he would have to force the life back into the broken creature before him.

To her surprised, Von stirred and opened one eye in a weak, exhausted flutter that made her jump.

"We can't help you when you're like this," she ran her had in a comforting motion over his arm, "I need you to change back. I know it will hurt you...but you'll be far worse if those wounds aren't dealt with."

He closed his eyes and groaned.

She wasn't sure he was even alert enough to understand what she was asking, but when his limbs began to snap back to their regular length, she knew he had. Maya ran her fingers through the tangle of hair between his eyes and whispered soothing words of encouragement to him.

After many more agonizing moments watching him slowly revert back to his human form, he finally laid pale and naked before them.

Maya sighed and brushed the hair from her eyes, "Go and fetch the supplies from the wardrobe, Jasper. And a basin of hot water, please."

Jasper nodded and quickly left to bring her the materials she needed.

Once he was gone, Maya pulled a sheet of the bed and covered him where he laid. He was breathing in heavy, strained pants and a sheen of sweat covered his sickly body. When she eased him onto his side to take a look at his back, she paled. Reaver`s company emblem had been burned into Von`s heavily scarred flesh. It had healed well, but the thought of what that must have felt like...

"Oh, Von..."

She continued her examination. His hands and feet were badly burned, and streaks of less severe burns ran across his chest in jagged lines. She counted numerous broken ribs and thrice as many whip lashes in various stages of healing. Sores appeared in dark patches over his body, and she tenderly moved him so as to remove the weight being applied to them.

Maya had never felt utterly hopeless and lost.

She knew no healing spells and had only her supply of tonics and salves to offer him. In a heartbeat she would take the pain from him onto herself, but that was not an option available to her.

As soon as Jasper returned, she set to work. His burns were the most pressing concern, and she tended to them first. She cleaned the wounds and allowed Jasper to bandage them. As the butler to heroes, he knew a thing or two about healing, and she was more than willing to allow him to take the lead.

Jasper began to stitch the deep wounds along Von`s arms and legs. He squinted and tried his best to make the stitches small but precise.

Maya ran her fingers lightly over Von`s chin and frowned as she made contact with his split lip. Those lips which had haunted her dreams for so long were swollen and red. She wanted so badly to kiss him, but restrained herself and instead applied a cream to the smaller cuts and friction burns to prevent infection.

Jasper sighed and brushed the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, "He's a mess, Maya..."

"Don't you think I can see that?"

"You need to understand, even if we can mend the physical there are other injuries we must consider. You'll have to be patient with him. He'll not have full use of that arm any longer, for one my dear. His shoulder is too damaged."

Maya's chin quivered as she continued about her task, "He's strong...he'll be fine, Jasper...you'll see."

Shiloh felt her presence before she spotted the strange old woman.

She was curled up into the knight's chest, a wool blanket covering her in the heart of the camp they had made near a small creek. Carefully, she eased herself free from her protector's hold and stood. She smoothed out the wrinkles of her dress with her hands and flicked her hair over her shoulders.

As she approached the creek, she wondered if she should have told Walter what she knew. She was the only balverine to join them, but she was not the only one to walk out of the smouldering ruins of a dead life.

"Who are you?" Shiloh asked the darkness.

Theresa stepped out into the clearing and smiled, "I am Theresa, the Seer of the Spire."

"You're older than you look," Shiloh said with a sigh, "you are from another time and place..."

"You're very observant, child." Theresa commented calmly, titled her head to the side in her usual manner, "Who taught you what you know?"

Shiloh shrugged, "No one...I simply am what I am."

Theresa chuckled, "As am I...tell me, do you wish to learn more about your gifts?"

Unsure if Theresa was to be trusted, Shiloh did not respond immediately. There was a calmness to the woman, yes, but there was much about her Shiloh was unable to see.

Theresa felt her uneasiness, "You do not trust me?"

Shiloh scrunched up her face and shook her head, "Have no reason to..."

"You've no reason not to, Shiloh," Theresa countered without pause, "If you remain here, you will not reach your potential. A seedling that receives no sunlight does not thrive. There is nothing keeping you here but a memory...do not allow him to win."

