So I once again forgot to publish this story here after publishing it on the Amino. So that's great (not), but here it is now. Enjoy!

The journey back to Greenhaven had taken a little less than four days. They had already sent a message up front telling of their discovery.

Conor was exhausted. Not really physically but mostly emotionally. The illness seemed not to only become Lishay's downfall but it also drove him personally insane, for some reason. He felt unfit. Not sick but... nearly depressed.

And there was Abeke. Obviously something was wrong with her but she refused to say anything. She spoke very little these past days and stayed clear of the other three.

Conor didn't know what to think of it. A brief thought had crossed his mind, that Abeke had to same illness as Lishay, but he had forced it away, unable to think about it. Abeke wasn't ill. Abeke was strong and there was no reason she couldn't be loved.

In Greenhaven, the Four made their way to the medical wing. Olvan nor Lenori were there to greet them, so they supposed their best guess was going there.

Conor was walking behind Meilin and Rollan, deep in thought about nothing in particular. Due to his thoughts he didn't think to check if Abeke was still walking behind them. When he finally did, she was gone. His heart stopped.

'Abeke?' He called out. 'Abeke?!'

Meilin and Rollan had turned around too, frowning as Meilin asked. 'What is it?'

'Where's Abeke?' Conor repeated. 'Abeke?!' He called out again. Still nothing.

Conor rushed forward, breaking into a run and stopping right again when he turned around the corner. At the far end of the hallway Abeke lay, motionless.

Conor gasped and broke into a run immediately. 'Abeke?!' He shook her body but she didn't respond. 'No,' he whispered. 'No, no, no, no, no.'

'Conor!'

He looked up. It had been Meilin, who was standing a few meters away with Rollan. 'We've got to get her to the infirmary.' She made the motion to help Conor carry Abeke but he had picked her up already, returning on his way to the medical wing.

~ Short time skip ~

Inside the infirmary, Conor couldn't produce anything other than rambling, so Meilin took over telling one of the medics what had happened.

Conor's patience was tested more than ever now for it seemed to take hours before Meilin was done. She returned finally, face set neutral. But Conor noticed an extra air of worry around her.

'Where should I put her?' Was the first thing Conor asked Meilin.

'They'll set up a third room,' Meilin told him.

'A third room?' Rollan repeated, mingling himself in the conversation. 'Who's the second room for?'

Meilin's expression turned grave now. 'It's Lenori. She seems to have caught the same disease as Lishay.'

Conor's mind was on Abeke mostly. For some reason, the only one he could think about was her. Lenori and Lishay seemed unimportant now and he didn't even feel guilty about it. He just felt strange.

As Rollan watched from the doorway, his heart felt torn apart. At the sight of Abeke, lying motionless on the seemingly too big bed. And at the sight of Conor, heartbroken next to her bed.

A hand touched his shoulder gently. He turned around to look at the person behind him. Of course it was Meilin.

'I have been thinking,' she started. Love is the remedy. So how can we save Lenori and Abeke?'

'By love,' Rollan stated. 'Who do you think is their love?' He immediately asked after it.

Meilin breathed in and out before answering. 'For Lenori, it's Olvan of course.'

Rollan whisked around. 'Olvan?' He repeated. 'Why?'

'Rollan!' Meilin exclaimed. 'It's obvious. Especially now. He's sitting next to her bed and doing nothing else. Entirely forgetting his duties as leader and everything. That is completely unlike him.'

Rollan remained silent, not knowing what to say.

'The only problem is that he doesn't want to accept it,' Meilin finished.

Rollan sighed. 'Seriously?'

'Obviously.'

'Did you tell him?' Rollan asked.

'I told him what we thought was the remedy. His response was... minimal. He seems to think there is no remedy for Lenori either then. But he is her remedy. And she is his.'

'She is his?' Rollan repeated.

'Olvan's got the sickness too. His skin's getting paler and he's coughing as well. However, when he touches Lenori they both seem to... get a little better. But not good enough. They have to embrace it, truly embrace it. And that way we can see if it works too.'

'And if it works,' Rollan started, 'perhaps we can get Conor to help Abeke.'

Meilin looked into the room again, and her gaze darkened a little bit. 'I hope so.'

~ Short Time Skip ~

Meilin had been right. Olvan looked worse than when they had left. He was sitting motionless next to Lenori's bed, only staring at her. He didn't even look up when Rollan and Meilin came in.

'Olvan?' Meilin asked tentatively. He didn't response. 'Olvan?' She repeated.

That shook him out of his trance and he looked up in question. 'Yes?'

'Rollan and I have been thinking. The remedy for the illness is love. So what Lenori needs is love.'

No response but a half expectant glance.

'And you obviously need it too,' Rollan added.

Olvan looked about to protest but quit halfway through. He sighed. 'Maybe,' he agreed.

