Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: A sorcerer challenged by Aslan. Love and friendship alike are tested by his presence. And the Gentle Queen faces her own challenge when the sorcerer's true colors are unveiled.

A/N: If you have not read the first eight stories in the A Light in the Darkness main story arc (Awakened, Shadowed, Revealed, Concealed, Rekindled, Refracted, Reflected, and Veiled), I highly recommend you do so for the full experience. However, I have included a quick summary of the previous stories so if you want to give this one a whirl on its own, you can.

A/N2: Special Thanks to M.M. Chris for providing the French translation.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Confrontation

"You gave me poisonous flowers? What sort of anniversary present is that?"

"Sepphora, this is no time for jests." Oreius tugged his wife further away from the deadly blooms. "Ptah, summon Tuulea and Illusin. Now."

"Yes, General."

Alambiel was squirming but he didn't want to let her go. He wasn't sure how deadly the flowers would have been to her due to her heritage but he had never heard of anyone not Centaur surviving physical contact with the plant. He noticed his wife was moving her hands toward her dress. "Wait. Don't touch anything."

She froze. "Okay, are you going to tell me why?"

"Did your sleeves brush against the flowers?"

"Why-?"

Oreius gripped her shoulders and spun her to face him. "Did your clothing come into contact with the flowers, Alambiel?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Hold your arms out from your sides. Do not move. Do not touch anything." He waited until she had obeyed before he closed the bedchamber doors. Then he hurried back and turned her so he could get at her laces.

"Oreius, what are you doing? Tuulea and Illusin will be here any minute. This isn't really the time for me to be undressed."

"No jests." He tugged at the dress until he could get it to fall without coming into contact with Alambiel's skin any more than necessary.

Alambiel braced her hand against his arm as she stepped out of the pooled dress. Her fingers were trembling slightly but she still smiled. "So what exactly was sent to me? And why aren't you worried about poison?"

"Centaurs are immune to the poison unless it is digested or it comes into contact with an open wound. Do you understand what that means?"

Color drained from her face. His wife stared at him then she shook her head. "The stems are wrapped in a linen cloth. That's what I touched to pick them- Wait a minute, what are you doing with my dress?"

Oreius wrapped it around the deadly blossoms and vase. "Get dressed. Tuulea will have to lace you up. I do not want to risk transferring any poison to you." He looked at her then frowned. "Toss me your shift too."

His wife folded her arms over her chest. "No. You're overreacting again."

"It could have been tainted too. And if you do not want Tuulea and Illusin walking in here while you are unprepared to greet them, I suggest you hurry."

"Fine. If it will make you feel better."

"It will." He paused, considering. "Your hair didn't touch them, did it?"

She threw the shift in his face. "I held my hair back." She had already pulled on a new shift and was pulling one of her other dresses out of the wardrobe by the time he added the shift to the bundle. Inside the grey skirts, of course.

Oreius glanced at her as she shrugged into the dress. The dark blue velvet was hemmed with an embroidered border of golden flowers and it was definitely not tainted. The knock sounded just as Alambiel started to struggle with the laces. Oreius barked, "Come."

Tuulea stepped in, a questioning look in her dark eyes. "What happened?"

"Perygl." The Black Elder Nymph paled and then turned to Alambiel with enough alarm Oreius felt his preemptive actions had been well-warranted. "Would she have survived? She is Centaur-kin."

"Only Centaurs, full-blooded Centaurs are immune." Tuulea looked between them. "Death merely would have taken a longer, more painful route of a day or two instead of minutes." She gave him a wide berth as she rushed to Alambiel.

Oreius left his wife to Tuulea's care and carried the bundle through to the sitting room. Illusin was waiting. The other Centaur held out his hands. "Burning?"

Handing him the bundle, he gave a curt nod. "There are two other items that will need to be removed as well. We will do so after you return."

"Yes, General."

He could hear the low murmur of conversation between Alambiel and Tuulea as Illusin carried the deadly "gift" out. Perygl. The poisonous flower should have been completely torn up from the ground within Narnia's borders. The only herd who tolerated its encroaching presence was . . . Despoina's.

"Oreius?" His wife's call reached him just as he crossed the threshold. He looked at her and then looked down, following her gaze to where his hands were gripping the hilts of his twin swords. He did not recall grabbing them. "Oreius, where are you going?"