Her eyes shot up to the Seer, "He is as doomed as I feared then?"

"As great as your love truly is for him, there is nothing you or I can do to lead him down a safer path. He chose his direction long ago, but you were strong – you did not follow him."

"And the other? The female?"

Theresa grinned, "She will require time to lick her wounds, but her hate remains strong and has kept death at bay. Their is a fork in her road however, and taking the wrong path will lead her to destruction."

Shiloh nodded. There was still much Scarlet had to do, even she knew that, and she was relieved to hear there was still time for the woman to act.

Theresa extended her hand, "Come with me...I can teach you everything you've longed to know, child."

Shiloh glanced back to the camp and saw Walter sprinting towards her, "Will he be alright? He saved me in the Mansion..."

"There is a fog obscuring his path...he must tread lightly."

Shiloh sighed and waded through the creek to stand before Theresa. If there was one thing she agreed with Theresa on, it was that there was nothing keeping her in the Pines. Her father had sullied their name and would surely not see the light on the other side of the Darkness. Scarlet...well, her fate was in her own hands.

Von...

He was the last piece of her old life she had left, but a whisper from her heart assured him he would be fine. Albion held a future for him...and it was at the Queen's side.

She wished him the best.

"Let's go," Shiloh muttered as she accepted Theresa's hand.

Walter shouted at them, but by the time he reached the creek they had disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Von felt something soft under his fingertips and prayed it was no dream.

He opened his eyes and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his head. Unsure where he was, he tried to prop himself up to get a better look at his surroundings. The room was decorated with rich mahogany furniture and think red velvet tapestries. Candles were lit on either side of the bed and the fireplace was providing a soothing warmth to the room.

He realized that it had to have been real, Maya's appearance in the Arena and her battle to free him. The terror of seeing her attacked and bloodied returned to him, and his throat began to tighten. He had fought beside her before, but seeing her so outnumbered and being unable to act had been the most painful torture of all.

Von heard the door open and tried to push aside his dizziness long enough to sit up. Her scent wafted into the room and a blanket of peace wrapped tightly around him. His exhaustion catching up to him, his body pleaded with him to fall into sleep's embrace, but he feared that once he closed his eyes he would reawaken in the cells under the Arena.

Gentle hands pressed against his chest and eased him back down. He did not fight it.

Maya inched closer to him on the bed and brushed his hair back. It was strange seeing him with hair so long. It touched his shoulders and had a slight wave to it she liked. As her fingers trailed over the will line upon his cheek, his eyes opened wider and she smiled down at him.

"Good m-morning," Maya said in a voice thick with raw emotion, "you had me w-worried...I f-feared you would not wake up..."

Von slowly pushed himself up, ignoring her protests, and weakly wrapped his arms around her. He felt nearly drained of energy, but the solid feel of her against him felt better than anything he could have dreamt.

She couldn't bring herself to push him back. With tears flowing freely down her cheeks, Maya returned his embrace as delicately as she could muster. All she wanted to do was hold onto him as tightly as she could, but doing so would only hurt him in his current state.

Thank Avo...

Maya ran her fingers through his hair, inhaling his scent deeply, and kissed his neck.

"Please," she asked in a whisper, "say something..."

Von shivered as her breath touched his bruised flesh. He could not see the full extent of his injuries, but the pain was severe enough to tell him he had sustained serious ones. Glancing over her shoulder, he saw his hands wrapped in bandages. There would be dozens of new scars over his body and for balverines it was a sign of strength and a badge of honor, a sign they had survived great trials. But for her he wanted to be free of such blemishes, as they only reminded him that he wasn't a normal man.

Maya pulled back and looked him in the eye. His usually vibrant eyes were tired and he looked broken and defeated.

She brushed aside her tears, "I'm so sorry...I spoke to Theresa and she told me what I did to you. But I didn't tell you...and you nearly died because of my foolish mistake. I thought I had lost you again..."

Von rested his forehead against hers and forced a small grin, "Y-You can't...get r-rid of me that...easily, Amaythea."

Maya's gaze left him, "When I saw that body there on the battle field, and they told me it was you..." she choked on a sob, "I-I thought they might as well have killed me too..."