'You can heal her. And she can heal you,' Meilin insisted.

Olvan snorted. 'No. I can't. I'm not that person for her.'

Rollan groaned inwardly. 'Seriously. Just touch her hand and you'll see you are.'

'I'm not,' Olvan repeated.

'Just do it,' Rollan nearly screamed. He didn't really scream of course but he felt like doing it. He was getting sick of these people who refused to admit their love for someone else.

Olvan stared blatantly ahead of himself, then sighed deeply and carefully, tenderly, reached out to take Lenori's hand in his. He folded both his hands around her small one, vanishing it from their view. 'It doesn't work,' he murmured. He kept ahold of Lenori's hand however.

Meilin spoke up. 'Because healing her fully and yourself too might need stronger sign of love. Like... a kiss,' she suggested when he didn't seem to get her.

'No,' for a moment Olvan's voice had the authority back that it usually had. 'Never. Not without her permission.'

'There's is no way you can ask for permission,' Rollan groaned. 'Just do it. It's just a little kiss, no one's gonna say you tried to abuse her or anything. Especially not if it works.'

Olvan still seemed hesitant.

Meilin crossed over, kneeling next to him. It was a bit of a strange sight, to see Meilin kneeling next to a completely depressed Olvan and encouraging him. But, after all, times were strange now.

'You love Lenori. I know you do, everyone knows it. You can see it in your eyes and your expression whenever you see her. And she loves you too. I know she does because her eyes change too. So subtly, she's skilled at hiding it, but it's there. You've both pushed it down and tried to make it as unnoticeable, especially to the other, as possible. But now is the time to stop doing that and embrace this.' Meilin got up, taking a few steps back. She glanced over her shoulder, meeting Rollan's gaze. He gave her an encouraging smile.

Olvan's eyes were on Lenori for a long moment that seemed to stretch on forever. Then he, slowly, bent forward. He took her hand in his, stroking with his thumb over her skin. Then he closed the distance to press a chaste kiss to her lips. It was enough.

Lenori gasped, eyes flying open and she looked around in surprise. Olvan looked like he barely believed it. Meilin looked overjoyed. And Rollan, he was beaming. Because it had worked.

Less than five minutes later they were standing outside, they meaning Rollan and Meilin.

'I am so glad it worked,' Meilin spoke up at first.

'You were amazing,' Rollan told her. 'Encouraging Olvan like that. That's what made it work.'

Meilin smiled shyly. 'I suppose. Now they only have to keep it up.'

They had left Olvan and Lenori alone now that they both seemed to be okay. The skin contact seemed to be helping a lot and both of them were getting better so they had left to check up on Abeke, and Conor. Plus, Rollan had said, he didn't need to see them doing mushy stuff. Although he was very happy it had worked, he had added.

Meilin chuckled. 'It does seem a little cliché right. That a kiss wakes her up. It could material for a fairytale.'

Rollan grinned. 'Yeah. But if it works, who the hell cares if it is material for a fairytale. I always liked fairytales.'

Meilin giggled and on instinct she leaned forward to kiss him. It was a short kiss but it did feel amazing. Like a hole in her chest was fixed when their lips touched.

Meilin smiled shyly when they pulled away, actually feeling a little shy. There was a bit of an awkward silence, although it could also be called a romantically tense silence, then Rollan spluttered out. 'We should get to Conor and Abeke.'

Meilin nodded. 'Yes. Of course.'

~ Short time skip ~

Meilin had already feared convincing Conor wouldn't be so easy. He was even more stubborn than Olvan and she had no idea why.

Suppressing her sigh she said. 'Conor. Just give it a try. It's only one little kiss and if it works Abeke will be healed. You two belong together.'

'We don't,' Conor said bitterly. He reached up, rubbing over the scar on his forehead. 'I'm not good enough.'

'That's what Olvan said about Lenori and him too and they are both healed.'

'Exactly. You're feeling ill too so it's logical that you and Abeke belong together. Please Conor. We don't want to lose you, neither of you.'

Conor glanced at Abeke again. Deeply frowning and deeply troubled. He sighed once, then bent forward and kissed Abeke. On her lips, shortly but surely.

Yet nothing happened. Not for the first seconds and not for the seconds that followed.

Conor let out a cry of anguish. 'I told you,' he exclaimed. 'It won't work. I'm not good enough. Now stop telling me that and just let me be!'

Meilin was shocked, to say the least. Conor, screaming like that at them. She didn't feel Rollan's hand on her shoulder at first but when he tugged she turned around to look at him.

'Come,' he whispered urgently. She followed him, looking at Conor once before she exited the room.

Outside, it truly got through to her. It hadn't worked. Conor wasn't Abeke's love.

So what did you think? Review to let me know and until the next time!