In Memoriam (Michael/Dare/Adara)

[Adara Snow]

A woman? Adara's mind swam with confusion. The haze was lifting, but only because she was being forced to take in so much all at once. Emilian's shop had been safe inside, and there had been a woman? Adara did not want to accept this. If the shop was safe, then Emilian would have been there, and if there had been a woman...Adara's mind refused to think any further. At the last, Emilian had been hers, and hers alone. She would not foul his memory with anything more. Adara shook her head, and bit against her lip as she turned back toward the lake, though she could not seem to make her mind shut down again.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare couldn't be sure what it had been to set her off, but it was obvious they had lost her again. "Adara, it's true, I swear," he said. "Will you please just listen?" She didn't look as blank as she had when they'd first sat down with her, but he kept remembering the time he'd seen her shut down completely, and it had terrified him; he didn't want to see it again.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael licked his lips and looked over at Dare, mouthing sorry before dropping his hand and moving to kneel in front of Adara. "Stay with us for five minutes," he said, trying to look through the confused haze in her eyes to connect with her. "I swear it's worth it." He searched her eyes, trying to find a thread of the girl he had seen by the lake when Dare had been drawing her, that was the Adara he knew, this strange shell was horrible.

[Adara Snow]

Adara forced herself to blink, tried to focus on Michael. But her eyes wanted to tear up, at just the effort of listening when she wanted to retreat, and it was difficult to see him. She blinked again, and tried to remember to breathe. This was Michael, she reminded herself. Michael, whom Emilian had loved so dearly. Adara bit her lip, hard, trying to use the pain to ground herself, to pull herself away from the temptation of half-consciousness. Her mind whirled with the effort, but she tried to hold on, for Michael.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare might have felt like a lifeline was being taken away, but as Michael moved in front of Adara, all Dare could think was that Michael was taking the large part of the responsibility by doing so. He knew that there was no way he could have had the effect that Michael seemed to be having on her; she looked like, maybe, she was trying. Dare tried to think of something to say, anything to help Michael, but he was afraid that if he did, he would break the tentative link between them, and she might retreat again.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"We went upstairs," Michael said, keeping eye contact with Adara. "It was exactly how it should have been." He would have stopped completely to wait for a reaction, but he wanted to get out what he could before she left. "And when we went into the bedroom, Emilian was there, alive, but covered in bruises. The woman had been taking care of him, giving him potions." He got the big picture out of the way, he would fill in what had happened once she had taken in what he had said.

[Adara Snow]

Adara stared at Michael, trying to process what he had said, trying to believe the impossible when she had been working so hard to accept something else. Emilian was there, alive. Had he really said that, or was her mind playing tricks on her again? Adara's heart refused to hope. Emilian was there. "I feel dizzy, Michael," Adara said, swaying slightly, but staying upright as she reached for him, her hands catching at his shirt for balance. Her vision was blackening at the edges, but she fought it, wanting to stay awake now, wanting to hear it again, to know that she wasn't simply delirious.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare moved when he saw Adara sway, shifting close in case she should faint again and fall. He was deeply worried, but he thought that she had heard, even if she was having trouble accepting. "Adara, stay with us," Dare said, echoing Michael's words and praying it was enough.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"Adara," Michael said, taking her shoulders lightly in his hands. "He was beaten, but Emilian is alive." He felt it was important for her to know that he was there, breathing, with a heartbeat. His eyes darted so quickly to Dare before settling on Adara again, praying she heard and understood. He really didn't like the idea of her fainting again, afraid that, if she did, she would wake up and decide it had all been a dream and refuse to believe.

[Adara Snow]

Adara's lungs could not seem to gather enough air, nor could they seem to remember the simple motion of breathing. She inhaled sharply, then released slow, over and over while her mind repeated Michael's words like a litany. Emilian is alive. Emilian is alive. Adara clutched at Michael's shirt, struggled, but kept her eyes on his. "I have his wand," she said weakly. Those few words encompassed much more. She had proof of his death; she wanted proof of life. She needed something solid.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare only paused for a moment before her meaning hit him, and he blinked, then scrambled to pull the letters out of his pocket with shaking hands. "I have letters," he said, turning them toward her a moment, then thinking better of it and unfolding them for her and holding them out to Michael, rather than risk personally prying her hands off his shirt. "These are letters from Emilian. One of them he wrote last night, you can see for yourself."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael took the letters and held them out for Adara to take. "Read them, I watched him write both of them myself," he said, leaning back on his heels slightly, even though she still held onto his shirt. He didn't know what was in them, but he had watched Emilian, seen him putting the quill to the parchment to write the words to Adara.

[Adara Snow]

Adara blinked, then nodded, forcing her hands to uncurl, then to take the sheets of parchment, though her hands were beginning to shake again. She was not certain she would be able to read, to make any sense of the letters, but all the same, she dropped her eyes to the first letter.

Adara,

I can't promise that I will stay in my shop, there are things I have to do, errands I have to run, but I will do my best to stay safe for you. It astounds me that the Headmistress agreed to help me, but I won't argue with my luck.

I think of you constantly, and you're in my dreams, sleeping and waking. We will be together soon, we have to be, I'm sure of it. The thought keeps me going when I hear of what is going on outside of my shop. I know you're thinking of me, and it brings a smile whenever I think it.

Emilian

Adara nearly cried at his words, and blinked furiously as she rearranged the pages, knowing it was the other that she needed. The handwriting on the second page was slightly irregular, obviously penned with some effort, but all the same, she recognized Emilian's hand. Her gaze skipped to the bottom of the page, seeking his signature, and, finding it, jumped back to the top of the page to devour whatever words she might find, clinging to them as her hope.

Adara,

My dear Princess, there are no words to express how sorry I am that you were told I was gone. When the girl came, I didn't see her, but was in so much shock there was nothing I could do. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have sent word, but, I wasn't, and I can't begin to imagine the pain you must have felt.

But I'm here, waiting for you and praying you'll believe and come to me. If I were able I would come to you and show you that I'm still here, but this letter will have to do. I hope you can forgive me for what happened, I would give anything to turn back time and keep it from happening. You mean the world to me, and I would never wish you were hurt, please believe that.

Emilian

As Adara read, her delicate jaw set, and her lips pressed tight. Gone?! She had not been told he was gone, she had been told he was dead, and the euphemism did nothing to soften his words. And he had not been thinking clearly. Had the girl been wearing a bikini that he was struck so dumb? I can't begin to imagine the pain you must have felt. No, he could not. Her life had ended with his. Adara was furious.

Cheeks red with tightly leashed emotion, Adara folded the letters and set them aside, then folded her arms across her chest and glared fiercely past Michael's shoulder out over the lake.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

This didn't look very good, but at least she appeared to have come out of whatever near-trance she had been in before. Dare looked at Michael, unsure what to do next, then turned his gaze back to Adara. "Adara, are you okay?" he asked. He wondered what was in the letters.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"Adara, talk to me," Michael said, watching her, wondering what Emilian had written to make her so angry. "What's wrong?" He took the opportunity while Adara's eyes weren't on his to shift his gaze to look over at Dare, wondering. He had expected disbelief, sadness, happiness, joy, but not anger, though he supposed he should have. Michael had been furious with Emilian when he had found out.