Twisted Fate
Chapter 7

As soon as her companions had begun to busy themselves with their tasks, Nariel had disappeared into the shadows. Silently she slipped out of their tent and down the hill, past the dwarven guards until she was well away from the small guard tower that served as their camp.

And then, she ran.

She ran as if Sath'rovok were still there, reaching for her. As if she could feel him immediately behind her, his breath on her neck, his hand grasping at her shoulder. She ran until she couldn't run anymore, ending up on the edge of the great canyon that cut through the Searing Gorge like a giant knife wound. And when she finally stopped, out of breath, all of the walls she had so hastily erected to hide from her friends crumbled and the tears flowed freely. Even her mask could not hide the truth in her eyes: Seeing Sath'rovok again hurt just as bad as it did the day he broke her heart.

He had moved on. He had excelled. He was Captain Sath'rovok now. His success only pained her that much more. It only reminded her of that moment in Fairbreeze when she had searched his eyes, desperate – more for her own sake than his she now realized – for any sign of remorse. But today when he had finally learned the truth of her identity she had seen the same emptiness as then.

She crumpled to the ground sobbing, wanting only for it to end. She would have gladly erased her own memory in a heartbeat if she could. For a fleeting second, her eyes drifted to the edge of the great cliff longingly, unable to let the thought fully enter her mind. As she sat there, a soft noise to her side drew her attention. She glanced over to see Frostbite materialize as the tiger slipped from the very same shadows she herself had used. The giant cat padded over to Nariel and sat next to her, making no sound but curling around the rogue in a comforting and almost protective manner. The act momentarily drew Nariel's mind away from her troubles, and instinctively she moved a hand up to the cat's head, scratching behind her ear.

Frostbite knew. She realized.

Somehow the tiger knew she was hurting. It was shocking, and she could never have guessed that a creature such as this could bring her such a degree of comfort but as the cat sat next to her, softly purring and laying against Nariel in a way that provided a perfect warmth, there was no denying it.

Frostbite made no action to try and amuse Nariel. She did not pry for attention or food. She simply laid there, a knowing and comforting presence; Nariel was shocked to discover that it made her feel slightly better, as if the fierce huntress had taken Nariel under her own protection until the rogue was ok again. It was equally surprising when the cat turned her head to the side as if looking at something, and gave a low growl.

"I'd say she definitely likes you." Solarius said.

Nariel's hand gripped the cat's fur a bit tighter at his words.

"Can't you see when I want to be alone?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"Yes." The Paladin said as he sat down beside her, adding "But I can also see when you're upset. You shouldn't have to be alone right now."

"Please don't give me a speech about opening up." She replied. "Not now."

"OK." Solarius said simply, to her surprise.

They sat in silence, Frostbite having eased up again at her recognition of the Paladin and Nariel still sniffling. Despite feeling exposed to Solarius, it was oddly comforting to be surrounded by Frostbite and the Paladin. She felt as if she had been caught in a head on collision that had sheared off every layer of protection she had placed around her heart, leaving only a raw exposed wound, but just when she wanted more than ever to curl away and hide the two had stepped in to cover it from the world. Solarius had given her secrecy in front of Molikor, and Frostbite had known that Nariel needed comfort. Solarius' words from the day their ship had landed echoed again: Perhaps in this instance we can help more than you think.

"Why did you come?" she finally asked, unable to hide the shakiness in her voice.

"You need to ask?" Solarius replied with a soft smile.

She said nothing but continued staring blankly to the ground.

"I think I see why you wanted to leave now." He said. "It's because I'm a Paladin isn't it?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's not you. It's him. From the moment you told me what you were, it reminded me of him." She said sadly

"Who is he?" Solarius asked quietly.

"His name is Sath'rovok. He was - still is - everything to me." She said bitterly. "We grew up together. We each found our calling together; he became a Paladin, and I became a rogue." She continued. "And eventually we fell in love together." She said, adding "But for whatever reason, I was not enough."

"What happened?" Solarius asked her.

"He found another." Nariel said with a sniff, adding pointedly. "It would have hurt less if I had not discovered it by chance."

Solarius gave a sad sigh, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"It has been five long years." Nariel said. "Everything reminds me of him. Every Paladin I meet, every elf with blonde hair, every smooth voice." She said, her voice trailing off. "I did everything to forget. I ran from my home, hid from the world."

"I was happy once." She said quietly, her voice cracking. "He took everything from me. And he felt nothing for it, I saw it in his eyes then and I saw it again today."

She closed her eyes, whispering "I just want to forget…"

Solarius sat for a moment lost in thought before he spoke.

"If I were to ask you now to trust me – knowing only what you know of me and nothing more – would you?" he asked.

Nariel peered up at him slowly. "Against every instinct..." She replied, her voice barely audible "…yes".

It hurt to say. She did not want to; she wanted to hide again, but as she only now realized after years of trying, trust was not something you could bottle up and hide away. It was given and taken freely.

At her words, Solarius quietly moved his hand up from her shoulder to her ear, his eyes locking on to hers. He slipped his fingers around her mask, quietly unbuckling it. Instinctively her hand moved to stop him, but as it did he paused – a simple reassurance that it was by her choice and not his that he acted – before finally letting it slip off to the ground.

As it fell away she gave a small shiver, feeling naked in front of him. But it was not the familiar feeling of exposure that she noted. It was the lack of vulnerability. Even as her own armor was stripped away, the aura of comfort and protection which she felt from the Paladin and the great tiger never faltered. Slowly the full meaning of his actions dawned on her.

"If you only trust us" he said quietly, motioning towards the mask "then perhaps together we can find a way to heal the wounds that have tortured you alone for so long."

Nariel looked at Solarius and for the first time, she decided not to fight what he had been trying to accomplish all along. For the first time in five years she decided not to hide from someone.

"I trust you." She said quietly, almost a surprise to herself.

As the words left her mouth an incredible weight was lifted from her heart – one that had been so prevalent since this new chapter of her life began that she had come to assume it was natural. She felt as if in three short words she had finally uncurled her arms, letting everything flow freely. It still hurt – no amount of comfort could make her forget that she had seen him that day - but for the first time she felt as if she had someone to share the burden with. Solarius only smiled – not his usual wide grin that accompanied a joke or friendly banter with Molikor, but a soft, caring smile that reaffirmed her trust in him.

"Thank you." She whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"It's what friends are for." He replied simply.

And there they sat, for how long neither one knew. As the night rolled on every moment Nariel felt more of the wound healing – exposed perhaps – but free to heal now. She had locked away her feelings, refusing to trust anyone and protected herself not from outside pain, but from healing. It was a mistake that she would correct. It would be slow, and perhaps she might find it hard at first, but Solarius had helped her with the crucial first step.

That act made all the difference in the world to her.