"D-Don't say that..." Von ran his bandaged hand down the curve of her neck, "My...greatest fear...was that my b-brother would reach you...before I could s-save you."

There was much Maya had to fill him in on, but she would do that later. For now, all she wanted was to be near him in relative peace. She had instructed Logan and Walter to keep the castle functioning for her until Von was stable enough to leave the Sanctuary, a task the two men had accepted easily.

"You were the one in chains, Von," Maya shook her head, "I was such an idiot to believe their charade...I should have known it wasn't you, but my eyes saw my worst fear and foolishly believed it..."

Von smiled but was soon overcome by a jabbing pain in his side and fell back into the cushions with a groan.

"Von!" Maya gasped as quietly as she could and crawled onto the bed to sit beside him.

His eyes flashed open and he grabbed her wrist, "I'm f-fine...it's...not that bad."

Maya sniffled as she moved his hair off of his brow and pressed the back of her hand to his skin, "You're warm...you need to rest, Von."

He swallowed hard and winced, "Please, I can't..."

"Why?"

Von sighed heavily as he hurried to breathe in deep gulps of air, "I'll wake up in t-there, realize this was all a d-dream...I can't go b-back...I'm so tired of fighting..."

Maya brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his palm, "I swear on my life you're not going to go back there! I can't...I just can't lose you again, Von. You mean the world to me..."

She bit her lip and looked away.

Von's deep breathing turned into wheezing, "Maya...look at me."

Slowly, she forced herself to look at him. She was still waiting for him to vanish in a puff of smoke or for fire to consume him like that damned decoy in the battle for the throne. The fact that she had believed the lie for so long only prolonged his suffering in the Arena.

Maya doubted she could ever forgive herself for that.

Von saw the guilt in her eyes, "This...isn't your fault. Maya...knowing you were out there kept me going. I wanted to give up...many times, but I couldn't die so long as you were in danger."

Her chin trembled so dramatically she could no longer hide it, "You're not going to leave me now that I'm safe?"

He chuckled despite the pain, "I'll stay as long as you want me to. Besides...you have an ancient evil to f-face in less than a years time..."

Maya groaned at the thought and stretched out next to him, pressing herself as closely to him as she dared. Everything felt right even though the Darkness was looming on the shores of Aurora. She caught his gaze and held it, a thousand unspoken words passing between them in that split second.

"I missed you..." Maya said softly, "so very much."

Von smiled as he felt her fingers entwine with his own, "You've no idea how s-shocked I was when you appeared on the other side of those bars..."

He slipped a finger under her chin and paused a few tentative moments before gently pressing his cracked and split lips against hers. As soon as they made contact, Von swore every ache in his body was relieved. She was just as soft as he remembered, but as they days ticked away in his prison, he never thought he would get a chance to feel it again.

His hand cupping her cheek, he ignored the stinging of his lips and deepened their kiss. The gasp he earned from her when he nipped her bottom lip made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

Maya flicked her tongue over his lips before pulling away. She said nothing, but Von could tell from the look on her face that she was nervous.

"Amaythea...t-talk to me."

She smirked as she toyed with his hair, "You're beautiful, you know."

Von snorted, then winced as he jostled himself too much.

"It's the truth."

"Perhaps I was o-once...but not anymore t-thanks to Reaver." His tone was harsh but it was in no way directed at her.

Maya brushed her nose against his and cupped his face between her hands. His injuries did not change how she felt about him. It went beyond the flesh for her, and she hoped he felt so strongly for her.

"Von?"

His eyes flashed up to meet hers but the heart wrenching frown on his lips remained.

Maya gave a tiny sigh to release her nerves and bit the corner of her lip, "I love you."

Von's eyes widened slowly as what she said registered.

"I have for so long," Maya continued, "but I was too cowardly to admit it. And when I thought you were dead..."

His lips pressed firmly against hers and she quickly lost her train of thought.

A\N: I assure you Von and Maya loving is coming up shortly (cross my heart)! Thanks for hanging in there everyone and being so patient as I write this little monster of a story! - Fallon.