The massive amount of emotion that flowed through Lewis as Simone learned of what was happening almost took his breath away. It was almost too much, crushing his own emotions into nothing. All he could feel was her, and it was so much that he was almost thankful when she cut the connection between them. He had not been ready, but when she left, he was a little more prepared for her sorrow.
It hit him like a tidal wave, crashing over him. The pain she felt was familiar, though, the same kind that she had felt so long ago watching as everything she loved was forcibly taken away. It was the same feeling. He knew it hurt, and just like her, he was felt the agony of loss. But now was not the time for her to be alone, and whether she wanted it or not, it wasn’t what she needed.
Lewis forced open a portal using his ring, and dashed through it, leaving Xeik. The Divine Mender knew that their resonance wouldn’t spark like this, not like last time. There were conditions that needed to be met, and sorrow was not one of them. This was something that they needed to discuss between them, and he knew it.
“You know where to find me,” Xeik said as the portal closed. He sighed, and looked down. “I just wish I had a better option for you…”
–
The halls of Auclair Castle were still in disrepair, with moss now growing on many of the pathways. Lewis knew the halls by heart at this point, having walked among them in Simone’s dreams as they slept. It had once been a grand palace, full of life, but now it was merely a shadow.
The assassin walked the halls, looking around. It had been some time since he had come here physically. In fact, it was when he had come to save Simone from the fae lord…a horrible time. It was here, though, that they first bonded together. They both succeeded together in killing the fae lord, and started the end of the Simone that Lewis had grown to know and love.
“We’ve come so far,” Lewis said aloud as he strolled down the halls. “Do you remember…when we first met?” That fateful night when he killed her for the first time. “You thanked me. Not the younger you, nor the guide. You…” The true Simone. “The tower…she hated the tower. All of you did…but we worked from there. Lady Angela helped us….”
“When I dove into your dreams, it was about pride. I hated myself for not being able to fulfill my role. But…something happened, right? The guide that you so expertly crafted fell in love with me. With the younger Simone and the guide in love, you realized that there was a chance…but it was something that you were terrified of. Both of us were…” The assassin chuckled. “We managed to pull through with that, didn’t we? Though Angela was pissed…”
“We’ve gotten a lot better at talking, haven’t we?” He didn’t expect a response. “We’ve got ourselves a nice little family too. And…I understand the pain, but…” He smiled, a tear sliding down his cheek. “Even now…we can still love our children. We can have more, just not…in the way we want to. That doesn’t mean we’ll love them any less, nor does it mean we won’t love our children now any less. If anything…’ He could feel himself starting to cry. How absurd.
“If anything, it means we should cherish and love our children with everything we have. We can’t take what we have for granted. Our life hasn’t been fair from the start…but here we are, still fighting…still loving, and growing, and doing everything we fucking can to survive.” He took a shaky breath.
“I love you…Simone. You and our children. I love you all with everything I have…” His words echoed in the halls of Auclair. “So…when you’re ready…let’s go home, and greet our children with the love and devotion they deserve. …for now, though….take the time you need.”