"To find answers."

"From?"

"Despoina." His determination only hardened when he saw the hurt that briefly flashed through her eyes. "Go with Tuulea to her quarters and wait there until I come for you."

"Oreius—"

"Alambiel, don't argue. Just go." He left before she could protest again. Every purposeful stride only served to build his anger, his disgust. Had Despoina truly taken such offense to his choice of wife that she would attempt to poison Alambiel? Oreius' grip on his swords tightened at the thought. If she had, he would not let kinship soften the consequences.

Stormwind was just opening the doors when Oreius arrived at the guest quarters allotted to his kin. His cousin opened his mouth but then shut it and stepped back, allowing him in. Oreius ignored him in favor of focusing on his great-aunt and –uncle. "Despoina, Frostmoon."

"Nephew." Despoina's dark eyes gleamed with just a hint of triumph as she turned to face him. "I believe there is something you should know about your wife."

He narrowed his eyes then folded his arms over his chest. "I am more interested in what you know about the bouquet of perygl that was sent to Alambiel."

"Perygl?" The matriarch's full mouth turned down into a frown as she looked at her husband. "I know nothing of a bouquet of perygl. Surely the filly was not so foolish as to touch them."

Oreius' mouth tightened as he ground out, "I stopped her before she could. And how would she know of the plant considering your herd is the only one that tolerates the growth of perygl? Who appealed to you to bring the perygl here?"

Despoina's gaze hardened. "None. I have never resorted to murder, nephew. You would do well to remember the proper respect I am due as your matriarch."

"You are the matriarch of my dam's herd but Alcippe is the matriarch of my herd." Oreius flicked his tail, lashing his flanks, as he sought to control his rising temper. "Do you despise my wife so much that you would so willingly turn a blind eye to the activities of those who would seek to harm her? For your sake, I hope not for I will not tolerate anything less than the full penalty of the law to fall on any who would harm her."

"Oreius, the bouquet stems were completely covered with a thick linen wrap. Anyone could have delivered the bouquet and if they were wearing gloves and knew where to look, then they would not have necessarily needed the help of a Centaur to acquire the perygl."

He bit back the exasperated retort that sprang to his lips when Alambiel came up to him. His wife was defending the very mare who had been tormenting her for a fortnight. Alambiel placed her hand on his elbow. "Despoina and Frostmoon have been here at the Cair for a fortnight now. That bouquet was fresh from what I could see."

"Pretty words for one who does not hold her vows as sacred."

Oreius looked up sharply but Despoina was not looking at him. Instead, she was watching Alambiel closely. She raised one closed fist and uncurled her fingers, revealing his mother's betrothal ring.

"My ring! Where did you find it?"

Alambiel reached for it but Despoina pulled her hand away, hot anger stirring in her eyes now. "You do not deserve to wear this. And you, nephew, should have been far more discerning in your choice of wife. It is a shame that Selene's ring has been so sullied."

Oreius scowled. "The ring was stolen and my discernment seems better than your own in this matter."

"Stolen?" Despoina scoffed then turned a cold look on Alambiel. "Is that what she told you?"

"No. She believed they were lost when she discovered the rings missing this morn but since you found one ring, it is clear to me that someone meaning mischief stole the rings."

"You are blind to the truth of this Nymph, Oreius." Despoina nodded to a note Frostmoon held and his great-uncle handed it to him. "Look at what is written there and tell me again how this ring was stolen."

Oreius read the note, brows rising as he noted the . . . creative description being employed. Alambiel tugged at his arm and he lowered the note so she could read it. His wife's jaw dropped and she turned bright red as she exclaimed, "I didn't write that! That's not my handwriting." She looked at Despoina and jabbed her thumb at him as she stated emphatically, "I wouldn't even write that to him! Where did you find this?"

"In the solarium where we have been taking our noon meal for the past sennight." Despoina looked down her nose at his wife. "A very foolish choice to hold an illicit rendezvous."

"Yes, it would be if I were having an affair but I'm not. I didn't lose my rings until this morn or maybe sometime during the night."

"You are caught in a lie, filly. I knew you were unsuitable but I did not think you would be so fool as to continue lying in hopes that Oreius will be so blinded by his infatuation as to continue refusing acknowledging the truth of the matter."

