The banquet was over, and it was time for the servants to clean up whatever mess the guests have made during the party. Zevran easily blended in with most of the servants now that he's changed clothes, since most of the servants were elven. "Hey! You there!" The harsh voice of an old woman echoed across the room. Of course, he didn't look and kept on 'sweeping the floors', until the old hag decided to hit his shoulder with a stick.

"Respond when you are called, elf." She sneered. It had taken a huge amount of self-control to not sneer back at the woman. "Take these to the Arlessa's quarters." She ordered as she handed him a bunch of neatly folded clothes. He merely bowed his head and did as he was asked.

At least that hag was good for something. He thought as he made his way towards her quarters. It was easy to find, actually. It had the most ornate door among all the other rooms.

He didn't bother to knock when he reached her quarters. He simply slipped inside quietly and shut the door behind him, seeing that she was asleep. Her hair was all over her pillow and her face, yet she still looked as glorious as ever. He placed the pile of clothes on top of her dresser and walked slowly towards her, and with each step he took, his heart pounded in his chest. She looked so vulnerable, so fragile… and yet he knew she was none of those things. She was his definition of perfection, all of his dreams put together and personified. And he got too scared to hurt her that he did the exact same thing he was trying to protect her from.

Slowly, he knelt beside her, his heart clenching tightly, making it difficult for him to breathe. I'm so sorry, cara mia. Non ho mai avuto intenzione di farti del male. He breathed out quietly and reached a hand to cup her face, and suddenly he found himself on the ground, a dagger angled on his throat.

"Z-Zevran…?!" She said through gritted teeth, sneering at him and pressing the dagger further.

"Evanna… p-please…"

The Warden-Commander then raised her blade to stab his heart, but he quickly pushed her off and got up to his feet, immediately holding his hands in front to protect himself. Evanna advanced onto him, furiously slashing and stabbing at his face and stomach, all of which he had difficulty dodging most of the time. They danced around each other for a long time, Evanna's anger increasingly fuelled by each memory that flashes through her mind with each slash or stab that she makes.

"Someday, you'll regret teaching me this technique of yours, Zevran."

"Is that so? Why do you think so, carissima?" He asked as he lunged at her again, watching her barely dodge.

"Because one day, I'll be better than you. Just watch." She smirked triumphantly, although it was wiped off when she was caught off guard by Zevran, who had pinned her on the ground with her arms over her head.

"I'd like to see you try, bambina."

Before she could even give a witty remark, his lips found hers in a deep kiss, his tongue teasing her lower lip, begging for entrance .Slowly, he let go of her arms and ran his hands through her hair, pulling her up with him, deepening the kiss. She felt his hands travel down to the small of her back, his touch setting her skin ablaze. She smirked against his lips and took advantage of their situation, twisting her body and pushing him down, pinning him to the ground. She then laughed at his surprised expression.

"Never let your enemy distract you, si?" She mocked his accent, which only made him want to kiss her more.

"Evanna, stop… Please, I'm not here to-"

Never let your enemy distract you, his words echoed inside her head as she cut him off with a knife flying towards him. She tried to clear her head and focus on her attacks, but before she even realized, tears were streaming down her face. He only said my name, why am I crying? Why are my knees going weak, why am I shaking? She hated him for making her feel like this, but she hated herself more for allowing him to make her feel like this, too.

Zevran took advantage of this and spun her around, locking her in his arms and throwing her weapon away. "Please, Evanna…" He breathed out her name again, and she felt her knees fail her.

"No, no! L-let me go, please…" She almost choked on the words as she struggled against him. It's not right. Why would she want to be in the arms of the man who once killed her?

Zevran didn't want to let go of her, but he had to. That bastard Taliesen knew about this, didn't he…

Evanna quickly pushed him away and reached for her dagger, Zevran beat her to it and threw it farther away. "Evanna, can you please calm down-"

"You killed me!"

"And it is evident that I did not succeed in doing so, cara mia-"

"Stop calling me that!" she sneered.

"Fine, Evanna. But please, let me explain."

The Warden's eyes were filled with anger and disgust for him, and it broke his heart to see her like that. He's changed her ever since that day, but so did she. When he killed her, his heart died with her. So did everything that mattered to him. He died with her. The man in front of her now was but a husk of the man she knew two years ago.

"Why would I let you explain? You tried to fucking murder me-"

"I did that for your sake, but I was wrong-"

"-and now you came back to finish it!"

"-because I was a fucking coward!"

They both stopped talking, both of them sitting on the floor and glaring daggers at each other. "Evanna, I understand that you resent me for what I did in the past, but I did not come to harm you. I came here to tell you that someone contacted the Crows, and put a contract on your life." He managed to say in between breaths.

"And I'm supposed to believe you?" She replied, scoffing and laughing at him. "Funny. Weren't you the one who stabbed me before? Letting me die the second time around shouldn't be too hard for you, shouldn't it?" she spat at him.

"Not when I have to do it again! I'm the one they sent after you, Warden. I don't want to do this. I can't do this. Not again."

"You've done it once. What's stopping you?" she snorted.

He paused and sucked in a breath for a moment, then spoke again. "I can't lose you again, Evanna."

Her eyes widened and her tongue seemed to get stuck in her mouth. Her heartbeat became erratic, and she could've sworn that he could hear her heart pounding in her chest. It's pathetic how she easily melts into his arms and how she easily falls for his words even if he once took a blade to her stomach. Am I that masochistic?

"You've lost me long ago, Zevran. It's too late now." She replied, her voice above a whisper.

The pain he felt right now was nothing compared to the torture the Crows called 'training'. Then flashbacks of how she pleaded came to him again, and suddenly he wanted to throw up. He's disgusting. He's selfish. He regrets everything, but he doesn't have a choice, does he? All this time, he's only brought her pain. She deserved to be happy. She deserved a life without him.

"You're right. I lost you already. I was just not ready to accept it." He whispered back, then got up to his feet and walked past her.

"I cannot convince you to believe me, bella mia, and I understand why. I will keep them away from you as much as I can, but please... Be careful."

His whole being felt heavier as he got to her door, for he knows that this will be the last time he can see her up close. Without sparing another glance, he left her room silently.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Aaaand it is done! I hope you liked the latest and last update. Until my next fic. Ciao~

Translation: (I used google translate. pardon me.)

Non ho mai avuto intenzione di farti del male= I never meant to hurt you.