Halfling (editing in process)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Javen, it has been over a month, you have to stop treating Aria so poorly. I have forgiven her, she was not in control of her actions. She is your sister for Goddess' sake." Maven pleaded for what felt like the hundredth time.

They were out gathering food from the forest above their hideaway. It was a dangerous for them to be out, but Lucien was looking for Aria and Payne, not the two elves that accompanied them. They needed food and after the incident with Aria a month ago, Javen hadn't let Maven out of his sight. He refused to talk to Aria, shot her dirty looks and would threaten her if she got too close to Maven. The pain in Aria's eyes cut Maven deep, the two hadn't spoken since they had tried to terminate Aria's pregnancy. There was a silver lining however, since Aria's vision she had decided to keep the child. Payne had been keeping a careful eye on Aria to make sure she didn't try and harm herself again. But Maven could see that Aria was getting better slowly, excluding the fact that her brother had threatened her life several times.

"I will not forgive her." Javen hissed, loosening his bow and hearing the death squeal of a rabbit. "She almost killed you, almost killed our child. She should have control by now Maven, every time she has an episode she hurts someone. She is a threat to herself and a threat to others. And unlike the other demon that currently lives with us, we don't take pleasure from being cut up and nearly strangled." He replied bitterly. "I will not have her around our child when she could hurt it at any moment. We may be resilient to some of those things, but if those vines or spells got hold of a newborn it would die. You shouldn't forgive her for what she did."

"Javen you don't understand, what I was about to do, she had every right to lash out at me, especially since it was your mother who put her into one of those visions."

"What were you doing? Were you about to slit her throat? Were you going to hurt her? Because unless you were about to kill her I don't see any reason why she would lash out like that. And don't you dare bring my mother into this, she would not be responsible for nearly killing you! So what were you doing, what was so bad that she lashed out at you?!"

"I was about to kill her baby!" Maven exclaimed, a little louder than she had meant, angered at how childish and foolish Javen was acting.

The shock in Javen's eyes was satisfying to her. He lowered his bow, taking a small step towards her, turmoil in his eyes.

"What did you say?" He questioned quietly.

"You heard what I said Javen. Aria was at her wits end, she tried to harm herself. I told her that I could help her by terminating the child she didn't want. She agreed. She was afraid for herself, for the baby. I should have stopped after Marcus appeared, I should have took it as a sign that it wasn't meant to be. But I tried it again anyway, with her consent, and your mother's bracelet sent out the pulse of energy that knocked me back, Aria's eyes bled to black, and then the shadows and vines appeared. I was going to harm her unborn child, I was going to harm her, and so don't you dare act all high and mighty when you don't know what happened! I have been keeping this from you because I know that you wouldn't see me as the same, I know what you would say, how the Goddess would never forgive me for killing an unborn child, but she needed it. She needed to make a decision for herself instead of having something else forced on her. And now she is getting better, she is going to keep that baby because of the vision she had, or she would be if you would quit threatening her every time she looks at me." Maven turned away from him and picked up the basket of vegetables, herbs, and berries she had been gathering. "You keep hunting. I will meet you back at the house. And if you don't come in with an apology for your sister I will make you sleep outside until you do. She knows I have forgiven her, and I can help her with the baby, help her in ways you can't. We can't be divided right now. There are hordes of demons destroying elven and human cities, brutalizing and killing, and then their leader is looking for Aria, looking to break her spirit and turn her into a glorified sex slave and baby maker. You don't know what she is going through, so you apologize or Goddess help me Javen, I will kick you out."