Everything had seemed to be going so well. As well as things could be expected to go, as far as a siege was concerned. Angela was maintaining defenses well, even though Dalanesca showed no signs of relenting in her onslaught. It was the coming and going from the Gardens that was most perilous, but Drae and Thyme had been working with Moliira to try and locate Dalanesca's mate Marth. It had seemed like the most logical thing to do since they were all but useless in this actual fight between deities. They had made many passages over the week since Drae had first met with Moliira about the feud, but as any smuggler (like Drae) could tell you, the more times you attempt a passage through the same route, the more likely you are to be caught or noticed. Drae had begun to feel that the visits were getting riskier and riskier.

He was proven right. When that fireball came hurtling at them as the exited the tunnels, there was little warning, and little time to prepare. Fortunately for the pair of them, however, Angela knew that they were on the premises, and Adraejen had seen the fireball coming. There hadn't been enough time for a verbal warning, let alone full powered shielding spell, but what Drae had managed to put up had been enough to protect them from the full brunt of the hellfire. The pair of them were blasted in two different directions, flames searing their skin and igniting their clothing. Drae felt his leg snap as he landed and he cried out in pain, before looking to see what had become of Thyme. 

He was smoking, much like Drae was, and seemed either dazed or unconscious, it was difficult to tell from the heat shimmer from the fire that blazed around them. With a grunt, Drae dragged himself over to his half-elf 'step-son' and grabbed him by the tunic. He ground out the trigger word for a quick gate spell to Angela's temple through gritted teeth, and they blinked away from the blaze and slid to a halt on the temple. 

"Angela!" Drae shouted through the hall, gritting his teeth in pain. 

After that, things moved incredibly fast. Drae and Thyme healed quickly thanks to Angela's healing aura within the shrine but the bone took a bit of time. It was enough to keep him from being able to get to Angela before she flew off to the great tree, it kept him from reminding her how much mana she had to control. It was fool-hearty thing, he knew it, and he was sure that the Voice knew it too. He felt the incredible outsurge of magic that she used, and for the first time in quite a while, the noise around the Gardens halted and became calm. 

And then she was home. He could sense her in the gardens, and he got up from his chair and hobbled out into the Garden.

"Ang!" he called as he ran towards her. He didn't like the look of her. Even before his eyes her skin seemed to becoming black. 

Angela was more frustrated that her family was hurt than the person who did it. She wasn’t upset with Dalanesca it was more that Dalanesca was focusing so much of her rage and she had people who didn’t listen. Those two factors caused a lot of problems. So she focused all of her energy and all of her power containing her used to be friend.

When she fell back into the Sundering Gardens she held her stomach as she vomited the diamond-like metal from her stomach. The metal was made from her energy. It was made using almost all of her life force. If Dalanesca broke out of it that would mean certain death. She took a heavy breath as Drae ran towards her.

With a wince, Angela lifted herself up and gave a smile before she once again vomited the metal. “I’m alive. Just barely but I am.” She said that first as she leaned herself once more. Her green eyes were slowly turning a pure red. She had used a lot more essence than she had intended but it must have been necessary. “At least it looks pretty.” She picked up the now solidified metal as she tossed it with her hand.

Ignoring her own pain she looked him over. “How is your leg Drae?”

"Ang, what the hell have you done?" Drae demanded as he rushed up to her as she vomited. The unusual metallic substance that clattered to the ground as she vomitted concerned him. Her green eyes had turned red now and she was quickly losing color. He slipped his arms around her and held her so that she could lean on him. 

"Damn my leg, Angela, your body is dying around you!" he snapped at her sharply. "Gods, what have you done to yourself?" he demanded angrily. He looked scared, which was an incredibly uncommon look from him. As a matter of fact, he looked terrified. He reached up and caressed her face. "Getting extra powers just to lock her up in a cage that might hold, Angela? Please tell me you have a back up plan because YOU KNOW she won't let it slide!"

“I might have threatened the World Tree into helping me by jacking it up against it’s own bark.” She was quick to answer as he came closer to her. She snuggled into him and while she could feel a bit of his warmth the black skin was actually colder. It made her shiver as she thought about his next words. She winced at him and gave a smile.

“It’s only a body.” She wasn’t really sure what to say to him. He was so upset with her but her eyes were gentle on him as if she could understand him. She understood why he was so mad at her. “This is a stalling. I can’t make it hold forever against someone who is still at full power Drae.” Her words were soft as she looked away from him. “You could say I knew the risks when I asked. If Moliira can come up with a way to make this all go away we won’t have to worry about her breaking out of it. If she can’t find one in time. Just make sure the kids get out of here. I don’t need them getting stuck in this space if it collapses.” Who was she kidding it was no longer an if but a when.

“The world is bigger than just us. The spheres shifted because it had to. Katja was a tragedy but it happened because of that. The world doesn’t wait for us to be fine or even prepared for what could come. It simply does what it has to. I understand Dalanesca. I also understand that she isn’t going to stop until I’m dead. So, I can buy time for Moliira to find a way to stop it and the hellfire can stop killing people in Revaliir. At the cost of myself I am fine with that.”

She knew he wouldn’t be pleased with her. “I’m really glad that I got married to a man like you Drae. I’m just sorry I had to drag you into a mess like this.”

"Why, my love? Why should you have to pay the penance for her grief? You would have helped her, would have fixed this if she would have let you," Drae growled. "I just found you, Angela… this isn't fair…" he  said softly, his voice beginning to crack as he lowered himself and her to the ground and he cradled her in his arms. "We've all suffered loss… lost children, lost lovers… Dalanesca shouldn't be allowed to throw a temper tantrum like this just because she couldn't control this Death… I know you say you understand, and I know her rage better than most… but… Ang… this is all my fault…" he said as tears began to stream down his face. 

