A Search for Balance

Chapter 3 - A Ghost from the Past

Lizzie froze. Her insides had turned to ice, quickly followed by a burning heat spreading through her and outwards to her skin. Her heart thumped heavily inside her chest at the sound of the voice she had half hoped - and half feared - she would never hear again. Slowly, as if she were moving through water, she turned around.

Leaning against one of the pillars supporting the arcade was Orion Amari. Lizzie had to swallow hard at the sight of the man she had once loved, before he had gone and shattered her heart into a million little pieces. He had discarded the jacket of his dress robes and his hands were buried in his pockets. He had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing bronzed underarms covered in black circles and patterns, but Lizzie was too stunned to notice.

She took in his face, the features of which she knew so well - the deep brown eyes, black stubble on his jaw, long, jet-black hair which never looked entirely orderly. She felt like crying, screaming and laughing all at the same time, both the wish to hug Orion and hit him equally as strong.

"You?"

Her voice was barely more than a whisper. Seeing how the colour had drained from Lizzie's face, Orion's shoulders tensed, but it was impossible that he'd feel even a fraction of what was storming in on Lizzie herself. He inclined his head, his hair falling into his face and obscuring parts of it from Lizzie's view.

"It's been a long time."

His words pushed away all Lizzie's emotions except one - a blinding, burning rage. It coursed through her body and made her tremble with the force of it, but when she spoke, her voice was icy.

"It has."

Orion stood straight, taking his hands from his pockets. A barely perceptible frown passed his face. "You seem surprised to see me."

Lizzie stared at him, struggling with her words. "Are you joking?" she hissed eventually. "Of course I am! What in the name of Godric, Merlin and Morgana are you doing here?"

Orion looked confused. "Didn't Skye tell you?"

"What on Earth should she have told me?" Lizzie stopped and closed her eyes, her thoughts racing around her head. "You know what? I don't care. I don't care why you're here, I don't care why you left, and I sure as hell don't care what makes you think it's alright to show up here after vanishing for years without so much as a word. All I want is for you to go and -"

"Finally, Lizzie, here you are! I've been looking for you all over."

Lizzie had been so focused on Orion that she hadn't noticed Matthew stepping into the courtyard. He looked between Orion and her, a frown appearing between his brows.

"Is everything alright?"

Forcing herself to smile, Lizzie put her hand on Matthew's arm so that her engagement ring was glittering in the light; the look on Orion's face gave her a feeling of grim satisfaction.

"Everything is perfectly alright, my love. Orion was just about to leave - weren't you?" she said pointedly, and Orion bowed his head.

"I was."

His eyes lingering on Lizzie for a moment longer, Orion turned away but found the door blocked by the coach of the Wigtown Wanderers, Ethan Parkin.

"Thought I'd find you lot out here," he said, turning to Lizzie with a broad grin. "What do you say, lass? How do you like my surprise? You'd better go and work on your recovery - competition's just got upped."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Matthew wanted to know, and Ethan put a hand on Orion's shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

"McRae, let me introduce you to our new player, Orion Amari. Orion, this is Matthew McRae, player agent and forever meddling in our business." Ethan laughed at his joke as Matthew and Orion shook hands, not taking their eyes off the other. "You and Lizzie know each other, of course."