"Enough." Oreius plucked the betrothal ring from his great-aunt's palm. "Enough of this. The only one who refuses to see the truth is you, Despoina."

"You think she is telling the truth."

He took a deep breath then stamped a hoof. "I know she is telling the truth. Alambiel was wearing her rings when I returned last night and then she spent the rest of the night as well as a goodly portion of the morn by my side. Even if she had been inclined to be unfaithful (which she is not), she could not have slipped out of our quarters without being seen or without my notice since she slept before I did and I woke before she did."

"Oreius." The soft whisper and gentle pressure on his arm begged for caution. Alambiel looked up at him with an unspoken plea in her eyes. "Oreius, she is kin. Don't say something you will regret."

"You dare pretend to be gracious? You dare pretend to be faithful and act as though I need some upstart, foolish, unacceptable, insolent chit of a filly to intercede on my behalf. I will not have any of my kin so treated by one who only seeks more power and position while dallying with a string of lovers, whom you then pay for their silence by giving away the very rings that symbolize your marriage." Despoina raised her hand, her intent clear.

Oreius caught her wrist, halting the blow before the open-palmed strike reached Alambiel. He stepped forward, forcing Despoina to retreat, until he was between the two elders and his wife. "Leave. You and Frostmoon are no longer welcome. I suggest you leave by noon tomorrow. You refuse to respect Alambiel as either my wife or as the Princess Royal. She would not and has never betrayed me or the vows we have spoken. And her rank puts her above me, above all of us. If you attempt to strike her again, you will be arrested for assaulting a royal. And I will see you banished from Cair Paravel for the rest of your life. As it is, I strongly suggest that you delay visiting again until you have learned to accept my choice of wife or until you can at least show Alambiel respect as the Princess Royal of Narnia."

He allowed Despoina to wrench her arm free of his grasp. Her eyes flashed. "You don't know—"

"Despoina, enough." Frostmoon laid a hand on his wife's shoulder as he rumbled, "Enough, I say. We are going home."

"Frostmoon, he is making a mistake."

His great-uncle looked at him, grey eyes keen and then he wrapped his arm around Despoina's shoulders. "Oreius is a grown stallion. He can make mistakes and he will live with the consequences. But it is time for us to go home. You have tried. It is too late. It was too late when we arrived."

Oreius didn't say anything as Frostmoon led his great-aunt away. He clenched his jaw against the hot words that wished to combat his great-uncle's pronouncement. It was only Alambiel's hand resting against his side that enabled him to do so. As he slowly turned to leave, Alambiel slipped her hand into his, threading their fingers together. They left in silence until Alambiel glanced up at him. "I see why you really wandered so far from your herd. The matriarchs have really high standards."

He did not smile but still squeezed her hand. "She does not know you. If she paid attention to what was in front of her, she would see how fortunate I am to have you." Then he tugged her down a different corridor.

"Oreius, where are we going?"

"To the conservatory."

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Susan paused just as she started around the bend in the path cutting through the largest conservatory's rose garden. She had been looking for Kat but she had no desire to intrude on the scene before her. Oreius and Kat were standing in front of some of the more exotic roses, the ones that bloomed with blue or white petals, and both were smiling. The General reached past Kat to cut off one of the smaller blooms. The pale lavender blue flower was very beautiful and then Oreius tucked it behind Kat's ear.

Kat smiled up at him. "Is this to dissuade me from the reds?"

"No. I merely thought it would suit you best and I was correct." Oreius grasped Kat's chin then bent his head to kiss her.

Susan's eyes widened and she had to press a hand to her mouth to keep from squealing in delight. Unlike Peter and Thalia, Kat and Oreius tended to be more subtle in their demonstrations of affection. Still, it was always a delight to see the couple she and the other matchmakers had worked so hard to put together (and they did have a hand in it no matter what her brothers might say) enjoying their love. She lowered her hand then delicately cleared her throat, trying not to smile too much. "Kat?"

The General broke the kiss but he didn't move away immediately. Instead, he whispered something in Kat's ear that made the older woman turn as red as any of the traditional roses. The General brushed another kiss against his wife's forehead then he stepped back and bowed respectfully to Susan. "Your Majesty."

She barely waited for the Centaur to pass her before she strolled over to where Kat was standing, holding a simple white vase and still staring after her husband with what could only be described as stars in her eyes. "Kat?"