"If I hadn't preoccupied you with Cyprus… then you would have known about the baby…" he said sadly. "You may be fine with this, my love, I am not. I am not fine with this…"

Angela stared into those stormy gray as she formed a small smile. “Because she is hurting like I have hurt. I know that if I could have killed the person I felt like was responsible for Lyre I would have. Unfortunately myself and the Voice are off limits.” She snuggled into him and found herself in tears. He was right this wasn’t fair but she had made a choice. “This is not your fault Drae.”

She reached up and gently pushed his hair back. “You are a wonderful husband and father. Cyprus was and is my creation right now. If not for me being hell bent on revenge I would have noticed and I would have seen the signs that have led up to our predicament.” 

She looked up to the sunny sky high above them and she felt so tired. “May we go to bed? I know that is requesting a lot… I just want to lay down with you for a time.” She wondered if she was really ready to let everything go. “In the end Drae, I am doing this for everyone. If I was a selfish woman I would continue to lay low and not care but I do care. I know that eventually my defenses would fail and she would kill me anyways. I just want everyone safe. I want Arri safe, I want you safe, I want Iva and Rohan… All of them. I would gladly give myself up if it meant that. I’m sure Moliira would help you and everyone else for a little bit.”

She could hardly even speak now as she cried. “But I just want to make sure you all live. I can’t have you getting hurt anymore. I can’t live with myself Drae. If you, my family, got hurt anymore it would rip me to pieces. I cannot and I will not stand for that.”

Drae nodded slowly at her request, and gently lifted her up in his arms and while limping slightly, made his way back into the shrine with her. He sniffed and fought tears as he carried her, listening to her words. He entered their chamber and carried her to the bed.

"If anyone knew you… Angela… no one could ever call you selfish… and if there was any doubt after today, I'll be sure to put them straight," he said, choking up. But I don't want to have to do this without you, Ang. Iva, Rohan… all the girls, Thyme… we all need you, Ang. I don't want to let you go yet…" he said softly as he laid her down and climbed next to her and cuddled her close. He sighed and buried his face into her hair, taking a deep breath of her sweet earthy scent. 

"Stay with me… please, Angela…"

Angela moved to wrap herself around him and she felt bad for his limp. Her magic sparked just a tad but it backfired as she tried to heal his leg. She didn’t have much to give any more as she frowned. This was what it had come down to. Her smile came back as she listened to his sadness. He listened to her plead with her and all she could do was smile through her tears. “So tie a rope around me and pull me back. I can’t make promises, and I’m not entirely sure what happens when the Voice doesn’t want a god to fall.”

She sniffled a bit and tried to clear up the tears just a tad. Finally, she laughed as they cuddled up against one another. “I just had the strangest thought.” Her eyes turned to him and she gently jabbed at his side with her index finger. “You’re stronger than me.” It was her attempting to lighten the mood. “Feels good in a way.” She felt terrible for saying such things but these were the small things she was liking at the moment. “I feel fragile for the first time in decades. As weird as it is to say that it feels nice, it does.”

She entangled her fingers with him and rolled on her side. “We still got time before Dalanesca can do whatever to break out. Don’t waste that time crying over fighting me on this. It will take her a while to figure out the puzzle I set up.” She grunted from the pain as she coughed up more of the metal. “The metal is made from me. I suppose more of me than from me. It took a lot to convince the Tree to let me do it. Well, not overly a lot but I did jack the Tree up to itself.” She mused. “I suppose it might have seen it coming.”

She pulled the blankets over them and she put her head into his chest now. She loved the warmth he was giving off. "I never noticed how nice you felt… heat wise."

The idea that for once he was stronger than her, that he was completely able to protect her on his own and not the other way around… it was empowering. He couldn't help but smile and chuckle softly through tears. 
"You're right," he chuckled softly as he cuddled her close. "While I don't like the circumstances… it is nice to be the one to protect you for once," he said with a wry smile as he kissed her lightly before he pulled back as she coughed up more of the strange blue stone. He sighed and took it from her fingers and clasped it in his palm. 

"If the Tree couldn't determine how events were going to play out, then how could it know to quickly make decisions that are best for the realm," he conceded. "And if I have to tied a rope to you… so be it. I'll find a way to make that rope… even if it means you lose your post as goddess and become mortal once again…" he said softly. "I'll find a way…"

In their mess of tears now they were laughing at the circumstance. Well, a part of it. She had always wanted to be weak enough for him to protect her and now they had that chance. Sure, it wasn’t great but in her heart, it made her warm. She kissed him back before the blue metal came up and she watched as he took it from her. It was as strange time to be laughing.

“I would give up immortality in a heartbeat if I could be with you until the end.” She reassured him. “You find that rope and I will go wherever it is that you want.” She took his hands and she kissed them gently. “Though I don’t think it will ever be that simple. The way I’ve come to understand the Voice is that it sees things far out that effect a massive amount of people. It moves the spheres and Dalanesca’s spheres might not have been needed anymore. It began to shift her and… I think that caused Katja’s death on accident. Dalanesca and I are only putting a small fraction of people in danger and to it… that doesn’t seem like much. It sounds rough but compared to the world weight of the world I’m sure it feels this was the better option.”

It was a crap answer and she knew it but she put her head into him anyway and lightly kissed his neck. “I’m sorry I can’t heal that leg of yours I really did try to earlier. Feels odd not to have magic to do things when I want it to.” She chuckled a bit more now.”