{BOOK 1/3 of The Triumvariate Trilogy}
Adaline was living a normal life moving from military camp to camp as she tried to help anyone in need. Everyone needed her medical advice for she was the best doctor in the country.
But when the Grisha of Rav...
He washed his face and brushed the water through his hair in the field outside. There was always a bowl of water kept there for travelers to freshen up. The journey had taken everything in him, but he had given his best friend his word, and he had kept to it.
"Is it true?" He turned his head to see Adaline walking down to meet him.
"It is." He replied.
"Am I really...."
He could see the hurt in his eyes. He could understand her confusion. "You're a survivor. You're strong."
"I don't feel strong." She gasped for air. "I can't be...."
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"You should go inside. It's been a long day. We can talk tomorrow."
"Maxwell?" The look on her eyes revealed what she was going to tell him. "It has been great knowing you." She put her hand forward. She couldn't meet his eyes because of the fear of being held back.
Maxwell understood and shook hands with her. "Can I hug you?"
She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. He was the closest person that came to being a brother to her apart from Simon. She was going to meet him soon but she was going to miss Maxwell like Hell. "Thank you for everything."
"Keep in touch."
Adaline met Irina in the dining room and told her to seek Maxwell out. "You both deserve to be with each other. It's pretty obvious. Don't wait." It was her way of saying goodbye.
She hugged Freya and thanked her for changing the way she felt. "Is everything okay?" She asked, concerned about her sudden change in behaviour.
"Everything's great." Adaline lied through her teeth.
She met Stefan halfway while making her way to her room. It looked like he had been searching for her. "Adaline." He pulled her near a window for them to talk freely. She decided to let him talk. It was the last time she could meet him and she was going to savour that moment.
"I couldn't stay in the castle. I went out for a walk....and to meet Maxwell."
He nodded. "I'm sorry, Adaline. I didn't mean it to be this way. I didn't know that you were Isabella but I had my suspicions. You reminded me so much of her that I couldn't resist asking for Maxwell's help. I needed to know what happened to her, but seeing you here right in front of me," He took a deep breath. "I don't know what to think except for the face that you own my heart."
Adaline took a deep breath. "When I first came to the castle, I had a feeling that I had been here before somehow. But I knew that I couldn't have, because it was my first time in Os Alta. Now I realise why it was so. I am Isabella." She said, understanding her episode by the lake. "I've finally found out who I am but is it worth it? My father is Igor Chernoff. Nobody can change that. I don't even remember what happened, Stefan. I don't remember you, our time together....or even my parents' faces."