"Uh-huh."

Susan bit back a giggle. "Kat, I heard Leeta returned. Did she tell you anything?"

"Uh-huh."

"So you do agree that you need to sit with Lord Terrick at the banquet tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh." Kat's brow furrowed and then she looked at her. "Wait. What? He's back?"

Susan laughed. Kat blushed then busied herself with setting the vase on the small table nestled unobtrusively in a shallow alcove. "Oh hush you."

Still giggling, Susan shook her head. "You two are just too sweet, I'll have you know."

Kat ignored her as she snipped a few blue roses and then added some of the creamy white blossoms. Susan glanced at the plain white vase then she went in search of a basket and some shears of her own. It was time for her to refresh the flowers in the Royal Wing, after all. She snipped a few of the creamy white roses. She glanced at Kat then cleared her throat before slipping into French. One never knew when someone might be eavesdropping. "On m'a dit que Leeta est revenue aujourd'hui."
I was told Leeta returned today.

"En effet." She did. Kat walked over to the red roses of varying hues. "Et elle a amené le cousin de Merry la Vieille. Il m'a dit beaucoup de choses." And she brought Merry the Elder's cousin. He told me much. She glanced at her as she snipped some bright red blossoms and then added, "Merry a donné naissance à des jumeaux, la fille dont nous connaissions l'existence, et un fils qu'elle a prénommé Markus." Merry gave birth to twins, the daughter we knew of and a son she named Markus.

"Quoi? Elle a nommé son fils d'après Markus?" What? She named her son after Markus?

Kat gave a little nod. "Et il disparut alors qu'il était enfant." And he disappeared as a child.

Susan's mind was still racing with the possible implications of the situation, but only one truly mattered. "Alors le fragment de lettre retrouvé là où Merry est morte pouvait être adressé au jeune Markus, son frère." Then the letter scrap found where Merry died could have been addressed to the younger Markus, her brother.

"Précisément." Precisely. Kat snipped two roses that were the shade of blood-red. "Si Merry la Jeune était en contact avec son frère alors ces informations devraient être dans son second foyer." If Merry the Younger was in contact with her brother, then that information should be at her home away from home.

"Tu sais où il se trouve." You know where it is.

"Je vois à peu près où il se trouve. Une fois que nous aurons réglé cette affaire avec Babak et ses épouses je m'occuperai de convaincre Oreius de me laisser partir en exploration. Les pièces manquantes du puzzle se trouvent dans la tanière de Merry. J'en suis sûre." I know the general location of it. Once we have settled the matter with Babak and his wives, I will work on convincing Oreius to let me go exploring. The rest of the answers to the puzzle are in Merry's den. I am certain of it.

Susan nodded. It made sense. But, there was still something that troubled her. "Es tu certaine que nous pouvons arranger les choses avec Babak sans avoir de réponse quant à sa relation avec Merry?" Are you certain we can settle things with Babak without the answers regarding Merry's relationship with him?

"J'ai des preuves que Merry et son frère sont les enfants du Tisroc (puisse-t-il ne jamais connaître la paix) du temps de mon père. Je sais aussi que Merry la Jeune a quitté Narnia l'année où tes frères et soeurs et toi avez accédé au pouvoir. Je ne pense pas qu'elle ait jamais été la loyale Narnienne que fut sa mère, et cela explique pourquoi elle et Babak se connaîtraient." I have testimony that Merry and her brother are the children of the Tisroc (may he never know peace forever) of my father's time. I also know that Merry the Younger left Narnia the year you and your siblings came to power. I doubt she was ever the loyal Narnian her mother was and it explains how she and Babak would know each other.

"Alors penses-tu que le Tisroc ait ordonné son assassinat?" Then do you think the Tisroc ordered her killed?

"Je ne sais pas." I do not know. Kat gathered her roses and carried them all to the white vase. "Je ne pense cependant pas que cet acte était cautionné. Sa vipère de femme aurait pu le faire. Elle était au courant de leur liaison et je l'estime parfaitement capable de tuer toute rivale. Ou alors ça aurait pu être quelqu'un d'autre. Peut-être quelqu'un qui appartenait au réseau d'espionnage ou qui avait d'autres affaires avec Merry." I do not think it was sanctioned, though. That viper of a wife might have done it. She knew about their affair and I would not put it past her to kill off any rivals. Or it could have been someone else. Someone who perhaps was part of the spy ring or who had other dealings with Merry.

"Est-ce qu' Edmund le sait?" Does Edmund know?

"Il le saura dès que tu lui diras." He will as soon as you tell him. Kat finished arranging her roses and then picked up the vase. "Je ne sais pas ce que ce puzzle donnera quand nous en aurons toutes les pièces, mais je suis certaine que Babak et sa vipère sont le problème le plus urgent. Une fois que nous aurons sauvé cette fille nous serons à même de terminer de combler ce trou dans nos defenses." I don't know how this puzzle will turn out once we have all the pieces but I am certain that Babak and his viper are the more immediate problem. Once we save the girl, we'll be able to finish plugging the hole in our defenses.

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Edmund leaned an arm against the bars. "Never easy being locked up, is it? Even when you know you deserve it for how wretched you've been in the past."

The former sorcerer continued pacing the cell. His gaze never rested on him long but when it did, it was as keen as any blade. "You were not a traitor for as long as me. These bars gall me but I know I deserve worse. If one looked only at the years I spent fighting against the Great Lion, even this imprisonment has been light, far lighter than I deserve."

"Aslan is gracious enough to forgive us and He does not hand down the severest penalty we deserve for our wrongdoings." Edmund shrugged a little. "I'm living proof of that and so are you, Markus."

Markus rubbed his hand along his jaw then he stopped, looking over at the bare wall. "One would think I was freer before I ceased resisting His call for I was not imprisoned. But . . ."

"But physical bars are not a true prison anymore because you feel the freedom from long burdens now." Edmund smirked a little when Markus shot him a look. "I may not have felt Him in Jadis' dungeon but I have been in enough dungeons afterward that I know the feeling."

"It seems we have more in common than most would suspect, Your Majesty."

"That is the way Aslan works. From the High King to the lowest pauper, we are created to serve Him and we are the same in His eyes. No one is more important than the other; instead, we are called to serve Aslan to the best of our abilities no matter how different our skills might be. It is a unifying factor." Edmund grinned as he added, "Especially in a country as diverse as Narnia."

"I admit to always being somewhat intrigued by the ways in which the Lion's followers act as though they have received a second life. It is as though the dark deeds of the past no longer exist." The former sorcerer dropped down onto the bed with a weary sigh. "Although, I find it is far more difficult to fully escape the imprint of those deeds than for them to be erased in Aslan's eyes."

Edmund nodded, considering his words when a particular phrase caught at him. Received second life. He looked at Markus but the man had dropped his chin into his hand and his eyes were closed. He could leave without Markus even taking notice. Edmund nodded to the guard and then swiftly, silently took his leave.

He raced through the corridors until he reached the library. "Stonebrook! Where is that treaty on 'second lives?'"

The Centaur gestured to a delicate parchment on the table before him. "I just uncovered it, My King. I believe this will prove helpful to the situation with the filly."

"Pray you're right, Stonebrook," he muttered as he stepped up to the carefully preserved parchment. The ink was somewhat faded in spots but the little triumphant smirk that Peter always complained about appearing when Edmund was feeling sneaky still appeared. He read the document over thrice to be sure he was reading it correctly and hadn't missed any vital details. He had found it. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too late for Shirin.

An hour later, he made his way down to the southernmost solarium where Kat would train the girls. He paused just inside the doorway. Kat was observing Lucy spar with a Naiad he didn't know. She turned her head slightly and then lifted her chin. Edmund stepped back out into the hall, the door muffling the quick conversation before Kat emerged from the room. She arched an eyebrow. "What did you find?"

"The loophole."

Kat tilted her head slightly as the tiniest hint of a smile appeared. "I knew there had to be one. What is it?"

"This will go easier if we can discuss it and plan how best to use it at the same time." He paused, considering, and then added cautiously, "But I don't think we should let the others know until after we can determine its usability."

"We can use my study." She glanced around, obviously looking for something or someone.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for Remus to tackle me. Where are your enthusiastic menaces?"

Edmund smirked. "They went to ask Peter about why mates have a special day when it's not their wedding."

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He wasn't sure what had woken him. A soft barely heard sound drifted to him. He reached for Alambiel but his wife was not in the bed. With a weary sigh, Oreius flung back the coverlet and rose. Humming. He could hear humming coming from the sitting room. He opened the door and stopped in his tracks. Alambiel was standing in the room, swaying gently as she hummed to the small bundle in her arms. She looked over at him and smiled. "We were trying not to wake you."

He watched as the small dark-haired babe cooed and then Alambiel carried the little one past him and back into their bedchamber. She stopped in front of the cradle at the foot of their bed. Kissing the top of the little one's head, she smiled at him then carefully lowered the filly into the cradle. The little one mewed then let out a loud bawl . . .

Screams filled the air, mingling with the smoke from the burning village, but they were distant and fading. Oreius tightened his grip on his swords, sheathed for the moment. Where was she? A burning beam fell to the ground beside him, making him shy to the side. He stumbled over something. A broken cradle.

Looking beyond the destruction and the burning houses, he could see the still bodies, some too small for their lives to end so soon. Where was she? "Alambiel!"

Another house groaned as the fire ate through its beams then, with a crack, it collapsed, sending flaming debris and sparks flying. Oreius hissed as a few embers bit into his unprotected skin. His armor was back at camp. He had to find Alambiel. Then he stiffened as he heard it.

"Oreius! Oreius, I'm here! I'm here!"

Alambiel. Oreius galloped forward and then leapt over a turned-over cart. There, in the middle of the village market. Alambiel was still wearing her armor but now she had a wet cloth draped over her head and covering half her face. She turned then started running to him. She reached out to him, slowing as they met near the village well. "Oreius." Her fingers caressed his cheek then she pulled the wet cloth aside. "There's no one left. They locked the survivors in the meeting hall and . . . There's no one left."

He reached for her, seeing the grief in her eyes at her perceived failure. "It is all right but we must leave now."

"Ye-" She gasped, eyes widening in shock as she brought her hands up to the bloody arrowhead protruding from high in the center of her chest. She looked back up at him, bloodstained fingers stretching toward him. "Oreius."

Then she swayed and crumpled to the ground.

"NO!" Oreius bent, intending to pick her up. The light hadn't faded from her eyes yet. There was time. He needed to get her to the healers. They could save her. A snarl echoed and a shadow loomed over him. He reacted, swatting the Werewolf away. The creature yelped, shaking its head before it retreated.

Oreius could hear the howls of more Werewolves. He had to hurry. Alambiel. Then a cold cruel voice laughed. "It's too late for her, Centaur. As promised, I have taken what you love most. I should have made Lew's Daughter suffer more but your suffering will suffice."

He stared at the shadowy figure then he scooped Alambiel into his arms again, being careful of the arrow. "Alambiel. Chéadsearc, hold on. Just hold on." But she didn't respond. Fear chilled him despite the heat of the surrounding fire. No, no, no, this could not be happening. "Alambiel. Look at me. Look at me!"

She didn't move. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was weak, so weak he could barely feel it brushing against his skin. "No. Alambiel, look at me. Alambiel!"

Cruel laughter rent the air, mocking his pain, his desperation as he desperately tried to keep his wife from bleeding to death. The arrow was high enough that it might not have delivered a fatal wound. If he could get her to the healers.

"Oreius." A hand grabbed his shoulder and clung on as he attempted to carry Alambiel to safety. He resisted, pulling free of the restraint. He would not lose her like this. He would not lose her. "Oreius!" An arm encircled his chest while a light pressure touched the back of his shoulder. "Oreius, shh, tá mé ar dheis anseo, mo ghrá. Tá sé ceart go leor. Tá mé anseo in éineacht leat. Bhí sé ach aisling. Ach aisling." I'm right here, my love. It's all right. I'm here with you. It was just a dream. Just a dream.

The fire and blood vanished but the fear remained. Oreius looked down to see Alambiel's left hand pressed against his chest while he could feel her other hand combing through his hair. Her soft breaths continued to tickle his shoulder as she murmured in Irish, pausing to place kisses against his shoulder and neck. Oreius reached up and clasped her hand. She was alive. She was here with him. He hadn't failed to protect her. Allowing his wife to comfort him, Oreius tried not to dwell on the nightmare or the unsettling feeling he had that the dream was a forewarning and not as harmless as he would have preferred and Alambiel believed.

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A/N: Please Read and Review! Lots happening in this one. Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.